Portcullis not Singing In the Rain!!

Match Eight of the 2014 season saw Portcullis meet up with a familiar set of faces as they took on Mannofield. The match once again was held at Duthie Park as the run of June home games were coming to an end. This would be followed by a run of away July matches. Thankfully someone else will be making up those buffets!!

Skipper Dave Mitchell continued his turgid run of losing the toss; winning only once this season and once again Portcullis were put into bat.

The batting line-up was shuffled around. Regular opener Ronnie Falconer being dropped down the order as Portcullis shuffled their pack with Jay Raj, top scorer in his last two innings for Portcullis and regular opener Ranjan Sahoo opening the batting for the home side.

Mannofield opened their bowling with two familiar faces, albeit for different reasons. Clark Cameron guested for Portcullis in a friendly at the beginning of the season, impressing with both bat and ball against Ellon, whilst Faheem Awan had crossed swords with both willow and leather many times in the past against the City Centre Green Caps.

The initial forays were just about even. Mannofield keeping things tight whilst Portcullis kept their defence solid. A sparkling six from the blade of Sahoo that passed the bandstand, raised Portcullis hopes that their talismanic opener would be back at his sparkling best.

Alas it was a false dawn as Awan struck first blood, bowling Sahoo for 10.

Portcullis 12-1.

Skipper Dave Mitchell was next man in. However his partnership with Raj did not last long as Raj soon joined his opening partner back at the bandstand, caught behind by Lovie from the probing bowling of Cameron. 12-1 became 12-2.

Things got a whole lot worse as skipper Mitchell was next man to go. Perhaps frustration got the better of him as a mistimed cover drive popped up and Alawatage was on hand to cover good ground to take an excellent catch.

12-0 had fast become 13-3. Sadly, for Portcullis this season, a familiar sight.

Sanjoy Deb joined his fellow new batsman Kannan Vijayakrishnan at the crease. The pair dug in and stopped the rot from further spreading. Vijayakrishnan, in particular, was looking in fine touch, batting as if Portcullis were 112-3 not 12-3.

If only they were!

Deb took encouragement from his partner’s confident stroke play. The pair looked solid and were laying the foundations for a solid 4th wicket partnership when disaster struck.

Deb called for a single that was difficult at best. Being blocked further hampered him, albeit unintentionally, and he was narrowly run out.

Portcullis 37-4.

It was the turn of Rob Owen to come to the crease. This partnership saw the start of an actual fight back by Portcullis.

Awan was first to be rested followed by Cameron. The pair to replace them, Manish Chablani and Charit Koppulu, had mixed fortunes.

Chablani kept his end tight giving nothing away whilst Koppulu, bowling off-spin, got punished from the Portcullis pair. Although Koppulu bowled with genuine turn, and was dangerous when he bowled accurately, the accuracy was not frequent enough. He was punished severely as both Vijayakrishnan and Owen feasted on the loose bowling.

As a result young Koppulu was taken from the attack after two expensive overs.

It would be hard be critical of this young player. He bowled with good technique and plenty of enthusiasm. Maturity will bring accuracy that, in turn, will bring a bucket of wickets for this youngster in later years.

He will come back to bite us in the sear (anagram)!!!

Callum Herd took over from the unfortunate Koppulu but, by then, the Portcullis momentum was in the ascendancy. He fared no better than young Koppulu before him and was withdrawn after one expensive over.

His revenge would come a lot sooner. In fact, sadly for Portcullis, a lot lot sooner!

In the meantime Portcullis had soon got 92-5 before Mannofield struck back.

It was the accurate Chablani who made the breakthrough bowling the vibrant Owen for a swashbuckling 29.

Alam came back into the attack bowling up the hill. The third ball of his second spell doing for Vijayakrishnan. It was a very clever slower ball that Vijayakrishnan failed to pick up, and he was subsequently bowled having gone through his shot too early. Vijayakrishnan had scored a valuable 32 runs, the highest score for his Portcullis side, giving them a sniff for victory.

Alam was not done there though and picked up the wicket of Collinson as well for good measure.

Portcullis struggled on after that and stuttered their way to 106 all out. The accurate Chablani taking the wicket of Bob Adie whilst a loose shot by Dave Forbes was snaffled at short mid-wicket from the bowling of Lewis Munro.

Tea was taken, as both teams were none too confident. Portcullis, not thinking they had set a high enough target whilst Mannofield were, rightfully, wary of the pitch.

Dave Mitchell and Rob Owen shared the new cherry whilst, for Mannofield, Pardeep Sudhaker and Connor Lovie would lead the reply for Mannofield.

Portcullis drew first blood. The ever-consistent Mitchell tricking Lovie to play a loose lacklustre shot back at him and he took a comfortable shot.

Mannofield 11-1.

The score moved onto 16 when Owen decided to get into the act. Mannofield’s other opener, Sudhaker misjudging a pull towards midwicket and Sanjoy Deb was on hand to take a solid catch.

Owen then went onto take the third wicket for Portcullis. Chandana Alawattage, wearing a rather dapper old style baggy (green - but not green) cap, caught by debutant Dean Leighton.

Mannofield 19-3 and the game really was wide open.

The pairing of Mitchell and Owen looked to be gelling well at this point. Both were taking wickets whilst keeping the run-rate low, building the pressure on the opposition.

The strain began to tell on Mannofield as the pair continued to apply the pressure.

Mitchell struck next, bowling the dogged Seedhouse with the score on 31. Owen took the next wicket in the next over, trapping Chablani lbw.

Mitchell then made it three wickets apiece for the pair, bowling Lumsden for 7. Mannofield 38-6 and in all kinds of trouble.

This brought the pairing of Faheem Alam and Callum Herd to the crease. Alam has always been known by the Portcullis posse as an aggressive stroke player. Today would be no different. Callum Herd decided to show he too could play with the same purpose, striking his first ball from Mitchell for a welcome four.

Then the rain came.

During this spell Mannofield jokingly requested that the game should be called off. Of course this was jokingly rebuffed and good banter was shared around.

Perhaps we should have taken up the offer!!

When the rain left both teams went back onto the field of play. The break in play bizarrely seemed to have galvanised Mannofield whilst Portcullis lost their early momentum.

A parallel to this would be like a boxer trapped on the ropes dazed, confused and only one punch from being surely knocked out when the bell goes for the end of that round. When the bell rings for the start of the next round, the same, previously dazed boxer, gains strength from his fortunate break and uses said strength to fight back against his opponent who now becomes the bewildered one.

The pairing of Faheem Alam and Callum Herd did just that.

The pair put on a swashbuckling rearguard action. The pair decided that, rather than dig in, build a solid defence and eke out a victory, they would give it gung-ho and go all-out with all guns blazing!!

That they did!

The pair took the attack and not only saw off Mitchell and Owen; they also decided to punish Sanjoy Deb and Kannan Vijayakrishnan as well.

Dear reader, if you think this was a flukey fight back you would be wrong. There were airborne shots,I grant you, but none went near a fielder so no chances were offered to have been missed.

In fact Portcullis got the break. Faheem Alam being very unfortunate to get out, albeit plum lbw, to a low drubber from the bowling of Vijayakrishnan.

Sanjoy Deb got in the act too, bowling Clark Cameron for Portcullis’s eighth wicket and a sniff of glory.

It was not to be.

The revitalised Callum Herd finished the innings off with a superb six followed by a leg bye, which took Mannofield past, the winning line. If there was one irregularity it was this. Mannofield deserved to get the winning runs from the willow, not the pad.

Not that Mannofield cared!!

They had grabbed a unlikely victory from nowhere. It was well deserved however and Portcullis could not begrudge their opponents their spectacular victory.

Over the years we have had some good contests with Mannofield. They were deserving of this victory.

For Portcullis it is, as Sir Alex Ferguson is known to have said “Squeaky bum time”.

We are squeaking!!

PORTCULLIS MAN OF THE MATCH.

ROB OWEN narrowly pips Kannan Vijayakrishnan and Dave Mitchell. A score of 29 followed with 3-32. Congratulations to the latest member of the Portcullis Ginger Quadruplets!!

PORTCULLIS MOAN OF THE MATCH.

Self-belief is a big thing. We have lost it and we need to find it. Fast!

PORTCULLIS MOMENT OF THE MATCH.

Mitch taking that sixth wicket .We couldn’t lose it from here… could we?

MANNOFIELD MAN OF THE MATCH

Callum, I really want to give it to you, coming into bat at 38-6, finishing 33 not out with a splendid knock but FAHEEM ALAM with a score of 30 and bowling figures of 4-33 from 10 overs shades it. Congratulations Faheem!!

As I mentioned some weeks before with regards to Huntly, it is encouraging to see some talented youngsters coming through and Mannofield, like Huntly before them, should be applauded for encouraging youngsters to participate.

Next up for Portcullis an away trip to AGSFP 2nds!!

Saturday, 05 July, 2014