welcome to the octopus cc website
Octopus Cricket club has a proud history stretching back to 1947. The recent past has seen our tentacles spread from the heartlands of Enfield to the salubrious environs of the St Aloysius sports ground, where our vibrant (hungover), multinational collective, spend summer Sundays laughing at each other, lavishing extras onto the opposition total, avoiding tea duty and battling to avoid the dreaded duck trophy.
Although a competitive bunch in our own way, the end of season highlights seldom feature totting up the ton count and 5 wicket hauls (although it does happen); memorable teas, comedy run outs, wickets falling at the hands of fledgling/fogey/female opposition, or the skipper being groped on the metropolitan line by an old lady, tend to stick in the collective conscience longer. See our back catalogue of alternative match reports for context.
Lacking the commitment, ability and wherewithal to join a “proper” team, the hardy sea dwellers are always looking to ensnare new players. A sense of humour and standing your round is seen as a greater virtue than a high elbowed cover drive, although the holy trinity is always sought. Contact Stu Ogilvie
Octopus Cricket club has a proud history stretching back to 1947. The recent past has seen our tentacles spread from the heartlands of Enfield to the salubrious environs of the St Aloysius sports ground, where our vibrant (hungover), multinational collective, spend summer Sundays laughing at each other, lavishing extras onto the opposition total, avoiding tea duty and battling to avoid the dreaded duck trophy.
Although a competitive bunch in our own way, the end of season highlights seldom feature totting up the ton count and 5 wicket hauls (although it does happen); memorable teas, comedy run outs, wickets falling at the hands of fledgling/fogey/female opposition, or the skipper being groped on the metropolitan line by an old lady, tend to stick in the collective conscience longer. See our back catalogue of alternative match reports for context.
Lacking the commitment, ability and wherewithal to join a “proper” team, the hardy sea dwellers are always looking to ensnare new players. A sense of humour and standing your round is seen as a greater virtue than a high elbowed cover drive, although the holy trinity is always sought. Contact Stu Ogilvie
Tweets by @OctopusCC
Great to get a full game in given the dodgy weather.
We removed their best couple of batsmen early which was crucial.
Octopus dominated with some excellent bowling and brilliant fielding.
Tea was delayed as we batted in the worst of the drizzle - Ed and Gokul's contributions saw us home quickly by 5 wickets.
Two great knocks by Gokul (61) and Manish (62) on debut, pushed the runs up to respectable a 205.
Leaving OCC 47 short at the end of the end of the innings.
An epic win! A season highlight even before May.
At drinks on 18 we needed 139 from 102 balls.
With 10 to go we needed 86 from 60.
With 5 to go we needed 45 from 30.
36 from 24
26 from 18
19 from 12
10 from 6
2 from 2
A proper run chase, beautifully observed.
Lost valiantly. 117 all out never enough. Good batting from Gokul Felix and Knowlsie. Good opening bowling from Knowlsie and 3 late wickets on debut from Alex Try.
Very enjoyable though, inc 3hrs drinking afterwards
It was with much sadness that we learned that P.A. “Jack” Younie passed away on 8th March 2013 after a splendid “innings” of 92. We hear that his love of cricket lasted a lifetime, and has been passed on through the family. He recently reminisced with them of his cricketing life, including Octopus Cricket Club.
He was at the heart of the formation of the club and played regularly until the late 1960's, contributing with both bat and ball. All of us playing for the club now owe a massive debt of gratitude. A few of us were fortunate enough to meet him at the club's 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, where he was guest of honour and the main speaker and we remember him speaking about how the formation of Octopus and the fact that in many respects it was an opportunity for many people to make new friends after losing so many od chums during WWII.
The Jack Younie Trophy is awarded annually to the "Clubman of the Year" for exceptional service or dedication to the club it is the most respected and valued of all the trophies that the club presents since first being donated to the club by Jack in 1972 .
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends, and we plan to observe a minute's silence in his honour before our first home game this season, which is planned to be on Sunday 5th May against Holtwhites Trinibis.
A great knock of 73 from Ed gave us marvellous momentum after Jo had been unlucky to fall early. This was followed by a frankly ridiculous, but wonderful, 103 not out from 50 balls from the returning Harsh "I need to watch the ball for a few overs to play myself in" Joshi. Absolutely murderous boundary hitting, with 20 such missiles exoceting to the ropes. A gritty 43 from Pete anchored the innings, bringing much delight from the rest of the team. A 28no cameo for Stu, left us topping 300 for only the second time in 7 years.
Nothing could go wrong...
And didn't as we bowled and fielded with great gusto. An early breakthrough brought their best two batsmen together at the crease and they batted authoritatively, but failing to get the run rate to the required 7.6 an over. After putting on 154 for the second wicket, Ed Webber got the breakthrough. The wicket began to flow, with Ed Curtis finishing with a cracking 4-for and TWICE being on a hat-trick. They saw out their overs but finished 88 runs short on 213-7.
Crouch End CC as ever proved great host.
Bowling first on a slow, low pitch, Chalfont were all out inside 33 overs.
With an unfamiliar batting line up, 159 looked to be on the high end of possible, and as the top older folded to 34-5 it looked on the nigh end of impossible. Rocky, however, was back to his best, bringing up his 50 from just 44 balls and reaching 65 before finding mid off. Following his departure debutant Benjy took over, supported by Hindle, Satterley (briefly!) and the borrowed Symonds. Good accumulation and occasional boundaries kept the run chase on course, until a tight over forced a big shot from Benjy. The Chalfont captain taking the catch to leave OCC an agonizing 12 runs short.
A competitive game on a pleasant day, with Chalfont excellent hosts once again.
An epic win in the Penn Street Drizzle.
Octopus slip to a 63 run defeat to Rockhampton,
never really recovering from losing both Jo and Ed in the first over.
An excellent day's refreshment at Twenty20 finals day may have
contributed to our 'form'. Congratulation to Matt for chalking up a
half century of wickets for the club.
Special mentions to the HOBs ringers, Will, Jim and John for completing the 11 and more notably contributing most of the runs. Plus Jo for the organisation behind a great weekend in the South West.
OCC went down to very hot, tiring but valiant
defeat on Sunday by 61 runs. Graces 7th wicket partnership of 99
made all the difference after we had got ourselves into a decent
position.
Chasing 275 to win, Hodge's fine 55 was the highlight. Supported by a career best 31 from Felix and some lusty hitting from Gokul and Stu.
A good Octopus performance in the field
thwarted, as the Ploughman middle order and tail dig in to sow the
seeds for victory. The Octopus batsmen wilting in the heat before our
No.10* is clean bowled with 5.3 overs remaining. Highlights being a
fine catch at point by Jo and Knowles bowling.
* prefers to be know as No1.
Another great day for sport saw us sprint to a victory over the artist formerly know as west XI.
Winning the toss we bowled. Some fishing from their opener in over No2 saw Ben snaffle a catch behind from Dempsey. Over 3 saw the other openers off stump satisfyingly bent back. From there all catches were held, as Gokul and Jo got in the wickets.
97 was never enough and some aggressive batting took Jo to 50 and Ed to 30 odd before Jo retired allowing Miles to hit the winning runs.
It's the taking part that counts but it's great to win.
report
Justin Henin, Peter Paul Rubens, Audrey
Hepburn, Plastic Bertrand, René Magritte, Eden Hazard, Jean-Claude van
Damme, Hercule Poirot, Lady Hindle, Eddy Merckx, can you hear me? Eddy
Merckx… your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a
beating!
Swapping blade of steel for one of willow.
Captain Stu in the role of Alexander. Smites balls into the covers to
slice through the Gordian knot of impending defeat that ensnares the
Octopus.
The men from west country receive a full 3G
reception from Gopi, Gott and Gokul. Who chase down the total with 4
balls to spare. The HOBs challenge trophy retained the 4th year in a
row.
The clouds part to deliver a pleasent evening.
The OCC bowlers fail to deliver many bright spells however, as the
batmen are left chasing 9 runs per over. Wickets fall as regularly as
Spring 2012 rain, Octopus finishing 30 runs short. Sunny intervals
provided by Ed - classy half century and Hindle - 4o 21r 3w.
The ball returns from near earth orbit and
docks in the tennis court fence. A 17 year old Yoda retires 103 not
out. Darth Pandya hits 48 off 46 balls before the young Padawan bowl
Octopus out for 189.
Back down to earth with a bump! The temperature
and Octopus batmen struggle get into double figures. A middle order
hatrick destroying what little hope Octopus have, as Bohemians cruise
to a comfortable win.
Off to a flyer - felix nails the winning runs, 9 down with 3 balls to spare! A Great game.
2011 results | P21 | W5 | L15 | NR1 |
Octopus were at 80 odd for 8 and looking dead and buried before Gokul
made 109 batting at 7. Felix, Ash, Hindle & Ingram holding an end
up, made sure we finished up with a competitive 170 as the rain fell.
Outstanding fielding and bowling then won us the game. Ash with 3 Catches thanks to some Felix-initiated fielding drills.
Great debut from Suri with the ball and excellent spell from Hindle.
Thanks again to Hoopers for another entertaining match and the beers!
A Glorious day but not a glorious performance sadly as we fell to an 8
wicket defeat. A good start and a good finish saw us make a competitive
206 in our 40 overs, with an authoritative 65 from opener Jo and a well
judged, unbeaten 53 from Aagman the highlights.
In response, our fielding was below our usual standard and faded
further as their onslaught picked up pace. In mitigation their chunky
opening batsmen was intent on marmalising the ball at every opportunity
and rarely has the ball been struck with such ferocity so regularly at
St Aloysuis. Even when he timed it, rather than smashed it, the ball
still fled to the ropes at some speed off the middle of the bat. That
said, he was dropped properly 3 times on the way to his century with
two other chances going begging, so who knows what might have been had
we removed him at the right time. A lovely run-out early on and a
wicket for SI were our only highlights to trouble the scorers and West
Midd sailed home with 11 overs to spare.
A great team effort by the Octopus but
ultimately in vain in a highly competitive match that we just couldn't
quite get on top in.
A superb 2nd wicket partnership by Gopi and Alex of 120 or so, Gopi with 73 and Alex 60 not out, with a late flurry by Knowlsie and Jo saw us to a more than respectable total of 195 off 35 overs.
With a slightly threadbare bowling attack, the Octopi showed exceptional commitment in the field to keep the pressure on throughout the Hackney Marsh innings, especially with a parsimonious performance by Kym who was extremely unlucky not to take any wickets with some superb seam bowling.
However despite never getting completely on top, their key batsman Nilil, despite giving a few chances, managed to score 68 before a Kodak moment for the ages saw him try a reverse sweep off Si Ingram which was gleefully pouched by Gopi at square leg. 20 was needed off 5 overs at this stage, but with 7 wickets left was eventually reached with 10 balls to spare. On paper looks a comfortable victory, but the Octopus, with 3 debutants (a possible record) were a credit to the black and green cap
Batting first the Swordsmens big hitters made
206-4 off their 30 overs. In reply we started well but couldn't keep up
with the run rate and were eventually bowled out for 179 with 2 balls
left. Knowlsie top scored with 40. Kodak moment was Andy James cutting
Sam behind square for 4! Beers and bbq were the best part of the day!
Close game, but a win for the Octopus as we
closed out a victory by 11 runs. A steady start saw off their main
bowling threat before explosive innings from Knowlsie and Jo saw us
push on and with wickets in hand to reach 172-4 - Knowlsie eventually
finishing on 78 not out off 45 balls with 6 sixes!
We got a wicket in the first over to put us on top but the game was always alive when their two dangerman started swinging at nos 3 and 5. Fortunately they both perished in their 30s rather than going on to win the match and with 5 overs to go we were clear favourites. However good bowling and fielding in the fading light saw us home.
A fantastic team performance with everyone
contributing with either bat, ball or peerless fielding saw the trophy
retained for another year.
A blistering hot day in North West London was
the scene as Octopus took on our landlords Hornsey at their HQ. Losing
the toss Octopus were unsurprisingly asked to field in the sweltering
conditions and the Hornsey openers quickly established a strong
run-rate. Some wayward bowling and loose fielding saw Hornsey rattle up
80 runs off the first 13 overs and things were looking bleak for
Octopus with the prospect of another 27 overs of chasing leather in the
hot sun. However in cricket one wicket can often be the key to turning
an innings and this was the case for Octopus - the introduction of
Gokul and Will and with them a more consistent off stump line bought
rewards in the form of one and then two quick wickets and the openers
removed. Suddenly we were back in the game and four catches behind the
wicket coupled with some bowleds and a run-out remarkably saw Octopus
come back to bowl Hornsey out for just over 150.
At tea time the Octopi were quietly confident of knocking off the target on a good pitch but sadly it was not to be. Hornsey's youthful attack proved both deadly and accurate and wickets tumbled all too quickly - only some lusty lower order hitting from Sam, Gokul, Jo and Sasa gave the scorecard any measure of respectability as we were dismissed for under 100. Again a good bowling performance - with good first wickets for the club for Gokul - but not enough discipline, luck or patience with the bat.
Roll on The Tour!!!
Another close(ish) loss. We had first use of a
damp pitch batting and got through to a decent 154 mainly powered by
Knowlsie's boundary laden 65.
We bowled very well but dropped a couple of what proved vital catches and of course they had a slogger who came off (don't they always!!)
Good effort unrewarded!!
Rain finally stopped play in the 19th over of the 2nd innings, with Belgium 99 for 2 chasing 208 to win.
The first win of the season. We bowled Holtwhites out for 153. 4 wickets for Graham. 2 for Stu and Matt. 1 each for Gopi and Jo
Jo was bowled by a beaut second ball with Andy going shortly after. Gopi though had his eye in. Alex stayed in for a brief cameo until he played on leaving us 54-3. Gopi and Stu got a partnership going putting on around. When Stu holed out for 35 the remaining 25 runs were secured with Felix and Matt offering Gopi support before Sam hit the winning runs with plenty of overs remaining.
A quacking start to the season for Octopus as Sunday's 2011 opener went
anything but to plan. A late start, a lost toss and a long hot
session in the field were followed by a dismal batting performance in
difficult conditions as we posted the club's lowest score for several
years. A spongy wicket and a miserly opening spell by Hindle saw
Rickmansworth start slowly before a big-hitting second-wicket
partnership of 102 took root and seemed to set them up nicely for a big
total. Some quick glovework from Joe, however, at 115-1 sparked
an excellent Octopus comeback and a probing 20 overs in tandem from
spin twins Webber (3-33) and Marsh (2-47) saw regular wickets fall and
restrict Ricky to 187 all out with 2 balls of their 45 overs to
spare.
Starting in the low evening sunshine our reply could not have gone worse. Miles lbw to a grubber in the third over was followed by a sun-struck single attempt from Ed and a "good nut" second ball for Knowlsie to leave the scorecard reading quack quack quack at 4 for 3 - a total that would soon become 9 for 4 when a stunning piece of fielding dismissed Joe for 1. Gopi led a lone counterattack with 4 fours and 2 sixes, but when he was 6th out for 41 no further runs were scored off the bat and the team quickly fell on their sword for 72. One match to forget and another 23 to get it right.
A so a very good season for the club ended in a
close but ultimately disappointing defeat, as the pressure built and
overs began to run out.
Bowling first excellent spells from Hindle and Gopi were the highlights. In reply we were 15 runs short despite a good and gritty knock from Miles and another excellent 50 from Harsh, which took him to a sensational 753 runs for the season.
See you all at the AGM on 15th October.
A Superb day and top notch barbecue tea by Dempsey!
One more victory to maintain the unbeaten record - well played all.
Rained off after 8 overs. Jo and Harsh going
nicely on about 40 after Pete got a jaffer first ball. The
drizzle came and off they went. Then the heavens opened and the
beers started.
An excellent hard fought win with a captain's
innings of 54 from Alex the highlight of our 143 before some great
fielding and bowling saw them all out 24 runs short.
Comfortable 7 wicket win over West XI at Winchmore Hill as Octopus
continued their good recent form - it was our 8th victory in our last
10 matches.
West XI won the toss and batted first on an excellent covered pitch and started well, punishing the bad balls with a boundary. Despite losing their opening (and one of their best) batsman for 7 after a magnificent piece of fielding from Harsh - running him out as he returned for a second with a laser-guided direct hit from third man - West were on 51-2 after 10 overs and a confident looking 104-2 after 20, the other opener having succumbed to a splice into the covers with the score on 49. Our thinking at drinks was that we would take 220/230, given the quality of the pitch.
Then it began to unravel for West. First, their number 3 nicked Gopi's second ball after drinks through to the keeper to give us a crucial break through. Then a few overs later, with the score on 128, their remaining quality batsmen thrashed a long hop from Graham through extra cover where debutant Zack flung himself back and to his left at full stretch to grasp the ball mid air and complete a sensational diving catch. All of us gasped in unison and ran over to congratulate him as the batsman shook his head and returned disconsolately to the pavilion. That catch, following on from the earlier run out, knocked the wind from their batting sails. Some fine bowling and fielding followed - not least from Zack, whose offspin finished with 3 wickets for 8 runs - to wrap up the innings on 179 in the final over.
Miles and Pete opened our response and saw off the accurate opening pair: Miles with customary aplomb; Pete with a little more fortune - as a couple of fours through the slips followed being bowled comprehensively by a no-ball on 7. Miles began to play fluently as the pair upped the ante and kept the run rate ticking over before Lamplough leading-edged the first of a phalanx of slow bowlers to extra cover for 45 with the score on 77. Pete now had his eye in and with Harsh at the other end the runs began to flow. The hoik/slap/swat/heave through mid-wicket was particularly profitable for Hayward, who soon brought up his 50, as hard running from both batsman put the pressure on and induced several mistakes in the field. The game all but won, both batsmen fell before the end having put on 85 for the 2nd wicket, with Pete falling lbw to a pie for 74. In came Gopi to smash the winning runs with Joe by his side and leave us all enough time for a post-match beer.
H.O.B's were put to the sword in our 2nd Twenty20 of the week. After being
put into bat we racked up 177. Gill top scoring with 61no, Alex 40 and
Gopi 47 doing the damage. H.O.B's in reply came up 36 short. However it
was the rather splendid tea that will live longest in the memory. Top
Scones!
A
narrow and exciting win yesterday by 4 runs in the club's first ever
Twenty20. Harsh got us off to a great start and all who batted scored
at a strike rate of 100 or more as we notched up a very competitive
170, having had by far the best of the light as clouds drew in. 15 off
the last over was the highlight as first Joe then JB punished their
returning opening bowler.
Butler and Ogilvie then opened the bowling with aplomb and at 33-3 in the 7th over we looked to have the game all but wrapped up. However a partnership of 86 for the 4th wicket full of 1s, 2s and 3s gave Beamers a sniff and, from needing 98 off the last 10, a couple of poor overs late on saw them within reach and needing to match our 15 off the final over to win. Visibility was now exceedingly dim and we were required to roll the ball in gently to avoid adding to an already careless over-throw tally, however Gopi kept his nerve with the ball and with 6 needed off the last ball they could only scamper a single to confirm our victory. An excellent Twenty20 debut for Octopus'.
Thanks to a very short boundary on one side and in perticular one
outstanding individual performance, Octopus clocked up what we believe
to be two new records yesterday, highest team score and highest
individual score.
Having won the toss and playing a man short, Harsh elected to bat and nominated debutant Joe Reid (brother of Sam) to open the batting. 39.3 overs later we were all out, the scoreboard reading an impressive 373. This was largely due to a career best 209 from Joe. Harsh continued his great run of form with 72, and Miles notching 35 at about a run a ball.
Tight opening bowling from Graham and guest from Strollers, Spencer, saw N.Enfield off to a slow start and dispite batting out their 40 overs they finish 159 short.
A great victory. Octopus were set 194 to win and knocked off the total
with 11 overs to spare. Harsh (95) and Gopi (38*) both in thunderous
form. A good display in the field as well with 6 catches.
A great rear guard effort by George and Stew to almost salvage victory
for the Octopus following a dismal batting performance from the top and
middle order. We bowled and fielded really well to restrict Crouch End
CC to 142.
A very close 9 run loss and a great finish though with the final wicket
falling with 15 balls remaining.
Octopus made it two wins in a row on Sunday. Hendon won the toss and
decided to have a bat. The Octopus opening pair of Will and Sam took
advantage of the bouncy wicket and soon had the home side reduced to
9/3. Mike Nicholas in his second match for the tentacled ones bowled
well and should have had an early reward.
Hendon middle order men Mitcheson and Hague added 83 valuable runs for
the 4th wicket - helped by the usual Octopus generosity in the extras
column (43!) The partnership was finally broken with the score on 92
when Gopi snared Mitcheson caught in the outfield by Winter and the
same combo accounted for Hauge a few overs later. The end was fairly
swift with Nicholas, Hodge and Reid's accurate bowling. Nicholas
grabbed a deserved wicket and Hodge finished with outstanding figures
of 4-15 of 6.5 overs. A fine performance in the field from Octopus was
capped off with Bett's diving catch to finish the innings on 154.
The opening pair of Will and Gopi moved swiftly to 26 in reply, before Hodge departed for 24. Hendon opening bowler Lee found his line and proved metronomic with a spell of 7 overs, 5 maiden 1 for 7! He was well supported by the pacy Mitcheson who removed Octopus number three Hayward for 2. 35/2 and a famous Octopus collapso was looming. However, on the this day it was not to be! Charlie Rix and Gopi watchfully saw off Hendon's openers and then set about the chase with some poise. After a scratchy beginning Charlie suddenly found his form with a series of brutal cover drives while Gopi dropped anchor with the aim of batting the innings and a partnership of 97 resulted! When Charlie departed for a well earned 56 only 35 were needed. Cameos from Hindle (10) and Sam (4no) combined with Gopi's watchfulness (46no) saw Octopus comfortably home with 3 overs to spare. A good day in the sun and another mark in the win column - well played fellas!
A fantastic match with our perennial friendly rivals Hoopers. Scoring
206 runs each from 40 overs the match was tied and the trophy
shared. Few thought that this years game would match the drama of
last season's epic - that saw a boundary catch in the last over secure
a 7 run victory for Octopus - but we were all wrong: it surpassed it.
Octopus batted extremely well after losing the toss. A magnificent unbeaten Joshi/Winter partnership of 140 providing the meat of the total of 206-3.
Batting second in pursuit of 207 for victory Hoopers had started briskly, but slowed to lose their top 3 before the score had reached 50 and at drinks had only 65 on the board. Hodge had claimed two of those wickets with a fine spell of seam and swing bowling.
Straight after drinks Hoopers took control as Willis at 4 and in particular Couldrey at 5 began dispatching the ball mightily and frequently to the boundary. With their partnership on 117, Willis fell to a classic case of S*** Ball Took Wicket as Hayward's full toss found a way through. New comer Avery went second ball but with Couldrey still at the crease a target of 22 runs from the final 30 balls appeared a racing certainty, as a nervous watching pack willed Hoopers on from the sideline. For once Couldrey's immaculate timing deserted him and a lofted drive went high to mid off where Webber held on comfortably. With two new batsman at the crease the target dropped to 18 from 18, then 13 from 12 and then 10 from 6 for victory as Winter lined up the final over.
An inside edge off the first ball for 2 built momentum and bat hit ball thereafter as Octopus marshalled their field. Another two to deep midwicket and three scampered singles made it 7 from the over with a ball to go. Three to win, two to tie. Winter bowled it nicely on a full length but MaCardie kept his nerve and a solid strike to long off and a sprinted double that tied the game.
Honours even then. Cricket the winner.
A battling display from a determined Octopus side ultimately came up 45
runs short on a humid day at HQ. Winter captaining the side for the
first time won the toss and as planned inserted the oppo on the
'variable' St Aloysius pitch. The plan had been hatched with the
prospect of having the twin fast bowling talents of Dempsey and Reid to
rough up the oppo and keep the runs down but when a hangover got the
best of Dempsey and he didn't show it didn't look so sound.
However, Octopus pulled together and fielded with energy and enthusiasm to support all five bowlers including part-timers Pete, Ingram and Gopi who all bowled their full compliment in addition to Sam and Graham as the more regular Octopus attack. Great boundary fielding from Charlie, Pete Hilton (who held a good catch) and Rob Hayward (upgraded from spectator to the playing XI) turned several potential boundaries into singles and Andy marshalled the infield well to 'restrict' Highgate to 216 off 35.
217 was always going to be a big ask for an Octopus side sporting an unusually long tail. Pete gave us a wonderful platform by carrying his bat for 75no with a combination of circumspect defence and aggressive stroke play but the rest of the team were unfortunately not quite able to match his efforts. Rix got a start for 18 and Winter contributed a hard hit 30 before holing out. The middle and lower order came and went before a late form, logic and expectation defying and boundary laden 23 of 14 balls from Hilton gave the scorecard some respectability. Stew Satterly bravely batted despite needing a runner to allow Pete to add a few more runs for the 10th wicket but we came up 45 short in the end.
Sun, sea, sand, sun burn, boat, beer, BBQ, banging head, La pomada, larger, Latitude and a large loss!
A BIG thanks to all at the M.C.C.
A Superb weekend, massive thanks to Pete for pulling it all together. Special thanks Will & Sam for the local knowledge and especially their parents for the BBQ, boat, beers and hospitality.
Having lost the toss and being asked to bowl,
Octopus produced a great display in the field. Tight bowling from Will,
Sam, Graham, Ed, Matt, Si and guest from the oppo Sri, restricted
Calthorpe to 177 from their 40 overs. Graham produced the 1st kodak
moment with his direct hit run-out with just one stump to aim at and
produced a fine 8 over spell that truly deserved several wickets but
got none. Charlie made some excellent saves and returns to a terminally
hung-over George behind the stumps.
Will and Pete then produced a solid opening partnership, Pete going on to make fifty and onwards to a belligerent 76. With only 2 wickets down and Pete and Ed scoring freely, the game looked to be ours. Sadly it was not to be. Pete and Ed fell in successive overs and an Octopuso collapso followed (popular term from the old days). Andy dollied a waste high full toss back to their young spinner, Sri, Sam and Matt fell in quick succession and the duck trophy winners Si and Graham were left looking for an improbable 21 off the last 3 overs for the final wicket. It was not to be, Si out caught looping the ball high to cover.
A disappointing defeat, but a very good performance in the field and good batting from Pete, Ed and Will.
Calthorpe as ever proved excellent hosts and sporting opposition. Onwards and upwards, Viva Menorca !
A damp squib as we toiled in the rain. Bohemians made 211-7 on a tight
pitch with extras making up a fifth of their total! Then rain fell and
became too much to bear in the end. Debuts for Ed, George and Charlie
(albeit for the oppo).
Still, the afternoon took a turn for the better with us retreating to the pub to watch England spank the Aussies and lift the Twenty20 World Cup.
We won by 91 runs. Bowling out the oppo for
103. Alex smashed a careeer high 68 (pictured), Miles a 1hr 38, 45 and
Kye piled in with 4 wickets. Some tight bowling, patient batting (We
were 60-3 at 20 overs) and some class catches won the day. And
knowlsie's peerless carrying of drinks.
A 6 wickets defeat to a talented Enfield team.
With two batsmen short (Will and Miles being two large batting gaps for
us) we ground our way to 98 all out in the 27 over. Promising
partnerships we're formed between Alex and Gopi, and then Harsh and
Stu. But these we're cut short as wickets feel reguarly. A 50 from
someone and it could have been a different outcome.
Ingram and Hilton have raced into the duck trophy lead with some gold plated run-free batting with Andy at least lasting 4 balls for his round number.
Dempsey the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets, the first an instinctive catch at midwicket by Peter Hilton, the second a juggled caught behind by Alex and the third a skied top edge claimed by the bowler himself. 11th hour 11th man Mike claimed the 4th, with some classic seam movement beheading the batters off stump.
The fielding was better than it should have been for April, so a fair few positives from the foreshortened 2010 curtain raiser.
A Grey day in September, in more ways than one. Roll on next season.
A bit of a spanking! Having been put in by the
hungover opposition the tone was set early on as Miles was run out in
the first over. The two very handy Penn Street openers ran through the
top order and bowling straight through, the openers took the scalps of
Miles, Harsh, Pete and Knowles. The first change pair were if anything
better! Stu and Andy didn’t last long and Graham was in long enough to
realise on the short walk back to the pub/pavilion that he was now # 1
in line for the duck trophy. Bay and Si then put on an excellent show
and a face saving 71. 3 generations of Ingrams looked on, no doubt
assuming it was like this every week! Bay eventually fell for 42 and a
quick cameo from Kye saw us post 143. Penn St. got off to a flyer and a
stunning catch at backward point by Miles from Sam’s rough stuff was
the only early highlight. A great run out, snaring the return from his
own bowling by Kye and the de rigueur Ingram dismissal were the only
other wickets to fall as Penn knocked off the runs for the loss of only
3 wickets.
A narrow defeat against a bunch of technically
gifted Chalfont youngsters, who rallied at 100-5 to make 192-6 and win
with 5 balls to spare. A short and young Beevor hooking the ball so
cleanly and powerfully worth a special mention. Pete H carried his bat
to score a magnificent P.B. of 78 not out in our 191-7. Supported by
contributions from Miles and Jules and a fantastic 15 ball 33 from Sam,
who has now scored 78 runs for once out this season. Bowling highlight
went to Graham with a magnificent googly to which their bewildered no.
4 shouldered arms and was bowled, in clear expectation of another
rasping leg break!! Brilliant stuff.
Victory was enjoyed versus Maccabi Association
London. Losing the toss and bowling first we kept them to 142 all out
in the final over on a very small pitch. 3 wickets for Ingram, two
catches for Braham a swirling catch in the deep from Marsh to see off
their big hitting captain and a Knowles/JB run out the highlights. A
maiden 50 (53 from 32 balls) from Stu (pictured) at #1 spot and a
dismissive smash of 65no (36 balls!) from the skipper did most of the
damage with JB smiting a few for 16 no. We we're sipping the beer after
16.5 overs for only the loss of 3 wickets.
Milk, trigger fingered umpiring, excited
running, the pitch, bad batting, the negative influence of England at
Headingly, hangovers, no hangovers, the length of the grass and the
stress of making the tea were all imaginative excuses used in an awful
start for the Octopus. At 37 for 7 (seven) a beer match was in prospect
before JB, suffering from a rare strain of Aussie whine flu got us out
of jail with a thumping 47, ably supported by a wristy marsh, with the
pair putting on over 60 for the 8th wicket. An odds defying partnership
of 15 from duck trophy battlers Ingram and Braham saw a hope inducing
122 on the board. The CECC opener was soon back with his pals as JB
struck in the first over, soon followed by the no 3 as Braham hung on
to a one handed blinder at forward short leg that was all instinct. 2
in two balls from Marsh, including the stumping of a severely hung-over
batsmen who need help taking a guard saw Octopus back in with a shout.
Alas, only two more wickets fell as the CECC keeper (dropped on 0!)
went onto to make a match winning 50. A great rearguard performance
with the bat and a strong showing in the field were not enough to mask
the poor form of the top 7.
.
A good performance in the field gave us a
chance of defending 114. Limiting Jaguar to 66-5 in reply at one stage.
Ultimately not enough runs on the board against some fine swing bowling
seeing the us go down by 6 wickets.
Good win against an old foe. A solid, (if
unspectacular!) start from Mr James (25) and Mr Hodge (66) built the
platform. On a very slow pitch and outfield Harsh (66no) and Stu (32no)
piled on 77 for the 7th wicket in the last 9 overs to get us to 229-6
Everyone contributed with either bat or ball with Hindle and Ingram bagging 3 wickets apiece with Sam, Rocky, Graham and Stu picking up the rest. A terrific bootlace catch from Pete at shortish cover and Sam’s one handed reaction snatch at silly point the highlights in the field. On a bad day for the gloveman, Alex’s stumping was a brief shinning light in a drizzly day of mouthguard muttering from behind the stumps. Si wrapped up the 99 run victory in the penultimate over to get us out of the heavy drizzle.
match pics (rollover) Harsh | Stu
Well Im not dumb but I cant understand
Why she spoke like a woman but text like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
tour pics (rollover) “go away big men” | Fake Fredie |
Hulk-o-mania, Evil Dreams? | JB |
A great performance by all the bowlers, 4
wickets for Sam, a miserly spell from Hindle and great stuff from Kirk
on debut and Matt D, Julian, Pete and Si. Almost flawless in the field
from everybody and some excellent catches.
Sadly not so good on the batting. Knowlesy got a pearler before he got his eye in and the pace of their opener did for Capt. Andy. A great knock came from Alex (pictured) and good efforts from Pete and Matt H. For once Ingram actually moved his feet and looked like a batsman. Then Matt D came in and tore into their bowling. For a moment we dared to dream. Ok so we lost, but lots of positives to take into next weeks clash in the west.
Man of the match goes to Matt D for his bowling, superb diving slip catch and direct hit run out and thanks to Kirk for turning out at short notice.
A great win! A fabulous bowling performance and
aggressive field settings saw a Sam inspired (44 no) 118 all out
defended manfully, with the be-tentacled ones winning by 65 runs.
match pics (rollover) We can do this! | Captain O get the first
Winter takes the catch |
A horrible, humid, error strew performance in
the field with the most lopsided boundary ever witnessed. We kept them
below 300 by 6 runs! Then it rained.
Then Knowlsie, in the most extreme example of average protection imaginable, retired hurt and had to be whisked away to A&E (see pic) with a drum and base inspired heart beat, topping out at 206. He’s was O.K. and did manfully try and discharge himself to get back to the action. JB hit a very impressive 59 and hats off to AJ for a personal best 43 in our collapsible 170 ao (from 139-3)
(rollover) 206bpm No Out
A disappointing result for us against Chalfont.
We let them off the hook a bit, letting them get 201 and of our top 5
only miles got into double figures (49). With their openers soaking up
our share of luck with edges flying here, there and everywhere (mostly
to the very short boundary). In the end we came up about 39 short. On
the upside all but 3 got a bowl and everyone got a bat, getting to the
40 over conclusion 9 down.
A second wicket partnership of 137 from Miles
(66) and Gopi (80) put us well on the way to our highest score of the
season. A half century from Harsh (53) and Stu's 22no meant the
Highgate batsmen needed 247 to win. This wasn't going to be made easier
for them with Sam steaming in to removed their openers leg stump with
the first ball of the innings and Avery opening the bowling at the
other end taking 3 wickets early on. A good partnership from Dekeller
(55) and Maby (31) kept the scoreboard ticking over until Pete struck
to remove Dekeller and 3 more batmen in a four over spell. The match
ended in 32nd over with Stu leaping high at silly point to take a one
handed catch. This left enough time for a quick trip to the pub to see
England beat India by 3 runs much to the captains disappointment.
match pics (rollover) Miles | Gopi gets his 50 |
Gopi (80) | Pete (4o 11r 4w). 1st wicket |
Best game of the season so far with the
Aloysius All Stars winning it in the final over with a superb running
take on the boundary from Knowles. We set Hoopers a total of 200 to
chase on a fairly flat, dry wicket. top 7 all played their part with
Hayward (39) top scoring and anchoring the middle order when the
collapsed could of befallen us. After tea a couple of quick wickets
from Ogilvie was the only early highlight as No. 4 Nabarro smashed a
century before Hodge removed the danger man lbw. Needing 32 runs off 48
balls with 6 wickets in hand Hodge and Knowles produced some great
bowling and wickets finally started to tumble until the last one was
taken leaving Hoopers 8 short of victory with 5 balls to spare.
match pics (rollover) Not Out!? | Knowles | Ogilvie |
Hayward | Victory! |
It was hot and the sun was shining, summer had
arrived as we took to the field at the Calthorpe ground. Fielding first
tight bowling from Butler and especially Ogilvie (8o, 13r) kept the run
rate nicely in check. The Marsh spin sent 4 batmen back to the
pavilion, but the Crouch End batsmen weren’t going to throw their
wickets away cheaply and after 40 hot overs in the field the target was
set at 189. Andy and Miles (scoring 58 on debut) got the score into the
50’s before Andy lost his wicket, bringing Rocky to the crease in his
final innings before his move to Brum. 28 balls later he retired on 51,
signing off with a 6 into the sightscreen, leaving Harsh (38) and Simon
K (26) to finish the job.
match pics (rollover) Rocky I | Miles | Rocky II |
Captain Rocky’s decision on whether to bat or
bowl wasn’t required as we lost the toss and 9 octopi took to the
field. The Hornsey openers we’re soon sending the ball to boundary with
regularity. Thankfully late arrivals Gopi and Julian completed the 11
and Julian (4-46) soon made inroads into the top order. However a solid
middle order made sure Hornsey finished on 268 – 7 from 40 overs.
In reply Rocky got off to his usual brisk start smashing one beautiful six over the rope until falling to an inswinger on 39. Gopi in his first match of the season held the innings together with a crafted 35 and a gritty 18 from Andy made sure Octopus survived 36.3 overs.
match pics (rollover) Gopi | Out! for the count | Rocky |
2013 results | P4 | W2 | L2 | NR0 |
| Octopus CC v Leyton Orient Supporters XI - 12th May
Octopus CC won by 5 wickets |
| Octopus CC v Holtwhites CC - 5th May
Octopus CC lost by 47 runs |
| Bohemians v Octopus CC - 28th April
Octopus CC won by 4 wickets |
At drinks on 18 we needed 139 from 102 balls.
With 10 to go we needed 86 from 60.
With 5 to go we needed 45 from 30.
36 from 24
26 from 18
19 from 12
10 from 6
2 from 2
A proper run chase, beautifully observed.
| UCS Old Boys v Octopus CC - 27th April
Octopus CC lost by 5 wickets |
Very enjoyable though, inc 3hrs drinking afterwards
| P.A. "Jack" Younie - 12th March '13 |
He was at the heart of the formation of the club and played regularly until the late 1960's, contributing with both bat and ball. All of us playing for the club now owe a massive debt of gratitude. A few of us were fortunate enough to meet him at the club's 50th anniversary celebration in 1997, where he was guest of honour and the main speaker and we remember him speaking about how the formation of Octopus and the fact that in many respects it was an opportunity for many people to make new friends after losing so many od chums during WWII.
The Jack Younie Trophy is awarded annually to the "Clubman of the Year" for exceptional service or dedication to the club it is the most respected and valued of all the trophies that the club presents since first being donated to the club by Jack in 1972 .
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends, and we plan to observe a minute's silence in his honour before our first home game this season, which is planned to be on Sunday 5th May against Holtwhites Trinibis.
| Crouch End CC v Octopus CC - 16th Sept
Octopus win by 88 runs |
Nothing could go wrong...
And didn't as we bowled and fielded with great gusto. An early breakthrough brought their best two batsmen together at the crease and they batted authoritatively, but failing to get the run rate to the required 7.6 an over. After putting on 154 for the second wicket, Ed Webber got the breakthrough. The wicket began to flow, with Ed Curtis finishing with a cracking 4-for and TWICE being on a hat-trick. They saw out their overs but finished 88 runs short on 213-7.
Crouch End CC as ever proved great host.
| Chalfont St Peter vs Octopus CC - 9th Sept
Octopus lose by 12 runs |
With an unfamiliar batting line up, 159 looked to be on the high end of possible, and as the top older folded to 34-5 it looked on the nigh end of impossible. Rocky, however, was back to his best, bringing up his 50 from just 44 balls and reaching 65 before finding mid off. Following his departure debutant Benjy took over, supported by Hindle, Satterley (briefly!) and the borrowed Symonds. Good accumulation and occasional boundaries kept the run chase on course, until a tight over forced a big shot from Benjy. The Chalfont captain taking the catch to leave OCC an agonizing 12 runs short.
A competitive game on a pleasant day, with Chalfont excellent hosts once again.
| Penn Street CC vs Octopus CC - 2nd Sept
Octopus won by 36 runs |
| Rockhampton CC vs Octopus CC - 26th August
Octopus lose by 63 runs |
Special mentions to the HOBs ringers, Will, Jim and John for completing the 11 and more notably contributing most of the runs. Plus Jo for the organisation behind a great weekend in the South West.
| Graces vs Octopus CC - 19th August
Octopus lose by 61 runs |
Chasing 275 to win, Hodge's fine 55 was the highlight. Supported by a career best 31 from Felix and some lusty hitting from Gokul and Stu.
| Octoupus CC vs Ploughmans CC - 12th August
Octopus lose by 43 runs |
* prefers to be know as No1.
| Octoupus CC vs Judd St Tigers - 5th August
Octopus win by 9 wickets |
Winning the toss we bowled. Some fishing from their opener in over No2 saw Ben snaffle a catch behind from Dempsey. Over 3 saw the other openers off stump satisfyingly bent back. From there all catches were held, as Gokul and Jo got in the wickets.
97 was never enough and some aggressive batting took Jo to 50 and Ed to 30 odd before Jo retired allowing Miles to hit the winning runs.
It's the taking part that counts but it's great to win.
| Octoupus CC vs Highgate CC - 29th July
Octopus win by 5 wickets |
| Octoupus CC vs Belgium - 22nd July
Octopus win by 147 runs |
| Hockerill CC vs Octopus CC - 1st July
Octopus win by 2 wickets |
| Railway Taverners vs Octopus CC - 28th June
Octopus lost by 36 runs. |
| Graces CC vs Octopus CC - 17th June
Octopus lost by 79 runs. |
| Octopus CC vs HOBs - 10th June
|
| Beamers CC vs Octopus CC - 30th May
Octopus lost by 29 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Highgate - 27th May.
Octopus lost by 39 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Bohemians CC - 27th May.
Octopus lost by 96 run. |
| Octopus CC vs Hoopers - 13th May.
Octopus won by 1 wicket |
2011 results | P21 | W5 | L15 | NR1 |
| West XI vs Octopus CC - 18th Sept.
West XI won by 6 wickets |
| Penn Street CC vs Octopus CC - 28th August.
Penn Street won by 32 runs |
| Holtwhites CC vs Octopus - 14th August.
Holtwhites won by 5 wickets |
| Octopus CC vs Hoopers - 7th August.
Octopus won by 34 runs |
Outstanding fielding and bowling then won us the game. Ash with 3 Catches thanks to some Felix-initiated fielding drills.
Great debut from Suri with the ball and excellent spell from Hindle.
Thanks again to Hoopers for another entertaining match and the beers!
| Octopus CC vs West Middlesex CC - 2nd August.
Octopus lost by 8 wickets |
| Octopus CC vs Hackney Marshes - 24th July.
Octopus lost by 7 wickets |
A superb 2nd wicket partnership by Gopi and Alex of 120 or so, Gopi with 73 and Alex 60 not out, with a late flurry by Knowlsie and Jo saw us to a more than respectable total of 195 off 35 overs.
With a slightly threadbare bowling attack, the Octopi showed exceptional commitment in the field to keep the pressure on throughout the Hackney Marsh innings, especially with a parsimonious performance by Kym who was extremely unlucky not to take any wickets with some superb seam bowling.
However despite never getting completely on top, their key batsman Nilil, despite giving a few chances, managed to score 68 before a Kodak moment for the ages saw him try a reverse sweep off Si Ingram which was gleefully pouched by Gopi at square leg. 20 was needed off 5 overs at this stage, but with 7 wickets left was eventually reached with 10 balls to spare. On paper looks a comfortable victory, but the Octopus, with 3 debutants (a possible record) were a credit to the black and green cap
| Sands End Swordsmen vs Octopus CC - 6th July.
Octopus lost by 27 runs |
| Railway Taverners CC vs Octopus CC (Twenty20) - 6th July.
Octopus won by 11 runs |
We got a wicket in the first over to put us on top but the game was always alive when their two dangerman started swinging at nos 3 and 5. Fortunately they both perished in their 30s rather than going on to win the match and with 5 overs to go we were clear favourites. However good bowling and fielding in the fading light saw us home.
| Octopus CC vs HOBS - 3rd July.
Octopus won by 6 wickets |
| Octopus CC vs HOBS (Twenty20) - 2nd July.
Octopus lost by 7 wickets |
| Hornsey CC vs Octopus CC - 26th June.
Octopus lost by 72 runs |
At tea time the Octopi were quietly confident of knocking off the target on a good pitch but sadly it was not to be. Hornsey's youthful attack proved both deadly and accurate and wickets tumbled all too quickly - only some lusty lower order hitting from Sam, Gokul, Jo and Sasa gave the scorecard any measure of respectability as we were dismissed for under 100. Again a good bowling performance - with good first wickets for the club for Gokul - but not enough discipline, luck or patience with the bat.
Roll on The Tour!!!
| St. John Fisher CC vs Octopus CC - 19th June.
Octopus lost by 6 wickets |
We bowled very well but dropped a couple of what proved vital catches and of course they had a slogger who came off (don't they always!!)
Good effort unrewarded!!
| Octopus CC vs Belgium - 5th June.
No Result |
| Graces CC vs Octopus CC - 29th May.
Octopus lost by 6 wickets |
| Crouch End CC vs Octopus CC - 22nd May.
Octopus lost by 51 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Bohemians CC - 15th May.
Octopus lost by 1 wicket |
| Octopus CC vs Hackney Marshes CC - 8th May.
Octopus lost by 72 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Holtwhites CC 2nd XI - 1st May.
Octopus won 4 wickets |
Jo was bowled by a beaut second ball with Andy going shortly after. Gopi though had his eye in. Alex stayed in for a brief cameo until he played on leaving us 54-3. Gopi and Stu got a partnership going putting on around. When Stu holed out for 35 the remaining 25 runs were secured with Felix and Matt offering Gopi support before Sam hit the winning runs with plenty of overs remaining.
| Octopus CC vs Rickmansworth CC - 24th April.
Octopus lost by 115 runs |
Starting in the low evening sunshine our reply could not have gone worse. Miles lbw to a grubber in the third over was followed by a sun-struck single attempt from Ed and a "good nut" second ball for Knowlsie to leave the scorecard reading quack quack quack at 4 for 3 - a total that would soon become 9 for 4 when a stunning piece of fielding dismissed Joe for 1. Gopi led a lone counterattack with 4 fours and 2 sixes, but when he was 6th out for 41 no further runs were scored off the bat and the team quickly fell on their sword for 72. One match to forget and another 23 to get it right.
| 2010 season results | P22 | W11 | L7 | T1 | NR3 | |
| Chalfont St. Peter CC vs Octopus CC - 12th Sept.
Octopus lost by 15 runs |
Bowling first excellent spells from Hindle and Gopi were the highlights. In reply we were 15 runs short despite a good and gritty knock from Miles and another excellent 50 from Harsh, which took him to a sensational 753 runs for the season.
See you all at the AGM on 15th October.
| Octopus CC vs Matt Hindle invitational XI - 5th Sept.
Octopus won by 44 runs |
One more victory to maintain the unbeaten record - well played all.
| Penn St. CC vs Octopus CC - 29th August.
No Result |
| Maccabi Association London vs Octopus CC - 22nd August.
Octopus won by 7 wickets |
| West XI vs Octopus CC - 15th August.
Octopus won by 7 wickets |
West XI won the toss and batted first on an excellent covered pitch and started well, punishing the bad balls with a boundary. Despite losing their opening (and one of their best) batsman for 7 after a magnificent piece of fielding from Harsh - running him out as he returned for a second with a laser-guided direct hit from third man - West were on 51-2 after 10 overs and a confident looking 104-2 after 20, the other opener having succumbed to a splice into the covers with the score on 49. Our thinking at drinks was that we would take 220/230, given the quality of the pitch.
Then it began to unravel for West. First, their number 3 nicked Gopi's second ball after drinks through to the keeper to give us a crucial break through. Then a few overs later, with the score on 128, their remaining quality batsmen thrashed a long hop from Graham through extra cover where debutant Zack flung himself back and to his left at full stretch to grasp the ball mid air and complete a sensational diving catch. All of us gasped in unison and ran over to congratulate him as the batsman shook his head and returned disconsolately to the pavilion. That catch, following on from the earlier run out, knocked the wind from their batting sails. Some fine bowling and fielding followed - not least from Zack, whose offspin finished with 3 wickets for 8 runs - to wrap up the innings on 179 in the final over.
Miles and Pete opened our response and saw off the accurate opening pair: Miles with customary aplomb; Pete with a little more fortune - as a couple of fours through the slips followed being bowled comprehensively by a no-ball on 7. Miles began to play fluently as the pair upped the ante and kept the run rate ticking over before Lamplough leading-edged the first of a phalanx of slow bowlers to extra cover for 45 with the score on 77. Pete now had his eye in and with Harsh at the other end the runs began to flow. The hoik/slap/swat/heave through mid-wicket was particularly profitable for Hayward, who soon brought up his 50, as hard running from both batsman put the pressure on and induced several mistakes in the field. The game all but won, both batsmen fell before the end having put on 85 for the 2nd wicket, with Pete falling lbw to a pie for 74. In came Gopi to smash the winning runs with Joe by his side and leave us all enough time for a post-match beer.
| Octopus CC vs Henleaze Old Boys - 8th August.
Octopus won by 36 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Henleaze Old Boys - 7th August.
No Result. Match Abandoned due to heavy downpour. |
| Beamers vs Octopus CC - 3th August.
Octopus win by 4 runs |
Butler and Ogilvie then opened the bowling with aplomb and at 33-3 in the 7th over we looked to have the game all but wrapped up. However a partnership of 86 for the 4th wicket full of 1s, 2s and 3s gave Beamers a sniff and, from needing 98 off the last 10, a couple of poor overs late on saw them within reach and needing to match our 15 off the final over to win. Visibility was now exceedingly dim and we were required to roll the ball in gently to avoid adding to an already careless over-throw tally, however Gopi kept his nerve with the ball and with 6 needed off the last ball they could only scamper a single to confirm our victory. An excellent Twenty20 debut for Octopus'.
| North Enfield vs Octopus CC - 1st August.
Octopus win by 159 runs |
Having won the toss and playing a man short, Harsh elected to bat and nominated debutant Joe Reid (brother of Sam) to open the batting. 39.3 overs later we were all out, the scoreboard reading an impressive 373. This was largely due to a career best 209 from Joe. Harsh continued his great run of form with 72, and Miles notching 35 at about a run a ball.
Tight opening bowling from Graham and guest from Strollers, Spencer, saw N.Enfield off to a slow start and dispite batting out their 40 overs they finish 159 short.
| Octopus vs Holtwhites 2nd XI - 25th July.
Octopus win by 72 runs |
| Highgate CC vs Octopus - 18th July.
Octopus won by 7 wickets |
| Octopus vs Crouch End CC - 11th July.
Octopus lost by 9 runs |
| Hendon St. Mary's CC vs Octopus - 4th July.
Octopus won by 6 wickets |
The opening pair of Will and Gopi moved swiftly to 26 in reply, before Hodge departed for 24. Hendon opening bowler Lee found his line and proved metronomic with a spell of 7 overs, 5 maiden 1 for 7! He was well supported by the pacy Mitcheson who removed Octopus number three Hayward for 2. 35/2 and a famous Octopus collapso was looming. However, on the this day it was not to be! Charlie Rix and Gopi watchfully saw off Hendon's openers and then set about the chase with some poise. After a scratchy beginning Charlie suddenly found his form with a series of brutal cover drives while Gopi dropped anchor with the aim of batting the innings and a partnership of 97 resulted! When Charlie departed for a well earned 56 only 35 were needed. Cameos from Hindle (10) and Sam (4no) combined with Gopi's watchfulness (46no) saw Octopus comfortably home with 3 overs to spare. A good day in the sun and another mark in the win column - well played fellas!
| Holtwhites 2nd XI vs Octopus - 20th June.
Octopus won by 10 runs |
| Octopus CC vs Hoopers - 13th June.
Match Tied 206 run each |
Octopus batted extremely well after losing the toss. A magnificent unbeaten Joshi/Winter partnership of 140 providing the meat of the total of 206-3.
Batting second in pursuit of 207 for victory Hoopers had started briskly, but slowed to lose their top 3 before the score had reached 50 and at drinks had only 65 on the board. Hodge had claimed two of those wickets with a fine spell of seam and swing bowling.
Straight after drinks Hoopers took control as Willis at 4 and in particular Couldrey at 5 began dispatching the ball mightily and frequently to the boundary. With their partnership on 117, Willis fell to a classic case of S*** Ball Took Wicket as Hayward's full toss found a way through. New comer Avery went second ball but with Couldrey still at the crease a target of 22 runs from the final 30 balls appeared a racing certainty, as a nervous watching pack willed Hoopers on from the sideline. For once Couldrey's immaculate timing deserted him and a lofted drive went high to mid off where Webber held on comfortably. With two new batsman at the crease the target dropped to 18 from 18, then 13 from 12 and then 10 from 6 for victory as Winter lined up the final over.
An inside edge off the first ball for 2 built momentum and bat hit ball thereafter as Octopus marshalled their field. Another two to deep midwicket and three scampered singles made it 7 from the over with a ball to go. Three to win, two to tie. Winter bowled it nicely on a full length but MaCardie kept his nerve and a solid strike to long off and a sprinted double that tied the game.
Honours even then. Cricket the winner.
| Octopus CC vs Highgate CC - 6th June.
Octopus Lost by 45 runs |
However, Octopus pulled together and fielded with energy and enthusiasm to support all five bowlers including part-timers Pete, Ingram and Gopi who all bowled their full compliment in addition to Sam and Graham as the more regular Octopus attack. Great boundary fielding from Charlie, Pete Hilton (who held a good catch) and Rob Hayward (upgraded from spectator to the playing XI) turned several potential boundaries into singles and Andy marshalled the infield well to 'restrict' Highgate to 216 off 35.
217 was always going to be a big ask for an Octopus side sporting an unusually long tail. Pete gave us a wonderful platform by carrying his bat for 75no with a combination of circumspect defence and aggressive stroke play but the rest of the team were unfortunately not quite able to match his efforts. Rix got a start for 18 and Winter contributed a hard hit 30 before holing out. The middle and lower order came and went before a late form, logic and expectation defying and boundary laden 23 of 14 balls from Hilton gave the scorecard some respectability. Stew Satterly bravely batted despite needing a runner to allow Pete to add a few more runs for the 10th wicket but we came up 45 short in the end.
| Menorca CC v Octopus CC - 30th May.
Octopus Lost by 133 runs |
Sun, sea, sand, sun burn, boat, beer, BBQ, banging head, La pomada, larger, Latitude and a large loss!
A BIG thanks to all at the M.C.C.
| Menorca CC v Octopus CC - 29th May.
Octopus Lost by 8 wickets |
A Superb weekend, massive thanks to Pete for pulling it all together. Special thanks Will & Sam for the local knowledge and especially their parents for the BBQ, boat, beers and hospitality.
| Crouch End CC v Octopus CC - 23rd May.
Octopus Lost by 16 runs |
Will and Pete then produced a solid opening partnership, Pete going on to make fifty and onwards to a belligerent 76. With only 2 wickets down and Pete and Ed scoring freely, the game looked to be ours. Sadly it was not to be. Pete and Ed fell in successive overs and an Octopuso collapso followed (popular term from the old days). Andy dollied a waste high full toss back to their young spinner, Sri, Sam and Matt fell in quick succession and the duck trophy winners Si and Graham were left looking for an improbable 21 off the last 3 overs for the final wicket. It was not to be, Si out caught looping the ball high to cover.
A disappointing defeat, but a very good performance in the field and good batting from Pete, Ed and Will.
Calthorpe as ever proved excellent hosts and sporting opposition. Onwards and upwards, Viva Menorca !
| Octopus CC v Bohemians - 16th May.
No Result |
Still, the afternoon took a turn for the better with us retreating to the pub to watch England spank the Aussies and lift the Twenty20 World Cup.
| Octopus CC v Hackney Marshes CC - 9th May.
Octopus won by 91 runs. |
| Enfield CC. v Octopus CC - 25th April.
Octopus lost by 6 wickets. |
Ingram and Hilton have raced into the duck trophy lead with some gold plated run-free batting with Andy at least lasting 4 balls for his round number.
Dempsey the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets, the first an instinctive catch at midwicket by Peter Hilton, the second a juggled caught behind by Alex and the third a skied top edge claimed by the bowler himself. 11th hour 11th man Mike claimed the 4th, with some classic seam movement beheading the batters off stump.
The fielding was better than it should have been for April, so a fair few positives from the foreshortened 2010 curtain raiser.
| 2009 end of season results | P18 | W7 | L11 | |
| Finchley CC. v Octopus CC - 13th September.
Octopus lost by 9 wickets. |
| Boyne Hill CC Sunday 2nd XI v Octopus CC - 6th September.
Octopus won by 5 wickets. |
| Penn St. v Octopus CC - 1st September.
Octopus lost by 7 wickets. |
| Octopus CC v Chalfont St. Peter - 23rd August.
Octopus lost by 4 wickets. |
| M.A.L CC vs Octopus CC - 16th August.
Octopus won by 8 wickets. |
| Octopus CC vs Crouch End CC - 9th August.
Octopus CC lost by 5 wickets. |
| Jaguar CC vs Octopus CC - 2nd August.
Octopus lost by 6 wickets |
| Octopus CC v North Enfield - 26th July 2009
Octopus won by 99 runs |
Everyone contributed with either bat or ball with Hindle and Ingram bagging 3 wickets apiece with Sam, Rocky, Graham and Stu picking up the rest. A terrific bootlace catch from Pete at shortish cover and Sam’s one handed reaction snatch at silly point the highlights in the field. On a bad day for the gloveman, Alex’s stumping was a brief shinning light in a drizzly day of mouthguard muttering from behind the stumps. Si wrapped up the 99 run victory in the penultimate over to get us out of the heavy drizzle.
match pics (rollover) Harsh | Stu
| Henleaze Old Boys (Bristol Tour) - 17th - 19th July.
Rained Off |
Why she spoke like a woman but text like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
tour pics (rollover) “go away big men” | Fake Fredie |
Hulk-o-mania, Evil Dreams? | JB |
| Ploughmans CC (H) - 12th July.
Octopus lost by 33 runs |
Sadly not so good on the batting. Knowlesy got a pearler before he got his eye in and the pace of their opener did for Capt. Andy. A great knock came from Alex (pictured) and good efforts from Pete and Matt H. For once Ingram actually moved his feet and looked like a batsman. Then Matt D came in and tore into their bowling. For a moment we dared to dream. Ok so we lost, but lots of positives to take into next weeks clash in the west.
Man of the match goes to Matt D for his bowling, superb diving slip catch and direct hit run out and thanks to Kirk for turning out at short notice.
| Alexandra Park CC (A) - 5th July.
Octopus won by 56 runs |
match pics (rollover) We can do this! | Captain O get the first
Winter takes the catch |
| West XI CC (@Hornsey) - 29th June.
Octopus lost by 123 runs |
Then Knowlsie, in the most extreme example of average protection imaginable, retired hurt and had to be whisked away to A&E (see pic) with a drum and base inspired heart beat, topping out at 206. He’s was O.K. and did manfully try and discharge himself to get back to the action. JB hit a very impressive 59 and hats off to AJ for a personal best 43 in our collapsible 170 ao (from 139-3)
(rollover) 206bpm No Out
| Chalfont St. Peter CC (Away) - 21st June.
Octopus lost by 38 runs |
| Highgate CC (Home) - 14th June.
Octopus won by 107 runs |
match pics (rollover) Miles | Gopi gets his 50 |
Gopi (80) | Pete (4o 11r 4w). 1st wicket |
| Holtwhites CC (Away) - 7th June.
Cancelled due to waterlogged pitch. |
| Hoopers CC (Home) - 31st May.
Octopus won by 7 runs. |
match pics (rollover) Not Out!? | Knowles | Ogilvie |
Hayward | Victory! |
| Crouch End CC (Away at Calthorpe) - 24th May.
Octopus won by 8 wickets. |
match pics (rollover) Rocky I | Miles | Rocky II |
| Hornsey (@ Hornsey) - 17th May.
Hornsey CC won by 137 runs. |
In reply Rocky got off to his usual brisk start smashing one beautiful six over the rope until falling to an inswinger on 39. Gopi in his first match of the season held the innings together with a crafted 35 and a gritty 18 from Andy made sure Octopus survived 36.3 overs.
match pics (rollover) Gopi | Out! for the count | Rocky |
| Warners End v Octopus CC - 10th May.
Octopus won by 6 wickets. |
| Octopus CC v Holtwhites 1st - 3rd May.
Holtwhites won by 7 wickets. |
| Enfield CC v Octopus CC - 25th April.
Enfield CC won by 73 runs. |
