FIND EMBERTON   CRICKET GROUND

TOTE  WINNERS

A CALL FROM THE COUNTY    Chris Perry

After bowling in front of Kepler Wessels at the nets and not getting any reward in way of appearances in the Second Eleven up until the end of July I was losing all confidence in whether I would ever play at that level.  But I then had one aim, to enjoy every minute of the season with Wollaston and help us win the league with my close mates. It was time now for me to step up and show what I can do, get people taking notice of the dangerous spinner for Wollaston Chris Perry.

It is the 7^th August and I’m at home just getting ready to meet some team mates after work, when the phone rings. At the other end of the phone is David Ripley who says the words I have been waiting to hear “Pezza, 2nd team Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Stratford upon Avon against Warwick’s, meet at County Ground 8am sharp Wednesday morning.” Luckily I am able to clear everything with work, and prepare for my time with the seconds.

We meet at the ground on the Wednesday morning at 8am and I have honestly seen better organised Sunday games, this when we only have ten men and half the team turn up with a hang over because we have been out in Northampton the night before! It was a shambles, the scorer was 40 minutes late and our loose cannon opening quick, West Indian Javon Searles has turned up looking like he was just on a morning walk round the ground when he remembered he was playing. We arrive at the ground at 10.15 ready for a 11.15am start.

Ian Butcher had taken over the Second Team Coach’s role since Capel and Ripley moved up one job following the departure of what seemed at the game a distant memory of former the coach. He gives us a very stern telling off and put us through a vigorous warm up. 

Oblivious to what Warwickshire are doing I get my head down and work hard to prove that I can just step and at the very least look like I belong at this level. Warm ups went ok and I found that I could speak to most of the lads having known some from my junior days. 

Warm ups over and we are batting. As both sides are playing with 12 men with one not batting, my work was been done and I step into the pavilion where most of the Warwickshire lads are. Interested to see who I am up against I look at them to see if I could spot a big name or two, maybe a player coming back from injury or one out of form. In there side were ex-England and Scotland international Dougie Brown, recent ODI player Jim Troughton, first team keeper Tony Frost, as well as Daggett, Ali, Poonia, Shantry and Gronewald. After looking at them and walking past Umpire Vanburn Holder, I was determined to prove that I belonged there. 

I was up and down as much as the cricket in the first session, carrying drinks on for the not out batsmen and we were all out just after lunch for 130 odd. The main destroyer Tim Gronewald who took 7 for not many. Looking at their team I expected a fair amount of time in the field!! 

I was waiting in the field all day for a bowl, tea had gone, 60 overs ticked and it was not until we entered the last four overs of the day that Paul Coverdale the captain gave me my first opportunity. I bowled two overs 1 maiden 0 wkts 8 Runs against Dougie Brown. 

At night most of the group go out for meals then a few drinks. Most lads are in bed fairly early as we prepare for a big day in the field. 

I was nervous the next day as I was told to expect a longer bowl but upbeat as some of the Wolly lads are coming to watch. Despite Matt being desperate for a pub lunch for some reason, they arrive in time to see me bowl. Jonesey had to be content with a £2.99 sandwich from a shell garage and Simon spends £7 on his roll. I was feeling more confident with the lads sitting on the boundary and after 5 overs, I took the wicket of fellow left arm spinner Nick James, neatly taken at slip. Buoyed by this, I bowled tightly and an edge flew through the slips but as we looked to wrap the innings up, the pace men came back. We dismissed them with 50 minutes left before tea on day two trailing by 230 odd with Dougie Brown making a century for Warwickshire. Their other big names did not perform to their potential. 

The Wolly lads left at tea and I was left listening to music on my ipod while watching my team have another collapse at the end of the day, leaving it poised at 124 – 5 some 100 runs behind with 5 wickets left. A few showers were around the start was delayed but this gave me a chance to do the admin work which I am not use to. I had to fill out my professional cricketers form which will go in some sort of county magazine, as well as an expenses form for my time away from home. I was struggling with a sore back after a long 90 overs in the field and two nights in a hotel bed so I went to see the physiotherapist. He worked his magic and I left feeling fresh and ready to go for the warm up just in case we are made to take to the field again if we overhaul the Warwickshire lead. We got a few runs but then another collapse which is what I had got use to with this Northants team over the two innings’ and we are all out 270 odd leading by 40 odd just before lunch on day three. At lunch they are 10 for none and we are not hopeful of pulling a Northants win out the bag. I bowl 6 overs but no wickets, Troughton played very well cover driving me for a few fours, but overall I am pleased with my performance. 

During this last session the link between Wollaston and Northants stood out for me. If you can recall two years ago in the Presidents day Simon ‘Romeo’ Driver was seen giving his girlfriend a hug mid over on the cover boundary as a ball was drilled in his direction. A similar event happened in the last overs of the game at Stratford, where we look to the boundary where our opening batsman was mid argument with a girl he had met the night before. We couldn’t hear every word but we did hear the words lost….mobile……bed…….night. We got the general jist and it looks like the County’s money has gone to providing a Pizza hut employee a hotel room for the night! 

Overall I enjoyed the experience and it was good to play at a higher level, despite the ups and downs which didn’t make the trip as professional and as it could have been or as I’d imagined. I would like to thank everyone for wishing me well as I received a lot of text messages and also the Matt, Simon, Liam and Tim for braving the one way system and making the trip to Stratford Upon Avon. 

Hopefully I did myself justice and gave a good account of the club and the Northants Cricket League. I would recommend to any young player or any player that gets a chance to play at that level to take the opportunity and use it wisely. 

Chris Perry

Wollaston and Northants County Seconds