Shipwrecks Sail To Cup Victory

Shipwrecks faced First Division Kirkmahoe Insurance in their midweek second round Americas Cup fixture at Nunholm last Wednesday.  Once again only eight crew members reported for duty but a search and rescue party managed to liberate Danny McBryde from a life of sin and misery in the Sports Club Bar to make up the numbers.

Alex and Davey discuss tactics

The Shipwrecks' High Command had actually formulated a cunning battle plan that it might be better to lose the game, as it was thought that this might place us favourably in the runners-up competition.  However, a combination of unclear communication by the Officers concerned and a degree of insubordination amongst the ranks meant that Shipwrecks eventually cruised to a three wicket victory.

Having lost the toss, the now nine Shipwrecks standing were duly condemned to run around the Nunholm outfield for twenty overs on the hottest day of the year so far.

The battle plan appeared initially to be succeeding as Shipwrecks started by dropping catches in all directions.  Andy Cameron's deliberate backward stumble on an uneven deck was particularly noteworthy but eventually outdone by Jim Worthington who allowed a steepler from Colin Taylor's slower one to hit him full on the (figure) head, while the opposition gratefully took another run without calling dead ball.

Three of the experienced Insurers quickly racked up 25s and Shipwrecks looked all at sea by the end of the innings as the home team ran for everything to finish up on 111 - 6, the wickets being the result of three accidental run outs and some careless straight bowling by Cameron and Davey Fallas.

After Worthington and McBryde had been dismissed cheaply, it was felt incumbent to 'get somewhere near' the opposition total for the sake of show and Alasdair McEwen, whose claims as a batter have advanced considerably under his own captaincy, went in early to join Mike Service as the two fired off a number of lusty broadsides towards the tennis courts until a signalling error lead to McEwen's run out.

Alasdair about to fire off a broadside

Davey Fallas (lobbed up an easy catch) and Alex Taylor and Geoff Dean (both bowled by slower balls) had clearly read the script but Kirkmahoe Insurance hadn't and appeared determined to force the win at all costs. It was at this point that certain crew members, noting the somewhat eager approach of some of the fielding team, hatched a rebellious plot to win the game anyway.

And so it was that with close but easy defeat looming, Andy Cameron cudgelled a lightning 12 and bullied the elder Taylor into taking a number of quick runs against his better judgement.  Shipwrecks eventually won with a wide early in the last over, leaving the Insurance, who had tried to claim the nineteenth over was the last, to quibble over an apparent two run deficit in the scorebook.

The format of the Midweek Cup being more complicated that Stephen Hawking's calculation on the current World Cup, Shipwrecks afterwards decided that they were happy enough to have won the game after all.

Approximate Scores: Kirkmahoe Annandale Insurance 111 - 6 (Campbell 25 n.o., Brotherston, 25 n.o., Potts 25 n.o., Elliot 12, R. Rankine 11 n.o ; Cameron 2-13) : Shipwrecks 112 - 8 (McEwen 19, Service 18, Fallas 15, Cameron 12, C. Taylor 11 n.o. [Surely that should have been 13 n.o. - Ed.], A. Taylor 10 ; Potts 2-21)