Thursday 17 July 2014

The Twentyfirst Post : What Would Moe Berg Say. Part Four.


It's been a while since I last blogged (a bit longer than I wanted or expected, but what can you do ... sometimes life gets in the way of plans working out, eh?) but just in case you have forgotten, around this time last year I was out in Canada enjoying a holiday with my family and attempting to gain an interview with my guitar hero Mr. Moe Berg from the amazing and awesome Canadian power pop band “The Pursuit of Happiness”.
 

I had sent off previous letters (check back over previous blogs here, here, and here for further details) and remained hopeful, but not overly optimistic, of gaining any kind of reply.

Imagine my delight when I see an email like this one pop into my inbox...
 

It was a little bit like this ...

I hesitated opening the email, savouring the feeling of having all the positive possibilities in the universe available to me before I opened it to find the one and only eventuality presented to me in all its crushing reality. Because, let’s face it, I’d done well to get this far. An actual response was what I set out as my most likely highlight from this whole prospect. The fact that the most likely response would be some sort of “Thanks, but no thanks” or “ I'd really like to meet but am just far too busy to schedule anything, have a great summer.” would be awesome enough but crushing to the slim hopes of a yes response.

While the email remained unopened all possibilities were possible.

This must be how Schrödinger felt before he opened his box to find his cat dead in it.

An atom of radioactive may have killed the cat but I was curious to find out what Moe Berg had said, so I opened the email and found out that sometimes cats survive, and that sometimes dreams also survive outside the box.

The email read:

 Hi Adam,

I'd be fine to sit down with you for an hour or so. I'm usually good in the afternoons and next week would be best. Let me know when you might be in Toronto proper and we can figure something out.

moe
 

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. Is that the sound of all the best things in the world falling into place ... or is it the sound of my beating heart?

I fired off an email thanking him for his time and arranging where and when to meet. After a couple of false starts we settled on a time and place early in the coming week.  

HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!! (Settle down Adamski. Keep it together. Don't blow your cool.)

The night before we were due to meet I spent a restless night worrying that I would muck this up and make a fool out of myself by being too fanboy or just not knowledgeable enough.

Restlessness let me to checking my emails at 2am, just to kill some time, to see an email recently arrived from Moe regrettable cancelling our meeting tomorrow. Can’t be helped, can't be changed.

(Sigh.)

I knew it was too good to be true.

He did propose meeting later in the week, same time same place, and asked if that would be ok with me.

I sent a reply back straight away saying that I understand that some things can't be helped and I’d be happy to fit into his schedule.  

Then I shut down the computer, turned off the light and held out little hope that Thursday would lead to meeting with a legend either.

Disappointment replaced excitement, and sleep came easy.

But I did continue to wonder what he would say.

 

Don’t know who Moe Berg is ... then check out this song from his band’s “The Pursuit of Happiness” fourth album (Where's the Bone) because, lets face it, "little things are so important, but big things don't matter much."

 

 

Saturday 12 July 2014

The Twentieth Post : Scotland v. The Netherlands, Game Three, Match Report.

With the three match series tied after two games today’s decider was set up to be a thriller. Unfortunately the Scottish weather had other ideas and cheated everyone out of what could have been a very intense and hard fought final by turning on some constant drizzle.
Regular pitch inspections by the umpires returned information that the Titwood ground’s outfield was draining well and that 'if only it would stop raining long enough to get the covers off we could get a game started'. Alas, that was never to be as the rain continued without let up and the game was abandoned at 2pm without a ball being bowled.
One convincing win for the Dutch, one convincing win to the Scots and one convincing washout to the weather. The very definition of a tied series in Scotland!
With no play available thought turned to what we have learnt during a series that started in blazing sunshine and ended in dreich drizzle (Besides that the Scottish weather is changeable).
We learnt that both teams have an abundance of class players, from Rippon holding the tail together to post a defendable total and Hamish Gardiner’s maiden half century in the first game to Macleods superb 145 and Ashan Malik’s fantastic 6/50 in the second. We learnt that both nations have captains of hardnosed steely determination and that they can both muster their players with ease. We saw that both teams have an ability to collapse and also to tough it out/bounce back when things get sticky.
The collapsing is an issue that both countries will have to address but with both nations having newly appointed coaches the erratic form could be explained by teething problems as new philosophies and ways of working are bedded in. Consistent high performances will be one of the main things both coaches will be striving to achieve with their respective teams especially considering how few games there are before both of their next big tournaments.
Scotland have a tour from the visiting New Zealand ‘A’ side in August to test the expanding player base they are developing and also three One Day Internationals against Ireland in Dublin in September to settle on a team to take to the World Cup early next year.
The Netherlands have no fixtures planned before their long route back to One Day Status begins with the World Cricket League Division Two in the first quarter of 2015.
If the future resembles the past, finishing in the top two of division two will secure the Dutch a place in the World Cricket league Championship where the top six (pending a World Cup Qualifier) should get O.D.I. status. As with all things I.C.C. related this is liable to change without notice and the recent restructuring via the ‘Big Three’ have added even more uncertainty.
Both coaches are happy with the development of their teams with Scottish coach Grant Bradburn saying that all members who earn their place through consistent performances are rewarded with a place in the team and cites examples like Gavin Main turning out solid performances for Durham and Michael Leask good efforts in the North Sea Pro Series.  
The North Sea Pro Series is something Dutch coach, Anton Roux, sees as invaluable for developing character in the new talent too and is confident that the exciting young player base it produces as something the Dutch will continue to use for blooding new talent and grow their player pool for the challenges ahead.

So, things this series has taught us ... the Scots and the Dutch are both highly competitive teams with an abundance of new talent coming through and are capable of turning on fantastic and crushing  performances on any given day but remain inconsistent at the moment but are determined to use every available experience to improve themselves.

And no matter what, the weather always wins.


The Nineteenth Post : Scotland v. The Netherlands, Game Two, Match Report.

What a difference a day makes in Scotland. Yesterdays blazing sunshine and humbling defeat at the hands of the Dutch was replaced by a more typical example of Scottish weather (grey, cold and breezy from the start and only getting colder with the threat of rain ever present) and a better example of Scottish cricket ability.

If the weather conditions of yesterday had of been present today many people would have fancied The Netherlands chasing down Scotland's large total of 317.
The thought of rain due to arrive, and the need be above the par score when it did, lent a certain amount of panic to the dutch innings which was not helped when the first of the rain showers blew drizzle across the ground in the 5th over of their innings. They then lost their first wicket to the first ball of debutant Gavin Main, Myburgh caught behind for 27 off 15.
By the time the drizzle stopped in the 10th over two more wickets had fallen, Mohammad Wasim, (the former Pakistan international making his debut for The Netherlands after recently attaining citizenship), out L.B.W. to leask on a pitch that may have been spiced up by the rain for 6, and an embarrassing run out where both batsmen were at the strikers end asking the umpire who was out (Barresi judged out for a duck).
It all could have been over much sooner than it was for the Dutch if Wardlaw hadn’t dropped a dolly at mid wicket and Main had been able to claim the two catches taken off the no balls he bowled.
As it was the end came soon enough with a steady tumble of wickets putting them out of contention in this game before heavy and persistent rain forced them from the field with the score on 7/115 in the 23rd over.
The Dutch were in no position to attempt to challenge the Scottish total of 317 even if rain had allowed more play but at 5:30 the game was called off with no further play permissible giving Scotland the win by 144 runs.

Scotland's large total came courtesy of a superb innings from Callum Macleod. After losing the toss and been sent in to bat by the Dutch, openers Coetzer and MacLeod set about making amends for yesterdays mauling by building a solid platform  in much the same way as they had yesterday. After setting a good tone Coetzer was out in the 7th over, flashing hard at at a shorter one from Malik to be caught by a good tumbling catch by Szawarczynski at third man for 22.
MacLeod set his mind to guiding the innings by batting through to end with a stylish 145 off 124 balls. He was bowled by Malik in the penultimate over chasing more quick runs to add to the total. By the time MacLeod was out Scotland had amassed 309 of their eventual 317 and MacLeod’s job was done.
It wasn't all plain sailing for the Scots as twice the crafty Dutch bowling made inroads into their batting. When Coetzer was out in the 6th over Gardiner was out soon afterwards with an edge to keeper. The reliable Mommsen joined forces with MacLeod to steady the ship and form the biggest partnership of the game adding 92 for the third wicket before he too fell to the bowling of Malik.
Later in the innings Davie and Leask were both out an over apart to leave Scotland on 6/223 in the 38th over leaving MacLead with the tail. Memories of yesterdays collapse must have been close to the surface but, today, under grey skies the tail rose to the challenge and added 86 off the final 10 overs (despite being bowled out in the last over) to finish on 317 all out.

Ashan Malik finished with the best figures for the dutch claiming regular wickets to finish with 6 for 50 of his 10 overs but despite his heroics with the ball could do little to stop the Scottish charge.


The three game series now stands at one victory each with the decider to be played on Friday.



The Eighteenth Post : Scotland v. The Netherlands, Game One, Match Report.

On the Hottest day of the Scottish summer so for this year the Netherlands flew in and rained on Scotland's parade pulling off a convincing 44 run victory.
It shouldn't have been that way of course. Scotland have recently emerged from an extended rebuilding period and proved they were a team on the rise by winning the world cup qualifier to book their place in Australia and New Zealand world cup 2015. Winning all but one game in that tournament saw them emerge victors with a new sense of confidence and purpose.
The Dutch, meanwhile, had a disaster of a tournament that ended with them failing to qualify for the world cup, knocked out early, and worst of all, losing their One Day Status. The dark days ahead briefly brightened by success in the world T-20 a few months later.
But that was a different game, a different day. This was Scotland's chance to show the home fans their resurgence and shine.

It all started so well with the opening partnership of Coetzer and MacLeod solidly chasing the Netherlands adequate, but by no means insurmountable, total of 252 for 9.
Scotland's opening partnership earnt 38 before captain Coetzer was out playing at one away from his body and finding the edge to be brilliantly caught behind in a one handed diving catch.
Hamish Gardiner was next in and he and  MacLeod set about continuing the good start but it was the partnership between Gardiner and Mommsen that looked to put Scotland on easy street. Their flawless partnership earnt 78 before both were out in quick succession (Gardiner for 52 off 64, Mommsen for 45 off 59) and Scotland had to rebuild.
It was a process that faltered quicker than it started with the middle order failing to come to grips with a Dutch attack that captain Borren kept shuffling around expertly.
From 157/2 to all out for 208 the Scottish middle order and tail had no answer to the persistent and niggly Dutch bowlers who never gave up the task of closing out the game.
They eventually did so with six overs to spare with Bukhari 3 for 29 (9 overs) and Van Meekeren 3 for 40 (10 overs) crushed any Scots hopes of a Bannockburn style victory with ease.

It all looked so different earlier in the day as the Scots made inroads into the Dutch batting order at regular intervals. only opener Swart passed 50 (ending with 62 from off 84 balls) and his partnership with of 74 with number 3, Szwarczynski, was the pick of an innings where partnerships where hard to find.
Evans broke down with back problems after only 5.1 overs but the rest of the bowlers rallied round to keep the Dutch from ever really racing away.
Davie and Leask ended with 2 wickets apiece but Leask leaked runs (55 of 9 overs) while the pick of the bowlers was Sharif who looked the most likely to take wickets at any time while also conceded few runs and ended with 1 for 33 from his 10 overs. unfortunately no Scottish bowler managed to give the Dutch the killer blow and despite having them down to 165 for 7 in the 40th over allowed the tail to crawl along, guided by Rippon's 49 not out, to add nearly 75 runs to finish on a fighting 252 for 9. Scotland still failing to bowl them out.

It was a lesson in durability and determination that the Scots should have A. stamped out and B. learnt a lesson from.
The 44 run defeat shows they did neither.

Tomorrow's forecast is for more clear skies, but which team will the sun shine on?