École Centrale cricket team on tour in Cambridge
23/07/2012
The École Centrale cricket team was on tour in Cambridge during the weekend of 9th June 2012: the first time it had toured, and what better place to do it?
They were blessed with, if not fine weather, at least not bad weather. Dalia and Bergsagel (Clare and Centrale Paris), co-founders of Centrale Paris cricket team in 2010, did their best to get the team up and fighting fit with a trip to Tatties in the morning for breakfast, and this certainly left them not feeling hungry for the rest of the day. But the overcast skies probably favoured the local teams, more used to swing conditions, and some of the Centrale players were clearly suffering form the long haul over from the Continent. Or the huge breakfast.
On the Saturday, Pembroke College 1st team hosted École Centrale Paris at Queen's. The head groundsman had done a remarkable job preparing the pitch after some thunderous weather on the Friday, and at one point it had looked as if the game would have to be postponed. But he did a marvellous job, even if the wicket was, to begin, a little sticky. Pembroke won the toss and decided to bat, and it turned out to be a good decision, as they got the best out of the pitch, which was as stodgy as an English pudding for the first innings, but dried out and livened up like a French crêpe when École Centrale Paris batted. At the end of the Pembroke innings, they had amassed an impressive 170 runs, due to some aggressive hitting in the middle order. Centrale Paris had started well, bagging early wickets through Barry, Chitre, and Brown, but the middle order proved trickier to dislodge. Centrale Paris were unfortunate in that their two star bowlers, Abhishek and Hemant, had been refused visas by the consular services in Europe. Or rather, the visas had been granted, but the cricketers were not given them on time to travel. This meant that they were forced to call on second or third string bowlers, unused to being in the fray, and they were given the treatment by the rampant middle order. De Partington and Radjou surprised themselves and indeed everybody with fine spells at the end, but the damage had been done. When Centrale Paris came out to bat, they started well enough, advancing to 33 without loss with Barry, in fine form, and Brown. But the old adage of 'add two wickets on and see what the score looks like' proved its worth, as Brown was given out lbw to a high ball he knicked into his midriff, and two balls later Chitre, having blasted his first for four, got a stinker that reared up off the pitch off a crater, and was caught behind. This exposed the tail, and despite brief rallies, the result was inevitable, Centrale Paris being bowled out for just 70, with on the way some baseball-style resistance from Bergeron. Only de Partington de Leeds was left defiantly unbeaten at the end - without an average in this his first international contest, but unbeaten and proud nonetheless. In Centrale Paris' defence, they were playing with 5 novices, so the difference in class was clear, and the victory by Pembroke well deserved. This loss for Centrale Paris did little to dampen spirits at the evening meal, held at the Granta, where the French side discovered the delights of pub cuisine and local beverages.
Sunday saw the Entente Cordiale Cricket Challenge Cup between École Centrale Paris and Clare. The two teams met on Jesus Green for the inaugural match of Les Cendres. In a two innings match, Centrale Paris just failed to overhaul the Clare score, falling 8 runs short. Clare chose to bat first, hoping to get in before the storm due at 4pm, and scored steadily to set a decent target. Centrale Paris failed to live up to promise first time out, although Barry once again made easy going of some loose balls. In Clare’s second innings, Centrale Paris ripped through the middle order, and it was only a fine rearguard action by Bergsagel, lent by Centrale Paris to Clare to even up numbers that prevented Clare from embarrassment. This was the same Bergsagel that had been convincingly out for a golden on the Saturday, so the words ‘treachery’ and ‘skullduggery’ were heard whispered about the park. Despite some good hitting, however, in particular from Barry and Brown, opening and moving quickly to 40, Centrale Paris fell foul of the temptation to try to hit over the top, and Clare fielded admirably. Johansson was brilliant in the middle order, clubbing his first ball in each innings for massive 6’s. Boisson fished the Clare bowling like a drink, and bowled line and length. Martineau, the Franco-Austrian, and one of the more experienced campaigners with the 2010-11 season already under his belt, kept wicket for Clare and snared Brown, much to the latter’s disgust. Dalia dallied diligently, despite damage to his shoulder incurred the previous day through pouring out too many Pim’s. Centrale Paris’ last wicket went down when Waugh, a member of the Canadian line of the great Australian sledgers and renowned formal logician, who had nearly impressed on Saturday, clubbed one high to square. Thinking it was going to bounce away for a four, he started preparing to do the same with the next ball and thus score the winning hit, but he was dismayed to see Henderson sprint back, cheetah style, and claim a catch on the one bounce one hand rule, thus dashing the superb second innings rally by École Centrale Paris. Catches do indeed win matches, and Centrale Paris can only rue some looseness in this respect. Winning captain Ahir Shah from Clare was delighted with his team’s performance, and was awarded with Les Cendres, to be kept in a prominent place until the return challenge next year. In 2013, Clare will be travelling to Paris for the return game, so the French conditions will perhaps favour École Centrale Paris.
The École Centrale Paris team had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, were wonderfully hosted, and very much look forward to future challenges with Cambridge. They also look forward to showing their guests the true meaning of oat quizzing.
École Centrale Paris team: Ed Shane Barry, Steve Brown, Amey Chitre (capt), Shahen D. Dalia, Dan T. Bergsagel, Dave ‘Sledger’ Waugh, Clement Boisson, Stephane Martineau, Rasmus Johansson, Sidarth Radjou, Charles de Partington de Leeds, André Bergeron. Did not travel: Hemant Gautam, Abhishek Kumar.
Contact
- Stephen Brown - stephen.brown@ecp.fr
