We rocking up at Riga train station at midday and like practically all of our arrivals, we did not having a clue where to go. Fortunately a rather attractive young lady was brandishing junior Abraham’s name on a piece of A4 paper – the fresh-faced youngster has never had a grin as wide!!
The group headed to our “new three star hotel” which hostelworld had transferred us to after our hostel in the old town had been overbooked. The new hotel wasn’t exactly what we had in mind….. Within minutes of arriving we had all been offered “a beef stake dinner….and erotic dance.”We declined. The place was clearly set up for stag parties rather than cricketers of international repute.
The skipper warned all players of their conduct, despite a string of gorgeous women just hanging about the place (which doubled up as a nightclub in the evening). And that they were representing Carmel & District CC after all. Fortunately they heeded his warning but on the plus side the rooms were spacious and modern and the showers hot. It was just the tonic after the cramped and crowded accommodation in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Tour match 6: Latvia National Team v Carmel & District Cricket Club. 30-over match. VEF Stadium, Riga. (Carmel won toss)
Our hosts picked us up from the hotel, keen not offend them we all joked uneasily about the booking problem, how we’d been moved etc and that we were here to play cricket after all!
The Latvians took us to the VEF Stadium where we found them setting up the pitch. Another new one, giant boards with matting laid over the top and bowling only from one end. The skipper won the toss and wondering how the pitch would play inserted the opposition.Latvia got off to a solid if not spectacular start before Tom Horne bowled one of the openers for just 8 runs. The home side dug in and the partnership for the second wicket started to take the game away from the Gold Caps before Justin Peacock struck in the last of his six overs to capture 1/34.
Harry Reekie pulled a muscle behind the stumps so Matt Somerford took over the wicketkeeping duties. With several injuries and knocks in the touring party the skipper turned to his brother for five overs of medium pace, his longest bowling spell of the tour. Despite several missed chances with catches Junior couldn’t provide the breakthrough.
Gaz Roberts produced an interesting over of unorthodox leg-spin and the game seemed to be getting away from Carmel as the Latvians began to score freely. A score of 250 was looking likely and once again the captain turned to trusted spin twins Rob Barnett and Sam Philip.
Philip struck first to remove the number three batsman who reached 28 with Barnett picking up the Latvian number four for 11 runs.Latvia still had plenty of batting left in the locker as their big-hitting number six got to 40 in what seemed like no time but a sustained period of pressure in the final ten overs saw the pair bring Carmel back into contention.
Philip claimed two more victims in the middle order to finish with 4/19 off his four overs. The skipper bowled two overs of pace at the death but it was Barnett who mopped up the tail with three more wickets to finish with 4/29.
Carmel had hauled themselves back in the game to restrict Latvia to 194 all out in just under 30 overs but they would have to make their highest score on tour so far to win the game.After a delicious and satisfying curry during tea the Carmel captain expressed his determination that the Gold Caps win the match and bring home the impressive trophy to celebrate the game.
Some tight bowling from the Latvian attack meant scoring at the beginning of the innings was difficult. After ten overs Carmel had only 40 runs on the board and the run rate was going up after every over. Barnett (18) was run out in the 12th over before Pierce (9) lost his wicket in 13th to bring Australian pair Somerford and Peacock to the crease looking to up the run rate.
Somerford, the batting hero of the tour thus far, was caught in the 17th over for 10 runs with the score up to 82, and with wickets down victory now seemed an unlikely prospect.The skipper (1) was bowled and quickly followed by Philip (2), Roberts (4) and Horne (7). 130/7 off 24 overs, with not a lot of batting left in the hutch and the game looked virtually over.
Cometh the hour, cometh the (old) men. Roddy Brooks entered the fray and the two most experienced players in the team gritted their teeth and decided that despite the odds they may as well die trying to win the game.
Peacock, with his eye firmly in, began taking on the Latvian attack. Three massive sixes from the right-hander from Perth, some urgent running of byes as well as lose bowling saw Carmel up to 158 two overs later. Game on! Brooks now got in on the act and despite lacking the big-hitting power of his partner he was able to find the gaps for ones and twos. The big man looked like tired, out of breath but ran every run like the devil was chasing him.
By the 27th over the score had shot up to 177 but the opening bowler came back on and his line and length meant only one run was scored. Peacock clearly didn’t want to waste any more time and danced down the track to hit a huge six off the first ball of the next over.
The remarkable partnership meant Carmel were level with rate and required 12 runs off 11 balls to claim the win. The bowler started to feel the pressure and after three wides Carmel were down to nine runs off 5 balls.The experienced pair didn’t hang around and started to knock the remaining runs off in twos and singles. One run was required off the last over and Peacock calmly guided the ball through the covers off the first delivery to finish on 57 not out with Brooks on 7 not out in a partnership for the seventh wicket that been worth 64 runs.
Carmel win by three wickets (Scorecard)
Carmel captain Tim Abraham lifted another trophy presented by the Latvian captain while Justin Peacock picked the man-of-the-match award for his incredible knock when the victory seemed to be beyond Carmel.
We thanked our hosts for their hospitality, helped them pack away all their equipment before heading back to the hotel for showers and a quick change.Awards and fines
The party then headed out for an end of tour meal, awards, fines and a few beers.
Matt Somerford finished as the best batsman of the tour, scoring 300 runs while Sam Philip won top bowler after collecting 16 wickets.
Someford also scooped players player of the tour behind Justin Peacock in second and Tom Horne in third.Harry Reekie’s outstanding contribution with the gloves, going from virtual novice (he hadn’t kept wicket in five years) to the safest hands in Eastern Europe earned him the captain’s player of the tour award.
With aching limbs and virtually nowhere in Riga open on a Sunday night the party made their way back to the hotel and to bed.
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