Eddie Joyner looks very trim these days but incredibly he is in his 70th year so grew up in the Swinging Sixties and this has served him well, particularly with cricket ball in hand. He may not bowl as fast as Mitchell Starc and he is not as tall as Tim Southee but he certainly can swing the ball as much. Earlier in the season he reduced United CC to 30 for six with a five-wicket haul and he repeated the feat against the Singapore touring side.
Not given the new ball, probably to give the opposition a chance, after Gymkhana had posted a total of 200 for 6 in 30 overs, Eddie came on with the score on 49 for no wicket after 9 overs and it only took him two balls to find the stumps as opener Rohit Shah was bowled for an attractive 29. Eddie generously bowled a wide to the new batsman but soon had him caught behind for a duck.
Lbw decisions followed in his next two overs to give Eddie the remarkable figures of 4 for 5 after 3 overs and the batsmen were reduced to blocking him out but he wasn’t to be denied and claimed his fifth wicket in his final over but figures of 5 for 7 were completely ruined as Matt Streetton who often scores runs on his visits to Chiang Mai hit him for a four and a three. Never mind Eddie, 5 for 14 isn’t too bad.
Singapore CC did very well to recover from 85 for 6 as newcomer Harry Stones reached fifty before retiring and Streetton scored 40 before being run out as they shared a seventh wicket partnership of 79 in only 8 overs as Gymkhana’s other bowlers couldn’t match the accuracy shown by steady Eddie and a final total of 174 for 7 in 30 overs was a highly respectable return for Singapore.
Gymkhana’s margin of victory by 26 runs looks comfortable but in fact Singapore easily outscored the home side with the bat as four Gymkhana players made scores in the twenties and Richard Young top-scored on 32, but 68 of the total of 200 came in extras: 53 wides, 8 byes and 7 leg byes.
This is traditionally a pre-season tour for Singapore’s social side but the bowlers might need to get some more practice although Arooran Alagaratnam had figures of 3 for 37 and although Suhail conceded 23 in wides he did take two wickets for 47.
It was an enjoyable day of social cricket as can be seen by the 99 runs conceded in extras by both teams but one man stood apart with his spell of five wickets for seven runs and that was the oldest swinger in town, Eddie Joyner.
But Eddie, you’ll just have to accept you can’t bat as well as you used to