Sangria forces Sunbury's skipper to change plans

Sep 10 2008 By Jon Batham, Staines News

A COMBINATION of wedding bells and Sangria mean Sunbury Cricket Club will need a new game plan for their rescheduled cup final with Ealing this Sunday.

Rain ruined the team's big day at the Oval for the original clash on Sunday, a game which should have brought the curtain down on their season

As if that wasn't disappointment enough, Olly Roland-Jones' side will now be without key bowlers Matthew Todd and Steve Lewis for the 'replay.'

Off-spinner Todd will have official duties at his sister's wedding, while strike bowler Lewis jets off to Portugal on holiday.

Sunday's 12th man Matthew Golding is also tying the knot this weekend, but Roland-Jones was philosophical about his selection headache.

He said: "Toddy has been a key wicket taker and Steve Lewis is a reliable opening bowler for us but it's the nature of club cricket that these things happen.

"Toddy missed a couple of the earlier rounds so we'll just have to change our tactics.

"You don't have the luxury of like-for-like swaps in club cricket so if you lose a bowler it's often the case that the next player in line is a batsman.

"So we'll go a bit stronger with our batting and do what we can with our bowling in their 50 overs."

Sadly for the Sunbury team, Surrey are using the Oval next Sunday and reigning champions Ealing won the toss of the coin to host the game.

Skipper Roland-Jones had played at the iconic Test ground twice before, once for Sunbury's U11s and again last year as skipper of Bradford UCCE.

He admitted the previous visits were no consolation.

"They don't really make up for the disappointment of not leading the team out on Sunday," he said.

"We'll look forward to next week's game but it could be a bit of an anti-climax."

Not that Roland-Jones was worried about going to the champions' backyard to win the trophy.

He said: "It might be a blessing in disguise for us to not have to do the organising and just turn up and play."