Trent Valley 193-8 Beat Walsall Health 114 by 79 Runs.

This week Walsall Health were back in Staffordshire, visiting Armitage to play against Trent Valley. Visiting a village famous for its production of toilets and bathroom furniture would the Elf come out smelling of roses or would it all go down the pan?

It was a mixed day weather-wise, sunshine and blue skies regularly broken up by short, sharp showers. The ground was pristine, if a little hilly and a field of local cows craned over the fence to see Alex Nunns take another toss and actually win another, slightly startled to have the choice again, he turned to the team, still elated and dumbstruck by the skipper’s run of wins. Eventually, the Elf decided to have a bowl and with make shi(f)t wicket keeper Will Lauchlan pushed for a stump to stump line, take the keeper out of the game and the wickets would come (or at least not be dropped by him.)

The full and straight plan proved quite a good ploy, especially in the opening bowlers Dave Stephens and Josh Butler. There were regular late forward defences that just saved the batsman being bowled or out lbw and with hardly any width on offer, the only scoring shots were being clipped off the pads or off edges. The Health could sense an opportunity and before long, the wickets the tight bowling deserved arrived. DS had the first, the Trent Valley batsman bowled between bat and pad for 7 and Josh Butler grabbed an LBW, then a few overs later. A smart caught and bowled for Josh followed and the Health had a good advantage, helped further by Will Tomlinson taking the number 4 batsman with an LBW that seemed to have come off the bat first. Definitely the last debatable umpiring call of the day…

The Elf didn’t mind that, though, at drinks with Trent Valley 4 down, confidence was high. But like the intermittent sunshine, it didn’t last. 

JP, coming on as the change bowler, was immediately taken to task by the Trent Valley batsman, his first three balls all being deposited to the boundaries, it was unfortunately a sign of things to come. John Nicholls (playing his 250 game for the Elf no less, phenomenal achievement Jonty, here’s to many more) bowled from the other end, but with runs streaming Jonty’s usual tight lines and building of pressure left him wicketless. Eventually, JP could take no more, with the scorers also begging for mercy, he was taken out of the attack. 52 runs conceded off his 4 overs. It could’ve been the end of his day, but it’s a funny game and an inspired piece of captaincy by Nunn’s deployed JP from the other end and crucially a long boundary to cow corner. From there, the partnership fell quickly, with some excellent catching in the deep from both Jack Stenson and Tomlinson. The partnership was broken and there was an opportunity for the Elf bowlers to make some serious inroads. 

Maybe a hattrick? 

Step up Will Tomlinson. Again. 

Stump to stump did the trick. One out bowled. Second ball, same again. Bowled. Silly field deployed, no one has ever taken two hat-tricks for the Elf, let alone in the same season. It was always going to be at the stumps. The ball left his hand. Bat went forward. The bat missed. It sailed between bat and pad. The fielders coiled ready to swamp the bowler. A bit of bounce. Middle stump must have ducked. It was a shade over the top. Bails whipped off. A single appeal. More in hope than expectation. The umpire shook his head. Correct decision. Tomlinson was inches away from opening a new section in the Elf Hall of Fame all to himself.

There was time for one more JP wicket, a comeback spell that Lazarus would’ve been proud of but the target was a stiff one, 194 was needed from 40 overs. 

Skipper Nunns took the pressure on himself and walked out to open with Stenson. The left-hand right-hand combo started off well, the two got themselves in and kept close to the rate. Trying to accelerate, though Nunn’s had a swipe at an ugly wide one and was caught out. Stenson would follow 3 runs later and the Elf were struggling at 24-2. Will’s Lauchlan and Tomlinson dug in but, besides a couple of sweetly struck 4s couldn’t get into a bowling attack that on the day was just too good. The partnership got to 30, Lauchlan’s innings had more edges than Sweeney Todd’s barber shop before his luck ran out for 17. 

Will was replaced with Hill, who accelerated the strike rate of the innings dramatically. It’s a shame it only lasted two balls, the first racing to the boundary, the second doing the same, but this time, to the bails. Hill was replaced with Hill, it was Dave’s go. He dug in with Tomlinson who was playing a faultless knock at the other end. The scoring was still slow, though and in an attempt to get it kickstarted Dave was out for 4. 

DS was next to take on the tough bowling and played a gorgeous straight drive and supported Tommo well but some very awkward spin bowling soon dismissed him for 8. 

Jonty was in next, his bat probably asking for double time for the overtime, it’s done in 2025 compared to previous years. He too dug in well to support Wil,l but a combination of good bowling and questionable umpiring accounted for Jonty, a debatable LBW call for 1 that will not be discussed further in this report, as the umpire is also the person writing it.

JP and Josh Butler couldn’t do much to help at the end of the tail 1 and 0 respectively and Tomlinson was not out for a brilliant 37. Just think of the averages Will. The Elf were all out for 114, they had guts but ultimately not the glory in the face of some superb bowling. 

The Elf return to home comforts (and thankfully leave Staffordshire thoroughly in the rear view) for a home game at Carter Park on Sunday against Beaumont.