General News
17 January, 2025
When the cows moo, you have to call time
By Gary Walsh How Redbacks’ veteran milks his early exit from the crease AT THE first drinks break in Arnold’s chase after Kingower’s imposing 2-234, opener Phil Scholes approached the scorers and said, “I’ve got a sore foot, so I’m...
By Gary Walsh
How Redbacks’ veteran milks his early exit from the crease
AT THE first drinks break in Arnold’s chase after Kingower’s imposing 2-234, opener Phil Scholes approached the scorers and said, “I’ve got a sore foot, so I’m retiring hurt”.
It was a little white lie.
A more accurate description would have been “retired milking”.
As Scholes had admitted to the Loddon Herald at the change of innings, 150 cows weren’t going to milk themselves, and he would have to leave by 5pm whether or not he had been dismissed.
As it happened, he was still there with Heath Lock, with the Redbacks 0-68 off nine overs.
With Scholes’ departure on 33 from 36 balls, signing off with two mighty sixes, Arnold’s slim chances of running down Kingower’s towering score ended as well.
Scholes is an old-time cricketer, a wicketkeeper who comes up to the stumps for medium-pacers and a hard-hitting batsman who faces the opposition without a helmet.
At 43, he has been playing for Arnold for 15 years, most notably taking an astonishing nine catches in one innings in a successful grand final.
Standing up to medium-pace bowlers – he took a fine catch against Kingower off the faintest of nicks and did not give away a bye – comes naturally to Scholes.
“I’m happy to stand up most of the time depending on the situation of the game,” he said.
“It keeps the batsmen in their crease, and you get more LBWs and stumpings if they go down the wicket.”
If only the cows could milk themselves.