Story The Rebel Tour Thread - links to all reports and videos in OP

[blockerdave]

Hi All,

First of all a massive thanks to @Llewelynf for making the logos for me. With all the other work he's been doing to have taken the time to do such quality work for a niche project like this is truly generous. This community and this game is lucky to have him and the other creators producing top quality work.

I've created this as a separate thread so I can put all the tour stories in one place. I'll sticky individual reports in this first thread. I intend to play through all the tours, but we'll see how it goes. (With WI & Aus, who both came 2 years in a row, I may only play one of the tours, and will probably just play internationals and not tour matches for most tours.)

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There's a long post explaining what teams are on the server and the names to search them under, here

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Starting with the first tour, 1982 SAB English XI Tour of South Africa
(Due to tour line-up issues, these have all been played as casual matches.)

Match 1, 2 day tour match v SA Colts. SAB English XI win by 3 wickets
Day 1 Session 1, Day 1 Session 2, Day 1 Session 3
Day 2 Session 1, Day 2 Session 2, Day 2 Session 3

Match 2 - 1st 'ODI' v South Africa SAB English XI win by 3 wickets

Match 3 - 3 day tour match v Western Province. Western Province win by 3 wickets.
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Match 4 - 1st 'Test' (4 days) v South Africa. SAB English XI win by 1 wicket.
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 not needed.

Match 5 - 2nd 'ODI' v South Africa. South Africa win by 15 runs.

A compilation of dismissals from the first few matches.

Match 6 - 2nd 'Test'. SAB English XI win by 6 wickets.
Day 1 Morning Session, Day 1 Afternoon and Evening Sessions.
Day 2, Day 3

Match 7 - 3rd 'ODI'. South Africa Win by 86 Runs. South Africa win the ODI series 2-1.

Match 8 - 3rd 'Test'. South Africa Win by Inns & 6 runs. SAB English XI win the Test series 2-1.

AROSA Sri Lanka Tour
Match 1 - 1st 'Test'. AROSA Sri Lanka win by 8 runs.

Match 2 - 1st 'ODI'. South Africa win by 8 wickets.

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Morning Session: Colts take control after an early loss, but a late double strike pegs them back at lunch.

On a flat looking, soft pitch the Colts win the toss and choose to bat first. Seef gives his wicket away to the second ball with no runs on the board - a great start for Hendrick.

Du Preez joins Whitfield, and in glorious batting conditions they make a great recovery from the shaky start. Very little happening with the ball - a fairly hopeful LBW shout against Whitfield off Hendrick reflecting England's desperation. Whitfield responds by smashing the next ball for four.

A moment of hope for England with the score on 40/1 as they are convinced they have Du Preez caught behind again off Hendrick. Replays show the ball flicked his back thigh on the way through to Alan Knott - a great decision by the umpire.

With very little other threat, the pair go on through first a 50 then a hundred partnership, Whitfield reaching his own 50.

It looked like being an almost perfect morning for the colts, as late on in the session the partnership was still unbroken. However, in trying to reach 50 with a boundary, Du Preez skied a cut off Underwood to Hendrick, to go for 46 and leave the score 106/2.

Whitfield and Venter were scoring quickly off the spinners, and Gooch brought Lever and Hendrick back into the attack. They were much tighter, and were rewarded when Hendrick snuck one past Whitfield to bowl him for 66.

Captain Kuiper joined Venter and they saw out the last couple of overs to lunch on 142/3. A solid start for the SA colts.

(N.B. video shows Retro filter, and players ported over from DBC14.)

 

[Markkkkk]

*squeaks excitedly*

 

[DAP]

Gonna watch it now Blocker! Will edit the post after watching it!

Edit: @blockerdave filter was absolutely brilliant and loved the 100 partnership by the opposition!

 

[Bluebagger]

Great decision from the umpire to give du Preez not out caught behind and how close was he to being bowled too but he threw his wicket away right before lunch, silly shot!

 

[grkrama]

fantastic to look at the retro filter somehow makes it feel more real.

 

[Gamer Pradosh]

Missing the pages and pages of pics hope they make a return this time around too @blockerdave ..And like @grkrama said filter creates the environment of that match beautifully along with that really good looking stadium and the limited crowd stands..Nice one..

 

[Markkkkk]

I've only played with retro filter since I got the game. Improves the graphics a lot.

 

[blockerdave]

I've only played with retro filter since I got the game. Improves the graphics a lot.

Candlelight is lovely too

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Afternoon Session: Venter and Richardson miss out on 50s, Hendrick takes 2 more. 264/7 at tea (62 overs).

Venter and Kuiper start the afternoon session, Venter looking much the more fluent. An inspired fielding change from Gooch pays dividends and Kuiper mistimes a Hendrick cutter to Larkins at Gully, out for 13. Larkins had been moved there just 2 balls before.

Richardson joins Venter to push the score past 200. Disaster strikes for Venter, as trying to work Lever into the legside for the single to bring up his 50, he hits one in the air to short leg - c Willey bLever for 49. Richardson and Allan continue to benefit from the batsman friendly conditions, a solid partnership broken only when Amiss pulls off a stunning catch from the bowling of Underwood to send Richardson back for 40, the score on 248/6.

A new ball is available on 60 overs, though England decline it initially, it's thrown to Hendrick for the 62nd over, the last before tea. Hendrick grabs his 4th wicket with the very last ball, clean bowling Radford. Allan walks off unbeaten on 29 with the score at the interval 264/7.

 

[kulch]

[DOUBLEPOST=1482785750][/DOUBLEPOST]

I've only played with retro filter since I got the game. Improves the graphics a lot.

What is your gamma setting at?

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Evening Session: 50 for Allan, 5 for Underwood as SA Colts bat on and on. England lose Boycott & Larkins early, Gooch & Amiss stabilise.

South Africa Colts may have been expected to declare at or shortly after tea, but they batted on with Van Vuuren & Allan in attacking mode. Van Vuuren was out for 40, lbw to Underwood. Allan got through to 50, but was out shortly afterwards edging a cut from Underwood through to keeper Knott. Still no declaration came, but last man Carse didn't stay long, hitting Underwood to square leg to give the left-arm spinner his 5th wicket of the innings. The colts all out for 347.

Gooch and Boycott began England's replay, and despite a solid start Boycott was soon out caught at gully mistiming a cut. Larkins struggled initially, taking several balls to get off the mark, but then hit some nice shots including a lovely straight boundary. Perhaps he got overconfident, as shortly after he mistimed a pull and was caught at midwicket. [Apologies I accidentally deleted this!]

Gooch and Amiss saw England through to the close with no further loss. Gooch was particularly harsh on the spin of Pienaar Anker, as he helped England to 55/2 off 12 overs at stumps, the England Captain going in overnight on 32* from 36 balls.

(Some nice lighting in this as dusk falls.)

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Day 2 Morning Session: Gooch misses out on hundred to spark a collapse. Lever & Underwood guide England to safety.

Gooch and Amiss start off the morning in an attacking vein. A flurry of leg-side boundaries sees them bring up a 50 partnership, Gooch's 50, and then the 100 partnership all within the first hour.

Amiss gets a life when he is caught at gully off slip. Gooch then falls cutting to backward point, out for 84. Gooch's dismissal opens the door to a vulnerable middle order - Willey, Knott and Emburey all probably a place too high in the order. England slip from 149/3 to 186/7 - still short of the follow-on mark of 197.

However, Lever and Underwood launch a blistering counter-attack. Lever smashing a 50, and the partnership unbroken on 68 as England lunch on 254/7.

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Day 2 Afternoon Session: England dismissed quickly. SA Colts lose early wickets.

Lever only adds 5 more to his score before being caught behind tickling a short one down the leg side. Underwood also top-edges a pull through to the keeper. Taylor and Hendrick smash a few to take the score to 284, before Hendrick is dismissed in a carbon copy of Underwood's dismissal, Carse finishing with a 5-fer.

The England bowlers use a lot of cutters to get some movement off the pitch, and induce a few plays and misses. Another cutter from Lever finds Seef's edge and goes through to Knott for the breakthrough. Hendrick also picks up Du Preez thanks to an athletic diving catch from Amiss at square leg. Venter survives a big shout for an edge from Lever to Knott, but then goes next over as Les Taylor, just introduced to the attack, gets him caught behind. 2 balls later, an identical result sends Kuiper back for a duck. 57/4, a lead of 120 - has the door opened for the England XI?

Richardson and Whitfield stabilise somewhat, but Underwood gets one through Richardson to bowl him with the score now 95/5, 158 ahead. Allan joins WHitfield and sees the SA Colts to 111/5 at tea.

So SA Colts go in ahead of the final session with a lead of 174 and their two half-centurions from the first innings at the wicket - will the game peter out or can an exciting finish be engineered.

 

[blockerdave]

Match 1 - 2 day Tour Match vs South Africa Colts (u25), at Berea Park.

Day 2 Evening Session: Declaration and run chase - blizzard of boundaries, flurry of wickets... grandstand finish.

SA Colts bat on, allowing Whitfield to pass 50 for the second time in the match. When they eventually declare, they've set the SAB the challenging target of 231 in 33 overs. But on a flat pitch, perhaps gettable.

Gooch certainly thinks so, getting off to a blistering start smashing the bowlers to the boundary. When he is out playing on just 1 short of a second 50 in the match, his mantle is taken on by Larkins who also comes out the blocks hitting boundaries immediately. After a more watchful start, even Boycott gets in on the act with several lovely fours. England look like make short work of what seemed a difficult 7-an over target.

However, several quick wickets peg England back and put the result in the balance...

How did it finish? You'll have to watch the video.