Note: the Moat Brae Trust Project will feature on the BBC’s One Show when Joanne Lumley appears on the programme this Friday at 7pm (the 6th).
The JM Barrie Anniversary Match took place at Dumfries Cricket Club last week on Thursday, perhaps with the help of a sprinkling of pixie dust since the Nunholm ground avoided the absolute worst of the rain which brought stories of flooding elsewhere locally.
Peter Pan teams
The overs were reduced to make it a Twenty20 match and the Dumfries Select XI batted first. Galloway’s Anton Vosloo hit three boundaries but the Barrie Invitation XI (the Allahakbarries) found their feet and he was bowled by former Scotland opening bowler John Blain operating off a somewhat shorter run than usual.
Meanwhile author Nicholas Hogg was showing the style bowling rapidly from the other end and the literary attack continued with the off-spin of William Fiennes. Marcus Richardson smacked a full toss straight to deep wicket for 22 and Fraser Conn, of Galloway, after a lively 24 went to the spin of Keith Morton and to the catch of the day by Kevin Telfer, in reverse and in mid air, which would have got him into Peter Pan’s 1st XI (which is also the title of his book on Barrie’s cricket team). At half way, after 10 overs, the Dumfries Select had reached 66.
Dumfries’s Josh Geary, first with circumspection, and then, when he had found the pace of the wicket, with alacrity added to the local’s total. Skipper Stuart Corbett-Byers succumbed stumped for 13 in the closing overs to the, self proclaimed, outswing bowling of limited guile of Adrian Turpin.
Simon Smith claimed his second stumping off Willy Morton and Beveridge saw his beefy blow thump into the hands of Blain on the boundary in front of the pavilion as he somehow managed to take the catch and prevent the six at the same time.
Meanwhile Geary was reaching the boundary with regularity and he rounded off his eight fours with a towering six towards the tennis courts and was promptly retired. The Dumfries side completed the first innings with a challenging total of 154 for 6 on the board.
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The response of the Barrie XI was dominated by Scotland keeper Simon Smith who opened and deployed his pull shot to the boundary effectively in the opening overs. Druce bowled tightly but Alan Davidson took the first wicket. The Dumfries bowlers applied pressure at one end whilst Smith kept the score mounting. At their ten over half way point the guests were 45 for 2 but when Joe Clarke bowled Smith for 46 with the score on 64, and then immediately bowled another, the prospects of a successful chase subsided. Politely it wasn’t pointed out at the time that he normally bowls right arm quick and not left arm spinners.
Dumfries had the Barrie XI on the hook and after Corbett-Byers, satisfyingly for him, dismissed John Blain lbw, fourteen year old Dean Brotherston was deployed to take three of the last four wickets to fall as the batsmen tried to reach the boundary. However there was a remaining Dumfries blast from the past from the visitors as former Club Captain Roger Lever enthusiastically hit a couple of boundaries to show that class is permanent as he had also demonstrated earlier with his bowling.
The Barrie XI were all out off the last ball and one short of the century to complete a match which was enjoyed by the players and the spectators alike. Dumfries were victors in the scorebook, however the match was really a win for the supporters of the Barrie XI since it had proved to be a successful day in aid of the Moat Brae Trust.
Many thanks go to the players and the umpires who were keen to play and particularly to those of them that had travelled, more in hope than in expectation of a match, and also to the club’s ground volunteers whose efforts surprised those who arrived at Nunholm with an Anniversary Cricket Match that actually included some cricket.
Match Scoreboard: JM Barrie 75th Anniversary Match at Nunholm
In aid of the Moat Brae Trust. Thu 28th June
Dumfries Select XI 154 for 6 (20 overs)
J Geary 58 rtd, F Conn 24, M Richardson 22; J Blain 1 for 12
JM Barrie XI 99 all out (20 overs)
S Smith 46; D Brotherston 3 for 6, J Clarke 2 for 5
Dumfries Select XI Man of the Match: J Geary
JM Barrie XI Man of the Match: S Smith
See the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust website.
Dumfries Sports Club 
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