Theakston Village Cup Player of the Round: Shawn Johnson, Calmore Sports Club

By the end of his eight-over spell against Paultons, Johnson had collected 5 for 34, securing an unlikely four-run victory for his side, having earlier made 79 with the bat

At the start of the 26th over, Paultons needed 91 runs off 90 balls to progress to round three of the Voneus Village Cup, and batsman Nathan Feltham was seeing it like a beachball.

Out of desperation, Calmore captain Mark Lavelle chucked the ball to part-time bowler Shawn Johnson, hoping for a moment of magic to drag his side into the contest.

The risk didn’t initially pay off. By the end of the 31st over, Johnson had a wicket – Jacob Lee, bowled for 14 – but Feltham was still in demolition mode, smacking boundaries with ease and reducing his side’s target to 41 off 54 balls.

However, four balls later, Johnson got his man, bowling a deceptively slow ball to remove the Paultons wrecking ball for 78 (67 balls, 4 fours, 7 sixes) and flip the game on its head.

Robert Pike and Simon Ennew quickly joined Feltham in the wickets column as Paultons slipped to 160 for 6, and by the end of his eight-over spell, Johnson had collected 5 for 34, securing an unlikely four-run victory for his side and the Theakston Player of the Round gong for himself.

“He’s in the team for his batting more than his bowling,” explained Lavelle. “We’d not really seen him bowl too much but they had a guy giving it a good whack, so we threw the ball to Shawn to see if he could get a wicket – and he got five!

“The last three were in the rain so it was even harder for him to grip the ball, but it was an incredible spell. We were completely out of the game with 10 overs to go, they only needed about four an over, and then he turned the game on its head.”

Theakston Player of the Round: Roll of Honour

Preliminary Round: Ben Bowles (Abberton & District)

Round One: Sam Wood (Newtown Linford)

And it wasn’t just with the ball that Johnson changed the game. Earlier in the day while batting at No.4, he’d anchored his side’s innings – an unfamiliar role – on his way to a 90-ball 79, dragging Calmore from 14 for 2 to 186 for 5.

Describing his performance, Johnson said: “We lost a few early wickets and it was quite a damp day on a green wicket and I just tried to tick along as best as I could and build partnerships. I was pretty comfortable and seeing it well.

“I’m always quite aggressive, a positive player, and I played that way, almost as if we were none down because that’s how I like to play. I wanted to make sure we had wickets in hand at the end to score quicker and Rosey [James Rose] batted amazingly. I wasn’t playing like an anchor, I was still playing my shots and being aggressive because that’s how I pay and nothing’s going to stop me.

“Bowling wise, they had a batter who was whacking it absolutely miles so I bowled him a slower ball, he tried to hit it into next week and I bowled him. From there wickets just kept on falling.”

He insisted he’s not playing for personal milestones or recognition, quickly applauding his teammates and sharing the credit for the win.

“I just wanted to do the best for the team,” he said. “We want to do well in the cup and I was just happy to do my job. Everyone bowled really well and we stuck at it and showed a lot of guts.”

But, if they do make it through the next six rounds, it will be a dream come true for Johnson, who saw most of his first season at Calmore disrupted by lockdown and a broken ankle.

“At Calmore, we’re all up for it. Who doesn’t want to play at Lord’s?” he said. “That’s my incentive to try and do well and win games, and it’s in the group chat all the time: we’re six wins away from the home of cricket.”

Simon Theakston from Theakston Brewery commented, “We offer Shawn our congratulations as Theakston Player of the Round with his spectacular and highly entertaining score of 79, which laid the foundation before his five wickets secured victory.”

Following their four-run victory, Johnson and his Calmore side will face Sarisbury Athletic on May 23.

Shawn Johnson will receive a case of Theakston beer for being named the Player of the Round during the Voneus Village Cup.

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