The Obliterators of the Unexpected Journey

So, it was the long drive out to Goosedale Lane today, to take on Notts and Arnold Amateurs Vs. I know. It's a big club, with a big quotient of juniors.

The ground itself, a huge, wide open and slightly sterile facility  is the scene of some awful hammerings for the Sunday side, against the NAA top players. But today it was their development side, up against our one, on a pitch like plasticine.

We bowled first, and ripped through them. Bowled them out for 26 as their batsman committed hari-kiri on a pitch which like a few recently, has done some very odd things for slower paced bowlers. Our skipper hit the stumps, while our even older than me keeper threw himself around like a 16 year old catching them out as they played colossal heaves against me that would have been suicide on the surface like a billiard table.

One of their naughtier batsmen failed to walk after nicking the cover off the ball for the keeper. The umpire (and his coach) ordered him off the field and after the game was seen being told he was dropped for the next match.

To be honest, I took 3 wickets and two of those were off my two worst balls, including the heroic 12 year old Hobbit batting who ended up their best batsman. Roughly about the size of the stumps in high heels, he seemed a very long way away to bowl to, and you had to pitch the ball on his toes to avoid the ball bouncing head high for him to hook.

However, I got him in the end. One does not simply walk out to bat against me!

We did our best to torpedo ourselves when we were batting, but managed to see it home three down.

We've been defeated like this a few times, it is horrible, and it seemed odd to be doing it to someone else. It's inspired the skipper to write more poetry that he wants me to put in this blog, but I don't want to break the Geneva Convention.

Always like watching the remote control aircraft flying club next to this ground!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 22.07.17