Operation Shellacking

Today saw us playing...Fiskerton and Thurgarton again! We've only just played them yesterday, but while that was the Saturday 3rd team, this time it was their Sunday first team we were up against.

Equivalent - Division N standard, to Division C standard. And our team only had one player who wasn't Division N standard. We were very outmatched. And as ever for these sorts of games, I ended up being captain again.

But at least we were playing at Thurgarton Priory, the most beautiful ground I've ever played on and apparently voted the 6th most attractive in the country. Since we played before in May, flowers have been planted around the charming pavilion, and it was very noticeable how as the afternoon wore on, lots of people arrived to use the ground as a social facility.

We were there for business, the business of playing cricket.

We bowled first, to make sure we got our money's worth for the afternoon, and we made a good start; good bowling from myself, for a change, and our other main bowlers. We had them 4 wickets down for not very many.

Then there was a small partnership of about 600 which did for us, the two best batsmen on the team, and they took the game miles away from us. We needed some overs from the fill in bowlers, and sadly the fill in bowlers got filled in.

Nothing you can do. Just keep on trying to enjoy it. If you can enjoy 294-6.

A tea which was helpfully illuminated with flags telling you what you were eating, and was also very nice, followed before we went out to bat. I put myself at 9, mainly because I like the number, and let better batsman get on with it. Things went ok for a while, and after a spell operating the electronic scoreboard, had a walk round this ground, a ground where I had walked with a girlfriend when I was 17.

The bees were driven wild by the flowers! Loads of them nectaring off the...whatever they weres. Swallows were all over the ground when the weather was warmer, then the flocks of wagtails took over, mummies, daddies and youngsters. THe beauty of the ground has a drawback though. it's hard to see among the trees.

That's my excuse anyway. I was out for 0 again. I am so desperate for runs I just can't relax and actually score any. Driving me mad. I haven't scored more than 1 since May. AARRGGGHHH. Again! And the team was all out for 77. AAARGGGH yet again.

Still love it though. And I dived a few times today, making a complete mess of it on each occasion.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.08.17