All Victory and no Trousers

This morning was very grim and wet, and I wasn't hopeful for today's match at home against Milton. However the weather improved from about midday on, and there was even some blue sky around when I arrived at the ground.

Because of the dubious weather forecast - which turned out to be wrong, it's still dry out there even as I write this - we cut the game to 30 overs, and batted first against a team with all ages from 10 to 70, and all standards too.

I umpired for the first 15 or so overs, while our openers laid a solid platform at a good rate helped by some fairly wild high beamers by the young Milton bowlers, and in such a short format our skipper had to instruct them to hit out or be retired, which our steadfast younger opener promptly did after a very good hour at the crease.

Our senior first team opener went on to make a stylish 50, before walking halfway down the track to a very non-spinner and missing the ball completely.

From then on in, we went for quick runs, with our young players supporting the seniors by knocking singles to get the hitters. Our pro dodgeballer (True dat!) smashed some towering sixes and was rewarded by a Lancaster bomber flypast.

Our club chairman and 3rd team captain came to watch the game, but spent a lot of time on a swing failing to be the next Beth Tweddle.

We ended up on 162-6, muggins here not required to bat, but hopefully despite eating a huge tea I'd still be ok to bowl.

As it turned out, our bowling was laser-like for the third week in a row, apart from me. After my fellow leftie (but twice as fast) opening partner knocked over the opener, the other opener was then run out of my second ball, before I had the young number 3 caught at slip. It had taken us a long time to get started in the field because our captain had forgotten his kit, and spent half an hour trying to borrow a shirt and trousers. Him being a very lithe athlete, all the kit was about 8 sizes too large and he ended up going onto the field looking like some sort of cricketing Charlie Chaplain.

The comedy continued when I then had the misfortune of having to bowl every single ball after that at their tall, techniqueless but powerful slogger, who I nearly got out 3 or 4 times an over bowling outswingers rather than my ususlainswing method, but as soon as anything was vaguely on the stumps he would thrash the ball hugely across the line to the boundary while I stood there shrugging my shoulders.

1-24 off 6 doesn't sound bad, but I was annoyed.

Luckily when we changed pace at him our young third team bowler castled him, before getting someone else caught in the same over. It was a slow death by a thousand cuts after that as we steadily dismissed the very young and rather older members of the team, to knock them over for about 90.

We have become rather ruthless, but in a nice friendly way.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.08.19