President's Day: The Game that Finished in the Dark

The annual President's Game is the biggest event in the club calendar, and it was my honour to be selected to play for the club for the first time, to take on a President's team of mainly former players. We lost it due to rain last year, so we were desperate for it to go ahead.

Even more importantly, it was the first game to be played on our new second ground at the club, a facility three years in planning and development, and so we had a large number of dignataries present for the grand opening on a beautiful wicket our grounds staff must be very proud of.

Hence we had a very nice cake  spread before the game - I don't normally eat before matches but I did today - and a number of speaches from the President, the deputy chair of the district council, an English Cricket Board official, and our own chairman.

After his short speech, we were a bit late in getting started, which was to lead to interesting consequences later on. By tradition, the President's XI bat first, which meant my club side, full of first team players, would bowl first. And for some reason, muggins here was chosen to bowl the historic first ball on the new ground, looking very fat from the pictures I have just seen.

I am rarely so honoured.

I was also lucky enough to take the first wicket, when I got our first team leading run scorer chasing a wide one to second slip where the catch seemed to be taken on the fielder's stomach, not that I cared after yesterday's travails. He could have taken the catch up his nose and I would have taken it gladly.

The batsman looked absolutely stricken, like a child who has just watched his hamster being eaten by Freddie Starr.

This brought out the Div A Collingham bat who had promised to hit me into any tree he chose to nominate. Well he bloody didn't, and I beat his bat a few times. He did however hit plenty of 6s of other bowlers, and his partner got a 50 at a rapid rate as well. We were being banjaxed, basically, until one of our rather less heralded bowlers came on and proceded to gut the middle order like a spatchcocked chicken to take 5 for 19. He did really seem quite embarassed about it though.

If I were him I'd have been getting the ball embossed with a commemorative plaque.

I got a second spell, which was a bit of a disaster as 1) I was stiff as a board and opened with 3 wides and 2) I had the actual President caught behind, which was loudly booed by some rioters in the crowd.

This brought out the chairman, who I nearly decapitated first ball - ok nearly had caught behind - and we gave each other Alan Donald - Mike Atherton style stares which was good for the spectators. He was nearly caught next ball before he hit a 4 off my last ball, grrrrr.

I took 2-30 in the end as the President's XI scored 217 for 9 off their 40 overs. This was a daunting target, not least because it was scheduled to get dark as we finished.

Hmmmmm.

But we started really well, with our first team bats, especially the one who calls me by unflattering nicknames sometimes, belting the ball to all parts. We were cruising at 165-3, then the wheels fell off. The naughty bat was caught brilliantly in fading light, and the club captain, distracted by the Arsenal game, got out for next to nothing. Or indeed, nothing.

That left myself and the other tail enders, and it was getting very dark. When I went out at number 10, we still needed 24, and I was dropped first ball by the club chairman.

Second ball I stepped across my stumps, and lapped the ball over the ropes for a big old 6. Alas that was the only good thing I did, as next over I got my partner run out by a direct hit - sorry about that - and then played a horrible hack to be caught out. I seem to have forgotten how to score on the off side.

We lost by about 10 runs. But apparently, we are supposed to lose anyway, so I guess that is alright in the end.

Still a bit disappointed though. And we won't talk about my fielding. But it was a great day for the club. And at least I didn't rip my Rod Stewart style too tight cricket trousers, as the chairman did. See below. If you dare.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 

Manhole Covers

I was at the Town Hall  today, and was struck by the number of venerable old manholes and service covers there were in its vicinity, all of them proudly bearing the legend of who made them.

It reminds me of the times when I used to help my stepfather on his land and architectural surveys. As well as holding the end of a tape measure, a levelling staff or ranging poles, one of my tasks was to help lift up manhole covers and investigate where the contents were going.

This was the hardest part of the job. The covers had often not been opened for years, needed one of a variety of "keys" to be lifted and whichever one you had was  never the right one, which combined to mean that lifting the covers, even with two of us, was incredibly hard work.

Having to stand there holding the cover up while my stepfather dropped his tape measure in to take measurements was a painful business indeed as I wasn't that strong when I was 18 and skinny as a whippet.

Opening up foul drains wasn't much fun either, for obvious reasons.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.03.19

Civil War Enacting

Town has been heavily celebrating its Civil War connection this bank holiday weekend - for those who don't know, Newark was the second last Royalist stronghold to fall in the English Civil War, after a final siege in 1646, and the Castle and Queen's Sconce were where today's action was centred.

I walked to Sconce Park this morning, and found myself in a sea of tents; the re-enactors real homes for the weekend. I was rather too early for the battle alas; but at the castle they were all in their tents doing their sewing, cooking, smithery, pottery and medieval recorder blowing.

They never seem to have falconry though, sure there must have been plenty of that going on in those days.

Another guy was needing help with his boots.

In the afternoon, I had another, hotter walk, and it was heartening to see so many butterflies out today, in particular the number of Holly Blues and Orange Tips that were in flight. But there were also large white, small white, green veined white, brimstone and speckled wood also seen.

I even did a spot of gardening, trying to tidy it up while keeping it wild. But sheesh, hot work!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 06.05.18

Sugar Factory Sunset

I had an entirely silent run last night...no phone, no DAB radio, just me running in a strong wind. I felt odd to just have my breath and the noises in my head accompanying me as I ran on my old school slog past the colleague to the railway station, then back along the river and home. 5km. Done in about 30 minutes, but I've no way of knowing to be sure!

Spectacular sunset on the way home from work, illuminating the smoke from the sugar factory and blessing this building in a golden glow. The powers that be are giving their blessings to our great sugar making process, and wishing that they could ditch their manna or ambrosia for a few teaspoons of Tate and Lyle.

Alright, it's brown lumpy things being made into white powder. But it looked good tonight.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.10.17

The Weir and the River

Been struggling today with a strange pain in my back in the vicinity of my right shoulderblade. Every so often when I'm lying down, I'll turn to the side and get a polite reminder in the form of a stabbing pain deep in the muscle somewhere.

I think the damage has done by violent stimming / ticcing. I'm always ricking, pulling, tearing and tweaking parts of my body in that fashion.

So, I had a walk this afternoon, on a day that was a very peculiar grey colour all day, with occasional this washes of blue beyond as the low level cover thinned in localised areas. Occasionally there were spots of rain, but nothing drastic. It was rather mild as well, so it ended up being a T-Shirt sort of afternoon, as I walked the park and the sides of the River Trent, looking for things of interest.

Eventually I took myself onto what is known as "Bob's Island" or "Pelham Island", a well known fishery by Millgate Bridge where part of the river falls down a weir. Often it is locked up, especially when a well known pair of swans used to nest there, but today you could walk around and look at the old backs of buildings and the various little drops and backwaters that make up the "coast".

It is a loud place, with three weirs making the water roar like a mythical beast. AS I've noticed by the weir at the north end of town, there is a chemical, slightly toxic taint to the air even though the river is supposed to be cleaner than it has been in hundreds of years.

Nothing has dissolved, so I seem to be ok.

Himalayan balsam still blooms, but is tired now, and the blackberries have mostly long gone apart from a few in the dog wee zone. Such is the season. What shall I do over winter to stay active.

Si

The Lights go on, the Temperatures go Down

Newark's Christmas lights went on on Sunday; I was just on a pretty decent long run, 10.5km in when I turned into town to see what was going on, and found myself running into a solid jam of people packing out the market place listening to One Direction cover acts on the stage, while hogs were roasted, porks were pulled, and funny spinny lighty-up things were sold to excited children.

I've never seen the town so busy for such an event, and although this was pleasing indeed, it wasn't my scene at all. A lot of tat and fairground rides, and far far too many people. But hey it gives me colour to show you! And that can't be bad.

Since then, the temperature has been dropping until the last two nights it hit about -6 and -7, which has made my morning cycles to work utter agony; I have Raynaud's syndrome and my left hand in particular has been telling me how cold it has been by means of the scale of agony.

"Bullshit was that -1" I announced yesterday, referring to the weather forecast, and my left hand was right.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 30.11.16

Doolittle is at the Locks

The last time I showed you the locks it was when they were emptied so the gates could be replaced. I'm showing you them again 1) just because they are historical and heritigical and stuff and have the castle behind them and 2) because of a particular sign I found.