European Festival of Juggling

I mentioned in passing in my cricket blog  post yesterday about this event, which I think is running all week up at the Showground where they have put up huge circus tents for the week of entertainment they are having this week.

Yesterday, they took over the town, and I don't think there has ever been such a vibrant, colourful and exciting event ever seen here. By god the town needed it, a drab place culturally with an increasing amount of nasty and random acts of anti-social behavior. Ugh, sound like a middle aged tory.

Some of the shows were spectacular, although I missed the fire show on the Riverside Park. There was abseiling and acro-displays on the Town Hall, one involving a girl swinging from a chandelier harnessless at a pretty dizzying height.

The dazzling people made me feel very dull and made me want more out of life.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.08.19

Umpiring my way to Victory

After a disappointing result yesterday, I had to gear myself up for today's match against our promotion rivals from Balderton.

Ever the clubman (LOLOLOL) with rain forecast, I thought I'd be good chap and go down and see if the covers needed sorting because of the threat of rain. As it happened, rain stayed away until after the match, bloody muggy day though.

Before going to the ground, I had a decent walk around town, took some photographs of a beautiful peacock butterfly, and observed the preparations of the International Festival of Juggling that visited the town and had a parade today. Indeed, as I rode to the ground, a pair of double decker buses and a train were busy disgorging hordes of brightly coloured folk with many dreadlocks and tie dye baggy trousers, most of them carrying rucksacks with juggling clubs sticking out all over the place, or wandering around with rainbow coloured hoops.

I felt like asking a few of them if they wanted to field for us after yesterday's performance, but didn't. We didn't have enough spare white clothing for them.

So, we bowled first, and I opened feeling very stiff and creaky after yesterday's efforts. Luckily the younger fitter lads weren't as decrepit, and it was them, not me, who did the job as we bowled out the opposition for 50 odd again! I took no wickets, had no luck, but we had some very good bowlers today.

our skipper was particularly quick and nasty, hoicking the stumps out of the ground with sheer pace, and my opening partner was also sharp and accurate.

I felt terribly old and slow by comparison, but I do enjoy my Sunday cricket.

When we batted, I had no doubt my minimal ability with the willow would be required, so I threw myself into umpiring while we knocked off the runs for only 1 down. As I always say, it's a chance to do some legit arm waving and making funny gestures, and also being slightly bossy by giving wides and no balls - of which there were plenty.

A good win, and we are still in with a shout of getting promoted. 3 games to go.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.08.19

At Last - a Wicket with the Slower Ball

Today, we entertained Bramcote, the team who had an "interesting" umpire last time out, and I arrived at the ground a little bit early to find nobody there, which was a bit disconcerting on such a nice day.

I might have had a chance of winning today if this state of affairs had continued, although I would have tried very hard to lose to myself and probably found a way, but luckily other players and people capable of  opening dressing rooms and stuff turned up.

We bowled first today, and the crazy situation by which I have ended up as the second team opening bowler continued, which to me kind of indicates we are a bit below strength this year as I hardly bowled for the 2s last year.

Initially my good form of last Sunday continued, and I started with two maidens, no no balls or wides, and no crappy half trackers for the opposition to slog into the hedge. My opening partner was equally good, nay better, and we kept things really tight for the first 20 or so overs.

My fellow players know that in nets I try cunning slower deliveries a lot, but I rarely tried them in the match because I'm rightly worried they'll turn out to be rubbish. But struggling to make abreakthrough, I did try three today. The first nearly yorked one of the Bramcote openers, but the second caused the other one to lob the ball straight up in the air. I prepared to catch it, utterly oblivious to the calls of "MINE!!!!!" emanating from somewhere behind me.

The ball fell towards my nervously outstretched hands - and I was nearly flattened by my team mate, who thank god managed to get around my clumsy body to take a good catch.

There we go, my first wicket with the split finger slower ball.

I tried a third one a bit later, and the new batsman walloped it for 6, resulting in my removal from the attack having taken 1-28 off 9 overs. Opening partner had 2-34, so a good start.

Things then went a bit crazy when a couple of big built, big hitting sloggers came on and we lost control of the game for a short time, only to claw it back with good bowling at the end, especially from one of our youngsters, who took three wickets. We bowled them out for 151.

our captain and his batting partner started really well for us, but there was a bit of clatter of wickets when we got to the 50-60 mark, and after a brief rally to get us up to 100, we could never really scored runs quick enough to win the game.

I was desperate for us to win the game to try and ease our relegation woes, and ended up flapping around like a madman. I did actually get a bat for 3 deliveries, and managed to score 1 not out, but the game had gone and we ended up on about 135 for 9.

I do stress far too easily, I know!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.08.19

The Folk's Garden

It was looking very bright and pretty and natural in there tonight, and definitely worth a few photographs, I should say.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.08.19

Teasel Treats and Cricket Nets

Got out for a quick look at the world at lunchtime today; not so many flowering plants to feed pollinators and so the flowering teasel is a big hit with the bees and butterflies.

After all the rain, a touch of sunshine acted as  food for hungry cricketers, and so there was a pretty decent turnout at net practice tonight of players from the first and second elevens, and also a passing third eleven captain who was off to sing at a country and western  - both kinds of music - gig.

As I'm writing this I'm also watching Hawkwind at Stonehenge in 1984 and wondering how he would have coped with that crowd.

I've bowled at nets a few times since my injury, but not batted and certainly not batted on the dreaded astroturf. Having only batted once in the last 8 weeks I was determined to have a crack tonight, and it wasn't too bad, although I don't really have a very good defensive technique - my one similarity with Steve Smith, who was busy scoring 144 at Edgbaston, probably more than the total number of runs I've ever made.

Only got hit once, and didn't get bowled.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.08.19