A Choking Defeat

Today was pretty terrible, and I'm still pretty gutted about it. Although I probably won't be so much after I've had a pint after writing this.

We were playing top of the division Bingham 2, who had swept aside all comers in previous weeks, and who I felt coming in might be a bit strong for our side who although we have a strong bowling attack, are a bit light on batting.

So, out at Dale Field, we felt winning the toss and batting Was The Right Thing To Do. It would give us a chance to have a good game. Our youngsters opened up, and everything progressed quietly, not too many runs being scored. Then me and the skipper came  on to bowl, and in my second over, I had their opener caught at cover.

Then a similar service resumed. I'm bowling OK this season without doing anything dramatic, which is really annoying. I really want to explode, to destroy a batting side, but it just isn't happening. I'm not swinging the ball a lot, and not getting much joy out of slow pitches. I'm not getting hit for runs, but not beating the bat as much as I'd like.

Compared to the horrors of later, this was nothing.

They were 80-1, and then our special guest left arm spinning groundsman, and a couple of junior lads, wiped them out for  122.

This was an excellent effort against a team who haven't been bowled out yet this season. I knew they looked like a decent bowling side though, lots of athletic youngsters, and I was worried we wouldn't get the runs.

I needn't have done. Ha. We got to 80-0, as I walked off to inspect some lovely bumblebees and mating garden chafers. The batting against really good bowling was superb. Our injured pace bowler opened, and was dominant in his 50.

And then  it all went to shit. The opposition spinner just shut us down, and their returning fast bowler was a bloody handful as well. The wickets kept falling, I knew I would have to bat.

But, as I eventually went out there with 6 wickets down, I remembered I had won matches from this position before. All I needed to be was calm.

Unfortunately, this didn't happen. I have been batting ok this  year, but I struggle at the beginning always, and in this kind of nervy situation, I just couldn't settle. I didn't know what shots to play, was skittish, and never in control. I was out for 4 lbw, and knew I'd just lost us the game. Our juniors are very strong minded, but lack power at the moment.

We lost by 4 runs. In the South African manner, we had choked. And it was down to players like me who should have known what we were doing. That said, Bingham are top of the table for a reason.

I have the chance to correct this tomorrow. I can bat ok, I know I can. It just didn't happen today. When it mattered.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.06.18

Si

Pub Mothing

As you know, I'm never not looking for stuff to photograph; no that's not strictly true. But I always have my eyes open for anything I can photograph for you.

In summer months, I like to keep the aforementioned optic organs ready to spot moths. You can see some beauties on lit windows, walls, flitting through the air by streetlights - I see a lot of swallow tailed moths this way - and of course, in or on my local pub.

I had a lovely bee moth there a few weeks ago, but last night there was something far more stunning sat atop the gazebo that is going to host a pop up gin bar. A fresh and vividly yellow brimstone moth, quietly having a rest on a quiet night before the mayhem of the weekend.

I've only ever seen these stunning moths in passing, so to come across this one in a rather unexpected place was a pleasant little surprise.

Oh, the sunset was stunning as well.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 08.06.18

Creepy Workplace Friends

Over the last few days I've managed to gather a few decent photos, even macro photos, of insects and our first bee orchids of the year.

The highlight though, is the beautiful cucumber spider, an absolute first for me as I try to explore the great environmental potential of our workplace, and get my workmates to appreciate it and maybe  not litter it with empty Monster cans...

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 07.06.18

My Proto Garden

So, in addition to my grass areas which I am going at with the garden shears, trying to leave the areas where I've got buttercups and herb robert uncut, I've been gifted a few pot plants which I've set  up around my front door.

It's just the start.

My folks got me these for the bees, although I think only the lavender will really attract those - to be fair they wanted to get me lobelia to hang up, but there wasn't any.

No worries, I can add further plants myself, this is just my little start.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.06.18

At Last, a Sunday Victory

We haven't won on a Sunday for two years. Indeed, not only have we not won, we've been murdered by sides playing on average 10 divisions higher than most of  our  team and our morale has  been savaged as if by a pack of rabid wolves. A lot of players stopped playing because it was so soul destroying - spot the vicious circle being drawn there!

Anyway, this was our first match at Kelham Road this year, and mine personally too. To be back at our  HQ, with the sound of lapwings from the fields all around and great tits nesting in the old scorebox. Not that the chairman liked me pointing this out although admittedly I was fielding at the time.

Whoah, roll back.

We batted first, and against an attack that held few terrors in itself, but on a wicket that was six paced never mind two, our senior batsman found it hard to score without really looking as if they were going to get out. This meant as the number 9 for the day, I had time to go off the ground into the meadows, chasing a brown argus that didn't want to be photographed, and a damselfly that wouldn't get in focus.

Back to the ground for a 15 over square leg umpiring session - not a lot of fun in strong sun when you forgot to sunscreen your face - while wickets fell but runs accumulated - our opener was eventually out for 93.

I got into bat for an over and made 4 not out. Tea was another slightly restrained affair - I only ate two as I usually open the bowling on Sundays. With 166-9 to defend, myself and the Sunday skipper, a demon athlete, started off well with early wickets. I swung the ball a little as my body loosened up, and had their opener caught by  our best fielder.

From then on, we basically chipped away, with everyone getting wickets who bowled until we knocked them over for 85 or so. Gosh, after two seasons of massacres, to do  that to another team felt really rather good.

Before I go, a curious sideshow from last night. One of our second team players adopted a snail he was carrying from pub to pub in a fag packet, until we found it some nice flowers to sit amongst.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 03.06.18

Escaping the Rain at Keyworth

Thanks to various torn arm muscles, herniated livers, infestations by deadly tropical parasites and gardening induced amputations, I found myself promoted up to the second team today, to play Keyworth 2s, a club with which we have many similarities...the main one of which is we both have pavilions with fully stocked bars to enable player refreshment after, or during, the match.

There were a few creaky players on the pitch too, myself included.

I'm always a bit nervous about going up to play for 2s, even though the standard is about the same as the Sunday league I play in, because I'm a bit rubbish at most things and that is exacerbated at 2s level where they hit the ball a lot harder.

My bowling is also a bit slow, especially on slowish pitches like the  one we got today. But we were lucky to play on it at all, the weather took out 20 matches before they started, including our 3s, and brought others to a close early like  our first team.

We batted first today, so boo hoo no three platefuls at tea time for me. As ever at number 11, I talked with my team mates, looked for nature - only a keening buzzard on view - and watched as wickets fell regularly, but not horrendously. Our new imports, Kolpac players from Sleaford and Nuneaton, performed well, and I went in at 100 odd for 9.

The first ball from a good young spinner hit me in the stomach, but I came back to score a mighty 6 not out, although that did include a big smack over their best seam bowler for 4, much to the amuesement of my team mates who generally think I bat like a blind giraffe.

Bowling wise, our big Nuneaton fellow, a powerfully built bowler of some rapidity took a wicket in his first over, in between blasting the ball through the wicket keepers legs for 4 byes a few times. I bowled first change, and felt horribly slow by comparison as their best bat settled in, and then hit me for a couple of big 4s.

Had my revenge though. On 47, he tried to hammer a ball that swung away from him, and he nicked it to first slip, who parried it up to our skipper, diving like a swallow, approximately, from second slip to take an amazing catch one handed.

He'll enjoy reading that.

So, I ended up with 1-20 as we lost by 7 wickets, but feel I could be bowling way better, and a bit brisker too. I don't want to seem so old and crap.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.06.18

My First Ashy Mining Bee

At work, the dog roses are in bloom - and golly gee they smell glorious - and with this little spell of extremely warm humid weather, insects have gone crazy for them. I noticed yesterday that there was a pronounced buzz coming from this particular hedgerow, and on virtually every bloom there was a bee or a beetle.

The most common species were tree bumble workers, the first I've seen this year and a species that may have suffered in the cold spring. Normally the flowering  ceonothus in town would be covered in them.

There were honey bees literally bathing in the nectar, rolling around like a dog in fox poo. These dog roses must be a rich source of the  stuff. There were beetles, some mating, that I think are garden chafers.

But the bestest thing was my first ever ashy mining bee, a stunning black and soft grey solitary bee, a species I was thinking I'd  never see and envied every Instagram post one turned up in.

I'd finally seen one.

All told, it's just an insect, isn't it. Another of the 200 species of bee we have in the UK. But to see a grey bee, that is somehow just a little bit magical!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.06.18