Your life is your story, make it a good one

Jags 184-3 (Baines 82, Christie 40, Mailes 30*) beat Cambridge Tamil Sangam 110-8 (Nagadev 22, Chanrasekhar 20*, Barker 3-20, B Savage 2-25, Purton 23-2) by 74 runs

Man of the Match - Robert the Bruce (my personal, favourite Scot) - Or Baines if I’m being honest 

Some weeks organising midweek cricket is an absolute dream. You ask for availability on What's App or Teamo, you get 9 or 10 people say "aye, I'm in" and then you gently send a personal message to 1/2 people to 'encourage' them, and bingo you have a team. You feel like a giant amongst men, capable of all of the things a grown-up/adult/parent should be capable of doing by default, but somehow when you do them competently, you feel oddly proud of yourself. 

Other weeks, it's a chuffing nightmare.

This week was neither of those. I put a message out to the group, got loads of 'available' responses, and one 'I'll be late' from Sawyer and, happy days, we have a team. Easy, right?! Then someone on the group posted a note about Amardin Naseri, a recent immigrant to these shores from distant Afghanistan, who loves cricket, now lives in or around Histon, has a story, and was keen.

I sent a message to his social worker, and then discovered that I would need to have: an up-to-date DBS check; a club safeguarding policy; a registered first aider on site; and to complete a risk assessment. All to be in place within 8 hours. And he needed a lift. I heard nice things about this young man, I had a lot of slightly pointless meetings at work, and I smelt a challenge. So I did these things, whilst nodding and taking meeting minutes of "questionable" accuracy. I was, and am, so incredibly proud of myself: proper adulting that was.

So Amardin could join us, and we got to play at Queens against Tamil Sangnam, a team with a strong affiliation to Chennai in the South West of India. It was also gloriously hot, like sweltering to such an extent that every Brit was talking about installing air con at home for that one week of the year when it doesn't seem like a bad idea. 

Anyway; cricket. We won the toss and elected the batting option. Muzzah and Baines were the openers. Did they have some fun, did they ever! A partnership of 108, just the 4 sixes for Baines, a desperately quiet field. It was utterly glorious. They started with a lot of 1s and 2s courtesy of some very lax fielding in the ring. The shots I recall most vividly were: Baines smoking it to cow twice in one over; Muzzah with his patented pivot backward square pull; a Muzzah off drive that seemed to get quicker on its way to the rope; and everything being entirely chanceless. Apart from umpire Liam Brett not giving a run out, it was 100 of the most easily scored, and mostly gorgeous, runs you will ever see in any format. The bowling wasn't bad, the fielding was, but the batting was just - aye carumba.

C'est Magnifique

The pace of scoring, the running, the communication between the two gentlefolk was absolutely textbook. This was one of those weeks where I knew, just knew, from the 3rd or 4th over, that we would be winning. Pulls, cuts, drives, confident calls of "wee man"; it was just the best thing to watch. Sawyer even turned up to watch in paramedic gear off the back of a 12 hour shift (seriously, NHS, look after your people so they can look after us) and got called "999" by Amardin in a quasi-jester fashion. 

Eventually it had to end. Murray almost apologetically pushed it to a somewhat unorthodox point fielder, and that was that for this partnership. Mailes took up where Muzzah had left off, hitting a slog sweep 6 to cow corner, and running like a man who had a point to prove. Baines looked absolutely cream crackered at this point, 17 overs in and with the first ever Jags 100 in sight he fell bowled to a tired looking shot from a ball that did not bounce as one would expect. 

Parrish, normally the main man came in at 4 with very little left of the innings. A deft cut, a few singles and then he fell bowled second to last ball of the innings. I came in for the last ball - cheers Matt. I hit the ball into my own leg and Chris and I scampered a single - as the last ball of every innings should be. We finished on a second ever highest total of 184 that felt a long long way out of sight for the opposition.

Brett and Mr Naseri opened the bowling and both were absolutely rapid from the off. Liam did his usual, control but aggressive thing. Amardin is quite a find. He is rapido - like proper fast. I think both opening batsmen played and missed at least 10 times to him. He chalked up a no wicket maiden with 15 runs from 4 overs, and honest to goodness, if you told me where the ball would be in advance, I still couldn't hit anything he bowled at me. Neither got wickets, fielding was fine, the total was steep, and neither batsperson settled at all. From the off we set about the task like a professional cricket side, determined to get to the pub.

Benjamin Savage, Mr Human Geography undergraduate, did some good-ish sort of stuff on the change and Mr Barker bowled for all the world like a man who was shortly to emigrate to foreign climes. He induced an edged behind to Mr Murray, bowled the other opener with a lovely in-ducker, and got one edged to Matt at conventional point. 

His catching, however, was less good. When Purton came in to bowl, off the back of hurting his knee from some very energetic fielding, he made things happen as only a spinner can. Barker dropped catches from him twice that I can recall, mid off and long off I think. Neither was an easy chance. No, that's a lie. Both were very simply catches and he was clearly just thinking of his pending trip to Mordor.

This new place you're going to looks utterly rubbish, James.

Toby was super chilled about this and just bowled the batsman to remove the fielders from the equation. I recall Naseri fielding well in the deep, Muzzah stopping a legside wide which looked absolutely mad, Toby and Muz missing an impossible 1st slip edge and Strachan doing some lovely deep fielding, before he next week finds himself in a field at Glastonbury.

There was time for some fielding mishaps that I can't recall, Toby doing a proper ridiculous tap/palm run out thing with the aid of Mr Benjamin Savage, and Toby got another spooned high, which Muzzah eventually claimed once it had come down from the snow filled heights. They were never close to the rate, so once more we had a carnival atmosphere. The absolute cherry on top of the icing on the bakewell of a cake was Strachan, yet again, taking a fabulous catch in the deep, in this case on the last ball of the innings.

A canter. We didn't even need Mr Baines or Mr Fardell to take strike bowling duties. I kept stretching and doing shadow bowling actions but the skipper was having none of it. A convincing 74 run win.

I drove Amardin home and we retreated to the Red Lion in Histon for some liquid sustenance. 

We were also treated to pictures of the absent Freddie somehow having a summer job that involved being paid to be at a cricket ground and being sad about this. 

Mate - honestly - being a grown up is not all fun.

That is sooooo village - Scottish Special Edition

The Jags 175-7 (Sawyer 76*, Baines 53, Wade-Glehill 2-14) beat The Swaffhams 134-10 (Wilson 50*, Westbrook 18, Baines 4-19) by 41 runs

MOTM - Baines

Off the back of two consecutive league defeats, and a less than blistering start to our league season we found ourselves amongst the village environment of the Swaffhams. This is one of those fen conglomerates of multiple villages close together that have multiple connected Olde English sounding names that evoke the spirit of King Richard the Lionheart and Robin Hood and what not. There is a Swaffham Prior, and a Swaffham Bulbeck - one word I understand, the other I had to use the internet to discern that it means "small stream".

The setting here is glorious, a village green with a road that is close enough to make access easy and put cars in danger of errant cricket balls (definitely not if I'm batting) with a modest but picturesque pavilion, mature trees, benches liberally littered around, where locals perch for libation and sustenance to watch the local folk engaged in a spot of English entertainment. It is, quite simply what village cricket is all about. Top that off with a welcoming looking old pub to one corner of the field, and you have the constant prospect of all the fun things happening in one place. The weather was insanely nice as well, just perfect all round.

Opening the batting this week, we lost the toss and were pushed this way, Baines and Meldal, Baines opening for us for the first time. Goodness me did he get off to a flyer, looking for all the world as though he was ready to open the batting for a modestly sized suburb that is North of the border with England that has a lot of oil, apparently (and some 'history', apparently). He hit a straight driven 4 in his first 3 balls, and then walloped a giant great 6 that hit a car, of course it did, on the full. The car pulled over, inspected the damage, and a kindly local actually gave the man the club's details on a card so he could know who to contact for insurance matters.

Nice work, wee man

Baines has endeared himself to Histon and the Jags, with a commendable bowling talent, solid fielding, it turns out he can bat, and he also calls every single youngster he meets, "wee man" irrespective of their size or shape, such is his commitment to not learning any of their names. Meldal hit a nice 4 I can recall, but the first few overs were brutal, with Baines in particular absolutely cutting loose. Meldal hit a classical pull for 4, Baines hit another walloping great 6, before Freddie fell playing an attempted cut through point straight to the man stationed there. He was chuffing annoyed.

Parrish joined Baines for a bit, and things continued with Baines scoring almost 30 odd in a one sided partnership. Matt fell to a ludicrous ball. The pitch had played true for the most part and the first absolute grubber of a ball bit, pea rolled and hit him on the pads plumb in front of leg stump. It was horribly unlucky, as cricket can often be. Threadgold joined for a bit running nicely before he received an absolute worldy, pitching outside leg, moving in and that was that, stumps splattered. Sawyer joined Baines for a bit and Baines got his 50, hitting a 4 before perishing next ball, caught high for a rollicking great 50 setting us off at a canter.

I joined Sawyer and, absolutely determined to enjoy the best seat in the house, I left my first couple of easy sighters with a slightly exaggerated leave - my current best shot. Sawyer then took up the mantle from Baines, hitting a straight driven 6, two off side 4's and generally just having a whale of a time. I ran for him, and played a lot of dots, chatted to him in the middle, did some fist bumps, but was otherwise just enjoying the view. To give you some perspective, we shared a 59 run partnership, facing almost the same number of balls, and I scored 7 of those 59 runs. It was absolutely glorious to watch, and oddly almost risk free, with Sawyer picking his spots and monstering a 6 to square leg as well as his favoured off side shots. The thing I would say though, and there is a lesson here for anyone finding batting a challenge, is he played everything with a smile on his face, chatting and chirping and generally looking for all the world as if he was playing in his garden with his son. If you relax, you cash in.

I scored a weird 4 before missing a left arm off spinner and being bowled. Sawyer told me he was a left arm off spinner, and I then spent the next 3 balls before being bowled trying to remember what that meant - did it turn this was or that - who knows. Certainly not me! 

Andy Strachan joined Sawyer for a bit, ably running and fist bumping and offering kind words, before he fell caught. Sawyer got his 50 in short order, more applause even from the bench full of locals. Matt, Threadgold and I were sat on a separate bench with Freddie - let's call it the "we didn't score many runs" bench - we clapped too. Cricket is a team sport and we were on for a monster total. Barker fell first ball LBW, and Cooper managed to rotate strike and get Sawyer back on strike where he finished on 76*, an absolute shoo in for man of the match you would think, helping us post our second highest ever total of 175-7. The organiser was visibly shocked it was that good. 

I would add a word of thanks to some of the fielding and field placement from the Swaffhams, which I think helped add 20 runs to our total at least. 

We opened with Baines (opening the batting and bowling, you cad) and O Savage, and one of their opening batsmen decided that he quite fancied trying to hit a car as well, hitting two straight driven 6's in the first two overs. The other man fell to O Savage quite early, an absolute dream of a catch by the man Strachan at long off. Baines looks every inch the happy/angry Scotsman, Strachan is as English as tea and crumpets, but he has a name that suggests a similarly fierce ancestry.

Baines took the other opener with Barker taking the catch, then bowled another with a peach to leave himself on a early hat trick, determined to get the man of the match award. He bowled seam up, it wobbled, and with the field in the bats-boy edged to first slip, kindly taking the pace off to make sure it was extra especially easy for O Savage to take. He shelled it, of course he did. Baines didn't even managed to say "unlucky wee man", he was that angry.

Ollie, Mate, if he can do it, then surely you can too

The Swaffhams were never really on the rate. Ollie didn't at all make up for his horror drop by bowling one. We did celebrate. I think. Phillips had taken the gloves behind the stumps and mostly did a nice job with the odd sneaking through. Baines took the fielders out of the occasion by bowling his 3rd and stepping out of the attack. Cooper and Barker took bowling duty and at 6 or 7 down for 47, the game was all but done. A couple of their younger batsmen got halfway going, and dragged them to 74-8, with Cooper being bashed about a bit, but taking a sharp caught and bowled having missing a difficult one earlier in the ring. Cooper's spikes got stuck in the turf at one point, so we were treated to Parrish seeing out the over with his best Mark Fardell impression. The book says 0.5 overs for 2 runs, but the book does not tell the full story (fire in the hole!).

The number 10 batsman had clearly eaten his ready brek as he hit 50 off 26 balls, 2 4's, 2 6's and generally looked like he really should have joined the fray earlier. The result was never in doubt, so the latter part of the game saw Baines get a fourth and verbally challenge me to give anyone else the man of the match award. Sawyer had an over, eventful, but also bowled one. Barker had mental figures of 2 overs 2 runs, no wickets - and we will miss his all action all energy run in to deliver a ball when he heads off to Mordor later this summer (New Zealand). I remember Threadgold doing some good fielding, and Meldal got some tap from their number 10. I'm also pretty sure Ollie dropped another. He must have, the amount of abuse he got.

The end of the game was a carnival atmosphere, cantering to the end and hoping for the pub. I asked the opposition to update the scoreboard despite it being irrelevant - and it felt like absolute troll behaviour on my part as the response from one of the assembled throng was, "we need lots, far too many in fact!". So they fell 41 runs short, the last wicket bowled by Freddie.

Pub attendance was good, as it should be with the pub literally all you can see whilst fielding or batting, and there were chips, onion bhajis and general mirth and banter. I had a sterling chat about random celebrity encounters with Andy and Ben that will stick in the mind, and we all laughed at Ollie - who bowled well for his 3 wickets, fielded well mostly, but was still comedically the butt of every joke in the pub. 

First league win, onwards and upwards and many thanks to the Swaffhams, Bulbeck and Prior, for the game, the mirth, the chips and the weather. Tamil Sangnam next week.

Freddie has got Some Chat

After the "game" last week, I was thinking of things that amused me no end around the actual cricket itself. 

Some weeks the cricket itself is the 'thing' - quite often it is the penumbra of things around the cricket that are the 'thing'. What keeps us motivated and coming back for more varies game to game and person to person. 

We have several players who attend games more for a focus on the social, the pizza, the chatter and what not. For some I feel it serves a care in the community type function.

Some weeks, the pre-game high fives, hugs and chatter and catch up's is the most important part of it all for me. It's been a whole week, or a whole winter, and I missed this general atmosphere more in some ways than I missed the game, and the kit I own that is old and doesn't fit anymore.

Some weeks, it's a highly tense, well played game that goes to the wire and gives us all that euphoric buzz that I think only being a part of a team can give you. Other times, we find our entertainment in different ways.

It's the unpredictable nature of any team endeavour that makes this all so inherently uncertain - 11 people turning up determined to have a good time, either through sport, the hilarity that sport creates, or purely by socialising in the sunshine with friends - friendships indeed forged through a common love/hate relationship with this wonderful thing known as cricket.

One part of this is the chatter. Last week had a golden egg of a moment. 

Freddie Meldal is 18 years old, but carries himself with the gravitas of a man more like 30 - confident, fits in with semi grown men with beards and bellies, likable and capable at the same time. He has the air of that one teacher at school that all the kids liked and respected at the same time. And goodness me he has some chat, exemplified by last week. 

Threadgold was batting, and he looked a bit on the scratchy side, accumulating runs without ever looking like he was "in". Freddie was recently 'out' on the side lines, sitting languidly contemplated how he hadn't hit another 50 this week. I don't think Freddie has ever played with Threadgold when the elder man was in his pomp. So Freddie asked, innocently, of the assembled throng, having watched Threadgold swipe and miss at 3 consecutive balls, "Was Dan ever, you know, good at cricket". Cue laughter, Freddie, almost naive in tone then followed up with, "No, I'm serious, you can see he might have been once, I've just not seen it myself". Matt is creasing up, I'm dying, Fraser is finding it all a bit too much. Freddie then said, absolutely pure deadpan, "I meant no offence", and then Dan immediately got out... I mean sport creates some narratives, and Dan could not have heard this, but it was beyond perfect in terms of comedic timing.

Dan leaving the pitch, looking for Freddie

And that, for me, was the best thing about last week. For a man who is 18, lives with his parents, has no job and drives a Kia - he has got some proper moxy.

A game of cricket happened, it was in no way notable

The Jags 118-8, (Meldal 30, Threadgold 22, Douglas 3-13) lost to Barrington 151-5 (Batchelor 57, Douglas 34, Meldal 2-18) by 33 runs

MOTM - Fraser for his catch and his twirly bowling

It doesn't happen to us very often, and I honestly rather enjoyed being here on this particular occasion despite it all, but if you don't start well, it can set things off in the wrong general direction. On this occasion we threatened to start well and then lost our way.

We lost the toss, fielded, and got one of the openers second ball, Holmes getting him to push high to the mid off. O Savage did some bowling, J Holmes did some bowling, and I think we dropped a few catches. The 2 and 3 batsmen looked solid and untroubled for 5-6 overs of accumulation, with the occasional big hit. I did my absolute utmost in the field to introduce some chirp but it just had, from the end of the first over, one of those slight flat feelings that - the, oh dear, here we go. Matt dropped an edged chance behind here at one point, and possibly had his most teflon laden display behind the stumps that I can recall. 

Next week's new keeper...

Brett had a bowl, slightly injured (we're all getting old mate) off a slower pace and I cannot recall much happening of note. Phillips did some fielding, I did some fielding. Mr Baker came on for an eventful over conceding 15 runs with a huge variety of bowling in one action packed over - some of which felt as though it belonged to another sport.

F Christie did some bowling as well (the gorgeous twirly stuff) and we eventually got one caught and bowled by Brett. Their number 3 finished on 50ish, one of their other batsmen was fed some gorgeous pie related action to pile on the runs, before Meldal dismissed him bowled. Freddie then caught and bowled one at one point and I think was on a hat trick. I was still the only one chirping in the field. Towards the end, Ollie came back, and Christie did the bestest thing, catching a ball at deep wide long on with all the non-chalance he could muster, plucked from the air, relaxed as you like. There was also a run out, and Matt started to suck a little less behind the stumps than before. Christie continued to twirl his arms like a Morris Dancer on crack, which was amusing in itself.

Fraser getting into it at the weekend with his Uni mates

151 - totally chasable, but the mood was just a little sombre at the turn.

Parrish and Meldal got us off to a solid start with some 4's and things. Matt was then unfortunate to play on, a ball stuck in the pitch and he inside edged it onto the base of his stumps from high and slightly wide - it felt like physics was against him today. Barker then joined the action and guided the very next ball gently into the hands of point. Phillips faced the hat trick ball, with his entirely new and not knocked in bat, and kept it out before splicing the next one high off the blade. 11-3 inside two overs. Great.

I joined what even this early felt like a lost cause, and Freddie and I tried to rebuild. We managed to put a 40 odd run partnership together to guide us into the realms of the not that embarrassing. Freddie fancied the slow bowler at the change, and got 3 boundaries to him that all should really have been fielded or caught before he perished doing the exactly same thing. I hit my best shot of the season, clipping one off my pads to backward square, and the bench was deadly silent nonetheless.

Freddie fell caught, I had Threadgold for company for a bit and eventually I perished trying to force the pace a bit against yet another slow bowler, right arm round and near the stumps, chipping into the ring.

The game was not far off lost at this point, but Holmes and Threadhold put 30 odd on to get us past 100 before Holmes fell bowled. Threadgold fell caught and then George Baker did some very very eager running at the end of run Ollie Savage out for a full on hari-kiri of a 2. George and Fraser saw things out to a 33 run loss, not embarrassing, but the scorecard doesn't tell a full story. At least we avoided complete destruction as at one point, getting to 50 runs felt a stretch.

Matt ran off leaving his Ipad to make sure we got some pizza in at the Red Lion and we talked in the pub about literally every other game of cricket that was not the one we had just played.

Cambourne Bombered

Jags 157-7 (Meldal 51, Sawyer 37, Fardell 18, Duffy 3-24) lost to Cambourne 160-6 (Mcalister 56, White 25, Gogia 2-32, O Savage 2-31)

MOTM - Gogia - (it would have been Freddie, but he dropped lots).

This game merits a longer match report and I have notes, but in the interests of keeping the content flowing, here is where I am at. 

We played away at Greater Cambourne in our first league fixture of the season in the more happy environs of The Cambridge Business House League Division 2. We've had some nice games against Cambourne 1's and 2's, most have tended to be quite close and tonight was no exception. This game saw us face Mr Bennett in deep and intense anger for the first time in his new guise as a Cambourne-ite. It's a very nice setting for cricket this place, but the strip is a bit, erm, undulating and the fences were put together in the 1860's by frontier's folk pushing out west to find gold and not get scalped. This means you lose the ball. A lot. Also, it was really windy.

The man who decided this was adequate to stop cricket balls, needs to learn what cricket is

Spoiler alert, we lost and catches do win matches... cough cough, Freddie.

Matt won the toss and batted first, opening with Kav. Matt's first shot off Tyler's bowling was classic and class, a purposeful late cut to third man off the angled blade, to leave Tyler as happy as he can be. Kav started in typical rumbunctious form, spanking one into the playground across the way and looking like he might take a shine to Tyler after some typical pre game Whats App banter.

The pitch did not help matters and live by the sword and die by the sword fell to Tyler caught on the offside in the deep. I say fell to Tyler, Tyler had very little to do with it - Kav just went big, it held up with the wind and fell nicely to the fielder. I think he would have got out the same ish sort of way if I was bowling. Kav got Kav out, basically. Nothing to do with Tyler. Kav was suitably smiley and cheery as he hopped off the pitch...

Matt was joined by Freddie, and they built briefly, Matt hitting one more 4, and Freddie looking in fluent form. Matt fell to the other tricky opener White, caught on the on side. So I joined the fray. I really struggled with the opener, ending up with 1 off 7 balls at this stage. I wasn't out though.

The bowling change helped. A lot. Freddie let loose at the looseners he was presented with and I went from 1 off 7 to 13 off 10, thanks to some shorter stuff that didn't get up too high. I got lots of well appreciated applause for some middling shots from the assembled throng. Freddie's rate and accumulation, and between overs coaching tips to me, helped us cruise along trouble free for 3-4 overs and post a rapid 50 partnership, mostly Freddie.

Then a slow bowler. Man I hate slow bowlers. Spinners are fine, but slow bowlers who just loop it can get in the bin. I should have been LBW first ball, but it was a 3 bounce no ball. I then couldn't do much with the next few and realising this was my kryptonite, I decided to charge forward (me, moving my feet, imagine!), tried to mow across the line and was easily stumped. I actually started walking back to the pavilion before the bails had been removed. 

Argh, slow bowling, it burns!

Sawyer then joined the fray, and the fireworks began. Sawyer has looked in fine touch and was straight into it from the get go, reverse pulling, and clubbing and running like a younger, fitter man. Inspired by age being nothing but a number, Freddie got his 50 by pulling into the car park almost hitting the, now sadly closed, kebab van.

Freddie fell next ball, the wind was a factor in a catch at longish on, and Phillips joined Sawyer for a bit, but was bowled in relatively short order. Barker then joined (nice to see you back, Mr Cambourne) and there was a ruckus over the digital scoring and all of us being technology illiterate. Barker fell LBW, Sawyer continued at pace, and the slow bowler carried on tying people down. He had that incredibly annoying habit of bowling at the stumps.

Baines and Sawyer saw things out, getting us to a good total. Sawyer fell last ball for a well deserved and rapid 37 off 20.

The change of innings saw the very pleasant Mr Mcalister (normally of the Cambourne 1's) and Durrani junior open the batting. The latter's parents are on Hajj at the moment, so a massive party at his house was expected post game. Baines and Savage opened the bowling and Ryan started with aplomb, testing the fence at many an opportunity. We had to hunt for the ball a lot in neighbouring fields and the cars were constantly under threat.

Ryan should have been caught legside deep by My Meldal early on, but he wasn't. Ryan took this as his sign to tee off. Good job Freddie. Kav rotated into the attack and we had the debutante Gogia join us, with his twirly armed stuff breaking the partnership at last, first ball, stumped by Mr Parrish with some slick glovework. Fielding was generally pretty good, although I do remember Freddie dropping another at some point in the ring (or he just didn't fancy it). Phillips did some great fielding in the ring that I can recall, putting his body on the line to stop some runs. Chirp was ok, but when it's mostly me, it can be not the most ideal. 

Phillips after all his injuries, more machine now than man

Gogia got the 1-2 with the 3rd batsman falling bowled. He then took a ridiculous catch in the deep at some point from O Savage, running and clutching on the go at the same time. The game was in the balance here, not least as Cooper bowled the opener (for 56), and things were looking pretty tight.

We then had a fielding fuck up for the ages where several players, you know who you are, managed to give the oppo 4 runs throwing it everywhere but the stumps. The pleasingly named Willow White, opening bowler, steadied the ship, inspired by our crap fielding, and there was time for some minor controversy, when the square leg umpire didn't give a stumping, even though the batsman walked. I was told later they are related. Neutral as Switzerland he was.

We got a cheeky run out, but at this point Cambourne were on the rate. Then we had to lose Kav as he had a shift at Nando's, Churrasco ahoy and we were pretty short of bowlers. Cooper bowled incredibly well, and the 14th of 15 was Phillips's. He did his utmost, with some good balls, but it left them needing 8 or so from the last over. 

They got there comfortably, finishing with a 4 from our newly acquired lovable Scot, Baines. We also lost a new Dukes pink ball and Freddie probably dropped it again. Details details. Good game mind, I'd rather lose a tight one than win a walkover, but maybe that's why I'm not captain material.

We retired to the pavilion had ten minutes to grab beers before the bar turned into a prayer room, and then sat out on the grass king of the hill style drinking a local brewed ale called The Third Man, which was pretty solid.

I've missed some details, but it was a good total, some good bowling and batting, and just a few slips in the field made the difference I feel. Barrington next week.

Something I forgot from the Sharks Game

Something I neglected to mention from the Sharks game merits it's own little postscript (I wrote the report in haste, so no doubt missed other ditties), but Benjamin "Soy Sauce" Sawyer took it upon himself to be the keeper for the first time in his life. 

I would describe it as a steep learning curve. It looked a bit like one of those graphs of investment returns, hockey stick shaped starting at 0 and within a short period of time we're all millionaires, Rodney.

To begin, he was rubbish, byes and screams and generally he had no idea what he was doing. He squealed like a baby at least once I can recall, and it felt like an act of extreme generosity on our part to hand so many extras to the opposition.

Then Matt at slip had a quiet word in his ear and possibly deserves some sort of coach of the year award as things started to uptick, rapidly. Sawyer started taking cleanly, conventionally to start. He then edged further forwards to the bowlers, still taking it cleanly. Then, by the end he was snatching balls down the legside one handed as though he had been doing it his whole life, and was smiling and laughing whilst he did it.

It was mental. Like the before and after montage in an 80's film, let's say Rocky or maybe Team America: World Police - start shit, get good, short span of time (20 overs apparently). Yet we all got to watch it in real time.

He also got hit in the neck by the bails at least once.

I guess if you're good at sport, you can improve in the course of an hour. 

It was delightful to watch.

Sawyer at the Start

Sawyer at the End