Jags 181/5 (Cattle 51, Barker 44, Mailes 22, Nair 23-2) beat Cambourne Bombers 142/7 (Ashman 31, Nair 32, Mailes 18-2, Holmes 22-2, Brett 33-2) by 39 runs.
MOTM - Cattle/Barker/Mailes - I just couldn't choose.
Games against Cambourne we've had a lot of fun, but also tended to lose, in tight good natured affairs. The game last year we kept dropping the club captain (Hi, Freddie Meldal!) and he top scored and we lost. Catches win you something or other I've been told. This year I went at it with recruitment, and had in theory elicited the support of Mr Histon Overseas, Darren Butler. As an organiser when you get texts on the afternoon of the game, your heart sinks. And so it was this week.
Butler texted me to say he couldn't make it owing to train issues between the unspecified location he was at and the place he was supposed to be. I checked Trainline, and I couldn't find a cancellation in the whole of the UK of any train, full size, miniature or otherwise. I debated calling National Rail, but opted against being on hold for an hour just to then ask, "are there any train problems anywhere in the UK"? Kav also cancelled owing to his culinary exploits, this week was a pizza place he wanted to try which is apparently rather good. We literally play at Queens most week down the road from a pub that specialises in pizza, but whatever Trevor.
I managed to recruit Joe Swinton and Felix joined us so we would have to play with 10, or would we.... Barker turned up not in the XI just to say hi, then saw we were short so jumped in his car and safely and carefully drove home to get his kit and join the action against Cambourne.
Cattle and Mailes opened again and it was absolutely carnage from the off. Cattle hit 3 4's in the first over and generally looked again like a man who knows which end of the bat to hold. Not to be outdone, Mailes hit 3 4's from the first over he faced and both continued at a clip, with the trademark offside punch he does so well, and the hitting it late but with brutish power. Cattle hit a 4 then a 6 and the six was a bit of a, what did I just see. Straight bat, perfect timing, straight back over the bowler's head for 6 with all the fielders just watching it sail onwards and upwards.
Mailes fell edging behind for a rapid 22 off 18. Tilda Swinton joined the fray and played a late cut 4 first ball to show Cattle that he also knows which parts of the bat do what. Cattle perished just after getting to a ridiculous 50 off 21 balls, bowled to one that kept a little low.
A word for the pitch this week, which was really quite good. I don't know how the groundsman does it in this weather, but he had served up a blinder this week, carry and pace and nice bounce. Gorgeous. A word as well for Holmes, Parrish, Brett and Threadgold who are playing golf for a few days after this game, so chose not to put too much effort in tonight. Dan brought his son, Charlie, to spectate. Lovely little boy he is; future Jag I hope.
Felix joined Joe for a bit and hit some gorgeous little shots. A punchy 4 to the on side sticks in the mind. 90-2 from 10 and again, big total in the offing. We had some pictures shared from the Savage clan, down in the big smoke with some of the pro cricketing to watch.
Tilda fell trying to force the pace and was bowled. Barker then strolled out, imperiously and set straight about his task with vim and vigour, taking a like to Gadsby and got his trademark slog sweep more than once. He and Felix put on a nice partnership, and Felix was unlucky to fall bowled to a quicker one that moved in through the air and then gripped the seam and moved in some more. Barker kept at it - scoring all round and engaging in some banter with his Cambourne brethren before falling bowled for 44 off 29. I went out for a bit with Piers, and faced some really odd bowling - offspin in theory but mostly just all over the place. Piers cut one Chinese style for 4 and we got to the end of the innings clearing 180 again, which was nice.
It had been a slow evening, so pizza was in peril. Cattle mentioned he fancied keeping, so he did.
Brett got us going at one end, and was hit for a couple of nice looking 4's. Holmes then had a funny start (much better than last week). Left arm over the wicket to a right hander so the batsman insisted on the sight screen being moved. This took 2-3 minutes. Then he was clean bowled first ball....The other opener fell to Brett, caught nicely by Mailes.
Jake and Brett carried on - Brett getting hammered a bit in one over, before saving a ball for the end. Matt was really protecting his golfing weekend at this point, putting himself nice and deep, and not chasing anything too hard. Jake was bowling like a secret weapon, super hard to score from.
Barker got the next, again caught by Mailes - who was everywhere tonight and but for the Cattle 50 and the Barker effort would have been an absolute shoo in for solo man of the match. A word for Cattle behind the stumps as well who was smooth and deliberate in every movement. Jakey got the next with an absolutely mega weekend quality ball, bowled top of top of middle with verve and movement and some panache. Hats off Sherlock.
I had been exhorting people to win the chat of the day award, but people were too focused on the crickety things. Durrani of Cambourne strolled out and he used to have a Gopro TikTok channel thing where he streamed him facing balls. He has stopped all that stuff. This prompted his batting partner to put up the best chat of the night with a comment that, "without his GoPro, his centre of balance is off, so if he falls over, that's why". Should have bought that man a pint.
Mailes bowled nice and got Mr Durrani caught and bowled. Swinton was in slips to protect a groin injury and not be in the game too much, but somehow ever other ball seemed to come his way. Fraser got his full complement of overs, and was again bowling well, but it is also somewhere between cricket and interpretive dance. One batsman liked him a bit, but it was just late in the game swinging. Mailes got the next with the ball chipped up to me at mid off, nice and easy little catch that. I also slid around in the field, as I love pretending to be Jonty Rhodes.
Brett got the last, bowled with a beauty and the game long since lost. There was some Sherlock Holmes chat, which didn't quite land - and Barker bowled well at the death.
Pub attendance was good, we ordered badly and ended up with 9 pizza - but finished them all. Mr Ollie Hind - he of the 3 children under 3 - even joined for a beer and a pizza, which was nice.
In place of our first ever overseas player we still had Fraser, our foreign exchange student from France.
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