Bowel Movement CC versus Much Binding CC. Sadly our luck deserted us from the start, when Interpreter lost the toss. We were required to bat first, which inspired our acting captain to demonstrate his independence - perhaps to show that he has ideas of his own, or to impress the ladies (he was certainly walking with a certain swagger, which I put down to the oversize box he needed to wear, to cover the swelling from last week’s injury). Whatever the reason, he radically changed our batting line-up. At least this had the advantage that those who didn’t get a chance to bat last week, would have time to impress the selector this week.
Sadly, most of them failed so to do.
I don’t know about the rest of the team, but sitting by the boundary rope, sharing fairy cakes with a rambler from Cornwall, I was concerned from the off, when their opening pace bowler took Vicus’ cap off with his first ball. The bowling became decidedly hostile after that, and it wasn’t long before the middle stump was uprooted: 4-1.
This vicious pace continued for the first ten overs, before some slower bowling was introduced. Sadly, by this time our position had become almost desperate:
Mincat was clean bowled: 9-2.
Richard was caught in the slips: 13-3.
Interpreter was out LBW: 21-4.
Ivy was bowled: 41-5.
The only member of our team who seemed to be enjoying herself was Jona. Batting with a wide grin on her face, she had cut and driven their pace-men, and now laid into the spin. Sadly she was, perhaps, a little too relaxed, and stopping halfway down the wicket to wave to her children may, in retrospect, have been a mistake, as she was run out, having top-scored on 37: 64-6.
Our tail did at least pick up a few runs against the slower bowling, before their openers returned to rip through them:
Lisa was stumped, having unwisely come down the wicket to a spinner, and then found she was unable to make up her ground quickly enough: 71-7.
Carol was caught on the boundary, taking a slog: 83-8.
Phil played a lightning-quick ball onto his stumps: 85-9.
Frangelita was our last player out, edging a catch to the keeper, leaving a perplexed-looking Tom stranded at the other end: 94-10.
A really outstanding tea was enjoyed by everyone at this point. Well done, once again, to the catering team. I particularly appreciated the angel cake. Oh, and the strawberry jelly and ice-cream.
With a desperately low target to defend, Interpreter decided to give each bowler short sharp spells, in the hope that they could exert themselves to the uttermost. Sadly, our varied bowling attack could not make the necessary breakthrough (perhaps by now the side was missing your captain’s knack of getting openers out) and they knocked off the runs they needed without a single wicket falling.
We lost by 10 wickets.
Never mind, team, there is always another week. I have at least had the opportunity of seeing you all play, and will now have to seriously consider the options before I select next week’s team on Friday. I certainly hope to be fit by then, and with twelve players in the squad, someone has to sit out each week.
Let me make it quite clear that I have every confidence in our vice-captain, and I will not be requiring him to fall on his sword.
3 comments:
Well, at least I doubled the number of runs I got in the first game! Who know where that could lead to if I do that each week!
I never was happy as an opener. I tried it once or twice but hanging about taking the shine off the ball isn't my natural game. He was quick though, wasn't he. You don't expect that at this level.
Hurrah for the new blog!
(I should probably have posted that on the first entry, but you know, that would involve scrolling down, which is rather a lot of effort).
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