Saturday 19th May 2007

The first match of the resumed season saw us at home, on a lovely sunny day, to Sporting Broads CC. We haven’t played them before, as our match earlier in the season was abandoned due to rain (quite literally, for anyone who can remember back to last August – it was the match immediately following my flood, which was even reported in the Eastern Daily Press as being abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch).

The wicket was looking good (thanks to our new groundsperson), the sun was shining, and all looked set for a great day’s play. With so many people in our squad, I had to rest three players (two of them were away on holiday, and one couldn’t get a flight over from New York anyway). The rest though, turned up, pink-faced, ready and eager. ILTV had a new set of freshly-sharpened pencils, and Ziggi stood by the scoreboard looking alluring.

We lost the toss, and the opposition decided to bat. Tom opened the bowling for us, steamed in hard and aggressively – and his first ball took an edge, giving our new player, Steg, quite a shock as the ball flew to him in the slips. Fortunately he was able to hold on to it – and instantly we had them at 0-1

When we moved to our second pair of bowlers, they tried to take a quick single off my bowling, but Frangelita made a brilliant athletic stop, threw the ball in fast and got a well-deserved run-out: 45-2.

Our third pairing made another breakthrough, when Carol held a catch off Phil’s bowling: 76-3.

We returned to our openers, and Tom immediately dropped a caught and bowled chance. Two overs later, though, Richard held his catch: 103-4.

Back to our second pair, and I held a catch in my favourite position (gulley) off Medusa’s bowling: 119-5.

The next over Phil dropped a catch off my bowling. Never mind, for two overs later Frangelita showed him how to do it: 132-6

Several changes of bowling couldn’t achieve another breakthrough, and the score was now up to 197. I tried something completely different – an all-spin attack, with myself and Realdoc. I clean-bowled a batsman with my first over: 200-7.

Two overs later I got another clean-bowled: 207-8.

Realdoc cleaned up – a clean-bowled: 208-9, and a caught and bowled: 209-10.

Tea was memorable, with Cromer crab sandwiches (care of your captain), some excellent cakes proved by the ladies, and a delicious-looking vegetarian dish that Vicus brought with him.

Our innings started briskly, before Vicus was caught in the slips: 30-1.

Tom fell next, also edging to the slips: 68-2.

Jona and I had a stand of over 50, before she was caught by the keeper: 130-3.

Medusa and I enjoyed another fifty stand (which included my half-century) before she was caught and bowled; 180-4.

Richard and I saw the match to a conclusion, Richard scoring the winning runs with a magnificent 6: 211-4.

We won!!

Score card and league table are shown below.