To Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club! …on yet another heat wave of a Saturday afternoon. The First Team were at home welcoming the visitors from Bury St Edmunds.
For the neutral this seemed like an unfair contest. This was the Wivenhoe First Team up against the Bury Edmonds Second Team. Don’t be fooled by the semantics. Both teams were full of big hitters and this was a highly competitive contest played out on a dust bowl of a pitch.
I arrived fashionably late, natch, with Wivenhoe batting. They had raced to 266 for nought in the 27th over.
This was not an afternoon for falling around on a rock hard surface whilst out in the field. Instead the Bury captain had set up his field to try and take catches on the boundary. A couple were dropped in spectacular fashion.
Bury didn’t also hold back with their bowling rate. Wivenhoe managed to match this with a rapid run rate to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
This was a highly competitive game. Both teams had plenty of encouragement from their respective team mates and supporters back in the pavilion.
The Wivenhoe opener finally fell for a very tidy 99. Close but no cigar, fella, but well battered all the same.
It was also hard work watching. I managed to doze off in the afternoon heat. I was woken up when a ball cleared the ground.
A century soon followed for Wivenhoe’s second opener. Meanwhile down by the boundary fence and tops were left to hang out to dry on the makeshift washing line.
A massive six then followed for Wivenhoe that not only cleared the car park, but also pretty much the driveway leading on to the main road.
After their 50 overs Wivenhoe had racked up a highly impressive 297, which was a competitive score for Bury to try and chase down.
The restart after the tea interval was slightly delayed. Both umpires were having a crafty fag on the boundary.
Wivenhoe took an early wicket with a Bury opener falling for one. Thanks for coming, etc.
I think I succumbed to some mild heatstroke. I have a lack of details to follow. I did see a classy catch from the Wivenhoe keeper as he lunged forward to take yet another Bury wicket.
Allotment watering duties on the other side of the field beckoning for me. I had to depart early.
A quick online shifty back at base later in the evening revealed that Wivenhoe had won by only 11 runs. This is village cricket at its best.
