To Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club! …on Sunday afternoon. This was the second time that the old ground had the pleasure of my company over the weekend.
The red carpet wasn’t quite rolled out for me. Instead I had to wait as a car was reversing around cow corner. That’s something you don’t often see happen at Lord’s.
Great Bentley had made the short journey to take on the Wivenhoe Sunday 11 this afternoon. It was a local derby with plenty at stake.
My fashionably late arrival meant that I rocked up with Wivenhoe on 133 for 2 in the 23rd over of a 40-over match.
Once again, Phew Wot a Scorcher, etc. It was a little too much for one of the umpires in the middle. He was applying the laws of the game out in the middle in his bare feet.
The first major action of the afternoon was a spectacular catch at mid-off by a Great Bentley player. The poor chap then had to leave the outfield to get some ice on his hand. He was replaced by a very young kid who came on as twelfth man.
I did take up a very ambitious position right in front of the pavilion with the Estuary Wilds sun up above. My balding head lasted less than five minutes before I had to head for the shade of a nearby tree.
Out in the middle it may have been a 40-over match, but some T20 theatrics were in place. A ramp shot was tried, a ramp shot was failed.
Great Bentley had a fantastic young female bowler. It was great to see her putting the male Wivenhoe batsmen through their paces.
A century soon came up for one of the Wivenhoe openers after a bit of a loose full toss. A late run push then followed as Wivenhoe attempted to make hay.
Mr Century then went a little bit too big and hit the ball sky-high. He was finally caught for a very impressive 106.
The run chase set by the home side for Great Bentley was 256. The away team came out after a short tea break and didn’t hang around. They tried their best to do some serious damage to the nearby allotments with the ball.
Sadly I had to disappear for some work commitments with the Great Bentley innings in full flow.
Another decent afternoon watching the Hoe.
