To Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club! …shortly after lunch on Saturday afternoon. We had a couple of spare hours to take in some of the action as the first eleven welcomed a very strong Hadleigh team.
It looked bloody hard work out there on what was a rock-hard pitch. We arrived after 15 overs with Hadleigh batting on 61 for 2.
Wivenhoe were very chatty, which is always a good sign. No one likes to see their body language drop and all the banter dry out before you even had a chance to put up your reply.
The dryness of the outfield and wicket only highlighted the extent of the slope as you are bowling up towards the Allotment End. I’ve never really noticed this before.
Wivenhoe were once again fielding a very young first eleven team. This is promising for the future, although I’m not sure how one of the young fielders felt when he was positioned behind the rope and pretty much climbing a boundary tree.
Some speedy bowling followed from some more experienced heads down the slope. We took up our position on the boundary under a blanket as it was rather chilly.
The highlight of the afternoon for me was getting to throw back a ball which came rather close to disturbing our blanket cover. I misjudged my throw ever so slightly, with the ball bouncing pretty much in the face of one of the poor fielders. Sorry, fella.
Out in the middle and some more heroic fielding than mine took place by Wivenhoe as Hadleigh pressed on ahead of the drinks break.
After the 25-over mark Wivenhoe turned to spin, but it was still a very frustrating afternoon.
A half-century was soon knocked up by one of the Hadleigh batsmen. I had to make my excuses and leave with a combination of some afternoon work shifts and a Forest pre-season being streamed back at base.
I walked past the old rectory house on the way home. The parish barbecue was taking place. I thought momentarily about gatecrashing and making some inappropriate comments. Tuck in, etc.
