To Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club! …on Saturday afternoon. It was another hot and steamy one - and that was just the inner workings of my mind, having had to carry out the walk of shame back to the co-op, complaining that I’d been overcharged.
No worries. The perfect cool down and come down was a walk over to the cricket club, where the second eleven team were taking on their stiff counterparts from Worlington.
We rocked up fashionably late with the away team on 70 for 2 in the 20th over.
I can never resist the opportunity to snap away and capture different angles of anything I see. This led to a bit of an embarrassing incident when the ump called me out for a bit of movement behind the bowler’s arm. Apologies fella.
As ever, the outfield was bone dry. It looked an absolute replica of what Surrey had to contend with playing a supposedly ‘home’ match at Guildford yesterday. Saturday was not an afternoon for diving around on the Wivenhoe boundary.
We took our place on a couple of deck chairs just to the right of the pavilion. I was in the sun, largeing it up, whilst my cricketing partner opted for the shade. I soon dozed off and missed the first wicket for Wivenhoe since arriving.
I was wide awake however for a fantastic catch by a Wivenhoe player standing at square. He managed to control the ball, but unfortunately took a knock on the head when coming crash down on the rock hard outfield. Easy, fella.
The big lad bowling medium pace for Wivenhoe with a funny run up then bowled the other big lad for Worlington.
The big lad with a funny run up had the most amazing hop, skip and a jump approach to his bowling. It was almost impossible to second guess what would follow.
What actually did follow was a very sheepish young fella strolling up to the crease for Worlington. The poor young kid was clean bowled first ball. Ta for coming, etc.
Another young kid then followed. Unfortunately he was caught behind, leaving the visitors in all sorts of trouble on 159 for 8 in the 35th over.
Another clean bowled action followed. The poor old Worlington No. 7 looked pretty much stranded as he was rapidly running out of partners at the wicket.
A little more dozing off followed and a few more wickets also tumbled. I was awake to see a fantastic catch after an initial fumble from a Wivenhoe player, leaving Worlington 169 all out.
Ah, but what about the return innings from Wivenhoe, I hear you ask?
I’m afraid the Crap Match Report will have to live up to its name. I had domestic duties back at base and had to bugger off.
A decent few hours or so.
