Loughborough Carillon vs Dorchester - 15/8/04

Wise words indeed by Smudge r

Loughborough Carillon this week with the ground again looking in good shape although the weather was rather overcast but nice and warm 

For once, we didn't bat first and debutante Jeff Kemp (a Clifton team mate of Benno's) opened the bowling with Andy Gaunt. Both bowled tidy spells and perhaps deserved more between them than Andy's one wicket, a mishit hook shot well caught at square leg by Andy Kelley. Al ways looks as though he's going to drop them but they always seem to stick.

By the time I came on to bowl, the batsmen seemed to have taken a fancy to half volleys aimed at middle stump bowled by lanky left arm seamers. Bugger. AG was dispatched to deep midwicket and, to be fair, I did bowl to my field, well that part of it anyway. Andy put a couple of chances down, not that I deserved anything and, after six very long overs, Ian finally took me off.

In the meantime, Benno had kept it tidy at the other end which was no mean feat bearing in mind that, by this time, the ball (one Benno has used in the nets since he was about 15) resembled a miniature rugby ball in shape and was about as hard as a sponge.

With Loughborough now in the ascendancy, Jamie and Mick saw the overs out with heavy rain falling. We almost went off a one point but Jeff suggested we stayed on while we were on top. Quite. Anyway, Mick got three wickets and Jamie two, a hell of an effort with the spongeball but Loughborough had taken the score along somewhat and finished on 194 for 6.

Another fabulous tea was taken. Prawn sandwiches, onion bhajis and cream scones amongst an array of culinary delights.

Ian and Paul opened our innings and were going along quite nicely when Paul completely lost a delivery, not seeing it until it had hit him on the toe bang in front. He didn't even wait for Norman to pull the trigger. Our other debutante (did you know we've used 30 players so far this season) Rob Wall was next in and the score motored on, Ian being in rather belligerent mood before he was out for 41. Jamie went for 9 and Rob was unlucky not to get a 50, stepping across his stumps Viv Richards' style only to lose his leg stump for 49.

With us needing only about a run a ball in the last 10, a win looked on but sadly the tail failed to wag. Andy Kelley and Benno scored 9 apiece while myself, AG and Mick didn't get a single run between us. Jeff was left 2 not out and we finished 152 all out, quite a collapse from 141 for 3.

A good day's play though against a good bunch of lads. Just a pity there was no beer in the clubhouse afterwards.