Beer was about 10p a pint, petrol hadn't even been invented and a mobile phone was actually cemented into every street corner and painted red. You could leave your back door open as well in them days. People actually went to the pub to have a drink rather than a crayfish tossed in a balsamic reduction. I still enjoy a pickled egg in a bag of salt 'n' vinegar; mind, it is difficult to find a pub that sells pickled eggs these days. Progress, pah.
1974 witnessed the peak of The Drifters meteoric career. Born in Braintree before the 1960's The Drifters shuffled about aimlessly for years before Their chart smash 'Kissin in the Back Row of the Movies' sold 58 million copies in a week in the UK alone, it knocked 'Tiger Feet' off the top spot and started a feud between the two bands that was only settled 6 months later in a pub car park with bike chains and cudgels. (Mud won, obviously).
This song was a firm favourite in the Perera household. Viraj was bored of glam rock and had recently sold his platform shoes and silver jumpsuit. The easy listening, saucy, Drifters were an obvious replacement.
History doesn't record whether Jimmy Perera was present to watch The Drifters perform a barnstorming set at Swindon Oasis in 2008. All that is recorded is that a bolster cushion was requested to enable a small boy to see his favourite band. You can draw your own conclusions.
Challow visited the Field of Dreams and ruined a perfectly splendid day. How a side can be buoyed by such negative, dull aspirations is beyond me.
They fulfilled their dreams by not being in the game for even one ball and clung on by the skin of their teeth, nine down and 70 runs short. This sort of toss is what ruins cricket as a sport.
We were invited to bat first on the now traditional bowlers graveyard. Everyone got a few runs, Jimmy going on to notch up another half century. Is it time to kick on and pass that ton? I think so. Cookie and Bernard batted brilliantly and we added 100 runs between over 37 and 47, eventually ending on 257.
We were all reminded of what we missed from Dan Alderson on his return to Didcot.
Tea was spectacular. I have never seen so many varied homemade cakes. A stunning effort from Sarah Broughton that raises the bar to previously undreamed of levels. The Usain Bolt of cricket teas? I think so.
The Challow innings is hardly worthy of note. I wouldn't have bothered writing a single word had it not been for the introduction of Brought Filth for a simply stunning spell of 3 overs that saw him take his first ever First Team Cherwell League wickets. Ending with figures of 2 for 72 from 3 overs. I wish I could say he swung the game our way. I can't. Challow resorted to patting back slow full tosses and didn't even run for leg byes. My only hope is that they broke down or had a puncture on the way home.
After the match Jimmy rushed off to strap on his platform boots and head down the Roxy. The rest of us ate more pavlova and tried to forget a miserable afternoon.
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