We've Only Just begun.............

So, that's it then. Another season, another summer. From this point on until an as yet to be agreed date next April I will miss playing cricket. What will i do with the time? No idea, but it will be have to be something pretty special to match the the fun I have I had over the last 4 months.

Yesterday was another special day for Didcot. The seconds had the best of a drawn game with Aston Rowant and in doing so ensured survival in Division 8 by finishing 6th. The thirds beat Kimble in a must win do or die encounter and retain divison 9 status for next year.

Fantastic effort lads,men,chaps and boys. Further details can be found further down this blog.

The firsts crossed the international Date Line and ended up in Wolverton, Milton Keynes.

Wolverton is no longer governed by Chakma The Wolf King having been driven out by pitchfork whielding peasants in 2007. The name remains as a reminder to future generations of a time when barking at the moon and sheep worrying were commonplace. I felt a chill down my spine most of the afternoon.

The helm had been passed to Cookie this week as Skipper Gates concentrated on honing his bowling technique in case of an unlikely call to the crease. Cookie proved what many have suspected for some time, he is a useless tosser. Wolverton asked us to bat on an interesting looking strip. The ball nipped around, swung and turned square. We thought that 160 might be a decent score. We got 262 for 5, simply stunning. 70 odd for 4 turned in to 140 for 5 with useful contributions from Tee Kay and Bernard.

At the crease were Cookie and Broughtie. Cookie passed 50 having played sensibly and maturely. He looked solid. Naughtie started out like a whirlwind, dancing down the track to cover drive the leg spinner, dabbing beautifully and running hard; yes, running hard. Cookie decided that the time to accelerate had arrived and did so with style and aplomb. Boundaries and three huge sixes together with some comedy running provided boundless entertainment for those of us watching. The mood was celebratory and upbeat despite the freezing weather. Cookie ended with an unbeaten 105, his second century in 4 weeks. Monster Cookie, Monster. Naughtie ending on 42 not out had provided superb support, it was another golden nugget of an innings.

Tea was taken, and proved to be as good as it's reputation. I think we all over ate.

We took to the field with Cookie's inspirational words ringing in our ears. "If we bowl well and field well, we should win." Genius. Northern Gravy trundled in with the wind at is back, the fourth ball of the innings caught the outside edge, the ball slappped into Naughties hands at second slip. CATCH! I imagine the bruises are looking livid today.

The Don bowled without luck from the other end to Wolverton's number three. I think his name was Felix. He certainly had plenty of lives; it would take some inspirational bowling to shift him. Crabbie had quite a head of steam up now and disposed of another couple with catches to Brockett and Gatesy at slip.

The Caretaker took over from the Don and nipped out a couple. we were on top but couldn't seem to shift Number three.

Skipper Cook showed the Wisdom of Solomon with his next decision. He turned to a player who hasn't bowled in a competitive match for at least 25 years. Gates, using his shorter run up proved that Class is Permanent and crucially that luck is even more important. Of course I got the difficult to shift number three and another hapless soul aswell. What enormous fun. The Judge nipped out another one, Brockett's second stumping of the match and The Don finished them off. A thumping 121 run win to end a fantastic season.

The Caretaker, never one to pass up on an opportunity to fudge his sexuality took not only 4 bottles in to the shower but a scrunchy to exfoliate! He would later order a prawn cocktail and admit that Bronski Beat are his favourite band after Erasure. It takes all sorts I suppose, and merely demonstrates the power of role models in young peoples lives. The Caretaker has grown up with Nivea slathering ponce's like Beckham.

I had Botham when i was that age so only ever take a cigar into the shower, or a barmaid.

My job is to start planning for next season. Our ambition is high and our belief is strong. Bring on Division 5. It's only just begun..................

Didcot II v Aston Rowant III played at Didcot

Went into this game against Aston Rowant, 2nd from top in the league and having to get 11 point minimum to be out of the relegation zone. Winning the toss was a must; having won the toss Didcot batted first with 240+ target in mind with a good batting side. We lost two quick wickets in the 6^th over total at 11. Panic!; what happened next was few partnerships were built around Viraj Perera. 60 runs with Prasad (37), 59 runs with Connor (28) and an unbeaten partnership between Dave Allen (35 not out), an invaluable partnership of 80 runs in the last 10 overs to bring the Didcot total to 222 for 5 with Viraj just missing the second ton of the season by 3 runs, 97 not out!

Having got the full batting points (5), the second target for the day was to get 6 wickets. Dan Alderson opened the attack with Dave Allen. Instructions were to keep the run rate down to put the opposition under pressure. The start was good but few catches were put down and the openers had put-on 50 runs in 12 overs. Henry came on first change and had the break through we needed with a brilliant catch by Sean Willmott at the deep mid-wicket running all the way from deep square leg! Henry bowled well (3) supported by Dan Alderson (2), Sean Willmott (2) and Dave Allen (1). It was one of these games we had put down as many catches as we took, and the catches we took were very good; Connor Morrison 2, Prasad 1, Dave 1,Sean 1 and Henry 1 ). Aston Rowant was behind the required run rate with loosing wickets at regular intervals and Didcot did well against a top team and was very unfortunate not to take the last wicket and get a win in the final game of the 2009 season. Aston Rowant 198 for 9. With 17 points, Didcot IIs should be well above relegation zone now!

3rds vs Kimble 2nds

DP won the toss and put Kimble into bat in a must win game. Rob and Rob (Green and Keat) bowled well and took the first 4 wickets cheaply. The introduction of Stewie Green resulted in a field only normally seen in the Caribbean, a 8:1 field with 2 slips, 2 gullies and a short third man. Stewie bowled a hostile spell, hitting several different batsmen on the arms and in the ribs. On a different day he could have had a hatful of wickets but it was not his day with several shots just out of reach of fielders and a few drops as well. The worst drop of the day had to be awarded to skipper DP who managed to shell a sitter at 3rd man. Apparently the batsman put so much top spin on the ball off his thick edge that it spun out of his hand! Potentially the season's worst excuse for a dropped catch.

Despite the regular fall of wickets, Kimble were still going along at a decent pace. DP picked up one wicket before being taken out of the attack having injured his hand attempting a sharp return catch. If you use the middle of your hand Dave and catch it, it won't hurt!!

Rob and Rob returned to the attack and quickly removed the danger men. Elvis had a cameo over and picked up one wicket before Rob Green wrapped up the innings and picked up his first 'phiffer' (5-33). Kimble all out for 169

In reply Didcot got off to a stuttering start, losing both openers with only 31 on the board. A good 3rd wicket partnership between Sean Stewart and Elvis put on 70 before Elvis departed having scored 35. Shaun was out soon afterwards for 25 and when Tattie departed and then Boggy was given run out by an 80 year old umpire when he was clearly in, Didcot were now 120 for 6, still needing 50 to win. Nerves were apparent in the dressing room, with the batsmen still to come Haydn (who had injured his hand keeping and couldn't grip his bat), Rob Green (who had no confidence in himself) and DP (no explanation needed!) it was all down to the batsmen in the middle.

Lewis Wilcox and Rob Keat batted superbly, seeing off the good balls and punishing the rubbish. They saw Didcot home, their 50 partnership came in only 13 overs and didn't give a chance. Rob finished on 31 not out and Lewis scored 21. Bearing in mind Lewis is still an U13, he showed fantastic composure and held his nerve well. A potential future Didcot star??

By winning the game, we made sure we would finish just outside the bottom 2. The news that came later that evening the Abingdon had only got 2 points from their game against Oxford Downs, means at worst we will finish 4th from bottom and hopefully secure our Division 9 status, irrespective of any league restructure

DP won the toss and put Kimble into bat in a must win game. Rob and Rob (Green and Keat) bowled well and took the first 4 wickets cheaply. The introduction of Stewie Green resulted in a field only normally seen in the Caribbean, a 8:1 field with 2 slips, 2 gullies and a short third man. Stewie bowled a hostile spell, hitting several different batsmen on the arms and in the ribs. On a different day he could have had a hatful of wickets but it was not his day with several shots just out of reach of fielders and a few drops as well. The worst drop of the day had to be awarded to skipper DP who managed to shell a sitter at 3rd man. Apparently the batsman put so much top spin on the ball off his thick edge that it spun out of his hand! Potentially the season's worst excuse for a dropped catch.

Despite the regular fall of wickets, Kimble were still going along at a decent pace. DP picked up one wicket before being taken out of the attack having injured his hand attempting a sharp return catch. If you use the middle of your hand Dave and catch it, it won't hurt!!

Rob and Rob returned to the attack and quickly removed the danger men. Elvis had a cameo over and picked up one wicket before Rob Green wrapped up the innings and picked up his first 'phiffer' (5-33). Kimble all out for 169

In reply Didcot got off to a stuttering start, losing both openers with only 31 on the board. A good 3rd wicket partnership between Sean Stewart and Elvis put on 70 before Elvis departed having scored 35. Shaun was out soon afterwards for 25 and when Tattie departed and then Boggy was given run out by an 80 year old umpire when he was clearly in, Didcot were now 120 for 6, still needing 50 to win. Nerves were apparent in the dressing room, with the batsmen still to come Haydn (who had injured his hand keeping and couldn't grip his bat), Rob Green (who had no confidence in himself) and DP (no explanation needed!) it was all down to the batsmen in the middle.

Lewis Wilcox and Rob Keat batted superbly, seeing off the good balls and punishing the rubbish. They saw Didcot home, their 50 partnership came in only 13 overs and didn't give a chance. Rob finished on 31 not out and Lewis scored 21. Bearing in mind Lewis is still an U13, he showed fantastic composure and held his nerve well. A potential future Didcot star??

By winning the game, we made sure we would finish just outside the bottom 2. The news that came later that evening the Abingdon had only got 2 points from their game against Oxford Downs, means at worst we will finish 4th from bottom and hopefully secure our Division 9 status, irrespective of any league restructure.

In the last game of the season, the fourths again came up against a side with one major player who proved the difference. This time, Chearsley’s opening batsman hit 93 not out from 120 for 0 to overhaul our score. And this after taking 5 wickets with essentially straight balls. And after scoring a century in the away fixture.

Ho hum. Simon lost the toss and we were inserted, a decision that Chearsley may have regretted once Simon and Biplob got off to another flier – 39 in 6 overs with a massive six hitting the tea shed from Simon. Once wickets started falling, they kept on going. We easily overhauled our last score against Chearsley (54) but 6 batsmen got into double figures and no-one scored 20. Simon was caught, Biplob ran down the wicket and was bowled after flinging his bat, Maha dragged one back onto his stumps. This is after we sent out number 4 batsman (Maha) to pick up our number 3 batsman (Uday) from a garage – they arrived back at 1:45. Uday showed that his trip to India has not changed his style of batting, he was bowled for 10. Nick and Travis batted well together as we rebuilt, and they were looking set before a collapse (well this is Didcot) took us from 86 for 4 to 98 for 8, Hall and Granger not troubling the scorers. Then, however, some resistance from the tail as Alex R (6) and Dan Stainthorpe (14) stayed out of trouble and hit the bad balls. At one stage there were 15 consecutive dot balls but that was good enough, and we easily passed our first batting point. Jack went out with Nick promising him £10 if he scored a run. Sadly, Nick’s paper round money was safe as Alex fell at the other end leaving Jack not out on 0.

We had doubled the last score against Chearsley but it was unlikely to be enough. Despite one of the best bowling line-ups of the season (Granger, Rodman, Green, Stainthorpe, Broughton with Biplob and Simon in reserve), we came up against someone in top form who hit sixes at will. Only Alex escaped punishment, 4 miserly overs going for 8. With 23 needed, the last throw of the dice as Jack came on, but he was brutally dispatched. Despite the coaching session in the car park before hand, five legitimate balls cost 27 and their opener passed 800 for the season (200 against us).

A disappointing end, but hopefully this season we have given valuable experience of senior cricket to lot of the juniors. Top wicket taker has been Jack (11), top run scorer Clive, top score Clive (123), best bowling Jack (4-17), best all rounder Simon (9 wickets and 167 runs). One victory, two draws that we could have won, one more game that we could easily have won: we have been competitive in a fair number of games. Not all doom and gloom. We used 43 players, over half were juniors. And next season we can build on this foundation.

For several of us it has been a season of two halves – Jack bowled well first half, badly second, Jonathan batted well first half, badly second, Simon badly then very well, Uday well then went to India, Dan bowled well then went to Ireland, Travis and Jonny Meardon contributed well in the latter stages, Biplob’s batting and bowling improved through the season. Harry, Tom and Alex Rodman have a lot of potential to develop, Alex is the meanest junior bowler I have seen. Nick Grain kept very well, and has an excellent defensive batting technique, he will develop. Ben Faloona, Jamie, Ehsen, Humza et al have had their moments and will come good given time and practice..

We Are The Champions

Finally, finally; the moment we have thought and dreamt about for most of the summer has arrived. No quips this week. Didcot are Cherwell Division 6 champions. Sounds good doesn't it.

We travelled to Thame knowing that a win would guarantee the title. I was more excited and nervous than normal on a Saturday, but confident that we would do it.

The Thame pitch had been soaked in a rain storm the day before and was begging to be bowled on. We have not done things easily this season so I decided to lose the toss just to be awkward. Batting first on this wicket was not easy, the ball stopped and came through slowly. Many of us got out driving too early.

What is important is that three of us made significant contributions to get us the right side of 200, just. Matt scored 30 odd and looked back in form until one stopped on him. Naughtie dabbed and nurdled to 39 (NOT OUT, WOULD YOU BELIEVE). Another extremely valuable knock in his specialist finishing position. The rock and spine of our innings came from Lord Brockett, batting at four he nearly carried his bat on the way to his maiden first XI half century. A superb watchful, mature knock with acceleration at the right moment. On a better pitch he would have made a ton. Well done Bris.

After what can only be described as a tea that suited the fielding side we started again knowing that 10 wickets were needed to take the title. We started well by dismissing danger man Steve Beard cheaply, our confidence was high. Lobster and The Don threatened but couldn't get the breakthrough. The pitch was dry now and playing like a dream and Thame's 14 year old opener was playing beautifully. 10 for 1 became 119 for two. With plenty of time left, we were struggling a bit. We had Laurel and Hardy on, who have often been so deadly in tandem this year. The Caretaker bowled well, but couldn't force the breakthrough, so time for a change. A bit of Pritch has changed games a number of times this year. His pace was searing but the ball constantly found the gaps.

What to do next? I considered the options and decided to give The Judge one more over. A superb catch from Lobster Jones at short midwicket meant that The Judge would get another over and that we were back in the game. If only we could get the opener we would be in charge again. We got the opener next over. Some late away swing (possibly) from Pritch and a brilliant salmon like leap from The Caretaker together with Inspector Gadget arms snared him. Game on now. Our body language changed, we were hunting as a pack now. Two wickets in an over from The Judge and Thame were 150 for 6.

A second spell from The Don brought instant results with two wickets in his two overs, catches from Brockett and Pritch taking care of things. Jules took his fifth and we were one wicket away from the title and Thame were 10 minutes from a draw.

The Judge hasn't turned a ball all season and relies on his charisma and guile to earn his wickets. Or so we thought. He floated up his last ball of the over, it looked no different to the rest. Pitching on middle and going straight on, that's what the batsman and the rest of us thought. It bit, it bounced, it fizzed, and it turned, from leg to off for heavens sake. He had bowled a leggie and pitched it perfectly. Off stump knocked back, we celebrated wildly. I thought about kissing The Judge. Bernard beat me to it and I didn't have the heart to interrupt their delicate embrace.

We drank warm champagne and sang our victory song.

What a fabulous day.

Didcot II V Dinton III

Dinton won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting wicket. Didcot bowlers did not have much impact on the visitors and they scored 241 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 47 overs. Vishane Perera and Dave Allen took 2 wickets each, Henry Latimer one and one run out.

It did not seam to be impossible target to get on a very good batting track but as usual top order batting did not get to a good start and Didcot was on the back foot again! The only highlight was Connor Morrison’s unbeaten 86. Didcot was 174 for 7 at the end of play.

Dinton III 15 points Didcot II 8 points

After the cancellation against Oxford the previous week, the first victory was getting a team of 11 players on the pitch against Bicester. Our problems started when we realised that Bicester were seeking revenge for the game previous in the season where we had scored 304 against them thanks to Clive and Raj. Our team was virtually unrecognisable, with just Modi, Grain, Hall and Broughton remaining from that side. Whereas we had replaced the players with inexperienced U-13s and members doing the club, Bicester appeared to have called up their resources to ensure that they didn’t get the same treatment.

However, with such an inexperienced team, stand-in captain Hall was concerned that the game might be all over by 2:30 if we batted first, so inserted the opposition. This was mainly due to the whole raison d’être of the fourth team, to give the youngsters experience.

We started brightly, with Pritesh and Travis sharing the new ball, but once spinners Maha and Jack Broughton came on the openers were set and proceeded to hit the ball to all corners, or alternatively milked the singles if the field was set back. 51 from 9 became 73 from 12 and 96 from 14, before medium pacers from Alex Scanlan and Jonny Meardon put the brakes on the advance. Too little, too late, and both of the openers retired not out for centuries, Phil Warson (once Northants 2nds keeper) made 138 and James Head 105, both recorded as not outs. That brought in Megan Burton and a slowing of the scoring, and finally Pritesh, coming on for his second spell after injuring his shoulder earlier in the game, bowled Payne for 15 – the first legitimate wicket at 244. Late additions to the bowling line up Jonathan Meardon and Benji Faloona, however, showed why the fourth team is a good thing for the club, each bowling a spell of good medium pace. These two are both Under 13s, and given the right development could be challenging in higher teams in 3 or 4 years. The standout player, however, was Travis Green. Again an U-13. Given the responsibility of the new ball, and then also coming back for his remaining 4 overs at the end, he bowled line and length with pace and accuracy and was unlucky not to take any wickets. Figures of 8-1-37-0 were excellent in those circumstances.

After much nagging from Jack and Nick, Hall brought himself on to remind them again why he doesn’t bowl any more. The only time the ball went straight was when the hair was let down and he got angry with himself. Not a sight that should be witnessed by delicate personalities, and certainly against the spirit of Clubmark, if not common decency.

As for the rest of the bowling, Jack showed signs of the form from earlier in the season, and Pritesh shouldered the responsibility of being the senior seamer well, returning figures of 1-43 from 8 overs. Maha had the batsmen in trouble on occasions but could not get consistency.

Bicester struggled to pass Didcot’s 304 from the away match due to Travis and Ben conceding only singles from the 42^nd and 43^rd overs, but as soon as they passed the total they declared at the end of the over. Just enough time for Ben Faloona to take his first senior wicket, and for club colossus David Slade to take his final slip catch (although he doesn’t know that he’s playing next week as well…).

Didcot’s batting then lacked the adhesiveness that was required to fight out the draw. Hall opened in the absence of other candidates, and made his first duck of the league season, cutting a ball into the air. Form, form, why have thou deserted me. Oh, and decision making. Alex Scanlan was unlucky to be run out going for a second run that wasn’t there. Pritesh looked good for 10 before being given lbw, Nick and Jonny flattered to deceive. Hope then lay with Travis and John Brisland, both of whom played good shots in a 6^th wicket partnership that took us to a level of respectability, and laid the basis for getting past our previous low score. Indeed, two edged fours for Faloona and a driven 2 from Dave Slade took us past our second lowest score. Allout for 57 beats the 46 (Cumnor) and 54 (Chearsley) earlier in the season.

David was last out, bowed by Megan Burton, on the very ground that he started his senior career a few years back.

On the face of it, a thrashing. Losing by 253 runs is not easy and we were not competitive, but on a weekend when about 40 players were unavailable, I believe we showed that there are plenty of green shoots in the youth development of the club, and that from this exposure to senior cricket, confidence and skills will develop.

All part of the season in the fourths!

Back to Simon for the last two games.

Eat The Rich

Which two people would you least like to be stuck in a lift with? A question posed to me on the drive home from the Field of Dreams last night. I won't reveal my answer to protect the delicate feelings and fragile ego's of those selected. I will reveal that Rick Waller was a close third though.

Perhaps you want to debate this controversial subject when you are having supper tonight. Or perhaps not. You decide, it's a free world.

Yesterday we had the privilege of welcoming Bourton Vale to the FoD on a muggy, but oddly breezy day. Skip won the toss and invited Vale to have a bat on another belter of a batting track. We were determined not to let Vale get off to the same storming start they enjoyed earlier in the season.

We didn't, and had them 4 for 3 inside 4 overs. The Don taking two with fine catches from Pritch and Tee Kay with Matt clean bowling the third. Happy days, but surely not representative of this pitch? Our fielding was sharp and our mood positive after Pritch took the fourth with the score on 31. This wicket saw The Judge take what may be the catch of the season. Using his new approach of walking in at gully he took a stormer that made Paul Collingwood look like an average middle order batsman who only scores runs intermittently but is slightly better than Rob Key. It was the crowning moment of a great display in this position.

Vale's middle order rallied well, riding a bit of luck but mainly hitting some below average bowling to the boundary a little too regularly they clawed back to 140, still for 4, with 17 overs left. A wicket for The Judge and another for Crabbie slowed progress a bit. Our heads did not drop throughout this, despite having to dive into the brambles a little too frequently to retrieve balls. The end came quickly as Vale went from 214 for 6 to 220 all out, Pritch picking up another couple of wickets and Crabbie knocked back the stumps of 10 and 11 in consecutive balls. Hat trick next week? Matt bowled through the pain barrier again, ending with 4 for 59. Further jug evasion from the Yorkshireman.

As we left the field I felt positive, 220 is only a par score at the Field of Dreams and we had won every game we had chased since the season opener at Oxford. We would have to bat well though as 221 would be our highest second innings score this season.

Faced with an intimidating target we needed to stay positive but refrain from recklessness; it is all about pace and momentum. Get your eye in and only then move on to the more ambitious, expansive areas.

I started with a ham and mustard sandwich, the forward defensive of the cricket tea; moved on to a slice of quiche (leg glance); a sausage roll (back foot drive); chicken tikka piece (cover drive); mini pasty (lofted hoik towards cow); ending with a slab of pavlova (reverse sweep for six). Incidentally on quizzing Jose on his return to the ground in the evening he mentioned that he always starts his tea with a ham sandwich. He then throws it in the bin as he doesn't like ham and feasts on pasties.

Anyway, after another stupendous tea courtesy of Dad Cook and some Cornish elves we started the chase.

The top three got in, got a few and then got out. Crabbie and Pritch didn't trouble the scorers and we were 86 for 5 in the 26th over. We were about to step on a banana skin. Yet again two new heroes stepped up, determined to 'be the man' that won the game for us. They cheekily skipped over the banana skin and powered us on to 202. Bernard and Cookie scored 116 runs at more than seven an over to transform the game. Bernard was unlucky to be bowled off his pads for a gritty 34, easily his best innings of the season so far.

Cookie played one of the best innings of the season from anyone in the side and capped it off with his maiden senior ton. A fantastic, mature, cultured innings that combined brutal front foot driving with cuts, pulls and even a few wanky dabs. It had it all and drew justifiable praise from everyone lucky enough to witness it. I am sure it will be the first of many, and hopefully not the last this season.

We won by only 2 wickets in the end as the self destruct gene re-emerged briefly. The Judge finished it in style with three boundaries from his first three balls.

Another 25 points combined with good results for us elsewhere means that we travel to Thame next Saturday knowing that a win guarantees us the title. We don't need any greater motivation than this and I cannot wait for the game to start..............

Twyford II V Didcot II

Didcot managed only 130 runs in their 47 overs Prasad contributing 31 and Conner 20 and at the end 16 not out by Sam Couldrick.

Twyford reached the target with the loss of 5 wickets. Dan Alderson pick of the bowling with good pace and bounce, unfortunate not to pick-up more wickets.

Be The Man

Back to the business of cricket this week after the rain last saturday. Our visitors, Horspath had been top earlier in the season and were not to be taken lightly.

Winning the toss on a damp, but drying pitch was perhaps more important than normal. I lost it. Bugger.

A slightly makeshift team was shorn of Shaun, and the Laurel and Hardy of spin for the day. One was at Center Parcs undoubtedly honing his archery skills or whatever it is one does in Center Parcs, the other was in the middle of a tour of the bits of Europe famed for their lack of culinary skills and rigid adhesion to order, the Caretaker was last seen waiting for Big Wednesday, no doubt surrounded by a thousand other Caretaker lookalikes. I hope the surf was sick Jordan, dude.

No surprise that we were asked to bat on a sticky dog. Didcot 2009 laughs in the face of sticky dogs and rose to the challenge. Vish and Lats strode to the wicket with the skip's advice to "not cut in the first half hour in case you drag one onto your stumps" ringing in their ears. Lats played a square cut, you can guess the rest. One down. Crabbie hobbled out to the wicket, batting for the first time in four weeks he said he felt a bit rusty. He looked a bit rusty. Rusty or not he was out to a shocking LBW decision. Hit on the upper thigh! He is nearly 8ft tall! Get your subscription checked!

Tee Kay announced his arrival with two bludgeoned boundaries then promptly became becalmed, his reputation as the Beast preceding him. Throughout these diversions Jimmy Perera was doing what he does best. Another fine knock, during which he never looked troubled. He ran out of energy at 64, a fine century was there for the taking. Eat porridge for breakfast Jimmy and the ton is yours.

Cookie played around a straight one, another LBW. All of a sudden a good start had become rather average at 120 odd for 5. Veterans Broughton and Pritchard were at the crease and they delivered again. Adding 70 in 12 overs changed the game again as we headed towards 200. Prich finished with 43, perhaps not his most fluent innings of the season, but a very important one. A few biffs to the boundary at the end and we were going to have to defend 226.

A fine tea from Yorkshire showed just how much modern Britain has changed. No batter puddings with gravy. Home made chicken tikka (on cocktail sticks, no less) and salmon sandwiches. Geoffrey would no doubt think it was dreadful. We all thought it was great and tucked in.

Openers Crabbie and debutant Jim Taylor (Cookie's godfather, apparently) bowled with control and movement both taking a wicket. Don's debut Cherwell wicket to a fine catch from Brockett.

Lat's bowled with a good loop and control of length and picked up a couple of wickets to keep the pressure on. Horspath were never quite up with the run rate but had wickets in hand so were always in with a chance. Enter Mr Pritchard. He took the crucial two wickets that swung it back in our favour. Not enough time or runs to force a win for either side meant a draw was the right result. Cricket was the winner in a good, evenly fought game. 13 points takes us half a step closer to the points we need.

We all need to up our performance for the visit of Bourton Vale next week and be determined that we will be the man to make the difference that brings us another win.

Wallingford II V Didcot II

A bad day at work! Yep after tea it all fell apart.

Didcot won the toss and invited Wallingford to bat first. Everything went to plan to start with; we had a target to get them out for 150 we just about did that. Wallingford all out 154 in the 42^nd over with Viraj Perera taking 4 wickets, Rob Keat 3, followed by Dan Alderson 2 and Stewart Green 1 all bowling well and fielding and catching coming together. The nightmare began after tea; loosing the first 5 wickets; Prasad, Rob Kenworthy, Viraj, Connor and Dan all back in the pavilion for 12 runs in 12 overs! Ross Fryatt (26) and Shaun Stewart (14) showing some resistance and building a partnership and using up the overs, but after the departure of Ross and Stewart we had still a glimpse of a draw with Jose Taboada 25, but could not resist the temptation and was caught at the covers with just 8 balls to go!

Didcot 3rds

Didcot hung on during their game of Alpine cricket against a much stronger Brackley 2's.

Winning the toss we elected to put the opposition and after two quick wickets Brackley settled into two strong partnerships (100,80). Star for Brackley was George Stapleton, home from his gap year just two days before, he finished unbeaten on 91 with Brackley reaching 227-4 on a slow pitch, with a large, slow outfield.

Didcot soon realised we didn't have the fire power to chase and set ourselves a target of 150-3 at the end to minimise their points advantage.At 120-3 after 41 overs (and 35 minutes left) we were cruising. AND THEN, back to Didcot self destruct mode. 12 overs bowled in the next 35 minutes and we closed on 133-9 with George Stapleton taking 3-15 off seven overs.

Santosh, Mike Slade and Clive all got into the 20's before getting themselves out.

Travis Green and Jonathan Mearden batted well and held up Brackley for decent periods of time.

Mike Slade deserves special mention for his excellent spell up and across the Alpine slopes.

Didcot 4ths

Didcot IV put up a sterling performance but faded to lose a game that we should have won. Thame III batted first, and against Humza and Alex Rodman they were 9 for 2 from 10 naggingly accurate overs. Neil Spears bowled well, taking a wicket and a catch, while Jack Broughton continued a dip in form at the other end. The off spin department of the fourths, however, looks safe in the hands of Tom Spears, who put down a marker for the new all rounder with 2 well taken wicket. Maybe stand-in captain Hall should have listened to him a couple of weeks ago when he wanted to bowl. Simon also bowled frugally, Ehsen bowled a couple of overs without much alarm, and then the opening bowlers came back for the final spells to keep the runs down. Only some lusty hitting at the end took Thame to respectability at 146 for 8. The wickets were shared around, two each for Humza and Tom, with a stunning run out also credited to Humza.

All in all, one of our best performances with the ball, and proving that we are getting more competitive as the season goes on. Tea was enjoyed greatly as this was a target that we could chase down.

Neil Spears and Simon Birkinshaw opened. Neil was unluckily out quickly, and was followed by Nick Grain. After that, Tom Spears and Simon started setting the foundation for a good score. Simon played his best innings of the season for the club, thrashing balls to all corners (well, lots to cow and one cut four to disprove the comments that he only had one shot) for 45, before “finger of death” Hall struck again with an lbw decision. Gordon Latimer and Ehsen Nadeem hung around without adding much to the score, so with 5 wickets down at 68 we were in trouble. Hall came in with no specific instructions as they really don’t make any difference. Tom was out for another promising innings of 24 as Thame’s bowling attack (made up of accurate 13 year olds all at 4 feet tall) continued to make regular inroads. Despite Jonathan hitting 5 fours and a six (all to the same flag on the boundary at cow corner) in his 29 not out, the other end was a rotating gate made up of a line of ducks until last man Dave Grain (batting with a badly bruised finger) was given out lbw.

We need more adhesiveness at the crease, but although we lost, it was a good game and there were some very creditable performances in defeat. Humza, Alex and Tom bowled well, Simon and Tom batted well, and the fielding was generally excellent.

The composition of the team is proof of the aims of the team – 6 under 18s, 3 parents of youth players, plus Simon and Jonathan. Adds to the development of the club youth players, the development of the social aspect and we’re on the verge of getting some results.

Four more games, including Bicester at home who we scored 304 against earlier in the season. There are possibilities!

Rabbit

Charles Hodges and David Peacock. Two names that will bring back warm memories for those lucky enough to bask in the sunshine at Knebworth in August 1979. Knebworth is a small village to the North of Brackley.

Knebworth is unique amongst English villages in that it does not have an idiot; an ancient law passed in 1084 by the local baron ensures that each year the biggest idiot is sent South.

Anyway, back to 1979. Charles and David were sitting backstage preparing to warm the crowd up for Led Zeppelin. They needed something catchy to follow up May '79's smash "Gertcha'. Inspiration struck as two idiots walked past; babbling inanely and incessantly , it was impossible to ignore them both.

Coz you wont stop talkin,
Why dont you give it a rest?,
You got more rabbit than sainsburys,
Its time you got it off your chest,
Now you is just the kinda girl to break my heart in two,
I knew right off when i first set my eyes on you,
But how was i to know you fed my earholes too?,
With your ecessive talking,
Your becoming a pest,

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of this genre defining moment in Rockney pop history a cricket match was played in Didcot yesterday. It featured the only living relatives of those two men.

Inviting the opposition to bat first on another sunny day skipper Gates was feeling apprehensive. Would Crabbie's bone spurs hold up? Would The Judge be able to resist the tension? Would Bernard be able to resist The Judge? Would The Didcot flasher make an appearance?..........

Brackley started cautiously against an accurate spell from Pritch and Matt. One wicket apiece was the only reward. 73 for 2 from 19 overs. Cometh the hour, cometh the Caretaker. A wicket with his second ball as he turned one just enough to catch the outside edge of Cartwright's bat, smart work from Brockett and he was off back to the hutch. A devastating spell reduced Brackley to 133 for 8 with The Caretaker having 5 for 25 at one stage. Jules softened them up at the other end of course, his flatter, faster one being comfortably the quickest bowling of the day.

Smart catching and excellent ground fielding even drew a rabbit onto the field of dreams to offer his support. He didn't last long. A few biffs at the end and Brackley were all out for 172.

Some delicious scones were consumed and enjoyed by all. Especially Brockett.

Jim Perera and Judge Boyle opened our reply. Jules didn't die wondering and was clean bowled trying to hit the ball into space. This brought Bernard to the crease. Felix would be a better name for him, such were the lives he seemed to have. Still, he made them pay, and with Vish took the score to 101 before perishing to Dick Dastardly Newby.

Throughout this time Vish had been batting beautifully, following on from his undefeated innings last week he went on to make 77 not out from only 80 odd balls including fourteen 4's. His classy innings was a joy to watch, driving off both front and back feet and pulling viciously, quality.

We won comfortably by 7 wickets with overs to spare, the end coming with a flurry of Monster boundaries from Cookie.

Afterwards, the feeling of relief at finally laying a ghost to rest was palpable. It was only 25 points at the end of the day, but it felt more significant than that. Next week we line up against third placed Tiddington. A sterner test awaits I am sure.

Great Brickhill 2 V Didcot 2

Didcot travelled all the way to Great Brickhill and were almost back in Didcot at tea time if not for some resistance from Prasad (33) holding one-end while Dan Alderson (50) batted sensibly with a mixture of attacking shots and defence to put up a partnership of 75 runs. At the end Matt Tatford and Rob Green batted the last 5 overs to use up the 47 overs.

The Great Brickhill opener A. Ward dropped down from the 1^st to play closer to home and was in a great hurry to finish the game, flashing at every thing, he was lucky not to be caught off Dan’s second delivery when he mis-timed a hook and it just dropped short of Rob Green fielding at fine leg. However he was unforgiving on anything just short of a length and he reached his 50 in double quick time. He was caught off a short pitch delivery from Peter Sykes at the furthest boundary; deep midwicket to a well judged excellent catch by Matt Tatford. The game was almost over but Didcot managed to collect another wicket just before the end to a diving catch from Viraj!

Great Brickhill 25 Points, Didcot II 5 points

With this result now we are dangerously close to the bottom of the table (8^th). We need to raise our game to win the rest of the games now!

Didcot 3rds v Leighton Buzzard

We had them in trouble batting first with Stewart Green getting some wickets once he had spent 4 or 5 overs warming up! Rob Keat bowled beautifully with no luck and little reward.

Carl then bowled short on leg stump to a bat who only had one shot (pulling the short ball).Raj bowled well, as did James Bywater. Sam Couldrick got a wicket with his first ball and then went downhill slowly (he really is very tough on himself).

Buzzard ended up getting 195 for 7 thanks to only two batsmen getting over 50.

Byzie then got bowled by a shooter first ball before Raj and Santosh batted really sensibly against some fairly average bowling. As soon as the 100 partnership came up Raj, on 46, unleashed a drive that brought about a catch Paul Collingwood would have been really proud of. That one catch changed the whole game. Santosh followed soon after for 56. Elvis couldn’t hit short leg side bowling (which he normally eats for breakfast) and then some irresponsible batting from others left us hanging on as they bowled three extra overs before 7.30.

Pluses. Rob Keat’s bowling from the start. Stewart getting better as the spell continued. Raj bowling ok and batting with maturity. Santosh getting a well deserved 50. Carl’s actually getting better in fifth and sixth overs.

The thirds really do need to win a couple of games now to ensure we don’t end up in same Division as fourths.

Big news is that the fourths may pass the 3rds if they carry on their current form. Recording their first win of the season has left stand in skipper in effusive mood. Rather than try to edit and risk losing the essence of how important this win is I have posted it in all it's glorious glory on Teamer.

Cake and July

Did You know that 72,000 people live in Sandford St Martin, and that Bob Marley met several of the Wailers there? Neither did I. That's because it isn't true. 

It is also not true that in excess of 1,000,000 people visit every year and have to decide whether to speak French or Dutch when haggling in the duty free shops.

It is a FACT that they have a very lovely cricket ground nestling on the edge of the Cotswold hills, it really is a smashing spot. I can't think of many better places to collect 25 points.

In a return to winning ways I called the toss correctly and invited St Martin to bat. A hostile spell from Crab Hands, seemingly spurred on by the celebrity injury he now has set the tone for the early overs. Pace, bounce and Yorkshire parsimony built the pressure. New ball partner Pritch puffed up the hill generating marginally more pace then Crabbie. We took the chances and had Sandford at 51 for 5 in the 20th over. Two catches for Bernard stunned everyone. 'Screech' Cook made a simple catch look difficult, summed up well by Naughtie who said "he went down in more stages than the Tour De France". Quite.

A mid innings rally from The Saints was assisted by some comical fielding errors, denying Crabbie the Pfeiffer he craved. His face was a picture of tormented fury at one point and I don't think it was because his ankle hurt.

A frankly, inspired bowling change brought instant relief as Crabbie snaffled one in the slips from the now unplayable Pritch. Two more smartly taken catches from the now renamed Lobster Claws at slip and it was all over. Both Pritch and Matt ended with 4 for 36, ahhhhh, how sweet. The Judge picked up a couple as well, conceding less than 2 runs an over. 

Tea was taken after James Perera and Bernard safely negotiated a tricky twenty minute session. Tea was, as ever a delight, especially for Lord Brockett who consumed cake like he was preparing for an Arctic exploration. Bernard also whipped The Judge into a frenzy of adolescent fever as he shared some JOGLE experiences. Could these two be the next Little and Large ? An unlikely double act is developing between them.

The innings recommenced with many of us settling down and actually relaxing for once. Vish played superbly, never looking troubled in his unbeaten 47. He mixed his trademark defensive wall with some cracking attacking shots including some superb pull shots. Eight 4's and a six -  great stuff from the boy wonder. Brockett joined him with score on 47, equally untroubled he finished on 38 not out, in doing so cruelly denying Vish what would have been a cracking half century. On paper our easiest victory of the season. In hindsight it was never in doubt

Back at home next week, I am already excited. Cool heads, focus and some ear plugs may be needed.

Didcot II v Abingdon Vale 3 
Didcot II comprehensively beaten by Abingdon
This was an important game for Didcot to win and had an opportunity go 
up to 3rd place on the league table. However that wasn’t the case! 
Abingdon won the toss and invited Didcot to bat first. Didcot had a 
fairly good start but failed to capitalise on it and was bowled out for 
186 on a good batting wicket. Viraj Perera 56, Prasad Kankadandi 22 and 
Dave Allen 33 were the only notable contributions. 
Didcot started well in their bowling department than in previous games 
but on a flat unhelpful wicket could not make any inroads and A Inns 
scored staggering 133 not out of the 188 for the loss of one wicket.
Abingdon Vale III 25 Points, Didcot II 4 points

Didcot 3rd's have a moral victory over Oxford and Bletchingdon 4ths, but the match finishes in a draw.

 

Elvis lost the toss (again!!) and was invited to bat by the opposition. At the time we were unsure whether it was an aggressive move by the opposition, or the best way they thought to not lose the game. Once the quality of the opening bowling was seen, it quickly became clear they were playing for the draw! Raj and Sean got us off to a good start with an opening partnership of 30. The pitch was proving hard to bat on as it was very slow and coupled with the pace (or rather lack of) of the bowling it made scoring runs tough.

 

Once Raj had departed, wickets fell steadily until Elvis and Mick came together with the score at 74 for 5. Elvis renewed his acquaintance with their leg spinner from earlier in the season and dispatched him for 17 in an over. This brought about a change of bowling and Mick decided to see this one off, clubbing him for 21 before he was quickly taken out of the attack.

 

Elvis was out for 57 with the score on 146 for 6, and this quickly became 148 for 9. Before the game had started there had been questions asked as to why James 'Boggy' Bywater was batting at number 11 when he usually opens for the U15's. Had he upset Elvis? Was there a hidden plan? The real reason was that Elvis had not done his homework and didn't know that he could bat! However his decision was vindicated when Mick and Boggy put on a last wicket partnership of 40, to take our score to 188 all out in the 46th over, with Boggy scoring 20 and Mick finishing on 35 not out. Pick of the opposition bowling was Haroon Sarwar with 5 for 44 from his 19.3 overs.

 

In reply Oxford and Bletchingdon started positively, but the lofted drive flew straight to Lewis Wilcox and they were 0 for 1. This quickly became 1 for 2 when Mick got his 2nd wicket and when Raj clean bowled their other opener with a ball that pitched short of a length and hit middle stump 2 inches up, they were in trouble. Mick then picked up 2 more wickets, another couple of pies that were too good for them and the opposition were 26 for 5 and Didcot were looking good. Unfortunately they then decided to shut up shop and despite some excellent bowling from Boggy and Sam  we could not break through the 6th wicket partnership for 20 odd overs. Maha finally removed one of them and then Boggy and Raj got one wicket each before we ran out of overs. Oxford and Bletchingdon finished on 109 for 8 and got 9 points whilst Didcot got 14.

 

The comedy moment of the day has to go to Santosh. Following another ball down the leg side that stand in keeper Elvis had dived across to get but failed to gather cleanly, Santosh ran back from slip, picked the ball up, turned and threw at the stumps. Unfortunately his aim was slightly off and all he managed to hit was Elvis who was still lying on the ground, 10 yards from the wickets. A great performance from all, and a clear example of a team taking advantage of the rules and playing not to lose, rather than to win.

The fourths fielded a weak side against 2nd placed Tiddington III due to illness, holiday and unavailability, but made a good effort in extending the game to 7 pm before the inevitable collapse and, on paper, a heavy defeat.  Stand-in captain Jonathan Hall won the toss and inserted the opposition, as it "seemed like a good idea at the time", and due to the promise of rain later.

The bowlers all struggled with a slow sloping pitch offering very little, and difficult terrain for the run ups.  Humza couldn't get his run up right but showed potential.  Dan Stainthorp bowled well in his first spell, clean bowling opener Paul Gladdy .  Normally accurate Jack Broughton went for 61 in 6 overs and was mercilessly dispatched to all corners.  A learning experience from which he will come back stronger.  In all, 7 bowlers were used, 4 of whom conceded more than 10 per over, as Tiddington's second wicket pair put on nearly 200 (Willis 83 and Simms finishing on 116 not out).  Not that there weren't chances though.  The most significant was a difficult catch to Clive at the square leg boundary which he made a valiant attempt, leaping like a salmon but crashing to earth rather unlike any known fish, landing heavily on his shoulder causing much pain.  After a sit and some ice he returned to slip.

Les Addison put the brakes on the innings in his two spells, and eventually took the second wicket of Willis with a good catch at midwicket.  That triggered a mini collapse as Dan returned with some of the best bowling of the innings,  having the centurion Simms in trouble, bowling Evans for a duck and then getting the edge from Cheney to go straight to Clive at slip.  Through the pain, he reached up and plucked the ball majestically out of the air.

Tiddington reached 287 for 4 in just 37 overs and declared, giving themselves 55 overs to bowl at Didcot.  Clive batted magnificently, striking 8 fours in his 60, but he only received significant support from Nick Grain as the rest of the team succumbed tamely.  It was a tale of two collapses, before and after the House/Grain partnership.  Hall opened and never looked comfortable, inexplicable padding up to a straight one and almost walking for an lbw decision, it was so plumb.  The next two were both bowled, including Tom Spears with a rare failure to a spinner bowling a yorker on the stumps which came as a surprise to him!

Then the highlight of the batting as Clive and Nick batted out 20 overs for 60.  Clive lofted the ball to the boundary and played it into the gaps in the massive outfield, complaining at all the running he had to do and at one stage colliding with the bowler and hurting the same shoulder again.  Captain Hall left the umpire's position and found as many drugs as he could from his car to offer to Clive.

Nick Grain made just 15 but it was a massively important innings, showing excellent technique and giving great support to Clive.  Even with most of the field around his bat he remained the model of calmness, and took us close to our batting point.

However, once Clive lost his off stump to the returning opening bowler Chris Goodman, it was a different story, as the last 6 batsmen contributed 2 runs between them and we collapsed to 102 all out and a second point in the match.

The predicted rain however threatened, it drizzled, lots of clouds came over but it was never quite dark enough or wet enough to come off.  We occupied the crease for 40 overs and until 7 o'clock (Tiddington needed to bowl 15 overs in 30 mins to keep up with the rate at that stage) and had the forecast been right we would have salvaged a draw.

Its not all doom and gloom though.  There was an excellent effort from all the team in the field, the bowlers tried hard on a very difficult pitch, which only Dan, Les and Chris Goodman really threatened.  They had several players with experience of much higher divisions and were used to the idiosyncratic slopes and bumps of the Lewknor ground.  We frustrated them, and Nick, Clive and Dan really stood out.  Jack and Humza tried hard and will play a lot better with more reward on another day.  Tom had a rare blip, Less bowled and fielded well, Ehsen bowled well in his over (almost having a catch taken) but was unlucky that it was going to be their last, and remained keen in the field.  Jonathan won the toss which is about as much as you can say really...

Next up, Shipton III, who we were close to in the opening game of the season, and where we should have an excellent chance.

Team Mate

What a finish. Like many of you I have just watched Jimmy and Monty snatch a draw we frankly didn't deserve. I do enjoy seeing Ponting looking so miserable, it makes me feel happy that The Convict Colony will go to work grumpy tomorrow having stayed up all night biting their nails and crying into their piss-weak lager.

We had a similar, gritty, final wicket partnership at the Field of Dreams yesterday. On a day when the weather was expected to save England's blushes in Cardiff and deny us all any meaningful cricket in Oxfordshire we took 25 points in the return fixture from the only side to have beaten us this year.

Invited to bat first by Oxford's, frankly slightly too cocky skipper we set off as the clouds scudded across. Jules started brightly, cutting particularly well on his way to 30. The caretaker had been promoted up the order with the hope that the extra responsibility would have the same effect as we have seen with Tee Kay. It sort of worked, a confident 37 was the reward before he felt he couldn't survive in the middle without the brotherly love of Connor. They were both out in consecutive balls and we were in trouble again at 100 for 6 in the 29th over. This was just the situation for Didcot's lower order specialist finisher. Pingu 'naughtie' Broughtie thrives in these conditions. Needless to say he contrived to fall out with a couple of Oxford's bowlers, no matter though. Adding 45 runs with Ross 'Deep Fat' Fryatt did part of the job; Ross batted sensibly, mixing defence with positive attacking shots. At 176 for 9 with 5 overs left we still needed more runs. Matt Tatford, debuting for the firsts had simple, clear instructions. DO NOT GET OUT! The lad can bat and defended like Monty and Jimmy. The last 5 overs yielded 37 runs and pushed us up to 213 for 9. A competitive score. Naughtie finished undefeated on 54, another fine innings for the team he loves; and useful for the average as well.

The clouds continued to scud across as we tucked into our Reggae, Reggae chicken and pavlova. The teas seem to be better than ever this season. Super.

Oxford openers started cautiously and got to 50 odd in a dozen overs. The pitch is a seam bowlers nightmare these last couple of weeks so we turned to Laurel and Hardy again. Hitchman is a name that is known by every opposition team we face, he has an uncanny knack of getting under everyone's skin. Maybe it is because they are jealous of the flowing locks and athletic build bestowed on him by a benevolent god. Anyhow, yesterday he was sledged by the non-striker. Good work Jules, keep it up.

The caretaker quickly removed both openers, a smart catch from Deep Fat, being the first of three in a fine all round performance. A fine running catch in the deep from Big Doug snaring the second. The Caretaker's third was clean bowled with a beautifully flighted ball.

The Judge picked up a couple more and we were on top. The sixth wicket took some time to arrive as Porter and Sadiqi couldn't decide whether to try and win the game or play for the arrival of the rain. Eventually they decided this was a match they could win. Going for their shots brought The Caretaker two more wickets, both courtesy of fine catches from Pritch.

The rain came, a pathetic amount really, but enough for the umpires to state that unless it stopped this would be the last over.  The Caretaker took another one, and the rain stopped long enough for another over from Big Willy Willmott. (He is a fully paid up member of the Will Smith fan club, and has all the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series on both VHS and DVD).

It only took him two balls, a straight one trimming the off stump to take them to 172 for 9, Oxford number 11 didn't look to be pleased to batting. He needn't have bothered at all as Sean did for him with a full, fast, straight one and he was LBW for a golden. 

Cue hollering, whooping and hugging mid pitch.

Another fabulous team performance with stand out performances from Broughtie and The Caretaker who finished with 6 for 68 from 20 overs to claim the best bowling figures of the season so far.

Didcot II v Banbury IV

Didcot II lose to Banbury 4^th

Didcot won the toss and elected to bat. Didcot started well with a 230+ target in mind with first and second wicket partnerships of 50 runs each between Prasad and Viraj and then between Jose and Viraj. Didcot at 25 overs were 105 for 2 when Viraj Perera was out caught for 72. With 22 overs left with 7 wickets in hand Didcot were well placed, but Didcot collapsed for 167 runs in the 40^th over.

Having not used up all the overs Banbury had 53 over to get 167 runs. Didcot although fought to the end taking 6 wickets Didcot bowling wasn’t accurate (just compare the extras!) enough to trouble Banbury too much.

Banbury iV 25 Didcot II 9 points

As for the 3's! Well when the skipper starts off with the game plan of 'hope
it rains and soon' you can see we didn't actually have a positive mindset.

We won the toss and elected to field. Rob Green bowled fast and accurately
and really stood out, ending with 3 for 57. The skipper bowled two leg stump full tosses to start
with and got worse as the game progressed. Raj, 2 for 21, James Bywater and Lewis all
bowled well.

We soon started dropping catches and didn't really stop. We managed to take
6 wickets before they declared after 41 overs on 203-6.

Catches to Durrant, Sawhney and Ramanathan.

Batting was an immediate struggle against a very strong and confident young
team. We were bowled out for 72 in 27 overs with only Haydn getting into
double figures (22).

Not a great day but we played against a strong side with the best 13 year
old wickie you will ever see.

4ths lost to Oxford V (or VI, gets confusing).

We faced some serious demons on the Clifton Hampden pitch, with Les Addison
out first ball and both of their openers getting serious bounce and lift.
The other opener, Jonathan Hall, wore several and bears the bruises, but has
plenty of padding to take the blows.

Tom Spears top scored with 30, but no-one else was able to make a
significant contribution.  When their experienced spinner came on, Tom was
unable to contain his excitement and lifted one into the air, and Simon
stepped on his stumps.

Their 10th man pulled up in agony chasing a ball with a torn calf muscle so
they would only be batting with 9.

Dan Stainthorpe and Humza Nadeem caused problems for Oxford's bowlers, but
couldn't find the same demons in the pitch.  Oxford's opener lifted several
lofted fours and two sixes, one into the road outside the ground.  Humza
took the wicket of their opener, caught by Hall from a ball that went so
high the rest of the team had tea while waiting for it to come back to
earth.  Dan was particularly unlucky, missing a sharp caught and bowled
chance, and with a lofted top edge dropping between fielders despite a
valiant effort by Simon.  Another sharp chance to Les in the slips went too
high.  All told, probably 5 or 6 that on another day would have given
wickets, but eventually Didcot ran out of steam despite accurate bowling
from Harry Grainger and Alex Rodman at the end.

Didcot IV are still searching for the elusive victory but are competitive.
Just need to put more runs on the board, increase crease occupation and
convert the chances.

Up all Night

As is normal for a man of my age I awoke early on Saturday morning, it strikes me as particularly unreasonable that as you enter a time in your life when sleep is ever more precious that for some inexplicable reason it becomes impossible to sleep beyond 6 something in the morning. Gone for ever is the teenage ability to lie in.  

One reason for this is that as we age, the weight of responsibility weighs ever heavier and we rise early to confront the challenges and tribulations that life places in front of us. Another potentially plausible explanation is that we are increasingly aware of our mortality and we want to embrace every single daylight hour, give it a bear hug and wring the limitless, beautiful opportunity form it. 

Alternatively it may be because we need to pee. You decide.

We have in our midst a young man who laughs in the face of sleep deprivation, cocks a snook at dozing and only gets home from work at half past five every Saturday morning. The fact that he turns up at the field of Dreams before midday is a significant achievement. What Tee Kay achieved in the space of a couple of hours in the afternoon yesterday was a bit tasty.

For the first time this season we batted first, it felt a bit odd. Vishane and Matt got us off to a solid start, then we wobbled from 57 for 0 to 77 for 4 from 22 overs. The next 28 overs saw us score another 233 runs to end on 310 declared, passing the record highest team score set only a few weeks ago on the way. 

The men responsible for this feat: Pritch and the sleep deprived Teeks. Pritch scored 89  from only 59 balls and on any other day would have  stolen the headlines. Fresh from a career high 152 earlier in the week whilst guesting as the only sighted player in the Ray Charles all star XI, he was in great nick.  A flat, pulled six straight through a window in the power station was one of six balls lost in various parts of their property. 

Teeks smashed 147 not out from only 97 balls, passing the club record individual league score on the way. His straight driving was awesome and included an effortless check driven six that went straight into the field over the trees. The innings included 9 fours and 10 sixes in total. Stunning stuff.

The 210 run partnership is now the current highest for the first XI, beating the record set earlier this season by Pritch and Cookie.

What followed was an advert for everything that is great about this wonderful game of our. It passed all our expectations and set the standard for the rest of the season.

My favourite moment was the scones with strawberries and cream, although the pork pies were damn fine as well.

Anyway, back to the cricket. The stage was set. Wolverton wanted to win and set about chasing. At 200 for 2 they were right in it and we needed wickets. Opener Chammings had scored 134 and would need to get a few more to maintain the momentum. Up hobbled Crab Hands, finding it difficult to walk, his glass ankle had one decent over left in it. It worked, and at 200 for 3 we were getting back into the game. Wolverton didn't give up and continued to score briskly. We balanced the need for wickets with the need to keep the run rate manageable. It worked and we took wickets regularly.

 It was simmering along nicely and still in the balance at 251 for 7  with 7 overs left. Pritch clean bowled Wolverton No. 4, Wade and we were back on top and chasing the last 3 wickets. We nearly got there, Wolverton ending on 279 for 9. We had our chances along the way and could have won, however the draw seemed like the fair result. Pritch took 3 for 30 with Vishane picking up 3 catches along the way. 

A great way to pick up 17 points and extend our lead at the top at the halfway point in the season. The second half of the season will be tougher for us,  we will have to raise our performance levels higher still to keep our hold on top  spot. 

Didcot II v Aston Rowant III

Aston Rowant won the toss and invited Didcot to bat first. Accurate bowling restricted Didcot to 200-4 in their 47 overs. Viraj Perera top scoring with 69, Connor Morrison not out 35, Dave Allen 37 and Dan Alderson contributing at the end with a quick 20 not out.

Didcot took to the field with Morrison suffering from sun stroke! Followed by Alderson suffering from side strain after bowling 4 overs, then followed by Hancock going off the field with a headache. Didcot bowlers didn’t trouble the home team, runs coming freely (6/7 per over) when Peter Sykes was introduced to the attack and he took two wickets. Hancock was back in the field after a while and it was Peter’s turn to go off the field with calf strain. We were dropping off like flies while Aston Rowant was cruising to their target. A run out and a couple wickets from Green at the end earned Didcot some bonus points and Aston Rowant reached 200 for the loss of 5 wickets in the 42^nd over.

Didcot were 20/30 runs short as well as weren’t as accurate in their bowling as Aston Rowant.

The thirds and fourths lost I'm afraid. No details have been set through to me. Come on chaps, if you want to feature in this blog I need details................