Post date: Jul 14, 2018 8:55:57 AM
The one when it started coming home.
So thank you Mr League secretary we can organise ourselves around the World Cup Quarter final against Sweden. Some apparently elected for a 20/20. The mighty Briddy two’s elected for and early start, mid point extended tea and a second innings only when 90 mins were up/extra time/penalty shoot out finished.
“Where are we this week?…on the road again, so if we follow form this should be another win. And we play at? Stoke Gabriel. Any idea where that is? Yep….somewhere beyond Torquay. Get to the Penn Inn turn turn right at the old palm tree roundabout and keep going till you run out of land. “
All the logistics of meeting at the Kwicky Mart organised. Several favours called in by some in order that they don’t have to drive and could have a skinfull during the England match and we are off.
Now the SG ground is proper quaint but also proper in the middle of nowhere. For those tthat have never been there its not actually in Stoke Gabriel it’s a mile or two down a proper single track road somewhere near the village. Batstone couldn’t believe that it was where his sat nav said so ended up turning around in the lane – no mean feat I hasten to add- and was resultingly late.
So it appears we lost the toss and SG who apparently are 3rd in the league elected to bat. (Spoiler alert !!!! if I had an emoji at my disposal here it would be the surprised one, with eyebrows way above its head ! coz they were not great) Given a hard looking and dry track this is the move of a side confident in their batting.
Over 1. Blind pew Jutson from the bottom end. Wicket Maiden. Caught somewhere by Brandon Horn…stunning catch? Might have been , might not (remember readers I am still in the car doing thirtythree point turns down a country lane for no conceivable reason than I do not believe in technology or sat navs in particular )
Over 2. Teeshaw from the pavilion end. Wicket Maiden. Bowled. SG decision to bat starting to look poor.
Over 7. Wicket maiden LBW bowled Juston . Over 8 Wicket Maiden Bowled Teeshaw. SG score 4 for 14 !!
Over 11. Second ball of the over ….Wicket!! A fantastic diving full stretch C&B from Jutters. Following the pitch repairs necessary from the impact of LJ landing full stretch on a length the over resumed…Could he keep the trend going???. Could he F*K. Messed with everybodys OCD by taking another wicket next ball. Double wicket maiden !!
Mid track huddle. High 5s being thrown and somebody throws in ‘ if this lot are 3rd in the league we must have been really Sh*t a couple of times this year! There is also a suggestion that for the rest of their innings only balls that actually remove one or more stumps from the ground should count as a dismissal…Teeshaw an LJ do not appear to seem to agree that is a good idea.
Teeshaw then takes another in the 14th over, but obviously tiring as a single in that over prevents the maiden. SG are now 30 for 7. All looking very easy for us turning around and knocking off the overs before the footie even starts!
With the obvious fear of a fivefer jug looming LJ elects to take himself off and tosses the ball to our spin king Joppers. Daleo (Audi) Harris swapping out Teeshaw. Nothing happening as SG’s 8 & 9 elect not to play many shots but do cash in every now and again on the poor ball. Chris Marais has a go, his grunting pace making the SG batters keep on their toes, but with a misfunctioning radar he is swapped out for Paul ‘the turn’ Burder. PB snaffles a wicket with his 3rd ball …bowled.
Hold on !!! WTF ….how have they juggled themselves up to 103 !!! and how come they have batted for 30 overs…?
PB takes another in his 5th over . 2 fer 20 ( not a bad return)
Batstone ‘self styled spitting cobra’ bowing from the other end throws in a …I am trying to google what is the opposite to a spitting Cobra, but have no internet at the moment….any way he bowls whatever one of those are, and wraps up the innings a timely 10 minutes to 3:00pm.
Thoughts now turn to footie, food and beer. Probably in a reversed order tbh. England Match report … England 2 Sweden 0. Its coming home, its coming home, its coming …footballs coming home etc !!
Second innings. LJ insists that we still need to play sensibly to max the points. So regular opening pair of Buzz and Batters to the crease. First over negotiated without too much fuss for a couple of singles. Buzz then inexplicably tries to smash one through cover, drags it a bit straight and into the hands of short mid off.
Teeshaw to the crease… “Hi Tim, in a bit early, nowt to worry about out here its all up and down”. Is met with the response “ that’s as maybe but I need a Poo” . really !
First hittable ball is smashed by mr ploppy straight back past the bowler, ball is lost as it disappears down a rabbit hole on the boundary line. Next hittable ball is dispatched by Tim into exactly the same place and exactly the same hole. Two lost balls and Tim patently has more pressing matters on his mind than the cricket.
Batstone eventually nicks off to the Keeper with the score on 61.half way there … Brandon Horn to the crease 6, 4, 4, 4 out ! an entertaining 18 is not too welcome by SG bowler who gives Brando the send off. Brando doesn’t see the funny side of it. Chris Marias follows his 50 at his last turn out with a duck this innings LBW.
Ian Juts to the crease, Tim passes his 50. Tim and Ian polish off the remaining runs to see the mighty Briddy twos finish the game off in 20.2 overs. Teeshaw finishing on 77 not out.
Another win on the road.
We sit in the sun with a cool beer watching Chris M, Jack Shaw and Brandon playing a single wicket knock about. Chewing over how much further England will go in the World cup. How on earth Stoke Gabriel can possibly be above us in the league. Tim also decides that his Poo can actually wait as he retains good sphincter control and would rather sort it out back at home. Next week home to somebody else …oh yeah Whitchurch.
Post Script
Tim successfully dropped the babies off at the pool at 21:02.