MAY 2012
1st May 2012
News from Neil: Aran Gharyal (255) will become available after his exams, which finish on 24th May. Come on Aran! We still have nothing from Harry Gowling (251).
Sayed (488) has texted: "Sorry Im play whit Afghan cricket clup", & apparently a conversation with a similar message was had with Omar (485), while Hidayat (247) was just vague. Currently there remains some confusion as to whether this relates to a short or long term situation or simply a misunderstanding. We'll keep you posted, but it looks ominous for any managers who might now have them until the transfer window & though it would be sad to see them leave the club, we get the idea of them all being able to play together in the one team Afghan stylee.
2nd May 2012
More news from Neil: Omar (485) has clarified his situation with a series of texts, most significant of which is: "No I am playing in your team don't worry". So maybe we were a bit hasty in our panic there; good news for the managers of 11 of our teams, Omar is no longer not with us....
Simon Strange (112) may have broken a finger. We await confirmation on this, but if that's the case, expect a minimum of 4-5 weeks without playing, maybe as much as 8 weeks...
7th May 2012
Congratulations to Dave Bryant (106) on the birth of a daughter Ada. He wishes us luck & confirms he is not going to be playing this year.
9th May 2012
New news from Neil: Matt Davey (258) is currently away on his hols & temporarily unavailable, but may also have some degree of shoulder injury. Shoulders can be very long or quite quick to heal, so we await clarification on this one. Some communication has taken place with Harry Gowling (251), but it's too vague for publication.
10th May 2012
News from Ev: Richie Grove (113) has done his back & misses this weekend's match at the least. The condition appears to be sherry related & of a muscular nature which is expected to resolve relatively soon. More news to follow perhaps....
A bit more from Neil on Harry (251); work currently precludes any cricket practice on Tuesdays or matches on Sundays, but he expects his shifts to change at some point. We'll update if we discover some point has arrived.
13th May 2012
It is rumoured that Sayed (488) might not now be never playing for us again after all. We're anticipating a return some time in the near future, although we can't commit to any detail.
15th May 2012
Update on Sayed (488) he wants to be playing but is currently suffering from an incapacitating shoulder immobility; could be months.
Simon Strange's (112) finger needs at least 4 more weeks. Ben Carter (493) should be back at practice next Tuesday & will become available for selection.
17th May 2012
Rich Grove (113) has been selected for this weekend & seems to be over his sherry back. He has now been removed from the listed injury concerns.
22nd May 2012
The news on Matt Davey (258) continues to be concerning. He is about to go somewhere warm for as long as it takes for his shoulder to stop being painful. Tendonitis by the sounds of it.
We have a new player, Alfie Baker who is currently unclassified by FCL administrators. An assessment will be made according to roles & performances in his next matches & published in good time for the transfer window.
28th May 2012
Dave Littleton (249) & Wayne Kelly (487) are going to Italy for some pig's bladder related sporting tournament. They "will be dodging the bombs, or sheltering from earthquakes near Brindisi....return on 12th June". Alfie Baker has been hastily classified by FCL administrators for this season as an All Rounder, code 260, value £4 Bn. He will become available for selection at the opening of the transfer window.
29th May 2012
Bernie has reappeared & made himself available for league games, as always, on Sundays only. We don't know how long he'll be available for & his playing is contingent on settling certain outstanding accounts, but if all goes smoothly he's around until further notice & when the transfer window opens he'll be selectable as an All Rounder, code 261, value £6Bn.
We also have a new player, called Amir who we hear is an all rounder but we await his first appearance before making a conclusive evaluation for the season.