Flyford 2025 winning streak is brought to an abrupt halt

So, for your correspondent another season commences.  Is this the last?  Who knows the bones are not getting younger and they complain more each year about being made to do with such alacrity as a youngster.  Still, you gentle reader do not want to hear of my aches and pains!

 

The day itself dawned bright, fresh and sparkling in a way that April cricketing days have no right to.  The sky was azure blue and the promise of the first day’s cricket of the season made light of the aforementioned aches and pains.

 

A new season in any sport ignites a flame of hope in all those that play or follow sport.  The possibilities are endless and the hopes for glory off the scale.  So much promise.  Flyford had started their season last week with a victory, could this be the season when they went undefeated?

 

Arriving at the ground it was clear that Derek and the weather had worked hard to make sure that the pitch and outfield were in tip top condition. 

 

It must be said true to form Flyford were to bowl first and it looked like pretty solid bowling line up on paper.  Unfortunately, we were playing on grass!  Scritty Clarke and Pete Holpin opened the bowling and it became clear from the outset that Clent were not here to push singles and nurdle the odd two down to fine leg. 

 

The Clent opener was Zouabi and he was not going to hang around.  A big hitter who very much preferred the aerial route to pile up runs while never actually managing to find a fielder.  He was eventually caught well by Scritty for a game changing 122. 

 

Had this been the only big score we faced the game may have been recoverable but the Clent batsman McGarry came in at 5 and proceeded to add another 126 not out to the total.

 

It must be said that the Flyford bowlers toiled manfully in the face of some pretty brutal hitting, a pitch that made anything short a gift for the batsman and a relentless April sun.  Pete Gurr on loan from Himbleton the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 42 from 7.   This included one absolute corker that bounced, broke like a leg break off the seam and took the top of off stump.  Skipper Joey Poole was his ever-reliable self with 1 for 39 off 8 overs.  Clarke returned 1 for 70 off 7, Holpin 1 for 47 off 8, Bevan 1 for 59 off 6 and Si Tibke 0 for 24 off 4.

 

All the above will bowl worse and get better returns at some point in the future.

 

The other highlight of the fielding was the excellent throw on one bounce to the stumps from Andy Ward, which earned a commendation as the Champagne Moment.

 

So, to the break.  During the break tribute was paid to long time club member Steve ‘Smudger’ Smith who died during the closed season, and his good friend Vern said a few well-chosen words.  While I did not get to play with Smudge, I did have the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times and he struck me as a thoroughly decent chap.  All the longer-term members of the club speak very warmly of him and hopefully the minutes round of applause reflected the esteem he is held in by the club.

 

So, to the batting.  290 seemed like a mighty hill to climb, and so it proved.  However, this was in no way a capitulation and if we like they had had a couple of our big hitters it may have been a score we could have chased.  For the first time of my two seasons with the club there was no one to award the little plastic duck to.  Everyone got in and made some runs, the highlight being Joey Poole’s half century, making a very creditable 51 not out 17 of which I gratefully watched from the other end in the last over.

 

Other notables Walks making 25 before retiring hurt and Bev 22.

 

A special mention for Sean Mulvey who made his debut for the club and while unable to bowl due to a shoulder injury contributed 4 with the bat and fielded well.  Props also to everyone for making Sean feel welcome.  This club is not primarily about the result it is about being a club, and those that share the values of true village cricket, which means doing your best and helping other do theirs will always be welcome.

 

So, for your correspondent the season is underway as the aches are reminding me as I write.  However, all the aches and pains are worth it to be back playing.  Back with the banter, back with the sheer joy of standing behind the stumps in a lovely setting on a glorious late spring day, back to being hugely grateful for a plastic cup of lemon squash after 30 overs and a beer at the end of the game.  Back to Village Cricket!

 

Awards

MOTM;  Joey Poole 51 not out and 1 for 39

Tit: Scritty for trying to move the square leg umpire to a different fielding position.  And the umpire for starting to go!

Champagne Moment: Clent Batsman being run out due to and excellent throw by Andy ward (we will not entertain the scurrilous charges of illegal bail removal!)

Thank for coming: Sean Mulvey