The Highway Hurricanes
— vs The Cavaliers

Nathan had turned up in his rugby gear as he had to attend a training session of Llandaff RFC which was due to take place just next to the cricket pitch – and he managed a couple of overs before sprinting off to join his ‘less talented but definitely more butch’ alternative team-mates. I’m not sure whether that means he should be complimented for his dedication to the Canes’ cause or just the opposite?

Neil opened from the other end and soon opened his Canes’ account with an impressive couple of overs that saw him take 2 wickets – one to a very sharp catch from Jim. Super Sully was also soon making his presence felt with a delightful display guile and flight that saw him also pick up a couple of wickets – including an astonishing athletic dive to take a caught and bowled. Susuki would have been very impressed. Incidentally, the news that legal action for slander may be taken against her following her recent match report, leaving the fragile eastern beauty facing the prospect of a lifetime incarcerated in a prison cell, has outraged right-thinking cricketing folk across the land. We can only pray that the German will see reason and relent. Susuki is innocent!

While on the subject of Sully I’m afraid I really must take him to task with regards to his recent match report on the Glenwood game – no, not for giving himself the man of the match award (even Griff has never done that), but for his reference to myself as a ‘literary genius’. Honestly Sully, that was just soooooooh embarrassing. You really mustn’t do anything like that again – for a while.

Some big hitting later in the innings saw the Chavs innings finish on something like 87 for 6 off 16 overs – with Bleddyn providing 2 good overs at the death when the pressure was on (I’m sure he thanked Jim for that afterwards). He could even have picked up a wicket had a brave – nay heroic – attempt by yours truly to take difficult catch in the deep been successful (listen – if you want the truth then write the report yourself). A decent total then on a pitch and an outfield where scoring wasn’t easy.

There was a distinct lack of volunteers to join Jaffa in opening the Canes’ reply – until Neil gamely stepped forward and offered his services. That’s exactly the sort of spirit we want – and at this point Neil was in pole position to collect a debut man of the match award following his earlier wickets. Sadly, one ball later he was right out of the running – a golden duck after steering his first delivery straight to cover.

This brought Lewis to the middle to join Jaffa and the score mounted steadily in the face of some decent bowling. Lewis especially impressed with some subtle and judicious shot selection among the big hits. I must confess that ‘subtle’ and ‘judicious’ are not words I ever expected to find myself using to describe a Bowen innings – it just goes to show that, just when you’ve think you’ve seen it all, life can still through up a surprise.

Between them the pair put on a stand of about 50 before Jaff threw the kitchen sink at one delivery only to fall to an excellent catch on the boundary from Marchant. This brought Mr Campbell to the middle and the spectators prepared themselves for some big hitting (Clive doesn’t really do subtle or judicious) – but sadly it wasn’t to be against some excellent bowling from Fraser. A huge hoik at the first delivery saw the ball whistle inches past the leg stump, and an even bigger one at the next saw it shave the off stump. Now a player of a more prudent disposition may have concluded that he should be treating the bowling with a bit more respect – but Clive doesn’t do prudence either I’m afraid, and all too predictably his stumps were soon clattered and he was on his way. Sully was in next and it was interesting to see him receiving a dose of his own medicine as he swished away in frustration at the bowling of the wily Brownie.

Though Lewis fell just before the end he and Jaff had done enough and the Canes eased home with a couple of wickets to spare. This gives Jim a 100% success record as captain. He made it look so easy, and with Griff and the other contenders proving rather less than reliable recently, could this become a permanent arrangement I wonder?

Before I finish though I’m afraid I have to draw attention to yet more underhand tactics used by the Chavs in a desperate attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Whilst fulfilling my umpiring duties I have to report that I was subjected to a sustained and co-ordinated onslaught of sledging and psychological bullying from that dirty duo Sparkes and Poulsom – with Jeremy suggesting that I should be watching play rather than dozing off at square leg, and Glyn producing a series of mysterious and arcane hand signals and other gestures, accompanied by raised eyebrows and quizzical looks, all of which was clearly calculated to imply that I was an incompetent with barely a rudimentary grasp of the rules. He was wasting him time of course – I was already well aware of that.

Man of the Match – it must be Lewis.