2001 Fixtures Results Reports Table

2002 Season Fixtures & Statistics

Contents

League Fixtures

Friendly Fixtures

League Fixtures

Date	Against	Venue	Result
May 4^th	Sibford	A	Won 33 runs
May 11^th	Wootton	H	Won 30 runs
May 18^th	Afro Caribbean	A	Won 9 wkts
May 25^th	New City A	H	Won 10 runs
June 1^st	Byfield	A	Won 23 runs
June 8^th	Deanshanger	H	Won 79 runs
June 15^th	Gawcott & Hillsden	H	Won 8 wkts
June 22^nd	Croughton	A	Lost 98 runs
June 29^th	Hanslope	H	Won 93 runs
July 6^th	Sibford	H	Won 37 runs
July 13^th	Wootton	A	Lost 5 wkts
July 20^th	Afro Caribbean	H	Won 7 runs
July 27^th	New City A	A	Won 90 runs
August 3^rd	Byfield	H	Won 2 runs
August 10^th	Deanshanger	A	Lost 39 runs
August 17^th	Gawcott & Hillsden	A	Won 1 run
August 24^th	Croughton	H	Match Drawn - Rain
August 31^st	Hanslope	A	Lost 73 runs

Cup Matches
May 23^rd	Deanshanger	A	Lost (scores tied, more wickets lost)

Friendlies
May 19^th	Tiffield	A	Won 9 runs
June 4^th	Tiffield / Eastcote	H	Won (Tiffield 2^nd Eastcote 3^rd)
June 9^th	Cavaliers	H	Cancelled - Rain
July 6^th	Veterans v Welford	A	Lost 12 runs
Aug 4^th	Target Furniture	H	Match Drawn - Rain
Sep 7^th	Veterans	H	Cancelled – Unable to raise a team

World Wines & Spirits Division Two

	P	W	D	L	Pts
Croughton	18	13	3	2	71
Gayton	18	13	1	4	67
Byfield	18	12	2	4	64
Sibford	18	8	1	9	42
Afro Caribbean	18	7	2	9	39
Gawcott & Hillsden	18	7	2	9	39
Wootton	18	6	3	9	36
Hanslope	18	6	0	12	30
Deanshanger*	18	6	1	11	27
New City A	18	3	3	12	21

*Points deducted

Sibford (A) May 4^th – Gayton won by 33 runs

Gayton 142 for 3 (40 overs) C Barber 50 A Lord 49 C Waldron 30

Sibford 107 all out (36.1 overs) S Trusler 6-8 J Bobsin 2-34

A great way to start the new season with an all-round team performance. A poor start as Lordy lost the toss standing in for a late appearing Skippy. A torrid assault on Sibfords opening attack by Galaaaaaah was bought to an end by another appalling umpiring decision. The veterans Lobster and Lordy scratched around, checking out the second string attack before launching their own devastating attack, putting on 91 for the second wicket. Bizarrely Lordy managed to step on his wicket while being dropped in the deep attempting to hit the run that would have taken him to 50 (does that make sense?) Classic Lord!!!! A medium total of 142 looked defendable, especially with fellow veterans Deeej and Seanyyyyy (the feared axis) opening the Shrimper attack. They didn’t let their fellow Shrimpers down, tying up the batsmen, and with a little more luck may well have run through the top order. Then Bobsin was called into the attack. No, not that one (Legend Senior is serving a ban) but one of the future legends. John with his first ball clean bowled Watts not playing a shot – Classic Bobsin delivery. Another youngster, MrTruslerSir, came on to replace Deej and promptly clattered over the rest of the Sibford line up. Lobster had a bowl as well.

Man of the Match – Trusler

Thanks for Coming – Drayton (bit harsh but someone had to be)

Quote of the Day – “Why the f**k are you bowling around the wicket, Trusler?” - Deej

Word of the Day – Skullduggery (see ‘What happened next’ below)

‘What happened next moment’ – Lobster attempting to return to his ground managing to stab Sibford stumpy in the eye with his bat.

Wootton (H) May 11^th – Gayton won by 30 runs

Gayton 163 for 8 (40 overs) C Waldron 86 T Drayton 14

Sibford 133 all out (40 overs) D Jobling 2-22

Apart from one flaw this was another great all round team performance by the Shrimpers, every member of the team contributed. The flaw? A number of Shrimpers, enjoying the game so much, decided to extend it by simply refusing to hold any catches. At this point Skippy Shrimper, in a masterful show of tactical awareness, turned on the screw to exert remorseless pressure on the Wootton batsmen inducing them into taking suicidal runs. As a result five (yes five!) Wootton batsmen were run out, the highlight being a rocket throw by Future Legend John to run out one of the openers. The day began with Skippy, making his one mistake of the day, losing the toss. Galaaaaah, smarting at the bottom of the batting averages, proceeded to smash the Wootton attack to all corners with his usual panache. Though there were no other significant scores most batsmen supported him, keeping the score ticking over and preventing an old fashioned Gayton collapse. After Galaaaaah was out the crowd (for there was one) were treated to some lusty blows by Schnorbs and Bish as well as a classic late inning partnership between Deej and Skippy. The aforementioned veteran and junior veteran opened the bowling with their usual skill and consistency, Skippy was especially unlucky with the number of dropped catches from his bowling. After 20 overs Wootton had only scored 42 runs. A threatening partnership between Spinelli and Eason pushed Wootton into the 100’s but some run outs and excellent bowling from the juniors Bobsin and Trusler, not to mention a tight few overs at the end from Lobster meant Wootton fell short.

Man of the Match – Galaaaaah

Thanks for Coming – Mr. Andrew Lord (bit harsh again)

Quote of the Day – “He’s in the departure lounge” – probably swung a few TFC votes Lordy’s way.

Word of the Day – Owwwwww (in the process of dropping catches Schnorbs twisted his ankle, Bish broke a finger.)

‘What happened next moment’ – see Word of the Day

Afro Caribbean (A) May 18^th – Gayton won by 9 wickets

Afro Caribbean 121 all out (38 overs) S Trusler 4-33 M Edwards 3-22

Gayton 122 for 1 (31.3 overs) C Waldron 71 A Lord 18* C Barber 17*

At last! A ghost is laid to rest. 3 years of suffering at the hands of the Caribbean boys can be firmly put behind us after this thumping win. As is often the case the foundations of this Shrimpers’ performance were laid in the field. After losing a third successive toss Gayton were surprisingly asked to bowl in favourable conditions. A tight opening spell by Skippy and new boy Greg Philips saw two early wickets fall, one taken comfortably in the ‘plums’ by new daddy Cameron (that’ll be your last kid then Galaaaah!). Caribbeans third wicket partnership took the score onto a comfortable looking 78-2 before Ed and MrTruslerSir took control, snapping up 7 wickets between them, backed by some superb fielding by a very ‘up for it’ Shrimper outfit. 121 on a good track was never going to be enough and so it proved as Galaaaah set about dismantling the Caribbean attack with some fluent strokes all around the wicket – no doubt fuelled by some heavy sledging from the field. Barbs, as usual, never looked like getting out and after Cam was bowled for a superb 71 it was left to him and Lordy to see the boys home. Lordy scored 18 off as many balls, Lobster 17 in as many hours. Another assured display by Peej behind the stumps (someone getting paid for this?) typified the Shrimpers performance and it was reassuring to put in such a good bowling effort without either Ledge or Uncle Nerd . . . . . will they get back in???

Man of the Match – Mark Edwards, 3 vital wickets and one of the best catches ever seen (spoiled by excited squeal afterwards).

Thanks for Coming – Lobster, unbelievably harsh, almost certainly awarded due to his “Don’t choose me, I’m out with my girlfriend tonight” line. (Winners of the TFC award are obliged to wear an extremely colourful Hawaiian shirt that night).

Quote of the Day – “Why the f**k are you bowling around the wicket, Simon?” – Greg. When will people learn? Trusler pissed himself he found it so funny.

Champagne Moment - THAT catch . . unbelievable

New City ‘A’ (H) May 25^th – Gayton won by 10 runs

Gayton 128 for 7 (38 overs) C Barber 31 C Waldron A Lord 20

New City ‘A’ 118 all out (34.1 overs) N Bobsin 3-18 S Trusler 3-21

The Mighty Shrimpers bandwagon rolls on. Last weeks thumping victory was followed up by this nailbiting encounter, a match that could easily have gone either way. Conditions (wet and windy) meant that inning the toss was vital and Skippy duly obliged by losing his 5th successive toss- where has the thumb magic gone?? (help from Lordy required on that front). Predictably the home team were sent into bat and on a tricky pitch made steady progress. After Cam went reasonably early (inexplicably caught from the widest ball of the day), Lobsterman (31) and Lordy (20) put on 60 for the 2nd wicket. Exaggerated reports that they were attempting to run each other out in order to win their personal highest batting average award should be treated with caution, although some of the calling did leave a lot to be desired! Another good partnership between the Edwards boys pushed the run rate along and meant that a competitive, if not outstanding 38 over total of 128 was posted. Enter “The Ledge”. After an enforced 4 match absence Bobs was back, leaner and meaner than before. After taking a wicket with his first ball (seemingly a Bobsin trait) he, along with Skippy’s devilish slower ball, had New City floundering at 5-3 and 23-5. Even while the oppo’s no.5 Raja (The Cat) took every imaginable risk to push the scoring along, it was surely only a matter of time before one of his wild swings cost him. By the time he got to 50 that thinking was out of the window as the Shrimpers resorted to curses (PJ, Skippy, Cam), prayers (Lordy) and eventually the golden arm of MrTruslerSir to winkle him out. Even then it wasn’t all plain sailing as both Skippy and Ed were treated to lofted drives thumped back over their heads before goldenbollox Trusler wrapped things up. A cracking game with the right result sees the Shrimpers’ drive for promotion take on 2nd place Byfield away next Saturday – get there early to avoid disappointment!!

M.O.M - Neil (LEDGE) Bobsin......was there ever any doubt ?

TFC - Wingnut Wheeler wore the shirt with distinction after an inauspicious1 run.

Quote of the Day – “Don’t worry boys, this lad’ll get himself out soon” – Skippy (re: Raja the cat wth 9 lives when only on 8)

Byfield (A) June 1st – Gayton won by 23 runs

Gayton 170 for 7 (40 overs) M Edwards 48 C Waldron 42 G Edwards 24

Byfield 147 for 7 (40 overs) N Bobsin 3-27 S O’Brien 2-31

The Mighty Shrimpers win this crucial top of the table match with another disciplined all round display. The day started poorly with Skippy losing yet another toss. The call from Shrimper fans around the world for some Lordy thumb action grows louder and louder. However everything just got better and better as under blazing sun on one of the leagues best batting tracks the Byfield skipper (Hibberd – no not that one or the other one) inexplicably decided to bowl first. Oh the look in the eyes of the brothers Lowe as they realized the slog to come under the burning sun was only beaten by the look in their eyes 40 overs and 170 runs later! Galaaah played another classic Galaaah innings but the highlights were surely provided by our own brothers Edwards and Edwards (nee Lord) Mark especially playing a number of magnificent shots. By now the Byfield fielders were very down, some sharp running allied with some not so sharp calling at times (do you two know each other?) kept the run rate up. A mention should also be made of MrTruslerSir for shepherding the lower order through the final overs and adding valuable runs. The heat had reduced somewhat when the Shrimpers came on to bowl but back after injury Deej visibly struggled, not getting any rest with Ledge at the other end taking about 30 seconds to bowl an over. However the sticky start was over after Mr Ed made a great catch in the deep to remove the dangerous looking Lowe. The vets slowed the run rate, nicked out a few wickets and put pressure on the lower order to score. Despite a 50 run 5^th wicket partnership some excellent bowling and subtle, yet intelligent field changes, from our esteemed Skippy alongside top class fielding all round meant Byfield always looked like they were going to fall short.

M.O.M – Mr Ed great innings and another well taken and very important catch?

TFC – Lobsterman, he looks soooooooooo good in that shirt.

Quote of the Day – “I only know two players that walk in this league, you and him” – Umpire Hibberd (‘nuff said?) to Cheating Aussie Bastard Cam after a Byfield player hit the cover off the ball to our stumpy. Who is the biggest cheat from those three?

Comical quote of the day – “Not Out” (see above)

Deanshanger (H) June 8th – Gayton won by 79 runs

Gayton 134 for 9 (40 overs) A Lord 60 G Edwards 20

Deanshanger 55 all out (33.2 overs) S Trusler 5-11 N Bobsin 2-8 S O’Brien 2-21

After the pleasure of last weeks top of the table clash at the finest ground in the league, it was back to a wet and miserable 'Poplars' for the visit of our cup conquerers Deanshanger. On a day when it was simply imperative to win the toss and bowl first, the home team's batsmen were padded up by 2.15 safe in the knowledge that Seany would bring only bad news back from the middle. Sure enough, by 3pm the Shrimpers were looking less than mighty at 14-2 with both Waldron and Barber both back in the shed having fallen to pretty soft dismissals. Indeed Cam was so worried about the excessive bounce on the 'bone-hard' Gayton track, that he called for a helmet after only 1 ball - that'll strike fear in the opposition Galaaaah This seasons Shrimpers are made of stern stuff however, and early wickets are no longer the catalyst of an inevitable collapse. Lordy with a superb knock of 60 and the Edwards bro's showed us some wonderful big hitting (yes, I did say Gaz and big hitting in the same sentence!!) to keep the run rate ticking along nicely on an absolute pudding of a pitch and despite a flurry of late wickets the home team posted a very respectable total of 134-9. Lordys stay at the crease was particularly impressive with some beautiful cheek puffing and a couple of delightful "oooph's" to keep the big crowd entertained Shanger (as they like to be known) realised that the innings needed a solid start and opted to send in the big hitting Copeland to take on the pinch hitting role. However, nobody pinch hits against the Living Ledge, and by the time LL Cool Bobs had finished his 12 overs for an incredibly miserly 8 runs (!!) and two wkts the game was all but over. Skippy chipped in with a couple, and Goldenbollox once again wrapped up the innings with 5-11 taking 3 wickets with genuine long-hops!! Nice to see the Shrimpers are close to approaching top form in the field again, with Ledge, the "I used to have REAL pace" Bishmeister, and Ed all taking excellent catches. A thoroughly professional performance means that we're 6 from 6 and eyes are already being cast forward to what many see as the league decider with Croughton in 2 weeks time.

M.O.M - Thumb-boy Lordy with his best ever league knock. How long before we see that first century ?

T.F.C - Lobsterman !! 3 runs off the bat (before falling to a full toss) and another dropped catch in the slips meant he just edged a similarly hungover Aussie why was he celebrating our glorious win over the Argies??)

Quote of the Day - "Dont EVER apologise for me Lordy" - Stumpy Peej after giving the Scotsman Copeland his usual cheery send-off.

Gawcott & Hillsden (H) June 15th – Gayton won by 8 wickets

Gawcott & Hillsden 66 all out (27 overs) N Bobsin 4-24 S O’Brien 4-32

Gayton 67-2 (21.3 overs) M Wheeler 26 A Lord 16*

England beat Denmark relatively easily; Shrimpers beat G&H even easier. G&H made life a lot easier for the Shrimpers after they obligatorily won the toss then decided to bat on a damp one. A steady start was made but G&H started to panic as the run rate barely got above 2 per over courtesy of Skippy and the Ledge, whose 24 overs went for only 56 runs. G&H batsmen, not used to the damp wicket, took a few risks to up the run rate only to be picked off one by one by the aforementioned opening pair. Excellent catching all round (even Deej held one in his expanding stomach) backed up by almost flawless fielding on a new style shortened grass outfield meant G&H could only muster a lowly 66. After a quick turnaround a new opening partnership for the Shrimpers was on show; welcome one and all to Wingnut Wheeler at the top of the order. He didn’t disappoint scoring a fluent 26 runs, though had no support from his opening partner Galaaaah who allowed a ball to sail past his upraised bat straight onto middle stump. Heard the last of it yet Cam? Lordy, recognizing an opportunity batted steadily for his not out to thrust himself to the top of the batting averages. Ably assisted by Mr Ed they easily scored the winning runs in a steady drizzle. A great day all round, our mower works, England win and Shrimpers thrash poor opposition. Bring it on Croughton and Lordys thumb!

M.O.M – Seany, despite losing the toss yet again, bowled excellently only denied a ‘5’fer’ by a crooked umpire! Special mention must also be made of his Masterclass in the slower delivery, outstanding today!

T.F.C. – Galaaaah, lost his position at top of batting averages, lost his middle stump without playing a shot.

Quote of the Day – “Grumpire” from Barbs, about Skippy while umpiring, who despite taking 4 wickets and captaining the side to a comprehensive victory was a miserable sod most of the day.

Croughton (A) June 22nd – Croughton won by 98 runs

Croughton 159 - 7 (40 overs) M Edwards 3-32 N Bobsin 2-32

Gayton 61 all out (25.4 overs) C Waldron 30 M Edwards 16

The Shrimpers come down to earth with a very large bump. After winning seven on the trot this table top clash could ultimately decide who become champions and sadly the Shrimpers were found wanting. It all started so positively, Lordy, standing in for the absent Seany, called correctly to win the toss for the first time this season. Our Captain of Vice decided to stick them in to take full advantage off the new ball on the usual Croughton belter. The aged veterans, Deej and Ledge, did not let Lordy down bowling tightly to restrict Coughton to 63 runs from the first 24 overs but only taking two wickets. The gamble to bowl the vets through their twelve overs almost paid off, the Croughton batsmen then had to take some chances to increase the run rate. Unfortunately they managed to avoid any fielders with their lofted shots and 16 overs later Croughton had added 96 runs. Still 159 should not really have been enough on an excellent pitch offering little help to the bowlers. However the Croughton bowlers did get a little extra help, not from the Halifax, but from the umpire who may well have travelled from Halifax from the amount of expenses he claimed. Lobsterman and Lordy were both on the end of very dubious (i.e. wrong) decisions and much can be made of Galaaahs unusual dismissal but I am not going to, after all he is Australian. So with the top of the order ripped out the Shrimpers were under pressure and effectively crumbled with only Ed offering any resistance. There were six Emu’s of which three were of the golden variety. Special mention must be made to Croughtons young bowler Atkins who took 6-15 that included a hat-trick and two other wickets in two balls, an outstanding talent.

M.O.M – Mr Ed, some runs, a catch and 3 wickets. A good all round performance in an otherwise dismal day.

T.F.C. – Gaz Edwards, though to be fair it could have gone to anyone today.

Quote of the Day – Something about porn from our slip cordon that did not amuse the umpire. Well Mr. Umpire there were a few things you did that did not amuse us!

Hanslope (H) June 29th – Gayton won by 93 runs

Gayton 185 - 9 (40 overs) C Waldron 73 N Bobsin 21* S Trusler 21 S O’Brien 21

Hanslope 92 all out (30.4 overs) N Bobsin 4-30 S O’Brien 3-30 D Jobling 2-30

The Shrimpers are back after the disappointment of last weekend. Yet again a fantastic all round team performance ended in a convincing victory over lowly Hanslope. The omens were good as Seany walked off the pitch after once more losing the toss. On a pacy, bouncy and lively pitch the Shrimpers batsmen held out against the Hanslope opening bowlers with most of the top order chipping in as Cammy at the other end rediscovered his form and played the sort of fluent innings South Northamptonshire has become accustomed to in recent years. His most crucial partner was the boy Trusler who all but saw off the opening bowlers, falling to the last ball of the 24^th over after facing up to some intimidating bowling. Sadly for Hanslope their second string bowlers were not up to the standard of the openers and the run rate accelerated quickly. Shnorbs pounded a few boundaries but a large crowd were not to be disappointed as Seany and Deej were finally allowed to display their special talents with willow in hand, frustrating the Hanslope attack with sharp, well taken runs and no small amount of skill. A big oooooh went round the ground as Seany was out but the crowd were entertained royally as the Legend himself scored a quickfire 21 not out, including 3 big sixes, the final one off the final ball of the innings to well and truly rub salt into the Hanslope wounds. After the tea of the season (mmmmmmmmmmmm) Hanslope were up against it as the Shrimpers attack of Seany, Deej and the Legend bowled with their usual skill and accuracy, helped along immensely by Deej taking a wicket with the first ball of the innings due to a brilliant catch by Peej. Support was gained from all the Shrimpers as they fielded and caught to the highest standard that included a classically executed run out between the Legend and Peej.

M.O.M – The Legend and Cam joint winners. What can you say, 21 from about 10 balls, a catch and 4 wickets from the Ledge. Cammy helped out with a few runs.

T.F.C. – Lobsterman, mostly for his classical ‘leave’ to the only ball he faced that smashed his middle wicket into next week.

Word of the Day – “Decadent” in a conversation between Bish and Barbs. Were they talking about their lifestyle?

Sibford (H) July 6th – Gayton won by 37 runs

Gayton 157 - 8 (40 overs) A Lord 54 C Barber 34

Sibford 120 - 9 (40 overs) N Bobsin 3-28 S O’Brien 2-10 D Jobling 2-20

True to form Seany went out and lost the toss, little did Sibford know they were doomed, doomed I tell you from that moment on. Sibford obviously are not readers of these reports because before we knew it they had stuck us in. The pitch had absorbed a lot of rain through the week and was less than favourable to bat on. In fact the Sibford attack did bowl well but their nemesis’ Lord and Barber repeated their feats from the first match of the season by doggedly putting on 82 runs for the 2^nd wicket. Or did they? Barbs desperately held on to his wicket in an ultimately futile attempt to avoid TFC (it’s a disgrace) and Lordy, noting Cams cheapish dismissal and calculating furiously, did just enough to crawl back to the top of the batting averages. However this allowed the free hitting Shrimper tail to pile on the runs in the last 10 overs, after 30 overs the score was 88 and 116 five overs later. For those without calculators that means the Shrimper tail added 41 runs in the last five overs. After another colourful tea it was Sibfords turn to respond. However the famed Shrimper opening attack of ‘Safe-hands’ Seany and ‘Dropsy’ Jobling had other ideas, after 20 overs Sibford had a magnificent score of 33-4, Seany’s ten overs costing him only ten runs, Deej was twice as expensive but more importantly they both took two wickets each to rip out the Sibford top order. Then it was the turn of the Legend himself and MrTruslerSir to finish off the game. Sibford didn’t seem very interested in scoring runs despite much prompting from Gaz (“get some runs or get out”) as each batsman walked past him to the wicket. It was only in the last five overs that their batsmen woke up the bored crowd and fielders by ‘having a go’. By then it was too little too late, the required rate being close to ten per over at that time. The bottom line is that another great all round team performance ended with another Shrimper victory.

M.O.M. – Mr. Andrew Lord – a composed 54 runs ‘for the team – honest’ on a bowler friendly pitch.

T.F.C. – Another joint award between PJ and Lobsterman. (Editors note – how Gaz with his Golden Emu avoided TFC today is one of those mysteries of the universe. And for the three people that voted for Lobsterman hold your heads in shame, an absolute disgrace).

Quotes of the Day – “Leyton Hewittt, he’s an absolute joy to watch” by TruslerSir during a totally unrelated conversation about todays one day cricket. “How many runs do you want me to score?” by a cocky Australian – errr 18 should suffice Cam!

July 6^th 2002 – The Vets v Welford (A) – Welford won by 12 runs

Ten wily Old Gits and one eleven year old (courtesy of Wiffill, J's withdrawal 10 minutes before we left ) put up a thrilling fight against our old friends from Welford but lost by 12 runs. Batting first after "Skip" Merryn Robinson contrived an arranged toss, Welford made 153 for 9 in their 30 overs. Best bowling came from Mark North with 3 wickets in a long spell assisted by a spectacular "groin-straining" catch from The President. The highest scorer for Welford was our old friend, Wides. It seemed a comfortable total to chase as our young, well under-40, opening partnership strode confidently to the wicket, especially as batting legend Simmo looked in relaxed good form dispatching an early ball for four. Whoops! Spoke to soon. Simmo is first in the shower, out next over for 6. A long 2nd wicket stand between John Curtis, 28, and Godfrey "Godders" Hammon, 43, (that's runs scored, not their ages!) seemed to have set us up for victory but, despite a late flourish from Keith Hunt including a beautifully timed 6 (that's five quid Keith), we ultimately fell short. Still, off to The Wharf for snifters to maintain Gayton's reputation as very sociable cricketers. A return match is scheduled for September all being well.

Hope you got home to Barnsley o.k. Big Tone!

Wootton (A) July 13th – Wootton won by 5 wickets

Gayton 120 - 8 (40 overs) P Jeyes 38 A Beales 20 G Edwards 18

Wootton 121 - 5 (26.3 overs) S O’Brien 2-19

What a lovely day, what a lovely pitch, what a shame Skippy didn’t break his duck and win the toss. The Shrimpers, put in on a belter never got out the blocks. On a pitch full of runs and little help to the bowlers the top of the order, missing two strokemakers and the third out cheaply, simply did not score enough runs early on. A run rate of not much more than 2 per over for the first 25+ runs put too much pressure on the lower order and gave the famed Shrimper attack very little to defend. PJ and Bish showed how easy it really was with some swashbuckling shots but it was too little too late. The Wootton batsmen, familiar with the pitch, mostly played very patiently and picked off the loose deliveries for big hits. Anything a fraction off a good line and length was easy pickings with an old ball not doing anything. The highlight of the day (from a Shrimper prospective) was an excellent catch by Bish – a nice roll.

M.O.M. – PJ a nice innings topped off by blurring of the gloves to complete a run out.

Afro Caribbean (H) July 20th – Gayton won by 7 runs

Gayton 180 - 8 (40 overs) C Barber 80 C Waldron 26 A Lord 23

Afro Caribbean 173 - 9 (40 overs) M Edwards 3-33 S Trusler 2-10

The most exciting game of the season could so easily become remembered as the Battle at the Poplars as verbal blows were close to being swapped for physical ones. It all started off in the usual manner, Skippy desperate to win the toss sent out Barbs in his stead (why not the magic of the Lord thumb?), sadly Barbs was as unsuccessful and the Afro’s stuck us in to bat on a dubious looking and damp pitch. However looks can be deceiving and the pacy Afro attack was soon dispatched around the gound by the opening pair of Galaaaah and Barbs, the faster it comes . . . . Although Galaaaah was out relatively cheaply Lordy took on the mantle and after 20 overs the Shrimpers had a highly respectable 90-1. However Afro’s change bowlers (Charles and Ali) began to tighten the grip and the run rate slowed for a while but with Barbs making his season high score, Gazza nurdling the ball around and another highly entertaining knock by Bish a challenging total of 180 was posted as 22 players tucked into the salad at tea. Unfortunately the feared axis of Deej and Skippy were both off form and after 10 overs the Afro’s were already 62-1 playing some classic Calypso Cricket. Then it was the turn of the Shrimper change bowlers, the Legend himself and Ed who both bowled magnificently through the next 20 overs, tying down the Afro’s and chipping away a few wickets. All this despite some appalling umpiring decisions by a few Afro players that led to the aforementioned verbal blows. In the end though it was the Shrimpers who stayed calm and in control and Skippy and MrTruslerSir bowled out the last few nerve-racking overs to pull off a famous victory. It gets mentioned most weeks but this game was won in the field. Afro’s fielding was sloppy, lots of overthrows and dropped catches. Shrimpers fielding was slick, great catches were taken, especially by TruslerSir and Bish, who took two apiece.

M.O.M - Barbs, a fluent and stylish innings, not to mention one or two excellent pieces of fielding.

Word of the day