Lions

The full scorecard is here but apparently the match is still in progress.

sunday sunday so good for me….

and, lo and bloody behold it lived up to it’s moniker and was a belter.

time for a game of cricket, which i was beginning to think was a winter sport or even a water sport.

time to play the league leaders, bristol lions, a team full of sri lankans.

i decided to field if we won the toss. i lost the toss and their captain said they would bat so quickly it was almost insulting.

it didn’t matter though, to have any chance in the game we had to bat second and try to restrict the lions to an attainable score.

things started well, really well. our reliable vice captain dave littleton opened one end and upcoming allrounder alfie had the other one.

we didn’t roll the wicket and the first couple of overs suggested that the wicket was still asleep.  then the bowlers found their length

and all sorts of things started to happen.

wickets began to fall, spirits began to rise, we fielded extremely well, the best i have seen from a second team for years. things were going our way.

at drinks we had them 70 something for 5 and looking vulnerable…could we get them out for 120? i think we believed we could and i know we

deserved to be in that position………….

then came the only dark cloud in an otherwise beautiful day.

in the shape of the lions captain, who came out to umpire as we began to turn the screw.

i hesitate to use the c word, not the one that rhymes with punt, the one that rhymes with feet. i still hesitate and after time for reflection i can view

his behaviour as a compliment but nonetheless the game changed from that point.

nonexistent no balls, mobile ringing whilst the bowler is running in, i could go on.  but i wont, well maybe a little bit.

i believe he gave his batsmen instructions to hit out across the line with no fear of lbw, as he was stump umpire when the square leg boundary

was 35 yards away this allowed the batsmen to amass what became 230 for 9 after 40. as i say it really is a compliment to our efforts

and an indication of what some people will do to win a game of cricket.

the rest of the lions were lovely, friendly and noisy, but their captain is a punt.

and so to tea…

the tea competition has been an equal victim in this sodding sodden season so marks out of 10 don’t come into it and it has to be judged

alone…it was a good tea, a very good tea….

then it was our turn to bat….and umpire…..we were all out for 120 in 36…bristol lions are good cricketers, destined i think to storm each division

in succession. they bowled brilliantly, our lack of practice showed and our general feeling towards lbw’s and wide’s mirrored the lions.

i hope we made our point, in a different game they would have had more decisions go their way and probably a lot less extras in the score book.

man of the match went to dave, looked like carrying his bat for a while, held up one end as we resorted to type at the other and bowled his vegan socks off.

8 overs 3 wickets 18 runs, it is a shame the weather has got in the way of his form this year.

BUT,… we played 80 overs of cricket for the first time in weeks, the team spirit is fantastic, the bar was open!!, the sun was out.

so fuck the politics and result, it was a good day.

that all folks