Saturday 26th May rolled around and the local derby against fellow new entrants to the league, Chappel & Wakes Colne. A late withdrawal of our lethal quickie, Gus Peters, had us more than a little worried about what damage to morale the all-conquering opponents might do to us.
Our fears were rapidly dispelled however thanks to (a) the skipper losing the toss (b) the early morning rain effect on the pitch & (c) the monotonous line & length of Mo, Daryl, & Russ. When the last wicket went down in just the 35th over, our opponents had only made 76, and we were more than a little surprised, but it was credit to the whole team that great fielding performance had helped no end. Russ Dawes starred with 4 wickets & 3 catches…which just about cancels out those 2 consecutive boundaries which went through his legs the previous week ! Special mention must also go to Cap’n Jack for being hauled off for bowling 2 beamers….but since he also picked up 2 rapid wickets, we’ll forgive.
Our next concern of the powerful C&WC bowling attack also came to nothing, as Daryl & Pat were able to pick off the runs in just 14 overs, nearly all in boundaries. Game over by 4.30pm !
Our thoughts also go to the C&WC players, friends and family of their club member Nigel Swain, whose recent passing was respectfully marked by our opponents wearing black armbands.