Wickham & Stodmarsh

Match Report

Goodnestone once again provided a stunning backdrop for the game against Wickham and Stodmarsh. Part of the plan to reverse their heavy defeat of 2012 was to ply the Stragglers with a very substantial tea, and they very nearly succeeded. The Straggler start was undone by some reckless umpiring and modest shot selection, and much ended up resting on the shoulders of Theo Allport. Theo’s batting performance seems to be in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed in the previous evening, and in inverse proportion to the amount of subsequent sleep! He was not feeling well, and chipped sublime sixes over fine leg for fun, holding the middle order together. He fell for 81 in the final over, leaving Toby Snape to face the last ball, which was duly dispatched over the boundary for 6. 231 for 7 from 40 seemed enough.

Toby then turned on the pace again, and rattled the stumps twice in quick succession. With Ed Prest and Louis Glynn Williams also bowling fast with success, and Owen Moelwyn Hughes weaving spells at the other end, it looked as if it might all be done and dusted in a hurry. However, numbers 6, 8 and 9 were made of sterner stuff, and an expensive spell from the Chairman brought W&S back into the game. Scoring at 10 an over, the target was well within sight. Much to everyone’s surprise, Toby introduced the Master Brewer for one last throw of the dice, and, with his first ball, Jonathan had the skipper both caught behind and stumped (and duly claimed two wickets and that the next ball would be for a hat trick! – claim rejected). Simon duly closed the inning out in the next over, a finely balanced game and victory by 21 runs.