Straggler annals do not record sufficient detail to be able to identify when (or indeed if ever) the arc between gully and keeper has been responsible for 8 opposition wickets. Such was the vice like grip imposed behind the stumps at Benenden, that, even with a flourishing middle order partnership, the outcome never seemed in doubt. Eliot was impermeable at gully; Matt improbably elastic at first slip, both holding on to their chances with aplomb. Al and Jasper, sharing wicket keeping duties, held five – Al 3 and Jasper 2, each collecting a bottom edged cut shot well beyond most keepers. And then Jasper added to the keeping repertoire with a direct hit for a run out at the non-striker’s end.
