Skipper Hannell oversaw another unconvincing display from LSCC against Chapmanslade. The team were victorious but only after making hard work of reaching a target of 75. Congratulations to Tom for ending the season with more victories than losses and for getting eleven players onto the field today after the late withdrawl of Nick Gregory (again) who decided he would prefer not to help his skipper and lifelong friend achieve a last victory as captain.

Tom ‘the man of the moment’ put Chapmanslade into bat and with the aid of a wicket that was more erratic than a Jim Tyrie haircut, Limpley set about reducing their scoring to feeding off scraps. There was a steady falling of wickets with no one batsman making an impression. Owen was the pick of the bowlers taking threefa and Limpley’s fielders for once took all their chances. Chapmanslade reached a seemingly achievable target of 74 all out.

Alex Richards got the LSCC innings off to a flyer hitting his first ball straight down the throat of square leg, out for a golden. Simon Richards replaced him and was bowled middle stump shortly after. Once again the Richards were fighting it out for the dubious title of kit-boy. To steady the ship was Clarke hitting fluently to all sides of the ground. JC had earlier done his good deed for the day by removing a putrid, puss-eyed, rabbit from the field of play. He didn’t show so much kindness to the Chapmanslade bowlers as he despatched a series of balls to the boundary and beyond.

LSCC surrendered their wickets cheaply and were once again involved in a collapse that made the 1929 stock market crash look small by comparison except without the suffering, hunger and unemployment that would grip the world economy for the next decade.

Enter Hannell to steady the ship and guide Limpley to victory with just one wicket to spare. Man of the Match JC, Hannell gets nine victories to eight losses and we don’t have to waste our precious weekends standing around in fields again until next spring.

Simon Richards