SELSEY BILL (AWAY) - Wednesday, June 11, 2003
|
The omens were not good for the Loafers' trip to the seaside as once again, Keith Budd's exhortations failed to raise more than nine players, with various regulars pleading excuses ranging from work commitments to pub quiz commitments. This total was very nearly reduced to seven shortly before the match, as en route to Selsey the driver of an open-top Jag decided to accelerate out of the car park of the Anchor into oncoming traffic, at the head of which was the car driven by Mr Budd with your correspondent riding shotgun. A nifty swerve by Keith avoided a head-on collision (for which your correspondent is truly grateful), but at the cost of a large dent in the passenger doors. The emergence of Keith provoked in the driver of the open-top what can only be described as a brown-trouser expression, as the realisation slowly damned that he'd hammered it into a vehicle apparently owned by Hagrid the Giant and that his end was apparently nigh. (His end wasn't nigh, but by Christ any no claims bonus soon would be, sunshine.) The prematch car crashing formalities having been concluded, on to Selsey. Where the Loafers, not unnaturally, were somewhat perturbed at being a two men down, but fortunately the deficit was reduced by one with the addition of bespectacled young Selseyite, Tom Cripps. With the evening's quotient of Loafers still not at the ground, there was no question that the Loafers were going to bat having won the toss, so out strode Neil Holmes and Trevor Almack to get us off to a decent start. Almack fell at the end of the second over with 10 on the scoreboard, but then Holmes and Gary McDougal kept the score ticking over nicely, Holmes thumping several deliveries to the boundary, but after the pair had raised the fifty the fell hand (or finger) of the umpire intervened. First Holmes thrust his pad well down the pitch: umpire Budd raised the digit. Holmes stared back in disbelief, before departing for the pavilion, no doubt thinking, well, umpire knows best, and it's only a bit of fun, what? Or maybe not. Next over, and Dave Burford faces his first ball from Keith Simmonds; ball brushes pad, keeper catches ball, Steve King gives Burf out caught behind. Tom Cripps netted a single to wild applause before being bowled, and when Gary McDougal was out shortly afterwards the Loafers were five down for just over sixty. Fortunately Antony Eastwood was on hand to launch into the bowling, contributing a welcome 25 as the score approached respectability. However, having reached 99 for six in the eighteenth over, the Loafers entered the town of Collapseville once again, Windsor Holden was run out after the bowler deflected a fierce drive from Lee Russell onto the stumps; Russell himself fell with no addition to the score; and unfortunately - after Steve King had taken the Loafers onto a nice round ton - Mr Budd's driving with the bat failed to emulate his earlier driving in the motor car, as he played over one that kept very, very low and was last man out (ninth wicket) for a duck. Pick of the bowling: Pete "I'm retiring next year" White, whose four overs netted him three for 15. So how would the powerful opening partnership for Selsey, Harvey and Lemanquer, respond? By continuing edging Neil Holmes between slip and gully, that's how. Four overs of metronomic accuracy on or just outside off stump, and four nicks to the boundary. At the other end, Steve King plugged away but to no avail, until Lemanquer missed a low off-break and was bowled for 18. So could the Loafers change bowlers, Russell and McDougal, put the brakes on? Er, no. Three fours by Harvey in Russell's first over were the signal that the opener was stepping up a gear, and that gentleman was very soon celebrating his fifty. Six overs of Russell and McDougal went for 57 as the ball disappeared to all parts, before Mr Cripps was brought on with just four needed. After four balls it was goodbye Mr Cripps as Harvey flogged one to the mid-wicket boundary, and the Loafers had slumped to another heavy defeat. Selsey Bill won by nine wickets
|
Skulking Loafers Fixture List 2003
