This was a horror show. At last the Gents posted a halfway decent total, as they should have done on a benign batting track with a short boundary to one side and against only ten men. How depressing it was, therefore, to see Wandham romp home with eight overs to spare after possibly the worst fielding display in the club’s history. Seven catches were dropped (including home hero Nigel Wilson several times) and, worse, four were not attempted through either fear of failure or because the ball was "lost in the sun." Wandham deserved to win not only for these aberrations, nor Wilson’s fine innings, but also for their physical bravery in the first innings. Despite several fielders receiving painful knocks, they fought back to restrict the Gents to 152 after a fine innings from Sanjay, with Masher playing the sheet-anchor, had threatened a huge total. At that point, the game looked even, but the second part of the game was to prove a crushing disappointment to the Gents. They have the players to beat any side on the circuit (much the same side was rolling over the likes of West XI, Twelve Angry Men and New Barbarian Weasels as recently as 1997). For the moment, however, confidence is at a low ebb after three successive defeats.

With Jim Wright injured and several others unavailable, the Gents’ organiser turned to Enterprise associate members to help out. It looked a side with potential but how hollow the Friday night call to Ashton Mansions now seems; "Whatever we do, it is an excellent fielding side." Hmm. Winning the toss on a fine afternoon (before a cool south-easterly forced supporters Katie and her mum to don about four extra layers), Masher decided to bat. Chris Beaumont, who was signed on associate forms post-match, fell plumb lbw before Snarler, who had edged one and pulled two fours off Carrington, under-hit a caught and bowled. We were then treated to the latest bizarre run out involving the Commander and Dhruv. Running down the same channel, they collided in a heap and even some incompetent fielding involving about eight shies at the stumps could not stop Dhruv being run out by the length of the pitch. It would not have been out of place in a Laurel and Hardy film. These two batsmen are two of the club’s best three so they will have plenty of opportunities to bat together this summer. So they urgently need to sort out their running between the wickets. Masher’s watchful project with an on-fire Sanjay then gave the Gents great hope as 82 runs came in 16 overs. Some of Sanjay’s shots (an authentic Cowdreyesque sweep for four and a front-foot drive for six over mid-wicket, both off the left-armer Wardle) were masterful and even after a particularly solid Masher had holed out to cover plenty of time remained for the visitors to post a really big score. The mission was only partly accomplished. Keith was bowled after nearly clearing the longest boundary for a six and after Sanjay’s demise (ten fours, one six) the tail batted sensibly enough, without ever taking control against a now-revived fielding side. A Rix/Burman three caused some amusement among the cheap seats but it was the only one of the innings, which ended fifteen minutes short of the maximum two and a half hours allotted to it. The bowling, persevering but a tad limited, had done its job well, all supported by brave out-fielding.

The consensus among the visitors was that the pitch, disfigured at one end by a football touchline traversing it just short of a length at the Paragliding End, and by tufts of grass at the Pavilion End, would deteriorate. In fact, it held up remarkably well. The Gents had just four overs at Wandham before a very good tea, taken with the score 13 for nought, the agile Beaumont performing heroics to stop a Snarler lifter with his chin. The post-tea passage of play may look, from a brisk perusal of the scorecard, to have been somewhat dull. Not a bit of it. Nigel Wilson is a high-class batsman. Big and strong, and particularly powerful on the leg-side, he hits the ball hard and high, always giving the bowlers a chance but gambling on his good eye to win most battles. Snarler struck by bowling Andy Gizauskas but that was the only breakthrough as Masher gave his best two seamers seven overs each. Gavin failed to attempt two catches at mid-wicket and Dhruv let one sail over his head for four and one had the feeling that things could only get worse. A sullen Ashton had shown little remorse over the earlier run out and indeed as he was dispensing his frequent, and in the main deserved set of bollockings in the second innings (all accompanied by his usual graceful, motivating body language), seemed to single out Dhruv for particular treatment. As if there were something wrong with failing to collect a catch because you still had your jumper pulled over your head!

The change bowling resulted in an immediate acceleration in the scoring. Rix went for two fours before Arkle drove hard and low into Ashton’s safe hands at cover, but Dhruv pitched short too often and was savaged by Wilson, although he was buttered, astonishingly by Sanjay, at long-on. Toddy then replaced Rix and copped all the bad luck, including a regulation chance spilled by Snarler at mid-wicket, plus two to Dhruv at square-leg, one bungled as the fielder adjusted his clothing and one palmed over the boundary. Arora, looking nervous but with a good defence, rode his luck as 44 crucial runs were added before he played on to Toddy. Connor looped a dolly into the slips only for Burman to fail to even make contact, but thankfully Snarler disturbed his bails in the first over of his Do or Die second spell. Toddy got a deserved second wicket but Carbro, hero in this fixture in 1998 and clearly injured, batted well with Wardle and Wandham won comfortably enough in the end. The bowling was slightly below par, the ground-fielding patchy and the catching awful. Not only this, there were some pieces of comedy out-cricket of which a school Under Twelves would be ashamed. An aggressive Ashton return throw, having lost its direction finder, felled cover Snarler, who had his back to the ball. Outfielders jumped over the ball. Dhruv sat down at deep square-leg because he was "tired." It was all very disappointing, especially in such pleasant surroundings and against a side whom the Gents have shaded over the years. Wandham’s win continued the trend of victories in this series for the side batting second; six times on the reel now.

Post-match opinion was quite instructive. Snarler was distraught, not because of the result but because he felt several players had not tried their best. "People are frightened of the ball," he said. Others were frightened of the captain, and Masher’s tactic of verbally abusing his team-mates came in for some hammer, as it usually does after a defeat, but funnily enough never after a victory. Another learning experience for the Gents, but this writer for one is getting pissed off with learning experiences. Three games have gone and although three defeats were foreseeable, the manner of them was not, for in no game yet has the side played anywhere near to its potential.