Charlton Down Cricket Club

Charlton Down versus Boscombe

Sunday 19 July 2009

The Sunday bandwagon marches on, without our illustrious leader, who has departed for Thailand to pick up a couple of Lady Boys.

A trip to Bournemouth for a game of cricket on a Sunday in July sounds appealing doesn’t it? Well not quite. Leaving Charlton Down at some unearthly hour, (yes, Snail was late again) we take 3 or 4 hours to arrive in the Bronx, no Kings Park. This is largely due to JP who, in sympathy for our temporary leader’s tardiness, decided to drive like a snail!

Things don’t start well when one reads a notice stating that Pitch 2 is out of action until the travellers have moved on!!

A very strong breeze traverses the ground, and the smell of dog poo and heroin pervades the air. CCD calls his senior lads together to assess the pitch and conditions and it is felt in view of the dampness and the fact that we wanna get out of there, the right decision is to bowl first. Pity we chose to look at the wrong pitch but whatever!

We do in fact bowl first and find the conditions extremely difficult owing to the cross wind. After 10 overs play is halted following an intervention from the Boscome captain, who feels it is his place to march on the field threatening to report Shed (umpire) for not giving enough wides!!! Had Shed done so we would still be out there.

Boscombe struggle to 90 after about 30 overs, but in spite yet another JP bowling master class (finishing with figures of 1-18 off 11 overs) CDCC remain wicketless. Rudo suffers from (the) wind, although how quite this is has got to do with bowling a ball hat bounces 4 times and then another that doesn’t bounce until it gets to Christchurch is unfathomable. It is then left to CCD to manfully bowl himself for the rest of the afternoon and take 6-36, in spite of some of the most atrocious fielding seen since the last time we played.

Boscombe eventually close their innings after 7 or 8 hours on 162-9.

After a tea somewhat spoilt by the home team wading in first, CDCC start their reply, but both Eric and Chris R perish cheaply. Chris R, who to be fair had a bit of a shocker in the field, simply took his decision on his hairy chin, and was last seen wading out to sea a la Reggie Perrin. (And you didn’t pay your subs!!!)

Coz strolls out and back again fairly quickly, but in the very short time he is there manages (with Doyley) to move to score on to 57. Doyley carries on majestically, but perishes to a quite outstanding catch; the fielders arm is thrust out as if he is ready for his next fix, and snaffles the old cherry. It is then left to CCD and Phil to bring us home in emphatic fashion with thankfully loads of overs to spare; CCD finishing on 50+ not out. A quite outstanding performance by the captain. No, nobody said that it’s about time a captain did something for CDCC this year….. it was thought but not said!!

Well done to all; it wasn’t easy out there!

Coz (On behalf of CCD who is too tired to write)