Detail: 24-05-2009 -
Result:
Jon Burchfield (c)
Ritanjan Das
Mick Berry
Guy Freeman
Ben Appleton
Giles Farmer
Tom Jordan
Rohit Singh
Paul Whelan (from 4.30 or so!)
40 over game.
Blues 200/6 (Farmer 63*). Shamley Green 201/2 (Rumble 117). Lost by 7 wickets.
This historic ground had recently been in the news with a local resident trying to stop cricket because of 'health and safety issues'. Fortunately for us he was unsuccessful, but with the previous week's court case still fresh in everyone's minds, this game had an unusually large number of spectators. The Blues had lost their captain overnight due to a family illness, and we were lent a couple of youngsters by the Green to even things up in numbers.
We started well, but never really got going fluently on this slow, uneven track. Giles stuck at it and carted the bowling all round the roads criss-crossing the outfield, well supported by Tom J and Guy. But after 40 overs, we never looked to have quite enough on the board.
So it proved after tea, when despite Ben bowling a tidy spell and making initial inroads into the Green batsmen, two useful players appeared. (They later turned out to be Charterhouse first team stalwarts.) They appeared very happy with the deadness of the wicket, and heaved everything they could get near into the front, and sometimes rear, gardens of the nearby houses.
The end came with a few overs still in hand, and we were able to adjourn to the nearby Red Lion refreshment rooms, where, bathed in the warmth of the setting sun, we were able to sample the local hospitality.
[updated 30 Jul 18]