It's That Time Of Year Again..

Another snapshot from Portobello

...when I return to a familiar theme and repeat the same old same old.

I've blustered fruitlessly in the past about a dislike of playing our noble game in sub-zero temperatures during April whilst reaching for the BBQ sauce after the last game of the season and soaking up some rays.

Some well meaning souls mutter mitigatingly about seed germination prior to dropping temperatures or of having to share pitches with other sports teams.

But I shall not listen to reason for no man!!! I have a bee in my bunnet and in my bunnet the bee shall stay!!! I feel so strongly about this issue I've never once attended a meeting with it in mind, let alone raised it at a meeting I've not attended.

I don't think we'd have actually managed a game this September as there was a lot of rain about at times that would have put Saturday matches in doubt (good for the fishing though, I've been howking them out good style).

However, we've just enjoyed/endured our hottest September since the thermometer was invented inspiring headlines such as;

'Its Too Hot'
'Why Is It So Hot'
'When Will It Stop Being So Hot'
&
'Coldest October 1st Since Records Began'

Britain-bakes-hottest-October-day-100-YEARS

I have to apologise that this post has been delayed, but it took me a while to decide on a photo from the range available. I'll start reviewing photo candidates for next years rehashed article this afternoon.

Those past 'articles'.
2010
2009

The Silence Of The Lambs

The Bish

Largo visited Arboretum on Saturday scrapping for their first division lives. However the hosts continued to show the form that has driven them onwards and upwards this season and showed no mercy to the promising, but ultimately too inexperienced visitors.

The Cross batted first on a bogeyish track (soft, green & a bit runny) that required application from the batsmen. Well, ordinary batsmen. Rintoul, opening the bowling from the North Pole end, chided Owais for not being able to reach a wide in a surreal attempt to draw the batsmen into a war of words. Mazher’s response was to let his back take the flak and his bat do the chat. Owais appears to play the game on a strip of his own blasting his way to 22 from 17 balls before mistiming one of his booming off-drives to mid off. A little appetiser before the main course on Sunday as it turned out.

Future Hall-of-Famer, Ellis Jr joined the entrenched KF, who continued in a sort of supporting role before being emptied by “probably the ball of the decade” (my words) in the 23^rd over with the score on 79 for an unattractive 20 from 64 balls. This brought the skipper into the middle.

CJE, already in his stride and ECS building steadily began to put a really solid platform in place. Whilst the young Largo bowlers lacked any real bite (plenty bark), Frohlich apart, they showed good control and excellent variation to keep our 3 & 4 honest. Over time, our patience was rewarded. 200 would’ve been nice, 220 probably more than enough and anything else a bonus.

As the Largo kids began to wilt, the skipper in particular punished any loose balls. Charles was next to fall as we moved up through the gears for 85. Shannon added 17 in no time, refusing to face a dot ball for most of it, giving Spickers three deliveries at the end to make 2 not out. The skipper meanwhile stayed right to the end, succumbing only to a suicidal run out off the last ball. His knock of 78 included 4 (four, yes FOUR) maximum’s, three of which received heckles from the non-striker that he only had one shot. The 4^th six dispelled such notions disappearing back over the bowlers head.

The innings came to rest at 238-5. This after passing 100 in the 32^nd over illustrates how well we built on a solid start. I was impressed with the crop of Largo youngsters who all bowled and fielded well.  I’m going to mention Ryan Brown (7-1-31-0) in particular, but that’s a little unfair on the rest. They’ll be a much tastier adversary in 3 or 4 years time as, I’m led to believe, they have plenty more youngsters throughout their 4 XI’s.

After another fine Tea by Eminem, Smith opted to open with Bimboridge at the South Pole End. He struck with his third ball getting Speering to ‘do a Ziggy’, raising arms to a jab-backer that clipped the off peg. If not a fatal blow to the reply, it sprang a proverbial leak at the waterline.

The other opener was soon removed by The Bimbo (10-1-30-4) before, in one fine spell, a trail of destruction was scorched through the Fifers middle order by our own Fifer, Gary T (10-2-23-4).

Bonfield (9-1-22-0) used his two spells to write another thrilling chapter in his 1,001 Ways To Avoid Taking A Wicket. It fell to third change chucker, auxiliary Bishop Lynch (5.3-0-11-2) to bounce out the last two little lambs, both pouched behind by the ever reliable voice mail interceptor, Si Hackering.

Dougie (3-0-12-0) was the only other chucker on the day. 100 all out and more points in the bank as we look for our best league finish in over a decade.

Annual Holy Cross BBQ - Early Warning!!

In a blatant and gratuitous attempt to grab your attention I'm taking the bold effort of announcing the date for the annual club BBQ early as opposed to the traditional 3 days beforehand.

It seems the fixture list has declared 30th of July to be the auspicious date when all teams play in closest proximity to each other.

As always it is an open event and with this much notice there no excuses for not bringing your partner, kids or friends along. *

* The club accepts no responsibility for the fallout of your partner discovering how and with who you spend so much of your precious summers weekends.

1sts Pip Mufs in Arbo Thriller

At a hot and sunny Arboretum.

Murrayfield/DAFS 227-4 (50 overs)
M Agerkar 57, R Black 52*, J Crus Rocha 49*, P Hubbard 43

Holy Cross 228-6 (49 overs)
C Ellis 87, D Russell 54*, C Smith 47
R Devangere 3-19 (a top class spell on a pitch generally favouring the batsmen despite Friday's heavy rain)

Super game of cricket that fluctuated throughout. The final stages played out in a cracking atmosphere with Mufs 2/3/4's players and our 2nds/3rds (plus our regular supporters; AR, HK and JLRB etc as well as Dougie's family) creating a sizeable, good-natured crowd.

An adequate performance in the field (crucially, as against Helensburgh we kept things quiet in the final few overs - despite Mufs having set batsmen in and wickets in hand).

After we seemed well set at 105-1 at the halfway point, things looking dicey for us with just 4 overs left and 34 required but some fine shots (from Dougie in particular; 54 off 61 balls) got us home, 17 runs coming off the key 47th over. Shot of the day may have been Bainbro's 1st ball; a class cover driven 4 off Mel, though the turning point may have been Simon's 4 just over the head of long off.

2nds and 3rds lost despite runs for Jon (2nds) and Nipun and Scott (3rds).

Better stop there as I've just returned from Bainbro's excellent Barbeque (we can surely now use the word now that it has taken place) and am somewhat less than sober.