Ex Blues v London Saints – Fri August 29th – Ex Blues CC, West Wickham, Kent
Ex Blues v London Saints – Fri August 29th – Ex Blues CC, West Wickham, Kent
The Starters
Herding Cats – a great effort from our depleted team
(not to be confused with High Wycombe in Bucks)
Ex Blues 220 – 7 (R. Griffiths 3 – 27) – 35 overs
London Saints 151 all out (Palmer 58 no, Cowley 17, Nanton 15, Thomas 13) in 33.3 overs
Although already without regulars Tiny Temper and Carol Griffiths to season long injury breakages, along with many others, I was pleasantly surprised to have a settled team a week out from our regular annual season ending jolly to Ex Blues in WEST Wickham on the last Friday of August (the planned XI included two of Tiny’s mates Mike and Ralph who live locally and have played for us in this fixture for the last 3 years). Then things started to go pear shaped. Phil’s knee (due to be operated on in September) hadn’t recovered and so had to withdraw, Dickie’s body (he has played through the pain barrier all season on pain killers and broken bones when he really shouldn’t have played) finally gave up the day before. 2 down never mind we’ll cope. Then Mr Reliable Tiger Pearce had to pull out justifiably through a family illness (3 down) and then, Mr 2025 Reliable, Ed (not missed a game apart from tour since the 1st game) pulled out because “Sorry Dave I forgot about it and am now working“!!. So 3 good excuses and Mr Ed meant we were 4 down – always up for a challenge it was time to herd some cats.
Never fear the London Saints fraternity rally round in times of crisis. Long term veterans and injury absentees Gary Speedtwin and Andy Mayhew agreed to play along with Wath’s mate Ralph who has played for us a couple of times and was free and best of all is an excellent wicket keeper so could replace Dickie (though he was a little rusty having not played for 8 years). Finally, and best of all, Terrence volunteered to play his first game of the season for us, apart from his fantastic celebration game at Chelsea Hospital. Great back up to 11, and we could fulfil this season ending fixture which we have enjoyed every year since 1989 which is important as Ex Blues always make an effort in hosting us on a Friday. What could go wrong?
We woke to torrential rain and a not very promising forecast leading to lots of enquiries about whether the game is still on and are we still going to travel all that way to watch the rain come down? Don’t people know it’s always “looking brighter over there” and everyone was persuaded to set off. Then at 10.28 (the train was 11.46) I received an email from Son-in-Law No 1 Richard Griffiths telling me that the ground location at WEST Wickham didn’t exist and should he set off for HIGH Wycombe (40 miles in the wrong direction and the other side of London)? For a few seconds I was very tempted to say Yes but with Richard being one of our bowlers and few ‘experienced’ players left standing the confusion was averted. Thankfully Richard didn’t repeat what Troy had done 20 years ago when he phoned us at the Ex Blues ground asking where we were as he had arrived at High Wycombe station!! At least he wasn’t a week early eh Dickie.
As usual in these games Ex Blues batted first and we ventured out into the field to now increasingly blue skies with the threat of rain now well and truly behind us. I must admit that I did have a degree of trepidation starting off with what must have been one of the most inexperienced LSCC teams ever and maybe not the most mobile fielding unit that we have put out. Six of our batting XI, would be playing their first innings of the season with one other, Lana, only her 2nd. In the field it was going to be a long day with :- In the inner circle – Mike immobile with a calf strain, Speedo not much better with two dodgy knees and Terrence, the best of the 3, understandably not as nimble as he once was back in his younger days. In the outfield we had Andy “ Don’t let the ball come anywhere near my bad knee and I can’t run” Mayhew. Andy was also joined by Lana “ I’m not going to dive for the ball with my hands and get my trousers dirty “, One Liner Nanton who is a leg strain/pull waiting to happen (making Trevor Mayhew look fit in comparison), DT who is blind as a bat (just get your bloody cataracts done man) and Ollie who at 18 sometimes fields more like someone 50 years older (but he can catch – more on that later). Thank gawd for Ralph P and Guy who did a lot of work covering for their immobile teammates. The skipper looked to the supporters on the boundary to see if they could help out or be any better and help with some fielding> We had Tiny T (broken ankle), Carol (broken finger), the QE2 (blinder than DT), Nice Pint (his last appearance at Ex Blues saw him leave the field after headbutting the ball), Chairman Mick, Reg and Tony (who is now closer to 90 than 80). No worries we’ll make do with what we have.
Ex Blues has a hill so we decided to start with Ollie down the hill and One Liner up the hill as David is not known for his control and it was Ralph’s first game for 9 years behind the stumps. We shouldn’t have worried as David chose to bowl his best spell of the season today with tight control of line and length. Ollie also bowled really well and his figures don’t do him justice as he often beat the bat but their openers clinically punished his occasional bad ball. Guy and the skipper came on first change with Guy finally making the breakthrough bowling their skipper for 48 but Ex Blues kept coming and at 140-1 after 22 overs we feared a huge score was going to be set for us to chase.
What followed in the remaining 13 overs was a great fightback from our depleted and patched up team as the catches that went down in the first 22 overs were now taken (5 in total), the fielding improved and the bowling was tight led by Richard’s best ever LSCC spell of 7 unbroken overs of 7-0-27-3 aided by 2 fine catches behind the stumps by Ralph. Terrence came onto bowl and took his customary Ex Blues wicket courtesy of an excellent catch on the boundary by Ollie (yes we couldn’t believe it either). Our openers Ollie and One Liner both got a deserved wicket with the last ball of their comeback spells, a brilliant running catch by Guy gave Ollie his wicket but the highlight was Lana’s first ever LSCC catch as she caught a steepler off One Liner’s last ball. To restrict a strong Ex Blues team to 220-7 after their start was an outstanding all round effort.
Normally the contenders for the LSCC Duck trophy bat up the order in the final game. There should have been 3 contenders but one of them, Ed (sorry Dave I forgot) failed to turn up in a blatant act of duck trophy avoidance. So it was down to the skipper and Richard but with Son-in-law No 1 claiming he was too tired after his mammoth spell of bowling it was left to DT to go in up the order on his own. Our openers Terrence and Mike both fell cheaply to leave the skipper and Guy a job of rebuilding. Guy did most of the rebuilding including a mighty 6 as the skipper scratched around for ages trying to get off the mark. Some ironic cheers were noted by the skipper from the boundary edge as he finally got a boundary and after Guy fell DT and Ralph took the score to 68-3 off 12 overs and still a slight chance. When the skipper departed caught behind (walking off as Umpire Carol didn’t give it) it was all down to Ralph, the Palmer version, who batted brilliantly for a fine unbeaten 58. The rest of us couldn’t stick with him though as our inexperience, and lack of batting practice in 2025, showed. Apart from One Liner’s 15 our last 5 batters scored 5 runs between them – sorry Ralph but at least his shot for 6 to go to his 50 was caught on camera. Richard did eventually get in at No 9 and knowing that a golden duck would clinch the trophy for himself, and despite’s DT’s encouragement that he should play for the team and try and hit his first ball for 6, he batted back his first ball to the bowler (a brave move with Carol’s finger waiting to go up at the other end). To actually get up to 150 was a fine effort and in no way were we disgraced as we gave Ex Blues a game under now very sunny skies.
So in the end a great day was had by all as our patched up team put in a fine performance as we celebrated another season with beers and pie and mash afterwards. The Player of the Year vote was held and together with the pre-game votes from those unable to attend we had a total of 32 votes with the resurrection man White Viv Andy Jones taking 41% of the vote with 13 beating Harry (6) and Max (4) into 2nd and 3rd place. Congrats Andy, well deserved and an inspiration to us all.
Man of the Match – Two real contenders between Richard’s excellent best ever figures from his unbroken spell of 7 overs taking 3 wickets for 27 to wrestle back some control of the game and Ralph Palmer (plus an honourable mention to Ralph Wilson playing his first game for 8 years, behind the stumps and taking 2 fine catches). The winner though has to be Ralph P for a great undefeated knock of 58 getting our team up to a respectable 151 on top of his fine fielding display covering for a few of us in the field – well played Ralph see you next season.
Cock Up Champagne Moment (doh) – Many contenders today, starting with Ed’s forgetfulness proving that no one reads my emails, to Andy (I’ve got a bad knee so can’t run after the ball in the field) Mayhew almost breaking Usain Bolt’s world record for the 100m to dash off from square leg duties at the end of the over for a ‘comfort break’ (no excuses next season Andy), to the appeal for lbw from one of Ex Blues’ bowlers whose nickname was Dustbin to JG, our umpire – good to see the Dustbin appealing to the Wheeliebin -)-). The winner though has to be Son-in-law No 1 almost doing a Troy and setting off for High Wycombe 40 miles west of West Wickham and trying to justify it by saying that google maps has not heard of West Wycombe and kept telling him to go to High Wycombe – so it was all down to the spelling of Wickham/Wycombe (told you no one reads my emails (doh)I
The Terrence Collis Champagne Moment of Excellence – Ralph’s mighty 6 to take him to his 50 was great and captured on camera but it comes down to 3 fantastic catches – firstly Ollie’s great catch on the boundary to give Terrence his customary wicket at Ex Blues, Guy’s brilliant running catch in the deep (arguably the best of the 3) to give Ollie a deserved wicket but the winner goes to Lana’s first ever London Saints catch off One Liner which not easy by any means as it was high and in the air for ages and eventually snaffled after a bit of juggling – well done Lana.
Ex Blues
Hind b Cowley 48
Lee not out retired 51
Smill ct Wilson b R. Griffiths 8
Ryder not out retired 36
Radburn ct Wilson b R. Griffiths 1
Vaughan not out 18
Lynch ct O. Griffiths b T. Collis 0
Clifford ct Cowley b O. Griffiths 43
Le Juge b R. Griffiths 0
Nye ct Lana b Nanton 1
Extras 14
Total 220 – 7 in 35 overs
O. Griffiths 6 – 0 – 49 – 1
Nanton 7 – 0 – 27 – 1
Cowley 5 – 0 – 25 – 1
Thomas 5 – 0 – 29 – 0
R. Griffiths 7 – 0 – 27 – 3
R. Palmer 2 – 0 – 26 – 0
T. Collis 3 – 0 – 32 – 1
London Saints
T. Collis ct Lynch b Nye 7
M. Dollin ct Ryder b Nye 5
Thomas ct Ryder b Clifford 13
Cowley ct Radburn b Gibbons 17
Palmer not out 58
Nanton ct Radburn b Mill 15
Wilson b Le Juge 1
R. Griffiths c + b Nye 1
O. Griffiths b Smill 2
Lana ct Radburn b Lynch 1
Speedtwin ct + b Radburn 0
Mayhew (A) dnb
Extras 31
Total 151 all out in 33.3 overs
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