Wraysbury Cricket Club and the M.C.C.

On Thursday I had a busy day - in the morning I was back up at Hospital for some more bad news - no surprise there because it's too early to get a result for the current chemo.

Then we went to Tesco's to do the shopping on the way back. So I was fairly tired by the end of it all.

But it's 'Cricket Week' - Wraysbury Cricket Clubs annual festival. They have four days of matches and today the mighty M.C.C. were playing.

If I'd had the long and happy retirement I deserved I would have done all the things I didn't have time to do. I would have travelled the world, taken up fishing again......and I would have watched lots of Cricket.

So today, I spent the afternoon watching the second half of the game....even if I did nod off a few times.

You can just about see the red and yellow of the M.C.C. flag on the left of the pavillion.

The M.C.C. (Marylebone Cricket Club) is the oldest club of all; they own Lord's, control the rules of the game, and they send out many teams to play games around the country like this one. Sending out quality players to local little clubs to raise the standards of the game.

It's all a bit feudal and it's not quite me but it made for a good match. They were always going to be good.

And as soon as I sat down my heart sank - the M.C.C. had finished their innings with 233 runs and although it was a limited over match that was a tough target to meet.

Then I saw the fielding; crisp and tight and not letting anything through.

Then I watched their bowling - two really fast ones and really up for it.

Gulp!

We didn't score more than about a run an over for the first 2 or 3 overs.

And it was quite cold and overcast, I took this when the clouds parted;

Then it started to turn into a perfect afternoon.

Nicely hit.

The openers got into their stride and hit a few before they were out.

Then the middle order started slogging it out;

The run rate was creeping up - to about 4 an over. And I'm starting to do those frantic calculations you have to do in a limited overs game - we needed at least 5 an over to be in with a chance.

Then there were a couple of LBW's and a run out and it was all going very wrong.

Then they tried their medium bowlers and a spinner and it wasn't working out for them for a change.

Our village slogging started to pay off - this batsman had a great time hitting a couple of 6's and a fair few 4's;

And then I'm stood on the boundary line waiting as the score got closer and closer until in the end we won with about an over and a half to spare.

Oh Wow!

The scorer had given up at this point;

It was a very exciting game indeed and well won against the odds.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
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