WILTSHIRE COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB

Worcestershire 70s v Wiltshire 70s

29th September @ Malvern CC.

​

As we search for our slippers and settle into a comfortable armchair, while watching the rain beat against the windows, we try to remember the details of ‘that summer’. In particular, on a beautiful late September day at the picturesque Malvern Cricket Club, over-shadowed to the West by the ancient Malvern hills, Wiltshire’s Very Seniors played their last game of the season, their third this year against their old rivals Worcestershire. Disappointingly, yet again Andy Clinning lost the toss and Wiltshire were invited to bat. The old firm of Redding and Robinson started comfortably until, with the score at 9, Robinson hit a wide one for four but, losing his balance, dislodged a bail. This brought the talismanic figure of Lerwill to the wicket: starting in his own confident way, he played one belligerent shot for 4, scampered another single and then, playing at a ball that ‘popped’ (or so Keith confirmed later), the ball skied to backward cover, where the catch was taken. John Matthews then came in and, after nearly finding his touch was beaten by the throw and was run out. With the score at 23 for 3, ‘Basher’ Brind strode to the crease intent on making amends for a disappointing season; a few lusty blows and the ‘Prof’ was waxing eloquent that this was Basher’s day; as is often the case, 2 balls later, Mike attempting another big-hit was caught at wide mid-on. That was 45 for 4 but ten runs later anchor-man, Keith Redding, was apparently run out: well, that’s what the score book says! Moore-Colyer now joined Graham Iles and the score moved on to 79 before M-C was adjudged LBW for 11. This brought the out-of-form Robin Du Boulay (now affectionately referred to as Hornby 00) to join his erstwhile Goatacre team mate; with some sensible batting including some fine shots and sophisticated batting from Hornby: sadly, for him, progress up the 20-odd yards of track became a perilous and extended exercise requiring special refreshment breaks at regular intervals. The scoring rate, described by one of the batsmen as reasonable was clearly below-par; Iles fell attempting to boost the score when he was clean bowled for a useful 24, with only 10 balls left. Alan Stratford was over-looked for the final pinch-hitting role, so that left Hornby, with a much improved 23 not out off 36 balls and JW 2 from 4 to take the score to 118 for 7. As expected, even on a slow wicket, we could have done with another 30 or 40 runs but some watchfil batting, after losing early wickets, had given Wiltshire an outside chance of tying Worcestershire down.

After the, now usual, covid-style tea-break, Worcestershire, opening with Fisher and Middleton started cautiously against the accurate bowling of Clinning and Stratford; with the score on 4 in the second over Stratford induced a false stroke from Middleton, who was well caught by Peter Robinson. After 8 overs, Clinning threw the ball to Williams, whose 3 overs proved expensive and ineffective with no reward for 12. The accurate Lerwill came on and induced caution but the run rate continued at about 4 an over. After 11 overs and with the score on 45, Liddington was brought on: back from holiday (and a further fortnight of forced seclusion), Stuart immediately trapped Davis (the number 3) LBW: his unmistakeable approach to the wicket and youthful appearance must bring on panic in opposition batsmen, because early wickets are Stuart’s forte. With Lerwill tying up one end, the score had crept up to 80 in the twenty-third over when Fisher, anxious to secure a well-deserved 50, skied in the attempted direction of cow-corner, only to see a number of fielders converging, all of whom retired on hearing Lerwill insistently calling for and taking a well-judged catch in the vicinity of silly mid-on. Meanwhile, Moore-Colyer, replacing Liddington in the 22nd over, continued to tie down the Worcestershire batsmen with his accurate left-arm round the wicket bowling: Lerwill, 1 for 19 off 8 and M-C 0 for 13 off 5, proving effective. Andy Clinning, with his new-found reputation for cleaning up the middle-order, came back to replace Lerwill and, with his 9th ball clean bowled Price. But that was the last success with Dick (Wilberforce) Brown, the Worcestershire Manager finding form with the bat and G. Thomas, with instructions to ‘finish it’, and the final runs came quickly with 20 in the last 13 balls, securing victory in the 33rd over, by 6 wickets. So, Worcestershire won the series of games by 2 – 1, These games are always enjoyable with a great spirit of camaraderie on both sides. With Wiltshire ably led again by Andy Clinning, our team has recorded victories against all the sides we’ve played (except Devon). Many thanks to all the 21 players who turned out this year, recording 2nd place in the Southern section of the West of England competition; it has been agreed that the play-off for overall 2nd place against Wales will be held in April, when, hopefully, Covid-19 has not become Covid-21, and we can play a full season.

​

​

Wiltshire 70s v Surrey 70s

15th September @ Marlborough CC.

 

It was one of those mornings when even the most doom-laden of men could hardly fail to be optimistic. As the hot sun beat down  from a cloudless sky to brighten the stubbles and newly-cultivated uplands of the Downs, and buzzards lazily drifted upon the thermals, it was difficult to imagine that this strange and surreal summer would soon be over. At least, so it seemed to your correspondent as he made his way over Hackpen Hill towards Marlborough, there to join other senior Wiltshire cricketers for their match against Surrey. If the Surrey side had previously proved too strong for the home team, today, perhaps would usher in a reversal of fortunes. Winning the toss, Andy Clinning followed his normal procedure of inviting the opposition to bat, on this occasion on a wicket which showed signs of being somewhat under-prepared and likely to offer opportunities to a disciplined bowling attack. Unusually, he declined to open the bowling himself, turning instead to the ever-reliable John Williams who, with that dogged campaigner Alan Stratford, wheeled away for eight overs by which time Surrey had reached a total of 36 runs.  Stratford and Williams would re-enter the attack at a later stage to complete their bowling spells with, respectively, 8-1-39-1 and 6-1-22-1. As Clinning bided his time, bowling duties were undertaken by the combination of Tim Lerwill (8-0-33-0) and Richard Moore-Colyer (6-0-26-0) who continued in tandem into the seventeenth over, after which, with the Surrey score at 84 and all wickets in hand, the skipper played his master card. Ever the subtle-witted tactician, he brought himself on to bowl from the southern end, relying upon the mysterious and wily variations of Cyril Yorke at the opposite end. In short order, Clinning dismissed both Surrey openers, the first smartly stumped by Keith Reddding and the second clean bowled. He subsequently bowled the next pair of batsmen so that by over number 25 the score stood at 96. The fire was not yet extinguished and when he completed his spell in the thirty-fifth over by bowling the unhappy Maynard for a duck, his analysis stood at 8-1-20-5. Andy Clinning has bowled with accuracy and consistency throughout the whole of this attenuated season, often with little reward in terms of wickets. Today's good fortune was richly deserved! As the man from the north laid waste to Surrey's choicest at one end, the  crafty Swindonian went about his work in his inimitable fashion. Yorke might best be described as a “super slow” bowler, so much so that a batsman of a certain turn of mind might conceive of a brief poem, decide upon a dinner menu or reflect upon a sorry love life between the moment of the ball being delivered and its arrival within some proximity of his bat. As each ball describes a parabola of varying amplitude, the batsman is confronted with so wide a range of decisions, that he often ends up doing little more than gently prodding the delivery back to the bowler. This being the case, the worthy Yorke was able to contribute to Wiltshire's efforts with figures of 5-0-15-0. When N. Williams was smartly caught by Tim Lerwill at short fine leg off one of the less refulgent deliveries of his Wiltshire namesake and R.Montgomery was run out as a result of an excellent throw by Peter Robinson, the score had reached 125 for 7 wickets in the thirty second over. The remaining overs were shared by Moore-Colyer, Lerwill and Stratford, the latter having D.Turner stumped off the final ball in the innings which, with 15 extras, totalled 164. When Keith Redding (7) was once again adjudged LBW in the sixth over of Wiltshire's reply, Tim Lerwill strode to the crease to join Peter Robinson, who, busy as ever, was in the process of putting together 29 runs before being bowled in the fifteenth over. Thanks to his efforts and the inevitable plunder of the irrepressible Colonel, the score had climbed to 88 by the time he returned to the sidelines.  As he sits outside the pavilion discussing cricket, politics or the baleful banalities of political correctness, the Colonel is the quintessential English gentleman. But with a bat in his hand he is transformed into a belligerent bully and like a vengeful Fate strikes fear into the most steadfast and sanguine of bowlers. In partnership with Adrian Jeffrey, who patiently accumulated 29 not out in 56 balls, Lerwill battered the ball to all points of the ground before he was asked by Skipper Clinning to retire. His innings, exhausting and exhilarating to watch, produced 63 runs, including no less than 23 fours. 

With the Colonel's departure in the twenty first over, Wiltshire had reached 113 for the loss of only two wickets. There now followed a rather less frenetic passage of play as Robin du Boulay, MCC cap proudly worn, came to join Jeffrey in the sunshine. Since he had not featured in the bowling attack, Clinning was offering him the opportunity to display his much-vaunted batting skills. It was clear from the outset, however, that he was  hardly at the peak of his form, and in the course of 21 balls was unable to muster more than four runs before being comprehensively stumped in the twenty fifth over. Graham Iles has had very little luck with the bat in recent games, but today he was to make hay under the sun. The iron had clearly entered his soul and a fine display of clean hitting and sharp running between the wickets belied the fact that he had been labouring on his broad acres since 5 a.m. By the thirty fourth over he had forged his way to 26 runs and, in fruitful partnership with the ineffable Jeffrey had managed effortlessly to overhaul the Surrey total with the loss of only three wickets. A happy crowd now celebrated another Wiltshire win, while players settled down to enjoy the jug of ale supplied by a smiling skipper. As a rule Andy Clinning's smiles carry about them an ironic and wry flavour. Today they were the smiles of contentment at a job well done. 

​

Hampshire 70s v Wiltshire 70s

10th September @ Twyford CC.

​

It was only natural that following their Lerwillian Waterloo in August, Hampshire Senior players looked on with some trepidation as the Colonel's motor swept into the car park of the delightful Twyford cricket ground. At Goatacre several weeks earlier he had seemed, like the Tirpitz or the Graf Spee, to be almost unsinkable; a dire threat to lesser vessels and a dark, awesome and lethal presence to be feared beyond fear itself. Hampshire supporters could only hope that by some means or other his effortless ability to plunder runs could be curtailed. Perhaps, on a grassy wicket which, on the face of it would favour the bowling side, his belligerence might be nipped in the bud. Time alone would tell. 

    Meanwhile, as a warm sun shone over the ground, the coin was flipped and skipper Andy Clinning invited the Hampshire side to try their luck with the bat. As Clinning (8-2-0-23) himself and fellow opening bowler Alan Stratford set about their work, scoring proved difficult and by the tenth over ( by which time Stratford had persuaded opener Tony Adams to edge a catch to Keith Redding behind the stumps) the scoreboard registered a mere 28 runs. Henceforth Messers Foreman and Swain pushed the score steadily forward so that by the twenty sixth over 115 runs were on the board. But during this over the wily Stratford (8-1-39-2) returned to  strike for the second time when Foreman was stumped for a well-made 44. Throughout this passage of play the bulk of the bowling was shared by Tim Lerwill and John Williams. The former was hardly at his refulgent best, returning figures of 8-1-52-1. However, returning to the fray after a lengthy period of nagging injury, Williams seemed skittish, frisky and rejuvenated. Having dismissed Mick Swain for 52, he bowled with his usual penetrative accuracy, his 8 overs conceding only 20 runs. The inimitable skills of Robin du Boulay (3-1-0-20) were briefly deployed before Richard Moore-Colyer (5-0-24-0) was ask to hold up one end during the final 10 overs of the game as Stratford and Lerwill completed their spells. 

   With the useful addition of twenty four extras, Hampshire amassed a final score of 191 for the loss of four wickets, perhaps twenty or thirty runs more than they would have accumulated had it not been for Wiltshire's abject ground fielding. With two or three notable exceptions, Wiltshire fielding and catching throughout this attenuated season has taken ordinariness to the point of genius. Even taking account of tired limbs, dimming eyes and the many other afflictions to which age is heir, there can be no excuse for lack of effort! 

    In any event, it was generally felt in the Wiltshire camp that it was well within the capabilities of their batsmen to overhaul the opposition's score. Batting strength extended well down the order and three of the four early batsmen were in excellent form. Peter Robinson, moreover, recently returned from the dubious (and bibulous?) pleasures of a golf tour, was raring to go; all augured well. 

    Perhaps it was the effects of the golf tour or perhaps it was the descent of the red mist, but having scored three runs Robinson miscued an ambitious leg side shot in the fourth over to offer a simple catch. At his dismissal five runs were registered on the scoreboard and fellow-opener Keith Redding was now joined by the dangerous Tim Lerwill. If events followed their normal course, this partnership would establish a platform for victory. For a while the pair prospered until, to the unfeigned delight of the Hampshire fielders,  the Colonel was bowled by John Paine for 17 runs. For a brief moment there descended upon the crowd the sort of deep silence which normally followed the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar in a packed Indian stadium. 

    But all was not lost. Few of those who had witnessed his undefeated half century against Worcester in late July doubted Adrian Jeffery's ability to repair the damage. As he walks slowly to the crease the tall and languid Jeffrey somehow gives the impression that a cricket field is the last place on earth he wishes to be. But once in the middle, all is action and movement. Scurrying singles, pressurising the field and driving boundaries to all points of the ground Jeffrey and Redding pushed the score on to 109 by the 23rd over when Redding was eventually bowled for 39 runs after an innings of 84 minutes. Jeffrey himself followed Redding to the pavilion the next over having collected 43 runs in only 46 balls, before being bowled by the rampant Peter Tapper who himself finished with the remarkable figures of 6-1-12-5. 

    As Mike (Basher) Brind and Graham Iles followed each other to and from the crease in unseemly succession with a single run apiece, Wiltshire's position seemed bleak, the prospect of victory being akin to the potential survival of a snowflake in the desert. But there were still wickets to fall. Batting at number seven, Richard Moore-Colyer came in in the 27th over when approximately a run per ball was needed to reach the required total. Admittedly the Hampshire bowlers were on top of their game and bowling with great accuracy and consistency, yet surely, with four wickets in hand and sharp running between the wickets these runs could somehow be cobbled together? But like late fruit falling off the tree after the first autumn frost, the final wickets tumbled, four of them for a total of nine runs. Moore-Colyer remained undefeated on 15 and a beaten Wiltshire side left to ponder on what might have been. 

​

Wales 60+ v Wiltshire 60+

1st Sept @ Sudbrook CC

Wales away is always going to be a tough fixture and their all round strength on display in the home fixture was reinforced when we arrived at probably the closest ground to England (thank you for that) to see the same team with the addition of their captain who was previously unavailable. Rich Harris is a quality all-rounder who was man of the match for England in 2 of the 3 Ashes tests last year. Wilts welcomed Chris Barrow for his first game back from a shoulder injury. Still smarting from our previous inability to chase a big Welsh total we won the toss and chose to bat on what looked like a good wicket with a bit of grass on it. The skipper set a modest target of 220-240 with the intention of strangling the reply. That sounded good as Tim Lerwill and Richard Guy strode to the crease: less so 15 overs later at 26 for 6 and the aforementioned Harris had taken 5 for 11. Now at this point for the benefit of those who study the scorecard it should be pointed out that the
agreed Covid-19 guidelines for this competition was that the away team did not need to provide a scorer and this led to a degree of confusion which renders the official record of the game in play cricket somewhat challenged. In all fairness, and despite being provided with a batting order, the Wales scorer was defeated by the clear challenge of differentiating between the old bloke in the green cap and the other old bloke in the green cap. Thus Tim Mynott’s (who wore a jumper throughout) heroic innings of 35 was largely credited to Mark Banham who in fact played and missed for 5 overs before holing out to the first one that he got a bat to, and Gordon Heywood who stayed with Tim for a very good 19. That allowed Wiltshire to creep up beyond the impending 50 odd and, with an injection of 18 by Simon Wells to set a target of 92 to win. About 170 below par but to our credit we kept them out there for 39 overs and it was far from easy. The ball was seaming prodigiously and Wales bowled very tightly, aided by a number of woody LBWs within the 5 given including the unfortunate Mick Hunter first ball to a leading edge which was of the three touches he got for his tenner. Oh well as long as they are consistent we thought. The bowling plan left little to the imagination. Attack the bat and try to make inroads: Wales on the other hand were clearly confident of an early finish. Mynott and Banham opened and good accurate bowling led to an early breakthough by Mynott (1-30) followed by a further 4 for Banham(4-30) and Wales reduced to 27 for 5 (gratifyingly 4 LBW). Another wicket or two and there was a serious possibility of an upset. Gordon Heywood and Simon Wells came on at first change and despite both maintaining a solid line and length wickets did not come and Wales eventually ground out a 5 wicket victory after 23 overs. No chances were missed and another 40 runs would have made life interesting. It was a lot harder for Wales than they expected even though they bowled with a Duke’s ball that seamed prodigiously and then gave us a Reader which didn’t! Once again we blew away a good batting top order but had insufficient runs on the board to exploit that. That ends the season which, whilst on points may seem disappointing was nevertheless an opportunity to play a large number of different players and have a good look at those who will be around when it gets competitive next year. From the skippers perspective we have a good combination of bowlers to choose from but need to be more consistent in the top 7 batting so that at least one of us is posting 50 plus because the teams that we are playing are all doing precisely that. We fielded well throughout, particularly Rich behind the stumps and, most importantly this year we enjoyed our cricket which is, after all what it should all be about.

​

Wiltshire 60+ v Somerset 60+

18th August @ Marlborough CC

​

Having got close to Somerset at their place it was with some degree of optimism that Wiltshire gathered at the very familiar Marlborough ground to play host in the return fixture.  The skipper was able to select what looked on paper as pretty much the strongest side available: certainly on the bowling front, and the return of the Messiah Mathias on his own track promised fireworks from the off. 

 

The wicket had some grass on it as is customary in those parts and there was mote than a hint of rain if not in the air then certainly in the forecast. The two captains conducted a prolonged discussion with the umpires to lay out the reduction regulations and decided to adopt the DL which the scorer had on his laptop and no-one had ever used before so what could possibly go wrong with that?  In the end there was only the briefest of showers and no play was lost as we watched the Almighty punishing Chippenham and Swindon with a prolonged deluge: and people say that a Marlborough postcode is not advantageous. Having won the toss Wiltshire decided to bowl as the perceived wisdom was that any reduction would favour the side batting second. There was no hint as to what their skipper would have done although it is fair to say that he was already padded up. 

 

With the seam twins of Mathias and Mynott all set to take full advantage of swinging conditions . Tim Mynott, having by now realised that his trusted ally was not umpiring this week took the down wind end and allowed Pete the hill – up hill that is. A very steady start was punctuated by the rather disturbing sounds of the ball hitting the middle of the left hander’s bat. You know that noise that sort of implies that cover is not a great place to stand, and for Phil Jones at short extra cover it was verging on downright foolhardy. Notwithstanding this the first few overs set a good pattern and then Mathias produced the perfect ball that pitched middle at the back of a length and then hugged the turf for the remaining 7 yards leaving the unfortunate batsman staring towards the pavilion and where it would have finished had it bounced in any form at all. Squeezing commiserations out of the giggles we bade him farewell and welcomed their skipper, a well known quantity. They moved on at a steady 3 an over until Pete produced another wonderball, this time a genuine one that cut back through the gate and tipped middle to make it 33-2.  A stand then developed that saw off our opening pair (Mathias a very solid 8-3-22-2 and both with an economy under 3) and saw the introduction of the skipper for a quick fire 4 over spell that contained without penetrating, and Phil Knight who found his length, which it has to be said was pretty much unplayable. Mention here to Ritchie Bryant who was taking length balls over his right shoulder and missed nothing all day. Phil bowled 8 overs 2-38 and was a handful throughout. Phil Jones bowled  5 overs of left arm round which never really troubled the batsmen who had little real bounce or turn to contemplate and Dave Allen made up the compliment once again showing his worth with 3 for 41 off 7.  Somerset ended on 178 for 8 without ever getting away from us, their other opener scoring a very creditable 97 however it looked at least par and the wicket was not easy. We fielded much better this week and they had to work for their runs but still set over 5 an over. 

 

Wiltshire opened the batting with Lerwill and Guy, the former caught for 7 leaving Richard and Dave Allen to work through the new ball. As stated last week Allen is a batsman who, if you don’t get him out will take the game way from you: Somerset obviously realised that and had him LBW for 2. A stand then followed between Guy and Mynott who put on 41 in under 10 overs which put us back on track. The loss of Mynott caught for 20 brought in John Wilkins who was caught trying to force the pace, and John Bathe who scored 13 in even time. The loss of Guy for a very well made 55 in the 31st over left Wiltshire with 9 overs to make 80 odd – just shy of 9 an over. Banham then came in and set about the task with some gusto. It is probably fair to say that as long as he was on strike it did not look beyond the realms of possibility. It was at this point that fate played its hand in the guise of the Somerset 12th man who was called to substitute for the high scoring opening bat whose body clearly was not prepared for a 75 over day.  Having run from the score box he was then immediately handed the ball and invited to bowl. A cursory enquiry as to his eligibility was met with an assertion that this was all above board and anyway Wales did it to them. This then is what followed with a mixed outcome: the first being that having sat in the scorebox for the thick end of 70 overs he then sent down a variety of filth that was dispatched to all areas including the horse field where it remains to this day.  This other was that in the course of this both Banham (32 off 25 balls)  and Jones were caught off his bowling. In the end Wiltshire finished 28 shy on 150for 8 and the game was lost. 

 

The after match was well hosted in the Marlborough bar under strict Covid rules and I don’t think that the subject of the 12th man came up at all. As a postscript and having checked what was put out in the formation of the friendly league competition this is indeed allowed and probably encouraged: so if anyone fancies travelling to an away game in order to field the last 10 overs and possibly have a bowl I am open to offers.  As to the lessons from the game, it was probably a fair result because they had the worst of the track and once again we became swamped by a challenging run rate.   

 

Wiltshire 70+ v Hampshire 70+

13th August @ Goatacre CC

If the village of Goatacre originally derived its name from those disagreeable and malodorous animals, its genteel streets rang to the discordant notes of bellowing cattle as Wiltshire's senior cricketers descended upon the cricket ground to confront their Hampshire counterparts. The sky was grey, the atmosphere heavy, and the threat of rain ever-present although the pitch itself looked to be full of runs. Behind a recently-erected defensive structure rather reminiscent of a wartime anti-submarine net, the denizens of the retirement home on the periphery of the ground peered from their windows in excited anticipation of drama on the greensward. In the event they having won the toss, Hampshire elected to bat and their openers set about their work in a brisk and businesslike fashion until, in the twelfth over, in the first of his two stumpings, Keith Redding removed Ian Watson off the penetrative bowling of Tim Lerwill (8-0-1-24) when the score stood at 46. The second and third wickets fell to Stuart Liddington who returned final figures of 6-0-48-2, while Andy Clinning, bowling with his usual metronomic accuracy, contribute eight overs for thirty four runs. By the twenty fourth over the Hampshire score had reached 101 and despite two typically aggressive spells of bowling from Alan Stratford (8-1-40-3), a couple of indifferent overs from Messers Iles and Moore-Colyer, and a sequence of mesmerising deliveries from Robin du Boulay (8-0-38-0), the visitors forged ahead to post an impressive total of 221 for the loss of six wickets. Had it not been for the skilfull and subtle field placings conjured up by skipper Clinning, the score faced by Wiltshire batsmen might have been even more formidable. Either way, there was a significant mountain to climb. Realising that in excess of two hundred runs was unlikely to be chased down following a slow start, Clinning delivered appropriate instructions to his opening batsmen and the usual pairing of Keith Redding and Peter Robinson pushed the score along to 45 by the sixth over when the mercurial Robinson (9) launched a tremendous drive at a straight ball only to hear the death rattle as the stumps splayed out behind him. His lips firmly pursed and his shoulders square, Tim Lerwill strode purposefully to the crease, the very quintessence of grim determination. There now followed twenty three overs of testosterone-charged bellicosity as the Colonel laid waste to the Hampshire attack. Bowlers came and bowlers went as he drove, cut,swept, bashed and battered his way to 50 in forty balls. But more mayhem was to come. Rather like a Saxon berserk fuelled with mead, he lay into the opposition with bloody intent. Similar to the unfortunate rats in one of those nineteenth century sporting prints where a terrier is put into an enclosure to kill as many as he might within a set time, the Hampshire fielders scattered far and wide as Lerwill put their bowlers to the sword. The century was reached in 78 balls and eighty thrilling minutes before he was finally dismissed for 115 ( seventeen fours and one six) in the thirtieth over when the score had reached 205. Throughout this astonishing tour de force, the reliable Redding was quietly accumulating his own runs. In a measured and intelligent innings during which he was content to give the strike to the irrepressible Lerwill whenever feasible, Redding batted with the elegance, determination and style for which he has become increasingly renowned. With eight beautifully crafted boundaries to all points of the ground he finished his account with 59 not out in 65 balls. Following the dismissal of the Colonel with seventeen runs still required Wilshire nerve endings began to tingle. Captain Clinning and Captain Emeritus John  Williams paced nervously outside the pavilion reflecting on the various occasions when Wiltshire had managed to wring defeat from the jaws of victory. But their misgivings proved unfounded as Graham Iles (12 n.o.) joined Redding and in the thirty fifth over scored the winning runs with a glorious six over mid-wicket. Incoming batsmen Richard Moore-Colyer, Mickey Dean and “Basher” Brind could do little more than look on in wrapt admiration. Among the many joys of playing and watching cricket are the off-field dramas. Residents of the retirement home and local denizens watching from their sequestered gardens might have borne witness to several minor events which matter little in the great order of things, but lend richness and colour to the totality of the day. A du Boulay dog being tenderly swabbed for a mouth abscess, a du Boulay son anxiously attempting to photograph his father in his pomp on the field, a dispute over the identity of a raptor and, to crown all, the issue of Mrs Clinning and the bird. In the cool shade of the trees on the western side of the ground Mrs Clinning wrestled with the intricacies of the Daily Express crossword while Tim Lerwill was blazing his way to glory. Way above a bird floated lazily on the breeze and, doubtless taking little notice of the cricket but vaguely aware of a certain fullness of the system, evacuated enthusiastically and accurately to deliver a substantial deposit upon the newspaper. Surprised but unabashed, Mrs Clinning completed the crossword! It is fondly to be hoped that following a splendid victory, the coolness shown by Mrs C will diffuse into the mindset of Wiltshire players as they travel to give battle to Devonshire next week.

​

​

Wiltshire 60+ v Wales 60+

11th August  @ Swindon CC

​

When the decision was made to make the visitors life easier and offer Wales a straight run down the M4 to Swindon many factors were taken into consideration. The lovely ground, the batting wicket, the fast outfield and of course the ease of travel. One factor that was not then in vogue was that Swindon was spiking at an R factor of 75: mitigated of course by the containment of the spike in three specific business locations, and the post office, and the Tesco next door to the County ground. Add to that temperatures of plus 35 and the groundsman’s cheerful briefing that the tap water was undrinkable. Despite al of that the ground was a picture and once we had persuaded the local coach that having a 40 metre boundary to allow him to use a net on the edge of the square was probably not a great idea, the game commenced. Wales won the toss and batted: the most predictable decision since Boris backed Dominic Cummings. They are a national team in their own right (they were invited to the World Cup in November until it was postponed ) so we expected a very capable top order and they did not disappoint. Tim Mynott and Gordon Heywood opened the bowling and a sharp stumping by Rich Bryant off Heywood offered hope at 3-1, however that withered in the heat as Wales moved on to 120 with a steady 5 per over run rate, punishing loose bowling and rotating the strike well. This despite a tidy period of change bowling by the Phil Knight and the debutant Phil Jones 8-1-31 who fully justified their call up. The introduction of Tim Lerwill and Mark Banham offered momentary respite before Wales set about the final 15 overs to end on 252 for 4. probably about par as anything missing the infielders was running to the boundary. The fielding was not to our normal high standards, not many dropped but lots of feet being used in the outfield and 1s going for 4 which did not help, all that said 40 overs at 5.5 seemed a possibility. Without a recognised second opening bat the skipper opened with Tim Lerwill on the premise that if they got a start then the run rate was assured. That theory lasted three balls when the skipper missed a nip backer and Dave Allen fund himself facing the fourth. He and Lerwill then began scoring steadily pushing the score beyond 50 until Lerwill succumbed to the heat and was forced to leave the field. Tim Mynott and Allen continued to score freely taking the score to 90 and it seemed that even the metronomic Welsh bowling attack was failing to hold them. Dave Allen is a batsman who will continue to score at a frightening rate until the opposition get him out and Wales were obviously blissfully unaware of this. Sadly at 92 the decision was taken out of their hands when a comfortable 1 turned into an impossible 2 and he was run out trying to get back in. The game then entered an interesting stage where the next 3 batsmen were all clean hitters and any one of them could have taken the game away. Graham Horn stayed with Mynott for 12, John Bathe Came and went for 3 and John Wilkins stayed around for a well earned 26 but none was able to dominate the tight bowling. Tim Mynott was eventually out for a very creditable 36 followed by Gordon Heywood leaving the new boys to handle the last couple of overs and the game was lost by 73 runs. Wales are a good cricket team and they do not offer much slack however we let them score 40 runs too many and that put the game out of our reach. They are not spectacular but they do the simple things well and we were out played in batting, bowling and fielding on the day. Much to learn for the return fixture.

​

​

 

Somerset 70+ v Wiltshire 70+

Thurs 6th Aug @ Failand CC

​

Some distance to the west of the Failand cricket ground the magnificent Severn Bridge lays against the backdrop of the sad, wet, hills of Wales. On a fine day when the sun glints from the water and the Somerset woods and fields are at their luxuriant finest, the view from the ground can lift the spirits of the gloomiest of men. The sixth of August was not such a day and when the Wiltshire cricketers and their loyal band of followers descended upon Failand they were greeted by louring cloud and a weeping sky. On the face of it the prospects of play seemed remote, more especially since the splendid set of pitch covers alongside the ground had (unaccountably) not been pressed into service. As your correspondent gathered blackberries in a nearby lane, other players nibbled on sandwiches, sipped tea, gossiped, grumbled and reminsced until, shortly after 2 o'clock, the sun reluctantly put in an appearance and the game (reduced to 30 overs per innings) was soon afoot. 

When Somerset had elected to bat, Wiltshire skipper Andy Clinning, consonant for his growing reputation for innovation and creative thinking, opted to spearhead the attack with Stuart Liddington and Alan Stratford thereby reserving his own refulgent skills for a later period of the game. Liddington immediately responded in his own creative manner by persuading Somerset batsmen numbers two and three to drag wide half volleys onto their stumps so that by the end of the second over the home team had subsided to 5 for 2. Five overs later the mean and hungry Stratford induced opener John Hayward to edge a smart catch to Keith Redding behind the stumps when the score stood at 28. Stratford would eventually finish with figures of 6-0-22-1 while Liddington, who was eventually to dismiss the dangerous Sheppard for a belligerent 52, returned the admirable analysis of 4-0-18-3. By the fourteenth over, Somerset had reached 55 for 5, following the introduction to the attack of Tim Lerwill (6-0-26-1). Clinning now turned to the subtle, if unpredictable, wiles of Robin du Boulay and Richard Moore-Colyer thereby perceptibly raising the collective heartbeat of Wiltshire supporters. Anything could happen. In the event du Boulay (4-0-1-21), whose skittish performance in the field belied his mounting years, bowled Somerset skipper Roger Lines. Moore-Colyer, meanwhile, flattered to deceive, finishing with 4-0-23-0. Clinning himself had entered the fray in the twentieth over when Somerset had reached 90 for 5 and in his usual accurate and parsimonious fashion tested the skills of the Somerset lower order, capturing the scalps of Pearson (sharply caught in the deep by Peter Robinson) and Elkington whom he eventually bowled. Following the run out of Richard Morris, Somerset could add little to their score and the innings closed with the home side scoring 141 and Andy Clinning ending up with 6-0-28-2. It cannot be denied that Wiltshire's ground fielding rarely rose above the mediocre and with three simple catches put to the ground and no less than 16 wides bowled, they threw away the opportunity of restricting the Somerset score to 115-120 which they might reasonably have supposed to be well within their grasp. 

After the usual socially distanced tea and general sanitisation, Peter Robinson and Keith Redding set briskly about their work, carrying the score to nineteen by the sixth over when the busy Robinson (9) was caught behind, his dismissal followed two overs later by that of his partner (10), adjudged LBW off the bowling of Elkington. The coupling of Tim Lerwill and the elegant “Basher” Brind promised to advance the score at some rate with the introduction of first change bowlers whose skills were of a rather lower order than the opening pair. Brind prospered briefly before being caught off the bowling of Morris for 8 runs in the fourteenth over with the score at 59. The tall figure of Adrian Jeffrey, the unconquered hero of the recent game against Worcestershire, now joined the Colonel at the crease and the two set about plundering runs with apparent abandon until the latter was bowled by the accurate Sheppard for a potentially match-winning 45, including five of the seven fours mustered by Wiltshire. With the score at 108 in the twenty third over, anything seemed possible. As the unfortunate Alan Capps (1) was returning to the pavilion he met Richard Moore- Colyer who strode purposefully to join Jeffrey. It was but a brief coupling and in the twenty fifth over the latter was LBW to Sheppard for 24, with the score at 114. At this point bowlers Pearson (6-0-24-3) and Sheppard (6-1-10-2) were in their pomp and it was abundantly clear that boundaries were a doubtful option. On the other hand, with five overs remaining, nudging, nurdling, proactivity and sharp running between the wickets, might just have inched Wiltshire over the line. But it was not to be. Du Boulay, after stoutly defending five balls, was dismissed on the sixth, his first duck for many decades, while Stratford also departed for no score. Stuart Liddington offered some resistance (5), but when Andy Clinning came in to face the final three balls the cause was lost and he and Moore-Colyer (9 n.o) wandered back to the pavilion reflecting upon what might have been. Wiltshire had mustered 132, of which 21 were extras, thereby losing the game by a margin of nine runs. Three things never return; the sped arrow, the spoken word and the lost opportunity.....if only, if only. But I suppose it was ever thus with the game of cricket.