Good morning all
On Sunday we welcomed Bures to the Pleasuredome.
Match reporter this week is the Chairman, Stew Wells.
So, our penultimate game arrived on Sunday against local rivals Bures CC.
Scheduled for a 1pm start, we popped into the Hare and Hounds for some pre-match drinks. The skipper was then alerted that a few lads were running late, so he called the Bures captain and pushed the start back to 1.30pm. Cue Rob Sherriff turning up at the pub to complain that the entire Bures team were already there and ready to start! After a lengthy discussion—and the offer of a beer—Rob calmed down, and we carried on with our pre-match preparations.
We arrived at the Pleasuredome for 1pm, ready to do battle. It was then discovered that we didn’t have a wicketkeeper—or any wicketkeeping gear. Classic village. Chown volunteered, and thankfully we managed to find some wicketkeeping pads and gloves from approximately 1974 in the pavilion.
Jepson actually won the toss and elected to bat, mainly so he could watch the United game on his phone. Dave and Logan opened the batting, and steady progress was made. Dave was the first to depart, scoring 12 from 12 overs—a real borefest. We had to wake Colin up after Dave’s innings, and he quickly made his way to the crease. Unfortunately, Colin couldn’t recapture his form from his first game for LCC and scored just one.
Jepson, phone in hand, set about taking the attack to the Bures bowlers. Logan recorded his first fifty of the season, making a well-played 51, while Jepson contributed 22. Deepak and Si also batted well, with Si scoring nine, including two crunching fours.
Little Olly was caught for a duck amid some very unsporting behaviour from Bures. He had faced only two balls, yet they refused to give the ten-year-old a second life. Wickets continued to fall, with Chown, Wells, Archer and eventually Waugh all becoming victims of the Bures attack.
We set Bures 168 to win—probably around 40 runs short of what was needed.
Tea was provided courtesy of Mr Logan, featuring the usual “DIY” spread and some cracking cups of Yorkshire Tea.
Waugh and Wells were thrown the ball to open the bowling for LCC. Waugh bowled very well during his five-over spell, taking two wickets. Wells also bowled five overs, creating chances through the slips but finishing wicketless this week.
Colin was brought into the attack, but the talented Bures batsmen fancied his bowling, with the ball disappearing to all parts of the ground. Deepak kept things tight at the other end and picked up one wicket.
Enter Jepson, looking to break a solid partnership—and he did, with the Bures batsman caught by Waugh on the boundary. At this stage, Bures were 130/4, so there was still a chance of victory. Logan bowled well at the other end but couldn’t find the wicket we desperately needed.
Chown, having removed his 1974 wicketkeeping gear, was thrown into the attack alongside little Olly. Bures eventually reached the target with four wickets in hand.
Overall, it was a great game. We had a few chances in the field, but at the end of the day, we needed another 40-odd runs to put them under real pressure.
We popped back into the Hare and Hounds for a debrief—no Rob Sherriff this time. A few beers and some pork scratchings were just the right medicine.
Our final game is in two weeks. We go again.