Welcome to the homepage of the Ludlow Nomads Cricket Club. We are a bunch of cricket lovers who mix enthusiasm, fun and talent in not so equal measure. We play like minded sides, preferably in a relaxed but competitive spirit, and preferably in spectacular surroundings.

2022 is our 7th season     

email phil@TIN.events if you would like to play or hear about nets etc.

Talent optional, enthusiasm obligatory

Match report: Nomads V Burwarton May 27th 2022

The 2022 Nomads season started with a new fixture for the team – a T20 against Burwarton – and I’m afraid to report that it also started with probably our heaviest defeat to date. There was some debate over the post-match Carlings as to whether I should describe it as a thrashing, a heavy defeat or a case of being overcome by a stronger side on the day: so I will leave it to the scorebook to tell the story: in the “notes and general remarks” section it simply states “Burwarton win by 8 wickets”. Ouch.

But as we all know its not just about the result, it’s about the joy of the game, and this was another case of a beautiful ground in idyllic rural setting and a competitive but good-natured game against a great bunch of lads that featured beers, burgers and families around the boundary. Which is really what its all about. As well as new fixture, there were new Nomads on the field, so before going any further a big shout out to our debutants James Mathey and Jules Rendall: thank you gentlemen, and welcome to the Nomads.

On arrival at the ground, as well being apparent that we’d found another stunning setting for cricket, it was also apparent that the Burwarton XI were younger and leaner than the Nomads. This did not bode well. The wicket looked a bit green, but following a last minute mow and a roll by a gloriously antique roller (started by crank handle and belching black smoke) looked as good as any we have played on.

Due to both avoidable and unavoidable late arrivals of Nomads I agreed with Joe Williams, the Burwarton skipper, that the Nomads would bat first. I’m afraid our openers fell cheaply to some consistent and accurate bowling, with Matt Pugh amassing just 4 runs and Kev Willis bothering the groundsman more than the scorer by removing a large divot from wicket before falling for a duck. As you will all know, I feel his pain. Rupert Hunt and Dave Newall steadied the ship (a bit) with Rupert second top scoring for the Nomads with a hard won 19 runs, finally falling to a daisy cutter that didn’t get more than 2 inches off the surface. An unlucky end to a solid innings. Dave managed 12. Including one of only 2 sixes in the Nomads innings, before falling to a brilliant catch in the slips. I came and went for 1, playing down the wrong line to a vicious (but far from unplayable it has to be said) inswinger, Dan Baker came and went for just one more run than that (falling to another brilliant catch) and was followed by debutant James Mathey who joined Kev in The Duck Club. We were in the mire at 44 for 7. Our score was made respectable by a batting partnership made up of a Nomad potentially playing his last season for the Nomads (Charlie Minogue) and one of our debutants (Jules Rendall). Charlie’s 11 runs was made up of all singles (a quirk for the statisticians out there) and Jules’s top scoring 23 included a six and 2 fours taken off the last over. Thank you gentlemen, you dragged the Nomads to a decent score of 89. Decent might be a bit flattering for that score, but we hoped it might be enough. Either way, time for a beer and a burger (medium rare) in between innings)

The Nomads bowling was opened by the 2 youngest and freshest Nomads who did not bat – Guy Beazley and Oscar Lywood. Despite pace from Beazley and guile from Lywood, I’m afraid the Burwarton openers had the upper hand, with one scoring 27 including 3 4’s and a six, and the other retiring for a 30 not out that included another six, a couple of 4s and too many singles and two’s – probably due to poor filed placement from your skipper as much as stiff joints and too many beers and burgers from the Nomads. The scoreboard read 54 when the first wicket fell in the 9th over (caught in the deep by Guy Beazley off the bowling of James Mathey) and I was starting to worry about a proper rout. But then the tide turned. For a bit. Some tight bowling from Kev Willis, Dave Newall and Matt Pugh slowed down the Burwarton onslaught, with Matt clean bowling the handy looking Burwarton #3 to claim the only other wicket we managed to take. Charlie Minogue and Jules Rendall also turned their arms over, but with so many overs left and so few runs left to score I’m afraid the inevitable came to pass with the Burwarton numbers 4 and 5 able to take their time, taking singles to what was by necessity a defensive field and picking the balls to spank: there was one particularly brutal flat 6 off a perfectly decent delivery from Charlie, and the coup de grace for the Nomads came in the form of another maximum off the bowling of Jules Rendall. We were done, they had 8 wickets and 3 and a half overs left – a comprehensive victory, it has to be said.

But it also has to be said that is was the perfect way to round off a week, and everyone, both players and spectators enjoyed a glorious summer evening in beautiful surroundings, even if there was a bit of a chilly wind! Highlights for the Nomads we some great batting and gloves from Rupert Hunt (with no byes recorded in the scorebook), a top-scoring debutant in the form of Jules Rendall, the best bowling figures of 1 wicket for 3 runs off 2 overs going to Matt Pugh and Kev & Rupert ball juggling behind the stumps (you had to be there….)

Huge thanks to everyone for playing, especially the debutants, and for everyone who came along to watch. More thanks to Joe Williams and the Burwarton side for being great sports and for laying on the BBQ and beer – much appreciated.

Next Nomads match is June 19th against Brampton Bryan. Let’s hope for a better outcome for the Nomads!

Match report: Ludlow Nomads CC against Brampton Bryan & Leintwardine CC Sunday: 20th June 21, @ Brampton Bryan

So the first encounter of 2021 between the Nomads and Brampton Bryan CC started with a loss: I lost the toss and we were put into bat under leaden skies…this was a fixture that in advance the weather seemed determined to kibosh, but on the day was just good enough to allow to go ahead.

Because of the weather and the light, we went for 30 overs each, retire at 30. Our openers Matt Pugh and Charlie Minogue got us under way with a steady start, taking the sting out of the BB bowling by punishing anything loose. Charlie was the more fluent of the 2, clocking up no fewer than 5 boundaries in his first visit to the crease, the last one just shy of a maximum to take him to 32 not out, and retired. You could not ask for more from your opener. Which brought Kev Willis to the wicket who swung wildly, missed massively and was back in the pavilion after one ball. I was next in, and lasted just as long, going back to a full-length ball that didn’t get an inch off the turf and was out BBW again (Boot Before Wicket). Next in, Dan Baker. Next out, Dan Baker, LBW for one. Well at least he got one…

Our steady start was over. This was more like it. But the Nomads have the wisdom of experience as well as the exuberance of youth in our ranks, and when Dave Newall joined Matt at the crease, I was confident the Nomads ship would be settled. And settled it was: by the time Dave retired at 30 we had nearly 100 runs on the board. This was an eventful period of play. We had BBCC’s ball-polishing, bowler-motivating mid-off supporting his bowler by cracking up as he let go a rank long hop that I think was supposed to be a slower ball; we had the inimitable Lofty Saunders crying “catch” for a skier that he was quite clearly the closest fielder to…and not moving an inch; we had Dave Newall letting loose what can only be described as a lion’s roar as he late cut a ball to slip just before it clattered into his middle stump, and then smashing the very next ball for 6 - thereby concluding his 30-and-retired, ship steadying innings that included four 4’s as well as the monster 6. Well played sir.

And we needed the steadying hand, because with the exception of cameos of 13 and 8 from JT and Stu P respectively, the lower order offered little, with the supposed ringer Olly Williams (more of him later) adding an underwhelming 3, and alas, 2 more ducks were to come: one going to Mark W - making a Willis Pair, a first for the Nomads, something that has only just occurred to me, and something that I should store away for future Nomad-on-Nomad sledging (more of which shortly) -  and the fourth Nomad duck going to our number 11, Ferdi Newall - and it was a pretty typical shot for a number 11 I must say.

This heralded a potential champagne moment for BBCC. Lofty Saunders articulated it perfectly as the next Nomad approached the square: “I’ve never had a had trick”. I don’t know if I missed it from my spot at square leg, but none of his teammates seemed very surprised by this revelation. Sadly, for Lofty, a certain Charlie Minogue was the next Nomad approaching the square, and despite some mildly intimidating crowding of the bat, his lofted ball a foot outside off wasn’t enough to penetrate the textbook defences of the on-form CGO Minogue. Still, nice bowling Mr Saunders. I will leave it to the scorebook to the tell the tale of part 2 of Charlie’s half century: 2, 1, 4, 1, 2, 6, 4. It was peerless. Beautifully timed strokes punishing anything off the line, a disciplined and technically almost perfect defence to anything straight. Almost because it was something straight that brought an end to this match-winning contribution. Something straight and a rush of blood to the head that lead CGO Minogue to swing wildly when he should have deployed that perfect forward defence. And this resulted in the aforementioned Nomad-on-Nomad sledging. It wasn’t pretty. Something about him setting a poor example to the younger players. No mention of the 50 runs. And it came from me. Yes, me, The Skipper of the Beer Side. Now, I would be ashamed of this, but it was such an effective piece of sledging, that I can’t be ashamed. I can apologise though. Sorry Charlie, it probably was a bit rich coming from a man with (another) golden duck to his name (as you vocally pointed out).

This left Dave Newall and Stu Perkins to finish off the innings, and before Stu played all around a straight one Dave added a huge 6 to his 30 not out to provide just one more champagne moment to an innings that set a decent score on a wicket where runs weren’t easy – 155 – and that was dominated by 2 batting performances. Thank you Messrs Newall and Minogue for your batting brilliance, without you we would have been in The Sun by 4.30…

Sadly C19 prevents Brampton Bryan serving their usual sumptuous tea, so after a quick snack of Co-Op sandwiches the Nomads took to the field, ready to defend that 155. We opened the bowling with the ferocious pace of Ferdi Newall. And here I will share the first of 2 insights into the mind of the Skipper of The Beer Sid. Ferdi is QUICK. The BB wicket is variable in bounce (as JT will testify), and this wicket had a wet patch in the middle: I confess I was concerned for the safety of the batsman. So Ed Williams, BBCC skipper and opening batsman (and bloody good bloke BTW) takes his guard a foot in front of the crease, walks down the wicket as Ferdi fires in his exocets, and attempts to smash him through mid-off…it has to be said with some success. Fine, I think, do your worst Ferdi! And he did, and it was quick, and it was a joy to watch.

It was JT from the other end, however, who broke the opening partnership, before the first change of bowling brought a certain Olly Williams on, to face Ed Williams. Now, Olly was my secret weapon with a twist for this match. Despite not overly bothering the scorers with the bat, he’s a ringer for sure (I know this because I recently tried to stop one of his cover drives with my face). But he’s also Ed’s cousin, and it was this that made me desperate to poach him for this match. You may think this is the second insight into the mind of the Skipper of The Beer Side, but it’s not. This is: I ask Olly if he’s quick. “Oh I bowl a bit of seam”. He did more than bowl a bit of seam, let me tell you, he absolutely steamed in to bowl at his cousin, and there followed some family fireworks that was a joy to watch. Ed smashed 3 huge 4s, 2 of them by advancing down the wicket to balls I would hardly have seen, and the other a hook to a short ball that I would have run away from…and Olly cut Ed in half with a couple of vicious deliveries that would have sent most of us back to the pavilion. It was fast, it was furious, and it was FUN. I am going to hand victory to Ed in round 1 of this family rivalry, mainly because I am very keen indeed that Olly plays for the Nomads again in the return match in September when he can level the score…

Meanwhile at the other end Stu Perkins treated us to a disciplined display of spin bowling: 4 overs, 1 maiden, no wickets (in this spell), 8 runs. Invaluable work. Olly got just deserts for his labour by claiming not the wicket he wanted but a valuable scalp nonetheless, the BBCC #3 was ours. And with 14 overs gone the BBCC score was a mere 51 for 2 - and with Ed predictably retiring on 30 not out after another imperious display of batting on his own track, the Skipper of The Beer Side had the luxury of giving some of his potentially more expensive bowlers a go. So I shored up one end by giving the ball to Matt Pugh, and threw caution to the wind by offering Dan Baker an over from the other end. Now, my captaincy (and propensity for Nomad-on-Nomad sledging) was once again called into question here, and I am going to mount a defence. I was very clear with young Dan: if you’re crap I’m taking you off after one. His first four balls went for 12 runs. It was buffet time. So I had a word, publicly indicating that I would take the next over from that end - and was berated for not encouraging my bowler.!  The next 2 balls were dot balls, bang on line, bang on length. What can I say? I of course offered him another over. This one went for 5, less than half of the total of the 4 pre-skipper-sledge. I rest my case.

Meanwhile Ed Williams was joined in the not out club by M. Edwards whose scorebook tells the story:

114144414411

. Ouch, he enjoyed those 4 balls from Dan alright. Still, after 19 overs the score was 83, so I still had runs to play with, and with Matt claiming 2 more BBCC wickets at the other end I decided it was safe to give myself a bowl…and it went OK! I took no wickets but 3 overs for 16 is about as good as it gets for me, and being the Skipper of The Beer Side that I am, I was happy with that, especially as my ruse of replacing Matt with Dave Newall paid off – 4 overs, 2 for 18 at the death says it all – and at the other end replacing myself with Stu Perkins was equally effective: his second spell of 2 overs, 1 maiden 2 wickets for 7 runs was too much for BB. The game was ours! Champagne moments I have missed (because I can’t remember quite when they happened) came when Charlie Minogue, having taken over wicketkeeping duties from the ever reliable and ever athletic Dave Newall (who did some amazing glove work with the quicks BTW) pulled off a stumping form Stu Perkins bowling. I would mention the dropped catches here, but it seems a bit harsh in the light of the earlier sledging and the 50 not out. And then there was Kevin Willis taking a very sharp catch at 45 on the leg: Dave Newall was the bowler, Lofty Saunders was the bat, and he middled it good and proper, and Kev casually snaffled it. I think for one Lofty was actually quite pleased with how he was out…and the final champagne moment has to go to Ed Williams for the inevitable six into his own farmyard. A massive shot off Dave Newall’s death bowling, it didn’t hit the oil tanks (the Ultimate Prize at BB) but it was a suiting end to another brilliant day at this lovely ground against this fantastic team

Yes, we love this fixture at the Nomads. We love the ground, we love the oppo, we love the beer in the Sun afterwards. Thank you Brampton Bryan and Leintwardine Cricket Club. We’ll see you again on September 20th.

Over and Out

The Skipper of The Beer Side

Match report: Ludlow Nomads CC against Brampton Bryan & Leintwardine CC Sunday 13th September, at Brampton Bryan

So this was a great day’s cricket. The sun shone on a glorious setting: the village hall at Brampton Bryan is the pavilion and (usually) the changing rooms and setting for tea, the ground is surrounded by green fields and barns. The pitch was one of those that requires either tutored technique or pure timing to score big runs, and the oppo were as up for it as always. Every Nomad had a decent go and saw some action, there were moments of brilliance and moments of pure village comedy. In the end 5 ducks, 7 missed catches and Ferdi Newall’s fielding was the difference between the 2 sides….here’s how it unfolded:

Ed Williams won the toss and after some decidedly unconventional consultation with The Team Elders decided to put us in.  

Charlie Minogue and Joe Miller opened the Nomads innings with style, against some very tight bowling (1 run from the 1st 3 overs from B. Harvey!). Joe struck a couple of delicious boundaries but would be the first to admit he didn’t get his eye in, and that Charlie was making it look much easier than it was at the other end. Joe and Charlie saw off the openers, before Joe played round a straight one from the oppo’s skipper. Matt Pugh joined Charlie in the middle, who was on fire. This is the technique I am talking about. Our all-time high scorer showed us how it should be done, cruising to unbeaten 54 (retired), including 8 fours and a six and some glorious drives and pulls straight out of the text book. As we were retiring at 50 Charlie made way for your run hungry skipper, who attracted one of the biggest cheers of the day by getting off the mark (even some of the fielders clapped it FFS). And from one end I was to witness Matt giving us an archetypal number 3’s knock, with 5 boundaries in his 28;  a characteristically dashing 17 (including 3 fours) from our Returning Fallen Hero JT (whose Purple Helmet I was wearing BTW); an absolutely magnificent 50 not out and retired from Kev Willis (including six 4s and 2 sixes) that was exemplary of the raw timing that I refer to in my introduction, and the arrival of Dave Newall at the wicket. Bloody hell, you might be thinking, he was out there for a long time. Mmmm, well yes I was, and I am very pleased indeed to say I managed to score 33…less pleased to say it took me half the innings to do so, and that my 33 included 15 singles, 3 twos, 3 dropped catches and an awful of edges. Anyway, when I finally holed out we had a whopping score, 5 overs to go and loads of batting talent in the hutch. My slow scoring meant that Dave Newall, the debutant Richard Lloyd who had crossed borders to play for us, Stu Perkins and the pace attack Ferdi Newall and Robbie Underhill (both accomplished batsmen in their own right) had to swing from the get go - and they all did so with great aplomb…but only Stu really connected, with 3 hang over blasting boundaries to his name. Robbie Underhill was sadly the only Nomad to be out for a duck. Goodness me it feels good to be writing that sentence about someone else. Robbie fell to the last ball of the innings and we were all out for an impressive 236. Richard had suggested 220 was par, and I reckon that’s about right. This was a big score. Champagne moments in this innings included Kev hitting the oil tank in the farmyard on the other side of the road which is the other side of the boundary; two fielders going for the same catch, one calling “Mike’s”, the other one calling “I’m called Mike too”, the ball hitting the turf, the fielders hitting each other. Priceless.  And two classy unbeaten half centuries.

So we had a beer.

And took to the field without any catching practice, which I could tell irked Dave Newall, who I would like to say at the outset not only put in another brilliant display behind the stumps, but has been a great source of support and enthusiasm this season. Thanks mate. Anyway, Robbie Underhill and Ferdi Newall opened the bowling for us and were nothing short of magnificent. They were so good that I had to take them off at the first sanitiser break (yaawwwnn we had to sanitise every 6 overs). I had planned to give them 5 overs each, but after 6 overs Brampton were 28 for 3 so I thought better of it. I am going to let the scorebook do the talking here: F. Newall: 3 overs, 2 wickets for 18 runs, and R. Underhill 3 overs, 1 wickets for a miserly 8 runs. This was class opening bowling: fast, accurate, intimidating. Ferdi took his 2 wickets in consecutive balls…2 of the 4 ducks that he was to be responsible for in a performance that would probably have earnt him man of the match if we went in for such elitist nonsense in the Nomads. After the ‘sani break’ JT’s swing befuggled another Brampton Bryan batsmen, the second LBW of the innings was recorded, and Ed Williams joined the opener Mike Edwards at the crease. Ed is the only batsman to have ever scored a century against the Nomads and

Mike had already shown both technique and timing aplenty, and was well set. You could tell these 2 would take some shifting. And so it turned out. They steadily accumulated runs, scoring all round the park and seeming to have all the time in the world. I was secretly very glad indeed that we were retiring at 50….these 2 could get the 200 odd they needed on their own! FIFTEEN overs passed without a wicket. But the required run rate steadily grew: my word I was proud of the way we bowled in this period. JT, Matt Pugh, Kev Willis, Richard Lloyd, Joe Miller and Stu Perkins all maintained line and length and kept two very competent batsmen on their home ground on the leash: these guys were good, they were played in, they didn’t often look in trouble - but we kept then to under 90 runs over that 15 overs. Well bowled lads, and can I take this opportunity to say “well fielded young Finn Willis, you saved at least 3 boundaries in the deep, you’ve got a HUGE arm and a big heart. Proud to have you as the Youngest Ever Nomad”).

ANYWAY. Stu finally removed Ed Williams with the perfect off spinner: it had flight, it was on a perfect length, it turned to beat the bat and clipped off stump. Beautiful to watch. And this triggered a collapse I’m afraid. 3 ducks, a 4 and a 9 are the scores for the last 5 Brampton Bryan wickets. 2 of these fell to the feline fielding and Exocet arm of Ferdi Newall combined with the fast hands of his father David, ever reliable and consistent behind the stumps: 3 run outs in the last 5 wickets to fall, which also included (I should mention) a catch by me at first slip off Stu Perkins and a run out executed with no agility and speed whatsoever to close the innings. For a skipper accustomed to perfectly justified sledging from his own team it was a joy to be the recipient of some congratulations for once – even if much of it was somewhat ironic…

It was a comfortable win in the end, and I confess this is probably the strongest XI the Nomads have ever fielded. I know Brampton Bryan are lamenting their dropped catches and injudicious choice of fielders to take quick singles to, especially if you are not in the youth squad anymore, and that they will be hungry for revenge. I know that cos they said so in the pub (garden) afterwards. They are a great oppo and this a great fixture and we will absolutely be back next year. Thanks to Ed and the team for hosting as always, let’s hope you can put on tea again next year. Thanks Richard Lloyd for travelling so far to play for us, thanks Finn ‘Youngest Ever Nomad’ Willis for your work in the field, thank the Good Lord Above for ending my streak of ducks on this ground (and others) and, finally thank you to all the Nomads who made this such a great way to finish the season.

More thanks also to all the Nomads who’ve played (or volunteered to play) in this Strangest of Seasons

Match Report: The Ludlow Nomads and the Harp Lane Invitation XI, 12th July 2020

The 5th encounter between The Ludlow Nomads and the Harp Lane Invitation XI was in some ways typical of what has become the highlight of many of our cricketing years, and in some ways very different from previous clashes of these 2 titans of utterly village cricket.

Different in that there was no crowd of adoring WAGs and children paying very little attention to the cricket, different in that instead of tea we had a delicious BBQ cooked by Grill Master Rupert Hunt (with a fabulous array of sides provided by various Harp Laners, thank you all of you), different in that we held on to most of the catches (more of this below) and different in that we raised a whopping £500 for the Ruth Strauss Foundation in memory of Lizzie Duffield.

It was the same in that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our host Mark Wiggin for use of the pitch, (even if she was in a capricious mood this year), the same in that it was a bloody good laugh and the result didn’t matter, the same in that a lot of beer was drunk, the same in that my own performance was utterly dreadful, and the same in that the parking looked like a shoot for Jaguar Land Rover, albeit with a smaller range on show than previous years.

So what happened? And what about the champagne moments?

Here we go.

I lost the toss and Robbie put us into bat. As is traditional I faced the first ball, this year with Matt Pugh at the other end and JT raring to go in the No 3 spot. Very quickly indeed we were all back in the pavilion, all to catches that you’d normally expect to be put down, including a “running away from the stumps over your shoulder catch” from a searing hook from me by James Bloody Duffield AGAIN to remove me for one, yes ONE, yes AGAIN)….and Frank Bury had 3 wickets to his name (more of him later too). It was a nervy Nomads Pavilion. So what did the wily, experienced, never short of advice for the younger (or any) generation David Newall do? Did he steady the ship with a carefully crafted knock, taking the singles where he could, but punishing the bad ball? Nope, he was out for one like his skipper, cleaned bowled trying to put Robbie Underhill (of all people) into the long grass. Jimmy Daly quickly joined his skipper on one, with a similar rush of blood, but with his relatively tender years as an excuse. Fortunately we had Jack Davenport, who despite some stiffness in the limbs did indeed steady the ship with a carefully crafted knock of 20, taking the singles where he could but punishing the bad ball, ably assisted by Stu Perkins who was just getting into his stride with a quick scoring 18 when he played on a wide from Duffers. Close behind him, and equally quick scoring was Henry Daly with a dashing 16 that included a 6 and 2 fours (no mean feat on this wicket), followed by a studiously accumulated 10 from Ferdie Newall (8 singles!). With 7 from Sacha Cook and 4 from a hobbling Barnie Smith we were done…for 100. A par score on a difficult pitch…

The Harp Lane response was sensationally led by a first in all Nomads fixtures – an opener carrying their bat: congratulations Frank Bury, that was quite an innings. Which as just as well really. With the exception of Bury Jnr with 13, Bury Snr was the only Harp Laner to achieve double figures in what was a triumph of let’s say very variable bowling over very rusty batting…notable bowling champagne moments being a beautiful spinner’s wicket for Stu Perkins, removing Jules Big Swinger Barratt with a ball that turned a foot (ish) to take off stump, and JT removing The Most Obvious Ringer This Fixture Has Ever Seen with his first ball, which The Ringer (seen here scoring 65 for Ludlow first XI) left as missing off, but which of course turned like a total banana and removed his off stump. You beauty JT. The wickets kept tumbling and before we knew it Harp Lane were out for 74. SEVENTY FOUR! More than half of those runs going to the Bury family, with Frank setting an example with a pretty faultless innings, marred only by running his skipper out for 3, and Kuki studiously accumulating before trying to somehow put the record straight by running himself out for 13. Anyway, it was lunch, time for beer and burgers (which as you all know we regularly practice) and the Nomads were 26 runs ahead…

The beer and burgers were GOOD. Thank you again to everyone who contributed, but especially to Rupert who even brought his own BBQ. Respect and gratitude abound.

By virtue of being the lowest scoring batsman (again) I opened the second innings, and I was caught (again) spectacularly well (again), this time by Hugh Fitzwilliam-Lay and this time for ZERO. Jimmy Daly matched my score, and with Dave Newall out for 5 we needed some middle order heroics and my word we got them, from Matt Pugh with 18, Barnie Smith with 20, JT with 22 and Ferdie Newall with a magnificent and Harp Lane Soul Destroying 32 coming in at number 8 which reads 4.2.1.4.4.2.4.1.4.1.2.2 in the scorebook…and let me tell you, if you are a Harp Laner, that HURT. We were 114 for 6, leaving Harp Lane 140 to win against a 10 man Nomads (with Barnie hobbled…). Actually very achievable.

And they set about getting them. They were aggressive throughout their reply, initially lead by some magnificent striking by Duncan Quietly Imported Talent Wollaston who matched Frank’s 1st innings feat of retiring at 30, although he got there far too quickly to carry his bat. It was a storming start – 50 for 2 off 6 overs, but with Dunc retiring (leaving a trail of smoke behind him) and our strongest bowlers queuing up to bowl, the runs dried up…and yet again double figures eluded the Harp Lane middle order….the wickets fell regularly (including, by the way, that of James Bloody Duffield for a duck, bowled by me, allowing me to get my own back AGAIN). This (glorious) bowling was one of SEVEN that ripped out the heart of the Harp Lane second innings, with Jimmy Daly and Stu Perkins claiming 3 each (a testament to the accuracy of their bowling, if not mine). This however brought The Ringer back to the wicket (seen here scoring 210 not out for Ludlow second XI in 2017) and of course he spanked us around the park and promptly retired for an unbeaten 30. After a cameo from Kuki Bury (ended by Dave Newall FINALLY getting his name in the book with a sharp catch off Matt Pugh’s steady death bowling) this brought Duncan Slog A Lot Wollaston back to the wicket…with 2 overs to go, and 20 odd required, but with The Ringer in the hutch, it was all to play for. Luckily for us Jimmy Daly was bowling and Dunc skied it, and luckily for my self-esteem in front of a baying pavilion of Harp Laners I hung on, having dropped the only sitter of the day a couple of overs previously. My modest contribution to a great day in the field for both sides – catches do indeed win matches. But this brought The Ringer back to the wicket, joining Frank Bury, bat carrier and 1st innings Highest Score, for the last over. And the task fell to Ferdie Newall. And he stepped up. 3 tight deliveries, 3 quickly run twos (the Ringer can run too!)….but then 2 dot balls and it was all over and we had WON.

YES!

We won. Victory for the Nomads! The Pulse Trophy resides with me for another year, and it is now 3 matches to 2 in favour of Harp Lane and I am already looking forward to levelling the scores next year.

I would like to thank everyone for their part in once again making this a highlight of the summer so far (perhaps not so hard this year, but anyway….)

Special thanks go to Sam Roberts for being a bloody good Ringer but also a bloody good sport and an inspirational coach for my Charlotte at All Stars Cricket (which kind of blew your cover in advance), to Rupert for the BBQ (and for anyone else who prepared food), to Sacha Cook for changing sides to help us get to XI, to Robbie for being such a great skipper to beat and to all of you who chipped in to help us raise that £500.

Match Report: Ludlow Nomads V Brampton Bryan CC,                              July 21st 2019

I lost the toss and was invited to bowl. I would have batted. It was an interesting tufty looking sort of a strip and some of the Nomads felt it was a bit too long, but I’m pretty sure the other end just looked a long way away on a hot day when I suspect some of them had not abstained from alcohol the night before a Big Match.

The big story of the 1st innings was a century from the Brampton Bryan skipper Ed Williams. 104 not out. The first century against the Nomads - and it hurt. He belted us around the park, let me tell you, including one six which hit an oil tank next to a barn which was 20 yards the other side of the road which runs along the other side of the hedge on the longer boundary. I hereby declare that any Nomad who matches this feat will be rewarded with a bottle of champagne. A real one, not a metaphorical one.
Our valiant bowling attack chipped away at the batsmen at the other end, with JT, Kev Willis, Stu Perkins and Joe Miller all taking 2 wickets for under 25 runs. JT managed 2 for 17 off 8 overs, impressive economy in a high scoring innings. There was a stumping for Mr Newall, in addition to the one he took against the Harp Lane Invitation XI, which inexplicably I have attributed to Charlie Minogue in my preceding match report. Apologies to all concerned. Onwards.                                     

Dave also took 2 catches to help hollow out the middle order of LBBCC, but Mr Williams kept picking the bad ball, and indeed lost the match ball on multiple occasions, as he steadily accrued runs. We tried everything. We tried to buy a wicket with Mark Willis’s leg spin and the Nomad debutant Jake Norman’s beguiling variation of pace, line and length. We threw ourselves around in the field. I tried to buy a wicket with various parts of my right hand. But all to no avail. He just kept going, and then some broad shouldered big hitting chaps came in and made matters worse. We toiled, my Nomads, we toiled. Our fielding was overall pretty tight, with I must say the Willis brothers particularly agile. No one dropped any dollies, I missed a couple of finger skinning fliers (as I imagine everyone did), and it has to be said I feel luck was against us just a wee bit on occasion. They scored 237. We slowed them down towards the end, we bowled them all out. But it was still 237 and 200 looked like a par score. Last year we scored 193 to win, and I remember saying it was the best track we’d ever played on.

Tea was served. It was good and I would like to say a big thank you to what I suspect are the Brampton Bryan WAGs. Like I say, this is a traditional English village cricket club. Which means it was a proper tea with cake and SCONES and those chocolate rice crispie things from Tesco even though everything else was homemade. It was a fine tea. Dan really enjoyed it.

And so to the Nomads innings.

It went something like this.

Nomad debutant Kevin Boulton and Matt Pugh took to the crease. Kevin nobly faced the first ball, and indeed the entire first over, and immediately showed his Utter Ringer status by creaming 2 fours off that first over, blocking 2 straight ones and letting 2 go that were very much in the corridor of uncertainty. First ball of the next over, and Matt Pugh showed Kevin how the Nomads do it by cutting a high full toss straight into the hands of a well-built but perhaps not that agile cover point. Unlucky mate. Trust me, I feel your pain. But more of that later…
Coming in at number 3, Joe Miller smote a glorious 4, without sledging the centurian oppo skipper, and was then given out LBW by….Dave Newall. And he took his merry time about it, let me tell you. There was a hushed silence on the away bench. Glances were exchanged. Joe didn’t look tremendously chuffed.
We were 18 for 2.
I was also umpiring at this point and very much looking at Kevin Boulton and thinking “My Saviour”. He looked the part alright, and the scorebook says 4,4,2,4,4. Sadly it also says “bowled Corfield 18”.
We were 22 for 3 after 5 overs. And kind of in need of saving.
And that (I think) brought Dan Baker to the crease and guess what? HE was our Saviour - Part 1! He picked the gaps in the field, he blocked diligently and rode the rough with the smooth (another story). He battled on despite taking a full toss on the thumb, he ran ONLY ONE TWO in a 57 that contained 8 fours and 2 sixes and as little running between the wickets as humanly possible. But my goodness me has he got an eye! And that I believe was our second half century of all time! YES! This was confirmed champagne moment no 1. And then of course he skied it, and they caught, it and my word they were pleased when they did.
Dan oversaw cameos from Kev Willis (who having been our most dangerous bowler was caught and bowled athletically by their most dangerous bowler) and his brother Mark (who will be furious to have matched his siblings total of ONE) and Jake Norman, who showed considerable natural talent with 2 muscular fours and needs a few sessions in the nets, which The Insurance Network will gladly sponsor. Jules Barratt can do some work with him on achieving a consistent line and length. Which brings me to a technical point. Several deliveries were called no balls that pitched more than twice before reaching the batting crease.
I digress.

You may have noticed I referred to Saviour Part 1 above. Oh Nomads let me introduce Saviour Part 2, it is the off-spinning, consecutive-wicket-taking Stu Perkins - who scored an absolutely majestic 73, which it has to be said also only contains one two (!!) but also contains 14 fours and a glorious 6. Champagne moment number 2, Mr Perkins, and thank you.
We were fighting back.
When Stu edged behind we were 152 for 7 after a paltry 18 overs. Get that for a run rate. Hell yeah.
John Thompson joined Dave Newall at the crease.
Dave Newall. Wily. Experienced. A notorious sledger. A man in his element.
JT. Dashing. Determined. Annoyingly good at everything. Ready for the battle.
This was nail biting stuff. They did exactly the right thing. They blocked the straight ones, they let the wide ones go, and they put the rubbish in the bin (thanks Cricinfo).
Dave was once again just getting going, the scorebook reading 4, 4, 1, 6, when snick…OUT! GIVEN!!! Trigger finger. Was that an edge?? According to all of the LBBCC players in the Lion afterwards it was as loud as a thunderclap and splinters flew off his bat. It has to be said they all went up, and the umpire had no hesitation. Mr Newall stood his ground. This is what you get when you throw your bat... Luckily noble sportsmanship and those years of experience held sway and back came David for a valuable 15. By the time he reached the boundary, however, he knew why he was out: “J Miller LBW Saunders 4”. That’s why.
This left JT on 12, two boundaries to his name, his eye in and a look of defiance on his chiselled face. We were 198 for 9. The stage was set. This was it. The captain’s innings. 39 to get. 15 overs to get them. Their best bowlers on 7 and 8 overs each, with the hope of easier scoring ahead. The air was laden with expectation.
I survived 2 balls of at one end, including an unnerving appeal on my first. JT, trusting his skipper, took a single off the first ball of the next over and I took my guard. And down it came. And up it sat. And I am a Nomad if nothing else. I spooned it straight into the hands of a well-built but perhaps not that agile and not that silly mid-wicket. For a duck. And we were all out and we had lost.

But guess what, I didn’t mind. Too much. They were really pretty good and they played pretty well and they played like they absolutely wanted to win, which I guess you would if some upstart scratch team beat you on your home ground the year before. And they were fun to play against and banter with and drink beer with in the pub afterwards - I think we all had a great day. 40 overs each is (obviously) a different thing to T20. No first ball grace. Just one for a wide. And an oppo with a bit more fire in their bellies than the eminently cuddleable Harp Lane Invitation XI or the laid back and jolly sporting really Laetificators.

This oppo will REALLY not like it if we win on August 25th. A certain M Saunders will definitely not like it.

I would really like the Nomads to level the score for this season and go into 2020 as champions.

So come on Nomads, who’s up for revenge on August 25th?? Who thinks they have what it takes to put out that fire in the belly of LBBCC? Who doesn’t have any plans for the Bank Holiday weekend* and still wears the trousers and can say “now we do”???

Match Report: Ludlow Nomads V The Harp Lane Invitation XI, Downton Hall, July 7th 2019

Sunday July 7th 2019, and the fixture where the result really doesn’t matter finally ended in the result that really does matter – a win for the Nomads, and it was a convincing one, let me tell you without too much concern for the fact that Harp Laners are reading this.

Tradition dictates that I stop right there and thank our hosts Philippa and Mark Wiggin for one again letting us play this wonderful match in their front garden. It is a glorious and quintessentially English setting for the game, I constantly have to pinch myself that we are actually playing on it. And it played very well indeed this year, better than ever before I would say – Mark tells me this is down to some diligent rolling – rolling the Nomads are very grateful for. Roll on!

Here’s why…

Robbie won the toss and put is in, and another Nomads tradition dictates that this means I open the batting and face the first ball. I wasn’t around for long. A couple off one edge, a few sneaky singles and then caught behind off the other. And there started a woeful days batting for me personally, and the beginning of a run of 3 very nicely taken keeper’s catches for R Hunt – and that Lady and Gentlemen, is our first champagne moment! After a brief cameo from Matt Pugh at No3 my fellow opener Charlie Minogue was joined by Jack Davenport, and the wise heads of a Governor-Headmaster partnership steadied the Nomads’ ship, and runs were steadily  accumulated. The untimely departure of Charlie to an absolute blinder of a catch on the boundary from Kuki Bury (champagne moment no 2!) for a well-crafted 23 brought Kevin Willis to the crease - and oh my goodness gracious me the accumulation continued. I fear Jack was another Hunt scalp (for 26 runs featuring just one boundary, indicative of the consolidating innings that this was), taken from Willis Junior’s bowling – not the wicket he really wanted. But that wicket was not to be taken, oh no, because Willis Senior went on to retire at 32, finishing (of course) with a glorious six over midwicket. Champagne moment no 4 goes to you sir! An elegant 13 from Nomads debutant Stuart Perkins, and some nurdling from JT notwithstanding, that was pretty much us – a total of 125. A par score. I wanted 140.

Champagne moment no 5, by the way, goes to Charlie Richards for NOT catching a dolly c&b, and then injuring himself the following over not catching an Exocet. Many thanks for your help in getting us to a decent total, Charlie! And a Krug Clos D’Ambonnay moment has to go to Kuki Bury for claiming the inaugural hat trick in this fixture, such a shame it wasn’t in a Nomads shirt, not that we can’t put that righty easily enough. Along with that catch and another piece of run saving athleticism on the boundary you did yourself (and your father) proud, Master Bury.

125 was perhaps a par score, but it was enough, my Nomads, and more of that later…

The Harp Lane innings opened with Hugh Fitzwilliam-Lay and Joe Miller looking like they meant business. They were certainly going for their singles, and much to his dismay Joe was run out by some sharp fielding, only to be followed back to the pavilion by Guy Beasley who went for a truly suicidal quickie… This bought Mark Willis to the wicket and he and Hugh started to accumulate runs. This was attritional cricket, brought to an end by just rewards for George Once a Nomad Always a Nomad Piper (Hugh FL out lbw for 17) and champagne moment no 6 - Charlie Minogue stumping Willis Jnr off the spin bowling of Stu Perkins. This was high quality cricket, more market town than village, I’d say. George Once a Nomad Always a Nomad Piper claimed the scalps of James Duffield and Kuki Bury for 12 and 4 respectively, before Charlie Richards came to the crease and delivered Champagne moment no 7 – two HUGE sixes over cow corner followed by a 4 - followed by Charlie Minogue removing his middle stump. Clearly Charlie R feels we should be keeping it village…

FINALLY this brought the Harp Lane skipper to the crease, along with his Big Gun, Rupert Hunt. With the “2nd innings batting order in reverse order of 1st innings score” in mind, this really was O level cricket strategy, but both of them go down in cricketing history as “not out 2 runs”. The overs were up. 91 on the board. A miserly bowling attack consisting of Minogue, Pugh, Willis, Piper (always a Nomad), Thompson, Perkins and Davenport had done us proud. The batting lion that was Harp Lane 2018 had been tamed…but would the injured  beast bite back?? We would find out after lunch…

And at this point I would like to thank ASDA for providing such a delicious repast.

The second Nomads innings started steadily with single figure contributions from Msrs Newall, Once a Nomad Always a Nomad Piper and Bicker-Caarten, with yet another Champagne moment (no 8) going to Charlie for pulling off a blinder of a catch to dismiss David Newall despite his right hand looking like something you might see on display at DW Wall & Son. A brief Master V Old Boy duel ended in victory for the former when Duffield J removed Lywood O for a duck, giving him a pair, and therefore the first Warm Lager moment of the day. More time in the nets young man.

We were 29 for 4. I was umpiring and feeling the heat, I must say.

Fortunately Matt Pugh (13) and JT (22) were on hand, and with a generous spattering of extras 50 runs were added before both fell LBW in a double wicket maiden over delivered by Guy Beazley who thereby earned himself Champagne moment no 9, and has now officially passed the application process and is welcome to play for the Nomads at any time, but perhaps not in this fixture because I think that might REALLY annoy Robbie. This brought me to the crease, but I wasn’t around for long, and dear Nomads it was a horrible dismissal, it was Warm Lager moment no 2, I was out LBW to a (no)ball that dribbled under my bat, delivered by none other than Julian Barratt whose balls usually suffer from not pitching on the wicket at all rather than pitching so many times they are actually rolling…ANYWAY none of that justifies the shameful bat throwing incident that was to follow, although this makes me feel marginally better about it. To make up for the shameful antics of their captain, Charlie Minogue, Stu Perkins and Jack Davenport then cool headedly took another 50 runs off the tiring Harp Lane attack, including a glorious 6 from Charlie as part of the 22 that made him the top scoring batsman of the day. The fact that the 6 landed near a group of Moor Park children, thereby jeopardising the income of the school, didn’t seem to put him off as he sought to repeat the shot the very next ball. Shameless, but Champagne moment no 10 nonetheless. We were out of overs. And we had 134 on the board, setting Harp Labe the gargantuan task of scoring 168 in their second innings. But a task they were capable of achieving – something I reminded the Nomads in our somewhat beery pre-fielding team huddle

As it happens they were all out for 78. Only Frank Bury with 17 and Joe Miller with 16 achieved double figures, with Champagne moment no 11 going to Joe for his six followed by “have some of that Middleton” (or words to that effect). They went down snarling, let me tell you…and didn’t fill in the scorebbok properly, so the precise details of their collapse and demise are lost to posterity (and my perforated memory)

Other Champagne moments I do recall included consecutive wickets falling “caught Middleton bowled Lywood” (well I would remember that bit, wouldn’t I?), David Newall emulating Joss Buttler’s dismissal of Steve Smith by running out Henry Mackley with a direct hit from 5 yards behind the stumps at the other end of the wicket, and me exacting my revenge on Jules by getting him out LBW with an equally horrible delivery – ironically a full toss which declined to pitch anywhere on the track. Lady Justice comes to the party in some funny clothes…

They were all out in under 13 overs and hysterical jubilation and celebrations were to follow, and at this point is it is only right that I return to the theme of gratitude:

THANK YOU to Andy Hackney at Pulse for providing the trophy and the bubbles to celebrate with. It was hugely appreciated and Andy is highly recommended to any of you who want to maintain a good level of fitness. Just look at Robbie.

THANK YOU to all the wives and significant others and family and friends and everyone else who came to watch. There was really quite a crowd, and quite a buzz and lots of lovely children being angelic and everyone seemed to have a lovely time and I don’t mind telling you it made me proud and happy to behold

THANK YOU to Harp Lane for being such good losers, especially when you haven’t had the practice that we have, and thank you of course to both Robbie Underhill and Henry Mackley for your help in organising it. I hope you feel as happy and proud as I do about what our beer game has become

THANK YOU to my victorious Nomads XI, that I increasingly feel is carrying me.

Finally, of course, another THANK YOU to Philippa and Mark Wiggin for letting us play at Downton and providing all the facilities, a stunning backdrop and inspiring views and a warm and happy welcome. It’s a joy to share our passion for the game with you.

Over and Out

Match Report: Nomads CC v The Harp Lane Invitation XI. Downton Hall, July 2nd 2018

Once again this iconic fixture ended in defeat for the Nomads. Which really was the only thing wrong with what was otherwise pretty much a perfect day.

Before I go any further a big thank you must go to our hosts for allowing us to use their wonderful pitch – we are, as ever, as lucky as we are grateful.

We went for the Test20 format – 2 innings of 20 overs each with lunch in between. Thanks you to the WAGs and Henry at Harp Lane for providing such a delicious repast, and thanks to Robbie for the BEER.

I lost the toss and Robbie put us into bat. As tradition dictates I opened the batting, joined by Jack Davenport. The opening pair of Rob Windsor-Clive bowling thunderbolts from a short run up and George Clearly-a-Nomad bowling at a blistering pace from a long run up. We nearly saw them off, but Jack jinxed himself by mentioning the fact and duly had his stumps splayed by George the following ball.

I battled on for a 31 retired which at the time felt like it was exactly what was needed (it certainly was for me) but in hindsight might have been a bit pedestrian. Compared to some of the batting later in the day it certainly was. Once I was out of way Matt Pugh and Dan Baker took up the mantle with some feistier batting (one 6 and five 4’s in Dan’s 27), and our tail very much wagged with a blistering 23 including two 6s from Marco Walker and a cameo from David Newall featuring a sweetly timed maximum. 135 for 7. A par score in the face of an excellent Harp Lane bowling attack with Robbie’s figures of 2 wickets for 2 runs from 3 overs (2 of which were wicket maidens) standing out. Nice work skipper.

The Harp Lane reply was dominated by a well-crafted 30 retired by Rob Windsor-Clive with only Cliff (the scorebook doesn’t tell me if that’s a first name or a surname) and James Duffield making double figures – the latter removed by yours truly, one-upmanship demands that I point out. They made it to 122 and we went into lunch 13 runs ahead.

Beer was drink, and sandwich and pies were consumed. Brows were mopped. It was HOT, baby.

By mutual agreement we batted in ascending order of 1st innings score – with Did Not Bats opening followed by the Ducks and so on. 
This meant James Harris and Guy Bicker Caarten opened for us. Neither scored, but we were still had 12 on the board when the first wicket fell thanks to the Harp Lane openers Charlie Richards and Jules Barratt who put on a beautiful display of camp bowling actions, somehow taking a wicket a piece in the process. Dave BC followed his son back to the pavilion for a well-crafted 5, which brought Nick Tilt and John Thompson to the wicket - and there followed the finest period of our 2nd innings with Nick finally falling to George Clearly-a-Nomad for 22 and JT retiring for a 32 that included seven 4s and a six. Thank you gentlemen. Jack Davenport added a valiant 15 and David Newall and Matt Pugh added a boundary each before we ran out of overs, but the real story here has to be the Harp Lane bowling attack which was both consistent and miserly and restricted us to 128 – giving Harp Lane 142 to chase.

And it was not enough. George “I don’t feel comfortable batting” Clearly-a-Nomad (27) and Henry “anything straight goes to the square leg boundary” Mackley (16) spanked our openers around the park. Hugh Fitzwilliam Lay added a dashing 22 before being gloriously stumped by David Newall off Guy Bicker Caarten’s bowling. Guy also claimed the scalp of the dangerous Jules Barratt (who is far from camp with a bat in his hand) but that brought Charlie Richards and Rupert Hunt to the crease…and I’m afraid they smashed us all over the place, with me, Guy, JT and Matt Pugh suffering the most. Charlie’s 22 featured two huge 6s and 2 fours, while Rupert’s 32 was a showcase of timing and batting power. He even finished with a six that nearly landed in the pavilion that was frankly just bloody annoying.

And that was that.

I am going to leave it to Henry Mackley, a co-founder of this wonderful fixture to put the result into context with these kind words he sent to Robbie and I after the game. Thank you Henry, and thanks again for the pie.

"It really was the perfect game of cricket: glorious weather, delightful company, a magical setting, and a match played a spirit that epitomises everything that is wonderful about the game."

I'm sure you'll both disagree, but I think the result was utterly incidental. In my humble opinion, we all won yesterday!

There were many champagne moments, and I invite you to send in your own, but here are some of my highlights…

The rainbow at the end of the day

David Newell’s stumping and the rejuvenating effect it had on him and anyone else over the age of 40 who saw it

Proof of the existence of BDES (Batsman Deafness to Edges Syndrome) when James ‘The Man Most Likely to Walk’ Shaw was oblivious to and edge that all of us heard the first time and some of us heard a second time as it echoed back from Clee Hill

The Harp Lane bowling attack as a unit. In the second innings especially there was a quality of bowling I frankly never expected to encounter with a Nomad shirt on, and I’m proud of the fact we were (nearly) equal to it.

Guy Bicker Caarten’s second spell of bowling. In the teeth of some brutal batting claiming the key wickets of Hugh Fitzwilliam-Lay and Jules Barratt.

JT’s swashbuckling 32

Finally, the awesome power batting and timing from Charlie ‘Flouncy Run Up’ Richards and Rupert ‘Put Some Weight Into It’ Hunt. Unstoppable.

Finally I’d like to say a huge Nomads and Harp Lane thank you to our umpire for the day, Jamie. I’m afraid I didn’t get a surname but it was a joy to be adjudicated by you. @ James D, do please pass these thanks on.

Until next time, Nomads, thanks for reading, thanks for playing, thanks for loving the game.

Over and out

Match Report: Nomads V Brampton Bryan CC Sunday June 10th 2018

The Nomads’ second fixture of 2018 saw a foray into Proper Cricket with our inaugural 40 over match. I am delighted to tell you we were once again blessed with beautiful weather and a fantastic setting, and this time a victory.

As always with the Nomads, I’d like to start with some thanks. Thanks to Ed Williams and Mike Saunders at Brampton Bryan CC for hosting and organising, and thanks to Jack Davenport for facilitating the fixture, and of course thanks to my glorious victorious XI.

The setting for our first win of the season was new and it was quintessentially English. Brampton Bryan CC is nestled amongst trees (and nettles), overlooked by a spectacular wooden framed barn, and surrounded by rolling countryside (and nettles). The pavilion felt like a Masonic lodge but is in fact the village hall. The hospitality was peerless, including the perfect tea with all the right sandwich flavours and even scones to go with the chocolate cake. This is a club with heritage: a plaque commemorates a tour of Lahore and Peshawar (!!) and several of the more senior BBCC players were sporting caps and jumpers marking a tour of Sooth Africa, which I was to learn included playing at Newlands and Port Elizabeth. Overseas tours, playing on test grounds…Oh Nomads, your skipper was inspired…So thank you Brampton Bryan CC, it was a privilege to grace your turf.

So on to the action.

By mutual agreement we batted first. I’d talked up our batting line up you see.

As this was Proper Cricket I broke with tradition and sent in my 2 best batsmen to open and dropped myself down the order (to a more talent proportionate #6): Barney Smith and Charlie Minogue took to the crease, looking like they meant business. This meant I could umpire, and with typical generosity Robbie Underhill volunteered to join me in the baking sunshine. Charlie started with 2 forward defences straight out of a Geoffrey Boycott wet dream and then took a single from what looked like a decent BBCC opening bowler. There then followed what must be one of the worst things that can happen to you playing this kind of cricket. It was horrible. It was painful to watch. Here it is. It’s the 4th ball of the opening over. You are umpiring. Your mate takes guard for his first ball at the other end. He’s reliably good. The bowler’s arm fizzes past your left ear, your mate goes back to a straight one, the ball stays low, slips under his bat and hits him 6 inches above the ground 6 inches in front of middle stump. The bowler goes up like Shane Warne on crystal meth, all 10 of his team mates join in, the appeal echoes around the ground and all eyes are on you. He is out. You know he is out. The bowler definitely knows he is out. LBW? 1st ball? Sunday cricket? Yep. You have to give it. Sorry Robbie, Sorry Barney, I still don’t know which of you felt more pain, but we were 1 for 1.

However at drinks we were 50 odd for 1. That’s drinks at 15 overs. Proper Cricket. A partnership between our first Number 3 in a team of Number 3’s, Matt Pugh and the calm and collected Charlie Minogue who was on 36, and well deserving of his luke warm orange squash. We’d seen some steady accumulation from this pair, and some solid defence against some excellent bowling from a youthful L Clarke (Hereford County CC jumper on) and J Corfield who had served Barney his Golden Duck (did I mention it was his first ball?). Charlie’s 36 included a huge 6 into the nettles over Cow Corner, and both Pugh and Minogue looked well set against a first change of bowling that looked amenable and were finding the boundary / nettles with regularity…but sadly drinks did their trick and Matt fell to decent catch as he looked to push the score on – and triggered a bit of a middle order collapse that included brief but colourful contributions from debutant Kev Willis (12) and John T (10) and me holing out the the oppo’s skipper for 1. Yes, another ONE. We were treated to a feast of run scoring from the ever-reliable Robbie Underhill (clearly over the trauma of raising his finger on a buddy’s first ball) and another debutant Mark Willis (yes relation!). Robbie’s 24 featured 5 fours and Mark’s 35 featured 6 before he fell to a quite spectacular catch on the boundary by the afore-mentioned youthful L Clarke with a Hereford County CC jumper on. Minogue remained throughout, and was to fall to the obligatory fireman’s seemingly pedestrian middle pace for a glorious 80. Yes, EIGHTY!! (including 2 sixes and 10 fours. An ovation, please fellow Nomads, for Charlie, even if he is AKA The Oppo. And with Charlie’s fall that really was that. Our tail did not wag and we were all out for 193 in the 33rd over.

The aforementioned perfectly formed tea followed, and then it was our turn to bowl.

It seems there is no equivalent of ‘taking a yard off for the youngsters’ when it comes to batting, because the BBCC openers went after Guy Bicker Caarton with relish, and it has to be said also plundered 20 runs from Rob Skyrme’s opening 3 overs – they were 50 for 0 before you could say “have I been hustled again?”. Fortunately the first change bowlers made the breakthrough with Robbie (I think) breaking the opening partnership and JT sending their number 3 back to the lodge pavilion for a duck. Kev Willis was to remove their equivalent of C Minogue, a L Whitbread, for a worrying 57, but our struggles wre not over. A middle order partnership between The Big Fireman and The Oppo Skipper (worth exactly 50) and a most impressive 21 from Master Clarke meant we went into the last over with 163 on the board –20 runs needed, the last 2 at the crease, and most worryingly for the Nomads’ prospects, the ball was in my hand. And so the final over started with the Nomads on their toes and a hushed silence over the crowd and the nettles. And I bowled him first ball. Not Master Clarke, but Mr Hutschings, a veteran of tours of South Africa and Pakistan, gracer of international rtest grounds (and very much a tail ender). It was over. We had won, and another glorious day of cricket was over.

I am not going to award any Men of the Match or champagne moments – we are all Men of the Match and in my never humble opinion I’d say the whole day was one long champagne moment. I very much hope Brampton Bryan will have us back next year, and that we were as much fun to play against as they were – which is what its all about Thanks again to all of them, but especially Ed Williams, Mike Saunders at Brampton Bryan CC and again to Jack Davenport.

And thanks to all of you that played for playing. 

Over and out

...but cricket was the winner