“[Cricket]… is an easy sport. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose… sometimes it rains.” – Tim Robbins, Bull Durham (with apologies – slightly altered quote concerning the inferior Yankee version of our great game).

“Catches win matches” is a phrase frequently heard in cricket. It wouldn’t really have mattered here though. As the heavens opened, the game, along with Butler’s dream of a century, was washed away.

After the previous week’s dismal bowling – Hansie excepted, of course – it was worrisome that he was not available this week. The seam attack had brought their guns but left the ammunition at home.

How things change. This time the whole battalion arrived along with reinforcements in the shape of Mike Crouch carrying an Uzi!

With Clarence steaming in from one end with one of his tightest bowling displays to date, and Gussie spitting, staring and growling from the other end their batsmen were left wondering how they’d hit 300-odd just one year ago.

An early dismissal for Gussie and things were promising. Despite not bowling for two years Crouch junior was pinging them down at such a pace that ’Ming (doing a great job as stand-in ’keeper) was taking quite a battering. Whippet came on to bowl his eight-over spell and took two wickets but several missed catches off all the bowlers meant the opposition weren’t getting punished as they deserved.

Clarence, one of the safest pair of hands in the side, put down a couple and was hanging his head at tea-time. An athletic run-out from a combination of Jens & Ming followed by a wicket for Darren and we were finally looking good, restricting them to under five an over.

The clouds came over, there were no longer any ’planes cutting through the sky but lumps of ice falling on our heads.

So, match abandoned, but one couldn’t help but think this one might have been a classic.

Grazin’ with Daisy – or Daisy’s Teas

Rain.

Egg and cress – first taste of summer.

A chocolate muffin, squeezed into three by Tris.

Hot tea keeps the grey day at bay.