Welcome to a new season. Before starting the British Library match report, Pilgrims should be aware that three of our team played for the Grove Park Cricket Club the day before this game.

Let’s hope that the synergy between TPCC and Grove Park CC will prove beneficial to both clubs in future.

Back to the game in hand. BL won the toss and put us in. We opened with Martin Garrett (a friend of Hansie’s) and Penthouse. Sadly, Penthouse’s leg stump was reprofiled in the fourth over with the total on two. Not an auspicious start for our Club Captain. Runs were hard to come by as only 18 scored in the first ten overs. Brett Price came in, scored seven and was LBW.

Motoring offence

His brother Craig replaced him and took the score to 42 before he was bowled, driving without due care and attention. Meanwhile debutant Martin G defied the BL attack, gaining in confidence the longer he stayed at the wicket. He and the Kommander more than doubled the score to 90 before the Kommander unluckily holed out to their best fielder.

Sven then came in and scored 17 runs off ten balls, an entertaining knock which did wonders for the run rate. Martin G’s innings finally ended at 53 – it was the backbone of the Pilgrims’ total.

Eggs

Moggie scored a dozen and Hansie half a dozen (including a splendid four) enabling the Pilgrims to declare at tea on 155 for eight. BL’s most successful bowler was the 71-year-old Welshman Ken Price (“Price the Spin, innit?”) who took three for 24 in five overs. This included getting Cameron (that’s Omelette, surely? – ed.) first ball (again caught by their best fielder). Never mind, Cameron, things can only get better.

Pilgrims opened the bowling with Gussie and the Kommander Minor, who conceded only seven runs in four overs. However, the BL openers looked pretty solid before new boy Cameron bowled their number one for 41. Their next pair took the score to 137 when their other opener (who was also the afore-mentioned catcher) was caught behind by Moggie off Brett Price.

If...

The hosts lost a couple more wickets (a splendid run out by Moggie and a clean bowled by Sven) before reaching the Pilgrims’ total for the loss of only four wickets. The received opinion seemed to be that they probably didn’t have much batting left so that another 20-30 runs and/or a couple of catches taken might have made a big difference. (If only!)

One very encouraging feature of the fixture was that four potential Pilgrims made their debut and that Col. Juan and Curly plus three Grove Park lads could have played – un embarras de richesses, sans doute.