Full Fixture Information

Full Match Report

Sunday was Fathers? Day and, by the evening, if ever there was a time for some wise, fatherly advice, this was it.
?Don?t worry son, it wasn?t that bad?
?In the great scheme of things, it?s not so very important is it??
?Well, I?m proud of you anyway?
?At least you?ve got your health!?
And it had started so well. A beautiful day and a strong team; a straw-coloured pitch and the return of Will to the side, for his first game since the arrival of twins. Hawkley had made the arduous journey over the Shoulder of Mutton, Jimmy?s bar was well-stocked and everything was set for a fine day.
Ollie, captaining the side in Andrew?s absence, lost the toss and Hawkley put us into bat. Will and Mark opened up, the former somewhat bleary-eyed having recently experienced a 200% uplift in his number of children. In fact, Will was clearly so sleep-deprived, that Mark sought to lull him into a restorative state of unconsciousness with an incredibly soporific batting display that saw him eventually get off the mark in the 10th over. But sleep is for mere mortals, and Will instead scored nine boundaries on his way to a fluent 45. Mark, meanwhile, had accelerated somewhat, hitting a glorious lofted drive through the covers before eventually being bowled for 25.
That brought newly-qualified landlord Jimmy to the crease, who was in good touch and looked likely to be there at last orders. But, alas, having scored all round the ground for 71, his time at the bar was called in the 35th over with the score on 195.
That total included contributions from Ollie, who hit each of his first four balls for 4, including two reverse sweeps first up, which can only be described as ?audacious?. Facing his fifth ball, he played all round a straight one. This comeuppance for his showboating was secured for the archives by Aaron, who filmed the indignity from the umpire?s position.
Tim C had also quickly added what I would normally describe as a very useful 20 runs, although, as events will show, I?m afraid their utility was ultimately nought. Had it been 40 or 50, things might have been different; but we will never know because, when faced with the most half-hearted of appeals for LBW, Mark responded by raising his finger with the casual confidence of someone about to jet off to spend 10 days in Ibiza. Josh and Dave R added 10 between them, and Tim L contributed a chipper 16, including three boundaries, bringing our total at tea to 226/6.
If I am honest, that felt more than enough, and we tucked confidently into a varied tea, which featured Tim C?s tuna sandwiches (so generously filled it was almost obscene), a spectacular Victoria sponge, quiches lorraine, and some classy roast beef sandwiches from Mark, two of which were inexplicably returned to the table from an opposition plate...
There was a great turnout of supporters. This included various offspring, who I am sure turned up not for the free cake and millionaire shortbread, but to see their awe-inspiring fathers complete what was sure to be a crushing victory; a reassuring demonstration of paternal strength and success.
But of course, sage tutors that we are, we taught them a much more valuable lesson. A lesson in the value of humility.
For it is all very well to run in and take three top order wickets, all bowled, stumps broken, bails flying. It is all very well to win man of the match and champagne moment. It is all very well for that to be filmed (thanks Aaron) and shown liberally to one?s work colleagues the next day. But that is all for nothing if we are not humble. And humbled we were.
With Wayne bowling well from the Frogmore end, we had them 36-3 after 9 overs, and at 58-3 after 13 overs, this was a situation tailor-made for Nick Sole to lob it up, introduce a false sense of security, and snaffle several wickets.
But unfortunately, while three batsman were back in the hutch, M Chetwood was not one of them. And it turns out that, of all the batsmen you don?t want to be on the loose, out of the hutch, M Chetwood is near top of the list. And his batting partner T Merrion is not far down the list either.
Nobody bowled badly, nothing was dropped, but they both struck the ball with exceptional cleanliness, and to all corners of the ground: between fielders, over trees, into fields, and deep into the densest of mid-June undergrowth. Looking back on it, during this period Tim L?s figures of 25 runs off 5 overs were highly respectable. All the other bowlers went for between 8 and 12 an over.
Finally, on 119, M Chetwood holed out to a catch, securely taken by Jimmy off the bowling of Josh. It was a great innings of real quality and, dare I say it, a pleasure to watch.
I came back on and managed a further wicket, lbw to a hideous full toss which luckily Aaron didn?t film. But it was ultimately humility for me too, as the winning runs were hit by T Cross, courtesy of an emphatic straight drive, that whistled past me on its way to the sightscreen boundary. T Merrion ended up on 64 not out, and EMCC ended up very keen to talk about how it?s not the winning but the taking part.
And to be honest it?s true, winning is fun for sure, but ultimately this was the happiest of days, and I was very glad to be part of it.