Match Report

After continous rain overnight, your correspondent and wife awoke to a gloomy morning with persistent rainfall: despondency filled one, and suppressed enthusiasm the other. However the renowned quick-drying ground at SH was not about to fail and bright sunshine from 11.15 couple with a stiff breeze ensured that we started without delay. Unlike previous years, we agreed to meet at the King's Arms at 12.30, thereby allowing everyone time to eat, relax and contemplate the afternoon. The ground, isolated from everywhere apart from the Tesco onion field, looked pretty much as it did last year, with the exception of running water and loos inside the pavilion - no longer the corrugated iron and the tent in the woods. The beech tree beside the pavilion has however died and been cut down to 5'...but enough of that. SH won the toss and elected to field. Clive and John Ball opened; John Ball's successive fifties in the previous two games were not followed by a third and both he and Clive went cheaply to the slow left arm from the cabbage field end. David F was bowled, Pablo struck out to long off second ball and Martin, after a couple of boundaries, was caught as well - at least three of the above were undone by the slow pace of the wicket and the turn...so at 41 for 5 things were looking difficult. Nick Portman, playing his last fixture of the year, was not about to yield and with Tim G, put on 141 for the sixth wicket - one huge six ended in the sweetcorn field - [ed. is this ground surrounded by vegetables? - yes] and the Suffolk colts offspinner only finally persuded Nick to hole out when he was on 68. At 4,30, Peter Clift strode off the field, but Mike sent him back - no change there then - for a final over, which was considerably quicker than anything else he had bowled. Hetairoi closed on 191 for 6, Tim G 80 n.o.

After mutterings from SH, Hetairoi were out in the field before 4.55. It was agreed 20 overs from 6.02. Brian and Pablo opened, and Pablo took the first three to fall, the first a juggling slip catch by John B, the third a very sharp one-handed caught and bowled. Brian faced his usual battle with Peter Clift and the youthful umpire who always seems to be at Brian's end when he is bowling to the club captain - hence for a second year running, Peter was given not out to a confident appeal for lbw. Even Peter could not argue with the ball which pitched on middle and hit off, Brian's shout of delight scaring several ornithologists on Orford Ness. With that SH shut up shop; Robin Wallis obtained turn and bounce but only got one - or should that be two. The match closed quietly. Your correspondent was surprised to hear that SH thought that Hetairoi had batted the game away from them; in fact we started at 2.15, SH having only 8 players at that time, and received 43 overs, in comparison with 44 bowled at SH. In any case, their insertion entitled Hetairoi to bat accordingly...

Champagne Moments: Stephen -v- Pablo in a chase to the boundary, Pablo's
caught and bowled, and Brian's two wicket taking deliveries - both bowled,
both really good deliveries...Phew...