Yeading
Cavaliers are one of the club's favourite opponents, but they put prospects of a
2004 fixture in serious jeopardy by turning up with some very good players and
giving Ley Hill the run-around for 40 overs. They posted 291 for 9, with no
bowler escaping the punishment. With most of the time spent looking for the ball
over the boundary, the innings took three hours to complete, by which time Paul
Green's team mates were expressing mounting grievances about his decision to
bowl first. Hardest hit was Ian Stewart, who set a new club record by conceding
31 runs from a single, appalling over. Jumbo seemed oddly proud of his
achievement, and even more oddly bewildered when his captain invited him to have
a rest. Reeling from the onslaught, Ley Hill's innings quickly slipped to 93 for 5. Jon Lown restored some pride with 65, struck at more than a run a ball as the bronzed Adonis broke off the shackles. When he fell the target was still way off, but Clarke and Wells then set about building a fantastic eighth wicket partnership. Striking the ball cleanly to all parts, first Stuart and then Jake celebrated their fifties, going on to post an unbroken stand of 110. The pair of 14 year-olds had been left too much to do for the win, but they took the side to 282 for 7 - just 10 runs short of the massive target and bringing the runs scored in the day to 574 from just 80 overs. The two graduates of Ley Hill's thriving youth academy showed that the future of the club is in good hands.
The same cannot be said of Yeading, whose club chairman arrived to watch the closing stages of the game after spending the entire day in the pub - and promptly pulled off his trousers to begin a streak around the ground. Unfortunately he found himself somewhat incapacitated and could only stagger instead to the nearby slip cradle, where he spent the next few hours in a comatose state. A tremendous performance in keeping with Yeading's long traditions of drunken behaviour at Ley Hill.
Yeading Cavaliers: 291 for 9 (Kaz Shakoor 3 for 46, Ian Stewart 2 overs, 0 maidens, 0 wickets for 35 runs)
Ley Hill: 282 for 7 (Stuart Clarke 66*, Jon Lown 65, Jake Wells 50*)
Draw