Wendover v Ley Hill 3rds on Saturday 12 May 

We all knew that as soon as the cricket season arrived the heavens would open after the April drought and, sure enough, today was the day. With terrific foresight however, Fixture Secretary Tom Holman had organised the 3rds a game at Wendover on their artificial pitch. Good news: the wicket could mop up much of the deluge; bad news: we could play on through the rain until the bitter end at about 8pm and not call it a day and adjourn to the bar mid-afternoon! 

Until late Friday evening when vice-captain Dave “Daniel Vettori” Mortimer cried off still suffering from a nasty virus picked up in the Caribbean, for the first time ever the 3^rds was an all adult side. The folly of this selection policy soon became apparent on arrival at Wendover. We were playing their only Saturday side, and canny skipper Jonathan Seabrook had assembled a few old pros and no less than 7 teenagers of 16 plus. The cream of our ‘senior juniors’ meanwhile were unfortunately turning out for our firsts and seconds! 

A 40 over game ensued in which, shock horror, the opposition inserted Ley Hill, obviously hoping for a quick finish before the monsoon arrived. Blessed with nevertheless a reasonably talented looking side (on paper at least) Dave Peterson and Harvey Mash confidently opened the innings on a very lively wicket that must have been laid on concrete. Wickets soon began to fall and at 39 for 4, with the openers out and Messrs Crichton (P) and Walter both back in the shed without troubling the scorers, veterans Tim Kaye and Ian Peplow set about repairing the innings.  

A brief and entertaining stand followed which came to a premature end when, remarkably, Ian called Tim for a ‘quick single’ (ie two to most people) and Tim was run out visibly slowing down before reaching the other end. When the rains eventually determined an early tea Hill were 99 for 7 with less than ten overs remaining.  

There then followed the best partnership of the innings between Ian and Will Rothwell, the latter striking the ball as well as anybody and Hill were eventually all out in the last over for 155 (or was it 154)? Both competed with ‘wides’ for top scorer! It seems as though we have confused Will and Dad Terry all these years and, based on 3^rd team evidence this season so far, Terry is the bowler and Will the batsman! 

Despite skipper Walter’s efforts between innings to introduce a Duckworth-Lewis situation given the, at best, showery conditions, which he calculated required Wendover having to chase 373 off 22 overs the weather did not quite do enough to bring play to a premature end and Hill were left to bowl on a much more docile wicket with a wet ball that refused to swing. 

Then disaster struck as early as the first ball of Wendover’s innings when thoroughbred athlete Will tweaked a hamstring attempting a full length sliding stop on the fine leg boundary! Folly, folly, it’s not the World Cup final albeit one had to admire his commitment to the cause! At a stroke arguably our principal strike bowler (and batsman as it had earlier turned out) was lamed and Will limped back to the pavilion (a rare luxury for a third team fixture) with only a Swedish massage to look forward to.  

The arrival of the rest of the Crichton family minutes earlier at least allowed Stuart to enter the fray as a substitute fielder but with Tim spilling a skier at mid on in the third over and opening bowlers Bell and McCarthy wicketless it took the wily campaigner Peterson to get the breakthrough, courtesy of a brilliant diving catch at cover from Harvey. Further wickets followed, with Hill encouraged by the sight of the scoreboard showing one more wicket down than was actually the case. 

Leigh Dale then took two sensational catches, with the second off his own bowling already sowing up the catch of the season award, if we had one. But other, simpler catches went down, with web site guru McCarthy not getting his hands to one at mid-wicket which has left his voice three octaves higher! Ian Peplow meanwhile possibly set a new club record by fumbling his fourth slip chance in a week to maintain a 100% record for the season. 

But Peterson and Dale continued to toil and Wendover stumbled to 114 for 7 before Seabrook and the ‘keeper put together a final stand to see them home by 3 wickets as further gloom descended. 

All in all, disappointing not to win, with Will’s incapacity left us a bowler short and a couple of missed chances proving costly but the opposition were stronger than most at this level and we gave them a good game in conditions which we will hopefully not see again this season. Watch this space!