Slip Ups

BARMY KEV REPORTS ON DAY OF ALL ROUND MADNESSS.  

Lower Pav kindly offers to pick Dingy Bags and me up from Edgware then Chesham from his abode at Kings Langley on route to Hove saying it's not out of his way. Yet twice on route he points out he is close to home the second time an hour and quarter into his journey just after Dingy is picked up. Luckily all routes thereafter behaved and arrived at Hove 10 am for what can be described as crazy day.

Again we lose the toss. On a hot sunny day with our pavilion breakfast view of a perfect wicket the natural assumption was we would be fielding first. No we are put in. Dingy thought it was a good toss to lose.  As we took positions before start of play the predictions from the detoured Hove 3 of lunch scores was. Barmy Kev 87-3, Dingy Bags 107-2 and Lower Pav 123-0.

 Most of you know at lunch we were 63-6. Each wicket had a repetitive theme. There were no apparent demons in pitch. Every wicket a catch behind in keeper, slip, gully cordon area with our batsmen playing seemingly poor shots with combination of not moving feet correctly or wafting bat. But then it is easy to judge from comfort of a Hove deck chair. It appeared Ed Joyce dropped a couple and one his catches was a juggling act. The best applause of morning was for Panasear's diving stop from mid on. Other low light was as 6 wicket went down Lower Pav shouting sarcastically "Call for pitch inspectors". This caused an incomprehensible but very loud rage from a Sussex local the other side of the side screen who was clearly incensed and was in much need of a humour bypass op.

 I confess the dire lunchtime position resulted in me at the nearby Cricketers Pub having a longer lunch break than planned chatting with a committee member and missing 1/2 hour of restart. It is an easy trap to fall into, but was quality time. Meanwhile, I arrived back in ground just as 50 partnership between our new no. 6 Ollie Rayner and Berg is bought up.  The applause was reacted with more disgust by the same local who objected to Lower Pav’s earlier comment.  Both Ollie and Ice Man out, again caught behind the stumps. Situation looked like a clean sweep of caught behinds.  Monty was called on to bowl," at last" was whispers from more sensible locals and LBW shout turned down was followed by plum LBW wicket.   Corey in next and was batting with such confidence that in successive overs pushed the single off last ball to protect tail ender Tim O’Murtagh from the strike.   The last wicket stand took us to 170 and just as Vermin Corner were planning a conga if we reach 200 Tim O was bowled for an entertaining 32 that made our score much better than expected at lunch.

Typically as Sussex were batting edges weren’t finding hands as easily ours. AC dropped two that seemed like good chances. We prised 3 wickets and Dexter did take a good one at 1st slip.  We were worried about Ollie being off having taken a knock to hands while batting, but was able to bowl last over.  Our old boy syndrome done well against us Joyce at 49 not out looks ominous. Sussex closing 64 behind with 7 wickets in hand, not our day could be worse.

 One bonus was watching cricket without worrying about weather and being amongst excellent company, despite the village idiot.