Arriving at the bucolic Brook ground having not played for the Peckers this year it was wonderful to briefly catch up with a few familiar faces and meet several new ones. Getting Cousin David out of bed, breakfasted, washed and in the car with egg sandwiches in tow, took, as usually is the case, longer than expected however and we were more or less straight into the field upon arrival. We were oversubscribed so suggested 12-a-side, with everyone bowling an over(bar 1 medical exemption) and Brook were delighted with these arrangements.
Felix the Cat and Motty opened the bowling and threw down some superb stuff against a father and son opening partnership. Anticipation levels were high and after a sustained bowling attack around twenty minutes in a good delivery from the Cat deflected off the bat towards me at square leg. I nearly soiled my whites as it hung for an eternity and was elated when it somehow stuck. The wicket had felt like it was coming, and it was deserved reward for the Cat’s accurate spell.
Shortly after Motty bowled the younger of the two openers with a cracking delivery that blew a stump out of the ground, and prospects were looking good for the Peckers. Brook’s top order looked shaky and uncomfortable in the face of some excellent bowling, with the odd ball sitting up but most staying very low. When Motty bowled the number 3 fifteen minutes after his last wicket, prospects were looking good and there was a real air of anticipation in the field. The 12.30 start also paid off as I pointed out to Motty (8 overs 2-8) that had we started at 2, his customary ham egg and chips washed down with 2-3 pints may not have yielded such a thrifty dividend
. However, Brook’s number 4 decided to play the long game and got himself established – albeit very slowly. At over 20, Brook had only hit around 30 runs – averaging just a run and a half per over.
Levels of optimism were high, and to combat the slow yet resistant Brook batting Pobsy brought on the Baron Neil von Runkel to try and tempt the batsmen into making a mistake. Initially the Baron’s bowling was treated with extreme caution by the Brook number 4 and 5, before they were tempted into playing some shots. One of these lofted towards Potty, who sprung into life but failed to have it stick. Shortly after, tucked away in cow corner at the top of the sloping outfield, I spotted a ball flying towards me. Upon inspection it looked set to fall well in front, so I rapidly covered the ground before realising the deception of the slope had led me to completely overshoot – (apologies Runky). At the beginning of the over said author Cousin le-Simon was rolling a cigarette -I pointed out to him that we had a sanitation break in an over, but he kept on rolling anyway which may have led to his confusion… This was not a one-off occurrence and later on Karl with a K was also undone by the hill.
Frustration levels were slightly rising, however the game felt more in control when Runky’s excellent spell was rewarded with Canon taking a solid catch behind the Baron’s head. At the other end Snax bowled some decent balls, eventually tempting the batsmen into playing a dodgy stroke and sending the ball flying to the right of Potty, who redeemed himself for his earlier indiscretions.
Things then began to slow for the Peckers with Brook’s number 4 slowly gathering some runs, and energy dropped slightly.. Some solid bowling from both was resisted before Canon took a well-deserved wicket of their number 7. Richie from Zimbabwe took to the field and after a few balls decided to try and absolutely tonk Potty. Felix the Cat then justified Pobsy’s decision to station him at deep mid-wicket with an incredibly athletic diving take that defied the laws of physics and was surely moment of the day. One of the best catches I have seen at Peckers with the Cat bravely diving forward and taking it millimetres off the ground
After this the number 8 and 4 formed a solid partnership that proved frustrating for the Peckers. They piled on the runs with both reaching 50s before Felix the Cat dismissed the number 9. Finally the overs ran out for Brook who had scored a respectable 165. Special mention should go to Pirate for his rock solid keeping despite a few years away from the gloves.
The Beeearon heartily approves of young Emily Potter’s favourite hat
Lunch was enjoyed, with several Peckers bee-lining towards the Fox and Pheasant. Buoyed by his egg sandwiches Cousin David opened the batting alongside Potty. He was shortly dismissed, and Karl with a K took to the crease and from the off played some lovely strokes against their openers. Potty hung in at the other end, stealing the odd single before being bowled after twenty minutes or so. Pirate went in and batted admirably with Karl for 20 minutes before being given a very slow decision of LBW. Horse entered the fray and steadied the ship, batting sensibly and deliberately. He and Karl formed a strong partnership with Karl hitting some delightful shots before being dismissed on 46, cruelly robbed of what would have been a well-deserved half century.
Cousin S took to bat and shortly returned after a golden example of woeful shot selection. Enter skipper extraordinaire le Pobsy, who batted well for 20, however when Horse was caught on 24 wickets continued to fall at the other end.. Canon was sent in with the instructions to hit a match winning 30 off fifteen or so balls, but with Brook bringing back on their opening bowlers this was no easy task. Peckers were bowled out for a valiant 134 and made to pay for taking their foot off the gas in the second half of their stint in the field.
Several refreshing ales were enjoyed at the Fox and Pheasant before heading to Potter Towers for further refreshments. An absolutely hilarious evening ensued and made the weekend truly one to remember.
