Outfranked in Finchley

We rounded off the 2007 season with a trip to the marvellous pitch at Finchley. Sadly, not even the inspiration provided by a hard track, sight-screens & scoreboard or the combined firepower of 13 Cincers were enough to overcome the locals and their talismanic leader.

Finchley batted first and piled up a big score of around 230 before declaring. I'm sure we took some wickets along the way but really we were just waiting for Frank to let us have a go at batting (or was that just me?).

Our response was reminiscent of the Saturday Galway game. Selfish Batter and Lurpak built a solid opening partnership, and Finchley's strike bowlers were soon sent to graze in the long grass. But then an Aussie intervened to ruin things. Not a honey monster this time, but our very own Frank. Years of reconnaissance on CCC tours were rewarded as he picked off six of our batsmen. The final wicket fell with a couple of overs to go - just before the Skip could step in to call it off for bad light. And that was that for another year.

2007 season: P13 W5 WD1 LD0 L6 NR1

The day was notable for the last-minute challenge by Lurpak to claim the Selfish title: he arrived late to avoid the tedious opening overs, bowled about 55 overs of off spin, opened the batting and dominated tea and the post-match celebrations with the announcement of his engagement to Amy. Respect and many congratulations!








Ego-judge Rocky assesses the new contender ("Did he offer the team a slice of that cake?").

Thank you

Many thanks for the vouchers you gave us for our wedding. It was very much appreciated. For those interested, the official photos of the day are now available - the code is 96VMLD. A few Cincers feature around batch 22 I think. If your day is particularly empty, you can also have a look at our honeymoon pictures. There are quite a few there so I'd recommend putting them on a fast slideshow.

Finale to the 2007 season

"Do you want to bat or bowl first?" - the captain of Finchley's Sunday XI (he's on the left) takes the reins in Galway

Boys, we have nothing to fear but total and utter humiliation on Sunday.
However, Frank - the opposing Finchley skip (we only borrow him for tours) - has clearly already lost it.
Here he is talking to a horse in Galway.
Team for Sunday is: JP, Andy O, Rockie, Simon, Tim R, Jack, Chris, Dan, Jim, Ash and Brendan.
Please meet at the ground at midday for 1pm start. It's now September and you know how unpredictable I get when the nights are drawing in!
This is easily the best cricket wicket and pitch we'll have played on this summer, by the way.
There's an electronic scoreboard though it wasn't working the last time I batted for them (geddit?!)
Finchley CC's address is: East End Road, Arden Field, Finchley, N3 2TA.
(tel: 0208 346 1822).
Map link is: http://maps.google.co.uk/?q=N32TA
Finchley has a very good bar and clubhouse which we really should patronise after the match.
There's also talk of an end-of-season curry somewhere.
Brendan

Running on empty - half-strength Cincinnati hits the buffers

Simon, where were you! Selfish Batter has a nervous wedding-day fidget with the ring

Captain's Log - stardate: September 3, 2003

Suicide in Regent's Park in broad daylight.
Reduced to just eight players, Cincinnati did what we do best when our backs are against the wall - gift the opposition two wickets.
No sniggering please from the legion of absentees (Simon, Jim, Dan, Tom, Max, Tim R, Tim M, Stephen, Tappers, etc - I mean you) - we also came up against the sharpest bowler since the three wicket maiden Honeymonster in Galway.
The opposition, Village CC (new side, mates of Robert "Segment" Colvile), said they were "rather weak",
Batting-wise, they were.
Playing on a Royal Park bit of scrubland that made Greenwich look like Lords, Village posted 149 for nine off the 30-over limit (10 a side - Village gave us two players).
Rockie (two for 23 off six), Adam (two for 22 off six) bowled very well, as did Rob Sibson (a ringer from the oppo whose mobile number I pocketed) - 2 for 22 off three. Chris was tidy at one for 18 off four.
Sharp fielding, helped by an outfield of elephant grass, kept the boundaries down.
The champagne moment goes to Don, our West Indian star from the National, and JP for a stunning run-out combination.
JP kept superbly, his best effort yet - look out Tom, Rockie and Jack.
Sour moment when their umpire didn't give Village's best batsman out for an LBW off Andy O so obvious even the hippos in London Zoo behind us went up for it. He went on to get 28.
The Skip was nursing a sore calf muscle (yes, and the knees), so Chris and Ash went out to start Cincinnati's reply and knock them off.
Gulp! Shrewd move by the Captain (there's one a season) as someone bowling like Steve Harmison's younger brother nearly took Chris's head off with the first ball.
Waistline O'Moynihan would have fainted clean away.
At the other end, a niggardly, sharpish Kiwi called KP removed Chris with a good one.
Undaunted, Ash thick-edged KP to third man and decided there was two. There wasn't. Gift-wrapped run-out number one.
Adam slapped a Yorkshireman (always a good idea) but sadly straight to cover.
Enter JP to face KP. The vice-skip dug deep (why does he prospect for oil when taking guard - what's wrong with a simple line in the dirt to mark middle-and-leg).
A straight six and a swashbuckling effort but to no avail. He departed for 24.
Andy O had a go but perished for 12.
Cue the arrival of the hobbling Skip who chose Andy as his runner.
One scratched run was all he got. Andy, taking his lead from Ash, decided from the non-striker's end on a quck single even though first slip was already polishing the ball after an edge from Rockie.
Clunk! Happily, the Chairman didn't hear the Skip mutter "that's coming off your average" as we trooped off.
Solid effort from Rockie (12) and Village organiser Alex Page (10) for us as last-wicket pair but Cincinnati was all out for just over 100.