Soaked Cincers drown in Whitstable as Labour Club six-hitters storm to victory

We all need an excuse. Cincers' get-out yesterday v Whitstable Labour Club was the weather.
The Skip won the toss and chose to bat in bright sunshine...that lasted about 15 minutes.
Thereafter, rain. Fine drizzle, then heavy, then drizzle. Plus a howling gale.
Despite all that, the runs flowed.
Sadly, not for newcomer James who was skittled for a duck.
But he was an emergency opener. Test Match was calmly munching a sandwich in the changing room as the innings began.
Cincers' time-keeping was pretty hopeless as usual but happily for us, the Labour Club's was even worse.
They took the field with six players, with the others rolling up here and there.
The early gaps came in handy as Test Match finally joined the Skip at the crease with one wicket down.
The duo like batting at Radfall.
A few years back, they put on Cincers' first century partnership.
Yesterday, the Skip's luck was in again as his flicks off the pads and late cuts helped him keep pace with Tim.
Test Match is in a rich vein of fame, averaging about 70 in recent innings.
One upper cut for four off Labour Club's quickie left-armer stuck firm in the memory.
All the while, the rain kept falling.
With the score on 82 or thereabouts, the Skipper was bowled for 37 (six boundaries included. Nosebleeds all round).
The 82 was off about 18 overs, though as we always play time games in Radfall, none of us seemed to know how good that was.
Enter Moyners who thumped a trademark extra-cover drive for four and then walked straight off.
With all the others.
It was hammering it down.
An hour's interruption, including an early tea, followed.
It was about 4.25pm when Cincers retook the field.
The Skip, by now umpiring, was working on declaring about 5pm, giving Whitstable about the same number of overs as us.
Test Match duly passed his 50 to no applause or apparent interest from the watching Cincers
(Later, we were not great at keeping the scoreboard up to date. Didn't help the batsmen or the Skip trying to calculate when to declare).
In the end, rain ended the innings.
We came off on an impressive 172 for 3 off 30.3 overs, with Test Match on 76 not out and Moyners departing for a quick 38.
Labour Club started with intent, with one of the Wicks brothers carving us straight and wide.
Rockie, gamely opening up with Test Match, got him in the end.
But the opposition were keeping well up with a run rate not far shy of 6 an over.
One over cost us as one of Labour Club's left-handers plundered two towering sixes.
At the other end, Test Match steamed in for an uninterrupted spell of 14 overs.
He did not repeat his epic 7 for 57 off 15 (if memory serves me) which gave us a fantastic victory several years ago at Radfall.
But he snaffled three wickets with some fine swing-inners and outers.
One was a sky-high steepler caught by brother Jack behind the stumps after the Skip and Roger (playing his annual match for us) wisely didn't yell 'mine' from their respective fielding positions.
We Lancastrians know our place...and our catching ability.
Jack's keeping throughout was top-notch.
That'll be because he's playing regularly for us this year (hint, hint, Jack!)
Richard H, in his second game for Cincinnati, got a wicket first ball (sharply pouched by Moyners who clearly mistook the ball for a chocolate muffin).
Stephen Wright, gracing the side with a rare appearance, trundled in and kept the rate down.
Fielding was pretty good, with James and the Skip saving runs with sharp stops and return throws (James has a great arm).
Roger and Richard put their bodies on the line in boundary saving dives, oblivious to the subsidence implications for the pavilion.
Sadly, Mark, Cincers' founding captain and celebrating his 52nd birthday yesterday, got shunted out of first slip to mid-wicket shortly before two sharp chances flashed that way.
But Labour Club's Paddy and skipper Richard put together a fine partnership which took them over the line with an over or two before the closure.
A fine game, played in the usual competitive 'esprit' (getting ready for the French tour, lads) against hospitable hosts.
Could we have won it? Yes, with a bowler or two more and 11 men (we had 10 after a no-show from someone called Alex W).
But what the hell, let's blame the weather.