Time gentlemen, please! Late late show costs Cincers dear in tense encounter with Actors

A heroic ninth wicket stand of 89- probably a club record, who knows! -  from Farhan and Richard H rescued Cincinnati from humiliation at Ham.
But it wasn't enough to save us from defeat....after nearly half the side rolled up hours late.
The no-show obliged the Skip to bat first on a wet, sticky wicket that was soon being used to maximum effect by Actors' seamers.
The ball darting around, we were soon hanging on for dear life at 18 for 4.
And still no sign of four batsmen.
There wasn't much sign of Tim M either - even though he arrived on time.
The changing rooms weren't yet open and 'Shelving' refused to change behind a tree, despite the Skip generously finding a trunk that was wide enough.
Even when he did arrive at the crease (at number six), he didn't last much longer than the rest of us.
At 38 for 8, the game surely was up.
But by then, reinforcements had arrived - Farhan included.
He joined Richard H, who was having a nosebleed batting at 9, and together they put on a heroic stand.
Well, Richard did the standing and Farhan did the heroic hitting.
Three sixes and six fours came off his blade before he holed out for an invaluable 56.
No other batsman made double figures.
Richard went a few balls Farhan before taking an age to score 9 but showed the rest of us how to hang on and put a partnership together.
A total of 117 off 33.1 was hardly a mountain for Actors to climb, especially as conditions were better for batting at the start of their innings.
But with Majid giving nothing away at one end, Chris P picked up two wickets - one courtesy of a blinder of a catch behind square by Richard de Q.
And with Actors seemingly recovering at 59 for 2,  Richard H winkled out a batsman, with Dee taking the stumping.
It quickly became 59 for 4 when new recruit offspinner Starbucks (not his real name though I don't know what that is) took a wicket.
Round about now came the big controversy of the match - a 'stumping' not given off Richard H.
The batsman - Mr Hurst - went on to be Actors' top score of 39 n/o but my, that was you call a close decision.
Kamran, another new recruit this season,  put in a superb spell of 2 for 2 off 6 overs and another new boy, Abdullah, also picked up a wicket.
But six wickets down was as much as we could get Actors before they passed our total with two overs to spare. Or was that two hours?
ROCKIE'S REVIEW (as told to the Captain):  Tick, tock, tick, tock went the old grandfather clock in Rock Hall.
It taught me one very valuable lesson, that clock  (well, apart from that fact that clocks make a noise).
In life and in cricket,  timing is everything.
Taking to the crease is just like catching a plane.
You wouldn't turn two hours at Heathrow for a flight, would you?
No, you wouldn't.
Turn up late and you've had it. It's gone.
At least with a plane, you can catch a later one (depending on your ticket).
But with batting, well, blink and you've missed it.
And I should know.