Team news: Dave the Kid Hadrill, EO, Jerry, Hatrick, Dunc, Biff, Alex, Zonk, Terry, and Postman Dan. Probably 4-4-2 formation. 30 overs.

This is a long standing Greys fixture – beautiful ground surrounded by trees in the depths of East Sussex. There was much talk on the Whatsapp group of previous fixtures and an alleged hundred by Chairman Tel Burgess in the days before match reports existed, or in the time before records began. Or ended. Or started again. Something about a Greys’ Gazette??! Who knows? Or cares. On with the cricket…

…a 2pm start apparently?

1:28pm: Greysmen Zonk, Hatrick and Clunk arrive at the White Horse Inn in Bodle Street Green and are greeted by Bodle Street CC regulars. Swift pints of Harveys, an orange juice and soda, and a black coffee.

1:45pm: Greysmen arrive at Bodle Street pitch

2:30- 2.50pm: Bodle Street players arrive in dribs and drabs.

2:58pm: EO heads back to Middle Farm on cider exchange mission.

3pm: Biff and Rik open the innings.

3:01pm: What a shot! Biff late cuts Bodle Street’s opener’s first ball for 4!

3:04pm: WICKET! Biff bowled by a straight one. Fourth ball of the innings and Biffo is making his way off the pitch.

3:52pm: 31-1 (Flynn 11, Ashton 20) 10 overs in and Hatrick and Zonk see off Bodle Street’s opening bowlers.

3:58pm: CIDER UPDATE EO returns with a fresh barrel of cider. A much smoother brew with a flowery bouquet and a hint of citrus.

4:27pm: 112-1 (Flynn 39, Ashton 58) 19 overs down and TMGs scoring rate has picked up with the maximum horn has sounded several times for Zonk’s 50 and several sixes. Hatrick is looking fluent and nailed on for a bit of 50-up hornage.

4:38pm: WICKET! Hatrick skies one off a slower ball and he’s caught at midwicket. A hint of jug avoidance with Hatrick walking off for 48. In comes Clunkertoon. 125-2

4:45pm: WICKET! In an effort to avoid doing any running and exaggerate his arse strain Zonk is caught and bowled. In comes the Fenton.

4:58pm: 151-3 (Edwards 11, Fenton 9) lots of scurrying between the wickets as Clunkerton and Alex struggle to find the middle of the bat but keep the scoreboard ticking over with lots of quick singles.

5:05pm: 165-4 WICKET! Fenton caught! In comes Hadrill for his first innings in years – good luck Dave!

5:08pm: 167-5 WICKET! Hadrill caught! Unlucky! One of the few balls bowled at the bottom end that kept low enough to hit the stumps – not a great ball to be facing first ball for several years. In comes Jerry to bash it about for the last couple of overs.

5:20pm: 194-5 (Brasher 15*, Edwards 21*) Burgess, padded up and keen to add to his previous historic knocks at Bodle Street, looks on forlornly as Jerry and Clunk brash and clunk their way through the last few overs. The Mighty Greys finish the innings with 194-5. Not a bad score on this pitch off 30 overs.

TEA: Glasses of cider accompanied by a lovely chicken curry and rice for the majority of Greysmen, and Biffo making do with biscuits, twixes and penguins.

6:00pm: BODLE STREET in to BAT! El Capitan opens the bowling with TMG’s new boy, Dan Hermitage. What a start! Newland concedes 1 run off the first over.

6:08pm: WICKET! Dan gets his first wicket for the Greys off the final ball of his first over! Bodle Street are 6-1.

6:14pm: WICKET! Newland gets his first of the day – Bodle Street’s No2 caught for 14! Bodle Street are rocking at 14-2!

6:14pm – 7:15pm: Some good bowling by the Grey’s but Bodle Street are batting well scoring some excellent fours and sixes taking the scoreboard to 72-2 off 13 overs. TMG’s need a breakthough!

7:20pm: WICKET! Commeth the hour, commeth the man! Just when Bodle Street look like getting on top, Terry “the scourge of Bodle Street” Burgess, comes up with the goods and Bodle Street’s No3 is walking back to the non-existent pavilion after being caught.

7:24pm – 8:15pm: A good team bowling effort with EO, Line and Ashton all taking wickets. Has there been a game where all bowlers have taken a wicket?

8:16pm: What’s this?? El Capitan has thrown the ball to Clunker! TMG’s secret weapon! This guy must have the best strike rate of any bowler! He seems to take a wicket every time he comes on to bowl. This should be worth watching!

8:17pm: Edwards first ball goes for 4! Not to worry – he wants them playing shots.

8:19pm: CHANCE! The batsman spoons Clunk’s third ball out to EO at midwicket who couldn’t quite get down to it! Edwards has his head in his hands.

8:21pm: WICKET!! Edwards’ fourth ball fizzing leg break turns from leg stump to off and and Lee edges it back to Zonk at slip. Proper quality cricket moment! PSM!

8:25pm: CHANCE! Edwards’ fifth ball to the new batsman is driven straight at Benny Newland at mid-off but he is only able to parry it.

8:27pm: Edwards finishes with a dot ball. That’s the end of the game – Bodle Street hitting 154-7 off 30 overs. The Might Greys win by 40 runs! All 7 TMG’s bowlers get a wicket – over to statto to check the archives to see if that has happened before.

Statistics:

Averages 2019 – 190610 and Averages Lifetime – 190610