Match reports

Jacobite Chancers - 2003

Positives.... Mrs Firmin's date and walnut cake, Lloydy's new boundary markers, another 50 for Jimmy Hat and a plucky lastwicket stand between Homebase and Delia.

Negatives... where to start? The Cavs always lose to the Jacobite Chancers, but today seemed like the perfect opportunity to turn the tables on the first side the Cavs ever played. The idyllic setting of the Upper Rotho
pitch gave us home advantage, the weather was beautiful, and despite missing a few key players, we looked pretty strong. Also in our favour was that our nemisis (fifth year: look it up) Ed Black was unavailable, nor was the lairy stockbroker, and to make our case even stronger, the oppo even turned up with only 9 men. A Cavs victory was a formality.

Skipper BCR won the toss and sent the cavs out to field on the hottest day ever (literally). To be fair to the skipper, who was nursing a major hangover having had his joint 30th birthday party with Frase the night
before, a manufactured outcome such as this was probably the only thing to do. But it hit the cavs hard, and the energy sapping conditions made taking wickets very tricky. Brindo and Hat opened up the bowling and the former looked to have made the breakthrough when the opening bat edged to Timmy F at second slip. Unfortunately, Timmy F couldn't hold the catch, but surely it wouldn't matter and we'd get him out soon anyway..... not so. He went on to carry his bat and make 98 not out.

The breakthrough eventually came when Frase, feeling the effects of one mucky too many the night before, swooped on a forward defensive against his own bowling and the throw beat the sliding batsman to the stumps. Umpire Jimmy Nicks was in no doubt, and he was back in the hutch. This, sadly, was the highlight of the Cavs fielding efforts, with only one more wicket falling (to part-time Cav Lordy) and two further catches going down. The Chancers ended on 172/2, respectable but eminently gettable.

After a splendid tea, for which Firms gallantly foresook his regular Sunday morning leisure activity, Lordy and Timmy F went out to pat with plenty of gaps in the field. And they soon had plenty of time to look at these gaps
from the safety of the pavillion, as they were both skittled within the first 4 overs, for 2 and 0 respectively. Ellis and Jimmy Hat started to rebuild, before Elbow got one that stayed low, then Warney ran himself out
running a second at about the speed of a contental plate. Enter Tanty at 7, on the point of bundering, and it came as no surprise that he responded to Jimmy Hat's chat about "playing each ball on it's merits, taking your time, hang around and let me get the runs" by swinging wildly at a good line and length ball. The inevitable death rattle followed, and the Cavs were well and truly up against it. Chianti was replaced by fellow birthday boy BCR, who lasted only slightly longer before being replaced by little brother Thomas for a couple of balls. Having had little support, Jimmy Hat's 56 was a great knock, and it's good to see him back to something like his best form, but when he was bowled trying to force the pace, the game was all but over. It was left to Firms and Lloydy to save a little bit of face with a last wicket partnership of 30, with Lloydy's bludgeoning perfectly
complemented by Firms stoic defence. But, it wasn't enough, and the Cavs were all out in the penultimate over 20 (?) runs short.

Gutted

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