Saturday 13 July
The village seconds entertained Portishead thirds in a thrilling encounter that saw the village lose as usual.
With the Sheriff away on alcohol…er…football related activities, the selectors rang the changes. Out went old codger Mark Stephens and in came youthful protege Pearcy.
The visitors ran up 222 in bright sunshine with acting skipper Stocker making one fine catch and spilling a far simpler one. Morph Meaney, fielding idly on the boundary hoping no one would see him, managed to let the most gentle of shots through a large hole in his hands for four.
The bowling was adequate with young Wiltshire and Taff junior continuing to show promise. Pearcy, playing his first and probably last game of the season, managed to take 1-17 in his first six overs but his seventh was a catastrophe when he conceded four successive sixes, the final over costing 29 runs and ruining his figures (1-46 in 7).
Pearcy did make slight amends when he made a tumbling catch off the bowling of Harry Black, the opposing batsman being none other than 68 year old ex footballer and manager Bobby Gould!
The visitors accumulated a respectable 222-6, very good since four of their players were under 13.
Lewis Jefferies opened as expected but Stocker unaccountably chose Morph Meaney to open with him. Jefferies played with great confidence, smashing the ball to the boundary with great regularity. At the other end, Morph played a series of wildly exaggerated defensive shots before predictably being caught by Bobby Gould after losing patience and slogging out.
Jefferies continued making runs and soon passed his maiden 50. As wickets tumbled at the other end, Jefferies kept his end going, finishing on a quite brilliant 90. There was good support at the other end from Stocker (41) and the tail wagged near the end when former village heart throb Neil Whalen clubbed a few lusty blows into the fence, ending with an unlikely unbeaten 23.
The man of the match choice was straightforward for the ‘He Swiped, He Missed’ committee who met in the Beaufort last night and were plied with endless drinks by Morph.
Well done to Lewis Jefferies for a fine display of wicket keeping and 90 runs and the man of the match award goes to….drum roll…Morph Meaney. The village finished on a creditable 198-8 with Lewis Jefferies’ dad, showing considerably less ability than his son, failing to take the score past 200 thanks to some reckless slogging and missing at the end.
Meanwhile, the first team made their third visit of the season to top of the table St Mary Recliffe in Briz. Despite stirring efforts from Semple (M), Chucker Lamb and sexy redheads Longy Junior and top scorer, foul mouthed gobshite Bowers, they lost yet again.
A full report would be welcome.
