Sunday saw an opportunity to blood one of RCC's young generation of cricketers who have been impressing the Yorkshire talent scouts with his skills with that stick of rhubarb. (I don't count last season's debacle at North Leeds where he was taught a cruel lesson in running between the wickets by Pete Smith). In Eliot Bunn, we have a gem in the making, not least because he knows how to download matches to the laptop, score for the seconds and work the new electronic scoreboard - something his father notably failed to do recently at a crucial under 17's game... He can also bat.

To emphasise his age, he was playing under 13's with Josh Hopkinson and my Josh at Adel on Sunday morning, before necking his Farley's Rusk and joining up with the big boys at HQ just after noon. Moreover, a cursory look through the RCC Child Welfare Manual made me instantly regret picking Hoppy Snr and the Bunnette in the same changing room, but one hastily signed disclaimer later, all was good in the camp.

Continuing a poor run of tossing, we were again inserted by those jolly chaps from Horsforth and out went Arnie (Windy) and Danny DiVito (Eliot) together to have first digs on a moist looking deck.

It wasn't that long before our talisman, Windle, was striding back towards us, bemoaning his poor shot selection on what proved to be a testing, slow wicket. Few people know that I am a big fan of photography in general and the genre of "time lapse' photography in particular. Well I was in for a treat as out traipsed our top order with indecent haste and hurried the captain round from a chastening lap with young Josh V, explaining that despite what he might think, the pecking order at chez Vinall does not include him or me at the summit. But I digress, 35-4 was the shabby effort as I shuffled out to meet the somewhat bemused 13 year old opener in the middle.

The next hour or so was a complete polarisation of cricketing finesse. One of us had it in buckets and the other is a 47 year old insurance broker. Bunnster's shot selection and timing were sublime and he used the pace of the ball superbly to compensate for his lack of girth. By the time he had run out of steam, he had amassed a superb 68 and earned praise from umpires, opposition and spectators alike.

The fat bloke at the other end had also run out of steam and decided to run himself out, just shy of an undeserved 50, something which Hoppy, with great aplomb, inflicted on a somewhat unimpressed Applecheeks only a couple of overs later. Hoppy and Blimey O'Reilly then indulged in a spot of pinch hitting, with the latter being bowled off a no ball after a bail had been blown off by the stiff northerly breeze that had accompanied us all afternoon - something which proved to be the catalyst for a bit of a kerfuffle in the second innings, as RCC should clearly have invested in a set of heavy bails, according to a disgruntled visiting player.

Closing on 202-8 was a handy total and one which meant we could really enjoy Mrs Appleton's superb tea and cakes.

The somewhat unkind home captain invited O'Reilly to open from what he described as "Danny's old end", with the ever reliable metronome Griggs climbing up the hill and into the gale from the other. Griggsy pouched the captain Lawrence in his second over to a legitimate edge, which deflected so slightly, even Hoppy couldn't help but claim the catch (Unbelievably, until that dismissal, Skipper Lawrence was averaging over a hundred he later confided in me and had held Horsforth's batting together all year....) Ben then got his second with a long hop smashed at Marsey who took a great catch at mid wicket and a third when Joe Wallace took an excellent slip catch which would have smacked the previous slip fielder square on the shin and no doubt gone for four....

At the other end, Blimey was bowling quickly and threateningly at Brennan, who pounced on anything wide or full, and a really good contest was developing between the two. With Brennan getting through partners quicker than Katie Price, a rather unfortunate deflection off the pads of Whincup Snr trickled onto the stumps and the slightest impact dislodged a bail. Never one to miss a trick, Hoppy made a new friend by confirming that the wind hadn't blown that bail off, unlike in our innings, something the departing batsman took exception to and a spot of bat waggling in Hoppy’s direction ensued. With the help of Antonio Gutierres (look him up) the game continued with a bit of an edge.

The Brennan/O'Reilly jousting continued with a couple of super shots played by the former, followed by excellent deliveries by the latter. I'll hold my hand up to pushing a stationary ball over the line having lol loped for what seemed like an age after a sumptuous cover drive (where was the cover fielder Eliot??) before Chris produced a peach to send the batsman on his way. With a man down at Otley A&E, curiously after he'd had a good plateful of tea, our bowlers finished Horsforth off for 46, with figures of Griggs 6-3-16-4 and O'Reilly 5.2-0-30-5 for the bowlers.

There did seem a little discord as we shook hands on the way off the pitch to a deafening silence from the Horsforth team and it was heard in the clubhouse that it was like playing a team of school kids... which Matty Booth helpfully confirmed was the case with 6 or our team being in fact, school kids.

The umpires Nick and Geoff took it all in good heart and stayed around long enough to have a couple of beers and a good gas. Onwards and upwards, Adel awaits... and big Jack's back....

Man of the Match
The Bunster, by a million miles. Or Griggsy. Or Blimey O'Reilly.

Highlights

Vinall to Bunn, after the game. "What are you doing next Sunday?" Bunn to Captain "Not watching the thirds!"

Applecheeks to Hoppy "****!"

Bunn to Vinall, having run a a couple of twos ....." You're blowing a bit..." Vinall to Bunn, "Yeah, I was running up hill."