Troy and Doogs break out the jugs

What's that? Waverley won? Really??

A hastily arranged fixture via the conference saw Waverley travel to Wokingham for a first fixture against Emmbrook & Bearwood. James Wright ("Mongo"), Russ Golding ("Raoul"), Simon Brewer ("KV"), Marcus Carmichael ("MC"), Matt Du Gay ("Doogs"), Warren Vass ("Wozza"), Sam Tempest ("Troy"), Jamie Harris ("DJ Teabag"), Adam Carmichael ("AC"), Laura Brewer ("Loz") and Adrian Day ("Mog") were doing their best not to wilt in the heat of the day.

Batting first in this 40 over game, Waverley went off like an express train on a wicket that was, to all intents and purposes, a road. Despite losing both Mongo (14) and Raoul (29) in the first ten overs, the score had already reached 80 and the Waverley run rate looked like no sign of stopping. KV in particular was feasting on the bowling, with the ball disappearing to all parts. MC played his part too, running well between the wickets and chipping in with boundaries of his own before he was cleaned up for 21. Staggering in at number five (the result of a heavy Saturday night) was Doogs, who quickly went about demonstrating that he is more than just a batsman with some classy stroke play. KV tore past the fifty mark. Bowlers came and went, but the run rate didn't falter and KV was soon within striking distance of his hundred. He'd been dropped four times on his way but chanced his arm once too often, holing out and jug evading on 97. Doogs carried on serenely and, ably supported by Wozza, soon brought up his maiden half century with a single into the leg side. Supremely confident in his side's total, Mog chose to declare on 258-4 with 36 overs gone.

After tea, grumpy quicks Teabag and AC looked to make early inroads into the home side's batting order. The track offered very little to the bowlers but Teabag succeeded in getting an early breakthrough thanks to a well-taken catch by MC at backward square leg. AC had less success, generating little in the way of wicket-taking opportunities other than an inside edge onto the pad (which he thought was worth a massive shout for LBW in any event). The partnership for the second wicket lasted eighteen overs and yielded valuable runs for the home side, with R Carter bringing up a well-made fifty. However, Waverley's nominee for best-newcomer in the 2013 season Troy removed the danger man, a catch pouched by Mongo in the covers. He wasn't done there, taking three more wickets with an excellent catch by Raoul at deep mid-wicket, a catch held by Doogs (that he almost overran) and an inside edge onto the stumps. Two balls later, a simple return catch gave Troy his first five wicket haul for the club. There was even a run out off his bowling for good measure, Mongo punishing the batsmen for trying to run a three to his arm.

Raoul had replaced AC from the other end and got into his stride during his eight over spell, keeping the run rate down for no reward. He was in turn replaced by Loz, who also generated a run out with the return throw coming from Teabag. With only two wickets left, Loz did the business with a bottom edge off O Williams that nestled between Wozza's wicket-keeping pads. She then claimed her second wicket and career best figures when Balraj played on, leaving the home side all out for 193 and well short of the Waverley total.

The Man of the Match Hat deservedly went to Troy for his five wicket haul (although there were notable mentions to KV and Doogs for their efforts with the bat). The *Anchor Hat went to AC for his spurious LBW appeal and MC won the Supporters' Egyptian Hieroglyph Pink T-shirt for a variety of comments overheard by the Waverley Ladies. The Pink T-shirt went to Mongo... I can't remember why, but he's not won it for a while so it's fair enough...

The return of the final paragraph this week sees Mongo give some valuable dating advice drawn from his own knowledge. Apparently he "found some game and took him home for dinner". Aside from the obvious use of the word "him", Teabag was observed to be making some very careful notes...