Waverley: as good at drawing as Tony Hart?

Mongo see ball, Mongo hit ball...

The second of the weekend's matches saw Waverley travel to Frensham, with even the occasional pre-match rain shower not dampening the visitors' spirits. James Wright ("Mongo"), Nick Hales ("the Greek"), Russ Golding ("Raoul"), Ollie Godden ("Godders"), Simon Brewer ("KV"), Sam Vass ("Peppa"), Chris Beanland ("Beanie"), Warren Vass ("Wozza"), Jamie Harris ("DJ Teabag"), Peter Brewer ("Mr B") and Adam Carmichael ("AC") were the select eleven.

AC lost the conversation with the Frensham skipper, but Waverley's strong batting line-up was given the first go on a fairly well-behaved pitch. Mongo and the Greek got proceedings under way, with Mongo providing the aggression and the Greek providing the control as Waverley cruised along at a healthy run rate. Barely a chance was offered up to the Frensham fielders as first Mongo and then the Greek reached their half-centuries. The pair looked unbeatable until the Greek got a half-tracker, for which he waited and waited and waited and waited and waited before getting in a tangle and losing his bails (the opening stand being some 160-odd runs for the first wicket). Raoul strode to the crease with an air of confidence that suggested he fancied a big score. He backed up this confidence with a succession of boundaries as Waverley's total continued to rise. The side-effect of this was that Mongo was starved of the strike. Attempting to rectify this with a big shot, he holed out on 84 and was followed not too long afterwards by Godders. Raoul brought up his quick-fire half-century with a six down the ground, but holed out the very next ball trying to replicate the shot. With tea fast approaching, KV, Peppa, Beanie and Wozza added useful runs at the end of the innings which allowed Waverley to declare on 264-6.

After a top tea, Teabag and AC looked to make early inroads into the Frensham batting order. A wicket wasn't long in coming, with AC's use of the leg-side long-hop doing for the first opener courtesy of a good catch at square leg by Raoul. Teabag was bowling with his tail up and soon got his name in the wickets column, the batsman chasing a wide ball and cutting it straight to Peppa at gully. When AC bagged the other opener with a catch to Godders at mid-off and Teabag trapped his second victim LBW, Waverley looked to have the upper hand. Enter the Frensham skipper, R Champneys, who ruined AC's figures and battered him out of the attack in just one over. Needing some control, the ball was thrown to Mr B and he duly delivered, bottling up an end during a twelve over spell and being unlucky not to get a wicket for his efforts. From the other end and after a good spell of bowling, Teabag was replaced by Peppa. Not long into his spell there was an enforced stoppage as Wozza, keeping wicket, staked his claim for the Hobbling Hoagy award by doing his knee and having to leave the field. Luckily, Laura Brewer ("Loz") was on hand as substitute fielder whilst Godders took over wicket-keeping duty. He immediately stamped his authority by pouching a top edge just four balls later, giving Peppa his first wicket. He claimed a third catch a few overs later, again off the bowling of Peppa. By this time Champneys had passed his half-century and was targeting a ton. A few more lofted shots and a slice of luck (AC dropping him over the boundary for six off Mr B's bowling) soon saw him reach the milestone. He was finally castled by Raoul, on for Peppa. Despite a 50 for A Page, Frensham's chance of victory was now extremely remote. Despite the efforts of the Greek, Beanie and Raoul at the death (including a flighted delivery from the latter that showed up on the radar at Farnborough Airport), the final three wickets remained elusive and the match ended as a draw.

The Man of the Match Hat went to Mongo for his batting, with AC awarding himself the *Anchor Hat for not only dropping Champneys on the way to his ton, but dropping him for six. The Supporters' Egyptian Hieroglyph Pink T-shirt went to Raoul, for "sausage rolling" down the steep bank. The Pink T-shirt went to Wozza, because nothing engenders sympathy at a Waverley game like hobbling off with a knee injury...