Watlington Cricket Club Single Wicket 1977

The sun shone, the wind it did bluster,
The crowd it was milling around,
They’d forsaken cricket on telly
And flocked to the Watlington ground.

J. Lane was no match for B. Adby,
He showed a complete lack of nerve.
When bowled round the back by a Yorker
He tried a neat body swerve.

The prelims were very soon over,
W. Smith was not out for a duck,
His batting was rather erratic,
And his bowling was really a chuck.

The betting now started in earnest,
The money was pouring on Lane,
And those who had backed the outsiders
Were showing great financial strain.

Houghton v Hamp was a good one,
Houghton had eighteen to beat
But Hamp bowled his famous out-swinger
And Houghton was out rather neat.

J. Stanmore has made runs this season,
Mainly to the toilet I fear.
For the batting of Lane was too sturdy
And this was not to be J. Stanmore’s year.

G. Adby is a real local hero
A batsman that all bowlers fear.
A man who hits the ball soundly
And makes it go swish past your ear.

Eddie Mora has quite a nice action,
A man of Harmony Fashion certainly should,
He said that he’d beat Smasher Adby
And went on to prove that he could.

Eddie Allen soon beat his young rival
Even though he was nursing a sprain.
With two mighty outs to the boundary
He went past his score like a train.

Masher and A. Adby were a classic,
The stuff that cricket’s about.
Derek had made a round dozen
And on the last ball was run out.

The ex-baker won his round easy,
One hit was needed no more,
It whistled past me on the boundary
A very deft stroke for a four.

The great Barry Adby scored quickly,
The Chilterns did ring with applause.
In three overs he scored just forty
One own goal and lost both balls.

When the quarter finals were started
Lane’s speed was lacking no doubt
When on three he went for a single
And Hamp had him run out.

Harmony Fashion v Eddie Allen,
From Allen a take-over bid.
Determined to stop Mr Mora
From winning himself a few quid.

Each player had batted nifty
And each had 19 on the score
But the craft of young E. Allen
Soon made Mr Mora no more.

The baker made his own problems
Getting run out for just three
Perhaps he should have not eaten
One of his cream buns for tea.

He placed all his men round young Masher
And crowded him all round the bat
But Masher caught hold of a bad one
And dear listener was the end of that.

Adby v House was the best yet
And Gordon, a wily old scout,
Put all his men on the boundary
And Barry just could not hit out.

This made the score quite a low one
And Barry with hardly a grouse
Only let his opponent score singles
And went on to beat Gordon House.

We now had a repeat performance
Of the semi-finals last year
D. Hamp v Eddie Allen
And Thatcher v Adby, right queer.

Allen was too good for Hampy,
Eddie made fifteen, Dave four
And we waited to see the outcome
Of Thatcher v Adby once more.

Masher he had a rare fight on
But Barry knows all of the tricks
And in only three rather quick overs
He had thumped Masher for thirty six.

Masher decided to hit out
And found he had left it too fine
When a rather good one from Barry
Skittled him when he’d scored nine.

Eddie and Barry, the final,
And how the spectators clapped,
Would they both show their mettle?
Or had either of their nerves snapped?

Eddie Allen scored wildly
And ran up to twenty two
And we in the Club Pavilion
Wondered what Barry could do.

The answer was not long in coming,
Eddie found he had turned up a trump
When during his second over
He demolished Barry’s off stump.

The lovely thing about cricket
And here really we come to the nub,
We all adjourn to the club room
And play it again in the pub.

Bill Smith 1977

WATLINGTON Cricket Club