All good things must come to an end

Another break in the weather, another opportunity for a cheeky game of cricket in this never ending summer of rain. Taking to the field for the visitors were James Wright ("Jim Jam"), Sam Vass ("Sausage"), Adrian Day ("Mog"), Russ Golding ("Raoul"), Simon Brewer ("KV"), Jamie Harris ("DJ Teabag"), Chris Scarth ("the Ninja"), Matt Du Gay ("Doogs"), Peter Brewer ("Mr B"), Adam Carmichael ("AC") and David Stockwell ("Stockrates").

Losing the toss, Waverley were sent into bat first and kicked things off with Jim Jam and Sausage. Progress was steady as both batsmen found the boundary at regular intervals. However, with Jim Jam and Sausage poised on 41 and 42 respectively, both holed out within a few deliveries of each other. The new partnership of Mog and Raoul kept the board ticking over before the latter was castled and the former dollied one back to the bowler. In truth, all the Waverley batsmen got respectable scores with KV and Teabag proving to be particularly ruthless down the order. But wickets at regular intervals prevented a big partnership forming to take Waverley over the 200 mark, the visitors having to make do with 194-6 from their 40 overs.

After tea the pitch remained every bit the road it had been in the first innings, Waverley's bowlers having difficulty extracting any help from the wicket. Teabag suffered the brunt of the home side's early attacking (hampered by a shoulder injury), while Doogs bowled consistently for no reward. AC was introduced for Teabag and experienced similar frustration, the home side strolling through the run chase without a care in the world. That all changed thanks to a remarkable catch from Jim Jam, diving full length to take the ball slightly behind him at deep square leg. Mr B was into the attack at this stage and soon got his name in the book with a straight one. The Ninja came on in place of AC and when he helped himself to two wickets (including a diving catch off his own bowling), suddenly it wasn't all plain sailing for Elstead. Mr B bagged a second wicket and Raoul got in amongst the wickets with an LBW. It was around about this time that Stockrates, in attempting to field the ball on the boundary, managed not only to throw the ball over the rope for four but also injured himself in the process. Waverley therefore played out the final few overs of the game with just ten players. Nonetheless, a further wicket fell thanks to just about the worst run out you will ever see (cricket definitely not being the winner). However, the runs had continued to flow (thanks in part to some unusually slack fielding at times from Waverley) and the home side did enough to win the game by three wickets.

The Man of the Match Hat went to Sausage for his efforts with the bat in the first innings and Teabag was awarded the brand new "Anchor" Hat as a result of his being under a small thundercloud for most of the second innings (definitely livid with cricket). The Supporter's Egyptian Hieroglyph Pink T-Shirt award went to Raoul, for screaming like a girl and throwing himself out of the way of the ball whilst scoring. Finally, the Pink T-Shirt inevitably went to Stockrates for injuring himself whilst fielding and then reporting shooting pains in his posterior.

Comments from the Clio this week saw AC joined by Stockrates and Teabag for the journey to Elstead, talk quickly turning to Teabag's recent holiday to Newquay and in particular, the unsuccessful attempts by Mike Tiley ("Topps") to woo a lady friend. "He got pied off", claimed Teabag. If anyone knows what on earth is meant by this particular phrase, please send your answer on the back of a stamp to AC, care of the Clio...