Canfield Battle Out Memorable Draw Shocker

We couldn't have wished for a more fitting season's curtain raiser. Build it and people will come, Kevin Costner was told in the movie Field of Dreams; get the bar stocked in the new pavilion and the same will happen at GCCC, and, with the sun shining on a full house, we entertained Dunmow 2nds on Saturday in our first game of the season.

Dunmow tipped up 40 minutes before the start of play, said a few cursory hello's, got changed, went out and practised on the outfield doing regimented throwing, catching and fielding drills that they had so obviously done many times before. Canfield were in the bar arguing about where the dartboard should go; this is all you need to know about the differences between league and village cricket.

Bretty turned up. I have had two phone conversations with Neil in the past week. Conversation #1: "Jon, it's Bretty. Can't play on Saturday - working. See you in a couple of weeks". This was on Tuesday. Conversation #2: "Jon, it's Bretty. Cant play on Saturday - working" (Neil - you told me this earlier mate) " Did I? Got a message to call you" (So you still cant play?) "No". This was on Thursday. So why is he now in the changing room getting into his whites? He is clearly working too hard.

The toss. Matt, the Dunmow Captain called heads. It came down tails. CMON CANFIELD!!! ONE NIL ALREADY. They say it takes 5 years to read the mysteries of a cricket pitch. Now I had talked on Friday to Jaimie about our options. Might be a tad unpredictable, what with using it for net practise and being on the edge of the square. So, put them in. See if we cant spook 'em early doors. If they get a score, we'll chase AND as I've agreed this to be a win/lose/draw game, if we can't get close to their tally we'll play out a heroic draw. Of course the pitch was fine and with a rock hard outfield they scored 255 in 40 overs just as the pitch was beginning (in cricket parlance) "to do something" nicely in time for them to bowl at us in fact. As I say, it takes 5 years.

Our bowling was a bit wobbly early on and they got off to a flyer. The captaining bit felt strange at first but I got lots of help from Ali, Angus and especially Bomber for which I was very grateful. Things like, forgetting to have a point fielder, and do we need 5 people on the leg side, Jon? But I got the hang of it and everyone was very patient with me as they were repeatedly asked to move to and fro (sorry Greg/Sam/Paul/etc). And its a fine balance to tell someone to do something in a positively assertive yet polite way, without sounding like some overbearing attention seeking Captain Mainwairing from Dads Army. But I enjoyed my first outing as skipper - we got the fun/compete balance right and that's what I was after. The whole experience didn't put me off; my team were gentle with me.

We kept at it with sonofapreecherman bowling a good line/length and the wickets began to fall. Yours truly snared a couple and their were wickets for Ali, Paul, Bomber and a class-y run out via Angus. Given the inexperience of our side, good batting conditions and the strength of Dunmow, 250 odd was only a bit north of par. We had a chance.

We made a steady reply scoring a 4+ an over till Trevor was run out via a direct hit (he's not as quick as you, Bomber, between the wickets). Bomber made 43 before coping one that kept low. Ali got 28 and was unlucky to be undone by their leggie. And that was the batting highlights. Everyone else chipped in but, in the end, with three overs to go and in fading light, the last two were at the crease. I was one, my sonofapreecherman was the other. And...we held firm! Despite putting their strike bowler back on (in fading light) and crowding the wicket the other end for their spinner, Canfield got home to cheers and beers and the booming sound of Doctor Who on the pavilion TV. CMON CANFIELD!

Dunmow were real sports and said it had been a great game and well done us. Such nice chaps. We wish them well for their league season.

Champagne Moment. Paul's catch in front of the pavilion. His nerve held and so did the ball. Well done mate.

Babycham Moment. Trevor's run out.

Lager & Black with Optional Pork Scratchings Moment. Angus's truly god awful dropped skier off sonofapreecjherman's bowling. And it was his mate Spider batting as well. Happy days.

There were other events of note, such as Stuart's motor getting dented by the ball when hit for six into his driveway (a small bump, but once you know its there, you can't stop looking at it, eh Mr Chairman?). And our "Mr Neighbour" who got the arse when another six smacked into his roof. He actually came out to confront me when I got the ball to tell me to tell the batsman "not to do that again". We've been asking him that all day, I said. He wasn't best pleased, but hey, buy a house next to a cricket ground and guess what's gonna happen?

An eventful day. A well earned draw against a fancied league side with fun and incidents along the way. After cleaning and locking the pavilion I was back home (via the local kebab shop) at 10pm. Absolutely knackered.

Special thanks to Tracy and Angus for the tea and to Alison Hepburn for cleaning the pavilion top to bottom (bogs included) on Saturday morning and to her son Patrick, for joyfully telling me Chelsea were now out of the premiership race good and proper just as I was walking off the field of play. Beware the power of the blog, Hepburn minor.

I'll let all the players know about the next game as soon as I know; I'm waiting for Bretty to call me on that....

Thanks team,

Preecherman