Fleckney's Grand Day Out

Leicestershire Cricket Club may not be the most glamorous on the circuit, they dont possess the largest membership or the greatest honour roll but on days like today there is not another team would could command the type of support the Foxes received today. And in amongst that spine tingling vocal mass was a Fleckney contingent who were having themsleves a heck of a day.

The majority of those attended started with a hearty breakfast in the adjacent Trent Bridge Inn. Breakfast cobs? Yes please! Full fry up? Obviously . Fruit Salad with yoghurt on top? Whoa there! With so much terrific work being done with young players its a glaring hole of etiquette that was missed that one of our own thought that it was acceptable to begin a day at the cricket in such a way.

It wasn't just Flip Flop Fruit Salad who gain noteriety early. Henry Rosier purchased a bright pink floppy hat that bordered on the radioactive. Not sure how much extra use it will receive but rumour has it Barbie is waiting to make an offer should it ever make Vinted.

Into the ground and Fleckney-ites old and new met up to cheer the Foxes on. Shortly before the start a young man with glasses and aggressively Ginger hair who we assumed had been kidnapped from the local computer club surprisingly belted out a decent rendition of 'God Save The King' and a version of 'Abide With Me' that hit differently if you happened to be looking upwards at the right moment. All prelims done it was time for action.

Ian Holland was nipping it around, Ben Cox was stopping anything even vaguely in his postcode and everytime Simon left his seat County took a wicket. He heard the roar from the bar queue , came back up and then was sent back down when a further wicket was needed. Not sure how much action he saw but he was taking one for the team.

The partnership between Duke and Higgins was solid and quality in its determination and elmination of risk. It reminded those present of how Harry Swindells had scraped County back from the brink 3 years previously. We wondered at the innings break if it would be equally decisive. Sadly it was.

A dashing start was curtailed by the loss of Eskinazi, Patel and Shaikh in short order and a seemingly routine chase took the shape of something a lot more difficult. Whilst the first and third maybe excuseable the wicket of Patel to a risky aerial route was the moth to the flame others failed to resist.

Time and again County would pull themselves to parity but lose wickets at bad time, only for dogged resistance and loud vocal support to revive their hopes again. The loss of Ben Green to a lofted shot to midwicket was a bodyblow but when Nick Kelly (who was otherwise magnificent) fell to the same trap the game was effectively up.

Losing was painful but what a day it had been. Laughs, hi-jinks and time spent with friends is standard at a cricket match but multiply that by 100's for a Fleckney day out.

Leicestershire will come again. Fleckney will be there too...