Ooh we've been to Narborough
And near Market Harborough
And we always walked tall
Took Scooter to Corby Hospital
After he headbutted the ball
We went to places and saw friendly faces
We were always a sight to see
We've been to Paradise
In the colours of Fleckney
Yes, it's that end of season melancholy and the last Sunday friendly of another year. You can dress it up how you like but the long Winter evenings are approaching and (with due apologies to our lovely club president) there is a hole in an off season Sunday that Songs Of Praise simply can't fill.
West Bridgford Legion landed with some serious rain having fallen overnight. It was something of a surprise that any cricket on a grass wicket would be possible at all but despite the very best efforts of our irreplaceable Chief Curator Chobbalino the track was a bit damp. No-one would volunteer to bat first, no-one did, so Scooter lost the toss and off to pad up we went.
Fleckney were 66 for 3 at drinks. Steady but with possibilities. James Sheath and Yak had gone cheaply but Siddiq had scored a patient 34 and Seth had dropped anchor and was starting to look good.
Possibilities you say? Sadly the actual possibility that honed into view was of a Fleckney collapse akin to an unfit Kebab Shop customer running for last orders with his shoe laces tied and trousers falling around his ankles.
66 for 3 swiftlying became 104 all out. Seth cleaned up, the skipper and Fergus ran out, Ollie and Battered Boob Loomes didn't last long as the changing room needed a revolving door. Mandeep clobbered 36 and Anna Roberts scored a personal best of 4 to huge acclaim but a good start had fallen away. The tea laid on by Mum and Dad Roberts clearly put them in first place in the family rankings but on this showing on this afternoon Anna was left to dispute the runners up position with her beardy bro.
In return the Legion found the going tough and could only make 36 at the halfway point of their innings. It was never a realistic proposition that Fleckney would win but the visitors would have to work. One ‘sage’ had suggested at tea that Legion would either struggle over the line or we would be in the Shield early. The quick retort of “I'll have a diet Coke” was thankfully therefore wide of the mark.
Legion did win by 8 wickets but it took them nearly 34 overs to do it. Seth had thrown himself around behind the poles in gravity defying fashion and Fergus had bowled with Metronomic accuracy. Scores were low but laughs were high.
So it's over for another year. The thanks needed are too many to list but if you organised a game, played a game, supported players in a game, made a tea, prepared a pitch or simply walked around the pitch with your dog wondering quite what was going on we couldn't have done it without you. And to Captain Scooter you have led the team superbly.
We've been to Paradise
In the colours of Fleckney
Until 2025...
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