[themaclad]

https://wyre.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102052

After missing one game through injury and the other as we couldn't raise a side, so it was off to sunny Preston to play BAE Preston at the Riverside ground. Set off nearly two hours before the game plenty of time to get there, twenty minutes waiting at the butty shop due to a queue, get to Kirkham roads are shut as it's obviously Kirkham Gala also temporary traffic lights, so bit of a re route through Weeton but missed the junction in Weeton and ended up near the M55 junction in Blackpool, from then on in stuck behind dodgy drivers and misssed every set of light. Get to the ground after a 75 minute journey it is 20 miles.
The wicket was quite interesting as pictured below



Not saying it was green but it looked like it had been hit by a ten week deluge, then watered after that, so win toss and bowl was the option, so for the first time this season we lose the toss and are put in to bat.
The wicket was true to it's colour slow low and hard to bat on, we managed 31 probably about 30 short of what would have been a useful score, seven ducks, and to a succession of majestical text book shots, Danny C went fishing as he usually does, however the ball was straight, missed Jamie's wicket as I went to get my batting stuff, Steve R scooped one to mid on, Mark L unlucky caught at the second attempt, young James was bowled then Alex was run out. Lasted 9 balls and as per usuall with my dodgy eyesite missed a full toss. Dave L lasted one ball, Tom lasted one ball, Neil topped scored and Glen got a few runs.
Rizwan Ali 7-4

Nothing to lose, we actually made them work for it, 13 year old James bowled his best spell made the ball swing the opening left hander didn't have a clue against him. the new man in looked like he could hit skied one were Danny C wearing the gloves decided it was his catch and took it and the other opener scooped Glen to square leg took them just over 13 overs to get them shae we could have a got a couple of others might have made it interesting.
Any off to the pub next to the river spent two hours in there just 10 minutes shorter than the game lasted apparently I'm 42 nd in list of all time run scorers for the club just a meagre 3100 runs behind the leader.

[themaclad]

https://palaceshield.play-cricket.com/we...ts/5102122

https://palaceshield.play-cricket.com/we...ts/5102144

Played in neither of these which we won, clue to our rapid improvement in form, first team did not have a game on both Saturdays therefore all those that were eligible to play did therefore we won, we don't play this Saturday but the firsts do, so will it be full of second teamers me thinks not

[theo_luddite]

The track looked like 7 ducks had been digging the foot holes to me.

[themaclad]

Mid innings picture

[theo_luddite]

[themaclad]

Looks as if we are struggling for a team this week, July holidays etc if we are forced to cancel for the third time, we will have resign from the league, get the feeling this thread is almost at an end

[theo_luddite]

It's a shame but I was a member of a Sunday League footy team that suffered a similar fate in my yoof. I was on the end of a West Riding FA fine as a result before I could play again and I'd turned up every week. Dischuffed didn't come near to it.

[themaclad]

To maker matters worse first team captain goes away next week and his three sons who play for both teams will also be unavailable, so it doesn't look good

[themaclad]

https://palaceshield.play-cricket.com/we...ts/5102132

For the third time this season we lost by less than 10 runs, I got four wickets and feel deflated that we didn't win. Going into the game as captain surveyed the side on Thursday and thought only 9 decent bowling attack no batsmen as is tradition. Come Saturday we have 11 a couple of changes, still a decent bowlinga ttack but with added batsmen to boot. Happy days, playing at White Coppice to the North of Chorley a area popular with people who like to walk up mountains, it's steep and these days I can only dream of scaling these vast peaks.
Weather set fair, win toss and bowl was the option, lost toss and still bowled, the only partnership of note was for the second wicket but we gradually worked our way through them, we only dropped one catch, Neil Hankey a man who does not drop catches dropped tthis one to be fair wasn't easy.
Both opening bowlers bowled well with Dave Lever bowling his full allottment of 14 overs taking 3-31 super effort, after a spell from Chris Minmshull who hadn't played all season, he described his lungs as being on fire after his four overs, so for only the second time this season I lobbed the red missile down t'other end.
They had an Austitic lad playing for them, LBW, got on caught behind, one caught just behind square on the boundary and bowled the last man. 6-3-14-4 take that, chasing 85 a decent performance in teh field with people in right fielding positions. We needed 85 definitely getable.
Six from the first over, we are cooking, first ball second over Neil Hankey creams a short delivery straight back at the bowler who takes the catch. From then on every time the ball was sent into orbit it landed in the safe grip of the fielder even the lad with Autism caught one. The two lads who were guareenteed to get us runs didn't so at 56-8 I go to the wicket to play a match winning captains innings as you do. Well not quite got the score to 74-9 when Dave Lever dragged one on, so it was down to me and Tom who is very new to the game, eeked a couple of runs out but Tom was stumped and we lost by 7 runs
They say it's the taking part that counts not today it doesn't.

[themaclad]

https://wyre.play-cricket.com/website/results/5102145

First up was Charnock Richard they were league leaders at the time and as I right still are, we won the toss and batted lost an early wicket to Matthews who has the most wickets in the Division, short run up whippy action for this league decent, we had a solid but ever so slow start, we crawled along to 61-5 before the Dave the Hammer Lever battered his way to his highest ever score helped by the whippet Danny Carter, a partnership of 55 in no time took us to a respectable score of 115-6.
Always looked slightly under par against an experienced batting line up, although we took wickets at various states getting all ten looked an uphill task as it proved could have done with another bowler but not to be. However we did have the it's so village cricket incident, we batted and after the fall of the first wicket in Charnock's innings, the new batsman wanted the sight screen moving, nothing unusual in that except the actual board was 20 yaerds to the right of the umpire and not one of ours had noticed, no wonder we don't win.
On the Sunday we played a friendly at Lancaster RGS against Gregson Cricket Club, we had only eight men, so borrowed three of Gregson's players worked a treat won by 90 runs. Andy Bamford scored 95 not out and we managed to get them all out for about 100, twas a bit warm.
As for New Longton rain delayed match lost the toss and didn't get enough, will put more details on when they eventually get round to putting the scorecard on.
However my 9 ball spell went like this
.6.w.ww44