The cricket season is still in its infancy, but already my clubhave experienced more peaks and troughs than Sir Edmund Hillary.
The pavilion was improved over the course of the winter, and ourground is as picturesque as ever. On the flip side, local youthsonce again mistook our covers for trampolines a couple of weeks ago,causing thousands of pounds' worth of damage in the process.
As for the cricket, our first team, bolstered by a number of newsignings during the close season, are sitting second in theirdivision, while the second team, strengthened by a number of lastseason's first-teamers, are also riding high.
Our Third XI, however, have been a tad inconsistent. A couple ofweeks ago, they looked a batting side to be reckoned with as theycruised to victory, having posted 230 on a tricky wicket. Not onlythat, but their batting line-up was about to be bolstered by, er,me.
Last week I was trying to come to terms with the fact that I wasabout to make my first appearance for the threes in more than 10years. I consoled myself that I would be moving down to a team whoseconfidence would be high after such a resounding performance.
But the thirds would have to wait a little longer for myappearance. I discovered (or should I say decided - I am the club'schairman of selectors) that I was going to be in the second team ataround 1.15 on Saturday morning.
That was when I received a call from Skeggsie, our first-teamcaptain, in a mild state of panic. As soon as his name appeared onmy mobile phone I prepared myself for bad news. Somebody hadobviously dropped out of the first team.
It was worse than I thought: two players had dropped out. Thepair in question had a pretty reasonable excuse, however: they wereat Heathrow airport waiting to board a plane to Las Vegas to getmarried - although not, I hasten to add, to each other. I was goingto benefit from my clubmates' decision to tie the knot: I was backin the second team. Viva Las Vegas!
I ended up opening the batting for the twos and scored acreditable 22 on a very wet wicket. We made 146 for 9, and it provedenough. The threes weren't quite so lucky - they were skittled forjust 42.
It is rare, in a most forms of cricket, for a team to fail toreach the half-century mark. So for it to happen twice in a weekendis highly unlikely. At least you'd think so, wouldn't you? OurSunday First XI, is a mixture of players of varying abilities. Just24 hours after the third team's capitulation, the Sunday Firsts,under my shrewd leadership, equalled a club record. And it was allgoing so well at tea.
Our hotchpotch of eager youngsters and creaking oldies hadperformed wonders to keep much stronger opponents down to 150 for 9off 45 overs. Less than an hour into our innings, though, and it wasall over. We were bowled out for 39.
I top-scored with 13. That should keep me in the twos for anotherweek. Besides, there's a couple of blokes from the First XI away onhoneymoon...
