🦆 The Duck Pond

A record of the willow's failures, the match of the 26th of June, 1872, against Sutton Valence Cricket Club The First Eleven Six of our men were sent back to the pavilion without troubling the scorer this day, and the exclusive zero club welcomes its newest and most industrious members. Mr E Skinner opened proceedings in the most modest fashion imaginable, lbw to the bowling of T Jordan for a nought upon his very first appearance for the Club — a debut few gentlemen would choose to remember, yet one for which the honours board shall now forever answer. Not content with a single cipher, he returned to the crease later in the day only to be run out for nought once more, thereby completing what we style, in the decorous language of this Club, a pair — two ducks laid in the one match, a feat of consistency his correspondent hesitates to call triumphant. He stands eighth of our sixty-nine upon the all-time roll, and holds the season's own Duck of the Year honour for 1872, a distinction he has this day done a great deal to secure. On his first blemish he kept company with Mr E M Owens, similarly becalmed at one; on his second he drew level with Mr C French Snr, whose own brace of ciphers earned that same honour as long ago as 1864. Mr W Goad, caught and bowled by the same Mr Jordan, added a fifth duck to a career already sixteen innings long, and sits, not without a certain grim distinction, at the very head of the Club's all-time list. His brother Mr T Goad is himself a member of good standing, with one cipher to his name, so the failing may fairly be said to run in the family, if not on this particular afternoon. Mr X Bowles was bowled by Mr Jordan for nought, the first blemish of a three-innings career, and joins Mr Owens upon a single such duck, thirty-second of sixty-nine. Mr L Barker, caught by F Edmed off Mr Jordan's bowling, recorded a duck upon his own debut for the Club, and finds himself twenty-first of sixty-nine, in the same modest company as Mr Owens. Mr S Woollett completed the collapse, bowled by J Thurston, for the first blemish of a five-innings career, and he too joins Mr Owens at a single cipher, twenty-fourth of sixty-nine. The Week in Brief Six ciphers from a single match is industry indeed, and the greater share of the credit, if credit is the word, belongs to Mr T Jordan of Sutton Valence, who accounted for four of our six by his own hand, Mr Thurston and a run out dividing the remainder between them. Mr Skinner's pair upon his first outing must stand as the day's chief curiosity, a debut that will be spoken of, one suspects, rather longer than he would wish. Duck Hunting Season — the Standings - E Skinner — 2 innings, 2 ducks, 100 per cent - L Barker — 2 innings, 1 duck, 50 per cent - S Woollett — 2 innings, 1 duck, 50 per cent - W Goad — 2 innings, 1 duck, 50 per cent - X Bowles — 2 innings, 1 duck, 50 per cent The Club looks forward, with its customary mixture of dread and anticipation, to the next fixture, at which further candidates for the honours board may confidently be expected to present themselves.