🦆 The Duck Pond

The season's final furlongs and Linton Park's bowlers found the edge just often enough to keep the honours board ticking over. Three matches, three ducks, and not a golden one among them — a weekend of quietly professional failure. Saturday 22nd — 1st XI at Maidstone YMCA CC Jack Knowler fell for nought at number seven, bowled by E- Page. Only his second senior innings for the club, and he's already opened his OTHER account — a maiden career duck that lands him 265th of 769 all time. On this very day in 1951, John --'s Taylor was performing the identical trick against Hunton Wanderers CC, one of 15 ducks he'd amass across a decade-plus at the club (1949-1963, 16th of 769). Fine company for a first entry, Jack. Sunday 23rd — Married v Singles The club's oldest grudge match delivered its own casualties on both sides of the ledger. For the Married eleven, Terry Whittaker departed bowled David Gale — his second duck of the season and 11th for the club from 75 innings, 25th on the all-time list. Terry carries the Retirement Duck badge from a past farewell, and more topically, holds Quacking Together jointly with a certain Singles batsman. Sure enough, Brian Relf obliged at the other end, stumped Cliff Anscombe off the bowling of John Crellin, also his second of the season and his 15th career duck from just 30 innings — 15th of 769 all time. Brian is a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck and Quack-to-Quack clubs from innings long past, but today was simply the pair renewing their shared honour in real time, Married and Singles united in nought. Both share the same on-this-day echo: 23 September 1961, Robert Wood fell against Bearsted CC in an identical fixture, one stop on the way to the 20 career ducks (6th of 769) he racked up between 1958 and 1962. Week in brief Three matches, three ducks, no golden ducks, no repeat offenders — just tidy, one-per-match departures from Maidstone to the Married v Singles decider. Robert Wood gets two mentions this week, once in the history books above and once below in the live chase. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard - R Davison — 8 inns, 5 ducks (62.5%) - Basil Sears — 20 inns, 5 ducks (25%) - Bob Arnold — 14 inns, 3 ducks (21.43%) - Roy Clarke — 21 inns, 3 ducks (14.29%) - Robert Wood — 24 inns, 3 ducks (12.5%) R Davison sets the pace at a startling 62.5% — the art of not scoring, perfected. Basil Sears matches him on volume, and Robert Wood lurks in fifth having just featured twice above. 🍩 More cricket next weekend means more chances for the exclusive zero club to welcome new members, or for old hands to extend their leases. See you at the crease. 0️⃣🏏

A quiet weekend for the run-scorers but a busy one for the Duck Club ledger — four fresh entries recorded across two fixtures, home and away. 🏏 Saturday — v Bowaters CC (Home) Frank Brattle opened the innings and, alas, opened the Duck Club's account for the day too, bowled by Harry Jeffery without troubling the scorers. It's his 2nd duck of the season and 17th for the club in 157 innings, lifting him to a lofty 10th on the all-time chart. He now stands shoulder to shoulder with John Abnett, who reached the same 17 in a rather more efficient 44 innings across 1954–1961, and who owns a place on the "Ducks in a Row" board for four on the bounce. Duck-collecting evidently runs in the family too — relative Percy Brattle already carries 5 career noughts of his own. At number 8, Roy Clarke joined the fun, caught Robin Scott off the bowling of Bernard Collins. It's his 3rd duck of the season, enough to lodge him at 4th in the current Duck Hunting Season table, and his 25th career duck — good enough for an imperious 5th on the all-time list. Roy already holds the 1959 Duck of the Year title and a place on the "Quacking Together" board alongside the legendary John Ames, so this one merely burnishes an already glittering record of not scoring. His brother-in-arms H Clarke isn't far behind on 3 career ducks himself. 🌱 Sunday — v Staplehurst CC (Away) At Staplehurst, Richard Ashby fell for nought at number 6, run out in circumstances the scorebook diplomatically records as "unsure." It's his 2nd of the season and, remarkably, only his 2nd for the club in 12 innings — though he's already built a five-strong "Ducks in a Row" streak and a spot on the Tourist Duck top 10, evidently a man who saves his finest noughts for away grounds. Spookily, on this very day in 1961, Terry Whittaker also strolled back for a duck against Bowaters CC — history quietly repeating itself. Batting at 9, Brian Relf was stumped by Jack Eastland off A Thirkell, his 1st duck of the season and 14th of his career from just 29 innings, good for 16th all-time. Brian is a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck club — his very first Linton Park innings was a blank — and sits on the "Quacking Together" board with none other than Terry Whittaker, who, as it happens, is also Richard's parallel above. Whittaker, it seems, haunts this whole weekend without ever taking guard. 📊 Week in Summary Four ducks, two matches, Bowaters CC and Staplehurst CC both leaving their mark on the ledger. Openers and middle order alike found their way back to the pavilion for nought — proof, if any were needed, that the art of not scoring respects no batting position. 🥇 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard - R Davison — 5 ducks in 7 innings (71.43%) - Basil Sears — 5 ducks in 18 innings (27.78%) - Bob Arnold — 3 ducks in 13 innings (23.08%) - Roy Clarke — 3 ducks in 20 innings (15.0%) - Robert Wood — 3 ducks in 24 innings (12.5%) 🏏 Roll on the next fixture — the exclusive zero club never sleeps, and there's always room in the honours board for one more. 0️⃣🦆

Saturday brought Linton Park's 1st XI face to face with St Lukes Maidstone CC, and the home top order and tail combined to stage what can only be described as a mass sacrifice to the Zero Club. Four ducks in one innings — a proper harvest. 🏏 1st XI v St Lukes Maidstone (home) Basil Sears opened and didn't trouble the scorers long, bowled by W. Summerfield. It's his 5th duck of the season and 15th for the club in 240 innings, holding a formidable #14 in the all-time standings — rarefied company for a man still very much active. Fittingly, on this very day back in 1945 Stan Wratten also strolled back for nought against 8th Sherwood Foresters, en route to 17 career ducks and a place at #11 all-time. At first drop, Robert Wood was trapped lbw by B. Pearce. His 3rd duck of the season nudges him to 20 for his career from 140 innings, an eye-watering #6 in the club's all-time charts — and a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck club from his very first knock, long before this week's effort. Like Basil, Robert shares his September 8th with Stan Wratten's 1945 escapade against the Sherwood Foresters. Down at nine, Bob Arnold became W. Summerfield's second victim of the innings, caught by M. Eastman. It's his 3rd of the season, 39th of a storied career spanning 179 innings, and keeps him lodged at a barely believable #2 in the all-time rankings — a proud member of the Ducks in a Row club (four on the spin), and half of two separate quacking partnerships, with Alan Wilkes and with John Thirkell. Bob too joins Stan Wratten's 1945 anniversary club. And at ten, Terry Whittaker was run out in a mix-up nobody could quite explain afterwards. A first duck of the season for Terry, his 10th career, from 73 innings, sitting at #27 all-time. He carries the Quacking Together honour with Brian Relf, and belongs to the Retirement Duck club from a past farewell innings — no danger of that today, he'll be back. Terry rounds out the day's quartet of Wratten anniversary companions. 🌱 Sunday A blank sheet — Sunday's fixture passed entirely duck-free. The club's bowlers elsewhere clearly didn't get the memo Summerfield and Pearce were working to. 📋 Week in Summary Four ducks from two matches, all crammed into one Saturday innings at St Lukes — top order and tail alike paying tribute. Summerfield claimed two of the four himself, a fine shift for the opposition, less fine for Linton's card. Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 🥇 R Davison — 5 ducks, 7 innings (71.43%) 🥈 Basil Sears — 5 ducks, 17 innings (29.41%) 🥉 Bob Arnold — 3 ducks, 12 innings (25.0%) 4. Robert Wood — 3 ducks, 23 innings (13.04%) 5. Len Conway — 2 ducks, 6 innings (33.33%) Basil and Bob both add to season tallies that already had them in the top three — the race for Duck of the Year is very much alive. Next fixture awaits, and with it, no doubt, fresh recruits to the club nobody wants to join but everybody secretly admires. See you all out there. 🦆🏏0️⃣

A quiet weekend on the poultry front — just the two fixtures and a single duck to show for it. Sometimes the hunting season goes like that. Even the finest game keepers have their off days. Saturday 1 September 1st XI v A. Trembeths (home) Coming in at ten, Richard Harris departed caught Bowey, bowled Tootle — a tidy dismissal for the scorebook, if not for Richard. It's his first duck of the season, but the 36th of a long and storied career spanning 174 innings, and it plants him at a genuinely eye-watering 3rd in the entire 767-strong all-time standings. This is not a man dabbling in the art of not scoring — this is a master craftsman. And in a rather splendid quirk of the calendar: on this very day back in 1934, Bert Buckoke also walked back for nought, against Charles Arkcoll of all people. Buckoke, who turned out for Linton Park between 1928 and 1953, finished his career on 12 ducks and a highly respectable 19th all-time, with back-to-back Duck of the Year honours in 1928 and 1950 to his name. Twenty-eight years apart, same fixture window, same fate — the club's ducks have a long memory. Sunday's fixture, mercifully or otherwise, passed off entirely duck-free — eleven batsmen apiece got off the mark, denying the honours board any further custom. Week in Summary Two matches, one duck. Slim pickings by Linton Park standards, but Richard Harris made it count, climbing to within a whisker of the all-time podium. The rest of the club will need to pull their socks up — or rather, pull them down and get back in the hutch — if the season table is to move. 🏆 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard - R Davison — 5 ducks / 7 innings (71.43%) - Basil Sears — 4 ducks / 16 innings (25.0%) - Len Conway — 2 ducks / 6 innings (33.33%) - Alan Tucker — 2 ducks / 10 innings (20.0%) - Bob Arnold — 2 ducks / 11 innings (18.18%) R Davison sits well clear at the top with a frankly alarming 71% strike rate for nought — a genuine contender for Duck of the Year if this form holds. 🥇🍩 Next fixture looms, and with it, fresh opportunity for the zero club to welcome new blood or crown old hands. Keep your bats loose and your expectations low — see you all pitchside. 🦆0️⃣🏏

Two fixtures on the card this weekend, and only one troubled the scorers — the other passed by entirely fowl-free. But the 1st XI's home date with Sevenoaks Vine CC on the Sunday made up for it in style, with three names added to the ledger in the very same innings, courtesy of just two Vine bowlers. The art of not scoring, alive and well at Linton Park. 1st XI v Sevenoaks Vine CC (home, 26th August) John Ames opened the afternoon's misery, bowled by Cliff Judd for his 2nd duck of the season and 27th of an increasingly distinguished career — 193 innings in and still holding 4th place in the all-time standings, rarefied company indeed. Ames already carries a handsome collection of honours: four ducks in a row at one stage, a fixture on the Homebody Duck top ten, and paired-quack history on the books with both Alan Wilkes and Stan Wratten. On this very day back in 1945, Herbert Rayner (1939–1948, 6 ducks, 48th all-time) was making his own contribution to the calendar against 1st Innings Fifth Leicester — Ames keeps that anniversary ticking over, eighty-one years on. Eddie Lawrence followed, caught Rodney Crang bowled R Nash, for a 1st duck of the season and 7th of his career from 39 innings — good enough for 39th on the all-time list. He shares this very Rayner anniversary with Ames, proof that some dates are simply cursed. And then Roy Clarke, undone by the same Cliff Judd delivery that had already claimed Ames, for his 2nd of the season and 24th of his career — 150 innings deep and 5th on the all-time roll of dishonour, one place behind Ames himself. Clarke still wears the 1959 Duck of the Year crown, and his "Quacking Together" pairing with Ames, usually a quiet historical footnote, was very much reactivated this week — the two of them walking off to the same bowler in the same over. A word too for sibling H Clarke, a fellow paid-up member of the family firm on three career ducks. Clarke's anniversary company, once again, is Herbert Rayner. The Week in Numbers Three ducks from two matches, the lot of them delivered by Sevenoaks Vine's opening attack — Cliff Judd claiming two outright. A fine afternoon's work for the bowler, considerably less fine for Linton's middle order. Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 1. R Davison — 5 ducks from 6 innings (83%) 2. Basil Sears — 4 ducks from 16 innings (25%) 3. Len Conway — 2 ducks from 6 innings (33%) 4. Alan Tucker — 2 ducks from 10 innings (20%) 5. Bob Arnold — 2 ducks from 10 innings (20%) Davison leads by a distance — at 83% he is scarcely troubling the scorers at all this season. Roll on the next fixture. The ducks never take a week off, and neither do we. 🦆🏏0️⃣

Another weekend, another trio of noughts added to the Linton ledger — the 1st XI doing all the heavy lifting this time out, home and away, and the exclusive zero club welcoming its newest inductees with the usual solemn ceremony. 🏏 Saturday 18th — away to Bowaters CC Basil Sears opened the innings and opened the scoring column with nothing at all, bowled by Edward Chick. It's the 4th duck of Basil's season and the 14th of a long and storied career — 238 innings deep and now sitting at a lofty 15th in the all-time charts. Rather splendidly, on this very day back in 1956, none other than club great John Thirkell also fell for nought against these same Bowaters opponents. Thirkell, of course, sits imperiously atop the all-time standings with 46 career ducks and three Duck of the Year titles to his name (1952, 1954 and 1955) — proof that even the very best occasionally forget how the bat works. Not to be left out, R Davison joined the party at number 7, lbw to Roy Ecclestone. That's duck number 5 of the season for Davison, and — since career and season tallies are one and the same at this early stage — 5 for the career too, in just 17 innings. A fearsome 83% strike rate for nought that puts him top of this season's leaderboard, and rightly so: the Duck of the Year 1962 board already has his name inked in as the man to catch. Davison, too, shares his day with the ghost of Thirkell's 1956 vintage — Bowaters CC clearly a happy hunting ground for the art of not scoring. 🌱 Sunday 19th — home to The Mote CC Robert Murray kept the family tradition alive at number 4, bowled by Phil Briant for his 2nd duck of the season and 13th of his career, moving him to 18th on the all-time list from 130 innings. And in a pleasing bit of symmetry, on this exact date in 1956 one John --'s Taylor also departed for nought against Mote A — Taylor's own career yielded 15 ducks between 1949 and 1960, now just two ahead of where Murray currently stands. 📊 Week in summary Three ducks, two matches, one very generous weekend for the opposition bowlers. Bowaters CC alone accounted for two of the three — a proper harvest for a single fixture — while the Mote added a solitary but no less cherished contribution on Sunday. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard - R Davison — 6 innings, 5 ducks, 83.3% - Basil Sears — 15 innings, 4 ducks, 26.7% - Len Conway — 6 innings, 2 ducks, 33.3% - Bob Arnold — 9 innings, 2 ducks, 22.2% - Alan Tucker — 10 innings, 2 ducks, 20.0% R Davison sets the pace by some distance, but there's plenty of season left for the chasing pack to make their move. Bats up next weekend, gentlemen — the zero club is always recruiting. 🦆🏏0️⃣

Two fixtures out on the paddock this week and, remarkably, not a single soul troubled the scorer for nought. The Duck Club's nets have come back empty-handed — every batsman who walked to the crease walked back again having actually scored. A quiet week for the exclusive zero club, and if we're honest, a mildly suspicious one. 0️⃣ Zero ducks. Zero pairs. Zero family affairs. The art of not scoring took a rare day off, and the honours board gathers dust for another week. Whether this was genuine batting competence or simply a collective failure of nerve at the crucial moment, the Duck Club cannot say. What we can say is that somewhere out there, R Davison — sitting on a positively alarming 80% duck rate this season — must be absolutely fuming to have missed the chance to extend his lead. 🏆 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 🏆 🥇 R Davison — 4 ducks from 5 innings (80%) — a rate of attrition bordering on the heroic 🥈 Basil Sears — 3 ducks from 14 innings (21.43%) — quietly consistent 🥉 Len Conway — 2 ducks from 6 innings (33.33%) 4️⃣ Bob Arnold — 2 ducks from 8 innings (25%) 5️⃣ Alan Tucker — 2 ducks from 10 innings (20%) Davison remains the man to beat in the race for Duck of the Year 1962, and with a strike rate for failure like that, few would bet against him extending it before the season's out. 🏏 Fear not, members — the ducks have merely gone to ground, not extinct. Get yourselves out to the next fixture, take guard with your usual confidence, and let's see if the club's finest can put one more entry on the board. The zero club always has room for new arrivals. 🍩🦆

A single fixture out on the green this week, and — remarkably — not a nought to be found anywhere in it. All eleven got off the mark, the umpires had a quiet afternoon, and the exclusive zero club gains not one new entry. 🍩 The ducks, it must be said, evaded capture entirely. Whether this represents a rare outbreak of competence or simply a day when the bowlers couldn't find the edge, the honours board records nothing this week — which, in its own small way, is a shame, because there is nothing quite so satisfying as watching a well-set batsman stroll back for nought. Perhaps next weekend. Still, the season's front-runners carry on regardless, sharpening their averages in the art of not scoring while the rest of us wait for the next instalment. 0️⃣ Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard - 🥇 R Davison — 4 ducks from 5 innings (80%) — a truly ferocious hit-rate, closing in on the season's summit with alarming consistency - 🥈 Basil Sears — 3 ducks from 13 innings (23.08%) — steady application to the cause, if not quite Davison's blistering pace - 🥉 Len Conway — 2 ducks from 5 innings (40%) — level on tally with two others, but leading them on strike rate - Bob Arnold — 2 ducks from 6 innings (33.33%) - Don Clayton — 2 ducks from 9 innings (22.22%) Davison sits well clear at the top, and with 1962 still very much alive, there's plenty of season left for the chasing pack to close the gap — or for someone from the shadows to come steaming through with a golden duck of their own. 🏏 A quiet week, but the club's collective bat is never far from a false stroke. Get out there next match and give the correspondent something to write about — the Duck Club never sleeps, even when the ducks themselves take a Saturday off. 🦆

A quieter week for the exclusive zero club — just two additions to the ledger, both from the 1st XI, both arriving at first drop position five, and both proof that the art of not scoring respects no fixture list. Saturday 28th — v Tovil John Crellin strode to the crease at five and departed with the minimum of fuss, bowled by Micky Taylor without denting the scorebook. This is Crellin's second duck of the summer, nudging him to 8 career ducks from 32 innings and 34th of 764 in the all-time roll — a table he knows well, having been crowned Duck of the Year back in 1961, a title he seems keen to keep in the family. Splendidly, on this very day in 1957 a certain D- Jordan was also making his own duck, ending up on 2 for his brief career — proof the calendar has form for this sort of thing. Sunday 29th — v Folkestone CC (away) A day later and Robert Murray made the long trip to Folkestone only to be caught and bowled by Derek Waddup, also at number five, also for nought. It's Murray's first duck of the season but very much not his first rodeo — his 12th career duck from 125 innings lifts him to 21st of 764 all-time, a rank most would call a triumph through adversity. And wouldn't you know it, on this same date back in 1896 Ernest Cruttenden — Duck of the Year 1895 no less — was busy making his own duck against Headcorn, en route to 10 for his career. Some things really do happen on schedule. Week in Summary Two matches, two ducks, both from the 1st XI, both at first drop, and both gentlemen keeping impeccable historical company on the very same date decades apart. Consistency of a very particular kind, ladies and gentlemen — the calendar clearly enjoys a good duck as much as we do. 🏏 Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 🏏 - R Davison — 5 innings, 4 ducks, 80% - Basil Sears — 12 innings, 3 ducks, 25% - Bob Arnold — 5 innings, 2 ducks, 40% - Len Conway — 5 innings, 2 ducks, 40% - Don Clayton — 9 innings, 2 ducks, 22.22% R Davison sits well clear at the top with a positively alarming 80% strike rate for nought — a pace nobody else is close to matching, though Arnold and Conway are keeping each other honest tied on two apiece. 🍩 Only two ducks this week, but the season is young and the honours board never sleeps. Bring your bat, or don't bother — either way, someone's joining this list next weekend. See you at the crease 🦆0️⃣

Three fixtures on the card this week, and the exclusive zero club took delivery of four new certificates — all courtesy of the 1st XI, who did the collecting for the whole club single-handedly. Saturday 21 July v Rumwood CC (home) Don Clayton departed at first wicket down, caught Pound bowled Nolan, for his 2nd duck of the season and 2nd of a still-young 12-innings career — 120th of 762 on the all-time list and climbing. On this very day in 1957, John Waters (1951–1960) was doing much the same, one of three ducks in a career that settled at 94th — Don joins some venerable historical company. Then the afternoon's real ceremony. Bob Arnold, at number 9, fell to the same J. Nolan for his 2nd duck of the season — but the headline is the bigger picture. That's 38 career ducks from 171 innings, an almost unfathomable 2nd of 762 all time. Bob's honours board reads like a war record: Ducks in a Row (4 consecutive), Only Two Quacks (with Alan Wilkes) and Quacking Together (with John Thirkell) — a thoroughly decorated general of the art of not scoring. He shares the John Waters, 1957, on-this-day company too. Sunday 22 July v J. Larking's XI (home) Roy Clarke, batting at 7, was bowled by M. Hollis for his 1st duck of the season and 23rd of his career — 5th of 762 all time, rarefied air indeed. Roy already carries Duck of the Year 1959 and Quacking Together (with John Ames) on his board, and it's clearly in the blood — his sibling H Clarke owns 3 career ducks of his own. Fittingly, on this same date in 1956, John Abnett (1954–1961) also went for nought against John Larkings, one of 17 career ducks that put him 10th all time. Ossie Fryer followed shortly after, caught and bowled by the same M. Hollis, for his 1st duck of the season and 1st of his career — 290th of 762, a debut entry on the honours list proper. He too keeps John Abnett's 1956 on-this-day company — distinguished acquaintance for a newcomer. A tidy four ducks from three matches this week, the whole haul falling to the 1st XI, with J. Nolan and M. Hollis each claiming a brace apiece for their respective sides. Consistency of a very particular kind. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 🥇 R Davison — 4 ducks / 5 innings (80%) 🥈 Basil Sears — 3 ducks / 11 innings (27.27%) 🥉 Bob Arnold — 2 ducks / 4 innings (50%) Len Conway — 2 ducks / 4 innings (50%) Alan Tucker — 2 ducks / 9 innings (22.22%) More fixtures next week, and no doubt more names joining this dubious register. The ducks never take a week off — nor should you. See you at the crease 🏏0️⃣🦆

Two fixtures on the card this weekend, but only one troubled the scorers in quite the wrong direction. Tovil and Bridge Mill hosted the 1st XI on Saturday and sent three Linton men back to the pavilion for nought — the exclusive zero club welcomes its latest inductees. 🏏 Saturday 14th July — 1st XI away at Tovil and Bridge Mill B- Russell, in at seven, fell lbw to C- Simmonds — his 1st duck of the season and, more tellingly, his 1st in senior colours from 5 innings, easing him to 181st of 761 in the all-time table. Curiously, on this very date back in 1956, A Hughes was performing an identical vanishing act against A.Trembeths — a fellow member, as it happens, of the Debutante Duck club, though Russell's own membership card remains unstamped for now. Next to go was R Davison, bowled by Fred Ridgeway for his 4th duck of the campaign — and, with Ridgeway doing the damage, not his last of the day. That's 4 career ducks from 16 innings and 71st on the all-time roll of dishonour, and with 1962 stamped on his own Duck of the Year board, Davison is making an emphatic early case to defend the title. Fittingly, he shares his dismissal date with that same 1956 vintage — A Hughes, ducking to the day. Bringing up the rear at number ten, Richard Ashby also fell to Ridgeway's guile, his 1st duck of the season and 1st of a five-innings career, good enough for 306th of 761. Ashby already sits among the club's Tourist Duck elite for noughts collected on the road, and away from home is exactly where he found this one. And yes — same day, same 1956 echo, A Hughes keeping rather illustrious company this week. Sunday's fixture, mercifully for Linton pride, passed off without incident — a rare vegan afternoon. 📊 Week in Summary Three ducks from two matches, every last one of them served up at Tovil and Bridge Mill, with Fred Ridgeway personally responsible for two of the three — a fine afternoon's work for the opposition, a rather more sobering one for the top and middle order. Consistency of a very particular kind. 🥇 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 1. R Davison — 5 innings, 4 ducks, 80% 2. Basil Sears — 9 innings, 3 ducks, 33.3% 3. Len Conway — 4 innings, 2 ducks, 50% 4. Alan Tucker — 8 innings, 2 ducks, 25% 5. Robert Wood — 15 innings, 2 ducks, 13.3% Davison sets the early pace by some distance, but the season is young and the zero club never sleeps. Next fixture, next opportunity — see you all at the crease, or shortly thereafter. 🦆🍩

Seven ducks fell across two away fixtures this week, and the season race gets a fresh twist at the top. 🏏 Saturday — away to Charles Arkcoll Three of today's four wickets share one bowler: Vic Wellard, in destructive form. R Davison fell for his 3rd duck of the season and 3rd of his career from 15 innings, caught behind off Wellard. That leads the current Duck of the Year 1962 race outright — 3 from 4 innings, a fearsome 75% strike rate for failure. On this day in 1906, B W Haynes (1891-1910) made a duck against Sutton Valence School, en route to 2 career ducks of his own. Ricky Lusher followed, caught off Ron Hickman, his 1st duck of the season and 3rd overall from 23 innings — level with Davison's career tally. Haynes keeps him company on this same 1906 date. Frank Wright, caught and bowled by the rampant Wellard, moved to 1 for the season and 6 for his career from 23 innings. Wright is a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck and Quack-to-Quack boards from seasons past. Haynes, 1906, rides along again. Completing Wellard's set, Derek Pantony was bowled for his 1st duck of the season, 9th of his career from 17 innings — a name that claimed Duck of the Year back in 1947 and clearly never lost the taste. Haynes, once more, for company. 🏏 Sunday — away to Aylesford Paper Mills CC Openers beware: a- Edwards did early damage here. Frank Brattle, caught off Edwards, notched his 1st duck of the season and 16th of his career from a hefty 144 innings — proper stalwart-of-the-nought territory. Kinsman Percy Brattle carries 5 career ducks of his own. On this day in 1950, John --'s Taylor (1949-1960) was likewise dismissed without scoring, against Hayle Place CC, en route to 15 career ducks. Len Conway, bowled by Edwards, picked up his 2nd duck of the season and 8th career duck from 90 innings — a Debutante Duck alumnus from way back. Taylor's 1950 shadow falls over him too. John Crellin rounded things off, bowled, for his 1st duck of the season and 7th of his career from 30 innings. Crellin held the Duck of the Year crown in 1961 and shows no sign of losing his appetite. Taylor, 1950, completes the set. 📋 Week in summary Seven ducks, two matches, both away, both entirely at the 1st XI's expense — top order and tail alike took their turns at the crease of shame. Wellard and Edwards share the blame for most of the damage. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 1. R Davison — 4 inns, 3 ducks (75%) 2. Basil Sears — 9 inns, 3 ducks (33.33%) 3. Len Conway — 4 inns, 2 ducks (50%) 4. Alan Tucker — 7 inns, 2 ducks (28.57%) 5. Robert Wood — 13 inns, 2 ducks (15.38%) Davison sits atop the pile for now, but with Sears level on the same tally and half the season left to play, the Duck of the Year race is wide open. Next fixture, gentlemen — the crease awaits, and so, inevitably, does the pavilion. 🦆🍩

A quiet weekend by Duck Club standards — just the one fixture on the books, Linton Park's 1st XI at home to Tilling Steven — but it still found room for two fresh entries in the ledger, one of them from a name that rather makes a habit of it. 1st XI v Tilling Steven Len Conway, in at first drop, was lbw to R Bailey without ever getting comfortable — his 1st duck of the season and 7th of an 89-innings career, moving him to 38th on the all-time list of 761. Len remains a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck club from his earliest days at Linton, and there's a neat symmetry to today's fall: on this very day back in 1950, Bert Buckoke was doing exactly the same thing, walking back for nought. Batting at four, John Thirkell fell to Fred Baker for his own 1st duck of the summer — though with John it's the other number that does the talking. Career duck number 46 extends his position at the very top of the all-time Linton standings, first of 761 names and not remotely troubled for the title. Three separate Duck of the Year crowns (1952, 1954, 1955) already sit on the mantelpiece, alongside top-ten billing in the Ducks on the Road, Homebody Duck and Lone Duck charts, plus shared "Quacking Together" honours with both Bob Arnold and William Buck. The art of not scoring, perfected over decades. Fittingly, John joins Len in echoing Bert Buckoke's fall of 1950 — same date, same fate, twelve years apart. Week in summary One match, two ducks, both from the top order — Tilling Steven's opening bowling clearly did its homework on the home dressing room. Nothing else to report, the rest of the order got off the mark. 🏆 Duck Hunting Season leaderboard - Basil Sears — 3 ducks, 8 innings (37.5%) - R Davison — 2 ducks, 3 innings (66.67%) - Alan Tucker — 2 ducks, 5 innings (40.0%) - Robert Wood — 2 ducks, 13 innings (15.38%) - Percy Brattle — 1 duck, 1 innings (100%) Percy tops the percentage table on a sample size of exactly one, so the jury's still out on whether that's genuine form or a lucky (unlucky) strike. The exclusive zero club has 759 vacancies still unfilled this season. Next fixture, someone's bound to apply — see you at the crease 🦆🍩0️⃣

Three fixtures in the diary this period, and it was the 1st XI alone who answered the zero's call — two fresh entries to the ledger. 1st XI Saturday 23rd June, away to Rumwood CC — Bob Arnold, promoted to six, found a wonderfully unnecessary way to go: hit wicket off J. Nolan, nought to his name. It's his 1st duck of the season but a rather more startling 37th for the club from 169 innings, which plants him 2nd on the all-time list of 761 — within touching distance of the summit itself. Bob also carries "Ducks in a Row (4 consecutive)" on his honours board, plus Quacking Together billing alongside both Alan Wilkes and John Thirkell, so he rarely grieves alone. On this very day in 1906, Jack Fryer (1881–1906, 12 ducks, twice Duck of the Year) was performing the identical ceremony against 1st Innings Leeds Castle CC — the zero club, it seems, keeps a long memory. Tuesday 26th June, at home to The Mote CC — Alan Tucker edged Dave Reader through to J. Smith for his 2nd duck of the season, moving to 3 career ducks from 17 innings and 78th on the all-time roll. On this day in 1954, Peter Weedon — a man who would later bow out of his own career on a duck — made much the same journey back to the pavilion against Yalding CC, 11 ducks in the bank at the time. Week in Summary 🏏 Two ducks, three matches, both falling to the 1st XI — one via the rare and glorious hit wicket, one a straightforward nick behind. Rumwood CC and The Mote CC may consider themselves honorary patrons of the cause this week. 🥇 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 1. Basil Sears — 3 ducks, 7 innings (42.86%) 2. R Davison — 2 ducks, 3 innings (66.67%) 2. Alan Tucker — 2 ducks, 5 innings (40.00%) 4. Robert Wood — 2 ducks, 12 innings (16.67%) 5. Percy Brattle — 1 duck, 1 innings (100.00%) The season presses on, and so does the pursuit of nought. Next fixture, next opportunity — the honours board is never full. 🍩0️⃣

Two fixtures on the go this weekend, and the exclusive zero club kept its membership refreshingly selective — just the one new entry to record. Quality, evidently, over quantity. 🏏 Saturday 16th — Headcorn CC (away) The 1st XI travelled to Headcorn and duly supplied the weekend's only casualty. In at four, Robert Wood departed lbw to J. Kemp, a tidy piece of umpiring theatre that hands him his 2nd duck of the 1962 season and his 19th in Linton colours from 127 innings — good enough for a lofty 6th of 761 on the all-time roll of dubious distinction. Robert is also, we should note, a long-standing member of the Debutante Duck club, his very first Linton innings many summers ago having likewise yielded nought — a founding credential rather than fresh news, but worth doffing the cap to all the same. Spookily, on this very day in 1951, Bob Arnold (1949–1962) also trudged back for a duck, against Maths School Rochester — Bob went on to retire with 36 to his name and sits 2nd of 761 all-time. Robert has some considerable falling still to do to draw level with that particular institution. 🌤️ Sunday 17th The second fixture of the weekend was, by Duck Club standards, a disappointingly wholesome affair — every bat found something, however small, and the club's least-wanted honour went unclaimed. We shall not dwell on it. 📋 Weekend in Summary One duck from two matches — a lean strike rate even by the exacting standards of a club that celebrates failure with such enthusiasm. Still, the art of not scoring rewards patience, and there is a long season yet in which to put that right. 🏆 Duck Hunting Season leaderboard — 1962 1. Basil Sears — 3 ducks / 5 innings (60%) 2. R Davison — 2 ducks / 2 innings (100%) 3. Robert Wood — 2 ducks / 10 innings (20%) 4. Cliff Anscombe — 1 duck / 1 innings (100%) 5. Percy Brattle — 1 duck / 1 innings (100%) R Davison and Cliff Anscombe currently boast a flawless 100% record — truly the purest form of consistency the game allows. 🦆 Onwards to the next fixture, where no doubt further candidates will present themselves for ceremonial induction. The zero club never sleeps — bring your bat, and bring your nerve. 0️⃣🏏

A tidy little haul this week: four ducks across three matches, every single one credited to the 1st XI. The rest of the club, evidently, remembered how to hold a bat. Saturday 9 June — away at Tovil A brace for the exclusive zero club in this one alone. Basil Sears, promoted to first drop, departed courtesy of a smart take by D Smith off M Taylor. It's his 3rd duck of the season and 13th of a career now running to 227 innings, keeping him a lofty 16th in the all-time standings. On this very day back in 1864, E Price was performing the identical ceremony against Collier Street's opponents — a single career duck to his name, but the fraternity of nought spans the centuries regardless. R Davison followed him back, bowled by M Taylor from number 8. It's his 2nd duck of the season, taking his career tally to 2 from just 13 innings and 145th on the all-time list. With the Duck of the Year 1962 board now carrying his name, he's currently the one to catch in this year's race for that dubious crown. He too shares 9 June 1864 with E Price, who evidently found this date agreeable for getting out. Sunday 10 June — home to Bearsted CC Alan Tucker fell for his first duck of the campaign, run out at number 9 with the fielder's identity apparently too embarrassed to be recorded. It's his 2nd career duck from 15 innings, 107th on the all-time list. On this day in 1961, Robert Wood was likewise dismissed for nought against Tovil — Wood has since piled up 18 career ducks and sits a mighty 8th all-time, a reminder of where a promising duck habit can lead. Thursday 14 June — away at Boughton Malherbe CC Cliff Anscombe, at number 4, was trapped lbw by B Down without scoring — his first duck of 1962, but the 12th of a career that has carried him to 19th in the all-time table from 39 innings. A paid-up member of the Debutante Duck club and a former Duck of the Year back in 1957, Cliff knows this territory well. Eighty years earlier to the day, C Gibbs was making his own solitary contribution to the ledger against Boxley. Week in summary Four ducks, three matches, one team cornering the market on ignominy — fitting, perhaps, that two of the four came in the very same innings at Tovil. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 🏏 1. Basil Sears — 4 innings, 3 ducks (75%) 2. R Davison — 2 innings, 2 ducks (100%) 3. Cliff Anscombe — 1 innings, 1 duck (100%) 4. Percy Brattle — 1 innings, 1 duck (100%) 5. Michael Chambers — 2 innings, 1 duck (50%) Roll on the next fixture — the zero club never sleeps, and there's always another slip catch, another straight one, another number 11 wandering out to keep the tradition alive. 🦆0️⃣

Summer's here, the willow is out, and so — as tradition demands — are the noughts. A brace of ducks fell to Linton Park this weekend, both in the same afternoon at the hands of A.Trembeths. 🏏 1st XI v A.Trembeths (home, Saturday 2nd) Basil Sears opened the innings and, with the ink barely dry on the scorebook, was back in the pavilion caught by a- Johnson off the bowling of J- Mortlock. It's the 2nd duck of Basil's season and the 12th of a career now running to 226 innings — enough to sit him a lofty 17th of 760 in the all-time table, the sort of consistency of a very particular kind that keeps a name near the top for all the wrong reasons. Rather splendidly, on this very day back in 1952, none other than club legend John Thirkell — he of 45 career ducks, three-time Duck of the Year and permanent resident of the Lone Duck and Homebody Duck top tens — was also walking back for nought against Marden CC, Kent. Some dates simply attract the zero. Down at number 6, Don Clayton became the innings' second casualty, bowled by H- Clancy. A tidier debut into the exclusive zero club than most: his first duck of the season and the first of his career, in only his 7th innings, landing him at 204th of 760 — a place of dubious distinction he now shares the calendar with, funnily enough, the very same John Thirkell fixture of 1952. Two Linton men, ten years and two dismissal methods apart, both nodding at 2nd June history. 📅 Week in Summary Two fixtures, two ducks, both delivered in the same innings by the same opposition — A.Trembeths clearly came prepared. The weekend's other match, elsewhere on the fixture list, proved a duck-free zone, batsmen keeping their heads determinedly above water. Triumph through adversity was thin on the ground this week, but the art of not scoring lives on regardless. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 🥇 Basil Sears — 3 innings, 2 ducks (67%) 🥈 Michael Chambers — 1 innings, 1 duck (100%) 🥉 Percy Brattle — 1 innings, 1 duck (100%) 4. R Davison — 1 innings, 1 duck (100%) 5. Don Clayton — 4 innings, 1 duck (25%) Three names already on a flawless 100% this season — truly a poultry effort, in the finest sense. Basil leads the way on raw volume, but with the season young there's everything still to play for in the race for Duck of the Year. Next fixture beckons, and with it, no doubt, fresh additions to the honours board. Bat carefully out there. 0️⃣🦆

A short week in the exclusive zero club, but never let it be said the Duck Hunting season opened quietly. 🏏 1st XI v Gore Court CC (home) Coming in at six, R Davison did not trouble the scorers for long, bowled by Graham Piesley for a duck. It's his first nought of the 1962 campaign, and with the season so young that's enough — for now — to put him at the head of this year's Duck of the Year race, a position he holds by virtue of being the only entrant so far. Enjoy it while it lasts, Robert. Career-wise this is a lone blemish in an otherwise unremarkable 12 innings — his first duck for the club — and it nudges him to 291st of 760 in the all-time standings. A place of dubious distinction, but a place nonetheless. Neatly, on this very day back in 1957, Cliff Anscombe was going through precisely the same ritual, also departing for nought against Ron Aiston's XI. Cliff went on to make something of a habit of it — 11 ducks across a five-season stretch (1957–1963), good for 21st of 760 all-time, and a fully paid-up member of both the Debutante Duck club and the 1957 Duck of the Year honours. History, it seems, quacks in circles. 📊 Week in Summary One match, one duck. Gore Court will presumably count their blessings — the rest of the order got off the mark, and the Club's tally for the day rests at a solitary, dignified nought. Consistency of a very particular kind. 🥇 Duck Hunting Season leaderboard - Michael Chambers — 1 inns, 1 duck (100%) - Percy Brattle — 1 inns, 1 duck (100%) - R Davison — 1 inns, 1 duck (100%) - Basil Sears — 2 inns, 1 duck (50%) - Robert Wood — 4 inns, 1 duck (25%) Five names locked at the top on a single duck apiece — early days yet, and plenty of bat left to be beaten. Roll on next weekend's fixtures, when no doubt the Club's collection of noughts will find fresh recruits. The art of not scoring waits for no one. 🍩0️⃣🦆

Three fixtures out on the paddock this weekend, and not a single soul troubled the Duck Club recruitment officer. Every last batsman found his way off the mark, leaving the honours board gathering dust and the scorers, for once, with nothing wicked to note beside a name. A vegan weekend, in other words — nought fowl among the runs, which for a club built on celebrating precisely that is faintly disappointing. The ducks, it seems, have gone to ground. Early season nerves settling, perhaps, or simply a collective failure of nerve on the part of the bowling attacks. Rest assured the drought never lasts. The zero club keeps its doors open regardless of footfall, and given the current pace at the top of this season's table, someone will be back queuing before the month is out. Duck Hunting Season leaderboard 🏏 🥇 Michael Chambers — 1 duck from 1 innings (100%) — 0️⃣ straight out of the traps 🥇 Percy Brattle — 1 duck from 1 innings (100%) — level with Chambers, both yet to trouble a scorebook 🥉 Basil Sears — 1 duck from 2 innings (50%) — the coin-flip club 4️⃣ Robert Wood — 1 duck from 4 innings (25%) — settling into respectability 5️⃣ John Ames — 1 duck from 5 innings (20%) — a name for the long haul, this early tally the first entry in what history suggests will become quite a ledger A tight little cluster at the summit, with Chambers and Brattle setting the pace on a flawless 100% — the purest form of consistency this club recognises, in the sense that it is the only kind on offer after a single knock apiece. 🍩 Next fixture awaits, and with it the near-certainty that the zero club welcomes fresh blood or existing members pad up for another. The ducks are only ever resting, never retired. See you at the crease — or, ideally for the club's purposes, not for very long.

A slender haul from a single fixture this week, but the exclusive zero club never turns away a new arrival, however modest the occasion. 1st XI v Bobbing Court CC (home) In at number 11 and back in the pavilion before he'd troubled the scorers, Michael Chambers fell b Roger Mills without denting the Bobbing Court total. It's duck number 3 in a career now spanning 10 innings, a return that plants him a respectable 94th of 759 in the all-time ledger — the art of not scoring, quietly perfected. Spookily, on this very date twelve months prior, William Agate was enduring the identical fate against Charles Arkcoll — Agate himself a paid-up member of the Debutante Duck club, having opened his LPCC account with a nought of his own back in 1960. History, it seems, rather enjoys the 13th of May. Week in Summary One match, one duck — hardly a vintage weekend for the connoisseur, but every zero counts toward the ledger. Michael's effort also opens his season account in style, and with a flawless strike rate so far he vaults straight to the summit of this year's leaderboard, at least until someone else joins him there. 🥇 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard - Michael Chambers — 1 inn, 1 duck (100%) - Percy Brattle — 1 inn, 1 duck (100%) - Basil Sears — 2 inn, 1 duck (50%) - John Ames — 3 inn, 1 duck (33.33%) - Robert Wood — 3 inn, 1 duck (33.33%) Early days in the 1962 hunt, with the field wide open and every innings a fresh opportunity for infamy. Roll on the next fixture — the ducks are out there, and they're patient. 🦆🏏

A rare and faintly troubling weekend for the club's most dedicated statisticians: two matches played, and not a single duck to show for it. Somewhere out there, eleven-plus batsmen per side simply... got off the mark. The scorers report no golden ducks, no king pairs, no family gatherings on the honours board — nothing but runs, glorious and uneventful runs. The exclusive zero club held no induction ceremony this week. Even Percy Brattle, presently sat on a flawless 100% duck rate for the season, seems to have kept his powder dry. It happens. Even the art of not scoring requires the occasional rest. Let it not be said the Duck Club rests easy, though — somewhere among Saturday's and Sunday's fixtures a straight one is surely lurking with somebody's name on it. The drought will break. It always does. Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 1962 🥇🍩 - Percy Brattle — 1 duck, 1 innings (100%) — a perfect record, for better or worse - Basil Sears — 1 duck, 2 innings (50%) - John Ames — 1 duck, 2 innings (50%) - Robert Wood — 1 duck, 3 innings (33.33%) A tight field at the top this early in the season, with plenty of time yet for someone to pull clear in the race nobody wants to win. 🦆 Fear not, members — the next fixture waits patiently, bat in hand, ready to add fresh names to the ledger. Until then, keep those pads on and those hopes low. 0️⃣🏏

Two fixtures, four ducks, and the 1962 season's zero club already off to a flying — or rather grounded — start. Saturday 28th — Away to West Farleigh CC Basil Sears opened the innings and departed just as promptly, bowled by Ray Ford for his first duck of the new season. It's his 11th career nought from 224 innings, good (bad?) enough for 19th on the all-time list of 759. Neat bit of timing too — on this very day back in 1956, R Vincent suffered an identical fate against the very same West Farleigh CC. Some fixtures just breed ducks. Down at number 7, Percy Brattle followed him back, trapped lbw by Ron Kemp — his own season opener and 5th career duck from just 30 innings, sliding him into 55th spot all-time. He shares that same 1956-on-this-day West Farleigh coincidence with Basil. A chip off the old block, too — his relative Frank Brattle carries 15 career ducks of his own, so the family clearly knows the walk back well. Sunday 29th — Home to Maidstone AKCC John Ames, also opening, was bowled by Michael Chambers for his 26th career duck in 181 innings — a lofty 4th of 759 all-time. Ames arrives with a mantelpiece groaning under honours: Ducks in a Row for four on the spin, a place in the Homebody Duck top 10, Quacking Together billing with both Roy Clarke and Stan Wratten, and an exclusive Only Two Quacks arrangement with Alan Wilkes. A one-man social club of scorelessness. At number 6, Robert Wood was bowled by D Sadler for career duck number 18 from 119 innings, 8th of 759 all-time — and a proud old boy of the Debutante Duck club, having opened his account with a nought many innings ago. He now sits level on 18 with Gordon Fenner, who racked up the same tally across 1941–1962 and 143 innings. Week in Summary Four ducks, two matches, and the 1st XI cornering the entire market — top and middle order both doing their bit. West Farleigh claimed two openers-and-late-order pairs by lunchtime Saturday; Maidstone AKCC matched them exactly on Sunday. Consistency, of a very particular kind. 🏏 Duck Hunting Season Leaderboard 🏏 - Basil Sears — 1 inn, 1 duck (100%) - John Ames — 1 inn, 1 duck (100%) - Percy Brattle — 1 inn, 1 duck (100%) - Robert Wood — 2 inn, 1 duck (50%) Early days yet — plenty of season left for someone to break away from this perfect four-way tie at the top. Next fixture awaits, and with it, the club's favourite recruitment drive. See you all at the crease — or, more likely, walking back from it. 🦆0️⃣