🧢 Captain's Log

Mon 28 Aug 1893 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · HomeformDLLLW

Monday 28th August, 1893, and The Mote CC rolled up hoping to catch us napping. The coin, as it so often does when it matters, ignored me entirely, and we were put into the field to make the best of a difficult afternoon. The Mote batted through for their total, A J Thornton the chief architect with a fine 40, well supported by F M Atkins (35) and the Reverend E L Colebrooke (33), who no doubt considered it a Sunday's work delayed by a day. But J N Tonge was in devastating form, scything through them for 5, with E Fisher (4) and H Waghorn (1) mopping up what remained.

Then came our reply, and what a reply it was. X Easby produced an innings of real substance — three figures, no less, the sort of knock one dines out on until Christmas — ably backed by E Fisher's 80 and J N Tonge's 39, proving the Tonge family talents run in both directions. W W Tarrance and C A Whittaker, meanwhile, contributed a golden duck apiece to the cause, for which the club thanks them, sincerely, if not enthusiastically.

Milestones were toppled all round: Easby's runs carried him past Ernest Cruttenden into 18th on the all-time list, while Waghorn's wickets nudged him past Tom Peach Snr into 10th — both men now sit handsomely in this season's charts besides.

Honours shared, then, a draw when neither side could force the issue — which, given the milestones tumbling like September apples, felt rather more like victory than stalemate.

Fri 18 Aug 1893 🧢 1st XIv EC Eton Ramblers CC · HomeformDDLLL

Captain's Log, Friday 18 August 1893 — Eton Ramblers at home, and for once the coin did what I asked of it. I had no hesitation in taking first knock on a fine August afternoon. The lads batted with real purpose: Leslie Wilson made merry to the tune of a chanceless 101, E C Streatfield chimed in with a stylish 52, and F Marchant added a handsome 50 of his own. Only Jack Fryer and A Kent went quietly, both undone without troubling the scorers — every side needs its sacrificial lambs.

Ramblers' reply never really took wing. R H Mitchell's 33 was the pick of a modest effort, with V R Hoare (32) and H Foljambe (27) offering support, while C E Farmer, the Hon J R Tufton and H Philipson all departed for ducks at our hands. E C Streatfield, not content with his runs, ran thoroughly amok with the ball — 5 for 47 — well backed by S Christopherson's 3 and H Waghorn's 2. Thirteen byes did rather give the game away about young Christopherson's afternoon behind the notion of tidiness, but no matter.

There was history in the making besides: F S W Cornwallis's unassuming 7 runs carried him past Streatfield to the very top of the club's all-time run-scorers, while Streatfield's 11 wickets today lifted him past Christopherson into fourth on the all-time list — busy work for a man already having quite a summer, sitting proud atop both the 1893 run and wicket charts.

An innings and 44 runs the final verdict. A thoroughly satisfactory day at the office.

Wed 16 Aug 1893 🧢 1st XIv FC Free Foresters CC · HomeformDDDLL

Wednesday 16 August 1893, and Free Foresters CC rolled up the drive to find your captain in an unusually decisive mood — I won the toss and didn't so much as blink before choosing to bat. Whether that decisiveness was wisdom or bravado I shall leave to the members' bar to judge, but F Marchant gave it the ballast it needed with a handsome 41, well backed up by E C Streatfield's 34. George Champion, alas, will not be dining out on his contribution — a duck to nil, and no amount of tea and sympathy will un-write that on the scorecard.

Then to the field, where the Foresters proved stubborn customers. A E Leatham led their reply with 43, with A G Grant-Aster (28) and W D Bovill (26) refusing to make life easy for us. Small mercies came in the shape of Major Curteis, back in the pavilion for a duck courtesy of our bowling. S Christopherson was the pick of the attack with 4 for 66, George Champion atoned handsomely with 3 for 35, and E C Streatfield chipped in with 1 for 0. Our wicketkeeper, meanwhile, had a torrid time of it — 16 byes in one innings and 19 in the other tell their own tale of a day when the ball simply would not sit still.

There was cause for quiet pride amid the toil: F Marchant's runs lifted him past G J V Weigall to 5th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, and Streatfield's wicket eased him past T Gandy into 4th among our leading wicket-takers — he currently tops our 1893 run charts with 125 and sits 2nd with 10 wickets besides.

We went down by 3 wickets in the end. A fair result, honestly earned by the visitors, and we'll be better for it next week.

Mon 14 Aug 1893 🧢 1st XIv RC Royal Engineers CC · HomeformDDDDL

Monday the fourteenth of August found us at home to Royal Engineers CC, and losing the toss meant we were asked to bowl first and chase down whatever they set us — never my favourite start to a Monday.

We took the ball with intent, but Major L Friend gave us a proper working-over, compiling a well-made fifty of 60, with Captain Hamilton chipping in a useful 26 alongside him. Small mercies came our way: W J Johnston departed for a duck without so much as troubling the scorers. It was E C Streatfield who dragged us back into things, spinning through their order for a magnificent 6-59, with H Waghorn lending fine support at 4-48.

Our reply never quite found its feet. Streatfield, having done the damage with the ball, then top-scored with the bat too — 47 runs of real substance — with F Marchant chipping in 36 and Jack Fryer battling to 21 not out. A Kent's golden duck summed up a frustrating afternoon, and twelve byes told their own tale of a testing day behind the stumps for poor Fryer.

There was cause for quiet pride amid the gloom: Streatfield's efforts moved him to third on the club's all-time run-scorers list and fifth among the wicket-takers, while he and Waghorn continue to top this season's charts. But facts are facts — we were beaten by 78 runs. We'll be better for it next week.