🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 29 Aug 1903 🧢 1st XIv Town Malling CC · HomeformDLDLL

Lost the toss again — I'm beginning to suspect the club coin has a grudge against me — and Town Malling CC, our visitors on a fine Saturday, elected to bat. No matter: it turned into rather a happy afternoon to be captaining from the field. F Reeves was in irresistible form, spinning his way to 6 wickets for none, the kind of spell that has batsmen playing for turn that isn't there and murmuring darkly on the walk back. Rev F A Leveson-Gower chipped in handsomely with 4 for none, and I'm told the skipper wasn't entirely idle either, picking up 4 wickets of his own. F B Leney and P Phillips both departed without troubling the scorers, and only W R Stratton, with a gritty 21, gave the visitors' innings any real shape before it folded.

With the bat we made hard graft look almost respectable. Rev H S Grant led the way with a fine 25, well supported by H G Smith (22) and Rev J R Leigh, whose watchful 20 nudged him past Leslie Wilson into 15th on the club's all-time run-scorers' list — a small piece of immortality earned the hard way. Extras chipped in a generous 29, for which we are, as ever, quietly grateful. Reeves's six wickets, meanwhile, lifted him past J Woollett into 13th among the club's all-time wicket-takers.

We ran out winners by an innings and 3 runs — a proper thumping, and just the tonic for a lovely August day.

Sat 22 Aug 1903 🧢 House Teamv ? · HomeformLWDLD

From the captain's chair — Saturday 22 August 1903. We hosted, and I called correctly at the toss, which these days feels like the highlight of my captaincy in itself. No hesitation in choosing to bat, and it was left to Tom Peach Jnr to set the tone with a fine knock of 21, well supported by C Masters with 20. Not every name will want reminding of their contribution, mind — W Peach and R Smith will be quietly hoping the scorebook develops a smudge where their ducks are recorded, though I've a feeling the gazette has other ideas.

With the ball, we set about our visitors with rather more conviction. Sergeant Kennett, P C Fowle and P C Fisher were all sent back for ducks, the constabulary thoroughly outfoxed on this occasion, while W Peach bowled like a man possessed to finish with 6 for 0. Ernest Cruttenden chipped in handsomely too with 4 for 0, and in doing so quietly slipped past W H Fryer into fifth on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — the sort of milestone that deserves a nod even on a losing afternoon. He now leads our 1903 House Team wicket charts with 17, with W Peach out in front on runs with 83.

We were beaten by 168 runs in the end, which is a chastening margin by anyone's arithmetic. Still, there was enough good cricket in there — bat and ball both — to suggest we'll be the better for it next week. Onwards.

Fri 21 Aug 1903 🧢 House Teamv ? · HomeformWLWDL

Friday last, the visitors rolled up to Linton Park under skies that promised more than they delivered, and we won the toss and had a look at them first with the ball. It proved a shrewd notion, for Ernest Cruttenden was in irresistible touch, running through their order to finish with a five-for — eight wickets at not a run apiece, no less, which is the sort of figure a man dines out on for the rest of the season. W Peach chipped in with two of his own for nothing, tidy support to a spell that will be talked about in the pavilion for weeks yet.

Our reply, alas, mirrored theirs rather too faithfully, and we too were bowled out without troubling the scorers overmuch. Poor E Mitchell will not thank me for mentioning it, but a duck is a duck, and the lads were merciless in reminding him of it over tea.

Amid the wreckage, two entries for the record books: Peach's 7 runs eased him past S Christopherson into 19th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, while Cruttenden's eight-wicket haul vaulted him past the same S Christopherson into 7th among our leading wicket-takers — a fine afternoon's work for both. In the House Team charts this season, Peach now leads the run-getters on 59 and Cruttenden the wicket-takers on 8.

Honours were shared in the end, neither side able to force the issue. Not a classic for the ages, but Cruttenden's spell alone made the walk to the ground worthwhile.

Sat 15 Aug 1903 🧢 1st XIv YC Yalding CC · AwayformLDLDL

From the captain's chair, Saturday 15th August 1903 — away at Yalding, and Fortune, fickle as ever, deserted us at the toss. They chose to bat, and there was nothing for it but to trudge into the field and make the best of it.

To our credit, we did just that. W Peach was in irresistible form, his 3-0 the kind of figures that leave a batting side quietly rattled, while F Foreman toiled away for 3-33 with three maidens thrown in for good measure — not a run given away lightly, as they say. George Champion chipped in with 2-0 besides. Between them, Rev J R Leigh's 40 and L W Hubble's 33 were the only real resistance, and we had them all out in the end. Small mercies too — A S White and F R Allsop departed without troubling the scorers.

Our reply, alas, rather told the story of the day. George Champion once again top-scored with a fine 46, and I managed to match him with 46 of my own, but around us the innings rather fell away, with C Murdoch, Ernest Cruttenden and Allan Peach all walking back for ducks. There was a silver lining for Ernest, mind, whose solitary wicket nudged him past J N Tonge into 9th on the club's all-time list — a fine consolation on a losing afternoon.

Beaten by 14 runs in the end, and no disgrace in it. We'll be better for it next week.

Fri 14 Aug 1903 🧢 House Teamv ? · AwayformLWLWD

Beaten narrowly at the away ground on Friday, and I'll confess the toss looked kinder than it played out. Winning the coin flip, I sent us in — a decision I stand by, whatever the scorecard says by close of play. W Peach played the innings of the day, a well-crafted 52 that anchored us, with Tom Peach Jnr's brisk 34 and W T Waghorn's 27 giving the total some genuine backbone. It wasn't a mammoth score, but it felt defendable enough as we trooped out into the field with tea and cautious optimism inside us.

Defending it, though, is where the story turns. W Thorndycraft played the anchor role for them with 32, well supported by A Hollands (24) and B Stedman (20), and between them they gently prised the total away from us. Not that our bowlers didn't have their say — R Startup, H Thorndycraft and H Smith were all sent back without so much as a whimper from the scorebook, and W T Waghorn was in a different postcode entirely, spinning his way to a remarkable 6-0. A King and W Peach chipped in for one apiece, proof that everyone did their bit even as the game slipped from us.

There's real cause for cheer amid the defeat: Peach's 52 carries him to 21st on the club's all-time run charts, and with the bat and ball he and Waghorn now sit atop our 1903 House Team standings. Beaten this time, then — but with form like that, we go again in good heart.

Mon 03 Aug 1903 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLDLD

From the captain's chair, Monday the 3rd of August, 1903 — a visiting side came to Linton Park, and by close of play I rather wished they hadn't.

We took the field first, and while the scorebook has rather coyly declined to tell us their final total, all out is all out, and we got there in the end. F M Atkins gave us the runaround with a fine 44, well supported by E F Prall's 20, before the tail did its best to embarrass us. Small mercies, though: W R Robins went back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, and the bowling honours of the day belonged unarguably to R W Mitchell, whose 7-0 and richly deserved five-for will be the toast of the clubhouse for weeks. George Champion chipped in handsomely with 2-0.

Our reply, alas, was a rather more chastening affair. All out, and not a total to frame on the wall. H G Smith, the Reverend F A Leveson-Gower and F Reeves each took the walk of shame for a nought apiece, while your captain, leading emphatically from the front in all the wrong ways, contributed a golden blob. One does like to set an example.

There was a silver lining amid the wreckage: the Reverend's 33 runs nudged him past W H Fryer into 13th on the club's all-time run-charts, and he continues to lead our 1903 season with 155 runs, with Champion likewise topping the wicket-takers on 12. Beaten by an innings and -29 runs, we live to fight another Saturday — and heaven knows we'll be better for it.

Sat 04 Jul 1903 🧢 1st XIv SS Sutton Valence School · HomeformLWLDL

Saturday last, we welcomed Sutton Valence School to the ground under skies kind enough not to interrupt proceedings, and having called correctly I did what any sensible captain does with a good pitch and no reason for false modesty — I put us in.

We batted through, though I shan't dwell on how, for the innings belonged to H G Smith, whose 88 was the sort of knock that makes a captain look far cleverer than he has any right to be. F Reeves (38) and C Murdoch (38) played their parts handsomely in support, and between them they gave the school something rather stern to chase.

Chase it they did, though "chase" hardly does justice to the manner of it. The Reverend R E Lewis produced a century of real substance — 103 not out, unbeaten and unbothered by anything we could offer — ably assisted by H W Hunting (27) and J S Daniell (23). Our bowlers toiled without complaint: H G Smith, having done his work with the bat, chipped in with a wicket, as did H M Braybrooke and George Champion, each taking one apiece for solid figures. Smith, incidentally, has now climbed past Ernest Cruttenden into 5th on the club's all-time run charts, while Reeves eases past Arthur Cornwallis into 17th among the wicket-takers — quiet history made on an otherwise ordinary Saturday.

In the end neither side could land the decisive blow, and honours were shared. A draw against a Reverend in irresistible form feels less like a missed win and more like a fortunate escape — and I shall happily take it.

Wed 01 Jul 1903 🧢 1st XIv YC Yalding CC · HomeformWLWLD

It was Yalding CC who came to Linton Park on Wednesday, and it was Yalding CC who left with the smiles. I lost the toss – no great surprise, my coin-calling has been suspect all season – and duly sent them in.

For a spell it looked a grand decision. George Champion turned his arm over like a man possessed, spinning through their order to finish with 5 for 0, and with H M Braybrooke chipping away at the other end (4 for 0, and W Peach picking up one for good measure), F Reeves and H Reeves both departed without troubling the scorers. But R W Mitchell had other ideas, ploughing a lone and rather magnificent furrow to 91, well supported by W L Hubble's 25, and between them they dragged Yalding to a total that felt considerably larger than the wickets column suggested it ought.

Our reply never quite found its rhythm. Arthur Cornwallis led the way with a tidy 36, B W Haynes and C Murdoch (unbeaten) both weighed in with 26 apiece, and I contributed a workmanlike 16 — though George Champion and A Grice, having done their bowling, found batting a rather less cooperative pursuit and departed for ducks. Small comfort amid the wreckage: Haynes's 26 nudges him past L Friend to 25th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, and Peach's season continues to blossom, now second in our 1903 charts.

Beaten by 57 runs, then, and fair play to Mitchell — one man's fifty can undo an afternoon's fine bowling. We'll dust ourselves down and be better for it next week.

Sat 06 Jun 1903 🧢 1st XIv Town Malling CC · AwayformLWLWL

We drew Town Malling on the sixth of June, and a draw was about the fairest result the good Lord could have handed down, for neither side would give an inch all afternoon.

Losing the toss, we were put into the field first, and Town Malling made themselves thoroughly at home, running up their total without loss of the innings entirely. Longhurst led the charge with a handsome 61, F B Leney chipped in a tidy fifty of his own with 52, and W Phillips wasn't far behind on 48 — a top order that gave our bowlers precious little to smile about. Small mercies came in the shape of W R Stratton's duck, and rather larger mercies from F Reeves, who tore through with a magnificent 5-0 — the pick of the day by some distance — well backed up by George Champion's 3-0 and R W Mitchell's 2-0.

With the bat we had our own tale to tell, anchored by the Reverend F A Leveson-Gower, whose imperious 104 was three figures of the purest calm amid our chase, ably supported by F E Wallis's unbeaten 33 and H G Smith's 23. George Champion, so miserly with the ball, could find no such fortune with the bat and departed for nought.

There was cause for quiet pride beyond the scorecard too — Wallis's 33 nudged him past F Marchant into 11th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while Reeves's five-for lifted him past W Crittenden to 18th among our wicket-takers. A fine afternoon's work, honours even, and both sides walked off with heads held high.

Mon 01 Jun 1903 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLLWLW

It was Monday the 1st of June, 1903, and we had the ball first at home — always a pleasant enough way to begin a week, though as it turned out the pleasantries rather ended there. X Hardinge gave us a torrid afternoon with a fine 74, well supported by H Igglesden's 39 and F E Wallis's 37, and between them they ran the total up to a score that will live long in the memory for all the wrong reasons. Rev F A Leveson-Gower was easily our pick with the ball, finishing with 3, and L Friend and H G Smith chipped in gamely with two wickets apiece, though by the close the bowling figures rather told their own weary story.

Our reply, I'm sorry to report, never threatened to trouble the scorers in the same way. W Peach top-scored with a battling 31, but around him the card told a sorrier tale, with ducks for Rev W A Carr, P R Burton and G F Vernon dragging us swiftly towards defeat.

There was, at least, a silver lining or two amid the wreckage: H G Smith's 21 runs saw him leapfrog Ernest Cruttenden into 5th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, and his two wickets took him past E C Streatfield into 6th among our leading wicket-takers — small personal triumphs salvaged from a team disaster.

The verdict, alas, is unavoidable: beaten by an innings and 134 runs, a proper hiding. Heads up, chins up, and back to the nets.