🧢 Captain's Log

Wed 12 Aug 1908 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLWLLL

A fine August Wednesday it was, and having called correctly at the toss I did the fashionable thing and put us in to bat — the right call, I felt, and for once nobody argued with me afterwards. W T Beeching set about proving me right with a truly magnificent century, unbeaten at the close, while Captain Walter's polished fifty and Lieutenant Wallace's own half-century either side of him gave the innings real backbone. Even our extras column, on 35, seemed to be trying to get in on the act.

Ball in hand, we found the visitors' W M Hubble in similarly stubborn form, top-scoring with a fine 67, well supported by G Lawrence's 40 and E Wood's 35. It was A Eltham who did the real damage, four wickets to his name, with W Simmonds and Ernest Cruttenden chipping in a wicket apiece to keep the pressure on. I contributed a workmanlike 43 with the bat myself, which I shall modestly describe as "useful" and leave it at that.

Two small pieces of history along the way: Rev J R Leigh's unassuming 7 runs nudged him past A W Fulcher into 11th on the club's all-time run charts, while Eltham's four wickets lifted him past Arthur Cornwallis into 22nd among our wicket-takers — George Champion and Cruttenden, meanwhile, continue to lead this season's charts. In the end, honours shared: a hard-fought draw, and no shame in that.

Mon 08 Jun 1908 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDLWLL

Beaten by an innings and 96 runs, and there's no dressing that up — but the season doesn't turn on one dark Monday at home, and I'd rather look at what we did right.

We put them in, and it started well enough — E E Hoadley's unbeaten 34 was the backbone of their total, with T Bunting (29) and T M Oliff (25) chipping in, but our bowlers had their say too. Ernest Cruttenden was magnificent, taking 4 for none, with A Eltham and George Champion each grabbing three apiece to keep things honest. All out for none — a curious line in the book, but the lads know what was earned out there.

Then came our reply, and here the tale turns sadder. George Champion, having done his bowling duties, backed it up with a handsome 63 — a proper captain's innings, if he'll forgive me borrowing the phrase, since I managed one myself. The Reverend F A Leveson-Gower (44) and Guy Bracher (41) played their parts nobly, and I was rather chuffed with my own 63, plus three wickets to boot — can't grumble about that personally. All out for none in the end told its own story of how the match slipped from us.

One bright footnote: C Murdoch's useful 21 eased him past the good Reverend into 7th on the club's all-time run charts — history quietly made amid the wreckage. Verdict: a heavy defeat, no question, but with Champion in this form and Cruttenden steaming in, we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 30 May 1908 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLDLWL

It was a fine May afternoon at home, and as captain I won the toss and had few qualms about asking the opposition to bat first — a decision that looked shrewd for about an over and then rather less so. W T Beeching played beautifully for his fifty, well supported by W C Goodbody's 31, and between them they gave our attack a proper working over. Happily Ernest Cruttenden had other ideas, tearing through with a thoroughly deserved five-for figures of 6-0 — the pick of a fine team bowling effort, with Charles Wycherley (2-0) and H G Smith (1-0) chipping in nicely. R Turner, for what it's worth, departed for a golden duck, which I'm told is character-building.

Our reply had real substance to it. C Murdoch batted magnificently for an unbeaten 90, sailing past his fifty with time to spare, while I was quietly satisfied to contribute 59 of my own alongside him — the sort of innings that makes the long drive to the ground feel worthwhile. Murdoch's 90 also carries a footnote for the club historians: it lifts him past Rev F A Leveson-Gower into 7th on our all-time run-scoring list, and for good measure he now leads the 1908 1st XI run charts, with Cruttenden topping the wicket-takers.

Alas, none of it was quite enough, and we went down by 8 wickets. Not our day, then — but plenty to be proud of. Heads up, and back to the nets.