🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 25 Jul 1925 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLWDLT

Saturday last, the 25th of July, brought Bearsted CC to Linton Park as our visitors, and it fell to us to take the field first with the ball. Wickets fell steadily to our bowling, though Frank Harnett stood firm and played some fine, correct cricket to reach 78, well past his fifty, and it was he alone who gave their total any real substance. D Dawes was less fortunate, sent back for nought before he had settled, and it was E Godden who led our attack in fine style, four wickets without a run scored against him, ably supported by E Walter with three for none and N Merritt who claimed one. I confess our wicketkeeping had a trying afternoon, eight byes slipping past the stumps, though the bowling more than made amends for it.

Our own innings, I must record, did not do the eleven full credit. W Turner, N Merritt and J Barker each departed for a golden duck, and though I contributed 15 myself, the batting never found its rhythm, and we were all out to leave Bearsted the winners by 102 runs.

It was not our afternoon, though the season's figures still make cheerful reading, with 38 runs now standing to my name at the head of the run charts, and E Godden's seven wickets leading the bowling averages. Bearsted played the better cricket, and Harnett's innings was worth the admission alone, but we shall take heart and come again next week the wiser for it, as is ever the way of this fine old game.

Sat 13 Jun 1925 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformDLWDL

I turned out on Saturday last for our fixture away at Bearsted, and a finer, closer contest between bat and ball I have not had the honour of captaining in some seasons.

Sent in first, we found the wicket less than accommodating and the whole side was accounted for in time. It fell to J Barker to play the anchor's part, his unbeaten 38 the backbone of the innings, with willing company from C Hartridge, a tidy 23, and W Boorman, who added 22 more. Less happily, C Crundwell and J Fife departed without troubling the scorers, and I must own to keeping them company, a golden blob for the skipper and out without addition to the total. A captain should lead by example, and on this occasion I led only in setting rather the wrong sort of precedent, though the lads were sporting enough not to dwell on it.

Bearsted replied in like spirit. Frank Harnett led their innings with 28, ably supported by W R Gosling's 23, though E Cranham went the way I had gone, back to the pavilion without scoring. J Fife, who had fared no better than I with the bat, made handsome amends with the ball, spinning through their order for five wickets without conceding a run, and found able assistance from E Godden, three wickets, and C Walter, two more.

When stumps were drawn the two sides could not be separated. A tie it remained, dead level after a whole day's cricket, and as sporting a result as any eleven could wish to share with a good side like Bearsted.