🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 17 Aug 1940 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · AwayformWWWLL

Saturday last took us to Charles Arkcoll, and the coin, as is so often its habit with me, landed the wrong way up — they won the toss and chose to bat, leaving us to make do with the ball first. No great hardship, as it turned out. They were bowled out for 110 in 23 overs, K Heathfield top-scoring gamely with 45, but the middle order simply melted away from 24-2 to 40-5, with D Jolliffe, G Wratten and X Heard all trooping back for ducks. J Short was the chief tormentor with 3-12, well supported by Herbert Rayner's 3-33 and Don Hartridge's 2-20.

Chasing 111, we made distinctly harder work of it than the target deserved, stumbling to 112 all out in 27.5 overs. I contributed a scratchy 17 with the bat and, rather more pleasingly, 3 wickets with the ball — a rare afternoon of being useful at both ends.

Two small footnotes for the record books: J Short's 19 runs eased him past Leslie Wilson into 20th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while Bert Buckoke's solitary wicket nudged him past J N Tonge into 15th among the wicket-takers. Percy Brattle continues to lead the 1940 run charts with 474, and Herbert Rayner the wickets with 32.

A scruffy, nerve-jangling win by 0 wickets, but a win nonetheless. Onwards.

Sat 10 Aug 1940 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDWWWL

As the visitors made 195/3 and we replied with a battered 78 all out, we lost by 117 runs on the 10th of August 1940.

We won the toss and sent the visitors in, which in hindsight was rather like inviting the fox to inspect the henhouse before locking it. C. Day settled in for a well-made fifty, L. White matched him run for run with a fifty of his own, and the pair put on 93 for the third wicket while we stood about admiring the scenery. B. Epsley chipped in an unbeaten 36 to see them home to 195 for 3 off their 32 overs. J. Short was our shining light with the ball — 2 for 33 including two maidens, tight as a Sunday collection plate — with B. Westover chipping in a wicket too, but 195 was always going to take some chasing.

Chase it we did not. Six for one had the old alarm bells ringing, and though J. Short battled to 20 — top score, for what that's worth — we subsided from 69 for 5 to 72 for 8 in the sort of rush usually reserved for last orders at the bar. Frank Sutton, Dennis Smith and B. Westover all made splendid ducks, and fifteen byes went begging behind the stumps for good measure. As for your captain, a golden blob — I led from the front today, straight back to the pavilion.

There was one crumb of comfort: Short's twenty edged him past G. J. V. Weigall on the club's all-time run-charts, so history was made even as the match was lost. Beaten by 117 runs, no arguing with that scoreline — but we'll dust ourselves off and come back stronger next week.

Sat 03 Aug 1940 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWDWWW

It was the twentieth of nowt for Herbert Rayner's men that we lost by two wickets, but not before we'd given the good folk of Linton Park something to talk about over their egg sandwiches.

I called correctly at the toss — a rare enough event to warrant its own line in the log — and elected to bat, more in hope than certainty given the state of my knees this season. We were shot out for 160 in 33 overs, which sounds meagre until you note that Herbert Rayner's 31 and Percy Brattle's 28 did the heavy lifting, with extras chipping in a positively generous 27 — proof, if proof were needed, that our opponents' line was as wayward as my own occasionally is. I managed 18 myself, more by accident than design.

In the field we fancied our chances when J Short ran amok with 4 for 47, backed up nicely by Don Hartridge and Dennis Smith with a wicket apiece, and W Hall departed without so much as a squeak off the bat — a golden duck to warm the slip cordon's hearts. But J Bunting had other ideas, compiling a fine unbeaten fifty of 57, well supported by John Anscombe and Thomas Crawford, and simply saw them home by two wickets.

Small consolations amid the gloom: Percy Brattle's 28 lifted him to ninth on the club's all-time run charts, and Don Hartridge's solitary wicket edged him to twentieth among the wicket-takers — the mantelpiece groans a little louder tonight. We'll be better for it next week.

Fri 26 Jul 1940 🧢 1st XIv BC Boughton Monchelsea CC · HomeformDWDWW

Friday 26th July 1940, and a rare treat: Boughton Monchelsea CC down to Linton Park on a day when there were rather more pressing things afoot in the skies above than in the middle. Won the toss, elected to bat, and for once I shall permit myself a small pat on the back for the decision.

Percy Brattle was in imperious touch, compiling a chanceless century — 102 not out, no less — while Dennis Smith played the perfect foil with an unbeaten 34. Between them they had the innings purring along nicely, until the middle order rather lost its head, tumbling from 34 for 1 to 37 for 4 as if the tea urn had been struck by a stray Messerschmitt. J Short, Herbert Rayner and B Westover all contributed ducks to the collection, but the tail wagged gamely to see us to 171 for 6 from our 33 overs — a total I felt had runs to spare.

And so it proved. Boughton Monchelsea never settled, collapsing from 39 for 2 to 41 for 5, and for all B Botting's spirited 24 and V Ames's 22, they were bowled out for 84. Dennis Smith was the pick with 3 for 19, well supported by Herbert Rayner (3-21) and Don Hartridge (3-24) — the latter's figures moving him past Rev J R Leigh, sorry, moving Brattle past Leigh and Rayner past E C Streatfield on the club's all-time lists, both now handsomely upgraded.

As for your correspondent — a duck with the bat, redeemed somewhat by three wickets with the ball. A fine win by 87 runs. Onwards.

Sat 20 Jul 1940 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLDWDW

Saturday the twentieth of July, and Bearsted rolled up as our visitors, though I confess the day started poorly when I lost the toss and watched them elect to bat. Not that it mattered much in the end. They lost a wicket before troubling the scoreboard, and from there it was carnage of the gentlest English kind — 0-1 became 3-4, and R. Hodge, J. Coles and W. Barnes trooped back in quick, sorry succession, each nought to his name. Phil Bowles was simply unplayable, a magnificent 7-22, while Dennis Smith and Don Hartridge picked among the scraps with 1-7 and 1-13. All out 48 in 14.2 overs — a morning's work, really.

Chasing was meant to be the easy part. It rarely is. We slumped from a comfortable 52-2 to a distinctly uncomfortable 61-5, with Bert Buckoke and Phil Bowles both departing for ducks of their own — Bowles's parsimony with the ball evidently not extending to the bat. Still, we scrambled home by the barest of margins, all the way to the last pair, for 97 all out in 21 overs.

A word for Percy Brattle, whose 16 runs saw him leapfrog A. W. Fulcher into 12th on the club's all-time run-scorers' list — and who now leads our 1940 run charts with 322, with Don Hartridge second among the wicket-takers on 17. A nervy finish, but a fine team performance, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sat 29 Jun 1940 🧢 1st XIv SC Staplehurst CC · HomeformWLDWD

Saturday last, 29 June 1940, saw Staplehurst CC pitch up as our visitors, and against the wider gloom of the times it was rather a tonic to lose ourselves in a proper game of cricket for an afternoon. I won the toss and had no hesitation in batting — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the wives said about picnics. J Short led the way with a fine 45, and a stand of 54 for the first wicket gave the innings its backbone, Stan Pierce finishing unbeaten on 29 and Ernie Chiesman chipping in with 21 before we were all out.

Defending it was another matter. Staplehurst set about us through F- Austin, who made a handsome 82 and, with a second-wicket partnership worth 50, threatened to bat us out of it entirely. But cricket has a way of turning, and turn it did — from 143-6 to 151-9 in a blur, with L Munn, a- Harringdon and F Bourne all sent back without troubling the scorers. Herbert Rayner was the chief tormentor, a richly deserved 5-34, well backed by Phil Bowles's 4-19 and Bert Buckoke's solitary strike. I even found some rhythm myself, picking up five.

Rayner's spell also carried him past Tom Peach Snr into 11th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — he now sits second in this season's run charts and top of the wicket charts. We got home by 48 runs. A thoroughly good day for the club.

Fri 28 Jun 1940 🧢 1st XIv Linton Park CC · HomeformLWLDW

Friday 28th June 1940, and Linton Park came to us for what turned into a curious, contented sort of afternoon.

Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — with the world in the state it's in, one takes one's small certainties where one finds them, and runs on the board seemed the surest of all. Six for one inside the first over rather tested that theory, and poor Richard Harris's golden duck did little to steady nerves at the top. But J Wenham played the innings of the day, 31 well-crafted runs, with Bert Buckoke chipping in a handy 22 alongside him, and between them they dragged us up to a respectable 103 for 7 from our fourteen overs. Not fireworks, but enough to make Linton Park work for it.

Work for it they duly did, and in the end neither side could quite land the decisive blow — honours shared, a draw, which on a day like this felt almost like the right result for everyone concerned.

Elsewhere in the ledger, Herbert Rayner continues his fine season with 213 runs, second in the 1st XI charts, while P. Richmond leads the 2nd XI pile with 27 — early days there yet.

My verdict: a scratchy start, a stumble at the end, but the lads showed the sort of stubbornness that wins you more than it loses you. A draw well earned, if not gloriously won.

Sat 22 Jun 1940 🧢 1st XIv BC Boughton Monchelsea CC · HomeformLLWLD

Saturday 22 June 1940 dawned fine, and Boughton Monchelsea CC came calling. We lost the toss — no great surprise, my luck with a coin has never troubled the scorers — and were sent out to bowl first, which some of the lads seemed rather pleased about.

And bowl we did. Boughton Monchelsea were skittled for 90 in 20.1 overs, with only D Hoadley's 20 offering any real resistance. J Baker went for a duck at our hands, and the wickets tumbled early and often. But the story of the innings was Herbert Rayner, who simply ran riot — 6 for 9 is the sort of spell that gets talked about in the bar for years, and quite right too. Don Hartridge (3-20) and Bert Buckoke (1-26) chipped in admirably, while J Short kept things miserly with two maidens, not a run given away lightly.

Chasing 91, we made unnecessarily hard work of it, losing an early wicket with just 6 on the board and never quite settling — 167 for 9 off 33 overs tells its own nervy tale. Stan Pierce anchored things beautifully with an unbeaten 56, well supported by Percy Brattle's 21, though Percy had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, leaking 9 byes for his trouble.

Herbert Rayner also nudged past two names in the club record books this week — quite the day for him. A fine win by one wicket, scraped home with more grey hairs than strictly necessary. Onwards.

Sat 08 Jun 1940 🧢 1st XIv LC Loose CC · HomeformLLLWL

As it stands, we won the toss – no, we didn't, Loose CC did, and sent us out to field on what turned out to be a very long Saturday afternoon indeed. They batted through to 217 all out, with J. Piper compiling a fine 93 and H. Ogden chipping in 41 to lend the innings its backbone via a stand of 93 for the third wicket. Credit where due: Bert Buckoke bowled beautifully for his 4-32, backed up handsomely by Herbert Rayner and Dennis Smith with two apiece. Rev Hale, for what it's worth, will not be troubling the scorebook this week.

Chasing 217 was always going to ask questions of us, and Percy Brattle answered most of them himself with a superb 91, well supported by Herbert Rayner's 27 and an opening stand of 66 that gave us real hope. A second-wicket partnership of 70 kept the innings ticking, but three golden ducks along the way – Stan Pierce, Don Hartridge and Phil Bowles all back for nought – meant we never quite got over the line, closing on 179 for 8. I added a watchful 27, and must confess my wicketkeeping let in 13 byes that I'd rather forget.

There was, at least, cause for a raised glass: Percy's 91 lifts him to 15th on the club's all-time run list, and Bert's four wickets move him to 16th among our leading wicket-takers. Both remain well clear at the top of this season's charts.

A draw, then – honours shared, pride largely intact, and Rev Hale left wondering what might have been.

Sat 25 May 1940 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · HomeformWLLLW

1940, at Charles Arkcoll's mercy of it. We won the toss and, in a fit of optimism I now slightly regret, decided to bat first.

We were bowled out for 119 in 28 overs, which flattered us more than it should have. Herbert Rayner batted beautifully for his fifty and carried the innings almost single-handed, while poor Joe Fenner's golden duck reminded us all why he insists on batting number eleven these days.

Charles Arkcoll then set about correcting the natural order of things, racing to 210 all out in 36 overs. J Parsons's 63 was the innings of the day, with E Humphreys (49) and Ossie Fryer's unbeaten 31 doing the damage on either side of him, while Ron Wratten and W Burton fell to us for ducks — small mercies. Bert Buckoke bowled like a man possessed for 5-75, well backed by Herbert Rayner's 3-39 and J Short's solitary but useful wicket. Percy Brattle had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, eight byes escaping his gloves, and I managed a modest 18 with the bat to add to the general mediocrity.

There was, at least, cause for a small toast: Bert Buckoke's five-for eased him past Arthur Cornwallis to 25th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list. Percy Brattle still tops our 1940 run charts on 130, and J Short sits second among the season's wicket-takers with 8.

Beaten by 91 runs, then — a proper hiding, but one we'll dust ourselves down from before next Saturday.

Sat 18 May 1940 🧢 1st XIv SC Staplehurst CC · AwayformWWLLL

Saturday 18th May 1940, and the road took us to Staplehurst. I lost the toss again — my record with a coin remains as reliable as the English summer — and they chose to bat.

We couldn't have asked for a better response with the ball. Staplehurst were bowled out for a modest 68 in 22 overs, the innings collapsing spectacularly from 36-3 to 41-6 as J- Benton, R Munn and H- Veal all departed without so much as a run to their names. The spell of the day, without question, belonged to J Priest, whose 6-23 was a five-for richly, richly deserved. W- Barton (1-11) and J Short (1-22) chipped in gamely around him.

With the game seemingly ours for the taking, we somehow contrived to make hard work of the reply, losing an early wicket with just 7 on the board to set the nerves jangling. Herbert Rayner held things together with a fine 42, the bulk of our 120 all out from 22.2 overs. For the ledger, Joe Fenner, W- Barton and Bert Buckoke all walked for nought, and I'm afraid I must own up to a golden duck of my own — the least said about that innings, the better.

Percy Brattle continues to lead our season's run charts on 125, and J Priest now tops the wicket pile with 12. Two points, thoroughly earned, won by 0 wickets — a scruffy, nerve-shredding, wholly satisfactory afternoon's work.

Mon 13 May 1940 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWWWLL

Monday 13th of May, 1940, at home, and I won the toss and, in a fit of adventurous captaincy, put them in. It looked a masterstroke early on — 5 for 1 had the boys purring — but J Hubble had other ideas, ground out 67 of their 121, and a stubborn 80-run stand for the ninth wicket threatened to bury us in graft.

Then, mercifully, the floodgates opened. 27 for 3 became 28 for 6 in what felt like the time it takes to pour a tea, with L Williams, X MacOnegal and F Berry all trudging back for ducks. J Priest was in irresistible form, turning it square for 5 for 28 with two miserly maidens thrown in for good measure, and Dennis Smith mopped up nicely with 3 for 44. All out for 121 from 21 overs — a fine morning's work.

Our reply was rather more of a rollercoaster. Percy Brattle batted beautifully for 79, and we looked serene at 156 for 6 before contriving to lose three more for the addition of eight, B Westover among the fallen for a painful nought. Still, 180 all out from 29.1 overs got the job done.

A win by 59 runs, then, and not a bad one to bank. Brattle now leads our 1940 run charts with 118, and Priest sits second in the wickets with six. Cake all round.

Sat 11 May 1940 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWWWWL

Saturday 11th May 1940, and it fell to me to make the big call at the toss — heads it was, and with a spring in my step I sent us in. Looking back, perhaps I should have consulted the sheep in the adjoining field. We laboured to 161/9 from our 29 overs, undone somewhat by an early wobble to 2-1 that set a nervy tone, before J Short (41) and I- Hambro (33) restored some order, with H- Barton's 22 a handy addition to the coffers.

If 161 felt a touch light walking off, it felt positively Bradmanesque an hour later. The visitors' innings simply disintegrated — 11-1 became 15-4 in the blink of an eye, and by the time the dust settled they were bowled out for a wretched 41 in just 13.2 overs. J Short, not content with his runs, turned the ball into something altogether unfair, returning 5-6 and a five-for that had the whole side purring. Don Hartridge chipped in nobly with 3-5 and two tidy maidens, B Westover claimed one, and B Mercer and J Constable both departed for ducks at our hands. Frank Sutton had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 8 byes the price of an otherwise triumphant day.

And yet — cricket being cricket — we contrived to lose by 120 runs, our own top-order jitters the difference between glory and gloom. Not our day, then, but heads up and back to the nets we go.

Sat 04 May 1940 🧢 1st XIv Marden CC, Kent · HomeformWWWWW

The coin, as is becoming a dispiriting habit, did not love me on Saturday, and Marden CC duly took first use of a pitch that looked made for batting. They made hay to the tune of 154 for 9 in their thirty overs, F. Day leading the charge with 34, well supported by S. Levett's 31 and R. Smith's 27. Credit where due — R. Stanley, W. Tipples and S. Price shipped the new ball back at us without so much as troubling the scorers, and I'll confess a quiet satisfaction in finishing with 5 for 34 myself, Don Hartridge (2-21) and J. Short (1-29) mopping up nicely alongside.

Chasing 155 ought to have been a stern but manageable ask. It began cheaply — 3 for 1 — before Percy Brattle, ever the rock, ground out a fine 37 with excellent support from J. Short's 21, the pair adding a priceless 52 for the fifth wicket that briefly had us dreaming. Then, as is our club's particular gift, the roof fell in: 73 for 5 became 81 for 8 in what felt like the time it takes to pour a tea, and W. Barton, Stan Pierce and Frank Sutton all trudged off for ducks. We folded for 91.

Sixty-three runs the wrong side of the ledger, then, and back to the nets we go — chastened, but not without a spring in our step for next week.