🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 02 Sep 1950 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · HomeformDDDWL

Saturday 02 September 1950, and Bowaters CC came to Linton Park for what turned into a thoroughly satisfactory afternoon's cricket. I won the toss, elected to bat — the right call, I felt, and I'm not often wrong about these things, or so I tell myself — and we set about building something defendable.

We were bowled out for 148 in 44.2 overs, which perhaps flatters the batting more than the innings deserved. D Simmons top-scored with a fine 39, Arthur Cradduck was unbeaten on 30, and John Thirkell chipped in 24. Brian Relf and Bert Buckoke both departed for golden ducks, the sort of dismissals that give a captain grey hairs, though nobody mentioned it in the tea interval — much.

With the total posted, it was Thirkell's day with the ball as much as the bat. He took 7 for 19, four of those overs maidens, and simply strangled the life out of the Bowaters innings. H Newport chipped in with 3 for 29, and between us we sent Henry Martin, Stephen Jarrett and John Ibbotson back for ducks. Only William Hammond, unbeaten on 24, showed any real resistance as Bowaters folded for 48 in 20 overs. I managed 24 with the bat and, happily, 7 wickets with the ball myself — a rare day when the captain's contributions matched the team's mood.

A hundred-run victory, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club. Thirkell now leads our season's run charts and sits fifth in the wickets — the man is becoming something of a nuisance to opposing sides, and long may it continue.

Sat 08 Jul 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLDDDW

Saturday's outing at home began well enough in the field, where the visitors were shot out for 100 in 37.3 overs — H Gosling (39) and T Ewell (23) did the damage, but once that first wicket fell cheaply at 5-1 the innings rather crumbled, 96-5 tumbling to 98-8 in a hurry, with X Lockyer and C Pilbeam both departing without a run to their name. Frank Taylor was magnificent, 5-45 including three miserly maidens, backed superbly by Basil Sears' 4-17, while John --'s Taylor chipped in with 1-37.

Chasing 100, we somehow contrived to make life difficult for ourselves, losing our first wicket without a run on the board — a habit I wish we'd break. J Baker's fine 66 anchored things, well supported by Arthur Cradduck's unbeaten 37 and John Thirkell's 22, and a sturdy 61-run sixth-wicket stand steadied the ship as we reached 197 all out. John --'s Taylor, sadly, made a golden duck.

Amid the runs, a couple of names crept up the record books — Thirkell now sits 12th on the club's all-time run list, and John --'s Taylor 17th among the wicket-takers, still leading our 1950 charts for wickets as Thirkell does for runs. I managed five wickets myself, which I shall modestly mention once and leave at that.

We lost by 0 wickets — as tight a margin as cricket allows — but with bowling like that and runs to match, we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 01 Jul 1950 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformWLDDD

Another good toss lost, another happy outcome — you'd almost think I preferred it that way. Bearsted won the coin flip and elected to bat, which on a day like this felt like doing us a favour. Vic Pound played beautifully for his unbeaten 67, but around him his side simply fell apart: 7 for 1 early on set the tone, and before Bearsted knew what had hit them they'd slumped from 16 for 4 to all out for 99 in 35.5 overs. Gordon A Hawkins, Norman Tiley and John Colegate all trooped back without troubling the scorers, undone by a superb spell from John --'s Taylor, 4 for 47 with five maidens thrown in for good measure, backed up handsomely by C Horton (3 for 43) and Frank Taylor (2 for 5).

Chasing 99 should have been a formality, and for a while it looked it — 72 on the board before the first wicket fell. Then, as is our club's way, we conspired to make a meal of it, sliding from 106 for 2 to 109 for 5 in the time it takes to pour a tea. Poor Bert Buckoke contributed his golden duck to proceedings. But John --'s Taylor's fine 54, ably supported by Basil Sears's 30 — enough to see him climb to 14th on the club's all-time run charts — carried us home regardless.

A five-wicket win, then, earned the hard way after making the easy way look difficult. Onwards.

Sun 25 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLWLDD

Sunday last, on our own turf, and with the ball in hand first I confess I fancied our chances of wrapping things up rather smartly. Their innings folded for 121 in 35.1 overs, T Hendley's 31 the stubborn heart of it, with X Dominey (26) and X Thorndycraft (20) lending support before the roof caved in — 47 for 1 became 48 for 4 quicker than you could pour the tea, with E Wright, X Baker and X Dove all walking back for ducks. Robert Muir was in irresistible form, turning his way to 5 for 33, Joe Fenner chipped in with 3 for 25, and H Newport bowled with real parsimony for 2 for 42, including two maidens that must have tested the batsmen's patience as much as ours.

Chasing 121, we mustered 108 for 7 from our 33 overs — a touch shy, but honourably so. William Buck carried his bat beautifully to 57 not out, and a stand of 52 for the sixth wicket was the innings' spine. Elsewhere it was rather more theatre than technique: 20 for 1 became 29 for 4 in the blink of an eye, and poor Don Hartridge took his customary walk of shame for nought.

Small mercies and larger milestones: Joe Fenner's 13 runs eased him past John Thirkell into 12th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while he sits 4th in this season's run charts and Muir 5th among the wicket-takers. A draw, then — honours shared, pride largely intact, tea thoroughly deserved.

Sat 24 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLWLD

Saturday, 24th June 1950 — a fixture that did us proud even without a result to show for it.

Winning the toss and sending the opposition in, we watched S. Carrington cash in with a fine 54, backed up by J. Branchett's 23, before we clawed our way back with a collapse from 120-7 to all out 128 — proof that patience is a virtue even when the scorebook has already had a good afternoon at your expense. Gordon Fenner was the chief tormentor, a superb 5-41 with three tight maidens thrown in for good measure, and Basil Sears chipped in handsomely with 4-29. Doug Hitchen and B. Epsley, alas, made early and scoreless exits.

With 129 to chase, we set about it in our own inimitable fashion — steady rather than serene. Basil Sears led with a fine 37, helped along by Gordon Fenner's 26 and G. Breden's 22, the second-wicket pair adding a valuable 50 before the middle order rather lost its head, tumbling from 91-4 to 98-7 in a hurry. Arthur Cradduck's golden duck did little to steady nerves, but I managed a useful 26 with the bat, and — rather pleased to report — five wickets with the ball besides.

A word of celebration: Basil's 37 nudges him past Frank Sutton into 16th on the club's all-time run list, a fine bit of history-making on an otherwise nervy day.

In the end, honours shared, neither side able to force it home. A draw that felt, on reflection, entirely fair — and rather more comfortable than the finish deserved to be.

Sun 18 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWWLWL

Sunday 18th June, and a fine one at that — 1950 is proving a vintage year for the club, and I fancy this fixture did nothing to dent that reputation. Won the toss, elected to bat without much agonising, and I still think it was the right call. Tony Levick played the innings of the day, 61 not out and barely troubled throughout, with Stan Wratten (33) and Richard Harris (30) building the platform either side of him. Poor Joe Fenner will want this one struck from the record — a duck to his name — but the tail wagged handsomely at the death, adding a frustrating 90 that had the fielding side rather wishing tea would hurry up. 201/7 from our fifty overs felt a proper total to defend.

And defend it we very nearly did. Their reply never quite found its rhythm, subsiding to 81/7 from 38 overs, G Clarke's 29 the only real resistance. S Andrews and R Murrell both departed without scoring, and the bowling was tight throughout — Don Hartridge the pick with 2-19, John Thirkell and Stan Wratten chipping in either side, and John "-'s" Taylor squeezing out three maidens for good measure. Stan's solitary wicket, incidentally, was no small thing — it eased him past Herbert Sunley into 12th on the club's all-time list, which is the sort of statistic that will keep him insufferable at the bar for weeks.

In the end neither side could quite force the door open, and honours were shared. A draw, but an honest one — and on this evidence, the season is very much alive.

Mon 12 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDWWLW

Monday the 12th of June, and we had the visitors round to ours — always the better end of the fixture list, in my book. Won the toss, elected to bat, and for once I didn't spend the walk back to the pavilion wondering if I'd made a hash of it.

We batted with real purpose. The openers put on 66 before anyone troubled the scorers, John Thirkell playing the fine hand of the day with 56, and when the third wicket pair added a crucial 78, D Simmons unbeaten on 40 and yours truly chipping in with 35, we knew 188 for 3 off our 44 was a total with some teeth in it.

Defending it, the visitors gave us a fright early on — Jameson (35), Lambkin (32) and Finch (30) put together a watchful 54 for the first wicket and looked settled. But cricket has a way of turning quickly, and we turned it, running through them from 158 for 7 to all out for 173 off 50.2 overs in what felt like no time at all. I found some rhythm with the ball — 7 wickets, nine maidens thrown in for good measure — with William Newport chipping in handsomely alongside.

A tidy afternoon on the milestones front too, by all accounts, with a couple of names climbing the club's all-time lists. Beaten by 15 runs in the end — honest cricket, honestly lost. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 11 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv Town Malling CC · HomeformWDWWL

Sunday 11 June 1950, and Town Malling CC came to Linton Park with the sun out and the coin against us — they won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. As it turned out, we did rather well out of that decision. Stan Wratten was in irresistible mood with the ball, running through their order for 6-27, and with Gordon Fenner tidy and miserly at 3-33 (four maidens, not a run given away lightly) and Joe Fenner chipping in with 1-9, Town Malling never got settled. Only Harrison, with a defiant 26, offered much resistance as they slid from 26-2 to 31-5 and were bowled out for a modest 69.

That left us a target that, on paper, should have been a formality, and while we didn't make it look entirely straightforward, we got there in some style. Gordon Fenner batted beautifully for an unbeaten 69, John Thirkell matched him with a composed 56 not out, and I was rather chuffed to contribute 56 of my own from the top of the order, with Stan Wratten adding 47 for good measure. We closed on 309 for 6.

Individual milestones abounded: Joe Fenner's 45 saw him climb the all-time run charts, and Stan's six-for lifted him up the wicket-takers' list too. All told, a thoroughly good day for the club, and proof that when Stan Wratten gets the ball talking, the rest of us can simply enjoy the sunshine.

Sat 10 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · AwayformDWDWW

Saturday the tenth of June found us on our travels, and I won the toss with my usual flair for making the wrong decision look deliberate — we put them in. They made themselves thoroughly at home, racking up 173 for 7 from their forty overs, R. Thompson the chief architect with a fine 69, well backed by L. Luscombe's unbeaten 29 and G. Williams's 23; their fourth-wicket pair put on a match-shaping 73 while we stood about admiring it. S. Jarrett at least had the decency to depart without troubling the scorers. Basil Sears was our spearhead with 3 for 28, John Thirkell and D. Simmons chipped in with a wicket apiece, and John --'s Taylor bowled with such miserly precision — three maidens — that the batsmen must have wondered whether the ball was actually coming down.

Chasing 173, we mustered only 63, the innings unravelling from 59 for 6 to 60 for 9 in the time it takes to put the kettle on. Joe Fenner, Bert Buckoke and E. Lockyer all contributed golden ducks to a genuinely wretched collapse, while poor Norman Young endured a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, leaking eight byes for good measure.

One shaft of sunshine: Don Hartridge's 11 runs nudged him past Basil Sears to 19th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — small mercies, gratefully received.

A chastening 110-run defeat, then. Heads up, chins out, and back to the nets.

Sun 04 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformLDWDW

Sunday the 4th of June found us hosting West Farleigh CC in gloriously typical fashion — we lost the toss, were asked to chase, and so took the new ball instead, which is about as clear as village cricket logic ever gets. It mattered little in the end, because our attack simply ran through them: West Farleigh were bowled out for 71 in 20.2 overs, Ron Kemp's 22 the only real resistance before the middle order folded from 50-4 to 57-7 in the blink of an eye. Ray Tippen was magnificent, his 5-13 the spell of the season by any measure, with Stan Wratten (3-21) and Robert Muir (2-7) mopping up gleefully and Frank Taylor bowling three miserly maidens for good measure.

Chasing was never going to be straightforward, of course — nothing at Linton Park ever is. Tom Underdown and R Dove departed without troubling the scorers, and later B Lloyd made his own uncomfortable walk for a duck, but John Thirkell's classy 47, backed superbly by Richard Harris (39) and George Winter (29), anchored us through a sixth-wicket stand of 81 that turned the tide. William Buck had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 13 byes slipping through his gloves, but we reached 209/9 from 44.5 overs and crept over the line by the barest of margins — one wicket.

A day for the record books too, with Thirkell and Wratten both climbing the club's all-time lists. Nerve-shredding, occasionally chaotic, but a very good day for the club.

Sat 03 Jun 1950 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Williamsonians CC · HomeformDLDWD

Skipper's log, 3rd June 1950: Old Williamsonians at home, and having called correctly at the toss, I stuck to the old maxim of runs on the board and put us in to bat. Joe Fenner batted with real class for his unbeaten 51, and with William Buck (24) and Don Hartridge (24 not out) chipping in nicely, we posted a respectable 136/6 off our 33 overs. The tail then wagged merrily for 47 further runs, much to the visitors' irritation — though I shall draw a discreet curtain over poor E Lockyer's nought, a walk of shame if ever there was one.

Defending the total, we set about the Old Williamsonians with real purpose. Don Hartridge was magnificent, ripping through with 4-16, well supported by John Thirkell's 3-8 and Joe Fenner's 1-11, while Frank Taylor bowled two tidy maidens to choke the runs. We had them reeling from 9-1 to 18-4 before they knew what had hit them, P Cox departing for a duck of his own, and though B Weatherhogg battled gamely to 26 not out, it was all too little — 97 all out from 34.1 overs told the story.

A word too for Joe Fenner, whose half-century nudges him past Frank Sutton to 14th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — a man quietly climbing the ranks while the rest of us just try to keep our shirts tucked in.

Thirty-nine runs the margin, and a thoroughly good day for the club — the sort of Saturday that makes the winter nets worthwhile.

Mon 29 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv HC Herne Bay CC · HomeformWDLDW

Monday the 29th of May, and Herne Bay rolled up for what promised to be a proper contest. I lost the toss — my record there remains stubbornly poor — and duly found myself waving the lads into the field.

They battled to 135 all out in 42.1 overs, E Moyse's fine fifty the backbone of it, with B Knill's 28 lending sturdy support. Poor E Williams departed for a duck, which was some consolation. Frank Taylor was the chief tormentor with 4-53, John --'s Taylor matched him wicket for wicket with 4-68 and three tight maidens besides, and William Newport chipped in with 2-5 at a positively miserly rate. Not an afternoon for taking liberties with our bowling.

Our reply of 134/8 from 47 overs was built around a handsome opening stand of 52, John --'s Taylor top-scoring with 38, Basil Sears following with 25 and John Thirkell a useful 22. Richard Harris and Bob Arnold both fell without troubling the scorers — the sort of blot every card seems to carry. I took some quiet satisfaction with the ball myself, four wickets to round off the day, while Basil's 25 nudged him past A W Fulcher into 20th on the club's all-time run list. John --'s Taylor, meanwhile, continues his splendid season, sitting second in our run charts and top of the wicket pile.

One run shy in the end, and honours were shared. A draw that flattered neither side, but on reflection, entirely fair.

Sun 28 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · HomeformDWDLD

Sunday 28 May 1950, and we welcomed Folkestone CC to Linton Park. I lost the toss — my record there remains a source of quiet shame — and we were asked to field first, sparing the lads, at least, the sight of me batting early.

Folkestone made a fine fist of it, racing to 90 for the first wicket before we prised them apart. John Lynch was the chief architect with 96, well supported by Cecil Blacklocks (29) and J Court (28), and for a while 184 looked like being considerably more. But cricket has a way of humbling the confident, and they slid from 162 for 3 to 169 for 6 under pressure, eventually settling on 184 for 7 from 41 overs. R Barrett departed without troubling the scorers — one of two ducks on the day, of which more shortly. Robert Muir was superb with the ball, 4 for 23, well backed by John --'s Taylor's 2 for 56.

Chasing 185, Maurice Fenner played the innings of the season — 106 not out, an innings that also carried him past Joe Fenner into 15th on the club's all-time run-scoring list — with John Thirkell chipping in handsomely with 74. We lost our first wicket for just 1, but Fenner and Thirkell's stand of 146 for the third wicket settled matters, taking us to 201 for 3. Ray Tippen and, I must confess, your captain both departed for ducks — mine golden, and about as instructive as leadership by example gets. No matter: we got over the line by four wickets. A thoroughly good day for the club.

Sat 27 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv HC Hunton Wanderers CC · HomeformWDWDL

I'll write the match report now, keeping strictly to the facts supplied.

There are days when winning the toss feels like the biggest decision you'll make all afternoon, and Saturday was one of them. I called correctly, elected to bat, and watched the lads build something solid: 180 for 6 off our 43 overs, anchored by a handsome 55-run opening stand. Maurice Fenner played the innings of the day, a polished 59, while young Joe Fenner showed admirable composure for his unbeaten 42, and Basil Sears chipped in a useful 25. Not everyone's afternoon went to plan — John --'s Taylor and Hooper both departed for ducks, proof that this game has a way of humbling us all in turn.

If the bat had been generous, the ball was where we truly shone. Hunton Wanderers were held to 81 for 9 from their 37 overs, R Huggate and R Wells both back in the pavilion without so much as a run to show for it. John --'s Taylor was quite simply magnificent, tearing through with 6 for 39 and six maidens besides — the sort of spell one dines out on for months — with Hooper (2-13) and Bert Buckoke (1-4) offering fine support. Only R Moon, unbeaten on 36, kept the visitors' hopes alive. I contributed nought with the bat, the least said the better, though I found some consolation with six wickets of my own.

Amid it all, Joe Fenner's 42 nudged him past Frank Taylor into 15th on the club's all-time run charts, and John --'s Taylor now sits second in this season's wicket standings. In the end, honours shared and a draw that satisfied nobody and everybody — which, in truth, is village cricket at its most fitting.

Sun 21 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDWDWD

Off strike he goes, calling correctly at the toss and choosing to bat — a decision that came up trumps. Stan Wratten and William Buck put on a magnificent 111 for the second wicket, Wratten reaching 68 and Buck matching him run for run with a well-made fifty of his own, John Thirkell chipping in with 22 to see us to a handsome 190/5 from our 46.4 overs. Tea was taken with the sort of quiet satisfaction that, in this game, so often precedes a wobble.

And wobble we did. The visitors set about the target with real purpose, S- Brown and H- Milstead doing the bulk of the damage with 47 and 45 respectively, while I Milsted's 36 and a crucial third-wicket stand of 79 kept the required rate ticking along nicely from our point of view. Don Hartridge toiled manfully for his 2-50 and Gordon Fenner chipped in with 2-56, but poor Frank Sutton had an afternoon behind the stumps he'd rather forget, 16 byes leaking through like the Linton Park drains after a wet April. The opposition got home by five wickets.

Not all doom, mind — Wratten's 68 sees him leapfrog Arthur Cornwallis into second on the club's all-time run charts, a fine personal landmark on an otherwise chastening day, and Frank Taylor and Gordon Fenner continue to lead the way in this season's batting and bowling charts respectively. As for the rest of us — well, we'll bat better, bowl better, and keep wicket rather better next Sunday. We'll be better for it.

Sat 20 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · AwayformLDWDW

Saturday 20th May 1950. Skipper's log: away to Charles Arkcoll, and the coin let us down again, so it was pads on for them and feet up for us — briefly.

They ground their way to 154 for 6 off 45 overs, Stan Wratten batting with real patience for his unbeaten 71, well supported by Gordon Fenner's 25. Just as we sniffed a cheap finish, their last pair had other ideas and bolted on 42 we could frankly have done without. Frank Taylor did the heavy lifting up front, 4 for 55, while John --'s Taylor kept things admirably tight — 2 for 33 and seven maidens that must have felt like penance to face.

Our reply was a story of one glorious opening and one gentle fade. John --'s Taylor and Joe Fenner put on 66 for the first wicket before the breakthrough came, John --'s Taylor going on to a fine 52, Fenner chipping in with 20. Poor John Thirkell managed only a duck for his troubles. Bob Arnold had a wretched day standing up, nine byes going begging, though I'll not hold it against him. I scratched about for 19 and found some rhythm with the ball for four wickets — small consolation, but I'll take it. We closed on 106 for 4 off 33, some way short with too many overs unused.

A draw, then — honours shared, nobody beaten, nobody quite satisfied. A fair result on a day neither side seized.

Sun 14 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv YC Yalding CC · HomeformWLDWD

Sunday saw Yalding CC roll up as our visitors, and I duly lost the toss and was invited to bowl first — the sort of decision that would prove rather generous of Yalding, as things turned out.

We made early inroads, the first wicket falling for just 3, though a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 57 threatened to drag the visitors to safety. It was Gordon Fenner who put paid to any such notions, turning his off-breaks through Yalding's order for a magnificent 5-37, three of those overs going for nothing at all. Frank Taylor chipped in gamely with 4-50, Don Hartridge picked up one for 19, and S. Oliver departed for a golden duck at our hands. Only W. Norris, with a fine 68, gave the total any real shape, and Yalding were all out for 151.

Chasing that down, Tom Osborn and Stan Wratten simply put their feet up and batted, the openers laying a platform of 135 before the first wicket finally fell. Osborn finished unbeaten on a well-crafted 90, Wratten alongside him on 41, and we cantered home by seven wickets with overs to spare — my own figures of 4 wickets a pleasant surprise, though Osborn's 15 byes behind the stumps suggest my direction wasn't always immaculate.

Two names to note in the club history books: Osborn's 90 sees him climb to 22nd on our all-time run charts, and Taylor's four wickets move him to 7th among our leading wicket-takers — both now sit handsomely clear of the men they passed. A thoroughly good day for Linton Park, and a timely reminder that losing the toss isn't always the disaster it appears.

Sat 13 May 1950 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformLWLDW

Saturday 13th May 1950, and off we trotted to Bearsted with the sun more or less behaving itself. Winning the toss, I fancied a bat, and for the most part the decision repaid us handsomely — though not before we'd contrived to lose our first wicket with just 7 on the board, which is never the ideal way to settle the nerves. Frank Taylor set about repairing matters with real authority, cruising to 60, while John's Taylor (36) and J Baker (21) chipped in nicely. Poor D Simmons, meanwhile, was condemned to that loneliest of cricketing fates — the golden duck — but the side rallied round him and we closed on a very respectable 177 all out from 43.2 overs.

Defending it, we knew Bearsted's Gordon Hawkins would take some shifting, and so it proved — 53 not out of real class, supported by Vic Pound (25) and E Hawkins (22). But we kept plugging away: Don Hartridge led the attack beautifully with 2-41, and both Taylors chipped in again, Frank with 2-43 and John's Taylor with a positively miserly 2-55 including four maidens — not a run given away lightly. Neville Gibson and R C Brook Palmer departed without troubling the scorers, and Bearsted finished 148/8, short of the target but well short of collapse too.

A word for Frank Taylor, who with his 60 today climbed past E C Streatfield into 16th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, and continues to top both our season's run and wicket charts — the man is having quite a year.

In the end honours were shared, a draw when neither side could force it — and on this evidence, a fair one.

Sat 29 Apr 1950 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · AwayformDLWLD

Saturday last saw us make the trip to The Mote, and having called correctly for once in my life, I had no hesitation in sticking us in — a decision that looked shrewd, foolish, and shrewd again all within the same afternoon.

Ninety-four all out from our thirty-two overs was never going to have The Mote quaking, though Frank Taylor's 30 gave the innings some much-needed backbone before a collapse of the sort we specialise in — 11 for 1 becoming 27 for 4 before most of us had found our rhythm at the tea urn. Still, ninety-four felt like it might just be defendable on the day, and so it proved.

With the ball, Frank Taylor was in positively unplayable mood, spinning his way to 6 for 16 with five maidens thrown in for good measure — the sort of spell that doesn't come along often and, fittingly, took him past fifty career wickets and into ninth on the club's all-time list. John's Taylor chipped in nicely with 4 for 21, and I allowed myself a quiet smile with 6 wickets of my own to go with a handy 30 with the bat. The Mote were bowled out for 71, their own middle order buckling from 57 for 4 to 65 for 7, with three of their batsmen back without scoring.

A word too for Joe Fenner, whose unassuming 5 runs nudged him up the run-scoring charts — proof, if any were needed, that immortality at Linton Park comes in strange denominations.

Twenty-three runs the margin, two points the reward, and a thoroughly deserved afternoon for the lads.