🧢 Captain's Log

Sun 29 Sep 1957 🧢 Marriedv Linton Park CC · HomeformDDDLD

Sunday last brought Linton Park CC out for a home fixture, and for once the coin obliged me — I called correctly and, in a fit of what I can only describe as misplaced confidence, put us in to bat. It did not, in hindsight, cover me in glory.

Sixty-four all out in 27.2 overs is not the sort of total that has opposition captains reaching for the record books, unless it's the record for shortest tea interval required. Tony Levick was the exception to an otherwise grim afternoon, top-scoring with 27 and looking, briefly, like a man playing a different match to the rest of us. Stan Wratten and C. Haylor, meanwhile, both contributed golden ducks — a matching pair, like bookends, propping up absolutely nothing.

There was, I suppose, a silver lining of sorts up the season table: Tony Levick's 27 keeps him top of our 1957 Married run charts, while Clive Smith continues to lord it over the Singles column with 38. Small comfort when chasing a target that never had a chance of being defended.

We went down by 3 wickets in the end, and no amount of gallows humour in the pavilion could disguise that 64 simply wasn't cricket, in the fullest sense of the phrase. Heads up, chins slightly less so, and back to the nets — there is clearly work to be done before we trouble anyone's scorers again.

Sat 28 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv A A.Trembeths · HomeformLWLDL

Saturday 28 September 1957, and Dummy Site rolled up as our visitors, sunshine doing its best to paper over the state of the outfield. I lost the toss — no surprises there this season — and duly asked to have a bowl of it, which for once looked the right call. Their innings never quite got going: 80 all out in 30.4 overs, with only L- Fell (28) offering any real resistance while C- Rye, - Castle and - Mortlock all trooped back for ducks. The story of the afternoon, though, was John --'s Taylor, who simply ran amok with 7-29 including two maidens — the sort of spell that has the tea urn talking for weeks. Ray Howard chipped in tidily with 2-10 in support.

Chasing 80 should have been a formality. It was not. We stumbled to 82/9 from 33.3 overs, Tom Osborn's watchful 20 the only innings of real substance, while Ray Howard and John --'s Taylor both walked the plank for noughts of their own — bowling heroes, batting horrors. Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps too, 9 byes slipping through. Still, there was a silver lining: Osborn's 20 nudged him past Richard Harris into 12th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, while Basil Sears continues to purr along in 2nd place for the season with 550 runs.

A win by the width of one wicket — scruffy, nerve-shredding, thoroughly unnecessary given the bowling on show, but a win all the same. Onwards.

Sun 22 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLWLD

1957 saw a cracking home fixture, and I still can't quite believe we made 79 look chaseable. Winning the toss and putting them in felt like the right call at the time — and for a while it was, John Taylor bowling with real venom to take five-for-fifty-one, backed up beautifully by Cliff Anscombe's four wickets for eighteen off a miserly four maidens, and Alan Wilkes chipping in for one. R- Bailey went for a duck at our hands, which cheered us no end, though T- Maskell had other ideas and carried them to 79 all out from his unbeaten twenty-five. Restricting anyone to 79 from 34 overs ought to have been the day's hard work done.

Alas, cricket has a cruel sense of humour, and ours was about to be tested. We folded for 57 in 23 overs, which even by our own modest standards was a chastening effort. John Thirkell top-scored with a gutsy twenty — no surprise there, the man's leading our 1957 run charts with 1005 for the season and showed exactly why — and I managed to scratch together twenty of my own, for whatever comfort that provides. William Buck, C- Haylor and Cliff Anscombe all made ducks, which is rather a lot of golden eggs for one afternoon, and the innings never found its feet.

Beaten by 22 runs, then, and no arguing with the arithmetic — we bowled like champions and batted like men who'd left their nerve in the pavilion. Credit to Taylor and Anscombe for a spell to remember, and to Wilkes for keeping his season's thirty-three wickets ticking along nicely. We'll be better for it next week — we rather have to be.

Sat 21 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformDWLWL

Saturday last, the 21st of September, brought Bearsted CC to Linton Park, and true to form the coin let us down; we were put into the field and left to make what we could of it. They ground their way to 169 for 7 from 52 overs, Snook proving a thorough nuisance with an unbeaten 65, well backed by Hawkins with 45 and Lambell with 30. We had them 2 for 1 and thought ourselves rather clever, until a second-wicket stand of 63 restored their composure, and an irritating last-wicket flourish of 37 restored their smiles. Brigden was the pick of us by some distance, 3 for 38 with three maidens thrown in for good measure, Snell chipping in with 2 for 69 and Conway with 1 for 26.

In reply we managed 135 for 5 off 33.3 overs, a platform of 95 for the first wicket giving way to a rather more nervous middle order, wickets tumbling from 121 to 135 in short order. Poor Harris departed for a golden duck, while I was rather pleased to contribute 52 myself, with Sears a fine support act on 45.

Honourable mention to Brigden, who reached his 50th career wicket and leapfrogged H G Smith into 22nd on the all-time list — quiet milestones, loudly deserved. A draw, then, honours shared, and on this evidence entirely fair.

Sun 15 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv TC Tunbridge Wells CC · HomeformLDWLW

Sunday 15 September brought Tunbridge Wells CC to our ground, and having called correctly at the toss, I fancied a bat first without a moment's hesitation — a decision I stand by, whatever the scorebook says about the eventual result.

We compiled 161/6 from our 48.2 overs, built on a fine knock from John Thirkell, who sailed past his fifty to make 55, with Stan Wratten (35) and John Waters (29) chipping in handsomely around him. A respectable total, we thought, and one that gave our bowlers something to work with.

Alas, Roger Phillips had other ideas, guiding the visitors home with an unbeaten 52, well supported by Charles Wicker's 40 and Len Goldsmith's 27 not out, as Tunbridge Wells reached 162/4 in 39.4 overs for a six-wicket win. There were bright spots with the ball — John Ames toiled hard for his 2-71, I chipped in with 1-18, and Bob Brigden bowled two tidy maidens — and Brian Dunster departed without troubling the scorers, though he had plenty of company in that regard by the close.

Amid the disappointment, a proud moment: William Buck brought up 4,000 career runs for the club, a landmark worth raising a glass to regardless of the scoreline. I was pleased enough with my own 55 leading from the front, and Thirkell continues to top our 1957 run charts with 933, Ames our wickets with 49.

Not our day, in the end — beaten by six wickets. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 14 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · HomeformLLDWL

It was Bowaters CC who came to Linton Park on the 14th, and it was Bowaters CC who inspected our pitch and promptly sent us out to field — a decision I bore with the good grace of a man who suspects he's about to spend all afternoon on his feet. Bob Brigden had other ideas for their innings, though, steaming in for 4-55, while Tony Snell strangled the middle overs with seven maidens on his way to 2-29 and Ray Howard picked up one for 43. Colin Cole's 45 and William Preston's 37 gave their total some respectability at 146/8 from 48 overs, but poor John Ashenden trudged back for a duck without so much as a single to his name.

Chasing 147, we made surprisingly hard work of what should have been a gentle stroll. Ray Howard, clearly not content with bowling duties alone, top-scored with 42, John Thirkell chipped in with 41, and I contributed a watchful 41 of my own — though I'd rather not dwell on the 16 byes that slipped past poor Roy Clarke, a figure that suggests he had one of those days best forgotten over a pint. William Blight saw us home unbeaten on 26, while Bob Arnold's duck was the one blot on an otherwise tidy card. We got there in the end, five wickets in hand and thirteen overs unused.

Statistically speaking, it was rather a good afternoon: Ray Howard's 42 eased him past F S W Cornwallis to 19th on the club's all-time run list, and Bob Brigden's four wickets shunted him past H Freed into 24th among our leading wicket-takers. Two points, thoroughly earned, and the tea was, as ever, the true highlight of the day.

Sun 08 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv AC Anchorians CC · HomeformWLLDW

Sunday 8 September, and we welcomed Anchorians CC in fine spirit if not, as it transpired, fine form. Lost the toss, put in to field — never the news you want with the tea urn barely warm — and watched J Carey compile a fluent 45, with G Morris (34) and G Harrow (24) filling in the gaps rather too comfortably. Small mercies: Don Wykes departed for a duck at our hands, and there were mercies aplenty in the bowling column too. John Ames was excellent, 3-37, with Alan Wilkes weighing in at 3-60 and Cliff Anscombe picking up one for 29. Stan Wratten, meanwhile, bowled with the miserliness of a man guarding the last biscuit in the tin — three maidens, not a run given away lightly. All told, 172/7 from 48.4 overs; respectable bowling against a total that always felt a shade beyond us.

And so it proved. Chasing 172, we folded for 60 in 20.2 overs, with Tony Levick, Cliff Anscombe and John Abnett all back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers — three ducks on one card is not a sight for the faint-hearted. Runs were, in short, in short supply.

The season charts offer some consolation: John Thirkell still tops the batting with 837 runs, and John Ames leads the wickets with 47 — proof the engine room is sound even when the rest of the machinery rattles. But down by 112 runs, there's no dressing this one up. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets.

Sat 07 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv T Tovil · AwayformDWLLD

Saturday, 07 September, and the sun found us at Dummy Site with the coin refusing to play ball — they called it right and stuck us in the field, which some of the lads took as a personal insult before a ball had even been bowled. As it turned out, we needn't have sulked. John Thirkell steamed in like a man with a grudge to bowl a magnificent 4-12, and with Tony Snell miserly as ever (3-37, three maidens to his name) and Len Conway chipping in a wicket for 11, the opposition were shovelled out for a modest 99 in 33.1 overs, D. Packham's 38 the only real resistance and E. Capiling gone for a duck to complete their misery.

Chasing it should have been a formality, and in truth it very nearly wasn't — we laboured to 100 for 5 off 35 overs, Frank Brattle contributing his own golden duck to keep things interesting. But Bob Brigden played the innings of a captain's dreams, 30 not out and unflustered, with Basil Sears (29) and Bob Arnold (25) doing the honest spadework around him. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, ten byes leaking through, though I'll admit I rather enjoyed finding some rhythm myself with four wickets to my name.

A five-wicket win, then, scrappy in patches but never truly in doubt. John Thirkell continues to lord it over the club's run charts with 827 for the season, and Tony Snell sits proudly third among the wicket-takers on 37. Onwards, as ever — and gladly.

Sun 01 Sep 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWDWLL

From the captain's chair — Sunday 01 September 1957. We had the visitors in, and when I won the toss I elected to bat, which for once looked like the right call rather than the usual leap of faith.

We made a very tidy fist of it, posting 216/7 from our 46 overs, the innings carried — no, hoisted onto broad shoulders and marched to the boundary — by Maurice Fenner, whose 122 was three figures of the highest quality. Cliff Anscombe chipped in a handy 27 and John Thirkell 24, the pair of them doing the unglamorous but necessary work of shepherding Maurice along while he went about his business.

Out in the field, defending 216 might have felt a formality, but the visitors are not a side to be taken lightly, and Denis Fowle's 26 kept them interested for a while. It was John Ames, though, who turned the afternoon into something rather special, spinning his way to 6-50 with six maidens thrown in for good measure — not a run given away lightly, as I like to say, and this from a man now sitting second in our 1957 wicket charts with 44 to his name. John --'s Taylor picked up 1-14 in tidy support, and I even had a small hand in things myself with 24, more relief than glory. The visitors finished on 123/7 from their 45.

So honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite force the issue — and with John Thirkell still leading our run charts on 820, there's plenty to be cheerful about as the season rolls on.

Sat 31 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv HC Hunton Wanderers CC · AwayformDWDWL

Saturday last, we made the trip to Hunton Wanderers, and having called correctly at the toss I didn't so much as blink before sticking us in to bat — sunshine, a decent-looking track, and perhaps a touch too much confidence on my part.

We were bowled out for 116 in 39.1 overs, which read rather more modestly on the card than it felt out in the middle. Bob Arnold top-scored with a battling 24, dragging us to something respectable, while poor Michael Morton will want to forget his afternoon with the bat entirely, back in the pavilion for a duck 🦆.

In the field we scrapped hard without ever quite landing the killer blow. Hunton reached 120 for 4 in 34 overs, X Norton compiling a classy 57 and finding fine support from X House's 31 — the pair rather took the game away from us. Credit where due: Len Conway was our pick of the bowlers with 1-18, John's Taylor and Michael Morton chipped in with a wicket apiece, and Tony Snell squeezed out two tidy maidens. G Bugge and J Ludden at least departed without troubling the scorers. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps, 13 byes going begging — not his finest hour with the gloves.

Beaten by six wickets in the end, and fairly so. John Thirkell continues to lead our run charts for the season with 796, and Michael Morton tops the wickets with 45 — the engine room still purring even when the rest of us splutter. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 25 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDDWDW

Sunday last, under skies that couldn't quite make up their mind, I called correctly and had no hesitation in putting the visitors in the field first — a decision I stood by rather smugly for most of the afternoon. We compiled a solid 193 for 6 from our fifty-five overs, and I'll confess to a quiet satisfaction in contributing 69 of them myself, though the innings owed just as much to Ray Howard's fine 52 and Len Conway's unbeaten 22, both played with the sort of good sense I try, not always successfully, to preach from the pavilion.

With the ball, alas, the story turned. Alan Wilkes toiled manfully for his 3 for 53, and Bob Brigden was as tight as ever with 2 for 24 and a pair of maidens to show for his miserliness, but A How's chanceless 79, backed by R Pavitt and J Bailey, saw the visitors home on 194 for 6 with overs in hand. Four wickets the margin, and no arguing with it.

Small mercies amid the gloom: Ray Howard's half-century nudges him past Ernest Cruttenden to 21st on the club's all-time run charts, and Bob's two wickets lift him past Herbert Sunley into 25th among our leading wicket-takers — history quietly rewritten while the tea urn cooled. I remain top of our own season's run charts, and Alan sits a creditable fifth among the bowlers.

A defeat, then, but an honest one. We'll sharpen up and come again.

Sat 24 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · AwayformLDDWD

1957. We'd got no more than 85, our John --'s Taylor holding things together with 39, but somehow the Charles Arkcoll boys never looked like chasing it down.

Winning the toss on Saturday and choosing to bat felt like the right call at the time, and I'll admit I had my doubts by the time we were bowled out for 85 in 40.4 overs — a total that, on paper, looked distinctly beatable. John --'s Taylor's 39 was the innings that kept us respectable, and the rest of us shuffled about the middle order like men waiting for a bus that wasn't coming.

But cricket, thank heavens, is rarely won on paper. Michael Morton took the new ball and simply refused to let the opposition breathe — 8 for 9, six of his overs maidens, bowling that bordered on the cruel. Tony Snell chipped in gamely with 2 for 26, and between them Charles Arkcoll were shot out for 50 in barely twenty-five overs, John Perkins, John Abnett and Vic Wellard all departing without so much as a run to their name. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps, 14 byes leaking away, though even that couldn't dent the day.

A word, too, for the record books: Michael's eight-for eases him past Herbert Rayner into 7th on the club's all-time wicket list, while John Thirkell continues to lead our season's run-scoring and Michael himself now sits proudest of all atop the wicket charts with 44.

A scruffy total, a magnificent bowling performance, and 35 runs to spare — I'll take that every Saturday of the summer.

Sun 18 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv MA Mote A · HomeformWLDDW

Sunday last, and Dummy Site came to us on a pitch that promised runs but delivered a stalemate of the most English kind. I lost the toss — no surprise there, my coin-calling has been in dreadful nick all season — and we were put into the field, resigned to a long afternoon of leather-chasing.

To their credit, they batted with sense rather than swagger, closing on 158 for 6 from their sixty-four overs. J. Worley's 36 was the innings' backbone, with J. Waters (24) and the unbeaten C. Burren (23) tidying up around him, while poor J. Coomber trudged off for a duck, undone by our bowling. Alan Wilkes was the chief tormentor with 3 for 63, and John Taylor bowled beautifully in support — 1 for 41 and seven maidens, the sort of miserly spell that makes batsmen question their life choices.

Chasing 159, we replied with 147 for 9 off our 45, Bob Brigden leading the way with 36, backed by Taylor's 34 and D. Elliott's 33 — though C. Haylor's blob rather spoiled the ledger. Taylor's runs, incidentally, carried him past George Champion into 5th on the club's all-time list, which drew rather more applause from the boundary than the cricket itself.

In the end honours were shared, neither side able to force the issue. A draw, then — the great English compromise, and frankly about right for an afternoon that offered plenty of craft but precious little conclusion.

Sat 17 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · AwayformWWLDD

Saturday 17th August 1957, and the coin favoured us against Bowaters — I had no hesitation putting them in the field.

It must be said, 97 all out from 32.5 overs is not the stuff of legend, though Basil Sears did his level best to make it respectable with a fine 45. Poor John Thirkell's contribution was rather more ornamental than useful — a golden duck to open proceedings — and as for the skipper, I shall draw the thinnest of veils over my own golden blob. Leading from the front is all very well in theory; on Saturday I led from somewhere near the back of the pavilion.

Happily, defending modest totals is where this side earns its bread. Len Conway span a web the Bowaters batsmen simply couldn't escape, returning a magnificent 6-33, while Michael Morton bowled with the miserly discipline of a man counting every penny — 4-40 including four maidens. Percy Bootes and Bernard Collins both departed for ducks of their own, and Bowaters were bowled out for 81, sixteen runs short of our meagre total.

Two milestones sweetened the afternoon further: Basil Sears brought up 3,000 career runs for the club, and Gordon Fenner turned out for his 100th appearance in Linton colours — a wonderful achievement, and no doubt he'd seen better batting from us on plenty of the previous ninety-nine.

Ugly, unconvincing, and utterly satisfying — a scrap of a game, but a win's a win, and a good day for the club.

Sun 11 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv HC Harrietsham CC · HomeformDWWLD

Sunday 11th August 1957, and Harrietsham CC rolled up to find us on the wrong end of the toss, condemned once again to leather before willow. Small mercy that we like it that way — first crack at the ball suits a side that bowls tidier than it bats, and so it proved. They ground their way to 167 for 3 off 43 overs, Keith Chaney unbeaten on 44 and looking rather too pleased with himself about it, well backed by J Worley's 43 and A Pratt's 29. Len Conway was the pick of us by some distance — 1 for 30 with two maidens thrown in, the sort of miserly spell that has batsmen muttering into their gloves — while Tony Tipples and Maurice Fenner chipped in a wicket apiece for slightly less economical returns. Poor Bob Arnold had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, eight byes flying past him like he'd left the gate open.

Chasing 168 in the overs remaining was never really the plan, and so it transpired: 36 for 0 off 11 overs, Fenner again to the fore with a brisk 21 not out, and your captain contributing a watchful 21 of his own before the shutters, sensibly, came down. Fenner's form continues to catch the eye — third in the season's run charts with 281 now to his name.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride intact, tea presumably excellent. Not a classic, but a thoroughly English way to spend a Sunday: nobody won, nobody lost, and everybody grumbled about the byes.

Sat 10 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformTDWWL

Saturday 10th August, and Headcorn CC rolled into Linton Park with the sun out and, evidently, their bags packed for a short stay. I lost the toss — no great surprise there, my coin-calling this season remains its own kind of statistic — and we were asked to bowl. Not that anyone was complaining.

What followed was one of those spells you dine out on for years. Michael Morton, all bristling menace and metronomic accuracy, simply took the afternoon apart: 8 for 25 from seven maidens, figures that belong on a scoreboard somewhere in the professional game rather than a village green. Kemp, Farrance and Woodcock all trooped off for ducks, poor devils, and Bob Brigden chipped in a tidy 1 for 11 to make sure nobody felt left out. Headcorn were bowled out for a modest 79 in 37 overs, though I should confess Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps — 12 byes is not a number he'll want engraved anywhere.

We knocked off the runs without fuss, 7 for 2 in four and a bit overs, before the heavens or the fixture list or simple club-cricket mystery decreed a draw instead of the victory that seemed our due.

Still — with John Thirkell leading the season's run-getters on 702 and Morton now third among the wicket-takers with 32, the old place is in rude health. A funny old result, but a grand day's cricket.

Mon 05 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv HC Hon F Cornwallis · HomeformWTDWW

Monday 05 August 1957 saw us play host to Dummy Site, and for once the coin obliged me, so in we went to bat first. It would be stretching things to call our 123 all out from 41 overs a triumph, though Maurice Fenner batted with real substance for his 81, a proper captain's innings if ever I saw one. Less happily, William Buck, D- Jordan and Frank Wright all trooped back for golden ducks, three noughts in a single card being rather more than any skipper cares to explain over tea.

Defending 123 was always going to ask questions of us, and Dummy Site answered most of them, reaching 128/3 from 34 overs to win by seven wickets. J- Smith's unbeaten 62 was the innings that did for us, well supported by T- Osborn's 30, and there was precious little we could do about batting of that quality. Credit where due, though — Tony Snell bowled his heart out for 2-43, and Maurice Fenner, having done his bit with the bat, then tied things down beautifully with three maidens. I contributed a modest 16 with the bat, which the less said about, the better.

There was still cause for a smile: Tony Levick brought up his 100th appearance in Linton colours, a fine milestone whatever the scoreboard says. And the season charts continue to please, with John Thirkell leading the 1st XI runs on 701 and Tony Snell third in the wickets on 32.

Not our day, in short — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 03 Aug 1957 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · AwayformDWTDW

From the captain's chair — Saturday 03 August 1957. We travelled to Aylesford Paper Mills CC, lost the toss, and were sent out to field, which on reflection suited us rather well.

Aylesford made 101 all out from their 38 overs, B Hood the chief architect of that total with 41 well-made runs. Everything else, frankly, went our way. Richard Wood departed for a duck at our hands, and the day belonged entirely to Maurice Fenner, who bowled beautifully for 7-19 — three of those overs maidens, and every one of the seven wickets thoroughly deserved. D- Jordan (2-22) and Michael Morton (1-15) tidied up what little Fenner left behind, and Aylesford's innings had rather the look of a house of cards by the time it folded.

Chasing 102, we made harder work of it than the bowling perhaps warranted, stumbling to 104/5 from 27.1 overs. Bob Brigden held the innings together with an unbeaten 35, calm as you like while wickets fell around him, and William Buck's contribution — a golden duck — will not trouble the scorers unduly, though it did trouble his captain's blood pressure for a moment or two.

Elsewhere, John Thirkell continues to lead the 1957 run charts with 685, and D- Jordan sits second in the wicket-takers with 36 — a season shaping up nicely for both.

A fine win by 5 wickets, then, built on Fenner's arm and Brigden's nerve. Onwards.

Sun 28 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · AwayformWDWTD

We were away at Folkestone on the 28th, and for once the coin obliged me — I had no hesitation putting us in.

It has to be said, batting was a mixed bag. We crawled to 134 all out in 51.3 overs, which sounds a struggle and largely was, were it not for Ray Howard's typically gutsy 36, with John Thirkell and William Buck weighing in with 32 apiece to give the innings some backbone. I chipped in with 32 myself, more through persistence than style. Less said the better about D. Jordan, C. Haylor and Alan Wilkes, who between them managed the rare feat of contributing precisely nothing — three ducks in a single innings takes some doing, even for us.

Whatever doubts lingered over tea evaporated the moment we took the field. Folkestone simply had no answer for John Ames, who bowled like a man possessed to return 6 for 40 and blew the middle order away, Jack May, David Miles and John Spanswick all departing without troubling the scorers. Alan Wilkes, so anonymous with the bat, made handsome amends with 3 for 22 and four miserly maidens to squeeze the life out of the innings. Poor Roy Clarke behind the stumps had rather a torrid afternoon of it, mind — ten byes tell their own tale. Folkestone were bowled out for 75, and we ran out winners by 59 runs.

A scratchy batting display saved by a magnificent bowling one — but a win is a win, and we'll take it gladly on the road.

Sat 27 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv DS Dummy Site · HomeformWWDWT

Saturday last, 27 July 1957, saw Dummy Site pay us a visit, and for once the coin took pity on me — I called correctly and, with what I like to think was strategic boldness rather than sheer indecision, sent us in to bat first.

It was not, I'll admit, a day for fireworks. We laboured to 29 for 2 off 13.3 overs, the sort of scoring rate that has spectators checking their watches and reaching for the tea urn early. Your captain, for the record, contributed nothing whatsoever to that total — a duck of the most comprehensive kind, and one I shall not dwell on further, except to say the walk back to the pavilion felt considerably longer than the walk out. Mercifully, one man's struggles are the club's gain elsewhere: Basil Sears continues his fine season with the bat, now sitting second in our 1957 first XI run charts on 400 for the summer — form the rest of us can only admire from a respectful distance.

In the end neither side could quite land the decisive blow, and honours were shared — a draw that felt, in truth, a fair reflection of an afternoon where nobody, this correspondent least of all, seized the initiative. A day, then, for quiet application rather than glory: no disgrace in a draw against good visitors, though I shall be having stern words with myself before facing another ball.

Sun 21 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv JL John Larkings · HomeformWWWDW

Sunday the 21st of July found Dummy Site as our visitors, and having called correctly at the toss for once in my captaincy career, there was never any doubt in my mind — we would bat. Whether that was wisdom or habit I still couldn't tell you, because 97 all out from 38 overs is not a total to frighten anyone. Jeff Anscombe top-scored with a fighting 21, the only man to truly trouble the scoreboard, while John Waters and Ray Howard both walked back for golden ducks, no doubt wishing the earth would swallow them whole.

Defending such a modest total felt like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight, but cricket has a wonderful way of humbling the arithmetic. Dummy Site replied with 96 all out from 31.4 overs, G. Clarke leading their effort with 22, and King departing without so much as a whimper. The difference was John Ames, who ran utterly riot with figures of 7-25 — bowling of the sort that gets talked about in the bar for weeks — well supported by Jeff Anscombe (1-15) and the ever-miserly Alan Wilkes (1-37, six maidens, not a run given away cheaply). I chipped in with 7 wickets myself, which I shall be mentioning rather more than is strictly necessary. Ames now sits second in the season's wicket charts with 32.

And so, after a full day's honest toil, honours finished dead level — a tie. You simply could not separate us. A fitting, maddening, marvellous result.

Sat 20 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv OR Old Roffensians · HomeformLWWWD

Saturday 20 July 1957, home to Dummy Site, and I lost the toss for what felt like the hundredth time running — they had a look at the wicket and fancied batting first. As it turned out, they'd have been better off keeping their pads on in the pavilion. Michael Morton, all guile and turned wrists, span his way to a magnificent 6-32 and simply took the game away from them, while Tony Snell chipped in with 3-19, two of them maidens, tight as a drum. Between the pair of them and three unfortunate ducks for Taylor, Martin and Davis, the visitors were bowled out for a paltry 53 in 17.4 overs, R. Stokes' 27 the only real resistance.

Chasing next to nothing, we made light work of it. John Thirkell batted with real assurance for his unbeaten 47, and I was happy enough to get a bit of the strike myself, finishing on 47 not out as we cantered home to 56 without loss in just 11.2 overs. Ten wickets, no fuss, tea on time.

A word too for the record books — Michael Morton's six-for nudges him past Tony Snell and up to 8th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, which is no small thing. John Thirkell continues to lead our run charts for the season with 647, and Tony Snell sits handsomely 2nd among the bowlers with 30 wickets.

All in all, a thoroughly satisfactory afternoon's work. Onwards we go.

Sun 14 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDLWWW

Sunday 14 July 1957 saw us play host, and if you'd blinked you might have missed the whole affair — though not, I hasten to add, for want of ambition on our part.

We won the toss, elected to bat, and set about our innings with the sort of restraint normally reserved for a vicar at a christening. Nine runs from four overs is not, by any reckoning, a total that will trouble the record books, but there was a certain dogged charm in the way we went about accumulating it — watchful, unhurried, and entirely unbothered by the concept of urgency.

Elsewhere in the season, it's worth noting that John Thirkell continues to plunder runs for fun, his tally now standing at a formidable 600 for the 1st XI — a statistic that makes our own morning's efforts look rather like small change fished from the bottom of the kit bag.

In the end, honours were shared, neither side able to force the issue, and the match petered out into that most English of conclusions: a draw born not of stalemate exactly, but of mutual, gentlemanly inertia. We shook hands, put the kettle on, and reflected that cricket, much like life, occasionally rewards patience over adventure. A draw it was, then — no losers, but precious few winners either.

Sat 13 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv A A.Trembeths · HomeformLDLWW

Saturday 13 July 1957 — we lost the toss, Dummy Site chose to bat, and I confess my heart didn't exactly leap at the prospect. But the lads had other ideas. They were bowled out for 119 in 36.2 overs, Trembeth's 41 and Astle's 28 the only real resistance, while at the other end a-Williams, J-Ridgeon and B-Relf all trudged off without so much as a run to their name. The story of the innings, though, was Tony Snell — 8 for 43, three of them maidens, an innings so complete he barely left the rest of us anything to do. Charles Hambro (1-7) and D-Jordan (1-16) tidied up what little was left.

We knocked off the lot without losing a wicket to reply, which still feels faintly indecent to write down. Basil Sears was immaculate — 63 not out, calm as you like past his fifty — with Gordon Fenner's 37 doing sterling work alongside him. Not every card is spotless, mind: John Thirkell and N-Gibson-Watt both departed for ducks, and I managed a golden one myself, which we shall discuss no further.

Amid the carnage, two landmarks worth raising a glass to: Gordon brought up 1,000 career runs for the club, and Tony's eight-for eased him past Michael Morton into 8th on our all-time wicket-takers list. Basil now sits 2nd in the season's run charts.

Victory by an innings and 1 run. A thoroughly good day for the club — even if the captain's own contribution was best forgotten.

Sun 07 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv Town Malling CC · HomeformDLDLW

Sunday the seventh of July, and Town Malling came to Linton Park under skies that, for once, behaved themselves. I won the toss and had no hesitation in taking first knock — the sort of decision that looks a great deal wiser in hindsight than it felt in the moment. We batted our full fifty-two overs and finished on a handsome 214 for 4, with your correspondent contributing 99 — so close to the century I could taste it, though I shan't dwell on that. C. Haylor played beautifully for his 53, and Ray Howard chipped in a brisk 39 to round things off nicely.

With the ball, we were relentless. Town Malling were bowled out for 141 in 42 overs, despite a fighting 62 from J. Charlton and 34 from W. Durtnal — the rest of their order came and went with little to show for it, A. Edwards, D. Edmonds and V. Cook all departing without troubling the scorers. Ray Howard was the pick, 3 for 13, with Stan Wratten (3-20) and Tony Snell (2-20, six miserly maidens) squeezing the life out of the innings. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 28 byes going astray, but no matter.

A fine team performance, capped by Ray Howard's climb past the Reverend Leveson-Gower on the all-time run list. Two points, thoroughly earned — won by 73 runs, and a very satisfactory Sunday indeed.

Sat 06 Jul 1957 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · HomeformDDLDL

John Thirkell's fifty carried more than his own scorecard this week — it took him past 5,000 career runs for the club, and I dare say he'll have earned a pint or two on the strength of that alone. Charles Arkcoll arrived as our guests, I won the toss and, in a rare moment of clear-headed captaincy, chose to bat. Thirkell's 60 was the innings' backbone, with John Taylor's 47 and Basil Sears' 40 filling in handsomely either side of it, and we closed on a healthy 211 for 6 from our 46 overs — the sort of total that lets a captain enjoy his tea rather than chew his fingernails over it.

Defending it, we never really let Charles Arkcoll settle. John Ames battled hard for his 44, but wickets fell steadily around him and the innings folded for 76 in 28.3 overs. Tony Snell was the pick of the attack with a superb 4 for 16, well backed by D. Jordan's 4 for 23 and Alan Wilkes' solitary strike, while Michael Morton kept things miserly with two maidens. Stan Wratten, Randolph Thompson and Gordon Fenner all went for ducks — not their afternoon, though the scoreboard rather overshadowed their misfortune.

A personal 60 with the bat was satisfying enough, but the day belonged to Thirkell and his milestone. We ran out winners by 135 runs — a proper, thumping margin, and a very good day indeed for the club.

Sun 30 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv SC Selsted CC · HomeformWDDLD

Sunday 30 June 1957, and Selsted CC came calling. I won the toss – a rare triumph in itself these days – and, fancying our chances on a pitch that looked full of runs, sent us in to bat. Runs, alas, proved harder to locate than promised. We were bowled out for 97 in 31.1 overs, with only Ray Howard offering any real resistance, top-scoring with a battling 27. Bob Arnold and John Abnett both departed without troubling the scorer, a pair of ducks that did the card no favours whatsoever.

Defending such a modest total always asks for something special, and for a while the lads gave it a proper go. Selsted crept to 98 for 6 off 23 overs, with S. Smith the chief architect of our downfall on 38. D. Jordan bowled beautifully for 2 for 15, well supported by Ray Howard, again to the fore with 2 for 24, and John Ames chipping in with 1 for 13. F. Jarris fell to us without scoring, small consolation. Twenty-two byes, however, tell their own sorry tale of a testing afternoon behind the stumps for poor Tony Levick.

On the season's ledger there is cheer enough: Ray Howard now sits third in the 1957 First XI run charts with 171, and D. Jordan leads the wickets with 27. But today belonged to Selsted, who eased home by four wickets. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets we go.

Sat 29 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lukes Maidstone CC · HomeformDWDDL

We had first use of the ball on Saturday, having lost the toss and been asked to chase — never the ideal way to begin a Saturday, but there we are. Dummy Site batted us into the ground somewhat, posting 164 all out from 44.2 overs, R- Aiston leading the charge with a well-crafted 51 and C- Nicholls chipping in a handy 42 alongside him. It looked, for a spell, like the sort of total that puts a captain off his tea. But credit where it's due: D- Jordan span a web through their middle order for a magnificent 6-59, J Donovan mopped up nicely with 4-48, and R- Robinson kept things tidy with two maidens. E- Hollands and L- Morris, mercifully for us, never troubled the scorers at all.

Our reply was rather more sedate. We limped to 121/9 from our 44 overs, with Roy Clarke the mainstay — 37 not out, calm as you like — and J- Carman offering good support with 22. Elsewhere it was a thinner tale: Bob Brigden and E- Ambros both endured that most miserable of walks back for a duck, and poor Roy Clarke, having done his bit with the bat, then spent the afternoon behind the stumps leaking 11 byes for good measure.

So it finished all square — honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite force the issue. With D- Jordan now leading the wicket charts on 25 and Basil Sears sitting handsomely second in the run charts, there's plenty for the lads to be cheerful about, even if this particular Saturday ended in stalemate rather than glory.

Sun 23 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLDWDD

Skipper's Log — Sunday 23rd June, 1957. We hosted the visitors on a day when the toss felt like the first wicket of the match, and duly winning it, I had no hesitation in taking first knock. The right call, I felt, and for once nobody in the pavilion disagreed with me.

John Ames set about proving me right with a handsome 76, the innings' backbone, while Gordon Fenner's unbeaten 26 and John Waters' 20 added the necessary padding to see us to 177 for 6 from our 51 overs. I chipped in with 26 of my own, more through good fortune than good technique.

In the field, John Ames turned from run-scorer to tormentor, spinning through their order for a wicked 5 for 28, with D Jordan's 3 for 3 and Gordon Fenner's typically miserly 1 for 10 off three maidens squeezing the life from the reply. Nichols made a fine 55 for the visitors, well supported by Holladay's 26 and C Martin's 21, but three of their number departed without troubling the scorers, and they folded for 128 in 40.4 overs. Poor Bob Arnold had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 11 byes slipping past him like eels.

Beaten by 49 runs in the end, then — a defeat that flattered nobody, least of all our fielding. Stan Wratten sits a creditable 5th in the season's run charts, and John Ames now leads the wickets with 24. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 22 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformLLDWD

Saturday 22nd June, and Aylesford Paper Mills CC were the visitors on a day that felt made for cricket. I won the toss — a rare enough event that I try not to let it go to my head — and didn't need much persuading to bat first.

We made a solid fist of it, closing on 171 for 7 from our 47 overs. Len Conway was the mainstay, sailing past his fifty in fine style, with Basil Sears (28) and J Donovan, unbeaten on 27, chipping in handsomely around him. A total to defend rather than to relax behind, but a defendable one all the same.

And defend it we did, though not without a scare or two, as the Mills replied with 128 for 6 from their 42. Cliff Anscombe played the innings of the day, a really fine half-century, ably assisted by P Hinks (30 not out) and B Hood (28). We did at least have the satisfaction of sending A Whibley back for a duck. Michael Morton was the chief tormentor with the ball, 3 for 59 and three maidens to boot, well backed up by Len Conway (2-14) and R Robinson (1-14) — and in taking his three wickets, Morton nudged past John Thirkell into 8th on the club's all-time list, no less.

In the end neither side could quite land the killer blow, and honours were shared. A draw, then — a fair reflection of an afternoon where both sides gave as good as they got, and nobody went home entirely happy nor entirely sorry.

Sun 16 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · AwayformWLLDW

Sunday 16 June 1957, and off we went with high hopes and higher hopes still that the tea would run to a decent Victoria sponge. We had first use of the ball, and the openers weren't unduly troubled by our efforts as the total crept along to 202/8 from their 47 overs. Robin Bush played the innings of substance with 40, Brian Allsworth (37) and Gordon Kemsley (36) doing their level best to make our afternoon a misery. John Ames, though, kept his end up famously with 3-41, and with Cliff Anscombe (2-65) and Tony Tipples (1-15) mopping up we restricted the damage to something chaseable.

Chaseable it proved, though not without the usual comedy of errors. We replied with 199/7 from our 42, agonisingly short in the end. a. Checksfield carried the innings in some style with 82, well past his fifty, and found willing company in Tony Levick (46) and Frank Brattle (30). Poor Cliff Anscombe, so useful with the ball, departed for a golden duck with the bat — cricket's little cruelty. And nine byes told their own tale of a testing afternoon behind the stumps for Tony Levick, bless him.

I managed to find some rhythm myself, picking up three wickets, and John Ames continues to lead our 1957 wicket charts with nineteen to his name — the man is in irrepressible form. In the end honours were shared, neither side quite able to force it home. A draw, then — the diplomatic result, and frankly the fairest one going.

Sat 15 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformDWLLD

As chairman explained the toss, my heart sank at the word "chase" — but the lads had other ideas.

Headcorn made merry early doors, G. Murrell compiling a handsome 81 as they racked up 165 all out from their 45.1 overs. It could have got away from us entirely had J Donovan not turned up with his boots on — 5 for 28, three of them maidens, a spell that would have had the tea urn purring in appreciation. D. Jordan chipped in manfully with 4 for 67, Tony Snell tidied up with 1 for 29, and I. Barclay departed for a golden duck at our hands, which never fails to cheer a fielding side.

Chasing 166, we made harder work of it than the scorecard perhaps suggests, crawling — if 170 for 8 off 38 overs counts as crawling — to victory by the skin of two wickets. John Thirkell led the way with a fine 40, Len Conway (34) and Basil Sears (33) lending sturdy support, while your humble captain contributed 40 of his own and 25 extras did their bit besides. Roy Clarke, alas, bagged a duck of his own — company for Barclay, if nothing else.

A word beyond the arithmetic: Bob Arnold turned out for his 100th appearance in Linton colours, a landmark worth more than any score, and Donovan's five-for eased him past Bert Buckoke into 17th on the club's all-time wicket list.

A tense, scrappy, thoroughly satisfying win by two wickets. Onwards indeed.

Mon 10 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv Marden CC, Kent · HomeformWDWLL

John Thirkell's 155 not out headlined our 239/6 declared, and Bob Brigden's 3-19 nearly saw us home against Marden's spirited 133/7 before honours were shared.

Monday 10th June, and Marden CC rolled up to Linton Park in fine weather for what promised to be a proper contest. Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — the right call, I felt, and one that was thoroughly vindicated by close of play, even if the lads made me sweat for it in the field.

With the bat we set about building something substantial, and John Thirkell simply took the day by the scruff of the neck, compiling a magnificent 155 not out — an innings I confess I watched with no small amount of professional envy from the non-striker's end, given I contributed to the very same total myself. Stan Wratten chipped in soundly with 26 as we closed on a handsome 239/6 from our 42.1 overs, a total that felt like it ought to be enough for anyone.

Marden, to their credit, dug in. Peter Tipples (37) and A Tipples (36) gave them substance, with D Davis adding 31, while poor G Tompkinson departed without troubling the scorers — a duck to remember for all the wrong reasons. But it was Bob Brigden who did the real damage with a fine 3-19, Gordon Fenner bowling with immense discipline for 2-35 and six maidens, and I managed 1-10 myself for good measure. Marden held out gamely to 133/7 from their 57 overs.

A draw, then — honours shared, neither side quite able to force the door. Frustrating in the moment, but with Thirkell now sitting on 398 runs for the season, there's precious little to grumble about.

Sat 08 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · AwayformWWDWL

Skipper's Log — Saturday 08 June 1957

We travelled with hope rather than expectation, and it must be said the opposition rather took advantage of first use of the ball being ours, racking up 166/5 from their 48 overs. R. Excell made an unanswerable case for himself with a fine unbeaten 65, well supported by E. Priest's 34. It wasn't all one-way traffic, mind — Michael Morton bowled beautifully for his 2-9, seven of his overs maidens, tighter than a Sunday collection plate, with Bob Brigden and Tony Snell chipping in a wicket apiece.

Our reply, sadly, read like a comedy of errors rather than a chase. Eighty-five all out in 28.1 overs is not the stuff of legend, though Basil Sears battled to 28 and deserves better company on the scorecard than poor Roy Clarke, whose golden duck 🦆 was compounded by a torrid time behind the stumps — 21 byes is the sort of afternoon best forgotten over a pint. To his credit, he'll get no grief from me; we've all had days like that.

Amid the wreckage, one shaft of sunshine: Bob Arnold brought up 1,000 career runs for the club 🎉, a landmark thoroughly deserved and warmly applauded by all. John Thirkell continues to lead the season's run-getters with 243, and Michael Morton sits third in the wickets column with 13.

Beaten by 81 runs, then — no dressing it up. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 02 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · HomeformLWWDW

Sunday the 2nd of June, and Folkestone CC came calling at Linton Park. Won the toss, elected to bat — and I'll allow myself a small pat on the back for that one. Ray Howard set about the bowling with real intent, cruising past his fifty to finish on 72, while Tony Levick chipped in a handy 37 alongside him. We closed on 127/5 from our fourteen and a bit overs, a total that felt like it had a bit of everything about it — some watchful stuff, some rather more agricultural.

Defending it was always going to be the interesting part, and so it proved. Folkestone's Reg Hoskins played the innings of the day, unbeaten on 46, with Jim Gordon lending sturdy support on 23. We did have our moments — P Southon back in the hutch without troubling the scorers, and Tony Levick bowled beautifully for 2-22, backed up nicely by Bob Brigden (1-18) and Ray Howard, who somehow found energy with the ball too for 1-25. But 133/6 came up in 16.1 overs, and we'd fallen four wickets short.

Small consolation in the runs column: Ray's 72 eases him past William Blight and into 23rd on the club's all-time list, which is the sort of thing that cheers a captain up on a losing bus home. John Thirkell continues to lead our season run charts, D- Jordan lurking in the wicket-takers' top five. Not our day, all told — but heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 01 Jun 1957 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Williamsonians CC · HomeformLLWWD

Here it is:

The toss went against us — of course it did — and Old Williamsonians elected to have a bat, leaving us to make do with the ball on what turned out to be a rather profitable Saturday. They laboured to 75 all out in 26.2 overs, J. Brooks doing most of the damage with 29, but the real story was with the leather in our hands. Simon Kimmins was simply magnificent, four wickets for 29 and four maidens besides, not a run given away lightly. Alan Wilkes chipped in with three for none, and J. Donovan mopped up with two for 20. Old Williamsonians never really got going.

Chasing such a modest total ought to have been a formality, and in fairness it very nearly was tidy — though we contrived to lose L. Waddams, P. James and R. James without any of them troubling the scorers, which is not the sort of top order collapse one likes to advertise in the gazette. Fortunately John Waters was in no mood to be hurried, seeing us home with an unbeaten 30, well supported by Basil Sears with 26 and John Taylor with 20. I managed to get off the mark myself with 26, which I shall claim as a captain's innings and leave it at that.

An eight-wicket win, then, built on a superb display with the ball and just enough sense with the bat to get over the line. Onwards we go.

Sun 26 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLLWW

Sunday 26 May 1957. Home comforts, home advantage — or so I fancied when I won the toss and stuck them in, only to watch L Smith help himself to a magnificent 105, with L Murrell (49) and E Gill (38) offering cheerful assistance. John Ames toiled manfully for his 4-105, Tony Tipples and Cliff Anscombe chipping in with a wicket apiece, and by the time they declared us mercy at 269/6 from their fifty overs, several of us had develped a keen interest in the tea urn.

Chasing 270 was never really the plan — survival was — and Len Conway (25 not out) and Tony Tipples (23) did the sensible, sturdy thing while the rest of us admired the scenery. I contributed a workmanlike 16, which in this company counts as a knock. Less happily, Cliff Anscombe's afternoon took a cruel second twist with the bat as well as the ball, departing for a duck and waddling back to the pavilion to the sound of muffled sympathy — the ledger will remember him kindly for the bowling, less so for that.

We closed on 103/5 from 36, overs unused and pride largely intact, for an honourable draw. Up in the season's charts John Thirkell continues to purr along with 180 runs, and John Ames leads the wickets column with 16 — the engine room of the side is plainly in good order, even when the rest of us are merely making up the numbers.

Verdict: no shame in batting out the day against a total like that — a draw earned, not surrendered.

Sat 25 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv Gore Court CC · HomeformDWLLW

It was Gore Court CC at home on Saturday, and the coin let us down before a ball was bowled — they had first use of a wicket that, in hindsight, we bowled and batted rather well on. Put in to field, we made the early running count, keeping them to 60 without loss before D- Jordan set about them with real purpose. Wickets tumbled from 60-1 to 68-4, three of them without troubling the scorers, and Jordan finished with a thoroughly deserved 7-60 — the spell of the season by some distance. Tony Snell bowled with admirable discipline for 2-44 and six maidens, Bob Brigden chipped in with 1-13, and between the three of them Gore Court were shot out for 126 in 44.4 overs, John Bishop's 31 and Brian Reynolds's 24 the only real resistance.

A gettable target, and our openers set about it in the right spirit, 63 on the board before the first wicket fell — the platform for the whole innings. Basil Sears led the way with a fine 37, John Thirkell continued his rich vein of form with 30, and William Blight weighed in with 23. I managed to contribute 30 myself, more by luck than judgement, and we cantered home on 129/4 with overs to spare.

Six wickets the margin, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work all round. John Thirkell now sits proudly atop the season's run charts with 164, and Tony Snell is second in the wickets with 11 — both men very much the engine room of this side. As for the coin toss, I shall simply have to practise my calling. Onwards.

Sun 19 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv MA Mote A · AwayformWDWLL

A late call away to Dummy Site on a Sunday that promised much, and delivered rather more. I lost the toss — as is now traditional — and we were put into the field, which suited us nicely as it turned out. Their innings wobbled along to 147 all out in 45.2 overs, J. Coomber the chief architect with a fine 51, well supported by C. Warnett's 31 and K. Cannell's 21. D. Parker, R. Packham and S. Kitchen, meanwhile, were sent back for ducks without so much as a squeak off the bat. The damage was largely Alan Wilkes's doing — 4 for 30 of pure menace — with John Ames toiling away miserly through five maidens for 3 for 46, and John "'s" Taylor chipping in with 2 for 43.

Chasing 148, we strolled to 149 for 3 in 45 overs, Stan Wratten batting with real composure for an unbeaten 76, Ray Howard lending fine support with 40. I even found a bit of rhythm myself, picking up 3 wickets earlier in the day — never one to let the bowlers have all the fun.

Milestones tumbled: Alan Wilkes reached 200 career wickets and climbed to 5th on the all-time list past George Champion, while Ray Howard's 40 nudged him past Percy Brattle into 25th on the run-scorers' roll. Stan sits 4th in this season's run charts, John Ames tops the wickets column with 12.

A comfortable seven-wicket win, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards.

Sat 18 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv Gore Court CC · AwayformLWDWL

Lost the toss again on Saturday — I'm beginning to think the club coin has a grudge against me — so out to Gore Court CC we trudged, condemned to bowl first on a day that started with promise and ended, as these things so often do, in mild village-green heartbreak. Gore Court laboured to 118 all out in 38.3 overs, wobbling from 9 for 1 to 13 for 4 at one stage before Charles Love composed a fine, well-made fifty of 56, ably supported by W Bennett's 23. Michael Morton was the story of the innings, though: 5 for 43 with five maidens thrown in for good miserly measure, backed up handsomely by Tony Snell's 4 for 39 and a wicket for D Jordan. Brian Bradley and Alec Allsworth departed for ducks in the field of catches, but the bowlers had done us proud.

Sadly our batting couldn't match it. We slipped to 3 for 1 early and never quite recovered our composure, subsiding to 83 all out in 36 overs despite a gallant 49 from Basil Sears, who carried the innings almost single-handed. William Blight and Tony Snell both contributed golden ducks to the cause.

A word of cheer amid the gloom: Tony Snell's four wickets nudge him past Jack Fryer into 10th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list. John Thirkell still leads our 1957 run charts on 134, and Michael Morton tops the wickets on 10.

Down by 35 runs — not our day. Heads up, back to the nets.

Sat 11 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformLLWDW

From the captain's chair — Saturday 11 May 1957. We travelled to Bearsted CC in fine spirits, and when the coin fell our way I had few qualms about putting them in. Bowl first, think later, that's always been my motto, and for a while it looked shrewd enough.

Truth be told, Bearsted rather ran away from us early on. Their openers put on a breezy 103 before we so much as glimpsed a breakthrough, 'Tony' Snook compiling a handsome 62 and Gordon Hawkins chipping in with 44 of his own. By the time Maurice Fenner, Basil Sears and D. Jordan had mopped up the tail — one wicket apiece, honest toil all — the total stood at a stiff 113 for 3 off their 27.2 overs.

Chasing it, we made a horror of the start — 5 for 1 before some of us had found our guard — and though John Thirkell battled to 21 and I managed the same, a collapse from 43 for 3 to 56 for 6 rather told the story of our afternoon. All out for 87 in 32.2 overs, and the match, and 26 runs, gone with it.

Small mercies amid the wreckage: William Blight's unbeaten-looking 4 runs eased him past C Murdoch to 23rd on the club's all-time run charts, while Basil Sears's solitary wicket did the same for him among the wicket-takers, leapfrogging H Freed into 23rd. Thirkell, meanwhile, sits proudly atop our 1957 run tally with 131.

A chastening day, then, beaten by 26 runs — but there's cricket yet in this side, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 05 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv HC Harrietsham CC · AwayformWLLWD

Sunday took us to Harrietsham, and the coin didn't fall our way — asked to chase, which meant leather before willow for us, first use of the ball while our hosts settled in to bat. Rather nicely for a captain who talks up his bowling more than his figures deserve, things ran away from Harrietsham rather quickly: 132 all out in 45.2 overs, M Bristow doing the bulk of the damage with a fine 51, Keith Chaney (28) and D La Plain (20) offering support. I'll own up to a rather charmed afternoon myself — 9 for 49, a five-for and well past it, with D Jordan chipping in for 1-46 and Taylor bowling like a man auditioning for the parish council, four maidens and not a run to show for his trouble.

Chasing 133, we were seldom troubled. Clive Smith batted with real substance for 43, Maurice Fenner supported nicely with 30, and William Buck saw us home unbeaten on 22 — 133 for 3 in 40.5 overs, seven wickets to spare and tea barely delayed.

A quiet word for the scorebook, mentioned reluctantly and at length: those nine wickets nudge me past Frank Taylor into third on the club's all-time list. In this season's charts, Clive sits third with the bat on 43 runs, and I lead the bowling on 9 — for now, at least.

A fine win by seven wickets. Onwards.

Sat 04 May 1957 🧢 1st XIv HC Hunton Wanderers CC · HomeformWWLLW

Saturday 04 May 1957, and Hunton Wanderers rolled up to find us losing the toss for what feels like the fortieth year running — they had first use of a pitch that, credit where due, gave absolutely nothing away. They laboured to 147 all out in 40.1 overs, A Pilcher top-scoring with 32, R Murray and C Bloxham chipping in 27 and 21, while X Connolly departed for a duck so tidy he barely troubled the scorebook. Michael Morton was in irrepressible form with the ball, 4-65 including two maidens that must have felt like small victories against the bat, with Peter Larking (3-11) and Basil Sears (2-7) mopping up the rest in fine support.

Our reply of 112/6 from 28 overs was built on a handsome 40 from John Thirkell, with your captain contributing an equal 40 of his own — though I say that with more embarrassment than pride, given poor Bob Arnold's afternoon: a golden duck with the bat and twelve byes through the gloves, the sort of day best forgotten over a pint. Thirkell continues to lead our season's run charts with 110, and Morton the wickets with five — the club's engine room ticking along nicely.

In the end neither side could force it home, and honours were shared. A draw feels the fair verdict on a day when bowlers just about had the better of batsmen — no complaints from this captain, and the tea was, as ever, the real result of the day.

Sat 27 Apr 1957 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformWWWLL

Saturday 27th April 1957, and out we trundled to West Farleigh in reasonable heart. I called correctly at the toss — a rare enough event to note in the log — and never seriously considered doing anything but batting first.

It proved the right instinct. We were bowled out for 164 in the 35th over, which sounds like a modest total until you consider the pitch offered precious little for free. John Thirkell played the innings of the day, a well-constructed 70, and I found myself rather pleased to chip in alongside him with a fifty of my own from the top of the order — leading from the front, as I like to tell myself I do. Basil Sears's 30 rounded things off nicely.

Defending it looked a tall order on paper, but cricket has a habit of humbling paper. Trevor Fermor and Reg Oldfield threatened to bat us out of it with 47 and 34 respectively, and for a while my optimism wavered. Then Tony Snell got hold of the ball and simply would not let go — 5 for 30, a thoroughly deserved five-for, with Ray Howard mopping up 4 for 40 and Michael Morton miserly as ever with three maidens in his 1 for 32. Poor Bob Arnold had a torrid time behind the stumps, 17 byes escaping his gloves, and the Maitland brothers departed without so much as a squeak between them.

West Farleigh folded for 135. Twenty-nine runs the margin, two points banked, and a very satisfactory drive home.