🧢 Captain's Log

Sun 27 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv Linton Park CC · HomeformDWWDL

Sunday last, under skies that couldn't quite decide their mood, we welcomed Linton Park CC to the ground, and I won the toss and had no hesitation in taking first knock — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the scoreboard went on to suggest.

We were bowled out for 135 in 40 overs, which on reflection was a touch light for the surface on offer. Alan Tucker was the mainstay of the innings with a fine 28, and I was glad to lend a hand with 23 of my own, the pair of us doing what we could to shore things up while wickets fell around us. Spare a thought for poor Robert Murray, though, who marched out, faced his lot, and marched back again for a duck — these things happen to the best of us, and he'll have his day.

In the wider scheme of the season, it's worth noting Fred Greenfield continues to purr along nicely, sitting second in the 1st XI run charts with 399 to his name, while John Thirkell leads the 2nd XI table with 56 — proof, if any were needed, that there's talent enough in this club to keep us cheerful even on a flat Sunday.

As for the match itself, Linton Park knocked off the runs for the loss of just three wickets, a seven-wicket win that flattered them rather more than it wounded us. We'll dust ourselves down and come back stronger next week — that's cricket, and that's us.

Sat 26 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv AC Anchorians CC · HomeformDDWWD

Saturday 26 September saw the Anchorians roll into Linton Park under skies that promised more than we delivered. Winning the toss, I fancied our chances first up and put us in — a decision that looked shakier by the over as we slid to 149 all out in 38.1. Gordon Fenner top-scored with a battling 35, while poor Len Conway and Dick Langridge both trudged back for ducks, joining the club's least-wanted list before the tea urn had even boiled.

With the ball, we scrapped hard. John Ames was superb, 3-21 and enough to see him leapfrog Alan Wilkes to the top of the club's all-time wicket-takers — a genuinely proud moment on an otherwise chastening afternoon. Dick Langridge chipped in with 2-41 and three tight maidens, and we did have Anchorians rocking, turning 122-3 into 125-6 in a flurry that had us dreaming, with A Hart and S Harris both back in the hutch without scoring. But P Woolsey's fine 60, well supported by J Cavey's 41 and a stand of 62 for the third wicket, proved too much, and they got home at 150-6 with four wickets in hand. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps, 12 byes leaking away — no doubt he'll want to forget that one. I did my bit with 17 with the bat, small beer next to leading the season's run charts with 492, while Dick Langridge continues to run away with the bowling with 43 wickets.

Not our day, then — beaten by four wickets, heads down, and back to the nets we go.

Sun 20 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv TS Tilling Steven · HomeformWDDWW

Sunday last saw Tilling Steven roll up for what turned into a proper old-fashioned tussle, and having called correctly I had few qualms about putting them in the field first. As is often the way, I lived to regret nothing at all, because the top order set about repairing my confidence rather nicely. Fred Greenfield led the charge with a fine 59, timing the ball well past his fifty, while Terry Whittaker chipped in a brisk 31 down the order. I managed to hang about for an unbeaten 42 myself, more through stubbornness than style, and by the close of our innings we'd posted a healthy 221 for 7 off 43.2 overs — enough, I felt, to make an afternoon of it.

Tilling Steven's reply had its moments of alarm for us. G. Winter looked in determined touch for his 37, with useful support from D. Pound (30) and Maskell (25), and for a spell it felt as though the game might slip from our grasp. But Whittaker, having already done his bit with the bat, turned his arm over beautifully — four maidens and figures of 2 for 21 kept the scoring honest, while Dick Langridge (2-44) and Basil Sears (1-12) tidied up the rest. Poor Prout departed without so much as a run to his name, which I'm sure will sting more than the result.

In the end they closed on 151 for 8, well short, but with too many overs gone for us to force it home. A draw it was, then — honours shared, pride intact, and the tea urn, as ever, the real winner of the day.

Sat 19 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · HomeformWWDDW

Saturday, 19 September 1964. Home to Maidstone Ymca CC, and the coin let me down again — they had first use of both toss and bat, though as it turned out that suited us rather nicely.

They mustered 107 all out in 35.4 overs, Phillips top-scoring with 33 and Smith chipping in 21, but the middle and lower order simply evaporated — Crabtree, Robinson and Merricks all back in the pavilion without a run to show for it as we slid them from 101-6 to 102-9 in the blink of an eye. The architect of the collapse was Alan Tucker, spinning a web of 7-21 with five maidens thrown in for good measure — the sort of spell that has opposition batsmen muttering into their tea. Terry Donovan (2-27) and Ron Hickman (1-15) tidied up the rest between them. I confess our 9 byes suggest Roy Clarke behind the stumps had rather a testing afternoon, but nobody was going to mention it after a display like that.

Chasing 108, Terry Whittaker played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 74 built on good sense and better timing, with Basil Sears keeping him company on 26 not out as we cantered home to 110 without loss in just 24 overs. Ten wickets, no fuss, home before the pub shut.

A thoroughly good day for the club — the bowlers did the damage, the openers did the tidying up, and I merely had to stand at slip and enjoy the show.

Sun 13 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv Staplehurst CC · AwayformDWWDD

1964, home lost by us, straight to the report.

At Staplehurst on a fine September Sunday, I won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first — a decision I stand by, even if 126 all out from 35.2 overs wasn't quite the fortress I'd hoped for. We lost our first wicket for just a single run, which is never the ideal way to settle the nerves, and poor Basil Sears will want to forget his golden duck rather quickly. Thankfully Joe Fenner steadied things with a fine 32, and I chipped in with 30 of my own to give the total some respectability.

Still, 126 always felt defendable on a day when the ball was doing things, and so it proved. Staplehurst were bowled out for 77 in 35.1 overs, with only G. Murrell offering any real resistance for 24. Openers P. Hollands and H. Catt both departed without troubling the scorers, and from there it was really one man's afternoon: Len Conway span a web through their middle and lower order for magnificent figures of 6 for 29, eight of his overs maidens besides. Terry Whittaker and Alan Tucker mopped up either end with a wicket apiece.

A word too for Roy Clarke, whose 14 runs quietly nudged him past Len Conway and up to 16th on the club's all-time run charts — history made almost in passing.

A 49-run win, two points banked, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work all round.

Sat 12 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · HomeformLDWWD

Saturday 12th September, and Bowaters CC came calling under skies that, for once, gave nothing away.

Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in batting first — and for once the decision looked sound rather than merely stubborn. Basil Sears played the innings of the day, 60 well past his fifty, with Terry Donovan a fine ally on 23. Losing our first wicket at 5 might have set nerves jangling, but the fifth-wicket pair steadied things with a stand of 66 that gave the innings its shape. Then, as is so often the way with us, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion — 109 for 5 became 120 for 8 almost before anyone had finished their tea, with poor Frank Brattle collecting a painful duck along the way. We closed on 148 for 8 from our 44 overs, a total that felt like both an achievement and a missed opportunity.

Bowaters replied with William Preston looking ominously fluent for his 57, ably supported by Roy Cole's unbeaten 21, and they too stumbled early at 5 for 1. But where we wobbled, they properly subsided, 84 for 4 crumbling to 101 for 7 as the pressure told. Terry Whittaker was superb with 2 for 23, backed handsomely by Dick Langridge's 2 for 31 — a landmark day for Dick, who climbed past Bert Buckoke into 25th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — and I chipped in with 1 for 8, which I shall mention only the once and modestly at that. Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid time behind the stumps, 8 byes testament to a tricky pitch rather than his gloves.

In the end neither side could force it home, and honours were shared. A draw, then — honest, hard-fought, and entirely in keeping with the game we love.

Wed 09 Sep 1964 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Birchington CC · AwayformWWWLW

Called it right at the toss on a fine Wednesday down at Birchington, and there was never much doubt in my mind: we were batting first.

Cliff Anscombe played the innings of the day, 78 in good touch, while Bob Brigden gave him fine support with 54 and William Buck chipped in with a tidy 30; the two of them put on 66 for the third wicket to give our total real substance. We closed on 204 for 7 from 43.4 overs, a score that felt like it had enough behind it to trouble Birchington.

And so it proved. They lost an early wicket with just 5 on the board, which set a suitably nervy tone, though M Elgar's 53 and useful contributions from K Williams (37) and R Hobcraft (28) built a 55-run stand for the third wicket that threatened to see them home. Poor E Diaz departed without troubling the scorers. But the real damage was done at the other end — I had one of those rare purple patches with the ball, 4 for 52 with 4 maidens to show for the afternoon's toil, well backed up by Charles Crellin's miserly 2 for 4 and Cliff Anscombe's 2 for 16. Rather nice, too, to have nudged past John Taylor into fourth on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, though I shan't let it go to my head.

Cliff leads both the run and wicket charts for the Midweek XI this season, and no one begrudges him it after a display like that. We got over the line by 42 runs in the end — a proper team performance from start to finish, and a very happy day for the club.

Sun 06 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv HC Harrietsham CC · HomeformWLDWW

William Buck's day, unquestionably — a captain barely needs to write a report when his number three bats through for 113 not out, but here we are, and someone has to sing his praises properly.

Won the toss on Sunday and, with the Harrietsham lads watching, had no hesitation sticking us in. Justified handsomely as we racked up 226/2 from our 48 overs. Buck was serene throughout, ably shepherded by Robert Murray's unbeaten fifty (59) and a tidy 24 from Fred Greenfield lower down. A total that left our openers with feet up in the pavilion rather longer than most Sundays.

In the field it was Len Conway's afternoon to remember — 6-41 off a miserly eight maidens, the kind of spell that has batsmen muttering into their gloves. Dick Langridge chipped in with 2-45, and between them Harrietsham's middle order simply evaporated, three of theirs departing without troubling the scorers. From 120-5 they slid to 124-8 and we sensed the win, only for Ray Tong (41) and D Hampshire (30) to have already done the damage earlier with a defiant 51 for the first wicket. They crawled home to 134-8, honours shared. Fred Greenfield's ten byes suggest the ball did a bit behind the stumps too — a note for training, perhaps.

Records tumbled quietly amid it all: Buck now second on the club's all-time run list, Conway up to fourteenth among the wicket-takers. A draw, then — but one that felt, in truth, rather more ours than theirs.

Sat 05 Sep 1964 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lukes Maidstone CC · HomeformDWLDW

Saturday 5th September saw St Lukes Maidstone visit us at Linton Park, and I lost the toss for what felt like the ninth week running — they had no hesitation in batting first, and who could blame them on a decent late-summer wicket. Their openers set about building something solid, 71 without loss before the first fell, and Pearson (41) and Beesley (35) looked for a while like they might bat us out of the game entirely. But cricket has a way of turning, and turn it did — from 116-4 to 121-7 in what felt like the time it takes to boil a kettle. I found some rhythm through the middle overs, finishing with 5-30 and a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure, while Colin Eldred (2-31) and Terry Donovan (2-38) squeezed the remaining oxygen out of their innings. All out 132-9 off 39 overs — a target that felt gettable, if never quite comfortable.

Chasing it, we were true to our stubborn selves. Fred Greenfield led the way with 41, Robert Murray chipped in 25 (and in doing so quietly nudged past Ray Howard into 6th on the club's all-time run charts — no small thing), and Colin Eldred saw us home unbeaten on 23, the pair's 55-run third-wicket stand the difference between comfort and calamity. We scraped over the line at 133-6 from 35.1 overs, four wickets in hand and not a great deal else.

A fine win, deserved more in the field than at the crease, but a win all the same. Onwards to the next one.

Sun 30 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv HB Hambros Bank · HomeformLDWLD

I called correctly at the toss and, with a pitch that looked too good to leave alone, had no hesitation in batting first. It proved the right call. William Buck played the innings of the day, a superb 104, and found a willing ally in Frank Brattle whose 27 helped stitch together a 91-run stand for the third wicket that really set the platform. I came in and made a watchful 41 not out to help us close on a handsome 217/4 from our fifty overs — a total that had Hambros Bank's opening pair looking distinctly uneasy in the pavilion.

And so it proved. An early wicket at 0-1 set the tone, and though D Harris played a lone hand of real substance with 41, well supported by W Norton's unbeaten 22, the middle order simply had no answer. From 50-6 they slid to 70-9, with G Taylor, J Bailey and R Richardson all departing for ducks, and the innings folded for 108 in 25.5 overs. Dick Langridge was the chief tormentor with 3-12, Terry Whittaker and Bob Brigden chipped in with two apiece, and Gordon Fenner kept things wonderfully mean with two maidens.

A thumping 109-run win, then, and a red-letter day too — Buck's century sees him leapfrog Stan Wratten into second on the club's all-time run charts. All told, a proper afternoon of village cricket, and one the tea urn will be talking about for weeks.

Sat 29 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv A A.Trembeths · HomeformWLDWL

Off it goes to press, sponsored by the Dog & Duck.

Saturday brought A. Trembeths to Linton Park, and having lost the toss we found ourselves in the field first — never my favourite way to start a Saturday, but there we are. They batted their way to 171 for 9 off 43 overs, with L. Fell's fine 65 doing most of the damage, well backed up by F. Gilbertson's 29. We did at least strike early, reducing them to 5 for 1, but a stubborn 77-run ninth-wicket stand rather undid our good work and dragged the total up to something respectable. Credit where it's due: Terry Donovan was superb with the ball, taking 4 for 31 and reaching the milestone of 50 career wickets in the process — a lovely moment to witness. David Gale toiled away for 3 for 78 with four maidens that gave nothing away, and moved up to 15th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, past Len Conway. I chipped in with 2 for 36 myself, on a day where I currently lead our 1964 wicket charts with 36 for the season.

Chasing 172, we made a fair fist of it. Fred Greenfield played the anchor role beautifully for 56, ably supported by Basil Sears's 39 and Robert Murray's unbeaten 31, with a solid 74-run second-wicket stand the platform for it all. We did rather stumble at the death, losing three wickets between 145 and 161, and Fred had a torrid time behind the stumps too, with 13 byes escaping his gloves. In the end we finished on 161 for 7 — short of the target, but honours were shared, and a draw against a side that fought so hard felt like fair reward for a proper afternoon's cricket.

Sun 23 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv SC Sevenoaks Vine CC · HomeformDWLDW

Not for the first time this season, the coin let me down. Sevenoaks Vine won the toss, elected to bat, and made themselves thoroughly at home on a track that clearly favoured stroke over sweat. Rodney Crang played the innings of a lifetime, a magnificent 111, while Derek Preston kept him company with a fine 92, and David Abbott finished unbeaten on 28 for good measure. The pair of them put on 176 for the first wicket before we so much as glimpsed a breakthrough, and by the time they declared their innings closed at 250/2 from 46 overs, the damage was very much done. Credit where it's due — David Gale prised out one big wicket for 33, and Dick Langridge chipped in with another for 63, but on the day it felt rather like bailing out a rowing boat with a teaspoon.

Chasing 250 was always going to ask serious questions of our top order, and we failed the exam rather spectacularly. An early wobble at 8-1 set an ominous tone, and what followed at 77-6 sliding to 77-9 in the blink of an eye was less a collapse than a implosion — David Gale and Alan Wilkes both departed for golden ducks. We were bowled out for 93 in 39.1 overs, though I did my modest bit along the way, my 225 runs this season still enough to keep me third in the club's run charts, with Dick Langridge second among the wicket-takers on 32.

Beaten by 157 runs, then — no dressing it up. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 22 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformWDWLD

Sitting down to write this, I still can't quite believe we got there. Chasing 118 always sounds a formality on paper, but Aylesford Paper Mills, and J. Curtin in particular with a stubborn 38, made sure there was nothing formal about it whatsoever.

Losing the toss and being put out to bowl first is never how you'd choose to spend a Saturday afternoon, but the lads made rather light work of it. Dick Langridge was in irresistible form, tying the visitors in knots for figures of 7 for 38 with two maidens thrown in for good measure — a five-for and then some, and thoroughly deserved. Charles Crellin and Ron Hickman chipped in either side of him, and Aylesford were bowled out for 118 in 36.2 overs, which felt rather more like a formality than the total suggested it should.

Chasing it, mind, was a different matter entirely. We stumbled to 123 for 7 off 39 overs, with poor Terry Donovan and Barry Langridge both suffering the walk of shame for ducks — the Duck Club ledger will not let them forget it in a hurry. I was fortunate enough to find some form and see us home unbeaten on 63, with Charles Crellin's 28 keeping me honest company along the way.

Dick Langridge's afternoon didn't end with the scorebook, either — his seven wickets took him past 50 for his career, and he now sits second in the 1964 First XI charts with 31 for the season. Two points, three wickets to spare, and a report I was rather relieved to be writing at all.

Sun 16 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · HomeformLWDWL

Sunday, 16 August 1964, The Mote CC visited Linton Park, and I won the toss and elected to bat — the right call, I still maintain, whatever muttering came from the pavilion steps.

We were bowled out for 170 in 47.5 overs, a total that flattered to deceive in the middle order. John Ames played the innings of the day, a well-crafted 74, and found a willing ally in Robert Murray, whose 32 helped forge a third-wicket stand worth 59. But cricket being cricket, the middle order rather lost its nerve thereafter, and we slid from 107 for 3 to 119 for 6 in the time it takes to put the kettle on.

In the field, we set about defending our total with more discipline than the scoreboard perhaps suggests. The Mote's first wicket went for nought — poor Geoff Fernand back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers — before Mike Foster (30), M. Dyer (29) and John Waters (25) steadied things and dragged them to 132 for 6 off 54 overs. Terry Whittaker was again the chief tormentor, 2 for 27 with six miserly maidens, well supported by John Ames's 2 for 36 and Len Conway's 1 for 13.

Elsewhere, I'm rather chuffed to still be topping the club's run charts this season with 343, though Whittaker's 34 wickets keep reminding me who the real match-winner is.

In the end, honours were shared — a draw that satisfied nobody and offended nobody, which is, I suppose, cricket's way of telling both sides to try harder next week.

Sat 15 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · AwayformDLWDW

I won the toss on Saturday and, with the sun out over Bowaters CC, could see no earthly reason not to bat first. Reader, I was wrong. We were bowled out for a paltry 30 in 19.2 overs, the innings collapsing from 10 for 1 to 14 for 4 in the time it takes to pour a cup of tea. Terry Donovan and Richard Ashby joined me in the ignominious club of ducks — three of us back in the pavilion without troubling the scorer, myself included, and the less said about that the better.

Thirty on the board was never going to trouble anyone, and so it proved. Bowaters strolled to 31 without loss in a brisk 7.1 overs, our attack offering little more than target practice. Poor Bob Arnold had an afternoon to forget behind the stumps, ten byes disappearing through to the boundary as though the wicket itself had been left open for business.

There was at least one bright thread in an otherwise threadbare season's tapestry: Terry Whittaker continues to lead the 1st XI wicket charts for 1964 with 32 scalps to his name, proof that not everything at Linton Park has gone begging this summer.

As for Saturday, there is no dressing it up. Beaten by seven wickets, comprehensively and swiftly, in a match we shall all be quietly grateful the gazette does not illustrate with photographs. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets — there is batting practice badly overdue.

Sun 09 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv HC Harrietsham CC · AwayformLDLWD

We drew the short straw for the toss on a fine Sunday down at Harrietsham, though I fancied us to bat, and I fancied right — the right call, if I say so myself.

It didn't start well. William Buck's 40 was the innings' one real jewel, but around him the card told a sorrier tale: an early wicket at 3-1 before, in the time it takes to pour a tea, we'd slumped to 7-4. I contributed my own small disaster to the collapse, falling for a duck alongside John Ames, and we limped to 109 all out from our forty overs. Not a total to frighten anyone, on paper.

Cricket, though, delights in making fools of paper totals. Harrietsham's reply never found its rhythm, losing an early wicket with just 4 up, and from there the innings simply came apart — three of their batsmen departing without troubling the scorer. T Bridle battled hard for 33, but it was Terry Whittaker who owned the afternoon, a magnificent 7-39 with two maidens thrown in for good measure, well supported by Len Conway's 3-25 — a spell that also nudges Conway past David Gale into 15th on the club's all-time wicket list. Harrietsham were bowled out for 66.

I fell for nought with the bat, and we shall draw a veil over that. But 43 runs was 43 runs, two points banked, and thoroughly, unarguably earned.

Sat 08 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv TS Tilling Steven · AwayformLLDLW

Saturday the eighth of August found us on the road to Tilling Steven, and for once the toss went our way — I had no hesitation in taking first knock, and I still maintain it was the right call, whatever the lads mutter about batting first on a green one.

We were given an early fright at 7 for 1, the sort of start that has you reaching for the flask before the tea urn's even out, but a stand of 68 for the second wicket steadied things nicely. I was fortunate enough to find some form and carried on to 69, with Basil Sears chipping in a handy 27, and between us we dragged the total up to a respectable-looking position. Respectable, that is, until the wheels came off spectacularly — 75 for 2 became 81 for 5 in the blink of an eye, with Terry Donovan, John Mattingley and Gordon Fenner all departing without troubling the scorers. All out 154 from 44.1 overs felt like a score we'd left runs in.

In the field, though, Terry Donovan turned magician, spinning his way to 6 for 53 with three miserly maidens thrown in for good measure, well supported by Bob Brigden's 3 for 35. We had them 130 for 9 from their 34 overs, D. Pound's 41 and an unbeaten 30 from Smith the only real resistance, with Sheppard and Hughes gone cheaply.

A word too for Bob Arnold, marking his 200th appearance in Linton colours — a fine landmark on a day when honours finished shared. A draw, then, and on this evidence, fair enough.

Mon 03 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformDLLDL

As it stands from the captain's chair, Monday saw us make the trip to Bearsted with a spring in our step, and winning the toss I had no hesitation in electing to bat — the right call, I felt, and events did little to prove me wrong. We were bowled out for 176 from 65 overs, built principally on a fine 39 from Stan Wratten, well supported by Robert Murray's 30 and Charles Crellin's 27. There was, inevitably, a wobble — from 134 for 5 to 148 for 8 in the time it takes to put the kettle on — and poor Roy Clarke's golden duck did nothing to steady those nerves. Still, 176 felt like a total to bowl at.

And bowl at it we did. Bearsted were dismissed for 127 in 45.5 overs, despite Ian Lambert's determined 43 and David Andrews's 39, the pair adding a stubborn 63 for the fifth wicket after an early wicket at 8 had threatened to derail them entirely. We sent Colin Fleetwood, George Lambell and Mike Burton back for ducks apiece, while Terry Whittaker bowled beautifully for 4 for 37 with five miserly maidens, backed superbly by Gordon Fenner's 3 for 29 and Dick Langridge's 3 for 38. I chipped in with the bat earlier in the day, and it was pleasing to see it count. Ten byes did rather tell their own tale about poor Roy's afternoon behind the stumps.

A day of milestones too — Frank Brattle to 3,000 career runs, and Terry Whittaker marking his 100th appearance with his 300th career wicket, no less. A fine win by 49 runs. Onwards.

Sat 01 Aug 1964 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformWDLLD

Lost the toss, lost the choice, and out we trooped into the field on a Saturday that already smelled of graft. Headcorn set about building a total with the sort of unhurried confidence that makes a captain's stomach sink — G. Murrell compiling a handsome 63 and R. Excell not far behind with 50, the pair putting on 80 for the second wicket while I shuffled my field and tried to look like I had a plan. Credit where it's due: Terry Donovan bowled beautifully for his 4-37, two maidens included, and kept things honest when the runs threatened to run away from us; D. Woolston chipped in with a wicket too. Headcorn closed on 184/6 from their 46 overs — competitive, but not, we told ourselves at tea, insurmountable.

It proved rather more insurmountable than advertised. We lost our first wicket with the score on 1, and the rot never entirely stopped — Basil Sears and Derek Pantony both departed for ducks, and it was left to extras, a generous 29 of them, to make the most eye-catching contribution on our card. Twenty-one of those were byes, which tells its own tale of a long afternoon behind the stumps for poor Bob Arnold. I did what I could with the bat, and can at least console myself that it keeps me atop the season's run charts on 249. All out for 139 in 35.5 overs, beaten by 45 runs. Not our day. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 26 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · AwayformLWDLL

1964年、フォークストンCCとの試合。Here's the match report:

Sunday last saw us off to Folkestone, where the coin fell their way and we were dispatched into the field with the kind of instruction one accepts through gritted teeth. Ian Pepper looked in no mood to be parted from his bat, motoring to 85, while Graham Miller stood firm for an unbeaten 68 and John Butler chipped in with 41 — the pair adding a hundred together at the crucial third wicket that rather took the game away from us. They closed on 282 for 5, a total that owed everything to that stand and precious little to our efforts to prise them apart, though Terry Whittaker toiled manfully for his 4 for 102, Alan Tucker picked up one, and Dick Langridge's three maidens showed there was discipline amid the carnage, even if Mike Stephens' departure for nought was the only cheap wicket on offer.

Chasing 282 was always going to be a tall order on a used pitch and a warm afternoon, and so it proved. Stan Wratten batted with real application for 55 and William Buck supported him nobly with 47 — the two adding 86 for the fourth wicket, which was as good as it got — while I contributed my own small share along the way. Fred Greenfield's duck was the only real blot, and sixteen byes told poor Roy Clarke's story better than I ever could.

We finished on 155 for 9, well short but honours were shared in the end, a draw when neither side could quite land the killer blow. A word, too, for William Buck, whose 47 nudged him past Basil Sears into third on the club's all-time run charts — some consolation on an afternoon when consolation was in short supply. Not our finest hour, but not our worst either.

Sat 25 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv TB Tovil and Bridge · AwayformLLWDL

We were off to Tovil and Bridge on a Saturday that promised more than it delivered, and I lost the toss — or won it, depending on your view of batting first in these parts — and sent them in. It proved a mixed blessing. Brian Fitch played beautifully for his 63, and once K. Payne settled in for an unbeaten 50 and J. Jeganathan chipped in with 39, the pair put on 103 for the sixth wicket and the game rather ran away from us. Credit to Dick Langridge for sticking at it for 2-43, with Ron Hickman and Terry Donovan both weighing in with 2-47 and 2-61 respectively, and at least H. Saunders and R. Jeffreys departed for ducks at our hands, which offered some small consolation. 216/7 from their 38 overs was always going to take some chasing.

And chase it we did not. Terry Donovan battled hard for 31, and I managed 25 myself, but from 99-5 we stumbled to 104-8 in the blink of an eye, and Ron Hickman and A. Mitchell both went for golden ducks as the tail folded meekly. All out for 110 in 40.5 overs — a chastening effort. Spare a thought too for Roy Clarke behind the stumps, who had one of those afternoons where the ball simply would not stay out of his gloves, eight byes testament to a tricky pitch.

Not our day, then — beaten by 106 runs, no arguing with that scoreline. Still top of the run charts and Langridge second among the wicket-takers, so all is not lost. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 19 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv LN Len Newbury's · HomeformLLLWD

Sunday 19 July at Len Newbury's, and having won the toss I sent the visitors in — a decision I'd be second-guessing by teatime. They posted 115 all out from 41.2 overs, with J. Barnes' 26 doing most of the damage, but the ball did some fine work of its own: Alan Wilkes led the way with 3-26, Terry Whittaker chipped in with 3-43, and Len Conway bowled with real discipline, 2-11 including four maidens that must have felt like a small siege. All told, a modest total and one we had every right to fancy chasing.

Fancy it we did, right up until we didn't. An early wicket with nought on the board set the nerves jangling, and though Frank Brattle held things together with a fighting 27, the middle order rather lost the plot — 68 for 7 became 76 all out in the sort of collapse that gives clubhouse teas an awkward silence. John Ames and Alan Wilkes both departed for ducks, and I contributed my own small share to the afternoon's total before the innings folded in on itself.

There was a silver lining amid the wreckage: David Gale's two wickets nudged him past Robert Wood into 15th on the club's all-time list, which is rather more than most of us managed to smile about. I sit second in the season's run charts on 212, with Wilkes still miles clear atop the bowling.

Not our day, then — beaten by 39 runs, heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 18 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv RC Rumwood CC · HomeformDLLLW

Saturday the eighteenth of July, and Rumwood CC came calling at Linton Park under skies that, like my luck with the coin, gave nothing away. They won the toss, elected to bat, and I trudged out to set a field feeling like a man already one down.

They made hay to the tune of 154 for 6 off their 42 overs, R Venner compiling a handsome fifty (54) with Mike Iliffe unbeaten on 39 and N. Phillips chipping in 21 — the pair at the top putting on 50 for the first wicket before we could lay a glove on them. Credit where due: D Woolston bowled beautifully for 4-36, seven of his overs maidens, while Terry Donovan (1-40) and I (1-35) tidied up what was left.

In reply we fell apart with almost comic efficiency — 5 for 1 became 12 for 4 in the blink of an eye, and we limped to 42 for 8 from our 20 overs. Frank Brattle and I both walked the walk of shame for ducks, and eight byes told poor Roy Clarke's story behind the stumps better than I ever could.

Still, Roy sits third in the season's run charts with 173, and I find myself second among the wicket-takers with 18. A draw, then — honours shared, pride bruised, tea very much needed.

Sun 12 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv CC Claributs Circus · HomeformLDLLL

Sunday the twelfth of July brought Claributs Circus to Linton Park, and with ball in hand from the off, we set about them straight away — a policy that looked rather inspired once Alan Tucker got going. Spinning away happily in the sunshine, Alan finished with six for 35, passing his hundredth career wicket in the process, while David Gale bowled with real discipline, two maidens among his figures of two for 29. I managed a couple myself, two for 17, and between us we had Claributs bowled out for 127 in 38.2 overs, David Clark's 45 the only real resistance and poor C Croft back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

Chasing 128, we made unnecessarily hard work of it, losing an early wicket with just four on the board to set the nerves jangling round the boundary. A stand of 55 for the third wicket steadied things nicely, Colin Eldred's 40 the backbone of the innings, with Roy Clarke's 27 and my own 34 chipping in either side of it. Len Conway's duck was the one blot on an otherwise tidy card, and fifteen byes suggested Roy Clarke had rather a testing afternoon behind the stumps.

We scrambled home by four wickets in 37.5 overs, Roy's runs pushing him past Robert Wood into 17th on the all-time list, David Gale's wickets doing likewise past Len Conway into 16th. Fred Greenfield still leads our season's run-getters with 212, and Alan sits third among the wicket-takers on 16. A scrappy win, but a win all the same — and I'll take those all day long.

Sat 11 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv T Tovil · AwayformDLDLL

Saturday 11 July, and the coin fell kindly for once — I won the toss at Tovil and had no hesitation in batting first. We made 120 all out in 37.5 overs, Basil Sears leading the way with a handsome 32 and I chipped in with 26. Nicely placed at 84 for 4, we then lost the plot, slipping to 97 for 7 in a flurry. D Woolston and Ron Hickman both trudged back for ducks, the walk of shame taken twice over.

With the ball, Tovil edged home to 121 for 6 in a laborious 49.3 overs. L- White's 38 was the backbone of their reply, supported by D- White's unbeaten 22, while D- Morekite departed for nought. Dick Langridge bowled beautifully for 3 for 47, and I kept things tight myself with 2 for 23, including seven maidens. Spare a thought for Roy Clarke behind the stumps, who endured eight byes on an unforgiving afternoon.

There was still much worth celebrating: Frank Brattle brought up his 200th appearance in Linton colours, and Basil Sears's 32 nudged him past William Buck into third on the club's all-time run-scoring list. My own season ticks along nicely — 176 runs sees me second in the 1st XI run charts, with Dick second among the bowlers on 17 wickets.

In the end, Tovil got home by four wickets, and there's no gilding that lily. Not our day, but with landmarks tumbling and the runs and wickets still flowing for one or two of us, it's heads up and back to the nets.

Sun 05 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · AwayformWDLDL

Beaten by three wickets in the end, and Aylesford Paper Mills will sleep easier for it, but there was much to admire in this one before the finish got away from us. Winning the toss on a fine Sunday, I had no hesitation in batting, and John Ames gave the innings its backbone with a fine 90, stitching together a crucial second-wicket stand of 82 that set the platform. Stan Wratten's 25 and William Buck's 23 added the necessary flesh to the bones, and 182/6 from our 45 overs felt a defendable total as we trooped off for tea.

Defending it, though, is another matter, and D Torkington had other ideas, compiling a superb hundred - 104 no less - to drag the game away from us, with Alan Baker (43) and Geoff Hughes (23) lending sturdy support in a second-wicket stand of 119 that undid all our good work. Credit where due: Terry Whittaker toiled magnificently, 3-64 with three tidy maidens, Alan Tucker chipped in with 2-56, and we did at least have the modest satisfaction of removing Cliff Anscombe and Wayne Sprigmore for ducks. It simply wasn't quite enough.

One bright footnote amid the gloom: William Buck's knock nudged him past Basil Sears into third on the club's all-time run-scorers list, a fine personal landmark on an otherwise chastening afternoon. We'll dust ourselves down, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 04 Jul 1964 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · AwayformLWDLD

Terry Whittaker here, reporting back from a warm Saturday at Charles Arkcoll on 4th July, where the coin let us down before a ball was bowled and we found ourselves in the field.

We stuck to our task well enough. Stan Wratten and Sean Carter put together the bulk of a 132/7 total from their 51 overs, with Wratten's 39 the innings' backbone and Carter's 32 lending sturdy support, while poor Brian Aiston trudged off for a duck. I managed to find some rhythm myself, finishing with 3-34, and had good company in Colin Eldred (2-22) and Ron Hickman (1-38), with Dick Langridge fairly strangling the scoring with six maidens to his name.

Alas, 132 proved rather beyond us. We lost our first wicket for just 1 run, and the middle order rather fell apart from there — a grim procession that saw Basil Sears, Colin Eldred and, I confess, myself all back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. J Woodward stood firm for 38 and deserves the warmest applause of the day; the rest of us shall draw a discreet veil over our efforts. All out for 77 in 26 overs told its own story.

A 55-run defeat, then, and not our finest afternoon with the bat. But heads up, chins out, and back to the nets — there'll be sunnier Saturdays yet.

Sun 28 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv CP Canterbury Pilgrims · HomeformLLWDL

Skipper's Log — Sunday 28 June 1964

Winning the toss, I put us into the field first, more in hope than expectation of a quiet afternoon — and so it proved. Dobson simply took the game away from us, a chanceless 107 that had the tea urn shaking in sympathy, while Vaughan settled in beside him for a composed 81 not out; their third-wicket stand of 153 did most of the damage on its own. Dick Langridge toiled manfully for 1-52 and got precious little luck for it, with David Gale and Terry Whittaker chipping in a wicket apiece as we tried everything short of moving the sightscreens. 226/3 from 46 overs left us with a proper mountain.

Our reply never quite found its feet after losing the first wicket for just one run, and Woolston and Langridge both departing without troubling the scorers didn't help matters, our own Dick suffering the ignominy of a golden duck 🦆. Roy Clarke, having already had a torrid time behind the stumps — eight byes is not a total one boasts about — top-scored gamely with 35, well supported by Fred Greenfield's 29, but 115/8 from 51 overs was always going to be defending the indefensible.

One bright note amid the wreckage: Basil Sears's two runs nudged him past William Buck into third on the club's all-time run charts 📈 — a man quietly building a legacy while the rest of us built excuses.

A draw, then, honours shared, nobody quite deserving to win it. We live to fight another Sunday.

Sat 27 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv SC Sevenoaks Vine CC · HomeformLLLWD

Sevenoaks Vine CC came to Linton Park, called correctly, and had no hesitation choosing first use of the bat. They laboured to 91 all out in 36.2 overs, C. Richardson (24) and C. Bennett (20) doing the honest work the rest of the order couldn't back up. We turned the screw nicely — 61 for 4 became 69 for 7 in no time — and poor R. King trudged off without troubling the scorers at all.

I'll allow myself one boast for the ledger: 5 for 27, three of them maidens, was as good a spell as I've bowled in a while, and richly satisfying it was too. Ron Hickman was no passenger either with 4 for 39, and D. Woolston chipped in with 1 for 8. Ninety-one seemed a modest enough target to chase.

Batting, alas, is a game the whole side must play together, and we made a decent fist of not doing so. An early stumble to 2 for 1 set the tone, and from a steadying 22 for 2 the wheels came off entirely, 39 for 5 arriving in a heartbeat. Both Terry Donovan and Ron Hickman endured that long, friendless walk back for nought, and we were bowled out for 85 in 46 overs — a tale of good bowling undone by careless batting.

Elsewhere in the season's ledger, Fred Greenfield continues to lead our 1964 run charts with 160, while Hickman's tidy season with the ball now reads 9 wickets, fifth on the club list. As for Saturday: beaten by six runs, honestly and narrowly, and we'll be all the better for it next week.

Sun 21 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv EC East Peckham & Nettlestead CC · HomeformDLLLW

From the captain's chair — Sunday 21 June 1964. It was East Peckham & Nettlestead CC at home, and the toss went against us, so it was pads off and boots on straight away as we took the field first.

They battled to 130 all out from 55.5 overs, B Underdown top-scoring with 30, Percy Brattle and N Ashman chipping in with 25 and 23 apiece. But there was a spell of collapse in there too, 64 for 2 becoming 69 for 5 in a hurry, with A Morris, R Mann and R Miles all sent back without so much as a squeak from the scorebook. The architect of it all was Alan Wilkes, who simply ran riot — 8 for 60, seven of his overs maidens, not a run given away lightly. Dick Langridge and David Gale mopped up the rest with a wicket apiece.

With 87 for 5 needed to chase, sorry, to bat out from 35 overs, I chipped in with 33 myself, and Stan Wratten gave fine support with 27 — though we lost the first wicket for just 1 before that pair put on 64 for the second. Frank Brattle and Roy Clarke both fell without troubling the scorers, proof that club cricket never lets anyone get too comfortable.

One for the mantelpiece: Alan's eight-wicket haul carries him past John Ames into first on the club's all-time wicket list — a landmark earned the hard way, over after miserly over.

Honours shared in the end. A draw, but with Alan in that kind of form, it feels rather more like a point won than a match missed.

Sun 14 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv BC Bobbing Court CC · AwayformDDLLL

We travelled to Bobbing Court CC on a fine Sunday, and having called correctly at the toss, I fancied a bat first — a decision I spent much of the afternoon quietly reconsidering. We were bowled out for a distinctly modest 54 in 34.5 overs, D. Andrew doing the heavy lifting with a battling 20 while the rest of us rather let the side down. A collapse from 40-3 to 48-6 in the space of a few overs was the sort of thing that has grown men writing to the MCC, and ducks for William Buck, Roy Clarke and Richard Ashby did nothing to brighten the tea interval.

Fifty-four looked a total that wouldn't survive a stiff breeze, let alone a cricket match — but the lads had other ideas. Bobbing Court subsided from 7-1 to 10-4 and never really recovered, ducks for P. Bedelle, Gordon Kemsley and John McLeod doing our work for us. Denis Fowle's 21 was the only real resistance, but David Gale was in irresistible form, spinning his way to 6-18 with eleven miserly maidens, well backed by Gordon Fenner's 4-18. They were all out for 39 in 31.5 overs, and a total that had looked an embarrassment an hour earlier proved just enough.

Special mention, too, for Roy Clarke, who brought up his 200th appearance in Linton colours — some consolation for that early duck. A fine win by 15 runs, snatched from the jaws of our own batting; onwards we go, largely undeserving but not remotely complaining.

Mon 08 Jun 1964 🧢 Midweek XIv DC Dimanchians CC · HomeformWWWWL

Monday last saw Dimanchians CC pay us a visit, and with the coin falling kindly I sent them in — a decision that looked rather clever once they'd slumped to 7 for 1. Poor P Barton and M Cooke never troubled the scorers at all, back in the pavilion for twin ducks before the tea urn had properly warmed, and the innings never really recovered its poise, folding for 90 in 46.2 overs.

The bowling had a good deal to do with that. Dick Langridge was superb, 4 for 36, with Cliff Anscombe snapping up three for a miserly 24 and D Woolston chipping in with 2 for 5. I did my bit too, sending down nine maidens and generally making life dull for their batsmen, which is about the highest compliment a medium-pacer can pay himself.

Chasing 90 ought to have been a formality, and in the end it very nearly wasn't. We lost a wicket with just 7 on the board, and Richard Ashby fell for a duck of his own to keep things interesting, but Fred Greenfield anchored proceedings beautifully with an unbeaten 27 to see us home at 94 for 7.

A word for Basil Sears, whose 11 runs today eased him past William Buck and into third on the club's all-time run charts — a fine addition to a memorable afternoon. Two points, and thoroughly deserved: won by 3 wickets, and the tea was rather good too.

Sun 07 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv Gore Court CC · AwayformLDDLL

Sunday, 7th June, and away to Gore Court in what my diary charitably calls "batting conditions." Winning the toss, I had no hesitation whatsoever in electing to bat — a decision that looked faintly ridiculous when we slipped to 6 for 1, and only slightly less ridiculous thereafter. Stan Wratten played the innings of the day, a fine 59, with Roy Clarke chipping in a sound 21 and the sixth-wicket pair adding a much-needed 53 to drag us to a defendable-looking 132 all out. Poor Derek Pantony will not thank me for mentioning his duck, but the gazette is nothing if not honest.

Defending 132 always felt a stretch, and so it proved. Roger Ledger played a composed, unhurried innings of 69 not out, well supported by Robin Bush's 27, the pair sharing a second-wicket stand of 53 that rather took the game away from us. Dick Langridge was our pick of the bowlers with 1 for 34, Gordon Fenner chipping in with 1 for 38, but eight byes told their own tale of a testing afternoon behind the stumps — not our finest hour with the gloves. Gore Court cantered home at 134 for 2.

Elsewhere in the season's ledger, Fred Greenfield continues to lead our run charts on 151, and Dick Langridge sits second among the wicket-takers with 12. But today belonged to Gore Court, beaten by us not at all — we lost by 8 wickets. A chastening one, but we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 06 Jun 1964 🧢 1st XIv T Tovil · HomeformLLDDL

Down by 106 runs at Linton Park on Saturday, and if anyone asks, we lost the toss for the bowling and won it in every other respect except the one that matters — the runs.

Put into the field first, we watched our visitors settle in for a leisurely 170 for 9 off their 55, with Jim Archer the chief architect at 48, well backed by White (36) and Taylor (30), their third-wicket pair stitching together a stand of 59 that we never quite got a handle on. But Dick Langridge had other ideas, spinning his way through the order for a magnificent 5 for 67 — four maidens included, not a run given away that he didn't have to — with Ron Hickman chipping in a stout 3 for 58. John Archer and Doug Hitchen both fell for nought, so the visitors weren't entirely immune to the odd horror show themselves.

Which made what followed all the more painful. Chasing 171, we were bowled out for 64 in 33 overs, a collapse of the classic Linton Park variety — 38 for 4 becoming 41 for 7 before most of us had finished our tea. Roy Clarke, Richard Ashby and Ron Hickman all made twin contributions of absolutely nothing, three ducks laid in short order.

Fred Greenfield continues to lead our run charts with 147 for the season, and Dick Langridge's five-for lifts him to third in the wickets with 11 — small consolation on a black afternoon. Not our day, gentlemen. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 31 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · HomeformWLLDD

Beaten by 109 runs it was, but there was character in this one, and I'll take character over a beating any day of the week.

Lost the toss – no change there this season – and Folkestone had no hesitation sending themselves in. They made themselves thoroughly at home, mind: 171 for 4 off their 38 overs, built around Ian Pepper's watchful unbeaten fifty, well supported by Peter Godden's 34 and Brian Humphries' 28, the pair adding a stand of 75 for the fourth wicket that rather took the game away from us. Alan Wilkes toiled hardest for his 2 for 79, with John Ames and Alan Tucker chipping in a wicket apiece, Tucker's three maidens the only real note of discipline in an afternoon where the bat generally had the better of it.

Our reply was, in the fine old tradition of these things, best not dwelt on too long. Eight for the first wicket set the tone, and once the middle order began its procession – 56 for 5 collapsing to 61 for 8 in the blink of an eye – there was precious little Stan Wratten or Roy Clarke could do about their ducks. All out for 62 off 29 overs, with eighteen byes in the book to remind the wicketkeeper it wasn't entirely his afternoon either.

There were bright notes amid the wreckage: William Buck's solitary run edged him past Basil Sears into third on the club's all-time run list, and John Ames's lone wicket lifted him past Alan Wilkes to the very top of our wicket-takers. Small mercies, gratefully received. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 30 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv A A.Trembeths · HomeformLWLLD

Saturday 30th May, and I won the toss against our visitors with what I like to think was quiet authority, though it was probably closer to a shrug. No hesitation, though — we batted.

It was not the smoothest of starts, 8 for 1 barely off the mark, and when Richard Ashby and Bob Arnold both departed without troubling the scorers, one began composing the excuses for the tea interval. But Basil Sears settled things beautifully, compiling a fine 78 in a second-wicket stand of 67, and found willing company in Fred Greenfield (37) and the unbeaten Terry Donovan (37), the latter seeing us home to a respectable 177 for 7 from our 52.1 overs.

With the ball, the visitors made a fair fist of the chase, reaching 150 for 7 from their 40, propped up by L. Fell's unbeaten 44 and a- Johnson's 25. But David Gale bowled beautifully — 3 for 35 with three maidens thrown in for good measure — and found support from Ron Hickman (2-40) and Ben Collings (1-30). Poor Roy Clarke had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 12 byes going begging, though I shan't hold it against him; wicketkeeping is a thankless art at the best of times.

In the end neither side could force the issue, and honours were shared. Fred Greenfield continues to top our season's run charts and Ben Collings sits handily among the wickets — a draw, then, but one earned rather than drifted into, and not a bad way to spend a Saturday.

Sun 24 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · AwayformWLWLL

Sunday 24 May 1964 saw us head to The Mote CC, and having won the toss I elected to bat — the right call, I felt, and I'll stand by it in print even if pride occasionally goeth before a run-out.

We posted a respectable 158 for 8 from our 53 overs, built on a fine knock from Fred Greenfield, who cruised past his fifty and finished with exactly that, well supported by yours truly with 29 — the two of us putting on 77 for the fourth wicket in what was, without wishing to overstate it, rather the making of the innings.

Out in the field we kept them to 97 for 3 from 31.4 overs, T. Rickard unbeaten on 34 and Mike Foster alongside him on 31 not out proving stubbornly hard to shift. Alan Wilkes bowled beautifully for his 2 for 33, nine of his overs maidens — the sort of miserly spell that has batsmen muttering into their gloves — with John Ames chipping in at 1 for 17.

In the end neither side could quite force it home, and honours were shared. A draw it was, then — not the stuff of legend, but a thoroughly decent day's cricket, good runs, tight bowling, and nobody going home too disgruntled. I'll take that.

Sat 23 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv Gore Court CC · HomeformWWLWL

Beaten before we'd truly begun, if I'm honest. Winning the toss and choosing to bat felt like the right call at the time — it always does, doesn't it — but 7 for 1 had a way of colouring the whole afternoon, and by the time we'd slumped to 25 for 4 the tea urn was already being filled with a certain grim inevitability. All out for 57 in 30.3 overs is not a total you defend with much conviction, and poor Richard Ashby's golden duck rather summed up the mood on the balcony.

To our credit, we didn't down tools with the ball. Graham Collings bowled two tidy maidens and gave the scorers little to do, while H Mannering picked up a wicket for just 6 runs — proper, disciplined stuff on a day that could easily have unravelled further. But Gore Court's David Hillier, unbeaten on 27, and John Bishop with a composed 26, simply had too much in hand, cantering to 61 for 1 in under twenty overs and putting the result well beyond our meagre total.

Nine wickets is a chastening margin by anyone's reckoning, though Frank Brattle continues to lead our 1964 run charts with 71 for the season, which is at least something to cling to over a pint afterwards. All told: a batting collapse we'll want to forget, a bowling effort we can build on, and a lesson that 57 rarely wins you cricket matches. We'll be better for it next week.

Tue 19 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv DC Detling CC · HomeformWWWLW

Beaten by a single run — from the captain's chair, Tuesday 19th May, Detling CC at home.

We lost the toss and were put in the field, which on reflection may have been the shrewder half of the day's business for the visitors. We struck early, with the first wicket falling at just 6, and had them wobbling nicely from 45-6 to 65-9 before their innings folded for 66 off 13 overs. Alan Wilkes was quite simply unplayable, tearing through them for 7-36 — a spell the lads will be dining out on for weeks — with Gordon Fenner chipping in a tidy 1-25 to keep the squeeze on.

Sixty-seven to win, and for a moment it looked routine. Then, with the score on 3, we lost our first, and the familiar sinking feeling set in. From 27-2 to 30-5 the wheels came off in alarming fashion, and only Frank Brattle's gutsy 23 stood between us and total collapse. Fred Greenfield and Terry Donovan both made the long walk back for nought — the ducks quacking loudly in the club ledger — and we were bowled out for 65.

One run. One solitary run short, after Wilkes had done all that hard graft with the ball. Cruel arithmetic, cricket. Brattle now leads our run charts for the season with 68, and Wilkes the wickets with 12 — small consolations on a day when the club gods simply weren't smiling. We'll dust ourselves down and be better for it next week.

Sun 17 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformWWWWL

We battled to victory over Bearsted at home on 17 May, and if you'd told me at 53-5 that we'd end up 72 runs to the good, I'd have suggested you'd had one too many at the bar before play. Winning the toss, I elected to bat first — a decision I stood by rather more comfortably by the close than I did at tea. Dick Langridge played the anchor role to perfection, his 53 the backbone of our 170 all out, with Frank Brattle's 22 lending sturdy support. Poor Roy Clarke, though, will not be dining out on his contribution — a golden duck to file under "best forgotten."

We wobbled alarmingly in the middle order, 47-2 becoming 53-5 before you could say "howzat," but somehow ground our way to a defendable total across 70.2 patient overs.

With ball in hand, we turned the screw. Bearsted's David Andrews batted with real class for his 61, but around him the innings simply fell apart — 46-4 crumbling to 53-7 as Ron Parsons, Colin Warnett and Colin Robbins all trooped back for ducks. John Ames was magnificent, running through the order for 6-44, with Dick Langridge chipping in 4-46 and three tidy maidens for good measure — quite the afternoon's work with bat and ball alike. Bearsted were bowled out for 98.

A fine win by 72 runs, then, and the lads deserve their pints. Onwards to the next one.

Sat 16 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · AwayformDWWWW

Beaten by 4 wickets, but by heaven we made them work for it. Winning the toss at Maidstone Ymca on a bright May Saturday, I had no hesitation whatsoever in taking first knock — a decision I spent the next nineteen overs quietly reconsidering. We were skittled for 72, a total that flattered nobody, though Roy Clarke batted with real sense and no little bottle to finish 33 not out while wickets tumbled around him. Elsewhere it was a grim afternoon at the crease: Terry Donovan, Norman Mattingley and A Mitchell all made the long walk back for nought, and I shan't dwell on it further, out of kindness.

Seventy-two was never going to frighten anyone, but cricket is a game of glorious stubbornness and we set about defending it as if it were three hundred. Ben Collings was superb, prising out three for 18 with three maidens thrown in for good miserly measure, and I chipped in with a couple of wickets myself for not many, while H Mannering bowled tidily for one. For a spell it looked like folly might turn to farce for the home side — 52 for 3 became 60 for 6 in a rush, and J- Rees departed without so much as a run to his name. But Tony Grenfell had other ideas, farming 45 of their 76, and Maidstone eventually squeezed home by four wickets with overs to spare.

A defeat, then, but not a disgrace — 72 should never have taken them 31 overs to chase down, and there was plenty in the bowling to build on. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 10 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv BC Bobbing Court CC · HomeformWDWWW

Sunday 10 May found us hosting Bobbing Court CC, and I lost the toss for my trouble — they had no hesitation in batting first. Not that it did them much good. Our attack strangled the life out of their innings, and only T Ades, with a battling 30, gave their scorebook any dignity. Alan Wilkes was simply magnificent, tearing through the middle order for 5-11 as three of their batsmen trooped off without troubling the scorers, while John Ames (3-23) and D Woolston (1-12) mopped up around him, and Michael Chambers bowled two miserly maidens to keep the screws turned. From 55-3 to 61-6 in the blink of an eye, they were bowled out for a modest 66 in 32.3 overs.

Chasing such a total should have been a formality, and true to Linton Park form we made absolutely certain it wasn't. Two down for two soon became a full-blown wobble, 33-2 collapsing to 36-5 before most of us had finished our tea, with John Ames and Fred Greenfield both departing for ducks. It fell to steadier heads to see us home, and I was glad to do my bit with an unbeaten 22 to nudge us over the line at 68-6 from 36.3 overs.

A win is a win, even one achieved by the scenic route, and four wickets in hand at the death is rather more comfortable on paper than it felt in practice. Onwards we go, ducks and all.

Sat 09 May 1964 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · HomeformDWDWW

We battled with a two-run tie for the toss and lost it, Charles Arkcoll electing to bat, and for once losing the toss did us a power of good. Alan Tucker was in irresistible form with the new ball, finishing with figures of 7-22 including four maidens, and by the time he was done the visitors had subsided from 38-4 to 43-7 in the blink of an eye. Brian Aiston, Keith Filmer and John Abnett all trooped back without troubling the scorers, Terry Donovan chipped in with 3-22, and only John Ames, with a defiant 27, gave their innings any shape at all. All out for 47 in 29.3 overs — a fine morning's bowling, and a personal landmark too, as those seven wickets carried Alan past Ernest Cruttenden into 18th on the club's all-time list.

Batting, alas, is not always so simple a game as Alan makes bowling look. We stumbled to 8-1 almost before the urn had boiled, and further alarm followed as we slid from 42-5 to 60-8 with the sort of collapse that has spectators reaching for their flasks rather than their scorecards. Norman Mattingley's contribution was a duck to file alongside the visitors' three, proof that ducks respect no XI. Yet 47 is a low target to defend, and though we made desperately hard work of it — 77 all out in 38.2 overs tells its own story of nerves fraying to the very last pair — we scrambled home by one wicket.

A day, then, of two quite different cricketing lessons: bowl like Tucker and batting barely matters. A scrappy, nerve-shredding win, but a win nonetheless, and we'll take it gladly.