🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 30 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv BC Bexhill CC · HomeformDLDLW

Saturday saw Bexhill CC roll into Linton Park for what turned out to be a proper old-fashioned battle of attrition, and I have to say winning the toss was the easy part of my afternoon — deciding to bat was, thankfully, a decision that needed no second thought.

The lads made hay in the sunshine. John Ames played the innings of the day, striding well past his fifty to finish on 84, with Cliff Anscombe chipping in handsomely with 45. I found a bit of form myself, seeing us home unbeaten on 43 as we closed on a healthy 204 for 3 from our 34 overs — the sort of total that lets a captain enjoy his tea rather than gnaw through it.

Out in the field, it was Bexhill's turn to graft, and graft they did. G Elliott's departure for a duck set the tone early, and though Martin Grimes (22) and Michael Dawes (20) did their level best to steady things, wickets kept tumbling around them. I managed to get among them myself with figures of 2 for 14, while Brian Fuller bowled with real discipline — 2 for 28 and six maidens to show for his patience — and Jon Harris weighed in with 2 for 40. It all added up to Bexhill closing on 114 for 8, well short but not quite short enough for us to force the issue in the overs remaining.

So honours shared, and a draw it was — no crime in that, with the season's charts still shaping up nicely (I'm told I sit third in the run-scoring table, with Brian's 30 wickets keeping him well clear at the top). A fair result, fairly earned, and a thoroughly pleasant way to spend a Saturday.

Sun 24 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv AC Anchorians CC · HomeformDDLDL

We lost the toss on Sunday and were sent in the field, which on a warm September afternoon is rarely the invitation one hopes for. Anchorians settled in and made themselves quite at home, closing on 141/5 from their 46 overs, with T Aitchson unbeaten on 35 and useful support from R Durbridge (29) and G Morris (27). Credit where due — Dick Langridge bowled beautifully for 2-16, Allan Cooper chipped in with 2-35 and five miserly maidens besides, and Nigel Thirkell took 1-21. Poor Cliff Anscombe, meanwhile, had one of those afternoons behind the stumps that goalkeepers dream about forgetting, with 21 byes going begging.

Chasing 142, we made distinctly hard work of it, stumbling to 142/9 off 32.3 overs before getting over the line. John Ames was the mainstay with a fine 46, well supported by Allan Cooper's 24, while Colin Dicker's golden duck rather summed up the nervous energy in the middle order. Still, a win's a win, and by one wicket it doesn't get much tighter than that.

A nod, too, to the record books: Allan Cooper's brace nudged him past Brian Fuller and into 25th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, while in this season's charts Tim Thirkell sits third with 226 runs and Cooper himself third with 21 wickets. Two points, thoroughly earned, and a night for the lads to sleep soundly — even if Cliff's gloves may need a stern talking-to before next Sunday.

Sat 23 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformWDDLD

The road to West Farleigh on Saturday brought us about as agonising a defeat as this fixture list has served up in years. I lost the toss, we were asked to chase, and out we trooped into the field with nothing but hope and a new ball. Trevor Back and Micky Back put bat to leather with 49 and 35 respectively, and 160 all out looked a decent total off 36.3 overs. But Brian Fuller was magnificent, ripping through their order for 5-19 — a thoroughly deserved five-for — while Ron Hickman, miserly as ever with three maidens, chipped in with 2-58 and Paul Bowles took 1-13. Don Fermor, I. Edwards and John P Day all departed without troubling the scorers, which kept us in the hunt.

Chasing 160, Paul Bowles again showed the way with a well-crafted fifty, 56 in all, and Paul Brattle added a useful 28. I managed 32 myself, though rather too many of us — Tim Thirkell and Terry Whittaker among them — went the way of the duck, and 49.3 overs later we were all out for 158.

Two runs. Two wretched runs separated triumph from the long drive home in silence. Ron Hickman's afternoon wasn't entirely without cheer, mind — those two wickets nudged him past Ray Howard into 16th on the club's all-time list. Small consolations aside, this was a match we should have won and didn't. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 17 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv MH Mersham Hatch · HomeformDWDDL

John Ames anchored the innings with a fine 48, and with Allan Cooper's 39 and Dick Langridge's unbeaten 26 either side of him, we crept to a respectable 189/7 from our 45 overs — helped along, it must be said, by a generous 26 extras from a Mersham Hatch attack in no mood for discipline. I can't claim any credit for the runs myself, mind: I strode out, had a look, and was back in the pavilion for a duck before my pads had warmed up. We shall speak no more of it.

In the field the story was rather different. Ron Hickman was superb, prising out 3-32 with three tight maidens thrown in, and in doing so quietly nudged his way past Herbert Rayner into 17th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — a nice landmark on an otherwise scrappy afternoon. Allan Cooper (1-20) and Tony Gauna (1-32) chipped in dutifully, and between them they kept Mersham Hatch to 95/5 from 21.4 overs, K. Batchelor's 25 and W. Jeanes' 24 the main resistance. Eight byes on our card, though, suggest poor Cliff Anscombe had a torrid time of it behind the stumps.

So it finished all square, honours shared, neither side able to force the issue. A draw, then — the great leveller of village cricket, and about right on the balance of a day where my own personal highlight was, alas, the tea urn.

Sat 16 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv CA Charles Arkcoll · HomeformLDWDD

Saturday the 16th of September found us playing host to Charles Arkcoll, and my luck deserted me before a ball was bowled — lost the toss, and duly found myself leading the lads into the field rather than pads-on in the pavilion. Still, there are worse fates on a fine September afternoon than an hour or two of honest toil in the outfield.

And honest toil it was, rewarded handsomely. Arkcoll were shot out for a modest 86 in 29.3 overs, Brian Aiston (25) and Keith Filmer (20) offering the only real resistance while John Mighall and Vic Wellard departed without troubling the scorers. The bowling was a thing of beauty: Terry Donovan produced a wonderful 5-16, the sort of spell that has opposition batsmen muttering into their tea, Tony Gauna toiled for 3-34 with four miserly maidens, and Nigel Thirkell chipped in with a tidy 2-2.

Eighty-six should have been a formality. It was not. We subsided to 67 all out in 34.2 overs, Mike Iliffe's blob rather setting the tone, and somehow contrived to lose by 19 runs — the sort of batting collapse that makes a captain reach for something stronger than tea.

A five-for from Donovan deserved better support from the willow than it got. Small consolation that the season ticks on regardless: Tim Thirkell sits third in the 1st XI run charts with 212 to his name, and Tony Gauna's efforts here move him to fourth in the wicket charts with 18. We'll dust ourselves down and be better for it next week — cricket, like the English weather, has a habit of humbling you just when you think you've got its measure.

Sun 10 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv BC Bexhill CC · AwayformLLDWD

Sunday 10 September saw us motor over to Bexhill CC, coin duly won and battle plan set: bat first and see what the square would give us.

It gave us 150 for 4 off our 49 overs, most of it courtesy of Paul Bowles, who middled his way to 90 not out and, en route, brought up 4,000 career runs for the club — a landmark worth more than one round at the bar. Robert Chance will not want reminded of his contribution, back in the pavilion for a duck before he'd troubled the scorers, but these things happen to the best of us.

In the field we squeezed Bexhill to 147 for 8 from 36.2 overs, J Wisden's 40 the main resistance, with Neil Harding (29) and X Stephens (25) chipping in round him. Tony Gauna was the pick with 3 for 34, Paul Bowles backed up his batting with 3 for 49, and Ron Hickman took 2 for 38, while Allan Cooper strangled the scoring with four maidens and Martyn Cowley, A Hopkins and Robert Saxby all departed for ducks of their own. I managed a modest 19 with the bat, more supporting cast than leading man.

In the end honours were shared, neither side able to force it home. A fair result, and with Bowles now sitting proudly atop both our run and wicket charts for the season, a very good day to be his captain.

Sun 03 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv Staplehurst CC · AwayformDLLDW

Lost the toss again — I'm beginning to suspect the Staplehurst coin has a grudge against me personally — and duly found ourselves in the field on a Sunday that promised more graft than glory. They made hay of the opportunity, racking up 201 for 8 off their 49.4 overs, built chiefly around C Rogers's fine 89, with A West unbeaten on 30 and P Holland chipping in a watchful 29. It was the sort of total that makes a captain's tea taste slightly bitter.

Credit where it's due, though: Paul Bowles was in unplayable form, spinning his way to 5 for 72 and doing most of the damage himself, while Ron Hickman weighed in with 2 for 62. Tony Gauna bowled with the miserly discipline of a man guarding his allotment, three maidens and not a run given away lightly. J Munn and B Pudney both departed without troubling the scorers — small mercies gratefully accepted.

Chasing 202, we made a decent fist of it without quite getting there, closing on 166 for 8 from 43 overs. Bowles, not content with his bowling heroics, top-scored with a superb 68, well supported by Allan Cooper's 31 and my own patient 27. Poor Benny Bell fell for a duck, joining the club's growing collection of them this weekend.

Worth noting: those five wickets nudged Paul past Dick Langridge into 7th on the club's all-time list — quietly historic stuff amid the Sunday scones. In the end, honours were shared, neither side able to force the issue. A draw, then — fair reflection of a match where effort outstripped result, and nobody's pride was too badly dented.

Sat 02 Sep 1972 🧢 1st XIv Whitstable CC · AwayformDDLLD

Whitstable, 2 September 1972 — and never let it be said we do things the easy way.

Lost the toss, put out to field, and after Whitstable had crawled to 87 all out in 32.5 overs I confess a certain smugness set in. Rightly so, perhaps: Graham Mountford bowled like a man possessed, 6 for 42 and a five-for thoroughly earned, ably supported by Tony Gauna (2-19) and the ever-parsimonious Allan Cooper, whose 3 maidens on the way to 1 for 23 told their own story. A- Collinson's 26 was the only real resistance the home side could muster.

Then, as is traditional at Linton Park, we set about making a straightforward chase look like open-heart surgery. Wakeford, Tritton and Nutten all departed without troubling the scorers, and poor Jon Harris contributed the golden variety of nothing, but Allan Cooper — not content with his heroics in the field — dug in for 38 to drag us, wheezing and stumbling, over the line by two wickets with 88 for 8 from 36.5 overs. A committee-room finish if ever there was one.

Small mercies and larger footnotes: Cooper's solitary wicket nudged him past Ernest Cruttenden into 25th on the club's all-time list, and he now sits third in this season's bowling table with 18 — Andrew Moss, still imperious with 363 runs, remains out on his own at the top. All told, a scrappy, nervy, thoroughly satisfying afternoon. We'll take it.

Wed 30 Aug 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · HomeformLDDDL

From the captain's chair — Wednesday 30 August 1972, Gravesend CC at home.

Lost the toss again, and they had no hesitation putting us out in the field — I'm beginning to suspect my coin-calling is the weakest part of my captaincy. Still, the lads made light work of it. Gravesend were bowled out for 113 in 42.2 overs, with only P Rue, past his fifty on 52, giving us any real bother. Paul Bowles was simply unplayable, running through them with 6 for 36 off seven miserly maidens, ably backed up by Dick Langridge's 3 for 15 and Nigel Thirkell's 1 for 19. Three of theirs departed without so much as a whisker on the scoreboard, which felt almost unfair to watch.

Chasing 113 should have been a formality, and in the end it was, though we made rather more drama of it than necessary, stumbling to 117 for 5 in 25.5 overs. Andrew Moss led the reply with a fine 41, well supported by Alan Crowest's 33, while poor Ray Grayland's duck will not trouble him for long given the result. Twenty-one byes tells you all you need to know about Steve Gower's afternoon behind the stumps — a testing day indeed.

Two notable landmarks amid the runs: Moss's 41 lifts him past George Champion into 14th on the club's all-time run charts, and Langridge's three wickets edge him past Bowles into 7th among the all-time wicket-takers.

A five-wicket win, two points, and thoroughly deserved.

Sun 27 Aug 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv TC Troon CC · AwayformWWWWW

John Thirkell here, filing from the Troon road trip of Sunday 27th August — and what a rollercoaster it turned out to be.

Winning the toss, I had few doubts: bat first, set a target, let the lads enjoy the sunshine before Troon got their turn. And for a good while it looked the right call. Paul Bowles played beautifully for 48, Cliff Anscombe chipped in a handsome 45, and Andrew Moss's 25 gave the innings some proper backbone. But cricket has a way of humbling a captain, and our lower order rather fell off a cliff — myself, Graham Mountford and Ron Hickman all trooping back for ducks, a sorry little procession that the scorebook will remember long after the rest of us have forgotten it. Still, 167/9 from our forty overs felt like something to bowl at.

Sadly, "something to bowl at" is not the same as "enough." Troon's openers simply refused to be parted, J Spry motoring to 88 not out and B Carter matching him stride for stride with 74 not out, and by the 35th over they'd strolled home by nine wickets. Graham Mountford was our pick of the attack with 1-39, and Allan Cooper bowled tidily with two maidens, but there was little any of us could do against batting of that class. My own contribution — a duck, quickly forgotten, we hope — did nothing to stem the tide.

Not our day, then, and a chastening one at that. Heads up, back to the nets, and onward to the next fixture.

Wed 23 Aug 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · AwayformWLDDD

Mike Iliffe's Match Report — Gravesend CC, Wednesday 23 August 1972

We lost the toss, which these days feels less like bad luck and more like Gravesend's home comfort blanket, and were sent out to field under a sky that promised more than it delivered. P Rue's 43 did the bulk of the damage, with W Carter (27) and Gaynor Kingston (20) chipping in to nudge the total to 139 all out. Credit where it's due, though — John Lambert bowled beautifully for 4-34, four maidens and all, well backed up by Ron Hickman's 4-36 and Nigel Thirkell's 1-25. And M Youseman departed without so much as troubling the scorers, which always cheers a fielding side up no end.

Chasing 140 should have been a formality on paper, and paper, as ever, proved a poor substitute for application. I got us going with 23, R- Philips matched it unbeaten, and Steve Gower's 20 kept hope alive, but wickets tumbled around us and we were bowled out for 138 in 41.5 overs — with Nigel Thirkell and John Lambert both suffering the walk of shame for ducks. Even our extras, a generous 29, couldn't quite close the gap.

One run. One solitary, agonising run short. It's the kind of defeat that makes you replay every misjudged single on the drive home. Not our day, then — heads up, chins out, and back to the nets.

Sun 20 Aug 1972 🧢 1st XIv MA Mote A · HomeformDDDLL

I won the toss on a fine Sunday and never seriously considered doing anything but batting first — old habits, and all that. We ground our way to 167 for 9 from the 48 overs, a total that owed everything to Nigel Thirkell, whose well-made fifty (60) was the innings' backbone, with Paul Brattle (24) and Terry Whittaker (23) chipping in dutifully around him. Nobody will remember it as a classic, but 167 felt like something to bowl at.

And bowl at it we did. Mote A were held to 140 for 9 from their 48 overs, which in itself tells you the story of a tight, attritional defence rather than a rout. J- Reader gave us the most trouble with a stubborn 47, but the day belonged to Paul Bowles, whose five for 51 was thoroughly deserved and, frankly, the difference between us threatening a win and merely holding on. I did my bit with the ball, taking 2 for 29, while Nigel followed his fifty with a miserly spell of 1 for 18 including three maidens — not a bad way to spend an afternoon. I also added 21 with the bat for good measure.

In the end neither side could quite force it, and honours were shared. A draw isn't always a satisfying verdict, but with Paul Bowles now sitting second in both the run charts and the wicket charts for the season, I'd say Linton Park have rather more to smile about than to rue.

Sat 19 Aug 1972 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · AwayformWDDDL

1972 saw us hosting no tie – we travelled to Bowaters, and having won the toss on a Saturday that felt made for batting, I had no hesitation whatsoever in sending us in. Wisdom, for once, was rewarded, more or less: 150 for 8 off 44.3 overs is not a total to frighten anyone, but it had a certain honest, workmanlike charm to it. Tim Thirkell and Nigel Thirkell showed a fine sense of family solidarity with 28 apiece, and Basil Sears chipped in with a tidy 24 — enough, I hoped, to be defended by lunchtime optimism and afternoon guile.

Alas, guile was in short supply. Alf Jewiss set about us with a chanceless 65 not out, Donald Simler kept him honest company with 47, and Ian Bennett saw them home unbeaten on 21. Terry Donovan toiled manfully for his solitary wicket, conceding just 22 and bowling two maidens that suggested better luck than reward, while M. Flint's one for 32 offered what support there was to be had. Poor Jim Hall, meanwhile, endured a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, twelve byes finding their way past him like they had somewhere better to be.

Eight wickets and a good deal of pride the worse for wear, we trudged from the field knowing full well we'd been outplayed rather than unlucky. Still, Basil Sears sitting third in the season's run charts and Terry Donovan fifth among the wicket-takers offer some comfort that the summer isn't entirely lost. We'll be better for it next week — we rather have to be.

Sun 13 Aug 1972 🧢 1st XIv Sibton Park CC · HomeformLWDDD

I elected to bat when we won the toss on Sunday against Sibton Park, and with hindsight it's fair to say the pitch had rather different ideas to mine. Twenty all out in 11.4 overs is not a total you build an innings report around so much as a total you apologise for, and when three of us — Tim Thirkell, Paul Brattle and, yes, your captain — all trooped back for ducks, it began to feel less like a cricket match and more like a synchronised swimming display. I include myself in that unhappy trio; twenty balls faced between us and not a run to show for it, which is the sort of statistic that makes a man take a long, hard look at his guard.

Twenty to defend was always going to ask a lot of the bowling, and Sibton Park duly strolled home to 21 without loss in under seven overs. No fightback, no hint of a twist — just a chase completed with the minimum of fuss, which stung rather more than a close finish would have.

Elsewhere in the season, Tim Thirkell continues his solid form and sits fourth in the 1972 run charts on 142, while Allan Cooper's 17 wickets have him second in the bowling table — small consolations on an otherwise grim afternoon.

Twenty all out, beaten without loss: not our finest hour by any measure. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 12 Aug 1972 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformDLWDD

Saturday 12th August 1972, and off we trundled to Headcorn with the sun doing its best village-green impression. I won the toss and had no hesitation in taking first knock — the pitch looked one for batting early and thinking later, and I still maintain it was the right call.

Truth be told, our innings never quite found top gear. Fourteen overs brought us 39 for 1, which is the sort of score that makes a captain study his shoelaces rather rapidly. Basil Sears, though, was a picture of composure throughout, ending unbeaten on 22 and shouldering the lion's share of the scoring almost single-handed while the rest of us admired from the other end.

Out we went to defend it, braced for a long afternoon in the field — and somehow got one. Headcorn were bowled out for nought, a scorecard entry that still raises an eyebrow whenever I glance back at it, and between the two efforts honours were shared: neither side could quite land the knockout blow, and a draw it was.

Basil continues to be the man in form, now sitting third in our 1972 first-XI run charts with 170 for the season — a fine return, and one the rest of us might do well to study. As for the match itself: not a classic for the purists, but a scrap, a stalemate, and, all things considered, a fair result honestly earned.

Wed 09 Aug 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sennocke CC · AwayformLWLDD

Wednesday 9th August, and off we trundled to Sennocke, the sun (for once) obliging.

Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — a decision I shall now claim full credit for. C. Reader played the innings of the day, 85 crisp and correct runs that put Sennocke's attack thoroughly out of sorts, with Cliff Anscombe chipping in a handy 32 and Dick Langridge seeing us safely home unbeaten on 22. Declaring, or rather simply running out of overs, at 184/4 from our 45.3, we felt we had enough on the board, though not so much that we could put our feet up in the pavilion.

And so it proved. Sennocke set about the chase with R. Cheeseman the chief architect of their reply, 51 well-made runs, backed up by J. Wharton's 38 and M. Robinson's 31. Paul Bowles bowled beautifully for his 2-50 and leads our wicket charts nicely as a result, while Alf Thorne was a model of miserly restraint — two maidens and 1-19 — and Allan Cooper picked up 1-39. Spare a thought for poor Peter Tapper, sent back for a duck without so much as troubling the scorers. My own afternoon behind the stumps was rather less distinguished, nine byes escaping my gloves like naughty schoolboys.

In the end Sennocke closed on 180/5, five runs shy and one wicket to spare — honours, quite fairly, shared. A draw that satisfied nobody and disappointed nobody, which is, I suppose, cricket's way of telling us both sides deserved better.

Sun 06 Aug 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv BC Blunham CC · HomeformWWWWW

Won the toss on a warm Sunday against Blunham, and elected to bat — the right call, as it turned out, though the lads made rather harder work of it than the scorebook perhaps suggests. Forty overs brought us 143 for 5, built patiently around John Ames's fine 39, with Cliff Anscombe chipping in 30 and myself adding 29 down the order. Poor Andrew Moss will want to forget his afternoon entirely, back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers — these things happen to the best of us, and no doubt he'll have his revenge before the season's out.

In the field we were rather more clinical. Blunham never quite got hold of the total, subsiding to 121 all out in 35.4 overs despite a spirited 41 from P Fordham and useful support from P Ranson's 21. Three of their number — Ashwell, Lawson and Watson — departed without scoring, victims of an attack in irresistible mood. Allan Cooper was the chief tormentor, a beautifully mean 4 for 18 including three maidens, with Tony Gauna (3-24) and Graham Mountford (1-20) mopping up the rest.

A pleasing personal note amid the runs and wickets: this was my 700th appearance in Linton colours, which rather puts my modest 29 into perspective. Allan Cooper, meanwhile, continues his relentless climb up the club's wicket-taking pantheon, easing past Brian Fuller into 25th on the all-time list. A fine win by 22 runs, and a thoroughly satisfying way to mark a personal milestone. Onwards.

Sat 05 Aug 1972 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · AwayformWDLWD

Off to face for the lads on Saturday 5th August 1972.

Winning the toss (or perhaps losing it, history is silent on the matter), we were sent into the field, and spent the best part of the afternoon watching our visitors compile 189 all out from 45.5 overs — a total that owed much to Pete Worsnop's well-made 63, with useful support from Stuckey (47) and Grainger (20). Credit where it's due: young Quirk was despatched for a duck without so much as a scoring shot to his name, and M. Flint span a web through the middle order that few could escape, finishing with a splendid 5-34. Fuller (3-39) and Harris (2-31) mopped up admirably at the other end, and 189 always felt a chaseable total on that pitch.

So it proved, more or less. Jim Hall played the innings of the day, a superb 106 that anchored everything, ably supported by Tim Thirkell's unbeaten 53, as we reached 188 for 3 from our 47 overs — one agonising run short of victory, though nobody was counting quite that closely at tea. I contributed a modest 16, and spare a thought for Jim, whose afternoon with the gloves was rather less serene than his afternoon with the bat — 11 byes is not a figure one boasts about in the pavilion. One bright footnote: Mike Iliffe's 16 runs nudged him past Roy Clarke into 21st on the club's all-time run charts, a small piece of history quietly made.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side could force the issue, and on reflection, a fair result from a match that had everything but a winner.

Sun 30 Jul 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv GC Glynde & Beddingham CC · AwayformWWWW

Won the toss on a Sunday that promised more than it delivered weather-wise, and I didn't hesitate — bat first, always bat first, that's the Thirkell doctrine at Glynde & Beddingham. We crawled and occasionally cantered to 133 for 9 off our forty, Paul Bowles the class act with 45, Allan Cooper unbeaten on 29 to shepherd the tail, and I chipped in with 22 of my own to keep the scoreboard honest. Spare a thought for poor Andrew Moss, though — a nought that will live long in the Duck Club ledger, the walk of shame performed with all the dignity he could muster, which wasn't much.

133 looked distinctly gettable at tea, which is precisely when this lot of ours turns nasty with a cricket ball. Ron Hickman was simply magnificent, tearing through them for 5 for 23, while Tony Gauna bowled with the miserly discipline of a man who resents every run scored off him — 2 for 17 and four maidens to prove it. Graham Mountford chipped in with a wicket too, and between the lot of them Glynde & Beddingham never got settled, subsiding to 74 all out in 31.3 overs, with A McBrown and M Seabright both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

A 59-run win, then, and a thoroughly satisfying one. Paul Bowles now sits proudly atop the season's run charts, Graham Mountford the wicket charts — form which bodes rather well. Onwards indeed.

Sat 29 Jul 1972 🧢 1st XIv Sibton Park CC · AwayformWWDLW

Saturday 29 July saw us make the trip to Sibton Park, and the coin let us down before a ball was bowled — they won the toss and, unsurprisingly, decided to have a bat.

It proved a long old afternoon in the field. Nick Guy set about us with a fine 81, and by the time David Rawlings (29 not out) and Derek Butcher (27 not out) had finished tidying up at the other end, Sibton Park declared themselves happy at 205/7 from their 43 overs. Small mercies: E- Impett departed without so much as a nibble at his average, and Nigel Thirkell was the pick of our attack with a tidy 2-23, including two maidens that suggested a man who meant business. Dick Langridge and Tony Gauna chipped in with two apiece, though at rather more expense, as the runs generally flowed more freely than any of us would have liked.

Chasing 206 was always going to be a tall order, and so it proved. Jon Harris played the anchor role beautifully for his unbeaten 34, and I was glad to lend a hand with 25 of my own alongside him — enough, pleasingly, to nudge me past Roy Clarke into 21st on the club's all-time run-scorers list, which I shall enjoy mentioning at the bar rather more than it perhaps deserves. We closed on 113/8 from our 45, well short of the target but well short of humiliation too.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride intact, and Nigel's wickets column looking rather healthier than our scorebook. Not a classic, but not a disaster either.

Mon 24 Jul 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Birkenhead Grasshoppers CC · HomeformDLWLD

Monday 24 July 1972 — we welcomed Birkenhead Grasshoppers CC, and true to form the coin let me down before a ball was bowled, so it was into the field we went. Not the worst fate on a fine afternoon, though the openers made us work for our tea: J Costain compiled a watchful 39, well supported by G Cropper's 33, before the visitors' innings folded for 137 in 50.2 overs. Poor L Atwell departed without so much as a nibble at the strike. Dick Langridge, spinning it prodigiously, was the chief tormentor with 5-36, while Alan Wilkes bowled with real discipline for 4-60, including seven maidens that must have felt like being sent to bed without supper.

Chasing 138, we stumbled to 118 for 8 off our 42 overs — B. Milne's watchful 27 the backbone of the innings, and I chipped in with 21 to keep things ticking, though clearly not enough of the rest of us fancied finishing the job.

Worth recording for posterity: those five wickets carried Dick past Paul Bowles and into 7th on the club's all-time list — a quiet bit of history amid the toil. And as the season stands, I find myself atop the 1972 Midweek XI run charts with 71, with Dick leading the wickets column on 5.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, and the tea urn, as ever, the only clear winner of the day.

Sun 16 Jul 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformWWW

Sunday 16 July 1972 saw us take the road to Sheldwich, and for once the coin obliged me — I won the toss and, with the sort of confidence that would shortly prove misplaced, put us in.

Paul Bowles was in fine touch, cashing in with a well-made fifty of 57, ably backed by Andrew Moss with a tidy 23, as we posted 141 all out from our 39 overs. I can report, with all the dignity I can muster, that I contributed nothing whatsoever to that total — a golden duck to match Ron Hickman's own, the pair of us departing without so much as troubling the scorebook.

In the field, though, we were an altogether different proposition. Allan Cooper ran through Sheldwich's order with a splendid 3-23, Ron Hickman chipped in with 2-20, and I managed to make some amends for my batting with 2-31 of my own. Graham Mountford bowled beautifully too, three maidens showing not a run was given away lightly, while Robert Heward joined the ranks of the ducks for the home side. Brian Newman's 42 and D. Hobbs's 25 threatened briefly to spoil the afternoon, but Sheldwich folded for 118 in 36.2 overs.

A win by 23 runs, then, and a thoroughly satisfying one at that — proof, if proof were needed, that a captain can lead his side to victory even while contributing precisely nothing with the bat. Paul Bowles continues to top our Sunday run charts and Graham Mountford our wicket charts, and rightly so. Onwards to the next one.

Sat 15 Jul 1972 🧢 1st XIv FC Folkestone CC · AwayformWWWDL

The road to Folkestone on a Saturday in July, and not so much as a friendly nod from the coin — they called it right and had us out in the field before I'd finished my tea. No matter; there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than watching Folkestone accumulate steadily against us, and accumulate they did, ambling to 137 all out in 53.5 overs. Stan Purcell led the way with a watchful 40, Anthony Goldsmith unbeaten on 32, while Adrian Bray and Keith Riddalls trudged off for twin ducks at our hands. The day, though, belonged to Brian Fuller — five wickets for 56, eight of his overs maidens, bowling with the miserly patience of a man who simply would not be driven. I chipped in with four for 54, more by persistence than genius.

With 138 needed, we set about it in less orthodox fashion, racing to 141 for 5 off just 35 overs. Andrew Moss played the innings of the day, 60 sailing him past his fifty and, we're told, past Gordon Fenner into 15th on the club's all-time run charts — quietly historic stuff between overs. Stan Wratten supported nicely with 31, and I was glad to see my own 30 not out over the line, though poor Fred Greenfield's walk back for nought will not trouble the record books kindly.

Moss now sits proudly atop this season's run charts, Fuller likewise among the wickets — and rightly so. Five wickets, two points, and a thoroughly earned one at that.

Wed 12 Jul 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv WC West Kent Wanderers CC · HomeformDDLWL

Wednesday 12 July found us hosting West Kent Wanderers CC, and for once the deckchairs came out before the covers went back on — a fine afternoon for cricket, if not entirely for our bowling figures. We put the visitors in, and while they never quite ran away with things, D. Tolhurst made merry to the tune of 75, well supported by C. Reader's 23 and Steve Gower's brisk 20. Small mercies: J. Inkpen departed for a golden duck, which cheered us no end. Nigel Thirkell did the real damage with a splendid 4-49, and I chipped in with 3-51 of my own, while Terry Donovan bowled with the miserly discipline of a man counting his change — five maidens and 1-16 to show for it.

Our reply was, by common consent, a struggle. We limped to 107 for 9 off our forty overs, a total that flattered nobody, though I was pleased enough to carry things along with 29, my one contribution to proceedings across both innings of the day. Poor Allan Cooper had the misfortune to bag a duck, joining the afternoon's small flock.

With neither side able to force home an advantage, honours were shared. As it stands, I find myself topping both the Midweek XI's run and wicket charts this season — a distinction I intend to enjoy while it lasts, given how fleeting such glory usually proves. A draw, then: no heroics, no disasters, and tea was, as ever, the best part of the afternoon.

Sun 09 Jul 1972 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformDWWWD

Here's the match report:

There are moments in a captain's life when the toss falls your way and instinct simply says "bat" — Sunday against Aylesford Paper Mills was one of them, and I like to think I got it right. The lads set about building something respectable, and it was Paul Bowles who caught the eye, easing past his fifty on the way to a fine 52, with Andrew Moss chipping in handsomely alongside him with 42. We closed on 146/6 from our 40.3 overs — not a total to frighten anyone, perhaps, but enough, I felt, to give our bowlers something to work with.

Alas, cricket has a habit of humbling the optimist. John Atkins simply refused to be shifted, ghosting to an unbeaten 81 and carrying the Mills innings almost single-handedly, with useful support from R- David (27 not out) and Alan Perriman (24). Paul Bowles, having done his bit with the bat, then top-scored with the ball too, taking 1-34, while Allan Cooper toiled away with admirable miserliness — six maidens and a wicket for his troubles. Aylesford eased home by eight wickets with overs in hand, and there's no dressing that up.

One bright note amid the gloom: Robert Chance's 17 runs nudged him past Frank Taylor and into 18th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, which is the sort of thing that keeps a losing dressing room smiling. Andrew Moss continues to lead our 1972 run charts with 293, and Allan Cooper the wickets with 16. As for the rest of us — well, we'll be better for it next week.

Wed 05 Jul 1972 🧢 Midweek XIv NS Northend Sunday · HomeformLDDLW

I called correctly at the toss on Wednesday and, with the sun out and the Northend Sunday lads watching us stroll to the middle, chose to bat without a flicker of doubt. It wasn't exactly a procession — 138/8 from our 42 overs owed most of its shape to Paul Bowles, unbeaten on 34, with Mike Iliffe's 28 keeping him honest at the other end. I chipped in with 21 myself, which I'm claiming as a solid supporting role rather than anything more dramatic. Tim Thirkell, meanwhile, will be pleased to know his golden duck has already been immortalised in these pages.

Defending 138 was always going to ask questions of us, and Northend Sunday answered most of them. W Creed's unbeaten 46 was the innings that did the damage, well supported by D. Annal's 33 and M Smith's 27, and they eased home on 139/4 with nine overs unused. Bowles led the attack manfully with 2-48 and three miserly maidens, I picked up 1-15, and Ron Hickman chipped in with 1-34 — but poor Jim Hall had an afternoon of it behind the stumps, leaking ten byes we could ill afford.

There was a silver lining amid the gloom: Mike Iliffe's 28 nudged him past Fred Greenfield into 23rd on the all-time run charts, a landmark worth raising a glass to even in defeat. Bowles, naturally, sits proudly atop both the season's run and wicket charts, and long may he continue making the rest of us look ordinary.

Beaten by six wickets, then, but not disgraced. We'll dust ourselves down and come back better next week.

Sun 02 Jul 1972 🧢 1st XIv SC Sevenoaks Vine CC · HomeformWDWWW

Lost the toss again on Sunday, and Sevenoaks Vine duly sent us out to field – no great surprise, given how our top order has been going lately. The visitors settled in for the long haul, grinding to 158 for 9 from 49.4 overs. Ian Haffenden made the innings' backbone with 41, well supported by D. Perry's 30 and George Downton's 24, while Nigel Cannon departed without troubling the scorers at all.

The afternoon belonged to Allan Cooper, who span away merrily to finish with 5 for 58 – five overs of it maidens, which is proper old-fashioned strangulation and no mistake. Nigel Thirkell chipped in with 2 for 48 and Tony Gauna picked up 1 for 31, and between the lot of them Sevenoaks Vine were made to work desperately hard for every one of those runs.

Chasing 159, we set about it with rather more enthusiasm than the morning's weather forecast deserved, racing to 94 for 2 off just 26 overs. I managed to contribute a little down the order, but it was John Ames who did the real work, batting through unbeaten for a composed 53 that made the whole chase look a good deal easier than it was.

In the end neither side could quite force the win, and honours were shared – which, on a pitch as slow as that outfield, felt about right. Allan Cooper, still purring along at the top of our 1972 wicket charts with 15 scalps, remains the man to watch this season.

Sat 01 Jul 1972 🧢 1st XIv TS Tilling Steven · HomeformWWDWW

We put Tilling Steven in to bat on a Saturday that felt made for it, and for once the plan behaved itself. Nigel Thirkell was the chief tormentor with 4-18, hooping it about just enough to keep their top order guessing, while Brian Fuller chipped in with 2-14 and Terry Donovan bowled with the patience of a man queuing at the tea urn, 2-18 including four maidens that must have felt like an eternity out there. Three of their number, Shepherd, Walkling and Sykes, trooped off without troubling the scorers, though D. Pound's 45 and a spirited 26 from B. Seager dragged them to 92 all out in 38.5 overs, a total that flattered them slightly given how it was earned.

Chasing such a modest total ought to be routine, and cricket duly reminded us it never is. Basil Sears played the innings of the day, a fine, well-constructed fifty on his way to 60, while poor Jim Hall's contribution began and ended with a golden duck. Wickets tumbled at unhelpful intervals as we stumbled to 93 for 6 in 27.5 overs, scrambling home by four wickets with considerably more nerve-jangling than the scoreline suggests. Sears's knock nudges him to third in the 1972 run charts with 141, and Fuller now tops the wicket pile with 15. A scrappy win, but a win nonetheless, and I'll take those all season long.

Sat 24 Jun 1972 🧢 1st XIv HC Hythe CC · HomeformWWWDW

A gloriously English Saturday, this. Toss lost, decision made for us, and Hythe CC settling in to bat under skies that, for once, behaved themselves.

They ground their way to 165/6 off 48 overs — a proper occupation of the crease. G. Newrick led the charge with a fine 63, well supported by J. Elston's unbeaten 46 and G. Willsher's 38. Credit where due to Terry Donovan, who bowled beautifully for 3-42, three of those overs maidens — not a run given away lightly, as they say, and Hythe's batsmen will have felt every one of them. Brian Fuller chipped in gamely with 3-71, and I. McGhie and Paul Goddard both departed without troubling the scorers — ducks apiece, poor souls.

Set 166 to win, we made rather light work of it, romping home on 169/4 with two overs and more to spare. Andrew Moss was imperious — 85 not out, a proper captain's innings even though it wasn't mine — with Mike Iliffe a sterling 35 alongside him. I contributed a modest 19, more nurdle than flourish, but every run counts in this game. Worth noting, too, that Iliffe's 35 nudges him past Len Conway into 24th on the club's all-time run charts — a quiet piece of history amid the chase. Moss now sits proudly atop this season's run charts with 251, and Fuller second in the wicket-takers with 13.

Two points, six wickets to spare, and a job thoroughly well done. Tea was, I'm reliably informed, rather good too.

Sat 17 Jun 1972 🧢 1st XIv T Tovil · HomeformWWWWD

Skipper's Log — Saturday 17 June 1972. We hosted Tovil, and I'll admit I fancied our chances the moment I won the toss and sent them in.

Tovil huffed and puffed their way to 89 all out in 31.4 overs, and frankly they were fortunate to get that far. K. Patey Jnr's 31 was the innings' backbone, with L. Marks chipping in 21, but everything else around them crumbled. K. Patey Snr and R. Doe both walked back without troubling the scorer, and the bowling was a genuine team effort — Brian Fuller the pick with 3-23, Ron Hickman weighing in with 3-27 and five miserly maidens to boot, and Tony Gauna mopping up with 2-28. Not a run given away lightly indeed.

Chasing 90 should have been a formality, and in truth we made rather harder work of it than the scorebook ought to admit, stumbling to 90/7 off 38.4 overs before finally getting over the line. I contributed 20 in among the runs that mattered, and was glad to see us home by three wickets in the end.

A word too for Basil Sears, who marked his 400th appearance in Linton colours — a magnificent effort by any measure. Elsewhere, Andrew Moss continues to sit second in the 1st XI run charts with 166, and Brian Fuller third in the wickets with 10.

Scrappy, nervy, occasionally comic — but a win is a win. A good day for the club.

Sun 11 Jun 1972 🧢 1st XIv KH Kent Hoppers · HomeformLWWWW

Sunday 11th June, and we welcomed the visitors to Linton Park under skies that, for once, didn't threaten us with anything worse than a bit of English indecision.

Put into the field first, we watched them accumulate to 140/6 off their 41 overs, Baker the chief architect with a well-made 40, Pocock chipping in 35 and Ufton seeing them home unbeaten on 25. Poor Reader departed for a duck at our hands, which was some small consolation for the toil elsewhere. It was Ron Hickman who did the real damage with 2-14, Terry Donovan and David Lowen lending willing support, and Paul Bowles bowling as tight as a Sunday collection plate with three maidens to his name.

Our reply of 128/8 from 39 overs never quite had the legs to chase down the target, though Bowles again led from the front with 41, backed up by Stan Wratten's 24 and Cliff Anscombe's 22. Andrew Moss endured the walk of shame for a duck, and Anscombe, having done his bit with the bat, then let through nine byes behind the stumps — the sort of afternoon best forgotten over a pint. Bowles, meanwhile, continues to lead the county in both runs and wickets this season, showing the rest of us up rather splendidly.

Amid it all, Basil Sears brought up his 400th appearance in Linton colours — a landmark that rather puts our efforts into perspective. In the end honours were shared, and a draw felt about right: nobody quite deserved to lose, and nobody quite earned the win.

Mon 29 May 1972 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformDLWWW

Monday 29 May 1972 saw Bearsted CC visit Linton Park on a day that, in the end, went entirely our way — though I confess I didn't expect quite such a rout when I won the toss and, in what I still maintain was a piece of tactical genius rather than a lucky guess, chose to bat.

We rattled up 190 all out in 57.3 overs, the innings built on two fine half-centuries — Paul Bowles with a chanceless 58 and Cliff Anscombe matching him run for run with 58 of his own. I chipped in with 20 down the order, which I mention here once and shall resist the temptation to repeat. Less gloriously, the Duck Club welcomed three new members in Nigel Thirkell, Dick Langridge and Alan Cradduck, all dismissed for nought — a walk of shame performed, I'm reliably informed, with great dignity.

If our batting was good, our bowling was something else entirely. Bearsted's reply lasted a mere 28.3 overs before they were skittled for 59, losing a wicket before a run was even on the board and collapsing from 24-2 to 32-5 in the blink of an eye. Paul Bowles, not content with his runs, took an astonishing 8-14 with four maidens thrown in for good measure — bowling of the kind that makes a captain's job embarrassingly easy. Tony Gauna and Nigel Thirkell mopped up the rest. Cliff Anscombe had a leaky afternoon behind the stumps with 10 byes, but nobody was counting.

A 131-run victory, and thoroughly deserved. Onwards indeed.

Sun 28 May 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv High Halstow CC · AwayformWW

Sunday 28 May 1972, and the road took us out to High Halstow — the kind of afternoon that makes you remember why you play this daft game.

I won the toss and had no hesitation putting us in, and for once the decision looked as good as it felt. Basil Sears led the way with a well-made 35, Brian Rothwell chipped in a handy 33 and Fred Greenfield added 28 as we compiled a respectable 138 for 8 from our 39 overs. Not every contribution sparkled, mind — Tim Thirkell will want the scorebook to skip a page after his golden duck, but these things happen to the best of us, and I dare say he won't be allowed to forget it in the clubhouse.

With the ball, we were altogether more ruthless. High Halstow never got going, undone by tight bowling all round, and were bowled out for a mere 70 in 30 overs — F Unsure's 24 and Tony Gauna's 21 the only real resistance, with two of their number departing without troubling the scorers. Tony Gauna was the pick of the attack with 2 for 12 and two miserly maidens, well supported by Nigel Thirkell's 2 for 13 and Allan Cooper's 2 for 14 — and I was glad to get among the wickets myself. A fine win by 68 runs, then, and days worth celebrating off the field too: Graham Mountford brought up his 100th career wicket, and Fred Greenfield's runs eased him past Len Conway into 23rd on the all-time list. A thoroughly satisfying Sunday. Onwards.

Sat 27 May 1972 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · HomeformWDLWW

Here's the report:

There's a particular pleasure in winning the toss and being able to say "we'll have a bat" without immediately wondering if you've made a dreadful mistake, and so it proved as Maidstone YMCA came to Linton Park on a fine Saturday. We were made to work for our runs, closing on a respectable but hardly swashbuckling 145/9 from our fifty overs. Basil Sears was the class act, cracking a fine half-century, and found good support from Fred Greenfield and Charlie Le Milliere. Not every batsman enjoyed his afternoon in the sun, mind — a sympathetic pat on the back for poor Tim Thirkell, back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

If the batting was watchable rather than thrilling, the bowling that followed was the stuff club cricket dreams are made of. Benny Bell was simply magnificent, ripping through the visitors for figures of 3-12, while Graham Mountford bowled with the sort of miserly discipline that has opposition batsmen muttering into their gloves — five maidens and three wickets of his own. Brian Fuller chipped in handsomely too, and between us we bowled Maidstone out for a paltry 83.

I'll confess to a small hand in proceedings myself with bat and ball, and it's pleasing to see the runs adding up nicely across the season. A comfortable 62-run victory, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club — the sort of afternoon that makes all the standing about in the rain in April feel worthwhile.

Sun 21 May 1972 🧢 1st XIv PC Paddock Wood CC · HomeformWWDLW

Sunday 21 May 1972, and Paddock Wood came calling. Lost the toss, asked to bowl first — not the worst hand to be dealt on a good drying pitch, as it turned out.

What followed was as clean a demolition as this scorebook has seen. Allan Cooper, steaming in with a control bordering on the sadistic, took 5-12 from eight maidens — the sort of spell that has visiting openers muttering to themselves on the walk back. Paul Bowles chipped away at the other end for 3-11, and Tony Gauna picked up one for good measure. Paddock Wood were skittled for 38 in 26.1 overs, never remotely at the races.

Chasing that meagre total should have been a formality, and while we made hard work of it in the manner so beloved of this club, we got there — 39/5 off sixteen overs, J. McKerracher, P. Crouch and M. Padgham all back in the pavilion without so much as a run to show for their trouble. A touch more composure with the bat and we'd have saved ourselves the palpitations, but a win's a win, and nobody asks how pretty it was when it's in the book.

A word too for the ledger: Paul Bowles's three wickets nudge him past Tony Snell and into 9th on the club's all-time list, which is the sort of thing that gets a quiet nod at the bar. Andrew Moss continues to lead our run charts this summer, Allan Cooper now tops the wicket charts — and on this evidence, deservedly so.

Five wickets, two points, and thoroughly earned. We'll take it.

Sat 20 May 1972 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformDWWDL

Saturday brought Headcorn CC to Linton Park, and for once the coin did me no favours — they won it and chose to bat. Not that it mattered much in the end. Our attack made light work of them: Brian Fuller was in unplayable form, spinning his way to 5-24, with Terry Donovan (3-15) and Graham Mountford (2-21, four miserly maidens) chipping in gleefully. Only A. Chapman, with 24, threatened to trouble the scoreboard; E. Bourne, N. Caselton and R. Westrop all trooped back without so much as a nibble. Headcorn were bowled out for 75 in 40 overs, and the tea urn had barely gone cold before we knew the shape of the afternoon.

Chasing was a formality in the end, though I did my best to make it interesting by contributing a golden blob — out first ball, captaincy by example rather undermined by captaincy by embarrassment. Fortunately David T Lowen suffered no such stage fright, batting through unbeaten on 44 to see us home at 79/4 in 28.5 overs.

Amid the routine business of winning, a couple of quiet milestones: Fred Greenfield's 16 runs eased him past me into 24th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while Terry Donovan's three wickets lifted him past Tony Snell into 8th among the wicket-takers. Andrew Moss (122) and Brian Fuller (5) remain the early pacesetters of our 1972 campaign. A fine win by six wickets — onwards, as ever, though next week I really must trouble the scorers myself.

Sun 14 May 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv SC Stoke and District CC · HomeformW

Called it right at the toss on a fine Sunday and, with the sun on my back and no earthly reason to think twice, I stuck us in. Forty overs later we'd posted 141 for 7, a total that owed everything to Mike Iliffe's stylish 44 and Paul Bowles chipping in with a tidy 22 lower down. Nothing spectacular, you understand, but enough runs on the board to make Stoke and District think rather than stroll.

And think they did not, poor devils. Twenty overs was all they could stomach, bowled out for a paltry 63 with only A Burge showing any real fight, unbeaten on 24 while all about him fell. Three of their number, Bill Rainer, A Brice and A Theobald, departed without troubling the scorers at all, which is always a cruel way to go. Paul Bowles, having already done his bit with the bat, turned his arm over to devastating effect, five wickets for nothing off his allotted overs, a spell as good as any I've had the pleasure of watching from the other end. Tony Gauna and Graham Mountford lent willing support with four and one apiece.

There was extra reason to raise a glass afterwards. Mike Iliffe's knock nudged him up to 24th on the club's all-time run charts, and Mountford's solitary wicket saw him climb to 23rd among our leading wicket-takers, while Bowles continues to lead both the Sunday run and wicket charts for the season. A 78-run victory, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 07 May 1972 🧢 1st XIv BC Bobbing Court CC · AwayformDDWWD

From the captain's chair — Sunday 07 May 1972. We travelled to Bobbing Court CC on a day that, in hindsight, we might have done better to spend in the deckchairs.

I won the toss and, with the usual mix of confidence and misplaced optimism, chose to bat. It did not go especially well. We were bundled out for 97 in 47.5 overs, a total that flattered nothing, and poor Alan Cradduck will not thank me for recording that he departed for a golden duck. There is little to dress up about a batting card like that — we simply never got going.

Still, we came out to bowl with our tails only partially between our legs, and for a good while it looked like we might drag something extraordinary out of the afternoon. Allan Cooper was magnificent, snaring 3-41 with three miserly maidens thrown in for good measure, and Tony Gauna chipped in with 1-17 to keep the pressure on. But 97 was never going to be enough against Bobbing Court's top order, and Rick Bourne's composed 30, with Graham Piesley unbeaten on 23, eased them home at 99/4 from 32 overs.

So, a six-wicket defeat, and a batting effort that leaves plenty of room for improvement. On the bright side, Andrew Moss continues to top our season's run charts with 114, and Allan Cooper now leads the wickets column too — small consolations, but consolations nonetheless. Verdict: outbowled our own batting, and we'll need the bat to catch up with the ball if next week is to go our way.

Thu 04 May 1972 🧢 Sunday NVKCv Leeds & Broomfield CC · Awayform—

Skipper's log, Leeds & Broomfield, Thursday 4 May 1972 — lost the toss, put in to field first, which on reflection might have been the shape of the day right there.

Batting first, we never quite got going, limping to 88/8 from our 20 overs. Paul Bowles played the innings of the day with a fine 37, standing rather alone amid the wreckage, as I, Mike Iliffe and Benny Bell all trooped back for ducks — a top order about as reliable as an English summer. It was, by any reading, a modest total, and I suspect more than one of us wondered if we'd handed the game away before a ball had been bowled in anger.

But cricket delights in making fools of captains who despair too early. Leeds & Broomfield replied with 81/8, Bill Cummings top-scoring with 28, but our bowling had teeth: Graham Mountford was magnificent, ripping through with 4-31, well backed by Allan Cooper's tidy 3-26 (two maidens to his name) and a wicket apiece for Paul Bowles. Their opener A Mitchell departed without so much as troubling the scorers, and slowly the arithmetic tilted our way.

I fell for nought myself, and the least said about that the better — we shall draw the customary veil. But the lads held their nerve, and we scraped home by 7 runs.

A scruffy, nervy, thoroughly English victory — and I'll take every one of those.

Sun 30 Apr 1972 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformWDDWW

Lost the toss again — a run now stretching so long I suspect the coin itself has taken against me — and Aylesford Paper Mills duly chose to bat on a Sunday that promised more sunshine than Sittingbourne usually manages. They made themselves thoroughly at home, racing to 186 for 2 off their 48 overs, John Atkins purring to an unbeaten 55 and Richard Hills matching him stroke for stroke with 52 not out, Peter Medhurst chipping in with a brisk 40. Paul Bowles did the damage that mattered, 2 for 45 off a genuinely hostile spell, while I contented myself with a couple of tidy maidens and the quiet satisfaction of at least not being carted about the ground.

Chasing 187, we set about it with more purpose than caution. Andrew Moss played an innings of real substance — 96 that had the whole clubhouse counting down to the century that, cruelly, never quite arrived — well supported by Paul Bowles, who followed his bowling with a handsome 63. We finished on 185 for 4 from our 40, one run and a handful of deliveries short of victory, honours shared.

A word for the record books: Moss's 96 eases him past Tony Levick and into 16th on the club's all-time run charts, and he now sits proudly atop our 1972 season standings, with Bowles leading the wickets column. A draw, then — not the result either dressing room wanted, but on this evidence, entirely fair.