🧢 Captain's Log

Sun 22 Sep 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Anchorians CC · HomeformLLDDD

Here's the report for the gazette.

There are moments in a captain's life when you toss the coin skyward with hope in your heart, and moments when it lands the wrong way up and you're trudging out to the field regardless. Sunday was very much the latter, as Anchorians won the call and elected to bat first, leaving us to make the best of things under a September sky.

And make the best of things we did. Tony Gauna was the pick of the attack with a tidy 2-23, well backed up by Ron Hickman's 2-48 and Nigel Thirkell chipping in with 1-9, while Allan Cooper bowled with the sort of miserly discipline that suggests he simply doesn't believe in giving runs away — five maidens told their own story. Anchorians were held to 124/8 from their 44 overs, J Ward's 36 the top score, with R Durbridge (35) and P Croker (20) offering support.

Chasing it down, Cliff Anscombe played the innings of the day, 48 well-crafted runs that not only steadied our reply but nudged him past Robert Murray into 8th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — no small thing to achieve on a Sunday afternoon. Nigel Thirkell, not content with his bowling exertions, then finished the job unbeaten on 40 as we cantered home at 128/3 with overs to spare. Tony Gauna's afternoon of toil was rewarded too, his two wickets lifting him past Michael Morton into 17th among the club's wicket-takers.

Seven wickets the margin, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 15 Sep 1974 🧢 1st XIv MH Mersham Hatch · HomeformWLLDD

Sunday 15 September 1974, and Dummy Site were our visitors for what turned into one of those honourably indecisive afternoons club cricket does so well. I lost the toss — no shock there, my coin-calling remains a weakness rivalled only by my off-side driving — and we were put into the field.

They ground their way to 128 for 8 off 39 overs, built chiefly around A. Gosling's unbeaten 45 and useful support from F-H. Ames with 37. Nigel Thirkell was magnificent with the ball, 3 for 32 including five maidens that must have driven their middle order to distraction, while Paul Bowles chipped in with 3 for 44 and Terry Donovan took 2 for 4. I. Cloke and D. Bromley both departed without troubling the scorers.

With 128 to chase, we settled for 60 for 2 off our 23 overs, Paul Bowles top-scoring with 23 and Cliff Anscombe unbeaten on 21 — no great urgency in it, but no alarms either.

Two milestones worth raising a glass to: Cliff Anscombe brought up his 200th appearance in Linton colours, a proper landmark of loyal service, and Terry Donovan's brace nudged him past Dick Langridge into 8th on the club's all-time wicket-taking list. Meanwhile Paul Brattle continues to lead our 1974 run charts on 612, with Nigel Thirkell now second among the season's wicket-takers on 66.

A draw, then — honours shared, and honestly, about right.

Sat 14 Sep 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Southborough CC · AwayformDWLLD

Turned the corner into Southborough on a fine September Saturday, won the toss, and – with the sky looking amenable – had few second thoughts about batting first. Gordon Dent played the innings of the day, a well-crafted 68 that gave the rest of us licence to play around him, Jon Harris chipping in with a tidy 39 and Paul Brattle 21 as we posted 175/6 from our fifty overs – not a mountain, but a total with enough about it to make a game of it.

Defending it, we had Southborough's Gordon Baldwin to thank for most of the drama, an imperious 82 that had us checking the scorebook rather more often than we'd have liked, with Peter Young lending support on 25. Ron Kingsmill, mercifully, departed without so much as troubling the scorers, a small mercy gratefully received. It was Ron Hickman who held us together throughout, four wickets for 37 and nine maidens of positively miserly intent, with Brian Fuller (2-47) and Nigel Thirkell (1-11) doing their bit besides. My own 39 with the bat was, I like to think, a captain's innings, if only because nobody else was available to bowl it.

A word for Nigel Thirkell, whose solitary wicket eased him past Ray Howard into 19th on the club's all-time list – progress of the quiet, unglamorous sort that all cricketers understand. With Southborough closing on 140/7 from 44, neither side could force matters, and honours were shared. A draw, then, but an honest one – earned rather than settled for, and no bad way to spend a Saturday.

Sat 31 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv Whitstable CC · AwayformDDWLL

Saturday 31st August 1974 saw us take the road to Whitstable, and if you're after a tale of glorious conquest, best turn the page now — this one's a story of honest toil and a hard-earned handshake.

Lost the toss, put ourselves into the field, and watched Whitstable settle in for the long haul. Chris Nutt gave us a proper working-over with a well-crafted 60, and he had willing accomplices in S. Tritton (48) and Mike Tritton (31), the three of them steering the innings to 204 for 7 off their 51 overs. Small mercies came our way when Jim Long and Andy Parker both departed without troubling the scorers. With the ball, Nigel Thirkell was the pick of us by some distance — 3 for 86, four maidens to his name, proof that discipline can coexist with a bit of expense — and Jon Harris chipped in nicely with 2 for 70, Terry Donovan grafting away for his one.

Chasing 205 was always going to be a stretch, and so it proved as we crawled to 120 for 6 from our 48 overs. Thirkell topped the order with 35, well supported by Robert Chance's 27, though poor Mike Iliffe's duck was a blot nobody needed on the card.

So, honours shared — a draw when neither side could force the issue. Not a classic for the scrapbook, but with Thirkell now second in our season's run charts and Harris leading the wickets, the engine room is clearly purring nicely. Onwards.

Wed 28 Aug 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · HomeformDLWDD

The coin, for once, behaved itself, and I had no hesitation in sending us in against Gravesend CC on a Wednesday that felt built for batting. It did not entirely oblige. We were bowled out for 134 in 38 overs, rescued from something more embarrassing by John Ames, who compiled a handsome 54, and Cliff Anscombe, who chipped in nobly with 32. Roland Parr and Jim Hall will not want their afternoons dwelt upon — both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers — but a total on the board is a total on the board, and out we went with ball in hand rather more cheerfully than the innings deserved.

What followed was, frankly, a mauling in our favour. Gravesend subsided to 59 all out in 38.3 overs, with M David, Mukul Lall and S Knott all departing for ducks of their own. Paul Bowles was the chief architect of the carnage, running through them with 7 for 29, while Ron Hickman offered miserly support, 3 for 20 from nine maidens that must have felt like an eternity at the crease for anyone facing him. Poor Cliff Anscombe had a trickier time of it behind the stumps, 10 byes slipping past for the only blemish on an otherwise fine day's work.

There was a personal footnote too: John Ames's 54 eased him past Stan Wratten into third on the club's all-time run-scoring list, while John Thirkell (109) and Paul Bowles (20 wickets) continue to sit handsomely in this season's Midweek XI charts. A 75-run victory, and a very good day for the club indeed.

Mon 26 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformDDDWL

From the captain's chair — Monday 26 August 1974. Away at Bearsted, and I have to confess I lost the toss and was invited to field, which on reflection may have been the day's first mistake.

Colin Fleetwood gave us a proper working-over, a fine 59 that anchored their innings, with Mick Filmer (42) and Chris Collett (41) piling on discomfort either side of him. Bearsted closed on 179/8 from their 48, which felt about 30 too many by the time we trudged off. Credit where due — Nigel Thirkell was magnificent with the ball, 4-40 and six maidens besides, not a run given away lightly, while Tony Gauna chipped in gamely for his 4-74. We did at least have our moments in the field, ducks for Anthony Hunt, Duncan Andrews and Mike Burton among them, small mercies gratefully received.

Our reply never quite got out of second gear. Stan Wratten led the way with 30, well supported by Tim Thirkell (30) and Jon Harris (27), but wickets tumbled around them and we were all out for 123 in 37.5 overs, 56 runs shy of the target.

Two crumbs of comfort for the scrapbook: Stan's 30 sees him leapfrog John Ames into third on the club's all-time run charts, and Nigel's four wickets move him past Herbert Rayner into twentieth on the all-time list — the old boys shuffling aside to make room. Not our day, all told. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 25 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv MH Mersham Hatch · AwayformTDDDW

Sunday 25 August, away at Dummy Site, and I did the thing every captain claims he'll do and rarely does — won the toss and trusted my own judgement. We batted. The right call, I still maintain, whatever the scorebook says by close of play.

Two hundred and six for nine off our fifty was a solid effort, built chiefly on Mike Iliffe's fine 56, with Tim Thirkell (38) and John Thirkell (24) lending proper support. I chipped in with 24 myself — nothing to write home about, though apparently someone has, given you're reading this. Less said the better about Nigel Thirkell and Jim Hall, both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, ducks and all.

In the field we gave it everything. Terry Donovan bowled beautifully for 4-54, Jon Harris chimed in with 3-62, and Nigel Thirkell, clearly saving his best work for the ball rather than the bat, sent down two tidy maidens. We even had M- Field back for nought. But C- Smith's 48 and an unbeaten 42 from C- Breed, with D-H- Ames chipping in 34, dragged the opposition home at 207/7. Thirteen byes on our card rather gives the game away about Jim Hall's afternoon behind the stumps — a testing day indeed.

Beaten by three wickets, then, agonisingly close. Paul Brattle and Jon Harris continue to fly the flag at the top of the season's charts, which is some consolation. We'll be better for it next week — we usually are, eventually.

Sat 24 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lukes Maidstone CC · HomeformDTDDD

Saturday the 24th of August found Dummy Site as our visitors, and having called correctly at the toss I had no hesitation in taking first use of the pitch — the sort of decision that looks either shrewd or foolish by teatime, and I'm delighted to report it was the former. We laboured our way to 149 for 9 off 40.5 overs, Nigel Thirkell top-scoring with a fine 31, Paul Brattle chipping in 28, and Colin Dicker seeing us home unbeaten on 20. Less gloriously, both Benny Bell and Alan Cradduck contributed ducks to the scorebook, proof that even honorary reporters must record the bad with the good.

In the field we found our range early. The visitors were bowled out for 123 in 39.5 overs, M- Beckwith the chief resistance with 35, well supported by J- Kanagasingahm's 30, while B- Mitchell and Cusworth departed without troubling the scorers. The day, though, belonged unmistakably to Ron Hickman, whose 5 for 31 — seven miserly maidens included — was a spell of real quality, ably backed by Nigel Thirkell's 4 for 34 and a wicket for Jon Harris.

A word too for John Ames, whose 12 runs eased him past Stan Wratten into third on the club's all-time run-scorers list — history quietly made while the rest of us were watching the scoreboard. Brattle and Harris continue to lead our season's charts with bat and ball respectively.

Twenty-six runs the margin, two points banked, and thoroughly deserved.

Wed 21 Aug 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · AwayformDDLWD

Wednesday, 21 August 1974, and the road took us to Gravesend. Winning the toss and electing to bat felt right at the time, and by the end of the day I'd stand by it — though the scorebook has a couple of blemishes I'd sooner not dwell on.

Jon Harris led the way with 36, and William Buck saw us home unbeaten on 26, but the middle order rather let the side down — Jim Hall and Ron Hickman both back in the hutch without troubling the scorers. Thank heavens for 29 extras, without which 174 all out from 42.4 overs would have looked considerably thinner.

With ball in hand, though, we were a different proposition. Ron Hickman was magnificent, 4 for 21, with Jon Harris (3-36, and four maidens of positively miserly intent) and William Buck (1-3) doing the tidying up around him. Only a fine, defiant 66 from D Azall kept Gravesend afloat, and 136 for 8 from their 43 overs meant honours finished shared.

Rather more than a match, in the end. Ron Hickman brought up 200 career wickets and leapfrogged George Champion into 14th on the club's all-time list — no small thing on a Wednesday in Kent. Jon Harris, meanwhile, continues to top both our run and wicket charts for the season, and doesn't look inclined to relinquish either.

A draw, then — but with Ron's milestone in the bag, I'd call it a highly satisfactory afternoon's work.

Sat 17 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv BC Bobbing Court CC · HomeformLDTDD

From the captain's chair — Saturday 17 August 1974. We hosted Bobbing Court CC, and the coin did us the courtesy of landing my way; I had no hesitation in taking first knock, more in hope than strategy as it turned out.

It was not, I confess, a batting masterclass. We shuffled to 111 all out from 42.2 overs, rescued from something rather more embarrassing by Jim Hall's unbeaten 35 and Benny Bell's steady 27. Elsewhere the story was less flattering — Alan Cradduck, Ian Brattle and Ron Hickman all took that lonely walk back for nought, and I dare say the Duck Club ledger did rather well out of us this week. 🦆

Whatever we lacked with the willow, we more than made up for with the ball. Bobbing Court, needing only to bat sensibly, instead found themselves 4 for 1 after just 6.2 overs, T Ades falling for a duck of his own to open proceedings. 🦆 Ron Hickman was sharp with 1 for 4, while Jon Harris strangled the life out of the innings with three maidens — bowling of real discipline. With the game evidently beyond salvage for both sides, honours were shared in a draw that satisfied nobody and offended nobody either.

A word of cheer amid the modest scores: Paul Brattle's brisk 3 runs eased him past Frank Taylor into 20th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, and he continues to lead our 1974 charts with 535 for the season. Verdict: a scrappy, low-scoring affair, saved by our bowlers and a touch of history in the making.

Wed 14 Aug 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv ? · HomeformLDDLW

Wednesday 14th August, and honours even against the visitors after a proper old-fashioned arm-wrestle of a contest.

Winning the toss, I put them in, and for a while it looked a touch generous of me — Steve Gower led the way with 38, C. Hull chipped in with 36 and B. Milns 34, the sort of steady middle-order graft that eats up an afternoon and a tea urn. Small mercies came our way too: R. Grayland departed without troubling the scorers, undone for a duck, while Jon Harris bowled beautifully for 3-44 to keep us in the hunt, well backed by Roland Parr (1-17) and B. Bowers (1-21), with Ron Hickman positively parsimonious through his four maidens. They closed on 160/6 from their 48 overs — competitive, but not out of sight.

Our reply was built almost single-handedly around John Thirkell, whose 65 was the innings of the day — a fine, watchful half-century that held the top order together while wickets fell steadily around him. I'll confess a quiet personal satisfaction in that knock. We finished on 115/7 from 46, short of the target but never quite out of the fight, and neither side could summon the final push needed to force it.

There was cause for a modest toast in the pavilion regardless: Harris's three wickets nudged him past Tony Snell into tenth on the club's all-time list, and with Thirkell now sitting atop our 1974 run charts on 94 and Harris second among the wicket-takers on 11, the season has real shape to it. A draw, then — honours shared, pride largely intact.

Sun 11 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Sibton Park CC · HomeformWLDTD

Sunday 11 August 1974 brought Sibton Park to Linton Park, and having called correctly at the toss I did what any self-respecting captain does on a fine morning — I had a look at the pitch, ignored my better judgement, and sent us in to bat. It was, I confess, a mixed blessing. We were bowled out for 125 in 56.4 overs, a total that owed almost everything to Tim Thirkell's gritty 47, and rather less to poor Jon Harris, who trudged off for a duck looking like a man who'd left the gas on at home.

A modest total, then, and one that would need defending with more nerve than we perhaps deserved. Sibton Park replied gamely, Colin Clarke's 31 the backbone of their innings, well supported by David Rawlings (23) and Geoff Kirk (20), and for a while it looked ominous. But cricket has a way of rewarding redemption, and Jon Harris — duck notwithstanding — produced a spell for the ages: 6 for 46, including six maidens, tight as a drum from start to finish. Nigel Thirkell (1-13) and Ron Hickman (1-20) chipped in dutifully, L Woods departed for a duck of his own, and Sibton were held at 102 for 9 from their 52 overs.

Honours shared, then — a draw that felt, in the end, like a fair verdict on a day of small mercies and one very large spell of bowling.

Wed 07 Aug 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sennocke CC · AwayformWLDDL

We batted last, needed 134, and got there with just one wicket to spare — Sennocke will point out we couldn't chase 138, but 137/9 off 29 with a wicket in hand is a win, and I'll take it.

Sennocke won the toss, elected to bat, and duly ground out 134 all out in 49.1 overs — S. Fry's 45 the backbone, with Ian Fordham (27) and Christopher Stock (21) chipping in round him. We had our moments too: T. Marsh, A. Hall and Leonard Taylor all walked back for ducks, and Ron Hickman was in irresistible form, nine maidens on the way to 5-32 — the sort of spell that wins matches on its own. Jon Harris (3-30) and S. Leppard (1-26) tidied up the rest, and 134 always felt a touch light on a day like this.

Chasing it, though, we did our level best to make a match of it anyway. Allan Cooper batted with real composure for his unbeaten 45, and when the middle order wobbled it was Hickman again — evidently not content with mere bowling heroics — who saw us home with 23 not out. Steve Gower and Jon Harris both departed for ducks of their own, proof that no one, however sharp with the ball, is spared cricket's little cruelties with the bat. Nine down, nerves shredded, but home.

A fine win by one wicket, then — scrappy, nervy, thoroughly Linton Park. Onwards.

Sat 03 Aug 1974 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · HomeformDWLDT

Saturday 03 August 1974. We welcomed Bidborough CC, lost the toss for our trouble, and were put into the field — which on a ground as flat as ours felt less like a decision and more like a small act of mischief on their part.

They batted with real purpose. R. Tippen played the innings of the day, 68 that carried their total along nicely, with B. Milns (39) and N. Irvine (24) chipping in like good lieutenants. Only A. Dakin failed to trouble the scorers, undone for a duck. But it was Jon Harris who made the afternoon his own — 5-71, a thoroughly deserved five-for, with Nigel Thirkell picking up one for 51 and Brian Fuller bowling with the discipline of a man who'd rather bore batsmen out than blast them, four maidens to his name. They closed on 177/6 from their 56 overs — a total, but not an unreachable one.

Our reply never quite found its rhythm. Wickets fell steadily and we subsided to 105/8 from 45 overs, rescued from further embarrassment by Nigel Thirkell's unbeaten 39, a lone beacon of sense amid the rubble. Poor Benny Bell will not want reminding of his contribution — a duck to match Dakin's.

So honours shared, a draw, neither side quite able to land the decisive blow. With Paul Brattle still leading our season's run charts and Jon Harris now surely out on his own with the ball, I'll call it: a fair result, honestly earned, and one we can drink to without wincing too much.

Tue 30 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · AwayformDDWLD

Tuesday 30 July 1974, and off we trundled to Hollingbourne with the coin refusing to cooperate as usual — call it wrong often enough and you start to suspect it's rigged against captains of a certain vintage. They took first knock, and for once our bowling had the good manners to turn up on time. Brian Fuller was quite magnificent, 3-17 of tidy, probing stuff that had them hopping about, well backed up by Jon Harris's 3-26 and a useful 1-8 from John Thirkell. Poor J Dewey never got off the mark, ushered back to the pavilion for a duck without so much as a wave to the scorers — these things happen to the best of us, and no doubt will again. C Brewer top-scored with 23, but Hollingbourne could only limp to 66/7 from their fourteen overs, which we felt was a job reasonably well done.

Then it was our turn to prove that batting is, in fact, harder than it looks. Robert Chance led the way with a gutsy 24, and the rest of us contributed in the time-honoured village fashion — a bit here, a bit there, rather too many nervous glances at the sky — as we crawled to precisely 66/6 from our fourteen. Precisely, as it turned out, being the operative word.

A tie. Level after a whole day's honest toil, neither side able to find that one extra run to settle it. Paul Bowles continues to sit handsomely second in the season's run charts, and Jon Harris tops the wicket-takers — small consolations, but consolations nonetheless. A fair result, all told: nobody deserved to lose, and frankly nobody quite deserved to win either.

Sun 28 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · HomeformLDDWL

Sunday 28th July, and the toss went as agreeable to us as a wasp at the tea table — The Mote won it and had no hesitation in batting first. We settled for a long afternoon in the field, and by the close of their innings, 53.3 overs and 146 all out, we'd more than earned our tea. Ken Emmett (39) and Brian Shaw (35) gave the visitors some early comfort, with M Austin (33) chipping in, but Tony Gauna was in irresistible form, scything through with 4-29, well backed by Jon Harris's miserly 4-57 (three maidens — not a run given away lightly) and Nigel Thirkell's 2-14. Des High and Trevor Teer both departed for ducks, which is always a small mercy for a tiring skipper.

Chasing 147, we made a rather more modest fist of it — 86 for 7 from our 46 overs, with Paul Brattle the shining light on 40, while Nigel Thirkell and Dick Langridge both contributed golden nothings of their own. Honours shared in the end, a draw that flattered nobody but satisfied everybody.

Still, a day for the history books rather than the scorebook alone: Paul Brattle brought up 2,000 career runs for the club, Nigel Thirkell turned out for his 100th time in Linton colours, and Jon Harris's four wickets eased him past Frank Taylor to 11th on the all-time list. And your captain, rather sheepishly, took 4 wickets himself. A draw, then — but one worth toasting.

Sat 27 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Sibton Park CC · AwayformLLDDW

We were beaten by 7 wickets on the road at Sibton Park CC, but not before a few things went right along the way.

Winning the toss on a fine Saturday, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — and for a while it looked the shrewder call. Nigel Thirkell played the innings of the day, a well-crafted 52, with Mike Iliffe (46) and Benny Bell (25) lending sturdy support around him. Alas, the tail told a rather different story — Paul Brattle and Gordon Dent both suffered the ignominious duck, and 138 all out from 49.2 overs was, in truth, a par score at best on a good pitch.

In the field we toiled honestly without ever quite landing the decisive blow. Brian Fuller was the pick of the attack, miserly as ever with four maidens and figures of 1-18, while Nigel Thirkell and Jon Harris chipped in with a wicket apiece. But Gordon Webb (53) and Geoff Kirk (37) saw Sibton home comfortably to 139/3, and our ten byes conceded behind the stumps did little to help our cause.

Amid the defeat, a little cheer for the ledger: Mike Iliffe's 46 nudges him up to 18th on the all-time run-scorers list, and Brian Fuller's solitary wicket lifts him to 23rd among the club's wicket-takers — while Nigel Thirkell continues to purr along in 2nd on this season's run charts and Jon Harris sits proudly top of the wickets table.

A chastening afternoon, then, but no cause for despair — we'll dust ourselves down and come again next week.

Tue 23 Jul 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv ? · HomeformLWLDD

Captain's Log — Tuesday 23 July 1974

Won the toss, put us in — sorry, put them in. Old habits. We batted first on a pitch that seemed to promise plenty, and 164/8 off our 38 overs felt about right for the conditions, if not quite the total we'd dreamed of over breakfast. Ray Grayland was the mainstay with a fine 40, Jon Harris chipped in handsomely with 34, and Paul Brattle's 24 kept things ticking along nicely. Special mention, as ever, to poor Mick Brown, who contributed a duck to the collection — the walk back to the pavilion done at that particular pace known only to batsmen who've middled the air.

With ball in hand we fancied our chances, and for long spells we looked the part. They were bowled out for 132 in 39.1 overs, which on paper reads like a job well done — and in Paul Bowles' case, it very much was. Seven for sixty-two, five maidens included, is the sort of spell you dine out on for a season, and thoroughly deserved it was too. Jon Harris backed him up admirably with 3-43. P. Deeks top-scored for them with 30, McGonigle and Everest chipping in either side, and we did at least return the earlier compliment with a duck of our own to a. Forte.

In the end, 32 runs short — a defeat that stings rather more for how close we sailed to pulling it off. Bowles bowls like a man possessed at the moment; the rest of us need to catch him up. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 21 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Sevenoaks Vine CC · AwayformLLLDD

Sunday 21 July 1974 saw us make the trip to Sevenoaks Vine, and I won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the lads to bat first — a decision I stand by, whatever else transpired. Paul Brattle led the way with a fine 44, well supported by Allan Cooper (32) and Jon Harris (28), as we compiled 163 for 9 from our 45 overs. Poor John Thirkell, though, was undone for a golden duck.

Defending that total, the side turned in a performance to be proud of. Jon Harris was in unplayable form, spinning his way to 6 for 28, while Allan Cooper (2-8, and miserly enough to send down five maidens) and Dick Langridge (2-18) chipped in handsomely. Phil Francis, Ian Haffenden and David Stevens all departed without troubling the scorers. Only John Odell, with a well-made 52, and Phil Dew (20) offered any real resistance, and Sevenoaks Vine were bowled out for 113 from their 40 overs.

It wasn't all plain sailing — Cliff Anscombe had a trying afternoon behind the stumps, with 11 byes slipping past him, and your skipper must confess to a golden blob of his own; leading by example is all very well, but not, on this occasion, with the bat in hand. Happier news came with Jon Harris passing 1,000 career runs for the club, to go with his league-leading 50 wickets this season, while Paul Brattle continues to top the run charts with 476.

A 50-run victory, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 14 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Sennocke CC · HomeformLLLLD

We hosted Sennocke CC on Sunday 14th July, and having called correctly, I had no hesitation in putting us in — a decision I stand by, even if 72/6 from our 27 overs was hardly a declaration of intent. Runs came in dribs and drabs, and spare a thought for poor Jon Harris, who departed for a golden duck — first ball faced, first ball gone, and back in the pavilion before his tea had gone cold. Elsewhere Paul Bowles continues his quietly excellent season, now sat second in the 1974 1st XI run charts with 333 to his name, though even his class couldn't lift us much beyond the seventies on the day.

Still, 72 is 72, and it was ours to defend. What followed was one of those afternoons that reminds you why this game refuses to be predictable: we bowled, we chased, we harried, and Sennocke simply could not get the runs — dismissed for none at all. Quite how a side fails to trouble the scorers is a mystery I shall leave for wiser heads than mine, but the lads defended that modest total as though it were Everest, and Sennocke never found a way up it.

In the end, honours were shared — a draw, with neither side able to force the door open. Not a classic for the purists, perhaps, but a match that proved once again that in this game, runs on the board mean nothing until the last ball is bowled.

Wed 10 Jul 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv Westerham CC · AwayformLLWLD

Trevor Back and Skipper's Men Battle to Honourable Draw at Westerham

Wednesday 10 July 1974, and I do enjoy the drive out to Westerham, if only because it delays the moment I have to make a decision. This week's was an easy one: won the toss, and with the pitch looking full of promise (or perhaps I'd simply had a good breakfast), I had no hesitation in batting first.

129 for 7 from our 45 overs was a scoreline built almost entirely on the broad shoulders of Trevor Back, unbeaten on 59, playing the innings of a man who'd read the pitch report and nobody else's memo. Jon Harris chipped in nicely with 20. Elsewhere the story was less flattering — Nigel Thirkell, B. Bowers and Phil Hickman all contributed that most democratic of cricketing gifts, the golden duck, three ways. Character-building stuff, lads.

Westerham's reply of 86 for 8 from 41 overs never quite threatened, M. Hill's watchful 23 aside, and we can thank Nigel Thirkell for that — a magnificent 5 for 32 that erased any memory of his batting entirely, and rightly so. Brian Fuller was the picture of miserliness alongside him, 3 for 28 with six maidens, and in doing so eased past Len Conway into 24th on the club's all-time wicket list — a line for the mantelpiece if ever there was one.

Honours shared, then. Neither side had quite enough about them to force the issue, and on a warm Wednesday evening a draw felt like the fairest, if least dramatic, of verdicts.

Sun 07 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · AwayformLLLLL

Sunday last saw us venture into deepest Kent to take on Aylesford Paper Mills, and having won the toss I did what any captain with a decent top order and a suspicious weather forecast would do — I put us in to bat. It proved the right call, even if I say so myself. Robert Chance was in fine touch, farming the strike to 78, while Paul Bowles matched him stroke for stroke with 71, and Nigel Thirkell came in to play the perfect finishing hand, 43 not out, as we sailed to a handsome 249 for 2 from our 43 overs. Declarations were unnecessary — the scoreboard did the talking.

In the field, Aylesford dug in gamely. Don Lemoine looked the part with a well-crafted 51, and got useful support from Brian Clark's 27 and Austin Parsons's 24, but they never quite got away from us. Paul Bowles, having already done his bit with the bat, turned his arm over to devastating effect — 4 for 57, five overs of it maidens, tighter than my collar after the tea interval. Nigel Thirkell chipped in with 2 for 15 and John Thirkell with 1 for 29, and between them they kept Aylesford to 179 for 8 from their 55.

A draw, then — honours shared, neither side quite able to force the door open. Bowles continues to have a season to remember, now up to 326 runs and second in the club's run charts, while Nigel Thirkell's 43 wickets keep him out on his own at the top. A fair result, and a thoroughly pleasant afternoon's cricket.

Sat 06 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDLLLL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 6 July 1974, a home fixture, and one I approach with the usual mix of optimism and dread.

Winning the toss, we sent them in, and for a good long while it looked like inspired captaincy. Brian Fuller was in irresistible form, spinning his way to 6-23 with seven maidens thrown in for good measure — the sort of miserly, probing spell that has batsmen playing shots that exist only in their imagination. Jon Harris (2-17) and Nigel Thirkell (2-28) tidied up round the edges, Barnes departed without troubling the scorers, and only D. Payne, unbeaten on 20, showed any real fight. All out 76 from 37.5 overs — a total that, on paper, should have been child's play to chase.

Cricket, being cricket, had other ideas. We shuffled to 77/4 in 19.4 overs, never quite settling into the rhythm the bowling had earned us. Jon Harris held firm for an unbeaten 32, well supported by Gordon Dent's 23, and I chipped in with 32 of my own, but Nigel Thirkell's golden duck summed up a batting effort that made hard work of a modest target. Somehow, improbably, we contrived to lose by six wickets.

A funny old game, and not our day. Heads up, chins up, and back to the nets — there's no substitute for good, honest practice when the bat lets you down like that.

Mon 01 Jul 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLDLLL

Down by four wickets on the first of July, and if we're honest, it was a match we let slip through our fingers rather than one that was taken from us.

We won the toss and had a bowl, and for a good while it looked a canny decision. Allan Cooper was in irresistible form, tearing through their order to finish with 3-14, and he had fine support from Ron Hickman (2-6) and Tony Gauna, whose 2-22 also carried a touch of history — those two wickets lifted him past Herbert Rayner into 19th on the club's all-time list. Poor Boorman won't want reminding he departed for a golden duck. All told, they were bowled out for a modest 59 from just 15.2 overs, and the tea urn was practically whistling in anticipation.

Chasing a target that size ought to have been a formality, but cricket delights in humbling the confident. We laboured to 60/6 from our 15.1 overs — enough to win, but the manner told its own story, not least poor Benny Bell's afternoon behind the stumps, from which 11 byes escaped like sheep through a gap in the hedge. There was one bright note: John Ames's 10 runs nudged him past Stan Wratten into 3rd on the club's all-time run charts, a tidy personal milestone on an untidy day.

Four wickets down, then, and a chastening one for the scorebook. Back to the nets, heads up — we'll fancy ourselves again soon enough.

Sun 30 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLLDLL

Sunday 30th June saw us take the field with first use of the ball, and for once the plan held together better than the tea urn. The visitors were nudged along steadily rather than blown away — R. Tippey compiled a well-made fifty, with B. Ball (22 not out) and B. Milns (21) offering sturdy support, while at the other end M. Tolhurst went for a duck, which cheered us up no end. Paul Bowles was the chief architect of the containment, bowling beautifully for 4-50, with Phil Hickman (3-30) chipping away at the other end, and Nigel Thirkell simply refusing to be scored off, five maidens to his name. They closed on 144/7 from 51.2 overs — a total that felt, for a while, very much within our gift.

With the bat, Paul Bowles carried on where he'd left off with the ball, striking a fine 72, ably assisted by Robert Chance's 45, as we reached 147/5 from 40.1 overs. Poor Cliff Anscombe had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 11 byes going begging, and I did my modest bit with 19 — more useful than decorative, I'd like to think.

In the end we fell five wickets short, beaten fair and square, though not without honour. Paul Brattle continues to lead our season's run charts with 391, and Paul Bowles now sits fifth in the wickets with 15 — form worth building on. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 29 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLLDL

Saturday 29th June, home soil, and for once the toss went our way — I had no hesitation in batting first, and I still think it was the right call.

It wasn't always pretty, but 140/8 off 44.5 overs gave us something to bowl at, built around a really lovely half-century from Nigel Thirkell (56), with Ken Webb chipping in a sound 30 alongside him. Not a total to have the tea urn shaking with excitement, but enough, we hoped, on a pitch that wasn't offering much.

And so it proved. The opposition simply never got going, bundled out for 72 in 33 overs as our attack found its rhythm at just the right moment. Jon Harris was magnificent, ripping through with 4-12, while Brian Fuller (2-21) and the ever-reliable Nigel Thirkell (2-35, and five maidens to boot — the man was positively parsimonious) squeezed the life out of any resistance. A word too for Brian, whose two wickets nudge him past Jack Fryer and into 25th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — a quiet little piece of history amid the chaos.

Up in the season's charts, Paul Brattle continues to lead the run-scoring with 390, and Nigel Thirkell tops the wickets with 39 — the man is having a season to remember.

Which makes it all the more baffling that we somehow contrived to lose by 68 runs. Not our day, not our week, possibly not our decade. Heads up, chins out, back to the nets.

Mon 24 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · AwayformDWLLD

Monday 24th June saw us make the pilgrimage to Aylesford Paper Mills, and I did the traditional thing on winning the toss: put us in, and duly watched us make rather hard work of it. Sixty-six for eight from our sixteen overs is not a total to frighten anyone, and the Duck Club had a busy afternoon — Allan Cooper, Benny Bell and Alan Cradduck all took that long, lonely walk back for nought, three quacks for the price of one. Tea, such as it was, tasted a little of humility.

Still, cricket has a way of not being over until it's over, and with ball in hand we gave a rather better account of ourselves. Aylesford wobbled early, losing Bobby Brigden and John Atkins without either troubling the scorers, and for a while there was genuine hope of an unlikely heist. Allan Cooper, redeeming his golden duck in some style, bowled beautifully for 3-27, with Tony Gauna chipping in a fine 1-26 alongside him. But Fred Baker had other ideas, batting through for an unbeaten 24 and finding a willing ally in Richard Wood's 21, and between them they eased Aylesford home with four balls to spare, sealing it by three wickets.

Elsewhere in the ledger, Paul Brattle continues to lead our 1974 run charts on 379, and Tony Gauna's afternoon nudges him to third in the wicket standings on 26 — small consolations on a day when the bat let us down before the ball nearly bailed us out. Chastening, honest, and no worse for it: we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 23 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLDWLL

Sunday 23rd June, and Linton Park welcomed the visitors on a fine home fixture, the toss won and first use of the ball taken. They set about accumulating with the sort of patience that tests a captain's field placings more than his patience, closing on 160 for 6 from their 53 overs. R Barret's unbeaten 38 was the innings' backbone, with J Harris (31) and P Barton (29) lending sturdy support. With the ball, young Jon Harris was magnificent — 4 for 53 and clearly the pick of our attack — while Allan Cooper (1-26) and Tony Gauna (1-32) chipped away dutifully, Gauna additionally proving as tight as the club tea urn with three maidens.

Our reply never quite found its rhythm. We limped to 133 for 8 from 46 overs, saved from something worse by Jon Harris's tireless 39 not out, with John Thirkell (29) and Ken Webb (25) doing their bit. I managed a workmanlike 29 myself, though the less said about Andrew Moss, Allan Cooper and Colin Dicker's ducks the better — three golden eggs laid in the same innings takes some doing, and not the kind of hat-trick any of us were hoping for.

So a draw it was — honours shared, pride dented but intact. Jon Harris continues his splendid season, now second in both the run charts and wicket charts, and frankly carrying us more than the scorebook lets on. As for the rest of us: a fair result, honestly earned, and no disasters beyond the usual quota of quacking.

Sat 22 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv HC Hythe CC · HomeformLLDWL

Beaten by seven wickets on Saturday, but let me tell you, it started so promisingly. Winning the toss and choosing to bat felt like the right call at the time, and I'll go to my grave insisting it was — the pitch just didn't play as I'd hoped once the lads got out there.

Fifty-three all out from twenty-seven overs is not the sort of total that has the tea urn trembling with anticipation. Ken Webb stood rather alone with a battling 30, while Benny Bell, Alan Cradduck and Ron Hickman all contrived to add nothing whatsoever between them — a hat-trick of ducks that Hythe's bowlers will no doubt dine out on for weeks. Quite how three grown men managed a golden nought apiece I shall leave to the club's statisticians and my own quiet despair.

With such a modest total to defend, our only hope lay in the bowling, and Nigel Thirkell did his level best to keep us in it — miserly as ever with three maidens and the pick of the attack at 1-24. But Hythe's P Sherington played the anchor role to perfection, seeing them home unbeaten on 23, and they cruised to 55/1 in just over twenty overs.

So, seven wickets the margin, and no arguing with it. Thirkell continues to lead our wicket charts with 37 for the season, and John Ames sits handsomely third in the run-scoring with 189, which offers some crumb of comfort. As for the rest of us — back to the nets, I fear. We'll be better for it next week.

Thu 20 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformLLLDW

Beaten by Their Team by five wickets on Thursday, and if I'm honest, that summary rather flatters us.

Having won the toss and stuck them in, we started brightly enough — Nigel Thirkell steaming in to finish with a wonderful 4-19, well backed up by Allan Cooper's 4-25, and between them they had the visitors' innings in tatters at various points. Only D. Pike, with a defiant 25, stood between us and something really special; the rest of their card makes for grim reading if you're batting, with poor B. Jenner and F. Vidgen both shipping ducks without so much as troubling the scorers. Sixteen overs, 87 for 9 — on paper, a total we really ought to have chased down with time to spare.

Ought to being the operative phrase. Chasing 88, we contrived to make rather harder work of it than the mathematics suggested, stumbling to 88/5 from 15.5 overs, with Paul Bowles the mainstay of the innings for his 34. Five wickets down and not a run to spare — club cricket in a nutshell.

There was, at least, one thing to raise a warm pint to: Thirkell's four-for saw him leapfrog Stan Wratten into 22nd on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, and with 36 wickets already this season he continues to lead the 1974 charts by a distance, just as Paul Brattle leads the run-getters with 363.

So, beaten by five wickets, and no arguing with it. We'll be better for it next week.

Tue 18 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · HomeformLLLLD

Tuesday 18 June 1974 saw Hollingbourne CC pitch up at Linton Park, and for once the coin had a sense of humour entirely at our expense — they called correctly, elected to bat, and left us to make the best of a slightly damp-feeling toss. Fifteen overs later they'd rattled up 88 all out, Ian Hammond doing the heavy lifting with 33 and Andrew Hales chipping in a useful 20, while at the other end J Dewey, C Brewer and John Steer all trudged off for ducks. Credit where it's due: Nigel Thirkell was in imperious form with 4-12, ripping through the middle order like a man late for his tea, with Allan Cooper (3-34) and Ron Hickman (1-33) mopping up the rest.

Chasing 89, we barely broke sweat. Paul Brattle set about the bowling with real intent for 31, ably assisted by Allan Cooper's 21, and between them they had the job done in a breezy 9.1 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Eight-wicket win, home before the pub shut — can't ask for much more than that.

With the season charts now showing Brattle out in front on 359 runs and Thirkell leading the wickets column with 32, the pair of them are fast becoming the engine room of this side. All told, a thoroughly good day for the club — Hollingbourne came, saw, and were sent home wondering what happened.

Sun 16 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv BC Bobbing Court CC · AwayformLLLLL

1974 was a good year, but chasing the ball must not have been fun for their bowlers.

Bobbing Court CC. Sunday, 16 June 1974. We lost the toss — never a great start when the sky's making up its mind — and were sent out to field first, which at least meant I could postpone finding out how my knees felt about batting for another few hours.

They batted with more patience than menace, grinding their way to 162/8 from 48 overs. J Gorf led the charge with 42, Brian Best (31) and Richard Witts (23) filling in nicely round him, while poor T Gabbadon trudged off for a duck. With the ball, Jon Harris was the pick of us with 3-45, Allan Cooper (3-46) and John Thirkell (1-14) chipping in, and Tony Gauna bowled like a man with somewhere better to be, four maidens and not a run given away easily. I managed 3 wickets myself, which I shall be mentioning at every opportunity for the rest of the season.

Chasing 163, we mustered 135/9 from our 46 — Cliff Anscombe top-scoring with 35, well supported by Paul Brattle's 33, and I chipped in with 16. Colin Dicker's golden duck was matched only by Cliff's afternoon behind the stumps, which cost us 9 byes and, I suspect, a fair bit of his dignity.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side could quite force the issue. Fair result, fairer tea.

Sat 15 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · AwayformDLLLL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 15 June 1974. We were away, and I called it right, taking first use of the ball.

The opposition set about their 49 overs with a purpose we could have done without, closing on 175/8. Dave Goodyer was the chief architect of our discomfort, motoring past his fifty to 63, with useful support from Stuckey (38) and Bassett (22). Small mercies came our way too — J Adams back in the hutch for a duck, which always raises a smile from the boundary. With ball in hand, Brian Fuller was quite magnificent, 4-46 off a miserly six maidens, while Nigel Thirkell (2-47) and Jon Harris (1-53) chipped away dutifully at the other end.

Chasing 176, we made rather light work of it, getting there in 33.3 overs for the loss of four wickets. I'll confess to some quiet satisfaction leading from the front with 86, though John Ames rather stole my thunder with a wonderful 86 of his own — and in doing so brought up 7,000 career runs for the club, a landmark worth raising a glass to. Ken Webb's unbeaten 58 rounded things off nicely. Elsewhere in the records, Stan Wratten's six runs saw him leapfrog John Ames into third on the all-time run charts, and Jon Harris's solitary wicket eased him past George Champion into thirteenth among the wicket-takers.

Beaten by six wickets in the end — a day of personal milestones but collective disappointment. We'll be better for it next week.

Tue 11 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWDLLL

Beaten by 39 runs at home on Tuesday, but not without a decent fight from the lads.

I won the toss and, in what I like to think was a moment of tactical genius rather than blind optimism, elected to bat. We got ourselves to 137/6 off our sixteen, with Nigel Thirkell the pick of the order on 47 and Paul Bowles chipping in nicely with 33. Not everyone had their name in lights, mind — Allan Cooper endured the walk of shame for a golden duck, and I'm assured the tea urn was the only thing that greeted him warmly on his return to the pavilion.

Chasing 137, our visitors never quite got the momentum going, undone in no small part by Ron Hickman, who span a web through their middle order for a thoroughly unplayable 5-34. Thirkell and Cooper — the latter presumably keen to make amends for his morning's work — added two wickets apiece, and we sent three of theirs back for ducks of their own. P. Jackson's 32 and A. Bryan's 23 were the only real resistance, and their innings folded for 98 in 14.2 overs.

Thirty-nine runs the wrong side of the ledger in the end, which stings rather more than it should given how well we bowled. Still, Thirkell continues to lead from the front with both bat and ball, and Brattle's run charts remain the envy of the division. We'll regroup, we'll learn, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 09 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformLWDLL

Sunday last found us on the road to Sheldwich, and if there's one thing crueller than losing the toss, it's losing it and being put in to field on a warm afternoon with sandwiches calling. Still, the lads set about their work with a will, and Allan Cooper in particular decided he rather fancied bowling all day — five for 22 and ten maidens is the sort of spell that makes a captain wonder why he ever bothers setting a field at all. Tony Gauna chipped in gamely with four for 50, and between the pair of them, three Sheldwich batsmen trudged off without troubling the scorer. Brian Newman's 29 and I. Scott's 20 kept us honest, and Sheldwich were all out for 85 — not a total to lose sleep over, or so we thought.

Chasing 86, we contrived to make hard work of easy work, as is the club's way. Cliff Anscombe's 24 was the innings' one shaft of sunlight, but three more ducks joined the collection and we were bowled out for 82. Nine byes past the gloves didn't help matters either — a tricky afternoon behind the stumps, to put it kindly.

Three runs. Three wretched runs separated triumph from tea and sympathy, and it's hard to begrudge Sheldwich their win when we handed them nine of them ourselves. Cooper's five-for deserved better support with the bat, but that's village cricket for you. We'll dust ourselves down, keep Gauna's wickets column ticking nicely, and fancy our chances of putting this one right next week.

Sat 08 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv RC Rumwood CC · HomeformLLWDL

Lost the toss again — my record with the coin this season borders on the actuarial — and Rumwood CC, sniffing a green one, sent us out to field. Not that we minded much once Tony Gauna got going. He bowled with the kind of hostility one associates with wasps at a picnic, finishing with 7 for 36, nine of his overs maidens, and reduced the visitors to 85 all out in 36.3 overs. Nigel Thirkell chipped in handsomely too, 3 for 41, and in doing so eased past Jack Fryer into 24th on the club's all-time wicket-takers' list — a quiet but proper milestone, applauded by everyone except, presumably, Jack Fryer.

Chasing 85 ought to have been a Sunday stroll, but we contrived to make it a Greek tragedy instead. Gordon Dent held things together manfully with 22, but around him the innings resembled a conga line to the pavilion — John Ames, Alan Cradduck and, adding insult to injury, Tony Gauna himself all bagged ducks. I did my bit for solidarity by falling for nought as well; the less said about that, the better. We were bowled out for 71 in 41.4 overs, beaten by 14 runs.

Paul Brattle continues to lead the run charts with 269 for the season, and Thirkell now sits second among the wicket-takers with 24. As for the rest of us — bowling magnificent, batting a shambles. We'll be better for it next week. We'd rather hoped to be better for it this week.

Sun 02 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv NC Nonington CC · AwayformLLLWD

Sunday last took us out to Nonington, and winning the toss I had no hesitation in sticking us in to bat first — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the scorebook might suggest afterwards. We were bowled out for 129 in 46.2 overs, which is not a total to frighten anyone, though Paul Bowles battled hard for 47 and Paul Brattle chipped in nicely with 44. I managed 47 myself, for what it was worth. Less said the better about Allan Cooper and Tony Gauna, both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers — the walk of shame performed with due solemnity.

With the ball we made a proper fist of it. Nigel Thirkell was relentless, 3 for 34, with Jon Harris (2-18) and Allan Cooper (1-34) offering fine support — and Cooper's seven maidens meant not a run was given away lightly. But M- Smith's 41 and an unbeaten 22 from R- Brown steered Nonington home to 132 for 7 in 45.1 overs, and we fell short by three wickets.

Some cheer amid the gloom, mind: Jon Harris brought up 200 career wickets, a landmark worth raising a glass to. Cliff Anscombe's 3 runs eased him past Ray Howard into 9th on the club's all-time run charts, and Nigel Thirkell's efforts pushed him past Robert Wood into 25th among the wicket-takers. Paul Brattle continues to lead our season's run charts with 265, Jon Harris the wickets with 27.

Not our day, all told — heads up, back to the nets, and on to the next one.

Sat 01 Jun 1974 🧢 1st XIv DC Davington Priory CC · HomeformDLLLW

Saturday 1st June 1974, and Davington Priory came calling with the sun (mostly) on our side. I won the toss and, in a fit of optimism I'd later be second-guessing, stuck us in.

Happily the openers had other ideas. Stan Wratten and Jon Harris both cruised past their fifties — 59 and 52 respectively — batting with the kind of unhurried authority that makes a captain's job look easy, while Benny Bell chipped in an unbeaten 37 to round things off nicely. Not everything gleamed, mind: poor Paul Brattle and Mike Iliffe both trudged back for ducks, the sort of shared misery that at least gives the tea-interval ribbing somewhere to go. All told, 188 for 7 off our 43 overs — a total with a bit of substance to it.

Defending it, we asked plenty of questions but Davington kept finding answers, Alan Carter anchoring things with an unbeaten 42, well supported by D. W. Branson's 33 and Peter White's 26. Nigel Thirkell was relentless all afternoon and finished with 3 for 69, while Brian Fuller bowled the tightest spell of the lot — 2 for 26 with four maidens to show for his miserliness. In the end they closed on 166 for 6, just short of the finish line but well clear of embarrassment.

So, honours shared. Not the win the batting deserved, but a fair reflection of an afternoon where nobody quite blinked — a draw we can live with, and a tea we thoroughly earned.

Tue 28 May 1974 🧢 Midweek XIv NC Newport Fugitives CC · HomeformDLLWL

Steve Gower 46, R Walters 41 not out, Paul Bowles 6-45 — Tuesday's report as requested.

Tuesday 28 May 1974, and Newport Fugitives were the visitors on a day that promised much and, in the end, delivered honours shared. I won the toss and didn't so much deliberate as blurt out "we'll bat" before anyone could talk me out of it — a captain's prerogative I intend to keep exercising until proven wrong. We rattled along to 161/6 off 42.4 overs, Steve Gower playing the anchor role beautifully for 46, with Paul Brattle (33) and Nigel Thirkell (20) chipping in to give the total some respectability.

Then came the fun part. Newport replied with 117/9 from their 48 overs, R Walters batting doggedly for an unbeaten 41 while G Barns (23) and Norman Drewett (20) offered support — but three of their number departed for ducks, and the rest simply couldn't get the ball away from Paul Bowles, who spun a web of quite ridiculous quality: 6-45 including nine maidens, figures that will be talked about in the clubhouse for some time yet. I chipped in with 6 wickets myself, which I shall modestly mention only nine or ten times before the season's out. Jon Harris (2-36) and Nigel Thirkell (1-27) rounded things off nicely.

A red-letter day off the field too — Jon Harris brought up his 100th appearance in Linton colours, and Paul Brattle's 33 eased him past Don Clayton into 23rd on the all-time run charts. As for the result, neither side could force it home, and a draw it was — honest toil, honours even, and a decent tea to follow, I shouldn't wonder.

Mon 27 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLDLLL

We hosted Bearsted CC on a fine Monday, 27th May, and having called correctly at the toss, I saw no reason to do anything other than bat. It proved a sound instinct, if not a flawless execution: 112 all out from 51.3 overs, built around a fine 39 from Jon Harris and useful support from Ken Webb's 22. Elsewhere the scorebook made grim reading, with Nigel Thirkell, Benny Bell and Alan Cradduck all departing for ducks — a trio of blobs that rather took the shine off the total.

A hundred and twelve looked distinctly gettable, and Bearsted set about it with purpose, but Nigel Thirkell had other ideas, atoning for his golden duck in spectacular fashion with 6-24, four of those overs maidens, no less. Jon Harris chipped in with 4-51, and between the two of them Bearsted were bowled out for 97 in 40.4 overs despite half-centuries of application from Colin Fleetwood (28) and Michael Livingstone (27). Mick Filmer, Derek Morgan and Brian Burnett joined the club's own strugglers on the duck list, which felt only fair. I'll confess to a quietly satisfying all-round contribution myself — 39 with the bat and 4 wickets with the ball.

A special word for Paul Brattle, who brought up his 100th appearance in Linton colours — a milestone earned the hard way, and he continues to lead our 1974 run charts with 220, with Jon Harris topping the wickets with 25. Two points, won by 15 runs, and thoroughly, if narrowly, earned.

Sun 26 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv Lordswood CC · HomeformDLDLL

Sunday last, 26th May, saw Lordswood CC come to Linton Park, and the coin did us no favours — they won the toss and took first knock, leaving us to toil in the field. Toil we did, but not without reward: Henderson Carrington's 41 and useful contributions from Colin Gardener (30) and David Twiddy (25) carried them to 160 all out in 44.3 overs, though L. Lewis, S. Puttock and W. Wells will want no reminding of their ducks. The day belonged to Paul Bowles, whose 7 for 43 — two maidens and all — was as fine a spell as this gazette has had the pleasure of reporting, with Jon Harris chipping in a very respectable 3 for 54.

With the bat we never quite settled, Tim Thirkell, Phil Hickman and Jon Harris all departing for nought, and fifteen byes told their own tale of a testing afternoon behind the stumps. As for your captain, I contributed a soft duck of my own and shall say no more about it, though I did at least atone with three wickets. It was Paul Brattle who held the innings together with an unbeaten 69, well supported by Bowles's 55, but 157 all out in 46.5 overs left us three runs shy at the death.

Milestones softened the blow — Brattle now sits 24th on the club's all-time run-scorers, Bowles 6th among the wicket-takers — but a loss is a loss. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 25 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDDLDL

Saturday 25th May, 1974, and the sun found us at home for what turned into one of those afternoons only cricket can serve up.

Put into the field, we had them 105 all out in 39.3 overs, though not before Butler had made a nuisance of himself with 23. Credit where due — Jon Harris was magnificent, six wickets for 64, a five-for and thoroughly earned, with Nigel Thirkell (4-37, eight maidens no less) tying the other end down like a man doing his tax return. Not everything went our way in the field, mind — Stuckey and Mitchell were both sent back for ducks, which is the sort of thing that makes a captain suddenly very interested in his shoelaces.

Chasing 106, we somehow contrived to make hard work of it, 106/8 off 41.2 overs, Stan Wratten leading the way with a gritty 35 while poor Jim Hall departed for a golden duck. There was, at least, a moment to savour amid the wreckage — Stan brought up 7,000 career runs for the club, and that same knock nudged him past John Ames into third on our all-time run list. Not a bad afternoon's work, even in a losing cause. Paul Brattle continues to lead our season's run charts with 150, Harris the wickets with 18.

Beaten by two wickets in the end, then — the sort of defeat that stings for about as long as the tea urn stays warm. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 19 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformWDDLD

Sunday 19 May 1974, and the toss went against us — Aylesford Paper Mills chose to bat, which on reflection tells you most of what you need to know about how our day would go. We toiled honestly in the field, and there were bright spots amid the leather-chasing: Ian Milner and Brian Fridd both fell for ducks at our hands, and Paul Bowles bowled beautifully for 4-46, well supported by Jon Harris's 4-63 and Tony Gauna's 1-26. But Tony Maddox made a fine, well-constructed 57, with Don Lemoine chipping in 32, and the visitors closed on a stiffer-than-comfortable 143 all out from 37.2 overs.

Our reply never quite got out of second gear. Jim Hall's 29 and Robert Chance's 28 were the only innings of real substance, and when both Paul Bowles and Colin Dicker joined the ducks' club, the writing was rather on the pavilion wall. We were bowled out for 106 in 36.4 overs — I did manage to find some rhythm with the ball myself, taking four, though sadly on the day it counted for little with bat in hand.

There was, at least, a footnote worth raising a cup of tea to: Jon Harris's four wickets nudged him past Ron Hickman and up to 15th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — a nice bit of history amid the gloom, and it keeps him out in front of this season's wicket charts with 12, with Paul Brattle still leading the run-scoring on 136.

Beaten by 37 runs in the end, then — no disgrace against a well-drilled Aylesford Paper Mills side, but a reminder that fifty-run partnerships don't score themselves. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 18 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformLWDDL

Saturday 18th May 1974, Headcorn CC at home, and I won the toss with the sort of confidence I rarely feel about anything else in life — batting it was.

We were bowled out for 140 off 43.3 overs, which read better than it felt at the time. Paul Brattle's 45 was the innings' spine, John Ames chipping in a tidy 33 alongside him, though poor Paul Croucher will not be dwelling on his contribution — a golden duck to remember him by 🦆.

With the ball, we set about restricting them, and restrict them we did: 108 for 9 off their 49 overs told its own story of a side toiling without quite breaking through. John Phipps stood firm for an unbeaten 39, R. Chapman lending useful support with 20, but the day belonged to Terry Donovan, whose 4 for 29 — with six maidens thrown in for good measure — was miserly bowling of the old school. Jon Harris weighed in with 4 for 63, and John Thirkell picked up a wicket of his own for 12.

So honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite force the door open. Brattle continues to lead our run charts for the season with 131, and Harris now sits second among the wicket-takers with 8 — form that bodes well. As for the match itself: honest toil, low totals, and not a result to write home about, but then not every Saturday can be a classic. We'll take the point and the tea.

Tue 14 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · HomeformDLWDD

Tuesday, 14 May, and Aylesford Paper Mills CC came calling on a fine afternoon that promised more than it delivered. I lost the toss — no great surprise, my coin-calling this season has been about as reliable as an English summer — and we were sent out to bowl.

Credit where it's due: Paul Bowles gave us a proper chasing, 72 not out of pure, unhurried quality, with Austin Parsons chipping in a handsome 33 alongside him. Between them they steered the visitors to 125 for 2 off their sixteen overs, and there wasn't a great deal the rest of us could do about it. Ron Hickman toiled nobly for his solitary wicket at a cost of 30, and Allan Cooper matched him for effort if not quite for economy, 1 for 36. The lads never stopped trying; the Bowles innings simply refused to be stopped.

Our reply never got out of first gear. Sixty-three for five off our sixteen overs told its own sad story — starts made, none of them built upon, and the required rate creeping away from us like the last bus home. Elsewhere in the season's ledger there were small consolations: Paul Brattle continues to lead our run charts with 86, and Allan Cooper sits fourth among the wicket-takers.

Not our day, then — beaten by 62 runs, heads bowed but not bloodied. Back to the nets it is.

Sat 11 May 1974 🧢 1st XIv RC Rumwood CC · AwayformLDLWD

We stumbled out to Rumwood on Saturday 11th May like men who'd rather still have been in bed, lost the toss, and were promptly asked to spend the afternoon leathering the ball about in the field — never our favourite way to open a Saturday. Rumwood ground out 184/9 from their 45, built chiefly on Brian Aiston's watchful 61 and John Pearson's tidy 55, with Dennis Winstanley chipping in 20 for good measure. Small mercy: Keith Lane departed for nought at our hands, and Tony Gauna bowled like a man with a grudge, 4-45 with five maidens thrown in for miserly good measure, well backed by Jon Harris (3-57) and John Ames (2-28).

Set 185 to win, we replied with a stubborn 154/7 off our own 45 — Jon Harris top-scoring with 47, Gordon Dent unbeaten on the same, and John Ames a useful 28. I stuck around for 28 myself, more through obstinacy than elegance, while Ken Webb, Jim Hall and Colin Dicker each contributed nothing at all, a hat-trick of ducks that rather summed up our afternoon at the crease.

One footnote worth raising a teacup to: Mike Iliffe's five runs quietly nudged him past Frank Taylor into 19th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — history creeping along at its usual glacial pace. Jon Harris now sits 2nd in this season's run charts, Tony Gauna leads the wickets column, and both look worth watching as the summer unfolds.

In the end neither side could land the killer blow, and honours were shared. A draw, then — the great English compromise, and not the worst way to spend a Saturday.

Sun 05 May 1974 🧢 Sunday NVKCv ? · AwayformWLWWL

Sunday 5 May 1974 saw us on the road, and having called correctly at the toss, I had no hesitation in batting first — a decision that, in hindsight, deserved rather better support than it got. Ken Webb led the way with a battling 25, and Tim Thirkell chipped in with a composed 20 not out, but around them the innings simply fell away. Paul Bowles, Paul Brattle and Allan Cooper all contributed the same golden nothing, and 94 all out from 37.5 overs was, frankly, a modest total to defend.

Defend it we did our best to, though the opposition made light work of the chase, racing to 97 for 1 in just 18.2 overs. W. Cummins played the innings of the day, an unbeaten fifty carried with real authority, well supported by J. Dunk's unbeaten 33. Tony Gauna stood alone as a bright spot with the ball — miserly figures of 1 for 13 and three maidens to show for his efforts, while the rest of us toiled without reward.

As for the skipper, the least said the better: a golden blob to match the general theme of the day. A captain ought to lead by example, and on this occasion I led rather too well in the wrong direction entirely.

Beaten by nine wickets, then, and no dressing it up. But there's early promise in the season table — Ken Webb tops the run charts and Tony Gauna the wickets — and we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 28 Apr 1974 🧢 1st XIv AC Aylesford Paper Mills CC · AwayformLLDLW

From the captain's chair — Sunday 28 April 1974. We took ourselves off to Aylesford Paper Mills CC for a fixture that promised much and, in the finest traditions of the game, ended up settling absolutely nothing at all.

I lost the toss — I do wish I could report otherwise, but there it is — and Aylesford wisely elected to bat on what looked a decent surface. They made themselves thoroughly at home, closing on 159 for 4 off 53.4 overs, built chiefly around a fine second-wicket stand of 78. Austin Parsons played the innings of the day for his 63, with Graham Pollack (39) and Don Lemoine (21) lending sturdy support. Our attack toiled honestly rather than spectacularly: Tony Gauna the pick with 1 for 34, Allan Cooper (1 for 41, two tidy maidens among them) and Jon Harris (1 for 55) chipping away without ever quite breaking through.

Our reply was, in truth, a scratchier affair. Paul Brattle shouldered the innings manfully for 27, but wickets tumbled around him and we subsided to 90 for 9 off our 44, saved only by the clock. Alan Cradduck's contribution was, sadly, a golden duck — these things happen to the best of us, and he has my sympathy over the tea urn.

One bright note amid the toil: Allan Cooper's solitary wicket eased him past Stan Wratten and into 21st on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — quiet history, made in the deep field. With Brattle now leading our 1974 run charts on 72 and Gauna topping the wickets with 6, there is method to our madness yet.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, and the paper mill's tea rather better than our batting.

Sat 27 Apr 1974 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformLLLDL

As a straight bat home from West Farleigh, we won the toss on a Saturday that felt made for cricket and I didn't dither over the decision — batting first it was, and for a while it looked the sound call, largely on the back of Paul Brattle's 45, an innings that did rather more work than the rest of the order combined. Elsewhere the effort was, let's say, patchy: poor Gordon Dent trudged back for a duck, and 98 all out from 40.1 overs was scarcely a total to make West Farleigh's openers lose sleep.

But cricket, mercifully, is rarely won on paper. Tony Gauna was quite magnificent with the ball, tearing through the innings for 5-25, while Nigel Thirkell matched him wicket for wicket with 5-43 and eight parsimonious maidens that strangled any hope of a chase — J Archer, Don Fermor and Ken Baines all departed without troubling the scorer. Gordon Dent had rather a torrid time of it behind the stumps, 12 byes going begging, but redeemed himself handsomely with the bat's absence forgiven by his gloves' generosity being overlooked entirely. West Farleigh fell for 83.

A day of milestones too — Paul Bowles brought up his 200th appearance in Linton colours, and Nigel Thirkell passed 100 career wickets, both achievements that rather put our modest total in the shade.

Fifteen runs the margin, two points the reward, and thoroughly deserved: a triumph of bowling over batting, and none the less sweet for it.