🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 27 Sep 1980 🧢 1st XIv Lordswood CC · HomeformWDDLD

Called correctly for once, and with the sun out and the tea urn already on, I had no hesitation in sticking us in. It proved a mixed blessing. We laboured to 141 all out in 50.3 overs, saved from real embarrassment by Nigel Thirkell's watchful 52, with Andy Woollett and Trevor Back chipping in 23 apiece. We were coasting nicely at 126 for 7 before the tail did its traditional impression of dominoes and we were all out for 141. Martin Thompson's contribution was a duck of such purity it deserves its own line in the ledger.

Lordswood's reply promised more trouble than it delivered. An early wicket at 8 had them rattled, and though Steve Marsh played the innings of the day with 55, ably assisted by Terry Tocknell (23) and K Darlington (20), the middle order simply couldn't hold firm — 105 for 4 became 112 for 7 in the blink of an eye, with Andy Coltham and I Taylor both back in the pavilion without scoring. I finally found some rhythm with the ball, finishing with 5 for 36 including six maidens, with Nigel chipping in 2 for 21, and Lordswood folded for 114.

It also happened to be my 300th appearance in Linton colours, and my five runs nudged me past Mike Iliffe into 17th on the all-time list — not bad going while everyone else was doing the real work. Thirkell continues to lead both our run and wicket charts for the season, a one-man cottage industry. We got home by 27 runs. A thoroughly satisfactory afternoon.

Sun 21 Sep 1980 🧢 1st XIv AC Anchorians CC · HomeformDWDDL

Sunday 21 September brought Anchorians CC to Linton Park, and having called correctly for once, I saw no reason to complicate matters — up we went to bat.

It would be kind to call our innings modest. 105 all out in 45.5 overs is the sort of total that makes for a long tea interval and longer faces, though Paul Bowles did his level best to disguise the wreckage with a fighting 35. Poor David Iliffe, meanwhile, contributed nothing at all to the cause — a golden duck, and not the first he's collected, I'll wager, but never a pleasant one to walk off with.

In the field, though, the lads found their mettle. Anchorians reached 102 for 7 from their 32 overs, Paul Stanford top-scoring with 39 and Derek Ufton chipping in a solid 34, the two of them putting on a stand of 56 that threatened, for a while, to bat us clean out of it. R. Durbridge came and went for a duck of his own — one suspects he barely had time to take guard. It was Nigel Thirkell who kept us in the contest throughout, a fine 4 for 31, with Trevor Back chipping in 1 for 23 and Tony Gauna bowling two miserly maidens to choke the runs.

In the end honours were shared, neither side quite able to force the issue — and amid the toil, Paul Bowles quietly raised his 13,000th career run for the club, which is rather more memorable than anything on the scorecard. A scrappy draw, then, but a proud one.

Sat 20 Sep 1980 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformDDWDD

West Farleigh arrived on a fine September Saturday, I won the toss, and — against all better judgement, some might say — elected to bat. I stand by it. What followed, alas, was not our finest hour with the willow: 63 all out in 39.2 overs, a total that took its time dying but died all the same. An early wicket at 8-1 set a nervy tone, and then, with the grim inevitability of a British summer turning to rain, the innings collapsed from 34-4 to 42-7 in the time it takes to pour a tea. Quite how we stretched that to 63 I still can't entirely explain — stubbornness, mostly.

Defending such a modest total was always going to be a tall order, and so it proved, though not without pride intact. Ron Hickman bowled with real discipline — four maidens and 1-15 don't lie — while Nigel Thirkell was, as he so often is this season, our pick of the attack, snaring 2-26. But West Farleigh's Roger Crooks made hay with 29 of the bulk, and they eased home at 64-3 from 21.5 overs, winning by seven wickets with overs and dignity to spare.

Thirkell continues his extraordinary season regardless — 1265 runs and 74 wickets in the 1st XI charts speaks for itself, one-man band that he is. As for the rest of us: a batting collapse to forget, a bowling effort to be proud of, and a defeat that stings just enough to sharpen us for next week.

Wed 17 Sep 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv The Mote CC · AwayformDWWLD

Wednesday 17 September, and off we trundled to The Mote, losing the toss with the sort of inevitability that has become something of a Linton Park tradition. Put into the field, we watched Richard Chapman play the innings of the day, 84 well-crafted runs, with Nigel Mullarkey (28) and J Williams (25) lending sturdy support and a 75-run second-wicket stand doing most of the damage to our afternoon. Credit where it's due, though: Trevor Back bowled beautifully for 3-33, Nigel Thirkell chipped in with 2-53, and Steve Petty was miserliness personified, 1-33 with two maidens, as The Mote closed on a healthy 214/7 from their 51 overs.

Our reply was built on Nigel Thirkell's fine 73, a genuine captain's-innings sort of knock, backed up handsomely by Brian Piper's 48, the two of them putting on a crucial 73 for the seventh wicket just when the innings needed spine. Elsewhere it was a rather more chastening tale — David Carden and Jim Hall both departed for ducks, and ten byes conceded told you all you needed to know about Jim's afternoon behind the stumps. We closed on 180/8 from our 48, agonisingly short.

Honours shared, then, and on reflection a draw felt about right — neither side quite had the stomach to finish the job. A day of fine individual efforts, a few home truths, and tea that was, I'm reliably informed, rather good.

Sun 14 Sep 1980 🧢 1st XIv N Northend · HomeformDDDWD

Sunday last, the fourteenth of September, and I won the toss against Northend and, in a fit of optimism I can only put down to the sunshine, stuck us in to bat. We crawled and cantered our way to 146 for 9 off the full 53.5 overs, with Paul Bowles the undoubted star of the show — 62 not out, a proper well-made fifty — and David Carden chipping in nicely with 28. For a while it looked positively respectable, until the middle order decided 47 for 2 wasn't dramatic enough and turned it into 54 for 5 before you could say "sticky wicket." Andy Woollett and Ross Brice both departed for ducks, which I shall charitably blame on the light.

With the ball, though, we were a different proposition entirely. Northend never got comfortable, subsiding to 98 for 9 in 42 overs despite Tom Pearce's 32 and useful support from W Fairall's 23. We had our own little collapse to inflict on them — 68 for 2 crumbling to 75 for 5 — with Creed, Smith and Dann all back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. Paul Bowles was simply magnificent, 4 for 8 with four maidens thrown in for good measure, backed up by Nigel Thirkell's 2 for 7 and my own modest 2 for 34.

In the end neither side could finish the job, and honours were shared. A draw, then — not the tidiest of results, but on a day like this, with the lads scrapping to the very last over, I'll happily take it.

Sat 13 Sep 1980 🧢 1st XIv SC Southborough CC · AwayformLDDDW

13 September 1980, and off to Southborough CC we went — I called correctly and, with the pitch looking a decent one to bat on, had no hesitation in putting us in. Malcolm Pay played the innings of the day, a lovely 53, and found willing company from Andy Woollett (39) and Jim Hall (21), the pair adding a priceless 73 for the fifth wicket to drag us to 194 for 8 off our 48.4 overs — extras chipping in a generous 34, rather more than poor David Iliffe managed, who trudged off for a duck amid the usual sympathy of the Duck Club.

Defending it, Southborough never quite let us out of sight. They lost their first wicket for just a run, which had us dreaming, but Ken White settled in for a fine 62 and, with Glenn Farmer's 35, put together a stand of 73 for the fourth wicket that took the game away from us. I can't grumble about my own afternoon with the ball, though — four for 55 and six maidens to show for it, with Nigel Thirkell (2-52) and John Bloomfield (1-18) chipping in dutifully. Poor Jim Hall had a torrid time behind the stumps, leaking 11 byes, and I added a modest 17 with the bat earlier on.

In the end Southborough closed on 167 for 7, short of our total but well short of a result either. Nigel Thirkell continues his remarkable season, still top of both run and wicket charts. A draw, then — honours shared, and honestly, on a day like that, fair enough.

Wed 10 Sep 1980 🧢 Tour XIv PC Penryn St Gluvias CC · AwayformWWWWD

Wednesday 10 September 1980, and off we trooped to Penryn St Gluvias, where the toss decided to go my way for once and I promptly decided we should bat — no point standing on ceremony when the coin's finally on your side.

Runs came steadily rather than spectacularly: Paul Bowles and Allan Cooper both fell agonisingly one short of what would have been very tidy half-centuries, 48 apiece, and between them they dragged us to a respectable 143 for 6 off our 35. Not a total to frighten anyone at breakfast, but enough, we hoped, to give the bowlers something to work with.

And work with it they did. Penryn wobbled from the off, and when Ian Barnes and Mark G Mitchell both departed without troubling the scorers, the innings had the unmistakable whiff of collapse about it — 53 for 3 became 59 for 6 and there was no way back. Nigel Thirkell was quite simply magnificent, six wickets for 27 and six maidens to boot, the sort of miserly, relentless spell that has him sitting proudly atop both our run and wicket charts for the season. Paul Bowles chipped in with two more, Ross Brice with one, and Phillip Smith's 35 and G Stephens' 31 were the only real resistance as Penryn folded for 107 in 34.4 overs.

Poor Fred Greenfield had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, eight byes going begging, but no matter — we came home 36 runs to the good. A thoroughly satisfactory day's work, and one Nigel Thirkell can rightly call his own.

Tue 09 Sep 1980 🧢 Tour XIv PC Paul CC · AwayformWWWWW

Off to Paul CC on a bright Tuesday in September, and for once the coin behaved itself — I called correctly and had no hesitation in taking first strike. Openers of the "let's see what all the fuss is about" variety had us wobbling early, seven for one before some of us had properly settled into our stride, but Nigel Thirkell steadied the ship in style, cruising to a handsome 54, with Fred Cheesman weighing in with 30 and yours truly chipping in with 26. The lower order, not to be outdone, produced the highlight of the innings — an eighth-wicket stand of 59 that turned a respectable total into a genuinely useful one. We closed on 201 for 9 from our forty overs, which felt like a score with enough about it to trouble anybody.

Defending it, we struck early and struck gold — P Billington back in the pavilion without so much as a single to his name, and the total reading a shaky 8 for 1. Sadly for us, L Hicks had other ideas, batting through with real authority for an unbeaten 74, well supported by P Stephens's 46 and Steve Snell's 20. I had a happy afternoon with the ball, finishing with 3 for 49, and got good company from Ross Brice (1 for 2) and Sean Hocking (1 for 14), but Hicks simply refused to be shifted, and their innings closed on 173 for 6.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side could quite land the decisive blow. Frustrating in the moment, but with Thirkell topping our run charts and my own six wickets keeping me handy in the bowling table, there's plenty to be cheerful about as the season rolls on.

Mon 08 Sep 1980 🧢 Tour XIv GC Grampound Road CC · AwayformLWWWW

Monday found us on the road to Grampound Road CC, and the coin, as is tradition, let us down — they won the toss and had first knock, leaving us to toil in the field on what I can only describe as a working man's afternoon. Early on it looked promising when we had them 3 down before the board had barely troubled the scorer, but P Hurley had other ideas, compiling a fine unbeaten 52, with S Ellis chipping in a useful 34 and a 7th-wicket stand of 72 doing the real damage to our figures. Small mercies came in the shape of A Coombe and P Coombe, both back in the pavilion for ducks courtesy of our attack. Nigel was the pick of the bowlers by some distance — 3 for 13 with five maidens, tighter than my landlord's purse strings — while Andy Woollett (3-40) and Ross Brice (1-16) kept things honest at the other end. They closed on 139 for 8 from their forty overs, a total that felt gettable, if not exactly a formality.

And gettable it proved. Nigel followed his bowling with an unbeaten 51, Allan Cooper supported nicely with 30, and I contributed a watchful 28 as our third-wicket pair put on a crucial 50. We cantered home by seven wickets with overs to spare, 142 for 3 in 35.4 overs. A thoroughly good day for the club, and Nigel — now leading the run charts and second in the wickets — is fast becoming a man we simply cannot leave out of the side.

Sun 07 Sep 1980 🧢 Tour XIv BC Beacon CC, Cornwall · AwayformWLWWW

The road to Cornwall is a long one, and losing the toss to be sent into the field on a Sunday morning is not the tonic any captain dreams of, but there we were, Beacon CC's guests, leather in hand and hope in short supply. C Thomas made merry with a fine 53, E Weeks stood firm for 48 not out, and their last pair, with the sort of cheek only last-wicket pairs possess, cracked on an unwanted 57 before the innings closed at 166/7 from 25 overs. Small mercies came in the shape of D Piper, back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, and in Paul Bowles, whose 3-24 did real damage. Nigel Thirkell (2-24) and Jon Harris (1-23) chipped away, while Trevor Back bowled two maidens as tight as anything you'll find in Cornwall.

Chasing 167, we crept and stumbled our way to 170/8 from 24.5 overs, home by two wickets and rather more grateful than proud. Andy Woollett's 33 anchored things, with Jim Hall (32) and Paul Bowles (32) doing their bit alongside him.

The real story of the day, though, belonged to Jim Hall, whose 32 runs brought up 3,000 career runs for the club and eased him past Terry Whittaker into 15th on our all-time run-scorers list — a landmark worth more than any nervy run-chase. As the season stands, Nigel Thirkell leads the Tour XI's run charts with 57, and Jon Harris tops the wickets with 6. A scrappy, nail-biting, thoroughly English away day — but a win is a win, and we'll take it gladly.

Fri 05 Sep 1980 🧢 Tour XIv CC Cornwall Crusaders · AwayformWWLWW

I made 42, ably supported by Tim Thirkell's unbeaten 30, but the top order will want to forget this one. We fancied our chances at Cornwall Crusaders, won the toss, and I sent us in — feeling rather clever about it at the time. That cleverness looked short-lived when we lost our first wicket without a run on the board, and the card rather resembled a shooting gallery thereafter, with Paul Bowles, Jim Hall and Jon Harris all back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. All out for 115 in 43.4 overs was, frankly, a below-par total on a good pitch, and I walked back to the boundary rope wondering whether I'd made the right call after all.

Happily, the bowlers had other ideas. Cornwall's first wicket went for a mere five, and though there was a brief wobble as they steadied to 58 for 4, the innings then collapsed spectacularly to 64 for 7. Jon Harris was in irresistible form, running through the middle order for 5 for 34 with eight maidens to his name, C Rashleigh among his victims for a duck. Trevor Back chipped in with 3 for 10, and I managed a wicket myself, 1 for 17, for what it's worth alongside the run-scoring.

Cornwall folded for 81 in 41.2 overs, and we came away 34 runs to the good. A scrappy batting display rescued by some fine bowling — not pretty, but a win is a win, and I'll take it every time.

Sun 31 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv Staplehurst CC · AwayformDLDDD

The coin, as is tradition down our way, betrayed us again — Staplehurst won the toss and had no hesitation in padding up. Their 160 for 8 off 55.3 overs owed most to B. Penny's watchful 31, with the Pullen brothers chipping in handsomely — Ian with 24, Neil unbeaten on 21 — while poor N. Maher trudged back for nought without troubling the scorers. It was Paul Bowles who did the real damage, scything through with 4 for 17, well backed by Martin Larkin and Trevor Back, a wicket apiece at 24 runs, and Nigel Thirkell bowled with the meanness of a man guarding his allotment, five maidens and barely a run given away free.

Chasing 161 to win, we made ourselves rather comfortable. The openers put on 92 for the first wicket before one finally fell, and from there Paul Bowles carried on where he'd left off with the ball, striking a fine 62, with Nigel Thirkell unbeaten on 48 and Andy Woollett a brisk 28. Allan Cooper, alas, made the long and lonely walk for a duck — the Duck Club welcomes another member. We reached 162 for 4 in 38.4 overs, though Jim Hall behind the stumps will want a quiet word with himself after 20 byes went begging.

With Thirkell topping the season's run charts and Bowles now third among the wickets, this side is building something rather special. A comfortable six-wicket win, and a very pleasant drive home.

Sat 30 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv BA British Rail Ashford · HomeformDDLDD

As the villages beat British Rail Ashford at Ashford's own game — wait, no, wrote it below.

Saturday 30 August 1980, and British Rail Ashford rolled into Linton Park with the sun doing its best and the toss doing us no favours at all — down went the coin, up went their eyebrows, and they elected to bat.

Not that it mattered much in the end. We had them in all sorts of bother, C Barton's 36 and A Owen's 34 the only real resistance, propped up by a 3rd-wicket stand of 59 that was rather more substantial than anything either side managed either side of it. From 100-4 to 102-7 was cricket at its most theatrical — Kelleher, Tyrrell and Heath trooped back without so much as a squeak off the bat, three ducks for the price of one over-rate. Martin Larkin was magnificent, 4-22 of pure menace, with Paul Bowles metronomic at 2-12 including four maidens that must have driven their middle order to drink, and Ross Brice chipping in at 1-1. All out 114 from 48 overs — a fine morning's work.

Chasing it should have been the easy part. It wasn't. We lost our first wicket for nought, and poor David Carden endured the walk of shame for a duck of his own. Only Nigel Thirkell — still top of the season's run pile with 1186, and, remarkably, top wicket-taker too with 68 — showed any real defiance, his 32 the innings' backbone as we crawled to 93-8 and safety, if not victory.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, and tea, as ever, the only guaranteed result of the day.

Wed 27 Aug 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · HomeformDDWWL

We won the toss at home to Gravesend and I had no hesitation putting us in to bat — and for once the decision looked shrewd rather than lucky. Brian Piper and the top of the order set about things with real purpose, the openers stitching together 130 for the first wicket before anyone troubled the scorers with a dismissal. Piper went on to 64, Paul Bowles chipped in a handsome 63, and Nigel Thirkell finished unbeaten on a watchful 56 as we declared our efforts at a healthy 223 for 3 off our forty overs. Piper's innings, incidentally, also nudged him past Ray Howard into 13th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — the sort of statistical footnote that will mean everything to him and nothing to anyone else, which is exactly as it should be.

Defending 223 always promises a nervous afternoon in a deckchair, and so it proved. Gravesend lost an early wicket without a run on the board, which had us purring, but Barry Diplock and B Hiscock put on 94 for the second wicket and dragged the game back towards them. Diplock's 91 was a genuinely fine knock and very nearly did for us. Credit to Paul Bowles, whose 4 for 37 kept chipping away, well backed by Nigel Thirkell's 3 for 58 and Steve Petty, miserly as ever with five maidens and a wicket for 22. Robert Lane departed for a duck, which felt like the least Gravesend could offer us in return.

In the end they closed on 219 for 8, five short and two wickets shy of getting there — honours shared, and rightly so. A draw that flattered no one and cheated no one either; we'll happily take it.

Mon 25 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformDDDLD

Skipper's Log — Monday 25 August 1980. Bearsted CC, away.

Won the toss, and elected to bat — the right call, I still maintain, whatever anyone in the bar might say afterwards. We made a solid if unspectacular 184 all out from 51.2 overs, with Jim Hall top-scoring on 39 and Paul Brattle and Nigel Thirkell weighing in with 24 apiece. Nothing to trouble the scorers unduly, but enough, we hoped, to give the bowlers something to work with on a pitch that never quite misbehaved as much as we'd have liked.

And work with it they did. Bearsted crept to 142 for 6 from their 52 overs, Brian Burnett anchoring things with 39, well supported by Sean Carter's 30 and Rod Hewson's 23 — though poor Mike Read never troubled the umpire, back in the pavilion for a duck. I had the satisfaction of picking up 2 for 9 with seven maidens thrown in for good measure, tight enough to strangle any momentum, while David Iliffe and Tony Gauna chipped in with a wicket apiece.

In the end neither side could quite force it, and honours were shared. For the record books, Nigel Thirkell continues to lead our 1980 run charts with 1,154, and I find myself sitting second in the wicket-takers' table with 55. A fair result, honestly — Bearsted held firm, we couldn't quite finish them off, and everyone went home with their pride, and their tea, intact.

Sun 24 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Anchorians CC · HomeformLDDDL

Sunday, 24 August, and Old Anchorians CC rolled up expecting a good game — and by the look of the toss, which I duly lost, they fancied their chances more than I did once they'd elected to bat.

We made them work for their runs, mind. R Fisher's 30 and Bob Neale's unbeaten 30 held things together, with K Hewitt chipping in 29, but our attack never let them settle — 147 for 9 off their sixty overs was a fair reward for a disciplined shift in the field. I'll allow myself one boast: four wickets and seven maidens kept things nice and mean at my end, with Andy Woollett (2-36) and Tony Gauna (1-18) doing their bit to keep the scoreboard honest.

Chasing 148, we contrived to make it interesting, as is our way. Wickets clattered from 47-2 to 50-5 in the sort of collapse that has spectators reaching for their flasks, and poor Tim Thirkell departed for a duck without so much as troubling the umpire. But the tail wagged gamely, adding a defiant 53, while I held firm at the other end for an unbeaten 35 to see us home to 105 for 6.

A draw, then — honours shared, and probably a fair reflection of an afternoon where neither side quite had the stomach to finish the job. Not a classic for the ages, but a thoroughly English one: bat, bowl, collapse a bit, survive, and everyone home in time for tea.

Sat 23 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv DC Downham & Bellingham CC · HomeformWLDDD

Lost the toss again — I'm starting to think the coin has it in for me — and Downham & Bellingham had no hesitation piling in to bat first. They made a brisk fist of it too, 60 up before we so much as troubled the scorers, and by the close of their innings had racked up 201 for 5 off 45.5 overs. Stewart Barnes played the anchor role beautifully for 70, with John Warman chipping in a fine 55 and Douglas Eaton a useful 27. Ross Brice was the pick of our attack with 1 for 18, Andy Woollett weighed in with 1 for 25, and I did my bit too, 1 for 32 with four maidens to show I wasn't just there to make up the numbers.

Chasing 202, we never quite got going. Two down for one felt like the tone for the afternoon, and though Andy Woollett (44) and Nigel Thirkell (43) put on a lovely 82 for the fourth wicket to give us hope, the middle and lower order rather fell over themselves after that — 90 for 4 became 101 for 7 in the blink of an eye, and Graham Cove, John Bloomfield and Ross Brice all trooped back for ducks. All out for 116 in 41.4 overs.

Beaten by 85 runs, then, and no arguing with it. Nigel Thirkell continues to lead the way with both bat and ball this season, which is more than can be said for the rest of us. We'll regroup, lick our wounds, and be better for it next week.

Wed 20 Aug 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · AwayformWDDWW

Beat Gravesend by a wicket? Not quite — we went down by one, but not before we'd had them rocking.

Elected to bat on winning the toss, and I've rarely felt more vindicated. Brian Piper played the innings of the summer, a magnificent 107, while Roger Crooks purred along to 88 alongside him — between them they did most of the scoring as we posted a handsome 215/5 from our 43 overs. Gareth Thomas and Simon Thirkell both contributed the traditional golden duck, which is one way of keeping the rest of us humble.

Two hundred and fifteen looked more than enough, and for a long while it was. Gravesend stumbled to 0-1 before they'd drawn breath, and though Dave Elliott made a well-crafted 78 and got good support from Barry Diplock (42) and Les Curtis (37), it was a fifth-wicket stand of 79 that dragged them back into it. I found some rhythm with the ball and finished with 5-82 — a five-for I'll happily take — with Paul Bowles (2-40) and the ever-miserly Tony Gauna (1-68, two maidens) chipping in throughout. Ten byes conceded told its own tale of a testing afternoon standing up behind the stumps.

In the end Gravesend snuck home by the narrowest of margins, one wicket, having lost B Hiscock without a run to his name along the way. Bitterly close, and we'll be better for it next week — though with Bowles still topping the run charts and my own wickets column ticking along nicely, there's plenty to be cheerful about.

Sun 17 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv Whitstable CC · AwayformDWLDD

Sunday, 17 August 1980, and off we trundled to Whitstable with the toss lost before we'd even unpacked the sandwiches. Asked to field, we watched Mike Tritton compile a thoroughly magnificent 103, with Tom Robertson (45) and nick denly (39) offering sturdy company — that fourth-wicket stand of 91 doing most of the damage after we'd nabbed an early one at 0-1. Credit where due: Trevor Back was excellent with the ball (2-19), Nigel Thirkell and Tony Gauna chipped in (2-44 and 1-37), and Allan Cooper bowled six maidens of the sort that makes batsmen question their life choices. Whitstable declared us to 211/5 from their 56 overs — a target that felt distinctly more than a formality.

Our reply never quite got going in the manner required, though Paul Bowles played the innings of the day, 79 well past his fifty and carrying the top order almost single-handed. We lost an early wicket cheaply at 7-1, and poor David Iliffe will want this one struck from the record, bagging a duck for his troubles. We closed on 140/7 from 52 overs, safe but unspectacular.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, tea presumably very good. With Nigel Thirkell continuing his remarkable season (1087 runs, 66 wickets — the man is single-handedly keeping our averages respectable), we can't complain too loudly. A fair result, honestly earned, and one more entry in what's shaping up to be a memorable summer.

Sat 16 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv SL St Luke's · HomeformDDWLD

Saturday 16 August dawned kind enough for cricket, and having called correctly at the toss against St Luke's, I had no hesitation sending us in.

That decision looked shaky for a while. Gareth Thomas batted beautifully for an unbeaten 64, the one real ornament of the innings, while Stan Wratten and Ross Brice both trudged off for golden ducks. Three figures looked a distant dream until a defiant last-wicket stand of 36 dragged us up to a respectable 111 for 7 from our 45 overs — with a watchful 22 of my own tucked in along the way, for what little that's worth alongside Thomas's effort.

Defending it, the lads set about St Luke's with real purpose, ripping through the middle order from 26 for 2 to 42 for 5 in no time at all, Chris Brewer sent back without troubling the scorers. I found some rhythm of my own, spinning my way to 5 for 50 with four maidens, well backed up by Brewer's 2 for 35 and David Carden's 1 for 12. Fred Greenfield's obdurate 33 kept St Luke's afloat to the end, and 108 for 9 from their 40 overs left them agonisingly short of us.

Honours shared, then. David Carden sits third in this season's run charts with 501, and those five wickets nudge me up to second in the bowling with 52 for the year — small consolation, but I'll take a draw on a day like this.

Sun 10 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv HC Holmesdale CC · HomeformLDDWL

Sunday saw Holmesdale roll into Linton Park for what turned into one of those days you remember fondly all winter. Winning the toss, I had few qualms about batting first, and I'm glad I did — our openers put on a magnificent 73 before the first wicket fell, setting the tone nicely. David Carden then simply took the game away from Holmesdale, batting right through to finish a superb 108 not out, the sort of innings that has the tea urn conversation buzzing for weeks. Paul Bowles chipped in with 26 and Tim Thirkell a tidy 20 as we closed on a healthy 193 for 6 from our fifty overs.

With the ball, we set about defending it in style. Paul Cohen and Errol Valentine were both sent back without troubling the scorers — harsh work, that, for the Holmesdale top order — while Paul Bowles bowled beautifully for 3 for 32, three of those overs maidens, not a run given away lightly. I had the pleasure of chipping in myself with 3 for 39, and Tony Gauna picked up one for 23. Only Nigel Pullen stood firm, batting through for a fine unbeaten 88 to drag Holmesdale to 156 for 8 from their 48, just short of what they needed.

In the end neither side could quite force it home, and honours were shared. A draw it may have been, but with a hundred, a hatful of wickets shared about, and two early ducks for the opposition, this felt every bit a Linton Park day.

Sat 09 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformWLDDW

We were away to Headcorn on Saturday 9th August, and winning the toss I had no hesitation in taking first knock — a decision I still stand by, whatever the scorebook might suggest by close of play. Malcolm Pay batted beautifully for his unbeaten 48, with David Carden chipping in a tidy 22, but the middle order rather let the side down with one of those collapses that gives a captain grey hairs — 45-2 crumbling to 56-5 before we'd had time to settle in our deckchairs. We limped to 116/8 from our 47 overs, a total that felt distinctly light on the walk back to the pavilion.

In the field, though, we very nearly made a match of it in spite of ourselves. Nigel Thirkell was magnificent — five wickets for 46, five overs of it maidens, bowling with a relentlessness that had Headcorn's openers thoroughly rattled, well supported by Ron Hickman's 1-16. B. Penney's 43 and Richard Chapman's 21 kept the run chase alive, and when 77-2 became 82-5 in a hurry I allowed myself a quiet smile. But the last pair, showing precisely the sort of stubbornness we'd have welcomed from our own tail, put on an unwelcome 35 to see Headcorn home at 118/6 in 40.3 overs.

Beaten by four wickets, then — no disgrace, but no cigar either. Thirkell continues to lead our run and wicket charts in fine style, and with batting like that to come, we'll be considerably better for this one come next Saturday.

Wed 06 Aug 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv PA Police 'A' · HomeformDWDDW

Wednesday the sixth of August, and we welcomed Police 'A' to the ground with the sun cooperating and, for once, my winning the toss actually meaning something useful. I had no hesitation in taking first knock, and the lads rewarded that confidence handsomely. We lost our first wicket cheaply at 1-1, which had me chewing my nails rather earlier than I'd have liked, but Paul Bowles and Andy Usher steadied the ship magnificently with a second-wicket stand of 94. Bowles played a lovely innings for his 77, Usher wasn't far behind with a well-made 53, and Roger Crooks finished unbeaten on 33 to see us home to 221/6 from our 41 overs. Special mention, of course, for Alan Randall, who once again offered his services to the Duck Club with a golden nought.

Defending 221 is always a pleasant problem to have, and the bowling attack made light work of it. Johnson and Hodgkinson threatened briefly with 25 and 24 respectively, but once we had them wobbling from 85-3 to 93-6, the tail simply couldn't cope, with Sands, Kinnill and Bigg all making generous donations to the Duck Club themselves. I had a rare happy afternoon with the ball, taking 3-10, with Reg Oldfield matching me at 3-16 and Andrew Hales miserly as ever with 2-10 and two maidens. Police 'A' were all out for 113.

A fine win by 108 runs, and with Bowles now top of our run charts and yours truly leading the wickets, the season is shaping up rather nicely. Onwards.

Sun 03 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv Staplehurst CC · HomeformLWLDD

Sunday 3rd August 1980, and Staplehurst arrived at Linton Park to find me winning the toss and, for once, making the right decision — we batted. Paul Bowles was in irresistible touch, ghosting past his fifty and on to 79, while David Carden's 30 and Tim Thirkell's unbeaten 29 gave the innings real backbone. The openers deserve their round of applause too, laying a platform of 63 for the first wicket before the initial breakthrough came — the sort of start that lets a captain sit back with his tea and pretend he isn't nervous. We closed on a handsome 200/5 from 51.1 overs, which felt, even as we walked off, like a total with some bite in it.

And bite it had. Staplehurst never quite got going against us, John Munn's 34 and B- Penny's 21 the only real resistance, and what began as a wobble at 104/6 became a full-blown collapse to 110/9 as the lads smelled blood. Three of their batsmen — R Pullen, Anthony West and Eric Hotson — departed without troubling the scorer, ducks all, as our attack simply refused to let up. Paul Bowles, not content with his runs, took the ball and ran through them with 3-1; Trevor Back (3-18) and Nigel Thirkell (2-13) offered fine support, while Tony Gauna bowled three maidens of pure miserliness. Staplehurst folded for 114 in 40.4 overs.

An 86-run win, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards indeed.

Sat 02 Aug 1980 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · HomeformWLWLD

Winning the toss on a bright Saturday, I did the traditionally reckless thing and put us in to bat rather than have a bowl — some might call it faith in the top order, others might call it wanting my tea first. Either way it very nearly came off, as we crawled and occasionally sprinted to 151 for 6 off 47.5 overs, the whole innings really just one long ovation for Nigel Thirkell, who carried his bat for a magnificent 102 not out while wickets fell politely around him. Poor John Bloomfield, meanwhile, will not be troubling the scorers this week — a golden duck to remember, or rather forget.

In the field we set about defending it, and Bidborough replied with 121 for 6 from their 48 overs, R Stevens top-scoring with 32, well supported by R Tippey's 27 and Roger Harrison's unbeaten 21. An early wicket with just 8 on the board gave us hope of more than we ultimately got. Thirkell, not content with his century, added the ball to his afternoon's work with 2 for 17, Ross Brice chipped in with 1 for 12, and I did my bit too, 2 for 49 with six maidens to show for a long, patient spell.

In the end neither side could force it home, and honours were shared. A draw, then — honest, hard-fought, and with Thirkell once again the man of the match in all but name.

Tue 29 Jul 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv MC Margate CC · AwayformWDWDD

There's a particular flavour of English weather that says "get your whites on and pray," and Tuesday delivered exactly that as we rolled into Margate for the midweek fixture. Lost the toss, as tradition demands, and were asked to chase — meaning first use of the ball fell to us, no complaints from this captain. Margate crawled to 106 for 9 from their 48 overs, undone early when the first wicket tumbled with just 6 on the board. Trevor Back set the tone with a tidy 2 for 21, Nigel Thirkell strangled the middle overs with five miserly maidens that must have driven their order to despair, and A McDonald chipped in with 1 for 3. I managed 2 for 29 myself, happy enough to keep things tight on a ground that punishes loose bowling.

Chasing 107 should never be straightforward — cricket has a habit of making you sweat over small totals — and true to form we lost an early wicket with just 4 on the board, the sort of nervy start that sends a captain reaching for the tea urn rather too soon. But Paul Bowles and Mick Filmer steadied things with a stand of 73 for the second wicket, Bowles compiling a composed unbeaten fifty and Filmer chipping in a fine 36 alongside him. We cantered home at 107 for 3 in just 19 overs.

A fine win by 7 wickets, then — tea was well earned, and onwards we go.

Sun 27 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv TA The Mote 'A' · AwayformDWLWL

Sunday 27 July 1980 saw us pack the whites and head off to The Mote 'A', and for once I actually won the toss — I put us in, more hope than science, and thankfully the lads didn't leave me looking foolish. We posted a solid 191 for 7 off our 53 overs, built around Paul Bowles' excellent 71, with Brian Piper (39) and David Carden (26) both chipping in handsomely. The second-wicket stand of 69 was the platform for the whole innings, and a landmark moment besides — Piper brought up 3,000 career runs for the club along the way, a thoroughly deserved entry for the mantelpiece.

Defending it, we set about The Mote with more discipline than menace. W Hickton played the innings of the day with a fine 67, well supported by Mike Foster's 25, and they crept to 162 for 8 from their 47 overs before the shutters came down — S Chamberlain back for a diamond duck along the way. Bowles was again the star with the ball, 4 for 53, backed superbly by Nigel Thirkell's tidy 2 for 22. I managed 2 for 57 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure, which I'll happily take and say no more about.

In the end neither side could quite force it home, and honours were shared. A draw is rarely a thing to celebrate, but with a milestone reached and the runs and wickets shared fairly round the dressing room, I'll call this one a job well done.

Sat 26 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv High Halstow CC · AwayformWDWLW

Won the toss at High Halstow and had no hesitation electing to bat — the sort of decision that looks either shrewd or reckless depending entirely on what happens next. On this occasion, shrewd. We limped and occasionally sprinted to 155 for 9 off our 44, thanks in no small part to David Carden's fine 54, with Malcolm Pay's 26 and Nigel Thirkell's 25 knitting together a sturdy 54-run stand for the second wicket. I contributed a golden duck to proceedings, which I shall gloss over with the speed and dignity of a man walking briskly past a pothole.

With the ball, though, it was rather a different afternoon. High Halstow replied with 159 for 7 off 43.4 overs, Colin Sykes (35), Simon Johnston (33) and R Brown (30) doing the early damage and putting on 66 for their second wicket before we hauled them back. Nigel Thirkell bowled beautifully tight — three maidens and 1 for 32 — Ron Hickman chipped in with 1 for 32, and I finished with 3 for 37, which happily also brought up 800 career wickets. Not a bad way to reach a milestone.

For the season, Nigel Thirkell continues to lead both our run and wicket charts, with 916 runs and 53 wickets respectively — the engine room of the side, quietly getting on with it while the rest of us make headlines for the wrong reasons.

In the end we were beaten by two wickets, a narrow and honest defeat. We'll be better for it next week.

Wed 23 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv BC Benenden CC · HomeformDWDWL

Here's the report:

We won the toss on a Wednesday evening — 23 July 1980, Benenden CC the visitors — and, feeling uncharacteristically decisive for once, I had no hesitation whatsoever in sticking us in to bat. It proved the right call. Nigel Thirkell and Paul Bowles put on a splendid opening stand of 117 before the first wicket finally fell, Thirkell going on to 65 and Bowles following him past his own fifty with 56, the pair doing rather more of the scoring than the rest of us combined. We closed on a handsome 138/3 from our sixteen overs, which left me quietly rubbing my hands in the field.

Benenden never quite got going in reply. They lost their first wicket for just a single run and, though Dave Edwards held firm at the other end for an unbeaten 48, wickets kept tumbling around him. Tony Gauna was magnificent, taking 3-22 and — in a personal landmark not to be passed over lightly — bringing up 400 career wickets in the process. Bowles (1-3) and Thirkell (1-14) chipped in nicely too, and Benenden were held to 89/7.

A 49-run win, two points banked, and Thirkell continuing his imperious form atop both the season's run and wicket charts. A thoroughly satisfactory evening's work, and — dare I say it — rather more comfortable than my captaincy usually allows.

Mon 21 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformWDWDW

From the captain's chair — Monday 21 July 1980. We hosted West Farleigh CC, and for once I can report we lost the toss and, mercifully, weren't made to bat first, which given what followed with the bat may have been the highlight of the afternoon.

Put into the field, we did rather well. West Farleigh crawled to 83/4 from their sixteen overs, with Fred Baker top-scoring on 20 but never quite cutting loose. Allan Cooper was the pick of the attack, tidy figures of 1-10, while Tony Gauna (1-25) and Nigel Thirkell (1-31) chipped away either end. Restricting them to 83 felt, at the time, like a job well done.

Then we batted, and the wheels — as they so often do at Linton Park — came off in spectacular fashion. From a perfectly respectable 67-5 we contrived to slump to 73-8 in what felt like the time it takes to pour a tea. Martin Thompson's golden duck rather summed up the mood. We limped to 82/9 from our sixteen, one agonising run short of the target.

Elsewhere in the season, Nigel Thirkell continues to lead from the front, top of both the run charts on 826 and the wicket charts on 51 — carrying us, as ever, while the rest of us find new ways to lose by margins that would embarrass a losing raffle ticket. Not our day. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Fri 18 Jul 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv DC Detours CC · HomeformLWDWD

Skipper's Log, Friday 18 July 1980, at home. Won the toss and, in a rare fit of decisiveness, stuck us in – a decision I was still congratulating myself on by close of play.

Nigel Thirkell played the innings of the season, a magnificent 111, and the way he timed the ball you'd have thought the square had been ironed flat by the groundsman especially for him. Paul Bowles chipped in nicely with 34, and the pair added a vital 72 for the second wicket after we'd stumbled to 6 for one in the sort of nervy opening that makes a captain reach for his tea rather too quickly. Poor Trevor Back's contribution was a golden duck, though he took it on the chin with the good grace this club prides itself on. We closed on a handy 178 for 7 from our 49.

Then came the small matter of defending it, and Paul Bowles simply refused to stop working – 3 for 22 with five overs maiden, tidy as you like, though nine byes suggested his wicketkeeper was having rather less fun than he was. David Iliffe and Tony Gauna chipped in with a wicket apiece, and R Tapping departed for nought at our hands. But G Marshall's fine 51, backed by J Taylor's 32 and John Furminger's 29, dragged the visitors to 145 for 6 and safety.

Fittingly, amid the toil, Nigel brought up 8,000 career runs for the club – a landmark worth more than any result. A draw, then, honours shared, and on this evidence entirely fair.

Thu 17 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · HomeformWWDWD

From the captain's chair — Thursday 17 July 1980, and The Mote CC the visitors to Linton Park.

I lost the toss, as is now traditional, and they had no hesitation in taking first knock. For a while it looked a shrewd choice too, Malcolm Bristow easing to 60 not out with the minimum of fuss, David Barkaway chipping in with 24 and Ken MacLeay 20, as The Mote posted a brisk 134 for 4 from their 16 overs. Credit to Nigel Thirkell, whose 2 for 42 kept us in touch when the boundaries were flowing rather too freely for comfort, with Paul Bowles lending sterling support at 1 for 30.

Chasing 135, we might have feared a nervous evening of it, but there was precious little nerve on show. Nigel Thirkell, having done his bit with the ball, decided he'd better finish the job with the bat as well, and cracked a fine 66 not out to see us home. Paul Bowles carried on where he'd left off with a breezy 29 not out, and Mick Filmer's 27 gave the innings its early momentum. We reached 135 for 1 in just 13.1 overs — barely time to finish the tea urn.

Nigel continues to make the rest of us look faintly ridiculous, now sitting atop both the 1980 run and wicket charts with 808 runs and 50 wickets — one does wonder what the man does in his spare time. A fine win by 5 wickets, then, and a thoroughly satisfactory evening's work. Onwards.

Sun 13 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv MV Morden Village · HomeformLWWDW

Sunday 13 July 1980, and a fine one it was too for those of us fortunate enough to be at home. Winning the toss, I opted to bat — and for once nobody in the pavilion muttered darkly about my judgement. We rattled along nicely to 156/4 from our 47 overs, with Nigel Thirkell playing a proper captain's innings of his own — 75 not out, a well-made fifty and the sort of batting that makes the tea urn taste sweeter. Paul Bowles chipped in handsomely with 45, and between them the pair did most of the heavy lifting while the rest of us admired from the boundary.

With the ball, we were rather more mischievous. Their reply closed on 126/9 from 41 overs — Wills battled to a well-made 54 to top-score for them, but we ran through the middle order in a blur, 108-6 becoming 126-9 almost before the urn had been refilled, with Singh and Jones both sent back for ducks. Paul Bowles, having laboured with the bat, did the real damage with the ball too — 3-28, albeit with 11 byes that told their own tale of a testing day behind the stumps. Allan Cooper was miserliness personified, 2-16 with three maidens, and continues his quiet, steady march up the season's wicket charts.

In the end neither side could force it home, and honours were shared. A draw, then — but a thoroughly entertaining one, and no complaints from this captain's chair.

Sat 12 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv BC Bowaters CC · HomeformWLWWD

Right, here goes—

I put us in when the coin fell kindly, and honestly it felt like the right call the moment David Carden got going. His 35 was the innings' backbone, and Tim Thirkell's brisk 20 gave it some shape either side, as we compiled 140/7 from our 43 overs — not a total to frighten anyone, but enough, we hoped, to give the bowlers something to bowl at.

And bowl at it they did. Bowaters never got comfortable, sliding from a shaky 48-6 to an abject 61-9 as the innings folded around them — Chris Robinson gone without troubling the scorers, poor chap. Martin Thompson was the chief tormentor, mixing miserliness (five maidens, no less) with menace to finish with 3-15, while Ross Brice chipped in with 2-18. I'll allow myself one line of self-congratulation: three wickets for the skipper (3-16) rounded things off nicely, and it's not every week I get to say that. All out for 65 in 43.3 overs — the margin, a handsome 75 runs, flattered nobody but pleased everybody.

Up on the season's leaderboards, David Carden continues his quiet accumulation, third in the run charts with 257, while I find myself, rather sheepishly, second in the wicket-takers' table with 37. A fine day's work all round, and one to enjoy on the walk to the pavilion. Onwards to the next one.

Sun 06 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv RA Reeds Aylesford · AwayformWWLWW

As I put us in to bat, sixty-odd years of village cricket wisdom whispered that a low, damp wicket at Reeds Aylesford would ask more questions than it answered — and so it proved. We limped to 121 all out from our 55 overs, a total that flattered to deceive once wickets began falling like autumn leaves from 102-5 to 117-8. Paul Bowles, ever the steady hand, top-scored with a fine 43, well supported by Brian Piper's 20. Less gloriously, the Duck Club welcomed three new members in Trevor Back, Tony Gauna and myself, all departing for nought — I shall spare you the details of my own dismissal, save to say the walk back to the pavilion felt considerably longer than the walk out.

With the ball, however, we showed rather more discipline, restricting Reeds Aylesford to a watchful 22 for 1 from their ten overs, Allan Cooper leading the line beautifully with 1 for 6 in an opening spell of genuine control. It was enough to keep the game interesting, if not quite enough to force a result either way.

There was, at least, one moment of real celebration amid the wreckage: Paul Bowles brought up 12,000 career runs for the club, a landmark few of us will ever sniff, and richly deserved after another fine knock. He now sits second in the season's run charts with 304, with Allan Cooper fifth among the bowlers on 12 wickets.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride bruised but intact, and the tea urn, as ever, the real winner of the day.

Sat 05 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv MV Medway Valley · HomeformWWWLW

Jon Harris here, and what a Saturday it turned out to be against Medway Valley.

Winning the toss and putting them in looked a decent idea when they slumped to 2 for 1, B Taylor departing without so much as a squeak from the scoreboard. Pearce dug in for 34 and dragged them to a respectable-looking 113 all out, but our bowlers never let it look anything other than a chase we'd win. Ross Brice was outstanding, 2 for 2 off his allocation, with Paul Bowles (2 for 7) and Ron Hickman (2 for 26, three maidens and not a run given away lightly) keeping the screws turned throughout.

Chasing 114, we made hard work of the start, losing an early wicket with just 8 on the board, and there were a couple of ducks along the way for David Iliffe and Tim Thirkell to remind us cricket is a cruel game. But a fine 58-run stand for the fourth wicket steadied things, and Paul Bowles played the innings of the day, 73 not out, to see us home. I chipped in myself, though I'll let the bowling figures elsewhere in the gazette do the talking rather than repeat myself here. Poor Fred Greenfield had a torrid time behind the stumps, nine byes leaking through, but nobody was counting once we got over the line by six wickets.

A thoroughly good day for the club, and Paul Bowles and I both sit second in this season's charts to prove it wasn't a fluke.

Thu 03 Jul 1980 🧢 1st XIv LC Leybourne CC · AwayformWWWWL

Thursday, 3 July, and off we trundled to Leybourne, spirits high and the coin, as ever, entirely indifferent to my calling of it. They won the toss, elected to bat, and left us in the field under a sky that threatened rather more than it delivered.

It didn't take us long to strike — a wicket down at 1-1 had our hosts wobbling before they'd properly got their boots dirty. But a stubborn third-wicket stand of 63 hauled them back into contention, Higgins compiling a fine 42 to anchor things. Credit to E Harris and M Saunders, though, for obliging us with ducks apiece. Allan Cooper was magnificent, tearing through with 3-26, well supported by Paul Bowles's 2-16, and Leybourne's innings folded up at 80/5 from their sixteen overs — a total that felt distinctly gettable from the boundary rope.

So it proved. I marshalled the troops from the field and watched with no little satisfaction as we chased the target down, Brian Piper the calm head at the crease with an unbeaten 35 that did most of the heavy lifting. Malcolm Pay's duck was the solitary blemish on an otherwise tidy chase, and we got home at 81/3 with a few balls to spare.

A landmark day for Allan Cooper too, his three wickets easing him past Terry Donovan into 10th on the club's all-time list — the sort of statistic that makes the tea urn taste that bit sweeter. A fine win by three wickets, and thoroughly deserved. Onwards.

Sun 29 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv Rainham (Kent) CC · AwayformWWWWW

Won the toss at Rainham on Sunday and I had no hesitation shoving us in to bat first — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the scorebook might suggest afterwards. We shuffled our way to 114 all out in 43.4 overs, a total that owed almost everything to Trevor Back's watchful 33 and Nigel Thirkell's useful 30 in support. Poor Ross Brice will want this one struck from the record, undone for a duck, though I dare say the tea urn offered some consolation.

With 114 to defend we knew we'd need something special, and for a while we had it — Rainham stumbled to 5 for 1 and there was genuine hope in the huddle. Tony Gauna bowled beautifully for his 2-23, Nigel Thirkell chipped in with 2-27 and five parsimonious maidens besides, and I managed 1-25 for my own trouble. But B Cooper played the innings of the day, an unbeaten-feeling 47 ably backed by Fisher's 27, and Rainham eventually crept home by four wickets off 39 overs.

One shaft of sunshine amid the gloom: Nigel's 30 runs saw him leapfrog Basil Sears into third on the club's all-time run-scoring list, fitting reward for a season in which he already tops both our run and wicket charts. As for the result — honest defeat, honestly earned, and we'll be sharper for it next week.

Sat 28 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv Meopham CC · HomeformDWWWW

I elected to bat when we won the toss on Saturday, and I still maintain it was the right call, whatever the scorebook might suggest afterwards. We laboured our way to 116 all out in 41.4 overs, with Nigel Thirkell top-scoring on 38 and Malcolm Pay chipping in a handy 36 alongside him. It wasn't all plain sailing — the first wicket fell for nothing, and then, with the finish line practically in sight at 112 for 7, the whole thing folded in a heap to 116 all out. Brian Piper, Martin Mears and I all made our way back to the pavilion without troubling the scorers, three ducks in one innings being roughly two more than any captain would like on his own conscience.

With the ball, though, we were a different proposition entirely. Meopham replied with 104 all out in 39.3 overs, Phelps top-scoring with 40, but they never really settled — 8 for 1 early on, and by 40 for 6 the innings was properly unravelling. S Lamb departed for a duck of his own, and I had the day of my season, finishing with 5 for 63, well supported by Nigel Thirkell's superb 4 for 38, seven of his overs maidens. Nigel's four wickets also carried him past John Ames into fourth on the club's all-time list, a fine personal landmark on a fine team day.

We got home by 12 runs in the end. A scratchy, nervy, thoroughly entertaining win — and I'll take twelve runs and a five-for over elegance any day of the week.

Wed 25 Jun 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC · AwayformWLWDW

Wednesday 25 June 1980, and off we trundled to Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC for a fixture that promised, as these midweek affairs often do, either glory or gentle humiliation. Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — a decision I'll admit felt rather cleverer by close of play than it did when we shipped an early wicket with the board reading a distinctly wobbly 8. Nerves jangling, tea flasks rattling.

But we steadied, as sides so often do when Brian Piper gets his eye in. He anchored the innings beautifully, finishing unbeaten on 47 as we crawled our way to 105 for 5 off 42.4 overs — not a total to frighten anyone, but enough, as it turned out, to have something to bowl at. And bowl we did, with real discipline, dismissing the opposition for nothing at all. Whatever went on out there, it clearly wasn't run-scoring.

A word for Brian, whose 47 not only did the heavy lifting but nudged him past Jim Hall into 15th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — a genuinely proud moment amid the sandwiches and the scorebook squabbles. He now sits 4th in this season's Midweek XI charts with 51 runs, a man quietly building a reputation.

In the end, honours were shared — a draw, with neither side able to force the issue. Not a classic, perhaps, but a thoroughly respectable afternoon's cricket, and Brian's milestone alone made the trip worthwhile.

Sun 22 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv DC Dimanchians CC · HomeformWDWWW

Sunday 22 June found Dimanchians CC visiting us, and with the toss won I sent them in, fancying our chances under grey Linton skies. It proved a shrewd call. Gregor Hiscock battled to 34 and did the bulk of the damage to our figures, but around him the innings simply came apart, 45-2 collapsing to 59-5 in the blink of an eye, with T Quint, C Biddlecombe and R Biddlecombe all trooping back without troubling the scorers. Tony Gauna was quite unplayable, spinning his way to 5-27 with seven miserly maidens thrown in, and I chipped in with 4-27 to help wrap them up for a modest 84 all out in 34.2 overs.

Chasing that total should have been a formality, and so it proved, Trevor Back anchoring things with an unbeaten 33 and Malcolm Pay giving him fine support with 24 not out as we cruised home at 86-3 from 26.3 overs. Only Allan Cooper endured a miserable afternoon, departing for a duck. Fittingly, the day also marked Malcolm Pay's hundredth appearance in Linton colours, a landmark he celebrated in the best possible style with the bat.

Seven wickets to the good and a milestone cap for Malcolm to boot, this was as complete and satisfying a Sunday as the club could wish for.

Sat 21 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv HC Horton Kirby CC · HomeformWWDWW

Saturday 21 June 1980, and Horton Kirby CC rolled up as our visitors with the sun very much on our side, if not the toss — that went against us, and they elected to bat. Whether it was the pitch, the weather, or simply the Kirby top order taking against my bowling, I couldn't say, but I found some rare rhythm through the air, spinning my way to 6 for 32 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure. M Crouch battled hard for his 40, but around him it was carnage: Keith Williams, Mick Hills and Ken Gibbins all walked back without troubling the scorers, and the innings folded from 113 for 7 to all out in the blink of an eye, Martin Larkin and Martin Thompson chipping in with two apiece. All out 113 from 33.4 overs — a proper collapse to watch from the slips.

Chasing it down was never going to be a stroll, and so it proved, wobbling to 116 for 7 off our 34 overs. I got among the runs with 46, Graham Cove gave sterling support with 39, though David Iliffe and Tim Thirkell will want quiet words with themselves after twin ducks. Still, we got there — three wickets to spare, and a result to be proud of.

A rather good day to note, too — that spell took me past 600 career wickets, and I sit atop both our 1980 run and wicket charts for the club. Modesty forbids further comment, so I shall simply say: a fine win, thoroughly deserved, and onwards we go.

Thu 19 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformLWWDW

Won the toss, and for once I actually made the right call — elected to bat, and the lads didn't let me down too badly. We limped rather than galloped to 84 for 4 off our sixteen overs, hardly a total to have West Farleigh quaking in their whites, but enough to be going on with. Brian Piper was the mainstay of the innings with a fine 27, and I chipped in with 23 of my own, more grit than grace if I'm honest, but runs is runs.

Eighty-four looked distinctly gettable when we took the field, and I confess I spent the first few overs chewing my nails rather than my tea. I needn't have worried. An early wicket at 8 for 1 seemed to open a trapdoor beneath the West Farleigh order, and before anyone had quite got their pads dry it was 19 for 4, with Don Fermor, Barry Brigden and Trevor Fermor all trudging back without so much as a single to their names. Happily, the ball behaved rather better for me than the bat had, and four wickets for eleven runs is not something I shall be modest about for at least the rest of the season. Allan Cooper and Tony Gauna mopped up admirably either side of me, and West Farleigh were bowled out for a paltry 40.

Forty-four runs the margin, two points the reward, and a thoroughly satisfying Thursday evening's work all round.

Sun 15 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Saxonians CC · HomeformWLWWD

Nigel Thirkell strode purposefully to the wicket on Sunday and rather forgot to leave it again, finishing 78 not out as we posted a handsome 197/3 from our 45 overs. I'd won the toss and, in a rare fit of decisiveness, chosen to bat — a decision that looked considerably wiser once Thirkell and Trevor Back (50) put on 111 for the third wicket, with David Carden's 34 rounding things out nicely. Carden also quietly brought up 1,000 career runs for the club along the way, which is the sort of milestone that ought to come with a small brass band but had to make do with polite applause from the boundary.

Old Saxonians' reply never remotely threatened. The first wicket fell for nought, and from 35 for 4 they slid to 49 for 7 as the innings simply came apart at the seams. Brian Piper was the chief architect of the collapse, a rampant 6-14 including four maidens — enough to bring up his 50th career wicket for the club, no less — with Tony Gauna (3-13) and Martin Larkin (1-12) mopping up the rest. They were bowled out for 72 in 31.1 overs, R Couves and D Beauchamp among those who never troubled the scorers.

Poor Allan Cooper had a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, leaking 10 byes, though nobody much minded with the match already won several times over. A 125-run victory, two career milestones, and the sun more or less behaved itself. One can hardly ask for more from a Sunday.

Sat 14 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · AwayformWWLWW

Saturday 14 June 1980, away at Maidstone YMCA CC, and for once the toss actually went my way. Naturally I put us in — a decision that always looks either inspired or idiotic by teatime, and on this occasion settled for somewhere comfortably in between. We slipped to 8-1 early on, the sort of start that has committee members reaching for the biscuit tin in despair, before Graham Cove (48 not out) and Martin Larkin (37 not out) restored order with a calm, unbroken stand, Jim Hall chipping in with a useful 29. We closed on 165-5 from our 40 overs — not a total to frighten anyone, but enough, we hoped, to make an afternoon of it.

Defending it, we needed the ball to do some talking, and it very nearly did. Nigel Thirkell led the attack manfully for 2-44, and I was delighted to get among the wickets myself with 2-44 and five miserly maidens — proof that not every ball I bowl disappears into the pavilion car park. Ross Brice weighed in with 1-8. But J. Golding compiled a fine unbeaten fifty, well supported by Rod Warboys and Pete Husband, and Maidstone crawled home to 121-5 off their 42, just short of what they needed.

A draw, then — honours shared, neither side quite brave enough, or good enough, to force the issue. On a day when we batted like we weren't sure we wanted to win and bowled like we very much did, a share of the spoils feels about right.

Fri 13 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · AwayformDWWLW

Wednesday the 13th, and I elected to bat after winning the toss — the right call, I felt, and for once I was proved right rather than merely lucky. Our openers set about the business of laying a platform, ninety runs before the first wicket fell, and from there Nigel Thirkell went on to a well-made fifty, 61 in all, with Paul Bowles chipping in a tidy 26 in support. We closed on 113/4 from our sixteen overs — not a mammoth total, but one with enough substance to make a bowling side think.

And think Hollingbourne did, right up until they collapsed. We turned to defend it and simply ran through them — 39-2 became 49-5 in the blink of an eye, and poor Kevin Phillips departed without troubling the scorers, his name etched into the book alongside a duck he'll not thank me for mentioning. Tony Gauna was magnificent, leading the attack with 4-28, with Martin Larkin (2-3) and Ron Hickman (2-34) mopping up around him. Ian Hammond's 23 was the only real resistance, and Hollingbourne were all out for 69 in 14.1 overs.

Two points, and thoroughly earned — a 44-run win on the road, Thirkell's season tally now standing at a healthy 427, Larkin third in the wicket charts on 10. A thoroughly satisfactory afternoon's work, and one I shall enjoy recounting in the bar for weeks to come.

Sun 08 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformWDWWL

We travelled down to Sheldwich on a Sunday that, in the fine tradition of these fixtures, offered no clues as to which way the day might swing. I called correctly at the toss and, with barely a glance at the sky, opted to bat — a decision I stood by rather more easily once Trevor Back settled in for a fine 29, with Allan Cooper chipping in a handy 20 alongside him. It wasn't all sweetness, mind: we shipped an early wicket with the board still reading nought, and poor Ian Webb endured that particular walk back to the pavilion that no batsman enjoys discussing over tea. All told, 131 all out from 49.4 overs felt like a total we'd have to defend with more heart than headline numbers — though I did manage to nudge 14 of my own, enough, I'm reliably informed, to push me past Robert Chance and into 18th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, which is the sort of statistic one mentions modestly and remembers vividly.

With ball in hand we were considerably more menacing. Nigel Thirkell was in imperious form, 4-32 with three maidens thrown in for good measure, well supported by Paul Bowles's 4-36 and a wicket for Allan Cooper too. R Scott's 26 and Jonathan Stanford's 20 threatened to make a match of it, but Sheldwich subsided to 122 all out, Nigel Mannouch and Tim George both departing without troubling the scorers.

Nine runs the margin, and a thoroughly satisfying one at that — the sort of tight, nervy finish that reminds you why you bother with the early alarm on a Sunday.

Sat 07 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv RC Rumwood CC · HomeformDWDWW

Not the toss I wanted, and true to form, Rumwood ushered us straight into the field on winning it. They ground us down to 153 all out over 47.5 overs, with Brian Aiston's 38 the backbone, Neville Smith adding a tidy 28 and Geoff Griffiths chipping in 27. For a while it looked as though we might be chasing a great deal more, but the middle order kindly obliged us, subsiding from 136 for 6 to 146 for 9 in the sort of collapse that restores a captain's faith in the game. I had the day of days with the ball, finishing with 5 for 41 including five maidens, while Nigel Thirkell toiled away for 4 for 62 and Martin Larkin picked up one for his efforts.

With 154 to chase, we never quite got going. Jim Hall was the one shining light, his patient 20 the top score of the innings — and, worth noting for the club records, it edged him past Mike Iliffe into 15th on the all-time run-scorers' list. Sadly Mike himself, along with Ross Brice, departed for ducks, and the rest of us shuffled about without much conviction. I managed 19 down the order, but 80 all out in 40.1 overs was a poor return on a green afternoon.

A word too for Nigel Thirkell, who continues to lead both the run and wicket charts for the 1st XI this season — 350 runs and 26 wickets and counting.

In the end, beaten by 73 runs. Not our day at all. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Thu 05 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv BC Boughton Monchelsea CC · HomeformDDWDW

As we won the toss and I sent us in — a decision I'll happily take credit for — Mick Filmer set about reminding Boughton Monchelsea why that was the right call, cracking a handsome 70 at the top of the order. Nigel Thirkell chipped in with a brisk 45 and Paul Bowles finished unbeaten on 27, the three of them hauling us to a commanding 160/2 from our sixteen overs. Tea was taken in fine spirits, and rightly so.

Defending it was where the real fun began. Boughton Monchelsea threatened for a while through Pete Adams' watchful 25 and Steve Kember's useful 20, but the wheels came off soon enough — poor Stuart Ayling trudged back without so much as a run to his name, the kind of duck nobody puts in the scorebook with any joy. Nigel Thirkell, not content with his runs, then ran through the innings with 2-15, well backed by Paul Bowles (2-15) and Martin Larkin (1-16), and 116/6 from their sixteen overs was never going to be enough.

Special mention, too, for Nigel, whose 45 nudged him past Stan Wratten and into 5th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — and with 348 runs and 22 wickets already this season, he remains some distance clear at the top of both charts, a one-man argument for a testimonial. A 44-run victory, two points banked, and a thoroughly satisfying evening's work all round.

Wed 04 Jun 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv TT Tonbridge Trade · HomeformDWLWD

We won the toss on a fine Wednesday evening against Tonbridge Trade, and I had no hesitation electing to bat first — the sort of decision that looks either inspired or daft depending entirely on what follows. In our case, inspired. Paul Bowles played a smashing knock of 70 to anchor the innings, well supported by David Iliffe's 31, and between them they dragged us to 167 all out in 40.5 overs. My own contribution was rather less illustrious — nought, a golden duck, the sort of dismissal one prefers not to dwell on and shall duly not.

With the ball, however, I had rather better luck. I found some real turn and finished with 5 for 35 off my allotted overs, three of them maidens, which I'm told is the sort of figure a captain is allowed to mention exactly once and then quietly bask in. Paul Bowles was excellent again with 4 for 15, and Colin Pay chipped in with 1 for 16. Hunt battled hard for Tonbridge with 50, T Marsh made 28, and we sent Killick and Miller back without troubling the scorers. Eight byes behind the stumps told their own tale of a testing evening for the gloves, but Tonbridge folded for 120.

A special word for Tony Gauna, who brought up his 100th appearance in Linton colours — a landmark worth more than any scoreline. Two points, 47 runs to the good, and a thoroughly deserved win.

Tue 03 Jun 1980 🧢 1st XIv MT Maidstone Teachers · HomeformDDDWD

Tuesday brought Maidstone Teachers to Linton Park, and with the ball in our hands first, I fancied our chances of setting the tone early. Ron McCormick and Andy Bryant had other ideas, both compiling watchful forties to nudge the visitors to 118/6 from their sixteen overs. Nigel Thirkell was the pick of our attack with 2-36, and I chipped in with 1-30 for good measure, though poor Dave Todd's day ended before it began, back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers.

Chasing 119, we lost an early wicket with just 4 on the board, and for a moment the tea urn seemed the safer bet than the run chase. Nigel Thirkell had other plans, though, striding to a splendid 54 and anchoring a second-wicket stand of 71 alongside Brian Piper's tidy 25, and we eased home on 119/4 with 15.3 overs gone, six wickets in hand.

A quiet word on personal milestones, since the scorebook insists: my 9 runs today were enough to shuffle me past John Taylor into 19th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, an achievement I shall wear with entirely disproportionate pride. Thirkell, meanwhile, continues to run away with the season, now topping both the 1980 run and wicket charts with 303 runs and 20 wickets, the rest of us merely his supporting cast.

All told, a thoroughly good day at the office: bowled tightly, batted nervously, finished comfortably. Six wickets to spare and a summer's evening pint that tasted all the sweeter for it.

Sun 01 Jun 1980 🧢 Sunday NVKCv SC Shipbourne CC · AwayformWWLWW

Between 9 for 1 and 20 for 4 in a heartbeat — I've captained enough Sunday sides to know that collapse by heart, and Shipbourne on the 1st of June was no exception.

We lost the toss and were put in to field first, which on a warm afternoon is never the worst news. Shipbourne battled to 128 for 8 off their forty, with W Buckley top-scoring on 30 and useful support from A Morris (26) and Peter Phillips (24). Trevor Back was the pick of the attack with a fine 3 for 30, I chipped in with 2 for 23, and Nigel Thirkell picked up a couple as well. Allan Cooper, meanwhile, bowled with the kind of miserliness that makes batsmen want to take up another sport entirely — four maidens and barely a run to be had.

A target of 129 should have been well within our compass, and for a while it looked that way thanks to Brian Piper, who top-scored handsomely with 43. But cricket has a cruel sense of humour, and ours turned up in the middle order: we slid from 9 for 1 to 20 for 4 before most of us had finished our tea. The Duck Club ledger swelled by three that afternoon — Tim Thirkell, Malcolm Pay and Tony Gauna all took the walk of shame for nought. I managed a steadying 19, but it wasn't enough, and we were bowled out for 100 in the 38th over.

Twenty-eight runs short, then, and a few uncomfortable looks in the changing room. Not our day, but the nets know where to find us.

Tue 27 May 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Burghill & Tillington CC · HomeformWDWLW

I stood at the toss on Tuesday knowing full well that losing it against Burghill & Tillington usually means a long afternoon in the field, and so it proved.

They piled up 205/6 from their 52 overs, with L Sparrow the chief architect of our discomfort — 74 not out, a fifty that just kept growing while we ran out of ideas. Derek Budgen (32) and D Gower (30) chipped in nicely too, and their sixth-wicket pair put on 54 that had me shuffling the field more than I'd like to admit. Credit where it's due: Brian Piper was superb with the ball, 3-39, Tony Gauna chimed in with 2-68, I managed a modest 1-6 myself, and Mick Filmer bowled two maidens as tight as anything you'll see on a Tuesday evening.

Chasing 206, we never quite got there but gave a good account of ourselves, finishing 173/8 from 41 overs. An early wobble to 5-1 threatened a rout, but Nigel Thirkell (69) and Paul Bowles (42) rebuilt with a second-wicket stand of 97 that had the tea urn practically boiling over with relief. Mick Filmer's 31 kept the momentum going before a late collapse from 145-4 to 162-7 brought the nerves back — poor Malcolm Pay's golden duck the low point of an otherwise spirited effort.

Two lovely footnotes: Paul Bowles brought up his 400th appearance in Linton colours, a landmark few of us will ever touch, and Nigel Thirkell's innings edged him past Stan Wratten into 5th on the all-time run charts.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride just about intact, and the tea was, as ever, the real winner.

Mon 26 May 1980 🧢 Midweek XIv OX Oxford XIII · HomeformWWDWL

Sitting here after that ten-wicket win, I'll admit the hardest part of this report is finding anything to be modest about, though I'll manage.

Winning the toss and bowling first on 26 May felt like the right call, and so it proved, with Oxford XIII bundled out for 163 in 57.4 overs. C Bowerman's 39 and G Gerrard's 27 were the only real resistance, and poor R Brock departed for a golden duck without so much as troubling the scorers. Martin Larkin was the pick of a well-drilled attack with 2-16, Andy Woollett chipped in with 2-22 and Trevor Back with 1-10, while I was rather pleased to send down four maidens of my own, tight enough that nothing was given away lightly.

Chasing 164, we barely broke sweat. David Carden and Paul Bowles simply put their heads down and batted the opposition out of the game, Carden unbeaten on a fine 79 and Bowles matching him almost run for run with 74 not out, the pair seeing us home without losing a wicket in 40.5 overs. Nine byes did rather suggest Jim Hall was having one of those days behind the stumps, though nobody was complaining by the close.

Carden now tops the Midweek XI run charts for the season and Larkin the wickets, and on this evidence both will take some catching. A thoroughly good day for the club, and a result to make the drive home feel a good deal shorter than usual.

Sun 25 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv BC Bexhill CC · HomeformLDDDW

Sunday 25 May 1980 dawned with all the promise of a good club fixture, and Bexhill CC duly arrived to spoil it in the traditional manner — winning the toss and sticking us in. We could have no complaints about the ball we sent down: an early wicket at 7-1 had us dreaming, before Clive White settled in for a chanceless 80 and Simon Reynolds chipped in with 41, the pair putting on 105 for the fourth wicket to drag Bexhill to a defendable 181/8 off their 51.2 overs. Nigel Thirkell was superb with the new ball and old, finishing with 4-33, while Tony Gauna bowled with the miserliness of a man counting his own pennies — 3-36 including four maidens — and Allan Cooper picked up one for 20. John Holland, mercifully, departed without troubling the scorers.

With 182 needed, David Carden's 43 and a watchful 37 from Thirkell — supported by Martin Thompson's 28 and a solid opening stand of 58 — kept us in touch, but 166/9 from our 48 overs left us short of the target and grateful for the extra overs in hand. I contributed my own small chapter to the day's story with a duck, in fitting company with Allan Cooper, and the less said about that the better. On a brighter note, Brian Piper's 26 eased him past Robert Chance and into 17th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, a small consolation amid the general struggle.

So honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite force the issue — not a classic, but an honest day's cricket, and I'll happily take a share of the spoils over a share of the blame.

Sat 24 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv MC Maidstone YMCA CC · HomeformDLDDD

Toss won and I fancied our chances first, so in we went. It wasn't the smoothest of innings — an early wicket down with just five on the board set the tone for a jittery afternoon at the crease, though Malcolm Pay's 33 held things together nicely, with Ian Webb (25) and David Iliffe (24) chipping in handsomely. Then, as is our custom on these occasions, the middle order decided enough was enough: 84 for 6 became 88 for 9 before you could say "tea's ready," and poor Martin Larkin walked back for a duck to keep the club's ledger honest. All out for 115 in 43.2 overs — respectable rather than imposing, and I confess I did wonder whether we'd given ourselves quite enough to bowl at.

I needn't have worried. Maidstone Ymca's reply was every bit as nervy as ours, losing an early wicket with just four on the board, and J Matthams departed without so much as a run to his name. Nigel Thirkell was in irresistible form, spinning his way to 5 for 36 with five miserly maidens thrown in for good measure, and I was delighted to get among the wickets myself with 3 for 17, ably backed up by Martin Larkin's 2 for 29 — a fine bit of redemption after his morning's duck. S Wyles's 26 was the best the visitors could muster as they folded for 104.

Eleven runs the margin, and a thoroughly deserved one. A day where the bat wobbled but the ball did not — I'll take that every time.

Sun 18 May 1980 🧢 Sunday NVKCv IC Ightham CC · AwayformWWWLW

Here's the match report:

Sunday last saw us take the road to Ightham, where I lost the toss and we were asked to field first — never the news you want to hear on a warm afternoon, but there we are. Ightham set about building a total, with Jerry Bentall's 35 and Tim Cornwell's 32 doing the early damage before things rather ran away from them: 99 for 5 became 109 for 8 in the blink of an eye, with Andy Robins, Robert Perry and Francis Manville all departing without troubling the scorers. Nigel Thirkell was the pick of the attack, tidy and miserly with 3 for 13 off five maidens, while I chipped in with 3 for 18 and Allan Cooper took 2 for 15. They finished on 126 for 9 from their 40 overs — competitive, but not insurmountable.

Chasing it down, we stumbled early to 8 for 1, which had me shifting nervously in my chair, but Paul Bowles played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 56 that anchored everything, well supported by Tim Thirkell's 29 — the pair adding a crucial 81 for the fourth wicket. Nigel Thirkell, so miserly with the ball, fell for a duck with the bat, proof if any were needed that cricket has a sense of humour. We got home on 127 for 4 with six wickets and overs to spare.

A thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work all round, and two well-earned points in the bag.

Sat 17 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformDDLDD

Lost the toss again on Saturday, and Headcorn CC wasted no time electing to bat, which on a decent Linton Park afternoon felt like the coin had it in for us as usual. Their openers made themselves entirely too comfortable, putting on 70 for the first wicket before we finally prised one out, and from there Penney set about compiling a fine 45, with Wickens (29) and Ashburn (23) chipping in to see them home to 162 for 8 off their 47 overs. Mick Everitt, by contrast, had an afternoon to forget, back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. I can't claim total innocence in the analysis department — 4 for 37 came my way, with Nigel Thirkell (2-32, two tidy maidens) and David Iliffe (1-14) keeping things admirably mean at the other end.

With the bat, we never quite got out of second gear. An early wicket with just 8 on the board set the tone, and though Malcolm Pay battled to a respectable 31, the rest of us mustered support rather than fireworks, closing on 98 for 5 from 41 overs. Eight byes told poor Jim Hall's story better than any words of mine could.

So honours shared, a draw when neither side had quite enough about them to force the issue. Nigel keeps top spot in the run charts with 206, and I'll take the wickets lead with 11 — but on this evidence, there's rather more work to do with the bat than the ball.

Sun 11 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lawrence & Highland Court CC · HomeformWDDLD

Right in our nook — a duck, a hundred, and honours shared. Sunday, 11 May 1980; St Lawrence & Highland Court were our visitors.

Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first strike on what looked a fair old batting track, and for once the decision made me look rather clever. Paul Bowles played the innings of the day, a magnificent 108, while David Carden gave him sterling company with 59 — the pair adding a priceless 131 for the third wicket and threatening to bat us out of sight. Then, as club cricket so loves to remind us, the roof fell in: 191 for six became 195 for nine in the blink of an eye, with Tim Thirkell, Martin Larkin and your correspondent all trooping back for ducks. We closed on 202 for 9 from our 51 overs — handsome, if a touch untidy at the death.

The visitors chased with real intent. Paul Rodway's well-crafted 57, backed by Mike Green's 33 and Ian Farthing's 32, kept them in the hunt throughout, though Peter Salmon's early dismissal for nought gave us hope. Nigel Thirkell was superb with the ball, 4 for 48, with fine support from Allan Cooper's 2 for 20 and my own 2 for 54 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure — one contribution I'll happily claim, having contributed precisely nothing with the bat. They finished on 194 for 9.

A draw, then — honours even, and probably fair, given neither side could quite land the killer blow. Nigel Thirkell tops our run charts this season, and I'm rather chuffed to lead the wickets. The duck, however, stays firmly on my conscience.

Sat 10 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv RC Rumwood CC · AwayformDWDDL

Skipper's Log — Saturday 10 May 1980

Rumwood on a Saturday, and for once I called the coin right and fancied our chances with the bat first — mostly because I fancied not chasing anything in that heat. And how the lads repaid the faith: 238 for 2 off our 44 overs, built on a wonderful 79-run stand for the second wicket. Nigel Thirkell was in imperious touch for his unbeaten 92, Martin Thompson cruised nicely past his fifty to 62, and young Tim Thirkell finished unbeaten on 47. A score to be proud of, and not a wicket lost in anger after that early breakthrough.

With the ball, Rumwood dug in and would not be shifted, closing on 207 for 2 from their 52 overs. Neville Smith made a thoroughly well-made 86 not out, ably assisted by R Simmonds unbeaten on 75, and between them they simply refused to give us a sniff. Martin Mears did what damage there was to be done, snaring 1 for 13, Martin Larkin bowled with real miserliness for his three maidens, and I chipped in myself with 1 for 45 — no bargain, but honest toil.

A red-letter day nonetheless: Nigel Thirkell brought up his 300th appearance in Linton colours, a milestone that puts the rest of us rather in the shade. He now leads our 1980 run charts with 187, while I find myself, somewhat improbably, top of the wicket pile with five.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side could quite land the killer blow. Frustrating, but with batting like that on show, I'll take it.

Mon 05 May 1980 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformDDWDD

Lost the toss again on Monday — I'm beginning to suspect the Bearsted skipper keeps a double-headed coin in his blazer pocket — and duly found ourselves in the field. They made themselves at home to the tune of 194 for 6 off 57 overs, though we did have them nervy for a spell: Ian Lambert fell early for a cheap 3-1, and it took a stand of 67 from Ian Lambert and 60 from Colin Fleetwood, with Paul Webster unbeaten on 22, to really put the innings on a sound footing — 143 added for the second wicket before we clawed them back from 146-2 to 150-5. Peter Mills, Mike Read and D Burnett all departed without troubling the scorers, three ducks to warm the cockles. Martin Larkin was the pick of the attack with 4-30, and Nigel Thirkell chipped in 2-42 with five miserly maidens — not bad going for a man marking his 300th appearance in Linton colours, a landmark that deserved rather better luck around it.

With the target set, we made a fair fist of it. David Carden led the way with 41, Tim Thirkell added 34 and Ian Webb 20, the pair putting on 58 for the first wicket to give us something to build on. I managed a workmanlike 17 myself before the middle order rather ran out of ideas, and we were bowled out for 140 in 40.3 overs.

Fifty-four runs the wrong side of the ledger, then — not our day, but Nigel Thirkell now heads the season's run charts and Martin Larkin the wickets, so the mantelpiece isn't entirely bare. Back to the nets.

Sun 04 May 1980 🧢 Sunday NVKCv LK Leigh CC, Kent · HomeformWWWWL

Sunday 4th May 1980, and Leigh CC of Kent rolled up as our visitors. I lost the toss - no change there, then - and they elected to bat first, which in hindsight was rather generous of them.

It was one of those mornings where nothing quite came off for the visitors. Wicket one went down without a run on the board, and from a shaky 29 for 3 they simply fell apart, subsiding to 35 for 6 with three of their number - Gary Wood, Charlie Raker and M Battey - trudging back without so much as troubling the scorers. I'll admit to rather enjoying my own afternoon in this respect, finishing with 3 for 10 and five maidens for good measure, while Allan Cooper (3 for 16) and Tony Gauna (2 for 12) tidied up what remained. All out for 65 in 35.1 overs - generous is not the word for it.

Chasing such a modest total ought never to be taken for granted in this game, but David Carden made sure of it in style, farming the bowling to finish unbeaten on 47 as we cruised home at 69 without loss in just 17.2 overs. A ten-wicket win, no less, and about as comfortable an afternoon as captaincy allows.

With David now heading the season's run charts and Allan topping the wickets, the early-season form looks healthy indeed. A thoroughly good day for the club, and one I'll happily take the applause for organising, if not for actually doing very much of the hard work myself.

Sun 27 Apr 1980 🧢 1st XIv CC Chatham Nomads CC · HomeformWDDWD

Sunday last saw Chatham Nomads CC roll up to Linton Park, and having called correctly at the toss, I had no hesitation in sticking us in to bat first — a decision I shall take full credit for regardless of what followed. And what followed was a tidy 171 all out from our 48 overs, built handsomely around Malcolm Pay's 32, with Nigel Thirkell weighing in with 24 and myself contributing 25 down the order. There was a wobble in the middle, 106 for 5 becoming 120 for 8 before we could catch breath, and poor David Iliffe will want this report burned rather than filed, having bagged a duck for the ledger.

In the field we set about defending it, and I'll confess to rather enjoying myself with the ball, finding some early rhythm to finish with 3 for 22 and lead the attack. Allan Cooper was miserliness personified — five maidens and 2 for 11 — with Brian Piper chipping in at 2 for 14, and between us we had their first wicket down for just 3. Only P Loader, with a determined 26, kept the Nomads afloat as they closed on 107 for 9 from their 49.

Milestones worth raising a teacup to: my 25 nudged me past Andrew Moss into 21st on the club's all-time run-scoring list, while Cooper's two wickets lifted him past John Taylor into 11th among our leading wicket-takers. Honours, in the end, were shared — a draw that satisfied nobody and disappointed no one, which is perhaps the most English result of all.

Sat 26 Apr 1980 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformWWDDW

Skipper's Log, Saturday 26 April 1980, away at West Farleigh CC.

I won the toss and, in a fit of what I like to call decisiveness, elected to bat — a decision that looked briefly disastrous when we slumped to 5 for 1 before anyone had properly settled into their deckchair. Credit to the lads for not panicking. Nigel Thirkell played the innings of the day, a composed 68, and found an excellent ally in Tim Thirkell, unbeaten on 44, the pair putting on 59 for the fourth wicket to drag us back to something respectable. We closed on 156 for 4 from our 34 overs — not a total to frighten anyone, but enough, we hoped, to be defended on a ground where boundaries don't come cheap.

Defend it we duly tried. West Farleigh set about the chase steadily rather than spectacularly, Fred Baker top-scoring with a watchful 30, while I did my bit with the ball, picking up 1 for 22 to keep things honest. They reached 62 for 2 from their 21 overs before the clock, rather than either attack, called a halt to proceedings.

So, honours shared — a draw when neither side could quite summon the urgency to force the issue. Nigel's half-century now leads our run charts for the season, and my solitary wicket, rather sheepishly, tops the bowling. A fair result, all told: not a win to sing about on the coach home, but not a defeat to sulk over either.