🧢 Captain's Log

Wed 28 Sep 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv Penshurst Park CC · AwayformDWDDD

Wednesday saw us on the road to Penshurst Park, and with the coin kind to me for once, I had no hesitation in sending us in — a decision that looked rather clever by close of play, though I'll admit to a nervous hour or two along the way.

Mike Caddick set about the bowling with real intent, cruising to 71, and I was fortunate enough to find some form alongside him — a personal 54 that I'm quietly rather proud of, the two of us putting on 104 for the second wicket to give the innings its backbone. Peter Whyte chipped in with a tidy 27 as we closed on 213/5 from our 47 overs, a total that felt competitive without being conclusive.

Defending it proved a nerve-shredder. Penshurst stumbled to 4-1 early and we allowed ourselves a smile, but John Boyden (71 not out) and R Hunter (51) rebuilt with a stand of 69 for the third wicket, and Quasar's 46 kept the required rate within reach. Webb, Richard Banks and Scott Lock all departed without troubling the scorers, thanks largely to Ian Brattle, whose 5-66 with three tidy maidens was the spell of the day, well backed by Alan Boyns (2-19) and Jon Harris (1-62). Poor Peter Whyte had a torrid time behind the stumps, nine byes going begging, but it mattered not in the end.

Five runs. That was the margin, and every one of them earned. Two points banked, and honourable mention to Trevor Back, whose 16 runs edged him past Jim Hall into 13th on the all-time run list — a night to remember all round.

Sat 24 Sep 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Hastings & St Leonards Priory CC · HomeformWWLWL

Losing the toss on a fine late-September Saturday was never going to help our cause, and duly Hastings & St Leonards Priory elected to bat, leaving us to toil in the field. They made a solid fist of it too, their openers putting on 59 before Jim Chaplin (49) and N Phillips (39) built steadily towards 187 all out in the 38th over, with S Tibble chipping in 24. Matt Large was the pick of our attack with 3-26, Don Dansie chimed in with 2-20, and I managed to prise out a couple myself for 2-24 — modest reward for a long afternoon's graft, but wickets are wickets.

Chasing 188, we stumbled early — 3 for 1 had the tea urn rattling with nerves — before Piers McDonald and Mike Caddick set about repairing things with real purpose, adding 111 for the second wicket. McDonald's 79 was a innings of real class, Caddick's 54 no less handsome, and for a while 188 looked eminently gettable. Then, as so often at Linton Park, the wheels came clean off: from a commanding 155 for 3 we subsided to 170 for 6 in what felt like the blink of an eye. Don Dansie's unbeaten 28 held the tail together, but it wasn't quite enough, and we finished on 175 for 6 from our 40 overs.

Twelve runs short in the end — the sort of margin that makes for a quiet drive home and a long look in the mirror. Heads up, though: back to the nets, and on to the next one.

Sat 24 Sep 1994 🧢 2nd XIv YC Yalding CC · AwayformWDWLL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 24 September 1994. We travelled to Yalding CC, lost the toss, and were sent in to field first, which on reflection may have been the kindest thing that happened to us all afternoon.

Yalding built steadily to 181/8 from their 48 overs, Kevin Shrimpton unbeaten on 37 and well supported by Graham Walker's 35 and Iain Cardew's 31. Credit where it's due, though — our attack had its say too. K Brady departed for a golden duck, and Trevor Back was simply magnificent, tearing through with 5-29 including three maidens, a five-for thoroughly deserved and one that quietly nudges him up to 12th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, past Ian Brattle. I chipped in with 2-27 and Adrian Caddick took 1-27, so the bowling, at least, gave us something to be proud of.

Chasing 182 was always going to ask questions of our top order, and we simply didn't have the answers. Two on the board and already a wicket down set the tone for a jittery innings, and only Trevor Back, with a fine 34, showed any real fight as we folded for 82 in 45.2 overs. As for the skipper, I'll spare you the suspense no longer — a golden blob. A captain ought to lead by example, and on this occasion I did, just not the example anyone wanted.

Beaten by 99 runs, then. Not our day. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 17 Sep 1994 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformWWWLW

Saturday 17 September, and West Farleigh rolled up to Linton Park under skies that looked more sceptical than the scorebook eventually proved. The coin bounced my way and, in a rare fit of decisiveness, I put us in to bat first.

Clive Newman's innings lasted precisely as long as it took him to walk out and back — a golden duck to open proceedings, and 0-1 looked distinctly ominous. But Paul Bowles and I dug in, added a priceless 115 for the second wicket, and by the time I trudged off for 36, the platform was well and truly laid. Bowles simply kept going, unbeaten on a magnificent hundred, with Don Dansie chipping in an unbeaten 20 as we closed on a handsome 163/2 from 44.2 overs — a total that felt, over the tea urn, entirely defensible.

It wasn't. West Farleigh fumbled their own start, 4-1, before R Peterson and Dave Latter shared 84 for the second wicket and simply declined to leave. Darren Styles bowled tidily for his one wicket, Chris Gray toiled manfully for 1-53 with two miserly maidens, but Peterson finished unbeaten on 71, Latter cruised past his fifty, and Glen Aukett saw them home unbeaten. 166/2 in 32.2 overs, and the visitors had it by eight wickets.

Not our finest afternoon in the field, but with 1039 runs now to my name in the 1994 charts, the bat is doing its bit — the ball simply needs to catch up. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 17 Sep 1994 🧢 2nd XIv Rainham (Kent) CC · AwayformLWDWL

Beaten by 2 wickets away at Rainham (Kent) — batting first, we never quite got going.

We lost the toss, were put in, and from the off it had the feel of a long afternoon: a wicket down with just 7 on the board set the tone. Trevor Back dug in gamely for 38 and looked to be steadying the ship, and at 85 for 6 there was even a whisper of respectability about the total. Then, as club cricket so often insists on doing, the whole thing fell apart in the time it takes to pour a tea — 85 for 6 became 97 for 9 in a blur, Paul Leandro and R Waite both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, and we were all out for a distinctly modest 98 off 41.4 overs. Not our finest hour with the willow.

Out we went in the field needing something special, and for a good while we got it. Daniel Thirkell was the pick of the attack with 4 for 53, I chipped in with 3 for 19, and Trevor Back — clearly saving his best for both disciplines — sent down five miserly maidens on his way to 1 for 12. We had Rainham wobbling, sending Tom Kearney, Steve Cooper and Mick Pay back for ducks in a hurry. But Kenny Kemmenoe's 38 and an unbeaten 28 from Stewart Macfarlane, allied to a stubborn 61-run sixth-wicket stand, dragged them past us at 102 for 8.

Beaten by two wickets, then, with the game there for the taking and not quite taken. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 11 Sep 1994 🧢 1st XIv NS Northend Sunday · HomeformWWWWL

Sunday 11 September saw us take on Northend, and winning the toss on a decent-looking morning, there was really only one decision to make – we batted. David Castle set about proving the wicket's benevolence with a majestic 93 not out, and together with Clive Newman's brisk 48 he put on 111 for the first wicket before either of them so much as looked troubled. Mike Caddick chipped in a tidy unbeaten 20 as we closed on a formidable 179 for 3 from our 46 overs – the sort of total that lets a captain enjoy his tea rather than gnaw at the biscuits.

If our batting was a stroll, the bowling that followed was closer to a massacre. Northend's top three – Taylor, Nightingale and Parkins – all departed without registering a run, which I am reliably informed is the sort of thing that gets you a duck emoji in the modern scorebook. Matt Large was the chief destroyer, 3 for 14 with five wickets' worth of miserliness thrown in for good measure, while I was pleased to get among the wickets myself with figures of 3 for 19, and Adrian Caddick mopped up with 2 for 4. Northend were bowled out for a paltry 56, and the match was over almost before the urn had boiled.

A word too for Jon Harris, who passed 2,000 career wickets in the process – a landmark that puts the rest of us rather in the shade. Won by 123 runs, two points banked, and about as comprehensive a Sunday as this club has enjoyed in some time.

Sat 10 Sep 1994 🧢 1st XIv High Halstow CC · AwayformWWWWW

Beaten by 73 runs, and if I'm honest, we did it the hard way — by being outplayed rather than unlucky.

Losing the toss at High Halstow was the first setback, and being put in the field on a Saturday when you'd rather be padded up is never the tonic anyone wants. Paul Whelan and D Bovis had other ideas about our afternoon, though, putting on 95 for the third wicket in an innings that just kept ticking along — 59 not out and 54 respectively, with J Goodhind chipping in 21 for good measure. We had our moments: Phillip Morrison was the pick of the attack with 1-22, Ian Brattle and Darren Styles both weighed in with a wicket apiece, and Chris Gray bowled two miserly maidens that at least slowed the tide. But 163/3 from 32 overs is a proper score, and we knew we had work to do.

Work we did not do. An early stumble to 1-1 set the tone, and from there we never quite found our rhythm, folding for 90 in 30.4 overs. Stewart Morrison's golden duck rather summed up the day. I managed a personal contribution along the way, for what small comfort that was.

There was a silver lining amid the wreckage — Ian Brattle's wicket nudged him past Trevor Back into 12th on the club's all-time list, a nice moment on an otherwise chastening afternoon. Beaten by 73 runs, then, fair and square. We'll dust ourselves down and be better for it next week.

Sun 04 Sep 1994 🧢 Tour XIv BC Beacon CC, Cornwall · AwayformWWLLW

Sunday 4th September brought us to Beacon CC in Cornwall, a fixture that always promises sea air, cream teas, and the possibility of losing all sense of the scoreboard. I won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first — a decision I felt rather smug about at the time, and one the lads didn't let me forget either way, whatever happened.

We posted 152 for 7 from our forty overs, a total built almost single-handedly by Nigel Thirkell, whose 69 was the innings' backbone — a proper well-made fifty and then some. A useful 59-run stand for the fourth wicket gave the innings some spine, though I'll confess it never quite felt like enough as we walked off.

It nearly wasn't. Beacon replied with real intent, Chris Bennett top-scoring with a brisk 46, but our attack found its rhythm: David Castle was superb with 2 for 21, Nigel Thirkell chipped in again with 2 for 26 — a fine all-round day's work — and Richard Ashby snaffled one for the princely cost of a single run. They were bowled out for exactly 152 in 23.3 overs.

Level. Dead level. Twenty-two men, a whole day's toil, and not a run between us. You couldn't script it, and frankly I wouldn't want to — some results are better left as they fell. A tie is nobody's triumph and everybody's story, and that's precisely how it should stay down at Beacon.

Fri 02 Sep 1994 🧢 Tour XIv MC Mullion CC · AwayformLWWLL

As we travelled to Mullion, I won the toss and had no hesitation — the pitch looked one for batting first, so in we went.

The lads gave me plenty to be proud of. Steve Cheesman departed for a duck with the score on 7-1, which threatened to unsettle the innings before it had begun, but a sturdy 74-run stand for the second wicket steadied the ship handsomely. I was fortunate enough to find some form myself, top-scoring with 87, and with Mike Caddick (27) and Nigel Thirkell (26) chipping in nicely, we closed on a healthy 172/6 from our 40 overs — a total that felt like it had substance to defend.

And defend it we did. Alan Boyns was the story of the afternoon with the ball, tearing through Mullion with 4-8 and three miserly maidens to boot — the sort of spell that has opposition batsmen muttering into their tea. Nigel Thirkell (2-7) and Matt Large (2-16) chipped away at the other end, and Pingree was sent back without so much as a run to his name for company. Philip Burslem played the lone hand of resistance with 37, but it was nowhere near enough, and Mullion folded for 118 in 41.5 overs.

Two points, and thoroughly deserved, as we ran out winners by 54 runs. A day when the top order held its nerve after an early scare, and the bowlers made light work of the rest — you can't ask for much more than that from a Friday fixture.

Thu 01 Sep 1994 🧢 Tour XIv FC Falmouth CC · AwayformDLWWL

Thursday 1st September took us down to Falmouth, and after losing the toss we were asked to chase — never my favourite instruction, but there we are. We had first use of the ball, and the lads set about it with more hope than menace against a home side clearly intent on making a day of it.

Make a day of it they did. Mark Render played a fine, watchful innings of 86, and P Thomas chipped in a useful 40, the pair putting on a crucial 88 for the second wicket while we toiled in the Cornish sun. Credit where due — Simon Thirkell led the attack superbly with 2-37, Daniel Thirkell and Adrian Caddick chimed in with a wicket apiece, and Alan Boyns bowled with a miser's precision, three maidens and not a run given away lightly. Falmouth closed on 174/5 from their 42 overs — competitive, but not unchaseable.

Mike Caddick set about the reply in style, a well-made 72 the innings' backbone, and I was pleased to add 52 of my own as we put on 75 together for the second wicket. Then, as club cricket so loves to remind us, disaster: 146-4 became 148-7 in what felt like the blink of an eye, poor Alan Boyns bagging a painful duck along the way. We finished on 163/7 — eleven runs short.

Mike Caddick now tops our 1994 run charts, Simon Thirkell the wickets. A gallant effort, undone by a wobble — we'll be better for it next week.

Mon 29 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformLWWWW

Here is the match report:

It was Bearsted CC away on Monday 29th August, and I lost the toss — no great surprise there, my coin-calling remains as reliable as an English summer. They took first use of the pitch and made us pay for it, racking up a hearty 272/7 from their 58.4 overs. Mick Filmer was the chief architect with a magnificent 116, well supported by Stephen Heap's fine 61 and Stephen Horrocks's 24, the pair adding a punishing 85 for the fifth wicket. Adrian Caddick did the real damage with 3-56, Ian Brattle chipped in with 3-84 and Stuart Cheesman with 1-27, while I did my bit quietly in the background with four maidens — not glamorous, but somebody has to keep the biscuit tin closed.

Chasing 273 to win is no stroll round the boundary rope, and losing an early wicket with just 1 on the board did nothing for the nerves. But David Castle played an innings for the ages — an unbeaten 141 that simply carried us home — ably assisted by Paul Gibson's classy 70, the two of them putting on a crucial 122 for the fourth wicket. I weighed in with 27 of my own further down the order. Mike Caddick and Piers McDonald both took the walk of shame for ducks, but nobody was counting by the close.

A fine win by five wickets, and a thoroughly satisfying way to end August. Onwards.

Sun 28 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv Southfleet CC · HomeformWLWWW

Sunday last, with Southfleet CC visiting Linton Park, I won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the scorebook might suggest afterwards. We were reduced to 112 all out in 33.4 overs, an innings that promised much and delivered rather less, with an early wicket at 6 setting a nervy tone. Jon Harris top-scored with a fine 28, well supported by Piers McDonald's 25, but between them the middle order rather lost the plot, sliding from 48-3 to 60-6 in the time it takes to pour a tea. Stewart Morrison and Adam Pooley both joined the Duck Club ledger for their trouble.

Defending 112 felt like asking a lot, but the lads had other ideas. Southfleet's reply stumbled early too, losing a wicket with just 4 on the board, and while W Hayes battled to 33, wickets tumbled around him — Sean Taylor, I Hayes and G Williams all back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. Jon Harris was in irresistible form, spinning his way to 5-25, and I had the satisfaction of a tidy 4-26 with five maidens, Rob Doick chipping in with 1-22. Southfleet were bowled out for 99 in 41.4 overs.

A happy afternoon all round — I brought up 2,000 career runs for the club along the way, while Mike Caddick sits second in this season's run charts and Jon Harris leads the wickets with 60. A fine win by 13 runs. Onwards.

Sat 27 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv SC Sheldwich CC · HomeformWWLWW

Saturday 27 August 1994, and Sheldwich were our visitors — a fine afternoon for it, and I fancied a bowl when the coin fell our way, so in we put them second.

First, though, we had to build something to bowl at. Piers McDonald played the anchor beautifully for 40, and I found some form of my own with 34, while Brian Piper chipped in a tidy 29 — the two of us adding a crucial 59 for the fourth wicket when things could easily have drifted. 181/7 from our 46 overs felt like a total with enough about it, if not one to have the tea urn shaking.

And so it proved. Sheldwich lost an early wicket with just 6 on the board and never quite settled, Graham Carter's 22 and Brian Martin's 20 the only real resistance. I managed to find some rhythm with the ball and picked up 4-45, though I'll happily share the credit — Ian Brattle was a picture of miserliness, five maidens on his way to 3-26, and Jon Harris chipped in with 3-34. All out for 125 in the 43rd over, and that was that.

A 56-run win, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club — the sort of afternoon that reminds you why you keep turning up on a Saturday, aching knees and all. Tea was, I'm reliably informed, rather good too.

Sat 27 Aug 1994 🧢 2nd XIv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformDLWDW

Saturday last took us to Sheldwich CC, where losing the toss set the tone early — no complaints, though; you take your medicine and get on with it. In we went, and while Mike Elworthy played the innings of the day with a fine 56, the rest of us rather crumbled around him, folding for 127 in 36.3 overs. Special mention, in the interests of full disclosure, must go to Chris Tymms, whose nought will be entered into the Duck Club ledger with the ceremony it deserves — the walk of shame, indeed.

A modest total, then, and one we knew we'd have to bowl and field for our lives to defend. Sheldwich's openers had other ideas, putting on 62 in fine style before we finally prised the first wicket loose, and from there K Voller (41), Barry Hulks (27) and Brian Newman (26) shepherded them home in 45.2 overs. I did what I could, taking 2-19 with the ball — pick of the bowlers, for what it's worth, having earlier scratched together 19 with the bat — while Stuart Cheesman chipped in with 1-30 and Chris Tymms bowled two miserly maidens that promised more than the scoreline allowed.

In the end, 130/4 saw them home by 6 wickets, and there's no dressing that up. Mike continues to lead the 1994 2nd XI run charts with 414 to his name, and I'll happily settle for third in the wicket-takers with 17. A tough afternoon, honestly reported — but we'll be better for it next week.

Wed 24 Aug 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv CW Coleshill CC, Warks · HomeformLDWDD

Called correctly for once, and with a green-ish Coleshill morning in prospect I had no hesitation in taking first knock. Piers McDonald and Rob Doick set us fair with a smashing opening stand of 119, McDonald going on to a fine 76 and Doick a well-made 54, Mike Caddick chipping in with 37 to help us to 208 for 9 from our 40.3 overs. Credit where due, though: from 184 for 4 we contrived to be 191 for 7 in the blink of an eye, a collapse as swift as it was unnecessary, and poor Ian Brattle's contribution was a golden duck he'll not thank me for mentioning.

Still, 208 looked defendable, and so it proved to be a proper arm-wrestle. Coleshill lost an opener at 5 for 1 and never quite escaped that early fright, despite Brian Piper's excellent 69 and a watchful fifth-wicket stand of 80 that threatened, for a while, to spoil our afternoon. M Hoefield departed for nought at our hands, S Giddings made 26 and N Mortimer 20, but the bowlers kept squeezing — Stuart Cheesman superb figures of 2 for 9, Adrian Caddick 2 for 20, and I found some rhythm myself with 3 for 31 and four maidens to show for the toil. Coleshill closed on 166 for 9.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side would yield. With Mike Caddick topping our run charts and thirteen more wickets needed to catch me at the top of the bowling, there's plenty still to play for this season. A fair result, honestly earned, and a good toss for the beer afterwards.

Sun 21 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Anchorians CC · HomeformLWWLW

I fell for nought myself, and let's leave it there — the walk of shame is one indignity a captain need only suffer once in the retelling.

Losing the toss on a Sunday that promised runs, we were sent out to field first, which felt like the natural order of things once Old Anchorians got going. P Whyte made merry to the tune of 90, R Smith and T Waite lending stout support with 32 and 24 respectively, and a stand of 81 for the fourth wicket that threatened to bat us clean out of the game. Their 210 for 6 off 51 overs looked, for a while, a proper mountain. But Stuart Cheesman had other ideas, prising out three for 49 with the sort of relentlessness that makes captaincy easy, Jon Harris chipping in with two for 31 and four maidens that gave nothing away, and Dave Charlton adding one for 42 for good measure.

Chasing it down, we lost an early wicket at 5 for 1 and I contributed nought to that unsteady start — we shall draw a veil over it, as agreed. But what followed was the stuff village cricket dreams are made of: Clive Newman simply refused to get out, cruising to a majestic 106 not out, while Paul Gibson sailed serenely past his fifty to finish unbeaten on 71. Between them they saw us home at 213 for 4 in 41.1 overs, cool as you like.

A splendid six-wicket win, then, and two points thoroughly banked. Rather fittingly, the day also marked my 200th appearance in Linton colours — not a bad milestone to celebrate, even with a duck against my name. Newman's ton keeps him third in the club's run charts for the season, and Harris's two wickets nudge him further clear at the top of the bowling table. All told, a triumph built on other men's brilliance and my own inglorious footnote — which, if you ask me, is exactly how village cricket ought to work.

Sat 20 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv RC Rusthall CC · AwayformLLWWL

Away to Rusthall, and for once the toss fell kindly — I called it right and elected to bat, a decision I shall be taking full credit for at the bar for weeks to come. Chris Gray set the tone with a well-made 75, and I was glad to chip in with a fifty of my own, 60, as we put together a crucial 73 for the fourth wicket. Paul Gibson's typically tidy 37 rounded things out nicely, and rather more than that — it eased him past Basil Sears into 7th on the club's all-time run charts, a landmark worth raising a glass to. We rather let ourselves down thereafter, subsiding from 130-4 to 149-7 in the manner of a side who'd had one lemonade too many, but 224/9 from our 43 overs was a total to be proud of nonetheless.

Rusthall came out fighting, Dominic Walker looking ominous on his way to 93, well supported by Richard Wild's 42 and Ian Wright's 33 — their third-wicket pair adding an alarming 133. For a spell it looked ours to lose. But theirs came apart too, 202-5 crumbling to 206-8, with T. Chowdhury and Des Joyner both back in the pavilion for ducks. Jon Harris was the architect of it, a magnificent 6-27 with three maidens thrown in, while I added 2-24 and Adam Pooley chipped in with 1-55. They finished on 207/9 from 39, but it wasn't enough.

A fine win by 17 runs — and with Clive Newman third in this season's run charts and Harris leading the wickets on 50, the 1994 vintage keeps on sparkling. Onwards.

Sat 20 Aug 1994 🧢 2nd XIv HC Hadlow CC · HomeformWDLWD

Steve Cheesman, 49 not out, top-scores as we post 215/3 against Hadlow CC and go on to win by 127 runs

Well, the toss went against us, as it so often does — Hadlow won the call and stuck us in, which these days feels less like misfortune and more like tradition. No matter. Steve Cheesman and Stewart Morrison set about repairing the club's pride with a brisk opening stand of 67 before the first wicket finally fell, and from there the innings simply refused to misbehave. Trevor Back chipped in with a tidy 42, Morrison made 45, and Steve Cheesman carried his bat all the way to an unbeaten 49, steering us to a thoroughly handsome 215 for 3 off our 39.2 overs. Not a bad afternoon's work with the willow, even if I say so myself.

Then it was Hadlow's turn to discover what a good bowling day looks like. They lost their first wicket for the princely sum of 1, and things rather unravelled from there — 16 for 2 became 23 for 5 as three of their number, Axton, William Machtus and Andy Portlock, all trudged off for ducks. Stuart Cheesman was the chief tormentor, a superb 4 for 18 including four maidens — not a run given away lightly, as they say — with able support from Phillip Morrison's 3 for 9 and a wicket for Chris Tymms. Dominic Boulle's defiant 40 was the only real resistance, but Hadlow subsided for 88.

A 127-run victory, two points banked, and a thoroughly deserved pint for the bowlers. This was club cricket at its most one-sided and, frankly, most enjoyable.

Wed 17 Aug 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · AwayformDLDWD

Lost the toss again — I really must start practising my coin-spinning technique — and Gravesend had no hesitation in batting first on what looked a decent surface. They ground their way to 186 for 7 off 51 overs, Dave Bishop compiling a watchful fifty (54) while Peter Preston finished unbeaten on 48 to give the total some late respectability. I can't claim total modesty here: I found some rhythm with the new ball, taking 3 for 27 with four maidens thrown in for good measure, while Stuart Cheesman (2-28) and Mike Caddick (1-10) chipped in to keep things honest.

Chasing 187, we made a wobbly start, losing the first wicket for nought, before Bob Dyer played the innings of the day — a fine 72 — well supported by Mike Caddick's 40 and Matt Large's 27. A third-wicket stand of 78 had us purring along nicely, and at 155 for 4 a win looked well within reach. Then, as only Linton Park can, the wheels came off spectacularly: six runs and three wickets later we were 161 for 7, with Piers McDonald, Stuart Cheesman and Ian Brattle all back in the pavilion for ducks. We steadied to finish on 173 for 8 from our 43 overs.

Honours shared, then — a draw that flattered neither side's nerve, though I'll happily take the consolation of topping the wicket charts this season while Mike Caddick leads the run-scoring. All in all, a fair result from a match that had rather more drama than the scorecard lets on.

Sun 14 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv Whitstable CC · HomeformWLLWW

Sunday last saw us welcome Whitstable CC to Linton Park, and winning the toss I did what any captain does on a decent-looking strip and a forecast that couldn't be trusted for more than an hour: stuck us in.

We batted with real conviction. The openers gave us the perfect platform, 74 on the board before the first wicket went down, and from there Mike Caddick simply refused to get out, compiling a magnificent unbeaten hundred that anchored the whole innings. He found willing partners too — Piers McDonald chipped in with 35, Clive Newman with 32, and a second-wicket stand of 76 did the real damage. We closed on 216 for 3 from our 43 overs, a total that had us all purring over the tea urn.

Defending it proved a different story entirely. Whitstable's openers simply would not be parted, ploughing through 128 runs before the breakthrough finally came, and by then the game had rather slipped from our grasp. Ali Murrell and Andy Simpson both made well-crafted fifties, Liam Scales added a brisk 25, and they cantered home on 217 for 2 with overs to spare. I did what I could with the ball, picking up 1 for 41, and Jon Harris chipped in alongside me with 1 for 44, but 128-run opening stands have a way of making captains feel entirely surplus to requirements.

There was a bright light amid the gloom: Piers McDonald brought up 4,000 career runs for the club, a landmark thoroughly deserved and thoroughly celebrated. But the result was the result — beaten by 8 wickets, and it's heads up, chins up, and back to the nets for the lot of us.

Sat 13 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Harrietsham CC · HomeformDWLLW

I won the toss on a bright Saturday and had no hesitation electing to bat — for once, the right call. Things wobbled early with the score on 1 for 1, but Clive Newman had other ideas, striding to a magnificent unbeaten 125 while David Castle chipped in a handsome 53, the pair adding a priceless 150 for the second wicket. I contributed a modest 24 down the order, and while Paul Gibson and Keith Hatcher went quietly for ducks, 238 for 8 from our 46 overs felt like a total with some substance to it.

Harrietsham made a game of it, losing their first wicket for nought but steadying through a workmanlike 67-run stand for the fourth wicket, with Dave Brooks (60) and Keith Chaney (54) doing the heavy lifting and D Southern chipping in 31. But the bowlers held their nerve — Keith Hatcher was superb with 3 for 28, Piers McDonald tidy with 2 for 6, and I managed 2 for 48 with three maidens to keep things honest. D Passey, Robin Mayes and T Fittall all departed without troubling the scorers, and Harrietsham fell short on 175 for 9.

A special word for Clive Newman, who brought up 2,000 career runs for the club in some style — a landmark thoroughly deserved. Two points banked, 63 runs to the good: a proper team effort, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's cricket.

Sat 13 Aug 1994 🧢 2nd XIv HC Higham & Mockbeggar CC · AwayformWWDLW

Saturday 13th August, and off we trotted to Higham & Mockbeggar with the coin gods smiling on us for once — heads it was, and I had no hesitation in sending us in.

What a start we had. Stewart Morrison and his opening partner put on 80 before Higham & Mockbeggar so much as glimpsed a wicket, and from there Morrison went on to a thoroughly fine 67, with Mike Elworthy chipping in a handsome 44 and Stuart Cheesman unbeaten on 24 to see us home to a healthy 207/4 off our 48. Declaration-worthy stuff, even if we didn't need to declare.

Defending it, we had them wobbling nicely — 155/4 became 159/7 in the blink of an eye, with J Bailey and R Bailey both back in the pavilion without so much as a single to their name (ducks all round, poor lads). Chris Tymms was the chief tormentor with a superb 4-26, backed up admirably by Adrian Caddick's 3-70, three of those overs maidens and not a run given away cheaply. But Richard Shackleton had other ideas, standing firm for a well-made 82, with Allan Twitchett (31) and N Scudder (26) lending sturdy support in an87-run stand that dragged the visitors to 165/7 off 41 and out of our clutches.

So honours shared, and a draw to show for a day's honest toil. Mike Elworthy continues to lead our run charts this season with 358, and Tymms sits second among the wicket-takers with 16 — the numbers, at least, are marching in the right direction, even if the result wasn't.

Sun 07 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv BC Benenden CC · HomeformLDWLL

Called correctly for once — a rare enough event to note in itself — and had no hesitation putting Benenden into the field first, on the age-old theory that runs on the board never hurt anybody. And so it proved: we compiled 229 for 3 in 44.4 overs, built around a lovely stand of 123 for the second wicket. I found some form at last, chipping in with 75, while Mike Caddick played a well-crafted fifty of his own with 73, and Rob Doick saw us home unbeaten on 38. Even the extras column pulled its weight with 28 — not that I'm complaining.

Defending 229 always feels rather less than it looks on paper, and so it proved here, agonisingly. Benenden lost an early wicket at 5 for 1, which should have settled the nerves, but Andrew Cloke had other ideas, cashing in for 81, well supported by James Steed's 42 and Alex Presnall's 34, and a third-wicket stand of 68 threatened to spoil our afternoon entirely. Mercifully Nick Byrom, Nick Fowler and Mike Chambers all departed without troubling the scorers, and Matt Large did what Matt Large does, taking 4 for 34, with Alan Boyns (2 for 24, five miserly maidens) and Don Dansie (2 for 28) squeezing the last of the resistance out of them. All out for 222 in 43.1 overs.

A win's a win, and this was a proper nail-biter of one — seven runs the margin, and not a run to spare. I lead the club's run charts this summer with 962, and Matt Large sits second among the wicket-takers with 25 — the engine room of the side, you might say. Onwards indeed.

Sat 06 Aug 1994 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformWLDWL

Here's the match report.

Saturday last saw us make the trip to Headcorn, and, winning the toss, I had no hesitation whatsoever in sticking us in to bat — a decision that looked shrewd for a while and considerably less so by the end of the innings. Sean Charlton led from the front with a fine 40, and Clive Newman chipped in with 34, the two of them putting on a crucial 60 for the fourth wicket that had us dreaming of something respectable. Then, as village cricket so often insists on doing, it all came apart at the seams: 138 for 6 became 144 for 9 in what felt like the time it takes to pour a tea, with Piers McDonald, Chris Gray and Ian Brattle all contributing what the scorebook politely calls a golden duck. We were bowled out for 145.

In the field, Chris Gray was superb, taking 3 for 46 including two tight maidens, with Jon Harris (3-48) right alongside him. I did my bit too, picking up 1 for 17. Poor Peter Whyte had an afternoon to forget behind the stumps, 11 byes going begging, and Headcorn eased home to 146 for 7. With the bat I managed a watchful 15, no great shakes alongside Pete Gibbs's 34.

Not our day, beaten by three wickets. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 06 Aug 1994 🧢 2nd XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLWWDL

Saturday last saw Bearsted CC roll into Linton Park for what turned out to be a proper old-fashioned tussle, and having won the toss I didn't so much as pause for breath before opting to bat — a decision that, for once, I shan't have to defend in the clubhouse afterwards.

Trevor Back led the way with a fine 35, and with Chris Tymms weighing in with 25 and Mike Elworthy 20, the top order had done the hard work, including a promising opening stand of 58. Then, as is so often the way with this side, we contrived to make life difficult for ourselves — 93 for 5 became 105 for 8 with alarming haste, and poor Dave Charlton will want to forget his golden duck in a hurry. All out for 134 from 43 overs felt a touch light, but a defendable one nonetheless.

With the ball, it was rather a different story. Christopher Filmer's 31 was the only real resistance Bearsted could muster, with Robin Cross and P Martin both back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. I'll allow myself one mention of my own afternoon — 4 for 20, with 8 maidens thrown in for good measure — while Dave Todd (3-54) and Trevor Back (2-17) made sure the pressure never let up. Bearsted were bowled out for 115 in 45.1 overs, and we crept home by 19 runs.

A day that swung, wobbled, and somehow still came good — exactly the sort of win that makes club cricket worth turning up for.

Wed 03 Aug 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Bexley CC · HomeformDDLDW

Jon Harris here, back at the crease of the captain's notebook, and what a match to write up.

The coin let us down again — Bexley called correctly and had no hesitation in batting first on a Wednesday that felt made for it. To their credit they built a proper total: Robert Clark's 47 was the backbone, with Phil Owen (32) and Steve Rudduck (24) chipping in around him, and 182 all out from 45.4 overs felt like a competitive score on the day. There was a flicker of hope when they lost a wicket with nought on the board, but Bexley steadied admirably — though credit to us, we did claw them back from 172-7 to bowl them out for 182. I had one of those days with the ball that you dream about walking to the ground, finishing with 4-27, with Richard Ellis (2-42) and the ever-miserly Ian Brattle (1-19, three maidens and barely a bad ball in him) doing the honest graft either side of me.

With the bat, 149-9 from our 43 overs was always going to leave us needing something special, and Mike Caddick very nearly provided it with a fine 40. I chipped in with an unbeaten 26 to help steady things, though poor Richard Ellis went first ball for a golden duck having done all the hard work with the ball.

In the end honours were shared, and on reflection a draw felt about right — Bexley probably shaded the day, but we'll take the point and the free bar chat that comes with it.

Mon 01 Aug 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv CC Cleethorpes CC · HomeformLDDLD

Jon Harris here, and I'll admit that winning the toss and electing to bat felt like the easy bit of captaincy on Monday — the harder job was watching from the non-striker's end as Keith Hatcher batted beautifully for 92, one boundary short of the century he deserved. Mike Caddick (36) and Rob Doick (22) built nicely around him, with a 72-run third-wicket stand doing the heavy lifting, and we closed on a healthy 189/6 from our 49.3 overs. Special mention to Roly Edwards, who contributed the most golden of ducks — these things happen to the best of us, Roly.

Cleethorpes came at it hard in reply, Bob Leafe leading their charge with 42, well supported by Wheeler (34) and Irving (28), and for a while 156-7 becoming 172-10 rather too quickly for my liking suggested the game was tighter than it should have been. But Rob Doick was in irresistible form, running through the order with 5-38, Dave Todd chipped in with 3-45, and I managed to do my bit with 2-46 as we shared the spoils. Paul Lines bowled with real discipline, three maidens keeping the scoreboard honest, and we sent Threapleton back for a duck of his own to round off a fine display in the field.

A 17-run win, then, and a thoroughly satisfying one — Doick in particular continuing to lead our wicket charts this season, Caddick the runs. Onwards, as ever, to the next one.

Sun 31 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv BC Battle CC · AwayformWWLDW

I put us in to bat when the coin fell our way at Battle on Sunday, though by close of play I was rather glad I hadn't been persuaded otherwise. Mike Caddick was in imperious form, cashing in with a magnificent 105 not out, and I was fortunate enough to play a supporting hand of my own, 76 alongside him in a second-wicket stand worth 138 — the kind of partnership that does wonders for a captain's blood pressure. Brian Piper finished unbeaten on 26 as we closed on a handsome 236/2 from our 36 overs.

Defending that total should have been the easy part. Battle had other ideas. Andy Lawrence and Tony Boardman put together a hundred-run third-wicket stand, 85 apiece, Boardman finishing unbeaten, and between them they simply refused to let us back in. Rob Doick toiled manfully for 3-94, I chipped in with 2-41, and at least we had the small mercy of sending Ben Southworth back for a duck. But 239/6 from their 45 overs proved enough, and we fell four wickets short.

Not all doom and gloom, mind: I brought up 28,000 career runs for the club along the way, and sit atop the 1994 first-team run charts on 872, with Rob fourth in the wickets. Small consolations. Not our day — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 30 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv SC Southborough CC · AwayformWWWLD

Saturday 30 July 1994, and we set off for Southborough in good heart, though I confess the toss is usually the only decision I make all day that nobody can second-guess me on. Correctly called, and with a firm surface underfoot I had no hesitation in batting first — a decision that looked rather clever once Clive Newman and Paul Gibson got going. The pair put on 96 for the second wicket after we'd raced to 77 before the first breakthrough, and both finished unbeaten past their fifties, Clive on 92 and Paul on 82, batting with the kind of ruthless good manners that leaves the rest of us feeling faintly surplus to requirements. I chipped in with 49 lower down, mostly by refusing to get out until someone made me. We closed on a handsome 281 for 2 from our 46 overs.

Southborough made a decent fist of the chase, Adam Hookway top-scoring with 42 and Simon Fisher and Colin Ayres lending sturdy support in a 68-run second-wicket stand, but they never quite had the legs for 282. Matt Large was the pick of our attack, tidy and mean with three maidens on his way to 2 for 27, while Jon Harris and Ian Brattle both weighed in with two apiece, and poor Ray Grayland departed without troubling the scorers. They folded on 181 for 7 from their 44.

A hundred-run win, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club — the sort of afternoon that makes the teas taste even better than usual.

Sat 30 Jul 1994 🧢 2nd XIv SC Southborough CC · HomeformWLWWD

Saturday 30 July, and we welcomed Southborough CC to Linton Park. The coin fell kindly and I had few qualms about batting first — a shame, then, that our innings never quite got out of second gear. Keith Hatcher's 37 was the backbone of a total that crept to 136 for 9 off 46 overs, Dave Todd lending good support with 24 while I contributed 20 down the order. A horror stretch between 66 for 2 and 74 for 5 saw wickets tumble in a rush, and the less said about the ducks for Steve Cheesman, Trevor Back and Simon Thirkell the better — three sorry walks back in short order.

In the field we fought hard without ever quite landing the knockout blow. David Thorpe played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 62 of real class, well supported by Kevin Parkinson's 22, and between them they eased Southborough home to 137 for 4 in 42.2 overs. I did what I could with the ball, finishing with 2 for 40, Dave Todd chipped in with 1 for 32, and Trevor Back bowled two tidy maidens to keep things honest, if not quite tight enough.

Elsewhere in the 2nd XI season, Mike Elworthy continues to lead the run charts on 294 and Dave Todd tops the wicket pile with 17 — form the rest of us can only admire from a respectful distance.

Not our day, then — beaten by six wickets, heads held high but heads nonetheless down. Back to the nets it is.

Fri 29 Jul 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv HC Heffle Cuckoos CC · HomeformLLDDL

Lost the toss again on Friday — I'm beginning to suspect the coin has it in for me — and Heffle Cuckoos CC, our guests for the evening, elected to bat, leaving us to spend the afternoon chasing leather round the boundary. Lee Grayland gave us a proper working-over with a fine 88, well supported by Nigel Keess (43) and Mark Taylor (41), and between them they carried the Cuckoos to 226 for 4 off 43.2 overs. Credit where it's due: Ian Brattle was superb with the ball, 2 for 12, backed up nicely by Alan Boyns (1-20) and the ever-parsimonious Matt Large, whose 1 for 35 included four maidens and considerably more patience than I possess.

Chasing 227, we made the perfect start — Rob Doick and David Gibson put on 62 for the first wicket before Rob fell for a duck, the poor lad trudging off to the sort of silence only a village green can produce. Gibson pressed on to a fine 75, and I was fortunate enough to find some form myself, also reaching 75 — a personal contribution I shan't pretend wasn't satisfying. We finished on 201 for 7 from our 41, agonisingly short, not helped by nine byes gifted through to the keeper on what was evidently a tricky evening behind the stumps.

A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, and Alan Boyns quietly climbing the season's charts in both departments. Not a win, but not a bad way to spend a Friday.

Wed 27 Jul 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv IX Ipswich Greyhounds CC - Kent Tour XI · HomeformDLLDD

Won the toss, elected to bat, and for once my hunch didn't unravel by the second over — always a novelty. The lads set about building something respectable, and Dave Todd was the man of the day with the willow, batting through to 71 not out and, in doing so, quietly bringing up 2,000 career runs for the club — the sort of landmark that deserves rather more than a polite ripple of applause on a Wednesday evening. Mike Caddick chipped in handsomely with a well-made 55, and between them we posted 201/5 from our 44 overs, a total that looked defendable over tea and sandwiches.

Defending it proved another matter entirely. R Shurety anchored their reply with an unbeaten 59, L Rayner cracked a fine 56, and Malcolm Newson's 28 kept the required rate ticking along nicely from their end, not ours. I did manage to do a spot of damage myself, taking 2-20, and I was well backed up by Sean Charlton, whose 2-39 included two tight maidens — not a run given away lightly, even if plenty went elsewhere. Matt Large chipped in with 1-16. They got home by four wickets in 41.5 overs.

A word for the season: Caddick now leads the Midweek XI run charts with 204, and Alan Boyns sits third among the wicket-takers with three. As for us, we'll be better for it next week — mustard on the plate, if not quite in the field.

Tue 26 Jul 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv OC Old Fullerians CC · HomeformWDLLD

Tuesday 26 July 1994 — we welcomed Old Fullerians CC, I called correctly at the toss, and needed no persuading to bat first on what looked a fair old strip.

Piers McDonald set about proceedings in style, one of those knocks where you sense the bowlers have simply run out of ideas, and his 91 anchored everything we did. Mike Bains chipped in handsomely with 43, and the pair's stand of 107 for the second wicket was the innings in miniature. Peter Whyte's tidy 25 kept the scoreboard ticking, and we declared ourselves satisfied with 207 for 6 from our 36 overs — worth noting too that those runs eased Peter past Robert Murray and up to 21st on the club's all-time run-scorers list, a fine bit of history-making on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday.

In the field we toiled without quite landing the knockout blow. Their openers gave us the fright of our lives, putting on 96 before the breakthrough finally came, and from there Gould's fifty and useful contributions from Manzoor and Walters kept them in the hunt. Chris Gray was the pick of us with 3 for 44, I picked up a couple myself for 33, Phil Randall chipped in, and Rob Doick bowled miserly, parsimonious overs throughout. I added 18 with the bat earlier for good measure.

They finished on 186 for 6, short of the target but well short of embarrassed. Honours shared, then — a draw that flattered neither side's ambitions nor punished either's effort, which is, in the end, about as English an outcome as cricket allows.

Sun 24 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv The Mote CC · HomeformLWWWL

Won the toss on a bright Sunday and, with The Mote CC visiting, my first thought was runs on the board — so in we went to bat. It didn't start smoothly; we were 1 for 1 before anyone had settled, but Brian Piper and Mike Caddick put that early wobble firmly behind us with a stand of 154 for the second wicket that changed the entire complexion of the innings. Piper went on to an unbeaten 123, Caddick chipping in a fine 72, and we closed on a healthy 211 for 4 from our 40 overs. Piers McDonald's contribution was rather less golden than the rest — a duck to remember for all the wrong reasons.

The Mote gave as good as they got, slipping to 6 for 1 early before Malcolm Bristow (79) and Mark Bristow (66) shared 150 for the fifth wicket and threatened to bat us out of it. Matt Large was the pick of our attack, 3 for 41 with three tidy maidens, well backed by Alan Boyns (2 for 10) and myself, 2 for 22. Eight byes conceded made for an uncomfortable afternoon behind the stumps for poor Jim Hall. They finished on 197 for 7 — honours shared, a draw that satisfied nobody and disappointed nobody.

Warm applause, too, for Piper's century, which lifts him to fifth on the club's all-time run charts, while I find myself, somewhat improbably, atop this season's run-scoring table. A fair result, honestly reflecting an afternoon where both sides refused to give an inch.

Sat 23 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · HomeformDLWWW

Beaten by three wickets, this one — but not before we'd had our fun.

Winning the toss on a bright Saturday, I had no hesitation putting Hollingbourne in the field, and I still think it was the right call. It didn't quite come off as planned, mind — 144 all out in 44.3 overs is a modest total by any measure, though David Castle's 35 and Brian Piper's watchful 20 gave it some backbone. Less said the better about Paul Gibson and Ian Brattle, both of whom made the long walk back for nought — the Duck Club ledger groaning under the weight of two fresh entries.

Defending 144 was always going to ask a lot of the lads, and Hollingbourne set about the chase with real purpose. Mike Palmer's 44, backed up by Mike Donald's 33 and Ted Holloway's 30, built a platform through that hefty second-wicket stand of 62 that, in truth, we never quite recovered from. Credit where due, though — Chris Gray bowled beautifully for his 3-34, with Ian Brattle and Sean Charlton chipping in a wicket apiece, and Matt Large, tighter than a Sunday collection plate with his four maidens, gave nothing away. I did my own small bit with the bat earlier on, part of a season in which I'm pleased to be leading the run charts, while Matt continues to menace batsmen up and down the order.

In the end, three wickets separated the sides. A touch chastening, but there was enough character out there to suggest we'll give a good account of ourselves next week.

Sat 23 Jul 1994 🧢 2nd XIv AK Ashford CC, Kent · AwayformWWLWW

Won the toss at Ashford, and with the sky doing that non-committal English thing, I had no hesitation sticking us in. Mike Elworthy played the innings of the day, 64 full of the good sense that's kept him top of our 1994 run charts all season, and he found a willing partner in Ron McCormick, who cruised past his own fifty with 53. Their stand of 53 for the second wicket was the spine of the innings, Don Dansie chipping in a handy 25 either side of it, and we closed on a respectable 196 for 7 from 41.4 overs — the kind of total that lets a captain sleep reasonably well over his tea and cake.

Defending it, we asked a good deal of the bowlers and got most of it. Adrian Caddick did the real damage with 2 for 52, I chipped in with 1 for 16, and Simon Thirkell took 1 for 19, while Chris Tymms bowled tidily enough to post three maidens and keep himself second in the wicket charts. Steve Hoad, though, was in no mood to cooperate, batting through for 81 not out, and poor Paul Brann trudged off without so much as a single to his name. Ashford's last pair then added an irritating 36 we could have done without, dragging them to 142 for 7 from their 42 overs.

Honours shared, then — a draw that flattered nobody and disappointed nobody. Ashford escaped; we merely let them.

Sun 17 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv TC Tenterden CC · AwayformWDLWW

Sunday 17th July found us on the road to Tenterden, and I lost the toss — which, given how the day unfolded, I can't say I minded one bit. They put us into the field, and 252/9 from their fifty-five overs looked a stiffish target when Duncan Purves (48), Adam Taylor (45) and Clive Styles (35) got stuck in, with an opening stand of 69 setting the tone. Credit where it's due, though: Adrian Caddick was magnificent, tearing through with 5-61, well backed by Jon Harris (2-57), Trevor Back (1-31) and a typically frugal David Castle. Special mention to poor David Peachey, sent packing without so much as troubling the scorers — these things happen to the best of us.

Chasing 253 to win is no formality on paper, but Paul Bowles made an absolute mockery of it. His hundred was the innings of the day, and he and I put on 145 for the first wicket before anything so much as looked like happening for the opposition. I fell for 61, which I confess I was rather chuffed with, and Mike Caddick's 46 saw us home in some style — 255/3 in 44.2 overs, seven wickets to spare.

A thoroughly satisfying day all round: Caddick's bowling turned the match, Bowles's bat finished it, and two points duly banked. As for the season, I gather I'm still propping up the top of the run charts and Jon Harris the wickets — long may that continue. Tenterden were gracious losers; we were rather ungracious winners, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Sat 16 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv KK Kennington CC, Kent · HomeformDWDLW

Nigel Thirkell's Skipper's Log, 16 July 1994 — Kennington CC, Kent, at home.

Won the toss, elected to bat, and for once the decision looked shrewd rather than reckless before a ball had even been bowled. We eventually posted 203/6 from 43.4 overs, a total that flattered us somewhat given the road it took to get there. I was pleased to lead from the front with 55, ably supported by Piers McDonald's 32 and Sean Charlton's unbeaten 29, the pair adding a crucial 75 for the fourth wicket to give the innings its spine. A defiant last-wicket stand of 35 lent the total a respectability it barely deserved. Less gloriously, Chris Gray took the walk of shame for a duck — the Duck Club ledger swells again.

Kennington's reply was built around Neil Tegg's 35, with Andrew Austen (34) and Jeremy Grove (33) chipping in and a productive second-wicket stand of 71 threatening to make a game of it. But we tore through the middle and lower order — 159/5 became 171 all out in the blink of an eye, with Grant, Glossop and Deary all departing without troubling the scorers. Sean Charlton was magnificent, taking 5-21 for a richly deserved five-for, with Jon Harris (3-66) and the ever-miserly Chris Gray (1-17, six maidens) offering fine support. Peter Whyte, meanwhile, endured a torrid afternoon behind the stumps — 13 byes tell their own tale.

We got over the line by 32 runs. A good day for the club, and not a bad one for the captain either.

Sat 16 Jul 1994 🧢 2nd XIv KK Kennington CC, Kent · AwayformWWWLW

Skipper's Log — Saturday 16 July 1994. Away to Kennington CC, and having won the toss I had absolutely no hesitation in taking first knock, which felt like a bold decision right up until we found ourselves 4 for 1 and the tea urn hadn't even boiled. Fortunately Stuart Cheesman had other ideas, batting through with real composure to finish unbeaten on 54 and drag us up to something resembling a total. It wasn't all glory, mind — Mike Elworthy and Adrian Caddick both departed without troubling the scorers, proper club-cricket ducks of the kind that get mentioned in the bar for weeks. Credit, though, to a defiant last-wicket stand that bolted on 37 vital runs and turned an embarrassment into 124 for 9 off our fifty overs — respectable, if not exactly imposing.

Defending it looked a tall order, but cricket delights in making a fool of captains who write totals off. Kennington got to 57 for 3 and looked set fair, before the innings folded spectacularly to 75 for 6, Kevin Hayden and Graham Southern both gone for nothing at our hands. Adrian Caddick, atoning handsomely with the ball, took 3 for 18, Dave Todd chipped in with 3 for 34, and I was rather chuffed to pick up 2 for 8 myself. Chris Tymms bowled beautifully tight, five maidens in his figures, and reached the landmark of 50 career wickets in the process — a fine day for him to reach it. Kennington were bowled out for 98.

Twenty-six runs the margin, two points banked, and thoroughly earned — a proper old-fashioned scrap of a win.

Sun 10 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv BC Broadstairs CC · AwayformLDWDL

Sunday 10th July found us on the road to Broadstairs, where the coin let us down and we were put straight into the field. Not that any of us minded much — there's a particular pleasure in watching an opposition innings unravel, and unravel it did. From 148-7 to all out for 156 in the space of a few overs, with Lee Hewit and A Gompertz both trudging back for ducks, was the kind of collapse village cricket dreams are made of. Jon Harris was the chief architect with a superb 4-21, backed up handsomely by Adrian Caddick's 2-6 and Sean Charlton's 2-19, while Matt Large simply refused to be scored off, sending down three maidens for good measure. Geoff Pine's 45 and Paul Ogburn's 36 had threatened something more substantial, but our bowlers had other ideas.

Chasing 157, Clive Newman played the innings of the day, cruising to 61, with Mike Caddick's 37 and an unbeaten 30 from Paul Gibson steering us home in good order. The openers set the tone with an assured stand of 86 for the first wicket, and from there it was really just a matter of seeing it through, which we did with three wickets and no little comfort, wrapping up at 160/3.

A thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work, and with Mike Caddick now second in the season's run charts and Jon Harris leading the wickets column, the form is clearly with us. Seven wickets to the good — I'll take that every Sunday of the summer.

Sat 09 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Horton Kirby CC · AwayformWLDWD

Won the toss at Horton Kirby on a Saturday that promised more than it delivered, and I had few qualms about asking the opposition to have a bowl first. That confidence took a battering as we slid to 162 all out in 37.5 overs — saved from real embarrassment by David Castle's fluent 47, with Paul Gibson (30) and Paul Bowles (26) chipping in gamely. Mike Caddick and Iain Cardew both trudged back for ducks, and I'm told the Duck Club ledger is getting rather crowded this season.

Defending 162 was always going to ask a lot of us, and so it proved. Horton Kirby crept, then galloped, to 163 for 7 in 45.5 overs, Graham Connold top-scoring with a stubborn 49 and Alan Powell seeing them home unbeaten on 40. A 74-run stand for the fifth wicket did the real damage and, try as we might, we couldn't prise them apart when it mattered. Credit where it's due — Chris Gray bowled beautifully for 3 for 36 with four maidens, Jon Harris backed him up with 3 for 43, and Matt Large picked up one. Alastair Scott, at least, departed for nought without so much as a nervous glance at the scoreboard.

I head the county's — or at least the club's — run charts this year with 623 to my name, and Jon continues to lead the wicket column with 28, so the season ticks along nicely even if Saturday didn't. Beaten by three wickets in the end. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 09 Jul 1994 🧢 2nd XIv HC Horton Kirby CC · HomeformDWWWL

Here's the report:

The coin fell kindly for once, and with Horton Kirby CC visiting on a fine July Saturday, I had no hesitation in putting us in. It proved a shrewd call, or at least a lucky one. Mike Elworthy set about the bowling in style for a fine 81, and Keith Hatcher wasn't far behind with a sturdy 68, the pair sharing a crucial 154 for the first wicket while the rest of us watched on, largely redundant. Naturally, having laid such a platform, we did our level best to squander it, tumbling from 169-2 to 179-5 in the blink of an eye, with poor Simon Thirkell contributing a golden duck to proceedings. Still, 203/5 from our 46 overs was a total to be proud of, and a total worth defending.

Defend it we did. Horton Kirby's Keith Saunderson made a fine 54, well supported by Rob Ovenden's 26 and Gordon Watts's 21, their fourth-wicket pair adding a stubborn 51, but it was never quite enough — Bradley Bull departed without troubling the scorers, and the innings folded for 170 in 42.2 overs. Trevor Back was the pick of the attack with 3-20, while I found some rhythm of my own, chipping in with 3-51 and four tidy maidens, and Chris Tymms weighed in with 1-25.

A fine win by 33 runs, then, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards we go.

Wed 06 Jul 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv Gravesend CC · HomeformLWDLL

As the toss went against us and Gravesend elected to bat, we spent the morning chasing leather while Dave Elliott made batting look distressingly easy, cruising to a magnificent 102. R Bowden chipped in with a fine 86, and with the pair adding 136 for the second wicket, plus A Whiteford's unbeaten 22, Gravesend closed on a hefty 229/3. Credit where due — Adrian Caddick fought hardest with 2-38, and Alan Boyns weighed in with 1-22, but on a day like this even our best work felt like bailing out a rowing boat with a teacup.

Chasing 230, we set about our reply with more determination than method, Mike Caddick anchoring things beautifully with 68, well supported by Rob Doick's 36 and Iain Cardew's 35, the openers laying a solid platform with 53 for the first wicket. The tail, bless them, added a defiant 44 to keep the required rate an irritant rather than a certainty, and we finished on a respectable 212/7 from our 45. Special mention, as ever, to Trevor Back, who continues his season-long feud with the scorebook by bagging another duck for the ledger.

Amid the toil, a proper moment of club history: Mike Caddick brought up 1,000 career runs for Linton Park — a landmark worth more than any individual scoreline, and one the tea urn should really have acknowledged with something stronger than tea.

So, honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite land the killer blow. Not the win we wanted, but with milestones like Mike's, you'd struggle to call it anything but a good day out.

Tue 05 Jul 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Shebbear College · HomeformDLWDL

Tuesday brought us a home fixture, and having won the toss I opted to bowl first, fancying we might make early inroads. For a while it looked a masterstroke — the visitors slumped to 5-1 and I allowed myself a quiet smile. Alas, cricket has a way of humbling the smug, and a monumental 126 runs for the third wicket rather took the shine off proceedings. Lockyer made merry with a fine 82, well supported by M Heal's 45, and they closed on a stiff 152/4 from their sixteen overs. Credit where due — Darren Styles toiled manfully for 2-34, with Phillip Morrison (1-8) and Rob Doick (1-12) keeping things respectably tight given the carnage around them.

Chasing 153 was always going to want application, discipline, and probably a small miracle. We supplied none of the three. The first wicket fell for a single run, and from there the innings simply imploded — 17-3 became 24-6 before most of us had finished our tea. Stuart Cheesman, Trevor Back and Adrian Caddick all contributed golden ducks to a genuinely woeful batting card, and 76 all out told its own sorry story.

A word of cheer amid the wreckage: Rob Doick continues to have a season worth talking about, sitting fifth in the run charts and leading the wicket-takers outright — one man doing rather more than his share.

Beaten by 76 runs, then, and no dressing it up. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets — there's clearly work to be done.

Sun 03 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · AwayformLWLDW

Lost the toss at Hollingbourne, and with the sun out and the outfield quick, our hosts wisely had first use of the willow. They made hay to the tune of 246 for 4 off 43.2 overs, built chiefly on a burly second-wicket stand of 95 between Trevor Scrivens, unbeaten on a well-made 66, and Ted Holloway, who sailed past his own fifty to 54. A Pawley then tidied up with an unbeaten fifty of his own. Poor Geoff Griffiths departed without troubling the scorers, which I felt rather too keenly on his behalf. Credit where due to the bowlers for dragging things back: Jon Harris toiled manfully for 2 for 42, with Darren Styles (1-31) and Matt Large (1-33) chipping in.

Chasing 247, we replied with a stout 236 for 7 off our 43, never quite getting there but never quite going away either. I was fortunate enough to find some form and carry my bat to an unbeaten 115 — the sort of day you dream about on the drive to the ground and rarely get. Rob Doick's 45 and Peter Whyte's 27 underpinned a fighting seventh-wicket stand of 87, though ducks for Matt Large and Stuart Cheesman, plus a generous 15 byes, suggested our glovework and lower order both fancy a quiet net this week.

Honours shared, then — a draw that flattered nobody and disappointed no one. Fair result, all told.

Sat 02 Jul 1994 🧢 1st XIv Staplehurst CC · AwayformLLWLD

Splendid day for it, and I called it right at the toss — never one to overthink these things, I stuck us in to bat first at Staplehurst.

The lads didn't disappoint. We rattled along to 227 for 5 off our 46, and I'll admit I rather enjoyed myself with the bat, top-scoring on 71 while the shine was still on the ball. But the real backbone of the innings was the second-wicket stand of 118 — Paul Gibson (55 not out) and David Castle (50) both compiling tidy half-centuries while I looked on from the other end, or occasionally the pavilion, feeling thoroughly redundant. 227 felt like a score to bowl at.

Staplehurst had other ideas for a while, R. Johnston (55) and A. Henson (50 not out) putting together a useful third-wicket stand of 62 that had us shuffling our feet a bit. But Ian Brattle was in no mood to be denied, bowling beautifully for 2 for 23 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure — and in doing so nudged past Terry Donovan into 13th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, which I'm reliably informed calls for a pint. Matt Large chipped in with 2 for 36, I picked up one for the album with 1 for 21, and somewhere along the way H. Haywood departed without troubling the scorers at all.

They fell short on 176 for 6, and we came home 51 runs the better side. A thoroughly good day for the club, and with 496 runs to my name this season I'm rather enjoying the view from the top of the run charts — though Jon Harris, sitting pretty on 23 wickets, will no doubt remind me whose column really matters.

Sat 02 Jul 1994 🧢 2nd XIv Staplehurst CC · HomeformWDWWW

Saturday 02 July brought Staplehurst CC to Linton Park, and having lost the toss I watched us consigned to bat first — never my preferred script, but there we are.

Seventy-nine all out from 38.4 overs was a modest total made to look positively slender by a middle-order collapse that will live long in the memory, and not fondly. Keith Hatcher's 36 was the innings' one shaft of sunlight, but from 54 for 5 we contrived to lose three more for five runs, with Mike Elworthy, Stuart Cheesman and Chris Tymms all departing for ducks in a spell that had me wincing into my tea.

With the ball, though, we at least made a match of it. Staplehurst crept to 80 for 3 in 29.3 overs, J Wilson's 34 the backbone of the chase and Trevor Cardon's unbeaten 27 lending it steel, the pair adding 58 for the third wicket that ultimately did for us. I'll allow myself one boast: figures of 2 for 18, including three maidens, were about the only thing keeping the scoreboard honest, with Paul Lines chipping in for 1 for 15.

A word, too, for Tim Thirkell, whose gritty 8 nudged him past Brian Piper into fifth on the club's all-time run-scorers list — a fine personal landmark on an otherwise chastening afternoon. Beaten by five wickets in the end, fair and square. We were architects of our own downfall with the bat, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 26 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv HC Hadlow CC · HomeformDLLWL

Skipper's Log — Sunday 26 June 1994. We hosted Hadlow CC.

Winning the toss on a fine Sunday, I had no hesitation in taking first strike — the right call, if I do say so myself. What followed was rather more Hadlow's problem than ours, as Mike Caddick set about compiling a magnificent 115 not out, the kind of innings that makes captaincy look easy and has the tea urn working overtime. Clive Newman chipped in handsomely with 46 not out and David Castle added a tidy 23, as we declared-in-all-but-name on 200 for 3 from our 40.5 overs. A total, I felt, that already had the draw safely in our pocket and perhaps something better if the ball behaved.

Out in the field, Hadlow set about their reply with Neil Williams playing the innings of the day, a well-crafted fifty, and N O'Connell offering sturdy support with 34 not out. I found some rhythm with the ball and finished with 4 for 31 from seven miserly maidens, with Rob Doick (2-35) and Paul Lines (1-15) chipping in nicely, and Gavin Large and A Moore sent back without troubling the scorers — quackers, both of them. Hadlow closed on 140 for 7 from their 44, safe but never really threatening.

Honours shared, then — a draw when neither side could quite force the issue. With Caddick purring in the run charts and yours truly leading the wickets column, it is hard to be too downhearted about a Sunday that had bat, ball and biscuits all pulling their weight.

Sat 25 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv Meopham CC · AwayformWDLLW

We travelled down to Meopham CC on Saturday, and though the toss went against us and left me sending the side out to chase, we actually had first use of the ball, which suited me fine — I've always fancied an afternoon in the field before the hard work of batting begins. Meopham made themselves at home early, R Turner playing the innings of the day with a well-made 82, C Beard following up handsomely with 50, and a stand of 124 for the second wicket that threatened to take the game clean away from us. J Ward chipped in with 25 as they were eventually shepherded all out for 191 in 45.5 overs. Credit to the lads, though — once we found our rhythm we ran through them in a hurry, 140 for 2 becoming 145 for 5 before Meopham knew what had hit them, Mick Daily departing for a duck along the way. Matt Large was the chief destroyer with a superb 5 for 52, Ian Brattle chipped in with 3 for 53, and I did my bit too, 1 for 22 with three maidens I was rather pleased with.

Our reply never quite got going. David Castle's 27 and Mike Caddick's 24 were the mainstay of a stuttering innings, but a dreadful collapse from 87 for 5 to 97 for 8 did for us, Piers McDonald and Matt Large both falling without scoring, and we were bowled out for 139 in 42.1 overs.

Not our day, then — beaten by 52 runs, and it's back to the nets. Small consolation that I lead the season's run charts with 425 and Brattle sits second among the wicket-takers with 11, but a defeat is a defeat.

Sat 18 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformLWDLL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 18 June 1994

Well, the coin did us a favour for once, and I had no hesitation in taking first knock at West Farleigh — the sort of decision that looks either inspired or idiotic by close of play, and I'm relieved to report it was the former. We lost our opener for just the one run and for a horrible moment the old dressing-room nerves set in, but Paul Bowles and Peter Whyte put paid to any panic with a magnificent stand of a hundred for the sixth wicket, Bowles finishing unbeaten on 61 and Whyte falling just shy of the same landmark on 56. I contributed a tidy 27 down the order, and we closed on a very respectable 179 for 6 from our 46. Special mention, as tradition demands, to poor Piers McDonald, who walked the walk of shame for a duck — the Duck Club ledger duly updated.

Defending that total, West Farleigh never quite got the momentum going, though Ed DeLucy and Glen Aukett both chipped in with 33 apiece and Dave Latter added 22 to keep us honest. It was Paul Gibson who did the real damage, turning the ball square for a superb 5 for 36, with Jon Harris (3 for 44) mopping up at the other end and I picked up a wicket myself for 15 runs. R Woolley departed without so much as a glance at the scoreboard.

They fell 40 runs short in the end. A thoroughly good day for the club, and one the tea urn will be talking about for weeks.

Sat 18 Jun 1994 🧢 2nd XIv YC Yalding CC · HomeformDWDWW

Saturday, 18 June 1994, and Yalding CC rolled up as our visitors. No luck with the coin – Yalding won the toss and had first use of what looked a decent track – so we spent the first innings in the field, hoping for early inspiration. It came thick and fast: Dave Todd was the pick of the attack with 3-19, Don Dansie chipped in with 2-20, and Paul Lines bowled two miserly maidens on his way to 1-22. Still, Liam Hawkins (46) and Iain Cardew (34) gave the visitors a platform, with Tony Shepherd's 20 pushing them to 173 all out from 48 overs – enough to make the chase interesting, but not, as it turned out, insurmountable.

We lost an early wicket with just 8 on the board, which had me wondering whether I'd been overly optimistic setting the target in my head. Don Dansie's golden duck didn't help the nerves either. But this is where club cricket does what club cricket does best – someone digs in. I was fortunate enough to find some form and made 52, with Tim Thirkell (26) and Steve Cheesman (26) playing their part in steadying the ship and steering us home by two wickets.

A day thick with milestones: Tim brought up his 600th appearance in Linton colours, Don passed 50 career wickets despite his blob with the bat, and I was delighted to reach 2,000 career runs for the club. All in all, a proper Saturday – tense, twitchy, and won in the end. A good day for the club.

Thu 16 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformWLWDL

Beaten by 8 wickets — and truth be told, once I'd elected to bat and we crawled to 104 for six, I had a nagging suspicion we hadn't quite got enough runs on the board to trouble West Farleigh. Still, the toss decision felt right at the time, and it would have felt a great deal righter had the rest of us shown David Castle's appetite for the crease — his unbeaten 56 was the innings' one genuine adornment, the rest of us contributing rather more modestly around him. I chipped in myself, though one contribution to a total like that hardly counts as heroics.

With the ball we huffed and puffed gamely enough. Jon Harris did what Jon Harris does — 2 for 18, tidy as ever, and a timely reminder of why he sits atop the wicket-takers' charts with fifteen scalps this season. But West Farleigh had other ideas, and Glen Aukett settled in like a man who'd brought sandwiches for the afternoon, cruising to 44 not out with Ed DeLucy keeping him steady company on 25 not out. They knocked off the target inside fifteen overs without so much as breaking sweat, finishing 105 for two.

So, eight wickets the wrong way, and a long walk back to the pavilion for tea and quiet reflection. It leads the run charts for me personally, which is some consolation, but not much when the scoreboard reads as it does. We were outplayed, plainly and simply — but there's always next Thursday, and I fancy we'll be sharper for the lesson.

Wed 15 Jun 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC · AwayformDDLWD

The coin let us down at Sevenoaks & District Wednesday on Wednesday 15 June, and Sevenoaks duly won it and stuck us into the field. We had them 7-1 inside the first over and allowed ourselves a quiet smile — premature, as it turned out, because a third-wicket stand of 216 put paid to any further optimism. G Styles helped himself to a superb 154, with R Lewis unbeaten on 60 for cheerful company, and Sevenoaks closed on a daunting 257/4 from their 37.5 overs. Rob Doick toiled hardest for 2-64, with Nick Froom (1-39) and Adrian Caddick (1-46) chipping away gamely.

In reply, Keith Hatcher and the openers gave us exactly the platform we needed — 119 without loss felt like a proper foothold on the chase. Then, as is traditional at this club, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion: 119-1 became 129-4 in the blink of an eye, with Peter Whyte, Iain Cardew and Stuart Cheesman all walking back for ducks, and I led from the front by contributing precisely nothing myself — the less said, the better. Hatcher (71) and Mike Caddick (60) fought hard, Alan Boyns chipped in 41 despite conceding 13 byes behind the stumps, and we were bowled out for 192/9 in the 53rd over.

One bright note amid the wreckage: Keith Hatcher brought up 4,000 career runs for the club, and still leads our 1994 run charts with 110, with Doick top of the wickets on 3. But 65 runs is 65 runs — not our day, and it's back to the nets.

Tue 14 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv MT Maidstone Teachers · HomeformWWLWD

Lost the toss on Tuesday and duly consigned ourselves to leather-chasing duty, which on a warm June evening against Maidstone Teachers always feels like the tougher end of the bargain. They set about accumulating with the quiet confidence of men who mark homework for a living, John Coles compiling a thoroughly well-made fifty en route to 63, with P Davey chipping in a brisk 33 to help them to 135/3 from their sixteen overs. Credit where due — Jon Harris kept plugging away all evening and finished with a very tidy 3-44, without which the target would have looked considerably more daunting than it already did.

Chasing 136 in sixteen overs was always going to require a bit of discipline, and for a while we rather fancied our chances, only to lose the first wicket for the princely sum of one run. Piers McDonald played the innings of the night, 33 that were genuinely the difference between a drubbing and a defeat with dignity, and I contributed my own small share along the way. But from a respectable 85-6 we contrived to shed three wickets for eleven runs in the sort of collapse that makes a captain reach for the scorebook and then quietly close it again — David Castle and C- Pitchers both walking back for ducks, the pair of them now proud, if reluctant, members of the club's Duck Ledger.

103/9 was always short of 135/3, and so it proved — beaten by 32 runs. Credit to Maidstone Teachers, who taught us a lesson in composure. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 12 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv BC Bexhill CC · AwayformDWWLW

We rocked up at Bexhill on a fine 12th of June, lost the toss, and were duly invited to have a bowl first — which, in truth, suited us rather nicely, thank you very much.

Their openers made themselves quite at home, putting on 65 before we so much as troubled the scorebook, and for a while it looked like being one of those long afternoons in the field. Richard Thomas top-scored with a watchful 37, John Holland chipped in with 35 and Jason Wickenden 20, but credit where it's due — Rob Doick was a menace with the ball, snaring 3-23, Alan Boyns backed him up with 3-36, and I managed to prise out one for 26 myself, with a couple of maidens thrown in to keep the tea urn waiting. Mark Nightingale, for all his reputation, departed for a golden duck at our hands, which cheered the troops no end.

Chasing down their total, we ground our way to 169 for 7 off 45 overs, Mike Caddick the undoubted star with a handsome 79, well supported by Brian Piper's 27 and another useful 20 from the ever-busy Doick.

In the end neither side could quite land the knockout blow, and honours were shared. A draw, then — not the stuff of legend, but a thoroughly decent day's cricket, and nobody went home unhappy. Bexhill live to fight another day; so, mercifully, do we.

Sat 11 Jun 1994 🧢 1st XIv OC Old Brockleians CC · HomeformWDWWL

I turned to my batting order on the morning of Saturday 11 June with the sun out and, for once, a coin that agreed with me — I called correctly and never seriously considered anything but batting first. 198/7 from our 35 overs was a total we were rather pleased with, built around a lovely unbeaten 76 from Peter Whyte, who simply refused to get out, with Paul Gibson's 38 and Sean Charlton's 24 doing the donkey work around him and a 70-run second-wicket stand giving the innings its spine. Poor Nick Froom will not want reminding of his duck, but the extras column did its bit with 33, which on our ground counts as a proper all-rounder.

Defending it, we found Old Brockleians in bother from the off — 7-1 set the tone, and though Tony Peart's 40 threatened to drag them back into it, we simply kept coming. From 61-3 to 61-6 in the blink of an eye, with S. Brady, T. Burrows and L. Brady all sent back without so much as a run to show for it. Jon Harris was magnificent, 3-16 with eight maidens — the sort of spell that makes batsmen doubt their life choices — well supported by Adrian Caddick's 3-28 and Paul Lines' 1-3. All out for 82 in 38 overs.

A 116-run win, and worth noting Peter Whyte's innings nudges him up to 22nd on the all-time run list. A very good day for the club indeed.

Sat 11 Jun 1994 🧢 2nd XIv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformDDWDW

I elected to bat first at Sheldwich on Saturday, and for once my judgement on the toss looked positively statesmanlike. Keith Hatcher played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 77 that anchored everything around him, with Don Dansie chipping in a handsome 48 and Steve Cheesman finishing not out on 31 — the third-wicket stand of 73 between them the platform on which the whole 220/4 off our 46 overs was built. Tea was taken in good spirits, as well it might be with a total like that in the bank.

Defending it, we let Sheldwich know early on that this wouldn't be a comfortable chase. Dave Todd was magnificent, ripping through with 4-38, and found willing accomplices in Don Dansie (2-12) and Trevor Back (1-9) — between them they had a couple of batsmen back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. I did my bit with the ball too, two maidens that I'd like to think tightened the screw rather more than the figures suggest. David Sanderson gave Sheldwich something to cheer with a fine unbeaten 84, well supported by Tony Marsh's 26 and K Voller's 20, but 152/9 from their 44 overs was always going to fall well short.

A 68-run win, two points banked, and Keith Hatcher and Dave Todd continuing to top the season's run and wicket charts respectively. All told, a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work — the sort of Saturday that makes the long drive home feel considerably shorter.

Wed 01 Jun 1994 🧢 Midweek XIv AK Ashford CC, Kent · AwayformWDDLW

Here's the match report:

Well, if variety is the spice of life, we've certainly had our fill this season — but Wednesday's trip to Ashford CC served up a proper old-fashioned arm-wrestle, and honours finished exactly even. Losing the toss meant watching Ashford make merry with the bat, and Simon Taylor duly obliged with a classy 71, while Lee Castledine (44 not out) and James Creed (29 not out) kept the innings ticking along nicely. They raced to 74 for the first wicket before we finally prised it open, and from there it was a case of chipping away — Alan Boyns did the real damage with 1-26, Adrian Caddick and Rob Doick both weighed in with a wicket apiece, and I did my bit with the tightest of spells, two maidens included, as Ashford eventually settled for 205/3 from their 46 overs.

Chasing that down was always going to test our patience as much as our stroke play, and so it proved. Darren Brame led the reply beautifully with a well-crafted fifty, Keith Hatcher chipped in with a gritty 39 not out and Mike Caddick added 21, but we could only limp to 140/8 from our 49 overs. Spare a thought for the Duck Club ledger, sadly swelled by ducks for both Adrian Caddick and Alan Boyns — the walk of shame indeed.

A draw, then, and honestly a fair reflection of an afternoon where neither side could quite land the knockout blow. Not the win we came for, but a spirited scrap that did the club proud.

Mon 30 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv XM XII Men · HomeformWWDWW

Monday the 30th of May, and the sun was out at Linton Park for our home fixture against XII Men. No luck with the coin — it's rarely my day when it's in the air — and they chose to bat first.

They made a proper fist of it, running up 267 for 5 from 63.4 overs. Alex Tait was the chief tormentor with a superb 118, well backed by D. Curran's 54 and John Hartridge's 48; their openers put on 79 before the first wicket fell, and the third-wicket pair added a chastening 114 to really put the game beyond easy reach. Credit to Jon Harris for prising out the breakthrough, 1 for 29, with Stuart Cheesman (1 for 37) and Adrian Caddick (1 for 47) chipping in besides. I did my bit to keep the lid on with 5 tidy maidens, for all the reward I got.

Chasing 268, we were bowled out for 219 in 58.5 overs — a battling reply rather than a triumphant one. I was pleased to lead from the front with 85, well supported by Rob Doick (45) and Paul Bowles (33), the pair adding 80 for the fourth wicket to give us a sniff. Less happily, Mike Caddick, Don Dansie and Jim Hall all contributed golden ducks to the cause — not our finest hour with the bat.

Beaten by 48 runs in the end. I lead the 1994 run charts with 369 and Don Dansie tops the wicket pile with 8, so the season's not without its bright spots. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 29 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lawrence CC · HomeformLWWDW

Sunday 29 May 1994, and Linton Park welcomed St Lawrence CC on what turned out to be a rather satisfying afternoon for the home side. The toss went against us — no great surprise, my luck with the coin remains as reliable as an English summer — and we were asked to field. St Lawrence built steadily to 132 for 9 off their 39.2 overs, Mark Evans top-scoring with 38 and Mitchell chipping in with 29, but our attack never let them cut loose. Chris Tymms was magnificent, ripping through with 4 for 21, Rob Doick backed him up nicely with 3 for 34, Alan Boyns took one, and Ian Brattle bowled with such miserly discipline that four maidens told their own story. Pip Burrows, alas, departed for a golden duck — these things happen to the best of us.

With 133 to chase, we made light work of it, cruising to 133 for 2 in 31.4 overs. Mike Caddick anchored things beautifully with an unbeaten 56, Rob Doick played his part with 37 not out, and Piers McDonald's 30 set the tone with a solid 57-run opening stand. Piers did have a slightly trickier time behind the stumps, shipping 8 byes — though nobody was counting too closely given it was his 200th appearance in Linton colours, a landmark the whole side was delighted to see.

An eight-wicket win, then, and a fine one at that. Onwards we go.

Sat 28 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv Milstead CC · AwayformWLWWD

Skipper's Log — Saturday 28 May 1994, away to Milstead CC.

Won the toss and had no hesitation putting them in the field, which looked a shrewd move for about ten minutes until we lost an early wicket with just 8 on the board and I found myself wondering whether I'd made a schoolboy error. Fortunately David Castle and I settled things down with a second-wicket stand of 92 that put the innings back on an even keel, and from there I rather got my eye in, carrying my bat all the way to 113 not out as we closed on a healthy 182 for 4 from our 46 overs. Castle's 26 deserves its mention too — the innings doesn't get built without it.

In the field we made hard work of what should have been a canter. Milstead lost their first wicket for just 6, and we had them reeling from 48-3 to 61-6 in a spell that had me quietly congratulating myself on the bowling changes. Matt Large was the chief architect with a superb 4-18 including five maidens — miserly doesn't begin to cover it — with Sean Charlton (2-8) and Jon Harris (1-28) offering fine support, and M Baxter departed without troubling the scorers. Only their last pair, adding an irritating 40, and P Sloan's unbeaten 22 spared Milstead complete embarrassment. Peter Whyte had a trying afternoon behind the stumps, eight byes going astray, but no lasting harm done.

We ran out winners by 61 runs — a thoroughly good day for the club, and one that leaves me sitting proudly atop the season's run charts.

Sat 28 May 1994 🧢 2nd XIv Milstead CC · HomeformWDDWD

Milstead CC were our visitors on Saturday, and the coin obliged me by landing the right way up — never one to look a gift toss in the mouth, I sent us in.

It was, in truth, a batting effort best described as "eventful." An early wobble to 4-1 had me reaching for the smelling salts, but Don Dansie's 25 gave the innings some spine, with Trevor Back and Steve Cheesman weighing in with 21 apiece to drag us to something respectable. Then, as is tradition round these parts, the middle order decided 100-5 wasn't precarious enough and gifted us 112-8 before you could say "cup of tea." Young Stuart Cheesman contributed a duck of the purest gold. All told, 126 all out from 46 overs — not a total to frighten anyone on paper, but paper doesn't bowl.

And bowl is exactly what we did. Milstead's reply never found its feet, three of their batsmen departing without troubling the scorers, while Chris Tymms was in miserly, metronomic form — 3-15 with five maidens, the sort of spell that makes a captain's job embarrassingly easy. Paul Lines and Trevor Back mopped up either end, and Milstead were bowled out for 81.

A word too for Tim Thirkell, who brought up his 600th appearance in Linton colours and, with a tidy 11, climbed past Brian Piper into 5th on the all-time run-scorers' list — not a bad afternoon's work for a man who's seen a few of these.

A fine win by 45 runs. Onwards.

Sun 15 May 1994 🧢 Sunday NVKCv High Halstow CC · AwayformWLWWL

Lost the toss at High Halstow on Sunday, and with it any say in matters — asked to bowl, sent out to field, and off we trudged into a warm afternoon that promised more than it delivered.

To our credit, we scrapped hard. High Halstow crawled to 110 all out in 39.4 overs, built mainly around a third-wicket stand of 53 between Daren Brumbaugh, who made a watchful 39, and J Goodhind's useful 22. Once that partnership broke the innings rather pleasingly imploded — 95 for 5 became 103 for 8 in a hurry, with poor Bill Esterson trudging back for a duck. Ian Brattle was the pick of a tidy attack with 3 for 19, Jon Harris chipped in with 3 for 25, I picked up 2 for 23 myself, and Matt Large bowled two maidens that nobody wanted to face.

A hundred and eleven to win looked gettable. It was not gotten. We subsided to 82 all out in 37.5 overs, the innings folding from a respectable-ish 79 for 7 to all out for 82 with the kind of haste usually reserved for last orders at the bar. Matt Large, Peter Whyte and Jon Harris all made the walk of shame for ducks, which is either very unlucky or very funny, depending on which side of the boundary rope you're standing.

Twenty-eight runs short, then, and a day for reflection rather than celebration. Clive Newman leads our run-charts, Brattle our wickets, and the rest of us head back to the nets with plenty to ponder.

Sun 08 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv CP Canterbury Pilgrims · HomeformLWLWW

We had first use of the ball at home on Sunday, and for a good long while it looked as though our afternoon might end in quiet suffering. The visitors ground out 204/5 from 46.1 overs, McCall top-scoring with 48 and Gammons a stubborn 41, while Martin's 33 helped stitch together a crucial 88 for the fourth wicket that threatened to bat us out of the game entirely. Mercifully poor Redman departed for nought without troubling the scorers, and I was glad enough of some rhythm with the ball to finish with 3-51, Doick and Harris chipping in a wicket apiece, and Large bowling three maidens as tight as his waistcoat at Christmas.

Chasing 205, we crawled and occasionally sprinted to 162/7 from our 42 overs. Fifty-nine not out felt a satisfying afternoon's work, and rarely has a half-century been so ably chaperoned — Large made a fighting 35 and Hall an unbeaten 21, while the tail, against all reasonable expectation, wagged for a final 68 that had the fielding side thoroughly out of sorts. Poor Doick made his own kind of history with a golden duck, and Hall had a torrid time behind the stumps, ten byes slipping past him like eels.

There was a moment of quiet pride amid it all: those 59 runs carried me past Paul Bowles to the top of the club's all-time run-scoring list, and I now lead this season's charts too, with Harris handily placed in the wickets. A draw, then — honours shared, pride mostly intact, and tea very much deserved.

Mon 02 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLLWLW

Nigel Thirkell's Match Report — 2 May 1994

We lost the toss on a promising May afternoon and, as tends to happen at Linton Park, were invited to spend the first half of the day standing around in a field wondering why we bother with the coin at all. Bearsted made hay early doors, racing to 62 before we so much as glimpsed a breakthrough, with Stephen Pearce compiling a classy 56 and gaining willing support from Stephen Heap (31) and an unbeaten Tim Lush (28) as they closed on a healthy 184 for 6 from their 46 overs. To our credit we dragged things back with the ball — Jon Harris bowled beautifully for 3-41, Ian Brattle chipped in with 2-56, Matt Large took one, and I managed three maidens of my own, more through stubbornness than genius. David Gibson, it must be recorded, departed without so much as visiting the scorers.

Chasing 185 is never a formality, but Paul Gibson set about it in style, easing to an unbeaten 62 that anchored the innings from start to finish. Matt Large (41) and Mike Caddick (27) played their parts handsomely, and a stand of 63 for the sixth wicket did much of the heavy lifting when things threatened to wobble. I contributed a watchful 23 in support. We eventually got home with four wickets in hand and something to spare, from 41.4 overs — enough to keep me atop the season's run charts and Ian Brattle handily placed among the wicket-takers.

A scrappy toss, a solid team performance, and a job well done — I'll happily take that every Monday of the summer.

Sun 01 May 1994 🧢 1st XIv Chestfield CC · HomeformWLLWL

From the captain's chair — Sunday 1 May 1994, and Chestfield CC in town for what turned into a very satisfactory afternoon's work. I won the toss and had no hesitation in taking first knock, and for once the decision looked as good three hours later as it did at the moment of choosing.

Mike Caddick was the star of the show, farming the strike beautifully for an unbeaten 82, while Piers McDonald gave him fine company with 69 before departing, and Paul Gibson finished things off with a brisk unbeaten 42. The engine room of it all was that second-wicket stand of 100, which took the game away from Chestfield before they'd really got into it, and 219/2 off our 42 overs left us more than happy to go out and defend it.

Chestfield's reply never found its rhythm. An early wicket with just 8 on the board set the tone, and though Brian Melliard Sr fought hard for his 60, he had precious little support — Keith Patching and C Smith both back in the hutch without troubling the scorers. Don Dansie was the chief architect of the collapse, spinning a web for 6-23, with Stuart Cheesman (2-25, three tidy maidens) and Rob Doick (2-37) tying up the other end. All out for 118 in 30.5 overs told its own story.

A fine win by 101 runs, and a thoroughly deserved one. Onwards.

Sat 30 Apr 1994 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · AwayformDWLLW

From the captain's chair — Saturday 30 April 1994.

We travelled to Bidborough on a fine spring afternoon and, having called it right at the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock — the sort of decision that looks either inspired or daft depending entirely on what follows, and for once I'll take the credit. It followed rather nicely: we posted 163 for 4 from our 48 overs, built around a fourth-wicket stand of 57 that gave the innings its backbone, Stewart Morrison finishing an unbeaten 29 in fine support. I'll confess to rather enjoying my own afternoon with the bat, finishing 89 not out — the sort of score that has you replaying every shot on the drive home, whatever happens next.

What happened next was Bidborough, showing no inclination whatsoever to go quietly. A Steptoe made a strong 56, well supported by P Teubler's 27 and Brian Wood's unbeaten 21, and a third-wicket stand of 67 dragged them back into it despite R Davis departing for a golden duck. Ian Brattle was magnificent with the ball — 4 for 31 including seven miserly maidens — with Don Dansie and Phillip Morrison chipping in a wicket apiece. Clive Newman had a torrid time behind the stumps, 24 byes betraying a tricky surface, and in the end Bidborough scrambled home 164 for 8, beating us by the barest of margins — one wicket.

A cruel way to lose after 89 of my own and a five-wicket haul from Brattle between them should have won it. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 30 Apr 1994 🧢 2nd XIv HC Horsmonden CC · HomeformWWDDW

Saturday 30 April 1994, and we welcomed Horsmonden CC to Linton Park with sunshine on our side, if precious little else — I lost the toss and duly found myself leading the side out to field.

We made early inroads that suggested a short afternoon's work, sending Chris Bills, Stephen Brown and A Pantrey back to the pavilion without so much as troubling the scorers. Horsmonden steadied through Andy Watts, whose well-made fifty (54) anchored the innings, with Mark Flemington's 27 lending sturdy support, and between them they nudged the total to 152 all out in 42.5 overs. Chris Tymms was the story of the day, though — five wickets for 39, three of his overs maidens, bowling with the kind of miserly control that has batsmen muttering into their gloves. Dave Todd chipped in handsomely with 3-26.

With 152 to chase, we set about it sensibly enough. Mike Elworthy played the innings of the match, 76 well past his fifty, with Dave Todd again among the runs on 25, and the pair put on 87 for the second wicket to give the innings its spine. Then, as club cricket so loves to do, it all went briefly berserk — 117-2 became 127-5 in a blur, with Fred Cheesman, Richard Ellis and Stuart Cheesman all walking back for ducks. We closed on 152-9 from 39 overs.

Honours even, then — a draw that flattered neither side but insulted nobody either. A fair result, and, all things considered, a thoroughly entertaining way to lose an afternoon.

Sat 23 Apr 1994 🧢 2nd XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · HomeformDWWDD

Saturday 23rd April, and Hollingbourne CC came to Linton Park for the season's early skirmish. The coin, as ever, did not favour us — Hollingbourne won it and sent us in, which at least spared me the indignity of losing the toss and the plot in the same afternoon.

We made a fine fist of it, reaching 215 for 7 from our 46 overs. Dave Todd led the charge with a handsome 61, Keith Hatcher chimed in with a tidy fifty of his own, and I was rather chuffed to contribute 51 alongside him — the pair of us putting on 85 for the fifth wicket, easily the innings of the day. Poor Simon Thirkell, by contrast, was back in the pavilion for a golden duck before he'd had time to take guard.

With the ball, we were a different animal. Hollingbourne raced to 63 without loss and looked set fair, but from 63 for 1 they collapsed to 71 for 4 in the blink of an eye, with S Edwards, Mark Austin and T Francis all departing for nought. Andrew Hales's 44 was their only real resistance. Paul Lines was magnificent throughout, claiming 5 for 18 with four miserly maidens, Dave Todd chipped in with 2 for 14 and Simon Thirkell 1 for 11, while I sneaked in a wicket of my own, which apparently eases me past Tony Snell into 18th on the club's all-time list — small mercies for the ageing skipper.

Hollingbourne were dismissed for 120. A resounding 95-run win, two points banked, and about as satisfactory an afternoon as village cricket allows.