🧢 Captain's Log

Sun 20 Sep 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv TC Tenterden CC · HomeformWLLWW

Sunday 20th September, a grey and rather agreeable afternoon at Linton Park, and we welcomed Tenterden CC in fine spirits. The coin behaved itself for once and I had no hesitation in putting us in — a decision that, for once, I can take some credit for. James Piper played the innings of the day, 90 well-earned runs that formed the backbone of our total, with Trevor Back (35 not out) and Kevin Presneill (30) offering sterling support. The openers gave us the perfect platform, 89 on the board before the first wicket fell, though poor Nat Presneill will want this one struck from the record — a duck to nurse on the drive home. A generous 27 extras rounded out a fine 236/5 from our 40 overs.

With the ball, we set about defending it with real purpose. Tim Thirkell was the chief architect of Tenterden's downfall, 2-13 and full of menace, with Trevor Back and Richard Knowler chipping in a wicket apiece — Knowler bowling with admirable meanness, four maidens to his name. Tom Richards (71) and Fred Pearman (20 not out) did their best to rescue things for the visitors, but 132/7 was never going to trouble our total. Nine byes suggested the gloves had a testing afternoon behind the stumps, and David Gare departed without so much as troubling the scorers.

A splendid 104-run win, then, and a day of individual milestones besides — Kevin Presneill and Tim Thirkell both climbing the club's all-time lists. Onwards indeed.

Sat 19 Sep 2015 🧢 1st XIv Stowting CC · HomeformLWLWL

Thomas Beeney's unbeaten 40 the pick of a determined batting effort against Stowting CC on a grey Saturday. James Piper (36) and Joshua Knowler (23) lent sturdy support, though poor Richard Piper will not thank me for mentioning his golden duck in the club gazette — sorry, Richard. I won the toss, decided we'd bat, and 159/8 from our 40 overs felt like a total we could defend, if not one to have the bar humming with confidence.

And defend it we did, by the finest of margins. Stowting's Clifford Ball threatened to spoil the afternoon with a fine 48, and George Sheen departed without so much as a nibble at the scoreboard, but it was Darrell Houghton-Judge who did the real damage with 3-38, backed superbly by Joshua Knowler — miserly as ever with two maidens and 1-12 — and James Piper's 1-15. Poor Benjamin Austin had an afternoon of it behind the stumps, twelve byes leaking away like water through a sieve, while I did my bit with 36 with the bat, mostly to spare my blushes as captain.

Elsewhere, the season continues to smile on two of our own: James Piper now sits second in the 1st XI run charts with 691, and Joshua Knowler leads the wicket-takers with 30 — form the rest of us can only admire from a respectful distance.

In the end, six runs separated the sides, which is really just cricket's way of reminding us how little separates triumph from a very long walk back to the pavilion. A tense finish, a deserved win, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 13 Sep 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv CK Cobham CC, Kent · HomeformWWLLW

We came out on top by 31 at home to Cobham, and if you'd told me at 6-1 that we'd be putting away a total north of 200, I'd have suggested a lie down. James Piper had other ideas, mind — a proper hundred, 115 of the finest, and when he was finally prised out we'd banked 213 for 4 off our forty. Glen Rawson chipped in with an unbeaten fifty of his own, and the pair of them stitched together 163 for the third wicket after that shaky opening, the sort of partnership that makes a captain's coin toss look positively inspired.

Cobham gave it a proper go in reply, closing on 182 for 9, with Benjamin Bowles top-scoring on 36 and useful runs from Joe Martin and Lucas Marshall keeping them in the hunt longer than we'd have liked. Mark Christmas took the new ball and the acclaim, finishing with 2 for 25, though 16 byes conceded on his watch rather took the shine off it — a testing afternoon behind the stumps if nothing else. Martin Harris and Benjamin Austin both weighed in with two apiece, and there was a small mercy for us in Callen Fahey departing for a duck.

Piper's 115 also nudges him past Stan Wratten into 19th on the club's all-time run list, which is the kind of thing that gets mentioned rather too often in the bar. All told, a damp Sunday, a good toss won and rather better used, and a thoroughly satisfying 31-run win to take home.

Sat 12 Sep 2015 🧢 1st XIv OC Offham CC · HomeformWLWLW

Under a damp Kent sky on 12 September 2015, I called correctly at the toss and, with the pitch looking full of runs for someone, promptly asked Offham to bat first — a decision I'd be second-guessing by teatime. Their top order made hay: 64 came up before we so much as troubled the scorers, and the second-wicket pair piled on a further 71 for good measure. Tom Gittings played the innings of the day with a classy 70, Tom Evans wasn't far behind with a well-struck 51, and Nigel Stoodley chipped in with 35 as Offham closed on a hearty 219/5 from their forty overs. Credit where it's due — Darrell Houghton-Judge was magnificent with the ball, returning 4-38, with Thisal Perera lending fine support to finish with 1-26.

Chasing 220, we gave it a proper go. Kevin Presneill batted beautifully for 81, James Piper matched him stroke for stroke with 65, and Luke Welsman finished unbeaten on 29 as we pushed to 215/5 from our own forty overs — agonisingly, achingly four runs short. Piper's knock keeps him ticking along nicely too, sitting second in the 1st XI's run charts for the season with 655 to his name.

Not our day, in the end — beaten by the width of a bail, not the run of play. Heads up, chins out, and back to the nets we go.

Sun 06 Sep 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv SC Stockbury CC · AwayformWWLWW

Sunday 6th September, and off to Stockbury we went, chins up and boots gleaming. They won the toss and had us in — never a happy sound, that — but the lads dug in gamely and posted 117 all out from our 37 overs. Glen Rawson played the innings of the day, 52 well-crafted runs, with Will Thew chipping in a handsome 42 alongside him. Beyond that pair, it must be said, the ledger was not kind: Jack Gwynn, Christopher Thirkell and Ray Dixon all took the long walk back for ducks, and your skipper, leading from the front as ever, contributed a golden blob — out first ball, bat still gleaming with linseed oil.

If the batting was patchy, the bowling was a different story entirely. Stockbury's reply folded to 49 for 9 from 25.2 overs, Jonathan Brignall's 29 the only real resistance. Jack Gwynn was magnificent, ripping through with 3 for 11, well backed by Tim Wright's 2 for 11 and a wicket apiece from Tim Thirkell. James Newell, Aston Monk and Luke Collins all departed without troubling the scorers at the other end.

117 plays 49 makes for a comfortable 68-run victory and two well-earned points, whatever the skipper's personal contribution — or lack thereof. Glen Rawson continues to lead our season's run charts on 339, with Darrell Houghton-Judge top of the wicket pile on 15. A fine team performance, and a timely reminder that a captain's job is sometimes simply to get out of the way.

Sun 06 Sep 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Addington Village CC · HomeformWWWLL

Sunday 6th September, and Addington Village CC rolled up under obliging cloud cover — the sort of afternoon that makes a captain forget how badly he flunked the toss. Lose it I duly did, and we were put into the field, which on reflection did us no harm at all. Addington ground out 129/7 from their forty, Alex Rolfe unbeaten on 31 and Steve Merralls chipping in with 28, while poor Harry Grinstead trudged back without so much as a single to his name. Mark Christmas was the story of the innings, though — 3-36 with three maidens thrown in, tighter than a Sunday collection plate — with Jordan Austin (2-26) and Daniel Thirkell (1-10) mopping up the rest.

Chasing 130, we made a mockery of it. James Piper played the innings of the day, 71 not out of real substance, and put on 69 for the first wicket with Will Thirkell (28) before either had so much as broken sweat. I contributed a watchful 28 of my own, though the truth is the game was won long before I had to do anything heroic. We cantered home at 130/2 in 25.3 overs.

A note for the scrapbook: Mark Christmas's three wickets nudge him past Trevor Back to 11th on the club's all-time list — the sort of quiet milestone that means everything and nothing, which is rather the charm of it. James Piper continues to top our season's run charts, Thomas Beeney sits third among the wicket-takers, and this old side rolls merrily on.

A comfortable seven-wicket win, then, and not before time — onwards we go.

Sat 05 Sep 2015 🧢 2nd XIv LC Locksbottom CC · HomeformLLWLL

It was one of those September afternoons that trade in a fine drizzle, the kind that gets into a captain's bones and does absolutely nothing for team morale before a ball is bowled. We lost the toss, Locksbottom sent us in, and I confess my heart sank slightly — but the lads had other ideas. Glen Rawson set about the bowling with real purpose for 47, and once he departed David Castle (43 not out) and Martin Harris (30 not out) simply saw us home in style to 178/4 from our 40 overs. Not a bad afternoon's work with the bat, whatever the weather thought about it.

Defending it, though, was where the real fun began. Ian Hollingworth was in imperious form, three maidens and figures of 3-9 that had the Locksbottom middle order playing shots better suited to a car boot sale. Martin Harris chipped in with 3-36, Tobey Castle picked up a tidy 2-9, and Ravindra Wadhwani had the misfortune of a duck at our hands. Will Whitton fought hardest for the visitors with 30, but 120 all out in 36.4 overs was never going to trouble the scoreboard. I even found time for a useful 29 with the bat earlier on, for what little that's worth alongside such company.

A 58-run win, then, and a thoroughly good day for the club — drizzle, ducks and all.

Wed 02 Sep 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv The Mote CC · HomeformDLLLW

Down by the West Gate, drizzle in the air and toss lost before we'd even had a proper look at the pitch — The Mote CC elected to bat, and there was nothing for it but to bowl. Credit where it's due: the lads dug in well, restricting the visitors to 155/7 from their forty overs. Louis Cameron (37) and William Thirkell (26) did the early damage, with Rajeevan Raveendran (25) adding late impetus, but our attack never let them cut loose. Martin Harris was the pick, 2-18 and a model of control, backed handsomely by Tim Thirkell (1-7) and Nat Presneill (1-8), while Darrell Houghton-Judge bowled two maidens that would have tested the patience of a saint. Josh Sheriston, at least, went for nought at our hands — small mercies.

With 156 needed, we never quite found our rhythm. Peter Whyte's 23 and Jacques Whyte's 22 were the shining lights in an otherwise modest reply, and poor Tim Wright's duck rather summed up the afternoon. All out, well short, beaten by 62 runs.

Not all doom, mind — Tim Thirkell's solitary wicket nudged him past Stuart Cheesman to 23rd on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, which is the sort of quiet milestone that keeps a captain smiling into his tea. Sam Boyns continues to sit proudly 3rd in the season's run charts, and Darrell Houghton-Judge leads the wickets with seven.

Verdict: outbowled our batting, and it cost us. Back to the nets, heads up, better next Wednesday.

Sun 30 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv KC Knockers CC · HomeformLWWWL

Down by 7 wickets to Knockers CC on a warm, showery Sunday, batting first for 100 all out — 30 overs of watching the scoreboard limp along while the drizzle threatened.

The lads gathered on 30 August with the sky doing its best village-green impression — sunshine one over, spitting rain the next. Winning the toss, I had no hesitation in taking first knock, and I still think it was the right call, even if the execution left a little to be desired. We laboured to 100 all out from our thirty overs, Joshua Knowler top-scoring with a battling 24, well supported by Luke Welsman's 22. Jack Gwynn and Trevor Back both took the long walk back for ducks — the sort of afternoon that reminds you cricket is a game of glorious failure as much as glory.

Defending a hundred was always going to ask a lot of the bowlers, and so it proved. Thisal Perera worked hard for 1-21 and Martin Harris chipped in with 1-26, and we did at least see off Scott Landers without him troubling the scorers. But Paul Seldon settled in for an unbeaten 47 and, with C Spencer Allen's composed 32 not out alongside him, the visitors eased to 101-2 in just 21.1 overs. I threw in my own 24 with the ball, for what little difference it made.

Elsewhere in the season, a small crumb of comfort: Richard Piper continues his steady climb up the run charts, now 5th in the Sunday 1st XI standings with 153 to his name.

All told, not our day. Heads up, and back to the nets — Knockers CC deserved their seven-wicket win, and we'll come again.

Sat 29 Aug 2015 🧢 1st XIv WC Withyham CC · HomeformWWLWL

A warm, damp Saturday it was for our meeting with Withyham CC, and I'll admit I did the one thing a captain can be certain of getting right or wrong in equal measure: I called correctly at the toss. No hesitation from me — we batted.

And bat we did. Two hundred and twenty-six for five off our forty overs, built on the sort of innings that makes a skipper look cleverer than he is. James Piper, unbeaten on 89, was the class of the afternoon, with Adam Jackson's 48 and Craig Sands' 25 lending sturdy support. The 109-run fourth-wicket stand was the platform for everything, and even our extras chipped in a handy 32, though Adam later paid for his generosity behind the stumps with 11 byes to his name.

Defending that total, the lads were magnificent. Withyham folded for 142, Jan Ball's 37 and George Smith's 28 the only real resistance, while Michael Hodges, Liam Cook and Richard Morris departed without scoring. The day belonged to Richard Knowler, whose 5-20 was a five-for of the highest quality, well backed by Joshua Knowler (2-26, two miserly maidens) and Thomas Beeney (2-29). A word too for Joshua, who passed 200 career wickets — a landmark thoroughly earned, and one that keeps him top of our 2015 wicket charts with 29, as Craig Sands leads with the bat on 879.

Eighty-four runs the winning margin. A thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 23 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv PC Pett CC · HomeformLWWLW

Sunday 23rd August, and Pett CC came calling on a warm, damp afternoon that felt like it couldn't decide whether to be summer or not — much like my own form, as it turned out. I lost the toss, we were put in the field, and I confess there are worse fates, though the outfield had other ideas about our footing.

Pett posted 156/8 from their 40 overs, built around a watchful 46 not out from Chris Mills and 37 from Timothy Hambridge. Credit where due to the bowling unit: Tim Wright was miserly and menacing in equal measure, 3-28 with two maidens thrown in for good measure, while Tim Thirkell and John Karassellos chipped in a wicket apiece at a frugal cost. Nothing given away lightly.

With the bat we wobbled home to 157/6 in 34.2 overs — Jack Gwynn the rock at 58 not out, Glen Rawson matching him stroke for stroke with a fine 55, and Nat Presneill's 22 the glue in between. Spare a thought for poor Tim Thirkell, who followed his bowling heroics with a duck — and, in the spirit of full disclosure, your correspondent joined him in the ducks' enclosure. We shan't dwell on it.

A nod, too, to Darrell Houghton-Judge, who brought up 50 career wickets — a landmark earned, not gifted, and he leads our 2015 wicket charts as Rawson leads the run charts. All told: three wickets to spare, two ducks to nurse, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 23 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv SC Selling CC · AwayformLLWWW

Skipper's Log, Sunday 23 August 2015, away at Selling CC.

A warm, damp sort of afternoon, the kind where you can practically hear the outfield squelching, and things got no drier when we lost the toss and were put into the field. Still, no complaints from me here in the gazette – you take what conditions give you and get on with it.

Batting first, we posted a very respectable 156/7 from our 35 overs, built on a splendid opening stand of 90 before the first wicket fell. Warren Jackson led the way with a fine 73, well supported by James Piper's 40 – Piper continuing his remarkable season and remaining top of our Sunday run charts with 495. Less happily, both Thomas Beeney and Chris Newman departed for ducks, proof that even in a total built on solid foundations, someone always draws the short straw.

In the field we simply couldn't find the breakthroughs to match our top order's good work. Solomon Strickland compiled an unbeaten 67 to see Selling home, ably assisted by Andrew Kinch (26) and Ollie Lane (24), the pair adding 55 for the first wicket. Will Thirkell was miserly and threatening in equal measure – 1-27 with three maidens – with Thomas Beeney (1-35) offering good support. Twenty-five byes, meanwhile, made for uncomfortable reading behind the stumps, a testing day indeed for Luke Welsman.

Beaten by eight wickets in the end. Plenty to admire in defeat, but we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 22 Aug 2015 🧢 2nd XIv LC Limpsfield Chart CC · HomeformWLLWL

Grey skies and a scorcher of a different kind greeted us on Saturday 22 August as Limpsfield Chart CC rolled into Linton Park. The coin, as it so often does when you need it most, let us down, and we were sent into the field to toil away the afternoon. Their innings galloped along nicely for them and painfully for us, the openers laying down 82 for the first wicket before a monumental third-wicket stand of a hundred simply buried any hope of a fightback. Asif Ali was the chief architect, an astonishing 225 that we shall be talking about at the bar for some time yet, with David Waters (29) and Abid Suleman (21) offering handy support. They closed on 329/4 from their 40 overs. Luke Welsman led our attack with 1-48, and Tim Thirkell (1-49) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (1-57) chipped away gamely against the tide.

With 330 needed, we always knew we were chasing a mountain rather than a hillock. Ryan Boyns played a fine hand with a well-made fifty, Ian Hollingworth (27 not out) and Glen Rawson (25) lending good support, and a defiant last-wicket stand of 39 gave the scorecard a touch more dignity, with extras chipping in 32 along the way. We finished 225/9 from our 40 overs.

A small silver lining amid the gloom: Tim Thirkell's solitary wicket nudged him past Rob Doick into 24th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list. Elsewhere this season, Richard Piper sits second in the 2nd XI run charts with 267, and Tim Wright leads the 2nd XI wicket charts with 18.

Beaten by 104 runs, then. Not our day at all — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 22 Aug 2015 🧢 1st XIv Cudham Wyse CC · AwayformWWWLW

As we posted 172 for 6 from our 40, I'll admit I felt rather pleased with myself for calling correctly at the toss on a scorching, overcast sort of afternoon — the kind England seems to specialise in, muggy enough to sap the legs but never quite committing to rain. Losing an early wicket with just 4 on the board had the tea urn rattling nervously, but the second-wicket pair steadied things with a crucial 50, and James Piper batted on serenely to 69 not out, well supported by Daniel Thirkell's 28 and Mark Christmas's 23. Poor Kevin Presneill will want the scorebook burned — a duck to his name — but the total felt a competitive one as we trooped off.

Cudham Wyse, however, had other ideas. Waseem Abbas played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 71 that simply refused to be shifted, with Andy Wood and Asif Nazir chipping in 20 apiece to see them home at 174 for 4 with two overs to spare. Joshua Knowler was miserly and menacing in equal measure — 1 for 28 with three maidens — and got honest support from Martin Harris and Thomas Beeney, both a wicket apiece. Ten byes, mind, told their own tale of a trying afternoon behind the stumps for Adam Jackson. I contributed a modest 23 myself, more makeweight than matchwinner.

Not our day, beaten by six wickets, but with Piper and Knowler both flying high in the club's charts this summer, there's plenty to be cheerful about. Heads up, chins out, and back to the nets.

Wed 19 Aug 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv TC Tunbridge Wells Wednesday CC · HomeformWDLLL

It was Tunbridge Wells Wednesday CC who came calling on a pleasant, showery Wednesday, and having won the toss I stuck us in the field — the right call, if I'm allowed to say so myself. Our bowlers duly obliged: Tim Wright was the pick of the attack with 2-15, Darrell Houghton-Judge and Tobey Castle chipped in with 2-26 and 2-33 respectively, and Tim Thirkell bowled three maidens of such miserly precision he'd have made a bank manager weep with joy. Poor N- Badman departed without troubling the scorers, though G Balland (44), P- Wright (33) and Rob Yardy (23) between them dragged the visitors to 162 all out from 41.4 overs — a total that felt, at the time, rather more than a shower-interrupted afternoon deserved to yield.

With the target set, Luke Welsman played the innings of the day, an unbeaten 52 of real substance, and found a willing ally in Trevor Back, who made a handsome 49 of his own. Between them they eased us home to 165/4 in 39.3 overs, never looking especially troubled once they'd got their eye in.

Elsewhere in the season's ledger, Sam Boyns continues to build a fine case for himself, sitting third in the Midweek XI run charts on 122, while Darrell Houghton-Judge leads the wicket-takers with six. Two points, a six-wicket win, and — showers notwithstanding — a thoroughly satisfactory Wednesday's work.

Sun 16 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv HC Holborough Anchorians CC · AwayformLLWWL

A gentle drizzle at Holborough on Sunday 16 August was hardly the stuff of legend, but it turns out damp outfields suit us rather well. Winning the toss, I didn't dither for a second — batting first felt right, and the lads repaid that faith handsomely. Glen Rawson simply refused to get out, compiling a majestic 122 not out, while Richard Piper chipped in with a tidy 59 to help us post 216 for the loss of a single wicket from our 40 overs. Declarations were never on the cards; we just kept batting and grinning.

Defending it was another matter entirely. Holborough set about the chase through Dave Light, whose 61 anchored things nicely, with Jawad Ali's 32 lending sturdy support and a 64-run second-wicket stand threatening to spoil our afternoon. It was Darrell Houghton-Judge who hauled us back with a superb 4 for 34, backed up by Tim Thirkell's 1 for 24 (two maidens, not a run given away lightly) and Tim Wright's 1 for 27. We did our best to help them along, mind you, gifting 26 wides and 3 no-balls in a fit of generosity nobody asked for.

Still, 198 for 7 wasn't enough, and we squeaked home by 18 runs. With Rawson now top of the Sunday 2nd XI run charts and Houghton-Judge leading the wickets, this was about as complete a team performance as village cricket allows — sloppy round the edges, brilliant at the core, and thoroughly good for the soul.

Sun 16 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Mersham Le Hatch CC · HomeformWLLWW

We were sent in to field on a damp Sunday, 16 August, with Mersham Le Hatch CC our visitors — the toss lost, as tosses so often are when the tea urn's already on. They stumbled to 86 all out in 29.4 overs, David Hatton's 22 the only real resistance, and a collapse from 81-7 to 86-10 that suggested nerves were fraying nicely in the middle order. Will Thirkell was the story of the innings — 5-22, a thoroughly deserved five-for — with Sam Boyns (2-19) and Chris Newman (1-4) tidying up around him, and not a run given away lightly, Mark Christmas sending down three maidens for good measure. I even found some rhythm myself, five wickets to my name, which I shall be mentioning at every opportunity for the rest of the season.

Chasing 87 should never be entirely straightforward — this is club cricket, after all — but Lewis Burnham made it look so, cruising to 57 not out, well supported by James Piper's 23. We were home in 17.5 overs for the loss of a single wicket, Pranav Saran and Rob Benn spared any batting embarrassment given they never got the chance to trouble the scorers with the ball still swinging.

Up top of the table, Piper continues to lead the run charts with 455 for the summer, and Boyns the wickets with 17 — form that shows no sign of deserting either man. A nine-wicket win, a five-for with the ball for both Thirkell and yours truly, and home in time for a proper tea. Games don't come much more satisfying than that.

Sat 15 Aug 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Kemsing CC · HomeformWWLLW

Saturday 15 August 2015, and Kemsing came to Linton Park on one of those showery afternoons that keeps a captain squinting at the sky more than the scoreboard. We batted first and posted 157/8 from our forty, David Castle the rock of the innings with a composed 55 not out, Richard Piper chipping in nicely with 25 and yours truly adding a modest 25 of my own. Poor Luke Welsman will want the scorebook burned — a duck to his name — but these things happen to the best of us, usually in front of the biggest crowd.

Defending 157 was always going to want discipline, and for a while we had it. An early wicket with the board still on nought had us purring, and Ian Hollingworth bowled beautifully for his 3-44, backed up by tidy spells from Tim Wright (1-14, three maidens no less) and Tim Thirkell (1-34). Ian Martin and Colin Scarsi both fell for ducks to our bowling, which ought to have been the story of the day. Instead James Walkling settled in for an unbeaten 69, found willing support from Roger Shaddock's unbeaten 20, and then — just to rub salt in — their last pair strolled to an unwanted 40 that we simply couldn't buy a wicket for.

Kemsing got home by three wickets, and we were left rueing the ones that got away rather than the ones we took. Still, Piper sits second in the 2nd XI run charts and Wright leads the wicket-takers — plenty to be cheerful about beneath the grey clouds. A defeat to learn from, not to dwell on; we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 15 Aug 2015 🧢 1st XIv Marden CC, Kent · AwayformWWWWL

Saturday 15th August saw us make the trip down to Marden CC, Kent, under skies that could not quite make up their mind — a splash of rain here, a splash of sunshine there, thoroughly English in every respect. Winning the toss, I put us into the field first, a decision I shall take full credit for regardless of how the day unfolded.

Marden compiled a respectable 138/6 from their 40 overs, propped up chiefly by Sam Tomkinson's 46, a knock that had us muttering into our tea. But the bowling held firm throughout: Joshua Knowler was the pick of the attack with 2-16 and two miserly maidens besides, while Mark Christmas (2-25) and Thomas Beeney (1-31) chipped away dutifully. Not a run was surrendered without a fight.

Chasing 139, we made light work of it, cantering home to 141/3 in just 26 overs. Daniel Thirkell led the charge with a fine 43, James Piper weighed in with 41, and Kevin Presneill saw us over the line unbeaten on 30 — calm as you like, as though he'd booked the winning runs in advance.

A word too for the season at large: Piper now sits second in the 1st XI run charts with 432 to his name, while Christmas tops the wicket-takers' pile with 27 — form both men carried handsomely into this fixture.

Seven wickets the winning margin, and not an unhappy face on the coach home. Onwards, indeed.

Fri 14 Aug 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv The Dragons CC · HomeformWWDLL

We were put in on a warm, damp afternoon at home to The Dragons, and by teatime it looked ominous — Chris Arnold treated us to a chanceless, magnificent century, with James Churchman (68) and Simon Arnold (37) offering fine support as the visitors racked up 240/2. The openers put on 89 before we so much as glimpsed a wicket, then set about a second-wicket stand of 147 that rather took the game away from us. Thomas Beeney worked hardest for 1-34 and Tim Wright bowled two tidy maidens, but 240 in 40 overs was always going to be a proper ask.

We gave ourselves every chance of chasing it down. James Piper played a gem — 93, agonisingly short of what would have been a career-defining hundred — and Kevin Presneill added a classy 80, the pair putting on 181 for the first wicket before anyone troubled the scorers with a dismissal. From there, though, the innings rather fell apart: 228-4 became 234-7 in the blink of an eye, Will Thirkell and Darrell Houghton-Judge both departing for ducks, and your skipper contributing a golden blob of his own — leadership by example is all very well until it's your turn to bat. Twenty-one byes down the leg side didn't help our cause either.

Still, there were bright spots amid the wreckage: James Piper brought up 7,000 career runs for the club, and Kevin Presneill's innings lifted him to 24th on our all-time run-scorers' list. Piper also sits second in this season's Midweek XI charts, with Beeney leading the bowling.

In the end we fell two runs short — as tight and as cruel as this game gets. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 09 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv Kings Hill CC · HomeformWLLWW

Sunday 09 August, and Kings Hill CC came calling on a warm, cloudy afternoon that promised a decent tussle. I lost the toss — no great surprise, my record with the coin remains a national embarrassment — and duly found ourselves in the field first.

What followed was a lesson in application from the visitors. Shaun McMurray made an unbeaten 105, three figures no less, and found willing company in Graham Hutchins, who cruised past his own fifty to finish on 87 not out. Between them they simply took the afternoon away from us, and 232/2 from 40 overs was a stiff ask by anyone's reckoning. Credit where due to Tim Wright, who kept plugging away for 2-24 while the rest of us toiled.

With the bat we made a fist of it early doors — Will Thew and the top order put on 82 for the first wicket, the stand of the innings, and for a while it looked respectable. Will top-scored with 37, Richard Piper chipped in 30 and Christopher Thirkell 28, but wickets fell steadily thereafter and 165/6 was always going to fall short. Special mention, gently, to Martin Harris, who marked his 100th appearance in Linton colours with a golden duck — cricket's sense of humour intact as ever, Martin, and many congratulations on the milestone regardless.

Beaten by 67 runs in the end. Chins up, lads — we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 08 Aug 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Marden CC, Kent · AwayformWWWLL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 08 August 2015. We travelled down to Marden CC on a warm, grey afternoon, the kind that threatens rain all day and never quite delivers, which suited us fine. I won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat, and for once the decision looked good rather than merely brave.

We posted 243/4 from our 40 overs, a total built on a wonderful stand between Will Thew, who finished unbeaten on 88, and Chris Newman, who made a well-crafted 82. Their fourth-wicket partnership of 170 was really the innings — everything else was garnish, including a rather sorry duck for poor Christopher Thirkell, who will not be dining out on this one. Even the extras got in on the act, chipping in 31.

With the ball, we made them work hard for every one of their 197/9. Nick Burdge led their reply with 48, and Joseph Young and Elliot Aiken both made useful 38s in a fifth-wicket stand of 56 that threatened, briefly, to make a match of it. But Darren Styles was at his miserly best with 2-21, backed up nicely by Richard Knowler (2-27) and Tobey Castle (1-32), and the total never quite got away from us.

A 46-run win, two points banked, and — with Richard Piper second in the seasonal run charts and Darren Styles topping the wicket pile — a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work all round.

Sat 08 Aug 2015 🧢 1st XIv HC Horsmonden CC · HomeformWWWWW

Skipper's log, 8th August: Horsmonden arrived on a warm, cloudy afternoon, won the toss with the usual grim inevitability, and stuck us in the field. Three hundred and change later, I'd aged a decade. Khaalid Moothosamy simply had one of those days — 141 of the finest, with Sam Stibbs chipping in a classy 88 alongside him, and between them they put on 203 for the first wicket before we so much as sniffed a breakthrough. Joshua Knowler eventually dragged us back into it with 2-65, Matthew Carter chipped away for 2-79, Thomas Beeney picked up one, and Mark Christmas somehow found two maidens in among the carnage — no mean feat on a day like that. 300/5 from 40 overs was a mountain.

We gave it a proper go. Daniel Thirkell led from the front with a fine 78, Craig Sands added 64 and James Piper 56, and the openers laid down a handsome platform of 110 before the first wicket fell — for a while it felt gettable. Poor Lewis Burnham, though, will want to forget his afternoon entirely, out for a duck, and eleven byes off Craig Sands's gloves told its own tale of a testing day behind the stumps. In the end 245/8 wasn't quite enough.

Fifty-five runs the wrong side of the ledger, then — no disgrace against batting of that quality, but a reminder that heads must go back into the nets before Sands (still our leading run-scorer this summer) and Knowler (second in the wicket charts) can drag us over the line next time.

Tue 04 Aug 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Bexley CC · HomeformLWWDL

It was Bexley CC at home, a pleasant damp Tuesday for it, and I lost the toss and was invited to have a bowl first — never one to argue with the coin, off we trotted into the field. Bexley batted with rather more conviction than the weather suggested was fair, racking up 223 all out from their 39.5 overs. Jas Bassan (55) and Matthew Stiddard (52) both went past their fifties and made merry, with Samuel Barton's 20 chipping in for good measure. Small mercy: Anish Patel walked back for a duck at our hands. With the ball, Darrell Houghton-Judge was the pick of the attack by some distance, snaffling 4-34, while Will Thirkell (2-27) and the ever-tidy Sam Boyns (1-17, two maidens) kept things honest.

Chasing 224 was always going to be a tall order, and so it proved — we folded for 148 in 38 overs. Will Thirkell led the way with 24, ably supported by Tim Thirkell's unbeaten 21, and I stuck my head above the parapet for 24 of my own. Extras chipped in a handy 27, nine of them byes, which tells you all you need to know about poor Joe Martin's afternoon behind the stumps. Martin Harris, meanwhile, made his own less welcome contribution to the Duck Club with a nought.

Seventy-five runs the wrong side of the ledger, then. Not our day at all — heads up, chins up, and back to the nets.

Sun 02 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv HC Herne CC · AwayformLWLLW

Sunday brought us down to Herne CC under a warm, cloudy sky, and having called correctly at the toss I did what any sensible captain does with a good pitch in front of him — I stuck us in. For once the decision looked shrewd rather than reckless. Christopher Thirkell played the innings of the day, a composed half-century, with Martin Harris (40) and Kevin Presneill (39) building steadily around him. We were bowled out for 177 in 34.1 overs — a total with a bit of substance to it, even if Russell Dack and Nat Presneill will want the scorebook quietly closed on their ducks.

With the ball, we were relentless. Herne never got going, subsiding to 101 all out in 25.1 overs, Neil Robinson's 29 the only real resistance. Darrell Houghton-Judge was magnificent, ripping through with 3 for 3, backed up nicely by Tim Thirkell (2-9, with two tidy maidens) and Ian Hollingworth (2-22). Kashif Anwer and Mark Gibson departed without troubling the scorers.

My own contribution behind the stumps was rather less illustrious — nine byes conceded and, with the bat, a golden blob to remind everyone that captaincy is about leadership, not personal glory. Christopher Thirkell now sits second in the season's run charts, Houghton-Judge top of the wickets, and the side rolled home by 76 runs. A fine away win, and frankly the lads carried me home.

Sun 02 Aug 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLWLLW

I called it right at the toss on a warm, overcast Sunday and, with barely a flicker of doubt, stuck us in to bat first against Bearsted. It didn't feel like a mistake for a while: our openers gave us the platform of dreams, 72 without loss before the first fell, and James Piper went on to construct a glorious 73. But then, as club cricket so often insists on doing, the innings fell apart around him — 104 for 2 became 111 for 5 in the time it takes to make a cup of tea, with Mark Christmas, Chris Newman and Thisal Perera all contributing golden ducks to the cause. Sam Boyns' unbeaten 24 and a handy 23 from yours truly at least dragged us to a defendable 162 all out in 38.5 overs.

Defendable it proved. Bearsted stumbled early to 3 for 1, Robert Haggart back in the hutch without troubling the scorers, and never really recovered their poise. David Patton's 30 and Piers Cottee Jones' 23 were the only real resistance, while I found some rare rhythm with the ball, spinning my way to 5 for 13 with three maidens, well backed by Richard Knowler (1-7) and Mark Christmas (1-19). Bearsted were bowled out for 140 in 37.3 overs.

James Piper now leads our Sunday run charts with 432, Sam Boyns tops the wickets with 15 — the engine room of the side, in fine order. A fine win by 22 runs, snatched from the jaws of our own middle-order chaos. Onwards.

Sat 01 Aug 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Bearsted CC · AwayformLWWWL

Saturday last, 1st August, saw us pack the kit bags off to Bearsted, where their skipper called it right and stuck us in – which, on reflection, may have been the last thing that went their way.

David Castle and Joe Martin proceeded to bat as though the coin toss owed them a personal apology, putting on 144 for the third wicket between them – Castle's 71 and Martin's 69 both fine half-centuries, each seemingly trying to outdo the other in elegance if not quite in arithmetic. Darrell Houghton-Judge chipped in a brisk 21 not out, extras weighed in with a generous 45, and we closed on a hearty 252/8 from our forty overs. A total, I felt, with a bit of menace about it.

Alas, cricket has a way of humbling the optimist. Bearsted's openers laid down a platform of 78 before the first wicket fell, and from there Sam Prideaux (95 not out) and Tim Croom (62) simply declined to be parted from the crease, chasing down 255/4 with overs to spare. Martin Harris toiled manfully for his 3-57, Tim Wright picked up one, but the platform proved unshakeable.

Still, no complaints from this corner about the form of Joe Martin, now top of the 2nd XI run charts on 401, or Tim Wright leading the wickets column with 15. As for Saturday – beaten by six wickets, heads held high(ish), and back to the nets we go.

Sat 25 Jul 2015 🧢 2nd XIv BC Betsham CC · HomeformLLWWW

As it stands, we let ourselves in for it: the coin obliged, I called wrong for the batsmen and put Betsham in — a decision that seemed shrewd right up until Sam Willis decided he rather fancied our bowling, farming an unbeaten 94 while Jerome Adams chuntered along to 67 and Gaurav Bijlani chipped in 25 for good measure. Tim Wright at least gave the scorebook something to smile about with 2-33, Darren Styles toiling manfully for his 1-58, but 230 for the loss of only three was a sobering total to chase on a pleasant, wet and blustery afternoon — the sort of English summer's day that keeps you guessing whether you'll need a jumper or a sunhat.

Our reply had its moments. Joe Martin, who continues to bat as though he owns the place — and on this season's evidence, 332 runs and counting, he rather does — got us up to 58, well supported by Glen Rawson's 37 and Richard Piper's 30. I contributed a watchful 30 of my own, more graft than glory. But cricket has a cruel sense of humour, and it duly handed us two ducks, Chris Newman and Darrell Houghton-Judge both trudging back for nought, and 220 for 9 from our forty overs left us ten runs shy at the death.

Not our day, then — beaten by the narrowest of margins on a pitch that gave nothing away easily. Heads up, chins up, and back to the nets we go; there's a great deal to admire in a ten-run defeat, but precious little consolation in it.

Sat 25 Jul 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC Shoreham (Kent) CC · AwayformWWWWW

Well now, Shoreham away always makes for a long coach journey and even longer changing-room chat, but on Saturday 25 July the lads made it feel positively worthwhile. I won the toss and chose to bat — the right call, I felt, and for once nobody in the slip cordon rolled their eyes at me.

We posted 149/7 from our 40, built around a lovely, well-paced fifty from James Piper (69) with Adam Jackson (23) playing the perfect supporting cast. Daniel Thirkell, meanwhile, made his contribution to the Duck Club ledger with a nought — the walk of shame duly noted, and duly ribbed about on the boundary.

With ball in hand we turned into rather different animals. Shoreham's innings folded to 42 all out in just 17.1 overs, wobbling from 14-1 to 28-4 as the pressure told, with Gary Hukins, Simon Wells and George Rivett all sent back without troubling the scorers. Matthew Carter was the story of the day — 6-10, a five-for and thoroughly deserved — with fine support from Thomas Beeney (2-9) and Joshua Knowler (2-16), the latter continuing a fine season that has him sitting second in the 1st XI wicket charts on 22. Piper's runs, too, keep him second in the season's run charts on 335.

A win by 107 runs, then, and a thumping one at that. Onwards.

Sun 19 Jul 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv TC Telston & Mereworth CC · HomeformWLWLL

As the honorary match reporter, here's the report:

Sunday 19 July brought us Telston & Mereworth in warm, showery conditions, and having called correctly at the toss I didn't need asking twice before electing to bat. A fine top-order effort saw us to 210/7 from our 40 overs, the Thirkell family doing rather more than their fair share of the graft — Christopher leading with 40, Daniel close behind on 37, and Nigel chipping in with a handy 30. A total to be proud of, and one that gave us licence to attack in the field.

And attack we did. Darrell Houghton-Judge was in irresistible form, ripping through the middle order for 3-32, with Tim Thirkell (2-26) and Martin Harris (2-37) offering fine support, while Thisal Perera bowled with a miser's discipline, sending down four maidens without conceding a run. Poor Jeremy Heap never troubled the scorers, gone for a duck, and though Chris Keeler (24), Chris Medhurst (22 not out) and Mark McCulley (21) fought gamely, the opposition could only muster 139/8. We were, admittedly, a touch generous with 23 wides and a no-ball — discipline for another day's lecture.

As for the skipper, a golden blob rather undermined any claims to leading from the front; a captain, it turns out, can also lead by example in humility. Still, none of that mattered come the close. A 71-run victory, two points banked, and thoroughly deserved — the bowlers and Thirkells did the talking, and I shall happily let them.

Sun 19 Jul 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Stowting CC · AwayformWLWLL

Sunday 19 July, and off we trundled to Stowting on an afternoon best described as warm, damp, and faintly ominous — the kind of day where the tea urn feels like the safest bet of the whole fixture. The coin, predictably, did not fall our way, and we were sent into the field.

Stowting crept to 128/9 from their forty overs, propped up by Troy Harding's unbeaten 30 and Andy Parmenter's 28, the pair conjuring a stubborn 61 for the ninth wicket that owed rather more to graft than glamour. Mark Graves departed without so much as a nibble at his stumps troubled — a duck to forget. But it was our bowling that told the story: Will Thirkell led the way with 2-12, well supported by Thomas Beeney's 2-22 and Tim Wright's 1-7, while Joshua Knowler locked things down with two maidens. Chris Newman, in among it all, quietly brought up 200 career wickets — a landmark worth raising a glass to.

Chasing 129, we barely broke sweat. Thirkell, evidently not content with his bowling figures, strode out and cracked a magnificent 87, adding 122 for the first wicket alongside James Piper's composed 26 not out. Job done in 14.5 overs, seven wickets in hand.

A thoroughly satisfying afternoon all round — two points banked, a milestone celebrated, and Thirkell reminding us why he opens both the bowling and the batting order of conversation in the clubhouse.

Sat 18 Jul 2015 🧢 2nd XIv OC Outwood CC · AwayformWLLWW

Skipper's Log, Saturday 18 July 2015 — away to Outwood CC, under skies that couldn't decide between warm and drizzly, much like our top order on a bad day. Lost the toss, they had first use of the wicket and posted a workmanlike 161/9 off their forty overs, John Hall the chief architect with an unbeaten 63, well supported by Nat Hiscocks' 25. Credit to the ball, though — Joe Martin ran through them with 4-18 and three miserly maidens, backed up nicely by Tobey Castle (2-22) and Ian Hollingworth (2-34). A total that looked competitive on paper but never quite felt it in the field.

Chasing 162, we made light work of it, wrapping things up in 25.2 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Joe Martin, clearly not content with his heroics in the field, added an unbeaten 73 with the bat, and I was delighted to contribute 60 of my own alongside him — the pair of us doing the bulk of the damage while Will Thew chipped in a breezy 21. Will did have a wobble behind the stumps, mind, with eight byes escaping his gloves in the drizzle — we'll blame the weather and move swiftly on.

An eight-wicket win, and Joe Martin continues his remarkable season, now top of the 2nd XI run charts and third among the wicket-takers — a genuine all-round menace to opposition and teammates' egos alike. A thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards.

Sat 18 Jul 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC Southborough CC · HomeformLWWWW

Saturday 18 July 2015, and Southborough CC came to Linton Park on an afternoon so warm and damp it felt like batting in a greenhouse. I lost the toss — no shock there, my coin-calling remains a weakness no amount of nets can fix — and we were asked to bowl.

Southborough set about building something respectable, and a 61-run second-wicket stand did the damage before we hauled them back. Kevin Matthews top-scored with a well-made 53, with Steve Smith (27) and Andrew Dennis (26) chipping in, and they closed on 175/7 from their 40 overs. Credit to the bowling unit for keeping it to that: Joshua Knowler led the way with 2-38, Matthew Carter matched him with 2-38, and Mark Christmas was tidiness personified, 2-44 with two maidens to show for his afternoon's toil.

Chasing 176, we barely broke sweat. Craig Sands and James Piper simply refused to be parted, cantering us home on 179/0 from 25.4 overs — Sands unbeaten on a fine 88, Piper equally serene on 73 not out. Poor Danny Coombs never got a bowl at it, watching from the boundary as the openers did all the work. A nice footnote for the scrapbook: Piper's 73 lifts him past Mark Christmas to 20th on the club's all-time run-scorers list. Sands, meanwhile, continues to lead our 2015 run charts with 790, with Christmas top of the wicket-takers on 25.

Ten wickets, no fuss, and home in time for tea. A very good day for the club.

Wed 15 Jul 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv LX Lord Cornwallis XI · HomeformLLWWD

The lads gathered under leaden July skies on the 15th, and I lost the toss — Dummy Site elected to bat, which on a warm, drizzly afternoon felt like the sort of decision I'd have quietly regretted too. And regret it we did, as W Montgomery treated our attack with the contempt reserved for club trundlers everywhere, cantering to a majestic 116. He had willing accomplices in D. Lock (34) and A. Newport (29), and by the time they declared us mercy at 261/5 from their 43 overs, the tea urn looked like our best hope of salvation. Tim Thirkell (2-41) and Thomas Beeney (2-63) at least kept the scoreboard honest, with Will Thirkell chipping in a wicket for good measure.

Chasing 262, we huffed and puffed to 171/9, Will Thirkell leading the reply with a gutsy 57, well supported by Sam Boyns (32) and Luke Welsman (23) — while poor Jordan Austin took the walk of shame for a duck. I'll confess to some quiet satisfaction in top-scoring myself with 57, though it barely dented the arrears. Craig Sands had a torrid time behind the stumps, leaking nine byes, proof if any were needed that drizzle and gloves rarely mix.

Amid the gloom, plenty to raise a glass to: Will Thirkell brought up 4,000 career runs and his 200th appearance in Linton colours, Tim Thirkell reached his 900th cap and climbed to 25th on our all-time wicket-takers list. Not our day, then — beaten by 90 runs — but with milestones like that, heads up and back to the nets we go.

Sun 12 Jul 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv RC Rolvenden CC · AwayformLWLWL

From the captain's chair, Sunday 12 July 2015: away to Rolvenden CC on an afternoon best described as pleasantly drizzly, the sort of day that makes you wonder whether the covers or the kettle will be needed first. I called correctly at the toss and, with rain in the offing and stubbornness in my heart, had no hesitation in choosing to bat. History, as it so often does with me, promptly disagreed.

We were bowled out for 99 in 25.5 overs, a total that flattered to deceive. Will Thew was the shining exception, batting with real substance for 44 while wickets fell around him like dominoes. Tim Wright, Martin Harris and Luke Welsman each contributed what the scorebook charitably calls a golden duck — three ducks in one innings takes a certain dedication, and I salute them for it.

With the ball, we at least made a fist of things. Martin Harris, clearly keen to atone, led the attack superbly with 1-8, while Ian Hollingworth and Thisal Perera chipped in with 1-9 apiece, Hollingworth's two maidens a picture of miserly restraint. Sadly Steve Stickels had other ideas, crashing a fine 52 to see Rolvenden home at 101/3 from 20.4 overs.

Beaten by seven wickets, then, and no arguing with it. Will Thew's 44 keeps him 5th in our Sunday runs charts, and Thisal Perera's lone wicket holds 5th in the bowling. We'll be better for it next week — we usually are, eventually.

Sun 12 Jul 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv WC Wye CC · HomeformWWLWL

Beloved friends, Sunday 12th July at home to Wye CC, and a drizzly afternoon that suited the bowlers rather better than it suited our chase. We lost the toss, were sent out to field, and watched Max Campbell compile a very fine 82, ushered along by Jack Kellam (40) and Robert Banks (27), as Wye posted 191 all out in 35.2 overs. Credit where due: Sam Boyns was in mesmeric form, spinning his way to 5-45, with Mark Christmas (2-34) and Thomas Beeney (2-36) chipping in nicely. Less creditable were the 24 extras we gifted them in wides and no-balls — the sort of hospitality that would make even the tea ladies blush.

In reply, James Piper batted beautifully for 62, and with Lewis Burnham (46) and Sam Boyns (28 not out) in support, and an opening stand of 112 that promised the earth, we looked set fair. Then, as club cricket so loves to remind us, 112-1 became 113-4 in the time it takes to put the kettle on, and Will Thirkell, Jordan Austin and Chris Newman all trooped back for ducks. As for your skipper, a golden blob — leadership by example, evidently not extending to the bat that day.

There was a silver lining: Mark Christmas's 17 runs edged him past Stuart Cheesman into 20th on the club's all-time run charts, a small mantelpiece moment amid the wreckage. We fell 12 runs short in the end. Character-building stuff — we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 11 Jul 2015 🧢 2nd XIv SK Sandhurst CC, Kent · HomeformWWLLW

Skipper's Log — Saturday 11 July 2015. A warm, overcast afternoon greeted Sandhurst CC, Kent, as we welcomed them to the ground, and by close of play I dare say we sent them home with more respect for Linton Park than they arrived with.

Batting first, we posted a serviceable 176/8 from our forty overs. Glen Rawson led the charge with a fine 48, well supported by Tobey Castle and Martin Harris, both making 31 apiece — and a magnificent 34 in extras, which I'm reliably informed counts on the scorecard even if it doesn't count for much in the pub afterwards. The Duck Club, alas, welcomed three new members in David Castle, Luke Welsman and Joe Martin, while your captain contributed his now-customary nought — a performance over which the club, and indeed I, shall draw a discreet veil.

In the field, Sandhurst fought hard, reaching 158/6, with Sam Barrett's 58 and Nigel Collison's unbeaten 57 threatening to spoil our afternoon. But Joe Martin, atoning handsomely for his duck, ripped through with 2-13, ably backed by Darren Styles (1-21, two miserly maidens) and Tim Wright (1-27). David Castle endured a torrid time behind the stumps, 11 byes testament to a tricky pitch rather than a lack of trying.

We held our nerve to win by 18 runs. A thoroughly good day for the club, ducks and all.

Sat 11 Jul 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lawrence CC · AwayformWLWWW

Saturday 11th July 2015, and the good ship Linton Park rolled up at St Lawrence CC with hope in our hearts and, as ever, a slightly wobbly top order in reserve.

Winning the toss, I sent us out to bowl first, and it proved a shrewd call. Thomas Beeney was magnificent, ripping through their order for 4-28, with Joshua Knowler (3-43) and Mark Christmas (1-24) mopping up the rest. Matt Young gave us a fright with a fine 67, well supported by Harry Hobbs's 24, but 147 all out from 26 overs left us a target that felt, for once, entirely gettable.

And gettable it was — eventually, and not without the odd grey hair along the way. Craig Sands set the tone with a superb 67, putting on 83 for the first wicket before the breakthrough finally came, and from there Mark Christmas (48 not out), James Piper (41) and yours truly (48) kept the innings ticking along nicely to 235/7. Poor Kevin Presneill, though, will want this one struck from the record — a golden duck to file away and forget. Mark Christmas had a busy afternoon behind the stumps too, leaking 8 byes for his trouble, though nobody was counting once the runs were in the bank.

Nice touches on the milestones board as well, with Stuart Cheesman climbing both the run-scoring and wicket-taking lists in the same afternoon. A three-wicket win, two points banked, and a thoroughly enjoyable day's cricket — St Lawrence gave us a proper game, but we always looked the happier side coming home.

Sat 04 Jul 2015 🧢 2nd XIv LC Locksbottom CC · AwayformLWWLL

Lost the toss at Locksbottom on Saturday and, as is tradition, watched the opposition captain make the correct decision and stick us in the field under a sky that threatened everything and delivered nothing. Will Whitton and Felix Habgood set about putting that decision to good use, cantering to 54 and 46 respectively as Locksbottom compiled 189 all out from 38 overs — though not without alarms of their own, Jamie Wells departing for a duck at our hands 🦆. It was Darren Styles who did the real damage, ripping through the middle order with a superb 5-35, well supported by Ian Hollingworth (2-21, with two maidens thrown in for the purists) and Tobey Castle (2-34).

Chasing 190, we made hard work of easy work in the way only village cricket can, but Joe Martin batted beautifully for an unbeaten 64, anchoring things while David Castle (31) and Richard Piper (29) chipped in around him. Tim Wright's contribution was, in the finest traditions of the club, precisely nothing 🦆, and I did my bit with a watchful 21. We got there with three balls to spare, 191/6.

Special mention for Chris Newman, who brought up his 200th appearance in Linton colours — a landmark rather more reliable than my batting. Joe Martin now leads the 2nd XI run charts and Darren Styles the wickets. A fine win by 4 wickets, and thoroughly deserved. Onwards 🏏.

Sat 04 Jul 2015 🧢 1st XIv LK Leigh CC, Kent · HomeformWWLWW

From the captain's chair — Saturday 04 July 2015, and a warm, rain-soaked afternoon at home to Leigh CC, Kent. I won the toss and elected to bat, and for once nobody could accuse the skipper of getting it wrong.

Craig Sands and James Piper set about proceedings in the manner of men who fancied a long stay, putting on 141 for the first wicket before either fell — Sands eventually out for a magnificent 76, Piper following with a well-made 55. Adam Jackson chipped in an unbeaten 27, I managed a watchful 21, and with 26 further runs gifted in extras we closed on a handsome 230/7 from our forty overs. Tea was taken with considerable satisfaction.

With the ball, the lads were relentless. Leigh's top order simply never got going — 7-1 inside the first exchanges, and by 64-7 the innings was in ruins, Thomas Beeney (3-22) the chief tormentor, well supported by Stuart Cheesman (3-32), Joshua Knowler (2-25) and the parsimonious Mark Christmas, two maidens and not a run given away lightly. Only Tim Piper (40) and Kieran Bence (24) offered real resistance, and an irritating last-wicket stand of 42 flattered the scorecard before all out for 111. Sam Stolton and Noah Zuberi will not trouble the scorebook — ducks both — though happily it mattered not a jot.

A special word for Craig Sands, who brought up 14,000 career runs for the club and continues to lead our season's charts with 635, with Mark Christmas topping the bowling on 22 wickets.

Won by 119 runs, two points banked, and thoroughly, unarguably earned.

Fri 03 Jul 2015 🧢 Twenty20v Sissinghurst CC · HomeformWWWLW

Friday saw Sissinghurst roll into Linton Park under a warm, drizzly sky, and when we lost the toss and were duly sent in to bowl, I confess my heart sank slightly — not the sort of afternoon for standing about in the outfield. But the lads had other ideas. Ryan Boyns steamed in like a man with somewhere better to be, snaring 3-16, while James Piper (2-5) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (1-10) mopped up nicely around him. Sissinghurst huffed and puffed their way to 111/9 off 19.5 overs, Gregory Keddy's 31 and Ben Methven's 30 the only real resistance, but it never felt like enough on a sluggish surface.

Chasing 112, we were, frankly, business-like about the whole affair — no fireworks, just good sense. Richard Piper anchored things beautifully with an unbeaten 37, and we eased home at 112/3 with overs to spare, drizzle and all.

Worth noting, for those keeping an eye on the season's ledger, that Richard Piper now leads our Twenty20 run charts with 52 for the year, while James Piper tops the wicket-takers with 3 — a fine advert for keeping it in the family.

All told, a thoroughly professional six-wicket win, achieved without fuss, drama, or (for once) a single dropped catch worth mentioning. Onwards indeed.

Wed 01 Jul 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC · HomeformLLLWW

From the captain's chair — Wednesday 01 July 2015, and Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC were the visitors on a scorching, showery afternoon that couldn't quite decide what it wanted to be, rather like my opening bowling figures on a bad day.

I called correctly at the toss, which is roughly as often as the tea urn works first time, and had no hesitation whatsoever in choosing to bat. It proved the right call. Will Thirkell led from the front with a fine 58, Sam Boyns gave the innings real backbone with a well-made 56, and Peter Whyte finished unbeaten on 43 to steer us to a handsome 212/3 from our 32 overs. Batting like that on a day threatening rain every twenty minutes takes some doing, and the lads deserve full credit for it.

With the ball we set about defending it, and for long periods looked to have Sevenoaks under the cosh. Thomas Beeney was the pick of the attack, tight as a drum with three maidens on his way to 2-29, and I chipped in with 2-31 myself for what it's worth. But Dominic Ramjag's 46 and a stubborn 40 from R Frazer, with O-Mayes unbeaten on 29, dragged the visitors to 171/5 from their 40 overs and out of our reach.

So honours shared, a draw when neither side could quite force the door open. With Thirkell now top of our Midweek XI run charts and Beeney lurking third among the wicket-takers, there's plenty to be cheerful about even in a stalemate. A fair result, if I'm honest — and on an afternoon like that, the weather probably had as much say in it as either team.

Sun 28 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Holcombe & Blue Bell Hill CC · AwayformWWWLW

Sunday 28 June found us on the road to Holcombe & Blue Bell Hill, under skies that couldn't decide whether they were being English or merely bloody-minded — a fine, persistent drizzle for company all afternoon. I lost the toss, was invited to bat, and can only assume our name is mud in whatever committee decides these things, because it always seems to go that way.

Batting first, we posted 171 all out in 39.3 overs — respectable rather than swashbuckling. Glen Rawson led from the front with 40, Richard Piper chipped in a tidy 35, and Benjamin Austin added 21. I managed 35 myself, quietly pleased not to have troubled the scoreboard's duck column, unlike poor Jordan Austin, Martin Harris and Nat Presneill, who all fell for nought — three quacks for the price of one. Extras kept us respectable with 29.

In the field, Tim Wright was superb, snaring 3-14, well backed by Martin Harris (2-21) and Thisal Perera (2-27), with Tom Day dismissed for a duck at our hands. But Rob Baldwin's unbeaten 48, alongside Ian Hayward's 34 and Lucas Perry's 25, steered the hosts home to 175/7, beating us by three wickets.

Glen sits second in the season's run charts, Tim fifth among the wickets — small consolations on a damp, deflating afternoon. We'll dust ourselves down and be sharper next week.

Sun 28 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv NC New Ifield CC · HomeformWLWLW

Sunday 28 June saw New Ifield CC visit us on a warm, damp afternoon, and having lost the toss I dutifully led us into the field — the sort of decision that reminds you cricket is not, in fact, a game of skill alone.

With the bat we posted a respectable 207 all out from 39 overs, built around a fine 102-run stand for the third wicket. I'll allow myself a quiet nod for 84 at the top, with Mark Christmas (53) keeping me honest and Riley Butler chipping in a useful 39. Less gloriously, Alex Wade, Luke Welsman and Gregory Ralph all trooped off for ducks — three blobs on the card is the sort of symmetry no captain enjoys.

Defending 207 should have been enough on most Sundays, but Lyle Wheeler had other ideas, cruising to 87 not out and, ably supported by Joe Lawrence's 55 and Gregg Dassrath's 32, saw New Ifield home on 208/2 with overs to spare. Will Thirkell toiled nobly with the ball — 1-19 and two maidens for his troubles — and Riley Butler chipped in with 1-38, but it wasn't quite our day. Luke Welsman had a torrid time behind the stumps too, 11 byes going begging.

Beaten by eight wickets, then, and no dressing it up. Still, Thirkell continues to top both our run and wicket charts this season, so the engine room is purring even if the chassis rattled today. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 27 Jun 2015 🧢 2nd XIv SC Speldhurst CC · HomeformWLWWL

Saturday 27th June saw Speldhurst CC visit us on a warm, overcast afternoon, and if I'm honest my first mistake of the day came before a ball was bowled — lost the toss, and they had no hesitation in sticking us in.

No matter: the lads set about repairing my luck with the bat. Glen Rawson led the way with a fine 47, Richard Piper chipped in an equally handsome 42, and Ian Hollingworth finished unbeaten on 25 to see us home to 240/7 from our forty overs — with the extras column doing its bit too, 34 of the most gratefully received runs of the innings. A score, we felt, with enough about it to trouble anyone.

Speldhurst, however, had other ideas. Chris Pannell played the innings of the day, an excellent 85, well supported by David Harris's unbeaten fifty and Peter K Eames's 49, and between them they hauled their side to 243/5 and a five-wicket win. Ian Hollingworth toiled manfully for his 2-17, two maidens included, with Luke Welsman and Tim Thirkell chipping in a wicket apiece — I even had a bowl myself for 42, though goodness knows what shape that was in.

Not all gloom, mind: Glen Rawson brought up 8,000 career runs for the club, and Richard Piper a staggering 12,000 — landmarks worth raising a glass to, whatever the scorebook said. But the scorebook doesn't lie, and this one reads defeat by five wickets. Heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 27 Jun 2015 🧢 1st XIv WC Withyham CC · AwayformWWWLW

Skipper's Log — Saturday 27 June 2015. Off we trundled to Withyham, lost the toss, and were duly invited to have a bowl first, which in captaincy terms is roughly the equivalent of being told to go and stand in the corner. Withyham set about building a total with George Smith (65 not out) and Michael Hodges (56) putting on a proper old-fashioned stand, with Harry Norton chipping in 20. At the other end it was a leaner time for some — Liam Cook and Michael Whitehead both walked back without troubling the scorers, ducks the pair of them. Credit where it's due though: Mark Christmas was superb, 3-24 with four maidens thrown in for good measure, well supported by Joshua Knowler's 3-28. 178/6 from their 40 overs felt like a competitive total, if not quite a match-winning one.

Poor Lewis Burnham had a torrid time of it behind the stumps — eight byes is the sort of afternoon that has a wicketkeeper lying awake counting sheep — but no matter, because Craig Sands and Daniel Thirkell simply took the game away from Withyham. Sands finished unbeaten on a majestic 80, Thirkell keeping him company with an equally polished 69 not out, and we cantered home at 179/1 with a full twelve overs unused. I even had a happy afternoon myself with three wickets to my name.

Nine wickets, and a stroll in the Kent sunshine. Sands now leads our run charts for the season with 559, Christmas tops the wickets with 21 — the engine room of this side is purring. A very good day for the club indeed.

Sun 21 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv HC Horton Kirby CC · AwayformWWLWL

Sunday 21st June saw us take the road to Horton Kirby, under skies that couldn't quite decide whether to shine or sulk, offering the occasional shower for variety. Put into the field, we watched Horton Kirby's openers set up camp and refuse to leave, putting on 110 before we so much as glimpsed a breakthrough — William Samuels and Nick Toomey building the kind of stand that has captains rearranging fields out of sheer desperation. Richard Pleydell went on to a fine 78, with Liam Kirby (46) and Gordon Watts (36) chipping in, and they closed on a formidable 239/8. Credit to the bowlers for hauling us back into it: Darrell Houghton-Judge did the heavy lifting with 3-40, Jack Gwynn and Nat Presneill weighed in, and Tim Thirkell's two maidens were about as generous as a Scrooge at Christmas.

Chasing 240 always promised a tale with a twist, and we duly obliged by losing our first wicket at 1-1 — the sort of start that has you reaching for the flask rather than the scorebook. But Glen Rawson had other ideas, playing a magnificent, chanceless 110 to drag us back into calm waters, with Tim Wright (33) and Christopher Thirkell (29) lending fine support in a third-wicket stand of 75. Poor Will Thew's golden duck will be filed, as ever, in the club's less illustrious archive.

We got home by three wickets — nervy in patches, glorious in Glen's case, and thoroughly deserved. Onwards to the next one.

Sun 21 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv SC Staplehurst CC · HomeformWWWWL

Sunday 21 June saw Staplehurst CC visit Linton Park, and having lost the toss I watched our opponents elect to field — never the news a captain wants on a warm Sunday, but the lads set about the job regardless. Sam Boyns anchored the innings superbly, finishing unbeaten on 35, with Adam Jackson (23) and James Piper (21) chipping in handsomely. Will Thirkell and Luke Welsman both departed for ducks, proof that the cricketing gods retain their sense of humour, and we closed on 158/9 from our 40 — respectable, if hardly imposing.

Defending it looked a tall order once Oli Henson got going, a class half-century of 59 anchoring a Staplehurst reply, ably supported by George Watts's 35 as the pair put on 94 for the fourth wicket and threatened to bat us out of it entirely. But Benjamin Austin turned the screw magnificently with 4-17, Sam Boyns backed up his batting with 3-26 and three tidy maidens, and Joshua Knowler chipped in with 2-35 to keep the required rate honest. Graham Ward and Tom Jessel departed without troubling the scorers, and Staplehurst folded for 156 in 34.3 overs.

As for the skipper — a golden blob, out first ball, which rather undermines any claims to leading from the front. Still, we scraped home by two runs, heart in mouth throughout. James Piper continues to top the Sunday run charts and Joshua Knowler the wickets, and on a day this tight, that's a very good day for the club indeed.

Fri 19 Jun 2015 🧢 Twenty20v Sissinghurst CC · AwayformLWWWL

Sissinghurst won the toss and, showing more optimism than local knowledge, stuck us in the field. On a Friday evening that felt more like a formality than an ordeal, we restricted them to 149/9 — a total that flattered them for about the first fifteen overs and then betrayed them entirely. Benjamin Austin was the chief architect of the collapse, 2-12 of genuine hostility, well supported by Joshua Knowler (2-13) and Martin Harris (2-14), while Aidan Child departed for a duck at our hands, which he will not thank me for mentioning. Colin Jenkins, to his credit, stood firm for an unbeaten 55 and dragged them to something resembling respectability.

Chasing 150 in twenty overs is never quite the stroll it looks on paper, and so it proved, but Will Thirkell set about it with real purpose, top-scoring with 47 and currently sitting proudly atop our 2015 Twenty20 run charts for his trouble. Jordan Austin chipped in nicely with 25, and the pair put on a crucial 54 for the third wicket that took the game away from Sissinghurst's grasp. Twenty-five extras did their bit too — not the stuff of legend, but runs are runs, and we were grateful for every one of them.

In the end we scrambled home by three wickets with the equivalent of five balls to spare, which is precisely the margin a captain likes best: comfortable enough to enjoy the tea, tight enough to make the walk off the field feel like an achievement. A thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 14 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday NVKCv SC Sibton Park CC · HomeformDLWLW

Sunday 14th June saw Sibton Park CC roll into Linton Park, and won toss I did, opting to bowl first. The right call, I felt at the time — and I'll be sticking to that story regardless of what follows.

Andy Allon had other ideas, though, compiling a chanceless century — 101 not out — while Martyn Wren (25) and Tim Bishop (22) offered polite support around him. Mark Christmas was our chief tormentor with 3-48, Joshua Knowler and Sam Boyns chipping in a wicket apiece, and there was some small consolation in seeing Josh Woodward walk back for a duck. But 208/7 from their forty overs always felt like a total with teeth.

Our reply never got going. Stuart Cheesman's 34 and Craig Sands' 33 were the only real resistance as we subsided to 114 all out — Jordan Austin and Matthew Carter both making the sorry walk back without troubling the scorers, swelling the club's Duck Ledger nicely. Small mercies: I picked up three wickets myself, and James Piper's unassuming 8 runs quietly nudged him past Paul Brattle into 22nd on the all-time run-scorers list, while he sits second in this season's run charts and Joshua Knowler leads the wickets.

In short: outbatted, outbowled, and out by 94 runs. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets we go.

Sun 14 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv High Halstow CC · AwayformWWWLW

Sunday 14 June saw us head out to High Halstow CC on a pleasant, damp afternoon, and the toss went their way — asked to bowl first, we'd have taken a bat and pad any day, but there we were. Adam Whatman had other ideas, ghosting to a serene 115 not out, while Ashley Trigg (69) and Tyler Dockwray (61) kept the scoreboard humming along nicely for their side. Forty overs later High Halstow had racked up 329/4, and honestly the lads did what they could — Tim Wright toiled hardest for his 2-82, with Nigel Thirkell (1-17) and Jacob Ryan (1-29) chipping in dutifully, like men bailing out a rowing boat with a teacup.

Chasing 330 was always going to ask questions of us, and we answered rather too honestly. Bowled out for 86 in 24.1 overs, with only Ray Dixon (20) putting up meaningful resistance. The Duck Club ledger swelled alarmingly — Leo Hodges, Jacob Ryan and Michael Beeney all making that lonely walk back for nought, three abreast in the procession. Poor Luke Welsman, meanwhile, spent the afternoon chasing leather behind the stumps, ten byes slipping through fingers that had surely earned a rest by tea.

Beaten by 243 runs, then — not our finest hour, though Ray sits proudly third in the Sunday 2nd XI run charts and Tim tops the wickets table, so all is not lost. A harsh afternoon in Kent, but we'll dust ourselves down and come back stronger next week.

Sun 14 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv PC Pluckley CC · AwayformWWWWW

Sunday 14 June 2015, and we rolled up at Pluckley CC under skies that could only be described as pleasantly damp — the kind of afternoon that makes an Englishman feel right at home with bat and ball. Put in first, we posted a healthy 185/4 from our forty overs, though not without an early wobble, losing a wicket with just 8 on the board. Credit to the lads for steadying the ship: a crucial second-wicket stand of 95 set the platform, and Lewis Burnham simply refused to get out, carrying his bat for a magnificent 104 not out. Richard Piper chipped in handsomely with 47, and, since I'm writing this and modesty only stretches so far, I'll mention I managed 47 of my own.

Defending 185 should have been enough, but Pluckley had other ideas. John Brasier played the innings of the day, 86 not out, well supported by Derrick Haynes's 26, and a second-wicket stand of 71 did the real damage after we'd nipped out their opener cheaply at 1-1. Alex Wade was superb with the ball, 4-29, backed up by Jack Gwynn and Burnham with a wicket apiece, while Cj Riley and Greg Rivers departed without troubling the scorers. Sadly our discipline went walkabout too — 28 wides and 3 no-balls is not the stuff of champions.

Beaten by 3 wickets in the end, then, with Glen Rawson still sat proudly second in this season's run charts on 118. Character-building stuff — we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 13 Jun 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Kemsing CC · AwayformLWLWW

Beaten by 59 runs, but I'll not have the lads hanging their heads too long — 250 chased in the field on a grey Kemsing afternoon was always going to want something special from us with the bat, and we came agonisingly short of it.

Losing the toss set the tone; Kemsing took first knock and made hay, Alan Parry compiling a fine 79 while Jake Wood (35) and Sam Marshall (24) chipped in, and that fourth-wicket stand of 68 was the platform we never quite managed to dismantle. Full credit to Tim Wright, mind, who bowled beautifully for 4-51 and, in doing so, sailed past 200 career wickets — a landmark worth raising a glass to, whatever the final margin. Darren Styles was miserly alongside him, four maidens and 2-12, with Darrell Houghton-Judge chipping in a wicket too. Ben Hafford and Brian Baldwin both went for ducks, so the Duck Club ledger swelled at both ends of the day.

Chasing 250, we never quite found our rhythm. Tim Wright led the reply with 36, backed up by Jamie Ratcliffe (27) and Glen Rawson (26), and a second-wicket stand of 64 promised much — but 93-3 unravelled to 99-6 before we'd caught breath, and when Chris Newman and Martin Harris both walked back for nought, the game was as good as up. Even our extras outscored several batsmen, 49 of them, with eight byes off Glen Rawson's day behind the stumps and a wasteful 26 wides doing little for our cause.

All out for 191, beaten by 59. Tim Wright's landmark, and his place atop both run and wicket charts this season, are the shafts of sunlight in an otherwise soggy afternoon. We'll regroup, tighten up in the field, and come back better next week.

Sat 13 Jun 2015 🧢 1st XIv Marden CC, Kent · HomeformWWWWL

As it stands, we've had worse Saturdays. Marden came to Linton Park on a pleasant, drizzly afternoon, I called it right at the toss, and there was never much doubt I'd stick us in to bat — 40 overs on a good outfield is made for filling one's boots.

Filled they duly were. We lost James Piper for a first-baller (he'll not thank me for the mention, but honesty is this column's watchword) and slipped to 0-1 early doors, which had me reaching for the flask rather earlier than planned. No matter — Craig Sands and Daniel Thirkell put that right and then some, adding 221 for the second wicket in the sort of stand that makes a captain look far cleverer than he is. Sands brought up a magnificent 143, Thirkell a classy 96, and 277/4 from our 40 overs was always going to take some chasing.

So it proved. Marden's reply never got out of second gear — 102 all out in 28.2 overs, Alex Newport's battling 48 the one bright spot amid a procession, three of them ducks. Joshua Knowler bowled beautifully for 4-28, Thomas Beeney chipped in with 3-17, Richard Knowler took one, and Mark Christmas bowled three tidy maidens for good measure.

Two points, 175 runs to the good, and Sands and Christmas both keeping their names atop the season's charts. A fine afternoon's work, and the tea urn has rarely been more deserved.

Sun 07 Jun 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Bredgar CC · AwayformLWWWW

Sunday, and the road took us to Bredgar under a sky that had clearly read the fixture list and decided overcast was the appropriate mood for the occasion. I lost the toss — a habit I'm cultivating this season, seemingly — and they had no hesitation in batting first.

For once the decision suited us nicely. Bredgar limped to 97 all out in 29.2 overs, with only Jonathan Knight's 29 offering any real resistance. Joshua Knowler was the chief tormentor, taking 4-21 with the sort of relentless accuracy that makes opening batsmen reconsider their life choices, while Mark Christmas and Will Thirkell chipped in with 2-13 apiece. Thirkell in particular bowled like a man with a grudge against boundaries, sending down four maidens and giving away barely a run he didn't have to.

Chasing 98 should have been a formality, and largely was, thanks to Jordan Austin's composed unbeaten 61 — a proper captain's-innings fifty, if I'm allowed to say so about someone else's. We got there in 15.3 overs for the loss of three wickets, though I must note, in the interests of full disclosure and the Duck Club ledger, that Benjamin Austin's contribution was a golden duck. The walk of shame was taken with admirable dignity.

Seven wickets the margin, and a thoroughly good day out. Knowler's wickets tally and Austin's runs continue to climb the season's charts, and if this is the standard, I shall try losing the toss more often.

Sat 06 Jun 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Marden CC, Kent · HomeformLLWLW

Saturday 06 June, and Marden CC came down the road to Linton Park under skies that couldn't quite decide whether to bother with sunshine. I won the toss - correctly called, thank you very much, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise - and batted without a flicker of doubt. Not that I'd have relished chasing on a slow outfield.

Tim Wright led from the front with a fine 49, Darrell Houghton-Judge chipped in a tidy 29 and Trevor Back's 21 kept things ticking, while the extras column, ever the reliable middle-order batsman, added a generous 32. All told, 195/8 from our forty overs felt like a total we could defend, if not one to write home about.

Defend it we did, though not without giving the opposition every encouragement. Joseph Young made an excellent 53 for Marden, well supported by Richard Thomas (37) and Adrian Young (28), and they finished on 187/6. Tim Wright, clearly not content with his runs, took 3-32 with the ball, Jack Gwynn snapped up 2-42 and Darren Styles 1-14. Less admirable was our generosity in the field - 26 wides is not a figure I'll be framing for the pavilion wall.

Still, we held our nerve and got home by 8 runs. Scrappy, occasionally chaotic, but a win's a win - and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sat 06 Jun 2015 🧢 1st XIv HC Horsmonden CC · AwayformWWWWW

Here's your match report:

Well, the coach set us down for Horsmonden on Saturday, and I lost the toss for my troubles, which meant an afternoon leather-hunting before we'd so much as had a cup of tea. Horsmonden batted with real purpose, racking up 222 for 8 off their forty overs, with Glen Christian's 38 and Josh Waters' 38 doing the early damage before Mike Jessop chipped in with 30. A seventh-wicket stand of 58 was the sting in the tail that really did for us. Mark Christmas toiled away superbly for figures of 2-35, with two maidens thrown in for good measure, and got support from Joshua Knowler (2-53) and Matthew Carter (1-26), but 222 always felt like a defendable total on that pitch.

Chasing it, we never quite found our rhythm. Daniel Thirkell battled to a fine 29, and we leant rather heavily on 31 extras just to keep the scoreboard ticking, but 88 for 5 became a rather alarming 103 for 8 before we knew what had hit us, and we were all out for 147 in the 32nd over. A proper collapse, the sort that has you staring into your tea rather than your teammates.

Craig Sands continues to lead our run charts this summer with 336, and Mark Christmas remains our leading wicket-taker with 17 — small crumbs of comfort on an afternoon that offered few. Beaten by 75 runs, then, and no arguing with it. Heads up, chins up, and back to the nets we go.

Sun 31 May 2015 🧢 Sunday NVKCv WC Wickham & Stodmarsh CC · HomeformWDLWL

Sunday 31 May 2015, and we welcomed Wickham & Stodmarsh to Linton Park under skies best described as damp and blustery — the sort of afternoon that makes winning the toss feel like a proper achievement. Win it I did, and with barely a moment's hesitation stuck them in, fancying there might be something in it for the bowlers.

For a while it looked a shrewd call. Wickham lost an early wicket with just 2 on the board and never quite settled, though a stand of 58 for the fourth wicket threatened to drag the game away from us before K Cahill fell for a golden duck at our hands. Joshua Knowler was the pick of the attack by some distance — 4 for 22, three of those overs maidens, proof that miserly and hostile can happily coexist — with Will Thirkell (3-36) and Thomas Beeney (1-13) chipping in nicely. A Hajilou's unbeaten 43, supported by Simon Mount's 31 and Ollie Hayward's 28, dragged them to a defendable-looking 129 for 8 off their 40.

Defendable, it turned out, was generous. Jordan Austin simply took the game away from Wickham with a magnificent unbeaten 86, ushered along by James Piper's composed 32 not out, and we knocked the runs off for the loss of precisely no wickets in 18.3 overs.

Ten wickets, two points, and not a bead of sweat wasted. A thoroughly earned win, and a fine afternoon's work all round.

Sat 30 May 2015 🧢 2nd XIv Bearsted CC · HomeformLLLWL

Saturday 30 May 2015, and Bearsted CC arrived to find Linton Park under a sky the colour of a well-worn cricket ball. I won the toss and didn't so much as pause for breath before choosing to bat — some decisions make themselves.

The lads duly obliged with 201/4 from our 40 overs. Jamie Ratcliffe played the innings of the day, a composed 55 not out, with Tim Wright (33 not out) and David Castle (30) lending sturdy support. Extras chipped in a generous 42 — practically an all-rounder in their own right. Spare a thought, though, for Richard Piper, whose duck adds another entry to the club's ever-growing waterfowl collection.

Defending 201 is a pleasant problem to have, and Bearsted never looked like solving it, subsiding to 123 all out in 36.2 overs. Stephen Pearce battled hard for his 63, but he had precious little support — Alex Dimmick and Paul Tinker both departed for ducks of their own, for a Piper-and-two-more flock on the day. Darrell Houghton-Judge was quite simply lethal, ripping through with 3-6, backed up admirably by Tim Wright (3-17) and Tobey Castle (2-22).

As for your correspondent — I too made a duck, and in the interest of dignity we shall move swiftly on. Joe Martin continues to lead the 2nd XI run charts on 131, with Houghton-Judge now top of the wicket pile on 8.

Verdict: a 78-run victory, two points banked, and thoroughly deserved — Bearsted simply had no answer.

Sat 30 May 2015 🧢 1st XIv FC Four Elms CC · AwayformWWWWW

The lads made the short trip down to Four Elms on a grey but perfectly agreeable Saturday, and having called it right at the toss, I didn't think twice about batting first — a decision that, for once, I shan't be second-guessing in the clubhouse this week. We were bowled out for 163 in the 40th over, with James Piper the undoubted star of the show, compiling a fine unbeaten 64, and Kevin Presneill chipping in handsomely with 30. Their second-wicket stand of 53 was really the innings' spine, though the card wasn't without its blemishes — both Adam Jackson and Joshua Knowler departed without troubling the scorers, much to their chagrin.

Defending 163 always felt like it would require some discipline, and so it proved. Four Elms battled to 151 for 7 from their 40 overs, with Stuart Bradley (28), Alan Crowhurst (26) and Clive Grierson (24) all threatening to spoil the party, aided by an opening stand of 52. But Mark Christmas was magnificent, snaring 4 for 39 including three tidy maidens, with Thomas Beeney (2-25) offering fine support — and I confess a quiet pride in taking 4 wickets myself. Poor Craig Sands endured a torrid time behind the stumps, 10 byes going begging, though he leads our run charts handsomely enough to be forgiven.

A word too for Glen Rawson, whose 3 runs eased him past Basil Sears into 15th on the club's all-time list — history quietly made amid the toil.

Twelve runs the margin, and thoroughly deserved. A proper team effort, and two valuable points banked.

Sun 24 May 2015 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv Stowting CC · HomeformLWWWL

I'll take a genuine crack at this straight away.

Sunday brought us Stowting CC and a suitably damp English afternoon — the sort of drizzle that makes you wonder whether you've chosen the right hobby, though nobody was complaining. I won the toss and had no hesitation in putting them in; call it captain's instinct, call it luck, but it proved the right call.

Stowting made a watchful start before Sam Pepper (31 not out) and Mark Farthing (30) built handsomely on a 58-run opening stand, with Mark Jackson (28) chipping in as they pushed to 188/5 from their 39.4 overs. George Sheen departed for a duck at our hands, small mercies. With the ball, Will Thirkell was superb, 3-23, while Jack Feehan (1-27, with two tidy maidens) and Tim Wright (1-46) kept things honest. Not a total to be sniffed at, but gettable.

And what a chase it turned out to be. Will Thirkell, having done the damage with ball in hand, then did something rather more spectacular with the bat — a magnificent 129, anchoring an 82-run opening stand and carrying us to 189/6 in 36.5 overs, with Tobey Castle a handy 24 in support (his ten byes behind the stumps were, I felt, a fair trade for his effort). Riley Butler's duck was the only real blot on an otherwise golden afternoon, and 28 wides and 7 no-balls reminded us discipline is a work in progress.

Four wickets and two points, thoroughly earned. A day, frankly, that Will Thirkell can call entirely his own — and one the rest of us are happy to bask in the reflected glory of.

Sun 24 May 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv BC Benenden CC · AwayformWLWWW

Sunday 24 May, and off we trundled to Benenden with the sun out and my toss-calling arm evidently well-rested — heads it was, and I had no hesitation in sticking Benenden in. First use of the new ball is a captain's privilege I don't often get to enjoy, and for once it paid off: they were bowled out for 164 in 28.3 overs. Neal Metcalf's 31 was the backbone, with Mike Metcalfe (30) and Andrew Morrison's unbeaten 25 lending a hand, but Thomas Beeney was in irresistible form, ripping through with 3-6 and two miserly maidens, while Sam Boyns (2-2) and Nat Presneill (2-25) tidied up the rest. T. Botson and James Glean barely troubled the scorers.

Chasing 165, we made harder work of it than the bowlers deserved, stumbling to 166/8 in 35.2 overs. Thomas Beeney, clearly not content with just bowling us to victory, top-scored again with a composed 32 not out, well supported by Glen Rawson's 30 and Darrell Houghton-Judge's 20 — though Lucas Sheppard and Bradley Howard both made the long walk back for nought, and even 30 extras had to be summoned to get us over the line. Nine byes suggested Glen Rawson was having rather a testing afternoon behind the stumps, and as for the skipper — a golden blob, proof that leading by example doesn't always extend to the bat.

Small consolation: Rawson's 30 nudges him to 16th on the all-time run charts, and he now sits second in this season's run-scoring, with Beeney topping the wicket pile on 8. A scruffy, nervy, thoroughly typical two-wicket win. Onwards.

Sat 23 May 2015 🧢 2nd XIv BC Betsham CC · AwayformWLLLW

Beaten by two wickets at Betsham, but honestly, I've seen worse Saturdays in worse cardigans.

We lost the toss, were sent out to field, and later found ourselves scratching around for 143/9 in our forty overs on a damp, muggy afternoon that never quite decided what it wanted to be. David Castle was the mainstay with a fine 43, and Richard Piper chipped in nicely with 33, but the middle order rather melted away around them. Special mention, as ever, to the Duck Club — Tim Wright took the long, lonely walk back for nought, and will no doubt be reminded of it at every opportunity between now and Christmas.

With the ball we scrapped hard. Darren Styles was superb, 3-31 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure, well backed up by Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-17) and Tobey Castle (1-10). But Jerome Adams had other ideas, playing a lovely 81 that simply wouldn't be shifted, with Tom Reardon's 20 lending useful support, and Betsham crept home on 144/7 with three overs unused. I did my bit with 33, for what little comfort that offers now.

There was a bright spot amid the gloom — Darren Styles's three wickets nudged him past Alan Wilkes and into sixth on the club's all-time list, which is no mean feat and thoroughly deserved. Darrell Houghton-Judge, meanwhile, continues to lead our 2nd XI's 2015 wicket charts and sits second in the run charts.

All in all: outplayed rather than outclassed, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 23 May 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC Shoreham (Kent) CC · HomeformWWWWW

Saturday last, we welcomed Shoreham (Kent) to Linton Park under grey skies that threatened more than they delivered — pleasant enough, if a touch damp underfoot, which is as English a start to a match report as you'll find.

Batting first, we set about building something substantial. Craig Sands played the innings of the day, a magnificent 115, while Daniel Thirkell chipped in a handsome 61 and James Piper a tidy 25 alongside him — the pair adding a crucial 102 for the second wicket after we'd raced to 93 before losing our first. Add in 31 generous extras from our guests, and 266/4 from 40 overs felt like a total to defend. As for my own contribution — nought, and the less said the better. We shall draw a veil over it, as promised.

With the ball, we were rather more untidy than we'd like, spraying 19 wides and 5 no-balls about the place like confetti at a wedding nobody quite wanted to attend. But Richard Knowler (2-20) led the attack beautifully, well backed by Thomas Beeney (2-28) and the miserly Martin Harris (2-31, two maidens), and despite Tim Waymouth's battling 37 and James Trick's 23, Shoreham subsided to 155/9.

A win by six wickets, then — untidy in the field, magnificent with the bat, and with Craig Sands now purring along at 310 runs for the season. Onwards indeed.

Sun 17 May 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv TC Tyler Hill CC · AwayformWWLWW

It was the sort of Sunday that reminds you why you bother pressing your whites in the first place. Won the toss at Tyler Hill, and with barely a glance at the sky I stuck us in to bat — occasionally I get one right. James Piper decided he'd rather bat all afternoon than field, and who were we to argue: 115, a proper hundred, the sort of innings that makes the tea urn taste sweeter. Laurie Probert chipped in with 32 and Mark Christmas finished unbeaten on 24, the pair of them stitching in a handy 89 for the fourth wicket after Piper had done the heavy lifting elsewhere. Not everyone had their name in lights, mind — Glen Rawson, Tim Wright and Joshua Knowler all took the long, lonely walk back for nought, and the Duck Club ledger groans under the weight of new entries. Still, 219/7 from our forty overs was a total worth defending.

And defend it we did. Tyler Hill made a fight of it early, losing a wicket with just 7 on the board to set the nerves jangling nicely, and Karl Sutcliffe departed for a duck of his own to balance the books. Adam Arnold's fifty, backed by Dan Savage's 32 and Gary Rowlands' 30, threatened to make a match of it, but Tim Thirkell was magnificent with 4-28, Sam Boyns weighed in with 4-38, and even your captain managed four wickets for the afternoon's ledger. All out for 176.

A 43-run win, then, and Piper's ton nudges him to 23rd on the all-time run charts. Onwards, gentlemen — onwards.

Sat 16 May 2015 🧢 2nd XIv OC Outwood CC · HomeformWWLLL

We got over the line, and if I'm honest, the lads did most of the work while I stood at mid-off making encouraging noises. Winning the toss on a pleasant, overcast Saturday, we chose to bat, and it turned into one of those afternoons where you look up at the scoreboard and can barely believe it's your own club's name against it. Joe Martin played the innings of the season — 108 not out, an absolute masterclass — with Darrell Houghton-Judge chipping in a fine 35 in support. Jamie Ratcliffe, Nat Presneill and Russell Dack all contributed the same number to the cause: nought. Still, 222/9 from our forty overs, helped along by a generous 37 extras from Outwood, was a total that had us feeling rather pleased with ourselves at tea.

Then came the small matter of defending it. Paul Jackson and Al Knight both made a battling 33 apiece and for a while threatened to make a proper contest of it, but Joe Martin, not content with his hundred, turned his arm over to devastating effect — 3-22 — with Russell Dack (2-24) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-33) mopping up either end. Neil Greenhalgh's duck at our hands was, I confess, rather satisfying to witness.

Outwood were bowled out for 156 in the thirty-ninth over, and we ran out winners by 66 runs. Joe Martin now leads our run charts and Darrell our wickets — and on this evidence, long may both continue. A thoroughly good day for the club.

Sat 16 May 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC Southborough CC · AwayformWWWWW

We travelled to Southborough on Saturday 16 May, and with the coin obliging, I saw no reason not to bat first — a decision I stand by, though for three overs it looked distinctly shaky after we shed an early wicket with just 3 on the board. Craig Sands settled things with a fine 60, and Adam Jackson kept him honest with 59, the pair putting on a crucial 117 for the fourth wicket that turned a wobble into a total. Mark Christmas chipped in with 38, wickets tumbled in a late flurry from 185-6 to 195-9, and poor Luke Welsman departed for a golden duck — all out 195 from our 40 overs.

Defending that in the field, we set about Southborough with real purpose. They too lost an early wicket for nought, and Paul Spencer's 42 (with support from Steve Smith's 35 and Imran Jameel's 25) built a fourth-wicket stand of 75 that threatened to make a match of it — before we ran through the tail in a hurry, 141-7 to 148 all out, with David Smith, Robert Hood and Jansher Afridi all sent back for ducks. Mark Christmas was superb with the ball, 3-25, backed up handsomely by Richard Knowler (3-25) and Matthew Carter (2-24), while Joshua Knowler kept the miser's faith with two maidens. I'll modestly note my own 38 with the bat and 3 wickets with the ball didn't hurt either.

Craig Sands now tops our 2015 run charts and Mark Christmas the wickets — fitting, given both were central here. A 47-run win, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sun 10 May 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Beckenham CC · HomeformWWWLW

Sunday 10 May brought Beckenham to Linton Park under a kindly overcast sky, and I'll confess I rather enjoyed the batting exhibition that followed. Craig Sands set the tone with a fine 67, and once he and Glen Rawson got themselves stuck together the runs simply refused to stop coming — 104 for the fourth wicket, thank you very much. Rawson finished unbeaten on 53, James Piper chipped in a handy 32, and even the extras column had a day out with 34. Not everyone found their range — Richard Piper and Jordan Austin both departed for golden ducks, proof that even in a total of 213/6 there's room for humility.

Defending it, we didn't so much strangle Beckenham as gently deflate them. Duncan Tyler played the only substantial innings of note with 41, well supported by James Jones and C Gunning, but Thomas Beeney was in inspired form — 3/18 with three maidens thrown in for good measure, the sort of spell that has the tea urn talking. Nat Presneill and Darrell Houghton-Judge tidied up either end, and Matt Mckeogh joined the golden duck club for good measure. Poor Glen Rawson had a busier afternoon behind the stumps than in front of them, shipping 8 byes — though nobody begrudged him after that half-century, which nudges him past John Ames into 17th on the club's all-time run list.

I contributed a workmanlike 19 and mostly stayed out of the way. A 64-run win, and a thoroughly good day for the club.

Sat 09 May 2015 🧢 1st XIv SC St Lawrence CC · HomeformWWWWW

Skipper's Log, Saturday 09 May 2015. St Lawrence CC visited us on a blustery, overcast afternoon of the sort that makes you wonder whether you've packed enough jumpers, and having won the toss I had no hesitation in taking first knock — a decision I'm rather pleased to say vindicated itself handsomely.

The lads set about building a proper total. Glen Rawson (46) and Richard Knowler (22) got us moving, but it was the sixth-wicket stand that turned the innings, Mark Christmas and his partner putting on a priceless 82 together. Christmas finished unbeaten on a splendid 70, and with 26 extras thrown in for good measure we closed on 205/6 from our 40 overs — a total that felt like it had a bit of steel in it.

St Lawrence gave it a real go, Roger Sayer (51) and Thomas Cobb (36) sharing 65 for the second wicket, but once that partnership broke the rest of the innings unravelled in a hurry — 166/7 to all out for 167 almost before I'd finished my tea. Matthew Carter was magnificent with 4-29, ably backed by Mark Christmas (2-21) and Martin Harris (2-31), while Joshua Knowler's three maidens strangled the life out of them.

A day of landmarks besides — Carter through 500 career wickets and up to 14th on the all-time list, Christmas's 70 lifting him to 21st on the run-scorers' roll. We got home by 38 runs. A very good day for the club indeed.

Mon 04 May 2015 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Selsdon CC · HomeformLLLLW

James Piper's 80 rescued a slightly damp Bank Holiday Monday, and did it in some style — carting us to 189/7 in 33.2 overs and, along the way, easing past Kevin Presneill into 24th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, which is either a great honour or a sign of how long some of us have been turning out for this club without troubling such lists ourselves. Will Thirkell's 40 gave the innings a second wind, and I contributed 40 of my own, mostly by refusing to get out through sheer bloody-mindedness. Ray Dixon, meanwhile, made his way back to the pavilion for a duck, and was welcomed with the sympathy such occasions demand.

The toss went against us and Selsdon chose to field, which in hindsight did them no favours whatsoever, because once we had the ball in hand the afternoon turned thoroughly one-sided. Luke Welsman was magnificent, ripping through them with 4-11, while Matthew Carter matched him wicket for wicket with 4-16 and two tidy maidens besides — not a run given away lightly, as the saying goes. Jack Dinning's 39 was the one real bright spot for the visitors, but with Martin Bruce, Grant Francis and I Flatman all back in the shed without scoring, Selsdon subsided to 71 all out in just 19.2 overs.

A victory by 118 runs, then, and a genuinely good day for the club — drizzle, ducks and all. If this is what damp Mondays at Linton Park produce, I shall be praying for rain all season.

Sat 02 May 2015 🧢 2nd XIv OC Offham CC · HomeformLWWLL

Saturday last, we welcomed Offham CC under skies that couldn't quite decide whether to bother with the sun, and neither could our fortunes. Losing the toss meant we were sent into the field first, and while there's a certain honest pleasure in bowling first on a cool afternoon, watching Luke Harcourt compile an unbeaten century was not quite the pleasure I had in mind. Graham Razey chipped in with a handsome 57, the pair's stand of 92 for the third wicket doing the real damage as Offham closed on a formidable 237/5. Joshua Knowler was our pick with the ball, tidy figures of 1-25, with Martin Harris and Darrell Houghton-Judge lending honest support.

Chasing 238 was always going to ask questions of us, and we didn't much care for the answers. An early wicket with just 6 on the board set the tone, and though Glen Rawson battled to an unbeaten 40 and Richard Knowler added 33 in a 57-run second-wicket stand, the rest of the order rather declined the invitation to bat. Nine byes went begging behind the stumps on a tricky afternoon for the gloves, and the Duck Club welcomed three new members in Nalaka Perera, Joshua Knowler and Thisal Perera — your correspondent included, for what it's worth, having contributed rather less than nothing myself.

All told, 105/7 was never troubling 237, and we went down by 132 runs. Not our finest hour, but heads up and back to the nets — there's cricket yet to be played.

Sat 02 May 2015 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · AwayformWWWWW

On a soft Saturday down at Bidborough, we lost the toss, were put in, and set about the afternoon's business with the bat.

It didn't start well — 0-1 had the tea urn practically boiling before we'd settled — but Kevin Presneill and Craig Sands steadied the ship with a stand of 93 for the second wicket that was as good as anything we've managed all season. Then, as is our club's proud tradition, we contrived a collapse of genuinely alarming speed, 93-2 becoming 98-5 while several of us were still queuing for tea, James Piper's duck the least surprising entry on an otherwise chaotic scorecard. Presneill's fifty and useful runs from Sands (36) and Tim Wright (28) hauled us to a respectable 170/7 from our forty overs — no classic, but enough to bowl at.

And bowl at it we did. Mark Christmas was the story of the innings, prising out 3-19 with a couple of maidens thrown in for good measure, ably backed by Tim Thirkell (3-33) and Thomas Beeney (2-27) — even the skipper managed three, which around here counts as a minor miracle. Bidborough were shot out for 133, Dale Hillhouse departing without troubling the scorers, and we strolled home by 37 runs.

A tidy footnote: Craig Sands's 36 eased him past Trevor Back into 7th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while he and Christmas continue to top this year's batting and bowling charts respectively. All told, a scratchy batting effort rescued by proper bowling — the sort of win that flatters the scorecard rather more than the performance, and we'll happily take it.

Sun 26 Apr 2015 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv BC Brasted & Sundridge CC · HomeformWWWWL

It was 26 April, and as I stood there flipping the coin against Brasted & Sundridge, I confess a small part of me hoped to lose it and let someone else make the big calls under that grey Kentish drizzle. No such luck — coin came up my way, and with the outfield damp and the air cool enough to make you question your life choices, I sent us in.

Whatever doubts I had were answered in style. James Piper played the innings of the season, a magnificent 103, and he and his opening partner put on 141 before a wicket was so much as troubled — the kind of stand that makes captaincy feel easy. Will Thirkell's 34 and Glen Rawson's 33 kept the momentum ticking over, and we finished a commanding 223/6 from our forty. Not everyone had a day to remember, mind — poor Ray Dixon walked back for a golden duck, and I trust the tea-hut ribbing was suitably merciless.

With the ball, we simply never let them breathe. Two down for one run set the tone, and from 13-3 to 22-6 the innings all but disintegrated in front of us. Nat Presneill was superb, 3-26, well backed by Thomas Beeney's miserly 2-0 with four maidens, and Ray Dixon chipped in too. Only Fraser McGregor, with 23, showed any real resistance as they folded for 50. I even got among the runs myself with 34, and a word of real cheer — Kevin Presneill's 14 nudged him past James Piper on the all-time run list.

A 173-run win, and thoroughly deserved. Frankly, they never had a prayer.

Sat 25 Apr 2015 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformWWWWW

Saturday 25 April 2015 saw us make the trip to Headcorn on a damp but agreeable afternoon, and winning the toss I had no hesitation in taking first knock — a decision I'm rather pleased to say vindicated itself before tea. Craig Sands played the innings of the day, 99 crafted with real class (agonisingly short of the century, though nobody had the heart to mention it to him), well supported by Glen Rawson's 28, the two of them putting on a crucial 86 for the third wicket to carry us to a healthy 183 for 5 from our 40 overs.

Defending that total, the bowling took on a life of its own. Mark Christmas was the pick of the attack with 3 for 29, backed up nicely by Matthew Carter (2-17) and Thomas Beeney (2-19), while Joshua Knowler bowled two miserly maidens to choke the scoring. I'll confess to a quiet satisfaction at picking up 3 wickets myself. Simon Phipps (36) and James Barker (30) threatened to make a match of it, with Richard Lockie chipping in 25, but Alan Abbott and Richard Hamill both departed without troubling the scorers, and Headcorn fell short at 148 for 9.

Ten byes conceded made for an uncomfortable afternoon behind the stumps for Craig Sands, though he'll happily take that trade given his exploits with the bat — exploits, incidentally, that nudged him past Tim Thirkell into 8th on the club's all-time run-scorers list. A 35-run victory, and a thoroughly good day for the club.