How was that!!
AS IT HAPPENED IT WAS PRETTY GOOD. The first inter-village 20-over non-league
cricket match took place on Sunday 26 June - exactly six months after Prior
and Bulbeck met for their annual boxing day hockey match - which Prior won -
yet again.
To avenge the apparent endless hockey defeats Bulbeck put everything they had into winning this cricket match. And Prior were nervous. It was magnificent weather, not too hot, with a gentle breeze, a good pitch had been prepared, the whites had been well-ironed, the ball was new, and the choice crowd settled down in expectation of a grand game with, by chance, the two goalkeepers in the hockey match being the two wicket keepers.
Bulbeck batted first and began to look quite dangerous especially when the Prior bowling policy seemed to allow 2 overs to each player no matter how well they bowled. So there was an interesting variety of bowling some of which Bulbeck milked. Dominic Bowers bowled a wide and then got his only wicket with a ball which appeared to drop vertically out of the sky onto the stumps. Bob Matheson took three wickets and just missed his hat trick, Anthony Osborne also took three, but what really stumped Bulbeck were the two maiden overs of Micky Brooks together with the return of the Prior opening bowlers. Bulbeck in their twentieth over were bowled out for 77. This may not appear a lot but recently Australia were bowled out for 75 - so Bulbeck did better than that. Cricket is not just a matter of ability - it's also a question of nouse. If Geoff Boycott or Freddie Trueman had reported this match they would have pointed this out. Both felt that because they didn't come from the area and spoke funny that they might not be welcome. Anyway, nouse is what it is all about. Clive Riggs, Prior captain, reckoned that some volunteers ought to go in as sacrificial lambs to the Bulbeck spearhead bowling. He suggested this to one player who in very strong vernacular thought he should look elsewhere.
So in they went, over the top, and down they went - Clive Riggs 2, Dominic Bowers 0. Paul Latchford 0, Anthony Osborne 0 - and Prior were reeling at 17 for 4 in the 3rd over with only Josh Willmott holding out until that demon bowler David Towriss had completed his allowed maximum 4 overs.
What leadership, and what captaincy, because now the "belters" came in. (Explanation: in 20 over cricket a batsman has to retire once he has hit 20 runs, though he is able to bat again if all his side are bowled out). Richard Mead (a last minute replacement) hit 20 runs (retired), Mike Carrington played a stylish 6 as foil to Tim Doe 20 runs (retired) and the winning run was struck by Micky Brooks (another last minute replacement) who was also man of the match because of his brilliant fielding and strategically important bowling. Swaffham Prior scored 78 for 5 with 5 overs to spare
'Twas a great day, a wonderful atmosphere, an event to be repeated and special thanks to the groundsman, the umpire Steve Kent-Phillips, the scorers, the tea ladies, and to the Bulbeck captain John Trapp and his sporting team.