Played at Springfield Park, Hackney

By Rafe Smallman (Captain)

This was a game in which every Old Fallopian played their part in ensuring their first win over Shakespeare in the five years the two teams have been playing.

In a game reduced to 30 overs a side due to a logistical problem in starting the game, [we went to Mill Field first! - Ed] the Old Fallopians bowled with great discipline, finding a good line and length and using the spicy pitch to their advantage.

This accuracy was maintained throughout the thirty overs, with all 8 bowlers asking questions of the batsmen, from the pace of Tim Castle to the flight of Will Hopson-Hill.

At no point did the batsmen look comfortable and the Old Fallopians were able to prevent any big partnership building by taking regular wickets. Shakespeare ended up scoring 127 runs, a total that seemed comfortable to chase.

Following a lovely tea [provided by Jo Smallman - Ed] the Old Fallopians got the chance to see how comfortable it was going to be. It quickly became clear that the Shakespeare bowlers were equally adept at bowling accurately and using the pitch.

Two good innings by Jonathen Stebbins and Greg Clifford brought the Old Fallopians close to the finishing line, but it needed Nick Clarke's calm defense to ensure they crossed it without biting off all their finger nails.

A good display for the first game of the season bodes well for the future, long may the winning streak continue!

[The evening was rounded off with drinks by the canal at the Anchor & Hope, with the temperature dropping in the waterside breeze - Ed]

John Shaw adds:

O Captain My Captain (and of course Tim,-- Mate, not Cabin Boy)
....done.... but for one small score to settle.....

I wouldn't normally give a toss about press bias and inaccuracies, but the publication with such alacrity of my miserable midweek bowling figures coupled with my best weekend efforts for quite some time make it vital for my self-esteem to so do.

A slightly more careful check on the original scorebook figures than the hasty totalling possible at the time reveals not the pretty good 5-0-9-2 but an even more cheering
5-2-4-2.

Bill Frindall spins at the injustice as I write but it seems unlikely that history, once printed, will be altered to take account of truth. And no, it is no consolation to be quietly pleased and then be ribbed later.

However.....Great Captaincying, Excellent Interwebsitemanaging and finally - Buff Tea, Bro' (as we old Bearded Wonders used to say) must now become- Buff Tea, Jo.

John

[We've corrected the score - Ed]
 

Happy campers: (Standing L-R) Tim Castle, Rafe Smallman, Jonathan Stebbins, Will Hopson-Hill, Peter Frisby, Steve Ward, John Shaw; (Kneeling L-R) Jo Smallman, Nick Clarke, Aman Pattar; (Sitting L-R) Greg Clifford, AK Southey