SCORECARD

Fun in the Sun Ends Losing Streak

Old Mo 222-8, Highcroft & Great Barr Unity 120 all out

Fitmen win by 102 runs

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it
And you’ll just about keep your sanity whilst captaining the Fitmen!!

So it was during a week when the team varied between - and not necessarily in this order - 11, 5, 8, 6, 9, 11,10 and eventually 11 players, due to a bizarre astrological conjunction causing amongst others a weekends 40th birthday- cum-synchronised vomiting on Ibiza, sprained ankles, injuries to partners, forgotten family get-togethers and fallen shop signs.

Great work by the Chairman saw Chris Jones join the fold; the Kings Heath Primary School Mafia recruited Chris Lowe and another Sportsman turncoat was found in the form of Mike Allen-Smith (we’re getting posh now, aren’t we lads?). All of the debutants performed brilliantly, as will be revealed later.

Toss was won by the Chairman in the absence of the Captain stuck in the carnage of the Balsall Heath roadworks. However, the powers of telepathy saw to it that the same decision was made and on a flat, dry wicket and fast outfield the Fitmen opted to bat.

Enter Tom Caesar and Rich Bice into the fray, both looked in good form, executing flowing cover drives that provided a feast for the eyes before Bice was unexpectedly bowled. Butcher and Chris Jones soon followed for 2 apiece and with the score standing at 44-3 a good partnership was needed to rebuild the innings. Enter the returned to form Mark Tucker, who accompanied Tom past his 50 and then onto 38 himself, before a brilliant running catch in the deep led to his demise, with the score standing on 128. Geraint Evans and Monsieur le Capitan came and went without troubling the scorers too much and shortly after Tom was unfortunately run out for 76, with a century ready for the taking. With the score on 171-8 in the 37th over, the target of 200 was looking remote.

However, Chris Lowe and Guy Brentnall, hadn’t read the script and unleashed an assault on the opposition bowling that yielded 51 runs in 23 balls. Carnage ensued, with 22 off the penultimate over being the highlight.

And so to tea with a “Double Nelson” to reflect upon and a hot pasta dish to feast upon, in accompaniment to the sandwiches and scones.

The Highcroft openers didn’t seem fazed by their target and more than happy to punish anything short and wide, though the Chairman was his usual parsimonious self. Guy broke through in the 5th over, with a perfect Yorker on middle-and-off, but the other opener was proving a handful, even though most of his scoring shots were on the leg side.

A change of bowling saw Butcher account for the opener, courtesy of deceptive flight and a smart stumping. Then the benefits of placing a safe pair of hands in the deep resulted in smart catches by Tom to dismiss the dangerous looking numbers 3 and 5 batsmen and provide Butcher with 2 more victims. In between, in a return to form Geraint Evans rattled the timbers to reduce the opposition to 72-4 after 18 overs.

With the (relative) luxury of a large target and an ever-increasing run-rate, frequent bowling changes were the order of the day, such that 7 bowlers saw action. After a brief cameo, the Highcroft number 6 fell to the Chairman, who was immediately removed from the attack to allow Chris Jones to bowl his first overs in “a number of years”. A return of 2 for 11 certainly sent him home with a sense of well-being. Bice chipped in with a wicket courtesy of the Chairman’s catch at point and Chris Lowe was all set for a bowl, before Geraint saw to the final batsman with a smart catch off Mike Allen-Smith.

All told, a first class team effort, in which every player contributed in some way to the cessation of the losing streak.

Editors Note: If you're reading this, then the chances are the CIA in Langley are reading this too, though what they'll make of it I'm not too sure, seeing as Americans have no understanding whatsoever of the wonderful subtleties of cricket. What's that black limo that's just drawn up outside and who are those men in dark suits and sunglasses? Sorry, got to go...