THE FIRST DAY OF THE NEW TERM heralded a change or two. Stonor have invested in pitch covers on wheels which is a bonus. There is a smart display cabinet in the pavilion, the sort of thing you find in a hotel foyer. Some things don’t change and the kick-off time of 11.30 proved optimistic. We started at 12.30.

Midnight C.C. are a very decent and agreeable side of butch men under 30. The Jacobite Chancers are the only other team we play without a single Old Fart. On Saturday we had 5 men over 50 (some the wrong side of 55) and only 3 under 40. Yet there were those among us who looked like they had weathered the winter well, notably Martin and Dennis who had been playing in the West Indies and looked fit. Unfortunately, in Martin’s case this was a delusion as he was crocked and couldn’t bowl.And didn’t bat. But he captained with his customary skill and tact.

Midnight won the toss and batted and started ferociously, although come the fourth ball their opener skied one to James Nixey at deep square leg who ‘lost it’ in the background (the sky). He conceded later that he was not primed to take a catch quite so soon. In no time they were 50 or so, scoring at 8 an over. They lost a couple of wickets before lunch, one to Nixey who conned their batsman with the three card trick – three wides followed with one on the wicket. Clever. LBW and out. Rodri, a proper cricketer, bowled a good batsman (they batted solidly down to no. 8) with one on the wicket, a cunning full toss. We might have gone into lunch (100 or so for 2) with another wicket but for a piece of theatre from skipper Bowden. A batsman got a top edge and the ball flew up, up and up above Martin who cried ‘Mine!’ with the certain air of one who is both accustomed to command and to plucking balls effortlessly from the air. In the event he was nowhere near it. Oeuf sur le visage…

After lunch (thank you, Sarah) they continued to chase runs but wickets fell to LBWs (the umpires were a little generous), a run out (some rather slow-motion if effective work from Linthwaite), a clean bowled or two (Dennis, Gareth), and a fine catch by Adam running (loping) to his left when all seemed lost. Freddie from Sweden, a wonderful athlete if not classical cricketer, caught a contender for Catch of the Season running around the boundary to catch a powerful skied shot from their top scorer (80 odd). But it was Rico Wilson whose 5 wickets made the difference from a projected score of 300 at one stage to a more manageable 204.

Adam and Gareth opened for the V&A but after some fine strikes Adam was bowled playing across a straight one. Rupert lasted less than three balls, leaving Andy Fraser and Gareth to steady the innings. Which they did admirably, resolute in defence when their quick opening bowlers were on, and cutting loose when the slower stuff appeared. From 20 for 2 they advanced the score to 110 or so, until the openers returned and tempted errors. Both went just short of 40 but they had made the target gettable. Andy stroked a memorable cover drive down the hill, leaning into the shot with effortless bravura. Older members, like Andy, recalled Hammond in his prime.

Dennis looked about to murder the bowling when succumbing to ill-discipline, but an innings of compelling ferocity from Rico Wilson (40 odd), elegantly assisted by Rodri, brought the score to 6 short of the total when Rico was finally out. Nixey joined Rodri who scored a winning boundary with a stylish square cut.Rico was indisputably Man-of-the-Match, he had taken command of both bowling and batting. His transfer from The Hermits should go through despite alleged irregularities concerning inducements.

Martin had orchestrated a good win over a team that might have been just a wee bit fitter and more athletic than us. He was keen to do so, so keen that your correspondent was not permitted to drink heavily until the winning shot was struck, just in case he was required.