The day dawned about as badly as it could for a game of cricket. The rain had begun in the early morning and periodic bursts of torrential downpour followed from about nine o’clock. Nicky Bird, however was made of sterner stuff (well, he isn’t, but as he wasn’t playing he conferred such stuff upon his team mates) and suggested that whilst an eleven o’clock start would be impossible, a game could be played from one o’clock. His meteorological instincts proved spot on and by one, the heavens had relented and the Stonor valley redeemed itself with an afternoon of flawless sunshine. The wicket, whilst soggy, was drying fast. Perfect conditions for a sticky wicket.

V&A Captain, Dennis de Caires, won the toss and rather than taking the decision to bowl, took a leaf out of the book of that great allrounder of yore, W.G.Grace, If you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat. In fact Dennis consulted all of his available colleagues at the time (six players, yielding about eight opinions) and decided that being in possession of a strong side and with most of The Erratics looking on their youth as a distant memory, the hard road of batting first might lead for a more interesting game. A timed game was agreed upon with 20 overs to be bowled after 6.30.

The London Erratics, I am informed by Stephen Chalke’s excellent work on wandering clubs, Gentlemen, Gypsies and Jesters, were formed in 1974 by a group of Balliol graduates who wanted to play play cricket but did not fancy the ;training, dedication and competition’, a perfect match to the V&A, then.

Emley and Andy Taylor opened for the V&A, but disaster struck early as Emley succeeded in running himself out for 7. He now has the unenviable record of having been run out in each of his four innings of the season thus far. Andy Taylor scored freely before being sharply caught at slip of the nagging Berrigan for 35. He was replaced by his brother, Rob, complete with newly acquired bat. He hit his second and third balls for six and added another even larger six and a four in the following over. Such blistering innings rarely last and he well soon caught at midwicket for a swift 26. By the 25th over Jonkers and De Caires were also back in the hutch with the score at 118-5. throughout the whole of this period the openers had bowled tirelessly but with the changing of the guard them the run rate accelerated dramatically thanks to some stylish shots from Ashcroft (26) and Pritchard-Gordon, N. (36), and some lusty blows from Jacot and Mounsey-Thear. The latter having his equilibrium cruelly disturbed by the match clock, which had stopped at 3.40 leading CM-T to think he had twenty minutes before tea when in fact he had but five.

By tea the V&A had received 35 overs and reached 200-7. De Caires decided that that was quite enough and declared, without fully taking into account the amount of time left in the match. By the time he realised that the Erratics would have a good two hours and twenty overs to bat, Dennis’s Corinthian spirit had got the better of him and said it didn’t matter anyway. Tea was the usual fare, with the welcome addition of some scones and jam. It was particularly well received because there had been no lunch. This had proved the bone of some contention, some players thinking it the thin end of the wedge and others remarking that only came for the lunch. Nicky’s absence was also mentioned over tea. His running commentary, affectionately known as Radio Bird, was missed by players on both sides.

To say the Erratics response was circumspect would not do justice to the diligence which they applied to their defence. However, Mounsey-Thear was working up a fair head of steam and it was not long before he induced a thick edge from the bat of Coales and brilliantly caught by NP-G diving at full stretch to his left from gully to hold the ball at about third slip. It would have been considered an excellent catch at any level of the game and will take some beating for the catch of the season. Rather like a limpet who has been disturbed from a rock, this early breakthrough just made the The Erratics cling even more assiduously to their defence. De Caires tried blasting them out with the pace of Mousey Thear, winkling them out with the spin and loop of Tom P-G, a brace of Taylors and even to tempt the into an indiscretion from the lobs of Nick Emley, but still the batsmen’s resolve wouldn’t waiver. Eventually an answer was found in the form of Martin Bowden, who bowled the Erratics’ opening bat for 8 in the 28th over. The run rate improved a little with the entry of The Erratics’ best batsman, Nasser Khawaja and some tempting bowling so that when 6.30 struck and the final twenty overs began, they were not unpromisingly positioned at 97-2. A new spell from promising young off spinner Tom P-G, saw Shenfield bowled through the gate for a painstaking 55 and the new batsman trapped lbw a couple of balls later. The following over saw the decisive breakthrough as de Caires induced a rare false drive from Khawaja, which lobbed to short extra cover. 97-2 had become had become 99-5, but still The Erratics refused to capitulate entirely. Wickets fell by degrees including three smart catches by Ashcroft behind the stumps and it was with some relief when Jonkers, introduced into the bowling in the 49th over, slipped an inswinger past The Erratics’ captain to finish the match.

In spite of the exhaustion felt by some of the V&A fielders, a good game had been had by all. Only two of the V&A had not contributed with the bat and only one (save the wicketkeeper) had not bowled. Further, inspire of the imbalance in the sides, the V&A had had to fight for their win on a docile Stonor pitch, demonstrating the extra facets a timed game lends over the strictly limited overs version, would have been a very one sided affair. Credit for this should go to Dennis, both for the brave decision to bat first and for contriving a situation where all results were conceivable at the start of the final twenty overs. However, the final word, as always, must go to our spiritual leader, N. Bird esq., whose presence was felt, despite taking no part in the game. On the length of time spent in the field, 51 effing overs! Some of us would have been dead.

Christiaan Jonkers