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7th June 2014
Published by Christiaan Jonkers at 7th June 2014
Categories
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 – […]
31st May 2014
Published by Christiaan Jonkers at 31st May 2014
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The Hermits, founded some forty years ago in an Islington pub are the V&As longest standing opponents. They are also fed up with losing to us, their last victory being in 2009.
17th May 2014
Published by Nick Pritchard-Gordon at 17th May 2014
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The scorebook records the weather as warm, sweaty and almost foreign. The setting was as blissful as ever. All the V&A needed was good company and a tight game to complete the dream. The National Theatre was the finest of company, but could not match the strength in depth of the 9-man V&A team on the day. Skippers Peter Singh and Nick P-G did not toss, but agreed that V&A would bat first in a timed game. An hour later, questions were being asked whether Nick Emley understood the difference between a timed game and a timeless game. The V&A batting order was set by age order. Initially. We may feel that we ought to bat higher, bowl more overs or umpire less, but we keep shtum. Petulant Lachlan Nieboer (1981) did not. Thankfully, his David Essex neckerchief was tight enough to stop his neck exploding with rage. Of our […]
10th May 2014
Published by Nicky Bird at 10th May 2014
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As there is no match report to post let me use this space to update fellow professionals on a couple of things. A heads up we marketing people call it. Several players wondered about a brief V&A TOUR in 2015. Three games. The Cotswolds was proposed as being a) not too far b) pretty. Perhaps Swinbrook, Blenheim, Bibury – all have lovely grounds. Two nights in a hotel or pub. What do you think? We used to stay away in Cornwall, Gestingthorpe (Essex) and Urchfont (Wilts). I’m afraid there was bad behaviour which may explain why the invitations dried up but Andy Fraser and Simon Foster do not play these days, and Roger Smith is in Oz, so we might be welcome again. However, the Cotswolds are more convenient. Someone suggested a French tour. This would cost more of course and entail an extra night. The event might be enlivened […]
3rd May 2014
Published by Megan at 3rd May 2014
Categories
A gorgeous spring day, and a thrilling game of cricket. Who could ask for anything more? The auguries were not all good. Our revered founder, spiritual leader and chief scribe had been laid low by a bout of Bird flu, and we looked like taking the field one short. The opposition were late arriving. The auxiliary lunch chef had not bought enough cold meat, and struggled for at least 20 minutes to find out how to turn the oven on, while his pleas for help fell on deaf ears. Eventually, enough of the Town and Countrymen turned up for Lachlan Nieboer, making his debut as V&A captain, and George Winters to stride out to a distinctly damp wicket and toss the coin. It was a good toss to win, and when George won it, he had no hesitation in asking us to bat. Nick Emley and Ross Ashcroft opened our […]
18th May 2013
Published by Christiaan Jonkers at 18th May 2013
Categories
The annual fixture against The National Theatre is always an enjoyable affair. Their team is full of characters and they play the game in a competitive, but light hearted manner, which usually results in a deal of good natured banter between regularly on both sides. It also gives Adam Jacot the opportunity to go turncoat and play of the others side. This usually has a galvanising effect on Adams erstwhile latent cricketing talent. When playing for the V&A, though never lacking in effort, he is rarely likely to strike fear into the heart of the opposition. Playing against his regular team is quite another matter. Last year he played what is commonly called a blinder: he bowled, he caught, and coming in when the National were in a spot of bother flayed the V&A bowling to all parts, winning the match at a canter. On this occasion, NT regulars, Greg […]
19th May 2012
Published by Nicky Bird at 19th May 2012
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The NTs were short, in every sense. No Mike Morris, all six foot seven of him and only eight players, and a weakish eight at that. So Martin [our skip] lent them Adam Jacot. That made us 8 and them 9. Two of our lowest scoring batsmen were to bat twice, and one of theirs. Handing them Adam might seem like insinuating a Trojan Horse, given his recent form, but Adam confounded his critics, all ten of them. Because they were perceived as weak we batted first in a game in which we were limited to 35 overs, but they had 20 overs after 4.20 pm in which to knock off the runs or play for the draw. A straight overs game might have been a bummer if we were too strong. At first things seemed to be going predictably. Rupert swished the bat and hit boundaries. Adam dropped an […]
12th May 2012
Published by Nicky Bird at 12th May 2012
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Bruno returned. He can only field in the slips nowadays, having long since ceased to run or throw overarm. But he elevates the conversation behind the wicket, with talk of Vorticism and Dada, rather than the usual filth. But memories of the old Bruno came flooding back when a gentle lofted catch was misjudged and plopped harmlessly at his feet. Lovely day. The HERMITS first played against us in 1976. They were young and virile and not yet decimated by substance abuse. I am afraid that the team that Terry Blake, their skipper, put together lacked the old élan. xBut he did magnificently to get a team at all, after being 7 on Wednesday. Many oppositions would have pulled the plug but in the end he got 12! I was skip and won the toss and elected to bat. Peter Kirkham and Nick Pritchard-Gordon opened against a decent attack. Peter […]
17th September 2011
Published by Nicky Bird at 17th September 2011
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THE V&A ARCHIVIST will have problems deciphering the scorebook, when it comes to writing the V&A CC history. To call it a buggers muddle would be an insult to buggers and muddles. It seems to have been written by a drunk, which Richard Adamson is surely not. Anyway, it was so confused that at the end of our innings we could only hazard a guess at the overs we had faced, and the brilliant 51 that Dennis scored could have been 61. But the scrawl in the scorebook remains the official record of our last match of the 2011 season, and shows that we batted first in a 35 over game, that Adam was out for 5 after walloping a 4 to the square leg boundary, that Sunil and Nick Emley (skip) struggled to get the ball off the square, with Sunil the more successful. When a batsman like Nick […]
10th September 2011
Published by Nicky Bird at 10th September 2011
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A dodgy forecast suggested a truncated day at least, but in the event we were lucky, rain arrived briefly after lunch, which we fielded through, and then lovely sunshine. Actually Peter Linthwaite and I did not field in the rain. As we were 13, Peter and I opted to take our turn off the field, in the comfort of the porch. Martin (skip) had lost the toss in a 35 over game (bad omen – we lose when batting second) and Acme had elected to bat. They started horribly well, scoring at 8 an over. All might have been different if their top scorer had not been dropped at gully by Martin (tricky one) and then by Peter at short cover (not a tricky one). Peter said at lunch that he gave up reading these match reports four years ago because he found references to his wallydom upsetting, so I […]