MATCH REPORTS

Variety is the spice of life, and this was a spicy day in the best possible sense. Not in the euphemistic sense that implies angry argument if not actual fisticuffs. There was none of that.

V&A PLAYERS: Dennis de Caires (Captain), Adam Jacot, Christiaan Jonkers, Phil Goodliffe, Tom Pritchard-Gordon, Henry Turpie, Nick Emley, Jago Poynter,

V&A PLAYERS: Chris Mounsey-Thear (Captain), Christiaan Jonkers, Tom P-G, Tom Ayling, Ross Ashcroft, Adam Jacot, Louis Jacot, Andy Jones, Vin

ACME are Bowden’s old team and had some good young players who could catch; a few could bat too. I was impressed by their cars (including an Aston Martin) and wives.

It had been a day of blistering weather and it was a sensible decision to play a forty over game.

Our second oldest fixture after the mighty Hermits, and always fun. This year, when they turned up, eventually, I counted the number of their yoof element, young people who run and bend and throw. None. In contrast we had 7 – 8 if you count Christiaan (I don’t).

A beautiful day and an enthralling match with the most gentlemanly opponents, a magnificent lunch and tea masterminded by Estelle de Caires, concluded in the penultimate over…but not everything went according to plan.

THE HEMMINGFORD HERMITS were founded a year after us by a ragged lot who had mostly been to Exeter University or Radley

V&A PLAYERS: Jago Poynter, Nicky Bird (12th man), Lachlan Nieboer, Tom Bird, Christiaan Jonkers, Adam Jacot, Andy Jones, Nick Pritchard-Gordon, Tom Pritchard-Gordon, Nick Emley, Rob Taylor, Ross Ashcroft [Captain] The INVALIDS were founded