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Another
sweltering afternoon with an entertaining and good-humoured
match at Melford, the Bures eleven contained four guests from
Earls Colne and so we had two Ayers (twin brothers), two Slows
(Mr. and Junior), two Coyles (brothers), two Lesiaks (brother
and sister), a Lee J., Chambers C. and Harries M.
Mr. Slow took a
hot early-morning bath to ease the aches and pains of the
previous day's exertion at Galleywood but found his preparation
for the afternoon's match thwarted by the absence of his kit
bag, which he had left in the changing room. Cursing his luck at
having left his kit at the furthermost away ground of the season
he embarked on the long journey back down the A12 for the second
time in less than 24 hours. He was surprised to find the
Galleywood pavilion in a state of some disarray, clearly these
guys had celebrated their victory over us long into the night!
Various items of E C & B kit lay in the changing room,
including Mr. Slow's kit bag and Lazy's helmet but not a video
tape in sight. A quick dash back up the road, on to Melford and
Bures were ready for battle!
Relief is not
the word to describe the feeling when we learned that The Skip.
had won the toss and that we would bat. James Lee & Chris
Ayers negotiated the opening overs competently, but with runs
hard to come by. Ayersy perished courtesy of an injudicious
foray across the line, bringing Glenda to the crease and there
followed an excellent partnership between Lee and Lesiak. The
score moved on to 93 for 1 off 22, making a likely final score
of 200+ possible, before James miscued and was caught for 36.
Batting at four, young Kev Coyle was not in the mood for
defensive tactics (is he ever?) and together with Glenda, set
about the Melford change bowlers. The score mounted pleasantly
as Melford began to wilt in the afternoon sun. Kev perished for
24, bringing Little Si to the crease for a brutal innings, in
which proper use of the wide mid-wicket area was made. Glenda
marched on beyond his 50 and as he approached his ton a small
crowd gathered to witness the event. But it was not to be. With
his score on 98, he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary.
Tantalisingly close! Mark Harries came to the crease fresh from
a garlic and duck fat-infused holiday in the Lot valley. His
ring rust was evident as he departed for a golden duck, LBW on
the back foot. Enter Coyley, who showed us a new side to his
not-inconsiderable cricketing talent by thrashing the ball to
all parts in belligerent fashion. Not the studious run
accumulator we have come to know, but a bold striker of the
ball! Great stuff! Bures closed at 231 for 5, a daunting target
for Melford to chase.
After an
excellent tea, the Melford openers gave notice of their
intention to chase with regular boundaries, necessitating the
removal of the normally economical Lazy Lesiak from the attack.
This was a job for Mr. Slow, yet his introduction was treated
contemptuously by the batter, with his first three balls
disappearing over mid-wicket for six and his first over costing
19! Fortunately for his ego, the second over yielded two prized
wickets, including that of the impudent young aggressor who had
been responsible for the previous over's atrocity! A fairly
regular tumble of wickets followed, with the game now beyond
Melford, including a young 9-year-old by the name of Poulson,
who held up the Bures attack and showed commendable technique
and courage.
And then it was
over. Bures had won by the considerable margin of 80 runs and re
hydration in the Melford club bar took place. The return fixture
takes place on Saturday with Melford visiting Bures and my guess
is, they'll be out for revenge!
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