Overheard #87

A cricket match, just south of the M25:

"Middle please."
"Sorry?"
"Er, could I have middle stump please, Umpire?"
"Yes. It's about 3 feet to your left."

And that's for Dave, who subsequently bowled like a demon and nearly got a hat-trick (your fault, Lewis...)

Howzart?

I really do like some of these:

Michael Vaughan's Artballing
If anyone is stuck what to get me for Christmas, a signed limited edition print of 'The Pull' or 'Calypso' would do just fine, thanks.

Although, given the quality of the calling when batting for GRACC, perhaps 'No, Yes, Wait, Sorry!' would be more appropriate...

Overheard #50

A suitable way to bring up the half-century...

"If I'm honest, I really don't think we should be encouraging people to take short trading positions on our cricket club Christmas dinner..."

As Broad As Its Long

My Man Stu^(TM) does it again

South Africa 83 all out (Broad 5-23, Flintoff 3-29)
England 85 for 0 (Prior 45)

Whilst admiring the young paceman's achievement, I was struck by the similarity of the following two pictures:

Oh, come on, let a chap have his day :))

Devon Knows

A funny thing happened last Wednesday. I took the wicket of an England international cricketer. Clean bowled, middle stump, for a duck, at The Oval. Now before you start going through the bins to see what kind of absinthe I was on the night before, gentle reader, please carry on...

Ollie, one of the fine members of the Gentleman's Relish Amateur Cricket Club, won a prize draw to play in an invitational Twenty20 sponsored by Betfair. After we'd all stopped jumping up and down, details emerged that we were to play a representative team from that esteemed organ [insert your own joke here] The Sun, who were raising money for a war veterans charity. Each team was to be captained by an ex-England international; in our case, the very talented (6-60 against the Aussies) but sadly underused Dean Headley and for the Currant Bun, one Devon Malcolm, conquerer of the Saffers at the Oval with 9-57 in 1994.

Now a full report will be posted shortly on the GRACC site but it was a fantastic match, with two remarkably similar innings - early wickets, middle order taking back control, the extras mounting up before a flurry of runs and wickets again at the tail.

Even though we narrowly lost (by just 2 runs!) we had a brilliant day, the highlights being Dave ripping the heart out of their top order with 4 for 15, Damien's massive six into the stands and, without getting too carried away, the most amazing, astonishing, absolutely astounding moment of my cricketing career - bowling ex-England international fast bowling legend Devon Malcolm for 0. Inswinging yorker, beat the bat, right through the gate, timber everywhere. What's that you say? Yes, yes - but where are the photos*?

Oh, go on then...








* And huge thanks to Katie's dad, Gus, for the snaps; talk about shot(s) of a lifetime!

Give It Some Tap

Bloody hell, what were they bowling at him, meat pies?

Awesome Napier shatters records

"Graham Napier rewrote the record books by hitting the most sixes in a Twenty20 innings on his way to the highest individual score in the Twenty20 Cup. The Essex batsman hit 16 sixes as he blazed his way to an astonishing 152 not out off just 58 deliveries."

GRACC members take note for our Inaugural International Twenty20 Challenge on Saturday...