The Jolly Boys Cricket Club

The squad start to arrive on the pitch. Dave glugs a can of Strongbow, Ogs gets stuck into a "Pasta Pot" and Baz is getting ready to make a tab. It's a traditional Jolly start to the season !

But there's little time for merriment as we immediately go for the toss... which Tom loses. naturally Wyre decide to bat first meaning the Jollys have to limber up their aged bones and take to the field !

Obviously diminished numbers mean we have no fielding pictures for you... So we take up the action with Wyre having finished their innings on 151 for 5. So once again we start with Ian and Tom opening, and Tom gets off to a cracking start with a splendid 4.

Not long after he's followed by Ian who is also hitting out freely adn opens his account with 3 mighty fours !

Once more Frosty has volunteered to do the umpiring (I think he's the only Jolly who knows all the rules -ed.)

Well it's a sad sight on the pavilion as we've not brought nearly enough beer (or cider) to go round.

Ian is hitting anything that he can and is fairly racing the score along.

As is Tom ! From looking like distinct underdogs we've now overtaken the run rate. However there's always time for a traditional collapse.

Ian is absolutely thrashing the ball about. Here he hits another mighty 4.

Back on the pavilion Dave (Carlyle) has managed to sit in some chewing gum so it's Dave (Stoddard to the rescue !!!

And they get the chewing gum off just in time to see Ian retire having scored a really quick fire 25.

So in steps Jol who gets off the mark with a quick single.

Shortly thereafter it's Tom's turn to retire. So with both openers having retired and the score positively racing along this is looking good for the Jollys.

Ogs too doesn't sit about and gets straight off the mark with 4 quick singles.

Meanwhile Jol is playing some delightful strokes (as usual -ed.) as he steers another one for 4.

By this time the sun was also beginning to come out a bit so we have another picture of Jol simply as it's one of the first that you can see what's actually going on !

Back at the pavilion there's a growing sense that we might just make a game of it.

Baz is just finishing off the last of his defrosted cider and is actually looking forward to getting a bat.

Jol fires off another splendid 4.

And to give you some idea of the conditions here's Mr. Sun going back behind some rather dark and rainy looking clouds !

Oh dear. Drat and double drat. not only did Jol get bowled but I just missed the wickets getting hit (the camera is on multiple shoot mode but I started the sequence slightly too early)

But this brings Cockney Stu into the fray and with plenty of wickets left he can afford to hit out.

Ogs middles a cracking 4 back over the bowlers head.

Careful Frosty ! You'll do yourself a mischief jumping up and down by the stumps like that !!!

Wowsers ! Mr. Sun has decided to put his hat on at last !!!

With the new found light Ogs blasts off another 4. We're still well over Wyres run rate and it's looking good for the Jollys.

Well from his manner in leaving the field you'd have thought he'd got bowled. But no ! Ogs retires after getting 25 but simply forgets to raise his bat for the camera.

So in comes Dave (Stoddard) who sadly fails to get off the mark before his leg bail gets taken clean off !!!

Botheration. Dave manages to play himself in before he too is bowled. Sadly I was padding up by this point so I only managed to get a couple of pictures of Dave.

Sadly Baz too was in and out. And due to your humble scribe having to pad up I didn't even get a chance to get a picture of him ! o in I come with 3 ad a bit overs left and 21 needed. At this point I would usually get bowled for a duck myself but for some reason this was not be be ! I Must have eaten something strange to day as not only did I not get out I managed to score some runs, including a 6 which went right onto the pavilion roof !!!

What a gurn ! Still at least I managed not only to watch the ball all the way through but to also get my head (and belly -ed.) well over it !

And miracle of miracles. I manage not to get out and Ian is left to knock off the winning runs with a 4 balls to spare.

And that's the face of a happy man who's just scored a career best 17 not out (pathetic really - ed.)

Due to not having an official season we thought it would be a bit cheeky to ask the Town Hall for butties so this week we went to the Breck Club where we order a splendid tray (which lasts all of 35 seconds -ed.) Baz is especially pleased by the addition of the Chilli pickle - until he realises its' actually his that Sal's brought in from home :)

Innings of Wyre.

Innings of Jollyboys.