Sun Sep 16th Draw snatched from jaws of victory
Players
- Amiss, Paul
- Gibbs, Tom
- Hamilton, Tom
- Llewelyn, Hugo
- Morris, Jonny
- Palmer, Freddie
- Percival, Bob
- Scott, James
- Staniforth, Jonathan
- Williams, Jamie
Match report
The first draft of the Royal Household fixture card omitted the Grannies, the home club understandably favouring, in Diamond Jubilee year, its traditional opponents.However, a hue and cry went up - "where are the Grannies?" [I'm not making this up] - and, hugely flattered, we were in.
To acknowldge the honour done to us, we had 'a strong Grannies side' - you know the sort; a new supply of caps and everyone in one; and ladies galore (at least one each, one more than on).
Put in to bat, Freddie Palmer (33) and Jamie Williams (13 and unlucky)put on a confident 47 but wickets then tumbled, until Hugo Llewelyn (44) and Jono Garforth (54) came together in a stand of 82, Garforth having a second good partnership, of 53, with Dom Fry (37*). All three laid about them with murderous intent, and no little skill, and by tea we were 236 for 8 and declared. The Household looked as though it might coast in, with the 'top Grannies bowling attack' misfiring. However, Fry was as ever excellent, with an 11-over spell, which yielded, unfairly, only 1 for 49, and Tom Hamilton, shrewdly brought back on from the farm end, having opened without the benefit of radar at the castle end, was outstanding in a 10-over spell, which brought him 3 for 28. Garforth and Llewelyn chipped in with 1 and 2 wickets respectively, and with a cameo Scottie to Percival out-of-the-sun run-out, we had them 8 down, only to be denied by a couple of batters at opposite ends of the age spectrum - and a pair of unpliable umpires - the home team finishing on 181 for 8.
It was a great pleasure and privilege to be one of the annointed opposition sides in a very special year, and we felt that we did both their club and ours proud.
Match info
Location
Windsor Castle,
Frogmore
How to get there
Go to www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2323904