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Result - Royal Household

Sun Sep 14th Grannies a distant second

Match report

I wish I'd lost the toss. As it was, we batted and for 30 overs couldn't get it off the proverbial - and I include in that the habitual high and elegant scoring James Marsh (15 off his first 49). Only as the witching hour of 3.45 - when you have to 'declare', even if you'd rather have another 3/4 of an hour at the crease, or go to the Tower - hove into view did James and Dom Fry manage to step it up. James ended on 80* off 114 and Dom on 22* off 23. The four whose strike rates were rather less than that, Messrs. Gullick, Palmer, Newcomb and Morris, I absolve from blame, because it was impossible early on - the only question mark in my mind being as to whether the opposition would have found it quite so impossible if I had stuck them in.
167 for 4 'declared' - for that was our score after 45 overs - did not seem enough, given the availability of about 42 overs to get them, and wasn't, although whether they had to get them in such indecent haste was moot. True we took a wicket off the second ball, amid much self-congratulation, but that was it and they got them in 17.5 overs, Scott Ensom - or, as he is clearly known, Scotty, as in 'go Scotty', the cry that went up every time (15) he scored a boundary - moving to his ton in the penultimate over. Dean Roodt for a while looked as though he had the measure of 2 undoubtedly very good batsmen. James Tod, on debut, was smeared a shade disrespectfully, but looked a very good prospect, his batting still to be tapped. Stanners beat the bat, as only Stanners sometimes can, when no-one else does.
When we had taken to the field I had personally assured the large, and exceptionally welcome, crowd that came to support us, that no sweat or blood would go unspilt. Little did I know that Rob Milne (also on debut, who did not bat and was our first up keeper) would break a finger in the third over and I would break my big toe a few overs after that! Luckily we have now the whole winter for our bones to set. We also though have that amount of time to wonder whether it was worth it.
The answer of course is yes (I haven't actually asked Rob...). 2015 will be another year, and this will always be one of the great fixtures to play in, for which we thank the home team profusely.

Match info



Location
Frogmore, Windsor Castle