Welney Croft Cricket Club 2009 Pop Bedford Match

I missed the start of the match, but it seems Brentwood got off to a pretty shaky start due to some fine bowling by the home team.

However, their middle order batsmen steadied the innings with some solid batting, particularly for the 5th wicket.

Later, the tail-enders seemed to be taking the game away from Welney with some lusty hitting. Greg Glesson even managed some late runs batting without a helmet and not much footwork (centre and right). Dennis Birch fielding (right) in a rather different pose and whites than normally seen at the Lamb & Flag.

Eventually Welney's Captain, John Loveday, called for the magic spray before putting himself on to bowl again.

The potion worked. In his second over of this spell he took this wicket, his first in the match and Brentwood's 9th, although I wasn't sure at the time why the batsman was out.

Apparently Gleeson, seen here with Welney's wicket-keeper Neil Parkinson and Duncan Hobbs, was out LBW.

But I'm blowed if i can see how.

In the same over, Brentwood's 40th, John clean bowled the last man to end the innings.

Meantime, while all that was going on, another rather more sedate game was in progress in a corner of the playing field.

After the interval for tea (a wonderful array, enough to make me join the club, if only I could play the game), Welney's reply began slowly, albeit stylishly as demonstrated here by Duncan Hobbs.

Then it seemed to mirror their opponents innings with three batsmen soon back in the pavilion.

Unfortunately, the thought of seeing that wonderful tea laid out reminded me I had to attend another important assignment and I wasn't able to see the rest of the match. I consoled myself that I wouldn't miss much because a senior ex-player assured me Welney wouldn't last long and would probably be all out for 70.

But then came a middle order revival, a wagging tail, and a nail-biting finish. Thanks largely to Dennis Birch, the last over of the match began with Welney wanting only a couple of runs to win back the Cup, Brentwood needing just one wicket to retain it, and Welney's veteran number 11, Percy Bulsara, to face the bowling. Two dot balls, then a no-ball. Percy, with more than sixty years playing experience, knew he couldn't be out, and hit the winning runs.

300 runs and 19 wickets in the day in warm sunny weather and a glorious setting, at one the best village playing fields for miles around.

Pop Bedford's Cup was back in Welney, and I won a nice bottle of Shiraz in the raffle. What more could one want?

back to match reports