Well, they say all good things must come to an end, and this week they well and truly did. In truth, we simply came up against a far stronger side with a smattering of premier division players (and a South African professional) and fairly predictably, we came second.

The stage was set to the nicest day of the season so far, hot and sunny with the ground looking as lovely as it possibly could. Lindsell elected to bat and as ever, our opening bowlers Adam K and George E both bowled accurately and economically, with George making the initial break through. Our revered captain, Charlie E, then made the rather bold decision to put the Chairman on, along with Max M steaming in from the top end, who between them reduced a strong batting line up to 52 for 6, with George taking a steepling catch on the boundary as one of the highlights. 

Drinks were taken and Captain Charlie felt we could relax our grip a little (a logical and reasonable decision in most village matches), however, we had not expected a pro from The Cape Cobras to come in and hit the ball prodigious distances, albeit aided by a few slightly less accurate balls. So, George E was summoned back into the attack and “brilliantly” bowled a wide full toss, surprising the batsman into hitting it rather tamely into the outfield where it was caught by Cam Kerr. 77 for 7 and in charge so it would seem, but once again Lindsell regrouped, and helped by some rather indifferent catching (8 drops in total) they somehow made their way to a respectable, but by no means unattainable 156 (including 31 extra’s). I should just mention that Barclay M got his maiden wicket for Bures, so a big plus for him, and Max M was generally considered to have been the pick of the bowlers, swinging the ball both ways with great accuracy.

Tea was its usual jolly occasion, and for many we would probably have liked it to have lasted a lot longer. However, duty calls and the two “old” men, Captain Charlie and the Chairman, made their way to the crease. It turned out to be an innings best forgotten and there is no point in dwelling on the gory details. Suffice to say that only two players reached double figures and half the team made less than 2! In mitigation, unfortunately Lindsell did not quite seem to understand the village cricket ethos, and simply bowled their four best bowlers, including their extremely rapid pro, who at least was kind enough to bowl at half pace.

So, despite the loss, there was a lot to be proud of, and no doubt the Mighty Bures will bounce back all the stronger.