This weeks report comes in the way of a video message!!

Thanks to Tom "The Producer" Herrington for the video

After putting 253 on the board we went out to field, but our bowling attack and fielding efforts was not able to contain the flow of run from Sulhamstead and we ended up losing with 13 balls remaining

WELFORD PARK 1st XI vs Warfield 

So we men of the Park were playing the mighty Warfield.  They have been over-performing all year and of course thumped us earlier in the season – a humiliation for which the Park were keen to seek revenge.  With 5 wins on the bounce, the boys were in particularly good spirits and naturally as confident as an Aussie leg spinner who’s just spotted Ian Bell padding up.  This confidence only increased when we realised we were in the field with nine once again, the new magic formula for any Welford first XI game.  Even the fact that Pradeep, the Basingstoke Express, was one of our missing players couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm.

Into the field, and Sloth bowled with the hostility and accuracy which has become increasingly common (and weirdly disconcerting) in the past few matches.  That strange phenomenon of excellent Welford fielding and genuine athleticism was also once more in evidence.  What is this team coming too?!  One slight concern early on was Nanny missing a few behind the stumps, but he confidently proclaimed that he would “catch the ones that mattered”.  Hmmm… Time would tell. 

Pradeep and Spinders finally turned up, although Pending had done a good job opening the bowling from the top end.  No scoresheet again, but suffice to say that Sloth bolwed straight through and secured 4 wickets, a couple after changing ends so Pradeep could bowl with the wind.  Pradeep also got 4, and Max Power and Nanny (who as it turns out, did catch everything that mattered) effected an awesome run out.  We took to the field before lunch once again to chase down 103 (I think..?) and Max Power opened the batting in the absence of Our John with any number of strains and sprains.  A solid opening partnership followed, but the Park soon began to falter surprisingly as the slow, dusty wicket played in to the hands of the slow, dusty Warfield attack.  In the end though, Welford’s favourite guest star Johnny “King’s Road Express” Fuller showed characteristic flair and nerve to see us home with three wickets (I think..?) to spare.  Monica top scored with 32, and we beat the rain by a few minutes to secure a bucketload of points!  Hussars for the Park and so on!

Grouse & Label (Its not even in Berkshire, for Christ’s sake!) vs WELFORD PARK

The perfect recipe for successful cricket apparently begins thusly;

1. Lose two players through a freak incident with a pool cue (one to an eye injury, the other to drive him to hospital for a check up).

2. Win the toss and choose to field with 9 players in the blazing sun against the team lying second in the league (who incidentally, scored a mammoth total very quickly while thrashing us at Welford earlier this season).

If this sounds a little unorthodox, it is only to those unfamiliar with the truly unique workings of Welford Park Cricket Club. The loss of two players, including Nanny, our born-again wicketkeeping star, and Mahesh, last weeks opening bowler, seemed to inspire the rest of us to what can only be described as the best fielding performance of the season so far, and one of the best performances this correspondent has seen since joining Welford over three seasons ago. Far from being intimidated by the mighty Grouse & Label (seriously, what were they thinking..?) batting line up, we set out with no slips and a tight circle either side of the wicket (the lesser known three-four field). Somehow, with some subtle but clever fielding changes and some fantastic seam bowling, we conspired not only to tie down the oppo’s powerful batting line up (despite the lightening outfield), but take wickets steadily with the help of some early seam movement and some solid catching (a phrase rarely used in conjunction with our fielding this year). The Mighty Sloth, while captaining the team with his now legendary mix of animal instinct and well-disguised guile, bowled a devastating spell from the Guildford Road End. Using a difficult wicket to his advantage, he bowled with a mixture of pace and accuracy off his familiar 3 step run up and kept emergency keeper John Westbrook purring with delight. Not wishing to let the skipper get too much farther ahead in the wicket taking aggregates this season, Pradeep, the Sri Lankan Express, bowled his best spell of the season (vicious rumours abound that he had a quiet night in on Friday) and was unlucky to be pipped 5-4 in the wickets column. Even the return to a full compliment of fielders failed to derail the committed fielding display. Bowling unchanged either side of drinks, the Lillee and Thommo of Welford, the Botham and Willis of the Park, tore through the opposition and left Everard, one of their two “gun” batsmen, so frustrated that he could barely muster any resistance to a short one from Pradeep and his flail resulted in a catch at the wicket by the returned Nanny. This made up for his earlier dropping of the same bat off a skier, and meant he was saved from Pradeep going for his other eye with the pool cue. A final farcical run out, and Grouse & Label’s much vaunted batting line-up had capitulated for 103.

Forced to turn around and face fifteen overs before lunch, the Park never took a backwards step, batting with verve and aggression to force early bowling changes as the bowling disappeared to all parts. At lunch the Park were three down for about 80 and flying, and although Monica went for 52 shortly after the break, young Will Herro joined Herro Senior to finish off, even upstaging his Dad with a confident sweep to hit the winning runs. Anyway, that’s about 5 wins on the spin, long may it continue.

Liam is in the groove at the other end and he accounts for No 2 bat as Waheed takes a low catch at square leg.  Another run out reduces the Visitors to greater difficulty.  Manoj looks sombre and mouths that we need more runs for a decent target; could that explain his wild overthrow?  Just as Jurgo is trying to find a crap bowler from a team sheet packed with stars, Hillingdon show they are made of sterner stuff with a middle order recovery. Arun bowls a controlled spell, and accurate stuff from Waheed and debutant Vakesh ensures our target is a mere 152. 

Confidently we adjourn for a hearty attempt at the EU food mountain (generously supplied by Piers). Rajesh (who did get a much delayed bowl and a couple of wickets) is still a raging tiger as he swings the bat, making 27 out of the opening stand on 35.  His dolly to keeper brings in Jurgo, who also finds the boundary before departing for 7 to another high catch.  Manoj stays till after drinks and then takes on the slow left armer, getting well caught at long on for 21.  Mike Carter’s aggressive 19 includes four 4s.  When he is caught behind off the off spinner, Libin enters and is keen to up the scoring rate further.  Indeed he does, as his 0 takes precisely one ball, brilliantly taken at deep mid wicket. 

Boy Wonder blocks the hat trick ball, then it’s over to new man Elias.  Despite having made some excellent stops in the field, Elias is inexperienced, and this is hinted at by his walk to the crease, twice asking for directions.  He is bowled second ball and in comes Waheed with the suggestion we try to score a run a ball as the required rate is well over 4 by now.  Boy Wonder responds enthusiastically and the target is soon being exceeded.