We lost the toss and were not surprised to be fielding, in the resplendent sunshine.

Adam Goulder and Green Senior with the new ball this week. Contrasting styles these two, the tall, angular Goulder regularly hitting the seam and extracting lavish bounce from a length. The shorter, skiddier Green, swinging the ball prodigiously in the humid conditions.

After a few loose-ish deliveries early on, where a positive opener was keen to latch onto any width, the lines and lengths were adjusted accordingly. We kept things tight in the field, before the aforementioned opener edged behind for 20 odd. Before Turtle gets on my case, I am writing this report prior to the scorecard being uploaded and therefore exact details and thin on the ground. Scribe was not sure said batsman actually hit the ball, but he generously walked before the umpire had to make a decision, and Scribe was very happy to be on the Fantasy Cricket points board.

Former first teamer, Rob Parrot, came in at three. Frensham sensed this was a big wicket and Goulder duly delivered. After moving two deliveries away off the seam, the next ball was on the same line and length but cut back into Parrot, who could only bottom edge onto his stumps attempting a force through the leg side.

We kept it tight in the first 20, the double Gs bowled straight through their allocated nine overs. Green Snr was very unfortunate as a number of edges dropped short of or just evaded the cordon. Green Jnr replaced Snr and after a wayward start, was soon moving the ball both ways. Chris Lewis, not the former Surrey and England all-rounder, drove some muscular boundaries before Green bowled him through the gate with a hooping inswinger. Clayton-Jones trapped Nash bang in front, Green bowled Schulz with another big in-ducker and we were well on top.

From here, we lost some intensity. It wasn’t that we did anything particularly badly, we batted ok and we bowled ok, but not with the same focus as the first 20 overs. Cozens and Gibbs put on a decent partnership, not finding boundaries but manipulating the field and running plenty of twos. Reed interspersed some unplayable deliveries, the knuckle ball to get Cozens, which dipped out of nowhere, was particularly memorable, with a few too many full tosses. The last wicket partnership really cost us, we should really have been chasing 170. Goulder was the pick of the bowlers, with 2-29 off his nine overs. Everyone else chipped in with wickets. Platt bowled some beautifully flighted leg breaks and could well have picked up more than just two wickets.

Blackheath finished on 205-9 off their 45 (I have access to the scorecard now) The tea they provided was a delight.

James Morris, after spending the entire 45 overs in the field chatting to the umpire and letting at least three balls through his legs, merely added to the occasion when he walked the crease sporting a grill-less helmet. He was accompanied by Ben Watson, who Scribe got to watch in the flesh for the first time, more on him later.

Morris was his usual resolute self, the trusty forward defense hit the middle of the bat from the first ball and the trusty cut shot earned him his first boundary.

Allen was bowling a tight line and snuck a full toss through Morris’ defences. He struck again soon after, bowling Frost with one that nipped away and clipped the top of off.

Turnbull joined Watson and the two set about the bowling. Watson took the scoring initiative, punching positively between mid-on and mid-off, regularly piercing the infield for four. The change bowlers signaled a change of intent from Turnbull, who was soon unleashing his customary drives. Watson greeted the aforementioned Lewis with three consecutive fours through square leg and we were well on track to chase 200.

Parrot was generating some decent pace and bowled an excellent yorker to trap Watson in front for a very well made 47. Jnr joined Turnbull and the score continued to tick over before the extra pace of Parrot struck again and Jnr was caught at mid-wicket miss-timing a pull strike. Scribe felt like he had not picked up a bat in a long time, and batted like that, before managing to get a few out of the screws. Scribe likes batting with Turnbull, he hits the ball hard, very hard, and the fielders are usually set deep, plenty of singles on offer. This pattern continued, with the odd boundary in between and the run rate was well under control, before Scribe inexplicably missed an ambitious sweep and was bowled.

From then on, we collapsed, losing 6-14 and we’re bowled out for 166 in 38 overs. This was really a game we should be winning, the second 20 overs in each innings cost us. Some strong individual performance, Watson and Turnbull (54) with the bat and Goulder, Snr and Platt with the ball. Some things to work on for next week.