Jonesie’s knee, Freddie’s ankle and Bear’s back. These totemic fasties and the occupational hazards that go with the territory. Bear was indeed back yesterday at The Warren, the scar tissue injury that plagued his pre-season preparations failed to materialise, and his 4-15 provided the wrecking ball to the Wolverton Town innings setting up Elstow II’s first victory of the season.
The newly promoted visitors got off to a flyer, Butler the young opener constructing a fluent 55 as, despite the wicketless endeavour of Sam ‘Bear Cub’ Southwell, they proceeded smartly to 90-2 from 19 overs. Then a Bear inspired breakthrough wrested control back towards the home team; two dismissals in two balls, both caught. Charlie Watson’s sharp run out from midwicket provided the afternoon’s champagne moment as the newly inhabited Clark Stand roared its approval. Pete Burroway took his second catch behind the stumps this time off Rob Tebbutt, and not to be overshadowed on a weekend of Wills, skipper Wisson pouched two at mid-off to add to his earlier wicket.
Wolverton’s Rauf provided the sting in the tail as he swept and smashed his way to 22 not out while his lower order colleagues all fell to the canny Nick Lewis (3-13). Rauf’s Afridi-esque lower order heroics took Town to 156 all out from 36 overs, a total that looked as unlikely as an arctic hare on the Serengeti half an hour earlier.
The Warren crowd enjoyed the first tea of the season, compliments of Ma Wiss. There was even some left over Moet doing the rounds in the interval compliments of the Shropshire YFC girls sampling the delights of Bunyan/Fry Country for the first time.
Elstow’s opening pair Will Wisson and Michael Dickson got their side off to a solid start in the run chase before the bowling of ’Shelley’ Keates (sic.) did for both of them, pure poetry for the visitors. This was to be as good as it got for the young tryo; his later efforts would go un-rewarded as Ed Wisson and Rex Hedges, determined to put on a good show in front of the watching Shropshire stunners, began to rebuild. Wade’s darts failed to hit the bullseye and were hit around the park by the artful sloggers, though from the other end Wolverton’s G Force proved more effective.
Gammage and Gillions, seasoned skirmishers of campaigns past, were superb in neutering the Elstow counter attack and the Proctor-esque Gillions finished with 4-35. Elstow’s followers feared the worst; the insidious drive of the opposition cutting through the middle order, Hedges (20), Wisson (41) and Burroway (32) among the rampaging Gillions’ victims.
As he did with the ball so Nick ’The Finisher’ Lewis did with the bat. Accompanied by the rock-steady debutant Lee Gauntlet the pair intelligently knocked off the runs before Lewis secured the game for Elstow with a clinical swish through backward square-leg.
M-o-M: With nods to a mature debut display from Gauntlet and a decent knock from Ed Wisson, Phil ‘Bear’ Southwell takes the honours for his 4-15. Top work big lad.
D-o-D: 300 stylish new fixture cards, painstakingly designed and printed. Which muppet supplied the duff data that adorns the front page then? That’ll be the author. Elstow’s chairman is, of course, Nigel Blunt and not Martin Bartlett as featured. My apologies to both.
