Week 11

Milverton – Away

With the worlds second most important sporting competition now over, thankfully, we can all now get back to some normality and concentrate on the wonderful sport of cricket. We all know the Ashes is the biggest event in the sporting world, anything else is just secondary and the Ashes is contested for next summer. I wonder who will be captain of England then, just hope it is still Alastair Cook.

Anyway, the mighty two’s travelled to Milverton, for their next Division Five encounter, and another game I missed out on umpiring, and it looks like I’m going to miss the next two Saturday’s as well. Hopefully by then I will have a clear run in until the end of the season.

So what happened on Saturday? Well according Carl they lasted beyond tea this week, only because he chose to field first instead of batting. The home side plummeted the Stowey attack all round Milverton and they ended up scoring in excess of 200 with the loss of only five wickets.

In response Stowey lasted 30 overs before they were all dismissed some 100 runs short, but the game did last beyond 7 o’clock, which is a bit of an achievement for the two’s. At least everyone had a bat and a nearly everyone had a bowl, 14 year old Ryan Thomas top scored, showing the senior players how to bat in testing conditions.

Sunday morning saw Over Stowey’s Under-15’s host their Taunton counterparts, a game which truly showed cricket being played in the right spirit. Tina Miller, Stowey’s Under-15 manager, along with he husband Paul and Under-15 Captain Stephen was frantically trying to get 11 on the field, as Tina had a few who let her down in the morning. Her Taunton counterpart offered Tina three of their players as substitute fielders, plus he also reversed the batting order to make a “game of it.”

I could only witness was pure enjoyment, with a lot of good comradeship between all players. Especially when one of the substitute Taunton fielders caught one of his own side out. Great to see Taunton, you have set a great example to others. Let’s hope other teams follow your example, whatever the steaks may be.

Have you seen the state of Craig Kieswetter’s nose and eye? No nor have I, but I bet it is a mess. I don’t know how long he will be out for, but it is coming to a crucial stage of the season, where the mighty Set are in somewhat precarious type of position. A couple of geed results over the next couple of weeks will put them in the hunt for silverware, on the other hand, well I don’t need to tell you, and I don’t want to think about it.

Alex Barrow will make a great replacement for Craig, not as flamboyant, but very capable. It is also good to hear that Craig has committed himself to Somerset, by extending his current contract. Jos who?

Ok, time for a couple of Thatchers me thinks, I have some now, thankfully, after a panic the other evening.