The Jolly Boys Cricket Club

Having arrived slightly early the lads sit about gawping at what a real cricket facility looks like. There's a pavillion, benches, grass wickets... in fact the only thing missing is a bar !

Then again I suppose Rossal is actually a school (with a more professional approach to the game - ed.) and I don't suppose that having a bar forms any part of the modern curriculum.

So a short while later, and having won the toss, we decide to bat with Dave Carlyle and Tony Fowley leading us out. Quite frankly we've perfoemd miracles with the toss this year winning far more than we lose.

And before you start thinking there's been skullduggery going on you can think again as we've mostly used the oppositions money (as if the Jollys can afford to carry much in the way of money -ed.)

Meanshile back at the pavillion (ooh la de da - ed.) Baz tells me "Never mind the view from here, try going up the steps to the second floor. It's a grand view".

Well I was thinking of going up later on but I decide to take Baz's advice and to go up now. So a few seconds later I find that he's as good as his word and it is indeed what can only be described as a "grand view" (tm) !

Unfortunately for Dave though the first aerial photo turns out to be a grand view of his bails flying through the air as he gets bowled by a good delivery that cuts back on him (yup, it's magnifying glass time but you can actually see the ball and bails in mid air -ed.)

But what's this ? A rejuvenated Powelly comes bounding up the stairs. Sadly his foot isn't healed enough to play yet but at least he can walk properly again (and if can walk then we could at least send him to the off licence... If only one was nearby -ed.)

I've been joined by Powelly and Ogs on the balcony where we note that the game is ticking along nicely, the runs are piling on steadily, the wickets are falling at a slower rate than normal so it must be time for me to show you another view from the upper floor of the pavillion

(Actually he's just trying to disguise the fact that most of the "aerial" pictures he took were rubbish - ed.)

A quick walk through the pavillion on the way to the gents reveals yet more of the grounds cricketing history - it's the list of boys who still owe money to the school cricket team which covers nearly half of the interior of the pavillion and goes right back to the 1850s.

if you look closely you can even see there are pictures of some of the worst offenders sitting about in their cricket gear ! (you truly are an idiot - ed.)

Back on the pitch "Bubs" has realised that having volunteered to "do the first few overs" he's actually umpired most of the innings.

So having comprehensively given Ian out by telling him "The umpire's decision is final, you're out, let's have no nonsense, now get yourself back to the pavillion right now young man", he's decided that it's time for someone else to take over so he can come back in for a well deserved can.

It's towards the end of the innings and we've lost 5 wickets so now it's the turn of "Cockney Stu" and Tom to bat out the last few overs. And with Tom fresh from last Saturdays century they're eager to make the most of the remaining balls.

Once again the Jollys innings comes to a close with Ogs (who was padded up ready to bat as the square leg umpire) taking the glory on the way in.

And by now you all know what's coming next... You guessed it. Powelly was too engrossed in looking after his younglings so there weren't enough of us to take any pictures of us fielding. So we wrap up this weeks report by telling you that we managed to bowl Rushale out about 30 short of our total thereby taking maximum points from the game.

Hip, hip hooray for the Jolly, Jolly J !