The Jolly Boys Cricket Club

Well the summer heatwave appears to be petering out but it's still a lovely night for cricket. So lovely in fact that Si Dunc has decided to grace us with his presence !

So whilst it's a partially good start for the Jollys there's now some debate about whether Si has brought his kit or not...

Well the Pickup innings passed without a single photograph being taken (yeah, yeah, as usual there weren't enough Jollys available to take pictures -ed.) so now we're batting and we're chasing the runs.

But we've started the game slowly so John attempts some "Camera Voodoo" (tm) by placing his cigarette in the picture in the hope that it will pass it's heat onto the players in the middle and get them runnign a bit !

Botheration... Sadly it seems that our attempt to mess with the camera Loa has backfired. Not only did it not get them running faster but it aappears to have "livlied up" their bowlers instead and poor old Barty has just lost his wicket...

(That'll have taken his average back down to something like 150 for the season - ed.)

Hmmm... not only have we caused Barty to get out but the camera itself has been playing up so most of the pictures of the rest of the innings came out either blurred or badly lighted. (There was a strange light that evening you superstitious old goat -ed.)

So I'm afraid the next usable pictures are from the last couple of overs where Dave and John are in needing 28 off the last two overs to win !!!

So meanwhile back on the boundary Stu is waiting to see if he'll get a bat. Tension is mounting as Dave and John crack 15 off the penultimate over leaving us needing 14 to win with 8 balls remaining.

Jol however can only offer the sage advice "If you do go in I hope you bat better than Arsenal play kickball" (bloody kickball -ed.)

As for poor old Powelly his younglings were not impressed with his brief show with the bat and set about using his noggin for a game of "let's try and make daddy see stars without him drinking twelvety pints of beers"

And for extra excitement the boradband users amongst you can download a video of the fun !

Gah ! The tension has built to fever pitch and with two runs to go we need 5 to win. But horror of horrors Dave, who's been playng superbly, falls to an unplayable delivery. So poor old Stu has to go in knowing that the win's now impossible but a 4 will give us a draw.

So can he do it ? One mighty strike is all it will take.

Ah sadly not. The last ball fgoes for a couple of runs and Pickup emerge victorious. Still it was a close game played in the impeccable spirit of the thursday league and we can all retire from the field for the customary after match gallon.