Colonel Mustard is not available this week due to a nasty bout of the vapours. He has for his own well-being been returned by Professor Ganglion, the reputed Nerve Specialist, to the much spoken about Greater Wittering Sanatorium for the rusty and seriously unhinged. Instead at very short notice we are delighted to welcome back Ivor Hugh J Thurston for a very small and it must be said, miserly fee.
What Ho fellow Bayshillians! I’m delight-headed to be back in the Bays’ bosom and reporting on a triumph that could in World War I terms be described as A1, although some of the players are decidedly C3s to be sure.
I’m not going to mince things here and babble on about sausages or mustard from Tenerife or indeed any such things that could not be considered worthy for a cricketing report. I’m not even going to reference birthdays, Belgium Beers and Eric the Bays supporting quadruped and his petrified mastodon friend perched on Bredon Hill. No, there will be no nonsense, no verbose haberdashery, no silliness and not even a swipe or swish of the cane to upset the outdoor Captain on the Good Ship Bayshill. No, nothing, not even a single reference to The Beaver Inn in Appledore or was is Bananadore? No matter to the report I say!
Cheltenham Civil Service won the toss and decided to put themselves into bat, which to be completely frank with you, isn’t cricket. Ben Gaskin taking things seriously, made steady progress, whilst his partner, A Bates unlike his namesake, didn’t deliver. Indeed, Bates receiving a first class delivery from Guthrie A Esq was run out well by Tom Liley, with the score at the end of the third over 22. Gaskins and Smith moved the score along steadily, if not riotously. Gaskins moved back to the balcony with his wicket intact, to be replaced by captain Alastair Maxwell, who finished with 21, carrying his bat.
Angus G, Adi and Tom and Adi again bowled the sixth to nineth overs and it could be argued, that it was here the match was won. 4, 3, 4 and 5 coming from them, throttling any momentum CCCS had. Smith was run out by Stirrup in the 9th over, whilst the next over saw both Sugurs depart with the score on 68. Gaskins returned to join Maxwell and they managed to push the score up considerably in the last two overs. Fran Stirrup passing the keeping gloves surprisingly to Chris Horner bowled the last over, which went for 25, but saw the dexterous aspiring dancing keeper Horner remove the bails via Guthries’s throw to see Gaskin spoil his average.
Bays in reply went for the throat, with 15 coming off the first over, including three 3s! Adi seemingly had an important engagement he had to attend. He retired on just the 8 balls (just one shy of Van Dyke A’s record of 7), including two fours and two sixes. Chris was run out for 7, in exactly the same way as the week before, but with Adi scoring so quickly, there seemed little to worry about. Fran was run out in the sixth over for 11, but importantly Alex Van Dyke made a rapid 27 off just thirteen. Tom added just three, before Guthrie joined adi at the end to help wrap things up. Adi moved his score to 33 not out and put himself at the top of the chart for the division’s leading run scorers.
The result pushes Bays up to second in the league table, but that is of no consequence as the Bays is a Wednesday team seemingly.
Revels and pints were seen in The Rotunda before the players and the thousands of supporters thronged their weary way home, with more than a little rannygazoo!