onionbagblog

Team NMB 171 beat Wivenhoe Town by… I’m not really sure ‘cos I had had three pints on the boundary by the time the players shook hands.

It’s a fickle world out there on the boundary of village cricket life. One day you are the VIP guest, rightfully basking in the light of the success of a stupendous book launch in the marquee; less than twenty-four hours later and you are called on for the lonely world of umpire duties.

Ah, but you do it so well, Sir, you do it so well.

To Rectory Road then on Friday evening to kick start the weekend with the Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club Twenty20 evening. Cricket Week has covered many themes over the past few days. As well as the formal launch of The Story of Wivenhoe Cricket, the old linked up to the past with the T20 tournament.

Four teams contested the trophy, of sorts, throughout Friday. The two semis led to the evening finale of Wivenhoe Town Vs Team NMB, the first team sponsors for the club. Umpiring in the middle of course was all rounder Jon Wiseman.

Arriving fashionably late (and causing a little bit of a rumpus behind the bowler’s arm - apologies) and NMB were stuck on 111 and Nelson. A couple of slogs out towards the BBQ, and blimey - the score had jumped to an impressive T20 run chase of 171.

One of the themes in The Story of Wivenhoe Cricket is how the club has managed to adapt to the wider changes within cricket. T20 was served up to perfection at Rectory Road on Friday evening.

Music greeted the rise and fall of each batsman back and forth to the pavilion, the bar was doing a booming trade and we even had local celebrities loitering around the outfield. It wasn’t quite the Sugar Babes or Girls Aloud, but the appearance of a former Mr Mayor was most welcome.

Sent into bat just as the brighter skies were starting to emerge from the direction of Sunny Colch, and the home team were enthusiastic, but fell twenty runs short of the chase. My mole inside the home dressing room tells me that the T20 tournament was an opportunity to experiment, and most importantly, to enjoy.

The more sombre cricketing occasion returns to Rectory Road on Saturday afternoon with the key first team match against Copdock & OI (CRACKING cricket name) following the President’s Day Lunch.

I’ll be back on boundary duty, third man positioned just in front of the bar.

Chin chin.