Spuds up

First of the new potatoes - late this year - and runner beans.



New season kale - early this year.

Twelfth

Fool on the hill

On a hillside amongst the patchwork Mendips, in view of the Iron Age hillfort Maes Knoll, the sweet smell of mown grass and clover in the air, the Cowboys took on Stanton Drew. The covers hadn't been on the night before, apparently for fear of them blowing away, but despite the earlier deluge the pitch was playable,

As the Cowboys got it together, almost all of them showing some enthusiasm for warming up and fielding practice, the opposition captain rode up and down the wicket on a heavy roller, then over-egged the pudding a bit by trying to suggest to Budge that it was a batting wicket. Having won the toss, Joe was having none of it and gave the new ball to his bowlers - well, himself, downhill, with the wind behind him. Garner was left to take off uphill.

The combination of a left and right-handed opening pair kept the Cowboys on their toes in the field and tested the bowlers' line. The score crept along at around three an over but when the breakthrough hadn't come by the eighth over, Budge replaced himself with Evan who promptly got a wicket with his first ball when the batsman drove and Kalu took a smart catch. The following ball, the incoming batsman did exactly the same as his predecessor but Kalu was unable to take an almost identical chance. He went some way to atoning for that by coming on to bowl a maiden with his first over and getting the batsman a short while later, thanks to a good catch from Joe.

An even better, Cider Moment catch eventually came, when BenP dived and clung on and rolled and came up celebrating close to the boundary, where the batsman had tried to loft Kalu.

The score crept along, never too threatening but persistent, aided at times by some deficiency of due care in the field and not helped by the refusal of all LBW appeals. The bowlers - your correspondent included - continued to be tested by the left/right-hand partnership, gradient and stiff breeze. In a return spell, Joe removed the middle order, via catches from Kalu and Angelo, and finally the left-hander for sixty, thanks again to a good catch from Garner after Roger's return to bowling hadn't borne fruit.

The return of your correspondent up the hill prevented the tail from wagging, but after all forty overs, the score had crept marginally above four an over to end on 162 for 8.



A fine tea, including giant baguettes, kept the Cowboys quiet during the break, after which Angelo created an extra quiet zone in the dressing room for some kip while Iggy and Paul went out to bat and solitary spectator Duncan got his binoculars out.

While the bowler from one end bowled consecutive maidens, the one from the other bowled first Iggy, then Paul and in his sixth over Ben: Within a dozen overs the Cowboys were 26 for 3, then 37 for 4 when Alan's resistance ended and he was bowled by the change bowler from the top end.

For the next ten overs, Ev's reliability and stout defence partnered by Kalu's intent and stroke play lifted the run rate above five an over and put the innings back on track. When Ev was the fifth consecutive Cowboy to be bowled with the score on 96 for 5, Angelo's alarm clock went off and he found himself at the wicket but his feet were still asleep and he was LBW for a duck.

Your correspondent had been in the duck pond on his last outing and had no wish to return. Kalu, who'd earlier flicked a ball over the rope behind square for a perfectly timed six, was playing one of his finest innings and in between the well-run singles and twos he cleared the ropes again on his way to his first half century for the Cowboys. The opposition captain barked his orders incessantly and a few got shirty about wides. A new bowler came into the attack and without advancing his score, Kalu mistimed a pull and was caught: Fifty runs to get, ten overs and three wickets left.

Joe came in and was bowled for a single, Roger was caught behind off the returning opening bowler without scoring and now the Cowboys needed a run a ball for seven overs, the opposition, one wicket. Garner helped keep the dream alive and in the process hit the ball high in the air and hurt a child underneath, as the last pair scurried between the stumps. The required run rate crept up, but only just, until with two overs to go and fifteen runs to get, very regrettably your correspondent misjudged an on drive and was caught and bowled, stranding Garner not out at the other end.

Most from both teams then adjourned to the Druid's Arms and garden behind, as the sun hit the Cove of standing stones and Kalu was voted Man of the Match for another great all round performance.

Scorecard

Calendula officinalis

Pisum sativum

Moth magnets

Bath plugged

Easton Cowboys C.C. Saturday XI v Bath C.C. 4th XI

Mixed fortunes on the field for the three Cowboy league teams this weekend, with a crushing defeat, a last ball thriller and a wobbly victory. The Saturday XI travelled to Winford for their home (?) game against Bath 4th XI, some preparing for the match by lying under the trees in the shade while the Bath contingent took over the square and performed their well-drilled exercise routines.

Captain Budge nonchalantly shrugged off losing the toss, possibly because the opposition chose to bat first on a warm and muggy afternoon with a lot of cloud cover. Still, those short boundaries at Winford do look appetising.

The leporine captain sprang down the hill and found most of the things that a bowler likes to find, like pace and bounce and swing, but despite keeping it tight, a wicket eluded him. RobT came up the hill from the flightpath end and kept the pressure on, once the autopilot was engaged, but the breakthrough wouldn't come.

The 2G combination of Grove and Gibbons struck first, if memory serves, but it doesn't and it's all a bit of a blur (others promised to help tell the story) but suffice to say, all-rounder on fire Ev's introduction into the attack tugged the zip up further on the Bath innings until something was going to burst.

And if that bowling change worked a treat, then Kalu's first over piled up the jelly and ice-cream, flighting and tempting and ripping the ball until a beguiled batsman walked out of his crease and Gretch behind the stumps made no mistake. Later in the over, the pair served up a plate of deja vu and the opposition innings suffered indigestion.

It was hard work in the field mind and both Grover and RobT had close encounters with boundary fences and hedging, edges occasionally flew and Iggy and Gretch dived but returned with no pearls. At one point, Kalu nearly pulled off a remarkable caught and bowled, but was just unable to grab the rebound, earning him both a Cider Moment award and a fine for the drop. Ev showed off his throwing arm to all on numerous occasions but the batsman must have been looking the other way, as after a while, he attempted a ridiculous second run when Ev had almost gathered the ball, and was run out by miles.

Four or five wickets down and the score was still below fifty, the run rate below three. The batting became more obstinate, stylish and coached but still the boundaries were few and far between. The captain took a remarkable catch, or made a simple one look so, deep and straight, off the bowling of Kalu, and later returned for another spell with the ball and dislodged the eventual top scorer, Beth Howe, LBW for 17.

A young tail wagged and resisted a while, but the innings crumpled, then ended with another run out in the 32nd over, with the score on 105. Behind the feeling of pleasant surprise was the possibility that it could have been even less, sitting next to the thought that perhaps the bowling attack would be deadly.

And so to tea, to enjoy Iggy's excellent provisions, eat melon in the sunshine and make passengers on incoming FlyBe jets sigh at the vision of pastoral bliss a few hundred feet below them.



Iggy and the returning Grover opened the batting to face another new ball that had been agreed upon at the start of the match. Unsurprisingly, it behaved nastily in capable hands and scoring opportunities were very limited. The score crept along until first Iggy, then Ben was bowled from the top end, the latter with a corker.

The as-yet-uneaten jelly and ice-cream had started to wobble a bit. Enter Alan, to partner Grover's stable left hand and create a solidifying toffee coating: All very sweet until Grover went LBW for 25 and Ev came in to face bowling changes.

Bath had responded to pressure and become more vociferous in the field, although the underlying bleat always evoked fear and desperation rather than confidence and certainty. But then Ev was bowled cheaply, Justin went to a good catch and Kalu went out to join anchorman Alan.

Together, on occasions, they threaded and launched the ball around the ground, Kalu scoring a six over long on to scatter the worried fielders and stir a stagnant run rate. When he was caught a few boundaries later, the Cowboys were six wickets down with about thirty runs to get in more than a dozen overs.

As a parent, your correspondent has got into the habit of not smacking a ball bowled by a small child as hard as possible to the boundary, (a la Simon Day's 'Competitive Dad') but rather spooning it up for one of his/her chums to catch in a manner that even granny would be ashamed of. So he did and the toffee coating cracked and the melted cream came out. There were more enthusiastic squeaks from the bottom field when Gretch was run out, also for a duck, but long distance, Man of the Match Alan was still there.

The Cowboys' cause was greatly bolstered by a a large number of wides that agitated and angered a few of the opposition although there was no doubt that the balls were out of reach. With many overs still to go, RobT went out to join Alan in looking in control of the situation, pulling it off with aplomb, hitting the winning runs of a two wicket victory to secure a third win in a row

Scorecard

July Skies

Also the name of a fine, wistful, ambient guitar based band from the West Midlands :

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Random beets

P.P.S.

Future veg

Choked

Caned some

Keynsham C.C. 4th XI v Easton Cowboys C.C. Saturday XI

So, what was to be the manner of execution inflicted on the Easton Cowboys by an undefeated, top of the table Keynsham?

"Crucifixion?"
"Er, no, freedom actually."
"What?"
"Yeah, they said I hadn't done anything and I could go and live on an island somewhere."
"Oh I say, that's very nice. Well, off you go then." (Python - Life Of Brian)

With Joe away at Worthy Farm, RobT stepped in as skipper and proved that there ain't nothing to this tossing business and stuck the opposition into bat on an overcast and windy afternoon at Wellsway School.

Soon the batsmen were disappearing faster than cigarette lighters out the back of The Plough, thanks to some phenomenally tight bowling from Ev, Rob and Rich and despite an early chance uncharacteristically spilled by Ange, a mud-spattered renegede from the Pilton Pop Festival.

Things were going well, even after your correspondent came on to bowl, until DaveB - a late arrival who hadn't participated in the meticulously planned and randomly executed warm-up routines - thought about chasing a ball from point: After falling to the ground, he departed to hobbledom with a pulled hamstring and was fortuitously and competently replaced in the field by 12th man Arran.

The Cowboys' fielding was always committed, if not always successful, with Alan taking one on the jaw at square leg and a couple of catches going to ground. Gretch pulled off a smart stumping off the bowling of Kalu, who provided a nearly unanimous Cider Moment by bowling the batsman around his legs, with a ball that without the tremendous leg spin, would probably have been a wide.

Constant pressure, a fairly unpredictable pitch and some generally less than confident batting led to the Keynsham innings petering out in the 32nd over for 76 runs.

Tea was served half a mile away, back at the main ground - where the home side had already won - and comprised a fine spread of canapes, roast potatoes, pasta and sweet things. The bar was temptingly open and the sun momentarily came out.



With DB absent injured, Iggy joined Angelo to open the batting and soon found that the young home bowlers could extract swing and variable bounce to match the Cowboys' previous efforts. The frequent short pitched bowling, although threatening, also provided opportunities for runs.

Progress was slow, for some time slipping below the opposition's meagre run rate, but with all the time in the world to get the runs, Angelo and Ev built a foundation for Alan to build on after Iggy fell cheaply. Still apparently wearing a ball magnet in his head, Alan did well to evade more short pitched bowling and also exquisitely thread the ball through fielders square of the wicket to the boundary.

After Simon's swift departure, Kalu showed signs of wanting to reach the slowly approaching target with the usual positive intent, but after striking a few blows he was bowled while looking into the middle distance.(Photographic evidence exists)

Gretch joined Alan to see it through and in the 29th over, as the Man of the Match stroked the ball across the boundary again, the Cowboys had achieved a fairly comfortable victory, returning to the Keynsham home ground for some cheery hospitality and to face the skipper's kangaroo fines' court.

Scorecard

Berried

Serotonin inhibitor?

Feverfew - possibly inhibits the release of serotonin and limits the inflammation of blood vessels in the head, thereby easing fevers and migraines.

Wikipedia

Deux couleurs

Ornamental, honest!

99 with chocolate flake

Easton Cowboys C.C. Saturday XI v Whitchurch C.C.3rd XI

Despite enough rain in the morning to nearly drown a local strawberry grower and doubts about the exact location of their 'home' ground, the Cowboys' Saturday XI started their match on time against Whitchurch 3rd XI at the King George V Playing Fields in Downend.

Contrary to reports last week and to considerable cheers, skipper Budge proved that he can be a successful tosser and asked the opposition to bat. Continuing with a positive assertiveness that was to last all afternoon, he opened the bowling downhill with the wind behind him and was soon exploiting the vagaries of the pitch. RobT opened from the other end in a sprightly fashion, dropping his sails and motoring headlong into the gale.

It was evidently a tricky pitch to bat on and the damp outfield and alert fielders further limited the runs on the rare occasions that the ball left the square. The pressure soon took it's toll on the opposition batsmen; Justin took a sharp catch, DaveB another, stumps were clattered. Gretch's remarkable agility behind the stumps was matched by Ev fielding at point, who stuck out a hand on an elastic arm to catch an uppish cut off RobT's bowling and earn himself the Cider Moment.

Having barely conceded any runs and bagged his long awaited first wickets of the season, the skipper replaced himself with Ev who produced a similarly miserly spell while RichG sprang in from the other end, passing the bat and making light work of the headwind. By now, the opposition No.5 was proving not only stubborn but powerfully adept at occasionally smashing the ball down the ground and so it was with some trepidation that your correspondent came on to bowl. However, aided by an able supporting cast the runs were limited, Iggy's wait for a slip catch was rewarded, DaveB caught a lofted drive close to the ground and it looked like the opposition wouldn't bat out the full quota of overs.

After Ev's precision, RobT and RichG returned to see off the tail who had shown a sliver or resistance, but when the latter hit the stumps for a second time, no disco pose appeal was necessary and the Whitchurch innings was over in the 37th over, two short of a hundred.

Tea was taken a short walk or (if you were really lazy/tired) drive away, comprising rustic grazing provided by your correspondent, aided and abetted by Joe, RobT and Gretch. As crumbs were swept away and cases of food poisoning administered to, DaveB and Iggy padded up and strode out to get the measure of a drying but still tricky wicket.

The ball was still in relatively good condition and atmospheric conditions, the wind and opposition bowlers combined to produce swing through the air, while certain patches of the wicket produced unexpected trajectories. Despite all that, Iggy played with positive freedom on his welcome return from hobbledom, DaveB more watchful and apparently solid. Angelo was just remarking how solid everything was looking when a fuller ball hit the base of Dave's stumps off a thinside edge and Justin went out to replace him.

Iggy played more shots, evading fielders by luck or design but after getting bogged down, played one too many and was bowled for 21. Ev went out to join Justin who was playing the ball late off the pitch in a watchful innings, but the score stalled. Around the 15th over, the bowler from the top end, leaking even fewer runs than Joe and Ev had done earlier, bowled Ev for a duck and Angelo a couple of balls later.

Four wickets down and not yet half way to the target, Kalu joined Justin and Iggy went to umpire. With hindsight, opposition fielders might have gone a bit deeper as Kalu's first scoring shot was a six. A few more boundaries later they did. When opportunities came their way they missed or spilled them and Kalu rode his luck, clattering the ball with a lightening fast backlift and spring action punch.

When a catch was eventually held and Kalu departed for 28, still grinning, the balance of the game had swung back in the Cowboys' favour, although a bowling change and some less than friendly vibes were starting to threaten that. When the other umpire, who had travelled with the opposition, made a bad decision in giving Justin out caught off his arm, off a bowler who propelled the ball to the stumps via the Moon, the mainstay and anchor of the innings was a tad reluctant to depart before confirmation.

With around twenty more runs to get, skipper Joe strode out to join a less than comfortable looking Gretch, the remainder of the tail not feeling very chilled either, except by the wind. Still sensing a chance, the opposition appealed for everything and finally got the only LBW decision of the day from a harangued but even-handed Iggy, Gretch falling without playing a shot.

Like the impatient groundsman, Joe wanted the match to finish, but unlike him, he was passionately bothered that the Cowboys would emerge as victors. With no nonsense straight drives he found the boundary twice, smashing balls from the ultra slow bowler back at your correspondent's head, at the non-striker's end, at many times the speed at which they came towards him. The following over, a straight ball kept low and was kept out, a wide ball was called a wide - and the Cowboys had won by three wickets with eight overs to spare.

The skipper's all round performance (but mainly winning the toss) won him the Man of the Match vote and the appearance of Mr Maroon, aka Dick Emery, aka SteveO at the ground and Plough later was another noteworthy CM nomination.

Scorecard

Into the black

Wrung

Easton Cowboys C.C. Saturday XI v Wrington C.C. 2nd XI

Well blessed were our souls as the Friday night deluge didn't carry over into Saturday and the Frenchay topography, groundstaff and heavy roller facilitated the prompt commencement of the match against Wrington.

The Cowboys' skipper, it has to be said, is not much of a tosser: Once again he lost and the favoured option of bowling was taken by the opposition but the opening pair of DB and Angelo rose to the challenge, picking off quick early runs against a relatively lacklustre bowling attack.

When Angelo fell to an equitable LBW decision, last week's flashing blade Ev came to the wicket and occupied the crease as DB played shots at the other end. By now, the run rate had dropped from a rosy six an over to around three, as opposition bowling changes revealed depth and threatened.

After Ev was bowled for a long duck, SteveO and Alan stuck around as DB headed towards and just past a half century, but when he was well caught, the innings needed the impetus and improvisation shown by Kalu to muster a respectable total: Time and again, exquisite lofty late cuts evaded fielders and raced to the boundary, but when he was eventually caught for 46, the late order and tail failed to make an impression against tight bowling and worse, left more than three overs unbatted in being all out for 149.

A fine tea from RobT refreshed and revitalised spirits, with the man himself coming out of the kitchen after the break to produce a tangerine with the first ball of a fine spell from the bottom end to bowl the Wrington opener.

Joe tore in from the top end but despite unsettling, couldn't dislodge the batsmen and when Ev replaced him and your correspondent took over at the other end, the Wrington No.3 was establishing himself as the backbone of their run chase.

In bright sunshine the skipper took the first of two good catches, although the real pearler, voted as the Cider Moment and a contender for catch of the season, was plucked, prevented from reaching the ground and presented like a jewel in Angelo's fingertips, diving forward at cover.

After economical bowling and fielding pressure had unsettled the opposition middle order into giving up several wickets, a rotated bowling strategy saw a confident Kalu given the ball and as he started to prise out the first of three batsmen, there was hope in the Cowboys' camp. Most, if not all catches were taken, Gretch kept well behind well kept, recently varnished stumps, but despite good return spells from RobT and Joe, Wrington overhauled the target for the loss of eight wickets with three overs to spare.

Kalu was voted Man of the Match for his fine all-round performance, verging on jug-avoidance, but his post-match tutorial on coin tossing imploded when his demonstrations repeatedly failed.

Scorecard

Between showers and office hours

Strawberries abound

Nova Red

City centre sanctuary

Saint Stephen's Cafe