Personal
problems rock Specials as they fall to Nomads
Specials
preparations for their match against Church Street Nomads
were seriously disrupted by the withdrawal at 1.10 pm from
the team by Steve Golding - citing personal problems.
The more
emotionally fragile members of the team, getting in touch
with their feminine side, shrugged their shoulders, while
the more hard nosed senior pros saw this as letting 10 teammates
down for appeasing one woman and believed the best cure
for such problems is two and a half hours munching the daisies
at fine leg.
As Fred
Trueman says: when batting, do so like a Yorkshireman treats
his woman, no tickling or stroking just give it a good whack.
Your correspondent
duly tossed up and, despite 10 years experience on the bench
and knowing how to spot a wrong un, was hoodwinked by the
Nomads captain into playing a 40 overs match on the basis
of 10 v 10.
Surprise
surprise their 11th player emerged from the dressing room.
We paid the price.
Nomads won
the toss and, in a season of understrength bowling and poor
fielding, we were punished over the next two and a half
hours by a score of 252 for 9 (their highest ever).
Tailor and
Naisbitt were severely dealt with and Pilgrim was let down
by some poor fielding by myself (two drops, as I was thinking
of my cruel dismissal the week before by a cheating Aussie).
McGowan
and Herlihy (your correspondent) took three wickets apiece,
the latter inching his way to 400 wickets for the club despite
being overlooked for most of the season.
Excellent
batting from Lawrence with good support from Sooty helped
the Nomads to their daunting target.
Gareth Williams
provided some light relief in the field when, from Mark's
bowling, dropped a dolly at midwicket, then ran out the
luckless Lawley for a golden duck, who had set off for an
insane run assuming he'd be caught. The Pomagne moment of
the match.
Later on
he too was back in the hutch for a duck and left to ponder
on his own erratic lifestyle.
The Specials
re-emerged from another splendid tea and batted positively
but were on the back foot when Medlock
unluckily played on for 13.
All the
top order batsman got in (Vernon
29, McGowan 33) but could not build a substantial innings
and despite some late positive batting from Reed
were bowled out for 167.
The season
of woe for Mark Naisbitt continued (bowling figures: 8-0-0-72)
and he was given out LBW by an umpire (John Henderson lecherous
lecturer/quizmaster - who had been on the pop during the
day).
It was sad
to hear that John's groin strain has still not recovered.
Maybe it has something to do with walking home from Maida
Vale to Finchley everyday.
It was a
subdued team that returned to our sponsors bar for some
navel gazing and finger pointing.
The emergence
of Golds was a sober reminder of the perils of modern relationships.
With the tour to Horncastle and Liverpool only a week away
it is hoped a time away from London will refocus the lads
.
A bit of
advice to any lovestruck dreamers out there: Think of society
as a prison, marriage as a cell and there is no time off
for good behaviour.
© Mike
Herlihy 2002
