Cardiff Cavaliers Cricket Club

2008 Match reports

Match reports are in chronological order with the most recent game first. Scroll down the page for reports on earlier matches. Click here if you want to know about the underlying principle behind this section of the web site.

Barry Wanderers, Saturday 20 September. BWCC 216/4 (40ovs, D Lewis 1/16, S Davis 1/21, A Steadman jnr 1/21, D Parsons 1/26). Cavaliers Cavaliers 75ao (33.3 ovs, A Steadman jnr 20, D Parsons 20, Marchant 11). Lost by 141 runs. Scorecard

There was a touch of the Maurice Chevaliers as we arrived at Hayes Point for our traditional end of season game with Barry Wanderers … “I was on time”, “No, you were late” “ah, yes, I remember it well” … with Barry W having been told by their absent Gerry it was 1 o’clock start and we’d been assured by our absent Grizz that it was 1.30. We did, eventually manage to get underway somewhere between the two times after one of those quaint cricketing eccentricities of a ‘tea’ toss which goes along the lines of “We haven’t got anyone spare to do the tea so if you field first we can get it ready”. As Napoleon was quick to realise, an army marches on its stomach so Emperor Marchant was ready to accede to this suggestion.

Blinking somewhat as a strange gold disc had been hoisted high in the sky of blue, doubtless an attempt at sardonic humour by the weather gods who’d clearly run out of water, the Cavaliers took to the pitch with a team that spanned the years and one of their number trying to look like a Red Indian brave with war paint smeared across his cheeks (facial ones, of course) but the impression ended there as no feathers were to be seen and it had been, in any case, Gog who’d been parading bare-chested around the pavilion yet again.

Comment must be made of the excellent facilities that now surround the ground, especially the fact that the potholes on the driveway have been hidden under the ubiquitous tarmac, and there are now 2 tennis courts but Matt “Federer” Thomas was disappointed to read the sign that said “No entry to cricketers on match days”. He’d have to wait another time to twang his racket.

He was, though, excited to learn that he would be opening the bowling as our all-pace attack consisted mostly of those who might appear on Strictly Come Dancing, being one or two step aficionados. Sparkes, though, had offered to come off 4 paces but the skipper was not to be tempted opting, instead, to expose his secret weapon early on, entrusting the 2^nd over to a certain crooked armed (allegedly) Mr Davis.

The yoking of a youngster with an experienced old hand was to prove a feature of Marchant’s tactics until he ran out of whipper-snappers after 4 or 5 overs or so, as 6 of team had an aggregate age nudging 350 years.

However, we get ahead ourselves. When Jimmy gathered his band of brothers to allot them their fielding positions and the umpire called “Play” this year’s skipper overtook a record that has stood since 1995: the most appearances in a season. We’d expected him to manage this feat before now but the weather in its various guises – raining days before, raining on the day and, once, expected to rain but not doing so – had caused 12 of our last 15 games to be cancelled.

Both Thomas M and Davis S started exceedingly well, with Gog making the breakthrough in his second over when his slower ball totally deceived the opener who rotated 180 degrees in his pull shot only to glance over his shoulder to see the ball only just timing its arrival at the crease and being on a line of middle stump. After 4 overs, two of them Gog maidens, they were 9 for 1. Word, though, had obviously gone out around the pavilion and none of the other Barry batsman was to be deceived in such fashion again.

Thus, came our first change and the skipper’s tactics were clearly being revised on the hoof as the youngster and oldster next yoked together were Messrs Buckle and Lewis (D). With contrasting styles they continued to pose questions of the Barry team that you wouldn’t find on a SATS paper. Geisha, delighted to make an appearance after he’d feared his season was over when his spinning finger failed to heal in mid-summer, proved almost impossible to play and deserved more than his solitary wicket late on in the innings, an excellent stumping by JT, and was in no way flattered by final figures of 8-2-16-1.

Swash also had dangerous moments and looked as if he might further burnish his reputation and add to his wicket tally after the game against Sully Centurions. Indeed, although the scorebook only shows 4 wickets taken, it might have been a full house with 2 difficult chances going down and the need for an extra coat of varnish on the stumps being the difference on several occasions.

The second wicket to fall was of a type that few had expected, certainly not among the Cavaliers, with Andrew Steadman being tossed the ball by captain Marchant who then proceeded to re-write another line in the Club record books by taking his 14^th catch of the season, so passing the record set by Dominic Dwyer in 2003.

This lightened proceedings somewhat as, at the other end, Sparkes was finding much to maunder about with an umpire who insisted on him bowling straight “It is straight” he protested “but I can’t help it if turns so much”. Happily no-one suggested we employ polygraph tests for our otherwise omniscient colleague who, to be fair, was probably led to believe by batsman playing and missing as they at first thought it would turn, played for the spin, and then found it didn’t divert at all. To humour him, they declined to try to hit him out of the ground but then merely toyed with his frustrations as each time he requested a field change they would lob the next ball at catchable height to the exact position from which the fielder had been moved.

Despite this, the fielding was again good with Ward showing his newly found prowess in the covers, making sure that some limb or digit was able to intercept the ball, saving several boundaries.

Parsons D picked up our 3^rd wicket with another catch by Marchant, setting the fielding bar even higher for those that will follow. Stung by a comment from the fielder at point that he looked a bit like his brother when he tried to bowl seam-up, the extra pace generated by Dave surprised the batsman who could only lob the ball meekly to mid-off.

At 120 odd for only 3 down just beyond the half-way mark, we could’ve been facing yet another mammoth total but everyone bowled well and the fielding never slipped although some of the returns left something to be desired with a couple of run-outs being missed.

Geishas returned at the end, claiming our 4^th wicket, and Matt selflessly took on the mantle of bowling at the death. The only disappointment rested with the Barry opener who carried his bat and on strike, with two balls to go, needed to hit both for 6 to reach his hundred but could only manage a four and a six.

Tea was taken sat in warmth and glorious sunshine that continued to bless the ground and Marchant hatched his plan for an eleventh hour assault on the Club’s record of most victories in a season with just one chance remaining. His opening pair – of Steaders junior and JT – were conventional but then there turned out to be a touch of the Nick Faldo’s with his decision to put Sparkes in the crucial position of No3. The thinking, apparently, was that he could blunt the new ball attack, so allowing the natural stroke-makers to wreak mayhem later on. This is a well-established theory that has stood the test of time but clearly Jez’s fine education was either wanting or he didn’t realised that in order to blunt something you have first to hit it.

There was a mini-rescue fashioned by Steaders jnr and Parsons D who both scored 20 with a brace of boundaries each but once they were out, only Jimmy reached double figures. Steadman A snr was run out, Thomas M undone by the slower ball, Ward and Buckle both fell to Mike Ashton, and Lewis D given out LBW by Trigger (who else, you might wonder but he did wait one and half nano-seconds before raising the finger, leading to a charge in court later that he was acquiring Steve Bucknor-like tendencies.)

So one record escaped our attentions this year but when we consider how much else has been celebrated in our 30^th anniversary season on and off the pitch perhaps it’s as well not to gorge too much.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Jeremy Sparkes, Dave Parsons, Martin Buckle, Alan Ward, Steve Davis, Alistair Steadman, Matt Thomas, Derek Lewis, Andrew Steadman

Chartered Trust, Thursday 29 August. Chartered Trust 133/9 (18ovs, Marchant 2/7, S Davis 2/11, Moore 2/23, J Thomas 1/4, Pritchard 1/15). Cavaliers 71/5 (18ovs, J Davies 35). Lost by 62 runs and so lose the Ashes series 2-0. Scorecard

(With apologies to Guido, the Cavaliers' Poet Laureate….and everyone else for that matter)

With memories of Black Monday

recurring in bad flashes,

‘Twas time to meet with Chartered Trust

and play them for the Ashes.

Who won the toss? Who chose to field?

It doesn’t really matter.

Suffice to say the first runs scored

went to a Chartered batter.

It’s fair to say that some who bowled

suffered quite a thumping,

but Gog, despite his crooked arm

and Caesar bagged two stumpings

Browny strolled the boundary -

we’ve missed his caustic wit.

“How could so many wickets fall

so cheaply, to such sh….rubbish bowling?”

A master-class from Madman Moore

was backed by Jim the Skipper,

but the Chartered total grew apace

which made their boys quite chipper.

So now here comes the boring bit

where figures have their time,

An analysis of bowling stats

doesn’t lend itself to rhyme

Moore                 3 overs         0        23 runs         3 wickets

Marchant                3 overs         0        7 runs          1 wicket

Davis                  2 overs         0        11 runs         2 wickets

Thomas                  1 over           0        4 runs           1 wicket

Pritchard                1 over           0        15 runs         1 wicket

A target, then, of one three five

was there for us to chase,

but wickets fell as darkness came

- we dropped behind the pace.

JT 4, Kiran 4

Glen didn’t fare much better,

Thank goodness JD took control

to be our chief run getter

A mighty swipe, a lusty blow,

a classy cover drive.

But Jiffy fell eventually

for a well earned 35

A low one clattered Jimmy’s stumps,

it didn’t leave the floor.

How many could the last pair add

to boost our meagre score?

Mooro and the Grizzly one

took the battle to the bowlers,

but all too little, all too late,

we were running out of overs.

The veterans stayed there till the end

We were sixty three runs short

The Chartered boys had bowled too well,

the Cavaliers out-fought.

So after handshakes, corks were popped

With frenzied champagne splashes

But Cavalier thoughts had quickly turned

to winning back the Ashes.

….well, actually thoughts turned to “didn’t it get dark quickly”, “you coming for a pint?”, “I’ve been bitten to death by midges”, “Is Jimmy going to wash his kit before the end of the season?”……………..

There’s always next year!

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Jonathan Thomas, Glenn Chapman, Nigel Adams, Kiran Ridley, Wyn Pritchard, Nigel Moore, Steve Davis, Jonathan Davies, Ross Bowen

Haste Hill, Monday 25 August. Haste Hill 116/5 (30ovs, Bowen 1/8, Marchant 1/10, Chapman 1/13, Sparkes 1/17). Cavaliers 23/9 (14 ovs, Marchant 10no). Lost by 93 runs. Scorecard

Black Monday! Lowest ever score by the Cavaliers - 'nuff said, you might think but here is the official match report ...

After the traditional August Bank Holiday weather had prevailed over the previous few days, the Cathedral School pitch was somewhat reminiscent of those seen whilst watching those old highlights of 70’s matches (Football rather than Cricket!)

With more sawdust than a hamster's cage and puddles in areas that would make a certain Mr Phelps feel welcome it was decided that, as the opposition had travelled so far for their only tour game, the Cavaliers were duty bound to get a match played.

With Cricketing tradition observed, the toss was forgone and Haste Hill decided to bat first. The bowling was opened by Bowen and H.Parsons, for a tight opening spell conceding only 18 runs in the first 8 overs.

In keeping with the friendly spirit of the game, the remaining overs were shared between the rest of the side with only the wicketkeeper (Caeser) not bowling.

The wickets were spread out amongst the bowlers, 5 different men each bagging one apiece, with only Steve Davis, JT and the Parsons brothers failing to get in the wickets [Ed: there was an historical curio with The Oracle being the only man to bowl a full allotment, the first time he has ever done so in his time with the Cavaliers.]

With only 10 men available for the fixture, there were inevitable gaps in the field, however the Cavaliers put in a decent performance, restricting Haste Hill to 116 runs in their allotted 30 overs, taking 5 wickets in the process.

There was some disappointment in the ranks that one wicket not taken was that of a certain Richard ‘Radar’ Davies, coming in for a brief cameo at the end of the innings, wearing a rather garish hat, and hitting a cracking four to which remarks like "why doesn’t he do that for us" and "I’ve never seen him get it off the square before" were heard.

After an enjoyable tea [Ed: Cavaliers' teas are rapidly becoming a legend in their own lunchtime, with no-one stealing the Skipper's Viennese Whirl off his plate, mainly because Panda discovered them afterwards hidden under the scorebook, doubtless squirreled away for later consumption by person or persons unknown], it was time for the remarkable and record breaking Cavaliers innings.

Dave Parsons set the tone for the following batsman, by getting bowled with the first ball of the innings [Ed: the lack of sightscreens is becoming a constant irritant and something that the Committee should address during the close season so if anyone is having a winter clearout of old bed linen, don't put it in the charity bag but keep hold of it for Mrs Parsons to crossstitch a suitable backcloth for the School and Cemetery ends.]

After this things could only get better (but only marginally better). Without going into too much detail, Marchant top scored with 10 N.O., followed by Searle on 4, and Sparkes and Chapman getting 1 each. With seven extras taking the score onto 23.

Luckily, club historical expert Grizz had arrived by the end of the game, so was on hand to confirm that we had managed to smash the club’s 15 year old lowest score in a completed innings record by 3 runs [Ed: this game also saw us lower the flag on a distinguished run, which started during 2006, of over 100 fixtures where we never failed to name a team comprising 11 Cavaliers - however, despite there being more than ample availability from people's forms that suggested we would stretch this run even further it was, therefore, exceedingly disappointing that we were understrength for hosting Radar's old mates and may well  cause some head-scratching for the future.]

[Ed: the post-match hospitality continued with our visitors in the Butchers and one of the easiest Court Sessions the Gog had ever had to preside over, with 9 of our number fined a £ for their part in setting the bar even lower for a completed innings and the Skipper fined for being "the man on deck" when all the hands went down - who said justice is smooth and even.]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Ross Bowen, Steve Davis, Huw Parsons, Jonathan Thomas, Jeremy Sparkes, Wyn Pritchard, Glenn Chapman, David Parsons.

Gelre CC, Zutphen (Holland), Sunday 3 August. Cavaliers 244/7 (35ovs, Newbury 53, Chapman 51no, Sparkes 30). Gelre 135ao (25.3ovs, Simpson 2/10, Newbury 2/10, Marchant 2/11, Roake 2/23, S Davis 1/1, J Davies 1/8). Won by 109 runs. Scorecard

The Sunday game of any tour can be hard work; after the exploits of Friday and Saturday this was no exception. With Rumors of a 3 hour coach ride the team assembled on time, well everybody except Rabbit, in Pink T-shirts. In fact we looked like a team who had enjoyed the excesses of the Amsterdam Mardi Gras the night before!

Thankfully the rumors turned out to be false, we arrived at our hosts Gelre (near Arnhem) more than a little groggy, was this to be the bridge too far?

Quickly assessing the wicket and pitch Skipper AKA Cyril Sneer decided to bat first and put his faith in JD (Rolland) and the Gog to get things started. After a steady start, mainly due to JD still seeing three balls and characters from the magic roundabout during every ball, the pair started to kick on. Gog fell to a ball that was straight (some say straight down leg) LBW for 7. JD slapped a few but then was caught as he top edged a full toss for 18.

This brought some old stagers to the crease, Joey “el Presidente” Newbury and Jeremy “too many Names to mention” Sparkes. After a slow start, some say painfully slow, the pair recorded the first century partnership overseas for the Cavaliers with a stand of 112 in 17 overs with “El Presidente” scoring 53 off 62 balls for his maiden 50 (bl*ody hell, how long have you been playing?) [Ed: Joey reflected, that having been dropped 7 times en route to his 50, he’d used up his colleagues’ lives as everyone else who popped the ball in the air saw the catch taken].

Contributions where also made by Roake 2, Pritchard 1 and Ward (Cyril’s nemesis) 9 which included his first boundary for the club. The final overs brought Glenn “What have we done to ourselves!” Chapman and Cyril Sneer to the crease. Chapman scored a swashbuckling 51no off 28 balls and Cyril scored an unbeaten 9 overcoming Jason “Mental attitude” Duffy in their personal dual (Jason: Rabbit’s barber is still waiting for you!)

After a fantastic lunch swilled down with a few beers we took to the field to defend a total of 244.

Cyril handed the blotched cherry to Simpson to open the bowling. Adjusting to the artificial wicket well, he bowled and excellent line and length and troubled the Gelre batsman, clean bowling the opener De Villder for nine and trapping Ton (sadly didn’t live up to his name) LBW for 10. Finishing with figures 3 overs 2 wickets for 10 runs.

Rabbit took the other end and did his best to shore things up with his mix of line, length, flight and more flight. His 3 overs going for a respectable 22 runs. A special mention must also go out to Rabbit who took his first ever catch in a game [Ed: a very good one too, which was even more surprising as he’d had an easier chance to open his account just moments before.]

JD topped the bowling figures with 3 overs 1 wicket for 8 runs. More wickets were on offer for JD, his crooked Captain dropped 2 glaring chances and Jez was too busy pulling up his trousers behind the stumps to think about stumping!

[Ed: the match also saw Jimmy set a new record for the most wickets taken in a season. Having experienced a moment of joy that was instantly dashed when one of our team who shall remain nameless – but he was the baby of the party – dropped a catch and was constantly reminded of it until Jim eventually snared his 30^th wicket of the season with an LBW and then promptly followed it up next ball to claim his 31^st, bowling their skipper to qualify him for Primary Club membership. Jimmy then carefully avoided having to buy a jug with his next delivery.]

Cavaliers ended up winning by 109 runs in what was a very enjoyable game [Ed: this victory saw us equal the record of the most wins in a season, which was 13 back in 1997.]

Later we found that our hosts had only just started playing in 2007 and this was their first ‘long’ game having only played 20/20 before. [Ed: it was only their 6^th match ever, the 1^st ever game on their new ground and we were the 1^st team to play there … from Cardiff, Wales, the UK, the Commonwealth and G8 – a frivolity of firsts.]

They played in the spirit that Sunday games should be played in and will only improve!

After the game we enjoyed yet more great hospitality, a feature throughout the tour! [Ed: presentations were made: from us to them of a Club tie, some new balls and Wazza’s own “international cricketer’s” hat; and to us of their club flag which will have pride of place at our dinner. They were also introduced to the ‘mysteries’ of the Judge’s chambers and how you get the 'fines' into court room finesse.]

Let’s hope we can reciprocate some of the hospitality shown in the near future.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jeremy Sparkes (wkt), Steve Davis, Jonathan Davies, Joey Newbury, Steve Roake, Alan Ward, Glenn Chapman, Wyn Pritchard, Mark Simpson, Warwick Armstrong. 12th man: various members of the tour party

Gelre have also recorded their impressions of the match, in the coach’s blog on their website. Panda has arranged a Google-Internet translation which he submitted to the webmaster and which appears below verbatim …

"The mile pile

there can you nevertheless of speak if you can you play as brand-new cricketclub very first game on your own field. Still right international also. The Cardif Cavaliers, in the running for the title nicest touring team of GB, came on a visit. Blessed very well circumstances could play we for the first time 35 overs.

Captain seriousness Terlinden spoke with its colleague finished that we firstly fielden. All wides and no-balls concerning gebowld for the first time also became and as a result, we with the nose on the facts were considerably pressed. Not that we that but did not know Mr. Extra with 64 topscorer and that, however, a lot of runs is. There were taken into consideration bowlers 7. The wickets were taken seriousness (3), barrel (1), Chris (1), Arnaud (1) and Roel (1) whereas also Roderik and Antoine passed them stinking best the ball to off to keep.Toch the antagonist reached a firm total of 244 runs.

The only downpour fell during the excellent looked after lunch therefore the also gods it well had understood. Our profits were not at all bad but 35 overs are as lot of if you have got used every ball give a slap to want. Roderik tasted and firstly six to the dam alley on its name the pleasure to put, but it was disturbed cruelly six which he had two balls later in its enthusiasm in ideas by heinous rattling behind him. The following, what fell less lively mile pile captain seriousness at turn. You enter, you will stand, you sway with your bat, an ugly disorder sees behind your ..... and can go. A hard gelag (no not with ch!) Also that belongs to cricket.

With his all we reach each game a higher total. Now we obtained for 136 runs. For writer dezes it is clear that rising line, which even layman is to stagnate considerably to catch. Well played men! The first profit comes always dense at!"

CC Bloemendaal, Holland, Saturday 2 August. Cavaliers 186 for 3 (35 overs, Hutchings 102 retired not out, D Parsons 31, Armstrong 28). Bloemendaal 187 for 9 (34.3 overs, Bowen 4/28, Armstrong 2/16, Moore 1/3, Parsons D. 1/24, Marchant 1/32). Lost by 1 wicket. Scorecard

As the coach made its way out of Amsterdam in the late morning sun, you could sense the eager anticipation of the squad. Those keen to play had spent a quiet first evening on this the first Cavaliers overseas tour, partaking in a restrained couple of beers, a leisurely meal, and a good night’s sleep in the comfortable Hans Brinker Hotel. There was none-the-less a sense of disappointment in the absence of the mastermind behind the tour Graeme Brown, not least given his foresight in selecting the subtle tint of Azalea for the tour t-shirts, ensuring that the squad fitted in well with the weekend’s Amsterdam Gay Pride celebrations.

At the picturesque Dorlaan Ground in this charming seaside resort, the tenor of the game was set from the start, with the Dutch skipper, having won the toss, generously asking Cavaliers captain Jimmy Marchant whether he wanted to bat or bowl. He did raise the stakes a little by suggesting that the pitch was capable of accommodating a score of over 300 an innings from the 35 over game.

Jim’s scepticism was borne out as the opening pair of Dave Parsons and Nick Hutchings took a little time to come to terms with the extra bounce generated by the matting wicket. However, having eased themselves in gently, they upped the scoring rate, and eventually put on 95 for the first wicket, when Parsons was trapped lbw for 35. First changing his gloves, and then his bat, [Ed: and then calling for a drink one over before the scheduled drinks break] Parsons had looked the part as a genuine opener. Radar Davies quickly came and went caught behind, but Armstrong joined Hutchings to establish another solid partnership of 75. By this time Hutchings had recorded his first century for the club, retiring at 102 having struck 13 boundaries [Ed: thanks to sterling work with the scorecards by Wardy and Papa, and on the electronic scoreboard by JD, we were all able to follow Nick’s progress with great anticipation run-by-run].

Armstrong quickly followed to the pavilion, bowled for 28, and it was left to Adams and Duffy to see out the innings. The score at 186 for 3 was a little short of the projected 300. The pick of the bowlers in this multi-national Bloemendaal team was Thomas, with 2 for 25 off 6 overs.

[Ed: Simpson and Roake, among the non-players for this game, then blotted their copybook severely by helping themselves copiously to the players’ tea only for the skipper to find, after he’d warmed down from his exertions of captaining from the sidelines, which mostly included some sort of gesturing to get on with it that may have been interpreted differently had we still been at the heart of the Gay Pride celebrations in Amsterdam, to find there was none left for him. The Judge was able to ensure that justice was both full and swift in court later.]

The score of 186 looked a lot more promising after 2 overs of the Dutch innings, by which time both openers were back in the pavilion, with wickets to opening bowlers Bowen and Moore, courtesy of sharp catches in the field [Ed: Adams took the first off Bowen to claim both their places in the Cavaliers’ history books, and Buckle took yet another exceedingly difficult catch which he made look quite straightforward such was his aplomb and modest demeanour.].

However Matchett and Banya gradually rebuilt the innings, the former in particular punishing the loose ball, and together they took the total to 105 for 3, a partnership of 103. Matchett and Eilers then put on 44 for the fourth wicket, when Matchett was well caught on the boundary by Hutchings for 89. With wickets and overs in hand, and only 38 required, it seemed as if the match was still heading comfortably Bloemendaal’s way. 

However, a good performance from all the bowlers, ably supported by a competent field, saw 149 for 4 rapidly become 155 for 6, and the result was looking rather less predictable. At this point, however, Nienhuis joined Eilers, and together they took the score to 179, when Marchant took a sharp caught and bowled to dismiss Nienhuis for 12.

With Bowen recalled to the attack, and taking 2 wickets with 2 balls, the last man arrived at the crease with 5 runs still required. However, the No11 bat De Jong, the Bloemendaal captain, played himself in carefully, before hitting the winning runs back over the bowler’s head with 3 balls remaining.

The pick of the bowlers was Bowen with 8 overs 2 maidens 4 for 28, although Amstrong’s 2 for 16, and Moore’s 3 overs 2 maidens 1 for 3 were also notable performances. Parsons and Marchant chipped in with the other wickets. With the latter, captain Jimmy Marchant equalled the club record for the most wickets in a season.

All around it was a good Cavaliers performance, if not quite good enough. An enjoyable afternoon was completed by exemplary hospitality, and the tourists were in no hurry to return to the Amsterdam celebrations.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Geoff Lewis (wkt), Dave Parsons, Nick Hutchings, Richard Davies, Warwick Armstrong, Nigel Adams, Nigel Moore, Martin Buckle, Ross Bowen. 12th man: various members of the tour party

Uni Staff (Willow Plate), Tuesday 29 July. Uni Staff 134/5 (18ovs, Marchant 2/12, J Davies 1/19, Chapman 1/24, Duffy 1/28). Cavaliers 131/6 (18ovs, Marchant 55, J Davies 20no, Adams 17no). Lost by 3 runs. Cavaliers 0pts, Uni Staff 2pts. Scorecard

It appeared quite improbable that there would be any play at all in the fixture involving the Cavaliers and the Uni Staff, with torrential overnight and morning rain and murky skies throughout the day. However, this season's overly crusty, parched and under-watered Cathedral School pitch served its purpose in absorbing the heavy downfalls and - despite further showers immediately preceding and at the start of play - the game was played with no weather interruptions.

Three bowlers stood out for the Cavaliers: Mark Twaits, Jonathan Davies and Jimmy Marchant. Twaits was wicketless, but caused problems for the opposition batsmen. It was fun to see him unnerve the overly confident Brabham with a bouncer. Of course, Brabham tried to pretend that he was unruffled.

Davies, despite two poor four balls at the beginning of his spell, bowled accurately and picked up the wicket of Khan, caught and bowled, for nought. Marchant dismissed Brabham (16), who fell victim to a midwicket boundary catch made by Steadman. This was an important wicket as the batsman had already struck a six and two fours, and was looking to improve his scoring rate. 

Marchant then managed to tempt Goodman (nought) into an indiscretion, Steadman once again taking the catch. Dave Parsons kept wicket superbly throughout the Uni Staff innings. Notwithstanding, Snehasis caused real damage, with a quick 42 [Ed: bowled by a full toss from Duffy that clipped the top of the leg stump, which caused uproar pavilion-side with everyone convinced it must be a no-ball. However, the square leg umpire was in the best position to call it and, the ball having exoceted in on a straight line, it must have been of legitimate height, except perhaps to one of Snow White’s friends had one of them been at the crease.] His efforts were built on by Rao, who managed a useful 31 not out. This took Uni Staff to 134 for 5 from their full allotment of 18 overs. 

In reply, the Cavaliers were hoping for a solid and quick start. However, the captain Brabham (3 overs, one wicket, for 7 runs) had other ideas. He opened the innings himself and accounted for Steadman (2) in the first over, with a ball that lifted slightly and caught Steadman's glove on its way through to the keeper. This brought Jimmy Marchant to the crease, to join Matt Thomas. Thomas and others perished quickly.

Marchant gave the innings its foundation, scoring a very fluent 55, including 8 fours from just 42 balls. He was undone by Munday at a critical stage, just when it looked like we could sneak a victory. Marchant tried tickling the ball through the third man region, only to feather it into the hands of the Uni Staff keeper.

A win still looked possible when Mark Simpson, Jonathan Davies (20 not out) and Nigel Adams (17 not out) were at the wicket. However, there were some misfortunes that went against us, such as Parsons (nought) being bowled by a delivery that he played forward into the ground, only to see it spin back and dislodge a bail. 

Also, Adams sustained a groin injury, meaning he needed a runner and felt he could only play forceful shots, as opposed to being able to mix hitting with more subtle placings and nurdlings of the ball. Having a runner at the crease provided some entertainment, as did an all-run-four taken by Jonathan Davies, which - but for the panic of the Uni Staff fielders - should never ever have been more than a single. 

With one ball remaining, the Cavaliers needed three to tie and four to win, with Adams on strike. We hoped that he would be able to launch the ball over the bowler's head, for a towering and glorious six, as he had been able to do a few overs before. However, this was not to be, as - in the fading light - the ball passed his bat harmlessly and was gathered by the wicket keeper. [Ed: everyone, particularly the skipper, was a bit downhearted as we’d come so close again, just as we had against Rhiwbina earlier in the season only to be dashed at the last. On reflection, though, there was little we could chastise ourselves for – there’d been no howlers in the field with gimme runs conceded, the extras by both sets of bowlers equalled themselves out, and it was hard to think of an opportunity for a single that was missed or a possible two where we settled for one. Both teams were pretty well-matched and the difference only was their ability to clear the boundary on the full a couple of more times when our shots landed just inside the ropes, such was the width of the cigarette paper that eventually separated us.]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Dave Parsons (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Glenn Chapman, Nigel Adams, Mark Twaits, Matt Thomas, Richard Davies, Mark Simpson, Jonathan Davies. 12^th man: Jeremy Sparkes

Welsh Blood Service, Thursday 24 July. Cavaliers 115/6 (20ovs, Armstrong 38, R Davies 29, Sparkes 18no). WBS 117/3 (16.2ovs, Poulsom 1/12, M Thomas 1/15, Alexander 1/17). Lost by 7 wickets. Scorecard

Weather - Hot
Pitch - Similar to those found on the sub continent
Toss - Won by Cavaliers
 
On possibly the best conditions of the summer, dry & hot, Gog who had turned down the chance to steward the Castle Stand at Sophia Gardens and witness a rare Glamorgan win won the toss and elected to bat.
 
The Cavaliers side had a bit of a veterans feel to it with only Matt Thomas below the age of 35 [Ed: this 3rd fixture in 5 days has seen us field 26 different players for the 33 starting slots], opened with Messrs Thomas (M) and Lewis (G) sharing a opening stand of 8 before Matt was dismissed after he mistimed a drive, not long after Geoff was bowled for 1 and this left the Cavaliers struggling on 13/2.

Davies (R) and Armstrong set about rebuilding the innings with a stand of 60. A series of quickish singles left Davies struggling for oxygen in his run a ball 29 (4x4) before a mistimed drive saw him caught and return to the safety of the pavilion.

Wickets then fell at 82 (Caesar 2 ... lovely late cut for 2) and the skipper 0. Warwick was the next to depart with the score on 97 for 38 off 38 balls including 2x4s & 1x6 unlucky to have dragged the ball onto his stumps. Cometh the hour cometh the man, Stumpy Sparkes strode purposely [Ed: even purposefully, perhaps, but one can never be quite sure with the way Stumpy walks ...] to the crease to crash 18no off just 10 balls in the final overs (3x4s) supported by Glyn 5no to bring up a respectable 115 for 6. [Ed: the Oracle, as ever, was convinced that the score shown was a few less than it should have been as Glyn had scored some runs while Stumpy had been batting with him. However, the scorers gave him short shrift but a later examination did reveal a shortfall but given the ease with which WBS reached the target it's unlikely it would have influenced the outcome.]

Gog decided to open with the pace attack of Davies & Poulsom and this paid dividends with Glyn removing the opener in the 3rd over with the mole ball, cue celebrations amongst the Cavaliers. With Gog rotating his bowlers at regular intervals Matt Thomas, charging in from the cemetery end, took the next wicket to fall bowling batsman #3 with low full toss hitting the top of leg stump.

With the Cavaliers celebrating another wicket, confusion descended at the Cathedral School with the Batsmen claiming it was above waist height, looked fine from where I was standing on the square leg boundary! Umpires’ decision meant that there was a long walk back to the pavilion.

Clayton & Miller led the revival from WBS with scores of 50no & 33 respectively before Warwick sealed the MOM award with a fine catch off Jason Alexander for what appeared to be his maiden Cavaliers wicket [Ed: Hans Christian always celebrates with a touch of the Panesars so that it always seems as if it’s his debut wicket].

With just 4 needed Gog, having used 7 bowlers in a bid to wrest control, told Caesar to warm up only for target to be reached of the 2^nd ball of Warwick's spell. A tidy performance in the field with only 9 extras conceded, it was just a shame that we were probably 20 runs short of setting a target that would have posed a problem.

Team: Steve Davis (capt), Jeremy Sparkes (wkt), Wyn Pritchard, Jason Alexander, Matt Thomas, Geoff Lewis, Richard Davies, Derek Lewis, Warwick Armstrong, Glyn Poulsom, Mark Searle. 12th man: Andrew Steadman

GE Healthcare (Willow Plate), Tuesday 15 July. Cavaliers 151/5 (18ovs, Steadman jnr 30, Chapman 23, Adams 21no). GE 63/7 (18ovs, Marchant 2/14, M Thomas 1/7, Duffy 1/9, J Davies 1/12). Won by 88 runs. Cavaliers 2pts, GE 0pts. Scorecard

After last week’s close encounter with Eclipse, the Cavaliers recorded an emphatic victory over GE Healthcare. The Cavaliers were all present at 5.45pm and a few enjoyed a quick game of touch rugby. With the sun shining and a more laid back attitude about the team a few players were able to express themselves more freely.  JD has a tendency to dislike being thrown the ball out of the sun, Jimmy catches balls off his own bowling and Steaders is quite happy to try and put 12 year old boys in hospital!

Jimmy won the toss and used his new tactic of having a bat first and let the bowlers see the Cavaliers home. Steaders (30) and Jimmy (9) opened the batting and got us off to a quick start before Jimmy was bowled. [Ed: every once a while - about on a par with the frequency of Haley's Comet - we realise why we put up with the Oracle's claim to encyclopaedic knowledge when the opening bowler, Collier, took the ball to commence a fourth over. "Bowler's name!" bellowed the Oracle. "Collier, same as before" said several fielders making little effort to disguise their disgust that the scorers couldn't keep tabs on this so early in the game. "It can't be" was the riposte, "Collier's bowled his maximum 3 overs." "No", said their captain "he's allowed four overs." "Not in the Plate - NEW bowler's name, please!" roared back the Oracle so saving everyone - their captain, GE, us, and the League from doubtless a fully fledged inquiry in to the game if he had been allowed 4 overs.]

This brought Glenn into bat who was in no mood to hang around and hit some nice boundaries in his quickfire 23. Glenn mentioned to Umpire Duffy that he thought the stumps were leaning to leg side and recommended they should be straightened. Unfortunately his request was ignored only for Glenn to be bowled around his leg stump shortly after! Once again the Cavaliers’ middle order stuck together and kept the score ticking along nicely with Grizz 21 not out and Dave Parsons 15.

JD decided to do some work on his batting average and decided not to get run out in the final couple of overs and finished 6 not out. Cavaliers managed to get up to 151 in our 18 overs helped by a man of the match performance in the wides department...43!!

The GE Healthcare innings got underway with Twaits and JD opening the bowling. Twaits once again getting some good pace which deserved a wicket finishing on 0/7.  JD backed him up the other end and managed to get the first wicket with a superb catch from “I prefer to use one hand” Steaders! It was in his spell of bowling that Duffy (Vice Captain/Selector) was given a tirade of abuse from JD for fielding one of his pies and throwing it back to him in the sun (where were the fancy shades?) Unfortunately this will probably see JD banned and missing the cup final!

After a tight opening spell GE Healthcare were now well behind the run rate. Duffy and Jimmy bowled the next 6 over spell, with Duffy (1/9) clean bowling one batsman and Jimmy (2/14) clean bowling one and taking a catch nicely off his own bowling to keep him in the hunt for leading wicket taker this season! Matt and Roake bowled the remaining 6 overs with some good bowling and tight fielding.

Indeed we enjoyed 2 run outs, first of all by a sharp throw from Twaits into the new wicket keeper for the night Dave Parsons who enjoyed a good evening behind the stumps and secondly another good throw from Chapman into Matt behind the stumps. Both bowled well including Roake (0/10) bamboozling the batsmen and a good LBW for Matt (1/7).

GE’s young batsman batting at 5 carried his bat and played some nice shots only for Steaders on the last ball of the innings to throw the ball at his head from about 4 yards away. Steaders was a little bit disappointed not for hitting the young man but for not getting a harder throw in! Steaders will now join JD in anger management classes over the winter!

At the end of the night everyone decided to go to their own respective homes rather than head to the Butchers ... the tour is definitely looming…

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Dave Parsons (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Glenn Chapman, Nigel Adams, Mark Twaits, Matt Thomas, Steve Roake, Mark Simpson, Jonathan Davies. 12^th man: Jeremy Sparkes

Sully Centurions, Sunday 20 July. Sully 203/6 (40 overs, Chapman 2/20, Smeeth 2/41, Buckle 1/10, Simpson 1/44). Cavaliers 204/5 (38.1overs, J Thomas 63, Chapman 41no, Newbury 32). Won by 5 wickets. Scorecard

A sunny but breezy Sunday afternoon greeted us as we arrived at the scenic setting of Sully ground overlooking the Bristol Channel. We lost the toss and Sully elected to bat – much to Jimmy’s annoyance – naturally he wanted to bat.

After a few overs we looked to be for a long afternoon as Sully raced away to a very good start (including a six off the first ball)!  In fact, Sully were on 43 -0 before we had a chance to take in the scenic view of the ground [Ed: Sully’s Sunday friendly the previous week on this ground had yielded nigh on 600 runs and the bowlers perhaps feared a Penarth-style chastening.]

Glenn, running down the hill, and with more than a zephyr behind him bowled with great control and kept the runs down (6 overs, 2–20). There was a superb catch by keeper JT – low to his right with one glove. Max persevered up the hill against the wind eventually finishing with 2–41 [Ed: including a superb C&B that might have taken his hand off if it hadn’t stuck]. A great effort in difficult conditions.

The skipper sensibly mixed up the bowling throughout the afternoon and everybody contributed at least 2 overs with splendid support in the field. JT wanted it known that he did not let one bye through!! The man is turning into Psycho Perry!!!

Jimmy 4 overs 0-8, Mark Simpson 8 overs (1–44), Grizz 3 overs (0–2), Kiran 2 overs (0–21), Glyn 2 overs (0–6) with the stellar (or was that scrumpy) performance of the afternoon coming from Martin Buckle – 2 overs 1 wicket for 10 runs. As Martin said at the time – the batsman didn’t know where it was coming from and Martin didn’t have a clue where it was going!!! [Ed: the successful bowler modestly informed Suka and her human companion, who were by now circumnavigating the oval, that he’d taken almost as many wickets as scored runs this year.]

An excellent team effort in the field restricted the Sully team to 203 for 6 off 40 overs.

Following tea, Joey and JT opened the innings and produced a fantastic start. JT continued his brilliant season with a superb 63 (11 fours and 1 six) with excellent support from Joey who batted for 1¾ hours for a well grafted 32. An opening partnership of 111 before the first wicket fell – and before anyone asks – no, that does not match the age of the 2 batsmen involved - a tremendous start to the chase against some very good bowling from the youngsters of Sully.

Both Max (5) and Grizz (5) chipped in with some runs to ensure we kept up with the run-rate. Then Glenn and Jimmy provided the match winning partnership – requiring 50 off the last 10 overs, Glenn finished on 41 not out with Jimmy out for 11 just before the final runs were scored. The Gog decided to draw out the tension to the 38^th over. Fittingly, Glenn scored the winning boundary followed by sporting handshakes all round.

A fantastic team performance resulted in a great weekend victory – a rare event in itself! [Ed: perhaps so in times past but this was our 3^rd weekend win so far this year, representing a good return, particularly in the light of the approach of the Skipper who gets everyone involved with bat and/or ball.]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Martin Buckle, Glenn Chapman, Steve Davis, Glyn Poulsom, Max Smeeth, Nigel Adams, Joey Newbury, Kiran Ridley, Mark Simpson.

30^th Anniversary Festival Match: Cardiff Cavaliers v Willow League Chairman’s XI, Thursday 17 July 2008, The Bishop’s Field, Cathedral School, Llandaff

Reporter: Nigel Moore [Ed: we depart from our usual practice of reporters’ anonymity as The Honourable was one of the original Cavaliers from 1978 and so it was thought this would be a fitting occasion for him to lose his reporting ‘virginity’.]

To quote Aristotle “One swallow does not a summer make”. Well, a game of cricket for Cardiff Cavaliers most definitely helps.

Could it really be 30 summers ago we played our first competitive match against the Welsh Folk Museum? On that bright sunny a few pitches away a fledging competition was in its infancy. How appropriate then that the Willow League XI should be opponents on this auspicious occasion. The talk among the venerable Cavaliers in the dressing room was about coffins – not the cricket type – which was a worrying omen. Our fears were allayed when the top scorer from that very first match won the toss and chose to bat. All that was required was for our distinguished statesmanlike umpire to call “play”. The opposition was a truly representative side made up from among the numerous Willow League teams, with each having been invited to provide one of their longest serving players for the festival game.

After assurances they would enter into the spirit of the evening they proceeded to make a devastating strike in only the second over to account for the Cavaliers top class opening bat. Three decades ago heads would have “gone down” but not now. The President played glorious strokes to all parts of the boundary delighting the abundance of young Cavaliers looking on from the pavilion amid a soft chorus of “that one’s for Brownie.”

At about this point in the evening perhaps the finest dive ever executed in the history of the Cavaliers took place. The perpetrator Gorser, picked himself up, brushed himself down and continued to play many exquisite Gower-like shots which were a pleasure to the eye. A variety of lusty blows and delicate touches ensured the innings closed in a far healthier state than had been the case in 1978.

Between innings both teams posed for photographs expertly snapped by Kiran. A rather longer break than usual took place as a few of the front row of Cavaliers had difficulty reverting to a standing position after being requested to kneel.

Glyn opened the bowling with his usual guile and intelligence and soon made the Willow batters play false shots. One particularly mesmerising delivery produced a steepling, spinning, spiralling catch that was dutifully pouched in the outfield. Derek, despite a very painful finger injury, was as parsimonious as ever in presenting run-scoring opportunities.

Mention should be made of the young tyros in this team totalling over 500 years. Vince, who had come to support and became a late replacement for JT, wearing some extremely interesting footwear and Dave, son of one of the originals from the first game (and grandson of one of our emergency substitutes in the early years), fielded superbly much to the relief of some who were now “running on empty”. Behind the timbers, Geoff kept tigerishly and efficiently.

Next came one of the highlights of the game. A ferocious off drive was played scorching the turf as we looked to the boundary. Wardy – was there ever a braver fieldsman – literally got everything behind it, including his head, to prevent even a single. Not to be outdone, Warwick then produced two superb slides in the deep to stop certain boundaries, epitomising the Cavaliers spirit in the field.

In keeping with past tradition this exciting encounter was concluded with a massive six-hit to win the game for the Willow XI. No matter, after counting and confirming bumps and bruises and anticipating the next morning’s stiffness levels, Llandaff Rugby Club was host to the generous after match festivities. Stories of past tours, absent friends and threats to do it all again some time ensued over plates of delicious curry, rice and chips.

Finally, it was left to Steve Davis to complete the duties he undertakes so diligently by making an eloquent speech of thanks to all those who contributed to a memorable and highly enjoyable evening. From this writer’s perspective it’s always been fun and a privilege to play for the Cavaliers – here’s to the next 30 years.

What about the scores? On this occasion it didn’t really seem to matter but just for the record: Cavaliers scored 106 and the Invitation team from the Willow League scored a few more whilst playing a full and gracious part in the celebrations.

Cavaliers 106/5 (20ovs, Moore 30 ret, Newbury 30ret, Goring 22). Willow XI 109/3 (Poulsom 1/11, Goring 1/14). Scorecard

Cavaliers [debut season]: Steve Davis (capt) [1978], Nigel Moore (vice capt) [1978], Joey Newbury [1978], Paul Goring [1983], Warwick Armstrong [1990], Glyn Poulsom [1993], Geoff Lewis (wkt) [1995], Alan Ward [1998], Dave Parsons [2001], Vince Strawson [2005], Derek Lewis [2007].

Willow League Chairman’s XI: Chris Stork (Eclipse Print, capt), John Furnham (Casuals, wkt), Rich Saunders (Consmen), Sanjay Thurpan (Cardiff Hockey & Cricket), Andy Powell (South Glam), Dai James (Rhiwbina), Phil Dooley (Chartered Trust), Dave Powell (GE Healthcare), Rich Holliday (Casuals), Ian Court (Eclipse Print), Andrew Parry (South Glam).

Umpires: Matt Davies (Consmen), Jeremy Sparkes

Spectators: Jimmy Marchant, Jason Duffy, Jonathan Davies, Matt Thomas, Mark Twaits, Kiran Ridley, Mark Searle, Jonathan Thomas, Andrew Steadman, Glenn Chapman, Dan Lewis (Casuals).

Eclipse Print (Plate), Tuesday 15 July. Cavaliers 119/7 18 ovs (Marchant 38, D Parsons 22, Simpson 20). Eclipse Print 116/8 18 ovs (Chapman 2/8, Twaits 1/15, Simpson 1/17, Davies 1/18, Marchant 1/20, Duffy 1/21). Won by 3 runs. Cavaliers 2pts, Eclipse 0pts. Scorecard

The opposition must have arrived at the Cathedral school this evening wondering whether they had reported for a cricket match or a modelling shoot for the new Next catalogue. Several members of the Cavaliers squad were accused of this heinous crime by the resident cycling Cavalier while inspecting the pitch prior to the game, including Jason Duffy, Papa Roake, Jimmy Marchant and Matt Thomas (although the jury is out on whether Next or the Cavaliers should be more offended).

Marchant won the toss and elected for a change of tactic for the 18 over format by deciding to bat first on a slow wicket matched by an equally slow outfield.

Steadman jnr and Marchant opened the batting and set about building a solid opening partnership against some fast if wayward bowling from the opposition (with 18 extras leaked over the course of the innings). A strangely subdued Steadman jnr (15, 1x4) nonetheless played some textbook shots and ran well. Marchant (38, 4x4 1x6) went after the bowling somewhat more combining excellent attacking strokes with visible frustration when missing the odd ball. When Steadman mistimed a drive to mid-off and was caught 50 runs had been posted from 7.1 overs and the Cavaliers looked set to push on.

However, the Cavaliers are not that predictable.

Chapman (2) joined Marchant at the crease and was out in an almost exact copy of Steadman’s dismissal, with the same fielder taking a catch at mid off. In what was a strange hat trick Adams (2) then perished in a similar way, again caught at mid-off by the same fielder, with this catch perhaps the best of the bunch owing to the flatter trajectory of the ball. Marchant soon followed bringing his innings to an uncharacteristic end, presenting an easy catch to the bowler while trying to loft the ball back over his head.

This mini-collapse left D Parsons and Simpson, promoted up the order, at the crease. The two played well together, building an old fashioned partnership based around well-placed shots and rotating the strike. Parsons, who took 3 fours from one over to push the Cavaliers towards a respectable total, built upon this solid foundation. Simpson (20) fell to a run-out after an excellent innings justifying his promotion up the order. J Davies (0) was also run out and Twaits (1 no) picked up a single from the last over. Parsons and Twaits looked set to see out the innings when Parsons was bowled (22) off the penultimate ball, leaving Roake (2 no) to come in. A well run 2 was taken, meaning the Cavaliers finished on 119/7, perhaps a par score from 18 overs.

The Cavaliers then took to the field with Steadman jnr’s wise words advising against giving away ‘Brucey bonuses’ (in non-barrister terms - extras) ringing in at least this reporter’s ears.

Twaits (1/15) and Davies (1/18) opened the bowling. The opposition put on 20 before the first wicket fell bowled to Davies, with his light sensitive glasses clearly being used to full effect to intimidate or more likely confuse the batsmen. Twaits took his wicket by first bowling a beamer at a child batsmen, who bravely shook off his surely bruised hand to re-take his crease. However next ball Twaits bowled a corker of a yorker to take a stump out of the ground and seemingly leave the Cavaliers in control.

Simpson (1/17) and Marchant (1/20) were the next pair of bowlers, who despite both bowling well saw several good balls reach the boundary through a combination of good shots and lucky shots. After this spell 12 overs had gone and the game still looked to be in the Cavalier’s hands. However, a couple of expensive overs meant that all to play for, with one opposition batsman targeting Adams taking 16 off his only over.

Now, with only 4 overs left the opposition needed less than a run a ball. Enter Chapman (2/8) who can not have bowled many finer spells for the club, taking 2 wickets and perhaps more crucially allowing only 8 runs to be taken from his 2 overs. At the other end Duffy (1/21) managed to hold his nerve as fingernails all around the ground shortened leaving the opposition needing 10 to win from the last over.

Duffy bowled tightly under pressure, and was aided by a run out from a Roake throw and good work behind the stumps from Armstrong (who did not allow any byes and kept well in general – the Cavaliers only conceded 7 extras in the whole innings). This meant 6 runs were needed from the last ball for the opposition to win. Only 2 runs were taken, and the Cavaliers made a winning and promising start to the Plate competition, by a margin of 3 runs.

12^th man: Matt Thomas

Spectators: Glyn Poulsom, Jeremy Sparkes, Steve Davis, Joey Newbury (El Presidente) and his first lady (not that I’m suggesting there is more than one).

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Dave Parsons (wkt), Steve Roake, Warwick Armstrong, Andrew Steadman. Mark Twaits, Glenn Chapman, Jonathan Davies, Nigel Adams, Mark Simpson. 12^th man: Matt Thomas

Clytha Arms, Sunday 13 July. Cavaliers 110/9 (35 overs, Armstrong 24, Marchant 17, Adams 16no, Newbury 11). Clytha Arms 111/4 (29 overs , Duffy 2/22, Marchant 1/14, S.Davis 1/25). Lost by 6 wickets. Scorecard

The weather held fine on this designated Charabanc Day by the membership. Unfortunately the team was hit by withdrawals, indeed some of these coming very late in the day, which meant the team travelled with the bare eleven (well, nine actually as Jez and Tim travelled independently with their varied fan clubs in tow – more on this later.)

The first pickup point at the Cathedral School saw four eager Cavaliers join the day’s outing, with one indeed coming fully prepared (Mr Ward bringing 4 cans of Black Label for the long journey to Abergavenny, although Jimmy reckoned he could have got a Firkin in his bag it was so big – the excess baggage detectives will have a field day when he books in for Amsterdam.)

Next stop Roath saw the remaining stalwarts enter the fray, with the bus conductor Gog, telling everyone, including the driver what a fantastic tea awaited us back at the Clytha Arms following the day’s battle.

We arrived safely at the pre match venue, the pub, in excellent time due to the efforts of our driver (who did not look old enough to have passed his test), but proved to be a very capable fellow indeed. This was the cue for the day’s festivities to begin, and the cider, Guinness and lager started to flow, whilst the more serious cricketers amongst the clan, notably the Chairman and President, paced themselves for the long afternoon ahead with the odd soft drink.

It was at the pub that the most unusual sight ever witnessed by a travelling Cavaliers team occurred. One of our independent travellers arrived with what can only be described as a mobile harem!! which he tried to disguise as supporters. Jez arrived with his harem, Suka, who seemed to be a bit more excited about attending than the Rowland Belles!!! (Yep it was Tim with the ‘Lovely ladies’ as they later became known). After a film review on The Hunt for Red October by Barry Norman (Jez to us), a current affairs quiz (Jez again) and various other pre match events, such as one man and his Dog with Phil Drabble, come by! (I have never seen so many dogs in one place), we managed to get the opposition to drink up and made our way back to the bus for the long journey to the battlefield at 2.20pm.

Five minutes later we were dropped at the gate of the ground as the driver refused to get his bus covered in sh*t, one wag was heard to comment that he might as well get the outside dirty as there was a load of s*it on the inside anyhow! The walk to the pitch was led by Buckle of Khartoum, who guided his flock safely through the minefield of cow pats to the playing surface. There were some stragglers led by the captain and his vice who stopped for relief purposes (no, not executive hand relief, Gog) along the way. The young beer drinkers who for some reason were joined by Warwick, I think he just felt obliged to join them.

The pitch was playable but unfortunately the gate had been left open and the cattle had done a number on certain parts with their hooves, thank god they had not been out for a curry on Saturday night. Apart from one other wet and boggy part of the outfield it looked alright and the all important toss was made. Graeme Smith Marchant as he is now known won the toss and elected to bat.

The innings was opened by Messrs Armstrong and Newbury who were greeted with having to cope with 12 fielders as there was a baby sitting at square leg as a result of a babysitter not turning up for one of their lads [Ed: a cunning plan worthy of Baldrick as the bowlers fed the batsmen’s legside shots only for the gentlemen to let the ball pass safely by their legs rather than risk striking the infant – perhaps we should try fielding 11 toddlers some time].

The runs started to come but it was tough going on a pitch with varied bounce and a damp surface. The President was the first to fall to a good catch at second slip, however the ever reliable Warwick kept it going along steadily, despite the disappointment of being refused knuckle touching with the President! The innings crept along with good contributions by everyone but it proved a tough old slog and eventually closed on 110/9 after our full 35 overs.

It wasn’t an exciting innings [Ed: not even Tuna Tim’s attempt to strike each of the four balls he faced out of the ground stirred his entourage tough it may have helped if he’d connected, of course], indeed at one point the pitch was invaded by a Grouse who felt safe enough to wander around the outfield. Also the crowd which had gathered in the grounds of the adjoining mental hospital retired to plead their sanity compared to the 11 batsman they had been watching, and who they thought they should swap places with. The Gog insists the revolt was led by the Hon Mr Moore but no one else could confirm the sighting!

The break between innings saw the introduction of the opposition’s second secret weapon, notably a barrel of beer from the pub which the Cavaliers proceeded to get stuck into, rude not to really!

The opposition innings started slowly with two early wickets by Mr Duffy, indeed he clean bowled the opener with his first ball. However they settled into a rhythm and picked off the bad balls and punished them very well with regular boundaries. The Gog was introduced and carried on his good work from the S.W. Echo match and clean bowled one of their promising youngsters [Ed: Gog’s devastating bowling – he hasn’t failed to take a wicket in any spell – was made possible by the handing of the gloves to Stumpy Sparkes, eager to stake a claim for the keeper’s spot when JT goes on holiday. He was, however, denied a first entry of the season in the keepers’ section of the stats when a spotty youth, sporting a Cheltenham College First XI shirt and a pale blue cap bearing what looked like a cub scout’s motif, failed to walk when he gloved the ball down leg for a well anticipated and splendidly athletic catch to be taken. Even back at the pub Stumpy was still muttering about whether these lads had reached the part of the syllabus covering etiquette and the spirit of the game!]

They continued to pick off the runs despite another wicket by the captain and some excellent displays in the field by Messrs Roake, Rowland and Ward and eventually reached their target in the 29^th over for the loss of 4 wickets. The Cavaliers showed their disappointment but it was short lived when they were again invited to partake in the barrel of beer and the evening festivities began! Two incidents in the match worth reporting were: Alan Ward being invited to be the first attendee at the Cavaliers sprinting academy, he thought he had scored his first runs but unfortunately was beaten by a direct hit by one of the opposition after giving the impression he was running in the 3 legged race at his school sports day!

The second one involved our esteemed Chairman who when discussing the cattle in the other field being very agitated, suggested it was due to it getting near their milking time. This would have been a good observation but for one important factor which was pointed out by the opposition team member he was talking to at the time, THEY WERE ALL BULLS!

Back at the pub we were served a good tea, although not to the standard that Jamie Oliver Davis was harping on about prior to the game to anyone who would listen. We then retired for our court session presided over by Judge Davis and prosecuting counsel Newbury. There was a good array of fines dished out including Mr Armstrong for continually exposing his Calvin Klein underpants, Adams for his lack of concentration in awarding a 5 ball over when umpiring and Rowland for having the audacity to bring his own fan club to the game. Indeed the ladies were also fined for their lack of interest in the game, one fell asleep whilst the other read a book!

We then retired back into the pub for more refreshment including sampling a locally brewed cider which proved to be too much for Mr Buckle who although he does not know it yet will be fined at the next court session for falling asleep on the bus journey home.

Despite the result I think everyone enjoyed the day’s outing and I think it is now an annual fixture in the Cavaliers diary, however, it would be nice to see the event better supported in future by the membership as there was a lot of hard work put in by certain people which believe me was much appreciated by those who attended this year’s outing.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Jeremy Sparkes (wkt), Warwick Armstrong, Alan Ward, Nigel Adams, Tim Rowland, Joey Newbury, Steve Davis, Martin Buckle, Steve Roake.

Cardiff Bay Barbarians (Willow League), Tuesday 8 July.  CBB 140/5 (20ovs, Marchant 2/20, J Davies 2/25). Cavaliers 126/8 (20ovs, Chapman 34, Marchant 22, Armstrong 15). Lost by 14 runs. Cavaliers 3pts, CBB 12pts. Scorecard

In a vital match which the Cavaliers needed to win in order to gain qualification for this year’s Shield competition, the team came up short against a handy Cardiff Bay Barbarians side and, in the process, consigned themselves to the Plate competition.

Jimmy won the toss and put the opposition in [Ed: prior to the toss there had been much consultation between capt and vice, with 'technical assistance' from the Oracle on different scenarios of points needed to get in to the Shield, which was good tactical appreciation] and the decision was vindicated in the early overs as JD, who was opening the bowling with Jason, clean bowled two batsmen with only 18 on the board. After a first over which went for 14, Jason (0-30) bowled a tighter 3 overs in support of JD (2-25), who was unlucky to go for a few runs in his last over, after bowling a good spell.

By this stage, CBB’s had started to accelerate the score as the opener, Clark (35), who batted with an unusual ‘switch grip’, and their chief run scorer, Moggridge, found the shorter, straight boundary more regularly.

Simmo (0-15) and Jimmy (2-20) came on to bowl the next 8 overs and bowled well, Simmo especially slowing the scoring as the batsmen struggled to cope with his full pitched, left arm deliveries. Jimmy picked up a couple of wickets with a clean bowled and a C&B to leave the CBB’s on 69-4, a position from which we really should have pressed home to win the game.

Crucially however, despite a couple of chances going down, we couldn’t remove Moggridge (63 not out) and he formed a partnership of 69 with Mullins (16) based on good running and punishing bad balls.

Glenn (0-22) and Dave (0-22) came on to bowl the last 4 overs of the innings and couldn’t stem the flow of runs and, although Warwick and Dave combined to get another wicket with a run out, the CBB’s finished on 140-5, a total which was 20-25 runs more than we would have hoped them to get given our strong start.

Overall the ground fielding was good, on what was again a large playing surface, however the problems which have dogged us all season of too many bad balls and not taking our chances were again apparent.

JT and Steaders opened the innings for us and raced to 8-0 in the first over before Andy was bowled by a beauty for 5 (1x4). This brought Jimmy to the crease and the score moved on to 21 before JT was bowled for 6 (1x4).

Glenn joined Jimmy and they put on 35 before Jimmy (22), who had hit 3 consecutive boundaries in the previous over, came out of his crease to take on the spinner and was promptly stumped, leaving the Cavaliers on 56-3 and struggling to find the boundary as often as the opposition.

Matt was next in and was run out for 5 while trying to push the scoring along and was replaced by Warwick, who set about running between the wickets with gusto, belying his ‘Big Ship’ status [Ed: it was good to see the two umpires, Geisha and Steaders, in the final stages checking with each other on height of full tosses and numbers of bounces to see if no-ball should be called – a master class for all to take note.]

After a stand of 39, and the rate required creeping up to 11 an over Glenn (34) was next out caught at long on whilst trying to hit boundaries, and Warwick soon followed, run out for 15 while trying to steal a quick single.

[Ed: up to the end of the 17^th the scores of both teams over-by-over had pretty much mirrored each other but whereas they had wickets in hand to press the accelerator, as well as being aided by a few too many extras, we couldn’t find the gaps against disciplined line and length bowling.]

With an unlikely 34 needed from 2 overs and 24 needed from the last over, JD (6) hit a boundary before getting caught behind [Ed: a thin edge that he walked for, which means that he can’t have any antipodean blood in him …] and Radar was bowled for 8 before Dave (7*) and Jason (1*) saw out the innings with the Cavaliers finishing a frustrating 14 runs short of the opposition, and picking up just the 3 bonus points. [Ed: disappointing for us but at least we had the opportunity to influence our own fate – Eclipse Print, who topped the table in the early weeks, still had a chance to take the final Shield place but had their game rained off the following evening.]

Thanks go to Derek for 12^th man duties and to cheerleaders Glyn, Jez and Nigel M for their attendance and support.  Let’s hope we can get some momentum and get back to winning ways in the Plate.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Warwick Armstrong, Glenn Chapman, Jonathan Davies, Richard Davies, Dave Parsons, Matt Thomas, Mark Simpson. 12th man: Derek Lewis

Rhiwbina (Willow Cup semi-final), Tuesday 3 July. Rhiwbina 113/6 (18ovs, Simpson 2/14, Twaits 1/9, Adams 1/11). Cavaliers 114/4 (17.4ovs, Steadman jnr 40 ret no, Marchant 22, J Thomas 13). Won by 6 wickets and progress to the Cup Final. Scorecard

[Ed: a lesser editor, perhaps of a tabloid ilk, might well go for a headline such as “CAIN NOT ABLE TO HALT CAVALIERS” but we don’t stoop to such contrivances in our august works of literature.]

The strong wind throughout the day meant that the Cathedral School groundsman was able to give the all clear for the game to proceed, though the heavy rain made the wicket slower and lower, and batsmen rarely got full value for their shots as the outfield wasn’t as racy as normal.

With the consent of the Rhiwbina skipper we got underway with Poulsom deputising behind the stumps while JT made has way through the Llandaff traffic and the 12^th man making up the numbers on the field.

JD was later to claim that Captain Marchant had clearly been consulting a book of speeches for his rousing oratory to the fielding huddle: “What’s next after this game?” he asked. “Beer at the Butchers?” profered the 12^th man, as helpful as ever. “No, the Final!” he was informed and so inspired we went to our stations.

An early wicket for Twaits, who seems to have troubled every batsman so far this season, from an excellent one-handed over-head catch on the run by Steadman, meant that we could effect a change over with JT donning the gloves and the 12^th man retiring to the pavilion to ‘assist’ the Rhiwbina scorers rather than our put-upon Captain.

Twaits finished with 1/9 and some good ground fielding allied to street-wise bowling from Poulsom (0/8) and Chapman (0/13) meant that Rhiwbina never got off to a flier and wickets fell at regular intervals, including 2 superb run outs (from good throws by Twaits and Chapman respectively).

Only two chances went down, both very hard, but with Simpson (2) and Adams (1) picking up wickets, all clean bowled, there wasn’t a late acceleration and flurry of runs, with Rhiwbina finishing on 113/6, a total which our 12^th man informed us later they felt very comfortable about defending given the slow nature of the pitch and outfield. Dominic Cain top scored for them with 23 not out.

However, the bowling attack was a chalk and cheese affair – runs being leaked like the proverbial colander at one end with 43 in 4 overs at the bottom end as JT plundered 13 off 12 balls (including three 4s) and the very epitome of parsimony at the other end with just 7 runs conceded by Cain (again) and Holt from their 4 overs.

JT was undone by another ball that kept wickedly low but Marchant was an excellent foil for Steadman who was playing with steady maturity. They added 42 for the 2^nd wicket, Marchant scoring 22 off 25 balls, before trying to charge the slow bowler and only succeeding in dragging the ball on to his stumps.

Chapman continued the good work, running well with Steadman, adding 43 for the 3^rd wicket before being run out with home in sight. Matt Thomas was unlucky to receive another delivery that kept unbelievably low first up. With Steadman retiring on 40 – just one boundary in 48 balls but he kept the singles and 2s going – we had two new batsman at the crease and not many deliveries remaining.

An authentic leg glance from Jonathan Davies off the last ball of the 17^th over that perfectly bisected the fielders at fine leg and square leg such that 3 runs could be secured with good running from Adams to the danger end, the scores were level.

Questions were asked as to what happened in the event of a tie – fortunate that the Oracle was present, this was quickly resolved: a bowl out if scores are level.

There was some feeling that perhaps JD fancied the challenge of a bowl out as he played out 3 dot balls at the start of the last over. “Just run the next ball whatever happens!” yelled Steadman, helpfully he was to claim later. The field was up though as JD connected well with the 4^th delivery but couldn’t pierce the ring, but it had enough of an angle to cause the fielder to have to bend awkwardly and his shy at the stumps narrowly missed – the rest they say is history but we should record JD’s jubiliant jig, which was fit to grace Riverdance, when he saw the ball whizz by the stumps and he knew he’d seen us home.

A great game – only 2 runs separated us in the League game (which Rhiwbina won) and just 2 balls in this Cup match – with a tense finish. Thanks to our supporters, the President and the Chairman, who exuded calm and authority when we might have felt a slight tide of anxiety towards the end. Celebratory txts and voice mails were received from all and sundry who couldn't make it to the School, including CavSec, Rabbit, Caesar and Kiran.

We now face South Glamorgan, a re-run of last year’s Cup Final – date and venue to be announced.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Glenn Chapman, Nigel Adams, Matt Thomas, Jonathan Davies, Mark Simpson, Mark Twaits, Glyn Poulsom. 12th man: Jeremy Sparkes

South Wales Echo, Tuesday 1 July. SWE 93/8 (20ovs, S Davis 2/7, Newbury 1/1, Bowen 1/3, Sparkes 1/6, Armstrong 1/11, Ridley 1/13). Cavaliers 21/0 (2ovs, Marchant 14no). Drawn (match abandoned due to rain). Scorecard

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jeremy Sparkes (wkt), Glyn Poulsom, Ross Bowen, Derek Lewis, Joey Newbury, Vince Strawson, Kiran Ridley, Steve Davis, Warwick Armstrong, Huw Parsons. 12^th man: Jason Duffy

Chartered Trust (Willow League), Tuesday 24 June.  Char Trust 164/7 (20ovs, M Thomas 2/17, Chapman 1/20, Adams 1/30, J Davies 1/31). Cavaliers 122/9 (20ovs, Steadman jnr 42, Adams 17no). Lost by 42 runs. Cavaliers 0pts, Chartered Trust 15pts. Scorecard

It was our turn to take on hitherto unbeaten League leaders Chartered Trust who, one of their number revealed, had decided that in order to challenge for the title they needed to put out their top side against the strongest teams and this XI looked pretty formidable with only our respective no11s not normally guys to feature in competitive matches. So Trust were serious about going for the title knowing that the recent form of South Glam and Casuals meant they could not  afford any slip up.

They won the toss and opted to bat, with Jimmy giving the Cavaliers a sensible, encouraging chat in the middle and we went to our field placings in good spirits. Perhaps, though, the emphasis on not bowling short led to some early nerves, especially against a left/right opening combination, and several full tosses were dispatched to the boundary. They were not, though, entirely without any danger to the batsman with two catches being put down, one that was through the fielder like a rocket almost before he could get his hands in position, the other was the sort of chance normally snaffled without a second thought.

Opposing skipper Craig Mohring was the beneficiary each time and he made the most of his luck, eventually top scoring with 54. With 29 runs conceded after just 3 overs, Jimmy had to ring the bowling changes a little earlier than he might have preferred but the combination of JD and Grizz providing contrasting pace and styles brought our first wicket when, off JD’s bowling, Glenn took a very well judged catch that swirled and swirled for ages before coming to rest safely in his hands.

This was followed up by another excellent catch, this time by Andy Steadman at deep long-off from the bowling of Grizz. It was a good wicket too as Sadiq had almost single-handedly beaten South Glam with his innings earlier in the season.

Mohring continued his rich form, having just missed out on a ton against Eclipse Print last week, and was well supported by Cooper. At the half way stage they had reached 87/2. By now Jimmy was into the attack and started to stem the run rate, his four overs going for just 20. However, we dropped another catch (this time off Grizz’s bowling) before Matt Thomas came on and bowled Cooper for 22. We also dropped Mohring again before he eventually fell to probably the worst ball Matt will ever bowl, almost certainly the worst ball he will bowl of the season, but the batsman only managed to spoon it sky high for JT to take a comfortable catch. Matt finished with 2/17 and they were 111/4.

With only 5 overs remaining and wickets in hand, though, they decided to have a go at everything and what they couldn’t hit to the boundary, they took to stealing singles and turning 1s into 2s. Only some exceptionally fine fielding, particularly with Andy, JD and Jez flinging their bodies around on the boundary edge, kept the run rate down. The final over saw a late flurry of wickets, with Jimmy taking a catch off Glenn and two run outs – first, Grizz with a fine throw from long-on that Glenn adjudged he should let go and it hit the wickets, and then Jimmy with a direct hit with only a stump and a half to aim at off the final ball.

164 was a tall target but we’ve chased bigger once or twice before and the opening partnership of Andy and Matt set about the task in good manner, posting 47 inside 7 overs before Matt was first man out. Jimmy was unlucky to get one that kept low and Glenn was bowled at the halfway mark with us 72/3 and still very much in the game.

Margins can be tight and when an excellent throw from the deep found Andy just out of his ground, run out for 42 (which included five 4s off just 45 balls) we started to fall behind the rate. The introduction of Sadiq who got some vicious spin and bounce pretty much cleaned us up with JT falling LBW to one that kept wickedly low and both Warwick and Simmo being bowled by balls that they thought they had well covered.

When last man Jez joined Grizz 65 was needed from the last 3 overs, a stiff order, especially with Sadiq to bowl 2 of them (he eventually finished with 3/17 from his 4 overs). Although they managed a stand of 22, with Grizz showing excellent form, twice hitting Sadiq through the covers, with 12 in total coming from the last over it was not enough to get us within reach of a bonus point and we closed on 122/9, 42 runs adrift.

It’s been a tough 3 weeks on the League front with a string of games against the three teams above us and normally we’d expect to get closer than we’ve managed, not even garnering a single losing bonus point. However, there has been no throwing in of the towel, which could easily happen, and there have been some excellent moments of cricket with bat and ball and in the field – wholehearted effort has been there – but perhaps we’ve been suffering nerves with catches that would normally be taken with aplomb going down, more than our usual quota of hittable full tosses, and some poor calling and backing up when we needed to keep the scoreboard ticking over and put pressure on the opposing fielders. There isn't as big a gulf between us as these score lines might suggest and if we use these games as a springboard to see how they apply themselves and take opportunities when they come their way, we'll learn and improve and, most importantly, bounce back to be competitive and give the rest of the season a real good go.

Next up in the competitions is the Cup semi final against Rhiwbina on Thursday next week (3 July) at the Cathedral School so let’s make sure we have a great turn out for that.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Warwick Armstrong, Nigel Adams, Jeremy Sparkes, Ross Bowen, Mark Simpson, Jonathan Davies, Glenn Chapman, Matt Thomas, Andrew Steadman

Tonyrefail & Edmundstone, Sunday 22 June. T&E 233/6 (40ovs, Armstrong 2/9, M Thomas 2/35). Cavaliers 189/6 (40ovs, D Parsons 61no, Armstrong 27, Marchant 25). Lost by 44 runs. Scorecard

Those people who were had one eye on the weather whilst watching the Russians defeat a lacklustre Holland on Saturday night might have come to the conclusion that due to the heavy and persistent rain Sunday's game would be off and opened another bottle of wine, they would however be ruing that decision when waking up on a bright a very windy Sunday morning to see the ground drying nicely and not a cloud in the sky.

Due to the absence of ‘official’ groundsmen the Captain and Secretary were given the task of declaring the pitch fit for play and armed with (one assumes) an array of keys, damp meters and other measuring devices they skilfully and convincing announced at approximately 11.30… ‘well it should be alright…’.

Both teams arrived on time and after Tonyrefail won the toss the Cavaliers took to the field. With the team nicely balanced between youth and experience the game promised to be an exciting encounter. The opening bowling partnership of Chapman and Roake worked well. Chapman drawing out the shots in an attempt to take an early wicket while Roake at the other end pinning down and frustrating the opening batsmen. After the batsmen seemed to have the measure of Chapman the skipper called for his first bowling change. In a surprise to at least one person on the pitch Thomas was called into the attack; however this new combination seemed to have the measure of the batsmen and the run rate slowed to respectable level with only the occasional overpitched delivery being dispatched to the boundary. This combination also delivered the first wicket of the match. The opening Hembrow now feeling confident with the oncoming deliveries attempted to drive a well pitched and possibly swinging delivery but achieved nothing more than giving an easy catching chance to Chapman. 

The Captain decided to bring himself into the attack and immediately took the second wicket cleaning bowling Cook who was looking dangerous with anything overpitched. Two overs later and Thomas took what may turn out to be the best catch if not certainly the best Caught & Bowled of the season;after frustrating the opening Evans with 2 wide deliveries he pitched one up, drawing Evans in to drive the ball back over his head. Like a cat Thomas leapt, extending an arm to snatch the ball from mid-air and sending Evans back to the Pavilion on 63 who only stopped briefly to congratulate Thomas on an excellent catch.

For the next 17 overs Marchant experimented with his bowling attack trying to find the breakthrough required as T&E amassed a respectable score. With only 3 overs to go Armstrong was brought into the attack. A reasonably tight first over considering the stage of the match, however the final over, just when T&E were looking to potentially hit the 250 mark Armstrong, with a combination of flight and variation of pace finished with ww110. (RO) leaving Marchant to wonder what might have been had he been introduced into the attack earlier.

After another fine lunch with only the Gog taking the fruit option for desert while Jimmy guarded his Viennese Swirls with menace at least 50% of the opening partnership were eager to take the field. While Thomas stood there bat in hand [Ed: probably this may turn out to be best bat in hand if not certainly the best bat in hand of a Matt Thomas of the season] ready to take the fight to T&E Armstrong (with an audience) was still debating the rights and wrongs of the KP reverse stance sweep/slog.  Eventually both batsmen were at the crease and the Cavaliers’ innings was underway.

Both batsmen were looking to see out the opening bowlers and give the innings a good foundation with which to chase the respectable T&E 233. Unfortunately in only the 3^rd over Thomas was surprised by a sharply rising delivery and gave a soft catch [Ed: probably this may turn out to be the softest catch if not certainly the best soft mid-wicket catch of the season] to the man at mid wicket and left the field after only scoring 2 runs. This brought Chapman into the attack and both he and Armstrong settled in nicely and began to score runs around the park.

With 13 overs gone and the Cavaliers making good inroads into the total Chapman waved at a wide delivery and gave another easy catching chance to T&E who took it gratefully. Parsons in next and he and Armstrong settled in until T&E brought in their secret weapon – the 13 year old Niblett. The young man’s height gave the ball a different trajectory that gave both batsmen some issues and when Armstrong tried to play a straight ball down the leg side he was clean bowled. The next man to the crease was Roake who was also undone by the accuracy of Niblett. Lewis in next who, whilst trying to take a quick single to keep the score ticking over, ended up being run out when Parsons stood his ground.

Now after taking a nasty blow to the shin the Cavaliers Captain was hoping to sit out the innings but when the chips are down and you can always count on Marchant to put his body in the line for the team's cause – so ably assisted by Roake in his role as team runner Marchant came to the crease. Batting with the conservative Parsons Marchant was able to minimise his running by opting for the boundary approach scoring 25 of just 8 balls before a calling error meant again Parsons remains at the crease while his partner took the long walk, or in this case hop back to the pavilion.

Now with only 3 overs left of the innings Searle took the strike and between him and Parsons they managed to see out the final 18 balls with little threat to neither total nor average.

I think most Cavaliers on the pitch felt we could have done a little better against a team beaten by us last year on their home ground, still always one to take the positives from most occasions we hope that our ‘dip’ in form is now past and we can proceed into the latter stages of the season in good shape to tackle all-comers! [Ed: probably this may turn out to be the best match report if not the best Tonyrefail & Edmundstone match report of the season ... no prizes for guessing which brewing company our reporter works for ...]

Cardiff Hockey & Cricket, Thursday 19 June. CHockey 183/6 (20ovs, Twaits 2/11, Duffy 2/34, R Davies 1/14, Roake 1/26). Cavaliers 41ao (18.5ovs, R Davies 16, Armstrong 9). Lost by 142 runs. Scorecard

The Cavaliers turned up for duty on a typical sporadically sunny summer evening hoping to turn around a recent dip in form.

However, if you have read the summary above, you will be aware this unfortunately did not materialise against very good opposition, who would surely be one of the top teams in the Willow League if and when join.

Cap’n Duffy won the toss and perhaps wisely elected to have a bowl and started by setting a positive field with a rarely seen slip [Ed: perhaps because it was Papa and he took “slip” rather too literally which may be why he’s rarely seen - every time Stumpy Sparkes, making a rare appearance behind the sticks outdoors, passed the ball to him after the Comrade had whistled it past the outside edge Papa dropped it].

An opening bowling partnership of Comrade Twaits and Panda Bowen was effective against some positive play from the opposition. Ross (0/25) tied down one end teasing the batsmen with good movement off the seam allowing Twaitsy (2/11) to bowl a pacey spell and to strike with what would be best described as a very full yorker (or a full toss) [Ed: Stumpy advises that it was genuine yorker, pitching right in the block hole]. Another wicket followed to give the Cavaliers hope of getting stuck in to the talented opposition batting line up.

However, the 2 batsmen then at the crease were perhaps the opposition’s best, and they went about dismantling the Cavaliers attack with a combination of excellent shots and big hitting. Cap’n Duffy (2/34) and D Parsons esq (0/24) were attacked from the off. However Duffy managed to strike back, taking 2 wickets, one LBW and the other caught by Comrade Twaits. [Ed: Duffy was denied a third wicket when Stumpy, having relinquished the gloves to Caesar at the half way stage, took a well-judged catch in the deep only to find that the batsman, who went on to be their top scorer, having taken a few steps down the pitch to play the ball on the full at waist height, took issue with the square leg umpire and insisted the delivery should be called a no-ball. Although it was a legitimate delivery as it’s only a no-ball if it passes above waist height to a batsman in a normal stance at the crease, the umpire decided he should accede to the batsman’s entreaty. While not too much of a concern in a friendly fixture, such intervention by the batsman and a decision that was in reality far too late to call as the ball had hung in the air a long time and the fielders were finishing their celebrations of the wicket, it's the sort of incident that is likely to cause problems if replicated in a League game.]

Papa Roake and Grizz Adams then entered the fray and received similar treatment. However, Papa was successful at ‘bowling to his field’ and had their excellent no4 batsmen very well caught on the boundary by Comrade Twaits as the ball appeared to be destined for a 6 [Ed: it was a magnificent catch that would be rated highly at professional level]. In one extraordinary over towards the end of the innings the last 4 balls of one Grizz over were struck for 4 sixes in a row by a batsman who it later transpired had played a high level of cricket. After receiving such treatment Grizz was heard to say ‘Thank goodness they weren’t the first 4 balls of my over!’ [NB some words of this quote may have been edited. Ed: it will be a matter for Stat Anoraks whether this does count as four  consecutive 6s as having been struck for two sixes Grizz then fired in a quicker, wider delivery only to see it called wide, and was then struck for two further sixes off the final two balls].

It was left to Radar Davies (1/14) to complete the innings with him bowling tightly given the batsmen at the crease, and Comrade Twaits had completed an excellent catching hat-trick with another smart catch in the deep off Radar’s bowling.

It was at this point that The Dog Whisper said something witty about Communism and Comrade Twaits that this match reporter was unable to fully comprehend or remember, but be assured if you ask Jez he will be able to inform you what was said [Ed: as he claims that everything he says is either humorous or wise, the webmaster would need a Pentagon-strength server to store all his witty wisdoms so we'll leave it left said on the pitch.]

Despite racking up 183 runs it was apparent that the opposition were on the whole at a higher standard than the mix of mainly occasional and older players that the Cavaliers had assembled for this friendly game, and it was a good effort by all involved not to lose heart and continue to field well until the end of the innings while taking 6 wickets in the process.

The Cavaliers response opened with Radar Davies (16) and D Parsons esq (0). A good ball bowled Dave, bringing Wazza (9) to the crease. The two built a steady partnership on a wicket that was hard to get the ball away due to its slow nature and uneven bounce. Radar was next to depart after being bowled for an aggressive 16 including 2 fours. Comrade Twaits joined Wazza before Waz received a good ball that clipped the top of the bail.

Papa Roake and Comrade Twaits set about rebuilding but both struggled to get the ball off the wicket in the face of some accurate pace bowling. Papa (0) was bowled by one that stayed low and Twaitsy was LBW for a patient 2. Caesar (0) and Rabbit (0) were quickly removed by the efficient opposition, with Panda and Cap’n Duffy then able to accrue a run apiece [Ed: Duffy was seen to display some interesting footwork when, instead of hoiking the ball round the corner or stepping away to leg to drill it through the off-side, he simply hopscotched over the ball speared down legside and it bounced between his legs. Not even Kevin Pietersen has dreamt of this innovation] before Duffy was caught, and Panda Bowen was run out while going for a quick single with Grizz (0no).

Jez joined Grizz as the last man to attempt to see out the innings, but to no avail as Jez was given out LBW [Ed: a reciprocal dismissal for one of their players given out leg before when their umpire confessed, with the batsman safely out of earshot, “I don’t really understand the LBW rules” but at least their batsman didn’t have injury added to insult as the ball had at least struck him on the pad whereas, back in the changing room, Jez displayed the start of a pocket-high bruise on his thigh.]

It is worth noting that we had scored 38 runs after 10 overs and only scored 3 in the next 8.5 overs, demonstrating the excellent bowling encountered. The match was unfortunately a mismatch, but was played in a good spirit, and at least allowed many players a game of cricket.

Spectators: JT, JD and JD’s bike

Team: Jason Duffy (capt), Jeremy Sparkes (wkt), Richard Davies, Dave Parsons, Warwick Armstrong, Mark Twaits, Nigel Adams, Ross Bowen, Wyn Pritchard, Mark Searle, Steve Roake. 12th man: Mark Simpson

Casuals (Willow League), Monday 16 June. Casuals 163/4 (20ovs, Marchant 1/17, Chapman 1/31). Cavaliers 97/8 (20ovs, Marchant 34, Simpson 14no). Lost by 66 runs. Cavaliers 0pts, Casuals 15pts. Scorecard

Jimmy Marchant lost the toss to The Casuals, who elected to bat. The Casuals, knowing they had a number of players who could take the attack to us, so that – if mistakes were made and wickets were lost – others could maintain the momentum, scored freely. Although we managed to exert some pressure during part of the innings, this was not sustained.

Those who bowled effectively included Mark Twaits. He bowled a number of deliveries in Geoff Boycott’s “corridor of uncertainty” that simply were unplayable to some of our opponents. Twaits finished with figures of 4 overs no wickets for 10 runs. Marchant bowled a controlled spell of 4 overs for 17 runs. Simpson was the only other bowler who could have been pleased with his performance. He conceded just 3 runs from the single over that he bowled. Poulsom bowled well, but was unfortunate in having to bowl at The Casuals batsmen when they were in their stride.

Other bowlers, however, conceded too many runs. The Cavaliers showed great resistance in not capitulating altogether, ensuring that each bowler was given plenty of support in the field. Jonathan Thomas kept wicket very smartly, until he sustained an injury in attempting to gather one delivery. He was replaced by Steve Davis as wicketkeeper for the remainder of the innings. Steve did not let us down.

The highlight for The Casuals was the innings of K Swain, who struck the ball with ease to different parts of the ground. He scored a quickfire 52, before Glenn Chapman accounted for him. The Casuals amassed 163 for 4 wickets.

In response, The Cavaliers got off to a poor start from which they did not recover. Jonathan Thomas would probably have been the preferred first choice to open with Steadman. However, the injury he had sustained to his hand meant he could hardly grip the bat. Duffy took Thomas’s place, to open with Steadman.  However, Steadman scored nought, being dismissed in the first over; and Duffy managed just 5.

The bright part of The Cavaliers innings included an innings by Marchant. He scored 34, mixing classical shots with deliberate unorthodoxy. His batting is pleasing to watch. Chapman, unfortunately, did not manage to display his clear abilities, failing on this occasion. The other batsman who showed some sparkle was Mark Simpson, whose innings opened with, from his very first ball, a beautifully timed drive through the off side to the deep extra cover boundary. Simpson finished on 14 not out, The Cavaliers on 97 for 8.

The Casuals, without ever bowling spectacularly, managed to sustain pressure on our batsmen. We were always going to struggle to reach the target they had set, however, once we could not make full use of Jonathan Thomas (his injury) and when Steadman and Chapman fell cheaply. 

Overall it was a disappointing performance against a team we could only have had a chance of defeating if we had performed well. 

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Steve Davis, Glyn Poulsom, Andrew Steadman, Mark Twaits, Mark Simpson, Ross Bowen, Jonathan Davies, Glenn Chapman.

Lyne, Saturday 14 June. Cavaliers 90ao (40ovs, Armstrong 28, Smeeth 15). Lyne 94/5 (19.1ovs, Smeeth 2/12, Simpson 1/11, Marchant 1/16). Lost by 5 wickets. Scorecard

Morning dawned, weather forecast doubtful, first Saturday match since Bristol. Great. Hang on, it’s Llandaff Fields. What’s it going to throw up today? Early indications were good. Opposition there on time, outfield looks cut, wicket, ah, not cut or marked. This should be interesting.

Game started at 1.10pm with Cavaliers batting after an agreed toss with Warwick and Simmo striding to the wicket. [Ed: the skipper had decided to pair a greenhorn umpire with one of our most experienced to give the younger one some exposure in a non-pressurised environment and so Grizz and Max took their respective positions.]

Simmo and JD out for ducks and Warwick suffers several rising balls on to the gloves but survives. [The fall of wickets leads to a change of umpires, Grizz to pad up and Max to explain himself for the seemingly generous decision to give Simmo out LBW, a decision which even the Lyne players agreed later was somewhat harsh and most definitely not out. At which point, Max dismissed all advice proferred to him, declaring “I’m the man with the power!” and so led his team mates to reckon he suffered from megalomania, so giving rise to his club nickname of “Mega Max”.]

By quarter to two Cavaliers had the worst of all worlds – slow run rate, 13 off 9 and 3 wickets down. Grizz went in and soon scored a 4 and the two old timers took it to 34 before Grizz succumbed for 13. At 20 overs it was 37-4 with Warwick on 8 but, importantly, still there. After Jimmy was out the long awaited return of the Rabbit. His knock was brief but entertaining, 4 runs in 9 balls, obscenely quick for this match [Ed: and giving rise to some soul searching on the part of the skipper who wondered if he should declare before Rabbit scored more than he had managed ...]

Around this time a bizarre intervention from a parks attendant. He wanted to speak to the man who had left his trousers in the changing room. The man in question, Warwick, we told him was unavailable as he was still out there at the wicket. He then asked if we would change pitch there and then for reasons not to go into. It seemed a waste of breath to explain to this jobsworth that it’s just not the done thing, indeed it’s just not cricket [Ed: although it didn’t stop the Oracle trying to bamboozle the poor fellow with erudite exposition as to the impracticality and un-cricket like nature of such an action]. He then scuttled off mumbling who knows what.

Blissfully unaware of this, the trouserless Armstrong was seventh out having scored 28 in 1¾ hours, a virtuoso effort in the context of the game – worth fifty on any other pitch. At 74-8 enter ‘Mad’ Max Smeeth, the fenland fighter gave a little late order impetus with a brisk 15 runs off 19 balls and when he was run out off the last ball we all felt quite pleased to reach 90 all out.

Tea saw a wide variety of contributions which found favour with our guests. Most interesting was Jez who, clearly inspired by the Nu Labour nanny state, decided that oranges would be good for the team. Such healthy considerations largely fell on deaf ears, though the captain was most scathing, objecting not on nutritional grounds but on the fact that “the damn things take too long to peel”.

By the time Lyne started their innings the wicket seemed more benign [Ed: a view of which we were quickly disabused when a decent ball from Mega spat off the pitch, jagging away viciously from the batsman and, fortunately, bisecting Gog and the Oracle at head height – a few inches either way and one of them would’ve been brained]. Things started well at 8 for 2, including a difficult catch by Grizz off Max and a relatively easy chance to Marchant off Grizz. Unfortunately the Grizz bowling machine was less effective at stemming the runs and there were no complaints when he was discreetly removed after his second over [Ed: discreet being somewhat of an euphemism "Take a blow, Grizz," boomed Jimmy, "JD: next over at Grizz's end"]. Max took a second wicket and they stood at 37-3 off 8 overs. Whatever the result the landlord of the Halfway was going to get some early trade. And so it proved. The Lyne keeper Phillips went for his shots and finished not out just short of 50 and Lyne crept home via a series of wides.

In between, Marchant had picked up a wicket, as did Simpson care of a trademark Buckle catch in the deep – a steepler taken with aplomb that was made to look easy when it was far from that.

Kiran Ridley had the nightmare scenario of getting to the sixth ball of the over and then bowling wide after wide. Meanwhile at the other end Wyn the Rabbit rounded off proceedings by stumbling over as he bowled but amazingly the ball was straight and respectfully blocked.

So at 4.50pm “Final Score” with our sporting guests deservedly home and dry by 5 wickets. Mercifully the showers in the changing room were an improvement on the pitch and so we all departed spruced and washed to the aforementioned Halfway pub where a convivial couple of hours ensued for the “third innings.”

Man of the match: ‘Mega’ Max Smeeth

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Steve Davis (wkt), Warwick Armstrong, Martin Buckle, Nigel Adams, Max Smeeth, Wyn Pritchard, Mark Simpson, Jeremy Sparkes, Kiran Ridley, Jonathan Davies.

South Glam, (Willow League), Thursday 12 June.  South Glam 141/3 (20ovs, Chapman 1/9, Marchant 1/17, Duffy 1/27). Cavaliers 105ao (20ovs, Marchant 34, Chapman 34). Lost by 36 runs. Cavaliers 0pts, South Glam 15pts. Scorecard

The date 12^th June 2008 AD.

The venue the ‘Cathedral School.’

The teams Cardiff Cavaliers and South Glam.

The Weather was still deciding what it was doing sunny, cloudy and showering.

Before the toss Vincent Van Duffy was needed to show his talents on the square, so with white paint (believe it was vanilla mist 2) in one hand and some art device, I think he called it a stick! He set upon his masterpiece, although I believe some art critics weren’t too happy with his artwork.

As Van Duffy finished his masterpiece the toss was able to take place. With the toss lossed we were put into the field by South Glam, although as we took the field there seemed to be a tiredness to us Cavs. As we went through the innings, we dropped a few catches and also bowled a number of wides and our fielding was lacklustre, which wasn’t normal for us Cavs [Ed: indeed, we put down 3 chances, only 1 of which was really hard, missed two stumping opportunities and failed to get the ball to the right end when both batsmen appeared at the same crease.]

As a number of wickets tumbled skip tried to rally the troops but this was to no avail as South Glam reached 141/3 off their 20 overs. With ‘Candyman’ Chapman, Skip and Van Duffy all taking a wicket a piece.

With our under par performance in the field, Skip tried to reinforce the importance of batting and getting off to a good start as we chased down the target of 142 runs for the win.

The opening partnership of Duffy & Steaders jnr took to the square, it was a slow opening for both with Duffy playing tentatively and missing on a number of occasions in the first couple of overs, although the South Glam bowling was very tight and on the money [Ed: for some reason, probably linked to the lunar cycle, all the appealing was done from one end only, calling on all the experience and knowledge of the Oracle to pass judgment and only Steaders will know if he got a faint touch that the umpire, asked to stand well back by the bowler, didn't hear from that distance.]

The opening partnership went cheaply and then it was up to Jimmy ‘Skip’ and the ‘Candyman’ Chapman to steady the ship, of which they were able to do so and score consistently at a good rate. This included Jimmy hitting a huge 6 off a no-ball that flew like a scud missile to the boundary. Jimmy then went for a good knock of 34 and it was shame he could not go on to make a big score as he has been in good form of late.

With Jimmy gone this exposed the middle order with Dave Parsons, ‘Comrade’ Twaits, Steve  ‘Chamberboy’ Roake and JD falling cheaply. South Glam then wrapped up the tail of Simmo, Ross and Sparkes to leave the Cavs 105 all out with a good knock by Chapman who ended on 34 runs, which could have been more if he had had the support from the middle and the other batsmen lower down the order.

Overall a pretty poor performance from the Cavaliers compared to our performances so far this year. Hopefully we can learn from this and have more passion and improve our performances when pulling on the Cavaliers shirt from now until the end of the season.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Andrew Steadman (wkt), Dave Parsons, Glenn Chapman, Jeremy Sparkes, Jonathan Davies, Mark Simpson, Ross Bowen, Mark Twaits, Steve Roake. 12th man: Mark Searle

The Consmen, Tuesday 10 June. Consmen 149/3 (20ovs, R Davies 1/8, Marchant 1/26). Cavaliers 139/8 (20ovs, Marchant 53no, J Thomas 24). Lost by 10 runs. Scorecard

On another dry, warm and sunny evening, the players of both sides arrived to find a busy car park, with a queue of cars going back to the school entrance.   Having fruitlessly sought a parking space, the match reporter parked nearby in the High Street and eagerly walked to the ground anticipating a huge crowd.   Why else all the parked cars? Alas, upon arrival, the match reporter soon found out that it was in fact the parents’ evening!  

No worries, it was soon ‘game on’, albeit a little behind time, and with some of the Consmen team delayed, doubtless likewise, by the difficulty with finding a car parking space, and therefore rather short of ‘would be’ fielders, and probably not likely to quite have the full 11 for the night, Jimmy sportingly forfeited the toss, invited the Consmen to bat first, and ‘lent’ them the services of Glenn, the ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ Chapman.

We went into this game on the back of five successive wins, equalling the (known) club record set in one of our Plate Championship winning years of 2004, and looking to set a new record of six wins ‘on the bounce’.  However, the Consmen soon got into their stride, with their new recruits, Landford and Morgan, building the innings cautiously against good opening four over spells from Geisha (0-21), and Jase (0-11), and then increasing the tempo with some classy shots, including some beautiful straight drives, off the bowling of Glyn and Grizz.  

Apart from a couple of half-chances, neither batsman looked like getting out until both retired after they reached their half-centuries, and had seen the Consmen well past the 100 mark. Bowen and Head continued to increase the momentum until a beauty from Jimmy castled Bowen to give us our first success in the 16^th over. Jez, Caesar and Radar then bowled well to keep the boundaries to a minimum before Jase brilliantly ran out Martin with a direct hit, and Radar bowled Harries with the final ball of the innings, which closed on 149/3.  

The target of 150 was challenging, though by no means impossible, as recent successful Cavaliers run chases on this ground have shown. Waz and JT started Cavaliers reply, with the latter continuing his fine form with some pleasing and fluent off drives, a couple of them off the bowling of a certain Rhinestone Cowboy! Waz found it harder to get boundaries, but helped JT put on 35 before he was castled by Potter for in the 6^th over. Soon after, JT perished, for a good 24, in the chase to keep up with the, now, escalating run rate, and despite the best efforts of Radar and Jase, they too perished, Radar to a run out, and Jase to a fine catch at cover, leaving Cavaliers at 73/4.

This left Jimmy and Grizz to play ‘catch up’, and for a short while they were matching the required rate of close to 10 runs per over against some quick bowling before Grizz was run out. The Gog, Caesar, and Glyn also came and went, the latter two to the 3^rd and 4^th run outs of the innings, leaving Jimmy to finish things with an electrifying and richly entertaining exhibition of strokeplay, including a magnificent straight six off the final ball of the innings, to help him reach a deserved 50. Alas, despite Jimmy’s efforts, we finished 11 runs short of the target. Who knows, maybe one more over of Jimmy’s finest could have done the trick.

However, it was, overall, another good contest played in excellent spirit between two teams who certainly know how to enjoy their cricket in a sporting context. And whilst Cavaliers didn't quite take the chance of setting a new record, they’ll take plenty of positives away, not least the consistency that Jimmy seems to be adding to his explosive batting this season. And there are still well over 30 games left this season in which to think about setting new records.   Also, watch out for the Consmen for the remainder of this season, they have some recruited some new and experienced talent, and now have strength in depth in all three disciplines. They now look like a strong side, and could cause some ‘shocks’ before the season is over.

Upon departing the ground, a squirrel was seen emerging from a plastic bin besides the boundary. The question is was it hoarding more nuts, or seeking shelter from Jimmy’s big hitting?

MoM – The ice man.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Steve Davis (wkt), Mark Searle, Warwick Armstrong, Jonathan Thomas, Nigel Adams, Glyn Poulsom, Jeremy Sparkes, Derek Lewis, Richard Davies. 12^th man: Glenn Chapman

Abercarn, Sunday 8 June. Cavaliers 181 ao (39 overs, J Thomas 74no, Marchant 39). Abercarn 145 ao (36.2 overs, Twaits 3/20, Simpson 3/25, Poulsom 2/28, Marchant 2/39). Won by 36 runs. Scorecard

As the sun rose over the horizon into a clear blue sky in the early hours of the morning, it was easy to generate a sense of anticipation that this would be a good day for competitive cricket. And so it proved.

By the time of the toss at this splendid Gwent ground, temperatures were already climbing to uncomfortable levels and captain Jimmy Marchant expressed a sigh of relief at winning the toss and avoiding taking the field through the hottest part of the afternoon. This sentiment was borne out by the first drinks break, which was taken after just 10 overs.

By this time, however, much of the early batting order was back in the shade of the pavilion, and the decision not to field first was looking a little less convincing. While the opening bowler Harris was lively, but not unmanageable, his left arm partner Williams was a different proposition. Nonetheless, Steadman and Sparkes negotiated several overs with some difficulty, until Steadman was first out lbw to Williams for 6, a decision with which he was clearly not wholly in agreement. Buckle and Smeeth rapidly came and went, both unable to cope with the pace of Williams, and without troubling the scorers, at which point it fell to Geoff Lewis to provide some backbone to the innings.

The conversation between Sparkes and Lewis as he arrived at the wicket had the timekeepers wondering whether the game would be completed in daylight – it seemed a long way to say “Just play your usual game Geoff”. However, it clearly had its benefits as Lewis and Sparkes steadied the ship, advancing the score from 18 for 3 to 35 for 4, with Lewis contributing (an unlucky) 13. A contributory factor here was the generous decision by the Abercarn captain to rest Williams after bowling 3 overs.

With Lewis gone and not many on the board, the Cavaliers were looking to Marchant to play a captain’s innings, and as usual they were not disappointed. When Sparkes was out with the score now on 56 for a plucky 10, the result of much prudential decision making between which balls to hit and which to miss [Ed: he was later commended by Simmo in the changing room for his excellent leaves and the runs he hadn’t attempted to score when the ball was swinging around], it fell to (JT) Thomas to offer the captain support. This he did to good effect, and the partnership of 111 for the sixth wicket was the cornerstone of the Cavaliers innings. With Marchant eventually out for 39, and the tail exposed, Williams returned to rap up the innings, with Twaits, Poulsom and Huw Parsons all adding to the list of those dismissed without scoring, and Simpson contributing 4. With one over unused out of the allotted 40, JT was left as the not out batsman on 74, an innings which reflected his usual high standards of identifying the bad ball and dispatching it forthwith for 8 boundaries.

While the total of 181 looked a little light, it represented a target which would at least give the Cavaliers bowlers something to work on.

As the Cavaliers took to the field, Steadman indicated that he would welcome an afternoon ambling around the field. In an act of unusual generosity, Marchant posted him at slip, where Steadman was able to achieve his ambition, the Abercarn opening batsmen proving to be resolute, and not minded to take unnecessary risks. The Cavaliers will not have been heartened by the sight of Williams, their nemesis from their own innings, arriving to open for Abercarn, and it was no surprise that he top scored with 38.

However, it was clear, notwithstanding Steadman’s comments, that the Cavaliers had taken the field with a crisp determination to compete, and the opening bowlers of Mark Twaits and Huw Parsons, backed up by commitment in the field, gave little away. Nonetheless, the Abercarn innings developed a sound foundation, and it was not until the arrival of Simpson into the attack that the first wicket fell with 41 on the board. With Smeeth joining Simpson in the attack, the bowling and fielding remained tight, and although a further 28 was added before the second wicket fell, Abercarn were never able to forge ahead of the required run rate.

Marchant’s arrival into the attack brought the second wicket, with Smeeth taking a good catch in the deep, and Marchant finishing with tidy figures of 2 for 39 off 8 overs. The captain was ably supported at this stage by Poulsom (2 for 28 off his full 8 over allocation), and this bowling partnership ensured that, as the overs passed, the required run rate was always creeping upwards.

As the game moved towards its conclusion, Simpson and Twaits returned to the attack, and the innings was fairly quickly wrapped up with Simpson taking 3 for 25 off 6 overs, and Twaits the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 20 off 6.2 overs. Support for the bowlers in the field was good, with Twaits and Marchant following Smeeth in taking good catches in the outfield, Simpson taking one of his own bowling, and JT rounding off a good performance behind the stumps by taking a sharp edge off Simpson [Ed: a superb one-handed take low down].

In the end, Abercarn were all out for 145 in the 37^th over. All around a good performance in the field, to take Cavaliers winning run to five [Ed: undoubtedly the sporting nature of the Abercarn skipper ensured that the contest wasn’t over within the first hour and, once again, they proved an excellent club and venue for Sunday cricket]. A good afternoon was completed by Abercarn’s customary hospitality, the barbecue already well underway by the fall of the final wicket and as the sun set behind the towering hillside to the west.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Jeremy Sparkes, Martin Buckle, Max Smeeth, Geoff Lewis, Glyn Poulsom, Huw Parsons, Mark Twaits, Mark Simpson.

GE Healthcare (Willow League), 5 June. GE 91/7 (20ovs, Duffy 2/11, H Parsons 1/3, Roake 1/16). Cavaliers 92/1 (11ovs, J Thomas 45no, A Steadman jnr 32). Won by 9 wickets. Cavaliers 14 pts, GE 1 pt. Scorecard

We were somewhat fortunate that this fixture against our old adversaries GE Healthcare, formerly known as Amersham, went ahead. Rain on the previous day created some doubt whilst GE made noises about grey skies early in the day (perhaps nervous about facing the in-form Cavaliers!) but the groundsman gave the green light. On a high from our Cup victory earlier in the week against Uni Staff, the boys looked keen and eager, Jimmy giving the team some catching practice before the game whilst GE looked on seemingly less confident.

The skipper expressed some pleasure at having an “away” game at our “home” ground at long last whilst Steadman Jr rushed into the changing room – late as usual. The room quickly cleared as Steadman pulled on his crumpled whites revealing that they hadn’t been washed for the last 3 weeks – phoow! (To our relief at the following game against Abercarn he had washed them but still doesn’t know what an iron looks like.)

Taking to the field we quickly took control of the game. Duffy and Papa Roake opened the bowling attack to great effect. The crafty combination of pace and spin had the opposition in a quandary. Duffy’s accurate and miserly spell reaped its rewards with 2 clean bowled wickets. His new tactic of a shortened run up worked to great effect and he was the pick of the bowlers and saved on energy and boot leather as a result! Roaky meanwhile was bamboozling the batsmen with his wickedly turning leg spinners.

A tight grip was kept on our opponents as Twaits and Jimmy came into the attack. It was only GE’s no3 batsman who broke free from the shackles and he ruined Simmo’s evening picking off a few full tosses for boundaries.  Simmo had some consolation chipping in with a wicket but the curtain was brought down on the now slogging number 3 bat by Huw in the final over. Bowled middle peg off the last ball for 49! Downer!

We had restricted GE to 91 off their 20 overs. As we know only too well, not nearly enough to defend with any confidence at Cathedral School. Sure enough, the game turned into a rout as our in-form batsmen overhauled the target in just over 11 overs. This must have been our quickest game and earliest finish in a midweek game this season. Most of us have experienced our fair share of classic Cavalier collapses, so to have reached the target for the loss of just 1 wicket proved a nice experience. 

JT and Steadman Jr competed most of the job until Steaders fell to a well taken catch at wide mid-on as he played a legside drive. The young bowler from GE deserved a wicket for his efforts. Steaders scored a very useful 32 whilst JT was in dominant form at the other end finishing on 45 not out with some crisp shots peppered through the innings. JT and Jimmy guided the team home to an emphatic victory. Special mention & thanks go to Deadly Derek and Alan Ward. Derek kindly umpired the entire game for us whilst Alan came along to support and did the scoring alongside our 12^th man for the game, Panda Bowen. Great support guys. Well done.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Jonathan Thomas, Huw Parsons, Andrew Steadman, Mark Simpson, Warwick Armstrong, Mark Twaits, Glenn Chapman. 12th man: Ross Bowen

Uni Staff (Willow Cup), 3 June. Cavaliers 125/6 (18ovs, A Steadman jnr 30, Chapman 22, Adams 21no). Uni Staff 65ao (15.3ovs, Simpson 3/6, Adams 2/5, Twaits 1/3, D Parsons 1/11, Chapman 1/11). Won by 60 runs and will play Rhiwbina in the semi final on 3 July. Scorecard

There is an unwritten rule when drinking in a tough pub, by all means agree to contribute to the skittles team raffle, but whatever you do don’t win it. Clearly nobody had told the quartet of Cavaliers who were present to reflect on the evening’s proceedings.

It was like the scene of the Mos Eisley Cantina at Tatooine in a Galaxy, far, far away, where Luke Skywalker (Marchant) and Ben Kenobi (Duffy) where minding their own business enjoying a quiet drink, only to be engaged in conversation from a three-eyed local who commented *music stops* “you’re not from round here are you?”. Eventually after Duffy’s Jedi mind tricks failed, the intrepid Cavaliers agreed to purchase a ticket to win a bottle of Famous Grouse.

All went quiet, until the local returned and asked Princess Leia (Panda) to pick the winning ticket, and she inadvertently selected Duffy’s ticket (or was it his mind tricks at work). After the initial elation at winning the prize had worn off, doubt began to take its place as one or two of the locals grumbled. What had we done? We had drawn our own ticket and were walking off with the prize! Even this deep into the galaxy surely we should have said to draw again? But nobody had cheated, and it wasn’t Duffy drawing his own ticket so surely it was fair? We had after all paid our money!

Han Solo (Simpson) and Chewbacca (Chapman) observed from the sidelines, ready to run to the Millennium Falcon at a moments notice. It was decided that the person least likely to get into trouble leaving the pub with the bottle was the Wookie, and so it was he who led the dash into the car park and our heroes escaped the clutches of the baying mob and hit light speed.

The reason for the visit to the ale house was of course, to celebrate a comprehensive Cavaliers win in the quarter final of the cup, which was undoubtedly the best performance of the season to date.

The teams assembled at Llanrumney with the toss and game getting underway around 10 minutes late as the opposition hadn’t all assembled (a recurring theme this season). The damp slow conditions left the toss victors Uni Staff with an easy decision to field. Andy Steadman and JT took to the field to begin the Cavaliers innings, and both played watchfully in the early stages picking up sensible singles and twos. It was evident from the outset that it would difficult to time the ball, and the slow outfield meant that good shots didn’t get their full reward, slowing down on the damp outfield.

JT was the first to depart caught and bowled by N Morgan for a useful early 13. Steaders was joined by Jimmy who struggled to adjust the difficult conditions, eventually being bowled for 5, also by N Morgan, missing a sweep shot and losing his leg stump. Glenn provided able support to Steadman before, the latter was caught for an excellent 30 off the bowling of Wallace.

Glenn soon departed for 22, with Grizz taking on the anchor role to lay a great platform for the innings. Grizz carrying his bat for a valuable 21.

D Parsons and M Twaits quickly departed, selflessly going for their shots at the end of the innings, and Duffy managed to provide some powerful blows at the end of the innings to reach 8 not out, with the Cavaliers closing on 125 for 6 from 18 overs. Whilst not a massive total, the guys assembled on the boundary were confident that it was a highly competitive score and a sensibly built innings in the conditions, and with basic line and length, full and straight bowling supported by committed fielding, it should be enough.

Jimmy entrusted the first four overs to Panda and Poulsom, who both started off solidly, the former opening the innings with a maiden to set the tone. It wasn’t until the first change however, that the first wickets fell with Adams plucking a good catch out of the air at mid-on from the dangerous looking N Morgan off the bowling of Glenn. Dave Parsons removed the other opener with a good delivery trapping the batsman plumb LBW.

Whilst the loss of the wickets and fairly slow start (in no small part to some excellent fielding) did crank the pressure on Uni Staff, it was the second change of bowlers who took the game completely away from them. Simpson was on the money from the off, bowling Khan with his first ball, and holding a beautiful accurate line throughout coming across the right handers, pitching on leg and whistling towards off. A further good catch from Parsons and a caught and bowled left Mark with outstanding figures of 3 for 6, and this could have easily been 4 for 5 had a no-ball not been called from a delivery subsequently pouched by Steadman.

At the other end was Duffy, who decided to try a shortened run up which brought instant results. Duffy bowled a very tight line which the Uni Staff batsmen just couldn’t get away, with a maiden off his first over and just 2 runs following from the second (one of which was a wide).

At this stage the game was all but over bar the shouting, but the Cavaliers impressively did not take their foot off the gas, with some ruthless finishing from Grizz (2 for 5), Twaits (1 for 3) and a run out. Uni Staff were all out for just 65 with one and half overs to spare.

On the next pitch Rhiwbina were also progressing to the semi-final, and who we will face in the semi-final at Cathedral School on 3^rd July, in what we be an eagerly awaited chance for revenge after the close defeat earlier in the season.

And so a quartet of intrepid Cavaliers chose to venture off for a quiet drink to celebrate the win….

Man of the match: Simpson (for taking the game away from Uni Staff) with honourable mention to Adams (for laying a sensible platform in the first innings, and a great finish with the ball in the second).

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Jonathan Thomas (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Dave Parsons, Glenn Chapman, Mark Twaits, Mark Simpson, Ross Bowen, Nigel Adams, Glyn Poulsom. 12^th man: Richard Davies

Glamorgan Centurions, 22 May. Cavaliers 150/6 (20ovs, Adams 39, Roake 38, M Thomas 20). Glam Cent's 138/7 (20ovs, Roake 2/11, Marchant 1/16, Bowen 1/20, H Parsons 1/21, Adams 1/27). Won by 12 runs. Scorecard

Even the most reluctant gambler would have put money on this match being rained off, so it was a joy to get out and play the full game of 20 overs apiece against Glamorgan Centurions, a team new to the Cavaliers [Ed: this was the inaugural fixture with GC, one of the teams that has expressed interest in joining the Willow League.]

The Centurions won the toss and put the Cavaliers in to bat. This turned out to be fortuitous for Caesar who arrived extremely late. However, Caesar was not smiling after our Capt. made it clear that a significant fine was in the offing [Ed: we showed 9 changes from the side that had played the League game 2 days earlier to give a few of the oldsters and others some game time – and even then Steaders and Jimmy were held back to the middle of the innings to give everyone a go.]

Matt Thomas and Vince opened the batting. Matt was clearly on a mission to bring home the bacon, three 4s off 14 balls, but his exuberance led to a pulled hamstring & the need for a runner, but as neither he nor his runner (Papa) had done this sort of thing before the bookies weren’t offering any odds on a calamitous run out or stumping … but they needn’t have worried as Matt was bowled soon after when, hampered by his leg, he couldn’t quite get into line, having scored 20 in the opening stand of 26.

Vince, playing for the first time this season, was feeling his way in to the game when he received instructions from the Pavilion to “get on with it”. Desirous of pleasing his Capt. Vince played the next ball with new impetus ... and was bowled. The mood of our Capt. was tangible when the dis-Honourable Sec. enquired of Jimmy as to what had been agreed with the other captain regarding match overs, bowlers’ limits and batting retirements to be told “Everyone knows what they’re doing!”

At 3 & 4 were Papa Roake and Grizzly Adams. Papa’s assured batting style showed he had clearly benefited from his time in the Academy. The partnership looked very accomplished with good running between the wickets which realised a quick-fire 73 in just 7 overs with both batsmen quick to punish the bad ball. Papa fell for 38, by far and away his best score for the club, off 35 balls and hitting 5 fours. Grizz also hit 5 fours in his 39 with an even healthier strike rate, taking just 26 balls.

The spectacle was greatly enhanced by Umpire Bowen’s crisp & precise signals. His Wides were a joy to behold and an example to us all, even if it did look like he had been trained by the head of the Red Square traffic police.

D.C. Steadman went to the crease with 114 runs on the board and just over four overs left. Shortly to be joined by Capt. Kirk. The crowd relaxed into their seats in anticipation of the batting display that was to follow but were bemused to see D.C. run out by Jimmy for 9. The consensus in the stands was that our Capt. was trying to teach him a lesson but we were later to learn from Capt. K that “Steadman was not running fast enough”. The sense of foreboding amongst those batsmen that regularly bat with Steaders was palpable as it is generally acknowledged to be difficult enough already keeping up with D.C. Clearly our new Capt. is expecting a higher standard this season but was sent on his way to an LBW shout with so much wood involved that those at the boundary edge could hear it but not, it seemed, by the man who mattered, the umpire [Ed: the mantle of captaincy has brought an equanimity to Jim’s shoulders and he accepted the decision with good grace.]

Nigel Moore and the defunct Hon. Sec. worked hard to get the best out of the last few balls garnering 8 runs that took us to the 150 mark, including a 3 off the final ball when they saw that the wicket had been put down but the ball had ricocheted away from the bowler so went through for a one more run [Ed: an object lesson for any youngsters or those new to the game from a pair totalling more than 100 years of wisdom and experience between them in keeping alert, aware and knowing when the ball is still live and what extra the fielders have to do to once a wicket is put down.]

We started well with an early wicket when The Honourable made a tricky catch at mid-on look incredibly easy as Huw dismissed the opener [Ed: after inquiry had been made of Huw as to whether he’d informed the umpire which side he was ‘blowing’ (see Penarth match report below) eliciting the excellent riposte that, sorry, he “didn’t catch that!”]

Their left-handed no3 liked to hit the ball hard, high and into the far distance, with his brief innings of 29 featuring 2 sixes and 3 fours before, somewhat needlessly as they were up with the rate, he fancied a second run clearly without having noted the excellent hands and arm of Papa. Caesar, who kept tidily again, likened his part in the dismissal as resembling a pinball machine – the throw from Papa bouncing off the gloves, on to his chin, then off assorted other parts before eventually falling on to the stumps to effect the run-out [Ed: their umpire at square leg was perfectly happy that it was the ball that had removed the bails and gave out the batsman who seemed less able to reflect on his own part in calling for the second run and then failing to run his bat in, rather than vent his displeasure on his return to the pavilion about his colleague's perfect side-on view of proceedings.]

Wickets fell to five of the Cavaliers’ bowlers: Huw Parsons 1-21 off 2, Grizz 1-22 off 4, Ross 2-20 off 4, Jimmy’s bowling improved with each over (0-7  0-5  0-3  1-1) and there was an excellent bowling performance from Mr Roake who in his two overs went 1-5 & 1-6. The second of which would have made Andrew Flintoff proud, pitching outside leg stump, the batsman moved across the wicket to send the ball off to the boundary, only to see it go past the bat and on to middle stump. Jimmy took two catches in his usual relaxed manner, making it look easier than it actually is, and Caesar one behind the sticks which completed a good evening for him as the book showed no byes as having been conceded [Ed: once again we had cause to be grateful for the Club policy of trying to have a 12th man at each game as Warwick was able to field in place of the hamstrung Matt.] 

The Centurions completed their 20 overs on 138/7 and a win for the Cavaliers by 12 runs [Ed: an excellent result given the make-up of our side and the back-seat role taken by our League regulars. We’ll be able to sample GC’s hospitality for the reciprocal game when we visit them at Llantwit Fadre in mid-August.]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Matt Thomas, Huw Parsons, Jeremy Sparkes, Ross Bowen, Vince Strawson, Steve Roake, Nigel Moore, Andrew Steadman, Nigel Adams. 12th man: Warwick Armstrong

Eclipse Print (Willow League), 20 May.  Eclipse 141/9 (20ovs, Marchant 3/26, D Parsons 2/17, Twaits 1/17, Duffy 1/23, Simpson 1/24). Cavaliers 142/2 (19ovs, A Steadman jnr 74no, Marchant 35). Won by 8 wickets. Cavaliers 14 pts, Eclipse 1 pt. Scorecard

Cavaliers despatch League Leaders
 
A thrilling game at the Cathedral School saw the Cavaliers overcome the League leaders Eclipse Print by 8 wickets in a close encounter. After winning the toss Eclipse decided to bat first with the Cavaliers taking to the field with two substitute fielders as Messrs Armstrong and D Parsons, together with 12^th man H Parsons, were delayed by traffic on Cathedral Road [Ed: the evergreen Poulsom and the ageing Sparkes had, sensibly, brought their kit with them to spectate so were able to ensure that the game got underway on time and that a full complement of fielders was able to keep the runs down].

This was a shrewd ploy as, in Duffy's first over, a shortish ball [Ed: a rank full toss that was destined for the cover point boundary] was cut by Dayton-Jones [Ed: who had put us to the sword in the corresponding game last year] straight into supersub Sparkes’ hands cue wild celebrations [Ed: it was described by the catcher in the report to the League as a “stupendous catch”, rivalling the impact on the game as did Gary Pratt’s run out of Ricky Ponting in the 2005 Ashes series – it’s reassuring to know that the obituary of hyperbole need not be written just yet …] This brought Williams to the crease and suddenly the the ball was being despatched to all parts of the ground in a second wicket partnership of 55 and with the run rate at over 10 per over.

This was broken with an impressive spell from Jason Gillespie look-a-like Mark Twaits beating the bat on a number of times; with the skipper bowling at the other end Eclipse were reduced to 89-5 with dangerman Williams being caught by JD at long off for 41. Wickets now began to fall at regular intervals with Dave Parsons and Simpson keeping things tight and Eclipse finished on 140/9. This was a good comeback by the bowlers and some good ground fielding helped to keep it to a reasonable target to chase.
 
The opening partnership of Twaits and Steadman set about the target with a cautious approach and despite some tight bowling from Hull and Alaway the scoreboard had clicked to 30 when Twaits, having just struck an enormous six over long on, was run out by Steadman for 12 [Ed: to be fair, by his own admission, Comrade Twaits was a little tardy in responding].

This brought the Skipper to the wicket and a superb stand of 97 between the Cavalier run machines set about the bowling without taking any risks or giving any chances. Steadman was at his majestic best despite being under the weather suffering with a cold of sorts and Marchant playing some fine shots in his run a ball 35 although he spent most of the time cursing his bad luck at the non-striker’s end (I know because I was umpiring!) as another ball found the fielder. With the target in sight a rush of blood from the skipper saw him bowled by Dayton-Jones, this brought Chapman to the crease who, with Steadman saw the target safely negotiated with an over remaining in fading light. Steadman finished on 74 not out with one 6 and 9 fours, Chapman 3 not out.

[Ed: there was a delay in our innings as one of the Eclipse fielders in saving a boundary hurt his shoulder and needed attendance. Later it was discovered to have been dislocated but he was still, as one would expect, fined for failing to get the ball back in! We wish him a speedy recovery.]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Steve Davis (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Dave Parsons, Jonathan Davies, Warwick Armstrong, Glenn Chapman, Mark Twaits, Richard Davies, Mark Simpson. 12^th man: Huw Parsons

Penarth, 18 May. Penarth 312/5 (40ovs, Bowen 2/36, Duffy 1/35). Cavaliers 152/9 (40ovs, Armstrong 62, Bowen 13no). Lost by 160 runs. Scorecard

Sunday brought the annual friendly fixture with Penarth, and although the result may suggest an abject Cavaliers display, it was actually a brave performance given that Penarth had decided that several of their first team players were in need of a bit of match practice.

The Cavaliers had all arrived at the spacious Penarth ground to be greeted by bright sunshine, a brisk breeze and no opposition, who were apparently working towards a 2.30pm and not 2pm start – this at least gave everyone a chance to warm up by making the long, long walk to inspect the pitch and take part in what is now becoming a customary catching warm up.

Jason, having never lost a game as captain (this was the first game he had taken charge of) lost the toss and Penarth ominously decided they fancied a bat, so with help from Huw’s wind problem, the changing room emptied onto the outfield for the game to begin.

Skipper Duffy and Ross opened the bowling and it was pretty apparent from the outset that we would indeed be chasing leather around the wide expanses of the outfield for the rest of the afternoon. The two openers, who eventually retired unbeaten on 131 and 98, looked to attack and runs flowed through a succession of boundaries, although Jason managed to test both batsmen with some good swing bowling, which Gog did well to deal with behind the stumps [Ed: even one that feathered the edge and ‘died’ on Gog wouldn’t have counted if it had been held as the umpire signalled byes].

Glenn (0-77) replaced Ross and found his bowling to the liking of the charging batsmen as he disappeared to the boundary regularly [Ed: it was somewhat ironic that the Oracle, having recommended a field change to the skipper, was rewarded with being positioned there himself and saw our first real opportunity to pouch a catch but he failed to cling on to what seemed, or so he claimed, an exocet hurtling towards his scalp – a case of marvellous tactical nous let down by poor technical execution].

This brought on Huw (0-47) who suffered a similar fate at the hands of the now firmly set openers. It was up to Matt (0-26) and Glyn (0-28) to take the pace off the ball and slow the scoring, which they did well until a retirement finally bought a new batsman to the crease [Ed: Matt’s figures were impressive until his fan club arrived whereupon the waves from the boundary edge and his furtive signal back were spotted by Gog who encouraged him with “C’mon, Matty, do it for the lovely ladies” instantly wrecking both his line and length].

Warwick (0-29) came back well after a tough first over, during which he was overheard instructing Martin to move the long off boundary back 30 yards and stand on it, after disappearing in that direction a couple of times, and Jason “Hans Christian Anderson” (0-24) continued his fledgling Cavaliers career with a couple of overs [Ed: despite starting with trademark W dot com he was also unable to fashion a breakthrough].

It was left to Ross (2-36) and Skipper Duffy (1-31) to finish the innings off, and it was to everyone’s credit that we stuck to the task and eventually took five opposition wickets with help from good catches from Ross (off his own bowling) and Warwick and a couple of run outs from unbeaten Skipper Duffy and Glenn.

Although half a dozen difficult chances went down, no-one gave up, even when the scoreboard at drinks read 193-0 off 20 overs, and it was good to see enthusiasm shown throughout a tough 40 overs in the field against very good batters.

Teatime came and we were greeted with plates of biscuits, cakes, ice lollies and various fruits with not a sandwich, crisp or tuna pasta in sight. This we assumed was what healthy cricketers tuck into at the interval nowadays so we filled ourselves up on melon, pineapple and choc ices and trudged back to the changing rooms ready to receive Cloughie’s team talk and start the run chase. Happily, we were surprised for a second time at the close of play by plates full of ham, potatoes, salad and coleslaw helping to lift the opposition off the bottom of the ‘best teas’ league table to somewhere near the top [Ed: Hans Christian must fancy the tea-assessor’s vacancy as his piled-high plate of sugary, E-numbered delicacies nearly caused a dislocation of his wrist].

Matt & Warwick stepped out to open the innings to face a field including 5 slips and 2 gulleys, and a rising delivery in the first over forced Warwick off the field for a helmet. It was on his return to the field that a flustered ‘Big Ship’ picked up the nearest bat to him, forgetting that he had left his with the umpire, and it was only on his arrival back at the crease did he realise that he had actually bought out a Penarth Under 11’s harrow bat, much to the amusement of the slip cordon.

After creaming his second ball through the covers for a boundary, Matt (4) was first to depart, and was soon followed by his replacement Glenn (4) caught at cover off a leading edge.

Martin (0), who came under some pressure to update his Cavaliers kit, strode out to the wicket for his first appearance of the season only to stride off soon after, having been beaten by a quicker delivery. This meant that Warwick, who had been going along nicely, was joined by unbeaten Skipper Duffy (10) who, having clipped a couple of balls to the boundary for four then decided to get after the leg spinner using his favourite shot – the slog sweep. After 15 attempts and 15 misses he decided to change his tactics, and buckle down to the play the Captain’s role and promptly got bowled having added 46 with Waz for the 4^th wicket.

Next in was Glyn (13) who together with Warwick produced a sound partnership of 36 that took us well beyond the half way stage of the innings. Running sensibly and punishing the bad ball, Waz brought up a well crafted 50 off just 51 balls and they were looking comfortable until Glyn was given out LBW.  Warwick was next to go, lofting a drive to mid off for an excellent 62 from 77 balls with 8 boundaries, when he was looking well set for three figures.

This could have marked the beginning of the end, however Gog (4) who reliably informs us was dismissed with a ‘miracle ball’, Hans Christian (0) and Windy Huw (1) all hung around for a while before Ross (13*) & Jez (2*) both followed team orders by skilfully negotiating the last few overs to give us a losing draw and maintain Skipper Duffy’s unbeaten record!!

There were unconfirmed reports however that the Kookaburra-sponsored Ross, who was later fined for vanity, had instructed the Dog Whisperer to make sure he did not run him out as he was playing for his average…. [Ed: in an interesting variation on a theme, the Judge decided that he would preside over a Jesuit-style hearing in the clubhouse where each person was called upon to confess to their misdemeanours and levy their own fine – this proved beyond the comprehension of one or two of our number, probably those who went to secondary moderns.]

Back in a tired but satisfied changing room, Cloughie Duffy delivered his now legendary closing team talk of “Well done boys, couple of you were rubbish, you know who you are” before announcing his retirement from all forms of the game, except for Internationals (for the blind?).

All in all a day of character building against good opposition.  Well done boys.

Team: Jason Duffy (capt), Steve Davis (wkt), Matt Thomas, Huw Parsons, Jason Alexander, Jeremy Sparkes, Glenn Chapman, Warwick Armstrong, Ross Bowen, Glyn Poulsom, Martin Buckle

Consmen (Willow League), 15 May. Consmen 144/6 (20ovs, Marchant 3/25, Bowen 1/14). Cavaliers 147/2 (17.4ovs, A Steadman jnr 69no, Marchant 31, M Thomas 30). Won by 8 wickets.  Cavaliers 14 pts, Consmen 1 pt. Scorecard

After opening the curtains this morning I’m sure I wasn’t the only Cavalier to believe the game would definitely be off on this cold and wet early summer’s day [Ed: The Oracle was heard to complain on his return home from Birmingham that the number of calls and texts he’d had asking whether play was likely was somewhat distracting as he basked in sunshine all day up there]. By 4pm there was still no email to save us from a cold and grey Cathedral School. Luckily for JT his Alfa GT, which was sitting 24^th place in the JD power survey, came to the rescue when his power steering went. He couldn’t remember how to drive a car without power steering so he decided to give the AA a call and take him home instead.

Luckily the 12^th man policy came to the rescue and Tim Rowland stepped in to take JT’s place. The Consmen were once again our opponents after our successful cup win on Tuesday. Jimmy won the toss and decided to field. Ross and Dave P opened the bowling, with Ross having the first success of the evening with a good catch by Capt Marchant in the covers. Ross beat the bat time after time and fully deserved his excellent figures of 4-1-14-1. Dave P also picked up a wicket clean bowling his batsmen (4-0-41-1).

The Consmen managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over consistently through the innings. The second pairing of the evening was Derek (3-0-22-0) and Duffy (2-0-14-0), who bowled consistently but were unable to take any further wickets although Derek was unlucky not too take one with a few balls lingering in the air but not in any reach of the Cavaliers fielders. 

Jimmy (4-0-25-3) then brought himself and JD (3-0-25-0) into the attack, putting in a captain’s performance, clean bowling 2 batsmen and a superb run out which saw him dive across the wicket, stop the ball and run out the non-striking batsmen at his end. JD also took an excellent catch off Jimmy’s bowling deep on the boundary at long on which was well on its way to a maximum. Jim’s catching drill before we started obviously paid off even though no one caught a thing. 

The Cavaliers innings started with the in-form Matt and Steaders. At this stage the chairman Mr Steve Davis turned up to offer his support. However, the Chairman wasn’t really interested in the cricket; he had something more serious on his mind. It turned out not to be Mrs Davis dental pain, but the possibility of dry rooting JD and doing something with Jez in the dark.

Back to the cricket which saw an excellent start for the Cavaliers with a half century opening partnership featuring a quick fire 30 from Matt which included 2 maximums including a huge one over mid wicket. This allowed Jimmy and Steaders to put on an excellent partnership of 80 for the second wicket, which included some fine shots and hard hitting from both batsmen. Jimmy was eventually given out LBW for the 31, which included seeing him breaking the splice of his bat. I would like to say it was because he hit the ball too hard but was probably more to do with the little fight he had with himself on the Tuesday before.

The damage was now done and the Cavaliers were well on their way to victory.  Steaders, who was in fine form, was joined by JD who quickly retired with a stubbed toe nail, allowing Dave P and Steaders to get the final couple of runs to see us beat the Consmen for the second time this week [Ed: having gone several seasons when we couldn’t beat them indoors or out, league, cup or friendly, we’ve now doen the double on them two years running]. Once again another fine 698 for Andy who carried his bat [Ed: if Geisha wants to take the pitch with him for all the wickets he takes, then Andrew and Matt must feel likewise having both scored the best part of a hundred runs in their last two visits to the crease there.]

Overall it was an excellent run chase with no middle order collapse which should give confidence for the rest of the season.

Men of the match: Jimmy & Steaders

Scorer – R Bowen

Umpires – Warwick, Derek & Duffy

Supporters – Mark Twaits and his dog, Steve Davis

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Andrew Steadman (wkt), Matt Thomas, Dave Parsons, Jonathan Davies, Derek Lewis, Ross Bowen, Jonathan Thomas (car breakdown, replaced by 12^th man), Steve Roake, Warwick Armstrong. 12^th man: Tim Rowland (played in place of Jonathan Thomas)

Consmen (Willow League Cup), 13 May. Cavaliers 157/8 (18ovs, A Steadman jnr 41 ret no, Adams 25, Chapman 23). Consmen 128/7 (18ovs, Marchant 2/7, Twaits 2/8, J Davies 1/12, Simpson 1/19). Won by 29 runs. Scorecard

Will now play Uni Staff in 2nd round at Llanrumney on Tue 3 June

Both sides could've been forgiven a sense of groundhog day as the Cavaliers and Consmen were drawn together yet again in our opening game of the Cup. Determined to get another W in the column after a couple of disappointing performances in friendlies the selectors put out one of our strongest teams.

Consmen won the toss and asked us to bat but must’ve regretted it from the off as Andrew and Jimmy hit the ground not so much running as turbo-charged and had rattled up 34 in just 4 overs. Jimmy went for 7, stumped, but then Glenn and Andrew added 62 in double-quick time before Andrew had to retire on 41 made from just 28 balls including 7 fours, including some excellently placed shots and delicate dabs. Nigel Adams and Glenn continued in the same vein adding 30 very quickly before Glenn was the 1^st of 5 run outs, having scored 23 off 22 balls with 4 fours.

Nigel got through more partners than you’d find at a bridge club before being eventually run out himself for 25 off 21 balls with 5 fours. Mark Twaits (1) had perished selflessly but perhaps not entirely blamelessly in the cause, whereas Richard Davies (1) certainly sacrificed himself to keep Jonathan Davies on strike who was also run out off the last ball of the innings for 10. Only Warwick (4), to an extremely good catch by mid-off, and Dave Parsons (LBW for 7) fell to the bowlers.

We finished on 157/8 off our 18 overs but, with the run outs, had lost a little momentum when a score of 170+ had seemed odds on at the 14^th over mark.

Mark Twaits (2/8) opened the bowling and after a couple of sighters took two wickets with successive balls that rocked the Consmen back right from the start. With Dave (0/9) bowling tightly at the other end too, they were 17/2 after 4 overs. This included a fine exhibition of karate kick-boxing by Dave when his line erred slightly and the batsman cashed in leaving the frustrated bowler to flick the off bail with a foot, leaving the other bail and stumps unperturbed – definitely a case of “a small whirlwind in the sandstorm, grasshopper”.

Sensing that they needed to throw caution to the wind, Rick Saunders and Dan Martin played some audacious shots against change bowlers Jason and Warwick who, strangely given some of our good fielding displays this year, were let down a little in the field with balls being misfielded, wild throws and uncharacteristic lapses behind the stumps allowing byes or extra runs on wides. Notable exceptions were Mark Twaits who, despite aggravating a knee injury, still hurled himself at long off to save what looked a certain boundary, and Nigel close in who effected some run-saving stops.

However, the introduction of Jonathan (1/12) and Mark Simpson (1/19) both slowed the run rate and ended the innings of both in-form batsmen. With Jimmy also fielding well to effect a run out at the bowler's end they went from 61/2 to 82/5 and the game was effectively over.

Jimmy (2/7) picked up a couple of later wickets which, together with tight final overs from Glenn (0/12) and Nigel (0/14), meant they finished on 128/7, leaving us winners by 29 runs. We’ll now play Uni Staff in the next round at Llanrumney on Tue 3 June.

It was good to see a number of guys - the likes of Derek, Glyn, Jez and Matt - along supporting during the course of the game.

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Andrew Steadman (wkt), Jonathan Davies, Dave Parsons, Nigel Adams, Mark Twaits, Richard Davies, Mark Simpson, Glenn Chapman, Warwick Armstrong. 12th man: Ross Bowen

Pontnewynydd, 11 May. Cavaliers 135 (32.2ovs, J Thomas 39, Roake 16, Poulsom 15). Pontnewynydd 139/4 (27 overs, Marchant 2/36, Roake 1/13, Chapman 1/26). Lost by 6 wkts. Scorecard

The sun was high in a cloudless sky. The Cathedral School fields were emerald green, the trees around the ground were full of rich colour and the bells of the Cathedral chimed joyously. Summer had arrived. There were a couple of last minute changes to the team that had been originally picked. Richie “Radar” Davies had to drop out due to a family commitment and Swash Buckle had woken up on match day feeling poorly. Unsubstantiated reports are that the real ale-loving kit meister had overdone it on his favourite tipple, Badger’s Nadger (8.9% ABV) the night before and……….. it’s at this point I have to stop this flight of fantasy, say “allegedly” and wish him a speedy recovery.

Any-who, this meant that two of the Cavaliers’ elder statesmen, JT and Glyn, were summoned by the bells to do battle with the might of Pontnewynydd. As fate would have it, Jimmy lost the toss, we were asked to bat and the Honourary Embezzler and the refined Mr P found themselves marching to the wicket to open the innings. Neither relished the prospect of batting in the scorching heat of the mid-afternoon sun and, as the sweat drip, drip, dripped from the ends of their noses, they looked on jealously as their team mates enjoyed the shade while trying (and failing) to erect the club gazebo. Where was Wazza and his user-guide when we needed him?

“Take it steady”, said Jimmy. “Spend some quality time out in the middle”. Wise words indeed but pretty much ignored after the first couple of hostile overs from the Ponty boys. This was JT’s first bat of the season and it was soon apparent that he didn’t want to use up a lot of energy pushing for 1’s and 2’s. Glyn was in no mood to hang around either playing some deft shots helping us to reach an impressive 74 after just 10 overs. JT had managed to bludgeon his way to 39 before holing out to the only fielder on the leg side which brought JD striding purposefully to the crease. He found it difficult to get the ball away and was bowled shortly after for 10.

We found ourselves at 93 for 2 after 15 overs when Glyn retired for a banana break and some well-earned shelter from the blazing heat. Not a bad position to find ourselves but we then saw the sort of batting collapse for which the Cavaliers have become famous over the years. 93 for 2 became 99 for 6 as Messrs Smeeth, Rowland, Geoff Lewis and a refreshed Mr Poulsom came and went in quick succession. Glyn was bowled by a huge off-cutter for a watchful and valiant 15.

The Skipper had decided to fully embrace the Cavaliers ethos by giving everyone a chance to bat while holding himself and the Rhinestone Cowboy back to fight a rearguard action if necessary. However, no-one looked particularly comfortable as the Pontnewynydd bowlers stuck to their tasks, backed up by some shrewd field placing. We should have sussed that any team with their names on their shirts (proper names, mind – no nicknames), was going to be pretty handy.

Glenn came in at the fall of the 8^th wicket to join Papa Roake but was soon sent back to the shade of the swaying gazebo – umpire JD had no doubt about the plum-ness of the LBW shout and was quick to raise the finger [Ed: the Candyman was left to ponder on the vagaries of meetings that had led JD to miss the Academy session on umpiring]. 123 for 9 after 28. This meant that Skipper Moody Marchant and Papa had 12 overs to give the score some respectability. Unfortunately Papa was bowled for an aggressive 16 leaving Jimmy stranded on 2, and the Cavaliers all out for 135.

The one upside of finishing the innings a bit early was that we could get stuck into tea at about 4.00. In fairness, the Cavaliers (or should that be their better halves?) laid on an impressive spread with the highlights being:

• Tim Rowland's magnificent tuna and pasta salad which remained untouched – not because it looked dodgy, but because we didn’t have any forks or spoons to shovel it into our rumbling tummies. He could be seen carrying it around proudly in the pub later and has no doubt had it for lunch, tea, supper etc ever since [Ed: perhaps this might give some clues towards developing a nickname for newcomer Tim ...];
• Comrade Mark “Che Guevara” Twaits’ ham, rocket and spinach sandwiches – not sure a Cavalier has ever added rocket to a sarnie before and it was seemingly at odds with the Comrade’s revolutionary “power to the people” roots; and
• the results of Glenn’s apple-scrumping escapades – more crunchy Braeburns than you’ll ever see in Sainsburys, ensuring that we’d all get 1 of our 5 healthy portions for the day.

However, the tea interval was marred by a heinous crime. Skipper Marchant was clearly in need of a sugar-rush before leading his troops into the field and loaded his plate full of goodies. Imagine his shock when, after turning his back for a moment, the Viennese swirl he’d been saving till last had been swiped from his plate. We didn’t have to look far for the culprit – Jason Alexander was still wiping the crumbs from around his mouth and immediately realised the seriousness of the situation. Luckily for him his Honour the Gog QC was not in attendance as we’re sure he would have taken a dim view of such a grave offence. As we all know, his Honour is keen to uphold the sanctity of the tea break and had become an expert in the field of top cricket teas over the years. We expect Mr Alexander to do the decent thing and ask for this crime to be taken into account at a future court session.

Ah well, reluctantly back to the cricket and the realisation that 135 was never going to be enough. It was still very warm and the Cavaliers attack toiled manfully to contain the Ponty batsmen. Comrade Twaits and Max both bowled tidy spells with no luck. Jimmy bowled his full 8 overs for the very respectable figures of 1 maiden, 2 wickets for 36 runs. He took the first wicket to fall with his first ball, bowling the Ponty opener with a beautiful off-break, and his second wicket came about when Papa Roake took a tremendous catch on the long off boundary, the ball seemingly staying in the glorious blue sky forever.

Glenn bowled aggressively in his 6 overs and was unlucky to pick up just the one wicket while Papa took the fourth wicket, forcing the batsman to spoon the ball to gully where Glyn took a smart catch.

The Cavaliers’ fielding saw an occasional lapse – something we could ill-afford with such a low total to defend – but there was no lack of encouragement throughout as we tried to support our bowlers. Pontnewynydd didn’t score particularly quickly but they didn’t need to. Three and half an over on a good Cathedral School pitch wasn’t going to trouble them too much. They reached 100 in 23 overs and had the game wrapped up by the last ball of the 27^th.

We’d lost and the game had fizzled out to a disappointing end. However, looking on the brightside, it had been a beautiful day, everyone had a chance to get involved, we finished early enough to have a couple of pints and get home in time for the Indiana Jones film on the telly. Can’t be that bad!

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Geoff Lewis (wkt), Tim Rowland, Jonathan Davies, Mark Twaits, Glyn Poulsom, Martin Buckle (ill so replaced by 12th man), Steve Roake, Jason, Alexander, Max Smeeth, Glenn Chapman. 12th man: Jonathan Thomas (played in place of Martin Buckle)

Highways Hurricanes, 8 May (C&H Trophy, match 1).  Hurricanes 179/5 (20ovs, D Lewis 3/14, Bowen 1/22, Moore 1/29). Cavaliers 142/6 (20ovs, M Thomas 63, extras 41, Moore 16). Lost by 37 runs. Hurricanes lead series 1-0. Scorecard

CAVALIERS “CANED”

The Cavaliers presently hold the C&H Trophy and the first “home” game of the season at the Cathedral School saw the C&H Trophy series convene on a superb, sunny evening, with the wicket in excellent condition. Although no-one actually saw any money changing hands the Hurricanes were “supplemented” by 2 Cavaliers – Chairman, Steve “the Gog” Davis and the former, past, ex “if he wasn’t nailed to the perch – he would be pushing up daisies” Chairman, Glyn “Spin Doctor” Poulsom. Who was actually paying the money to who was never determined!

Hurricanes batted first and the Cavaliers started promisingly with some excellent bowling from Derek “Geisha” Lewis (3-14) [Ed: he must wish that he could roll up the School wicket and take it with him such is his tally of wickets here, although should these ever dry up his store of jazz musicians’ jokes will ensure he's never far from selection.]

The innings then turned into the Nathan show – fine innings from both youngsters finished with Nathan Jefferies 70 not out and Nathan Rees 62. The Cavaliers managed to put down some difficult chances [Ed: a mix of superb attempts that were desperately difficult, a few of the sort where you mutter “glad he’s under that skyer and not me” and a couple of disappointing spills] and there were some early season “pork scratching” moments in the field but the commitment and whole hearted effort were evident throughout the evening. Splendid bowling from Nigel Moore (1–28) and Ross Bowen (1-22) with some fine wicket keeping from Mark Searle saw the Hurricanes finish on 179 for 5 – a fantastic and challenging total to chase.

There was a steady start from the Cavaliers with a new pairing in Matt Thomas and Joey Newbury [Ed: who was caught by 'young' Mr Poulsom as he tried to force the pace] but the regular loss of wickets made it difficult to keep up with the run rate. Kiran Ridley made his debut at No3 and was unlucky to be bowled for 2 just when he was getting underway.

[Ed: aficiandos of cricketing trivia would have been close to ecstasy and rapture when Geisha did his best impression of Umpire Daryl Hair, awarding 5 penalty runs against the Hurricanes for a fielding impingement. Inzam-al-Griffo wanted to take his team from the field in protest but on learning that The Oracle, clearly making a bid to replace Mal Speed, was overheard saying that they’d be forfeiting the game, he was forcibly returned behind the stumps by his troops and peace broke out.]

Exemplary batting from Matt Thomas (63) saw him reach his maiden 50 for the club, including 2 well struck sixes and 4 fours – nearly batting throughout the innings! [Ed: until, Cinderella-like, he heard the cathedral bells chime and had to flit away, leaving his celebratory jug to be bought another time, before his kit bag turned back into a pumpkin and his bat became no more than a fairy’s wand.]

Matt was well supported by Jimmy Marchant (9) and Nigel Moore (16). By the 16th over it was clear that the total was beyond our reach but not before we’d had a cameo from Huw [Ed: perhaps warming up for the Thirty/30 Day] and another milestone was achieved when Mark “Caesar” Searle scrambled his first runs for the club! [Ed: there was much celebrating from beyond the boundary edge when Caesar made evident the tuition he’d received as one of the club’s inaugural Academians during the spring.]

As always, the game was played in a friendly, sporting atmosphere with both sides fully appreciative of the other side’s achievements. Already look forward to the next match in the C&H Trophy series in June!!

The Cavaliers may find it difficult to retain the trophy this season? [Ed: it would probably be less challenging if we weren’t providing more than half of the players at each game – doubtless the devious divinations of Driscoll had worked out that by depleting our ranks of the seasoned and gnarled ‘pros’ their task is made much easier. Perhaps next time, to even things out, the skipper will ‘lend’ them the Dog Whisperer …]

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Kiran Ridley*, Jeremy Sparkes, Joey Newbury, Nigel Moore, Huw Parsons, Jonathan Thomas, Derek Lewis, Matt Thomas, Glyn Poulsom (played for opposition, replaced by 12th man). 12th man: Ross Bowen (played in place of Glyn Poulsom) * denotes debutant

Rhiwbina, 6 May (Willow League). Rhiwbina 124/4 (20ovs, D Parsons 2/25, Marchant 1/12, Bowen 1/14). Cavaliers 122/7 (20ovs, Adams 28no, A Steadman jnr 25). Lost by 2 runs. Rhiwbina 10 pts, Cavaliers 5 pts. Scorecard

The first league game of the season took the Cavaliers to Llanrumney to face Rhiwbina and saw another of this season’s debutants, Tim Rowland, don the Cavaliers colours for the first time.
 
On a glorious evening Jim lost to the toss and Rhiwbina chose to put us in the field first. Jim had a wry smile as this was his preferred option. The right honourable Gog donned his Wicket keeping kit (including his 1970's orthopaedic trainers) and we strode out onto the pitch, some in hats some in baggy greens! (Gog said that JD looked more like Babe Ruth than Matthew Hayden in his!) 

Jim threw the cherry to Duffers (aka Sara Beeny) to try and see if his luck with the new ball was better than his luck with his builders! Unfortunately this was not the case and Jason not for the first time that day pulled himself off! [Ed: clearly the responsibility of being vice captain this year has added some sobriety to the Tenby Terror.]

From the other end Bowen was in immaculate form, maybe he is loving his new power within the club! He bowled a superlative line and length and even picked up a wicket maiden, finishing with figures of 1/14 of 4 overs (figures that the departed Hon Sec can only dream about!)

Dave Parsons and Grizz were brought on after JD had failed to find either line of length. This proved to be a stroke of genius by our new skip as the two of them bowled varying styles that complemented each other. Grizz bowling a tight line and length that tucked the batsman up on a number of occasions. Then Dave tossed the ball up and invited the frustrated batsmen to have a go. This resulted in 2 catches at long on by Steaders, giving him a trio for the game. Hook line and sinker (get onto Rex Hunt with bait like that)!

Special mention to Grizz who took a tremendous catch at mid off from Jimmy’s bowling. The ball came at his face like a Hezbollah rocket. He claims he only caught it to protect his good looks, I'll let you make your own judgement on that.

Chasing 125 to win, Jim went with an opening partnership that served us well in the indoor league. Anchor man Steadman with Sarah Beeny, sorry Jason Duffy. The plan was to get off to a flyer by having two fast batsmen between the wickets. After a few quick singles Duffy was caught for 4. In came our new captain in the new floating batting order. Jim did his best to get the ball away on the low early season wicket, he finally was caught for 8.

Steadman was the next victim of the low pitch, he decided to go back to a delivery outside off stump. The ball jagged back and kept low leaving Steadman stranded in front of middle for 25. JD came and went, run out for 2.

After a string of quick wickets, Twaits for 11, Simpson and Parsons, the two more senior members came to the crease and set about showing us young ‘uns how it's done. Grizz (28no) and Gog (7no) battled hard and nearly brought it home with some furious running and swashbuckling shot selection. However despite a massive effort we just fell short losing by 2 runs.

Man Of the match. Grizz

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Jason Duffy (vice capt), Steve Davis (wkt), Andrew Steadman, Mark Simpson, Dave Parsons, Tim Rowland*, Jonathan Davies, Mark Twaits, Ross Bowen, Nigel Adams. 12th man: Mark Searle * denotes debutant

Bristol YMCA, 26 Apr. Bristol 155/5 (40 ovs, Alexander 2/14, Armstrong 1/13, Adams 1/14, Smeeth 1/16). Cavaliers 161/2 (36.5ovs, Chapman 61 no, A Steadman jnr 57 retired). Won by 8 wickets. Scorecard

Welcome to the first cricket match report of our 30^th season.

The first time a match report appeared on the Cavaliers website was I believe (circa) April 2006 after a game against the South Wales Sri Lankans. As you can tell I am so absorbed with the historical facts of the club I am now compiling a list of trivia, such as every time I have been insulted by Browny during a game. This will no doubt enhance & delight the studies of future historians when they carry out a PhD study on this ancient game. This will be in a technological age where slamming a piece of wood against leather will be looked upon as a crazy pastime indulged in by men waiting for the pub to open.

However I digress, the cricket, team selection was announced on Thursday and the cruel vagaries of fate had cast me in the role of 12^th man to attend to the needs of the main players in a trip over the bridge to Avon. We were taking on the Bristol YMCA, isn’t there a song about that august institution featuring men in fancy dress spouting something about staying at the YMCA & throwing their arms about to replicate those letters. Do I recall a previous member of the Cavaliers who was spotted wearing high heeled slingback shoes was involved in that troupe?

He, like the MCC, may have experimented with pink balls. Or was that one of my nightmares on a cricket (annual tour) sojourn to Haverfordwest recently when I awoke in the Castle Hotel for Agent Smirnov Brown to find me staring at him dumfounded as he lay on top of the bed one trouser leg on/one off & on the other side of body one sock on/one off … drunk on honey beer that he had consumed to excess during a bout of ale swilling with Automan Sparky, the Judge & Swash buckle. He could well have been a strange dressing role model for those prancing Nureyev’s who sang about “hanging out with all of the boys at the YMCA”.

Before I mention the cricket, even before the dust had settled on the selection procedure a certain ex Hon Sec [Ed: Debretts advises the correct nomenclature for such a position might be “the dis-Honourable”] was sending out emails about car parking at the Golden Hills club in Henleaze & worrying and fretting about lack of space. He is becoming a right fastidious (over–meticulous) old fart now that he has retired from the formal admin of this magnificent institution. I may have to recommend him as a traffic warden over the bridge to look after the requirements of the Brizzell boys. We were even more worried by Auto AA Sparkes when a mobile message was received to say that roadworks & temp traffic lights had been transported like Dr Who’s Tardis to the Kellaway Road area and to watch out for delays. Young Chapman who was in the JT auto travels transport even received a phone call about this from the “Auto eye in the sky” Spark plug jezzer. However like the Tardis there was no sign of said works and lights when we, with the Skipper, sailed through the Bristol sunshine, our eye on the treasure chest at Golden Hill.

During the trip over the bridge to Brizzell the great Chelsea were also taking on Manky Man U in the crunch game of the championship season. The result was a great one in the end but JT was maintaining radio silence for most of the way in case the YMCA high tec mob could tap in and penetrate the thoughts of the High command as the Skipper sailed over the bridge in the rear of the vehicle pondering his batting and bowling tactics. Glen Campbell (the rhinestone cowboy) was also in attendance cuddling a cheese baguette as if in love with it. He had to leave the “green green grass of home” to his neighbour to mow as he had stirring deeds to perform in the cricket fields of Golden Hill (Bryn Aur in Welsh) [Ed: please check back later to see if we can get a WAG handout for developing our Welsh Language Policy].

We arrived at the ground in good time and the weather remained fair. The 3 debs were in attendance and dressed in their finery for the ball ... game. Twaits in some fetching footwear for which he was fined later and Smeeth and (Hans Christian) Anderson [Ed: it was actually Jason Alexander but who would try and correct the Judge when court is sitting …] in quite fetching off-the-shoulder numbers. The rest of the fine band of brothers was pumped up with adrenalin for the event. The great photographer David Bailey was in attendance & photos of the Debs and the full crew were taken. Then, changed and ready, the Skipper having flogged them in a pre-match training session, won the toss & elected to field. The mutinous crew were heard to mutter that Captain Simmo of the star corps would have to be returned as they never had to indulge in such strenuous activity under his command.

It was interesting to note that Bristol YMCA were founded in 1878 and are 100 years older than the Cavaliers – however their youth policy did not allow the older players to dominate within the team & half a dozen young whipper-snappers were playing. The Skipper sang a shanty about no mercy to the cabin boys and we were away.

The game began with Adam (The First man) Lloyd along with Geoff Davis who retired on a top score of 67no, opening. Our debs opened the bowling with a quartet of overs each and both Twaits (5 overs for 20 runs) & Smeeth (1 for 16 off 6) came back at the end and finished with respectable figures, bowling well on a slow wicket, which would be expected from the early season rain. The other deb Anderson [Ed: sic] was likened to the internet in his figures wwww.www.. being wide – wide – wicket - wicket – dot - wide – wide and Hans Christian [Ed: Jason, could this be your new moniker?] finished with a respectable 4 overs 2 for 14.

Some said he could be considered a bit of a “Wide Boy” or one of the group Wet, Wet, Wet. The Skipper gave everyone a bowl and both Armstrong (1/13) & Adams (1/14) took a wicket each with all other bowlers keeping a fairly good line and length, occasionally testing Caesar, JT and Dog Crusher the triumvirate of Keepers with Caesar showing what an improved Keeper he is, JT showing his polish and Steadman enjoying the involvement in his athletic graceful style. Steaders had assisted in the first dismissal when he caught the young Lloyd driving through point [Ed: the ball being taken one-handed at full stretch by Steaders at 1^st slip].

A new nickname also emerged for Glenn when he caught two of the kids, one for a golden duck and the past previous Hon Sec, who had kept the Scorers updated on proceedings during the game using his cupped hands as a megaphone identified him as the Candy Man. The twirling armed bowling machine Jezzmondo Hornblower was likened to a “Foghorn” not a megaphone by the ship’s Captain who bowled within himself under the pressure of the need for a debut win, only hit for one six the figures returned were a respectable 4 overs for 20 runs and unlucky not to get a wicket. A couple of catches went down in the field but overall a good tight bowling and fielding performance from the team with Andy Pandy the meanest with 4 overs for 9 runs.

A hearty tea was enjoyed by all with the only comment that the Maitre D’ might have provided a few pies only he may have eaten them himself, being a big lad. One or two diners cried over the Chelsea win but otherwise a 7 out of 10 tea with good full mugs, sandwiches (3 varieties), scotch egg, cakes & quiche + other nibbles.

The Cavaliers batting line up was Armstrong & Steadman to open and they were joined by the young handsome Gog in his shorts and Foghorn Leghorn the Twirly armed bowling machine who had earlier failed in his dog whispering technique to lure the excitable Dexter the Springer Spaniel off the park, he was of course suitably fined later.

Armstrong and Steaders batted well until the run machine known as the “Big Ship” was undone for 11. Steadman was joined by Glenn and together they formed a long and steady partnership – smashing the kids to all parts and adding 105 before the Ice Man Moody retired Steaders on 57 off 88 balls with five 4s. The YMCA had retired two of their players and the whole match was played in a Corinthian attitude of good spirit until the Delphic Oracle rejected an lbw appeal from Mr Shah who dared to question the outside the line of off stump interpretation given by said sage adjudicator. Before fists could be raised and wagers laid on the outcome the sensible Wickie (probably a mate of Stumpy’s) said it hit his bat anyway & equilibrium was restored before the battle of Wales and the West got underway. The hired muscle of Jez could be seen rippling under his new skins.

When Admiral Moody arrived at the crease his voyage proved to be in vain as a second ball Silver Duck was his reward for all his efforts that day. We were two down and on the back foot, however Glenn Campbell kept shooting from his six shooter (he managed 4 of them together with four 4s in 92 balls) including the winning runs to take him to 61no, ably supported at the end by the Wrigley King who stuck around like a sound gum would.

Showers, photos, a Judge’s session, where the visiting Nick “Pompey” Hutchings was also fined for daring to believe his bunch of sailors would defeat the mighty Cardiff in the Final was carried out. One or two ales later and the fleet set sail across the channel although some were docking in Clifton for re-fuelling. I travelled steerage this time in JT’s vessel with the Skipper keeping a weather eye out in the Crows nest to my right. The 6 shooter was riding shotgun up front and Master Mariner Thomas took us to port without sat nav Davis on the return journey. The 6 shooter was docked first and his grass was as lush as ever leaving him the problem of buying a goat in the morning to tether outside and do the business.

A final word copied from a well known person which I saw on another cricket web site recently which I think is apt in our 30^th Year. This was a splendid opening victory by the Armada –

“This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end but it may be the end of the beginning.”

Team: Jimmy Marchant (capt), Mark Searle (wkt), Jeremy Sparkes, Warwick Armstrong, Andrew Steadman, Nigel Adams, Jason Alexander*, Max Smeeth*, Glenn Chapman, Jonathan Thomas, Mark Twaits*. 12th man: Steve Davis * indicates debutants