Cricket Christmas Present

If you are looking for a Christmas present for your cricketing friends or adversaries, you could do worse than consider the Threlkeld CC Extreme Cricket Calendar for 2014, currently available at www.rainstoppedplay.org

Threlkeld CC In Action

Not only is the calendar a good laugh including ludicrous scenes such as games played beneath the River Derwent, on the Mosedale Railway Viaduct and over Honister Slate Mine, you would be supporting a good cause as Threlkeld's ground was completely devastated by a landslip during a flash flood in June 2012.  According to rainstoppedplay.org :  "Tonnes of gravel, rubble and toxic silt were deposited on large parts of the ground, especially the square. The water course drained old lead mine workings upstream and as a result the silt was laced with lead, arsenic and cadmium." Not only does all the debris need clearing, so does the whole of the topsoil because of the resulting contamination.

Older Shipwrecks who have retained their lucidity may also have fond memories of playing at Threlkeld during our epic 2002 tour of Cumbria. The author of this blog certainly does, as he took advantage of the hosts' youthful bowling attack and short boundary to compile a soft fifty, following up with another at Baggrow to make it two in two days  - an extremely rare historical event only previously achieved in 1973.

You can buy copies of the full calendar for £11.99 including UK postage.

Shipwrecks Performance Management 2013

Summary

Generally it was a stop start season. We started a few games well and stopped a lot of our innings by running ourselves out. We only won a couple of league games but weren’t outshone in any, but just 'couldn’t get over the line'! Our season was typified by the final where, without a couple of silly run outs we could easily have won the game.

The most important thing was we played the game with good spirit and enjoyed it.

Individual Performances

In alphabetical order - with no favouritism or bias:

1. Sid (Decommissioner) Barbour

A great asset when he could play, brought experience, athleticism and sarcasm to the team, a good end to the season. Practised hard.

2. Andy (Angry) Cameron 

Fleeting appearances but showed his accuracy in bowling as ever, hope to get more out of him next year.

3. Geoff (Donkey) Dean 

Magnificent at all he tried-particularly running himself out and bowling wides.

4. Rory (Moody but Magnificent) Dean.

Developed well as a batsman and bowling improved towards end of the season. Some good fielding performances.Often had words of advice for his father.

5. Peter (Hammy) Harrison

A great start and finish to the season. Hamstrung in the middle. A great addition to the after match analysis (aka a couple of beers in the Ship)

6. Kelvin (Muller it) Maxwell 

Some great contributions with bat and gloves, succumbed to disappearing at end of season.

7. Donald (Gloves) McCuaig

Again some great performances with bat and gloves-and some we try to forget. Will be a battle to get gloves off him next year - he now sleeps with them on.

8. Alasdair (Skipper Elect) McEwen  

Showed great passion when threatening to beat all opponents any shade of blue available if we lost. Great opening bowler and developing as middle-order batsman to be relied on (sometimes).

9. Sandy (Too Far) McNay 

Reluctant to play at anywhere not called Kingholm, so not able to feature a great deal.

10. Sid (Your Call) Oates 

Hit a few good runs and enjoyed his cricket. Never heard to speak when batting.

11.  Gregory and Mathew Robertson

Not available a great deal due to other interests.

12.  “Superstar “Sarosh

Our import this year who bowled and batted with élan. Has invited all the boys to his wedding in Bangalore -TOUR!!

13. Mike (Smackit) Service

Developed his all round skills including the ability to score sixes at will (well he got one). Handy back up bowler, wicketkeeper and go-anywhere fielder.

14. Colin (Cat amongst the Pigeons) Taylor 

Usual great contributions with bat, ball, in the field, umpiring and winding up the opposition.

15. Jim (Wistful) Worthington 

Some great catches, some great drops and some decent batting. We haven’t seen the best of Jim yet.

 © Rear Admiral G. Dean c/o The Admiralty. Whitehall, London

P.s. How can you have a Performance Management Report with no KPIs?

Ee Aye Oh Dearie-o... We Didn't Win The Cup

Shipwrecks unsurprisingly failed to lift the silverware (or any buried treasure) in their Midweek Plate Cup Final against Annan at the Kingholm last Wednesday. But their defeat did not result from  being seriously outgunned but rather from the fact that the sailors once again shot themselves in the collective foot.

Having as desired won the toss and decided to bat in potentially poor light, a full squad including able seamen Harrison and Barbour (back from shore leave) should probably have seen off Annan, who arrived with only enough bodies to fill a coxed eight - which however would probably have sunk if they had all got in it at the same time.

Instead the Shipwrecks reverted to their natural game of running each other out, and three of their best batsmen - Service, Harrison and Dean Sr. - were quickly back in the figurative Pavilion after misjudging the thickness of the Kingholm hay meadow and its resultant effect on the velocity of a cricket ball according to the mathematical formula (x*ro = -x15) runs.

Sid Oates Prepares A Swipe At Pagan

After this Sid Oates and Taylor were out for five apiece trying to make up lost ground and only Rory Dean made any significant progress with a plucky 17 as Shipwrecks floundered.  Minor contributions from Sid Barbour, Alastair MacEwan and Sarosh at least steered the effort to 54 - 9 and ensured the use of the full twenty overs.

Even small totals require some overhauling at Kingholm, and Shipwrecks' fortunes rose when Harrison clean bowled McCann and McEwan struck twice for eight.  Taylor got rid of danger man Bellis but only after being hoisted to the boundary for two sixes that could ill be afforded. More wickets fell to Barbour and Dean Jr. but a couple of missed catches allowed Annan to get home on half throttle with three wickets to spare.

Rory Dean

While enjoying the rations kindly provided by sponsors Sulwath Brewers Ltd. to celebrate a game played in good spirit, it became apparent that Annan are now faced with the unenviable quest of hunting down the Plate Trophy, which like Moby Dick has not been sighted for a number of years. Meanwhile, Shipwrecks can fairly be compared to the Australian Test XI in that they have "lost the habit of winning."

Apart from Run Out, Rory Dean was democratically elected the Ship Inn Man of the Match.

Scores: Shipwrecks 54 - 9 (R. Dean 17 ; McCann 3 - ?) : Annan 55 - 6 (Bellis 18 ; A MacEwan 2-8)

Attendance: 1

Shipwrecks in Cup Final!

Astounding but true... barring an outbreak of scurvy, Shipwrecks will contest the Dumfries Midweek League Cup Final to take place sometime next week!

No, not that cup!

This extraordinary turn of events following our defeat at Dalton has been skilfully managed by Leading Engineer Geoff Dean, who had the foresight to cancel the other preliminary fixture against Annandale Insurance (Nunholm) before it stopped raining at and any more of our team members declared themselves unseaworthy.

Mysteriously, no opposition has been found for the semi-final, giving us a clear passage into the Final and a - probably brief - glimpse of cup glory to recall the former heroics of the double-winning team of 2004 and other previous cupwinning exploits (yawn, yawn...)

Watch this space for further details, as we do not know when this fixture will take place or the venue. Indeed there seems to have been a general lack of clarity about the format of the new Cup Competition this year.  Perhaps it would be worth us employing a private detective to bug the phone of League  Officials (none other than Shipwrecks legend, our own Quartermaster Everett Jeffrey).

Whatever the result, there are bound to be frenzied celebrations in The Ship Inn afterwards.

Same Old Story

Shipwrecks once again fell short in a run chase, in their latest away encounter at Dalton (a.k.a. HMSS KCC) on Thursday, ending up a bowler short when Peter Harrison's car caused problems. Possibly a lift to port on Mike Service's new motorbike would have been a better option.

On a pleasant evening, Alastair MacEwan lost the toss and was asked to field against a Dalton crew who had retained hostages Richardson and R. McBride of Dumfries 1st XI from last season's superteam.  In spite of a couple of early fours, MacEwan himself soon broke through to dismiss Umar and Barnard.  Meanwhile Rory Dean had Lee well caught by Worthington at long leg to put Dalton under initial pressure.

For a while Richardson and McBride looked a little unsteady but Shipwrecks could not capitalise and both eventually sailed on to maximums. Sarosh came on to take two quick wickets but the returning openers survived to add useful runs and the innings closed on 124 - 8.

Some erratic bowling by Sharma (20 extras overall) meant Shipwrecks were well up with the run rate after five overs but Sid Oates was bowled by caught and bowled Richardson, who also bowled Mike Service. McCuaig thought he might have got a bump ball when he half volleyed to McBride and the turning point of

Jim Worthington in the Thai Orchid

the game came when Geoff Dean got the semaphore wrong and called offspring Rory for a 'walk the plank' single and had no chance of making his own ground when sent back.

The rest of the batting did not manage much of a fight apart from Jim Worthington, who played some nice shots in his 21 not out, supported by the reborn McCuaig, to earn the Man of the Match Award, which was duly celebrated in the "Thai Orchid".

Once again the Shipwrecks got within range of victory but fell short due to lack of shortage of trained sailors - and of course it's handy to have a couple of National League players in your crew if you can hire them.

Scores: Dalton 124 - 8 (McBride 30 n.o., Duncan 30 n.o., Richardson 25 n.o. ; Sarosh 2-24, MacEwan 2-28) : Shipwrecks 109 -9 (Worthington 21 n.o., R.Dean 16 ; McBride 4-14, Richardson 3-9)

Shipwrecks Just Short

Last Wednesday the Shipwrecks again put in a reasonable watch but without result when they encountered the Healthpros, the local Hospital Ship so far yet to be taken into NHS special measures.  The Kingholm had meanwhile been transformed into a dry dock with no remaining sign of the marine conditions and plantlife prevalent for the last 12 months.

Ali McEwan and Rory Dean restricted the early batsmen nicely, claiming two wickets apiece and the Shipwrecks' chances were looking good when several of their doctors decided to run themselves out rather than face the onslaught.  However a late flourish led by Williams plus the normal accumulation of wides and byes meant that the surgeons reached a respectable 78 all out in the penultimate over.

Unfortunately, the Shipwrecks took on a good deal of water early in their innings, partly due to some shipshape bowling by Doig, Fawad and Fahad.  For the 'Wrecks, Jim 'Boy' Worthington and Mike 'Senior' Service started badly, trying to renegotiate a single in the first over, which caused Service's premature run out when he looked to be in good touch.  Then Oates and both Deans were out without adding significantly to the score and  Shipwrecks were still looking for fifty plus runs after eight overs.

Sid Barbour - MoM

This was clearly where the game was lost as Colin Taylor and Sid Barbour gradually built up a partnership that brought Shipwrecks tantalisingly in sight of a surprising victory.  But neither batsmen could penetrate the thick grass cuttings around the boundary, and when Barbour was out in the nineteenth over, Ali McEwan was faced with the task of hitting three sixes to get home. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't to be and Shipwrecks fell short by ten runs.

Man of the Match (apart from Geoff Dean and 'run out') in a good-natured game was Sid Barbour for his all round contribution.

Scores: Healthpros 78 all out (Williams 16 n.o. ; R. Dean 2-7, McEwan 2-8) : Shipwrecks 68 - 6 (Barbour 18, Taylor 15 n.o.)

Shipwrecks Confined To Port... Scottish Cricket Sunk?

Even hardened sailors could not face the weather this Tuesday, when consistent rain caused the cancellation of what would have been a fine naval display between Shipwrecks and Kirkmahoe - and a cricket game we might have had some chance of winning.

And so another Scottish cricket season trickles on, as both midweek and weekend teams find it ever harder to persuade players to turn out for fixtures that are likely to be cancelled for the weather.  The last players to have experienced playing much cricket at state schools before the changes to Teachers' terms and conditions in the eighties will just about be coming up for retirement and younger recruits have a vast array of different sports to chose from*, quite apart from rugby and football, which increasingly encroach on what was the cricket season.

As a result, the signs are that many clubs are struggling to put teams out and the standards of play are declining.  The main focus of Cricket Scotland (latest web headline: "Rain halts Scottish run chase") seems to be to put out increasing bureaucratic exercises for clubs to complete, so that one wonders if it could ever be possible to start up a new club and get into one of the Leagues without a five year development plan produced by a management consultant.

Ultimately though, there are two main problems hampering cricket in Scotland - the weather and the fact that current forms of the game are too long to attract young people hung up on instant gratification. Until someone looks seriously at shorter, indoor forms of the game, my fear is that the decline will continue.

Except of course for a small number of elite clubs in the central belt and one or two outposts with hundreds of members paying £££s each in subscriptions, who will be able during climate change to go on playing occasional and cancelling many fixtures with each other until the money runs out.  Will they at some point turn, look around at what is happening to smaller clubs and lower leagues and start to get worried?

Note: This sudden switch to editorial rant mode does not necessarily reflect the views of The Shipwrecks plc or its umbrella organisation, The Ship Inn.

*They won't however have the chance to see much cricket unless they can get Sky Sports.

Shipwrecks in Stormy Seas...

Completion of the Shipwrecks' log has been severely delayed over the past week because Ship's Writer CPO Taylor has been away on a mission in France. Apparently he was trying to recruit petanque players to join the team in the hope of reducing the number of wides conceded in future games, having overlooked the fact that underarm bowling is no longer permissible under the Laws of Cricket*.  Apologies anyway to both of you who read this regularly for depriving you of your weekly fix.

What follows is a summary of the two skirmishes that have taken place in the meantime:

Ooh, Aye and Up She Rises...

Last week our noble crew counter attacked fiercely at Lockerbie to record our second victory and first total of over 100 this season, winning by a stupendous nine wickets.

Lockerbie 105 all out (A Veitch 25 n.o., Bray 26 n.o. ; Barbour 2-17, R Dean  2-22) : Shipwrecks 106 for 1 (McCuaig 28 n.o., Service 26 n.o., G Dean  24 n.o., R Dean 11 n.o.)

Davy Potter's Locker...

Harry Potter

This trend was however not continued against Irving Meadow at Kingholm 2 on Tuesday. The mythical Harry Potter inflicted a major broadside on our batting flagship, which was almost completely scuppered at 5 - 4. In spite of a brave rearguard action from McEwen, Dean and extras, Shipwrecks could not make up the leeway and went down by 19 runs.

Captain's commendations however went to Worthington (2), R. Dean and Sarosh, who all took excellent catches.

Irving Meadow 89 for 9 (Harriman 18 ; Sarosh 4-18,  McEwen 2-17, Service 2-16) : Shipwrecks 70 all out (McEwen 27 n.o., R Dean 13)

With two games to go, will the Shipwrecks now steam ahead as in previous seasons to achieve mid-table mediocrity?

*except by prior agreement of both teams.

More Midges Than Shipwrecks

The Shipwrecks - or some of them - ventured inland to meet Annan CC at picturesque Kinmount estate last Thursday.  Unfortunately the roll call was sadly depleted by the death of Sid Oates' dog, who could not therefore play and the less comprehensible non-appearance of deckhands G. and M. Robinson (thanks for letting us know, lads) with the inclusion of whom this could have been a very interesting encounter indeed.

What a posh pavilion!

Kinmount is really starting to look like a cricket venue again.  The surrounds of the pitch and outfield have been overhauled and the pitch cleared of moss - with the result that it does play incredibly slowly, but that in itself makes for an intriguing contest as the bowlers get no pace off it and batsmen have to find some innovative shots to knock the ball away.

Annan won the toss and decided to bat, perhaps knowing that they would thus evade the swarm of small but high-class midges that gathered around the boundary in the course of their innings.  They were also kind enough to lend a couple of hands to replace absent friends.

Colin Taylor got the ball to move around a bit to dismiss both openers and took a diving caught and bowled to remove McCann.  Unfortunately, only Rory Dean and one run out were able to contribute further wickets. Sometimes making heavy weather of it, the Annan batsmen overall cruised to 125 - 5 against the other bowlers who were pressed into service, assisted by a shoal of wides and no-balls.  Mike Service did however fire some useful salvoes.

In reply Shipwrecks made chase, accelerating from the steady start made by Donald McCuaig when both generations of Dean hit their way to good maximums.  Unfortunately there was not much left in the ship's stores as Taylor poked around looking for a hitter to support but the others all hit out and got out until he and Worthington were left to prod out the last few balls as if looking for the non-existent draw.

Once again Shipwrecks were by no means disgraced, but this time a possibility of victory was scuppered as a team in cricket consists of eleven men, not eight as in rowing.

Scores:  Annan 125-5 (Pagan 27 n.o., Bellis 27 n.o., McCann 20 ; Taylor 3-16) : Shipwrecks: 97-9 (G. Dean 27 n.o., R. Dean 25 n.o. ; Patterson 3-15)

Creditable Performance by Weakened Shipwrecks

Shipwrecks paddled upriver last Thursday to take on Annandale Insurance.  A selection already depleted by the absences of Rear Admiral Geoff Dean (sailing in the Mediterranean) and Peter Harrison (unfit for duty) was further weakened when two hands unaccountably failed to appear on deck at six bells.  The opposition meanwhile consisted of the usual assortment of cabin boys and old sea-dogs, with a couple of professional sailors on hand just in case things got rocky.

The nine men were invited to field on losing the toss and Gregory Robinson opened the bowling to an umbrella field, substitute Skipper Taylor reasoning that there was no point in protecting the boundary as the sole possibility of victory lay in attack.

As no-one copied the opposition ship's log, only a sketchy account of what happened next is possible, but Alastair MacEwan pilfered three wickets, the Robinsons each took a nice catch and Taylor got McBride  in his last over but finished poorly to McCutcheon as A. I. (no, not Amnesty International) eased to 144 - 4.

Instructed at least to last the full twenty overs, the Shipwrecks stuck to their duty well.  Although early wickets fell when Mike Service was bowled for a duck and Kelvin Maxwell got run out by a good throw, Sid Oates took a fancy to young Levi and clouted him for several alarmingly straight boundaries before holing out.

Kelvin Maxwell prepares to lauch one towards the tennis courts

McCuaig and Taylor scratched around for a bit but the best innings came from Man of the Match MacEwan who, promoted up the order, took on some of the better bowling on the day to hoist a maximum.  Gregory Robinson hit three fours in his 15 and Sarosh batted steadily at the end to ensure Shipwrecks were not disgraced as they survived for 91 - 7.

Scores: Annandale Insurance 144-4 (MacEwan 3 - ??) : Shipwrecks 91-7 (MacEwan 25 not out, Oates 23, G. Robinson 15)

Kingholm 2 To Be Replaced By Dartboard?

The frustrating news that yet another fixture has fallen foul of the weather, as Kingholm 2 performed a passable imitation of the Nile flood plain earlier this week, set me thinking.

As it is apparent that the majority of sea battles this year will be abandoned without a cannonball being fired, I am considering a letter to the Midweek League Committee (also known as Everett) about the possibility of insisting that the teams involved resolve their differences by playing darts cricket instead.

The concept would be that all teams drawn at Kingholm 2 would instead nominate three players to meet each other on the night of the fixture.  Wikipedia mentions several sets of rules for Darts Cricket, most of which would be beyond the comprehension of most midweek players after a couple of drinks, so I propose to suggest the following format:

The New Kingholm 2?

• Toss is replaced by 'middle for diddle'.
• Players throw in nominated order, teams taking turn and turn about.
• Bowling team goes first
• Bullseye scores two wickets, outer bull one wicket. But darts outside the treble ring are scored to the batting team.
• Batting team scores runs for every three darts thrown less 40 until all out.  Rounds less than 40 score nothing, but bulls are scored as wickets.
• Points are allocated to participating teams as per usual rules (no rain-offs allowed).

Obviously this format has the key advantage that dartboards are always drier than Kingholm 2, so all Midweek League fixtures would be played and no-one would need to get wet unless they spill their beer. Also teams are unlikely not to have enough players.

One obvious problem is that, as there is currently no dartboard at The Ship Inn, we are struggling for a local venue that has both a dartboard and real ale. 

Unless of course, you know better...

Shipwrecks Bogged Down

After cunningly evading the previous week's encounter with Dalton Pros because of the waterlogged outfield at Kingholm 2, the Shipwrecks were finally called out again to face the Kingholm XI this Wednesday.

The match was played in excellent conditions for sailing, with a strong, chill north-westerly breeze blowing and bright sunshine reflected in the lakes and puddles on the boundary, between which the upturned sightscreens of ghost ship St Michael's CC looked a bit like capsized yachts.

On losing toss and being required to bat, Skipper Ally MacEwan delegated command to first mate Geoff Dean, who dispatched Sandy McNay and Mike Service out to face the opening Woodhouses.

A low scoring game was always likely as the openers struggled to stroke the ball through the mixture of ankle high grass and marsh plants and those that came were largely from using the pace of the ball.  Service was eventually bowled by Woodhouse (Sr.) in the fourth over, upon which a diastrous middle order collapse ensued.

Sid Oates was bowled by Woodhouse (Jr.) and Sid Barbour by Woodhouse (Sr.) in quick succession, and Peter Harrison's first shot went straight to cover.  There then followed two sharp run outs by the fielding side to jetison Rory Dean and McNay. Dean, curiously electing to bat down the order, edged to slip and it was left to Ship's Clerk Colin Taylor to survey the wreckage.

The missing scorebook

Having earlier forgotten the club scorebook (which may account for some inaccuracies* in the log), Taylor at least made amends by batting out the remaining overs, while Kelvin Maxwell helped avoid an embarrassing total with some late order hitting, which included the only boundary of the innings - a lusty six which splashed into the developing canal next to the river bank. Once he was out, Donald McCuaig and Taylor managed a few more singles to leave the Shipwrecks stranded on 47 - 9.

The outcome was in little doubt after the first four overs, during which Hutchinson amassed a quick 22. But after he was bowled by Harrison, most of the succeeding Kingholm batsmen struggled.  Harrison got the ball to swing in nicely with the wind to claim 3-15. After taking a catch off Dean (Jr.) MacEwan entered the attack to claim two wickets in two balls, Harrison again taking a good catch.  Momentarily, Kingholm lost momentum, but victory was already in sight and there was no fairy tale ending.

*Approximate Scores: Shipwreecks 47 - 9 (Taylor 13 not out, Maxwell 12, McNay about 10) : Kingholm XI 48 - 6 or 8 (Harrison 3 -15, MacEwan 2 - 4)

Shipwrecks Win Early Skirmish

Shipwrecks notched up their first victory of the new Midweek League campaign when they overcame the Burgh Boys on Tuesday. It was a pleasant during a temporary outburst of fine weather - so much so that it was no longer necessary to use a boat to reach Kingholm 2, which had virtually dried out apart from a few remaining mudflats.  The boundary was however curtailed by an abandoned earthworks in memory of St Michael's former ground at the allotment end.

Following a revolutionary putsch a la "Battleship Potemkin", no-one knows who the team captain is so Ally McEwen was dispatched by the Revolutionary Council to make the toss.  Whatever the result, Burgh Boys' fleet of Collingwoods and Flacks ended up batting first. Peter Harrison opened up with a couple of shipshape, nifty overs and claimed an early wicket as did Alastair McEwen when Henderson edged to give Kelvin Maxwell his first ever catch behind the sticks. 

Mystery bowler Sarosh, floating the ball down from half-mast height, tricked Ben Flack into a false shot which Taylor picked out of the air at gulley to put Burgh Boys in some trouble. Victor Collingwood and Carmichael steadied the ship for a time until Maxwell hung on to another fine edge off Sarosh to the amazement of the fielding team.

Aiden Collingwood took a swipe at one of Dean's juicy spinners but Harrison took a fine low catch at wide mid-on and Taylor, switching ends at last found some aerial movement to dismiss V. Collingwood and

McCuaig and Dean -
the winning partnership

Flack in successive balls. McEwen and Harrison returned to finish the innings off on 58.

Tight bowling by Ben Flack and Aiden Collingwood meant Worthington and Oates were under the weather for a while but both batted sensibly and picked up runs steadily.  Worthington was relieved by McCuaig after being bowled by Collingwood, and the new batsman put together a steady shift to hold the innings together with 13 not out.  After being hit in the chest by a riser from Flack, Oates connected with a couple of characteristic shots and Harrison followed him with some classy efforts before trying to launch V. Collingwood into the heavens and missing.

It was then left to Geoff Dean to finish an enjoyable encounter by hoisting a lofty blow up the embankment in the fourteenth over, after which he quickly removed the stumps in celebration (see above).

Scores: Burgh Boys 58 all out (V. Collingwood 19, Carmichael 11 ; McEwen 3-9, Harrison 2-6, Sarosh 2-8, Taylor 2-23) : Shipwrecks 62 -3 (McCuaig 13 not out, Oates 13, Harrison 11, Dean 10 not out)

Shipwrecks Come Unstuck

Geoff Dean facing in the first over

Shipwrecks went down after a bright start versus Nunholm Colts last Wednesday evening in what may or may not have been the first League game of the season, as there have been signs that the Colts, who frequently crossbreed with Annandale Insurance, are just playing friendlies this year.

Having presumably won the toss, Geoff Dean and Mike Service opened against a depleted home crew and moved the total forward nicely for the first three or four overs, until Mike holed out for 13 .  Unfortunately, things deteriorated after that point.  Sid Oates started well before he was bowled and Dean mistimed a full toss to square leg, having perhaps unwisely given the Colts permission to recruit D. Strachan in mid-voyage.

Taylor was clearly out of form and newcomer Sarosh couldn't get runs but couldn't get out either.  It was left to another new hand, Peter Harrison, who renews the Shipwrecks almost forgotten affiliation with the teaching profession, to steady the ship with a measured innings of 26 not out.  After a couple of decent blows by McEwen and Maxwell but a rather laid back aproach to the last three overs, Shipwrecks were eventually becalmed on 84 - 7.

Harrison also provided the best bowling on the restart when he trapped the Nunholm opener lbw in the first over and soon snared Strachan Jr. caught and bowled.  Momentarily the Shipwrecks flag flew high but it was not to last as Brotherston, Walker and D. Strachan (see earlier) picked off the runs with some ease.

The only other high spot for the 'Wrecks - apart from turning up with almost a full team - was a creditable performance by Kelvin Maxwell behind the stumps.

Scores: Shipwrecks 84 -7 (Harrison 26 not out, Service 13, Dean 11) : Nunholm Colts 85 - 3 (Harrison 2-14)

Stand By For Action

An urgent semaphore message from Rear Admiral Dean was recently received to indicate that we are resuming hostilities against Nunholm Hybrids next Wednesday (Mayday!).  All hands should report on deck at the enemy port before 18.15 hours for inspection. Extra provisions are being loaded at The Ship Inn for the post-match celebrations/commiserations.

In the unlikely event that you have a) not received your call up papers or b) know someone else who would like to join the party play for us, please get in contact with Geoff (07712666794) immediately and he will welcome you aboard.

A recent outbreak of scurvy and desertions has left us with a reduced crew, so basically we need everyone we can get.

The Ship Inn expects that everyone will do their duty... and have at least one drink after the game.

Scoff Off

For those that had not already gathered, the AGM planned for 8th March did not take place, as our esteemed Leader Geoff Dean was called away to a secret assignment at Smugglers' Cove on the same evening and will presumably return laden with booty.

The fatted calf has therefore been given a reprieve and will now not be slaughtered until after Easter.  Hopefully this will be some consolation to crew members who are surviving on a diet of hard tack and Pursers' Rum.

AGM - Advance Warning!

Shipwrecks in AGM Training

For those who do not own a mobile phone (or have lost it), there has been an urgent semaphore transmission from our Hon. Purser, Geoff Dean concerning the details of this year's AGM:

Date:  Friday 8th March
Time: 19.30 hours (approx)
Location: The Ship Inn, Dumfries

As usual the AGM will be followed by a subsidised meal at a mystery location and a lengthy odyssey taking in various coastal hostelries.

Geoff also requests that all hands reaffirm their unswerving loyalty to the Shipwrecks' cause by agreeing to play again for the coming season.

Note: Being under age is no excuse for not attending the AGM as The Ship has a licence that allows juniors on the premises.

Shipwrecks Win Something!

Hot news from the world of pub quizzery: Last night witnessed a major upset when the Shipwrecks outfit came out tops of the Ship Inn pub quiz, astounding the bookies and bringing back vague memories of our double winning season on the field in 2004.

Less charitable participants claimed that the team had breached quiz rules by fielding five players instead of four, but those familiar with the Club will of course realise that this was just down to the usual disorganisation and remember all those occasions when we have turned up for games overmanned or short-staffed.

The hastily assembled squad of Colin Taylor, John McMillan, Donald McCuiag, Sid Oates and Jim Worthington all performed creditably on the night, amassing a total of 73 which compares favourably with some of our less auspicious cricket totals. Key moments in the quiz, besides gaining an amazing 22/25 in the music round,  were remembering the name of a hurling stick, Lord Rockingham XI's 1958 hit, the oldest whisky distillery in the world and Ronald Reagan's middle name, all of which were answered successfully.

The first prize of £20 was donated by unanimous consent of team members to club funds to help cover the heavy cost of the forthcoming AGM celebrations.

Whether we can maintain this sort of form when the season starts is another matter.

Anyone For Pre Season Training?

St Michael's are offering a one hour net practice session for all players interested in playing in their weekend side this summer - confident that the swamps and navigation channel on the way to Kingholm 2 will have been converted into something ressembling the Centre Court at Wimbledon by Mayday.

This seems like an excellent opportunity for us to sneak in some practice manoeuvres before the renewal of hostilities in the Midweek League.  The session will take place on Tuesday 19th February between 8.00 and 9.00 pm. at the Academy Sports Hall and any keenies could presumably progress to Saints' Sunday sessions throughout March.

This is also the time to start pressganging any would-be players who have some inkling of the game of cricket, so please send the details of any you have captured so far to Geoff.

Pub Quiz

St Michael's CC have organised a pub quiz! For those who are too short-sighted to read the poster illustration (left), it's on Sunday 10th February @ 7.00 p.m. at our home venue The Ship Inn

It is already known that our arch rivals Irving Meadow will be putting in a team, so it's obviously imperative that we put together a coxless four to defend the honour of The Shipwrecks on the night.  Indeed it might be worth turning out some of our old lags who are known quiz maestros (e.g. McMillan, Tate, Pattie, etc) although now confined to sick deck as far as cricket is concerned.

Good news is that the event will be run by our own Geoff Dean and Liz Dickie, so there must be some chance of a few soft, seafaring questions coming our way.

Apparently the terms of engagement are:-

• 3 pieces of silver each to play
• ?? gold dubloons to the winning team
• raffle mid-voyage with hidden treasure

In view of the venue, the worst losing team will presumably have to walk the plank!

Any volunteers?