Piracy Pays

Shipwrecks sailed towards their third win of the season against hulk merchants J Walker & Sons (aka St Michael's Youth) on Thursday, but only after an inspired act of piracy on the high seas.

As four members of last week's team were on shore leave or nursing battle scars, only nine crew members reported for duty at Kingholm 1 at six bells. However the guardroom immediately dispatched a press gang, which duly returned with Connor "Starboard" Bowie who had been looking for a Thursday bounce game as permitted by the new Midweek League eligibility criteria.

Uh oh! Service skies to Cummings

Skipper McEwen won the toss and despatched Mike "Senior" Service and Jim Worthington to open against a youthful opening attack. Worthington soon edged "Mad Dog" Moore behind after hitting a nice boundary and Service eventually fell to the same bowler, lofting one to Saints pro Cummings for an aggressive 11.

Out of touch Alex Taylor had the bad luck to be caught by Muir for 8 but Davey Fallas was already going full steam ahead, and considerable forward progress was made when he was joined by Geoff Dean.  Fallas characteristically reached his maximum with a flourish, hitting a big six into the banking.

Despite some difficulties timing shots against the aerial attack of the younger bowlers, who were certainly taking the pace of the ball, Dean and Colin Taylor continued to score at over a run a ball until the latter was stumped trying to splice the mainbrace against Ryan Geddes.

After Dean retired with a boundary, it fell to Mike Lumb and McEwen to pick up bonus runs off the last two or three overs. Particularly impressive was the way all middle order batsmen managed to take runs off Cummings, who finished wicketless.

Knowing that Saints pros Rohin Thapar and Cummings would be batting early, the Shipwrecks High Command decided on the amusing strategy of placing all fielders on the boundary on the shorter Pavilion side while they were on strike, and throttling the runs from the youngsters with a tight umbrella field.

Davey Fallas duly caught Muir at deep gully off McEwen and reacted nicely to run Andrew Geddes out from the same position.  Thapar meanwhile extracted revenge, effecting his early retirement with a series of sixes off Fallas' bowling, one of which cleared the mainmast of the Pavilion to land with an ominous thud.

Cummings followed the same ploy and retired in even less deliveries, but this left the younger batsmen exposed and only Sandy McNay and Moore for company.

Assembled Shipwrecks toast MoM Geoff Dean

Replacing McEwen, new recruit Bowie duly removed the promising Smith before clean bowling both Moore and then McNay, the latter after only three lbw shouts.  It was then left to Dean and Taylor (C) to pick up the remaining two wickets, Lumb taking up a nice catch behind off Dean to dismiss Reece McNay. Geoff Dean thereby clinched the MS Porky Scratchings Man of the Match Award.

Celebrations in the Ship Inn continued long into peak viewing time, abetted by an excellent supply of sandwiches.

Scores: Shipwrecks 120 - 4 (Dean 27 n.o., Fallas 25 n.o., C. Taylor 18, Service 11 ; Moore 2-7) : J Walker & Sons 80 - 8 (Cummings 29 n.o., Thapar 26 n.o. ; Bowie 3-7)