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.