An inspired fightback from Shaldon’s tail proved to be the difference between the two sides on our latest visit to Shaldon.

On a tremendous afternoon where there were almost as many picnics as players, Shaldon were put in to bat and set off at quite a pace with 11 coming off each of their first two overs. Dion and Kev managed to pull things back, Dion in particular bowling some fantastic deliveries up the hill, but Shaldon’s openers kept the runs ticking along nicely. Kev and Dion were replaced by Chris and Aaron without success, and we were about to try to bore them out with dibbly-dobbly medium pace when finally we had a breakthrough on 88.

Chris bowled a ball that just seemed to hold up in the ground and lifted, and the batsman top-edged the ball high in the air somewhere around short fine leg. As keeper it was clearly mine, but I’d already misjudged it. Standing in totally the wrong place I had to turn and run some more and take it as it dropped over my shoulder. It was Chris’s first wicket against ‘real’ opposition – the way he’s bowled this year he should have five or six by now – and we were all delighted for him. He’s had so many put down, turned down and not carried it’s about time his luck changed. Certainly nobody has deserved a wicket more.

Better was to come the very next over, as opener Boss gloved a delivery that floated gently into my gloves, then the birthday boy was bowled first ball by Andy – two in two balls. The hat-trick ball came to nothing, but when Chris held on to a huge steepler off Chip a few overs later Shaldon were 139-5 and in a little bit of trouble.

Larkman and Espley dug in, however, and worked Shaldon towards a total that would be beyond our reach. By the time Larkman had flicked one of Si’s deliveries high in the air for me to take on the dive, the score was 202, and we could safely cross out one of the three possible results.

Ballman and Woolnaugh took the score on – how they have been overlooked by the IPL I will never know – and the Optimists closed on 279-9. Ulp.

In response and in honour of Father’s Day, we sent out the fathers of the skipper and vice-skipper to open the batting. Whaley and Andy did remarkably well, Andy taking the fight to Shaldon with 18 runs at more than a run a ball, while Whaley showed me how to really stonewall with 6 off 24 balls. It was tremendous stuff, and the opening partnership was worth 26 runs! Bryan was also moved up the order to number three, and one suspected that, if he’d had the legs of a man 20 years younger, he’d have scored more than his honourable two.

I’d been short of runs lately and was happy to play a supporting role, which was a good job as Chalky seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. He faced just seven balls but cracked 16 runs. Aaron and Russ then both batted themselves in nicely then got out – both were a tad unlucky. By the time Dion came in I was seeing the ball well and had found the square leg boundary a few times (I even managed to lose the ball twice) before I decided to hit Chas Woolnaugh back over his head and got a fine edge through to the keeper. Never premeditate.

Dion put together a good partnership with Chris, but after Chris was bowled we never looked like putting together a partnership that would save the game. Chip continued his good form with 12, unbeaten again, but we were bowled out for 130, nine overs from a losing draw.

We’ve had a few real pastings lately, and this was a real antidote. Si said after the game that it didn’t feel like a 149-run defeat. It never does with Shaldon. A fine game, a great day, and again we wish Shaldon the best of luck for the rest of the season. Hopefully we’ll meet again before the season is out.