SUNDAY, 30 APRIL vs WESTON-SUPER-MARE WONDERS at WESTON-SUPER-MARE
Blagdon 214-6, W-S-M Wonders 278-5 - Lost by 64 runs


Our first game for the 2006 season started at Weston Wonders, their second team, and, as usual, we had a clash with the rugby festival at Cheddar and missed four good players. But this was not a great problem as we developed good team spirit. Peter was delighted to get his first shot at the captain's role. Although he lost the toss he got what he wanted as Weston decided to bat first.

Peter and Harry started the bowling and kept their best batsmen down to 9 runs for the first spell of 4 overs. Harry got a quick wicket. The bowling then got a little loose and Weston managed to hit out and move quickly on to 234. We had more misery as we kept giving away wides and no-balls and Weston finished on 278; 60 of these runs were extras! On the positive side, the players were enthusiastic and supported each other well. The fielding was better than the first game in some seasons.

A good drink and many biscuits later, we started our innings with Peter and Douglas. And those biscuits must have worked because the first two balls were whacked away with aplomb. Unfortunately this went to our heads and Peter was caught driving hard to mid-off. To be fair, it was a good catch. They lost 3 wickets against some good bowling and we were on the back foot. Will Abrams and Oliver George both made their debuts and performed well. Campbell and Zoe teamed up together and had a good understanding, running well between the wickets to add 12 to the middle order. David and John also started their debuts here and did well. David suffered a "Murray Walker" moment when he declared that things were going well after 15 balls that they weren't out. No prizes for guessing the outcome of the 16th ball. John crashed 3 drives through the covers and looks quite useful. The fun really started with the final pairing of Charles and Harry. As good friends, they have a good understanding and ran well. They stroked the ball well and added a very entertaining 16 runs.

Overall, an enjoyable day's cricket. We did the right things really well and the difference between us was the vast number of extras that we conceded. I think our team will progress quite well throughout the season.