Some like it hot – Keynsham U11s vs Bathford U11s

The scorer set off just after noon. The journey was a long one, a bad one, and in that hateful year when the world went mad, it felt prudent to allow time for whatever misadventure the road might hold. Especially when you were heading into the borderlands, the badlands – Keynsham!

The heat was unbearable, as the dying sun spewed forth its baleful rays, and the scorer – deprived of sleep by too many hot nights – found himself nodding his head narcoleptically, as the whirring, chattering device fixed to his dashboard took him through parts of darkest Somerset he had never visited before nor would again, en route to the ground.

After what seemed an aeon, after surely one too many narrow, leafy lanes where the scorer's heart stopped with the appearance of any oncoming traffic, he emerged into the place where time stands still (at least judging by the clock on the pavillion), Keynsham cricket club.

His opposite number, Ed, waited for him with – distractingly – suncream in his ears. "Nice day for it," he opined.

Wearily the scorer concurred as he surveyed the desiccated battlefield, where huge scavenger birds (seagulls) feasted on the remains of the fallen (possibly).

"Let's get on with it then," the scorer croaked.

Bathford lost the toss, but got the result skipper Adam wanted – they were to bat first. With the scorer's instructions to stay in at all costs ringing in their ears Adam took to the field to open with Luke Wilkins.

They made decent headway for the first few overs. Yes, Adam was out bowled in the fourth over, but by that time he and Luke had amassed 31 runs for the team, and with Luke looking in good nick, and our fast flowering Maddie joining him at the crease and immediately stroking a very pleasing four through mid-wicket, a decent score looked in the offing for Bathford.

And then – calamity – a hat-trick from new bowler Husband. First Luke perished to a fine steepling catch at fine leg. Then Maddie (who had crossed) fell to another superb catch next ball, and poor Luke Dumeige came out to face a fired-up Keynsham attack and was clean bowled at the first attempt. From 31-1 off 4 to 37-4 off 5 and suddenly we were all thinking it might be an early night.

Keynsham stuck to their task. A team inspired they kept winkling out batters just as they were finding their feet. So Rufus added 3, Olly Stossich 1 and Roan Younger 1 before surrendering their wickets. After 10 overs Bathford were on 53-6, after 12 they were 60-7 and teetering on the brink of capitulation.

Enter Morgan and Zac. Both had seen their twins fall too easily, both had come out to restore family pride. The odd boundary scored wasn't pretty (except in fairness for Zac's first where he took a stride down the pitch and lofted the ball straight back over the bowler's head). Their defence looked shaky at times, but there was a steely determination about this partnership that lasted for six vital overs while the score ticked slowly upwards, so that when Zac finally fell to a straight ball that defeated the bat in the 17th over they had managed to add 35 vital runs to our total. Sam Young out next, and he had decided to join the party. A couple of fours from him and some more solid work from Morgan saw the innings to a close. Bathford 103-8.

Was it enough? Keynsham's batsmen didn't think so. They lost one wicket early on and should have lost another when in a lightning piece of fielding Luke Wilkins intercepted the ball at midwicket by diving, rolled over with the ball and then shied down the bowler's end in one fluid movement that would not have looked out of place in first-class cricket. The batsman was out, but the fat umpire (yes, me) was too startled by the speed of it all to have worked himself to a decent side-on view and felt obliged to give the batsman the benefit of the doubt. It was only on seeing the batsman's disbelief that he realised his error. Oh for a TV replay!

The upshot was that by the end of the 10th Keynsham had worked themselves to 57-1 and looked well set to cruise it.

Over 11, and Adam Webb-Peploe to bowl. There was no hat-trick, but there were three vital wickets in the over. First ball of the over the batsman who had a lucky escape was caught, fittingly, by Luke Wilkins at mid-wicket. Third ball their skipper was clean bowled by a peach from Adam and fifth ball he repeated the trick with their number five. 58-4, and game on!

And the story kind of ends there as it transpired that was pretty much the end of Keynsham's batting. They had one decent stroke player left in the middle but he was joined by a procession of young men who looked less than comfortable at the crease, with each of the next four bastmen going for a duck despite facing a few balls each, as the score slowed to a crawl. A crucial maiden from Luke Demeige in the 17th effectively killed the game with Keynsham struggling in the end to a total of 87. Both Zac and Olly Stossich also deserve credit for some very miserly bowling.

It was a great team performance, and a victory (by 16 runs) that uplifted the spirits of the scorer, who could even be heard happily humming to himself as he drove home.

Batting

Luke Wilkins 4 Caught

Adam Webb-Peploe 10 Bowled

Maddie Loughborough 4 Caught

Luke Dumeige 0 Bowled

Rufus Homes 3 Bowled

Olly Stossich 1 Bowled

Roan Younger 1 Bowled

Morgan Loughborough 12 Not out

Zac Stossich 12 Bowled

Sam Young 8 Not out

Bowling

Luke Wilkins 2-0-14-0

Roan Younger 2-0-18-0

Zac Stossich 2-0-2-3

Olly Stossich 2-0-2-0

Sam Young 2-0-10-0

Luke D 2-1-4-0

Maddie Loughborough 2-0-7-1

Rufus Homes 2-0-13-0

Morgan Loughborough 2-0-11-0

Adam Webb-Peploe 2-0-4-3