Well, that was a lot of fun.  We stumbled to our best performance of the season in a fitting setting – Uppingham’s lovely ‘middle’ ground – with friendly and sporting hosts.  We lost (of course), but that was because we came up against a better team.

Setbacks early in a campaign are all part of what it means to be English.  But, still, the 62 all out against Elevation was nagging at all of us as we made our way to Rutland.  We decided to look for redemption by stiffening the batting line up with a couple of useful Buccaneers, Felix and Dylan, who didn’t disappoint.  The old men played their parts successfully, even if their role was to get out and get out quickly, with Andy Chatterton’s 30 not out the standout performance.  We posted 151 on a hard and true pitch.  Maybe it would be enough?

Our bowling was good.  School staff teams typically have a batsman or two who stand head and shoulders above anything we can offer, and the Camels, even though they hide their competence beneath a wholly amiable exterior, are no exception.  Nonetheless, though their top order batsman came out firing, none quite got away, while George’s snaring of the very handy Uppingham opener ensured that we had no returning retirees to worry about as we came to the back end of the innings.

We couldn’t quite defend things.  The large and fast outfield took its toll on aging legs: Steve Drew will surely be a doubt for our weekend fixture.  And though our Harry kept things very tight at the death with some excellent full-length balls, their Harry proved to have the edge.

So, congratulations and thanks to Camels, who hosted us superbly in Uppingham Staff’s very own private pub (who knew?).  My thanks to John for captaining, James for taking the gloves and Rhiannon for scoring.  I trust the photo below captures some of the magic of the evening.

Tom Coates, BG Faders Cricket Captain.

If you are interested in joing the Faders for future matches and training sessions, please contact Tom Coates on tcoates@hwcoates.co.uk