With 3 victories out of 3 at the start of the season, the Badger camp, full of verve and vigour, eagerly awaited the next challenge. However, from the outset it became apparent things would not be plain sailing.
Captain Foord in a tactical blunder lost the toss and the Old Paulines opted to bat first. With only 10 Badgers making it out of the sett that morning, an under-strength team had to pick up the slack in the field, in what would prove to be an arduous task.
In the early overs the Badgers opening bowlers of Foord and Morse ratcheted up the pressure, but with the outfield appearing to have been sponsored by Teflon, twos became fours, and the Badgers' usual fielding aplomb deserted them with inevitable consequences to the run rate. The much needed breakthrough came in the 5th over, with Captain Foord starting off, on what would become a theme of the day, by tearing through the stumps of Highfield’s wicket to send him back to dry land. Morse, ever the Antipodean and not to be outdone by his ‘pommie’ fellow opening bowler, immediately removed Cato’s bails with the first ball of the next over, through an unfortunate knock on to his own stumps.
With the score on 33-2, it looked like a real game was on the cards. Continuing to lead from the front, Foord collected his next scalp with a ripsnorter of a ball that left the stumps nearer the circle than the wicket, sending Dailey back to the (rather splendid) pavilion after a short but effective knock. The Badgers were in the hunt.
Unfortunately from that point onwards the valiant Badgers bowlers, and brave Badgers fielders were put to the sword by a lesson in skilled batting from the Old Paulines middle order. As the threatening grey clouds overhead took it upon themselves to fulfil the rain they had promised all morning Fothergill and Cato S took the Badgers bowling apart, looking unstoppable. Thankfully Barker produced a ‘Stuey Special’ to end Cato junior’s innings in the 17th over, finally ending a remarkable partnership worth 97 from a mere 10 overs.
At drinks the scoreboard read 171 for 4 and skipper Foord decided wickets were desperately needed so brought himself back into the attack to continue his vendetta against the stumps. Seeing off first Cusik then Fothergill, sending their timbers spiralling out of the dirt.
By this point the rain had made the fielding torrid, reducing the Badgers’ efforts from poor to laughable. The only highlight was Dickinson pouching a catch way out on the leg-side boundary in the 34th over to give Shone his only wicket of the day.
It fell to Rigby to see the Old Paulines home, quietly accumulating runs with a classy knock of 87 not out.
With a total of 330 to beat, the Badgers retired to the pavilion to dry out and indulge in some Old Paulines hospitality. Foord the pick of the bowlers with a crucial 52-4. Morse, Barker, and Shone contributing a wicket a piece.
With the rain reaching monsoon grade, it looked like the match was certain to be called off, when the canny and well equipped Old Paulines wheeled out a set of covers to keep the wicket in playable condition.
With a heady revised total of 230 off 30 overs required, Warman and Marchant strode out in to the rain to take guard against an unknown Old Paulines bowling unit. The first 3 overs came and went with little incident as the Badgers dug in for a tough day at the office, but it soon became apparent the outfield had lost its Teflon coating, and under the earlier monsoon had become stickier than Bostik’s finest.
The scoreboard pressure told and in the fourth over Marchant, growing in confidence, opted to take the fight to the Old Paulines, with devastating consequences. A mis-timed lofted drive sent the ball spiralling straight up in the air.
Despite a resolute stand at the crease by Warman, this wicket signalled the commencement of a Badgers middle order batting collapse to put in the shade even the Sri Lankan’s impressive example a week earlier in Cardiff, with no less than five Badgers returning to the pavilion (Doesn’t it make a nice change to have a pavilion!?) for a collective total of 4 runs.
Again, it fell to Foord to salvage respectability from the face of humiliation, with a masterly knock of 42 runs as he found the boundary with impunity on a water-logged pitch, lofting one ball over mid-wicket for the Badgers solitary six of the day. Foord’s partnership with Shone restored a little face, but when the later lost his off stump the end wasn’t far away. In the very next over, a comedy sketch worthy of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival claimed the wicket of the skip’, attempting to turn one run into two both Badger batsmen, Foord and Barker, found themselves standing at the same crease.
Barker soon followed Foord back to the Pavilion after a a brief but elegant effort, as Dailey removed his bails to signal the end of the innings and the match: Badgers all out for 84.
Discussions in the changing room after the match were swinging the pointed finger of blame from the missing Badger, to the awful weather, and back again. However – full credit to the Old Paulines, even with a full XI and sunny weather you would have pipped it. Same again next year?