Date

Opposition

Result

Score

Opp Score

Best Batting

Best Bowling

25-Apr

Marlow

Drawn

178-7

216-6

dec

A

Padhani

74

B

Jackson

3-30

43

ov

38

ov

02-May

Hit Or Miss

Cancelled

05-May

Worcester Park

Cancelled

09-May

Chipperfield

Cancelled

13-May

Montenotte

Lost - 8 wkts

133

a/o

136-2

Y

Vora

33

J

Hoare

1-34

45.4

ov

29.1

ov

16-May

Chorleywood

Drawn

192-6

201-5

dec

N

Miles-Thomas

77

J

Hoare

2-49

39

ov

36.1

ov

19-May

Pangbourne College

Lost - 83 runs

75-9

(a/o)

158-9

(a/o)

J

Hoare

19*

J

Hoare

3-32

30.2

ov

31

ov

23-May

N P L & Lensbury

Drawn

114-8

187-4

dec

I

Khan

31

J

Hoare

2-70

40

ov

38

ov

26-May

Ruislip Victoria

Cancelled

30-May

Horsley & Send

Drawn

223-7

240-2

dec

O

Oldroyd

143

T

Christie

1-26

48

ov

42

ov

31-May

Preston

Cancelled

02-Jun

British Airways

Lost

170-2

235-5

A

Padhani

79*

A

Anish

2-8

40

ov

40

ov

06-Jun

Wellington College

Won - 7 wkts

236-3

232-4

dec

T

Gemmill

98*

M

Sadler

2-44

45.5

ov

34.2

ov

09-Jun

South Hampstead

Drawn

63-9

218-3

dec

M

Leitch

12

A

Padhani

1-2

39

ov

40

ov

13-Jun

Hampstead

Cancelled

16-Jun

Dulwich

Cancelled

20-Jun

Stroud Green

Abandoned

61-1

200-6

B

Ganji

32

I

Khan

2-23

12.2

ov

40

ov

24-Jun

Wembley

Lost

147

a/o

148-2

A

Padhani

52

A

Zaman

1-20

38.5

ov

23.4

ov

27-Jun

Brentham

Abandoned

198-5

dec

49-0

O

Oldroyd

50

G

Chaudray

0-4

35.1

ov

9

ov

30-Jun

Taplow

Won

255-2

259-4

dec

J

Davis

101

D

Reilly

2-54

39

ov

41

ov

04-Jul

Eastcote

Won - 14 runs

260-0

dec

246-9

(a/o)

J

Davis

130*

Y

Vora

4-18

40

ov

39

ov

07-Jul

Flycatchers

Abandoned

255-6

dec

46-0

A

Padhani

103

I

Khan

0-22

45

ov

6

ov

J

Hoare

0-22

11-Jul

Tiffin Tercels

Lost - 15 runs

163

a/o

178-7

dec

O

Oldroyd

87

M

Sadler

3-77

35

ov

46

ov

15-Jul

Richmond

Cancelled

18-Jul

H.A.C.

Drawn

251-4

dec

211-7

O

Oldroyd

81

I

Khan

3-58

43

ov

47

ov

22-Jul

Sunday Barbarians

Lost - 51 runs

120

a/o

171

a/o

D

Harte

33

M

Isepp

3-32

41.3

ov

50.5

ov

28-Jul

Ealing

Lost - 35 runs

203

a/o

238-3

dec

M

Isepp

91

M

Leitch

1-38

33.2

ov

45.2

ov

01-Aug

Adastrians

Won - 79 runs

228-5

dec

149

a/o

A

Padhani

68

M

Isepp

4-28

55

ov

36.2

ov

05-Aug

Winchcombe

Abandoned

06-Aug

Gloucestershire Gypsie

Lost - 7 wkts

192

a/o

195-3

D

Harte

49*

O

Oldroyd

1-21

68.5

ov

48

ov

Many years ago William Wordsworth wrote the immortal words "I wandered lonely as a cloud". Well, wherever he was when he wrote these words he certainly wasn't at the Stowell Park Cricket Ground on August 6th 2004. The clouds were the most gregarious bunch of bastards you could hope to meet. Great hummocks of cumulo-nimbus filled the sky like misplaced barrage balloons.

In previous year's what has marked this fixture out from other matches has been the use of unusual and questionable tactics by the home side. One year they even resorted to arranging with RAF Fairford to send over a fleet of turbo prop De Havilland World War 2 Bombers to fly low over the ground as the Stage batsmen homed in on their target. This year's game was no exception: The Gipsies took to the field in a melange of beaujolais, cerise and old gold clothing and one half excepted to hear the strains of Tina Turner's "Simply the Best" to be blaring over the public address system as they took the field. This game, however, was not a quick biff, bang 20 over skirmish. This would be like comparing the game with last weeks copy of Viz with Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Even if some of the Stage's early batting  by Asif Padhani and Will Chitty reminded one more of the activities of Buster Gonad and Johnny Fartpants than Julius Caesar or Hannibal. Jenner and Oldroyd supplied some steadiness and restored the game to sanity but both succumbed on a pitch that looked about as trustworthy as one of Jeffrey Archer's Witness Box statements. At lunch, the Stage were in the parlous state of 84 for 5 and an air of fatalism hung over the side's previously contented demeanour.

However, the indefatigable Irishman, Dominic Harte supported by the diminutive Davis, till he was cruelly run out, the injury prone Barclay, the evergreen John Hoare (also run out) and the ebullient and pugnacious Beckman, who smote the ball with a healthy untutored gusto to most parts of this picturesque ground in scoring his 13 turned the Stage total into a respectable 198 all out. At this point sadly your correspondent was obliged to leave the proceedings and throw himself on the mercies of the Cirencester Accident & Emergency Dept. He is relying on "hearsay" for the rest of the game. From this point, therefore, objectivity leaves this report  rather like a virgin might leave a wife-swapping party. On his return he found the Stage had been vanquished by 7 wickets thanks to the efforts of two young tyros Tom and Edward Richardson. And so the Bamboozler makes his way to the Fracture clinic of St. Thomas’s Hospital, nursing his splintered spinning finger which was broken when fending off a rising ball from the Gipsies’ ferocious pace bowler. The Bamboozler has some very strong opinions about the inefficacy of batting gloves but does not wish to put these in print as it may well land him in litigation with the Gray-Nicolls  Company. One can only speculate whether we will ever see this incisive strike bowler wheel away again his with his devious mixture of long hops, full tosses and viciously spinning double bouncers. Or have the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune finally got the better of him. Who can say?

07-Aug

Ram Inn

Won - 26 runs

182

a/o

156

a/o

W

Chitty

61

A

Holiday

3-20

31

ov

08-Aug

Royal Household

Won - 2 wkts

236-8

235-3

dec

O

Oldroyd

65

B

Jackson

2-39

41

ov

47

ov

11-Aug

Worcester Park

Drawn

118-8

175-9

dec

A

Padhani

64*

R

Durden

4-19

40

ov

42.4

ov

15-Aug

Wimbledon

Won - 1 wkt

172-9

169

a/o

T

Gemmill

37

G

Chaudray

6-54

40.1

ov

46.3

ov

18-Aug

Sevenoaks & District

Cancelled

22-Aug

Chingford

Drawn

172-9

177

a/o

T

Gemmill

84*

G

Chaudray

5-38

43

ov

46

ov

25-Aug

Butterflies

Cancelled

29-Aug

Stragglers Of Asia

Won - 2 wkts

196-8

195-8

O

Oldroyd

63

N

Dugdale

5-17

42.1

ov

62

ov

02-Sep

Gaieties

Drawn

201-9

dec

185-7

T

Gemmill

55

D

Harte

3-19

45

ov

42

ov

05-Sep

Chenies & Latimer

Won - 7 runs

153-5

146-8

N

Miles-Thomas

46

S

Brennan

3-15

20

ov

20

ov

08-Sep

Uxbridge

Won - 9 wkts

175-1

174-8

dec

O

Oldroyd

101*

J

Hoare

3-36

28.5

ov

50.4

ov

12-Sep

Marlow

Won - 10 wkts

108-0

104

a/o

T

Holas

62*

A

Taylor

5-18

12.4

ov

31.2

ov

13-Sep

Cross Arrows

Cancelled

19-Sep

Knebworth Park

Won - 8 wkts

222-2

218-4

dec

J

Davis

90

T

Whyte

2-39

39.5

ov

46

ov