Norwood Exiles Cricket Club

So along came Sunday again and this week was another home game at the Lakes, t his time against Trinity Oxley.  The home team --or at least those of it who arrived on time-- set up the pitch. Somehow, Aidan managed to set the stumps up the most aligned they've ever been.  Trinity haven’t played us at our home for some years and I am sure they missed the delights of the Lakes. This being sarcasm as I have seen fields that were not as green as the wicket we had for Sunday. There were some shocked looks when I told them this was our best wicket of the season so far.  With Captain Kalp out this week, it was the turn of Vice-Captain Charlie to lead the team. Winning the toss, he elected to bowl first. The innings started promisingly with runs hard to come by and some great work in the field. Louis and Aaron started well putting pressure on the openers with the latter then taking both of their wickets.  T he middle order however started taking the game to the next bow...

After a month’s worth of rain in three days, the call was made to play the Plastics XI at our home ground after a quick pitch inspection in the morning determined that the ground was safe. A late illness in the starting XI brought Sam into the squad and there was a welcome return by seamer, Ollie, playing his first game for the Exiles in three years.  There was also excitement in the air we would finally see the first teas served at the Lakes by Mary and Mark for over 20 months. Teas are such an important part of the cricket tradition. Rain was still threatening to ruin the afternoon but while it stayed away, we came out to play. Wet weather meant that other than the central square, the rest of the ground looked like a lush and verdant grassland and on a wet wicket and slow outfield, Plastics XI won the toss and chose to bowl. Jez opened with Paul who was playing in only his second game of the season. Saril, with his Grandhomme-esque mane, opened the bowling using the new ball and ...

Around came Sunday again and we were faced with a trip to Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian in the kind of weather conditions that made it feel like an away test series in the West Indies. With Captain Kalp out due to illness and Vice-Captain Charlie rested and in the bar drinking Cider all afternoon, Jez was the man to captain the side with Aidan as his Vice. Jez won the toss and chose to get our bowlers out there. With No Luke, Charlie or Kalp in the team Bilal Stepped up to keep wickets.   We started the bowling attack with Aaron and Louie and they started the innings well, no wickets but keeping the runs down well and combined with good work in the field and getting away with a few full tosses, we restricted them to rushed singles.  Along came Drinks and there was a change of Keeper with Aaron making his debut behind the sticks and Bilal coming on to bowl. Again with some brilliant bowling Shah kept the runs down bowling 8 overs for 19 runs and 1 wicket, a fine effort in the heat. B...

On Sunday, one of the highlights of the year arrived when all members of the club came together for a day of cricket in the Colts and Club Match Day! Not only was the weather kind to us, grill-master, Sean, had single-handedly prepared and fired up the traditional, legendary barbecue and a s the first burgers were coming off the grill, the colts game started: a 22-over match between The Norwood Ducks and the wonderfully presumptuously-named  The Winners .  The Ducks won the toss and chose to bat in front a welcoming crowd of friends and families and w hat followed was a delight with some wonderful fielding, batting and bowling on display from everyone on the field. The nominal home team,  The Norwood Ducks , set a target of 42 for the 'visitors' and a particular highlight of their innings was the spectacle of our Data Secretary hammering his son for 2 fours over the leg boundary in 4 balls on his way to 15 in a masterclass of plastic batting and domestic politics. ...

There's only one way to describe the weather this weekend:  Overcompensation!  The wind, rain and single-digit temperatures of last week were a distant memory as the mercury hit 22 degrees and bright, blue skies welcomed us to our away game against Earlswood Strollers CC.  The contrast in weather from one Sunday to the next does make you think about how vulnerable cricket is to climate change.   Here’s   what Joe Root has to say about it and what some players are trying to do to   make cricket more sustainable .   With the captain running late, vice-captain Charlie stepped in for the toss which Earlswood won and they chose to bat on a green wicket under the baking hot sun. A very short boundary down the hill provided a marked contrast to  the other, which required an Uber. Our openers, Jack and Josh were eagerly anticipating the action as Earlswood's batsmen made their way to the crease until it was realised that one for these was Quentin Ferreira...