Fresh after their trip to the seaside the previous week, MOGS gathered at the renowned 'Plough' public house and after a few samples of the fine array of ales on offer scaled Leith Hill and returned to Coldharbour to be greeted by a superb new clubhouse complete with running water, draft beer and inside flushing toilets... (Last year's fixture having fallen foul of the summer weather...)
Returning from his excellent wedding and subsequent honeymoon in Padstow, Matthew assumed the captaincy reins and promptly proceeded to lose the toss.... so Furns and Tharpy were given first use of a 'green seamer' (guess who described the pitch...) freshened by the overnight rain....
Your author turned up 50 minutes late having travelled down from attending another wedding in Leicestershire the previous day to be informed that he was batting 6 and that Furns had perished to one that 'popped' and Tharpy had been cleaned up after 4 sumptuous boundaries... (Both gutted to miss out on a big score with the short Coldharbour boundaries!!!!)
Richard Moss (taking a break from school report writing) and Cabbie Honeyfield played watchfully at first but then began to attack anything loose with aplomb before Mossie drove to point to depart for 16 when well set...
Faceman was summoned to the wicket when Cabbie was well caught in the gully after a superb 58 that pushed him into the leading run scorer position for the season and was soon joined by skipper Lothar when Joseph (13) was caught after a couple of 'large sixes' over the top of Leith Hill... and MOGS in trouble at 139-5
Trouble - Pah! A mere 82 deliveries later and MOGS declared on an excellent 289-5 with Faceman bringing up an undefeated 50* and Matthew a most magnificent maiden MOGS hundred (100*) off just 43 balls and a superb unbroken stand of 150 for the sixth wicket which had the statisticians running to check the record books....
Indeed Matthew was in imperious form dispatching the ball to and over the boundary with ease and many a car nearly getting hit in the process... This prompted comments such as 'why did he not get married earlier???
After another superb tea with the Chocolate Sponge take a severe hammering from many of the team, MOGS took to the field knowing that Coldharbour had a great chance on a drying wicket and MOGS shorn of the fast bowling services of Darryl...
Excellent opening spells from Pilau (5-2-7-0) and Briggs (6-0-15-1) ensured that Coldharbour did not get off to the flying start they required and it soon became clear that they might not be interested in chasing at all...
Matthew turned to brother Joseph who (having quit the fast bowlers union..) lived up to his 'Off Break' name and returned to his colts days mixing flight with the odd ball that actually turned... usually when he did not want it to.... and proceeded to destroy the upper & middle order of the Coldharbour batting - Helped by fine catches by Tharpy and Pilau inches off the ground at square leg Joseph returned excellent figures of 11-1-77-5 and thus turning the day into a double Lewis celebration....
Before the end, we even saw Matthew swallow his pride and ask Furns to bowl... To everyone's horror a flighted off break reminiscent of the Major in his prime was struck straight back and Furns held on to take a wicket with his first ball... There was still time for Fairclough to be hit for the day's biggest six and for Will to round off a tidy keeping stint with 2 sharp stumping's before Coldharbour were eventually dismissed for a round 200...
Did we bat too long?? Well we had previously lost with 260 on the board and Matt had just reached his maiden MOGS Century - Your author does not think so...
Report by Ben Fairclough
MWCC Stats