<p>On arriving at the idyllic rustic ground of the Reigate Pilgrims, your correspondent (pre-selected by the Captain in a new drive to ensure early completion of match reports) could think only of Edmund Spencer's opening of "Prothalamion" of 400 years ago to describe the unbridled splendour of an English summer's day and he determined immediately to share it with the readers of this report thus ;</p>
<p>"Calme was the day, and through the trembling ayre,
Sweete breathing Zephyrus did softly play
A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay
Hot Titan's beames, which then did glister fayre"</p>
<p>Back in the real world the Pilgrims won the toss and elected to bat on a particularly lethargic pitch; a decision which they may have lamented as Rice removed their opener in the third over with the score on 2. As the wicket was so lamentably slow the batsmen found it very hard to drive anything in front of the wicket and the opening pair of Rice and Lewis J bowled such a tight line that there was little opportunity for them to cut anything behind for runs either. Another sixteen overs passed before the second wicket fell with the score on 46. Darth Abbotinus, the Mogs own slimline Sith Lord, replaced Rice at the Buckland end and bowled a superlative line and length beating the bat a number of times and his figures of 5 overs, 3 maidens, none for 10 show that his skill went harshly unrewarded.</p>
<p>Keith Briggs replaced Joe Lewis at the Dorking end and bowled an uncompromising spell which saw him return 1 for 11 off 5 overs. With his dismissal of Rawlinson and the Pilgrims on 69-3 the heart had been ripped out of their batting. Hewitt, with 2 wickets, and Honeyfield bowled tightly in an afternoon's fielding which was remarkable for only two events - namely an astonishing pick up and roll from Darth Abbotinus that rolled back the years to his panther like youth when John Major was still in power, and a lifter which evaded the keeper's hands and clattered into his groin with the unmistakeable plastic pop of a direct hit in the target area, much to the merriment of the huge assembled multitude, the best of the entire season, enticed out by the delightful sun and surroundings. The ginger magician, Lothar Lewis came on from the Buckland end and (has been commented on before in different circumstances) resembled an Anaconda, crushing the life out of the Pilgrim's batting line up. His suffocatingly skillful 13 overs, 4 maidens, 23 for 4 must largely take the credit for the home side's final demise at 108 all out.</p>
<p>After a much needed tea the Mogs, spearheaded by Jackson and Furner sought to pursue a second consecutive win but found the going just as tough as their hosts on the slow, low pitch. Prime-form Jackson sought gamely to drive the ball in front of the wicket but it was not easy. Nonetheless, the openers reached fifty without loss, though Furner was far more circumspect and respectful of the bowlers, having scored 3 runs in this 50 stand from 63 balls faced. At this point though he launched a barrage of 2 boundaries before eventually succumbing for 13 with the score on 69. Jackson charged Rawlinson and was dismissed for a top-scoring 49 which brought power-batters Honeyfield and Tharp to the wicket who put on 21 for the third wicket before Tharp was dismissed for 5 (which unusually if self-evidently did not contain a signature cover-point 6.</p>
<p>However the attractive Honeyfield blitzed a cameo 24 from 30 balls before edging one into his stumps. It was then up to the Captain to wrap the match up for the Mogs with a couple of 4's at which point the extended Mogs family, for the 30 odd supporters could not be described as anything less, retired with their hosts to the Red Lion to imbibe hop based products and other good victuals - the perfect ending to an English summer's day.</p>
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