I had a feeling the day was going to turn out well when, having entered the postcode provided by the skip into their satnavs, half the team arrived together at the firmly bolted tradesman’s entrance to the Cholmondeley estate¹. The opportunity for a bit of whinging about the skip is always good for morale, albeit whilst the skip’s directions were open to criticism, previous holders of the role may well have just told Austin to blooming well google it himself.

In my early years at the Bar we still retained an annual fixture at Cholmondeley and it is one of my regrets as captain that it lapsed during my tenure. I can’t be precise as to the last time we played there because the red scorebook couldn’t be found. However I do recall that I was run out by Kenward very early in the afternoon. The fact that it was before I’d realised the wisdom of taking an ultra cautious approach to running with TK would date it back to the early 2010s.

The castle perched overlooking the ground, particularly with the sun shining, Cholmondeley must be one of the most delightful settings in which to play our Summer game. Pedants might say that Cholmondeley Castle is not technically a castle, it was built in the Hanoverian period as a country house with stylised castle features, and was neither designed for nor has it served any military purpose, save for the billeting of Czech soldiers in WW2. Still, it identifies as a castle and that’s all that really matters.

Notwithstanding Brownson’s commendable effort with a jacket and tie, on arrival it was immediately apparent we were going to be out-blazered with a couple of stripey numbers among the opposition ranks. The skip gathered a counsel of his senior players to seek advice as to format and the toss. Your correspondent has always had a bit of a chippy approach to the “timed” format for 1 day cricket. The emphasis on sporting declarations, engineering a close game, and a disdain for the vulgarity of limited overs cricket has always seemed to me, well, a bit Cheshire, a foreign land to those schooled in the ways of Lancashire club cricket. The “when in Rome” argument was considered but rejected and the skip went out with clear instructions to seek a limited overs game and bat first. He returned a few minutes later informing us that it was a timed game and we were fielding.

The first over was noteworthy only for a Brownson beamer which pitched at the wicket keeper’s feet and was trapped between foot and ground with an effectiveness which may have surprised those who’ve played alongside your correspondent at the Ramblers. However, this being a rare outing for spiked boots, a deep gash was inflicted in the side of the new cherry. In an early indication that he was going to take his duties very seriously the umpire declared that the ball need not be replaced as the seam was intact and play resumed. Whether the unintentional gouging of the ball was a causal factor one cannot say, however it was certainly doing a bit and Cholmondeley were kept pegged back in the early stages. It was not a day to dwell on any negatives and so I’ll say no more than that Reevey perhaps more than most drew a sigh of relief when the young opener tickled a Brownson outswinger to the keeper. Reevey then held a fine catch running backwards from mid on to dismiss the number 3 batsman.

We weren’t to know it at the time but their number 4 is, or at least has been, an International cricketer. And not just an international trade/professional association team, he has represented the full Welsh National side (minor counties?). Anyway, he was rather good. In what was something of a mismatch of bat v ball, a Tinkler over went for 28. There was a forlorn hope that he might retire at 50, but he didn’t, which struck me as fair enough given that he had only faced about 10 balls by that point.

Our opening bowlers swiftly returned to the attack but things got worse for the Bar when, having failed to heed the Umpire’s first warning, Brownson delivered another ball which the Umpire deemed dangerous and was ordered out of the attack. With hindsight it might have been wiser to heed the umpire’s warning by putting Brownson on at the other end, but hindsight is always the best sight as they say. Whilst the Umpire at Brownson’s end was clearly keen to take an active role in proceedings - a warning was also issued for breaching the Covid ball care rules at one point - the chap at the car park end seemed far more laid back. Indeed he displayed a distinct lack of interest in the skip’s appeal for a plum LBW (and it was plum), but the skip managed to find the same batsman’s edge the very next delivery so no harm done.

On reaching 88 the International batsman retired (I think 88 is a lucky number in China, albeit the batsman was not Chinese, he was Welsh of South Asian heritage, so I’ve no idea why he chose to depart on 88). Cholmondeley scratched around a bit for a short time thereafter and declared for an early tea having set the Bar a target of 197 to win.

It would seem that Cholmondeley is a ground where cricketing lessons are learned by your correspondent and on this occasion the lesson was to accept 4 byes rather than stick your foot in the way of one the skip has squirted down the leg side. With Harthan hobbling the batting order was rejigged and the skip opened with Reevey. The early stages of the Bar’s innings seemed to be going rather well. Both openers got into double figures, and after the skip unfortunately missed a straight one, Brownson coming in at 3 hit a big 6. However things then took a turn for the worse with both Brownson and Reevey departing. Reilly and Jack, our borrowed player who had bowled pretty well, failed to trouble the scorer.

The skip cut short what appeared to be an idyllic stroll through the adjacent fields with his new lady Trudy to deliver express instructions to Harthan and Baxter to try to bat out the overs for a draw. It may surprise some, but in a long cricketing career your correspondent has never been in a match situation of having to bat for a draw. I can recall occasions in my youth where the Saddleworth League rules gave bonus bowling points on a scale for number of wickets taken and if all hope of victory had gone you might just dig in to try to deprive the oppo of taking full match points, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to bat for a draw before. Some might say that my batting style is perfectly suited for such a match situation, or, less kindly, that I have on occasion adopted such a batting style in match situations which did not demand it. However, when Wayne brought on some of his lesser bowlers your correspondent started to see some of the benefits of the timed format, primarily for his personal interest in scoring some runs but also that all results began to seem possible.

Baxter was smashing the lesser bowlers around with glee. Your correspondent was largely limited to boundaries and ‘walked’ runs having declined the offer of a runner (on considering the available options I assessed the risk of a comical run out as being one that it would be unwise to take). Things were starting to look rosier for the Bar and in mid over conference, the batsmen decided the win was very much on, particularly with Austin, Tinkler, AJ and Prior to come. Baxter’s swashbuckling innings ended soon afterwards for 28, bringing Austin to the wicket. Twenty overs were called with the Bar needing a little over 100 to win. With 10 overs left, the Bar had kept to the required run rate, but Austin’s dismissal on 15 had been followed by Tinkler and AJ failing to trouble the scorer. The Bar needed another 50 runs or so from the last wicket partnership, but could perhaps place some hope in the fact that the men at the crease were not traditional tail enders. Perhaps noting the jeopardy, Wayne brought Ogilvie and Jude into the bowling attack and they were quite useful, the required run rate started to creep up to 6, then 7. Perhaps at that point digging in would have been the wiser option, but your correspondent still had a faint whiff of victory, and in attempting to clip one outside the off stump the ball was edged to the keeper leaving the Bar 25 runs and/or 3.3 overs short of denying Cholmondeley victory.

A very enjoyable day for all, and on reflection, for all its Cheshireness, I’m even prepared to accept that the timed format has its advantages. Well done all.

1. I considered a joke about a bolted tradesman's entry but in the end decided against it

• Robert Browning

It was the sort of Spring day which no doubt inspired Mr Browning to pen those words, sunny blue skies, birdsong, and flowers blooming, a lovely evening for the much anticipated return of LMS cricket. The Bar faced familiar opposition Mighty Diamond Ducks at Aigburth CC and, the Bar looking resplendent in their new caps, the scene was set fair. Having won the toss the skip elected to bat and opened alongside Harthan. The openers laid the foundations for the innings before the skip missed a straight one and returned with 18/14. Armstrong came to the wicket. Seasoned observers of Armstrong’s innings know that whilst his starts are often a bit scratchy, once he has his eye in he is a man transformed. His first few balls gave little indication of what was to come. However, having survived a close LBW shout and then, riled by the indignity of having the field brought in for him and spread for Harthan, the Banner to Hulk switch was flicked. Armstrong began to lay waste to the MDD bowling attack. Harthan became the first Bar batsman to pass the career milestone of 1,000 recorded LMS runs and raised his bat aloft to a bewildered response from the Pavilion which was clearly unaware of the significance of the moment. Soon afterwards, and perhaps sensing that it was time for the middle order to take to the stage, Harthan skied one and departed with 29/30. Reeve and Armstrong then produced a swashbuckling display of batting sending the MDD bowling attacks to all corners. A couple of huge sixes back over the bowler’s head stand out most in the memory. Armstrong retired on 50/30, Reeve was caught on 32/17. The Bar set a total of 144.

Well, where did it all go wrong? As the sun dipped towards the horizon what had been a pleasant Spring evening turned into a midge infested bite fest. The Bar bowlers struggled to keep their line whilst being eaten by the local Ceratopogonidae. Even when Reevie did find a good ball in the channel he was no balled because Austin had committed a fielding infringement by straying to the leg side. Reevie held a good catch, Austin is likely to be waking up today with a bruise to the chest. Armstrong’s over went for 17 but he was too gallant to attribute any blame to the missed stumping opportunity which he had craftily conjured with his familiar 3 ball plan of long hop, long hop, ripper. Armstrong unfortunately then had to leave for childcare duties and the game seemed to be swinging MDD’s way. However the Bar continued to take wickets, a stunning caught and bowled by Prior, which seemed to surprise him as much as anyone, stands out most in the mind. On the basis that if you don’t blow your own trumpet sometimes there is no music, your correspondent also notes that a reflex stop at short mid wicket followed by a direct hit to the stumps sent the dangerous looking Bandara back to the pavilion. Admittedly, the batsman was so far down the wicket that a leisurely underarm throw back to Prior would have achieved the same result without the jeopardy, but fortunately the shy was accurate.

In the end MDD got home in the final over but there were more positives than negatives to take from a close game.
MoM (Batting); Armstrong
MoM (Bowling / Fielding); Prior

2005 saw the 20th anniversary of the re-founding of the Liverpool Bar Cricket Club, initially as the Cryptics, until it was discovered that this was causing the Club to be mistaken for a rather better cricket team. Although we failed to bowl a single side out even once last summer, by hook or by crook we remained unbeaten, in our 21st season.  This prompted some veterans to recall the halcyon days of David Dennis and Edward Bartley Jones opening the batting.  However, the season did not get off to an auspicious start, with a European friendly away at Conwy C.C.  On a difficult batting wicket Conwy were restricted to 177 for 7 declared.  With 3 wickets for 37 runs off his 10 overs, Nick Ryan was the pick of the bowlers.   At tea, Ryan was revelling in his new found status as an all rounder, only to be the first of two batsmen clean bowled in the first over of our reply.  With the score 6 runs (5 of them extras) for 4 wickets, our debutant Oliver Cook returned to the pavilion actually bragging about his innings of 1, as at No. 5 he was the first batsman to score a run off the bat.  I thought that things could get no worse, only to look up to see Gwynn Price Rowlands striding to the wicket, having arrived in good time for the second innings, with much the same air as General Blűcher pitching up at Waterloo.  It was a struggle to recall any fielding by which GPR had injured himself so as to justify the runner he was taking to the wicket with him. With their national sense of fair play to the fore, the Conwy team sportingly declined to object to GPR stretching the laws beyond their limit, and GPR even persuaded his compatriots to remove their hostile fast bowlers from the attack on the basis that he had not prepared for such a searching cross-examination.  This enabled Mark Chester, who top-scored with 43, and Michael Armstrong with 25, to take the score in the direction of respectability, until a golden duck from Ivan Woolfenden left the last two batsmen clinging on for the final 10 overs for an honourable draw.  It was hoped that this would be suitable preparation for the upcoming test series of Twenty 20 games against the CPS.  Sadly, the first game was rained off, and the CPS failed to raise a side for the second game, despite having prematurely booked the Gulshan restaurant for their anticipated celebratory dinner.  Instead, we had a net on the hallowed main square at Liverpool Cricket Club, and Michael Armstrong managed to hospitalise himself trying to hook a Charles Prior half volley. And so to Northern Cricket Club where Northern’s young bucks contemptuously called a halt after 33 overs with 233-4 on the board, and Will Rankin’s thumb broken along the way.  Kenward had dutifully opened the bowling with 0 for 49 off 5 overs, before generously allowing the Northern batsman to inflict any further carnage upon the bowling of Prior, which they did.  However, Damian Nolan then proceeded to treat the Northern bowling in much the same way with a barnstorming, Flintoffesque innings of 88, only interrupted by regular calls for a change of bat as he sought to hit each ball further than he had hit the last one.  Nolan’s dismissal, in sight of a century, brought no relief to Northern as Michael Armstrong hurried us to our target with a flurry of boundaries in his 28 not out.  Sadly our inaugural fixture with the Liverpool Law Society at Liverpool Cricket Club was to fall victim to the weather, although not before we had reached 74 for 4 with Michael Armstrong (33) the best of the batsman.  Ivan Woolfenden also entertained us with a cameo knock having been sent in as a rainwatchman so as to protect Charles Prior from having his early tea marred by the disappointment of already being out.  As the rain fell, we reflected on how the other half of the profession live, as we enviously watched the senior partner of Brian Jackson and Co. wash the contents of his hamper down with a bottle of Chardonnay.  Our preparations for our crunch game with the Chester Bar were thrown into disarray in a similar fashion to Glenn McGrath injuring ankle ligaments by stepping on a cricket ball, when our talismanic and temperamental veteran, Nick Ryan, ‘phoned up at 11 am on the Sunday of the game to withdraw, with the excuse proffered that Miriam was insistent that he spend the afternoon looking after the boys as he had spent too much of the previous day lazing around watching the Test match.  This was followed hard on the heels by a text message from our form player, Damian Nolan, to the effect that he could not read airline timetables, and had only just discovered that his flight back was 6.00 o’clock in the evening, and not in the morning.  I struggled to imagine the Australian coach having to explain such problems to the media, and pinned my hopes on the Chester Bar turning up with 2 extra players in their usual way of seeking to secure a numerical advantage.  We knew that delectable culinary delights awaited us at Christleton Cricket Club where a tea prepared by Mrs. Julian Shaw is always one of the highlights of our traditional annual fixture with the Chester Bar.  A big score by the Chester captain, Julian Shaw, is usually another of the highlights, so that an early and extended tea interval seemed on the cards when he was caught  Prior bowled Prior for a duck.  However, his opening partner, whose name I have yet to find on the Bar List, made a century, before the higher priority of tea necessitated a declaration at 193 for 5.  A big opening partnership between Simon Gorton (55) and Michael Armstrong (43) and an unbeaten fifty from the bearded wonder, James Hawks, meant that victory was never in doubt.  We even had the luxury of allowing Ivan Woolfenden to end the season as he had begun it, with another golden duck, as well as brief innings from Liam Grundy, which exposed to our Chester colleagues the partiality of Charles Prior’s umpiring, although no one could deny that the entertainment was worth prolonging.  We took to the field for our final game, against the Wirral Police at Wallasey Cricket Club, with five of our players having missed the start, even without GPR in the side.  Having managed to restrict the Police to 105 for 3 wickets off their 20 overs, Damian Nolan smashed a quick 36 before Michael Armstrong scored 25 not out and finished the game and the season with a straight 6. My choice for player of the season would be Damian Nolan who had a batting average of 62.  The S. W. G. Edis award for the most improved player would be Michael Armstrong, whose consistency was demonstrated by scores of 25, 28 not out, 33, 43 and 25 not out in consecutive innings.  Although once thought to have been claimed by Nick Ryan in perpetuity, there could only be one candidate for the Tonker Tankard (awarded for the triumph of fortitude over ineptitude), namely Ivan Woolfenden, who sought to make sure of his Primary Club application by qualifying twice, and who is not the player to let a golden duck detract from his enjoyment of an afternoon’s cricket, or the unexpectedly early cigarette break which such a dismissal brings.  Be warned, 2005 saw the institution of a new award for the lamest excuse for a late cry off, and went, predictably, to Nick Ryan.  At least GPR turns up eventually. Roll on the 2006 season, already being looked forward to as the comeback season of Andrew Edis QC. Tim Kenward

We began with a new fixture at Kingsley, a village side south of Frodsham, with a picturesque ground.  On his first appearance since promotion, Brian Cummings duly kept the juniors waiting.  However, after Charles Prior (1 for 7 off 6 overs) and Tom Gosling (2 for 29) had made early inroads, Cummings took the opportunity to display his silky skills with 4 wickets for 11 runs off 6 overs so as to bowl out Kingsley for 129.  It is often said that the sign of a good wicket-keeper is that you barely notice he is there until he snaffles another victim.   Peter Harthan, in making an accomplished debut, was just such an example, standing in for the absent Nigel Power. Opinion was divided as to who was the better wicket-keeper, although one wag suggested that, whilst we might lose more fixtures with Peter’s batting (3 runs off 30 balls), we might keep more fixtures without Nigel’s banter.  In agreeing to open the batting the debutant had assured his skipper that he had previously been an opener, until he had developed into more of a slogger!  Our innings had its usual sort of start, with an entertaining duck from Ashley Barnes, who then entertained us with a discussion as to the number of runs he would tell his wife he had scored (the truth was not an option).  23 was eventually the figure upon which he decided.  Simon Gorton did marginally better, scoring 1, but blamed this on the captain for having put him at number 3 in the batting order.  Brian Cummings perished in Bothamesque style, trying to get his leg over the wicket whilst hooking a short ball.  At 57 for 5, the position looked slightly perilous, but we need not have worried, as Will Rankin took control (or rather his new Newbery Uzi did) blasting eleven 4’s in a match winning 61 not out.