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