I need a brand new combine harvester........

With silage costs approaching £100/ ton this summer, Moreton CC have stumbled upon a lucrative income stream this year, and the grass is certainly greener on this side of the Rec.

The players were not deterred however, and managed to wade through the hayfield and a competitive game of cricket v The Wurzels Aston  ensued. Batting first Aston were soon in trouble thanks to some good bowling from Jonny, Westy, Dave, and Howard; unfortunately Sammy fared less well. The fielding looked pretty sharp too, with Lockey diving all over the place and coming up with 4 catches, whilst Charlie got his enjoyment by inserting his head in a bush. "Jonny discusses with the umpire" is now a regular slot on a Thursday evening, giving us all a great insight into the pros & cons of their decisions. Ed took a great catch on the boundary with minimum fuss, Howard didn't, meanwhile Josh showed off his newly acquired skills with accomplished fielding, and Lucy threw herself at everything that came her way, no doubt reassured by the cushion of grass cuttings that surrounded her. All in all a great fielding effort to restrict them to 104 off 20.

A confident pair of openers approached the middle, but this was soon exposed as totally misplaced by a bowler called Oli Squires. Where was the real Oli Squires, as this impostor was really quite annoyingly skillful ? Tim had noted the variable bounce as he went out to bat, and it was still fresh in his mind as he wandered back a couple of minutes later with a golden duck ! Ed soon followed, and with Josh & Charlie also succumbing, we were a precarious 7 for 4 off 5 overs ! Wicksey steadied the sinking ship with a defiant, unbeaten knock, but our run scoring skills went a.w.o.l, and defeat was inevitable. At least some light relief was provided by Jonny "Golden Duck" Yaxley,  Dave "I have never hit a 6" Templeman, and Howard "it's this easy to hit a 6" Edwards. An enjoyable game nevertheless, and "must do better" springs to mind for next weeks trip to our great friends Blewbury. Tim Wigley is offering lifts there in his Range Rover by the way.