Barford Cricket Club

The snow is falling, chocolate eggs consumed and the smell of cut grass fills the air which can mean only one thing – Phil has avoided having yet another pre-season party at Morris Towers.

But we are tantalisingly close to the start of the new season and after last year’s successes we’re all looking forward to cricket again.

We have a bumper crop of fixtures sorted by Ben and James but despite vast numbers of the senior members of the team having received their vaccines we are still going to playing under ‘Covid-safe’ conditions for a while yet.

As such, in order to enable us to play ‘organised cricket’ and allow more than the rule of 6 to apply, we must follow the ECB guidance.

This includes carrying out a risk assessment and putting in place measure to limit transmission of COVID 19 during our games and practice.

Below is the current roadmap:

And here are the outline measures that we should all be taking before, during and after cricket. They are pretty much what we were doing last season and hopefully will relax as we come out of lockdown.

In summary:

• Undergo a personal symptom check at home prior to matches. Stay home and do not take part if you demonstrate any COVID-19 symptoms and are required to self isolate.
• No sweat or saliva is to be applied to the ball at any time. Hands and the ball should be cleaned at all breaks in play and every 6 overs
• Use of the clubhouse, changing rooms and toilets should adhere to the latest UK Government advice.
• Social distancing should be maintained during wicket celebrations and drinks breaks.
• Use own equipment throughout where possible and clean your bat when leaving field of play.
• Players to remain socially distanced at all times (wicket keepers and slip fielders at 1m+). Batters should remain socially distanced from the umpire and run on opposite sides of the pitch.
• Keep a record of all those in attendance at each session, including contact details. This is to support NHS Test and Trace and is required by law.
• Spectators are not allowed (limited exceptions apply)

We are going to keep track of attendance through a quick form that will be sent out via email and WhatsApp to confirm that you have done a self test and are healthy and are attending. It takes less than a minute to complete but means we can keep playing under the existing conditions. Good luck!

Pre-season nets are underway. It’s the perfect opportunity to blow off the cobwebs before the season begins, or to just come along and give it a try.

Sunday February 9th, 10.30 until 12, Aylesford School.
Sunday February 16th, 10.30 until 12, Aylesford School
Sunday February 23rd, 10.30 until 12, Aylesford School
Sunday March 1st, 10.30 until 12, Aylesford School.

Monday March 2nd, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday March 9th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday March 16th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday March 23rd, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday March 30th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday April 6th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday April 13th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.
Monday April 20th, 8.00 until 9.30, Kenilworth Wardens CC.

Equipment is supplied and the cost is just £3 for adults and £2 for juniors/unwaged. Contact barfordsec@gmail.com for more info.

Will Morgan starred in an outstanding team performance, as a 10 man Barford overcame Great Alne.

Skipper Drage won the toss and cannily elected to bat, knowing from past experience that the setting sun would make batting tough late in the day. The captain biffed his second ball for 6 before settling into a more sedate rhythm against very accurate opening bowling on a wicket with variable bounce. Sandy was stoic in defence and the pair moved to 21 before Simon played on. Enter Kev who played watchfully before pulling out the big shots, including another enormous six out the ground. The ball was never found. 

Neil Forrest looked good for his 13 before being caught and bowled and Rob Davies played with aggression but couldn’t stick around. Kev was finally out for 36 and Paul Stacey, Jon Lambdon and Will Morgan all failed to bother the scorer much. With the score less than 100 and 12 overs of the innings remaining the final pair of Hawkins and Jones were left to mount a rear guard action. Richard was in sparkling form and we managed to marshal the score to 128, using all of the 40 overs.

Although it’s a small ground, the outfield was incredibly slow and, over tea, the opposition were adamant that it was defend-able total. We felt it was probably 20 or 30 short.

Paul Stacey opened the bowling and was accurate and hostile without much luck (as usual). At the other end, Will was on fire and soon amongst the wickets. He bowled 8 overs straight and gave nothing away, ending with the outstanding figures of 8-1-9-4. All 4 of those wickets were bowled, each hitting middle and leg. That was all forgotten however, when he went spectacularly arse over tit when chasing a ball down in the uneven outfield. Thanks for coming Will.

Rob Davies bowled an excellent spell without reward and, by that point, the situation had Jon Lambdon written all over it. Jon tossed up 8 overs of deliveries that came out the sun like Stukas and was very unlucky to claim only one wicket. Neil Forrest was outstanding fielding in the covers and Great Alne were running out of batsmen.

Having taken a fantastic catch behind the sticks, Kev passed the keeping duties to Jon and came on to bowl. In addition to picking up the final wicket he also took an excellent catch in the outfield. Simon D did an excellent job of keeping the pressure on with his field placings and Great Alne were finally out for 111 in the final over. A very good win.  

The 2019 season is now in full swing and we have Sunday and Midweek fixtures all the way through to September.

We are a friendly crowd and always welcome new players, including those who are new to cricket or haven’t played for some time. All of our matches are friendlies, played in good spirit and the Sunday games include a tea! If you fancy giving it a try, please contact our secretary Paul Johnstone on barfordsec@gmail.com

Tourmeister Ireland has used his customary blend of tactical insight, intuition, witchcraft, guesswork, desperation, smoke, mirrors, wishing it would all just go away and existential dread to come up with the following tour teams:

Friday 21^st June vs. Philanderers

Kenny G (Captain)
Ben Cook
Tom Baker
Chris Prince
Rob Davis
James Beaven
Tony Timms
Andy Hawkins
Paul Henderson
Tim Jolly
Simon Morgan

Saturday 22^nd vs. Grantchester

Kevin Tobin (Captain)
Ben Cook
Chris O’Reilly
Chris Prince
Rob Davis
James Beaven
Tony Timms
Richard Jones
Simon Hawkins
Paul Johnstone
Sandy Peirson

Sunday 23^rd vs. Burwell & Exning

Simon Morgan (Captain)
Ben Cook
Tom Baker
Kevin Tobin
Andy Hawkins
Kenny G
Simon Hawkins
Tim Jolly
Chris O’Reilly
Paul Johnstone
Sandy Peirson

A tour recce without Richard Jones is like Lennon without McCartney or Campari without soda, so the due diligence committee felt justified in returning to East Anglia a mere four months after their first visit.   

Cambridge Recce 2 (The Wrath of Khan)

The veteran leggie made an immediate impact with his choice of luncheon venue, The Cock Inn at Hemingford Grey (if you’ve seen Carry On Dick you will have heard all the jokes). Good food and beer from a local brewery, all served in a cosy, friendly environment with a huge garden area that will be perfect for the guaranteed June sunshine.

After dropping our bags at The Arundel House we made full use of the balmy spring sunshine and headed across town to check out the hostelries that we’d missed in December.

The Elm Tree came highly recommended and certainly didn’t disappoint-fine selection of ales, friendly regulars and old pub memorabilia adorning the walls (right over the road was The Cricketers but we didn’t feel qualified to enter).

A few hundred yards down the road is my personal favourite, The Free Press-A quirky collection of small, low ceilinged rooms (with one containing the wreck from the 1984 Boat Race) plus a lovely small garden which acted as a sun trap while we studied the map in search of our next port of call.

The much lauded Cambridge Blue was a real disappointment. Terse service from uninterested bar staff, uncomfortable seating and what looked like a collection of Christmas lights that hadn’t been taken down. I sensed this place possibly catered for the less seasoned customer (those who like popular beat combos, the World Wide Web etc.) so we headed along the road to The Alexandra Arms, or “The Alex” as the locals know it, which was much better.

Another let down was St. Radegund, Cambridge’s smallest pub-lacking the character of its similarly-sized neighbours (although the jukebox will appeal to those who remember the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in 1980). As Living After Midnight isn’t really our lifestyle any more we thought it a good idea to try the food at The Architect where we will be dining on the Saturday night of the tour. 

The pub trades on reasonably priced fish and chips or pie and mash, and what we had was excellent and will certainly do the job as a venue for Judge Jolly’s kangaroo court.

After a quick pint in The Castle, which we visited in December, the lightweights (myself and The Chairman) hit the hay leaving the hellraisers(who total 207 years between them) to sample The Arundel’s selection of finest malt.

The combination of two recces results in the following summary:

The best places close to the hotel are The Maypole, Champion of the Thames and The Castle. If you want to take a 20 minute walk (and I strongly recommend it) then visit The Elm Tree and The Free Press-you won’t be disappointed.

Big thanks to Timmsy for his chauffeuring and to Steve Wilson, Phillip Harvey and Pete Ames for their local knowledge and help.

The Barford cricketing community was left reeling on Sunday with the discovery that Jon Lambdon has purchased a smartphone. It’s thought that the previously vocal refusenik finally succumbed to the decade old technology some time over the winter.

“It’s alright” said Jon, whilst gently stroking the shiny case. It’s believed that the occasional offy and future club batting legend will mostly use the device in trying to access Bebo, MySpace and Friends Reunited.

When approached for a comment, club chairman Sandy Peirson replied “What’s a smartphone?”

In other news, don’t forget that nets continue for the next three Sundays at North Leamington School, before switching to Monday nights at Wardens. New players are always welcome; we hope to see you there.

It’s that time of year when seasoned players shake off the Christmas excess and get back to it, whilst we hope that new players come along to help pick up the slack. Our net sessions (and our team) are open to people of all ages, abilities, genders and waist size, so come along if you fancy giving it a try. We have a bowling machine (AKA Doris) and all equipment is provided.

Dates, times and locations are listed below. The cost of each session is £3 for adults and £2 for juniors and the unwaged. To find out more contact Paul Johnstone on barfordsec@gmail.com

Our Sunday venue has changed this year to North Leamington School,Sandy Lane, Blackdown, Leamington Spa, CV32 6RD. 10.30am until 12.00. 

SUNDAY  27th JANUARY. 

SUNDAY 3rd FEBRUARY. 

SUNDAY  10th FEBRUARY. 

SUNDAY  17th FEBRUARY. 

SUNDAY  24th FEBRUARY. 

SUNDAY 3rd MARCH. 

SUNDAY  10th MARCH. 

Our Monday night venue remains Kenilworth Wardens, Glasshouse Lane,Kenilworth, CV8 2AL.  8pm until 9.30pm. 

MONDAY 11th MARCH. 

MONDAY 18th MARCH.

 MONDAY 25th MARCH. 

MONDAY   1st APRIL. 

MONDAY   8th APRIL. 

MONDAY 15th APRIL.