“Memories”

Match: 11 / 231

Lost by 2 wkts

Team	Total
FFTMCC	91
T. Smith 16
Centrica XI	92 - 8
J. Hoskins 3 - 9, D. Edwards 2 - 6

I found it in the loft, on top of a dusty cardboard box. I was clearing out a lifetime’s accumulation of possessions – artefacts, memories, and mostly junk. A photograph, of a cricket match, with me, or a younger version of me at any rate, clearly there, in some hastily acquired flannels and somebody else’s white shirt. The picture must have been taken by Jimmy Hoskins, who was a keen amateur photographer and had turned up the previous summer showing off his Six-20 Flash Brownie, taking some quite impressive shots of our cricketing exploits. A few of us were lucky enough to own cameras then – not of the same calibre as the Six-20, of course – so it might possibly have been by someone else – the printer chappy, Howarth I think his name was, took a few cricket photographs, but I don’t remember him being there that day.

Me – doing some wicketkeeping type stuff.

We’d been on a sortie over France when I received the telegram. Or more accurately, this was one of many times when my trusty steed had failed to start, and she was still being tended to by my mechanic when the comms room runner informed me that the chaps were on the way home – no doubt to rib me that night in the mess about my machine’s reliability – and that I had a message.

The telegram was from my old chum Charlie Hotson back in Oxford. The gentleman from the local gas works had challenged us to a cricket match. Did I want to play? Without haste I dictated my acceptance to the telegraph operator, and went in search of my Squadron Leader to arrange a few days leave.

Traffic had been light until I got to Birmingham, and then I got stuck behind some goods vehicles on the run down to Stratford, but the old sports car had for once performed faultlessly, and I got back to Oxford late on a Friday afternoon. The stifling day had turned into a sultry summer’s evening, and after a few ales in one of my favourite watering holes, I made tracks for the ground.

Our own pitch of previous summers had been given over to growing potatoes or cabbages, or something of that ilk, so the venue was to be a sports ground between the city boundary and the village of Temple Cowley, in an area that before hostilities had been rapidly developed with rows and rows of semi-detached houses for the employees of Mr Morris’ automobile factory a mile or so further east. Despite all this expansion of the city’s suburbs, the ground, built on land acquired from the neighbouring Southfield Farm, occupied an elevated position affording fine views across the city’s rooftops and spires, and, being set well back from the Victorian villas that line this side of the bustling Cowley Road, still retained a pleasant country air, surrounded by mature trees and open fields. It took me an age to open the gate to the field – it’s strange what you recall after all this time – and it’s a long trek across the field to the pavilion, where Charlie and some of the chaps were waiting for me.

I recognise a few other faces from the photograph: Jimmy Hoskins, the telephone engineer, Micky Reeves sporting an enormous hat, Smithy the carpenter, and the tall chap who was an electrician (was his name Bob, or am I making that up?), and or course our skipper, Charlie. I do recall the tall chap winding up all the gas works boys, boasting that gas was obsolete and that electricity was the future, and I also recall their skipper taking revenge by carving his bowling to all corners of the park!

Most of the players, however, seemed to be from the gas works, so some of them volunteered – or were volunteered – to play for us. A well-spoken chap called William, his gardener Dan, another chap called Bob, someone called Christopher and a tall chap who I think was foreign, joined our ranks, and that was our team.

I don’t remember many of the details of the match. I’m sure the ink in the scorebook has long since faded, and the encounter has been forgotten by the annals of history. I do remember, however, that I hit a couple of lusty blows through the covers before being castled, and I remember their captain took a liking to some of our bowling. I also recall that they had a good young leg-spinner, and a number 11 who, as I discussed with my team-mates afterwards, bowled erratically but looked like he could bat.

After the game, which I presume we lost, we drank beer beside the field and then in a pleasant hostelry on the other side of the Marsh until well after dark, enjoying the moment, the peace and tranquillity.

My mate Jimmy Hoskins.

I’m not sure what became of all of the chaps there that day. I think some of them carried on the cricketing tradition for a few years thereafter. Somebody told me that Jimmy Hoskins took up a post in the diplomatic service overseas, ending up first in Persia and later as a Governor General in some far-flung corner of the empire. Micky Reeves went to America, and I suppose the others are still in Oxford, Smithy making furniture, “Bob” installing wiring and Charlie, I presume, is still a member of the bar. I’m not sure the gas works is there now, nor, if truth be told, am I totally convinced of the accuracy of my other recollections, but then again, it was a very long time ago.

‘Air Cdre M.A.T Bullock DSO DCS TFC’

*

Statto Scorecards

Far from the MCC versus Centrica XI Played at Brasenose College, 10 June 2011 Far from the MCC won the toss and elected to bat Centrica XI won by 2 wkts Far from the MCC debuts: none

11 / 230 20 over match

Team	Far from the MCC
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	J. W. Pearson	run out	2	(9)	-	-	2-5
2	M. K. Reeves	b Ainsworth	0	(4)	-	-	1-3
3	D. Emerson	b Choudry	5	(10)	-	-	3-17
4	D. M. Edwards	run out	6	(6)	1	-	4-22
5	J. D. Hoskins	b Wickrama	3	(2)	-	-	5-22
6	M. Bullock +	b Robbins	12	(14)	3	-	6-42
7	T. P. W. Smith	b Khan	16	(44)	2	-	9-80
8	I. C. Leggate	b Robbins	0	(2)	-	-	7-42
9	R. Eaglestone	run out	5	(10)	-	-	8-78
10	C. D. Roberts	b Robbins	3	(5)	-	-	10-91
11	J. C. W. Hotson *	not out	9	(9)	2	-	-
	Extras	(NB3, W20, B7)	30
	TOTAL	(all out, 19 overs)	91

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Siva	2	0	5	0
2	Ainsworth	2	0	10	1
3	Choudry	2	0	14	1
4	Wickrama	2	0	4	1
5	Pyke	2	0	21	0
6	Khan	4	2	5	1
7	Jeewoth	2	0	15	0
8	Robbins	2	1	6	3
9	Timms	1	0	5	0

Team	Centrica XI
#	Batsman	How Out	Total	Balls	4s	6s	FOW
1	L. Hirton	lbw b Emerson	16		3	-	1-20
2	M. Choudry	lbw b Hoskins	17		2	-	3-77
3	Y. Jeewoth	b Emerson	0	(1)	-	-	2-20
4	R. A. Smith +	retired	32		4	-	-
5	G. J. Timms *	b Leggate	0		-	-	4-79
6	R. Robbins	b Hoskins	4		1	-	5-79
7	P. Wickrama	c Smith b Hoskins	0		-	-	6-79
8	C. Pyke	b Edwards	1		-	-	7-89
9	G. Siva	not out	9		1	-	-
10	A. Khan	b Edwards	1		-	-	8-91
11	L. G. Ainsworth	not out	0		-	-	-
	Extras	(NB2, W4, LB5, B1)	12
	TOTAL	(for 8 wickets, 16.1 overs)	92

#	Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wkts
1	Emerson	3	0	7	2
2	Pearson	3	0	18	0
3	Roberts	2	0	15	0
4	Eaglestone	2	0	19	0
5	Reeves	2	1	6	0
6	Hoskins	2	1	9	3
7	Leggate	1.1	0	5	1
8	Edwards	1	0	6	2

MOTM: n/a Champagne Moment: n/a Buffet Award: R. Eaglestone’s full dairy selection (with extra cream)

Opposition: V064 / 01 Ground: G040 / 15 Captain: C012 / 05