CRICKET
Sat 1st XI, Wokingham II, away, 1.30pm start
Sat 2nd XI, Marlow Park II, home, 1.30pm start
Sun 2nd XI, Amersham Hill, home, 2pm start

THANK God for David Banner.
It's a line which has been uttered many times in the recent history of Chalfont St Peter Cricket Club, but it certainly applied to the Sunday Second XI's huge defeat against Uxbridge Casuals on Sunday. Chairman Banner, just back from a couple of months swanning around Australia and New Zealand, was innocently helping Shabs prepare the ground on Sunday when stand-in captain Neal Collins, not very good at counting, realised that he was several men short of a full team. With regular skipper Dan Webb and star performers Dave Anderson, Pat Nagle, Chalkie White and John Woods all in St Lucia watching England's weekend one-day defeats against the West Indies (yes, all together, drinking, having fun while the rest of us keep the country running), it was always going to be tough getting a full eleven out.

Banner rushed off to find his kit in the garage, only to find it covered in mouse droppings. But he bravely donned his slightly soiled whites and declared himself available for duty.

With hockey players and hangers-on emerging from the woodwork, Banner completed a makeshift eleven and Chalfont were put in to bat. As expected Uxbridge produced a highly competent opening bowling combination who ran through the upper order without much trouble. With Collins aghast at the other end, wickets tumbled fast and frequently, leaving Chalfont 17-5 before the arrival of that man Banner. Coming in to bat on a soft, sticky wicket against bowling of the highest order (for a Sunday Seconds game) Banner revealed he hadn't picked up a bat for two years. Yet he immediately settled in and made a mockery of the difficult conditions, scoring a quick-fire 22 with a series of off-driven fours. With Collins (23) given renewed confidence the pair added 41 before both fell to wobbling deliveries which defied belief on a tricky track. In the end, Chalfont were skittled for 75 and Uxbridge got there for the loss of two, Jonathan Lindsay and David Nowlden bagging the only wickets, and it was all over by 5.35. Still, as the Sunday Second XI know only too well, extended drinking time is never to be sneered at.

Hopefully the Caribbean Clowns should be back in action for a full-strength side this Sunday. Will Banner slip back in to the shadows with his dung-dusted flannels?

CRICKET
Sun 2XI lost to Uxbridge Casuals by 8 wickets.

Here are the best performances of the season so far:

BATTING
Neal Collins, 78, Sun 2XI -v- Dunstable II (25/4)
Matt Stevenson, 52, Sat 2XI -v- Ashford II (24/4)
Raf Mughal, 51, Sat 1XI -v- Ashford (24/4)

Chalfont Park Phoenix played their opening game of their league campaign on a soggy evening last Thursday against Ascot Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays opened up with two runs in the first innings, but the Phoenix answered with two of their own, the highlight being a home run from Rahul Punj. The second innings saw Adam Laubser hitting a home run that brought himself and two other runners back to home plate. 5-5 at the end of the 2nd innings.

Following a 3-up, 3-down shut out the Phoenix finally started to open up what appeared to be a game winning gap in the third inning when they put four more runs on the board. The evening was slowly setting in and it became apparent that the game would only be five innings in length. Going into the final innings the score was 11-7 and it looked like Chalfont only needed to take three outs and they could go to the pub, but Ascot had other ideas and put six runs on the board to make it 13-11 and to make Chalfont bat again.

Requiring three runs to win, Chalfont's task was made the more difficult by losing their first two batters quickly. Chris Blamey and Audrey Sternick both stepped to the plate to get on base. James Heath then stepped up and held his nerve to take a walk to 2nd base pushing Blamey home and Sternick onto 3rd base. 13-12. Annalisa Schonthal came up next and brilliantly got on base to bring up the big hitting Dan Lovelace. Lovelace made a solid hit to bring the winning two runs home in what was near darkness. What a finish. Final score 14-13.

LONDON MARATHON
A big thank you to all of you who turned out in the rain (and DJ's) to cheer me on for my gentle run around London and thank you to all of those people who have sponsored me. I am now in the process of collecting money (estimate so far is that I have raised nearly £2,400 which is brilliant), so could you either give me your money in person or send donations to my home;

22 Derwent Close
Little Chalfont
Amersham
Bucks
HP7 9PG

All cheques should be payable to Leukaemia Care. If you have forgotten, let me know and I can remind you.

Thanks a lot to everyone and a big thanks must go to Werty who trained with me but didn't actually compete in the marathon.