Damp Squib

Liphook and Ripsley III were keen to play cricket, in spite of the weather that had been forecast for the afternoon, and in spite of the weather than had fallen in the morning. Skipper Al Lewis lost the toss and Liphook were invited to bat. With Strong John unavailable, Lewis joined Mick Poore in walking out under a dark thunderous sky. Poore started off strongly with a four from the first delivery, and Liphook and Ripsley sped to 50 in the seventh over. With Lewis on fire with 31 from 35 deliveries, Poore bizarrely chose to shorten his career with the third team by calling his skipper for a single that was never there. Even if Dave Coombes had been running it, and he walked straight back to the Pavillion, past it and to his car which was doubling up as todays changing room. Ross Seavill failed to trouble the scorers and 55/2 didn't look quite so good.

Last week's centurion, Richard Jarratt, was looking in fantastic form with 22 from 16 deliveries, but he missed a delivery from Peper Harrow bowler Lee Bennett which destroyed his wicket. Mick Poore was given out LBW by skipper Al Lewis when he was on 21 - payback for the run out earlier in the innings and the LBW decision that Poore gave against Lewis in a friendly two weeks ago. It's a good job that Liphook don't run a fourth team as Poore could be turning out for them next week. As it is, the committee decided that he was too short for the U15s and would need to drop down to the U13s. If they would have him.

Billy Allcock was caught by a sharp catch in the covers and Liphook had collapsed from 90/2 to 97/5. Andy Grimes was on 6 and Charlie Cuervo Moraga on 2 when the heavens opened and the players ran for whatever cover they could find to cower under. The game briefly re-started an hour later, but it was clear that the rain was set in for the rest of the day and the game was abandoned with Liphook on 102/5 from 23 overs.

Jonny Allcock, in for last week's hero, Frank Tickle, had his best game for several years, by not touching the ball, and not even getting into his cricket whites, but he entered into the Pink Flamingo spirit that runs through this team with a baseball cap that matched Jarratt's lunchbox.