Refreshers tour to Norfolk, May/June 2025

Holkham

An unusually warm and sunny day greeted the arrival of eleven Refreshers to Holkham Park, to bear witness to the new and improved Holkham Park Cricket Pitch. It did look, well, better. And it was sunny and warm, and it one of the loveliest places of all to play cricket. The Refreshers got to work. We manufactured a toss (the intel being that two of the Holkham regulars had to leave early, so if they batted second, they could leave once out – more of that later!) and Bryant and Godschalk went about their business in their contrasting styles. Bryant was all watchful calm, accumulating runs, starved slightly of the strike. Godschalk, once over her characteristic starting conniptions, began leathering the ball to all corners, on drives featuring heavily. She reached her maiden Refreshers fifty in very good time, and was eventually bowled for an excellent 67. Cuthbert and then Chamberlain (back in the fold) joined the watchful Bryant, the latter eventually out for a superb 83 (he never fails at Holkham). Some lusty hitting from local mole Saunders, and the skipper, took the score to a formidable 245 off 35 overs.

A splendid tea, and the rest, well, wasn’t as good. The Refreshers bowled poorly, feeding James Spinks (a Refresher himself), and he helped himself. He was one of the two needing to leave early, a delivery shift at the Swaffham Tandoori beginning at 5.30pm. He did not leave early, finishing not out on 194 while the good people of Swaffham went without their weekend curries. The remaining Holkham lineup scored 40 runs between them but the 246 was reached with some five overs to spare. A good day but a bad result for the Refreshers (and well batted James!). Many thanks to the Saunders’ who hosted a splendid barbecue back at Owl Cottage.

Sugar Beet Gang

Sunday brought the promise of redemption. Clapp replaced Cuthbert in the lineup, and local bowler Taylor Dimmock stepped into Saunders’ shoes. We batted first, bloody maries having been supplied as is tradition, but we lost wickets at regular intervals and no-one was really able to dig in. Millie Siggins and Rafay Baloch put together a dogged last wicket stand, showing up those who came and perished before, but the score was a measly 145 all out. In contrast to Saturday, the Refreshers bowled tightly and fast, Clapp and Dimmock stinging the gloves of Bryant behind the stumps, Baloch père and Cannon proving hard to get away, and Rafay Baloch bowling a delightful spell. Wickets fell but one man was constant: another erstwhile Refresher, the younger Cannon went to fifty runs as his mother appeared at the ground, and the end was nigh. His Sugar Beet Gangsters regained the 1912 Cup, people said nice things about one another, the sun shone and we all slunk away. Match-winning performances on each day by one-time Refreshers: is that enough to count as a silver lining?