Pembroke at Emmanuel

Our side did not compete with the zesty Pembroke College lads in terms of age. They were, notwithstanding the claimed effects of a heavy night celebrating the end of exams, considerably and visibly younger than us. Nonetheless, our evergreen openers, Paul Stewart and Keith Hornby, strode out lithely to open the innings. Refusing to be distracted by the obvious but devious ploy of inviting 24 young Emmanuel girls to play tennis in impossibly white and impossibly minimalist skirts directly behind the bowlers arm (surely the university students had not assumed we Refreshers Renaissance Men would fall for such old-fashioned rascalry?), Keith and especially Paul set about building an innings. Keith fell, not before a ball whizzed past his head, kissing his crown on the way through; Paul fell too. The total grew but the loss of Owen Roach was a blow and Cannon, having hit some lusty blows to push the total towards 200, fell at a crucial time, leaving the innings to limp somewhat to 180 or so.

Early breakthroughs would be key, and Owen obliged, with a fiery spell provoked by the refusal of the Cambridge lads to allow him one of the cans of beer displayed on the tea table. Apparently they were for the master who had permitted them to use the pitch: a foolish error to display them so openly. Harry Wise bowled his customary spell of nagging line and length and Cayford appeared ere long to probe the eternal corridor.Third wicket down brought McNeill-Adams (a Refreshers Ringer from time to time) to the crease though, and he and his accomplice compiled a largely chance-free partnership which could not be broken, the winning runs hit inside out, lofted over mid-off for four and sending the Refreshers to their first defeat of the season. In a chilling display of their class, neither batsman could be tempted to hit the ball in the air even from O. Wise, who sent the ball high into the atmosphere in a brave ploy to tempt the young tyros at the crease, and all Refreshers had to agree that while we had finished perhaps 30 runs short in our own innings, the opposition had perhaps outclassed us on the day and the outcome was the only fair one in the circumstances. Particular thanks to David Adams who drove from North London to play for the Refreshers, suffered the ignominy of a golden duck and then the agony of a collision with an onrushing President of the refreshers whilst in the field. We hope watching his eldest win the game for his side so confidently made up for the anguish of defeat.

JC