Refreshers v CIPA CITMA – 2 July 2019

Refreshers v CIPA CITMA

A new fixture against the Patent Attorneys and Trade Mark Attorneys of London – all of whom looked worryingly young and worryingly ready when the Refreshers ambled up to Ally Pally on a glorious July evening, only ten minutes or so after the scheduled start time. A couple of late drop-outs had left us with nine, including two or three ringers (one of whom – David Carrington – claimed to have played in only two previous cricket matches in his 39-year life – more of which later).

Refreshers batted first, being restricted to only five men at the start time (the ranks soon swelled) and Rowan Clapp, a recent Refreshers centurion, departed early to a horrible pee-roller which he couldn’t keep out. Godschalk played with customary elegance and Ringer No.1, Chad Mayo (surprisingly, with a name like that, from Australia) set out boosting the rate. He quickly reached 25, and was replaced by Long. Cannon replaced Godschalk and began to flail, reaching 24 and then hitting a six over square leg to take him to retirement. Skipper Edwards was his Root-esque self, steadily accumulating, but also running out the debutant Carrington for a duck with a disastrous call, until eventually the Refreshers score reached 180 off our 20, a six over mid-on by Cannon (having come back in) completing the first half of the contest.

Long and Mayo opened the bowling and restricted the Attorneys to below the required run-rate, immediately applying scoreboard pressure. Cannon took advantage, bowling the opener for 14 and trapping the other lbw for 23 having softened him up with a rank long-hop smashed (justly) for six. Dan ‘the man’ Malone sent down two excellent overs of in-duckers before Carrington stepped up, fortified with two Tramadol for a gammy ankle, and made his claim to novicehood look absurd, rolling down three careful overs and hoovering up 3-20. Tanzer and Clapp also contributed with miserly lines (keeping it by and large on the fabled ‘island’) and the Attorneys fell well short of victory, finishing on 159.

An excellent post-match tea and many jugs of ale rounded off an excellent evening – here’s to many more such fixtures.

JC