Ticklers 15 - 14 Loan Wolves
Storm Warning
A brutal thunderstorm ravaged London on Tuesday, with tall buildings struck by lightning and houses being plucked from the ground by tornadoes.
Thankfully it stopped by mid-afternoon and by tea-time it was agreed with the Ticklers' captain that we would go ahead with our game. At least the steep pitches on Primrose Hill would drain quickly...
I set off for the pitch in a chill, gloomy, damp early evening, with the threat of another downpour hovering constantly. Still, the rain was holding off and there was light wenough to play by.
Steadily the Wolves assembled, the most impressive entrance being made by Lucy W and Paul, enormous blue hula hoops slung from their shoulders. It transpired that they had taken part in a world record-breaking mass hula event, marking the end of an era - the last broadcast of Blue Peter from Television Centre. And they had the coveted Blue Peter badges to prove it!
The match commenced. A first inning which saw too many runs go to the opposition left us with a mountain to climb. A cold, drizzly, windy mountain. But we dug in and set off. Runs came to us, and we held their score down. More of that vital game experience that our newer players needed was earned as we clawed back that big lead. Some good catches (and a few brave near-misses), infielding, and some great batting performances - Keiran's home run was lovely - kept us in the game. The eight-run Third inning was where we really came back into the fray. The Wolves kept their spirits up despite a daunting start and an increasingly unseasonal temperature. I think a few of us envied Keiran his woolly hat, and I can only assume that Rob's impromptu dance routine at Shortstop was inspired by a desire to keep warm.
By maintaining our overall performance and teamwork, we closed the gap. But had we done enough to turn the match around? We went into the bottom of what was to be the last inning due to failing light and the oncoming storm with a one run lead. Unfortunately, we hadn't kept the pressure on with the bat enough to build a really defensible lead. The Ticklers made just the runs they needed, and the game came to an end.
We retired to the pub afterwards, to shelter from the weather. A disappointing result after a good fightback from the Wolves, but a game which saw a strong overall performance from newer players and experienced veterans. It's good to see this year's intake starting to become comfortable in their roles - like self-styled "outfield bunny" Lucy W. And good to see more experienced people like Libs and Gabriele working with them to develop them as players and as a team. Hopefully next time we won't be quite so "winningly challenged".