What a splendid feast at the Angel's end of season gathering last night!
All the usual favourite things like banoffi pie and PEK quiche, and the most amazing corned beef pie supplied by Chloe's mum -
With our bellies and glasses full to the brim, we retired to the lounge for the award ceremony. For those of you that missed it, awards were given to the following Angels....
Wicket of the Season - Jen - for that amazing wicket at home to Stocksfield 1sts.
Giant Slaying Award - Chloe - for the 'Chloe and Goliath' wicket at South North.
Best Bowling Performance - Cheryl - for her remarkable 3 wickets for 4 runs at Wylam.
Top Scorer against Stocksfield 1sts Award - Sandra, who scored a brilliant 12 at home, and Chloe who scored a chart topping 3 away from home.
Only Players NOT to Get a Duck Award - Sally, Karen, Fiona, Debbie.
(Jen also got a special mention for gathering the most ducks of the season - sorry Jen!)
Best Batting Performance - Sally - for that brilliant 35 in the moonlight at South North.
(I was awarded a torch for the 'Blind Old Bat Award' thanks to my performance in this game!)
Coolest Catch - Fiona - for her cool as y'like catch at home v Wylam
Best Catch by a Wicky - Kerry - for that wonderful catch at South North.
Most Catches - Catching Chomse - 4 brilliant catches that placed her 5th in the league!
Catch of the Season - Debbie - for her awesome catch on the line v Hexham Leazes.
Most Versatile Player Award - Gillian for being able to bat left and right handed.
(Gillian was also given a big cheer for the fabulous support she has given the team throughout the season)
Only Player Never to be Bowled Award - Andrea - She's never heard that awful P-Linky-Linky-Tink sound!
Pitch Inspection Award - Tishy - for travelling all the way to Tynemouth to see if the pitch really wasflooded. (Tishy also got a cheer for her great wicky-ing performances throughout the season)
Best Tea Award - Only one contender really - Gillian - for her marvellous PEK quiche!
AND FINALLY...
The Most Comical Moment of the Season Award
Runners Up - Sandra and Sally for that (now famous) runout.
But the WINNER of this years Most Comical Moment of the Season Award goes to...
WELL DONE Shelagh. That 'Get Carter' moment of the season was undoubtedly the most comical. You are a worthy winner. (In truth, we're all just completely jealous of what a good cricketer you are and if we'd had a Best non-Angel player Award - it would also go to you!) :-)
A FAB evening Angels!
And just in case you want to watch the slideshow again - here it is...
As the dregs of hurricane Irene swept around outside, I gazed out of my office window wondering if the cricket would be on.
'It's our last match tonight,' I said quietly.
'Oh,' my colleague replied, not averting her eyes away from the computer screen, 'that's nice.'
'It's against South North - they're really good and their ground is like Lords - we'll get thrashed,' I continued.
'Uh-huh,' said my colleague again, tapping away at the keyboard, and smiling kindly.
'It's been a fab season.'
'Good.'
'Do you want to see our video?'
My colleague glanced at her watch then declared how late she was for a meeting, before leaving me alone with my tummy butterflies. No-one at work understands...
By 5pm, there were no texts to say that South North had been swept away in a flood or blown away by the wind or destroyed in a fire. Our last game of the season was on.
South North batted first. The evening sunshine was bright, the shadows were long and the wind swirled around this beautiful pitch. South North doesn't have nettles for boundaries, it has ropes. The grass isn't covered in worms and mud heaps - it has drainage holes all over it, and it is manicured to perfection. They have clean changing rooms and toilets where you can have a wee in the confidence that you won't be locked in for an hour. It is lovely.
BUT
South North had NO spectators and no soul. No marauding kids digging holes, having fights, climbing trees or getting married. No radgie husbands, fathers or sons yelling from the clubhouse, no dogs, no frogs, no midges, no NOWT.
It was earily quiet as we walked out to field - our own band of loyal supporters were tucked away inside - out of the cold.
Chloe and Jen opened the bowling, and within the first few minutes, Chloe had bowled out their danger player, who stands at 8 feet tall. 'Chloe and Goliath.' She whopped us around the ground last year...but not this time! It gave us all a lift, and we started to believe that maybe...just maybe....
More wickets tumbled as Chloe took another and Super Looper Sewell added another scalp to her season's haul.
And then Kerry's big moment arrived. The batsman scuffed the ball high into the air. It seemed to hang there for an hour as Kerry set herself to take the catch. We held our breath and waited. There was a squeal. For a moment we thought she'd dropped it. But it was a squeal of delight! What a catch!
Cheryl and Sandra's bowling was as accurate as ever and they were unlucky not to get a wicket. Sandra chucked the ball to Jen to see if she could wreak any havoc with the tail end of South North's batting line-up. Super Looper Sewell did not disappoint!
She got 2 wickets in a row to get South North all out for 64. One of these was a catch - coolly taken by Catching Chomse! Tremendous!
Next season, Jen will be on a hat-trick ball! What a performance by our our young bowlers!
By now, the moon had appeared, and it was getting dusky.
As Sally and I strolled out to face - we made a plan. We often make plans as we trundle out there to the crease. We say things like - 'Right, lets shout today,' or 'I'll try not to run you out,' or 'I'm scared, are you?'
Today's plan was simple, and sensible. 'Survive the first 8 overs, then get slogging Sal - we can DO this!'
Their first 8 overs were tricky - one bowler was turning the ball like Swanny and the other was hoying it down like Jimmy Anderson. I defended, swished, swatted and missed everything that wasn't heading for the stumps - Sally played calmly, sensibly and confidently. We ran like hell on the byes and we actually made calls like 'No,' 'Yes' and even 'Wait!'
After surviving 8 overs, we decided to start going for it. I continued to swish, swat and miss - trying my best to see the ball in the darkness (I need to go to Specsavers!) but Sally was unstoppable - whacking 4 x 4's in a row in one over and having some well-deserved fun out there. Our supporters were now braving the cold, trying to pick us out in the moonlight and cheering when they saw 2 little people in white running down the wicket.
With only 6 needed for the win, Sally was bowled for a fantastic 35 runs. It was down to the blind old bat and young Chloe to try and get the runs needed for a memorable win.
We did it. It was brilliant. A total team performance. Smiles all round. A wonderful feeling...
I'm back to work on Tuesday. I imagine the conversation will go something like this -
'We beat South North.'
'Oh?'
'It was amazing.'
'Good.'
Then I'll gaze out of the window, watch the leaves turn brown, wave the butterflies goodbye and smile to myself, longing for the summer to come back soon...
The Great Whittington men dug their whites out from the back of the drawer, strapped up their knees and ankles and prepared to take on the mighty...Corbridge Angels!
It was a fabulous game - enjoyed by all of us Angels but even more so by our challengers who thoroughly enjoyed the contest, and who (I think) were a little surprised at the standard of cricket played by their opponants!
In the end, despite putting up a great fight, we couldn't quite match the tactics employed by their evil captain, Eddie, who set his field with a load of slips, short legs and silly mid wickets to catch us all out!
It was great fun, and the GW guys are very keen to play us again next year. It'd be great if we could maybe make this an annual August Bank Holiday event. :-)
Some pics from the day...
A mini-GW batsman in action
OOT! Caught in the slips!
Another mini GW gentleman in action!
Evil Eddie - the GW captain!
Chloe in action - she had a great innings!
Pressure!!
Anxious faces waiting to bat!
Scores on the doors
Game over - GW were the winners.
A great game - many thanks to all the guys from Great Whittington.
Also, BIG thanks to Charlie who umpired brilliantly after 3 pints, Steve who umpired brilliantly despite enduring the pain of his new tattoo! and to Aaron the scorer!
Found this in the clubhouse last night on the floor.
For those with poor eyesight, you can click on it to make it slightly bigger. After that, if you still can't read it, then you shouldn't be playing cricket!!!
Oh - and watch out for 'Corbridge Angels - the movie' coming out soon. Nearly finished the editing...
Cameron holds crisis talks as Jen's foot injury threatens to keep her out of the Angels team
When David Cameron flew back early from his holidays and called a special COBRA meeting at Downing Street, the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was because of the riots.
This is not true.
Whilst practicing 'not being out' in the nets on Sunday in her plymmies, Jen got a corker bowled onto the top of her foot which meant that she was seriously nacked and her place on the team against Wylam 1sts was doubtful. With Sally on holiday in the Lakes, The only person that Sandra could turn to for help was the Prime Minister.
He left it a little late before flying home to respond to the crisis, but, with the Angel's secret weapon injured, he knew he had to do something.
Jen at Wet n Wild
After meeting all morning, it was decided that Jen should have a day out at Wet n Wild. The special bacteria and minging-ness, unique to Wet n Wild, is great for bruised feet. She might come away with 27 verrucas, an ear infection and bloodshot eyes, but at least her foot would be fixed.
It was a risk that Jen was willing to take.
It worked. And when Jen stepped up to bowl her first ball of the night, the nation held their breath.
Some people holding their breath may actually have passed out, because Jen's loopy bowl seemed to take 10 minutes to sail through the air in a perfect arc, towards her 1st victim.
I watched as the Wylam batsman-lady followed the ball with her eyes. I could tell she was thinking - 'Ooh, this looks like a ball that can be smacked for four, ooh maybe it isn't, ooh, maybe it is, ooh, I don't think it....' p-linky-tinky-tink.'
'Get in!'
Up stepped another Wylam batsman-lady - and met the same fate - with the same loopy stealth bomber ball - in the same over.Well done Jen!!!
With only one over left we chucked in a very reluctant Mrs Chomse to bowl. 1st ball....and she hit the stumps. Get in! Another secret weapon in the Angel armory! Well done Karen!
Alas, they were the only wickets we managed to get, and their really good batsman-lady - Kelly, batted really well to make 51 runs not-out. She could have got a whole lot more if the outfield wasn't so slow. (That means that the grass was long, not that the fielders were too slow!) In fact, our fielders were great - especially Fiona who became a ball magnet for the night, young Georgia who's got a great hoy, and Cheryl (on the line - no, the line - the LINE - the LINE!) who's always got a great and accurate chuck.
Kerry did great as wicky again - well done Kezza!
It took us all a little while to work out the 'leftie' and the 'rightie' field positions, but we got there in the end, and Wylam made 116.
When it was our turn to bat, I felt quite safe going out with Sandra. I couldn't see Sheelagh anywhere and I was worried that she was going to be hiding somewhere in the nettles, ready to shoot me after the 'Get Carter' incident. With my body guard alongside, I hoped that all would be well.
We got off to a great start - both scoring some good runs in the first few overs. Neither of us heard any 'Sandra man's' or 'Lisa man's' being muttered from our husbands back at the clubhouse, so we knew we must be doing ok.
But then Sandra was bowled. It was pretty deadly - not much she could do about it.
The overs ticked by steadily, and everyone got a bat, played a few good shots and gained some valuable experience. We ended up with 60 or 70-something before being aaal oot in the last over.
A canny game.
Thank you to Cameron for coming home early to get Jen fixed to play, thanks to Eddie and Philip for umpiring, Aaron for scoring, all our lovely supporters and the Wylam lasses for good banter and a nice tea.
I wonder if the PM will be able to provide us with any extra help next Tuesday when we take on the might of Stocksfield Firsts?
Please David, Boris, God or anyone else listening, let us get at least one more run than Hexham Leazes did...
Something to listen to whilst you read the blog...
I just can't believe that Dave Smurthwaite hasn't thought of it before.
He's set up a fantastic junior section of the club, a tremendous ladies team, and he's organised a brilliant coaching week for the kids this summer. All of this is helping to keep Corbridge Cricket Club thriving and the funds in a healthy state.
But Dave, there's an opportunity you've completely missed!...
...Weddings!
Last night, the marauding pack of abandoned children decided to conduct a wedding service, complete with vicar, congregation, bride and groom. The venue? Just beside the big white sight screen next to the pitch. The reception? In the clubhouse. The caterers? Well, the Angels of course - with their selection of fine home cooking - including, amongst other delicacies - spam quiche.
Something to bring to the next club meeting for consideration maybe (the weddings idea, Sally, not the spam quiche) - (I loved it by the way, please make it again!)
Running alongside the marriage of Sam and Jess, was a cricket match. The Corbridge Angels v Greenside. And despite the clapping, cheering and whooping of the congregation in the background, the Angels' concentration didn't falter. In fact, it could have been Prince William and Kate getting married, and no-one would have bothered looking over - the game was far more important!
Put into bat first by Greenside, me and Sal trooped out and were doing alright until both of remembered that we hadn't been run out all season. So we thought we'd give it a go. Sal went first, charging down the wicket like Braveheart before deciding against it and turning back - too late. Then a couple of overs later I decided I should also gallop like a loon for a run that was never a run - and bosh - out.
It was up to Chloe and Chomse to get us some runs. The two 'Ch's.'
Karen settled herself in beautifully and was soon piling on the singles and 2's steadily with some lovely shots. She moved her feet and she danced down the wicket. She even attempted a version of the 'Dilshan Scoop' (see below) where she turned 180 degrees and hit the ball after it had gone past - straight into the wicket keeper's face (thank God for helmets!) That shot has never ever been played before in the history of cricket - and so, it becomes the 'Chomse Wicket Keeper Killer Shot.'
The Dilshan Scoop - Good, but nowhere near as good as the Chomse Wicket Keeper Killer Shot.
Chloe meanwhile was doing great at the other end. Really looking the part, and would have scored a few 4's if Eddie hadn't made the boundary so darned big!
When Chloe was bowled, in went Jen......then out went Jen. Bloomin LBW again!
And so, with Mrs Chomse still surviving well, in went Andrea who did exceptionally well against some tricky bowling. At the end of the 20 overs, Karen had notched up a tremendous 19 runs - not out.
The grand total of 50-something wasn't massive though, so if we were going to win we had to be ultra sharp in the field and get some wickets! We had to BELIEVE!
It all started pretty well. Chloe got a wicket and Cheryl got a wicket - another 2 'Ch's' performing brilliantly.
The fielding really was fantastic - and Tishy's wicky-ing was excellent, but Greenside were still grabbing singles and the odd 4. It was getting harder to BELIEVE as the scoreboard ticked over.
Jen meanwhile, was playing her BEST EVER game in the field - diving, stopping, blocking, chucking etc, so when a big loopy hit came her way we all screeched 'CATCH!' in our heads.
It fell into her hands.
It fell out of her hands.
It fell back into her hands.
Then it fell out of her hands again.
But it was the BEST juggling act I have ever seen!
Greenside reached their total but we played on which gave everyone a chance to have a bit of a bowl.
It was a really good TEAM performance despite the fact we lost. We're all understanding the game a lot more, we're focused and determined. But I still think we need to have a bit more BELIEF in our ability as individuals and as a team!!
Thank you to the umpires and scorers and the huge number of supporters that we seem to be attracting these days. Its fabulous to have you there.
And as for the newlyweds, we wish you both a very happy future together... :-)
Its a long, lonely walk back to the clubhouse when you’ve just been caught out for a duck on the third ball of the game.
That stupid Hair Bear Bunch man from 10cc was singing in my head as I tucked my bat under my arm to begin the humiliating trudge back.
‘I don’t like cricket...oh no....I love it...’
‘Well actually Mr Dreadlock Holiday, you’re right – I don’t like cricket...in fact I hate it,’ I muttered, stomping past my cowering team mates.
‘I absolutely hate it,’ I snarled, throwing my bat onto my bag.
‘What a stupid bloody game,’ I cursed, chucking my gloves into the bag and ripping the Velcro on my pads. It made a satisfying noise – like today's page of the score book being torn out and shredded into little pieces.
Thank God no-one came along at that point to offer advice, like -
‘You should always hit the ball along the ground...’
Because they may well have ended up with the rest of my kit – stuffed angrily into my sweaty bag, zipped up tight and hoyed in the boot of the car.
After the game, I wondered if this reaction to being ‘oot’ was normal.
Are you expected to just say ‘Oh dear, out again, jolly well bowled, and great catch...’ before skipping back to the clubhouse with a warm smile of affection for the game, for the opposition and for life itself...
I wondered, briefly, if Rachael Heyhoe Flint - the most famous of all England lady cricketers was really called Rachel Flint. Maybe her team mates added the 'Heyhoe,' due to her jolly sporting attitude when she was 'oot.'...'Heyhoe gals, out again, not to worry, better luck next time... '
Rachel Heyhoe Flint cheerfully taking her pads off after being
out for a duck on the third ball of the game.
So I googled 'Feeling very cross about being out in cricket,' and was relieved to see that some of the supercool stars of the cricketing world have been known to react badly.
Even Nasser gets mad
Nasser Hussein and Mark Ramprakash were both known as dressing room destroyers. Hussein once put his fist through a wooden locker door (and couldn't get it out again) and Ramprakash bashed his team-mate's helmet around the changing rooms with his bat until the grille was completely buckled and mangled.
Even the calm, and somewhat dull Michael Atherton kicked a set of weighing scales so hard that he broke his big toe.
They were all very cross about being 'oot.'
So I don't feel so bad now. Being cross about being 'oot' is normal. And at least I didn't smash anything. I had a bit of a rant, but then thought 'Heyhoe' and went back outside to support my team mates....
...who, one by one, slowly trudged off to that familiar tune in their heads - 'I don't like cricket....'
We were playing Hexham Leazes, and, put into bat first, were heading for an almighty whopper of rubbish score.
Last lady in for us was our captain. If ever there was a match when we needed her to give that little red ball a damned good thumping, it was NOW.
'Whack! Whack! Thwhack!'
Thank the Lord! The score soon soared into the 30's - and we were saved from total humiliation.
Sadly, it didn't take too long for Leazes to notch up the winning runs, but not before THE CATCH OF THE CENTURY.
Debbie, placed strategically in that deep-mid-on-hooky-nooky position near the river, watched the ball sail high and long into the air before calmly getting two firm, safe hands around it. Totally brilliant.
After Leazes got the runs they needed, we were treated to something their umpire called a 'beer' game. Except there wasn't any beer. Just more....cricket.
All in all, apart from our captain and Chomse's partnership, Debbie's catch and the very delicious tea afterwards, it was a disappointing afternoon...
...BUT!!! the changing rooms are intact. All the windows have glass in them, the helmets are in one piece and Henry Hoover is still alive....just.
Because, 'Heyhoe,' Angels, there's always Greenside on Wednesday.... :-)
Here's a little song to play whilst you read the blog...
Thank God for Slogger Sal.
When Sally's in, you can lean on your bat like a little old lady with a walking stick, knowing that no running will be required. You can catch your breath, and watch with confidence, knowing that she will do one of the following things -
1 - Smack the ball beautifully for 4 - not just the hooky shot thing, but all around the pitch, sending fielders to plodge around in the nettles, the caravan park, Daisy's garden, the rugby club house, the railway line, river...
...OR, she'll
2 - SWISH!!!......and miss
OR, she'll even
3 - Play a lovely defensive shot. You can almost hear the 'devil' in Sal's head shouting 'Whack it Sally! Go on man just give it another whack!' She listens to him for a fraction of a second, lining herself up for another swipe, but then Sally's angel interupts 'Nooooooo, Sally! What the bloody hell are you doin' man! Defend! Defend!' and then phew! she listens and does it - just in the nick of time. You can almost hear the sigh of relief from the crowd back at the clubhouse.
but then, sometimes there can also be the
4 - SWISH!...miss......P-linky linky tink.
BUT these days, its usually after a BIG score - and Sal was really unlucky last night with ANOTHER full toss dive bomber ball that fell from the sky with a direct hit onto the stumps - just when she was starting to get the other team worried - REALLY worried!
The dive bombers just keep getting wor Sal!
She was disappointed and I was gutted. The little old lady would have to start doing some running...
It was the Corbridge Angels v Stocksfield 2nds game.
Young Northumberland county squad v's 6 creaky old ladies (one with feverish plague-like symptoms) and the 2 young lasses, wor Chloe and wor Jen.
Stocksfield were all set to thrash us as usual, and we were all set to be thrashed.
We fielded first. The bowling wasn't the greatest ever, but Cheryl still managed to do well despite being on the point of death. Loopy Sewell and Chloe the Rocket both claimed a Stocksfield scalp each.
Then - our captain stepped up, and with Kazza ready and waiting at mid-on-half-point-silly-slip-deep-mid-off-point-wicket, the Stocksfield lass hit it high up the air. 'Catch it!' yelled the captain in an encouraging but rather desperate voice.
Kazza was never going to drop it. She had her specs on, she has the safest hands in the team. She is the 'Catching Chomse.'
Sure enough she took it well, and then ANOTHER one a short while later. FABULOUS, and 2 wickets to Mrs Tiff! Get in!
Meanwhile, wor Kerry behind the stumps did a fantastic job, and didn't let a single ball (apart from the wides!) go past her!
By the end of their innings, Stocksfield had reached 100 runs for 4 wickets.
Time for Slogger Sal and Steady Scottie.
Things were looking great, until the dive bomber ball that got Sally out for 20.
In trooped the reinforcements - Chloe first - and WHAT an innings! Some lovely defensive shots, a great 4 and some lovely singles. The BEST we've seen yet of our canny youngster with the bat!
During our partnership, I managed to hit the ball hard for once - but it sailed right up in the air towards one of their fielders. Once again I could hear the intake of breath from the gathering crowds at the clubhouse. When she dropped it, a most unlady-like cheer rang out, led by my partisan husband. So unsporting, but so lush.
When Mrs Captain came in, she had to trudge off 2 balls later - oot to a very tricky ball. I could hear the umpire muttering as he replaced the bails. 'Aal that bloody practice, shockin', just shockin. She's gonna be telt mind. Shockin'.'
Catching Chomse was up next, and put in a decent performance - we grabbed the singles when we could and kept the score board ticking over steadily.
With Chomse oot next, in came Death-bed Durkin. Once again, we managed a few runs before Cheryl was caught by their wicky.
There were only a couple of overs left, and in came wor Jen.
'Listen to the call,' I said, 'we're going to try and run every ball.'
'Ok,' she agreed, 'no problem.'
Jen was facing. The bowler pitched it right up and the ball was heading straight for the stumps. She got her bat on it and the ball trickled safely away - 3 inches down the wicket.
'RUN!' I yelled, charging towards her like a wild bison. Cheers again from the crowd. No LBW this time. Jen had her first run of the season! Woohoo!
I caught Eddie out of the corner of my eye - he was swinging a bat around madly, demonstrating how I should now be whacking the ball. It really made me laugh.
We tried, but we just couldn't reach their score. However, with an impressive 87 runs, we were SO close, and we really gave them a proper scare.
By the time my innings was over and my helmet removed, I looked like a strawberry fizz-bomb. (Remember them?) But I had just run the equivalent of 925.372 metres dressed in a michelin man outfit whilst dying for a wee....
Fizz bombs, for those of you who don't remember...
I bloody loved it. And it was the BEST team performance we've put in yet.
Thank you to our ever-growing army of supporters. I'm glad we gave you such a good game to watch! Thank you to Aaron, Steve and our pal Chris Catnach.
Lovely tea as ever. Can't wait to see you all at Greenside on Monday. Hopefully my legs will have recovered by then...
When Tynemouth were clearly too scared to come and face the Angels on our home ground in the tropical heat, our captain decided to involve the Angel blokes in a 'friendly' game instead.
The teams were mixed - with husbands and wives and dads and daughters batting together. A chance to witness some decent domestic strife! But no - it was GREAT FUN - not too many scraps at all!
Thank you to the 2 young umpires. (Sorry Matthew, but Aaron definitely won in the 'quickest draw' competition.) Thank you Dave for being Tishy's husband for a while, and thank you all for the lovely family tea afterwards.
Debbie - the photos are fantastic - thanks for capturing this lovely afternoon in pictures...
When the midwife finally handed me my eleven pound baby after HOURS of child birthing HELL, I felt relief, joy, love...I held him tight as his screams were heard down every inch of corridor and in every ward of the old Hexham hospital. I didn't care - he was amazing. He was gorgeous, he was mine. My lovely baby boy...
...10 years on, and I still can't believe that it was the same lovely baby boy that bowled a full toss cricket ball at 150 mph straight at my head last night.
LittleSOD!
It was the eagerly awaited match of the season -
Mothers, teachers, sisters, cousins and friends of mothers (Angels) v's the KIDS (Under 11 Kings)
To cut a long story short, we LOST against the little whippersnappers, but y'know what - it was a truly wonderful match. To play competitive cricket against your own kids/brother/cousin/pupils was just great, and I for one will treasure the memory of the occasion for ever, despite my own sorrowful performance!
Watch out mum!
Yes! I've hit it!
Mum in bat, dad as umpire, daughter bowling, and the other lad? He's mine!
Sadly, I didn't manage to get team pictures as a keepsake...not because the light was poor or because I'd forgotten the camera, but because as soon as hands were shaken, the kids sprinted into the clubhouse to fill their faces with the delicious tea! I didn't have the heart to drag them outside for a photo, so we'll all have to picture their smiling faces in our heads for evermore!
Well done kids - you got us this time! A strange mix of emotions for some of the Angels - GUTTED and disappointed to lose, but at the same time proud of the little sods that beat us....
...but we'll get you next time :-)
Thanks Chris and Steve for umpiring and Aaron for scoring.
All was deathly quiet at Wylam's cricket ground. The evening sun stretched long shadows on the pitch, and several ladies in white stood like Greek statues all around me as I waited for Shelagh's next deadly, plum ball.
'Lets have some Carter magic!' came a little cry as she stepped up to bowl.
Then it happened. With an agonising cry, she dropped to the ground clutching her right leg.
'My God she's been shot!' I muttered, and quickly scanned around the field looking for the sniper.
The statues came to life and rushed across to their ailing team mate, who was writhing in pain on the ground. I could see that she was still alive, but there was no blood.
'Ahhhh me leg, ahhhhhh!' she was howling, as she rolled around helplessly.
Thankfully, a first aider was on the scene, and it soon became clear that it wasn't a bullet that had sent Shelagh crashing to the ground like a tower from the demolition of Blyth Power Station. It was a little muscle in her calf that had just 'gone.'
15 minutes of massage later, and the brave warrior of Wylam's team finally managed to get to her feet to rapturous applause from the crowd.
'I think you should go off,' suggested a team mate.
'I'll be alright,' she hobbled, determined to get revenge on me for getting her out previously with an LBW. 'I'll just bowl without me run up.'
And she did. 'It's like playing against the Care Home 11,' their wicket keeper said, as Shelagh limped up to bowl.
But she was still as deadly, and after a canny start with the bat, 'Catcher Chomse' soon became her latest victim.
We still managed to reach our target to WIN the game, however, which was largely down to the UNBELIEVABLE bowling attack, that is now sending shivers down the spines of every player in the league.
Here's what they'll be saying -
'Have you played Corbridge yet?'
'They're the ones that are really crap aren't they? The pie chuckers that don't have a clue?'
'Aye, well watch oot. They've got some awesome bowlers. A young lass called Chloe that bowls at 100 mph, and a lass called Cheryl. She got 3 wickets at Wylam and went for just 4 runs!'
'Eh?!!!'
'Aye, and there's this kid called Jen. She sends these loopy balls down and you think to yourself that you're gonna smash it, but then all of a sudden it drops in front of your feet and you're left dancing around whilst the stumps and bails go flying.'
'Blimey!'
'And that Jen, well, she's got 5 wickets already this season, and whatever stat you look at in the league she's at the top or near the top!'
'Bloomin heck!'
'AND, they've got more than one wicky. Last night, they had this lass from Matfen - Tishy you called her. Only let ONE go past. She was amazing. AND, she'd never done it before!'
'Eh?!!'
'Aye. So I've warned you. Don't think your going turn this lot over, cause they're pretty good.....'
2 wins girls! How does that sound!
Thank you Jen's dad for stepping in as umpire and being almost braver than the warrior herself by giving her oot LBW! And to Aaron for scoring. Bit of a shorter shift than usual last night!
And thanks also to our dear cricket buddy Ms Carter who thankfully wasn't shot after all! I'm sorry we had a bit of a laugh at your expense so by all means get your own back at the next game!
Me and the kids used to love building massive towers, palaces and cities from the old wooden bricks that I used to play with as a kid. One of the best bits of the whole thing was giving the structure a little nudge with your finger and watching it topple to the floor. It always made the same sound. A sort of tinkling woody noise. P-linky-linky-tink.
I was reminded of this sound last night when a big, red, fast, hard ball hit 3 wooden stumps and knocked 2 little diddly sticks to the ground.
This time, however, I didn't shout 'Hoorah!' like I would've done with the kids as our tower was destroyed. No. I said a very bad word instead. I think it was 'B*st*rds.'(Apologies to the youths in the team)
I was, of course, playing cricket. Against Hexham Leazes at their beautiful ground - set high in the Hexhamshire hills, overlooking the glorious Tyne Valley with its luscious green, rolling hills and....
set high in the Hexhamshire hills, overlooking the glorious Tyne Valley with its luscious green, rolling hills and....
....actually, they have a really HORRIBLE ground. The wicket is set high on a little grassy plateau. It drops eighty feet down a crevasse to the outfield that rolls gently down the hill like a puckered green tablecloth that's covered in rabbit poo. When you try and chase a ball, you end up like Sally did - arse over tit - but only if you're lucky enough to see the damned thing in the first place.
'Get it Andrea, man!' we all yelled, as the ball was hit towards the edge of the plateau.
'Get what?' Andrea replied, from eighty feet down.
'The ball.'
'I can't see it,' she shrugged. And she couldn't. She would have needed a harness, some carabeners and a few ropes to get to the top of the plateau before she could see the damned ball.
We lost.
And it wasn't really because of the rabbit poo, or the plague of midges that descended at dusk. Nor was it the rigg and furrow pitch (say that quickly - have I got the letters the right way round?)
NO! It was because they had 2 lasses that batted their hearts out and a team of bowlers that sent down 90 mile an hour balls that were all aimed for our little towers of bricks.
P-linky-linky-tink. P-linky-linky-tink. P-linky-linky-tink. P-linky-linky-tink. P-linky-linky-tink. WHACK!....catch
WHACK!....catch
And our brave youth Georgia - not oot.
Haway man - ye nearly took our Cheryl's heed off!
All oot for 40 something - despite Sally's valiant effort - whacking 3 4's in a row, AND then prompting the opposition umpire's remark - 'best shot I've seen all season.'
Get in there Sal!!!
Geddin there Sal
Another 4!
She's not just a wicky, she's a whacker too!
Our little yoof Georgia facing the might of the Leazes bowling
And y'know what, we actually bowled REALLY WELL.
Chloe, Georgia, Cheryl and me all took some brilliant wickets and gained valuable points for the team.
And Kerry was outstanding in her first full game as wicky. Its pretty daunting trying to stop some of our county yoof's bowls as they come flying down at 100 mph, and she did a bloody good job. Good on yer Kerry!
So let's not be daunted.
Let's wash the rabbit poo from our whites.
Let's dab on the Aldi mozzie bite formula on our itchy arms.
And let's build those towers of bricks once more.....
Apologies for the delay in the write-up. My right hand has only just sufficiently recovered enough to type!
WELL! Where do I start? Lets start at the end...
....WE WON OUR FIRST EVER GAME! Wohooooo!
Winners at Last!
Our opponants, Wylam 2nd team were a bit of a mish mash of 1st team experienced players, slightly less experienced players and a couple of brand new players. We all knew that this was our chance, but it was never going to be a done deal because they had their secret weapon....Shelagh!
We put Wylam in to bat first, and then amazed ourselves with some fabulous bowling, some confident catching (OWWW!) and some great runnning and hoying - especially from the excellent Debbie. (Are you hooked yet?)
The wickets soon started to tumble. My misty memory recalls a brilliant wicket by Chloe - stumps and bails flying everywhere - get in!
Super Chloe!
Jen also foxed the Wylam batting line up with her loopy bowls that enticed the batter to dance down the wicket, then completely miss the ball. Howz that, man! Jen got 2 wickets in all - and the most important one too - Shelagh.
Cheryl and Sandra also bowled really well, with Cheryl even celebrating a wicket just after the ball left her hand. It was heading straight for middle stump, but the Wylam player had the cheek to hit the ball.
Great bowling Cheryl!
Oh - and incidentally - if you're in to reading the league stats - Jen is currently 5th for bowling averages in the entire league. Go on Jen!
And so the marvellous bowling and fielding continued - with splendid catches from Chloe, Karen and me. I loved it that no-one shouted CA-A-A-A-ATCH! Everyone just took a sharp intake of breath and expected the ball to be dropped, but NO, the Angels were on fire tonight!
And so, with Wylam ALL OOT for 33, we knew we had a real chance to win. We could do this. But we had to keep our heads...and watch out for their tricky bowler - Sheelagh.
In went Cheryl and Jen, and Cheryl didn't hang around - whacking the ball around and getting us off to a great start. Sadly, our star bowler Jen gave the ball a great whack and was caught out. Be patient Jen, your moment will come!
Great shot Cheryl!
Lovely stance Jen!
In I went. Determined to play out Shelagh, and try and get runs off the other bowler. 'Chicken!' Shelagh kept yelling as I constantly blocked her deadly, plum balls (that doesn't sound right does it? Blocking her deadly plum balls?!)
Blocking deadly plum balls
After a decent few runs, Cheryl got oot...
Sorry Cheryl! (But great action shot Adrian!)
So in came Sally - her job - to slog the other bowler which she promptly did before getting bowled. Oh God - things were looking a bit dodgy now. SURELY we could get 34 runs to win the game.
Slogger Sal....hmm whose are those purple legs? Captions please!...
In came Sandra. A couple of nice shots and then her horrid, evil husband gave her oot - LBW. Howay man Steve, she's your wife for God's sake - you cannit dee that man!
Next up, Chloe. Our county yoof. Hundreds of years her senior, I felt it was my duty to guide her gently over the next few overs, and so I gave her some advice.....'Divvent whack Shelagh, but you can slog the other wifey.' 'Ok' she said. 'No problem.'
My grandmotherly advice paid off, and Chloe duly slogged the winning runs in style. Woohoooooo!
Chloe smacks away the winning runs!
Chloe's canny pleased, and so she should be!
A very proud captain congratulates Chloe
It was a total and utter team effort, with positive contributions from every single player. We can all feel very proud of our first win. This wasn't a dead cert win game, we really had to work for it, so very well done everyone!
Thank you to Steve, (despite the LBW decision :-))
Thank you to all our lovely Angel supporters
and thank you to everyone who helped prepare the winning feast to help us celebrate. The tea always tastes great after a game, but this one was slightly different - it tasted of victory....DELICIOUS!
Pope Gregory the Great once famously said, when presented with gorgeous, fair-haired, fair-skinned slaves from Britain - "Not Angles, but Angels..."
The same can be said today 100's of years later, though not by a little Pope fella - by me! The Hexham Courant have called us Angles in their report today!
If that's the case then baggsy I be the 'always right angle!'
Any takers for the 'obtuse angle?'
I think we'd all agree that we're all very 'a-cute angles...'
Anyway, apart from the typo, this is a GREAT write up - well done Sally. And what a picture!
Woohoo! Its the cricket season again, and the Angels are BACK!
We've had 3 games so far, and apart from the game against the might of Stocksfield Firsts which is too painful to mention - we aint done too bad!
Our first game was against Stocksfield 2nds at their place. Their team was made up of a sprinkling of 2nds and a big handful of 1sts, and we did really well to hold our own - Sally managed to give them a right old scare with her whopping 3 fours in a row! Go on Sal! It was lush seeing them all panicking for a while, but then sadly Sally got out to a ball that looked like it was going to sail over her head, then dropped like a stone onto the stumps. Bummer.
Never mind, the bowling was great. Sandra, Chloe, Jen have all improved MASSIVELY since last year. And young Georgia - well - she's our secret weapon. She can run, she can bend, she can hoy, and she can BOWL! Pretty certain the county will take notice soon - ANOTHER one of the Angels to represent Northumberland? 'twould be nice to think so.
Captain Fantastic, Sandra, has been doing a great job - making sure we're all in the right place in the field - and WHAT a catch by the brilliantly positioned and cool as a cucumber, Fiona last night against Wylam! Fabulous....but maybe not as good as the stop on the boundary by Debbie....:-)
This was our first home game of the season. Wylam are a pretty good outfit, but y'know what, I reckon our bowling attack was better than theirs. We're not giving away as many wides, we're not bowling as many on the legs, and we're forcing them to play defensively. We can only get even better as the season goes on!
What else can I remember about last night's game?....Oh yeh - I got out LBW! I hung around for10 minutes after the umpire had signalled 'oot' though, cause I didn't realise I'd been given out!
'You're out Lisa,' said Sally, gently.
'I'm what?'
'Yer out.'
'Out?'
'Yes, out.'
'Really?'
'Yes, really.'
'Oh.'
How embarrassing!
Never mind - Kazza Collingwood Chomse came in number three, and formed a fabulous partnership with Sally - whacking the ball around the pitch. Get in there Angels!
We gave Wylam a really good game, and Sally is starting to find some form and confidence with the bat now. A great score in the 30's and not out in this game - brilliant. Lets have a few more innings' like that this season!
Oh - and the tea - or 'feast' as the kids like to call it, was world class. Home made bite size banoffi squares, pizza, sarnies, cake and Aldi cherry bakewells....scrumptious. I love our home games.
So all in all, a good start, and lots and lots of positives to take away from the first few games. Bring on Wylam 2nds!
Welcome to the Blog page of the Corbridge Angels - a ladies cricket team based in Northumberland and part of Corbridge Cricket Club. On these pages you'll find details of how you can join the Angels, our fixtures and those all important match reports. Oh, and feel free to leave your comments on any of the posts.
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