P-linky-linky-tink

Angels v Hexham Leazes 2011

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.....

...for Wylam seconds....the return.....tomorrow night.

See ya there!