Chulmleigh 20 August 2023

Captain Nick Bishop

Drawn

SOA 199 for 6 dec (Paddy Daniel 50, Alex Ross 36)

Chulmleigh 143 for 6

The threat of extinction drew an excellent response from both hosts and visitors. With Chulmleigh struggling to recapture pre-COVID levels of playing staff and SOA equally in a bind persuading tourists down on the Sunday it had been agreed to make this seasons Western Tour week two opener a marvellous last hurrah!

Not so fast! Thanks to the enthusiastic drive of Martin, Rodney, David and, particularly, Lesley down in North Devon and the positive answer to a Presidential rallying cry across Oxfordshire, we managed to not only host a fixture to honour all of the impressive past history but drive sufficient support and commitment to make sure we keep the fixture alive in 2024 and beyond. 20 SOA players, officials, scorer, family and friends were at the ground for the duration…..

…and that’s despite the best efforts of the heavy rain showers before and during the match itself.

Chulmleigh won the toss and put us into bat on a tricky uncovered wicket. Dan Edwards (13) and Hugo Cobham (10) gave SOA a watchful start and a few lusty blows from day tripper Alex Ross allowed us to take lunch an hour into play on 55 for 1 from 14.

After Lesley’s splendid lunch and some rousing thank you toasts from both sides, play resumed for the afternoon session with periodic interruptions by rain being ignored as much as was practical. Ross marched on with a useful 36 and Paddy Daniel, possibly the only remaining player from the 1947 fixture fabled in print in the club house, posted an excellent half century ably supported by swift runs from Shiraz Husain (26), John de Bhal (16) and 13 a-piece for Richard Clapp and Ben Jefferis, allowing skipper Nick Bishop to declare on 191 for 6 from 42.

Wickets were shared between Chulmleigh bowlers Pannett, Davies, Gordon, Evans and Curtis and Martin Campling stood ever firm behind the stumps despite a painful leg injury picked up when completing the creative stumping of Edwards.

A short tea break was taken to allow the lunch puddings to be consumed and then on with the sport as senior pro’s Bishop and Colin Allen took the new ball with the latter dismissing Bushell for 20. Pannett struck useful runs for a workmanlike 42 before being run out by the Husain / Ross combination.

Craig Foster entered the fray and prised out the Chulmleigh middle order bowling well with a wet ball and sodden underfoot conditions to claim 3 for 46 from 12 but sadly it was the ever present rain that took the honours, eventually forcing the players and umpires from the field with 7 overs of the last 20 remaining and the hosts 48 runs short on 143 for 6 from 37.

All parties then repaired to the Old Court House for a buffet and pint (or two) with everyone in agreement that the show must go on!

Footnote: a pre-lunch snapshot was taken and posted on social media with the narrative tag of ‘possibly the only known photo of the Last Supper’. The subsequent table seating meant that either Mike Knox or the Pres occupied Jesus’ seat. The author leaves it up to the reader to decide which might be the most (or perhaps least) suitable occupier.