Bluecaps in Brief - Another Version of the Truth

For those members stuck in Spain, hasta el tuyo Corona! (Un)Fortunately for you we didn't fancy a last minute excersion. Way too much to be getting on with at Casa CCC.

You won't need to go abroad if the weather this weekend is anything to go by. Round 2 of the CPL has swung round quickly, hurtling your way this coming Sunday, and we've had a word with Michael Fish so there'll be no iffy weather this time around. Shenanigans begin at 12pm with the day hosting two very tasty matches - both Gogmore Knights and Grove Armada are sans victoire so far so whoever loses that one will see the pink bat cast further out of reach and the pirate ship sailing into view with the third and penultimate round only two weeks away. 3pm's match between Meads Enforcers and Bourne Stars may just be a precursor to Finals Day on 30th August. Bold statement, we're sticking with it.

Our beloved Suetheburgerlady will be back with her gold-dusted halloumi fries too and she's been enticing us with her new slushie machine, which will certainly get some use during the afternoon so expect blue tongues and brain freeze. We'll also be hosting a vote on your player of the round on the socials so look out for that on Monday.


Notable Mentions

Saturday saw the first round proper of the AJ Fordham & Fuller's "Challenge Cup", for the 1s in group 2, 2s in group 15, & 3s in group 28. We plonked ourselves down right in the middle of the 1s and 3s matches at the delightful as ever Staines & Laleham (both fielding), feeling content there was to be no cross-country traipsing today. With both sides fielding, we watched who started bowling the over and then listened out for noise indicating a wicket (the 3s the louder of the two teams, they have a tendancy to be very encouragingly vocal at each other (and towards teammates playing on the other pitch) every other ball), which is great, but as you can imagine our head was like the girl from the Exorcist by the time the dark clouds and subsequent inevitable downpour decended about 90 minutes in. It was always a matter of when rather than if unfortunately. As three games were abandoned due to the rain sadly there's no counted notable mentions for those matches, so we've had to go by memory or tales - always dangerous. Matt Main of the 1s told us to tell you he got a one-handed catch (sounded a bit dubious though to be fair), and we did actually witness Colt Charlie Eagles get a wicket first ball and the returning Joe Blanks snatch 2 wickets for the 3s. You'll just have to take our word for it though. All three abandoned games accumulate 4 points towards the league table so that means we're all roughly mid-table after week 1, not a bad position to start from for 90 minutes of cricket I guess.

We would however like to make a formal apology for our behaviour on Saturday afternoon, in particular to any players affected by our quickness to post the status of their abandoned games on social media, who were then subsequently called by partners and told to return home to carry out "jobs" now a free afternoon had suddenly appeared. We will wait the agreed 90 minutes "grace" period going forward, enough time for two swift pints and a chaser at least. We're just surprised anyone was actually watching the live comms to be fair, so we're thinking of renaming it "Husband Tracker" from now on.

As we trundled back to Chertsey a bit soggy round the edges and ready to dig out "The Cards", we noticed an absence in the clubhouse - no 4th XI? "Rec's flakier than Tony the Tiger, we'll just drive past" we thought. Glad we did - those mad fruits were playing in the rain, all they had was Boasty's newly-fashioned cravat for protection against the elements between them. There was method in their madness though, to gets as many overs in as they could for the Colts, and the weather actually picked up once they went into bat. Their perseverence finally paid off for a hard-earned win with a couple of overs to spare via a solid stand by James Woollerton and Boasty, both passing 50. We must mention President Pullo also, despite much protesting about not playing this season, managed to bag himself seven wickets in a week, accumulating another four on Saturday. We're taking that chair away Pres. In fact you could find it outside the gates on the grass. On Sunday the London Ovalites were the visitors to the Edward Stern, and despite a loss our way kudos goes to wickie Arthur Walmsley for a pair of stumpings and Lorna Bailey for a trio of wickets.

Saturday 25th July
Challenge Cup - Staines & Laleham 94-4 v 1st XI ABANDONED
Jack Ogle 2-18

Challenge Cup - Staines & Laleham 60-4 v 2nd XI ABANDONED
Joe Clarke 2 wickets

Challenge Cup - Staines & Laleham 62-5 v 3rd XI ABANDONED 
Joe Blanks 2 wickets

Friendly - 4th XI 199 -4 v Ashford 197-7
James Woollerton 57*, Phil Boast 52*, Mark Pulling 4-36

Sunday 26th July
Friendly - Sunday XI 123-4 v London Ovalites 162-8
Hugh Aish-Lyons 58*, Lorna Bailey 3-19


Dates For Your Diary

On the vast list of things we're sad were a casualty of lockdown is the Social League, but no fear, it will be making a mini comeback in the shape of some friendlies on Thursdays dotted around their usual haunts. We've been wracking our brain all week for a catchy new name for it... The Not-As-Social-As-Usual League? Nah. We shall now be unofficially (mainly because it won't fit on a trophy and we haven't got permission) referring to it as The Social(distancing) League. 

The Social(distancing) League

Thursday 30th July
Dad's Army v Academy - 6pm start

Seniors

Saturday 1st August
Saturday sees the second week of the Challenge Cup in full swing, with a friendly for the 1s thrown in for good measure. Got to keep them busy. We were asked by Englefield Green on Twitter when the last time we played them was. Our very own Andy Zaltzman, Murray, went back through his fixture books and advised 1999, to which we both concurred probably half our teams were in nappies then, some not even born.

Friendly - Newdigate v 1st XI (A - The Brocus) - 12.30pm start
Challenge Cup Group 15 - Ashford v 2nd XI (A - Short Lane) - 1pm start
Challenge Cup Group 28 - 3rd XI v Englefield Green (H Rec) - 1pm start
Challenge Cup Group 41 - Ashford v 4th XI (A - Short Lane) - 1pm start

Sunday 2nd August
CPL - Grove Armada v Gogmore Knights - 12pm start
CPL -  Meads Enforcers v Bourne Stars - 3pm start

Ladies
The ladies hope to get off the mark in competitive matches with a Surrey Slam match this Sunday over at Shepperton.

Sunday 2nd August
Surrey Slam - Shepperton Sharks v Chertsey Challengers (A - Halliford School Pitch) - 2pm start

Colts
The Colts have been putting some hard overs in of late and have some friendlies dotted around the local area to get their teeth into.

Thursday 30th July 
Woking & Horsell v U13s (A) 

Friday 31st July
U12s v TBC (H)

Sunday 2nd August
Whiteley Village v U13s (A) 

Monday 3rd August
U10s v U9s (H)

Tuesday 4th August
Long Ditton v U13s (A) 
Pyrford v U9s (A)


Right we're off to look at cheap staycations near cricket clubs, see you at the weekend!

Subject song: "Another Version of the Truth" by Nine Inch Nails