Result. Won by 82 runs
Wanderers returned to winning ways on Sunday and erased the memory of the previous week’s performance at Washington.  On a slow wicket, that helped no-one, Arun were asked to bat first.   We needed a solid start from which to set a challenging target, and David and Graham supplied just that with an opening partnership of 71, which was brought to an end when Graham sought to hit the ball out of the park, only to be caught.  He did say afterwards though that ‘it felt good whacking it’.  David was joined by the welcome return of our skipper, who pitched in with 31 valuable runs as we passed the hundred, with only one wicket lost.  Sam Mellor scored 35 and eventually, with Al Evans making a confidence boosting 13 not out, Arun finished with186 for 4 wickets.  Undoubtedly the innings of the day was a second fifty by David Groves (51).  We felt this was a winning total if we could bowl better than the previous week.
The visitors started badly losing 4 wickets for only 24 runs and were struggling from then on to reach respectability, eventually being bowled out for 104, our own Phil Atherton being the last batsman out!  The bowlers all stuck to their task, bowling with more consistency this week, and gained due reward.  Jamie Carter took 3-18 off his 6 overs; Patch got himself 2-18, to continue his promising season, and the old stager Laurie mopped up the tail in typical style with some superb leg spin taking 3-7 off 4.5 overs.
Overall it was a professional performance that will need to be repeated against the old enemy of Roehampton on Sunday!  We will be short of the Mellors, Monty for a while yet and Uncle Albert  as well, so we need pull together and focus on being tight as a unit.  This week we were good in the field, bowled a good line and length and batted sensibly.  More of      
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Ford Prison   2 july 2006