Just as one swallow does not make a summer, five ducks wont make a victory.  Laurie asked for an honest and fair report of the game and I hope this will suffice.

After losing the toss and being put into the field, Arun’s pace attack soon had the home side in trouble at 24-4, with Dave West bowling arguably his best spell of the season thus far. We were unable to maintain the pressure, however, and allowed Rustington to amass 135; realistically from our perspective this was 30 runs more than ideal.  Jamie and David both took 3 wickets apiece and were ably supported by Tony Fuller who took 1-26 from 8 overs. Laurie brought back memories of previous seasons with his ‘Mushtaq Moment’ that saw 3 wickets taken for just 10 runs off 6 overs.

Although 134 was more than we ideally would have liked to concede, with a required rate of 3 an over the game was still within our grasp.  Laurie adjusted the batting order a little in the hope that our slow starts of recent weeks could be turned around. However, an early run rate of 4 an over was sadly offset by what felt like a wicket lost every over! - three of them ducks - and very soon Neil and Monty found themselves in the middle with five down and thirty on the board.  

Yet they still knew that 3 to 4 an over would see Arun home.  Taking each over as it came they stayed together for 12 overs and put on 50, setting up a possible victory, until Monty holed out with an ill advised shot.  Sadly the late emergence of those pesky ducks again left us all out for 92, and defeated by 48.

Neil remained unbeaten on 30 and was clearly man of the match.  Monty was involved in his second successive fifty partnership, and Simon Fuller made good contact with the ball early to get the scoreboard ticking along.  But we cannot hide from the fact that five ducks just is not going to win us the game.  On reflection we were looking at getting 135 with just 5 wickets, which is a far more difficult proposition.

Next week we have one of our toughest tests of the season and we all need to stand up and be counted. Invariably each week one or two of us will fail with the bat, (it happens), but let’s make the opposition pay for the wickets.  We need all 11 players to be looking to contribute, and the likes of Neil and Chris deserve the support of others.  My early seasons were littered with enough ducks to open a wildlife sanctuary and I do empathise that often tail enders do bat in ‘no win’ situations; but the main reason I didn’t score was because I took a slog at a straight ball more times than not.  Come on lads, heads down, support each other, and lets give Littlehampton a good game.