BackSat 25 Jul 2026 · Division 8
3rd XIFarningham CC - 3rd XI
W
L
Another win at Locksbottom
Dan Skinner
Has the Club Found a new Brilliantly talented young All Rounder?
Our opponents this week were due to be Farningham but they conceded our League fixture. 20 points in the bag.
We instead found ourselves playing away at Locksbottom in a friendly. We had been there last week
Regular readers may recall that game, and Damps being reverse swept by a mediocre youngster. Sadly for us, his nemesis was not playing this week.
Damps was stuck in traffic. Tom Gagg was a little stressed when he arrived. His cricket spikes had gone missing after his Friday night game. Repeated entreaties had been made to his team mates to check if they had picked them up. No luck. Trips to local shops and suppliers had not been successful so an emergency visit was made to your match reporter’s house where his wife let them rummage through what is officially known as the Klimcke Kit bag. Success at last, but now it was a mad dash to the ground.
Shortly thereafter, Frankie, who had played in last night’s match, announces “Oh, I have got some spikes in my kit bag. Are they anyone’s?”
Skinner won the toss and chose to bat. Again.
Baker senior and Tim Lush opened up as Damps was stuck in traffic
They looked pretty comfortable, right from the off. The wicket was again green with variable pace and bounce. The outfield was fast and at times a little brutal.
Baker was hitting the ball hard and Lush was not far behind him. Nigel celebrated his fifty with a huge pulled six. At drinks he was unbeaten on 62 and, following concerned queries about his health from his skipper, felt the need to retire hurt.
Evan Hutchins was in at 3. He was watchful from his Steve Smith-like stance and looks a decent bat. He had reached 8 when he was a bit early trying to flick to leg and looped a leading edge up.
Olly Patton was in next. His technique is glorious. Two of his shots were a joy to watch. However he went back to a good length ball and was clean bowled for 6.
Lush reached 50 and felt the same mysterious injury that Baker had. Retired hurt. (Oddly, if you just score it as “Retired”, Play Cricket counts it as you being dismissed, but “Retired Hurt” helps your average with a Not Out).
Horrible Horrocks came in at 6 after a brief cameo by Damps who genuinely did retire Hurt, after feeling rubbish.
Horrocks likes the ground and opposition and reached 23*
He had though been joined by the rather sprightly Tom Gagg who was running well, on a hot day. Gagg was playing some lovely shots. Several 2s were run and on the final ball of the innings, the pair ran 3. Horrocks expressed considerable delight at that one. Gagg was unbeaten on 25.
A total of 208 for 2.
Damps was still feeling groggy so after tea, the effervescent and reliable Jez Trott put down his scoring pencil and fielded for us.
Peter Trott opened up the slope with his partner in crime, Frankie, coming down the slope. Both bowled well against a decent top order.
Frankie got the opener out, clean bowled.
After 4 overs, Trott felt it was a bit too much like hard work and started explaining how he had a life-threatening shin injury. Tom G willingly replaced him. He got a good wicket when their best batsman gloved one to Olly, who took a sharp catch. Another was safely pouched by Evan. 5-0-32-2.
Oscar H came down the slope.
Locksbottom were making decent progress and our skipper made possibly the finest cricketing decision ever seen in the annals of this great sport. He brought himself on.
In a tremendous display of pace seam bowling, with a slower off cutter thrown into the mix, he broke the hearts of Locksbottom side.
They knew the game was up, if Bearsted could bring on this quality at third change. The result was all but wrapped up.
The crowd was cheering wildly and clearly amazed that Bearsted had finally found a quality all rounder. In fact, he is a triple threat, batting, bowling and keeping.
After drinks, we reverted to sanity. Evan came on up slope and bowled well. He should have an early wicket when Peter dropped a sitter. Fortunately Frankie caught the bloke soon after. To be fair to Peter, he did then take a much harder catch. Evan got his 3rd wicket with a clean bowled 4-0-6-3
Horrocks came down the slope. He should have had a stumping but Skinner now had the gloves. 4-0-18-3
Tim Lush got some overs. Last year he had been a crucial part of our attack but it shows the strength in depth we now have, that he has hardly been needed. He dismissed their dangerous skipper. A short ball going down leg was duly despatched but the batter swung so hard he lost his balance and fell onto his stumps. 3-0-15-1
Olly came down the slope and bowled well. His wicket was classic off spin. Good flight and a bit of turn inside the bat, hitting the top of off. Another just bounced over the top. 4-0-18-1
Peter returned, after realising that a ball hitting your shins is rarely terminal. 6-0-31-0
Frankie came back on and and with his first delivery took the final wicket. It was a good ball but against a young tailender in a friendly. The celebration was perhaps a little over exuberant. The impetuousness of youth is though joyous. 5.1-0-32-2
Locksbottom were all out for 152.
After the match, your match reporter joined the opposition in The Rising Sun pub. It turns out the their skipper is a rather decent bass guitarist in a band fronted by their opening bowler. All rather civilised.
We instead found ourselves playing away at Locksbottom in a friendly. We had been there last week
Regular readers may recall that game, and Damps being reverse swept by a mediocre youngster. Sadly for us, his nemesis was not playing this week.
Damps was stuck in traffic. Tom Gagg was a little stressed when he arrived. His cricket spikes had gone missing after his Friday night game. Repeated entreaties had been made to his team mates to check if they had picked them up. No luck. Trips to local shops and suppliers had not been successful so an emergency visit was made to your match reporter’s house where his wife let them rummage through what is officially known as the Klimcke Kit bag. Success at last, but now it was a mad dash to the ground.
Shortly thereafter, Frankie, who had played in last night’s match, announces “Oh, I have got some spikes in my kit bag. Are they anyone’s?”
Skinner won the toss and chose to bat. Again.
Baker senior and Tim Lush opened up as Damps was stuck in traffic
They looked pretty comfortable, right from the off. The wicket was again green with variable pace and bounce. The outfield was fast and at times a little brutal.
Baker was hitting the ball hard and Lush was not far behind him. Nigel celebrated his fifty with a huge pulled six. At drinks he was unbeaten on 62 and, following concerned queries about his health from his skipper, felt the need to retire hurt.
Evan Hutchins was in at 3. He was watchful from his Steve Smith-like stance and looks a decent bat. He had reached 8 when he was a bit early trying to flick to leg and looped a leading edge up.
Olly Patton was in next. His technique is glorious. Two of his shots were a joy to watch. However he went back to a good length ball and was clean bowled for 6.
Lush reached 50 and felt the same mysterious injury that Baker had. Retired hurt. (Oddly, if you just score it as “Retired”, Play Cricket counts it as you being dismissed, but “Retired Hurt” helps your average with a Not Out).
Horrible Horrocks came in at 6 after a brief cameo by Damps who genuinely did retire Hurt, after feeling rubbish.
Horrocks likes the ground and opposition and reached 23*
He had though been joined by the rather sprightly Tom Gagg who was running well, on a hot day. Gagg was playing some lovely shots. Several 2s were run and on the final ball of the innings, the pair ran 3. Horrocks expressed considerable delight at that one. Gagg was unbeaten on 25.
A total of 208 for 2.
Damps was still feeling groggy so after tea, the effervescent and reliable Jez Trott put down his scoring pencil and fielded for us.
Peter Trott opened up the slope with his partner in crime, Frankie, coming down the slope. Both bowled well against a decent top order.
Frankie got the opener out, clean bowled.
After 4 overs, Trott felt it was a bit too much like hard work and started explaining how he had a life-threatening shin injury. Tom G willingly replaced him. He got a good wicket when their best batsman gloved one to Olly, who took a sharp catch. Another was safely pouched by Evan. 5-0-32-2.
Oscar H came down the slope.
Locksbottom were making decent progress and our skipper made possibly the finest cricketing decision ever seen in the annals of this great sport. He brought himself on.
In a tremendous display of pace seam bowling, with a slower off cutter thrown into the mix, he broke the hearts of Locksbottom side.
They knew the game was up, if Bearsted could bring on this quality at third change. The result was all but wrapped up.
The crowd was cheering wildly and clearly amazed that Bearsted had finally found a quality all rounder. In fact, he is a triple threat, batting, bowling and keeping.
After drinks, we reverted to sanity. Evan came on up slope and bowled well. He should have an early wicket when Peter dropped a sitter. Fortunately Frankie caught the bloke soon after. To be fair to Peter, he did then take a much harder catch. Evan got his 3rd wicket with a clean bowled 4-0-6-3
Horrocks came down the slope. He should have had a stumping but Skinner now had the gloves. 4-0-18-3
Tim Lush got some overs. Last year he had been a crucial part of our attack but it shows the strength in depth we now have, that he has hardly been needed. He dismissed their dangerous skipper. A short ball going down leg was duly despatched but the batter swung so hard he lost his balance and fell onto his stumps. 3-0-15-1
Olly came down the slope and bowled well. His wicket was classic off spin. Good flight and a bit of turn inside the bat, hitting the top of off. Another just bounced over the top. 4-0-18-1
Peter returned, after realising that a ball hitting your shins is rarely terminal. 6-0-31-0
Frankie came back on and and with his first delivery took the final wicket. It was a good ball but against a young tailender in a friendly. The celebration was perhaps a little over exuberant. The impetuousness of youth is though joyous. 5.1-0-32-2
Locksbottom were all out for 152.
After the match, your match reporter joined the opposition in The Rising Sun pub. It turns out the their skipper is a rather decent bass guitarist in a band fronted by their opening bowler. All rather civilised.
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