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Double Delight

"Cricket is simply the most catholic, and deepest, the most innocent, kindly and manly of popular pleasures. It is a liberal education in itself, and demands temper and justice and perseverance. Thereis more teaching in the playground than the schoolroom, and a lesson betterworth learning very often. For there can be no good or enjoyable cricket without enthusiasm - without sentiment, one may almost say; a quality that enriches life and refines it, gives it what life more and more is apt to lose, zest"

(With thanks to Sir James Barrie)

This reporter believes these words best sum up the reasons for PHCC's recent double win - despite the despair of defeat they came back as keen as ever for the game and found the reward of 2 victories.

The story could have been so different as the morning of Stocksfield away, the team only totalled 8 men. Shakespeare said that fortune brings in some boats that are not steered and so it was with the trialists Atwell and Beall both of whom were to make significant contributions. Bowling first, PHCC restricted Stocksfield to 109, with fine bowling from Reader, Donaldson and Beall taking 4 - 22. In reply Atwell, a dispensing optician by day, put in a commanding performance dispensing boundaries a plenty with an imperious 92*. Well played all.

With the momentum PHCC strode out onto home soil against Barbarians a week later. With skipper Dawson watching in the wings, PHCC totalled a fine 162, with Jackson impressive in his innings of 59*. Welcome back too, Dave Pearce - your presence has been missed. Bowling and fielding very well indeed, PHCC restricted Barbarians to 77 with Donaldson the pick of the bowlers in taking 4 wickets for 9 runs. Catches were taken, runs saved and dives a plenty, clearly the inluence of skipper Dawson cannot be undersetimated even when not in whites !!

Players:Hearn, Reader, Reader, Donaldson, Crowe, Gardiner, Tipping, Atwell, Beall, Pearce, Jackson, Bandeen.

Next week PHCC are in action away at Boldon.

Defeat and Despair

Following last weeks stunning victory, PHCC came crashing down to earth with a heavy defeat against Black Widows. With Dawson's knees in a worse condition than Ledley King, he opted to stand down and pass the captaincy reigns on again. Although the stand in skipper started off well by winning the toss that was about that as having elected to bowl he had to stand back and watch Black Widows rack up a formidable total of 156 from 16 overs.

A spectator at the game could have pointed out the number of balls that went into the air, dropped between fielders or even when carrying were spilled - such observations would be churlish. Simply put Widows put the runs on the board. Special mention to the bowlers who refused to wilt and did indeed dismiss 9 men. This reporter doesn't like to single out the individual but will make an exception today - D Gilchrist kept his head and discipline bowled well and deserved more than his 1-36.

As has been the case all year PHCC could not keep up with the run rate or score enough to put the pressure back on the opposition. Only Jackson offered any resistance though his top score of 19 merely highlights the inadequacies of the rest of the team.

Last week this reporter used the words of an American president to rouse and motivate, this week he asks PHCC players to conside the following

"Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least awhile. And dying in your bed many years from now,
would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one cahnce, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!"

or even
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;


If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;


If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";


If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And—which is more—you'll be a Man my son!

Take your pick and lets come out fighting for our next game Stocksfield away

Team: Bandeen, Hearn, Jackson, Wilson, Crowe, Reader, Reader, Dawson, Hunter, Gilchrist, Donaldson.

Victory !

You couldn't write the script any better - the return of skipper Dawson and PHCC win for the first time this season ! Do though spare a thought for the man who had overseen all the defeats and think of those famous words of Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena;whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood;who strives valiantly;who errs and comes short again and again;who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, if he fails, at least fails while bearing greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither defeat or victory"

Wise words indeed. Anyway to the match !

Fielding first, PHCC bowled very impressively with new men Hughes and Donaldson being accurate and lively. Backed up by Crowe and Jackson, PHCC bowler's bowled like an attack. It was though a shame that the rest of the team let the bowlers down through dropped catches and at times slovenly ground fielding. Also a concern was that Reader K could only bowl 1 over because of an injury picked up the previous game.

So after 14 overs BA Corinthians totalled 99 leaving PHCC to have to register their highest score if they were to win. Starting slowly, Jackson and Hearn laid the foundations and with useful contributions and support from Reader (S) and with everyone else chipping in Jackson was able to take command by batting through the innings for a fine 59* and secure that elusive victory. Next week sees PHCC at Cochrane Park - come along to see if this winning streak can continue !

Team:Dawson J, Jackson, Hearn, Bandeen, Gardiner, Cawthra, Crowe, Donaldson, Hughes, Reader S, Reader K.

Shot Down by the Spitfires

There are games when you play badly and win and there are those when you play well and don't win;this was a game when PHCC had an opportunity to register victory but like Devon Loch fell at the last when there didn't seem anything to stop them !

Fielding first, PHCC exerted pressure on their opponents (Stonebridge Spitfires) through superb bowling by Dave Crowe and Keith Reader. At the halfway point, Spitfires had been contained to 35 with 4 wickets down. Although they managed to total 91 thanks to some late order big hitting, even the change bowlers of Gilchrist and Jackson did a pretty good job.

Although PHCC lost Hearn early on, Gardiner, Crowe and Jackson all made enough to suggest that a win was the only outcome but then the stutter - from being 56 and 2 wickets down, the rest of the team could only add a further 17 runs to give Spitfires their deserved victory.

It's at times like this you have to question the leadership of the team and luckily enough Skipper Dawson is scheduled to return from injury and try to raise this team from its current depths.

Please read the newly added team history.

Team:Bandeen, Hearn, Jackson, Reader, Reader, Dawson, Gardiner, Cawthra, Tipping, Gilchrist, Crowe.

Next game Tuesday 25 May Heaton Medicals

Pride Regained

Tuesday 11 May was a tale of ins and outs - Park House out the cup and the Tories back in Downing Street - a real Black Tuesday. And yet from the ashes of defeat signs of recovery and the hint that better times may lie ahead.

Batting first PHCC totalled 66 largely due to good knocks from Haern (20) and Crowe(16) a score though surely too low to be competative ? Not so, magnificent bowling from Crowe and Reader backed up by athletic fielding and safe catching really put the pressure on Paddlers and made them fight every inch of the way to reach their target. Pride indeed restored.

The lesson learned ? Easy - working together in adversity and against the odds without betraying your principles is the way forward. Others take heed.

Team : Bandeen, Hearn, Crowe, Reader, Reader, Tipping, Cawthra, Gardiner, Jackson.

Net week PHCC are in league action at Cochrane Park - why not come along and follow the most exciting team in the league; entertainment guaranteed.