NASH-SMASHING HIGH TOWER RISES FROM THE ADMIN ASHES

WCC 192 off 35 overs
NT 88 all out
WCC won by 104

Our records aren't very comprehensive but it's unlikely that there's ever been an all-round performance so irresistible and so utterly demoralising to the opposition as that of Corey Swift last Sunday. Not since Donald Sinden performed an evening of theatrical anecdotes in the Lyttelton has the National Theatre suffered such a humiliating loss of face. Not since Richard Griffiths last visited the Cottesloe canteen can they have been so starved of sustenance. And not since Clive Swift played Ophelia have they shown such lack of composure.

Corey's triumph followed a week of poor administrative form that looked like continuing when five minutes after the start time there was just a single Weekender on the ground. But before many more minutes had elapsed the Weekenders were up to ten men, and an hour or so later Corey had a hundred off 37 scoring strokes. With a robust 58 not out from Marvel the pair put on 154 for the third wicket. It seemed to take the fight out of the National's men - as if they'd been told that Mark d'Inverno was to be the new costume designer.

The National could make little impression on the target but held on for the sake of their self-esteem. Then Corey came on and simply blew them away with a fast, accurate five-over spell in which he clean bowled four of them. He also held two superb catches, the latter a leaping Collingwood-esque snaffle at point to finish the game. By then the Nash were buried deeper than one of Julian Lyons' malfunctioning hairdryers.

There was a welcome return to bowling duties from the skipper, slim and lean after a punishing three month regimen of eating no food whatsoever and taking nourishment solely from alcohol. The grunt is emphatically back and after seven, tight niggle-free overs he had a pole for his troubles. It should have been two but Maloney decked a sitter rather in the way that one of his fourth-formers might deliberately drop a rubber in order to look up Matron's skirt. 'You didn't deserve a two-for' was the young Deputy Head's explanation.

Elsewhere saw some good, tight fielding, notably from debutants Frederick from Sweden and Whitey from Camden plus a stunning run-out from d'Inverno. Hoggers pulled off a difficult swirler then shortly afterwards demonstrated an unusual dive not unlike a ewe lying down to give birth. Mike Harvey pulled out the big one to the delight of the National's wardobe department but the throw wasn't as big as Frederick from Sweden's who proved that it's not just their furniture that's flat. But the day belonged to High Tower who bestrode the stage like a colossus while the Weekenders carried the spears and wore the loin cloths.

WCC 192 of 35 overs
Maloney 11, Hogben 10, Harvey 58*, Swift 100, Bowden 0, Jansen 3*

National Theatre 88 all out off 32.4 overs
Douglas 6-1-6-1; Lyons 7-0-25-1; Bowden 7-2-17-1; d'Inverno 7-1-23-1; Swift 5-0-12-4; Maloney 0.4-0-0-1
Catches: Hogben 1; Swift 2.
Run out: d'Inverno 1

Debuts: M Bowden, F Jansen, N White