Record-breaking weekenders match previous seasons success by mid-April

Stonor 163-7 dec (41 overs)

WCC 169-6 (38.1 overs)

WCC won by 4 wickets

Prince Harry spoke this week about

the 'unquenchionable' mindset of polar explorers and their refusal to be beaten by adverse circumstances. The Weekenders showed a shedload of unquenchionableness to overcome Stonor in conditions that were, if not quite arctic, then, as one of HRH's mates might have put it, 'seriously bloody cold actually'.   

The visitors edged it in a tense last few overs, thanks to a tremendationable 60 not out from fellow Etonian Cooper who missed enough and hit enough to keep his side up with the rate on a slow pitch in gloomy light. Sparkles finished things off in the final over with a flat six over cover which crashed into the pavilion railings where his mother was watching. That it missed Mrs Cooper was unquenchionably the result of the day.

Stonor were robbed by the weather in 2012 after setting a target of 155 and they seemed to have posted another unsurpassailable total this year, led by a well-worked 50 from the skipper Powell. The Weekenders' bowling was slightly rusty although there was plenty of hope for the future offered by Dunne's heartlessly mean eleven-over spell and some twirly fun from newcomer Adeesh. The feeling at the break was that we'd conceded 20 too many. A Weekender's gut instinct, so reliable at the bar and the Waitrose meat counter, tends to be hopelessly wrong about cricket and so it proved again.

A confident opening stand of 75 from Hogben and Lloyd appeared to have taken the game away from Stonor until, frustrated by a period of tight bowling, both batsmen holed out and the wobble began. Pat Marshall managed to stay with Sparkles for a vital few overs to put the Weekenders back in the hunt before Douglas arrived at the crease to make things interesting again.

For some reason, the scorer faithfully recorded the details of Hon Sec's innings (........4.....1). It may not have grabbed as many headlines as another unbeaten knock in Bangalore on Tuesday (..144.44.41664.664616.66466.161.11.11..6111.1641466641.141411..611) but, as Prince Harry would agree, there's no point in doing more than is necessitatious.   

Stonor 169-7

Mayo 39, Powell 60, Harris 37 not out

Bowling:

Douglas 10-1-32-1, Dibley 6-1-17-2, Lyons 5-1-23-0, Dunne 11-4-21-1, Adish 6-1-49-1, Cooper 3-0-12-1.

Catches: Adeesh 1, Cooper 1.

WCC 169-6

Hogben 42, Lloyd 29, Adeesh 1, Cooper 60*, Marshall 14, Dibley 0, Wahi 0, Douglas 5*

Debut: Adeesh