An odd game really, ultimately providing a rather flat end to a generally successful season. Unusual things happened, some for the sake of it and others out of end of term sentimentality, on another gloriously sunny day.

We elected to bat, fiddled around with the batting order to give the deprived a chance, and predictably sped to 39-4 in the sixth over when the real openers, Wright and Andrell got their chance. Meantime Hogben had been cruelly sawn off by a filthy call from Goss which left the big vegetarian yards out on 8. Goss' 18 came from only 4 scoring shots, Andrew's 8 from 2 and Seeckts' 1 from .......er 1, desperately unlucky as he was to have a neat clip off his legs miraculously snaffled by a razor sharp short leg fielder.

From then Andrell led the way, making up for his lack of appearances during the summer with a stylish knock as his partners came and went. Wright carefully mustered 19, McLoughlin, lacking the pulling power displayed before his recent trip to Australia fell for 2, Williamson knicked one on 1. Ware then smote a semi-cultured 27 with the usual mix of aggression and lack of footwork and Hicks, whose cricketing sorties are usually reserved for low tide at Salcombe, tonked one so high that it drifted onto the road for six. Last man Pow did a sterling job of trying to see Andrell from 72 to a century but on 94 he edged to the keeper and nobly walked while all around shrugged their shoulders.

Tea was sabotaged by the Cryptics' three Atkins dieters pinching the fillings out of many sandwiches leaving the athletes of the team to dine on bread and cakes only while listening to more detail than we wanted of the effects of crackpot dieting.

It was a mercy to resume, for there was no evidence that the Tilford top order had fallen for the Atkins fad. McLoughlin bowled fast and aggressively, becoming incensed by Cartwright's only shot through third man. More and more fielders were set for it but he reached 34 before Wright took a blinding catch in the gully to appease the young African. LBW's have always been rare at Tilford, just ask Jimmy Greenhough, but McLoughlin got one and Pow's tidy spell (2-26) saw them at 51-5.

Then almost everybody got a bowl. Hicks' dobbers were soon found out, Andrell bowled a good line to a lefthander but the batsman was righthanded, Andrew floated down some crafty canteen stuff. Goss bowled five fine overs for 4 runs, switched ends and was spanked for 28 from 2 more to the amusement of all. In desperation Wright and Seeckts had a go too but Tilford batted cussedly in the last 20 overs, losing only one wicket while never having a hope of winning the game. That they scored as many as they did late on was down to our generosity and some cultured slogging by Jocky Crawte who raced to 62* without once smiling.

Headley 31.08.03
Headley 138 all out 36 overs
Surrey Cryptics 142-4 28.4 overs
Won by 6 wickets

Seeckts' attempts to ensure a defeat in absentia by sending us to Headley with just 10 were thwarted by the eleventh hour (literally) call-up of one-cap Ed Dyson, plucked from his local in no fit state to refuse.

Skipper-for-the-day Ware chose to field on a damp wicket and the opening attack of Goss (11-3-34) and Grindrod (9-1-38) bowled tightly, reducing Headley to 43-4. Two fell to catches by newly-discovered second slip sensation Hope-Dunbar, although given that first slip was one PAJ Andrew and H-D's not inconsiderable girth, both would probably have flown through the vacant fourth slip area on any other day.

Said PAJ was then introduced into the attack and set about proving that his penchant for pies extends beyond the gourmet. New cap Parrish spared his blushes with a well-judged catch on the (very) deep mid-wicket boundary.

If Williamson's spell the previous week was deemed 'good shopping', then this was the kind more readily understood by the majority of Cryptic partners....At least the exercise enabled the out-fielders to sample the fine crop of blackberries on offer in the undergrowth.

Greenhough (7-3-27) was meanwhile plying his trade at the other end, even claiming an LBW that anyone side-on to the action could have testified should have been turned down on the grounds that it would not have reached the wicket. He was joined by spin twin Parrish, whose three overs accounted for two batsmen for the cost of just three runs. Headley eventually capitulated at 138, the final wicket a Greenhough caught & bowled. Sometimes you just know it's the Cryptics' day!

The reply began apace, with Wright taking a single off the first ball of the innings and then watching in awe the antics of pinch-hitter Hope-Dunbar at the other end. When Wright was out for six in the sixth over (good strike rate) with the score on 42, H-D had already raced to 36 and was looking well-set for his first Cryptics half century. That he was seeing the ball well was no better exempified than by the fact that he almost middled the delivery to which he was adjudged LBW on 43. The Headley umpire was perhaps mindful of sparing us another (small) jug of lager shandy.

Dyson justified his choice of hangover cure with a stylish 30 to add to his two catches, while debutant Parrish concluded a convincing all-round display with 36*. He struck the winning runs with a possible 17.2 overs still remaining, bringing up as decisive a Cryptic's victory as has been witnessed at Headley. Captain Ware followed the tried and tested tactic of neither bowling nor batting himself (he did keep wicket rather well, however) and was heard departing into the Surrey dusk muttering: "Who Seeckts?"

PS. Another possible candidate for the Fathers & Sons web-page: Father & Sons Drops.
Headley 31/8/03.....PAJ and Nick Andrew, two in three balls - neither a gimme, but, hey, who cares?

Farley Hill 24.08.03
SCCC 207-5 dec
Farley Hill 154 all out
WON by 53 runs

When the challenge of playing the Bounders again evaporated due to their inability to raise a side, we gambled on a Club Conference fixture and ended up at Farley Hill's cosy ground (not to mention the dressing room) in a forest near nowhere. Like all grounds we win on, it had a certain charm, fine teas and welcoming hosts, but also a desperately low and slow wicket amid a rough and bone dry outfield.

The Cryptic mix included the club's highest run scorer, highest wicket taker, richest man, poorest man and best ever cricketer. Tony Dodemaide (Victoria, Sussex and Australia, 10 Tests, 24 ODI's) now claims the perch occupied for years by Graham Atkinson. It was a treat for the Cryptics to have him for a day and we hope to entice him back for one or two of the bigger games next year.

Tony Dodemaide is awarded the baggy pink and black

Necessarily inserted with only seven men on the ground at the start, Wright and the in form skipper set cautiously about their task. When Wright spooned one to cover on four, Cupit arrived even more cautious and took 25 minutes to score the first of his three runs. Seeckts was strangled on 27, gloving one down the legside to a Guinness fuelled wicketkeeper and from 48-3 Dodemaide and 17 year-old debutant John Mousinho added 145 in 75 minutes. International experience and youthful talent exposed Cryptic cricket for what we all know it is, but took nothing away from the enjoyment of the spectacle as the Australian carried out a thorough examination of Farley Hill's ball finding abilities in the trees and bracken. On reaching 103 Dodemaide chipped one to square leg, allowing father Gordon Mousinho - in his first game since scoring a legendry 100* at Headley in 1995 - to join his progeny at the crease. It was brief, a straight one accounting for the old man just after he got off the mark. Son ended with 30*, David Grindrod notched another cheeky not out and an abundance of talent (Chetwode, Williamson and Greenhough) was not required.

So the abundance opened the bowling after tea. Chetwode was typically miserly and surprisingly wicketless with 8-4-8-0, in neat contrast to Greenhough's daringly flighted 10-0-39-2. Opening the bowling under Allan Border guarantees nothing here, a fact clearly sensed by Dodemaide when he obligingly offered to keep wicket. Three stumpings and a fine running catch at least got him in the frame for Man of the Match. His description of Martin Williamson's last over, 1 for 16, (8-1-49-2 overall) as "good shopping" secured the award.

Farley Hill took the invitation to chase and with 120 needed from the last 20 overs and eight wickets in hand, it may have been a contest. They never recovered from 125-5, the tail was weak and Grindrod was a touch flattered by figures of 4-14 from 7.5 overs. John Mousinho's spell was shorter than planned, his own fault since his second and third deliveries both hit the off stump. Bowling a No-ball when on a hat-trick merely indicates what a fine Cryptic this man may become.

Six wins and two draws from ten completed matches this year. We drank the bar as dry as the outfield and departed happy to have been part of another day that will pass into Cryptic folklore.

Claygate 17.8.03
SCCC 224-8 dec
Claygate 202-9
Match drawn

Those of the opinion that limited overs games are the way forward and that  declaration cricket has had its day would not have had much of a case on the evidence of this match. Perhaps it was best summed up by the non-bowling, reluctant fielder James Hogben, who got a second ball duck but announced afterwards that it had been a great game and he had thoroughly enjoyed his day!

Inserted on a pitch of variable bounce, surrounded by a rapid outfield, it was hard to gauge a decent score and at 18-2 (Cupit 9 and Hogben back in the hutch) we were none the wiser. Wright, moving quickly after a Saturday vindaloo, and Seeckts set about repairing the damage with a stand of 49 in half an hour before the balding opener nicked one to the 'keeper on 28 and walked so quickly the ball had hardly been caught. Australian umpire Cupit was aghast. Seeckts thrashed his way blissfully to 50 in the company of the classy looking McLean (27) and Grindrod (24) who kept the runs flowing while the skipper briefly lost form, and a score of 250 looked possible. A masterclass in cover driving was ended by a wicked lifter off a good length robbing Seeckts of his first century ever on 74. It opened the way for debutant Jamie Craig-Wood (6), the equally double barrelled Tommy Hope-Dunbar (24*) and the just plain barrelled Peter Andrew (17*) to long handle their way to tea, carving the ball to all parts without reference to the coaching manual.

Claygate invariable produces high scoring, close games and the home side were competitive throughout. Wright spilled a hard but vital chance off Goss early on and the runs flowed in spite of fine bowling from Goss, Grindrod, H-D and C-W. Excellent running and well judged big shots kept Claygate in it right up to the last four overs but the fielders stayed uncharacteristically alert, good catches were held in the deep and as PAJ Andrew put the noose around the home side from the bottom end, Goss returned to tighten it from the top. Wickets fell at just the right times to keep both sides interested and stumps were drawn after a comical last ball run out at about ten to eight. Goss finished with an admirable 15-5-49-4 and Andrew 10-0-53-2.

The eleventh man was again 12 year old Nick Andrew who fielded well and will bat and bowl more when his old man retires to the scorebook. The skipper bought a batting jug. It might be a while before that happens again.