From OWGS Captain Tusa…
Happy to report that the first match of the OWGS 2019 season ended in a half against RWNGC. So far, so dull. Fortunately, however, the result masked a highly competitive fixture, very sociable opposition and a mercurial performance from the weather.
With RWNGC shut for play on Thursday and Friday and with c35% probability of no play on Saturday either, I cancelled the match formally on Friday afternoon and asked if any of the OWs wanted to come up on spec? The result Ð a near full team turn-out that enabled us to field a side of 8 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon. Needless to say that the frost had come out of the ground on Friday night and left us with an almost perfect February day. Well, perhaps a bit too cold to be perfect but the odd sleet shower wasnÕt sufficient to put us off our stride.
Neither, this time, were the previous eveningÕs occupations which included darts and ended in Whittington showing both power and accuracy in putting an axe through one of the windows of our house (intentionally!) as IÕd locked us out. The temperature of the house was only just warmer than outside (no worry about the gaping hole then) as our heating wasnÕt workingÉ
These OWs are a hardy bunch. We ended the morning session on Saturday 3-1 up, with Close-Brooks and Coulman having put the Hewitt pair of Nick and Ali Lyons to the sword, and Whittington and Fell inflicting another victory over Hardy and Roe. The last time Hardy was beaten by an OW pair was in the final of last yearÕs Hewitt.
Hardy exacted his revenge in the afternoon, playing with non-member Gus Giddins (Charterhouse Hewitt regular) against GCB and Charlie Hewetson, as did Martin Smith and Stocks against CVD and Coulman. The match was finely poised up right to the last, with Tim R-R and Fell securing their half having been four down at one stage.
So, an action-packed fixture, far from dull, capturing the full pluck of the OW side and their weather-forecasting skills. And IÕll get the window and heating fixed for next year!