The Old Hurstjohnians are celebrating their 100th cricket week.  This year 43 payers will take part in 9 days of cricket.  The Cryptics have been part of half these as this game was the 47th actually played between the teams.  The College and surrounding countryside looked wonderful in the summer sunshine on the best day of their week.  The camping ground where the  majority of the players stay and the surrounding area were full of families and children enjoying the facilities.    The catering was superb - roast gammon and potatoes and vegetables and lovely desserts for lunch and excellent sandwiches and cake for tea.  So what could possibly go wrong?  

The first thing to go wrong was losing the toss and having to field.   An injury to slow left armer Tom Whyte meant that the Cryptics did not have a spinner and one of the main seam bowlers was not fit to bowl.  This meant that the Club only had 4 bowlers.  The Club bowled a respectable 33 overs in the 2 hours before lunch but the OHJs reached 156-2 in this time and looked poised for a really big score with Robinson and the ever-dangerous Semmence not out and looking well set.   However the excellent lunch was clearly what the Cryptics needed and they took three wickets for 10 runs and at 171 - 5 with two new batsmen at the crease the Club fancied keeping the runs to a respectable level.   It was not to be:  there were plenty of shots in the air but none went to fielders and OHJ Skipper May hit a powerful 51* enabling him to declare on 252 after 48 overs at a time which meant the OHJs would bowl well over 50 overs to the Cryptics.  The four Cryptics bowlers toiled away in what was now beautiful and hot sunshine, often beating the bat and inducing mis-hits but having to watch as anything loose was hit for 4 (all run in three cases).   They were supported by another superb display of wicketkeeping by Jasper Joyce culminating in a brilliant legside stumping.

Things started to go wrong pretty early for the Cryptics in the run chase with Jason Doole surprisingly given out LBW and James Wilson, brilliantly stumped down the legside by Robinson.   Conor and Rufus Nolan batted steadily until tea but found it hard to get the score moving against both the seamers or the spinners; both eventually perished in the attempt.   Ben Tibble looked to be just getting going when trapped LBW and Mike Nolan was strikingly the ball superbly before being brilliantly caught.  Hamish Nolan and Jasper Joyce both batted well but by this time the target was out of reach.  Jim and Will Nolan resisted well for while but the OHJs only needed 8 of the last 20 overs to finish the job.  OHJs' fielding and catching were excellent; Mason Robinson gave another brilliant display of 'keeping. 

All-in-all a disappointing outcome to a great day of Cryptics Southern Tour cricket.  Not so much the result but the fact that we couldn't really mount a real challenge.  

Jim Nolan generously donated a bottle of the excellent Black Dog Vineyard fizz for the Man of the Match and awarded it to the OHJs skipper for the knock that really changed the game.   Cryptics President Nick Priestnall congratulated the OHJs on being 100 not out in their cricket week and said how much the Cryptics enjoyed being a part of it.  He thanked them for the hospitality.