Women's Cricket Win
WE WIN, WE WIN ...
It's the year 9025 and Zebulon Chowns returns from his latest inter-galactic vacation. He's exhausted. Hyper-sleep might look peaceful, but you wake up confused and knackered. He sits in the glass pod he calls home and looks out over the arid plains of Haddenham 200 feet below. He feels something is missing in his life. There must be more to life than travelling around the universe, getting acquainted with various alien life forms and taking in the sights. His heart yearns for something more, but he doesn't know what.
As he's looking out at the featureless wasteland, he spots something poking out of the dust and teleports down to see what it is. It is a book (not that he knows what a book is) entitled A History of Haddenham. He becomes very excited and flicks through the pages. Chapter 1 is about a Murder. Chapter 2 is about houses made of what look like mud but is in fact a highly sophisticated natural building material that is far superior to Devon Cob. But it's Chapter 3 that grabs his attention. "1 June 2025, Haddenham Women's Cricket Team Win Their First Ever Match".
He teleports back to the safety of his pod and tries to take it all in. There is a photograph. He marvels at how attractive and athletic they all are. Much more appealing than the green scaling beings with one telescopic eye (yes, that's how he saw a book from 200 feet up!) that humans are now. And they are happy. Really happy. It's like they really enjoy playing for each other and being a team. He reads on:
On the 1 June 2025, The Women's Cricket Team from Haddenham won their first ever match. They beat Oxford CC Women: 297 to 294. In an even contest, it was Haddenham's teamwork that won the day. Everyone contributed with the bat: Vicky and Gemma made a strong start by putting on 14. Rachel and Claire then plundered a team record, 33, followed by Emma and Sarah who frustrated the opposition by adding 21. Finally, Clare and Karen put on a further 28. Whilst bowling isn't this team's strength, everyone tried hard and were backed up by some excellent fielding, especially by Gemma.
It was a rollercoaster of a match. Oxford's powerful hitting made them favourites but crucial wickets by Claire F, Karen, Emma and Claire F again pegged Oxford back. But it wasn't until the final over , when a laser like throw from Emma to run out one of Oxford's last batters knocked 5 off their score, that the game and the glory belonged to Haddenham. It was so exciting even the scorer couldn't keep up and made a right hash of it.
The team was over the moon. They had dreamt of this day, and it was finally here. All the hard work, knocks and bruises and constant nagging from Tim about playing straight to the straight ones was worth it.
It was a brilliant match. Played against an excellent team. The margin of victory was narrow. But it was a victory. For once, Haddenham's Coach (Tim Chowns) was lost for words – and that does not happen very often. He just stood there, glassy eyed as he watched the team he had moulded celebrate their victory.
Even Dave Towell the umpire thought they were amazing.
Zebulon slumped back, and tears filled his eye. The good looking one on the end, with the amazing physique and charismatic personality was his very distant relative Tim. I want to be just like him, he thought. Just as many people have over the years. He finished reading Chapter 3 and whilst he didn't fully understand everything, he could tell that Rachel hitting 3 consecutive off-side scoring shots was amazing. And he didn't know what pain was, but he knew that Claire B and Claire F playing through it took courage and determination. And it was obvious that the team not loosing any wickets made Tim a very happy coach because it proved they can bat.
Zebulon realised it was cricket that was missing from his life, and he tried to start a cricket team of his own. But it's hard to keep your elbow high when you don't have elbows. And what is the leg side when you don't have legs? He tried for ages to keep his eyes level when batting but when you only have one it's either impossible or unavoidable, depending on how you see things.
Either way he was useless because he kept playing across the line of the ball. So, his cricket team never caught on, but he treasures that book and when he's feeling down, he reads of the day that the amazing Haddenham Women's Cricket Team won their first ever match.
Tim Chowns
Head Coach
