Whizzy match stats available at CriqHQ.

Pacific’s season got underway with some quality cricket, with Satch and Shaz’s opening spells for the Juniors showing no signs of winter rustiness. The Seniors’ openers, Jon Thornton and Toby, made a watchful start but Satch was soon rewarded for his excellent line when the former edged a defensive prod to Tom at slip.  

The wicket brought Antony Ireland to the crease, an unknown quantity to all on the park except his younger brother Tom, who chewed his gum nervously in the slips. A bowling change saw Sheldon run up and hurl a fearful full toss, the unexpected pace exploding Toby’s springback stumps.  With Sheldon fired up and steaming in, Seniors looked in a little trouble at 39-2 off 12 or so overs, but Ireland Snr steadied the ship, going on to hit a flurry of straight sixes to bring up his fifty and the Seniors’ 100. He was joined by Webbo for a Dorset Youth ‘97 reunion until he dragged a Luke Hollman googly onto his own stumps for 66.

Adam Long returned to Pacific colours in fine form, bowling a hostile spell of bouncy pace which somehow did not take a wicket, despite causing endless trouble. Webbo went for a patient 32 and Ben le Mare was run out without facing soon after. Rob Allum played a steady 36 until he was bowled by student ringer Adam Cuthbert, and wickets continued to tumble steadily while Lucius tonked anything in range out of the ground in the final few overs. Big up to Ben Boorman who took a wicket in his first ever spell as a bowler in any form of cricket, big down for forgetting he wasn’t captain and changing the rookie skipper Ireland’s field all the time.

Juniors came out facing a tricky target of 222. Unfortunately the Seniors’ bowling line-up was even further past its sell by date than the milk in the clubhouse fridge, and Boorman laid waste to anything short or wide from the off and got Juniors off to a flying start alongside newby Stan. By the time he fell for 62 hitting Aroon to cover, Juniors were 92-2 off not many, and an Ireland/de Glossop partnership of 94 took them to within 50 of victory, with Ireland Jnr snapping his beloved bat en route. (RIP 'the Icon'.) Only a trio of drunken girls on the pitch halted the Juniors’ path to victory, and they reached their target with six overs to spare and de Glossop on 64. Post-match pints were dispatched in the World’s End.

Thanks to Chris Clayton and Pete for scoring and the Essex spectators posse for coming, and congrats to all for a good-natured and surprisingly sharp start to the season.