Bedouins find Fossils in Worcester

Bedouins v Fossils – Sunday May 22nd at Perdiswell Park

Match drawn

It was a makeshift side Bedouins side that travelled to Perdiswell Park in Worcester. A new venue to play the Fossils on. Into the ranks came Mick Body and Dave Goring with many Bedouins regulars AWOL.

For anyone who has never played the Fossils, they hold true to their name and are mostly very experienced wily old cricketers, and very nice chaps too. Beds won the toss and decided to have a bat. Hill A and Lippitt opened. Hill was just getting going when he missed a straight one and was bowled so Lippitt was joined his mate Dave Goring, who is obviously good with the bat (as well as fielding) and played some nice shots.

The Fossils have some shrewd bowlers in their side but their advanced age makes fielding challenging, something the Bedouins are possibly starting to find. Where is the next generation of Bedouins coming from? Hill J is now our youngest player. It is the duty of all Bedouins to start producing offspring to carry on the Bedouins tradition in years to come. Get on with it chaps.

Anyway, back to the game. Lippitt was bowled for 14 having hit a couple of boundaries. Goring was joined by said yongster, Hill J and both found the boundary regularly. Goring was eventually caught behind for 27.

Gregory came to the crease and he and Hill J looked untroubled with both retiring on the mandatory 35. Tommy Allcock was in at 6 and he didn’t die wondering. His 9 was full of determined and positive strokes until he was bowled. Smith N made a quick 8 before being stumped and Stanier and Susman saw out the innings with the former hitting three fours in his 16 not out and the latter 6 not out.

Bedouins finished on 188 from their 35 overs.

In reply the Fossils never really challenged the Bedouins total. Their rules are to win the game, Bedouins would need to bowl them all out. Gregory  opened the bowling and bamboozled the Fossils with flight and swing to finish with 2 for 9 from his 7 overs. At the other end was the unusual sight of Hill J. bowling, and what a good job he did. Regularly beating the outside edge he was unlucky to come away with no wickets in his spell of 0 for 30 from 7 overs.

For the Fossils, Gurr was the only batsman to reach retirement of 35. Bedouins shared the bowling around but Stanier was the only other bowler to take a wicket. There was one fabulous run out with Goring hitting the stumps with only one to aim at. Tommy Allcock limped off the pitch with a hamstring injury having been lively in the field. In the end the Fossils innings came to a conclusion with 105 runs on the board and five wickets down. So by their rules, a draw.

The result was not really important, it was just a pleasant game of cricket, and one that will be repeated later in the season.

 

 

Duck Supper 2021

After a brief departure away from our traditional venue in 2019, and having no duck supper in 2020, it was fantastic to hold this year’s end of season event back at The Cat Inn in Enville. We had a good turn out with 19 present. It would have been 20 except for one self-isolating which was a shame but those there enjoyed some good food, a few drinks, and lots of laughs although the photo doesn’t really capture the ambience.

We managed to uphold the tradition of having a quiz to do between courses and this year it was the partnership of Hill snr and jnr that were victorious, although it did go to a tie break. All very exciting. They both went home with a bottle of wine. The M I Warner trophy presented for Bedouin of the year was deservedly won by John Howells. There can’t be many septuagenarian wicket-keepers playing these days, and definitely none as athletic as John who was an ever-present in the side this year.

“So who won the averages?” I hear you cry. This year the batting honours went to Jonathan Hill with Mick Robertson topping the bowling averages. You can see the full averages for the season here, plus there are links to previous seasons.

Our chairman gave an amusing end-of-season report which was followed by our Skipper’s slant on it. This mostly focused on the sad loss of our ex-chairman Brian Susman in September. It was a difficult job for the skipper but he did a sterling job, delivering a heart-felt and at times very moving tribute to someone who had been a driving force for the club for many years.

For those who may not know, Brian’s ashes were scattered at the ground with the permission of both Enville CC and Enville Hall, for which his family were most grateful. His other club, The Celebs, are arranging for a memorial bench to be positioned, hopefully near the score box where Brian spent many a happy hour and could sometimes be heard shouting “Get on with it, it’s getting dark!”. A fixture between the two sides is planned for next season where the Celebs hope to present the bench.

It was fantastic to be able to get the duck supper up and running again and marked the end of another season of enjoyable cricket. Let’s hope we can do the same again next year. Stay safe.

 

Bedouins kick off foot golf tournament

A dull morning in early December might not seem like a good time to try out a new sport but the suggestion was put forward at the AGM that the Bedouins should try their hand at a bit of foot golf. You know, it’s golf but you kick a football around the course and the holes are extra large. Turns out that this activity is good fun and a great time was had by all eight players who turned up to play the nine hole course in Kingswinford.

It should be said that foot golf is a lot harder than you might expect, even for those who had a misspent youth playing football regularly. Personally, I hadn’t appreciated how much effort it takes to kick a ball any great distance and the fact that the course had a small stream running right through the middle of it made the challenge harder, and a lot balls had to be rescued. Playing in trainers was interesting, as some of tees were a bit spongy, so it was hard to stay upright. A couple of players did their best ‘Bambi on Ice’ impression.

Anyway, those that played had a tremendous laugh so all thanks to Lippo for organising the event which saw the team made up of Smith N., George, Stanier and Lippitt win, with Skipper Bywater, Lippitt and Stanier in three-way tie for the best individual score of 32 (3 under par). Let’s hope we can do it again next year.

 

Don’t upset the landlord

Bedouins v Enville O40s – 21st July 2021

Bedouins won

Bedouins have always been very lucky to be hosted by Enville Cricket Club. There are not many places in this land that boast such beautiful surroundings. Enville are celebrating their 200 year anniversary this year. The Wednesday night Bedouins vs Enville Over 40’s would be a game set at the mid-point in their week of celebrations. All of the Bedouins were honoured to be a part of the week and wished our landlord all the best wishes for the future.

Bedouins arrived to a lovely summer evening with new chairs and a crowd at the front of the Pavilion. The atmosphere was already hotting up and it was clear that Enville had taken the fixture seriously fielding what seemed a strong side.

Skip lost the Toss……again! Enville elected to bat and the game was underway. Babyface George and Boom Boom opened up the bowling and almost immediately we knew a tough night was ahead. Tonks and Smith both retiring on 30 and really gave our opening partnership a tough time. All despite some accurate and unusually pacey bowling on a hard wicket. Neither picked up a wicket which was unlucky on this occasion. Sometimes you just meet good opposition players.

At this point a thank you to our umpires who stood around in the heat making sure we all stayed in check. R Farmer a particular delight saying how well I was bowling despite getting dispatched to the boundary every three balls. What a nice chap!

Bate had been sitting on his sofa watching Central News when he finally realised he should be playing cricket. Eventually turning up some 6 overs in he was worth the wait. 4 steady overs for just 18 complimented Mr Stanier at the other end who went for 22 and all of a sudden, we were back in the game.

Additional to the tight bowling was our Jonno. The youth policy of the Bedouins Team was like a ferret up a drainpipe this evening. He had more slides than a 35mm camera club (one for the oldies) and ultimately kept the score from going out of our reach. I counted at least 25 runs saved. I don’t know where he gets his energy from.

Robertson and Gregory wrapped up our overs with Mahmood retiring on 30 for Enville and Hamilton, Tranter and Goodman bolstering the target. 139 was set and the Beds had lots to do.

Bedouins were off to a flier in their Innings. Branch was back on form. No less than seven boundaries, beautiful drives and the odd heave ho and retired on 32. Lippitt was also in the groove. Another six boundaries and the dab was working just fine. 33 and Retired.

The Enville attack had been steady without the required wickets. Moran, May, Tranter, Davis all bowling through without joy.

Hill joined in at the middle and solidified his Man of the Match performance with a sensible batting innings. Defend the straight and punish the wide…..and punish he did. 31 and Retired.

N Smith quickly departed after being caught by Tranter, and then Stanier and Boom Boom joined the party. 15 Overs had gone and 39 was the score required.

Bedouins have struggled to get across the line a few times this season, you could say it’s been the theme of our season. However, today the Bedouins had a twinkle in their eyes and what seemed a 2×4 in their hand.

Stanier tickled over the singles to get Boom Boom on strike and that was that. 3 overs later and a 30 + partnership led to the final ball of the 17th Over. A crunching 6 down the ground from Skip and Beds had pulled it off.

I don’t think Enville knew what happened, I don’t think Bedouins did either!

The most important thing about this game was the social get together afterwards. We have waited for a game like this for a couple of years now. A beer, a bite to eat around friends.

And what friends we have at Enville…….

Bedouins Virtual AGM 2020

BEDOUINS AGM 2020
Held 3rd November 2020 20:00hrs

Chaired by Lee Bywater
In attendance: A Susman, A Hill, J Branch, L Bywater, A Hancock, M George, A Gregory, N Smith and J Stanier
LB opened the meeting thanking everyone for attending.

APOLOGIES
Apologies received from B Susman, J Hill J and Howells.

FIXTURES
LB went through the 2020 fixture list gathering a general consensus as to whether the fixtures would be renewed in 2021.

LB in full agreement with those in attendance suggested the following fixtures for 2020:
Wednesday Fixtures
Kinlet (H TBC)
Oldswinford (H/A)
Beacon (H/A)
Enville
A Gregory XI
Belbroughton H/A
*Blakedown H/A
*New Fixture
Sunday Fixtures
Fossils (H/A)
Ashby Albion
Sunday home games subject to availability.

TREASURER’S REPORT
A copy of the Treasurers report was distributed to those present. Club funds are currently healthy but there was a loss for the year of £364.74 as a result of COVID 19. Total balance at present is £1407.72

SUBSCRIPTIONS
AH suggested that despite the loss this season, subscriptions should be retained at the current rate of £45 per year. Memberships were not collected during the 2020 season as there was no cricket played by the Bedouins due to COVID 19.

OFFICERS
Prior to the meeting Brian Susman had circulated his intention to stand down as Chairman after over 35 years.

Brian’s Message is below:

I hope you enjoy the first ever remote AGM of the Bedouins and I offer my sincere apologies for not being able to attend in person.



As you may know, it had been my intention all along to stand down as chairman at this AGM. My fading eyesight had made it necessary. But now, the need to resign is more acute, as ill health has taken over lately. That is why I was shipped off to PRH Telford a few weeks ago, where I spent a jolly week incarcerated – no visitors, and nothing to read, as I couldn’t see it. With time hanging heavy, it was a sheer delight to have phone calls from some Beds. To those who took the trouble to make contact, my sincere thanks. It was very kind of some of you to take the trouble, and I want you to know that it was very much appreciated.



Standing down this year, while Covid is still ruling our lives, is not ideal for my successor. But we do have one volunteer, prepared to take on the chairmanship, so I will leave that for the proper electoral process to take place before saying any more.



Being the Bedouins chairman for the last 35 years or more has been a rare privilege and a real pleasure. We have had some wonderful times together, and many happy memories to look back on. It has given me real pleasure to see that, as some members have come and gone, we have always been able to stick to Bedouins principles of playing the great game “seriously for fun”. Long may that continue, and I am sure that, under the newly elected chairman, it will be the case.



Have a good meeting. And I look forward to seeing you all in the 2021 season.



Regards

Your ever loving Chairman

LB wished to have it recorded in the minutes the fact that Brian has done an amazing job for which every Bedouin was grateful.

LB also indicated he was aware of a Bedouin interested in becoming the new Bedouins Chairman and proposed Mike George.

A Susman Seconded. None opposed.
Mike George welcomed as new Bedouins Chairman.
Captain LB proposed by M George, seconded A Susman
Secretary LB proposed by M George, seconded A Susman
Treasurer TH proposed by A Hill, seconded M George
Head of Comms AS proposed by A Hill, seconded by M George

DUCK SUPPER
LB confirmed that the annual Duck Supper for 2020 was cancelled due to COVID 19.
LB indicated that work commitments were impacting on his ability to arrange the DS and requested the assistance of another Bedouin to take up the arrangements for next year.
AH offered to take over this task for 2021 and moving forward.
JB indicated that last years caterers would not be available moving forward.
AH suggested the return to the Cat at Enville due to the facilities and ease of arrangements.
General consensus at the meeting was that this was a good idea.

NETS
NS to investigate local Nets availability and report back to the Chairman.

NEXT AGM
The next Bedouins AGM will be held on Tuesday 2nd November 2021.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Cricket Teas
MG/AS to contact Sam to check her availability to provide Wednesday night teas.
AH and AS confirmed Jo and Nicky happy to continue to assist with Sunday teas.
LB also confirmed Claire happy to assist when required for Sunday Fixtures.

Golf Day
LB confirmed that he would approach J Davidson about arranging the Bedouins Golf day 2021.
Sapey was unanimously voted the preference for this year’s event.
LB indicated that COVID may still impact on the event.
No other business raised; BS closed the meeting at 2115hrs.

Cricket Balls
LB will arrange for cricket balls for the new season through previous supplier.
*Note – JB has since been in contact with LB and a dozen balls have been ordered through Enville.

Match Reports
MG asked if there was a volunteer for match reports. AS indicated that he would be willing to take on this task.

Meeting closed 2110hrs
Minutes L Bywater

Duck Supper 2019

This year, Bedouins CC broke with tradition, taking the Duck Supper away from its long-term venue, The Cat in Enville, and ensconced themselves in Enville’s club house. Spratters volunteered a contact of his to do the catering, so everyone waited with bated breath to see whether the food would be up to the high standards expected by a group of gentlemen who are used to fine-dining in the highest circles, like Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s. They also waited with bated breath to see if Spratters would actually turn up. He did so, fashionably late.

The signs were good. The tables were well presented and in a change from previous years at The Cat, we all had some elbow room. Spratters breathed an audible sigh of relief as the starters were met with approval, followed by excellent main courses, and sumptuous puds. So much so, the cheese course was all but written off.

Lippo receives the Warner trophy

Some things are set in stone. We had the usual quiz which, as always, was hard fought, but eventually won by Paul Lippitt and Trevor Spears (Enville’s chairman and welcome guest for the night). We also had the Warner trophy for Bedouin of the Year which was won by Paul Lippitt (there’s a pattern emerging here). But we also had a new trophy, the Barry Cottle trophy, which from now on will be awarded to recognise the champagne moment of the year. This year it went to… no not Lippo, but our esteemed chairman. What was the moment that won him this treasured accolade? It was that moment when, sat eating tea in the last game of the season, away at Kinlet, a dog darted between his legs to half-inch his eggy sandwich. Full story here.

Mr Chairman receives the Barry Cottle trophy

Probably more importantly though, the Barry Cottle trophy is a means by which we can all remember the Bedouins founding member and ex-chairman. The man responsible for the ethos by which we still proudly play today – “Playing seriously for fun”.

The averages for the 2019 season were revealed, with many presuming that Lippo would claim himself another win in the batting category after his epic 92 retired lame. However it was good to see Andy Hill back at the top of the charts with an average of over 60, in his first full season back after a long injury lay off. The bowling plaudits went to Adrian Susman. Full details of the 2019 averages are available here.

The new skipper tells it like it was.

We also enjoyed the new skipper’s inaugural speech, which was spot on. Short, witty and entertaining. Lets face it though, who would dare tell him if it wasn’t? Finally, we had some emotional words from our Chairman as he divulged his plan to stand down at the next AGM. That will leave some big boots to fill. Quite literally. Who will step up to the mark?

Mr Chairman delivers his overview of the season

So, as usual, a good night was had by all. Long may it continue.

Bedouins AGM 2019

BEDOUINS AGM 2019

HELD 5th NOVEMBER 2019 20:00HRS

Chairman, Brian Susman

In attendance: A Susman, A Hill, R Spratley, J Branch, L Bywater, P Lippitt, M George and J Stanier

BS opened the meeting thanking everyone for attending.

  1. APOLOGIES

Apologies received from J Hill, J Howells, A Gregory and A Hancock

  1. FIXTURES

BS went through the 2019 fixture list gathering a general consensus as to whether the fixtures would be renewed in 2020.

BS in full agreement with those in attendance suggested the following fixtures for 2020:

Wednesday Fixtures

Kinlet

Oldswinford (H/A)

Beacon (H/A)

Enville

A Gregory XI

Belbroughton

Sunday Fixtures

Fossils (H/A)

Kinlet

Ashby Albion

  1. Treasurers Report

A copy of the Treasurers report was distributed to those present. Club funds are currently healthy but there was a significant loss for the year of £432.94. Total balance at present is £1772.46.

As AH is unavailable at the meeting, the Treasurers report will be deferred for discussion at the Duck Supper.

BS also suggested that regardless of a return fixture, all teams playing at Enville should be asked for a contribution towards tea. All present agreed.

  1. SUBSCRIPTIONS

JS suggested a small rise in subscriptions in order to replenish club funds. All present agreed that a £5 increase in annual membership (Adults) would be appropriate.

  1. OFFICERS

All current Officers are happy to continue in their roles.

Chairman BS proposed by A Hill, seconded by M George

Vice Chairman MG proposed by A Hill, seconded by JB

Captain LB proposed by A Hill, seconded M George

Secretary LB proposed by A Hill, seconded M George

Treasurer TH proposed by A Hill, seconded M George

Head of Comms AS proposed by A Hill, seconded by M George

  1. DUCK SUPPER

LB confirmed that the annual Duck Supper would take place on 29th November 2019, meeting at 1915hrs ready to sit at 2000hrs. The Enville pavilion will host the supper this year.

LB will contact the remaining Bedouins yet to clarify their attendance and gather remaining menu choices.

BS to update Trevor Spiers with the choice in wine.

  1. NETS

PL offered to check availability and arrange nets for the Bedouins this winter.

Crestwood School to be contacted by PL

JS also offered to contact Mr Spooner at Oldswinford.

  1. NEXT AGM

The next Bedouins AGM will be held on Tuesday 3rd November 2020.

  1. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Cricket Teas

BS to contact Sam to check her availability to provide Wednesday night teas.

AH and AS confirmed Jo and Nicky happy to continue to assist with Sunday teas.

LB also confirmed Claire happy to assist when required for Sunday Fixtures.

New Recruits

LB Confirmed Craig Aston has indicated he would like to join the club formally next season.

Golf Day

BS confirmed that he would approach J Davidson about arranging the Bedouins Golf day 2020.

Multiple venues were suggested, including Chesterton, Ombersley and Cleobury Mortimer.

BS stated he would ask JD to source a suitable location with competitive rate.

Barry Cottle Trophy

AH indicated that the trophy will be ready for the first awarding at the Duck Supper.

BS suggested that the award should be a discussion on the night of the Duck Supper and should be for the ‘most memorable’ moment of the season in the spirit of Barry. Votes will be taken from the membership to decide the winner.

No other business raised; BS closed the meeting at 21:15hrs.

Minutes L Bywater

Win for England …… and the Beds

July 3rd 2019 – Bedouins won by 6 wickets

Just as the Bedouins were keeping an eye on the score from Chester-le-Street as England took on New Zealand for a place in the World Cup semi-finals, so the England players were being regularly updated on the Bedouins’ performance against Pedmore at Enville. They will not have been surprised to learn that it was yet another winning night for the Beds – just as it was a winning day for England.

The Bedouins’ undefeated run now goes on to four games, as the home side beat Pedmore by 6 wickets with more than two overs to spare. All right, that sequence contains one “no-result” as the rain came down in a Sunday game against Oldswinford, but we only had to beat a score of 190-plus for 1 to register a victory on that occasion when rain stopped play!

On a beautiful June evening, Enville was looking at its verdant and colourful best, with beech trees swaying in the breeze and the outfield well trimmed and looking very fast. The picture on the field of play, though, was very much black and white, as the visitors turned up in their “away strip” of basically black shirts and trousers – all of which brought a “hrmpph” or two from the scorer’s table and the occasional “wasn’t like this in my day”.

In fast-scoring conditions, the Bedouins bowlers all did well to restrict the Pedmore batsmen to a 20-over score of 119 for 5. And this was in spite of the Beds’ apparent desire to establish some kind of club record for most catches dropped in a season. A few relatively easy chances were spilled, prompting a suggestion that the dropped catches habit was catching – or not, as the case might be.

Austin Gregroy had the best bowling return – 2 for 25 – and one of his two mates (yes, he does have two of them) who helped us out for the evening, Rich Hall, had 1 for 18. Adrian Susman took 1 for 20, but Martyn Smith took the bowling honours, as he recorded a clean-bowled wicket with the first ball of his two-over spell.

Paul Lippitt set the tone for the Bedouins reply, with two boundaries in the first over – remarkably neither of them with the Lippo Dab. He continued his hot scoring streak (hot Lips?) with 30 retired. Beefy Bywater included two sixes in his 22 and Austin Gregory completed a good all-round performance with 19.

The Beds finally ran out winners by 6 wickets in the 18th over and retired joyfully to the bar to yet another of “Sam ‘n Sarah’s super suppers”.

Pedmore 119 for 5 (Gregory 2 for 25, M. Smith 1 for 12, Hall 1 for 18, Susman 1 for 20)

Bedouins 120 for 4 (Lippitt 30, Bywater 22, Gregory 19, Hall 18 not out)

Bedouins AGM 2018

BEDOUINS AGM 2018

HELD 6th NOVEMBER 2018 2000HRS

Chair Brian Susman (BS)

In attendance: A Susman (AS), A Hill (AH), R Spratley (RS), A Gregory (AG), J Branch (JB), L Bywater (LB), Neil Smith (NS), Mike George (MG), and Jon Stanier (JS).

BS opened the meeting thanking everyone for attending.

  1. APOLOGIES

Apologies received from J Hill, J Howells, T Hancock (TH) and P Lippitt

  1. FIXTURES

BS went through the 2017 fixture list gathering a general consensus as to whether the fixtures would be renewed in 2018.

Wednesday Fixtures

Kinlet (A)

Oldswinford (H/A)

Beacon (H/A)

Enville (H)

A Gregory XI (H)

Belbroughton (H/A)

Sunday Fixtures

Fossils (H/A)

Oldbury Old Boys (H)

Ashby Albion (H)

Kinlet (H)

All in attendance agreed that all fixtures will be attempted to be arranged 2019 as per Enville’s availability.

  1. Treasurers Report

A copy of the Treasurers report was distributed to those present. Club funds are currently healthy showing a loss for the year of £416.25 Total balance at present is £2205.40

As TH was unable to attend, further information on this item was deferred to the ‘Duck Supper’.

  1. SUBSCRIPTIONS

BS and MG indicated that as the club was financially healthy, subscriptions should be maintained at the current rate of £40 per year. All in attendance agreed.

  1. OFFICERS

JB announced that he was standing down as Bedouins Captain due to ongoing issues related to fitness.

BS thanked JB for his service and all in attendance agreed that JB had done a fantastic job throughout his tenure.

BS invited those willing to stand for the Bedouins Captaincy to declare their interest.

LB indicated he would be honored to stand.

JB Nominated LB. MG Seconded. None opposed.

LB named as new Bedouins Captain.

BS asked LB for his thoughts on the now vacant Vice Captain position. LB requested that the decision be deferred to the Duck Supper as some of the candidates could not make the AGM. All agreed.

All other officers agreed to stand again for their posts. None opposed.

  1. DUCK SUPPER

LB confirmed that the annual Duck Supper would take place on 30th November 2018, meeting at 1915hrs ready to sit at 2000hrs.

LB will contact the remaining Bedouins yet to clarify their attendance and gather remaining menu choices.

LB also requested clarification of the number of ladies attending the supper. To be confirmed outside of the meeting.

  1. NETS

BS asked MG for an update on the availability of winter nets.

MG stated that the nets at King Edward VI college were not available for 2019 as the College was moving in a new community-based approach to out of hours use of their facilities.

LB suggested Crestwood School as a possible venue.

NS suggested Kinver High as a new venue as he still had some contacts at the school. All agreed that this would provide a good central location for all.

NS to contact Kinver to check availability and cost and provide update to the committee.

  1. NEXT AGM

The next Bedouins AGM will be held on Tuesday 5th November 2019.

  1. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Cricket Teas

LB asked BS if Sam was available this year to provide the Cricket teas. BS stated that Sam is available to continue for next season.

Bedouins Tour

This item was discussed again following first proposal at 2017 AGM. However, there was insufficient interest to carry forward.

New Recruits

BS asked if there were any suggestions from the meeting for new members. Although none raised at the meeting all agreed to continue to monitor interest.

Cricket Balls

JB will continue to supply the cricket balls via Enville.

JB to order a dozen balls for the new season.

RS was reminded about the trial of a Pink Cricket ball for low light conditions. RS stated that he will look into this ready for the new season.

Scoring

BS indicated that he will continue to score matches for the 2019 season.

Golf Day

BS to contact John Davidson about arranging 2019 Bedouins Golf Day.

Several potential locations discussed. Bewdley, Sapey and Cleobury discussed.

BS suggested that JD could look for the best deal. All agreed to allow JD to research.

Barry Cottle

AH suggested that the Bedouins should arrange an appropriate memorial for the Clubs Founder and only President Barry Cottle. AH suggested a ‘Champagne Moment’ trophy. All agreed that this would be a fitting tribute to Barry.

AH to source a suitable trophy.

No other business raised, BS closed the meeting at 21:25hrs.

Minutes L Bywater

Beacon shines – Beds sleep on

Bedouins v Beacon at Enville, May 23rd

Bedouins lost by 7 wickets

Consistency is a valuable commodity in any team game. The trouble, at the moment, is that the Bedouins appear to have forgotten that consistently losing is not quite as valuable. With a batting display that, in some of the more erudite national dailies, might be described as “lack-lustre” but in more down-to-earth West Midlands parlance would be seen as “pretty bloody awful”, the Bedouins continued their early-season poor form with a seven-wicket defeat by Beacon.

A late change to the Bedouins line-up was necessitated by the skipper’s sudden lameness. But it’s an ill wind that blows no-one any good, and at least the elderly gent in the scorebox had a welcome companion for the evening in John Branch. On the field, it was big Lee who took on the responsibility of leading the side.

Batting first again, the Bedouins unveiled a new opening batsman. Spratters had some instruction on the boundary edge about the correct way to hold the bat (“ … the flat side faces the bowler”) before going to the middle to display a fair bit of ability before being bowled for eight.

The innings had got off to a poor start, with the home side losing Ian Woodhouse before he had the chance to let off any of his customary Woody fireworks. From there, it went from bad to worse as, with an unpredictable wicket playing a part and Beacon fielders holding all the catches that came their way, wickets went down with alarming regularity to give the home side the unenviable 10-over score of 29 for 5. It wasn’t until the ninth over that the Beds managed their first boundary – surely some kind of record?

The only stand of any substance was between Jon Stanier, who made 15, and Adrian Susman, whose 20 was ended when a Bedouin umpire, who shall remain nameless, gave him out LBW. Our beloved treasurer Tony Hancock weighed in with two boundaries in his nine runs, but the final score of 68 for 9 was unlikely to trouble the visitors.

Opening with a left-handed batsman who had clearly played the game before and proceeded untroubled to a retirement 30, Beacon were at least made to work a bit for their winning score. It wasn’t until the 16th over that they reached a winning 69 for 3, the wickets going to Stanier, (1 for 4 in 4 overs), Lemm and Spratley.

Champagne moment of the evening – and probably many other Bedouins cricket evenings – was Tony Hancock’s catch. Matching his ability to juggle the Beds’ finances with his ability to juggle a cricket ball, he appeared to complete about four catches in one, as he finally held on to a skier in the deep field. His unbridled joy at finally completing the catch was a sight to behold – as was the batsman’s sporting handshake as he left the field.

So the Beds continue to look for the first win of their 2018 season. Someone is going to take a terrible hammering from them one of these days – but please can it be sooner rather than later, lads?

Bedouins 68 for 9 (Susman 20, Stanier 15)

Beacon 69 for 3 (Stanier 1 for 4, Spratley 1 for 9, Lemm 1 for 15)