We start this week's round up of Tigers who have taken to the field for their club sides by crossing the border to Gloucestershire. Yes, we're starting with Charlton Kings and Steve 'Alan' Brackley.
Before we go into Alan's report, let's pay homage to the good cricketers of Charlton Kings for the honour they bestowed on him last weekend.
You know there are some funny 'sorts' over the border in Gloucestershire? Well, after each game, Charlton Kings CC honour one of their team with an award called 'Richard for a Day'. I don't know what it entails exactly but, knowing that part of the country, its probably something like The Wicker Man meets cricket. I know that after reading Alan's account, many Tigers will feel they should have won a similar award many times over but lets just be happy for Alan, yeah?
Steve 'Alan' Brackley, Charlton Kings CC 'Richard for a Day'
Okay, so lets get on with the game itself.
Charlton Kings were playing an away game against the mighty Lydney.
CK
lost the toss and were put into bat on a road with a damp outfield. After starting well, Kings fell away to be all out for 222 (that's not 'falling away' mate. The Tigers have only ever hit more than that twice). Our Alan was out off the penultimate ball of the Kings' innings for 5.
Lets just stop there and reflect on that 5 scored by Alan.
Al', your manners seem to fail you when playing for your club. Did we not all agree that its incredibly bad form for any Tiger below No. 4 in the batting order to trouble the scorer? Shame on you mate.
So anyway, Kings felt that on that wicket they really needed to be aiming for 280. However, 222 was something to bowl at and they were determined to make a fist of it. They failed.
The mighty Lydney piled on the misery and sailed past the total with the loss of only two wickets.
So how did Alan win the Richard for a Day award?
Bowling ten overs into a pretty stiff wind Alan was rewarded with edge after edge. All those edges mounted up to 43 runs. Final figures of 10-0-43-0. An unusually low return for our human trebuchet.
But the best was yet to come.
In a moment of calamity, Alan dropped a sitter. 'Easily the worst drop of my life', he told me later. The batsman who should have had 'c Brackley' against his name ended up having the words 'Not Out' and the number 83 against it instead. At least HE felt good about HIS afternoon's work, eh mate?
No joy with the ball, a dropped catch and an eight wicket defeat. Alan was pretty glum.
So how good must he have felt when all his team mates got together to vote for Richard for a Day and decided Alan was the man to take the award? Alan, generous as always, felt the Kings' wicket keeper should have got the award. But the lads were having none of it.
The Charlton Kings' lads shortened the name of the award to the more informal 'Dick of the Day' but I think you'll agree it still carries a certain gravitas?
Actually Al' it doesn't ... you just had a bit of a mare mate, didn't you?
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