North Walls, 4 June 2023
For a ‘town’ ground, North Walls is about as ‘village’ as it gets – enclosed, as it is, by willows and poplars and fringed by streams that the Skipper would doubtless refer to as bucolic. On one Sunday a year, though, things are rather less village: it is the day of Winchester’s now well-established Cheese and Chilli festival. It brings crowds, processions of catering vans behind the bowler’s arm and a soundtrack that is less leather-and-willow and more rock-and-roll.
It didn’t seem to put off the Rioteers. Sepia broke through with the second ball of the match – a deceptively loopy delivery that, well, completely deceived their opening bat. But they recovered well, posting a highly defensible total of 207, including 57 from their number-four bat. It was a good score for the wicket on the day: a fairly flat track but without much life in it. Stuart Broad would probably have called it ‘soulless’. The extras rate was not high, but then neither was the grass in the outfield – the Rioteers seemed to find the boundary fairly easily. Paddy Holmes took the lion’s share of our wickets: he got a well-deserved six for 38, including three bowled, while Adam ‘Benefit of Mr’ Kite took two.
The Racqueteers’ reply, though, was very composed: more on the cheese side of things, you might say, than the chilli – though the loose ball was certainly attacked. Alex Smith knocked up 43 before being trapped LBW. After that, Guy Shepherd and the Skipper seemed remarkably untroubled, scoring 60 (not out) and 68 (not out), respectively, with some characteristically stylish strokeplay from both. It was another good win for the Racqueteers, and especially pleasing as it was the first match the Rioteers had lost this season.
Result: Racqueteers win by 9 wickets.
The Racqueteers Cricket Club 
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