And so it begins; the first friendly game of the season commenced over the Easter weekend. This means the good news is nets have finished on a Sunday, bad news is nets are now on Wednesday
evenings and there has already been a cricket meeting.

The first Saturday game resulted in a slight logistical problem for James and I as we had family commitments in Birmingham on Friday and Sunday. Of course there was only one solution for James, and it wasn’t missing the game. The 160 mile round trip was therefore done twice with James spending much time on the M5! Definitely not the choice I would have made but his commitment is undeniable. I also know the team gave up considerable time on the Ground Force day and have since been working hard to paint the new sight screens.

Following this first game, James began the inevitable activity of trying to find a new home for his cricket bag. Its current location in the shed is a considerable distance away from the house and hence undesirable for James. Unfortunately for James (but not for me), the bag did not fit in the cupboard under the stairs, down the side of the immersion heater or next to the book case – phew!!

In fact, the end of April brings one of the highlights of the cricket season for me; start of season drinks at Pinkney Park. It’s always a great social event, often meeting lots of new people as well as the ‘old faces’. Unbelievably this is the sixth pre-season drinks that we have attended and looking back to the first year we were made to feel extremely welcome by John, Matilda and the other cricketers. I remember chatting profusely to loads of people, probably aided by the continuous supply of wine that I was offered, but especially with one of the friendly cricket wives. Since that first meeting we have remained really good friends. Would I know her at all without cricket? Does cricket bring together like minded people? Maybe, maybe not, but cricket definitely forges strong friendships for the team and I’d like to think for the ladies too!

Jo Harmer