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| 1925 |
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Played 4: Won 2, Drawn 2 Friday June 26 and Saturday June 27 v The School at Sherborne - Drawn Sherborne Pilgrims 165 (B C W Windle 79; C M G Moberly 6-33) and 146-1 (H G M Barton 85); Sherborne School 340-5 dec (R Eglington 189 not out, J.A. Nunn 77; R.G. Forbes-Bassett 4-108) Tuesday July 28 v South Wilts at Sherborne - Won by 7 wickets South Wilts 159 (J A Nunn 4-28); Sherborne Pilgrims 163-3 (W E Tucker 50 not out) Wednesday July 29 and Thursday July 30 v Exmouth at Exmouth - Drawn Sherborne Pilgrims 112 (H S Carter 6-38) and 268-9 dec (C H Cole 133); Exmouth 112 and 143-4 (G Knapman 55 not out, T J Eales 50) Friday July 31 and Saturday August 1 v United Services at Mount Wise, Plymouth - Won by innings and 97 runs Sherborne Pilgrims 450-9 dec (G Peddie 231, C H Cole 96, A W B Brakspear 60 not out; Lt Benstead 5-136); United Services 159 (Cdr Rapkin 64) and 194 (Capt Bray 55) The first match worked itself into what must be acknowledged as the ideal performance for such an occasion; to begin with, the opponents were almost all dismissed before lunch; and afterwards just the right people distinguished themselves - most conveniently because they thus provided such a splendid opportunity for those (and there were many), who could recall similar feats of the same persons at school, and feel the finer fellows for having themselves performed equal, and more brilliant, deeds than their other contemporaries. Our opponents were perhaps a trifle unlucky in that their super-batsman was sent back by a perfect display of juggling, such as the guilty fieldsman, R Forbes-Bassett, could certainly only have produced under the influence of Mr Ford's excellent luncheon strawberries. The opposition thus dispatched, there followed the gatherings of those jolly companies in which every Shirburnian counts it a privilege to participate. This is the time when the mighty monsters of the past bandy their hair-raising tales, like so many ping-pong balls, across the groaning table, while we youngsters of the brotherhood sit in awe-struck dumbness - and offer silent prayers of thanks for the rapid civilisation of the "public school system"! And afterwards there was no lack of entertainment, the principal artistes were an outrageous motorcycle, somebody else's car, and a rider, Forbes-Bassett, who rivalled in daring and skill the world famed trapeze fiends of Olympic's circus. It poured incessantly the next morning, and in addition our official umpire intimated that he had suddenly lost enthusiasm; doubtless he was chary of associating himself - and in a responsible position - with such a band of Pilgrims. But things (i.e. run-outs, leg-befores etc) would have gone ill for the team, had not our ever-ready-to-help E J Freeman stepped forward to fill the breach and the white coat. We found that the rain had ceased at Exmouth, but upon winning the toss, ourselves provided an excellent substitute in the stream of batsmen who poured in and out of the pavilion in rapid succession. Still, our opponents were, in their turn, even more realistic. No little excitement was evinced at dinner, when it was discovered that we (amongst others) were later to be entertained by a company of nymphs and swains of amateur and/or dramatic inclinations. Somebody - some have it that this indiscretion was committed by the writer - suggested that the team might confer some token of their appreciation of the performance on the artiste (of course of the fair sex) of their combined choosing. Each member of the team considering himself, like any self-respecting gentleman, an unfaltering connoisseur in beauty, it only needed this piquant element of anticipatory relish to send us en masse to our seats - most opportunely placed in the front rows - and enable us to sit grimly resolute through the preliminary casters of an emphatically clownish clown. With the departure of the latter, the fun began, and continued furiously until, dazzled by the intricate display of member-waving by beauteous damsels, a welcome entr'acte gave us the opportunity to stagger panting outside, only to be pounced upon and bidden deliver our embarrassed verdict. No sooner, however, had Bill (W E Tucker, permanent team secretary for all affaires-cux-dames) sifted into order the sentimental chaos of votes, than we were hurried back again, only to reconsider our opinions, as each item pranced yet more enticingly across the stage. The greatest credit is due to the gallant Bill, who eventually took the only course possible i.e. singled out the lady of his own choosing, and saw her retired across the footlights attached to the well-won prize. A most delightful evening. The rain next day was again inopportune - from our point of view, as we claimed; from Exmouth's, as Exmouth claimed. However, the pauses in cricket had provided an excellent opportunity for fertile brains to conceive yet further entertainment for our leisure moments. Consequently, when we arrived at the hotel that evening we discovered, some with enthusiasm, some with assumed ennui, some with ill-concealed disgust, that irresistible embassies had been busy during the showers, and the direct result was the imminent arrival of certain prima donnas of yester-night (incidentally and tactlessly, those whom we had overlooked in the distribution of our bouquet!). In short, some of us were expected to smoothe the creases from our foreheads and waistcoats, and parade ourselves as dancing partners. Unwilling though we had been to undertake this enterprise, yet, when the band had long since completed its excellent repertoire, obvious reluctance to depart was evinced on both sides. We blush to relate that one strong man (R Morton) lost his heart that night, but was just in time to snatch it back, when the fair thief intimated that it was in danger of being whisked off shortly to India; which both considered impracticable. At last a general departure seemed imminent and the writer personally seized the opportunity to bolt for his room. As he opened the door, however, he was greeted with the purr of a familiar motor in the garage below. Next moment the purr had risen to a roar, almost immediately culminating in a resounding crash. With rage swelling in his heart he leaped to the window to glare down upon his own little motor being extricated from the hedge flanking the garage, whither one Brakspear had marked it sternwards. In answer to his stentorian bawl of none too nice language, he was informed that the wretched thing was only being borrowed to take the last damsels home, and was it all right? The answer was, I fear, a terrible growl in which "morning" and "wait" were mercifully the only obvious words. At this point it might be opportune to register the appreciation of a vehicular tour by the non-driving section of the team. They even apparently desire to thank the luckless wights who performed the labour of conveying some two hooligans a-piece round the country; and certainly a tour is very much more enjoyable, and totally free from Bradshaw anxiety when conducted with a sufficiency of vehicles. Next to Plymouth: here a number of notable achievements are to our credit; first and foremost the record score, well over two hundred from an individual Pilgrim bat, G Peddie's; secondly the fielding of Bill Tucker (in masterly manner, too) with no heel to his boot for a whole day; thirdly the arrival of the whole team on time on the second day (we feel this must also be a record); and climatical effort, the photographing of the said team - in a downpour. When it is added that our militarist in embryo, G Peddie, smote off in a cinema the cap of a citizen misguided enough not to stand during the rendering of God Save The King, and that J A Nunn did feloniously and deliberately bring heavily to earth the somewhat boastful captain of our opponents, by striking him viciously on the knee with a most accurate break-back, it will readily be acceded that the Pilgrims did not fail to leave their mark in this hospitable city. It only remains to congratulate our captain on an eminently successful tour, and to add that, only in consideration of the future happiness of the Westlake home, is his name conspicuous by its absence. Report by FHW. |