The Golden Ducks vs Two Bats, 29/06/2014

The Golden Ducks 139/7
Rodwell 46 (35)
Richards 32 (14)

Two Bats or Not To Bat 141/3
Cooper 1/21
Arblaster 1/26

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!"

In what was labelled the biggest game in the fledgling career of The Golden Ducks, it was only natural that there were some nerves floating around pre-match. Players live for games like this, and it’s not often they come around. Could we write ourselves into the record books? Was today the day?

What started off as a glorious day full of hope and expectation soon descended into an afternoon of worry and uncertainty. And that was just the weather! With pathetic fallacy in full flow, threatening clouds gathered over Clapham Common Oval, forcing the ducklings under cover. Sure enough, with rain around, Cansick chose to have a bat when he called correctly at the toss. Rain and cloud equal good batting conditions, right? In chasing that elusive first victory, the Ducks knew they would have to do so without their stalwart and all-round good guy Jon Yarker, who magnanimously stepped aside in order to allow a stronger bowling lineup.

In another re-jig (the Ducks have yet to keep the same batting lineup, or opening pair, in any two consecutive matches this season) Rodwell and Cooper opened up. With the Ducks targeting around 150/160, the opening pair set off accordingly. Runs were flowing, with Cooper looking in good form and Rodwell content to rotate the strike. Things were going according to plan for the Ducks with the score reaching 30-odd after just 4 overs. What came next wasn't in the script though, as Cooper chased a slightly wide one and had to depart, having been caught, for a breezy 19 (off 14).

Cansick strode purposefully to the crease, determined to keep up the good start. And he and Rodwell did just that - carrying on at a rate of just over 8 an over. The Skipper was taking advantage of some leg-side bowling - stroking some nice boundaries and collecting wides too - to help accelerate the score. The Ducks were getting close to the halfway mark of their innings and looking good for a big score, but nothing is ever quite plain sailing when the Ducks are concerned…

Off the first ball of the 9th over, Rodwell hit an innocuous enough shot behind square on the off-side for what looked like yet another 2, but something wasn’t quite right. The opener felt a sharp pain in his head, and despite getting through for one, Rodwell had to turn down an easy second as he went down clutching his head. There was a short delay as the flagging batman attempted to recover from what was later diagnosed as a pinched nerve. When play did continue, just two balls later, one ball after hitting a glorious four, Cansick (19 off 12) was gone. Despite modestly admitting that, “I might have gone next ball I faced”, Cansick shouldn’t really have been facing at that point. And to literally add insult to injury, the new batsman, Allison, was caught at cover two balls later, gone for 2. An eventful over to say the least.

Following the completion of that over, a lengthier delay ensued as a Two Bats player received treatment from 9th man-cum-physio Yarker on what turned out to be a broken finger. Richards was now at the crease with Rodwell, but wasn’t to face a ball for all of 3 overs as Rodwell unfortunately struggled to regain any kind of fluency after the restart. Rodwell (46 off 35) was put out of misery soon after, falling agonisingly close to another 50.

Despite seeming well set at one stage, the Ducks were floundering somewhat; with 13 overs gone, 86 runs were on the board for the loss of 4 wickets. The stage was set for Richards, who had fallen to some unlucky dismissals in recent weeks, to steal the show. Helped by some useful lower-order contributions from Einsmann (7 off 14), Arblaster (5* off 3) and Proctor (7 off 5), Richards blasted his way to a glorious 32 off of just 14 balls, finding the boundary with ease, and dragging the Ducks to 139 off their 20 overs, a score that the boys fancied their chances of defending.

Whilst it may have been a defendable total, the Ducks knew they would have to be on top of their game to stand a chance of winning, and everything certainly started well enough for the boys in yellow. Abandoning the three-prong attack, Allison and Arblaster were given full responsibility for spearheading the Ducks charge. Sure enough, after a tight opening over from Allison, Arblaster struck, clean bowling one of the openers for a duck. Spirits were high, and continued to rise as Two Bats struggled to score with any sense of fluency.

Despite the Two Bats innings opening in glorious sunshine, the storm clouds were gathering once more and the rain soon arrived. Far from aiding the Ducks in their quest, it posed a few problems. The ball was hard to grip, started to deteriorate rather rapidly, and the outfield was now starting to speed up as well as getting dangerously slippy for the fielders.

Whilst the batsmen were not scoring particularly freely, runs were still being accumulated. One could sense that heads were starting to gradually drop; something special was needed. Sure enough, with the opener back on the sidelines (having been retired at 50), and Coops starting to bowl with a venom that is usually reserved for the nets, Two Bats’ well set no. 3 popped one up to the eager Proctor, who took a decent catch at midwicket. Rather than go into exuberant celebration, Proctor and Rodwell instinctively combined to grab a much need Double Play! As Two Bats grumbled about nothing, the exuberant celebrations then began.

Knowing that a chance was there for the taking, Cansick had little choice but to go for the jugular. Allison and Arblaster were recalled, knowing they needed just one breakthrough to grab control of the match. Allison, sure enough, forced a chance, but the luckless Ducks returned to their old ways in the field, managing to let a catchable chance slip through tiring fingers in the wet weather. Heads were beginning to drop once more and, try as they may, there was no way through Two Bats’ no. 6 (who had only played one game for them so far this season) as he smashed his way to an unbeaten 49 off just 21 balls, and won the match for Two Bats.

Although Cansick pulled no punches when admitting that the result was, “extremely disappointing, particularly after the importance we placed on this game,” he did offer some positive, encouraging words: “I think we'll benefit from the experience of having to defend a target, in particular dealing with nerves and making tactical decisions.”

Despite the disappointment, which lasted beyond just the Sunday – Allison was one of the few to admit that he was “still gutted” the day after the match – now that the dust has settled, we must put everything in perspective and accept that progress is still being made. When The Golden Ducks were formed on the morning of Saturday 19th April by three and a half men who were still drunk from the night before, I don’t think anyone could have imagined how far we would come in a short space of time, even if that has not yet translated into victories. We must take pride too that we’re one of the few teams to rely on a settled squad; only 10 players have turned out for The Golden Ducks this season, a close-knit squad that will continue to grow.

Sure, this felt like a watershed moments for the Ducks, and defeat, especially in that manner, is never an easy pill to swallow. Who knows though, we may yet meet Two Bats again this season; Cansick’s suggestion of an end-of-season ‘friendly’ was met with a noncommittal grunt from the opposition captain.

The skipper had some final words to offer: “We've had other close games in the first half of the season, so we just have to focus on the return fixtures. The season certainly isn't over, so it's vital we stay positive.”

“One last thing before you go though / When you feel better tomorrow you’ll be a hero / But never forget today / You could be here / Things can stray…”

The Golden Ducks vs Dicket, 29/06/2014

Cheering on The Ducks from the sideline

Dicket 235/4
Proctor 1/38
Allison 1/38
Arblaster 1/38

The Golden Ducks 86 a/o
Richards 20 (14)
Cooper 19 (8)

“After the Lord Mayor’s show…”

In horrific fielding conditions – at least two injuries were sustained in the outfield – The Golden Ducks surprisingly put in one of their better fielding performances. The team did well to not let their heads drop too much, embrace the spirit of cricket, and have a bit of fun.

Bowling and batting orders were both reserved, and although a full write up of the match is certainly not necessary, it would be remiss of me to not hand out some special mentions.

In the bowling department, kudos goes to Proctor and Allison for managing to clean bowl, not one, but two Dicket batsmen, both of who were unable to deal with mystery spin deliveries.

The batting was always going to be tough going against an excellent fielding unit. Indeed, it was almost a case of death by spin for the most part. But there is still room for special mentions, which go to Richards, who carried on from where he left off against Two Bats, and Cooper, who provided a very entertaining cameo, even managing to rile up Jan Koller by smashing him for consecutive boundaries.

The skipper was unavailable for a post-match comment.

The Golden Ducks vs DTL, 22/06/2014

The evolution of The Ducks

The DTL 242/3

Arblaster 2/44
Allison 1/35

The Golden Ducks 106/6

Rodwell 59* (37)
Allison 13* (11)

“Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning; but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing.”

As the Golden Ducks rocked up on a hot and humid Sunday, a couple feeling slightly worse for wear (and one sans Duck shirt!), they were as determined as ever to put in a good performance, especially with Super Sunday coming up next week. This match marked the halfway point in the season, and also providing motivation was the unconfirmed rumours that the DTL might be huge wankers. These rumours were quickly confirmed. Regardless, with defeat against a solid-looking outfit (who had come very close against Dicket and Mpingwe) likely, the Ducks took the option of bowling first.

The opening trio of Allison, Arblaster and Einsmann bowled excellently first up. Allison looked particularly fired up, having been the first victim of the DTL’s atrocious banter when it was commented that he had “a bizarre action!” Indeed, in the opening 6 overs only 42 runs were conceded and two wickets were taken – both by Arblaster, who was delighted to break his wicket drought.

The first breakthrough came as early as the second over, when one of the openers tried to go too big, too early. Perhaps he thought he saw Cansick fielding at long on, but with star fielder Hollis stationed out there, there was no way the catch was going down. With the runs not exactly flowing, another wicket came in Arblaster’s next over – this time, ‘Blaster’ dropped one in slightly shorter and found the top edge, with the ball being safely pouched by Rodwell at gully. Arblaster had been waiting 5 weeks for a wicket, and then 2 come along at once – it’s a funny old game eh? On top of that, Hollis and Rodwell added their names to the growing list of Ducks who have now taken a catch.

With the DTL ever so slightly under the cosh, the match was approaching an important phase. Cansick had been talking up the middle-over bowlers in recent weeks, not unreasonably, but unfortunately they weren’t able to keep a lid on proceedings this week. With the batsman starting to free their arms, and putting the pressure firmly back on the bowlers, an eye-watering 113 runs were conceded from the 8 overs bowled by Rodwell, Cansick and Hollis. The trio did create the odd chance here and there though, with one Cansick delivery causing the batsman to sky the ball high into the Clapham sky – Rodwell and Allison began to bound in, looking likely to make up the necessary ground, when a huge shout of “CANS” was heard, causing everyone to stop. Including, bizarrely, Cansick. And that was that.

Unfortunately, with the batsmen now swinging from the hip, there wasn’t too much our premier trio could do upon their return. Allison, the only bowler to go at an economy of under 10, raised spirits with a late wicket. I say Allison, and credit to the bowler, but it was a stunning catch in the deep by Hollis; the Golden Ducks enjoying a renaissance in the field. The renaissance lasted all of one ball, as Allison bowled a very good bowl next up to the new batsman, only for the ball to fall desperately through Cansick’s hands.

Brief amusement was provided by the DTL’s choice of sideline snacks – salmon paninis – but there wasn’t a plethora of smiles on show from the Ducks as the innings came to an end at 242/3. Credit must go to Arblaster (for his two wickets), Allison (for his useful economy) and Hollis (for his outstanding fielding). While it was a very good effort in parts, Cansick did acknowledge that "we let the bowling get away from us a little".

With a target of 243 on the board, the Ducks were determined to have some fun in the face of some dreary banter from an increasingly annoying DTL. Rodwell, opening with Cansick once more, was greeted with a cry of; “oiled your bat much lately?” Ignoring attempts to get in his head, Rodwell swiftly grabbed a single to bring Cansick on to strike. Unfortunately for Cansick, who hasn’t fared too well when opening, 4 balls later and he was gone for a duck. Cansick was perhaps put off by some of the fielders smoking, and it wasn’t long before Arblaster had enough and stormed on to demand some respect.

Next up, a clearly fuming Yarker came and went – unlucky to only last two balls, and he certainly wasn’t happy to have to leave the crease. On a positive note though, Yarker did manage to psyche the bowler into bowling a wide at him first up, meaning he avoided the dreaded duck.

Speaking of respect, plenty was being shown to the bowlers as Einmann and Rodwell grinded away against the new ball. Having been forced to listen to the DTL recite train stations for a good 10 minutes, Einsmann (11 off 25) might well have been pleased when he eventually departed. Saying that, it was unfortunate for Einsmann to get dismissed just when it seemed he was about to tee off against some of the secondary bowlers.

Having waited so long for his chance, Richards walked to the crease (having also had to listen to the DTL’s mindless chat), only to get a beauty first up, and thus take the long, slow walk back to the sideline with only a golden duck for company. Hollis was the next to join Rodwell at the crease, the pair combining for a bright’n’breezy partnership, characterised by some good running between the wickets; it’s not often you see a 3 run at the Clapham Common Oval!

A tiring Rodwell soon after reached his 50, which only actually contained two boundaries. One of the two boundaries was a highlight of the innings though, getting a big cheer from onlookers around the Oval. One of the DTL bowlers – to the bemusement even of his teammates – decided it would be funny to bowl a ‘windmill’ delivery. It was promptly despatched back past the bowler for 4.

The game was petering out at this stage, but after Hollis (13 off 13) was out, going for a big hit on the leg side, we were treated to some glorious stroke play from the classically trained Arblaster (8 off 7) and some lusty blows from Allison (13* off 11). Unfortunately, Allison was on the end of a lusty blow himself, with a short ball taking a nasty bounce right into his beaker. After a short break though, there was no stopping the man, who is now getting tantalisingly close to dragging his average above 10 thanks to a few cheeky not outs. At the other end, Rodwell, looking in decent form ahead of the one game that matters most, finished on 59* off of 37, helping to drag the team to 106, our highest score since 18th May.

Cansick was unsurprisingly “very disappointed with the lack of class shown by the opposition.” He was however pleased that the Ducks were “able to take some positives out of it on the batting side, such as the 50 from Rodwell” and gave a hint to team selection next week when suggesting that “[our shortcomings] can be rectified with the return of Coops for this weekend’s games, which take on huge significance.” In summation the skip gave a rallying cry to all, “We’ve reached the half way point in the season, and it’s time to start measuring our improvements and turning performances into victories.”

Let’s be honest now, the last 7 games have all just been a warm up. Next week is when things get real – see you there!

The Golden Ducks vs Clungely County, 08/06/2014

Clungely County 163/5
Allison 2/36
Rodwell 2/37

The Golden Ducks 105/7
Rodwell 29 (26)
Cooper 27 (17)

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Sunday seems to mean one thing this summer; it’s set to be a scorcher. And this Sunday was no different, with temperatures exceeding an outrageous 26C (hotter than Barbados!). With the boys being cheered on by a lone duckling this week, the skip won the toss yet again, and he did of course continue tradition by choosing to field first.

The opposition this week were the hideously named Clungely County. Facing off against the only other team in the league (and probably one of the few remaining in England) not to have won a game this season, the Ducks sensed something of an opportunity, and Cansick said as much post-match; “There’s no doubt this was a game we were looking to win”. Experimental plans were devised for both the batting and the bowling order (when better to experiment than when you have a chance of victory?) and the boys took to the field in high hopes.

These hopes continued to get higher as Allison and Arblaster bowled a fine couple of opening overs. However, it was time for experiment number one: in came Rodwell for over number three. Things quickly turned sour as the opening batmen feasted on some rank bowling to take 20 off the over. All was not lost though, as Allison picked up his customary (yes, it was clean bowled) wicket in the next over, and in the process, also picked up at least a fiver off the skip thanks to his celebration!

As the opening bowlers finished off their first spells, there was something of a lull in the game as the revolving door policy continued – the next ‘set’ of bowlers up were Cooper, Cansick and Proctor. All bowled tidily enough, although Proctor clearly didn’t do enough to convince the skipper that he was worthy of more than two overs, despite going for less runs in his two than Rodwell did in his first. Proctor was said to be fuming at the decision and it adds another interesting chapter to the simmering rivalry between Cansick and Proctor.

Other than a rather bizarre innings by the opposition’s number three - who would either play and miss, or make Allison chase the ball around a swelteringly hot Clapham Common Oval - the only real moments of note during the middle overs were our characteristic dropped catches. The culprit this time? Cansick. On two occasions. In his defence, one was off his own bowling (so that doesn’t really count) and the other opportunity he had to deal with four guys running towards him screaming.

With the Clungely innings approaching the last five overs, the match suddenly burst into life. Captain Cansick, with plenty of options up his sleeve, decided to go rogue and give Rodwell a fourth, thus setting in motion a series of events that would see innumerable records tumble.

Despite being heckled from the sidelines, Rodwell continued bowling around the wicket and, having already served up plenty of long hops, finally found the yorker length he’d been striving for. What followed was not one wicket, but two, in two balls, both clean bowled! Rodwell, having given no thought to how he might celebrate, opted for the classic ‘Klinsmann Dive’. That marked the first occasion that a Ducks bowler has taken two wickets in a match, and also presented Rodwell with his best bowling figures in a Ducks shirt. Heady times indeed. But this was nothing on what was about to follow.

Cooper (one of four bowlers to post career-best figures, with 1-22), was chucked the ball next and was beginning to look more like the bowler we dread facing in the nets. Nonetheless, not wishing to take anything away from the bowler, but the wicket that fell in this next over was all about Barnie ‘Barn’ Proctor. A genuinely historical moment; our first ever catch (at what must’ve been the 20th attempt) and it was a stunner at that.

Words can’t do the catch justice, but it all seemed to happen in slow motion - Proctor effortlessly glided to his left and plucked the ball out of the air, almost as if he were grabbing an apple from a tree. A couple of seconds of silence followed, as the enormity of what had just happened started to sink in, before there was an eruption of joy and the fielders chased down the jubilant Proctor. Once the celebrations died down, Cooper and Proctor sharing a knowing nod; almost as if to say ‘all is forgiven’ following the run out debacle of weeks past.

This unfortunately brought Clungely’s free-hitting opener back to the crease, and people started to worry, but one man had other ideas about what would happen next. That man wasn’t Allison (who also posted a career-best bowling performance), it was Jonathan James Yarker, who took the most spectacular catch you are ever likely to see. As the ball flew towards JJ, in one smooth and glorious motion, Yarker sunk to one knee and flung his hands directly above his head. People couldn’t watch; was he about to receive another black eye? Alas, no, we witnessed a truly fine piece of fielding as the ball flew into Yarker’s big mits, naturally cuing more wild celebrations.

With the innings wrapping up shortly after this, The Ducks felt positive about chasing 164, especially with Gav ‘Pinch Hitter’ Richards promoted to the top of the order. Could it be?

Unfortunately not.

There weren’t as many exciting moments in our batting as in our bowling, but there were plenty of valiant efforts, and the records continued to tumble.

After a quiet couple of overs to start, the opening pair looked like they were ready to explode into life when fifteen runs were taken off the third. However, this was merely a false dawn, and things never did quite get going. Soon after, despite a bold effort, Richards was clean bowled for 12, attempting to push the run rate.

This brought Captain Cansick to the crease. His innings was similar to Richards’, and after stroking 9 (off 10), he set in motion a pattern that would continue for the rest of the innings – getting caught in the deep after going for a big stroke. Some may call it bad luck, but it was uncanny how often we found the fielders (and let’s not forget, there weren’t that many of them).

Rodwell (29 off 26) was desperately trying to up the run rate, and he thought he’d succeeded with an improvisatory shot down to the long leg boundary. However, he was merely the next to fall in this manner, only actually succeeding in finding the single fielder in a 40-yard radius. At this stage, the match was by no means over, but the run rate was gradually creeping towards 9/10 an over.

With Cooper still at the crease though, there was hope, and he was demonstrating some impressive hitting, including two mighty maximums. Unfortunately, having been taught a thing or two by messrs Proctor and Yarker earlier, Clungely were taking their chances in the field and thus the pattern continued; Cooper (27 off 17) eventually holed out to a fielder in the deep. Prior to Cooper’s dismissal, Proctor had fallen in the same manner, going for a huge shot off his second ball – selfless play from the man who’d earlier made history.

Yarker (9) and Arblaster (7) came to the crease and, with the match all but gone, were given license to play their natural game. The boys on the sideline were treated to some clean hitting and wonderful technique, but naturally the batsmen perished in the same manner as our previous four. All that was left was for Allison to come to the crease, have a bit of fun, and stake his claim for a higher place in the order; he managed a bit of everything in his entertaining 11* (off 10).

The defeat was confirmed, one that was perhaps “all the more frustrating considering our performance in the field was our best of the season. But, as with all our games to date, we have to build on the positives and address the negatives.” An optimistic Cansick continued, “I wouldn’t rule out the idea of a pinch hitter just yet, and the bowling attack did look a genuine threat throughout.” He finished with wise words though, proclaiming how he would “like to have a settled line up and game plan heading into the second half of the season.”

References are dotted throughout the report, but a special mention can actually be given to every player this week: Allison, Cansick, Cooper and Rodwell all posted their best bowling figures; Allison, Arblaster and Yarker contributed with their highest scores of the season; and who could forget Proctor and Yarker, providing us all with genuine moments of joy by taking those two spectacular catches.

Onwards and upwards Ducks, it’s not like we have to face the league’s best bowling unit next week, whilst dealing with an almighty hangover.

Oh wait…

The Golden Ducks vs The Entertainers, 01/06/2014

The Entertainers 174/1
Allison 1/46
Einsmann 0/24

The Golden Ducks 103 a.o.
Rodwell 40 (35)
Cooper 37 (29)

“Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat.”

On another gloriously sunny day at the amphitheatre of dreams, The Golden Ducks were in a bullish mood heading into their match with The Entertainers. A late finish to the previous game only served to ramp up the atmosphere, the crowd at the Clapham Common Oval having been deprived of bat and ball for a fortnight.

An early blow was struck by Captain Cansick, calling the toss correctly and opting to go with the tried and tested formula of bowling first. Confidence was high after a solid Saturday net session, and all signs pointed to a genuine chance of that elusive first victory. On a completely unrelated note, The Entertainers took the unusual step of naming a female in their starting line-up.

Trepidation was the order of the day from the opposition batsmen. The customary hostility of Allison and Arblaster, again sharing the new ball, led to some indecisive prods which raised hopes of an achievable target. Sadly, as in previous weeks, wickets were not forthcoming although chances were; one whistled past Cansick at square leg off the bowling of Rodwell, the other hanging for an age before a valiant attempt from Yarker at mid off.

Before this however, there was drama in the outfield. Yarker, looking to stop a late cut, saw a wicked bounce send the ball careering into his left eye socket, leading to audible gasps from fielders and batsmen. Despite an appalling lack of concern from the Umpire, there was tremendous sportsmanship shown by the Entertainers batsman standing at square leg. Ignoring the egg quickly sprouting over his right eye, Yarker declared himself able to continue, and after a few splashes of water and sprinkling of inappropriate comments it was clear that this was one Duck in no mood to have his wings clipped.

The Ducks bowlers continued to find a good line and length, and Allison was able to perform his customary celebration after his equally customary clean-bowled solitary wicket. Unfortunately, a late flurry of runs from an otherwise quiet batsman – who before this game had averaged 1.33 at a strike rate of 50 – saw the innings get away from them a little. The target was set at 175, an improvement on the previous match.

Cooper, despite having an off day with the ball, set about cementing his new position at the top of the order with some early leg-side glances, in the face of the quickest opposition bowling seen this season. At the other end Rodwell looked edgy, playing and missing on several occasions, as visions of a buxom blonde sending his off stump cartwheeling seemed to impair his judgement. Quite why this should be the case is still the source of much confusion, particularly in light of the glee with which he reported news of the Umpire’s fondness for his enthusiasm.

As bowling changes were made and the ball began to deteriorate, Rodwell and Cooper looked well placed to register the first century stand for the Ducks before a controversial LBW call brought hopes of a ten wicket victory tumbling down. A disgruntled Cooper (37 from 29) was forced to accept an Umpiring decision that did little to allay fears of spot fixing filtering further down the cricketing ladder.

Despite this setback, Cansick and Rodwell set about upping the run rate which was now hovering around ten an over. There were some fluent strokes coupled with quick running between the wicket, but it was the latter which was to prove Rodwell’s undoing. His straight drive was palmed to a halt by the diving bowler, and with Cansick marauding down the wicket it was left to Rodwell (40 from 35) to watch the bails removed from the non-strikers end.

With the Ducks starting to slip even further behind, a sheepish Cansick set about upping the run rate with new batsman Richards, but as the saying goes, ‘what goes around comes around,’ and despite a despairing dive the captain was run out having optimistically called for a second run.

Sadly for the watching contingent of Ducklings, this signalled a collapse of truly English proportions. A combined total of 100 from the top three was supplemented by just three from the entire middle order and tail. The final overs became particularly tortuous due to the bowling on show, for which a description of ‘pedestrian’ would be extremely generous.

“This is one we could, and perhaps should, have won,” bemoaned the skipper. “There were undoubted improvements in the shape of a reduced opposition total and a solid opening partnership, but the run rate is something we have to address when chasing a target.”

“I still think it’s a good sign that we’re disappointed, as it reinforces my belief that we are becoming more and more competitive, but there’s a shelf life for that kind of optimism. We need to start winning.”

Only three matches remain before the half way point of the season, and hopes remain high within the Ducks camp that the return fixtures will yield a significant improvement in results. As has been demonstrated by the aggressive encouragement of Einsmann, there is a renewed vigour in both matches and practice; a spring in the step of the bowlers, and a steely determination in the eyes of the batsmen.

It was Voltaire who proclaimed, “Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.”

Clearly he never played cricket.