The WECCA youth pitted themselves against the Huncote Spearheads on Sunday, and came up short in a game where there can be little doubt that cricket was the winner.

WECCA won the toss and asked the spearheads to bat, and Smith and Swords put on 64 for the first wicket before the heavens opened and sent most people running for cover. Reesy and M Newbold were notable exceptions, as they decided that the better plan was to aquaplane the covers.

The game was reduced to 35 overs a side and the spin twins, Newbold and Collins, spun webs around the Huncote batsmen. Brewin broke the spell with a typically aggressive cameo, although spectators were heard to comment that his bat might be broken, as he failed to do any damage to "his tree".

Whatmuff held his nerve well to sneak one through the Brewin attacks (defenses would hardly be the word), and Patrick Etheridge again bowled an excellent line and length and added two more wickets to his fledgling WECCA total. His captain gambled that T K would take pity on the young man making his way in the cricket world, but TK was having none of it. It would be easy to imagine that TK's curvy frame will be appearing in a few Etheridge nightmares, as the big man took 24 off his last over, sending the fielders scurrying into the trees.

In reply Newbold and Webb made a solid start, but fell slightly behind the rate. Stocks, making his Spearhead guest star debut, and M "heat" Adcock (as he is surely known to friends and family), bowled tidy lines and were well backed up by the typically niggardly spell from C "Skelibob" Sommer.

An ugly injection of runs from Harding, with the possible exception of one exquisite pull through Smith at square leg, who failed to deal with the raw power, moved things on slightly for the WECCA. The introduction of the flight and guile of Swords was too much for the home skipper, as he skied to the safe hands of Brewin at mid on.

Whatmuff showed promise, but batsmen came and went as Muttiah Swords cast a spell that Paul Daniels would have been proud of. His plan of attack against the agricultural Rees was simplicity itself. Wait for the Antipodean to tire of hitting him out of the park, and then snare him. The plan worked, and was cheap to boot, only costing him 24 miserly runs.

The fall of Rees effectively saw the end of the game, but Swords and Hubbard finished the job quickly and all retired to the local hostelry to discuss the finer points of the beautiful game.

Man of the Match- Max Swords

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