Far From The MCC

~ Est. in 1998 ~

“The Return of the TFC Spotter”

Sunday 3^rd May 2009
Result: Won by 10 Wkts
Venue: Cholsey
35 overs
Cholsey	76 ao
JP Collins 3 - 11, T. Smith 2 - 14
FFTMCC	78 - 0
M. Westmoreland 50*, D. Edwards 26*

Firstly, my sincere apologies for my near three year absence – all the more surprising when you consider just how much I enjoyed my previous visit to Oxfordshire to take in a few games of Sunday cricket featuring the Far From The MCC. I was of course thoroughly amused by those matches, and of course by the sheer number of TFC’s* that were accrued – it was pure comedy. I promised myself I would return one day, and of course here I am, once again to scribe my observations from the day. I must admit to being a little disappointed that the new captain of the Mad – the rather rugged M. Westmoreland – saw fit to give so many of his team a bowl on the day; as otherwise the ten wicket victory that ensued would of course have thrown up so many more TFCers than the two I am about to detail….

A right pair of TFC’s.

On my previous visits, the Far From The MCC were then skippered by Mr. I. Howarth; a brash and headstrong northerner, whose propensity for colourful language would have been more appropriate on the terraces of Stanford Bridge. He did on one particular day net himself a TFC, even though he had the powers to prevent it from being so. Today was a different matter altogether; his lapsidasical approach in the field probably influencing the decision in not handing him the ball. He did pad up however, and looked quite smart in his cricketing attire, although as the Mad innings progressed it gradually dawned on him that he maybe scooping another TFC. His eyes and mind began to leave the field, and he sought some alternative entertainment by kicking a spiky green rubber ball back and forwards with a two year old boy on the boundary. Even this became mundane, and his deadpan sarcasm gave way to moaning and grumbling as he shuffled backwards and forwards spouting crap to anyone who would listen (most people did not).

One crumb of comfort for Mr. Howarth was the similar plight of his cohort in boredom, one Mr. Hebbes. This gentleman, always high spirited, had also failed to get a bowl during the Cholsey innings. He did however take a catch, although even this wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Harold Lloyd movie – scrambling backwards before cannoning off his teammate and sent sprawling on his backside - his contact lenses popping out and disappearing amongst the thick uncut grass. He would also remain padded up for the duration of the Mad reply, and he too got involved in kicking the spiky green football with the two year old boy. This activity would eventually lose it’s appeal, and he sat on the boundary with a stray dog he had befriended for the remainder of the afternoon; a forlorn expression replacing his usual smile.

Welcome distractions: a 2yr old boy and a stray dog.

So another excellent day out, and one with happy memories I shall I take with me on my travels. As I left the leafy little ground, I could hear their skipper say “thanks for coming”.

* * *

* - for a fuller description of exactly what a TFC is, please see the bonus report from Sunday 23^rd, July 2006.

‘The TFC Spotter’

(...back )