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Sunshine above, damp and soggy below.

Well, the wheels have come off a bit. In addition to losing to bottom placed Arth & Esk, we then lost tight ones to (then) 2nd place Stainton and a nailbiter/heartbreaker to (still) top Wigton 2nds (they were 9 down with 2 balls left to come in the final over when the winning runs were struck), and now lost to 2nd-bottom Bagrow, which was embarrassing to (again) get hammered by about 100 runs by a poor team. I wasn't playing in either of those games (only the Arth & Esk one) but there's backbiting and bitter recriminations starting as promotion hopes slip away.

At the AGM, player x questioned the captain's commitment, given that he also runs Langwathby 2nds footy team, which overlaps the cricket season. But Player x has hardly been to training, has missed a lot of games, is more interested in golf, has stated he doesn't want us to get promoted and before one match expressed his wish that it would rain so that he could go to the pub to watch the rubgy match instead. Also he "couldn't be bothered" to pad up when he did come to nets the last time, which was about 6 weeks ago.

But the skipper, unlike myself or player x, lives in the village, about 150m from the ground, and yet has either not turned up several times or gone home early. Also, he said, about the mid point of the season, that if we were no longer in it for promotion or winning the division, he wasn't bothered. I pointed out that it would give some of the players who usually just make up the numbers a chance for a decent game and he didn't seem to see or care why this should concern him. Sorry skipper but if you don't care about your players, why should they care about you or the team? Some players turn up every week, go to nets every week, and play their guts out every week without getting a bat or a bowl most of the time, and all they get is the skipper saying "get out quickly so we can go home!" because he has got out cheaply. Or dirty looks and abuse because they've had to bowl because we're short of bowlers, and gone round the park. That's not on.

Meanwhile, player y has been still drunk or hungover at nearly every match. And therefore scored nearly no runs, though he has bowled very well and taken armfulls of wickets.

Player z, for whom the nets were changed from friday night to thursday night specifically for, has only turned up to nets once since.

The skipper's brother has gone back on his vow to play every match after his baby was born because he only likes to win. Despite getting wickets as well as a 50 and a 40-something, has now sworn not to play for the team again this year.

And the vice captain has now told me he wants the captain to follow through with his threat to leave the club for another if he wants to play cricket at a high level competitively week in, week out. After all, except for the captain, we're basically now the same team as was playing in the bottom (4th) division 3 or 4 years ago and we can't be expected to win every week even if the skipper has a good day with the bat, let alone when he doesn't. We can, but not every week. If he wants to play in the premiership or that sort of level then he needs to think about what he is doing with a very small club who don't have the number of players or level of talent to do that, or the funds and facilities either. Half the team are like me - hopeless enthusiasts or simply very limited cricketers.

What does annoy me is people like player x who has played since he was young and has vastly more natural talent than me but doesn't seem to care. It's not like he's one of the people with wives and young families or even "loved up" right now (like Dickie, who has struggled to score - with the bat, at least - this year).


I'd be happy playing back in the 2nd or 3rd division, to be honest, as would at least one or two others, where our skill levels are more appropriate and we'd get a decent go.