31/08/2026
PCC âSuper 6âsâ 2026
Well what can I say, other than âblooodddyyyâ weather - 10weeks of wall to wall drought and scorching sun, praying for rain, and then the one w/e we needed dry, âhim upstairsâ decides to wet himself!??!
Things didnât look good at 7am - the âsquareâ (on which Merv had prepared a couple of wickets on Friday - great effort again mateyđ) was like a squeegee, half the team were âMIAâ (missing in action) after the day/night before (more on that shortly đ€Š) and Mrs C was not in great temper (another âleft turnâ at the top of the stairs last night - the end of the cricket season at last, a very welcome development from her standpoint!!)
All in all, I was struggling to stay positive first thing, and to be honest, was a âgnats foreskinâ away from calling it all off. However, knowing how much work had gone into organising and promoting the day (well done âFun-timeâ Freddie C đđ) and how keen the various âsidesâ were to give it a go, we decided to press on, albeit warning the various Captains that âplayâ (on the âsquareâ at least) was unlikely, and offering âmatchâ fee refunds to all regardless (which none of the teams took us up on - thank you guys â€ïž). Similarly, our fantastic sponsors - main sponsor, âMegâs Cafeâ @ Shobdon Airfield (Meg M); match ball sponsor âJH Property Maintenanceâ (Jordan H); Alan Randall for donating meats and napkins; and Wegnalls Butchery for their âdealâ on burgers & sausages (all delicious đ).
Now Iâd love to say that the PCC âmachineâ seamlessly sprang into action at this point, with everyone primed and raring to go . . . unfortunately that wasnât exactly the case, as the previous dayâs âperformanceâ began to tell! We had been due to play Eastnor away on Saturday, (last game of the season) with a strong line up named, and the loan of the footy clubâs mini-bus secured for fun trip home. Inevitably, Eastnor had to âcallâ the match due to the weather by 9.30am, but the âboiâsâ were still keen for a trip, so off to Hereford we headed. Wetherspoons brekkie, some lunchtime âdrinkiesâ and off to Edgar Street to watch the âBullsâ battle to a 1-1 against high flying Chester (first âtasteâ of a live footy match for some of the more rugby focused boys - Mostin particularly enjoyed itđ€đ€Ł). âLuke the Lumpâ, âVoldemortâ, âBungalow Billâ, and âRon Manager Stocksâ in their element obvs; âTop shagga / Triple Pâ Strim, âKPâ Sanks & âthe Cinnamon Kidâ half interested; and âCDGâ and âSupreme Leader Kim Jong Jimâ mainly just relieved to fit through the turnstiles!!
A few more watering holes after the match - darts, arm-wrestling and karaoke đ€Š, and before we knew it 10pm had arrived, with some of us starting to show signs of âwearâ. âVoldemortâ (Merv) was bus driver (legend!) and took several of the more sensible of us home at this stage (after a kebab, naturally!) leaving the more seasoned campaigners to battle on through into the wee hours - a decision that soon came back to haunt them the next morning! As (some of them!?) gradually tipped up around 9am, they looked like dazed rabbits addled with mixamotosis (and if Iâd had the gun, Iâd have been hard pushed not to put a few of âem out of their misery tbh!!). Useful, sharp and intelligent âhelpâ was certainly at a premium first thing!?
As the various âteamsâ subsequently arrived, it became clear to all that there would be no play on the âsquareâ, but such was the excitement, expectation and appetite to get something on by all present, we hastily roped out a boundary, and an impromptu âwicketâ in the middle of the playing fields and set about a very informal, but nonetheless very âfunâ round-robin event. Thank you to all the teams who attended and helped make the most out of what could otherwise have been a pretty awful day!! Jordan Hooper & his âBarmy Armyâ; âBullerâ McGowan & his âCider Specialistsâ; âBrian the Rabbiâ Jones & âthe footy clubâ lads; Charlie Beaumont & âThe Radnorâ boys; F&J Kelly & the âOld Lucs Assocâ boys; âChunky Dunc-y Gibbonsâ & the âRoyal George, Lingenâ crew; Lewis Jones & âthe Farmers Innâ (with half their regulars in support!!đđ); and finally, âPablo the herbâ Brayer with his KBS team. All of you entered in to the spirit of the event brilliantly, and as with last year, it was great to see so many supporters (of all ages) in attendance too.
Despite initial fears (and forecasts), the weather actually behaved pretty well until approx 4.30pm, when the heavens opened once again, but by this point everyone who wanted it, had had some cricket - albeit, of a fairly âfriendlyâ and âsocialâ standard!!
As ever , lots of thank yous due - the BBQ was very well supported (thank you all), so a big thank you to Sarah C and Nige Stocker for helping me âmanâ it all day. Thank you also to those who bought raffle tickets; to those who donated prizes â€ïž; and to those who sold the tickets (Cal G, Brighty â€ïž). Thank you Sarah C, Heather & Chloe Jones & Cathy G for your help clearing up later on, and to all those PCC boys who did tip up (not so much to those who didnât!!!đ€đĄ). A big thank you also to Freddie C - despite working out in Norfolk since mid July (Uni placement year) he has once again almost single handedly âorganisedâ and âpromotedâ the day from afar, aswell as still doing much of the donkey work of checking player availability each week.
Thus âcompetitiveâ season 2026 draws to a close (a âfriendlyâ vs Hay on Wye is hopefully on for next Sundayđ€), and yesterday was (ultimately!) a great way to finish. Joint 5th in Div8 South, could easily have been 3rd if a few tight games had gone our way, but is nonetheless respectable given our promotion last year. Whilst our performances ranged from âthe good, to the bad, to the uglyâ, a lot of fun was certainly had, and the âsquadâ both extended and strengthened. Indeed, Presteigne âSportâ in general is in pretty ârudeâ health currently, with a great vibe about the Football, Hockey, Bowls & Cricket Clubs alike, and long may it continue. Thank-you you âFootyâ boys for your support this season, and as always the Bowling Club for your excellent hospitality - we will be sure to return the favour over the months ahead.
Reports will be a bit thin on the ground during close season, but I will aim to get one out after the end of season âAwards Dinnerâ at least (watch out FB and Insta for a date once agreed). Hopefully, my weekly ramblings havenât bored people too much - donât read them if so!! Personally, Iâm looking forward to the prospect of a âright turnâ at the top of the stairs on a Saturday night from here on in (that said, the Rugby season starts next week, so not exactly guaranteed đ€đŹ)
Thanks all - take care!
JC
