16/06/2026
On another glorious day in the valley, the Sidmouth Development team hosted Britwell Salome (which sounds suspiciously like a Harry Potter character). With Captain Josh (I do love a wedding, but so does Hugh Grant) Jackson back to lead the side, spirits were high.
Having won the toss, Sidmouth elected to bat. With a wide age gap in the side—from 14 to 50—some players were a little more “developed” than others. I’ve seen more hair on an egg than on the faces of our five teenagers.
Manav opened the bowling with a great spell—he has real potential—alongside Freddie (The Pie Man). Both troubled the batsmen but without reward early on. On debut, Oscar Alam showed promise, even managing the occasional smile, as did Handsome Harry Goldthorpe. While Harry’s bedroom may still be a mess, his bowling was tidy, and he claimed two wickets.
The ground fielding was excellent, but with more drops than an Amazon delivery driver, a few chances went begging.
Next up were Mike (“Selection Box”) Selby—you never quite know what you’re going to get—and Tom Page Turner. Mike managed to trouble both batsmen and fielders alike, while Tom showed promise. If he cut his hair, he might only be 5 foot tall—but he’s certainly a promising cricketer.
Silently lurking in the field, Jack (The Silent Composer) Rattenbury bided his time. Like most albums, his bowling had some great tracks and a couple of duffers, but he still managed to claim four wickets, celebrating quietly to himself.
Last to bowl was Lochan Kohli—no relation to Virat Kohli—but he ran around the field like a Border Collie, full of energy.
After tea, we set off in pursuit of 207 to win.
With the only member of Dad’s Army on display this week, Alex (“not David”) Mitchel opened alongside Will Goodhall. Facing the resident comedian in the touring side, who bowled with more swing than a playground, the pair put on 50 before Alex departed, bringing Matt Rai to the crease. Promoted to number three, Matt settled in nicely. Will then fell to a fine delivery, having looked in good form, allowing the Silent Composer to make his entrance.
Now, most operas take a while to get going, so we waited… and waited… but eventually the runs began to trickle. Unfortunately, Jack’s tempo stuttered, and he was dismissed.
Next in was young Lochan, who unfortunately missed a straight one. Smiling as ever, he made way for Mike Selby.
Watching Matt and Mike bat together can be quite entertaining—it’s very much a case of the hare and the tortoise. By now, Matt was striking the ball well, though both he and Mike had an uncanny knack for finding fielders—useful fielding practice for the opposition. Mike eventually ran himself out for 27, closely followed by Matt, who edged one to slip after a well-made 34.
As the innings drew to a close, Josh struck a couple of tidy fours, while Tom managed to hit the rookie umpire, much to the delight of his son. “You should move faster, old timer!” came the helpful advice.
The innings closed on 165, with the real winner being cricket with 3 youngsters having had their first foray into an adult match.
Another game played in great spirit and a real joy to be involved in.
