W/E 31st May & 1st June

Only two 1st & 2nd XI local cricket teams win as Bates just fails to make the final day cut at Belton Woods Golf Club and Johnson’s take on bowls.

Cricket

In Division Two of the Norfolk Cricket Alliance League, in-form Bircham made it three wins on the trot as they begin to make up for being controversially denied promotion last season. It was an excellent all round team performance, with seven batsmen hitting double figures and six bowlers grabbing wickets as they dispatched Bradenham by 56 runs.

The 2nds lost to visitors, Castle Rising, who managed to chase down the home side's 102 in just 26 overs of their allotted 45.
In the same Division, Sandringham & Dersingham have now lost two games in a row, as they were agonisingly beaten by Beccles by just 8 runs. A valiant late 36 not out by captain, Jack Southgate, proving in vain.

The 2nds were beaten at local rivals Snettisham 2nds by six wickets despite four wickets from Bradley Tennant, with the home side's Dylan Frett stealing the limelight with a hat-trick of wickets and 52 runs.

In Division Four, Snettisham lost a tight game at Sprowston 2nds by 7 runs. Ryan Twiddy's 59 runs not enough as they fell just short in their run chase.

In Division Five, Thornham's aspirations of another promotion were slightly dented as they lost at Narborough. Chasing down the home side's tally of 223, Thornham were all out for 163. Adam Rose 's hat-trick of wickets the only positive. Thornham do, however, remain in 3rd place. The 2nds were convincingly beaten at Great Witchingham 3rds by 120 runs.

Golf

Warren Bates just failed to make it to the final day in the latest Clutch Pro Tour four day tournament at Belton Woods Golf Club near Grantham. He was in the mix at the half way stage at two under but missed the cut on day three by just one shot. An upbeat Bates said, “I still feel there are big things to come”.

It is a busy schedule on the Clutch Pro Tour, as he now heads to Clandon Regis GC near Guildford this week for the next tournament and Forest Pines GC near Scunthorpe later on in the month. 

Football

Heacham Walking Football Club returned from a tournament in Beccles on Sunday, losing three games, drawing two and beating the aptly named Pacemakers WFC. They were awarded the Fair Play Award.

Bowls

With the season still in the early stages, several teams have already made their intentions known in the local leagues.

In the North West Norfolk Bowls League, unbeaten Burnham Coronation and Ingoldisthorpe lead the way after five games, whilst in the Countryside League Houghton ‘A’ and Snettisham Excelsior top the table.

Kev Johnson continues to give his weekly lighthearted reverse mirror views on the local bowls scene.

They call the wind Maria! What’s in a name?

Certainly, calling someone by the wrong name again and again is something to be avoided, but bowls, surely not? Not so. In the past woods were just that, Lignum Vitae, the only wood that sinks, apparently. Now they are composite, with formulas guarded by the big-hitters of the trade, being baked until hard and then finished accordingly. Gone are the days of the ‘cannonballs’ crushing the green before swinging into the head.

By-the-way, as a non-floating wood, it was probably a mistake for a player to fire through the fence at Massingham, which is on a rise, and onto the road leading to the pond: cue a mad dash after it, and a sinking feeling. Now it is wrong to call a bowl a wood, although not illegal as someone once claimed…

Anyhow, the aim of all bowlers is the little ball called, officially, the jack. Across the country this has more aliases than a bank-robber, such as Kitty, Mary, Tot, but here in Norfolk (County Motto: ‘Do Different’) it is known as the Cott. Why you may ask. Post-War Norwich bowlers wanted to help the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital replace items destroyed in air-raids. Rather than making a collection, they decided that the traditional extra end at the end of a game and played for a penny each, the closest taking the pot, would be collected across the league and used to pay for a new cott - hence, ‘A penny for the Cott (sic).’