The 2010 manifestation of Z/Yen cricket was steeped in logistical difficulties, if the extended e-mail correspondence is anything to go by.
Initially we were due to play on 11 July with Children’s Society folk at Bentley, as we had done the previous couple of years…
But that Sunday idea fell through for lack of willing participants.
We had in any case planned to have a team bonding cricket session on Monday 19 July. We’d originally planned to play in Regent’s Park, but with that location unavailable we arranged for the match to be played at Z/Yen’s spiritual cricketing home, Holland Park. That facility got closed on us at the last minute, so the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, bless them, switched us to Kensington Memorial Park instead.
I’m not sure that the locals around Kensington Memorial Park had been informed that recreational cricket had been switched from Holland Park for a few weeks. Several of the locals let their unease with cricket be known to us in no uncertain terms during the evening.
But before the evening, there was a great deal of too-ing and fro-ing regarding the nature of the tournament and who might play with whom. In the end, the pairings and rules uploaded here, designed and crafted by Jez Horne, became the tournament.
Despite handling all of constantly moving goalposts regarding the logistics of this event, there’s no evidence that Monique Gore attended that evening, by which I mean there are no photographs from it. Monique’s attendance normally meant photographs.
Back then, if no-one was there with a camera (remember those) then you might not have any photographs to show.
The headline picture depicting Simon McMullen, one of the eventual winners, was taken the previous year.
How do I know that Simon was a winner? Now & Z/Yen tends to record these matters and the result of this event was thus recorded.
If it’s summer that means there must be some sort of Z/Yen cricket match and 2010 was no exception. We decided to play a pairs tournament this year, which made sure that everyone got a go. Indeed, Xenia Mainelli was drafted in as a last minute replacement for
her mother and came a close second – and who are we to judge whether her contribution or that of Louwrens was the key to that
partnership’s success.Chiara von Gunten, fresh over from Switzerland and experiencing
cricket for the first time managed to take two wickets, which is quite an achievement.Congratulations to the winners, Jacques Malan & Simon McMullen.
Rumours of match fixing at Z/Yen cricket matches are most certainly untrue, but we can confirm that the 2011 cricket match will be won by Ian Harris in partnership with Linda Cook.
Perceptive readers might have noticed that Simon’s picture was taken at the Lord’s academy, thus demonstrating that practice pays off. Indeed the photo was taken on the day that most of us Z/Yen folk played a practice game at the Lord’s academy, as witnessed by Garry Sobers, no less. Have I ever mentioned that before?
different from the Z/Yen team of old). Z/Yen’s highlight of the day must have been Monique’s superb batting. But before that the lowlight of the day must have been the opening batting partnership between Messrs Harris and Mainelli; that managed to send any spectator who remained awake to sleep. Stick to the day job, fellas. But things were very different in the field, when those two teamed up for Ian Harris to take a sharp catch off the bowling of Michael – the first time he had ever bowled in his life. Ian also took several wickets with his moon-balls, including both Bartletts (father and son) in the same over. So perhaps Messrs Harris and Mainelli might choose to give up the day job in favour of cricket after all. As is so often the case, Ian’s team came second, but in any case The Children’s Society always wins, on this occasion to the tune of several hundred pounds raised towards that good cause. And a really good time was had by all; players and spectators alike.