Pleasure Beats Business – Loses to Dulwich

The Anti-Basher’s poorly disguised campaign to ruthlessly discriminate against the Bashers Pleasure continued unabated at the weekend when we were handed yet another sunrise start, this time within hours of the final bell at the Sheraton Showdown. However, with only Parrot failing to climb aboard Pornstar’s bus at the appointed hour the squad set off full of confidence to take on the Dulwich Knights in a sauna of atmosphere at the Knights home ground.

If you think an expensive private education guarantees that your kids will be taught by teachers that can count then think again. The record books will show that this game ultimately ended in a tie after the Knights inexplicably declared their innings on 178 in reply to the Pleasure’s score of the same total.

No-one was sure who won the toss or indeed if there was a toss but the Pleasure batted first. Fortunately our fragile batting line-up that has so often been our downfall this season finally came good. Opening up the innings Made In came out of his shell as he dispatched the Knights bowlers to all corners of the ground in the process of compiling a violently hard hitting 41 runs. Omega and Loosey kept up the momentum only for Omega to be run out one short of a well deserved fifty. That run out would be the game’s major talking point. Was it reckless calling from an ever enthusiastic Loosey or was it sluggish running from the portly Omega? The jury is still out but Loosey’s willingness to fine himself indicated he knew where the burden of guilt lay. Omega’s departure allowed Woodstock to liven up the crowd with a swashbuckling last over master blaster cameo. In the unlikely event that someone in Shanghai is still unaware of Turtle’s exploits with the bat we can confirm he bludgeoned 4 runs off 20 balls.

To defend our largest ever total, the wily Birdshit rotated his bowlers with everyone doing well to keep the Knights destructive top order in check. Tank/Penguin or whatever, Swahili, Pusher and Woodstock all had their moments with the new ball. Loosey, Omega, Circus and Birdshit kept things tight at the death. In the field the Pleasure showed outstanding commitment typified by Woodstock’s 30m dash to take the catch (and celebration) of the season, Pusher’s headlong plunge into the bushes when saving a boundary, Jim’s Mowing’s flawless patrolling of the square leg boundary and Circus’ pulled hamstring after running in a circle chasing a dragonfly.

After giving 110%, all Pleasure players departed the field fully deserving a few cold beers. So it was with stunned incredulity the Pleasure received the news that the Business had failed to load up the bus with fresh supplies. Perhaps the Anti-Basher having finally recognized that no amount of skullduggery on his part can come between the Pleasure and their pursuit of silverware, has changed tactics and decided to use an unwitting Business as a conduit of influence to undermine the Pleasure? Only time will tell but certainly a Bashers bus with no beer is like a massage with no happy ending – a huge letdown and not part of the script. Ask the Business team how many runs they scored.

One thing is for sure and that is the Bashers Pleasure is a team on the rise as Sunday’s all round performance demonstrates.