Mid Sussex League

Premier Division

Saturday 11th February 2017

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 14.02

Smallfield 3 Copthorne 2,  attendance 15

26′ 1-0

38′ 1-1

64′ 1-2

65′ 2-2

90′ 3-2

@ Smallfield Cricket Club

Plough Road

RH6 9JL

No admission or programme.

So, my first game since moving back to England. In fact, we had only landed back at London Heathrow airport at 07.30 this morning, with a further 45 minutes sat on the plane waiting for a gate to become available due to the plane currently parked  there having to be de-iced. It seemed hard to believe that just 12 hours earlier (not counting the 6 hour time difference) we had been picked up at our hotel in Dallas where it was a beautiful sunny day and very close to 26 degrees !

A fair bit of running around, trying to sort out a few of the basics that just have to be done when you move back home, meant it was soon 1330. I had only got a couple of games in mind for today, this being one of them. Confirmation that the game was going ahead, as far as he knew, was done with a quick phone call to the away team’s Secretary, and by 1352 I was pulling into the car park and pleased to see corner flags and nets up and both teams warming up. It was bitterly cold, just 2 degrees, according to the temperature gauge in the car and it was snowing, albeit quite lightly. The walk from the changing rooms/clubhouse to the pitch was across the cricket field, where water came over my shoes at nearly every step. Thankfully, the actual playing area for the football was fine, but had the two different sports pitches been in opposite positions, then I doubt this would have been on.

At halftime, five of the crowd had pints in the clubhouse, with another couple nipping to the pub across the road from the ground. Two returned for the second half and finished their drinks pitchside !