On a freezing wednesday morning, Nottingham arrived at the picturesque ground of Uppingham School for their first 50 over game of the season. Following overnight thunderstorms, some rather pessimistic faces were in evidence as we boarded the bus, but upon arrival it became clear that the fantastic facilities at Uppingham would enable the game to go ahead. Brown once more proved a useless 'tosser' of the coin, and we were predictably inserted on a suspiciously damp wicket. Brown and Sidhu, faced with the seaming and swinging delivery, played with due caution, leaving what they could and playing very straight. Uppingham's horrific attempts at poshboy banter were largely ignored, and despite the umpires forgetting to signal wides, the start was excellent given the conditions. Bowling changes were sought, but did little to affect the pair, who on their first 50 over outing batted well as a pair. Sidhu was particularly impressive, timing the ball sweetly on his 50 over debut. At drinks the score was on 71, and with half of the overs left, a score of over 200 looked a distinct possibility. Both completed half-centuries, but then both fell within 5 overs of each other, just as Nottingham seemed set to accelerate. Winton came and went, and with overs running out we looked in danger of falling way short of our original target. Dal and MCarthy both struggled for timing on the slow surface, and it was left to Storey to bat in his usual crab-like manner, charging between the wickets and smearing the ball to all parts for a run-a-ball 33. Our final score of 186-4 was, we felt, 40 or 50 short of what we could have achieved, but about par for the course on a slow pitch with large boundaries.
 
Following a sumptuous lunch, Nottingham emerged somewhat larger and merrier. Robinson on the other hand was slightly too greedy and paid the price, as half way into his spell he sought to spoil Uppingham's outfield by erupting the contents of his stomach. Nevertheless, on debut he bowled decently, constantly keeping the batsmen under pressure, and picking up his first wicket in the process. Tosar at the other end began looking somewhat undercooked for the game, but gradually worked up a decent rhythm, and the pressure was just about maintained. The run-rate was however at 3 runs per over, which was slightly worrying as scarcely a shot had been played in anger. Cobbett and Terry came on to bowl, and the former bowled excellently, maintaining a tight line and length, whilst the latter struggled somewhat to find his length. The run-rate, despite the excellent work of Cobbdog, was rising too fast for comfort. Brown brought himself on, and immediately found success, taking two wickets in his first two overs, and suddenly the game had changed. The match hung in the balance. Cobbett came to the end of his excellent spell, and with the score on 90-4, with half of the overs remaining, it was clearly going to be close. McCarthy was brought on from the other end, and although he originally struggled for his length, he then slotted nicely into a good rhythm. Brown was his usual economical self, although a few bad balls saw his figures of 10-3-25-2 merely good, as opposed to excellent. McCarthy began, as drizzle set in, to struggle to grip the ball, and with Tosar struggling in the wet conditions, bad balls crept in, and the match was slipping away from us. The rain became hail, and we dashed for the pavilion. An honest talk was given by Mr Boswell, at which point it became clear that if we wished to win, our peformances must improve. The shivering Winton searched desperately for extra clothing as the umpires walked back out to the middle, and with 40 needed from 10 overs, every run was vital. Sadly a few bad deliveries, combined with some good shots, saw Uppingham charge ahead of the run-rate. Cobbett's second spell was as good as his first, and he picked up a wicket with a perfectly pitched yorker, but he lacked support at the other end. Sidhu was brought into the attack, and despite taking two wickets, both caught by Brown, the game appeared to have slipped from us. With only 10 needed from 4 overs, despite having only 3 wickets in hand, Uppingham were able to wait patiently for the bad ball, which duly arrived, and they won with 2 overs to spare.
 
It was a very disappointing performance. Against an average side, we had failed to capitalise on a good start, and with the exception of Cobbett, the seamers struggled for consistency, whilst the fielding, despite the cold weather, was simply not good enough. It was however an enjoyable game of cricket, and Nottingham were left in no doubt as to what would be required for the next game, as they go in search of their first victory of the season.
 
Frankie Brown 6T2