Rathbones OVs v Fairbairn SCF (FB1):
THIS is a big match for both teams as a loss for either will seriously dent the chances of winning the title.

OVs owe their third place in the table to three wins against the league weaklings, but have come up short when against the big boys, but have the chance to show they are more than playground bullies when they take on SCF tomorrow.

They are almost guaranteed a place in the top four, but a loss tomorrow would just about write off any pretentions of winning the league for the pre season favourites, and would mean that ultimately it will have been a disappointing season.

They do have a pretty good side out tomorrow, Chris Jones is back, but Jon Giles, Sam Dewhurst and Bobby Minty are all out. Ed Farley, who had such a good season last year, is also back, and despite being out for a golden duck, when he was adjudged to be caught behind on Monday against the MCC, will bolster their batting line up.

That duck was quite uncharacteristic, given his form of last year, but he was able to offer a plausible explanation; he didn’t hit it; and if denying you did something a million times is a sign of innocence, he didn’t hit it.

His Dad, however, says that he never owned up to anything at home even when faced with condemning evidence; for example he claimed that he was merely looking after the magazines, that were found under his bed, for a friend.
Sporting Club keep pulling wins out of the bag and have shown true SCF grit in their last three matches, which resulted in wins against OVs and St Ouen and a close defeat to Romerils.

They will be without Meeku Patidar this week, but James Perchard will be making his debut for the first team having made his club debut for the seconds last week. This should be a great game with both teams having strong credentials and weighing up each team’s plus’ and minus’ is difficult.

I’m going to say that the winning mentality of SCF will prove decisive and they can do the double over OVs and keep the pressure on Romerils.
Prediction: SCF to end OV’s title hopes.

Caesareans v St Ouen (LQ1):
WITH Dean Morrison again absent from the St Ouen side, Caesareans must have a decent chance of success in this match. And the news that they are also missing Paul Horton, who has been their chief run scorer in the absence of Morrison, Barry Middleton and Danny Blasco, bodes none too well for their chances here.

The revelation from Peter German that Caesareans will be without nine of their first team players tempers enthusiasm for their chances though. One of those missing is Dave Gorman who is playing for the Over-50s.

Dave’s been inundated with requests for help after last week’s article highlighted how successful his coaching techniques were, and he has been busy coaching in his back garden.

His methods, which use the same approach that Mr Miyagi used to such great effect on the Karate Kid, namely getting clients to do up your garden using repetitive actions that create muscle memory, may be rather unconventional but he does now have a lovely patio, pond and beautiful borders.

Raised eyebrows are met with the explanation that all the work will soon start to show dividends, indeed he points out that Richard Gomersall is already a third of his way to his goal of a scoring a hundred by 12 July, the duck he got on Saturday being one of the zero’s, so only another 1 and 0 to go. For a man nicknamed binary man, that shouldn’t be a problem. So: Hours to Gomersall hundred – 360.

I was surprised not to see El Blazey’s name on the St Ouen team sheet as she has been in fine form lately, scoring 33 runs on Sunday and then 46 not out and taking three for 7 in a NatWest Evening League match on Monday.
Her form is such that I suspect Dave Gorman may have had her in his patio-building squad.

Initial thoughts were that Caesareans had a realistic chance of winning this match, but Caesareans’ difficulties means it is very difficult to see them succeeding. I am forced therefore, to predict a St Ouen victory as the most likely outcome.
Prediction: Things may not be so rosy in Caesareans’ garden come Saturday evening.

Springfield v Romerils (LQ2):
RYAN Driver is pretty unstoppable at the moment and amazingly has a bowling average of just four, his 45 overs yielding 18 wickets, costing just 76 runs, an economy rate of 1.68 runs per over. It’s hardly any surprise then that the average score Romerils have bowled sides out for is 142 and that they are currently unbeaten.

They may be without Nigel Crocker for this match as he is nursing a hamstring injury and Peter Blackburn and Barry Parsons are likely to be nursing hangovers as they are attending a works do on the Friday night, but Jon Prince, who missed last week, is back in the side.

Springfield were no match for OVs a fortnight ago but if they can replicate their two wins in the first half of the season, a place in the top four is definitely on the cards.

They are probably a good enough side to cause a surprise along the way although a victory against Romerils would not only be a very pleasant but also a very big surprise to their army of fans.

Not quite as big or pleasant a surprise as the one Tom Minty had when I told him I had read that nine out ten women prefer their men short, squat and hairy. You should have seen his distraught little face when I later had to tell him that I had, in fact, misread it, and it actually said tall, dark and handsome. Easy enough mistake to make really, although not, apparently, for women.

Norah’s still heavily involved with her private line, so much so that I have to slip a note under her nose asking for a prediction. While speaking to her client she gets her Parker pen and throws it in an old dusty bin, and leaves me to work it out. It seems Norah is now practicing retro-predicting, a technique that gives predictions by giving clues in the style of past game shows.

After much thought it all becomes clear. Parker, captain of Springfield, dust and bin. It’s Ted Rogers 3-2-1 show (for those of you old enough to remember), which could mean Springfield will be consigned to the dusty bin or wait a minute, Parker, maybe a butler, dusty, an old house has dust, and bin spelt backward is nib as in “his nibs.” Perhaps Springfield will win an old mansion with a butler and be Lords of the Manor. Nah, probably just the bin.
Prediction: Romerils to leave Springfield in their dust.