We’ve had an amusing email correspondence today following that extraordinary de Villiers innings.  It goes like this:

David Morley: What’s the fastest Bushmen 100?? Probably a record held by Bobby??

Steven Crossley:  Yes, and more to the point – Bobby wasn’t wearing pink with black trimmings.  And I wonder who has the Busmen (sic) record for smallest number of runs against highest number of balls?

Will Cockerell: I’ll be up there with circa 2 off 36 balls in Laurence and mine’s epic 10th wicket stand of 45 against Cockfield in ’91 (which I believe remains the club record for last digs).  The partnership was unbroken and the match saved. At one stage in our bunker, with sniper fire and shells landing all around, Larry did say to me:  “you know, when they bowl a long-hop wide of the off stump, you are allowed to hit it for four.”  I was dumbfounded by his cavalier, kamikaze approach… but he was just a young tearaway fast-bowler and all I could do was tell him to watch and learn, and he picked off 43 needlessly provocative runs from t’other end.

David Morley: Aaah, those were the days.

Clyde Jeavons: Possibly Bobby at Coldharbour or Hartley Wintney? Or Guest-Bushman Qaysar (sp.?) at Fernhurst?  And as for most dot balls, the late, great Mr Granger must be in the mix?

Andy Popperwell:  Does my 18 runs from 18 overs in the Vendee last September count?

Steven Crossley: And, joining the bragging-rights (or is it rites?) I amassed 6 in 58 mins in the Suffolk Sunday match this last year.  No idea how many balls but I was joined by all of our better batsmen for very short periods who must have been trying to score ??? until Michael Kaye came in and whacked it about I seem to remember –.

Chris Ancil: That was truly one of the worst performances by the team…except for messrs herr, kaye and crossley…chasing 101, most of which we had fed to them….a team containing 9 centurians was all out for 60 odd…..shambles….bloody lovely ground though!

Bobby Ancil:  9 centurions (plus Mr Crossley – proud owner of a 90) in a Bushmen team that couldn’t score 101 – now that is a brutal stat.

Steven Crossley:  Hope they invite us this year – we need to redeem ourselves on those beautiful grounds; their batting was as poor as their bowling was good it should be remembered, two of the bowlers in particular – lots of swing too.

As Michael Kaye himself observes, the correspondence began with a story of magnificent records and ended with a longer, more amusing story of less-than-magnificent failures.  Our Historian Alastair Lack adds that he’s just back from a wonderful holiday in S Africa, and had time in Capetown to see the great Amla at the crease and the corruscating( correct spelling?) brilliance of A de Villiers.