“It’s your ability, not how you identify that gets you into the SQUAD”

Majig Moments

APRIL
After our first banquet of the season in Alexandra’s, Horwich re- moved us from the National Knockout. Sagar Trivedi 3-33 and Ali Andrady 42 runs.

MAY
On the way to the Marmalade Kitchen in Rhos-on-Sea Scoop said we were on the right road as he used it when he worked for MBNA, alas that was taking us towards Chester and Manchester! On our arrival at Colwyn Bay CC one of their players informed me there was not much chance of any play. Next came National t/20, a 99 run victory over Old Xaverians. Sagar Trivedi 137 runs featuring 10 fours and twelve sixes, who added 172 for the first wicket with Ryan Westwell
43. Shaneil Patel-Ponda 4-23. An unfortunate Old Xaverians player got stopped by the Boys in Blue on Queens Drive with a brand new car which he had forgot to insure, meaning he had to complete his journey to Wadham Road by bus. On the way to Alexandra’s before the Fleetwood Hesketh game Scoop realised his false gnashers were missing so he had to do a U-turn. Sagar Trivedi 4-21 and Hermann Rolfes 38 not out featured in a 7 wicket win. It was probably not unu- sual for him but Tomas Jones of Irby had Hermann down for 4 runs and going for 17 off one over for our 2nd Eleven on the same day on the tablet assisted play-cricket system instead of Harshad Raja.

Steve Shuttleworth of St. Helens Town reckoned errors in his scorebook were due to over-indulgence of Coca Cola. Jhangir Liaqat 3-23, Steve Rimmer 46 runs and Ryan Westwell 23 in our 10 wicket triumph. After dining in Coopers in Aigburth we arrived in Sefton Park to find the pitch resembling the Baseball Ground where Derby County used to play. Hence Scoop drove me to Walton Hall Park to take in South Liverpool FC winning the LCFCA Saturday Junior Cup Final 4-2 on penalty kicks. Another visit to Coopers two days later before the 8 wicket victory over Liverpool in the Tyler Shield. Kieron New 4-14, Jaden Rose 4-11, Ali Andrady 22 runs and Hermann Rolfes 23 both unbeaten.

JUNE
The usual engine filler in Alexandra’s before obviously Old Xaverians winning the toss and batting to limit the previous carnage from Sagar Trivedi. Their scorer Aiden Nuttall reckoned veteran bowler Colin Gib- son’s bat was from the 1980s and was yet to reach a hundred runs.
Kieron New 4-37, Jhangir Liaqat 4-16, Ryan Westwell 59 runs and Ali Andrady 29 both not out respectively in a comfortable 9 wicket victo- ry. After a pre-match meal in Bema’s and a two bus trip, 172-5 North- ern and a 130 run reversal in the Liverpool Echo Knockout. Ali An- drady got half of our runs. The next day a pre-match dining in Tesco’s Litherland was interrupted by a call to Scoop from the Queen re- questing a collection of the programmes for the New Brighton Na- tional t/20 match from her country retreat in Brighton-le-Sands.

Hermann Rolfes 48, Danny Davies 45 in our 55 run triumph after our visitors were restricted to 93-6. After going down Linacre Road for breakfast in Alexandra’s, I discovered no Mrf for the Highfield game in my luggage so Scoop drove me back home via Knowsley Road then to Wadham Road via Hawthorne Road to complete a grand tour of Costa del Bootle.

The next morning I thought I had been knighted when the Queen called me Sir on the telephone. The Duke of Blundellsands took me to Old Xaverians for the 5 wicket move into the next round of the Tyler Shield after Hermann arranged the lift, as the noble one has his mo- bile phone rarely turned on like myself. Danny Davies 53 runs, Danny Hart 42 not out. Billy Midgley did not take me home down the
Queens Drive so decided to try the Motorway, alas the cone brigade had been out closing the junction we wanted so a scenic detour through St. Helens and Prescot ensued. After the usual food in Alex- andra’s before the Lytham game which was washed out after 3.4 overs in Lytham’s response to our 229-7 dec. Steve Rimmer and Her- mann Rolfes 58 runs a-piece.

JULY

After consuming crushed avocado with my breakfast in the Lean Kitchen, Pemberton we encountered Gerry Pike at Orrell Red Triangle and he reckoned we could go unbeaten all season and not win the League. I hope he didn’t put a bet on as his local Bookie would have been the only winner. Hermann Rolfes 58 runs and 4-47 with our hosts earning a share of the spoils with nine wickets down. Before the visit to Spring View the Chef in Heather’s reckoned I must have been hungry asking for the Mega Breakfast. While the game was in progress I had to tell a home fan the team in white were winning and when he returned at the end of the game he asked if my team had won which was by a 7 wicket margin. Sagar Trivedi helped himself to 5-25 and an unbeaten 60 launching Suleman Khan for a plethora of mighty blows. After Scoop left early missing the turn in the bar singing his least favourite song “Sweet Caroline”, the Group had to get me a taxi home. In Alexandra’s before a 59 run triumph over Spring View a Sean Dyche dead ringer said Scoop and I looked comfortable with each other and then diagnosed him with Arthritis! Sagar Trivedi 4-23 and 60 runs.

After breakfast in Reds, Rainford we reached 66 all out 59 in our fa- vour against St. Helens followed by Sagar Trivedi capturing 4-20. The Supervisor of the Sporting Activities on the day, who I was sitting by in the Scoring Emporium, and being an ex-Council Employee myself I had to help him out with a few complaints from some irate individu- als. When a Rugby Team arrived in the first Innings, eviction from the Changing Rooms stopped play and the 1st XI Skipper from St. Helens told the Supervisor if anything was stolen it was his responsibility. Be- fore the 75 run triumph at Fleetwood Hesketh, Langdon’s in Church- town filled the engine. Hermann Rolfes 77 runs and Jhangir Liaqat 4-23. Sabbir Patel admitted bringing some hot stuff in a large cooking vessel into the ground before the game which never matched his side’s performance on the field. The next day we bowed out of the Tyler Shield at the semi-final stage by 6 wickets with a below full strength side. Hermann Rolfes 72 runs, Tom Meskell 1-28. I held up the Tangerine Dream because I disabled my Alarm Clock. Scoop’s daughter Megan turned the sat-nav sound off and we arrived at the Harefield Coffee Barn in Rainhill Stoops without knowing, turned back around the same roundabout again and finally spotted the Venue sign. While eating probably one of the best meals on our cricket trav- els, some punter thought I was writing out a Betting Slip when I was compiling the Bootle team sheet. After the game while talking to two locals, some Guy who resembled the Incredible Hulk appeared.

Scoop played a version of Outdoor Musical Chairs then went and left his jacket somewhere in the Ground!

AUGUST

In a 6 wicket triumph over Colwyn Bay, helped by Sagar Trivedi 5-49 and 49 not out, Hermann Rolfe’s four catches behind the stumps and 31 not out. Another return to the close by Lean Kitchen before a share of the spoils at Highfield, helped by the after effects of Mike Farrell’s wedding the day before on our hosts. Jhangir Liaqat 3-44, Hermann Rolfes 91 not out stuck at the wrong end at the death as we tried to chase down a win. A Wigan FC supporter complained about no barcode on his Season Ticket, would he have complained if there were pies on it?

After Alexandra’s a 3 wicket win against Maghull. Sagar Trivedi 3-50, Hermann Rolfes 123 not out on his birthday where we chased down 306. The usual Alexandra’s before we chased down 222 with 3 deliv- eries to spare for the loss of 5 wickets against Sefton Park. Kieron New 3-55, Hermann Rolfes 4 catches behind the stumps plus 59 not out on his last game of the season. Ali Andrady 62. Rob Durand the opposition scorer, reckoned the five penalty runs were Man of the Match after Australian Umpire Stephen Fildes did Niamat Karyab for putting saliva on the ball for the third time. I got asked in Cooper’s Coffee shop after the Mega Breakfast before the 7 wicket win at Old Xaverians if I wanted anything else. Tom Meskell left the field in the 25th over for a call of nature. Shaneil Patel-Ponda 4-15 Steve Rimmer and Ryan Westwell 45 a-piece. With the Moody Blues 2-0 up against Bournemouth one of our players said, Hunty will say when we get back to Bootle you should have gone to the match. Umpire Neil Gal- braith was well happy when he found out the Moody Blues were 2-0 up. It went to 2-1 he started having doubts. Finally at 2-3 it ruined his day and you could say he threw his hat in as he left it in the Ground.

His colleague Howard Taylor did a little jig in front of him being a life time Red. Danny Hart said he would give Michael Keane a free trans-fer and drive him to his choice of destination!

SEPTEMBER
In the final month of the Season we snatched the runners-up spot from the jaws of the Title with two defeats and a draw after previous-ly being unbeaten in the League. And even though we lost at Lytham, Highfield elected to field against Orrell Red Triangle on the day mean-ing our promotion was nailed on. In the 3 wicket reversal against Or-rell, the first print of Scoops Matchday Masterpiece was for all our Australian fans as it was stapled together upside down. Gloveman Danny Hart 30 runs and 4 catches, Jhangir Liaqat 5-37. When we were fielding, a squirrel entered the fray. Before the 89 run defeat at Lyth-am a second visit of the season to Hartley’s in Maghull set Scoop and I up for the day. Good job I am not as mobile as I used to be as the Boys in Blue would have been chasing us up the A59 as one of the Cafe Staff managed to catch us up by the exit. Scoop had forgotten to pay the Bill. While scoring outside under a tree it was raining mosquitoes which managed to bite me twice and made one of our fans Jean Bor-rows needing Medical Treatment a few days after the game. Our Club Treasurer reckoned that could have been the reason we lost on the day. When the dismissed Sagar was walking around the Ground in the 26th over he reckoned we had plenty of time to earn a share of the spoils. After hearing this one of our few travelling fans Rob Tomley said he would streak across the pitch naked if it had happened. Sagar Trivedi 32, Joshua Andrady 30, Callum McGee 29. Before we earned a share of the spoils against Liverpool chasing down 273 after 72.2 overs, when rain was the only winner, Scoop’s daughter Megan had to deliver the Programmes to my House as he had to cry off with a dodgy knee. Sagar Trivedi 5-69 and 32 runs.

OCTOBER
At the Liverpool and District Competition end of Season SGM meeting at our Ground, “Chaos” as he is known to a lot of his friends reckoned the locals were setting off fireworks to celebrate our main Sponsors new signings for next season. More like trying to do an early Guy Fawkes job on our Buildings.