Western Tour 2025
Avid readers will know that recent Tour Reports have often included comments about the weather, and naturally so, since it is not only the starting point for most standard British conversations but also has a major impact on the cricket. 2025 was no different. Spring was early, dry and prolonged and by late July meaningful rain was a distant memory, even in parts of the West Country! As a result, some of the pitches we encountered were more favourable to bowlers than they have usually been in recent years, and all the better for that in terms of the balance of the game perhaps. One or two went further and might have been considered “sporting” by that majority of today’s Sou’westers who don’t remember the days before covers became the norm almost everywhere. Nevertheless, looking at the results overall, we seem to have coped with this better than our opponents.
The Tour started, as for several years now, with separate Saturday and Sunday fixtures at Morebath. This arrangement has become so ’normal’ that it is easy to forget how lucky we are to enjoy the welcome, the hospitality and the friendships as well as the cricket involved. Of course, we are grateful to all our host clubs, without whom our wonderful tour could not exist, but this first weekend in the generous hands of Loyton and Morebath is something special. Having said that, the opening match against the world-renowned Loyton Oddballs has generally proved to be one to ease us into the tour; but not this year, when we were well and truly put to the sword! We batted first in an 80-over hybrid match, and our declaration came at 231-4 after only 38 overs. Matt Sunter and Harry Kennedy both retired shortly after reaching 50 and perhaps we had become just a shade complacent when it was the Oddballs turn. Of course, we knew what Young Macdonald was capable of following his excellent innings last year, and he duly raced to 82 out of 126 for the first wicket. His quieter partner in that stand was Will Bucknell 82(n o) but the sixth wicket fell at 181 and we might have anticipated mopping the rest up quickly. However, number 8 scored a quick-fire 40 out of the remaining 50 to see the Oddballs home in only 30 overs. All our bowlers suffered, but there was one positive in the welcome return of Sam Kennedy who missed the whole tour last year through injury. In the final analysis, although it was clearly not the start we would have wanted, it does seem to have sharpened us up, so that the rest of the Tour was strikingly better.
That improvement showed from the very beginning of the next match, against Morebath. In an opening partnership of 171, Harry and Sam Kennedy both scored dominant centuries (117n.o and 119, respectively) and we were able to declare at what felt like a comfortable total of 286, even allowing for the invitingly short boundaries. Morebath made a solid start in reply, but fell away to 138 all out. Harry Chatfeild Roberts (2-22 in 9 overs) and Henry Parker (3-21 in 5) were the pick of the bowlers.
Blundells saw the return of a second Sou’wester, Andy Bolan, who, while continuing to contribute throughout as Fixture Secretary, has been absent from the field of play for some years. He marked his comeback with what Umpire Williams called, in an impromptu before-dinner speech that evening, “one of the three best innings played by a Sou’wester that I have ever seen”. Now, it is true that this was said on licensed premises, and some might say that Mr Williams seldom understates his case, but, on the other hand, he is an experienced and respected Cricket Oracle and perhaps we ought to pay attention anyway! The context for Mark’s bold statement was one of those pitches clearly affected by the long dry spell, on which the ball tended to move sharply and stop a bit on occasions, especially when new, and catches in the middle distance were common as a result. Whatever the reason, we were 26-4 after 5 overs and Andy, the surviving opening bat, led an impressive recovery, first with Will Oakes (24) and then with Harry Kennedy (72 n.o.). The final total of 270-7 was far better than seemed possible at first.
At that point, Andy made his second major contribution to our win – he drove his wife and young daughter back to their accommodation. It wasn’t far and only took a short time but, crucially, the OB’s supplied a familiar substitute fielder in the shape of Freddie Bucknell, who swallowed a blinding catch to dismiss his own Number 3. Duly inspired, we caught a few decent ones of our own after that and won with several overs to spare, with Henry Parker’s steady and tenacious 14 overs properly rewarded with 5 wickets.
A glance at the bare figures of our match at Taunton Deane might suggest it was a one-sided affair. In fact it was a happy day of proper cricket in very congenial surroundings. When the Sou’westers arrived, the ground was covered with large numbers of boys and girls enjoying their early years of cricket. This is a common sight at all progressive clubs these days but at Taunton, which has no senior football team but a popular and successful county cricket club, there was a special feeling about it for the outsider. Our opposition was a team of varied ages and abilities led by an experienced and welcoming captain whose contribution of 51 to the Taunton Deane total of 167 was crucial. Most of our bowlers took wickets, led by Alec Sprague (3-14), and when we batted Matt Sunter (67n.o.) and Joe du Gay, making his Sou’wester debut with a classy 82n.o, drove us home. After that we shared a libation or two and talked the usual old cricket tosh in a real cricket club atmosphere. A lovely day!
Joe went one better the next day with a hundred against Sidmouth and Matt Sunter reached yet another fifty in our total of 266-6. The winning margin was narrowed by a last wicket stand that took the total from 126-9 to 174 all out but this was not really the typically hard-fought contest it was either last year or for all those past years when it was the intense and much anticipated cricketing centrepiece of the tour. Charlie Thomas led the bowlers with 3-27, including two in two balls.
Charlie repeated the feat (but again missed the hat trick) the next day against Kilve, a club whose visible progress off the field is now being reflected in progress on it. At the date of our match, the first X1 was fighting for the League title and although no automatic promotion would follow success, the atmosphere at the Club reflects the confidence that comes with the winning habit. We always get a good welcome here, enjoy a sociable hour afterwards and, most important, we play a proper match within meaningful hours. Part of the reason for all that is the role played at Kilve by Peter Stone, a long standing Sou’wester who nevertheless fights hard for his side on the day. There is a view in some quarters that he can lose just a little of his equilibrium now and again if things don’t go the right way, and there was some evidence for that theory at the end of this match. Again, the weather-affected pitch played its part and we had another poor start (37-4 after 15 overs), recovered well (Harry Kennedy 56 and Charlie Thomas 63), but still took 54 overs to reach the declaration at 199-7. Kilve proceeded at a similar pace but with only one 50 among their ranks, were falling short at 130-9 when Captain Stone strode to the wicket in determined fashion. It is a real bonus that the Sou’westers can sometimes call upon that rarity a left-arm wrist-spinner, in the shape of Will Bucknell, and when he is faced by a left-handed batsman it is a particularly savoury contest for the purist. In this case, Peter tried to counter the threat by a series of melodramatic ‘leaves’ with bat held high; but Will’s Chinaman brought about the classic and very satisfying result – lbw not offering a stroke! The batsman was heard later to opine that the decision may have been just a little less than plumb, but his brother was on the sidelines and captured the moment on camera to demonstrate that the umpire had it spot on! Pay particular attention to the shadow of the ball!
Unfortunately, Old Tauntonians could not raise a side to meet us. They kindly permitted us to play an internal match on their lovely school ground on the day allocated, but the next official fixture was therefore at Chulmleigh. Aided by a nicely timed declaration and some judicious bowling changes on the part of Captain (J) Kennedy, this was an interesting contest on another wicket showing the effects of the recent weather. We ran up 197-7 (Andy Bolan 54) from 42 overs and Chulmleigh got close at 183 all out from 41.3 (Sam Kennedy 3-19, Jon Kennedy 3-37). After that, well, why change a successful routine? So The Old Courthouse and the Chulmleigh Tandoori followed as usual, but unfortunately the western edge of Storm Floris followed them and put paid to the next day’s cricket at Bridgetown.
So we moved on to the last three days in which we showed that a week’s experience of 2025 pitches conditioned by 2025 weather was clearly not lost on the Selection Committee which provided a number of guileful, characterful and exceptionally slow bowlers who came into their own under these special conditions. The pick of the bunch is undoubtedly Toby Silk, whose approach to the wicket to bowl right arm over begins approximately where Jack Leach does to bowl left arm round. Some will be aware of a book by Anthony Meredith called “The Demon And The Lobster” about two very idiosyncratic bowlers of the Golden Age, Charles Kortright and Digby Jephson; one can now anticipate a sequel about Will Bucknall and Toby Silk to be called “The Chinaman And The Crab”.
First in this sequence we went to lovely North Devon where it was raining on the morning of the match and had been for much of the night. The redoubtable Andrew Cameron never showed any sign of calling it all off, however, and he was right: the long preceding dry spell, the strong breeze on the day and the location and geology of the ground meant it dried very quickly. So although the game perforce started late, it was decided no amendment to the Laws was required, with 20 overs to be bowled from 6.30. However, the over-rate was tardy from the start and only 30.3 had been bowled when we declared at 206-5, the major contribution being another solid 83 from Will Bucknall. North Devon’s chances appeared from the start to centre on their noted Sri Lankan, Roshan Lakmal, who scored 100 against us last year. He did indeed top score again but this time only with 45 and was clearly disappointed to get out – something it was not unwelcome to see as indicating genuine commitment to the cause in a friendly midweek fixture. The final total of 124 was limited by the excellent slower or even slower bowling of Ludo Spratling (outstanding figures of 6-46), George Oliver and Toby Silk but the final wickets didn’t fall until the shadows were long. All good stuff, but it is a painful necessity at this point that attention should also be drawn to one vital sartorial issue which potentially goes to the heart of the club’s reputation: the sweater in which Toby was obliged to perform. It was apparently made in 1929 for the inaugural Sou’westers contest in 1930, passed through several intermediate pairs of hands (possibly including Hendy’s who sported either this specimen or one very similar on many occasions), was left without mothballs in a damp drawer for several decades and was finally acquired by Will Silk who generously passed it on to Toby while sporting a much slicker (albeit short-sleeved) version himself. Lest you feel there is some exaggeration in these words, there is evidence on the point.
Our planned opponents for the penultimate match had advised us that they could not fulfil the fixture and it did not prove easy to find an alternative. We are very grateful to new opposition, Cannington, who stepped forward to offer a 20-over evening match in its place. This was due to start at 6 but, of course, drifted to 6.20, as these things always do. As a result, it didn’t finish until 8.50 – and this in early August not mid-June, so light was in short supply and very, very slow but guileful bowling was exactly what was required at the end. To emphasise the point, there was onfield discussion between Umpires Dean and Williams as to whether Will Bucknell was too quick for the conditions! Alec Sprague made the most of the better light early on to hit a dominant 101 out of our total of 180 but, from a Sou’wester traditional viewpoint, the landmark was a young Sprague batting with a young Silk. It’s that sort of progression that is one of the factors making this club special. In the increasing gloom, Cannington totalled 110 against an entertaining assortment of slow, very slow and very, very slow (but guileful) bowling from Silks (W and T), Spratling (L – top wicket taker again with 4-35) and Oliver (G). Afterwards, Cannington treated us to an excellent barbecue and overall made us feel very welcome. The wider cricket community is a sociable one, and we appreciated their kindness very much.
The last match always has a touch of melancholy about it, and especially so this year as it seemed at Instow, Cannington and now Sampford Peverell that an early spring was to be chased by an early autumn; it certainly turned noticeably colder and windier towards the end of all three matches. The melancholy was tempered this year, however, by a particularly enjoyable match. The climax involved two young men batting at 10 and 11 for Heathcoat, surrounded in classic fashion by close-catchers, attempting to bat out the last seven overs for a draw, probably the first time in their lives that they had ever been in such a situation.. There was probably more than one Sou’wester who wished secretly that they would experience the satisfaction of making it, but Angus Spratling, brought back for the last over, did his job and took that last wicket with his second ball (and 4-34 overall) in a total of 176. Before that, Charlie Thomas made 61 and four others twenty-odd in our total of 202-8. At the end, everyone present got together for one final photograph before spreading out far and wide for another year.
In terms of results, then, it was another successful tour. We are going through one of the “ups” in any wandering club’s life when availability seems good and players of quality abound. The April cry of desperation from the Supremo was significantly absent this year. But it’s not about results, of course. The words above, and especially the gentle leg-pulling mixed in with the cricket, reflect the happy, positive and sociable atmosphere in which everything is conducted by young and old alike. The people who have done so much to make things happen for so long have done it all again and these reports have often paid tribute to them. But The Fount seems to get away with only a passing mention when his contribution is so important as, going all Parliamentary, the Father of the Tour. He umpires when requested but is happy not to do if there are two others on hand. On the latter days, he will sit and share his knowledge and his recollections with anyone sensible enough to be within range. He epitomises the Sou’westers at their best….. and he is going to Sril Lanka in April when you are urged to join him!
