S-S-S-SEVEN WICKETS FOR JUNIOR [30/07/07 15:21:08]

The 2nd XI's 40 run victory over Elmstead Grasshoppers on Saturday was primarily due to the bowling performance of Steve Whitfield (right) who grabbed a club career best of 7-80 as the home team capitulated to 152 all out chasing Abberton's 192.

A typically modest Whitfield was quick to play down his starring role, pointing to the excessive 'cakage' by the home batsmen during the tea interval as the main reason for his success.

However the popular resident number eleven batsman who, it has to be said, fields like a young schoolgirl, ran through the batting order like a dose of dodgy prawn vindaloo. Not bad considering that he was heard pleading "semi-retirement" earlier this season.

The fomer Prettygate, Great Horkesley, Elmstead and St Albrights Daisycutters player's previous best bowling for the club was a spell of 6-30 away at St Margarets (presumably a girls' team) in 2004 and he was understandably d-d-d-delighted to have netted the haul against one of his former clubs.

He does claim to have taken 7-3 in an evening friendly for St Peters House against British Telecom seven years ago, but there are doubts as to whether this really counts as the combined age of his victims on the night came to 83!