Cincers finish just behind the eight ball as slow-coach Skipper scuppers the run chase

Cometh the hour, cometh the block....just when we didn't need it.
With Cincers requiring just two good overs to level the score on our Italian tour, a cruel stroke of fate meant the Skipper (yours truly) was on strike.
All that was asked for was a streaky single to get up the other end and give the strike to big-hitter Sajj.
Just one scampered run, one mad dash while the fielders panicked - that's all.
Tragically, that was all, more or less.
There were swings (and misses). There were shots, sort of (straight to fielders).
But what there wasn't was a run.
So becalmed was the Captain that crafty Silvio, the pipe-smoking (when umpiring) Idle keeper pointedly refused to stump him. The swine!
Below: Crisis? What Crisis?! Cincers' Brigadier Block at the crease!

Even worse, this wasn't just any old over.
This was an eight-ball over, in line with special playing conditions apparently designed to save time because of the unseasonably wet June weather in Lombardy
Mercilessly, the bowler, Idle skipper Steve, sent down delivery after delivery right on target.
The over finished. A maiden.
At the other end, Sajj sighed and contemplated how he was going to get 32 off the eight balls left.
Below: Sajj attack - the Cincers' strokesman winds up for a big hit

Gamely, Idle slow bowler Marco was brought back on to bowl them.
His first ball was despatched by Sajjfor a towering six over long-on.
The second was whipped away for two.
Then four off the third!
Just as in our first tour game, Sajj was giving us hope when we didn't really deserve it.
Four balls left, 20 to win.
A surprise victory? Surely not!
Yes, surely not.
Sajj's next shot was an expansive inside-out lofted drive designed to put the damn ball where it belonged - right in the middle of that six-foot high maize field.
Unfortunately, it ended up in the hands of something else about six foot - an Italian fielder at deep backward cover who took a fine catch.
With that, it was game over. Done with. Finished.
20 needed off four. As if.
All that remained was for the Skip, who managed to cross when the ball was in the air, to get himself tamely stumped now that Sajj was out.
The dismissal was greeted by watching Cincers with a resigned silence.
The wind had given up. Even the leaves on the trees were at half-mast.
Dejected, the Skip trudged off.
We played out the last three balls for another run and then shook hands at 81, 18 runs short of our oppo's total.
The day had begun under dark clouds and with fears of impending storms.
So we started early (about 10.45am) and reduced the day's proceedings to 15 eight-ball overs a side (to speed up things by reducing the number of end changes after overs).
Having been invited to bat on day one, we decided to give Idle first use on day two.
They started breezily enough with Sri Lankan player Keerthi giving it a right old biff.
Now, the second day of a tour is traditionally when our fielding lets us down.
You know, up late the night before, drink taken, not much sleep, etc, etc, catches go down.
For some reason, we did all that on day one.
But any hopes we'd got it out of system were rapidly dashed a we started day two in the field pretty much like day one.
It took a couple of heroics from Simon M to wake us up.
Looking decidedly green in the gills at start of play, Simon launched himself to take two catches.
One effort off a Tim R seamer was particularly spectacular as the ball had seemingly already passed Simon by at mid-off before he plucked it out of the air.
Tim turned in an impressive 2 for just 13 off three (maximum three overs a bowler).
Earlier, Richard H, opening up 20/20 spinner-style at one end, bowled a fine spell of two for 20 off three while Chris P also bowled tightly.
Westie, struggling with a virus, stepped up to the plate with a wicket courtesy of a sharp stumping by James W who kept superbly in his first major outing with the gloves.
Sajj chipped in with a wicket, nipping out the dangerous South African Shaun when he was about to cut loose.
But the Italians still posted a challenging 99 off their 15.
Westie was promoted up the order to open with Tim but the big man had a rush of blood and charged slow bowler Marco the first ball he faced...and was caught behind.
Keeper Silvio stumped him as well. Just to be sure.
Tim looked solid before eventually departing for 14.
Following on from his fielding acrobatics, Simon M then briefly lit up the late morning with some fine hitting which promised a fine knock.
Below: Take that! Simon hits a straight drive for four

But he went to a fine catch at gully when he was on 20.
Sajj's brave 31 apart, that was pretty much that.
But this was a great tour, marked by wonderful hospitality and welcome on the part of our hosts Idle CC and a great setting in which to play.
So, grazie mille to Idle skipper Steve, Carlo for much of the hospitality/organising and Joe for contacting us in the first place to arrange the fixture.
And thanks to all the Cincers who came on tour: Tim R, Dee, Sajj, Westie, Simon M, Frank, Stephen H, Richard H, Chris P and James W.
This game played on Sunday, June 29, in Lodi, Italy.
Cincers Man of the Match: Simon M.
Cincers Man of the Tour: Sajj.

Il buono, il brutto e il brillo* - sloppy Cincers gunned down in spaghetti cricket shoot-out

It was the beer.
It's always the beer, isn't it?
Beware Italians bearing bottles of beer and charmingly tempting us at teatime - that surely should have been our motto.
We learnt this lesson the hard way in Croatia last year...except we didn't.
And so day one of our tour to Lombardy took a familiar turn for a seasoned Cincers' tourist.
Chances galore went begging as ever so slightly tipsy fielders spilled what they would normally snaffle with ease.
The biggest surprise?
It was a toss-up between Bostik-fingered Sajj dropping one (or was it two?) and Richard H downing one of his own bowling. Yes, off his own bowling!
On a beautiful pitch in Lodi, not far from Milan, Cincers were defending a meagre total of just 127.
As well as plying us with an array of refreshments, our generous hosts - Idle CC - had bowled superbly in a time-game to keep us reined in.
Mr Chairman (Tim) and Dee had started well on a pitch with as just about as much bounce as The Oval nets.

(Left: Cincers' prepare for battle in Lombardy)
Under a hot sun, Dee treated us to a few of his trademark rasping legside boundaries (including one into the maize field) off Idle opener Rob.
At the other end, Idle skipper Steve bowled over after over of metronomically accurate seamers with the added menace of moving it both ways.
Dee was looking good until he was bowled for 20 by the rapid first-change bowler Sunny.
But Test Match (to give Tim his 'nom de bat') was anchored and settling in.
With Sajj striding to the crease, it was surely only a matter of time before the maize field got it again.
Sadly, after he smote two fours (can't remember if they went crop-bound), it was Sajj that got it - caught off Sunny (from memory, a catch behind to Idle keeper Silvio).
Sixty for two quickly became 78 for six.
(Below: Westie and Tim in mid-wicket "conference")

Cincers' middle-order went off and out like a damp firework, with Westie, James W, Stephen H all falling for single-figure scores.
Worse, Tim went too for what turned out to be our top-score - 32.
He was dismissed by Shaun, the sharp-bowling Saffer who also accounted for Stephen.
Simon M briefly flickered into life, stroking a superb six and threatening to form a decisive partnership with the Skip (and you can't say that very often).
Unwisely, though, Simon decided to try a glance to first slip off Idle spinner Umair...and was caught at first slip.
That left us at 100 for seven.
The Skip's stubborn resistance (my god, that cost us the day after!) continued though not with much result.
Frank came and went, and finally so did the Skip (for 17). Give him a medal.
After one brief swing from Chris, Cincers were all out.
And this, mind, was before the beers and the splendid tea!
What followed was a combination of the odd bit of bad luck, stout batting from Idle and a succession of comedy drops in the outfield.
After spill number five or six, some of us just couldn't look any more. It was too painful.
Idle opener Rob (as in bowling...he normally bats 11 but was promoted to number two) particularly enjoyed Cincers' generosity, punishing us with a succession of boundaries.
By the time he finally went for 31 (score 80 for two), even some local cats were getting envious of his let-offs.
For the record, Rob was stumped by Dee off Richard - a relief all round as the offie had earlier shelled a not overly-tricky caught-and-bowled (it might not have been 'earlier' but it sounds better that way for dramatic effect).
Chris, opening up for Cincers, had bowled a fine spell and snaffled the early wicket of Idle stalwart Carlo (whose brother's farm we were playing on).
But Carlo's departure meant Vittorio's arrival.
And by the time we said 'arriverderci' to him, the stroke-playing Italian had scored 52 and sent his team well on the path to victory.
The only reason we got Vittorio at all was down to Sajj, brought on as a last-throw of the dice by the Skip (probably an over too late).
One sharp-turning leggie had the Italian well stumped by Dee Sajj's dad).
The father-son combination seemed to energise Cincers in the field.
We suddenly started taking catches.
From 100 for 3, Idle slumped to 122 for 6 - all down to Sajj whose spell of five for 18 off five gave us belief.
For a few minutes, that is.
A couple of hefty swings from the Italian lower order and they were over the line.
To rub salt into the wounds, they even plied us with more drink after they'd won!
Churlish, though, to blame the beers (as I've just spent the last 300 words doing).
Idle out-bowled, out-fielded and out-batted us.
Thanks to our Italian hosts for a great game, played in a superb setting and in a beautiful setting.
Bravo, Idle!
Cincers Man of the Match: Sajj.
This game played on Saturday, June 28, in Lodi, Italy.
* Our headline reads 'The good, the ugly and the tipsy' with acknowledgements to a certain spaghetti western: 'Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (the good, the ugly, the bad). Kept 'brutto' as it reads better!