IT NEVER RAINS, IT POURS

Brigg Town Cricket Club first teamers haven't made a very promising start to their programme in Lincolnshire League division four. But Lady Luck is certainly not shining on them.
Recently they were due to entertain Scunthorpe Town 3rds at the Recreation Ground - one of the sides they might expect to beat - but bad weather caused the cancellation of the fixture.
Then yesterday they were due to visit Hykeham 2nds, another of the teams renowned for finishing in the lower reaches of the basement section. However, that game was cancelled before the Town team left Brigg. Which at least gave them the chance to save on petrol and do something else with the remainder of their Saturday.
That was better than sitting in the pavilion at Hykeham and watching the rain come down until the umpires abandoned proceedings.
In my 30 years with Brigg Town CC I encountered many rained-off games, and lots of times when we played on regardless of downpours - just for the sheer hell of it! However, that was long before today's health and safety culture kicked in. On one occasion at the Rec Ground we literally ladled standing water off the square after a thunderstorm, only to be shot out for a very low score by Scunthorpe Town's veteran leg-spinner, Alan Wilson.
Still, we felt it quite an achievement to get the game played in such trying conditions.
To paraphrase Lincolnshire literary giant Alfred, Lord Tennyson: It was better to have played and lost than never to have played at all.