THE FINAL FAREWELL - MOTTISFONT v BWCC
3 AUGUST 2005
REPORT BY IAN CAMPBELL

And so the big day finally arrived where Jon “JD” Dunlea was to bowl his final overs for Waltham before the big man was to travel, Michael Palinesque, around the world for £40K. After last week's victory, skipper Dave Oddie followed the old adage of “don't fix it if it ain't broke” by only making 5 changes to the side. With a moist playing surface, Dave lost his tenth toss in a row, he is shortly to be made into a Ph.D. thesis on statistical anomalies by the London School of Economics, and Waltham were asked to bowl.

The visitors' dressing room was alive with the fresh influx of players, the likes of James Mitchell with his customary cheery words, Tom Scott filling and his flashing teeth, and Ian Strachan, a man whose legs are available for hire to any pipe smoker needing to give their pipe a damn good cleaning.

Dunlea opened the attack, and yet again bowled with pace and hostility, passing the edge on numerous occassions without any luck, and

Steve Enfield, who picked up a wicket in his opening 12 over spell. With rain interuptions, and a run rate below 2 an over, Waltham were on top. Changes in the bowling attack brought on Bowen and Boston, Bowen picking up a wicket, and Boston three. Qualified coach Steve Enfield commented at tea on Boston's superb spell,

“It was all down to line and length. At the end of the day he bowled the best overall which is why he took three, and I was lucky to get one off a poor ball!”

Rain brought play to an abrupt close, and the team headed down to the Waltham tandoori for a farewell supper. There was an excellent turnout for JD's goodbye, although most were under the impression he was picking up the tab. JD will depart with a number of gifts from club members, such as a wicket, which was bought for him (much like his bowling), and a mid range North Korean digital camera. Skipper Oddie was also emotional on the night.

“It's been a great night all round. JD leaving removes the headache of having to hide him in the field, and as an added bonus, I managed to collect a whip round of 500 quid, and got the camera on e-bay for a ton. Not only am I quids in, but there's not even a guarantee, and its charger is uncompatible in Singapore.”

At the end of an emotional evening, after countless stories, goodbyes were exchanged, and it can be truely said that everyone in the club will ever forget the name of Jim Dunlea.

Disclaimer – This report, including conversations, can include up to 100% of fictitious content.