Does anyone remember much of the cricket played between April and June 2024? No? Not really? Probably because there wasn’t much of it. It was a drab, rainy, cold affair, one long spring that stretched into summer and ran until roughly April this year.

2025? No such problems. Walsall Health has hardly lost an over to the weather this year, let alone a game. It is shaping up to be a vintage summer weather-wise and while results might have been inconsistent, the sunshine hasn’t been, and when all is said and done, that is the important bit. 

Another faultless feature of the Elf this season has been winning the toss. Jack Stenson, skippering the side for their home game against Springhill, carried on this tossing purple patch. The Elf would be bowling first against Springhill at Carter Park on a fabulous summer’s day. 

Tasked with avoiding a painful bowling innings similar to last week was a new opening bowling partnership. Pace like fire Mark Wood (Jack Lester) and pace like DS (DS). While the pair went wicketless, the scoring was much less brutal than last week. Tidy line and length bowling brought encouragement for DS and while Lester opened with a solid beamer, he soon settled into a rhythm that was regularly testing the batsmen. 

This good spell encouraged captain Stenson to stick with pace and Liam Gower, replaced Lester for his first bowl of the season, some very good deliveries flew past the edges and a couple of chances went up and down but wickets were to come. Cairns, on Health debut at the tender age of just 62 could’ve put the ball on a sixpence and the accuracy was quickly rewarded. 

From a solid start between the opening batsmen, Paul took two wickets in 3 balls in his first over to take the score from 67-0 to 68-2, the first an LBW, the next a caught and bowled. Liam ‘David’ Gower was also proving a threat at the other end, quick bowling was keeping the Springhill batsman busy and alert, the extra pace did lead to a couple more boundaries, but with Paul bowling so well at the other end, Liam had the licence to attack and was unlucky to finish wicketless. 

Paul got himself a third wicket a few overs later, another LBW and both openers were back in the hutch. The fourth followed to make the score 115-4, another good grab by Lester who is well up in the catching charts this season. Paul having a bowling spell to remember but still guilty of some jug avoidance.

From here, another partnership grew in a game that was ebbing and flowing like a good test match, the strike was rotated well and the odd boundary meant 200 was looking more of an obligation for Springhill than a target, the Elf needed something special to unpick the partnership. The team’s ground fielding is always solid, but this needed something spectacular and when Springhill took a risky single to Wyatt Hill, the Elf had just their moment. The ball was gathered confidently by the Elf fielder, with 3 stumps to go for, the throw was perfect, he’d have only needed one, the batsman was short and the Elf had the breakthrough. 

161-5 quickly became 185-8, Dan Dunn’s mix of pace and spin from the DS end accounted for two of the Springhill batsmen, both clean bowled, while Jonny Preece also got his name in the wickets column with the same mode of dismissal. Crucially, though, the late impetus of the innings had been halted, leaving a target of 189 for the Elf to chase.

While the team scoffed their teas in the interval, Jack Stenson was working on an idea (and about 6 teas of his own) with the batting lineup. He had a plan. Dan Dunn at 4, Dave Hill to open with himself and Lauchlan sticking at 3 and after 1 over, the ploy had paid off spectacularly.

For Springhill. 

Hill and Lauchlan back in the hutch, both for the dreaded 0, Dave in particular getting an absolute snorter though through the gate that would’ve got a hell of a lot of batsmen out. 5-2 and Springhill were buzzing.

Dunn came out to the middle ready to Joe Root the Elf out of a sticky start and Joe Root he did. Along with Stenson the two put on a solid partnership of 42. Dan, in particular playing some aggressive, classy, counter punches to the boundary, the run rate was quickly becoming a non-issue. Wickets however, could prove to be, with the partnership looking to give the rest of the line-up up pad rash, a wicket came, Dunn caught for 21. 

Mac was next in, a classy, coiled spring of a batsman who can block the ball and nick singles all day but will occasionally hammer one over the boundary when it’s least expected. The Elf, while going okay, needed a long partnership, and wow, did they get one. Jack and Mac put the Elf’s first century stand of the season, their running was quick and certain, the boundary count rising as well with some excellent flicks and pulls. Stenson raced through for another 50, a superb captain’s knock. The only complaint is he should have gotten more, but with the Elf victory looking on, he holed out for a fine 66. Century this season? You wouldn’t bet against it. 

Mac was shaping up well for a half century of his own but after losing his partner in crime Stenson, he was out shortly after himself for 45, a smart catch in the field. Jack Lester came and went for 0 after that and suddenly amongst the sunshine a few nerves could be heard jangling (as well as some muffled kit throwing from Lester.) 

The score had gone from 151-3 to 160-6. What is a Sunday without a Walsall Health wobble?

The team still needed just one more partnership to get them home a couple of calm heads and they found them with Wyatt Hill and Paul Cairns. Wyatt held up an end well, staying alive against some good bowling from a Springhill team who had their tails up, and could sense an opportunity. He played a great supporting role to Cairns, who seems to be allergic to pressure. With nearly 30 still needed, the debutant played like he was netting, 3 4s in a row of the pads, and another two balls later off the same over meant the required runs were halved. More boundaries followed to lift any pressure, even with Wyatt falling to an LBW shout, Cairns took Elf to victory as if he was playing Sunday friendly cricket.

The Elf won by 3 wickets in another good game against good opposition. 

The Elf, and hopefully the sun, are back in action this Sunday at Carter Park. It’s definitely too hot and sunny to do anything else, so you might as well come and watch it, not like there’s any other cricket on that day.