There’s been plenty of change around Walsall Health throughout the winter months and into the new season. New players to welcome, some new teams to face and one of the biggest changes, a new captain to lead the charge. Alex Nunns led the team with distinction in every game he took charge of and it’s a delight to still have him playing regularly, his replacement Jack Stenson has hit the ground running with a strong start to the season for the team and plenty of runs coming from his bat. 

A few things haven’t changed though, skippers of the club still can’t win the toss for toffee, batting collapses still run through the team like a stick of rock and every Sunday 11 or more good people met up in some corner of the Midlands to play a game of cricket and keep the clubs historic spirit burning bright. This weeks game was at an old favourite, Springhill, where the Elf have played out wins, losses, a tie and even nearly snatched a result with 7 players in recent times. 

It’s a ground with a gorgeous view from the outfield and where there’s always something memorable to smile about for a long time after the game has finished. The 2026 replay of this game was no exception. 

Stenson (obviously) lost the toss and the Elf were asked to bat first. The skipper and Ian Chuck went out to bat and made a steady start against some disciplined opening bowling. The two looked set but the pitch always had one that would keep low and that soon accounted for Chuck for 10. Will Lauchlan joined Stenson at the crease and for a fair amount of time looked a walking wicket, he struggled through to 1 run that felt like pulling teeth before settling in and after a couple of boundaries seemed more comfortable before one kept low and whipped away the bails for 20. 

Stenson was going smartly at the other end and bought up a half century with Lauchlan without much fanfare, this game doing wonders for his average. The same could not be said for Will Tomlinson, the last thing you need after a shoulder injury and in your second game back is to be run out by the skipper for a duck, but that’s exactly what Tommo got, a good shot off a very good ball and a call of yes was met by an unmoved Stenson. The bails were off at the keepers end and Tomlinson was trudging back, the sunglasses hiding a face of thunder. 

Stenson did what anyone who has just run out their partner should do and stayed out batting for a long time (then jumped a plane to Crete for 2 weeks). He was joined by Dave Hill and the big story of the day was about to begin. Jack was out soon after for 93 playing probably his worst shot of the season but Dave dug in and with wickets tumbling around him, threw it back at the batsman with some lethal boundary hitting including 24 from a single over. The boundary hitting was devastating, Dave only ran 6 runs on his way to a score of 54, a superb maiden half century for the Elf, the rest coming in 4s and 6s. To cap it all off he lifted the bat with his son Wyatt at the other end, a top knock Dave, keep the runs coming, the innings was so good you could even forgive Dave for running Jack Lester out for a duck.

The rest of the batting continued the feast and famine approach, unfortunately it was mostly famine with no fewer than 4 ducks in the innings, this years competition to take home the coveted plastic yellow duck at the end of season awards has well and truly begun. Dave Hill was finally out in the 36th over, leaving Wyatt stranded with a red inker 0* and the Elf with a score of 196. Defendable, but probably a few short.  

If the first innings wrote new stories into the Elf folklore, the second innings was one of a cricketing story as old as time. Catches win matches. 

The bowling was tight early doors against some resolute batting. The line and lengths from Tim Wesson and Paul Caines were consistent but the bad ball was punished with aplomb, the small boundaries easy to clear with heaving strikes from balls on most grounds that would be a single at most. Stenson continued to shuffle the pack in the search for early wickets but a few too many dropped catches let the batsman off the hook and it was only when Will Tomlinson bowled a yorker that hadn’t come down yet (full toss) that was sliced in the air and caught well by Wyatt Hill that the breakthrough came. 

Dave Stephens, with some metronomic bowling in the middle overs picked up another wicket a few overs later with a plumb LBW then bowled another Springhill batsman with a perfect line and length delivery that has become his trademark. Tomlinson and Stephens rattled through many tight overs to put Springhill well behind the rate but with wickets to spare, the lower order could unleash at the death knowing there was plenty to come. 90 was needed with 10 overs left which the Springhill batsman made with 5 balls to spare despite a couple of late wickets, two for Marcus Wesson in a superbly bowled penultimate over and another couple for Chuck, the two on another day would’ve seen team home to a great win but on this occasion it wasn’t to be.  

In the end though, heavy boundary hitting and some dropped catches cost the Elf but the point of friendly cricket is to have enjoyable games and moments regardless of the result and there was plenty of times on this Sunday that will stick in the memory long after the sting of the end result is gone, and thanks to club umpire (and now cameraman) Rich Fell those moments are recorded for all to enjoy again and again, particular if your name is Dave Hill.

A fun afternoon, a frustrating defeat, plenty of laughs and a gorgeous away game. There has been a lot of changes around the club, but thankfully some things do stay the same.