Rustons v Nocton, revenge is sweet!

It was the return match between Rustons and Nocton this afternoon (click here to read about the previous match). We lost badly in Nocton which made us more motivated to win.

Pat was unavailable so Charmo was captain for the first time. We fielded first on a boiling hot day on the West Common. Hicko opened the bowling and was really ripping them down, he ended up with three wickets but Capt. Charman was the bowling hero with 5/16. They were bowled out for 94.

With a modest target of just 95 to win, we passed the winning post with 6 wickets and about 15 overs to spare. So a maximum 20 points for Rustons sees us climb two places to fourth in the table.

Penny & Philip's Ruby Wedding Anniversary

Penny & Philip celebrated 40 years of marriage yesterday with a party at Hykeham Memorial Hall. The three kids and their partners all had a hand in organising the event and I think everyone enjoyed themselves so it must have been a success.

K & I got to the memorial hall at about 5:00pm. All the main setting up had been done already so it was only a matter of fiddling around the edges and being there to direct the mobile bar people. Martin, Charlotte, Peter and Ginny arrived soon after 6pm with Penny & Philip not far behind.

The party started at 7:30pm and P&P were greeting their guests outside the hall. It was a ferociously hot day so being outside was a wise move. There were about 65 guests in total and by soon after eight they were just about all there so we opened the buffet. The food was great and lots of people thought that we'd hired professional caterers - but it was all the work of Penny, Keren, Ginny, Charlotte and Martin.

At 9pm K announced that we would be starting the entertainment. This part of the evening was a surprise to most of the guests. P&P knew that we'd be putting something on but I think they were surprised by the extent of the 'show'. Keren led the proceedings by telling the story of how P&P met, courted, got engaged, married and had a family. This story was interspersed by songs performed by 'Hickertons at Heart' - a band formed specially for the occasion. It featured Martin on lead guitar, Pete on bass guitar, Charlotte and me on lead vocals and Keren and Ginny on backing vocals. We did Bachelor Boy, Heartbeat, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, The Young Ones, Walking Back To Happiness, Congratulations and Lady In Red. All in all in went down pretty well, there were no serious cock-ups, no falling out and we were nearly in tune for most of the time. We'd had about 8 or 10 practise sessions so it had been a lot of work but it was fun in the end. My mum and dad didn't even know I could sing!

Once the performance was out of the way we felt able to join in with the fun so quite a few beers were sunk before we had to tidy up. Lots of people pitched in to help with the clean up (thanks mum & dad and Alwyne and Pauline) so it got done quickly. The guy that runs the bar said he'd never seen so many people helping to tidy up and nobody had ever helped him. He needs to do more Christian parties!

After the party, P&G and K&I went back to M&C's for an after show party. More beer was consumed and left overs were eaten. It was a great way to wind down after the (sometimes stressful) organising and practise that we'd all worked hard at.

I think Penny and Philip enjoyed their party and we all look forward to another one in 10 years time!

Dinner in Market Rasen

It was off to Market Rasen last night for dinner with Mark & Lydia. Mark cooked roast lamb followed by a fruit crumble. They were both delicious.

Great evening as always with lots of chat and laughs.

Weekend in Harrogate

K and I travelled up to Yorkshire this weekend to meet up with Richard, Jen and Ross at Richard's house in Harrogate.

K had meetings organised in Wakefield on Friday morning so I travelled up by train to meet her. I started the day with a full EB at Wetherspoon's in Lincoln before catching my train. My journey took me from Lincoln, change at Doncaster, change at Wakefield Westgate, change at Wakefield Kirkgate, to Normanton where Keren met me.

Our first stop was Nostell Priory which is a National Trust property near Normanton. It's a beautiful country house (which was formerly a priory, hence the name) and we enjoyed looking around and then going for a walk around the grounds. Of course we also felt obliged to have a cuppa and sample the delicious cakes that NT properties always seem to have on offer. When we got back to the car there was a note on it from someone who had witnessed another car hit ours. They had scraped and cracked the paint on the rear bumper. K rang the kind person who had left the note and they told us that after our car had been hit, the culprit drove to the other end of the car park before getting out to check their own car - so they knew they'd done it. W@nk3r.

After Nostell we nipped up the A1 and arrived at Richard and Jen's at about 6:30pm. Rich had prepared a delicious Mexican meal full of chilis and other spices. After filling our bellies we headed off to their local pub to sample the ales on offer. Ross had arrived by this time so we were quickly forming a mini Humberside reunion. How many do you need for a reunion?

We got up late on Saturday and took the train from Harrogate to Bradford (change at Leeds just in case you're taking notes). There was a continental market on in the shopping area and a classic car show in front of the town hall. The sun was shining and it was a very pleasant place to be. Bradford doesn't have a great reputation as a tourist destination but I enjoyed my first experience of it. After we'd looked round the cars we went to the National Media Museum (formerly the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television). I'd recommend a visit for kids and adults alike. It's a very interesting place to look around. I particularly like their photo galleries - there were some great atmospheric shots of some classic Hollywood movie stars.

Of course, you can't visit Bradford without having a curry and so, after a couple of pints, we headed off to a restuarant that Richard recommended. It was unlicensed so you had to take your own beer and wine in with you. That's great as far as I'm concerned as it makes it super cheap. We had loads of good food (more than even I could manage) and it was only £10 each. Bargain!

We got the train back to Harrogate at about 10pm. When we got back to the house it was time for some SingStar action. I was almost falling asleep but SingStar always perks me up and we all had a go. Ross, you are a terrible singer!

Sunday morning and Rich prepared some bacon and egg butties for breakfast - they went down very well too. There was just time for him to show me his model railway layout before we nipped to Jen's Dad's house to see his new kittens and then home.

A great weekend. Thanks for the invite and look forward to seeing you all in Lincoln in September.

Mighty Mighty Imps

Went to watch Lincoln last night and, for once, the Imps really were mighty.

How about this for a scoreline:- Lincoln City 3, Aston Villa 1

It wasn't some team of Villa youth players either, check out the starting line-up on the official Aston Villa site.

We went one down after just four minutes when John Carew (70 caps for Norway) exploited some comedy defending by Lincoln. It's a new look defence and it showed - they looked like they'd never met each other before! For the rest of the first half they withstood a lot of Villa pressure and did well to go in just one down. Nevertheless, the predictions were all about just how many more Villa would score.

The second half was a revelation. In the 53rd minute Stefan Oakes sent a free-kick on to the head of János Kovács who nodded it in. Great to see two of the new signings having such an immediate impact. Oakes' passing was super accurate, he's going to be a revelation in League Two. Peter Jackson reckons he can "peel carrots with his left foot".

On 73 minutes, an Oakes corner was met by the head of Lennel John-Lewis and Lincoln were in the lead! Two minutes later and the rout was complete as Ben Wright chased down a long ball and calmly slotted it past the keeper.

Of the new signings, Kovács, Oakes, Burch and Sinclair all stood out. Brown looked OK and only Graham failed to really get hold of the game. Although he was being marked by Zat Knight and Wilfred Bouma (2 England caps and 35 Holland caps respectively) so we should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Can't wait for the season to start now.

BBQ at the Sheps

It was to Shep Senior's last night for a barbecue party. Luckily the weather played ball and we had some sunshine. Just to cover all angles, Dad had constructed a temporary extension to the summer house - that meant that we could seat everyone (13 of us) in the dry.

In attendance were Lou & Pat, Rachel, the Brothwells, the Beans, the Costalls, me & K and of course Ma and Pa Shepherd.

Dad did a great job of the meat and Mum provided all the accompaniments. We were treated to Merv's singing, Rick's beer can football skills and Mick's talents as a waiter. The summer house was getting a bit rowdy as the beer and wine flowed so the 'kids' (youngest 33) adjourned to the kitchen. Where all the best parties take place.

Fish, chips and mushy (not garden) peas

Mark and Naomi came round for a chippy lunch today. It felt very decadent to be eating so much fat in the middle of the day!

We'd been meaning to invide M&N around for a while but, as they are in Cambridge and we're in Lincoln, it's not so simple. The weekend of Gareth and Helen's wedding was the perfect opportunity.

K was suffering from the night before so a takeaway lunch was decided upon. I was on my way back from Woodhall having been to collect the car when I got the call with the order. One fish, chips and peas; pie, chips and beans twice; and a chip butty. Fish Queen was duly visited and this feast was procured. I think it went down very well and I can heartily recommend a load of stodge as a hangover cure.

We had a good old chinwag after lunch and it was a very nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Chip, chip, hooray!

Helen & Gareth's Wedding

It was Helen and Gareth's wedding yesterday. We picked up the Felthams at about 12:15pm and headed off to Bassingham for the ceremony. It's a nice looking church in the middle of the village and the other guests were arriving as we got there. There was a drop of rain in the air but nothing too heavy although the sky didn't look promising.

We moved inside and were greeted by Hicko the usher. We couldn't work out if we should sit on the bride's side or groom's side. We plumped for bride as that was where M&G, T&Y, P&S and N&A were also sitting (sorry Gareth!).

As we were sat in the church we could hear the rain getting heavier. By the time the bride arrived it was really drumming against the roof. Hels and her bridesmaids (Keeley and Charlotte) must have been carefully umbrella'd from the car though as they didn't look like they'd been rained on. At this point it would be traditional for me to describe the dress - it was white... I think. See K for further details. On the other hand, I can remember that Gareth and many of his work colleagues were wearing their No1 uniforms complete with swords.

The vicar started by asking Gareth if he would take Helen to be his husband. Weddings are scary enough for the groom without ending up with a husband! Luckily he spotted the mistake and started again. At the point where the vicar asked the congregation if anyone knew of a reason why G&H shouldn't wed; the heavens really opened. The drumming on the roof became noticeably louder and there was general laughter from the assembled masses. The vicar decided that we wouldn't consider that to be some sort of sign and carried on.

The rest of the ceremony went smoothly and Mr & Mrs B left the church together to be greeted by an RAF guard of honour with swords raised. Unfortunately it was still raining so they quickly came back inside for more photos. We hung around for a little while and then headed off to Woodhall Spa via Bassingham Spar.

It's a 30 minute drive to the Petwood Hotel and it was still chucking it down when we arrived. We were greeted with free Pimms, champagne or orange juice with crisps and crudités to nibble on. More photos were then taken in front of the Petwood's impressive fireplace before the bride and groom took advantage of a lull in the rain to have some pictures done outside.

I'm not sure what time dinner was served. You just kind of go when you are told but it was probably about 4pm. All the tables were named after TV cop shows and we were on CHiPs with Becky & Dave, Bob & Bev and Mark, Mem, Leo & Alex. We had a fish starter followed by roast beef and then a three-part desert consisting of individual lemon, strawberry and chocolate mousses.

The speeches were in the traditional position at the end of the meal and they were very good. Helen's Dad, Gareth and Owen (the best man) all put in top performances and were very funny. I even got a mention in Owen's speech as an example of how many different and lengthy familial connections were in the room. I forget exactly but I think he told Helen that I was her husband's, 2nd cousin's, husband's, sister's, husband. That's Lincolnshire for you!

G&H had asked me to organise a speeches sweepstake so I had been round the tables handing out entry sheets and explaining the concept to everyone. Knowing Gareth and Owen, I had a feeling that they wouldn't be brief so I guessed 44 minutes and won the pot on our table. The actual time was 48 minutes and 1 second - Jon guessed 47:59 but didn't win as someone else on his table chose 48:00. He was gutted!

The evening guests started arriving after the speeches and the room was turned around with space made for the dance floor. It had finally stopped raining by this time and it was quite a warm evening so we were able to go out on to the terrace for a drink. Well, I was out on the terrace - I think K spent a lot of her time on the dance floor. As a result of this, she was able to get a close up view of Pete & Ginny's dancing - they have a style that can only be described as enthusiastic.

More food was brought out later on - despite being stuffed from lunch I still couldn't resist the fine selection of pork and pastry based products, along with sandwiches and Indian snacks. I kept grabbing a plateful only to have it plundered by all and sundry so I had to go back for more - well that's how I remember it anyway.

Much eating, drinking, dancing, chatting and laughter later - it was time to depart. Nick had organised a minibus for N&A, P&G, P&S, C&E, T&Y, P&D, J and us. There was much drunkenness on the bus and someone decided it would be a good idea to have a sing-along. The driver was treated to a 40 minute serenade of themes from kids TV shows. This is one of my specialist subjects so I was more than happy and joined in with gusto.

It was a great day and night and we both wish Helen and Gareth every happiness for their future together. Thanks guys!

Nocton v Rustons

I was asked to turn out for Ruston's yesterday as they were short of players. It was nice to play cricket again after such a long break although I looked like the part-timer I am - I couldn't find any of my kit.

I think the opposing batsmen had me marked as the weak link in the team as their shots kept finding my bit of the field with alarming regularity. When I say "field", think "ploughed" - it's a pretty awful ground which is far from level and covered in mole hills and other ankle breakers.

It was raining when Charmo and I got there and didn't look like stopping. We missed the proper start time of 2pm and finally got going with a 32 over game nearer three. We won the toss and Pat decided to put them in with the hope that we could take advantage of the dampness but it would be drier by the time it was our turn to bat.

They had a slow start but let loose in the last 6-8 overs and ended on 103/9. Charmo and Nibbler each took a couple of wickets - Charmo also took two catches. I was getting plenty of action and the bumpy pitch was making it very difficult to grab a bouncing ball but I don't think I cost us any runs so all was OK.

The heavens opened 8 balls before the end of Nocton's innings so we took an early tea and waited it out. After about 30 minutes we were able to restart and they finished off their innings before taking to the field. Our plan of batting on a dry pitch had gone out of the window and everyone was finding it difficult. Pat was out early on, Phil and Kev both picked up golden ducks, Nibbler and Paul stuck around for a while but runs were hard to come by. Charmo ended up top scorer with something in the mid-twenties. We were losing wickets quickly and by the time number 8 and 9 were at the crease (Duncan and Alex) it looked like we might be bowled out. However, they both stuck to the task and plugged away - Alex was eventually caught out with just two balls remaining. The batsmen had crossed so I ended up as non-striker for two dot balls. Our final total was 67/8.

It was a good afternoon but it was spoiled a bit by the weather and the pitch but, as they say, they are the same for both sides so musn't blame them.

Dinner with Tim & Dawn

Tim and Dawn came round to 114 for dinner last night. It was the first time we'd had dinner on our new dining table (an eBay bargain!) but it was successful road test.

K cooked pakoras for starter and followed it with a chicken jalfrezi with rice, naans and a couple of side dishes. I treated everyone with an ice cream cake courtesy of Nigella. I don't cook very often but this went down well so maybe I should do it more regularly. Look out Kezza!

We had a really good night with T&D and they bought us a housewarming gift of a standard rose bush which will look great.

Ali's Leaving Party

It was Ali's leaving party last night. She'd hired the function room at the Duke William and booked someone to do karaoke.

It was brilliant - I was well up for it and "entertained" the crowd with; Don't Stop Me Now (Queen), Strong (Robbie Williams), Disco 2000 (Pulp), Baggy Trousers (Madness), Amarillo (Tony Christie), It's Not Unusual (Tom Jones), She's Electric (Oasis) and This Love (Maroon 5). The last of these was a duet with my wife who was also getting into into it (see pic).

The party was great fun. I hope Ali enjoyed it and wasn't too hung over as she had to move house the next morning.