Magna fall in Sunday 'shootout'

 It was billed as the Cricketing equivalent of the shoot out at OK Corral. 'Two Shots' Neal rolling into town with his footballing band of desperado's and nothing to protect the good folk of Kibworth but tumbleweed and the efforts of Sherriff Jennings and Wyatt 'Sideshow' Twerp. Children were hustled to the boundary and women ducked for cover behind the bar. A hush descended fearing the worse.

Wyatt Twerp lost the toss and the defenders of the home turf took their place along Batting Crease Alley. First up to the mark were Sam 'The Snail' Pole and John 'Silver Fox' Bleby.

The sun beat down, one misplaced word and the undercard could have been dispensed with. Eyes fixed over the 22 yards The Snail showed his intent to see it through, even though it had just started. Silver Fox decided after a while it was better to go down in a blaze of glory and was sent to Boot Hill with 20 notches on his holster.

Sensing things were just too slow and cosy Steve 'The Unit' Thompson swaggered to the crease and instantly adopted a more menacing demeanour. 'Two Shots' knew he was in a game now and sent his quickest henchmen to meet the new challenge but a good couple of hefty swipes showed that this particular bar room brawl would not go all his own way.

As things threatened to turn ugly The Snail stayed calm and above it all. He wanted his name written into Wild West folklore with red ink and stayed well under cover as the flak flew. Even when The Unit took a bullet for the cause and he saw Wyatt Twerp, Dave 'The Drinker' King and Ben 'Plastercast' Underwood swiftly carried off he didn't budge. The Kibworth boys limped back to the saloon with 198 to their name of which Snail had 76. How much more damage could he have done if he hadn't kept his powder dry?

The early skirmishes had gone as well as 'Two Shots' could have imagined, he hadn't done any damage himself but a famous chapter was there for the writing. However the Kibworth boys had regrouped now. Their hands twitching and their battle cries at the ready, they knew there was to be no Cavalry to come riding to the rescue and the invaders would have to be fought off to the last breath.

Despite signs of defiance the Desperado's had no answer to the sharp shooting of the Sheriff's men. As the gang was whittled down the clamour grew to bring 'Two Shots' to justice. Rather than follow him into Bandit country he was flushed out using the bait of a showdown with Steve 'No Hair' Elwood. Swiftly encircled it was merely a question of how he would fall. A low one did it, as it cannoned into his knee roll he wheeled round and looked in anger and betrayal as he was sent on his way, strangely crying foul as he limped back to the hideout to meet his maker.

The rest of the gang, their leader gone, offered little resistance. Deputy Sherriff Twerp finally rounded up the last of them with 68 still to go before the sun set.

Historians will doubtless look back on the day when the good people of Kibworth fell under the shadow of the Winter Game Gang. Many good men put themselves on the line to defend the town and the battle proved that it takes more than kicking a pig bladder to win the day in the shadow of Fleckney Road.

TEAM

The Snail, Silver Fox, The Unit, Wyatt Twerp, The Drinker (wkt), Plastercast, Windy, No Hair, Lumberjack, Tommy, The Sheriff (Capt).