An iconic image of this Summer was seeing Ben Stokes in his bucket hat at Old Trafford lamenting the rain as England's flawless performance yielded only a draw.
And so it was too at Broadhalfpenny Down; superb Brigands bowling and fielding and the mighty Sussex Martlets bowled out for 98, wickets shared, no dropped catches, and a team performance of note; Ali bowled spin through pain and Wood bowled uphill on Captain's orders.
Martlets are mythical birds with feathers for feet "so always on the move" and their batters were on the move from, and back to, the pavilion every few overs; only the last wicket added substantive runs.
Despite a small target, there was a sense of trepidation at tea and both Dave Turner (batting at 3) and The Right Honorable Lord Justice Dingemans KC (batting at 4) had their pads on before the openers (Ewan Lovett-Turner washing up and Guy Ladenburg chatting to the spectators).
With straight bats and quick singles, Lovett Turner and Ladenburgh took Brigands to 43-0 and cruising to victory until a ten-minute downpour came from the Hambledon Valley and soaked the square.
In the same match last Season, the outfield was brown and the pitch was hard, now they were both verdant and soft. The Umpires declared the ground too wet and unsafe to play; as Cardus observed, "the elements are cricket's presiding geniuses".
Brigands 43-0 v Sussex Martlets 98 all out
Ladenburg 21* and Lovett-Tunrer 19*, Ladenburg 3-16, Beardall 2-22, Hands 2-19
And Brigands v Martlets in the heatwave of 2022 ...
