There are certain moments in cricket which transcend mere results, scores and statistics. When the magnitude of the beauty of the action is such that it becomes more important than the game itself. Little did we suspect that an aesthetic gem of this type would emanate from the slender wrists of our fearless Skipper.
But so it was as the Badgers took on Kingstonian's Sunday side at their ground which had produced a feast of runs last year.
The Badgers batted first and did well without setting the world alight. Worthy knocks from Lee, Thomas and Mackrell (T) kept things ticking over. However, Shoney knew that 4 an over wasn't going to cut it on this belter of a pitch.
After a careful start, he began to unleash his full range of chocolatey goodness on the Kingstonian bowlers, even threatening to hit a cover drive at one point. Nevertheless, he was running out of overs to push the score on when the he bought out his instant of sublime timing.
The ball was of decent length and Shoney respected it - he respected it all the way into the pavilion. A carefree back lift, a loose limbed swing of the willow and a just the right amount of a twist from those wrists sponsored by Cadbury. An elegant pick up over the infield for a couple, thought the Badger throng. How wrong they were as the ball sailed over their heads and threatened property damage. A class shot which will remain long in the memory, I shall let the reader guess the direction....
Shoney finished unbeaten on 73 off only 63 balls, a true captain's knock. The Badgers never really recovered from the beauty of that shot and bowled like a bag of spanners in a washing machine (apart from tall Paul), losing the game comfortably. But you can't have everything can you?