Summoned by bells

Our last match was played next door to a pretty church yard. During one of my overs, just as I was running in, the church bells started to peal and I knocked over the batsman's leg stump.

As I was being congratulated, Dev Penn jokingly reminded me of the John Donne quote '..for whom the bell tolls'.

This set me thinking about other famous quotes and how they might relate to cricket, and to the mighty Penn Fourths in particular.

The first one that springs to mind is a Hemingway quote that is perfect in describing my fielding style: "Never confuse movement with action".

Shakepeare would probably have said that my batting prowess was "Much ado about nothing"

It often falls to myself and Chris Rudge to undertake scoring duties and we both get very nervous when watching our batsmen chase a total. Shakespeare again might have said: "Come what come may. Time and hour run through the roughest day." (Macbeth)

There was no match this week as the opposition could not put out a team. This gave me a chance to look for other cricket quotes on the internet. The following are my favourites:

For six days, thou shall push up and down the line, but on the seventh day thou shall swipe.
Doug Padgett, 1969

When you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat.
W.G. Grace

Looking backward we could almost see, suspended with the most delicate equipoise above the flat little island, the ghostly shapes of those twin orbs of the Empire, the cricket ball and the blackball.
Patrick Leigh Fermor

A loving wife is better than making 50 at cricket, or even 99, beyond that I will not go
J.M. Barrie