(To be sung to the tune of the Blaydon Races)
I went to play a cricket game
Twas on the 26th of May
Yet another game away
We fielded first as usual
The team were all a praying
A victory bring to us this eve
The Mallards are a playin
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us bowling
Balls go left, balls go right
Most of them are straying,
One goes straight to much applause
A wicket might be taken
But it’s dropped near the boundary rope
You’re seeing Mallards in the making
So Cox bowled first, a caught behind
Ankush did the taking
Not to be outdone it’s Lawrence next
A caught and bowled of his own making
Cox followed with his second soon
The stumps they did a rattle
He was joined by Edge who did the same
The Mallards had come to battle
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us bowling….
By now they were 8 overs through
and had 4 wickets gone
only 44 runs were on that board
the match was there to be won
Latif’s spin battled the gusty eve
Some wides he were a making
Before he struck with a lofted orb
And another wicket we were taking
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us bowling…
Next came Hamid into bowl
with some pace a bringing
he swiftly brought another scalp
with the ball a little swinging
Things looked good at 86
and only 6 overs remaining
the Mallards were getting into this
could there be history in the making
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us bowling…
And now the end of their innings nears
The scorebook gets kind of ropey
We know Ankush took another out
his gloves the timbers smoking
he then runs out another one
the Mallards we are alive
But we turn round to look at the score
Its bloody well one hundred and twenty-five.
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us bowling…
Well Ankush and Hamid stepped bravely out
Mallards response to give
Ankush smacked a lovely one
He hit it nice and big
A run was there every day
It duly was a taken
But a big armed throw directly hit
His bails they were a broken
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
Some get 4s most get ones
A duck is for the taking
Streaky edges and nurdling
Are the currency we trade in
Heaving ho to the boundary rope
That’s Mallards in the making
This now brings T Holland to the crease
Some dots the pair are making
At 5 overs with just 14 on the board
The score is yet to start racing
Then the gas he starts to press
The boundaries are a flowing
Before he is caught for 18 runs
But a foundation he’s been sowing
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
Next is Ramsey up to face
But a duck he is a owning
Before Cox goes in and steadies the ship
With Hamid some runs they are growing
Their partnership continues to build
Lad we’re going to take this deep
Before Hamid is caught for 25
And the rest of us start to weep
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
Lucas is next to the crease
his duck trophy to defend
He faces three balls before being caught
It was rather a predictable end
This ushers in Standring next
To see if he can make amends
He gets five before he’s caught
Another in an unfortunate trend
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
Now with just two overs left
Only 89 runs had been scored
McCaffrey to the party came
To smite his special fours
One and done was his legacy
While next out strode S Holland
A dot, then two before also caught
Another one had fallen
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
Now there was just one more ball to face
The score was on 95
A frozen Latif strode out to bat
He just watched the ball sail by
Cox finished up on 24
With our only 6 of the innings
Some lovely stroke play from his bat
Could not make the Mallards winning
Oh Mallards, you should have seen us batting
We gave it all a valiant go
But at Greenside it wasn’t to be
There was some sliding in the field
And much mud left on knee
But comradery and having fun
Are mostly what tis all about
That’s what we love the Mallards for
And loud about it we do shout
Oh Mallards, you’ve got to see us playing
There’s lots of shite out there in white
And for this we all keep paying
But its comradery and fun to be
A Mallards team member
Rocking up to Riding Mill
For evenings we all remember