It's just not cricket

Watching a village cricket match, a commotion breaks out in the corner of the field. Players start running from all corners. Turns out the the scout shed, which stands under trees in a secluded corner, is being burgled as play takes place. Match is brought to a halt as our brave lads circle the miscreants and demand that all the paddles - being placed in a car boot before the kayaks - are put back. After a lot of swearing and threats, said miscreants do so and drive off. Registration numbers are taken.

That's the good news. The bad? The players don't think the police will take any interest. And they think the thieves - bold as brass after all to do this with a match in progress - may indeed make good their threat to return one night and burn the shed down. "And the police still won't do anything," said one player, gloomily. I don't know whether he's right or not, but it disturbed me how little faith any of those present had in the blue line. I wondered what our politicians would make of it. Then I remembered most are far too busy explaining their conduct at the moment to have much time for the ordinary goings-on of our lives. That's the whole problem.