The sun burnt off the dew after the drinks break, and the batsmen dug in. When Mr Stoyle, as umpire, gave a Cobcroft batsman run-out, the two coaches faced off in mirror teapot postures, but presently the game settled back into its cricketly rhythm. Gordon’s friends, having made the big effort to turn up, lost enthusiasm as the length of the match hit home. They had come to support Ben—but would they have to wait all day to see him do something? Sam Eastaugh, remembering why he had given up cricket at age twelve, left the group and sat under a Moreton Bay fig tapping on his phone. Japan Ned’s eyes glazed over and he looked around hopefully for a lift to the beach. It might be good out. But nobody could leave: they had made a vow to Gordon, and Bluebirders were nothing if not loyal to their vows.

Gordon walked a lap to soak up the day before it got too hot and to escape the creeping sense that he had played a successful trick upon his friends. Jude Oxenford was walking a lap in the opposite direction and they met in front of the Father McCann toilet block (affectionately known as the ‘Father McCann cans’), near the poplars on the eastern side where Ben was fielding on the boundary, walking in and out with each ball as seriously as if he was playing a test match. He dropped his head when his father wandered into his eye line.

The Cobcroft lower-order batsmen were staging a fightback, and Jude commented that what had looked easy pickings for St Pat’s was turning into a total that would require good batting to chase down. Daniel waved his arms like a traffic policeman as he changed the fielders and bowlers. In exasperation, he brought himself on to bowl, but the Cobcroft tail-enders connected with a few swishes and Daniel kicked the dirt. Coach Stoyle engaged him in a long conference.

‘I’d have thought as umpire Mr Stoyle was meant to be impartial,’ Gordon said.

‘Neither partial nor impartial but somewhere in between,’ Jude said. ‘That’s how he put it to me.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Gordon said.

‘Sorry that I have to work with dills?’

‘Sorry that Carl coming back to Bluebird has caused you so much grief. I’m assuming that had something to do with your decision to leave.’

Jude chewed this over. A Cobcroft batsman went for another swing, missed and was bowled.

‘Only one to get and our boys will be chasing, what, a hundred and eighty?’ Jude turned her full face to him. ‘I’ve run schools for a while. Things like Carl happen every week. The other day I had to restrain a parent from physically attacking one of our teachers over a homework detention. I’m a crisis manager. It’s what I do.’ ‘Carl hasn’t made it easier.’