Arc Theatre, Trowbridge

Until Saturday

Written, and set in the 1980s, The Trowbridge Players’ latest performance is staged around a cricket team and the players’ wives and girlfriends. From the virtuous Miriam, always at the beck and call of her husband, always nice, always doing what is asked, to the pan-faced straight-talker Maggie, the cast is a variable mix of characters; each one excellent in their own right.

With the problems of who may or may not be available for the game Roger, as captain, can think of nothing but the game and certainly nothing will get in the way of it.

The first half trickles along nicely with the characters making their mark. Roger, a Basil Fawlty if ever there was one, bullying his way through life, small Kevin being enveloped by his ‘haystack’ of a wife and Bob up to no good, or so we think.

The second half is by far the funnier and I think I had a smile on my face for most of the last 45 minutes. It moves a lot quicker and the involvement of the characters get stronger and more pointed. There was a nice touch of realism when the match was eventually played, offset by the rest of the team watching the distant wicket from the scoreboard.

If you want gentle, comic and easy entertainment, this is it and you certainly don’t need to be a cricket-lover to appreciate this very funny play.