six in the morning
To do only averagely well , to be among the ruck , would be as useless as not playing at all , as far as his chance of his first was concerned . It was evident to those who woke early on the Saturday morning that this Ripton match was not likely to end in a draw . During the Friday rain had fallen almost incessantly in a steady drizzle . It had stopped late at night ; and at six in the morning there was every prospect of another hot day . There was that feeling in the air which shows that the sun is trying to get through the clouds . The sky was a dull grey at breakfast time , except where a flush of deeper colour gave a hint of the sun . It was a day on which to win the toss , and go in first .