said, turning his back on Mo and his crew.
âYouâll find out soon enough!â Mo said. âRight, guys?â
âRight!â Nero and Tony echoed.
âDylanâs gone, Shorty. His mum got some big job in a mine up north and theyâve moved. I heard Mrs Trundle tell Mudge last week.â Mo made a sad face. âGuess he forgot to mention it to you.â
Mo and his fellow comedians lumbered off, laughing loudly.
Davey and the rest of the team stopped playing to discuss this latest piece of information.
âDo you reckon heâs telling the truth?â George asked.
Sunil shrugged. âDunno. Dylan was off sick all last week. Maybe he was going to tell us then, but couldnât.â
Kevin stuck out his bottom lip. âHope itâs not true. Whoâs gonna drive Mrs Trundle round the banana? Dylanâs so-o-o-o good at that.â
They all nodded silently. Dylan had been an expert when it came to infuriating Mrs Trundle. He only had to step onto school grounds and wherever she was her eye would start twitching. It was fantastic to watch.
Davey felt a surge of fear rise in his stomach. If it was true â and it probably wasnât, because Mo was always making stuffup â Davey would miss Dylan, no doubt about it.
But, truth be told, that wasnât what Davey was most worried about. The surge of fear he felt was because, if Dylan had left, both the school team and the club cricket team would be without a wicket-keeper. Even worse, as reserve keeper, Davey would have to take on the job, at least until a substitute could be found. Which meant that at training heâd be spending too much time behind the wicket and less time at the crease. Worst of all, with the game coming up on Friday against Batfish Beach, Davey would most definitely have to keep wicket. Which he wasnât at all prepared for.
âClouterâs making it up,â Davey said. âDylanâll be here any minute.â But even though he tried to sound confident, the awful feeling didnât go away.
The school bell sounded. Max barked and tried to make a dash for it, but Davey caught him by the collar. âYou better get out of here before Trundle sees you,â he said, tugging the dog to the school gate.
Davey pushed Max through and surveyed the street. A few stragglers were still arriving to school, but there was no sign of Dylan.
Surely he wouldnât leave without saying goodbye, Davey thought. And surely he wouldnât leave before the big match against the Batfish. Surely . . .
CHAPTER 2
THE B4U FAN
Mr Mudge, the grumpiest teacher at Sandhill Flats Primary, stood in the doorway of the classroom and waved the students of 6M through. It was only 9.30 in the morning, but he already looked tired.
âMaybe Dylanâs on the run?â Daveywhispered loudly to Sunil as they squeezed past their teacher. Davey had recently seen a movie about a guy whoâd been wrongly accused of something and everyone was after him. Maybe that had happened to Dylan, he thought, although he had to admit that when Dylan was accused of something he was usually guilty.
Sunil made a face. âYeah, well, Mrs Trundleâs probably after him. But I donât think thatâs why heâs not here.â
âIf youâre wondering where Dylan is, heâs moved . Left on the weekend.â Mr Mudge sounded pleased.
Davey and Sunil looked at each other. So it was true. Dylan had gone. âYouâll have to be keeper, Warner. Itâs just the way it is,â Sunil whispered, before making his way to his seat in the far corner of the room.
Davey took his place near Bella Ferosi and Mo Clouter, in the opposite corner of the room from Sunil. Kevin and George occupied the other two corners. Mr Mudgeâs tactic of separating the four boys so they couldnât talk about cricket in class was certainly effective.
Mrs Trundle appeared in the doorway. Beside her was a
âYouâll find out soon enough!â Mo said. âRight, guys?â
âRight!â Nero and Tony echoed.
âDylanâs gone, Shorty. His mum got some big job in a mine up north and theyâve moved. I heard Mrs Trundle tell Mudge last week.â Mo made a sad face. âGuess he forgot to mention it to you.â
Mo and his fellow comedians lumbered off, laughing loudly.
Davey and the rest of the team stopped playing to discuss this latest piece of information.
âDo you reckon heâs telling the truth?â George asked.
Sunil shrugged. âDunno. Dylan was off sick all last week. Maybe he was going to tell us then, but couldnât.â
Kevin stuck out his bottom lip. âHope itâs not true. Whoâs gonna drive Mrs Trundle round the banana? Dylanâs so-o-o-o good at that.â
They all nodded silently. Dylan had been an expert when it came to infuriating Mrs Trundle. He only had to step onto school grounds and wherever she was her eye would start twitching. It was fantastic to watch.
Davey felt a surge of fear rise in his stomach. If it was true â and it probably wasnât, because Mo was always making stuffup â Davey would miss Dylan, no doubt about it.
But, truth be told, that wasnât what Davey was most worried about. The surge of fear he felt was because, if Dylan had left, both the school team and the club cricket team would be without a wicket-keeper. Even worse, as reserve keeper, Davey would have to take on the job, at least until a substitute could be found. Which meant that at training heâd be spending too much time behind the wicket and less time at the crease. Worst of all, with the game coming up on Friday against Batfish Beach, Davey would most definitely have to keep wicket. Which he wasnât at all prepared for.
âClouterâs making it up,â Davey said. âDylanâll be here any minute.â But even though he tried to sound confident, the awful feeling didnât go away.
The school bell sounded. Max barked and tried to make a dash for it, but Davey caught him by the collar. âYou better get out of here before Trundle sees you,â he said, tugging the dog to the school gate.
Davey pushed Max through and surveyed the street. A few stragglers were still arriving to school, but there was no sign of Dylan.
Surely he wouldnât leave without saying goodbye, Davey thought. And surely he wouldnât leave before the big match against the Batfish. Surely . . .
CHAPTER 2
THE B4U FAN
Mr Mudge, the grumpiest teacher at Sandhill Flats Primary, stood in the doorway of the classroom and waved the students of 6M through. It was only 9.30 in the morning, but he already looked tired.
âMaybe Dylanâs on the run?â Daveywhispered loudly to Sunil as they squeezed past their teacher. Davey had recently seen a movie about a guy whoâd been wrongly accused of something and everyone was after him. Maybe that had happened to Dylan, he thought, although he had to admit that when Dylan was accused of something he was usually guilty.
Sunil made a face. âYeah, well, Mrs Trundleâs probably after him. But I donât think thatâs why heâs not here.â
âIf youâre wondering where Dylan is, heâs moved . Left on the weekend.â Mr Mudge sounded pleased.
Davey and Sunil looked at each other. So it was true. Dylan had gone. âYouâll have to be keeper, Warner. Itâs just the way it is,â Sunil whispered, before making his way to his seat in the far corner of the room.
Davey took his place near Bella Ferosi and Mo Clouter, in the opposite corner of the room from Sunil. Kevin and George occupied the other two corners. Mr Mudgeâs tactic of separating the four boys so they couldnât talk about cricket in class was certainly effective.
Mrs Trundle appeared in the doorway. Beside her was a
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