Mid-Kent League Match - 46 overs per side

Herne Bay (6 pts) 134-9 (46 overs)
New Ash Green (19 pts) 135-4
New Ash Green won by 6 wickets.

This was possibly the biggest match of the season for both sides coming into the game with almost identical records. The toss looked all important following a morning shower which left the pitch very wet and very green and the day started well for NAG wining the toss and inviting the hosts to bat.

The only problem with bowling first was the difficulty the bowlers had in keeping their feet, despite large amounts of sawdust. Both Vic Mayers and Andy Cox struggled to keep their feet in the opening overs. Despite the slippery conditions both bowlers beat the bat regularly. Cox saw one chance go down before slipping and straining his back leaving him unable to bowl after just 5 overs.

Ian Shambrook replaced him and started with 4 successive maidens and together with the impressive bowling of Vic Mayers kept things tight. Vic Mayers finally made the breakthrough in the 13th over, with Cox holding on at the second attempt at gully. Herne Bay’s batsmen continued relatively untroubled, though finding runs hard to come by reaching 80 for 1 at the half way stage. Shambrook’s purple 4 over patch came to end in style as he went for 34 in his next 3 overs although he wasn’t helped by square leg seeming to jump out the way of a catchable opportunity (any guesses?) at the start of his 5th over which then went for 16.

With Mayers completing his 12 overs taking 1 for 24 and Shambrook losing his length a double change took place with Hewitt and Stuart coming on to bowl the final 22 overs. Stuart finally got rid of the Herne Bay skipper with Andy Mayers taking a great catch at deep mid-wicket, from that point onwards Herne Bay’s batting disintegrated. Stuart getting pace and bounce from back of a length going for just 27 from his 11 from the top end, while Hewitt with a combination of great bowling with the odd trademark wicket taking long-hop ripped through the lower order to take 6 for 34 and leave Herne Bay with 134 for 9 from their 46 overs.

The visitors got off to a solid start with Andy and Vic Mayers looking in complete control and the scoreboard ticked along nicely until Andy holed out to a sharp catch at mid-wicket when looking well set. This wicket brought NAG’s finest Welshman to the crease. Batting at number 3 to his own amazement, he set about the Herne Bay attack like Brian Lara, pacing his innings perfectly, hitting some crisp boundary’s while running well with Vic to stay above the rate. The traditional NAG wobble started with Vic running himself out having not seen mid-off hiding behind the bowler! Andy Payne (8) then came to the crease and just when he looked like he had played himself back into form found mid-on who took a sharp catch. Steve Hurst then went for 6 being bowled by the host's impressive left arm spinner. With NAG struggling to 70-4 the game was well and truly on, that is until the left-handed combination of Duke and John set about knocking the runs off. Vaughan’s 50 came up as the 100 approached with a glorious straight 6 amongst his strokes, Duke not to be outdone started to dispatch the ball to the boundary enjoying a straight 6 of his own before hitting the next ball for 4 to finish the game with some overs to spare and with 6 wickets in hand. John ended up 61* and Duke with 30*.

This really was one of our best wins for some time, probably the first time we have beaten one of the real title contenders in such style with 3 regular players missing (if you include Cox who lasted just 5 overs). Vaughan John in a rare first team appearance looked in the form of his life and Simon Duke on his return from holiday played a superb cameo to finish the game and follow up a superb team effort in the field. Special mention to Matt Scanlan, who set the standards in the field and took two great catches at deep mid-off off Hewitt to really set the ball rolling. He also had the rare mis-fortune to be a NAG number 7 and not get a bat.

New Ash Green II v Addington II
Saturday 6th July 2002

Kent League Match - 100 overs

Addington 100-8 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (16 pts) 103-9 (46.3 overs)
New Ash Green won by 1 wicket.

Just when you thought summer had arrived back comes the rain. A real English green top greeted the sides, though considering the amount of rain that fell during the week it was an astonishingly good wicket. Nonetheless with Pete Burke stuck in traffic on the M25 his deputy Mick Sumner was delighted to win the toss and be able to put Addington in. With Burke arriving in time to bowl the 2nd over it proved the right decision - Addington were 0-1 after 4 overs. Despite much whinging from Australian no.3 James Meszes about the state of the pitch (they don't have rain in Australia apparently) he and Simon Tyler put on Addington's best partnership adding 37 before Meszes lost patience with the pitch and was caught at mid-on trying to drive. There followed a flurry of wickets, all to Pete Burke who eventually took 5-37 after a tidy but wicketless second spell, leaving Addington precariously placed on 44-5, before Dave Gunner steadied the ship with Simon Tyler, adding 44 for the 6th wicket. The introduction of Graham Hobbs at the bottom end even threatened to raise the run rate as it briefly lifted above 2 an over, but when Micky Sumner was rested after 20 unrewarded overs and Hobbs switched to the top end he was much more accurate taking 3-5 in the last five overs from that end. Tyler went for 38 in the 45th over, having never been able to launch the attacking shots he was looking for and the tail never looked capable of any sort of wagging as the innings subsided to a tame 100-8.

New Ash Green had felt that they didn't want to be chasing more than 100 in the conditions, so they just about got their wish, and that estimate of the target they could chase proved uncannily accurate. All seemed well early on as Matthew Quantrill and Darren Phillips blunted the initial enthusiasm of even the all-talking, all-sledging Australian Meszes as they calmly added 30 in the first 15 overs without any real alarms, despite Meszes best efforts to generate excitement and controversy. Philips (18) took the lead with attacking shots while Quantrill took his time to get off the mark but remained apparently completely solid. Unfortunately just as Addington seemed to be resigned to defeat Quantrill mistimed a pull and gave them hope and a few minutes later it was 31-4, with 3 wickets to Keith Stone and 1 to Meszes. For a while New Ash Green had to fight to resist the resurgent bowlers, but Gary Browning (31) and Duncan Shannon (15) did a superb job, putting on 54 for the 5th wicket and once again taming the bowlers. This time Addington were forced to make a change, and with the change bowlers looking relatively innocuous New Ash Green seemed to be cruising home when they again gave hope to Addington as Browning cut carelessly at Cyril Davey and was caught. Once again Addington were revived and brought Meszes back into the attack where his constant Australian accented chatter wound up New Zealander father and son Geoff and Duncan Shannon to the extent that both were fuming when they came off. Another collapse had seemed to put New Ash Green back in danger, even when Graham Hobbs had smashed a 4 off his second ball, but the runs continued to accumulate and with so few now needed it looked as if even New Ash Green's fragile batting could not throw this away.

When Geoff Shannon was controversially adjudged LBW (well Geoff thought it was controversial anyway) with the score on 99-8 Addington skipper Keith Stone brought himself back on to bowl at his opposite number Pete Burke. Burke looked solid until the last ball of the over when he pushed the ball out into the covers and looked for a run. Hobbs sent him back, and as the fielder was fumbling with the ball Burke slipped and fell on his back like an upturned turtle, legs waving. The fielder, on his knees, sent in an abysmal throw, which ended up rolling to first slip. With Burke having virtually given up the slip fielder was the only one keeping his head as he ran in and removed the bails, Burke having realised too late that he still had a chance being still a yard or two out of his ground.

99-9, and last man Micky Sumner having earlier tempted fate by removing one of his pads had to go to the crease. However it was Hobbs who was facing, and Meszes, the backbone (and irritating voice) of the Addington team who was bowling. A huge appeal second ball of the over was turned down by umpire Keith Bushell and to the third Hobbs swung the ball away over the infield to prove to be the master of finishing an innings with both bat and ball. Great rejoicing, not to say gloating from the New Zealand contingent, followed, and New Ash Green had ended Addington's unbeaten record in the league. It was a victory made all the sweeter for overcoming the constant sledging of Meszes and New Ash Green are also still in contention for promotion themselves, if only they could discover a bit more self-belief in their batting!

Halstead II v New Ash Green III
Saturday 6th July 2002

Central League Match - 40 overs per side

New Ash Green 119-6 (40 overs)
Halstead 120-7 (37.3 overs)
Halstead won by 3 wickets.

Batting first, New Ash Green struggled early on as new boy Dominic Adolphe and veteran Paul Sumner made slow progress against the accurate Halstead bowling. After a dubious lbw against Sumner and Adolphe being bowled through his legs the innings was steadied by Graham and Shane Hampsheir. Runs came very slowly on the damp wicket and very tight bowling restricted New Ash Green to 119 for 6 off 40 overs after a late partnership between Graham Hampsheir (35*) and Andy Tutt (26*).

Halstead's innings got off to a disastrous start when one of the openers was run out by a direct hit from point by Shane Hampsheir. Robin Wills then took a wicket with his first ball to reduce Halstead to 4 for 2. Tight bowling by Sumner and Adophe (8 overs for 22 including being dispatched for two sixes!) kept things tense and with 2 for 20 from Hampsheir senior it looked like New Ash Green might just pull off the victory. It wasn't to be however as Halstead gradually overtook the target for the loss of 7 wickets with 2.3 overs remaining.

New Ash Green v Old Pilotonians
Sunday 7th July

Match cancelled - Old Pilotonians could not raise a side - and New Ash Green were struggling....