Mid-Kent League Match - 46 overs per side

Borstal (3 pts) 67 all out
New Ash Green (20 pts) 68-2
New Ash Green won by 8 wickets.

Normal service resumed for the first XI - another difficult wicket following another wet week, but the Borstal bowling wasn't quite as difficult as Halls' and a win was wrapped up with some 42 overs to spare.

Andy Stuart had taken some stick on winning the toss and choosing to field as many of the side would have preferred to bat first and watch the second half of England's World Cup match. However with England already 3-0 up against Denmark the football looked pretty much all over and bowling first looked an inviting option. So it proved as Andy Stuart and Andy Cox both left the batsmen wafting at thin air a number of times before the wickets started to tumble. Stuart found his rhythm for the first time this season and took 2-9 in 7 overs of hard work into the wind and up the hill, while Cox with the wind at his back was able to last 10 overs and take 4-15. Jack Senfontein, batting at 7, offered Borstal's only real resistance after being dropped first ball, swatting Ian Shambrook down wind for a couple of 6's on his way to the top score of 26, but two wickets each for James Hewitt (2-10) and Shambrook (2-27) finished off the innings at 67. Two points of note - Ian Shambrook took his third wicket of the season and I believe they have all been LBW, including today a man who was lying in front of his stumps when the ball hit him, and New Ash Green dropped some catches for the first time for a while, the unfortunate Marc Klus being the guilty party three times, though Shambrook and Stuart both dropped hard chances as well.

New Ash Green set off needing just over one run per over, but with Andy Mayers batting they were unlikely to use all their overs. Mayers was a bit lucky in his first few balls, but once he'd adjusted to the pace of the pitch he struck the ball hard to various corners of the ground. He was dropped twice off very catchable chances, but both were hit hard enough to put the fielders under pressure, before ending a first wicket stand of 54 by giving a much easier catch to be out for 36. Matthew Quantrill was solid to the end with 15*, but Andy Payne was dropped off a dolly before gifting Borstal 2 bonus points with a huge swish at a ball on his off stump which he came no where near connecting with, giving Marc Klus the chance to redeem his day by hitting the winning runs.

New Ash Green II v Offham II
Saturday 15th June 2002

Kent League Match - 100 overs

Offham 166-9 all out (50 overs)
New Ash Green 96 all out (25.4 overs)
Offham won by 70 runs.

No match report yet, but the league table and scorecard links are below. Mick Sumner must surely no longer be a fat boy as he bowled another 25 overs, taking 5-60, and Graham Hobbs took 4-38, but the batting failed again, a great disappointment after last year when consistent batting was the key to the 2nd XI's success. Vaughan John, who top scored with 23, was the only one of the top five to get past 2, and although Pete Burke, Graham Hobbs and Geoff Shannon all got into double figures New Ash Green never seem to have been in the match.

And now here is the captain's report:

Despite a number of players being distracted by the England v Denmark game, the game started (almost) on time. Offham got off to an excellent start and a total of more than 200 looked likely whilst they were at 105 for 2 scoring at about 4 an over. The wicket of M Wickwar for 61 was the key to them not achieving this total (although it could have been even less if the fielding had been any good). From that point, Offham struggled to accelerate and great credit should go to Mick Sumner who again bowled 25 overs for 5 for 60 and Graham Hobbs who took 4 for 38 off 13. After collapsing to 2 for 2 off the first over, NAG never recovered. Vaughan John top scored with a confident looking 21 but only three other batsmen (numbers 7,8 and 10) got into double figures. NAG were all out for 96.

Before anyone gets too downhearted (after a third defeat in a row), it should be remembered that we are 6th in the table, only a handful of points behind a few of the teams ahead of us. Also, we beat Old Stacians earlier in the season - and they are 3rd! We have had a fairly consistent team all season, so the ability is there, it is just a matter of persevering, getting our head down and it will come. 

Gravesend RFC II v New Ash Green III
Saturday 15th June 2002

Central League Match - 40 overs per side

Gravesend RFC 248-7
New Ash Green 106 all out
Gravesend RFC won by 142 runs.

Once again, Ash Green started with nine players after last minute withdrawals...Having won the toss and elected to field New Ash Green bowled consistently throughout the Gravesend innings...Sharad Bawdekar (8-0-32-2) and Graham Hampsheir (8-0-36-2) the major contributors although Shane Hampsheir bowled very tidily through 8 overs (8-0-41-?). Eastwood (54) and Chodha (61) the top scorers in Gravesend's 248 for 7.

Facing a massive task once again, New Ash Green were never really in with a chance, a stand of 45 between Shane (24) and Graham Hampsheir (28*) rallied things in the middle of the innings but the loss of 5 wickets for 6 runs meant that Ash Green managed 106 all out.

New Ash Green v Chilham
Sunday 16th June

Kent Village League Match - 40 overs per side - max. 9 overs per bowler

New Ash Green (0 pts) 83 all out
Chilham (6 pts) 86-2
Chilham won by 8 wickets.

No report yet received, but I've got the above rather disappointing result from the BBC Kent results service, which gives no more detail. Report will be posted when received.

Captain's report now received:

New Ash Green's batting was no use again with Phillips the only player to make double figures with 21, Mark Klus and Keith Bushell both picked up a wicket each. I would like to see a few first team players make an appearance in the next Sunday league game if possible!