Mid-Kent League Match - 46 overs per side, max. 12 per bowler

Sherwood (9 pts) 158 all out (41 overs)
New Ash Green (20 pts) 161-6
New Ash Green won by 4 wickets.

NAG continued their push for promotion with what turned into a very tough encounter at Sherwood. Losing the toss and being asked to take to the field with the temperature in the mid-90’s, NAG made a great start with Andy Cox bowling both openers in his first 9 balls.

Mick Sumner, who struggled initially to find his length bowling up the steep hill, went for a few runs as Cox posed all the questions in the opening few overs. However, having gone for 8 in his third over, Sumner found his length and took two wickets in his 4th. The first a good length ball which clean bowled the Sherwood number 3, then just two balls later what looked to be an ordinary short ball (long-hop!) confused the new batsman and took the top of off stump.

With Sherwood in serious trouble, Matt Boorman tried to reconstruct the innings playing himself in patiently. Sumner swapped ends and found much better rhythm coming down the hill as James Hewitt came on from the bottom. Hewitt soon made an impact picking up the first of two LBW’s as NAG looked set to dismiss the host for less than 100. Sumner grabbed his third wicket with Vic Mayers (who had just arrived) taking the catch at cover. Cox then came back on to claim the 9th wicket, in almost identical fashion, this time John taking the easy chance at cover.

With the Sherwood number 11 coming out to join Matt Boorman with the score on 90, NAG looked set for quick retreat to the cool of the dressing room. However the last pair had other ideas. Despite two huge LBW appeals from the first two balls by Cox, the number 11 stood firm and Boorman went about trying to edge the score up to respectability. It must be said both batted perfectly and frustrated a hot and tiring NAG team until Hobbs finally ended the misery taking the last wicket and leaving Boorman 81 not out and Sherwood 158 all out from 41 overs.

Despite a spirited come back 158 was still well below par on a slow lifeless pitch. Any score, though, is a challenging one when New Ash Green's batsman are about, and so it proved.

Despite a quick partnership of 40 for the first wicket, the wheels soon came off as Mayers departed for 15, to be followed by John who made a ‘scratchy’ (sorry VJ) 20 and then Payne for 27. With NAG wobbling at 74-3, Sherwood who bowled and fielded with great spirit sensed an unlikely victory. However, Duke and Cox steadied the nerves, taking the visitors over the hundred and towards victory. With a much longer than normal tail, the alarm bells starting sounding when Cox was caught on the mid-wicket boundary for 15.

Stuart went to join Duke at the crease with another 38 still needed for the win, however a few balls and a few runs later, Duke’s impressive innings came to an end when he was bowled by Tinkler for 40. Hobbs came to the crease with still 29 required and if the watching NAG team were nervous then, they were soon to be ‘jibbering wrecks’ as Hobbs heaved and missed a couple of times at balls which shaved off stump and then looped a full toss straight in the air for a routine caught and bowled off that man Matt Boorman, who decided to catch it ‘Adcock-style’ with one hand and inexplicably dropped it!

With now 20 runs required and Hobbs using up at least 3 lives, Stuart decided to stay at the top end to protect Hobbs from the lively and accurate left arm bowling of Boorman, while Hobbs set about trying to hit the runs off Tinkler. After a nervous few overs Hobbs got his eye in and started to hit Tinkler over the top and bit by bit NAG crept to victory by 4 wickets, with Hobbs finishing 22 not out.

The crucial 20 points were secured although how NAG made such hard work of it no one will ever know. Credit must go to Sherwood though; despite losing most of their better players they played with a lot of spirit and they probably don’t realise how close they were to forcing and unlikely win. How ironic that Matt Boorman, who was the star of the match with 81 not out and 8 overs for just 11 runs, also turned out to be the villain dropping a simple chance of Hobbs when 26 runs were still required (and Hewitt was in next!!!). 

Rodmersham II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 17th August 2002

Kent League Match - 100 overs

Rodmersham (14 pts) 274-4 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (5 pts) 215-9 (50 overs)
Draw.

Demoralised by recent performances and missing a number of key players, this was not a good day for New Ash Green to be without an umpire and so forfeit the toss. On the hottest day of the year and a good batting track they knew it was going to be a long slog in the field. Things started well when Matthew Quantrill stumped opener Mark Bond off Matt Scanlan's second ball, but shortly afterwards he failed to cling on to a diving attempt when Trevor Jackson mis-hit one to short square leg, and from then on things went very much Rodmersham's way. Young Kanul Patel did not endear himself to New Ash Green by seeming to deliberately put his bat in the way of a throw at the stumps which might have run him out, and then, having been given the benefit of the doubt on that, refusing to walk when he was caught behind to a blatant nick and not given out. With a number of shots in the air, some deliberate, but some rather less so, just avoiding fielder's hands New Ash Green suffered in the heat as 153 were added for the second wicket. Eventually Matt Scanlan returned to have Jackson caught in the deep and Pete Burke, reduced to bowling spin in the heat, turned one to beat Patel and bowl him, much to his disgust. For a while New Ash Green re-gained some control of the game. Rodmersham, with wickets in hand, were failing to accelerate as much as they probably should have, something which they paid for in the end as they were unable to declare early and gain some extra overs to bowl at New Ash Green. Burke took another wicket (his 50th league wicket of the season) and Dominic Adolphe's slow left arm, used in desperation, seemed to have the batsmen bemused as he conceded just 14 runs in his first 5 overs. However two badly missed stumpings by the out of touch Quantrill were to prove expensive as James Stickens finally decided to start attacking, and took Adolphe for 24 in what immediately became his last over, including one enormous six which broke a tile on the pavilion roof. Stickens carryed on attacking to the end to be 84* as Rodmersham ended up posting a high score, but one which they probably could have reached in 5 overs less if they had attacked earlier.

New Ash Green's hopes rested on a solid start from Dominic Adolphe and Matthew Quantrill, and one of them playing a big innings. Quantrill, though, remains totally out of form and he was out in the second over, mis-hitting a ball to cover. Adolphe and Graham Hampsheir did put on a solid 56 for the second wicket before Hampsheir went for 29, and although Matthew Scanlan kept Adolphe company for a while when they were out in quick succession just after Adolphe had reached his 50 New Ash Green's hopes of achieving the acceleration necessary went with them. The remaining batsmen remained positive, none more so than Paul Sumner who made a brisk 29, and Darren Phillips batted with commanding authority to the end. Shane Hampsheir, playing with a broken finger, but nonetheless playing some excellent strokes of his own, kept him company for several overs to just about kill off Rodmersham's hopes of a win, and when he went Robin Wills kept out the one ball he had to face as Phillips carried on scoring whenever possible to end up with 62*. New Ash Green ended up 60 runs short, but with a much weakened team batted respectably to salvage some pride with the draw. After fielding for 50 overs in the heat it was a resolute batting performance, particularly from Adolphe and Phillips, and showed that had we had an umpire and won the toss it could have been a very different game.

New Ash Green III v Gravesend Rugby Club II
Saturday 17th August 2002

Central League Match - 40 overs per side

Match cancelled.

After a number of heroic efforts by the team selectors the combination of holidays and injuries finally beat the 3rd XI, and they had to concede a match for the first time this season.

Borden v New Ash Green
Sunday 18th August

Friendly Match

Match Cancelled.

Borden cancelled the game first, but New Ash Green were struggling so no attempt was made to get a bureau game.