Friendly Match - Real Cricket

New Ash Green 204-5 declared
New Ifield 148-9
Draw.

New Ash Green won the toss and chose to bat under heavy cloud and on a slightly green wicket.

Mark Klus and Andy Stuart opened the batting on what turned out to be a true surface yet probably the bounciest wicket that anyone will ever encounter. Andy Stuart was soon regretting his decision to open with Simon Ellis bowling a very lively opening spell aimed mostly at Stuart’s rib cage; Stuart took a few blows yet was never really in any danger of being out. Klus strangely seemed to spend the opening overs at the other end watching!

Klus played some early big shots against young Charlie opening up the hill, but was incredibly lucky to survive when he offered one of the easiest slip catches you could wish for. However, from this moment onwards Klus put on an awesome exhibition of stroke play going for his shots and finding the middle of the bat and the boundary with amazing regularity. Stuart (who thought he was playing pretty well himself!) was completely over-shadowed by Klus who went after the bowling (apart from Ellis) with some style. With Stuart feeding Klus almost all the strike, he brought his 50 up with the score 72-0 after 13 overs.

NAG old boy Clive Elliott finally brought New Ash Green’s best opening partnership of the season to an end when Stuart fell to a sharp chance at slip for 30 with the score 118! Cox came and went for 5, Hewitt looked promising and played some nice shots, supporting Klus to his maiden 100, which was brought up with a towering 6 over mid-on. Hewitt was stumped (12ish) and then a tiring Klus finally holed out to young Charlie at point for 110 off the bowling of Elliott. Andy Payne and Ian Shambrook under orders to get the score up to 200 quickly for an early declaration struggled to find the boundary. Payne soon departed to bring the Harrow boys together to smash the last 20 odd runs on their way to 204 and allow NAG to declare after 2 hours and 15 mins (lots of which was spent looking for the ball!).

New Ifield’s response got off to a bad start with Ian Shambrook taking a wicket in each of his first two overs and then Hobbs taking two wickets in two balls at the other end in his 4th, leaving the hosts 25ish –4.

Simon Duke then replaced Shambrook to bowl a very impressive spell of medium pace, finding lots of movement to trouble the batsman.

Pennell replaced Hobbs and the unbelievable happened! His first ball bounced taking the shoulder of the bat and Harding took a very sharp chance standing up. His second ball again took the edge, this time Cox taking a full length diving catch at slip! His third ball to our friend Charlie, again bounced and resulted in Charlie offering a regulation caught and bowled chance, which Pennell did his best to drop before hanging on to complete the hat-trick with his first three balls of the match. If only I could describe his celebration and the ridiculous look on his face!

With New Ifield at 40-7, there was a 5 minute delay as the remaining three batsmen ran for the dressing room. All three then tried to come out together until eventually Elliott won the tussle and came out to face Pennell’s 4th ball. By comparison the rest of Pennell’s spell was uneventful, as the rain got heavier and the ball, outfield and fielders got wetter.

Ellis now started to play some shots and with good support by Elliott they put on about 80 for the 8th wicket with Ellis bringing up his 50 and giving all the bowlers a tough time. Andy Payne bowled an over before deciding it was too wet and with the ball like a bar of soap and the dark setting in the bowling options where reducing by the second.

Burke’s combination of spin and seam took a bit of stick from Ellis, before he pegged back Elliott’s leg stump to bring the New Ifield number 10 out with still 12 overs remaining. Hewitt came on for Pennell and took a bit of stick from Ellis as well, while Shambrook replaced Burke for another tidy few overs but still no wicket.

The important wicket of Ellis (90ish) was finally taken by the leg spin of Cox and with 10 and 11 left with 7 overs to negotiate, Duke, without a wicket in 2 and a half years and now a desperate man, was recalled to the attack. However it looks like it could be a few more years yet before Duke ends his drought (unless he comes on tour!) as the last pair negotiated the last few overs to clinch a draw and end on about 148-9.

A fantastic game all round with Klus scoring his maiden 100 against a very respectable attack, Pennell taking a hat-trick and Hobbs very nearly taking one himself. Who said friendly cricket is boring?