Kent League Match - 100 Overs

New Ash Green (4 points) 152 all out (47 overs)
Tenterden (16 points) 153-6 (43.4 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 4 wickets.

No report as yet but basically NAG batted first, Kevin Ginn scored a very quick 20 or so but got out, the rest struggled along with Pete Burke top scoring with something in the 30's and NAG scraped 152. Tenterden were in trouble early on, being about 50-5 but each of the next two wickets put on 50 with solid sensible batting and they won comfortably.

Bromley Town II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 10th August 2003

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

New Ash Green (2 points) 136 all out (43.3 overs)
Bromley Town (16 points) 137-4 (43 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 6 wickets.

The hottest day of the year so far and a team short of several regulars left New Ash Green facing the prospect of a long hot day. It is safe to say, therefore, that if the 2nd team awarded a champagne moment Mick Sumner would have secured it before the game started by winning the toss. Despite the shortage of batsmen he had no hesitation in choosing to bat and Matthew Quantrill and Andy Payne set out into the mid-day sun to open the innings. The heat may have excused a torpid start, with only 1 run off the bat in the first four overs, though the tightness of opening bowler Paul Jones was also responsible; his very deceptive slow bowling always looked like a full toss outside off stump when in the air but usually ended up as a yorker length ball on middle stump hurrying on a bit off the pitch. He accounted for Payne bowled for 7 trying to cut one that just clipped the top of off stump, and Quantrill also struggled to score off him. Dan Lewsey, promoted from the third team for his first Kent League game, looked to have the answer for a while. Feeling unwell he played by instinct and chanced his arm, probably the best way to play Jones. Although Lewsey had a bit of luck he struck several boundaries and with Quantrill fairly solid at the other end and putting away a few loose balls a useful partnership was developing. Unfortunately it came to an end when Lewsey mishit one and lost sight of it, then didn't hear Quantrill's call until it was too late and was run out for 22, leaving the score on 52-2. This quickly became 59-4 as Matt Scanlan and Charles Duguid succumbed to Jones, but Chris Hoddinott helped Quantrill add 33 for the 5th wicket before he was also caught behind off Jones. With Jones nearly finished and not a lot of batting to come, particularly as Kieran Hoddinott had not yet arrived at the ground, Quantrill and Alan Carter aimed to consolidate for a while before looking to attack in the last 10 overs. They succeeded well in the first part of the plan, seeing off Jones who finished with 4-37, and setting a solid base from which a reasonable total could still have been built. Phil Browning had now come on to bowl off spin, and although only 14 was bowling well on a turning wicket. There were still enough loose balls though for runs to be made from him and Quantrill looked to start accelerating. After two hours in the heat he caught the fielders on the hop when he mishit one down to the shortish 3rd man boundary and set off hard. What should have been two was made into three by the slow pace of the fielder retrieving the ball from no more than 40 yards, but the fielder's error was compounded when he lobbed the ball back in underarm and very gently, not watching the runner, which allowed Quantrill to call a startled Alan Carted through for a 4th run. This kept Quantrill on strike and the next ball, a full toss, was struck cleanly over square leg for 6 to bring up his 50. This should have been the signal for the start of an attacking burst at the end of the innings, but from Browning's next over Quantrill hit a long hop outside off stump straight into points hands, and although Paul Sumner hit one good four three more wickets fell with the score on 124. Kieran Hoddinott arrived in time to go in at no. 10 and hit the runs which brought up at least one bonus point, but he then left one from Browning which bowled him, giving Browning figures of 4-25 in 6.3 overs, with New Ash Green all out for 136, well short of the sort of score they should have got and giving Bromley extra overs as well.

Despite this New Ash Green remained positive in the field. Bromley opened with two 14 year old batsmen, Browning and Alex Blake who had bowled a useful 5 over spell for just 7 runs himself. Both looked very accomplished for their age, particularly Blake, and although Browning occasionally looked discomfited by Micky Sumner's pace and bounce they both played very positively. Nonetheless it was mainly through edges that they put on 18 in the first three overs and for the next 7 overs Sumner and Keith Bushell, getting plenty of late swing, had both batsmen in some considerable difficulty. Only another 10 runs were added in those 7 overs and very few of them were off the middle, with Blake in particular lucky to survive. On one occasion he lifted a simple edge through 2nd slip, where the fielder had just been moved from to cover for Chris Hoddinott who was off the field getting a plaster on his leg after taking a scab off! They both did survive, though, and began to play more positively before Browning was deceived by late inswing from Bushell and lobbed up a simple catch to Dan Lewsey at mid-wicket. Blake now began to blossom, playing across his front pad with excellent timing, but at the other end Dave Morris was having much more trouble. A leading edge of Keith Bushell was put down by Chris Hoddinott and Matthew Quantrill missed a stumping, while he was having great problems scoring any runs. As long as he was surviving, though, Bromley were prospering as Blake was now playing very impressively. He had moved on to 61, and the total to 92 before he played across his pad once too often to Paul Sumner's inswing and was LBW. Although only 45 were now needed to win New Ash Green sensed that they were still in with a chance as none of the batsmen bar Blake had looked at all comfortable. Paul Sumner was generating plenty of swing, but Andy Payne's spin was not making the breakthrough. They turned instead to the spin of Chris Hoddinott and in his second over he had Thomas Clarke caught behind. Micky Sumner had been struggling in the heat, but now sensed that his bowling had to be tried to see if New Ash Green could break through the middle order. His pace and accuracy caused problems for both batsmen, and in his second over back he took Andy Blake's edge and Matthew Quantrill dived forward to his left to just sneak his glove under the ball - or so everyone but the batsman thought. Unfortunately for the batsman the umpire agreed with the fielders and he had to go. New Ash Green were sensing a sensational turnaround, or at least a few more bonus points, but although they kept the pressure on and made Bromley fight all the way to the end they could not make another breakthrough.

On paper, and in league points, the result looks very one-sided, but in fact it was a hard fought game which could have gone the other way with a touch more luck. For a side stripped of so many regulars, particularly batsmen, it was a very creditable result and showed once again the benefits of running a regular third XI as those who stepped up to fill the gaps all performed admirably.

Old Anchorians v New Ash Green III
Saturday 10th August 2003

Central League Match - 40 Overs

New Ash Green 76 all out (32 overs)
Old Anchorians 77-1 (11.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 9 wickets.

No report yet from Mr. Hampsheir, but I gather NAG scraped about 70 with Andy Tutt the only one to get any runs and Old Anch's knocked off the runs in about 11 overs.

The following report has now been received from Alan Carter, purely from the scorebook:

Tutt and Wills put on 41 for the 1st wicket before wills was caught. Tutt made 29 before being caught and Graham Hampsheir made 15 before being bowled by Jones. The rest of the innings consisted of scores of 0,0,0,1,2,3, however extras made a gallant 13.

It appears that Skilton and Stacy ran riot getting the score in 11.3 overs, Steve Ball getting Stacy out LBW in the last over.

 Hunton v New Ash Green
Sunday 10th August 2003

Kent Village League Match - 40 Overs

New Ash Green
Hunton
New Ash Green won - Hunton conceded.

No report and I don't know the result. Will post it as soon as it goes up on the village league website. How did the squad get on on the hottest day in British history?

Now I know the answer - they didn't have to play! Whether it was the heat that put Hunton off I don't know, but they called off, presumably fairly late as this was not known by New Ash Green on Saturday evening! This guarantees what was pretty clear already, that New Ash Green will remain in division 5 of the Village League for next year.