Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Barbados Overseas (20 points) 171-8 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (4 points) 143 all out (46.4 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 28 runs.

Report to follow if provided. NAG all bowled well to keep Barbados Overseas down to a respectable score on a very good pitch - Kent played a 20/20 game on it this season. Unfortunately they batted less well. Kevin Ginn finally had conditions more like those he is used to in his final game, but could only make 20 and NAG were not helped by controversial umpiring decisions. Vic Mayers offered some resistance and Simon Duke, who for the last two months couldn't buy a run, being outplayed by Alan Cottrell in one partnership on tour, suddenly bloomed and by all accounts batted excellently in what may be his last match as a single man. He made 48*, but the tail, if a team with Steve Hurst at number 10 can be said to have a tail, couldn't support him and fell 28 runs short.

New Ash Green II v Barbados Overseas II
Saturday 16th August 2003

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Barbados Overseas (20 points) 167 all out (29.3 overs)
New Ash Green (4 points) 122 all out (43 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 45 runs.

This website always strives to be culturally diverse and not in any way indulge in racial stereotyping…but this was, at least for half the game, definitely calypso cricket! Although the heat of the last few weeks had abated to the extent that some players needed sweaters in the field the sun had left a parched and arid looking field that could easily have graced a West Indian island in the dry season. The wicket itself, though, had been copiously watered during the week and although a bit green and seam friendly held together and bounced more evenly than any other wicket at New Ash Green this season.

New Ash Green were without an umpire and so were expecting to lose the toss. They were delighted when Barbados's captain declined to take advantage of that rule and insisted on tossing anyway, but Micky Sumner blew this reprieve by losing the toss. Not surprisingly Barbados Overseas chose to bat and Sumner himself and Keith Bushell opened the bowling. On the tenth ball of the innings Bushell had an LBW appeal upheld and Barbados Overseas were 1-1. However the number 2 (who hadn't yet faced a ball) and number 3 both hit their first two balls for 4 and for the next hour or so they played very positively indeed, though not without a slice of luck. Sumner in particular was frustrated by a number of edges that went flying over the dry outfield to the boundary, some of them through the vacant second slip area where Dominic Adolphe would have been standing had he actually turned up as promised. Eventually Bushell induced a mishit and a catch by a sprinting Sharad Bawdekar off the last ball of his fifth and last over, but by then the score was 83-2! Sumner kept on going and did eventually get some wickets with his steep bounce, though he also was expensive. Graham Hobbs and Sharad Bawdekar were able to slow the scoring rate slightly, though after an initial tumble of wickets gave New Ash Green hope the middle order were able to get Barbados Overseas back on track. When the 6th wicket fell in the 90's a score of under 120 looked a very real possibility, but the 7th and 8th wickets both added runs and a big score was again looking possible before Paul Sumner came into the attack. He has been developing a better length, more swing and greater consistency throughout the summer and showed all these qualities in a deadly spell of 2.3-2-2-3 as he polished off the tail in short order.

Dominic Adolphe had insisted that in last year's game Barbados Overseas seconds had had the fastest bowling he had ever faced. Perhaps this explained why he failed to show up, forcing his team to field the entire innings with 10 men and bat with only 10 as well, costing plenty of runs in the field and a probable bonus batting point into the bargain. Whatever pace they bowled last year the stereotyping definitely ended at this point. Although the atmosphere on the field, with plenty of banter flying around in accents that probably mixed Bajan with South London in varying degrees, may have been West Indian the opening bowlers were much more English in style, medium pace and moving the ball considerably off the seam. Matthew Quantrill and Andy Payne couldn't match the pace of the first innings, but seemed steady enough until Payne lifted a well timed drive and was well caught at cover. Quantrill and Matt Scanlan still seemed to be building a steady base, and with 70 overs to bat time was not a problem. However when he had reached 14 without any serious alarms Quantrill foolishly played back to a ball identical to several that he had played comfortably on the front foot and was bowled through the gate as it cut back in. From here on the innings stuttered along. Graham Hobbs offered some resistance with a few lusty blows in his 16, and Micky Sumner took advantage of being dropped twice and hit some excellent shots himself as he tried to eke out as many runs as he could with the tail. However just as a possible bonus point was in sight he made the mistake of trying to push a poor ball away for a single to keep the strike and instead lobbed it to point to be out for 36. Sharad Bawdekar, who had shown he didn't really need too much protecting pulled through mid-wicket twice for 4, but in trying to repeat the shot, which would have earned a bonus point had he been successful, he was bowled to leave Jasper Holiday stranded in the continued absence of Dominic Adolphe some 4 hours after his promised arrival time.

Another bonus point would have been some help in the fight against relegation, and might still prove crucial. However amidst the gloom of the poor performance the good news for New Ash Green was that none of the 5 teams below them managed either a win or a winning draw and with two games to go they would be very unlucky to go down now even if they lost both remaining games.

New Ash Green III v Nurstead
Saturday 16th August 2003

Central League Match - 40 Overs

Nurstead 175 all out (37.2 overs)
New Ash Green 148-6 (40 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 27 runs.

On a fine bright afternoon New Ash Green won the toss and invited Nurstead to bat on a pitch that nobody wished to bat on. Opening the bowling from the pavilion end was the ever improving Blair Wilson with an aggressive spell, clean bowling Dymock with only 5 on the board. Paul Rourk bowled impressively from the other end giving the batsmen plenty to think about with his intelligent use of flight on a pitch taking spin.

Lewis Cooper bowled an entertaining spell from the pavilion end getting the wicket of Potts with Steve Ball taking a brilliant catch at mid on. Sam Wilson was very unlucky not to pick up a wicket with his first ball, fooling Brown, arguably Nurstead's best and most stylish batsman, into lobbing the ball up just short of mid on, but continued to bowl very tidily. Next on at the pavilion end was 'the pepperami kid" Steve Ball, another very promising bowler who's starting to be more consistent, pitching the ball up and making the batsman play, his 8 overs (1-34) complimented Lewsey's inspired 5-16 from the bottom end, perfectly, getting the wicket of Brown (36) with possibly the worst ball of the day. For Nurstead Saunders , their opening bat, grafted well for his 57 not allowing the suspicion of a glove to the keeper Oliver Harding to break his concentration. With Harding behind the stumps looking sharp it set the tone for a good all round performance in the field which included a run out, 3 catches taken and a stumping.

The New Ash Green innings got off to a good start with Clive and Lewsey starting well with an opening stand of 41 in 10 overs before Rob Clive was caught on the boundary trying to pull Dennis for 6, 41-1 became 61-5 with Lewsey getting caught for a good 29. Carter and Harding steadied things before trying to push the score on to give a scent of victory, giving Nurstead some anxious moments but when Ollie was out in the 38th over there was too much to do. It gave Sam Wilson a chance to come in and slap the Nurstead bowling around to gain an extra league point. Carter was unbeaten on 60 in another good performance from the thirds who now are starting to be a competitive team. 4 dropped catches and a routine run out chance was probably the difference between the sides but 3 catches were taken as well as a run out as this side improves by the week.

As ever there was strong competition for the champagne moment, winning this week was a joint effort from Steve Ball and Kier Wilson . The ball had been driven to the boundary with Ball and Wilson in hot pursuit. Steve back heels the ball just short of the boundary only for Wilson to volley it over for 4 with the power Beckham would have been proud of.

 
Sunday 17th August 2003

No game!