Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Bexleyheath (2 points) 64 all out (32.3 overs)
New Ash Green (16 points) 67-6 (28.2 overs)
New Ash Green won by 4 wickets.

NAG had no hesitation in choosing to bowl on winning the toss on a pitch that was drying out but still damp in places following two weeks of constant rain and with overhead conditions offering plenty of swing.

In the absence of Matt Meehan, Andy Stuart took the new ball and immediately found a good line and length nearly taking a wicket from the very first ball of the game as an inside edge flew just past Mark Klus at short leg. Stuart (7-2-11-2) was asking most of the questions of the openers as Andy Cox at the other end struggled to find his accuracy in what was his first real bowl of the season.

In the 5th over the breakthrough came with Stuart finding the outside edge of Bone’s bat and Ginn taking a comfortable catch behind the stumps. In his very next over Stuart removed the other opener – Chung, with a ball that kept very low and clipped off stump.

With the visitors reduced to 30-2, Cox began his 7th and his anticipated final over of the spell. His rhythm and accuracy had been coming back over by over and he was rewarded when Klus clung on at square leg to remove Shears. This bought Cox another over, which saw the fourth wicket fall, this time LBW. Then in his 9th and final over, Cox (9-3-21-3) removed the Bexleyheath captain Mousldale with a slower ball off-break, which (allegedly) turned up the hill and took off stump.

With the visitors now reeling at 40-5, Vic Mayers (9.2-3-13-4) and Hewitt (7-3-15-1) took up the task of finishing off the tail. Hewitt despite a nervous start got the ball to swing while Mayers at the other end (shaking off the effects of his work leaving do the previous night) claimed 4 wickets, 3 of which were cleaned bowled. Hewitt took the prized scalp of Patel who having looked extremely comfortable throughout his innings was fast running out of partners and in an attempt to find some quick runs drove a return catch into Hewitt’s grasp - leaving Mayers to knock over the last couple to leave the visitors 64 all out.

Although the pitch made scoring difficult if the bowling was accurate it was the New Ash Green batsmen who were the primary culprits as the hosts made hard work of reaching a relatively small total. However, it was a fine piece of fielding at short-leg, running out the unlucky Andy Mayers, which brought the early breakthrough - though with Ginn looking commanding against the quicker pace of Lewis and Mark Klus looking extremely solid in defence, the scoreboard was still edging along nicely.

The pressure intensified when Klus was adjudged LBW for 0. However, this brought Duke to the crease, who showed everyone the way to bat on a damp wicket, getting on the front foot and pushing into the gaps rather than looking for the boundary.

Just as it looked as if the worst was over, Ginn was dismissed for 23. Graham Hampshier came to the crease next but struggled initially against Lewis, before being clean bowled by the spin of Bone for 0. Cox was next to the crease but was soon on his way back - bowled by a full toss from Lewis, also for 0. Fortunately Duke wasn’t fazed by the comings and goings at the other end and continued to look very assured, finding the gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking as he and Vic Mayers edged NAG towards safety, with Vic hitting a couple of flamboyant boundaries to reduce the target to just 4. However, the jitters set back in when he was bowled next ball to bring Stuart to the crease. A couple of blocks and a swish latter, Stuart hit a firm leg glance straight through the hands and then legs of leg slip to pick up two runs, leaving Duke to hit a boundary in the next over to seal the win.

A much needed win for NAG ahead of a crunch game against title favourites City of London, who after just missing out on promotion last year have already found their way back to the top of the table with 3 wins.

Chislehurst & West Kent II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 24th May 2003

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

New Ash Green (12 points) 197-4 (50 overs)
Chislehurst & WK (3 points) 156-7 (50 overs)
Draw.

With as many as 11 players missing from what might be thought of as the first choice 22 New Ash Green's 2nd XI were going to be happy with any points they could get from this game. In the event a number of the supposed lesser lights stepped in with good performances to ensure that the selectors will face some tough decisions when more players are available next week.

Both sides were without an umpire, a fact that lead to some complaining over decisions throughout the match but meant that neither side had to forfeit the toss. In the event Chislehurst won the toss and inserted New Ash Green, who with a rather shorter batting line up than in their previous league game were soon under pressure when Dominic Adolphe swished and edged behind early on. Helped by a number of wides and byes Matthew Quantrill and John Harding were able to keep up a steady scoring rate for a while without having to take any risks, but the advent of 64 year old John Huntley slowed the rate down as his accuracy and flight made scoring difficult without taking risks that the batsmen could not afford. Enough runs were picked up off loose balls at the other end to stop the scoring from completely grinding to a halt, and eventually as the overs passed some risks were taken and the scoring rate picked up again. In the end John Harding holed out off Huntley to end a partnership of 64 and Chris Hoddinott followed shortly afterwards. Matthew Quantrill crept past 50, and as the last ten overs started finally tried to attack only to also hole out for 61. The foundations had been laid for an attack in the closing overs though, and Pete Burke and Paul Sumner took up the challenge magnificently, scoring considerably more than a run a ball in an unbeaten partnership of 69 to take the final score up to a more than respectable 197-4, with Burke making 36 and Sumner 29.

The advantage of having less batting than in the previous match was that New Ash Green had considerably greater bowling options, though only Pete Burke was an established bowler at this level. Paul Sumner and Robin Wills both produced steady spells, but when Burke himself broke down with a sidestrain in his 6th over it was Matthew Pennell who stepped into the breach and responded with a magnificent spell, taking the first wicket and apart from a very few loose balls conceded very few runs. Such was his accuracy that he was taken off in order to save his last few overs for the death and returned to bowl just as well, ending up with 1-23 in 14 overs. In the mean time Sharad Bawdekar, who hadn't turned his arm over to bowl as much as one practice ball since last season had come on at the other end and started with two maidens in which he took two wickets. One batsman, Schoeman, did hit him over the top a couple of times, but retreated into his shell when the field went back, and Robinson slogged a few in the last over when the game was already dead, but for the most part the batsmen were not able to get after him. With the aid of 2 slip catches from the now barely mobile Burke Bawdekar took 5-44, and between he and Pennell, with the help of a short spell from Keith Bushell in which he also contributed a wicket, the Chislehurst batsmen were kept well in check and never threatened to reach the target. They were also not prepared to take enough risks to give New Ash Green a chance to take all the wickets and after a last over in which each side picked up an additional bonus point the game ended in a winning draw for New Ash Green, and a very useful 12 points.

New Ash Green III v Biddenden
Saturday 24th May 2003

Central League Match - 40 Overs

First points of the season for New Ash Green came courtesy of Biddenden calling the game off as they could not raise a side, a great relief to New Ash Green who had been looking likely to field a fairly weak 8 following a number of drop outs!

Old Tiffinians v New Ash Green
Sunday 25th May 2003

Friendly MAtch

Old Tiffinians 169-8 (45 overs)
New Ash Green 116-9 (38 overs)
Draw.

Rivalry with his future brother-in-law led Mr. Hewitt to this fixture and to him performing himself on a Sunday. A lengthy journey through various cloudbursts led to a ground that was still dry, and, one brief shower aside, remained so throughout the afternoon. OT's won the toss and chose to bat, but must have been wondering if this was the right decision as their openers struggled to cope with Andy Mayers and Andy Cox. There were some runs edged off Mayers, but Cox was simply too good, beating the bat time after time with extravagant movement off the wicket, finally getting the edge and producing a sharp catch at 2nd slip from kiwi Andy Bath, a mate of Mr. Hewitt's who may be joining us more often. The rain interruption came at this point, and having seen his figures of 5-4-2-1 in the book Mr. Cox decided to rest on his laurels as far as bowling was concerned. Andy Mayers also struck, and with Hewitt and Bath taking a wicket each and Kevin Ginn and Alan Carter two each OT's were in trouble at 93-7. New Ash Green kept the game open by giving plenty of bowlers a go, and Matt Bennett batting at number 9 swung the bat effectively to reach his 50 on the last ball before the declaration came at 169-8.

Whether it was an old ball or less effective bowling I don't know, but OT's bowlers got considerably less out of the pitch than New Ash Green's had. With the batting that they had New Ash Green should have been confident that they could get the runs, but some very sharp catches undermined them early on, as did one or two mis-judged shots, and only Matthew Quantrill with 17 and Kevin Ginn with 18 made double figures in the top half of the innings, and neither of them were able to build on sound starts. The main benefactor was Bennett again as he took 4-18. At 65-7 New Ash Green were in danger of a humiliating defeat, but Andy Cox and James Hewitt put together a positive partnership that kept victory in sight for a while before Cox went and Graham Poole kept Hewitt company for a while longer. Poole was out to the last ball of the 18th over of the last 20, and after Hewitt (who ended up with 36*) had seen off the next Alan Carter looked very comfortable seeing out the final over for what was (despite the score) probably a deserved draw.