Kent League Match - 100 Overs

City of London (20 points) 220-7 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (3 points) 106 all out (28.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 114 runs.

New Ash Green 1st XI came back to earth with an almighty thump following last week's win over Bexleyheath. Playing top of the table City of London, they were comprehensively outplayed in a 114 run defeat.

Things started to go wrong following Andy Stuart’s gamble to invite the visitors to have first use of a good batting track. The City of London openers got off to a solid start, surviving one or two scares to reach 50, with Otis Binnie smashing anything loose to the boundary. The crucial breakthrough came when Vic Mayers found the outside edge of the dangerous Binnie (41) with the score on 64. This allowed NAG to reduce the run rate just as City of London were beginning to look like they might get away.

James Hewitt (8-1-32-1) and Mayers (10-1-42-1) kept things in check as the visitors built a solid foundation. The second wicket came when Cox took a spectacular diving catch at mid-on off the bowling of Hewitt straight after the drinks interval to give NAG a chance of getting into the City of London middle order. However with Bailly (62) setting his stall out to take no chances and bat through the innings, the visitors continued to make steady progress with Harris (47) taking up the run scoring mantle.

With City of London entering the last 6 overs with 8 wickets still in hand, they looked set to post a sizeable target. However, some great bowling at the death by Andy Cox (11-1-39-3) and Mick Sumner (9-1-42-2) meant 5 wickets fell for just 34 runs in that period to restrict the visitors to 220–7.

New Ash Green's reply got off to the best possible start with Vaughan John and Kevin Ginn scoring freely without being in any trouble, taking the score to 36. Disaster struck when John (13) was run out by a direct hit from cover. Mark Klus soon followed for 0 to a harsh looking LBW decision. Any realistic hopes NAG had of chasing the target were over just two overs later when Ginn (13) got a leading edge, which was superbly caught by Binnie to reduce the hosts to 36-3.

Wickets fell at regular intervals for the rest of the innings with only Andy Cox (25*) and James Hewitt (15) combining to form a partnership of any length. Cox managed to drag the score up to some respectability before the tail were blown away, with the last 3 wickets falling in 2 overs leaving NAG 106 all out.

Despite such a comprehensive defeat the hosts can take some comfort in the fact that there was nothing on display to lead them to believe that they can’t make an impression at this level but a lot more discipline with the bat is going to be needed.

Bapchild II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 31st May 2003

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

New Ash Green (20 points) 189-9 (50 overs)
Bapchild (7 points) 181 all out (48.4 overs)
New Ash Green won by 8 runs.

A steady decline in batting performances for NAG II has fortunately been matched by steadily improving bowling performances, and a fine game of cricket ended in a tense win and maximum points for NAG.

On the first hot and sunny day of the season New Ash Green were delighted to discover their opponents didn't have an umpire and therefore had to forfeit the toss. It was not a difficult decision to choose to bat first, and although the powerful batting line up selected had been reduced by the late call up of Steve Hurst to the first XI they still looked on course for a big total early on as Matthew Quantrill and particularly Andy Payne started strongly. Payne mixed some powerful shots with a few less convincing ones, but the scoring rate was soon rising and the opening bowlers were quickly changed. Unfortunately Quantrill ended the partnership of 56 by being caught and bowled for 14 and Payne having reached a quick 51 played round a straight one and was bowled. Gary Browning spooned one round the corner to fine leg and the wheels were in danger of coming off badly. Matthew Scanlan, on his return from a broken hand, played well to make a quick 36 before going for one pull too many, and again there was a threat of collapse as Graham Hobbs and Charles Duguid failed to add much to the total. Dominic Adolphe, who had come in at no. 3, had initially tried to throw the bat but had failed to connect properly with anything, and although he later insisted that he had felt in good touch the contrast with last year's 15 ball 37 on this ground was dramatic. Eventually he settled for nudging and running, finding a useful partner in this tactic in Kieran Hoddinott. Their aggressive running certainly stirred up the fielders and brought them some singles, but eventually it brought Adolphe's downfall run out for 13 (scored entirely in singles off 51 balls!) and later Hoddinott was also pointlessly run out going for a second that was not even remotely on. However he and Pete Burke had used up a few overs and although not scoring as quickly as the top order had, kept the total ticking over, and Burke and Matt Pennell also batted steadily before accelerating a bit in the last couple of overs to take the final total to 189 at the end of their 50 overs. As it turned out those runs and the time used up proved crucial, and showed the value of using up the overs.

Bapchild started their pursuit of 190 aggressively, helped by a loose first over from Matt Pennell and the occasional loose ball from Paul Sumner. There were enough good balls to produce chances, but some were missed and the square leg umpires weren't helpful, two good looking stumping appeals being turned down. Sumner picked up one wicket, and Matthew Scanlan also picked up one with a beautiful away swinger in his first over. Andy Payne's left arm spin produced some considerable turn, but although he troubled the batsmen he was also prone to the odd loose ball. Scanlan was bowling well, and got one more wicket with a poor slower ball which was hit straight to Paul Sumner, but not only were his loose balls being hit but edges were also flying away for runs and his initial 6 over spell was expensive. At 140-5 with around half their overs remaining Bapchild seemed to be well on course for a comfortable win, but the advent of Graham Hobbs' accurate and steady spin and Andy Payne's continuing turn with his left arm spin meant that the brakes were at last being applied. This pair slowly chipped away at the wickets, and the run rate required also began to sneak upwards. At one stage less than 2 an over it was slowly rising as Payne's spell ended , having taken 2-49 including two of the top three highest scoring batsmen. Matt Scanlan returned to bowl with almost equal economy, and Graham Hobbs continued to give nothing away. The batsmen seemed unable to get the ball off the square apart from the occasional edge, and the rate rose slowly to over 3 an over off the last 8 then to nearly 5 an over off the last 4. Still chances were being created, but not being held onto and the prospect of a draw, which had seemed the least likely of all possible results for most of the innings was looking more and more plausible. At the start of the 48th over Hobbs finally got a simple nick to the keeper to take the ninth wicket, but the experience of Roy Lincoln, the Bapchild captain at no. 11, looked as if it might thwart New Ash Green as he played sensibly straight, looking to push singles into the gaps. He urged his colleague to follow suit, and for a few balls it looked as if they might do what their team mates should have done some time ago and cruise to a win. Scanlan had other ideas, though, and in the penultimate over remained hostile forcing Chittenden, the number 10 batsman, to clip a straightforward chance to mid-wicket, where it was put down by a fielder who will remain nameless. Having already had three edges put down in the last two overs, all more difficult ones, Scanlan decided to do it himself and clean bowled Chittenden with his next ball to bring the match to a thrilling climax and bring great relief to a certain nameless fielder…

Certainly a great game, and one which NAG probably deserved to win, though their batting was not at its best and the fielding, with 2 easy chances and numerous more difficult ones missed, was definitely a weak point. The bowling, though, was good, particularly from Graham Hobbs who took 3-23 in 13 overs, and all the bowlers produced some good balls, although most needed to cut down on the number of loose balls they slipped in if they were to get the full benefit from their best balls.

Wrotham St. George v New Ash Green III
Saturday 31st May 2003

Central League Match - 40 Overs

Wrotham St. George 266-5
New Ash Green 81 all out
New Ash Green lost by 185 runs.

On a beautiful track with the sun blazing down, Wrotham's skipper thought the NAG boys might appreciate fielding first and elected to bat. This however was to be his downfall as the NAG fielders used reverse psychology and scuppered his plans by apparently taking Wrotham's side. It now seemed a lonely battle for the weary bowlers as the fielders turned 1s into 2s, 2s into 4s and on one occasion 4s into 6s. Despite this Paul Rourk had respectable figures of 8 - 1 - 33 - 0, Graham Hampsheir took 2 wickets, Wills, Lewsey and Carter one each. Shane Hampsheir did a good job behind the stumps conceding a single bye. Once again, dropped catches gifted an opposition batsman a century and helped Wrotham to a total of 266 for 5.

New Ash Green's reply got off to a solid start with John Harding looking much like his former self before being run out for 32. Assisted by Dan Lewsey he put on 56 for the first wicket. Lewsey however was seriously crippled by a blow to the nether regions, this did however have the effect of raising team morale. So, 56 for none and looking good turned into 81 all out - effectively 25 runs for 10 wickets and the author has nowhere to hide as the remaining batsmen followed his example and capitulated without really troubling the fielders, let alone the scorers.

Detling v New Ash Green
Sunday 1st June 2003

Kent Village League Match - 40 overs per side

New Ash Green 193-8
Detling 165-2
Abandoned - rain.

What was nominally Detling's home game was played at New Ash Green due to repair work at Detling's ground. Although the temperature was not as high as the previous day the humidity was overwhelming, and NAG were relieved when Andy Mayers won the toss and chose to bat. Against a bowling attack that was uniformly steady but pretty harmless NAG should have made a huge total, and indeed they set off as if they would with Kevin Ginn and Matthew Quantrill putting on 98 for the first wicket before Ginn was bowled for 61 in the 18th over. Ginn had frustrated the bowlers (and annoyed himself) by going for his shots and hitting most of them in the air, but with sufficient power that even the mis-hits cleared the fielders, and in fact he had not given a real chance before he was bowled. Quantrill was playing much more solidly, and picking up runs steadily, and with Dominic Adolphe in much better touch than the previous day another 58 were added for the 2nd wicket before Adolphe went for 25. This should have set up a big charge in the last 10 overs or so and a total well in excess of 200, but three poor umpiring decisions tore the heart out of the NAG batting order. First Quantrill was given out caught off his pad for 60, then Andy Mayers was LBW following one half-hearted appeal and finally Matthew Scanlan was given out LBW from a ball he hit with the full face of the bat, again with only one fielder appealing. The Detling skipper, Town, was the beneficiary of two of these decisions and ended up with 5-13 in 6 overs, without really doing much with the ball. A few lusty blows from John Sharpe took the total up to nearly 200, but it was far fewer than it should have been.

Nonetheless New Ash Green were confident that they had enough runs on the board to secure a comfortable victory, although the weather had now worsened and they took the field in a steady drizzle which meant that they had to bowl and field throughout with a damp ball. They were, however, on the wrong end of a remarkable piece of batting from Mark Baldwin, who opened the batting for Detling apparently in a sort of pinch-hitting role. For the first two or three balls he seemed frightened by the pace of Kevin Ginn, but he soon started throwing the bat at everything, and although he had a few slices of luck he mostly connected well, hitting the bowling all over the ground. Ginn, Vic and Andy Mayers and Keith Bushell all suffered as the first wicket pair raced to a 137 partnership in less than 20 overs before Bushell finally struck with an LBW decision. Baldwin was still going, though, but was finally removed when Matthew Scanlan was brought on in the 25th over, and promptly bowled Baldwin for 91, apparently (and surprisingly considering how well he struck the ball) comfortably his highest score in a 22 year cricket career. Although Detling were now needing only 40 or so more runs at no more than 2.5 an over the more timid attitude of the new batsmen suggested that a repeat of the 2nd XI's Saturday turnaround against Bapchild just might be on the cards, but the rain was steadily increasing and with lightning now also threatening the umpire (who was wearing shorts!) decided that discretion was the better part of valour and abandoned the game.

No one was entirely sure what the league rules were in this situation, but any sort of calculation was certainly going to give the win to Detling!