Saturday 3rd July and Sunday 4th
July 2004
Upchurch v New Ash Green
Saturday 3rd July 2004
Kent League
Match - 100 Overs
Upchurch (20
points) 151 all out (48.5 overs)
New Ash Green (4 points) 110 all out (45.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 41 runs.
New Ash Green arrived at Upchurch with the
light drizzle becoming heavier and the covers firmly in place.
With the rain relenting just before the
schedule start time the covers came off to display a good looking wicket that
certainly had a fair bit of moisture, so all was going well with NAG winning
the toss and inserting the opposition.
Stuart and Cox shared the new ball and posed
plenty of questions while giving nothing away. Tress managed to keep the
scoreboard ticking but had a lucky escape when he skied
a leading edge off Stuart straight up in the air towards Duke at mid wicket but
the simplest of chances went to ground as Klus tried
to reach the ball before a nervous looking Duke only for them to collide and
spill the ball.
Just a few overs
later the breakthrough came when Phillips took a run to Kieran Hoddinott at mid on who made no
mistake hitting the stumps to leave him yards short.
Chris Yue replaced
the tidy Cox and bowled his best spell of the season, finding seam and swing to
trouble all the batsman and work his way through the Upchurch middle order,
with Vic Mayers at the other end posing plenty of
problems Upchurch struggled to maintain momentum as they lost frequent wickets.
Chris Yue finished with 15-3-32-4 while Vic Mayers chipped in with 2 wickets to finish 10-3-37-2. It
was left to Cox (13.5-4-36-2) and Stuart (10-4-30-1) to take the last 3 wickets
and leave Upchurch all out for 151 on an improving and drying surface.
Having seen Wickham
Park comfortably chase down 219 at the same ground the week before there seemed
to be an air of inevitability by all that NAG would cruise to victory,
especially in view that Upchurch’s skipper and two opening bowlers (Etherington & Holmwood) were
missing their first games for many a year.
However, the innocuous looking new ball pairing
of David Lloyd Senior and Lee Stepney seemed to provide the right bowling for
the slow track. Klus (8) smashed Stepney’s first two
balls straight back past him for successive boundaries before leaving his third
ball and playing all round his fourth to be bowled in the second over. Mayers joined Cox in trying to consolidate and see off the
new ball, but having got themselves into a defensive mind-set, they were unable
to get going again and played out 13 maidens in the first 17 overs. As he attempted to regain the initiative, Cox (9)
fell to a smart leg side stumping trying to hit over square leg.
24-2 in the 18th became 24-3 in the 19th as Mayers (3) himself trying to break the shackles fell LBW to
Stepney. Duke and Payne looked to re-build and were doing a very good job in
rotating the strike and forcing the bowlers to change their lines and lengths
with Payne in particular putting anything loose away.
Just as NAG was getting back on track and the
runs were finally coming, disaster struck, Duke hit a well-timed cut straight
to gully and ran. Payne seeing that gully had made a diving stop and had the
ball in his hand rightly called no but the quick return found Duke well short
of his ground. Burke then edged the very next ball behind to leave the score
39-5 with almost half the overs gone!
Payne with Yue for
support went about trying to drag NAG back into the game. Upchurch turned to
the extremely accurate spin of Phillips and Taylor and taking the pace off the
ball on a slow pitch certainly made life difficult with the run rate up towards
5 an over. Payne continued to counter-attack hitting two 6’s before Yue (4) was bowled by Phillips and the score slumped to
66-6.
Andy Mayers joined
Payne but the pair could only manage another 8 runs before Payne finally fell
caught & bowled by Taylor
for 35 and the highest score of the match. Stuart joined Mayers
and the pair carried on the difficult task of trying to double the NAG score
against two spinners bowling perfect lines with well-set fields and just 3
wickets left.
The pair played the ball around well but with
the field so well set boundaries seemed an impossibility, Mayers
(10) fell trying to give himself room to score on the sparsely guarded off side
but could only hole out to point.
Hobbs came out and caused
Upchurch problems with his unorthox but aggressive
style and together with Stuart quickly posted the second highest partnership of
the innings (20) before Stuart (9) holed out to a diving catch on the
mid-wicket boundary. Kieran Hoddinott joined Hobbs with an unlikely 45
still required off the last 6.3 overs.
Hoddinott first with a trademark
sweep for 2 and then with a trademark reverse sweep for another 2 kept the
crowd entertained before Hobbs
became the last wicket to fall caught by long on for 14. Leaving
NAG all out 110.
Upchurch with their bowling resources depleted
secured maximum points and out-thought NAG to defend a very modest target and
deny NAG the chance to move to 4th place in the league.
Click HERE for full
scorecard from KCL site
Click HERE for latest
league table.
New Ash Green II v Upchurch II
Saturday 3rd July 2004
Kent League
Match - 100 Overs
Upchurch II (20
points) 265-3 dec. (48 overs)
New Ash Green II (4 points) 186 all out (33.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by79 runs.
Waiting for a report. Full details not yet
up on the KCL site as I write, but another Boss half century (this time I think
the older brother on his debut) at least bodes well for the future.
Click HERE for full
scorecard from KCL site.
Click HERE for latest
league table.
Wilmington II v New Ash Green III
Saturday 3rd July 2004
League Match -
45 Overs per side
New Ash Green
III (6 pts) 131 all out (44.4 overs)
Wilmington II (20 pts) 132-4 (41.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 6 wickets.
After
the heavy defeat of the youthful 3rd team the previous week, a combination of
returning regulars (Dan Lewsey, Sam Wilson and Blair
Wilson) and 2 debutants (Dan Walton and Matt Barron, both teachers
recruited by a former pupil in Matt Scanlan!)
meant that there was actually a healthy reserve list when teams were announced
on Thursday. This was to prove vital when both Sam & Blair had
to drop out (family commitments and ill health respectively), meaning late
call-ups for Kieran Poole and Matt Ashford. So it was that a positive
team headed to Wilmington
looking to improve on previous defeats against a side who,
based on their previous results, looked like a decent bowling outfit.
With
no umpire from either side there was a toss to be won, which Scanners did,
deciding to bat first on what a green-looking pitch, showing confidence in
his batsmen to set a total. The opening pair of Scanlan
and Dan Walton settled in well against disciplined opening bowling,
and with Wilmington
a man light for the first 15 overs they found a few
gaps in the field and established a solid partnership of 38 from the first 9 overs before Scanlan was bowled
for 19 by the young opening bowler Coulter. This sent in Graeme Poole at
3, and he and Dan continued to seek runs against the tight Wilmington bowling, the score progressing to
54 for 2 from 17 before Graeme went for 5, bowled by Clow
in a wicket maiden. That was the 2nd maiden of 5 in a row from this man,
who finished with figures of 12-5-16-1, indicative of how accurate the Wilmington bowling
was. The remaining maidens were bowled to Dan W and Dan Lewsey, who came in at 4 and seemed content to see off Clow and then look to attack the Wilmington change bowlers.
Unfortunately Dan W looked to hit out at Dale, the first change bowler, and
ended up popping a catch to mid-on, ending his innings on 34 when he had looked
set for a 50 on debut. Nevertheless it was a good innings and good news
for the 3rd team to have an opening bat of his ability coming into the club.
Jamie Oliver came in at 5 after his heroics with the bat the previous week, and
again he looked to play himself in sensibly as the New Ash Green score
progressed very slowly to 67-3 from 28 overs.
At this stage it was clear that we had a bowler's wicket and that a large total
was unlikely for either side, but also that a modest total might be defended
with disciplined bowling. In order to set said total some acceleration
was required, and when Jolly perished for 3 from 26 deliveries Matt Barron went
to join Dan. Bazza had clearly set himself a
game plan as he kept picking the gaps for 1's and 2's and despatching the
occasional bad ball for some much needed boundaries. Dan & Matt put
on 28 before Dan was bowled for 14 from 46, sending Matt Ashford out at number
7, looking for some quality time in the middle to get his eye back in after
some time out. As it was he was lucky not to have to retire hurt after a
couple of deliveries showed the spiteful side of the pitch, one striking him on
the forearm and another pinging past his ears. When things calmed down
Matt settled in to play second fiddle to Bazza, who
had looked set to go past his colleague Mr Walton and perhaps claim a 50 on
debut, but having moved on to 32 he perished to the returning opening
bowler Coulter. This had moved the score on to 118 for 6 from 37,
with Scanners saying that he thought 150 might be a total we could
defend. With 9 overs left Jasper Holliday went
out at number 8, but after he had added a single Matt Ashford was bowled
by the impressive Coulter for 1, leaving New Ash Green 119 for 7. Alan
Carter came it at 9 and advised Jasper that some
sensible play could still see us post a total, but Jasper's response was to
play down the wrong line to an outswinger from
Cotton, losing his off stump for 1 with the score now 119 for 8. A total
collapse was avoided as Matt Bushe at number 10
joined Alan - after his terrible luck in the middle Bushey's
joy was clear for all to see as he got off the mark third ball with a cracking
pull shot which left the team asking if he'd been watching Jasper batting the
previous week! Sadly the joy was short-lived as Coulter claimed his
fourth wicket when he bowled Bushey for 4 - his top score this season and a platform on which to
build. This meant that last man Keiran Poole
came out with 9 balls left, but another cracking delivery first up from
Coulter sent Keiran back immediately, leaving Coulter
with figures of 5 for 37 and on a hat-trick when he next plays. That
wrapped up the New Ash Green innings on 131, probably 20 to 30 light of what
they should have got, but with confidence in his bowling attack, in particular
the debutant Matt Barron, Scanners thought that we were still in the game.
When
the teams emerged after tea Bazza and Scanners opened
the bowling very impressively, Scanners' first ball completing out-foxing the
opener Cotton and bowling him all ends up - a delivery that saw the score 2 for
1 and the captain pumped up. Unfortunately he then strayed a little in
line, and with no leeway for width being given by the Wilmington players umpiring Scanners was
punished accordingly. At the other end Bazza
was giving nothing away, although he too found himself conceding wides and then had what he felt a good LBW shout
turned down in no uncertain terms by the umpire. With tempers rising the
bowlers needed to retain their cool and try to let their bowling do the
talking, and so it was that Scanners claimed the other opener (Wright) for 7
with Wilmington
17 for 2. Alan Carter then came on first change to replace the
luckless Barron, and got in on the act to bowl Clarkson for 6 making the
score 35 for 3, and showing that Scanners' confidence in defending the low
total was not as over-optimistic as some had thought. With more bowling
to come in the shape of the returning Dan Lewsey, New
Ash Green felt they were on the crest of a wave, and indeed Dan came on and
went for only 4 off 2 overs before the game took a
cruel turning point. Dan had said earlier that his recurring hip problems
were causing him some distress, and after 2 overs he
had to leave the field of play, having difficulty at that stage in walking -
clearly he didn't want to aggravate things further and risk perhaps a month or
more on the sidelines. This left New Ash Green a fielder light, and with overs to be found from other bowlers. Dan Walton
stepped into the breach, and Scanners had to recall his opening bowlers earlier
than planned. With the big-hitting Lissenden
forming a good partnership with the more restrained Dale, New Ash Green needed
a moment of inspiration to stop the game running away from them, and it almost
came with a remarkable piece of fielding by Jasper. As Dale tucked one
round the corner and set off for a single, Jasper somehow got from square leg
to get a boot to the ball (saving a boundary), but with Lissenden
well short of his ground Jasper's throw was inaccurate and the run out was
avoided. The cost of this error was to become clear as Lissenden smashed Carter back over his head for a 6 that
hit the pavillion, and prgressed
the Wilmington score to 95 before he became the 4th man out, caught by Barron
off Carter. With too few runs left to play with New Ash Green realised
that they needed to strike again quickly, but the youngster sent in at 6
(Packman) was able to push the ball into the gaps which the missing fielder
left, and with Dale playing a very patient innings the game was almost
up. There was still time for Jasper to complete his miserable personal
afternoon by dropping Packman at short leg off Scanners - the ball popping up
such that any one of 4 men (keeper Bushe included)
could have taken it. The excuse afterwards that he'd been distracted by
calls of "someone call it" didn't wash, and not long after it was all
over. Bushey came out from behind the stumps to
try and repeat the previous week's bowling feats, but to no avail, and the game
ended fittingly - the winning run coming from a wide! Wilmington had successfully chased a small
total down with 5 overs to spare, and New Ash Green were left to ponder what might have been. Looking at
the scorebook told the story - Wilmington's
top scorer was extras with 47, including 40 wides,
leaving the batsman to build patient innings to claim the remaining runs
required.
Having
said all that, to end on a positive note there was once again a very good team
spirit, and with new players strengthening the team and younger players
improving all the time the outlook seems far rosier than a month ago when we
feared that there might not even be a third team come July. Post-match
discussions with the opposition were telling, with comments made that we looked
a far better side than our league position and points total had
suggested. A little scouting exercise also suggested that, with fewer wides being conceded and a little less bad luck, we would
have a good chance against some of the other sides which Wilmington had already beaten this
season. I'll end on that note with a call for availabilities to continue
to come in, and looking forward in good heart to next week's home game against Snodland Community.
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Bearing in mind that in the 1980’s the first team used to play Wilmington
II’s (and next week’s 3rd XI opposition Snodland) the fact that the current third team can give
them a reasonable game is a real sign of progress. Congratulations to all
involved in turning round the third XI after a disastrous start to the season, its good to see it back to last season’s status. Keep up the
good work!
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