Sunday 5th September 2004
Detling v New Ash Green
Detling (6 pts) 190-9 (40 overs)
New Ash Green (0 pts) 94 all out (27 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 96 runs
A match originally listed as a home game was switched to Detling to enable work to commence on the square at Manor
Field. In the very warm early September sunshine it proved a good decision – Detling’s picturesque ground set on the slope of the downs
proving a lovely setting. The slope played quite a part in the game too, being
very noticeable across the pitch, so much so that fielders standing across it
would find themselves needing one leg longer than the other to maintain their
balance.
Acting captain Graham Hampsheir lost
the toss, and not surprisingly Detling chose to bat. The
Boss brothers repeated their opening bowling role from Monday, but to less
effect this time, though Ben Boss was unlucky on a couple of occasions and Rob
Boss again bowled very tidily. Ian Thomas and Pete Batchelor were able to put
on 59 for the first wicket, though, picking up from a slow start, before the
advent of Dan Lewsey brought a wicket when a little
away swing on a full toss induced a leading edge and the simplest of catches for
Ben Boss. The left handed number three looked a dangerous bat, hitting several
thumping boundaries, but just as he was beginning to take the game away from
New Ash Green he was smartly stumped down the leg side by Matthew Quantrill as he stepped out of his ground just as Quantrill got the awkwardly bouncing ball under control and
whipped the bails off. He must have felt doubly unfortunate, as apart from this
Quantrill had a poor game behind the stumps! If this
was a fortuitous wicket the next few were positive bonuses courtesy of Alan ‘the
Panther’ Carter. A hesitant single to him brought a direct hit on a single
stump from point, he then pulled off an excellent catch in the deep after a
Matthew Scanlan full toss had been heaved to the most
slopey part of the ground and capped it with another
smart piece of work at point to run out Richard Jarrett without facing a ball,
much to his undisguised disgust! Dan Lewsey bowled
through his spell for figures of 9-1-34-2 and at this point Detling
were wobbling. The 6th wicket pair put on something of a recovery,
although Steve Jarrett was dropped several times – 3 in about 5 balls at one
stage, two of them off the unfortunate Ben Cooke. The stage was set for the
entry of man of the day Matt Bushe, who had replaced
Matt Scanlan bowling off spin with the slope
assisting the turn. Bushe had lost some form since
his exploits on tour, but today he started immediately on a line and length,
and in his third over he finally broke the 6th wicket partnership,
bring one down the slope, off the pad and on to the top of Jarrett’s leg stump.
The next ball was perfectly pitched just outside off, came down the slope a bit
and knocked back the off stump. Bushe on a hat-trick!
Most fielders would be wary of fielding close for Matt Bushe’s
bowling, but for the hat-trick ball Matt Scanaln
decided it was worth the risk and came in close at short leg. The ball was on
the stumps, turning to leg, the batsman prodded firmly at it and the ball
popped out to leg low to Scanlan’s right. It seemed
past him but he stuck out a hand and held a superb catch and the fielding side
erupted – Bushe had a hat-trick! A nervous prod from
the next ball almost brought him 4 from 4, but it was not to be. In the end he
bowled through to the finish, losing his line and length only in the last
couple of overs to end up with 7-2-25-3. Ben Boss
finally removed opener Ian Thomas in the last over for 55, but some hefty
hitting at the end carried Detling to a more
respectable total than had seemed likely at one stage.
New Ash Green set off in pursuit against a relatively innocuous bowling
attack. Although Gareth Thomas got some useful movement down the slope into the
batsmen there were enough loose balls for that not to be a problem if the good
balls were played sensibly, but unfortunately this proved to be beyond most of the
New Ash Green batsmen. It all started
well with Matthew Quantrill and Graham Poole playing
themselves in and Quantrill picking off the loose
balls well – the first scoring shot of the innings was a six over square leg
from a full toss and an even bigger six followed from a full toss from Gareth
Thomas that disappeared into a neighbouring garden and was never found. When
Poole was finally out after an opening stand of 36 Alan Carter, Rob Boss and
Ben Boss all perished playing attacking back foot shots to Gareth Thomas’s
better balls and gifting him three wickets unnecessarily. Ben Boss did at least
help himself to 17 runs, mostly from Richard Jarrett’s first over which went
for 18. Nonetheless Quantrill
was still playing solidly, passing 1000 runs for the season for New Ash Green
along the way, the first player to do so since 1999. While he was there New Ash
Green’s chances looked good, but on 46 he got a leg side full toss from Richard
Jarrett and hit it straight at Steve Jarrett on the boundary. The fielder managed
to make a meal of it, ending up taking it one handed falling over, but clung on
and probably ended New Ash Green’s hopes of victory. From there on New Ash
Green faded rapidly. Matt Bushe got another big cheer
for hitting a four, but only Dan Lewsey got into
double figures with 11* as Richard Jarrett recovered from being run out without
facing and being hit for 18 in his first over to end up with figures of 5-39
courtesy of some generous New Ash Green batting.
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