Saturday 19^th June and Sunday 20th June 2004

New Ash Green v Wickham Park
Saturday 19th June 2004

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Wickham Park (6 points) 184 all out (48.4 overs)
New Ash Green (16 points) 185-7 (43 overs)
New Ash Green won by 3 wickets.

With a near full strength side and an opposition who were in the bottom part of the table and apparently missing a few players as well New Ash Green went into this game with a degree of confidence. The toss was lost, but with their increasing confidence in run chases New Ash Green weren’t unhappy to be asked to bowl first. When Andy Stuart’s 5^th ball was slotted back to him by the batsman and his sixth, a real beauty, cut away to knock back the off stump leaving Wickham Park 0-2 things were definitely looking good. The hat trick ball at the start of the next over was a good one, but was kept out and from there on things began to look more like a usual New Ash Green game. The opening bowlers beat the bat a number of times without success, loose balls began to creep in and the run rate began to build. Once again the change bowlers, without bowling badly, couldn’t make the breakthrough and Glen Bellenness (70) and Jody Hatch (56) put on 135 for the third wicket without too much difficulty. After their traumatic first over Wickham Park looked on course for a total over 200, but When Andy Cox returned to bowl spin the game took another twist. Initially quite expensive Cox then started to induce errors and eventually made the breakthrough with the aid of a magnificent catch from Marc Klus who sprinted round from long off to long on to just get under a huge skyer from Bellenness, taking the catch while still running at nearly a full sprint. A maiden followed and the first ball of the next over from Cox to Hatch was smashed slightly uppishly to cover where Andy Stuart took another great catch, holding on to the ball just inches off the ground. Again the hat trick ball was non-productive, but later in the same over one which was short on the leg side turned enough to cramp the batsman’s shot and present Chris Yue with a much easier catch, leaving Wickham Park 135-5, their first five partnerships being 0, 0, 135, 0 and 0! Ian Wilson (20*) and Mike Baker (20) then added 33 for the sixth wicket, but Cox shifted back to his full run and removed Baker (a third catch by Andy Stuart) and soon afterwards bowled the bowled the numbers 8 and 9 batsmen with successive balls, the 2^nd and 3^rd of his last over. The 3^rd hat trick ball of the innings, and Cox’s 2^nd, was the best of the lot uprooting the off stump to complete a hat trick all clean bowled. With a young late substitute at number 11 the chance for New Ash Green’s first 4 in 4 for 20 years was there, but although the ball was a good one the youngster got in line and defended it solidly. Cox finished with figures of 15-4-63-7 to go with his hat trick, and after one more run had been added Andy Stuart took his own figures to 3-26 to finish the innings with one over to spare. A remarkable curate’s egg of an innings it contained 6 ducks, three of them first ballers, six partnerships of 0, three hat trick balls and one completed hat trick, yet still realised 184 runs!

The pitch still seemed to be playing reasonably well despite the occasional low bounce, and the outfield was lightening fast, at least in comparison to the past at Manor Field, so chasing 185 to win in 51 overs was not too daunting a prospect for New Ash Green. They were once again given a steady start by Andy Cox and Matthew Quantrill, though they benefited from rather less sharp catching than New Ash Green had demonstrated. Cox was badly dropped by the keeper when a lifter from the very tall Jody Hatch took his gloves and went straight through, and later dropped on the short square leg boundary when he hit a full toss straight into the fielders hands and was already heading back to the pavilion when it was put down. Quantrill was missed from a slightly (but only slightly!) harder chance when a lifter took the shoulder of the bat and looped low, (but slow) in front of gully who contrived to dive forward and let it go between his arms for a single. Between these let offs the batsmen were both putting away bad balls effectively and picking up 1’s, 2’s and even a few 3’s putting on 77 in good time before Quantrill was LBW for 30 choosing the wrong ball to try and reverse sweep. Cox and Vic Mayers took the score past 100 before a mix up led to Cox being run out for 51 (to add to his 7 wickets and hat trick!) With plenty of batting to come New Ash Green shouldn’t really have been in any trouble, but the ghosts of past collapses naturally caused a few nerves to jangle, especially as a number of the batsmen were not looking in the best of touch. They did indeed manage to keep donating wickets whenever they seemed to be getting completely on top, but all the batsmen were making some contribution, and Pete Burke with a rapid 36 including two pulled 6’s did more than most to calm the jitters. Even so when Wickham Park in some desperation turned to their eighth bowler, Bellenness, and Burke hit his first ball gently to backward point to leave New Ash Green on 171-7, still 14 short, the game was still very much alive. Micky Sumner was in no doubt, confidently warming up on the sidelines, but the rest of the team were hoping it wouldn’t come to a test of his confidence. They were granted their wish as a mix of wides, byes and a couple of good shots from Andy Stuart and Chris Yue saw them safely home, the win rather anticlimactically coming from a wide from the first ball of Bellenness’s second over.

Another successful run chase, something which New Ash Green used to be rather weak on, should see the first’s move safely into the top half of the table and even at this early stage of the season make them reasonably safe from relegation. The increased confidence in the batting after the two disastrous efforts against Down & Bell and Tenterden was clearly visible, and superb fielding and catching once again contributed to support the bowlers in pegging back the batting side when they seemed to have a big total in their sights. All that is needed now is for some of this improvement to filter down to the 2nds, and hopefully to the third team…if they are able to keep playing.

Click HERE for full scorecard from KCL site

Click HERE for latest league table.

Wickham Park II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 19th June 2004

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Wickham Park II (13 points) 176 all out (46.2 overs)
New Ash Green II (6 points) 153-9 (53 overs)
New Ash Green losing draw.

With the ongoing availabilities problem seeing the 3rd team game cancelled, New Ash Green II's travelled to Wickham Park with 11 players but no umpire, Keith Bushell's services with the ball being required.  This lack of an umpire saw New Ash Green forfeit the toss, and Wickham Park chose to bat first on what looked like a good wicket on which to post a total.  A very solid opening spell from Matt Scanlan and Paul Sumner (the former opening with 3 maidens) saw Wickham Park get to 42/1 off 12, the opener Adams' wicket falling to Sumner thanks to a superb catch at slip from Dave Stephens, showing outstanding reactions for a man who said before the game that he'd not played in over a decade.  Dan Lewsey then replaced Scanlan and Keith Bushell took over from Sumner and kept up the pressure, so at drinks after 25 overs the total had only moved on to 87/2 with Keith getting a positive response to an LBW appeal after several which had been very close being turned down.  After drinks Dan & Keith continued their spells - captain Andy Payne clearly happy to let them continue as wickets came, Keith removing the remaining opener (Greenwood) for 38 thanks to a catch by Dan, then Dan bowling the number 4 (Govada) cheaply before Keith showed how to think a batsman out with his slower ball accounting for the number 5 (Stevens). A spectacular catch by Oliver Harding gave Dan his second wicket (that of Griffin), and at that stage Wickham Park were 106/6, with New Ash Green looking to kill the game off and give themselves plenty of time to chase the total.  However, a flurry of runs from Harbison & Pauling, the numbers 7 & 8, saw the total move on to 135/7 when Keith bowled Pauling for 21 and then 152/8 as Oliver Harding bowled Harbison for the same score.  A Harding caught and bowled then accounted for Puttock at number 9, and finally the returning Scanlan got reward for his earlier miserliness as Keith caught the number 11 Teare on 14.  That meant that Wickham Park had recovered well to ultimately realise 176 off 46.2 overs, so New Ash Green had earned themselves an extra 3 overs to chase down the total.  The bowling credits were shared, with everyone picking up wickets, Paul Sumner and Matt Scanlan both economical with 1/27 off 12 and 1/20 off 7.2 respectively, Dan Lewsey tireless with 2/58 off 1 12 over spell, Oliver Harding impressive with 2/13 off only 4, but the top performance came from Keith, with 4/38 from his 11.  The bowlers were well rotated by Andy Payne, who set his fields well and trusted his fielders to support their bowlers, which by and large they throughout the innings.

After tea Andy Payne and Rob Jansen went out to start the chase of what looked an achievable total, with Rob coming off the back of a good score against Meopham and Andy looking for runs to back his claim for a return to the 1st team.  Unfortunately Rob was bowled by Pauling around his legs for 8, and then Dave Stephens, who had showed signs of the quality of his batting before falling leg before to the same man to leave New Ash Green 35/2.  Matt Scanlan then joined Andy and they pushed the score on to 64/3 before Scanlan was bowled for 6 by Stevens to send Oliver Harding to the wicket.  Oliver seemed happy to let Andy get the runs, as the younger man played patiently for 2 from 23 balls in a 29-run partnership ended when Stevens had him bowled.  Paul Sumner then came and went quickly, sacrificing his wicket for 2 after a calamitous piece of calling left both men in the middle of the wicket.  That run out left New Ash Green 102/5, and Dan Lewsey went to join Andy who went on the attack.  Some big hitting took the captain past his 50 before his aggression got to the watching New Ash Green players - after an over where he launched the ball in the air one time too many for Keith's liking Jasper Holliday was sent out with water and a message to Andy to calm things down a little.  Sadly he was caught in 2 minds the very next ball and ended up caught behind to give Stevens a 3rd wicket.  That left New Ash Green precariously placed at 122/6, still needing 55 to win but with 23 overs left to do so.  Alan Carter went out to join his good friend Dan Lewsey, but became Stevens' 4th victim for only 2.  Keith then went out to steady the ship at 9, and helped Dan move the score on to 141/8 before he was dismissed in bizarre circumstances - bowled by Teare for 4 after the keeper had gone up for a caught behind, and with the bails dislodged, falling in front of the wicket.  As we found out after the game, apparently there had been slight contact with the off stump, the keeper had thought it was a catch and then realised what had transpired.  That sent Matthew Bushe out to the middle at 10 looking to break out of a very unfortunately low scoring sequence for the 2nd's & 3rd's - sadly he nibbled at one outside his off stump and was caught behind.  All this meant that New Ash Green were 141/9, needing 36 to win, or the seemingly unlikely prospect of Jasper Holliday helping Dan Lewsey to see out the final 15 overs.  Dan's guidance to Jasper straight away was not to do anything stupid and to try to keep his wicket intact.  Both men did so for the end of the dangerous Stevens' spell, and with the scoring rate soporific any chances of a win disappeared, making it a straight survival exercise.  At 148/9 after 50 overs, with the extra 3 left to see out, Captain Payne was left on the sidelines desperately hoping that his men would realise that the batting bonus point came at 150 - they hadn't twigged, it later emerged, but Jasper brought up the 150 anyway when he pulled Puttock's first ball behind square for 4, with Wickham Park rotating their bowlers to try and find the breakthrough.  That was a rare attacking shot indeed for the partnership of 12 in 15 overs - Dan's doughty resistance clear in the way he saw out the last 40 balls of his innings without scoring for an unbeaten 17 off 86, while Jasper showed a mix of the patented Holliday leave shot (stand there and watch it go by) and some genuine defensive strokes in (by his standards) a marathon knock of 7 not out from 40 balls.  As Wickham Park couldn't get that last wicket, New Ash Green held on for a losing draw and thereby denied their opponents the points which would have seen them move above New Ash Green in the table.

All in all, this was probably a game that New Ash Green felt they should and could have won, but in the end were grateful they didn't lose.  Well done to all who contributed to the game, and here's hoping that things are less nerve-wracking in the coming weeks!

Click HERE for full scorecard from KCL site.

Click HERE for latest league table.

Halstead v New Ash Green III
Saturday 19th June 2004

For the second time this season the third XI had to call off a league game as they couldn’t raise a side. Sadly one more such occasion, which currently looks inevitable, will mean their expulsion from the league, and it may be difficult for them to recover from that. This would be a terrible shame after all the good work that has gone in over the last two years in getting the side up and running, and in developing players for the club. I would urge everyone who can to try and make themselves available next week at the very least to try and get the third’s season back on track.

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