Saturday 3^rd & Sunday 4^th September 2005

New Ash Green v Sidcup
Saturday 3^rd September 2005

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

New Ash Green (20 points) 168 all out (49.4 overs)
Sidcup (5 points) 147 all out (47 overs)
New Ash Green won by 21 runs.

New Ash Green started their season with victory over Sidcup, and the 1^st team ended their season in the same manner making Sidcup the 2^nd team this season (after Mote IV) to lose twice to New Ash Green. Sidcup won the toss and chose to ask New Ash Green to bat, but after the perils of international pace bowling last week the Sidcup attack must have seemed quite innocuous. Certainly Matt Scanlan and Simon Duke has little difficulty, posting only the 2^nd 50 stand for the first wicket of the season in the league. Scanlan eventually went for 22, but that didn’t break New Ash green’s confidence. Unlike many previous innings this season almost every batsman contributed something. Simon Duke top scored with 33, Vaughan John made 9, Andy Cox on his return from injury made 23 and Andy Mayers 16. There was a minor crisis mid-innings with Vic Mayers retiring hurt and James Hewitt making a duck, but Mick Sumner got 11, Andy Stuart 8 and Pete Burke contributed a typically swift 23 at number 10, aided by Vic Mayers returning to the crease to allow a further 7 runs to be added for the last wicket.

167 was comfortably more than Sidcup made on a better track at their ground early in the season, and they made a very slow start this time. James Hewitt was particularly successful, having the remarkable figures of 3-2 with 6 maidens from his first 7 overs. Micky Sumner was a touch more expensive, but threw in 4 maidens and a wicket of his own and when the openers came off after 9 apiece the score had limped to 37-4. There was no respite for Sidcup though as Andy Stuart, having rediscovered the art of taking wickets last week, started with a wicket maiden and also went on to have 1-2 from his first 4 overs. Pete Burke did get the Sidcup scoring going in his first over, apparently struggling for line as several wides and some fours helped him concede 14 in his first over, though he tightened up slightly after that. Vic Mayers replaced Pete after 5 overs to bowl a tidy spell himself, though without making a breakthrough. However Andy Stuart picked up another wicket and Sidcup’s top scorer Beresford-Webb was run out while Vic Mayers was bowling, by Andy Mayers. Having recovered from a parlous 37-5 Sidcup still had much work to do at 82-7, less than half way to their target. At 104-7 the opening bowlers were recalled and Hewitt struck immediately with his first ball back, before being carted for 6. It was the only scoring stroke for the batsman, Harty, though, as he was LBW to the first ball of Hewitt’s next over. After that Hewitt and Sumner were both economical but couldn’t get the last wicket and when 28 had been added for the tenth wicket Andy Stuart brought himself back on. He made little impression with his first 5 balls, conceding 7 runs, but the last ball of his over saw the ball hit to Matt Scanlan at point and the victory was wrapped up with 3 overs to spare.

A confidence boosting finish to the season with two wins against middle of the table teams and much solider batting displays, but they may have been overdone as the league tables seem to indicate that New Ash Green have somehow got out of the bottom six and will therefore be in division 4 of the re-structured league rather than division 5. Perhaps the last two weeks should reduce their fear of that result, having showed they can compete with these sides, but it will need a continuation of those confident performances to make an impact next year.

Click HERE for full Scorecard

Click HERE for latest league table.

Sevenoaks Vine IV v New Ash Green II
Saturday 3^rd September 2005

Mid-Kent League Match - 92 Overs

Sevenoaks Vine (20 points) 262-6 dec. (43 overs)
New Ash Green (7 points) 186 all out (45 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 76 runs.

A beautiful late summer day greeted New Ash Green at the attractive Otford ground, a haven for batsmen. When Vine, the strongest batting side in the league, won the toss and chose to bat New Ash Green at least knew they would be able to give all their bowlers a game, but it was with some trepidation that they took to the field. However good starts by Keith Bushell and Lee Saunders were marred only by poor catching by New Ash Green who missed numerous chances through the innings, though few of them were completely easy. Ben Cooke was also unlucky in his spell and eventually Bushell resorted to taking the wickets himself having the openers bowled and LBW in quick succession. This served to bring in Sebastian Walker, who had made a century at the Manor Field, and unfortunately he too was given an early life and went on to make New Ash Green pay. Dan Lewsey could find little in the pitch to help him, and the runs continued to flow steadily at both ends until Matt Bushe, replacing Bushell after he had spoiled his figures somewhat by going for 12 in an over, eventually took a caught and bowled chance from a full toss to the dangerous looking Hemmingway. With neither Lewsey or Carter able to stem the flow of runs at the pavilion end Bushe at least continued to chip away at the wickets, having Booton LBW for 18 and finally inducing a top edge from Walker and finding a fielder who could catch in Andy Oliver. When he had Boardman both very plumb LBW and then bowled as the ball trickled into the stumps Bushe could almost claim his first 5 wicket haul, but a real fifth wicket eluded him, hindered by the Vine’s early declaration as they tried to leave themselves as much time as possible to get the 10 wickets they needed for maximum bonus points and keep themselves in pole position for the league title.

The early declaration left New Ash Green 49 overs to chase 263, a task which should have been well beyond them on recent form. However the track was still playing excellently and the Vine’s bowling was not quite the same standard as their batting. Matthew Quantrill elected to bat positively and see how things went, but things initially did not go well. Quantrill took 3 from the third ball of the innings only for Alan Carter (one of several players from the previous week’s game against New Ifield who had been ill during the week) to be bowled first ball (his third golden duck of the season) playing no sort of shot at all. Chris Hoddinott joined Quantrill and stayed solid while Quantrill was picking off runs with reasonable freedom, but with the pair who might have given them a real chance of getting the runs at the crease New Ash Green suffered a piece of undeserved bad luck when Quantrill hit a crunching straight drive from Walker only to see the bowler get a toe to it and deflect it onto the stumps. The ball still comfortably went over the boundary, but Hoddinott was stranded out of his crease, cruelly run out for 0. James Oliver was then bowled by Walker second ball, but Lee Saunders held firm and eventually with the score in the 30’s became the first batsman other than Quantrill to score a run when he smashed Walker over extra cover for 4. Saunders stayed solid as 43 were added for the 4^th wicket before he edged one behind just after hitting another excellent boundary to take him into double figures. Dan Lewsey the joined Quantrill and settled happily into a supporting role as Quantrill continued to play positively but sensibly and rack up the runs. The Vine resorted to a wide variety of bowlers to try and tempt the pair out, but neither would play rash shots and they continued to keep the run rate ticking over nicely. When Quantrill reached his century with three successive boundaries from the gentle spin (or lobbers?) of Watson the target was not completely out of reach, with 118 needed from 15 overs. On a big ground with the field well spread it was going to take some considerable luck, but it was not impossible, so Quantrill elected to have a go, but almost immediately perished caught on the boundary for 112 attempting to drive a six. With Quantrill gone, and with him any realistic prospect of victory, Lewsey elected to have a go as well and was bowled, reducing the score to 150-6, much to the relief of the Vine. The rest of the batsmen made them sweat over obtaining their bonus points, though, with Jasper Holliday taking 8 from one over from Hemmingway, who had done more with the ball than any other bowler on the day, before Hemmingway had his revenge, bowling him in the next over. Ben Cooke got his first duck of the season, but his wicket may well have created some sort of record, as he was bowled by Martin Couch, who plays for an over 60’s side, and has done so for some time. I am not sure of the exact age difference, but it was certainly well over 50 years, which must surely be some sort of record. Keith Bushell was also bowled by Couch, but Andy Oliver was demonstrating that the rich source of potential in the small New Ash Green colts section has by no mean been exhausted yet as he batted with confidence to make 9 and ensure New Ash Green managed two batting bonus points, their best haul in a run chase since the first game of the season. Oliver eventually became Couch’s 4^th victim, all bowled to leave Matt Bushe not out yet again, though he was dropped once!

Click HERE for full Scorecard

Click HERE for latest league table.

New Ash Green v Old Williamsonians
Sunday 4^th September 2005

Medway Sunday League Match - 40 Overs per side

New Ash Green (1 point) 79 all out (35 overs)
Old Williamsonians (8 points) 80-1 (17.4 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 9 wickets.

Another gorgeous day greeted New Ash Green, but the prospect of a gentle game of Sunday cricket to finish the season off with was soon fading into the distance. A mostly young and hyped up opposition were chasing a win to take the league title, and they were not going to take any chances. Despite the lovely conditions and a pitch that looked in good nick they had no hesitation in putting New Ash Green in when they won the toss, and as it turned out the pitch was not quite as friendly as it looked, having dried out perhaps excessively and breaking up enough to produce plenty of variable bounce. Luke Butcher, who attended many of New Ash Green’s winter net sessions, opened the bowling for Old Willies bowling at considerable pace, and getting a bit of movement down the slope. Matthew Quantrill took a single first ball and Phil Markham, in a new role as an opening bat, survived the remainder of the over. However when they swapped ends in the second over Markham was not so lucky. Pivoting to swing at a short ball from King he was struck somewhere painful, and while still somewhat disorientated failed to return to his crease and was run out, perhaps somewhat controversially. Mike Wederell managed a single and survived an over from Butcher, but on returning to the far end to face King he got a leading edge and was well caught by the bowler diving to take the ball inches from the ground. Sadly the distance from the ground was similar to the distance his front foot had been over the crease, one of a number of no balls not called by the umpire, amongst quite a few that were called. Lee Saunders showed great resolution, proving once again that he is a huge prospect for the future, scoring a 4 from King and taking on Butcher with great bravery – very few 14 year olds (and Lee was only just 14) will ever face a bowler of Butcher’s pace, particularly on a less than reliable surface. Saunders did take one short ball on the chest, but recovered to face up to the rest of the over undaunted. At the other end Quantrill was continuing his form from the previous day, though on a less good track and against much sharper bowling the run rate was not quite the same. He put away a number of poor balls from King, and scored two successive fours from Butcher, deprived of a third only by the fact that a perfectly hit cover drive ricocheted off the ankle of the short extra fielder, forcing the removal of the close fielders. Quantrill and Saunders had added 33 and forced Butcher out of the attack wicketless, but the first over from the change bowling proved to be not much slower than Butcher, and playing down the wrong line Saunders was unlucky to see the ball graze his off stump and flick a bail off, out for a hard fought 7. When King was also rested and replaced by the (alleged) spin of Simon Wood New Ash Green seemed to have weathered the worst of the storm, but Quantrill was undone by the high bounce of one from the tall Wood and feathered the ball to the keeper for 29. Micky Sumner took over the scoring mantle, aided only by Jasper Holliday who made another 7 before being bowled by the third pace bowler from the pavilion end, Jon Child. The rest subsided slowly until the most memorable moment of the match. Micky Sumner played at one round the corner, and either missed or didn’t connect properly and the ball ran away to fine leg. He was called through for a run by Alan Carter, but in disgust with himself simply walked towards the bowler’s end. Not paying attention he realised too late that the ball was in the fielder’s hand, and by the time he started to run he was unable to beat the direct hit, and was recorded in the book as ‘walked out’ for 20. Almost immediately afterwards Matt Bushe’s long run of not outs came to an end as he was bowled for a duck.

Even with some help from the pitch the total was never going to be enough. Keith Bushell and particularly Micky Sumner both troubled the batsmen, and Sumner managed to pick up a wicket with a thin edge that stayed low and was well caught behind the stumps. From then on Butcher and Child were very comfortable, and without ever running away with it they cruised to victory and the league title with time to spare.

Click HERE for full Scorecard

Click HERE for latest league table.

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