Saturday 11th June & Sunday 12th June 2005
Old Wilsonians v New
Ash Green
Saturday 11th June 2005
Kent League
Match - 100 Overs
Old Wilsonians (12 points) 178-9 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (6 points) 163-8 (50 overs)
New Ash Green losing draw.
Another much improved performance, making a respectable effort
against one of the better sides in the division, should set New Ash Green up
well for the next few weeks when they have a run of matches against sides in
the lower half of the table. After a good start by Wilsonians
Pete Burke removed their top order, ending up with 4 wickets,
and James Hewitt also took 3 wickets. A number of medium contributions kept New Ash Green in
touch, but despite a spirited effort by Hewitt and Kieran Hoddinott
for the 9th wicket they couldn’t quite reach the total. A full match
report would be welcomed!
Click HERE for latest league table.
Cowdrey II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 11th June 2005
Mid-Kent
League Match - 92 Overs
Cowdrey (19 points) 213-7 (46 overs)
New Ash Green (4 points) 131-8 (46 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 82 runs.
The wheels came off for the 2nd XI
with a disappointing performance away to joint league leaders Cowdrey. A flat but potentially crumbly wicket and fast
looking outfield cried out for batting first, but New Ash Green lost the toss
and so were condemned to field. Things started well
with tidy bowling by Keith Bushell and Paul Sumner,
and a lifeless wicket left the batsmen floundering slightly. Matt Bushe set the tone for a much improved fielding display
with a full length dive in the gully, but the initial breakthrough was some
time coming, Sumner eventually bowling Hood in the 12th over. The
scoring rate crept along at no more than 2 an over, though, until a key point
came with the introduction of Robin Wills in the 16th over, bowling
his first spell in nearly a year. He was on the spot almost immediately and was
soon getting prodigious amounts of turn, and when he bowled Cowdrey
captain Dick Simmonds in his second over, turning one
around a forward thrusting defensive stroke, New Ash Green seemed very much on
top. The run rate was still barely over 2 when Bushell
finished his spell, conceding just 22 from his 11 overs,
and Andy Payne came on and also found considerable turn. He bowled Steve Smith
in his second over, beating him on the charge, and then produced two superb
balls to beat dangerman Ian Scott, but unfortunately
failed to dismiss him. At this point with two spinners bowling well and turning
the ball prodigiously New Ash Green were looking comfortable favourites,
particularly as Cowdrey had no spinners, but Wills
then slipped in a couple of loose balls, conceding 10, before Payne had a
nightmare over, bowling a series of long hops and full tosses, unfortunately to
the big hitting Scott, and conceded 25 in an over. Although both bowlers
recovered their composure somewhat, Payne responding with a maiden and Wills
having Scott beautifully caught on the boundary by Matt Bushe, the tone of the game
had changed. Wills was tiring and showing his lack of regular cricket, slipping
in too many loose balls, and neither Dan Lewsey or
Paul Sumner on his return could completely cut out the occasional four balls
either. Opener Dave Elliott had struggled early on, but now took full
advantage, and although the lower order couldn’t quite carry on at the same
pace after he was caught for 90, fishing at a wide ball from Lewsey, the damage was done and despite a couple of late
wickets from Sumner the total went comfortably past 200.
Batting first New Ash Green would have fancied
their chances of topping 213, especially with Cowdrey
opening bowler Scott nursing an injury and not able to bowl flat out. The pitch
was lifeless, and did nothing to assist the seamers,
but as the innings wore on it began to crumble and balls started popping and
stopping, making judgement of attacking shots almost impossible off anything
but the rankest of poor balls. Andy Payne departed early, having looked good in
timing a couple of early drives but then playing right across a straight one.
Matthew Quantrill and Dan Walton once again built a
steady foundation, putting on 63 by the midway stage, and nearly seeing off the
very accurate slow medium of Anthony Bryant. At the drinks break the stage
seemed set for an attack in the second half of the innings and a close finish,
but the first over after the drinks break, Bryant’s last, brought disaster as Quantrill was undone by one that stopped and was caught and
bowled and Robin Wills was caught in the same over. There were still chances as
Walton and Dominic Adolphe took on the change
bowling, but the increasingly variable pitch made attack almost impossible, and
Cowdrey bowled far fewer really bad balls in the
second half of the innings than New Ash Green had done. Walton top scored with
38 before being caught inevitably mis-timing an
attacking stroke in a desperate attempt to keep up with the rapidly increasing
required rate, and Adolphe somehow managed to be
bowled despite taking the ball in his stomach. After that it was a matter of
playing for bonus points, though even these seemed almost out of reach as New
Ash Green struggled to make any progress at all. Alan Carter took some 50 balls
to reach double figures, but although he was barracked from the sides by others
those who did try and have a go found scoring was not easy, and it was only in
the last two overs when Cowdrey
were spreading the bowling duties around that a few fours were swatted and one
bonus point was reached, and very nearly a second. The only consolation for New
Ash Green was the fact that they preserved their record of not having been all
out, and deprived Cowdrey of maximum points, but it
was a scant consolation. Without improved consistency in the bowling they will
struggle to remain amongst the league leaders.
Click HERE for latest league table.
New Ash Green v Sherwood
Sunday 12th June 2005
Medway Sunday
League Match - 40 Overs per side
Sherwood (7
points) 318-7 (40 overs)
New Ash Green (2 points) 95-6 (40 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 223 runs.
A match between two teams approaching their Sunday cricket with
rather different philosophies, both it seems getting what they wanted from the
match. Having hastily arranged a ‘home’ ground at Footscray
Rugby Club New Ash Green got stuck in traffic and the bulk of the team arrived late.
Sherwood, a young side, showed their attitude to the game by grumbling about
the lateness and trying to claim the toss, despite the fact that they had neither an umpire or scorer and there are no league rules
concerning concessions of the toss. Since they wanted to bat and Alan Carter
wanted to bowl there was no point in arguing, and New Ash Green started off
with a makeshift opening attack of Dan Lewsey and
Matthew Quantrill. Sherwood have
something of a history of having big hitters who bully weak bowling, and with
short boundaries, a fast outfield and an inexperienced opposition they took
every opportunity. Both openers got careless and were caught in the deep and
Matt Bushe produced a tidy spell, the pick of the New
Ash Green bowling, to take 3-46, but the run rate bucketed along generally at
around 8 an over for most of the innings. Arron
Dodson took two superb catches at long off of Bushe’s
bowling, the second causing some controversy as he slightly misjudged it and
ended up having to take it one handed above his head falling backwards.
Although he held it cleanly the batsman, Sherwood captain Andy Fewtrell, was for some reason convinced he had grounded it
and refused to leave the field even when given out by the umpire, even then
swearing and accusing New Ash Green of cheating. It seems he was keener to
continue smashing sixes himself than give the younger players in his side a
game even though Sherwood were already past 250 and clearly going to win the
match. This attitude was continued by number 3 Phil Jones, who seemed desperate
to keep the strike, to the extent that he called a single early in an over when
young Damian Mee had hit the ball straight to a
fielder. It was obvious almost immediately that the run wasn’t there, but Jones
called Mee on to make sure he crossed, sacrificing Mee for his own mistake. He perhaps got his just deserts
when he hit Matt Scanlan straight into the welcoming
hands of Matt Bushe to be out for 96, which at least
allowed another youngster, Tammy Maphango a short bat
at the end, during which he looked more than capable.
Clearly Sherwood were concerned about whether 318 was enough as
they again ignored the chance to get their young players into the game and
opened with two more senior bowlers. Arron Dodson,
promoted to open for New Ash Green, took them on with relish, striking a quickfire 18 and soon spreading the fielders before he was
bowled by the first straight ball he faced. Phil Markham on his debut soon
followed, and Matthew Quantrill pulled a short ball
tamely to square leg, but Graeme Poole took the chance to develop his game,
opening the batting and lasting 105 balls for his 16, before he was finally
bowled in the 35th over. He found stout partners in Matt Bushe, who made 8, and Dan Lewsey
who took 31 balls to score 2 before James Oliver and Alan Carter saw out the overs to ensure that New Ash Green had one small triumph
from the afternoon – they lost fewer wickets than Sherwood. Of more
significance, though, they gave all their players a game, and most took the
chance to enhance their reputations. Graemen Poole’s
long innings showed great promise for the future, Matt Bushe’s
bowling and batting continue to improve, Arron Dodson
also showed improvement with bat and ball as well as taking two good catches
and Mike Wederell bowled some useful balls in his
short spell. In terms of the purpose of this league New Ash Green probably came
away with more from the match than Sherwood despite the disparity in the
scores.
Click HERE for latest league table.