Saturday 28th May & Sunday 29th May 2005
New Ash Green v Tenterden
Saturday 28th May 2005
Kent League
Match - 100 Overs
Tenterden (12 points) 190-7 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (5 points) 152-8 (50 overs)
New Ash Green losing draw.
Hope for a 1st team match report, but this seem to have been a much improved performance against a
fairly strong side. Lots of individual contributions, with
almost all the batsmen reaching double figures. The only downside is the
injury to Andy Stuart’s knee which will keep him out indefinitely.
Click HERE for latest league table.
Bobbing Court II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 28th May 2005
Mid-Kent
League Match - 92 Overs
New Ash Green
(7 points) 218-5 (46 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 5 wickets.
Much improved weather conditions,
and a much harder pitch greeted New Ash Green as they arrived in dribs and
drabs at Bobbing’s bucolic ground. Most eventually
made it before the nominal start time, though Alan Carter and Dan Lewsey detoured via a McDonalds and managed not to arrive until
nearly an hour into the match and Darren Phillips never appeared at all, though
it appears this was not because he couldn’t find his way but because he was
unable to play but neglected to tell anyone. New Ash Green were therefore not
unhappy to be inserted on losing the toss, and they got off to a flying start
when Andy Payne, having taken a few balls to play himself in suddenly decided
he liked the bowling of Mark Bruce and hit him for 4,4,6,4,4,4 over the end of
his second over and beginning of his third. Bruce was hurriedly withdrawn from
the attack, but Payne continued to prosper, if slightly less spectacularly, off
the other bowlers until he was bowled trying to pull a straight ball for 49.
Matthew Quantrill and the promoted Matt Scanlan carried on more
sedately, but kept the score building and saw off the more threatening bowlers.
Eventually both perished failing to time drives to mid off, Scanaln making 33 and Quantrill 58. One man short
and with slightly less depth than they have become accustomed to New Ash Green
couldn’t accelerate quite as hard as they would have liked, especially when
Dominic Adolphe fell for 0. Pete Burke played another
splendid cameo, 22 at better than a run a ball, but got out just as he was
threatening to really launch into the bowlers, and Alan Carter (24*) and Dan Lewsey (8*) carried the total well past 200 without really
looking destructive.
218 looked an impressive score, but the wicket
was hard, the outfield quick and New Ash Green were sorely lacking in
established bowlers. From Bobbing’s previous results
New Ash Green were aware that their score would look almost impregnable if it
weren’t for opener Jim Ansley, with centuries in each
of his last two games. They were therefore highly disappointed when Pete Burke
beat him twice in his second over, only to see difficult chances spilled at
slip and gully. You can’t afford to give top quality batsmen chances, and Ansley, despite one or two more slightly fortunate moments
against Burke, including some very good LBW shouts, soon began to make New Ash
Green regret those drops. Although Burke was tidy at his end Dominic Adolphe failed to pull off his sneaky opening bowler trick,
and Alan Carter also slipped in too many loose balls, which Ansley
helped himself to. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so it was time
to try Matthew Quantrill’s bowling again. With
conditions nowhere near as helpful to him as the previous week, and rather
stronger batting (at least at one end) it was something of a risk, but when he
bowled Steve Schooling for 7 and had Tony Rickson LBW
first ball it looked as if it might be a successful one. However he failed to
remove Ansley with the hat-trick ball, and although
keeping Ansley in some sort of check began to fade
under the unfamiliar pressure of a long spell of bowling, slipping in more and more loose balls. Pete Burke had removed Neil Thompstone, also for 0, to give New Ash Green some hope,
but Dave Philp survived a shaky start to play a few
more shots and provide Ansley with at least some support.
Dan Lewsey posed a few questions, and eventually had Philp bowled, winding up a big shot at a slower ball, but Ansley carried on merrily pouncing on anything loose. Until
nearly the end New Ash Green felt that if they could just get Ansley the game could still be theirs, but they couldn’t
manage to find the ball that would undo him, even with the return of Burke. Lewsey did pick up one more wicket, having a full toss
tamely pulled into the hands of Matt Scanlan, but Ansley survived another big appeal from Burke before
heaving a huge six over mid-wicket to finish the game off, ending up 141*.
Extras were the next highest scorer on 43, with only Philp
(30) of the other batsmen having looked capable of challenging the New Ash
Green score. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the dropped catches, but
at least New Ash Green could feel re-assured that even with a fairly weak side
out they had only been deprived of victory by a monumental individual
performance, and that they are still very much in with a shout at the league
title.
Click HERE for latest league table.
New Ash Green v Town Malling
Sunday 29th May 2005
Sadly with New Ash Green having raised a side,
and a reasonably strong one as well, and plenty of people due to get a game
having done little on Saturday, the opposition called the game off on the morning!
Apologies to all those players who supported the Saturday
sides and didn’t get much of a game, and should have been given more of a game
on Sunday.