Saturday 30th April and Monday 2nd
May 2005
Sidcup v New Ash Green
Saturday 30th April 2005
Friendly Match
- 40 Overs
New Ash Green
187-5 (40 overs)
Sidcup 126-9 (40 overs)
New Ash Green won by 61 runs.
The benefits of a full time professional groundsman
aided by quality equipment were obvious from the well prepared, dry wicket at
Sidcup, a distinct contrast to the bogginess of Manor Field. Sidcup won the
toss, and as might be expected at this time of year put New Ash Green in. There
was some assistance for the bowlers, with the ball swinging considerably in the
very humid conditions and seaming a bit as well, but there were really very few
demons in the pitch. Matthew Quantrill and Rob Jansen
both took a bit of time to adjust to the pace of an outdoor wicket, and after
10 overs the score had advanced to 12 without loss,
Jansen yet to score. The pace began to pick up a bit thereafter, the opening
pair of Bragg and Bastin being replaced by less
accurate bowlers, and the 50 came up in the 20th over, which
according to the ancient wisdom of James Thorn was the right base for a score
of 200 in a 40 over game. Jansen was out soon afterwards, missing a big drive
and being bowled, but he was replaced by Vaughan John, who didn’t look like a
man with a bad back playing his first game for a year. He was quickly forcing
the ball away and scampering between the wickets like a man half his age. With Quantrill reaching 50 and then going for his shots the run
rate surged ahead, a flurry of shots off his legs including 2 sixes, one going
over the pavilion, taking Quantrill to his 2nd
50 in just 30 balls. He had one obvious life when on 94 he spooned an attempted
pull fairly gently to deep mid-wicket, but the fielder there completely
misjudged it and didn’t even get a hand on it. There were also a few reasonable
LBW shouts, but in the end it took a run out to end the partnership, John mis-judging a quick single and being run out by some yards
by a direct hit when he had made 39 and the partnership was worth 118. Simon
Duke, having been padded up throughout the innings then suffered the mis-fortune to be bowled 1st ball, offering one
of those excuses which, while probably entirely genuine, is sadly only likely
to bring further ridicule on him. He claimed that the bowler, who was left arm
round to the right hander, changed to left arm over to him without him being
told. Expecting the bowler to go between the umpire and the stumps and bowl
round he was caught by surprise when the bowler came over the wicket, reacted
too late and was bowled. New player Dave Craddock batted and ran very soundly
in the short space of time available to him before both Quantrill
and he were stumped in the last over having big swings, Quantrill
finishing with 104. The total reached 187-5, a very respectable score and one
that would have been grabbed with both hands after the slow start.
If New Ash Green’s start had seemed slow it soon looked explosive
compared to Sidcup’s, and this despite the fact that their openers looked to be
more naturally attacking players than New Ash Green’s and had already had two
weeks worth of matches this season. Andy Stuart opened with 3 maidens, and
though Andy Cox conceded 3 runs in his first 3 overs,
two of them were flying edges which were dropped in the slips and the 3rd
a dangerously scrambled single to mid-wicket which could have brought a run
out. He also beat the bat with great frequency, leaving both batsmen groping
outside off stump. The runs started to come in the 7th over from Stuart, and in the 9th when Micky
Sumner started his season with a beamer, a wide and another beamer which was
hit for 4, so that he had conceded 7 runs without having bowled a legitimate
ball. He soon settled down and bowled a very tidy spell thereafter, picking up
2 wickets in his final over. Andy Cox took a wicket with the last ball of his 5th
over when Pete Burke held a more straightforward slip catch, and Burke himself
then replaced Cox and bowled a very useful spell, getting enough swing to
trouble all the batsmen, and Vaughan John behind the stumps. He ended up with
4-16 in his 8 overs, and by the time he and Sumner
had finished Sidcup were pretty much out of the game at 72-8. Matt Scanlan was now bowling his off spin, and despite an
occasional loose ball he produced some good loop and a bit of turn, showing his
potential to develop as a good spinner. He took a wicket early on, and after
Dave Bastin and Adam Bale had enjoyed Sidcup’s most
productive partnership, with the help of 2 overs from
John Howland, Simon Duke took the 9th wicket in his first over. The
last wicket pair had 8 overs to survive and 78 to
get, and not surprisingly they didn’t make the latter target. They did survive,
despite a very confident appeal for a brilliant catch by Vaughan John down the
leg side standing up to Duke. Unfortunately although there was a definite sound
the nature of it was such that the umpire couldn’t possibly have seen it and
the batsman claimed not to have felt it, again possibly genuinely. In the end
it was a very solid start to the season and a comfortable New Ash Green win,
which they will hope they can repeat if needed in the final league game of the
season!
New Ash Green v
Monday May 2nd, 2005
Despite the warm weekend it was touch and go whether the Manor
Field would have dried out enough to be playable, particularly with the help of
some early morning rain, but in the event Wilmington cried off before a
decision could be made, apparently due to a ‘cock-up’ they didn’t have a team!