Saturday 15th July & Sunday 16th
July 2006
New Ash Green v Sidcup
Saturday 15th July 2006
Kent League
Match - 100 Overs
New Ash Green
(2 points) 136 all out (49.1 overs)
Sidcup (16 points) 137-3 (38.1 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 7 wickets.
As close to full strength as they are likely to get this season
and playing at home to Sidcup who they have beaten twice in a row New Ash Green
would have had high hopes of halting a poor run of form. However a
disappointing batting display let them down, with almost every batsman making a
start (numbers 3 to 10 all got to at least 9) but only James Hewitt with 33
getting past 16. Hewitt also bowled a full and economical spell, picking up 2-33
in his 15 overs, but with none of the other bowlers
hitting top form Sidcup were able to complete a comfortable victory with plenty
of time to spare. There was hope for the future again in the displays of Scott McKechnie and Lee Saunders who matched their elders batting
performances, but the confidence that was helping the team to perform well
early in the season has leaked away since the departure of Luke Bowden, and it
will take a great performance from someone to turn that around now. Is there
anyone ready to stand up and lead the way?
Click HERE for latest league table.
Macknade II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 15th July 2006
Mid-Kent
League Match - 92 Overs
Macknade (19 points) 198 all out (43.1 overs)
New Ash Green (11 points) 159-8 (48 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 39 runs.
With a team as
strong as they have been able to put out this season the 2nd XI had
high hopes of being competitive in their match against mid-table Macknade. Without an umpire they had to field first on a
hot day, but nonetheless were able to live up to their hopes. Graeme Poole and
Matt Dehaney both produced some good balls in their
opening spells, but were both unlucky on occasions, though Macknade’s
openers were quick to take advantage of anything loose. In the end neither
bowler could make the breakthrough, but Keith Bushell
struck in his first over, and Dan Lewsey joined in
shortly afterwards with the aid of a quick stumping from Matthew Quantrill behind the stumps. After that wickets fell
regularly with Bushell taking one more courtesy of a
Collingwood like leap of his own bowling, while Lewsey
took two more. When they were done Dehaney returned
at one end, but the surprise package was Andy Harrington, turning his arm over
in anger for the first time in a while. Bowling accurately at a military medium
pace he took advantage of the batsmen’s attempts to accelerate, and aided by excellent
catches by Graeme Poole and Olly Harding from big skiers
he took 3-10 in 4 overs before Dehaney
wrapped up the innings with a caught and bowled.
Although 198
was well in excess of anything they had made this season it still felt within
New Ash Green’s grasp on a slow pitch with a short, fast outfield. Matthew Quantrill
and John Howland started solidly against a fairly innocuous opening attack, and
when Quantrill was given a life, being dropped fom a relatively simple chance at gully and responded by
striking a big six over mid-wicket hopes were high. Howland perished soon
afterwards, and Olly Harding soon followed, having
looked sound before slightly lifting a drive and being very well caught at ankle
height. The real blow, though, came when Quantrill
played a lazy shot to the leg spin of his opposite number Darryll
Cook and gave point the simplest of catches. David Baker continued his run of
good form, but Dehaney, Harrington and Matt Bushe all went fairly cheaply. James Oliver kept Baker company through a season leading 7th wicket stand
of 48, but the required run rate was gradually slipping beyond them and it was
becoming a matter of playing for bonus points. In the end Baker perished for 48,
and some last minute drama was provided by the attempt to secure an 11th
bonus point. Needing just one in the last over Dan Lewsey
perished going for a big hit and then Oliver failed to take a relatively
comfortable single before failing to hit the ball any distance at all in the
next three balls. An increasingly impatient Graeme Poole eventually called him
through for a suicidal single, but the run was made when the Macknade keeper missed the stumps from no more than 10
feet. Another encouraging performance, and if a similar strength team can be
put out regularly there will be some wins to come yet this season.
Click HERE for latest league table.
New Ash Green v Blue Bell Hill
Sunday 16th July 2006
Friendly Match
Blue
New Ash Green 88 all out (27.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 114 runs.
The BUPA Cup match had to be hastily
re-arranged after Old Tiffinians withdrew during the
week, coincidentally at the same time as several New Ash Green players not
usually available on a Sunday also found that they couldn’t after all manage to
help out the Sunday side this week either. Blue Bell Hill were picked up
through the bureau, and they soon made their intentions clear with Roy Sams going on the attack from the start, driving anything
that was well pitched up. Oliver Harding arrived on the field in the sixth
over, a late substitute for the absent Dan Lewsey,
later found to be on an escapade in
New Ash Green found it hard going in response,
the occasional aggressive shot almost always being followed up with a wicket. Of
the top 8 only David Baker with 12 made double figures, but perhaps aided by
the change bowling Lee Saunders and John Harley were able to add 30 for the
last wicket, a season leading performance. The BUPA Cup was, however, claimed
by Blue Bell Hill with time to spare.