Macknade (20 points) 224-9 dec. (50 overs)
New Ash Green (4 points) 115 all out (36.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 109 runs

A severely depleted New Ash green bowling attack started well with Paul Sumner picking up an early wicket, but were under intense pressure thereafter. A partnership of 113 for the second wicket was eventually ended by MAtt Scanlan, and it was the spin of Scanlan and Simon Duke that kept the lid on Macknade. From a quick start they were reined in somewhat and lost wickets, with Scnalan taking 5-66 and Duke 3-51, the 9th wicket falling to the last ball of the 50 overs.

224 was a stiff target for a side short of confidence and several regular players, but not as much as it might hae been at one stage. In the absence of Dan Walton Vaughan John promoted himself to open and produced his best batting of the season in making 43, but it was a slow start and the loss of Matt Scanlan didn't help. After a string of not outs at number 11 Matt Bushe was promoted to number 3 and stayed in for some time before eventually perishing trying to lift the run rate. John's innings finally came to an end taking a sharp second run and once Andy Payne had holed out for 23 a promising start tailed off quickly against the bowling of Phil Rowcroft who took 5-5.

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Borstal (13 points) 126-6 (46 overs)
New Ash Green (18 points) 127-9 (46 overs)
New Ash Green won by 1 wicket

Sometimes the best of triumphs comes out of adversity, and this was one of those games. New Ash Green had struggled to raise two teams for Saturday and some last minute ringing round had produced what, on paper, looked their weakest side of the season. In beautiful weather, though, they went out with the intention of enjoying the game whatever happened, and that spirit carried them through.

It started with a toss won and the opposition inserted, but plan A, John Harley and Lee Saunders knocking over the top order, failed to come off. Both bowled well and frequently beat the bat, but the Borstal openers grafted away, the only success for the opening bowlers coming when Chris Davies chipped a full toss gently back to John Harley, and it wasn't until the 17th over that the first boundary was scored. In the meantime one of several notable firsts came at the opposite end when Olly Cooper replaced Lee Saunders for his first spell in senior league cricket and produced a superb series of in swinging left arm over deliveries, picking up one wicket with a very good LBW shout and not conceding a run in his first four over spell, a remarkable achievement for a 13 year old in men's cricket, let alone on his debut. After that, with Harley finishing his spell, the bowling was a little more variable. John Clack slowed his pace down and managed some accuracy, enough to pose problems on a wicket that always gave assistance to the bowlers throughout the match, Ben Cooke bowled a useful spell, picking up the wicket of James Baker, but not quite his usual consistent self, and Simon Freeman also took his first ever wicket for the club. Olly Cooper had three more overs, good but not quite as stunningly successful, to finish with 1-6 from 7 overs, before Lee Saunders finished off from one end, while at the other Matthew Quantrill, having passed wicket keeping duties to Ben Cooke, had a short burst in which he took 2-3, missing the hat trick balll after two successive clean bowled. In the end 126 wasn't a bad score on that wicket, but with Borstal still having plenty of wickets in hand one had to feel they hadn't quite pressed the accelerator as hard as they might have done. Mostly good fielding, especially from Tim Cooper, several times flinging himself full length to save runs, and one stunning full length dive from Charlie Cutting, helped, and as it turned out every one of those saves was vital.

In reply Matthew Quantrill and John Howland started off very soundly, with the first boundary taking just 8 balls and Quantrill timing his shots nicely from the start. They were slowed somewhat by the change bowlers, Davies and Tahir Amijee, Amijee in particular producing a very tidy spell, managing a very creditable Sharad Bawdekar impersonation in both appearance and bowling performance. It was Amijee who made the breakthrough, ironically from a bad ball, a short wide one which just slowed and popped up a little, Quantrill failing to get on top of it and being caught in the covers. Debutant Charlie Cutting made an immediate impression with a cover drive for four from his first ball, but it was back to the grind after that, and when Cutting and Howland fell in quick succession New Ash Green were struggling. Ben Cooke has not grown in height over the winter, but seems to have gained in strength, immediately playing the ball with remarkable power for one so tiny, much to the bemusement of the close fielders. He had soon forced the fielders back, but was unlucky to be caught above his head by mid wicket when another well timed shot seemed destined for better things. Simon Freeman was soon bamboozled by James Baker's leg break, and James Porter unfortunately run out being slow to respond to a call for a perhaps unnecessarily quick single, and it looked all over at 72-6, still 55 runs from victory. Last week's stunning late order effort, though, had taught New Ash Green not to give up, and John Clack and Lee Saunders saw off Amijee and started to try and take advantage of the change bowlers. Clack made 11, with two powerfully hit straight fours, but immediately after the second of these he was beaten by Richard Waspe, and Tim Cooper followed two balls later – 94-8. There was still plenty of time, the required run rate only just beginning to drift over three an over, but the onus was now on Lee Saunders to score runs, and his inexperience showed a little as he frequently lost the strike early in the over. Olly Cooper did a sterling job in staying in to keep him company, but was never going to make a big contribution to scoring, and the rate began to slip slightly higher. When Cooper became Waspe's third victim, also bowled, 23 were still needed from 5 overs, but John Harley, fresh from last week's record breaking partnership of 75 for the last wicket was full of confidence. He managed, as usual, to convince everyone he would be bowled at any moment, missing balls that were only marginally off target but managing to get a bat on everything straight. 7 runs came from Waspe's penultimate over, but despite valiant running it was only odd runs apart from that, and 15 off three became 12 off two and finally 9 needed from the final over, bowled by Borstal skipper Chris Davies. The batsmen declined a single from the first ball, trying to keep Saunders on strike, but hastily reviewed their tactics, realising they must take what runs they could. A good drive to long on and positive running brought two, but the next ball only a single, leaving Harley on strike with 6 needed from 3 balls. He managed to get the ball away for a single, and Saunders again drove the next ball straight and two were made. Much consultation followed and the field spread, giving New Ash Green a good chance of two almost anywhere, enough to give them a tie, worth three valuable extra points. Saunders, by now moving his feet and hitting the ball with great confidence swung it away to deep mid-wicket, a big enough gap to make two comfortable, but better was to follow as the throw back was long, but well off target, and as fielders converged on the ball the batsmen were able to come back for the third run and complete the victory, to the utter dismay of the bowler. Borstal were stunned, but after two close chases New Ash Green were delighted to have successfully completed one and notched up a triumph for team spirit and playing for enjoyment.

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Wilmington 123 all out (29.1 overs)
New Ash Green 127-2 (26.1 overs)
New Ash Green won by 8 wickets

After the usual steady start from John Harley, who took 1-22, and an early wicket from Matt Bushe who also made a run out it was Graeme Poole and Joe Elisak who ran through the Wilmington batting, Poole finsihing with 4-21 and Elisak 3-37.

Boosted by the presence of the first XI's usual top 3 it was a traget that proved within easy reach, Matt Scanlan getting them off to a good start with a quick 30, Andy Payne contributing 20 and Dan Walton hitting the winning runs with a 4 which bounced on the boundary and also brought up his 50.

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