New Ash Green 140 all out (35.1 overs)
Betsham 144-6 (19.1 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 4 wickets

A superb late summer’s day and a visit to a local ground New Ash Green haven’t played on for many years brought a rash decision to bat first from Dan Lewsey on winning the toss. In what seemed ideal batting conditions they should have been looking for a good start, but losing Matthew Quantrill to a third ball that seamed sharply and bowled him behind his legs wasn’t the start they wanted. They were soon rocking at 29-4, but a useful partnership between Lewsey and Martin Ives, who made a sprightly 27 gave them some foundation, and Olly Cooper then held the innings together with comfortably his best innings in adult cricket, making an excellent 38 not out, and being sorely disappointed that the tail couldn’t hold together long enough to give him a chance of reaching 50.

140 was not a bat score after the start they had had, but never looked enough in the conditions. Betsham set off after the target at a rate of knots, and opener Steve Skivinton aside they played aggressively throughout. Number 3 Hilton Bayayi was especially attacking, hitting a couple of huge straight sixes and looking as if he would finish the game off in no time before donating his wicket in comic book fashion. Having smashed the ball through the covers he stood to admire his shot, before suddenly realising there was a man on the boundary and he wasn’t going to get four. He started to run, but his partner, equally oblivious of the boundary fielder had already turned and was chatting to the umpire, leaving Bayayi stranded as Martin Ives chose a good time to get his throw from the boundary straight. The next wicket was similarly worthy of debate, for rather different reasons, with Kieran Wells edging Dan Lewsey low to slip. Matthew Quantrill dived forward and got his hands round the ball, but was not sure if he had done so before the ball had bounced or not. The square leg umpire was unsighted, but the bowler’s end umpire had no doubts and gave it out. After that, though, it was a race to the end, with the Betsham batsmen giving some of New Ash Green’s bowlers some undeservedly terrible looking bowling figures as they threw the bat at everything. It did mean there were a couple more wickets, Matt Lemon getting one to move that caught the batsman by surprise and bowled him, and David Baker getting one caught in the deep, but although Joe Elisak followed up a poor first over with a much better second one Betsham were never in danger of losing and finished matters off with plenty of time to spare.

Scorecard

Town Malling 247 all out (38.4 overs)
New Ash Green 114 all out (36.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 133 runs

Town Malling are a strong Sunday side, and their top order made that clear, getting away to a powerful start, especially in the light of the late arrival of Lee Saunders and Dan Lewsey. When he did get on the field Saunders did remove both openers, but if anything that increased the standard of the batting. It was only after skipper David Wootton retired and the rest began to swing the bat less stylishly towards the end that the wickets began to tumble, with Dan Lewsey coming on at the end to pick up two, but John Harley the main beneficiary, taking 5 wickets in a manner that mystified the opposition when they debated it at tea time.

247 was always likely to be beyond New Ash Green, especially against an opening pace attack that would not have been out of place in a first team league game, with the main pace bowler not coming on till later in the innings. Michael James and Matt Clark, assisted by a number of wides from the occasionally erratic Elson, put on 20 for the first wicket, but something of a collapse followed with Matt Bushe, Ryan Marsh and Lee Saunders all making ducks. A sleep deprived Matthew Quantrill coming in at 6 stopped the rot, along with a very solid innings from Clark. They added 55, and although never looking like making a game of it in terms of chasing a win they were able to restore some pride by seeing off the opening and change bowlers, and making the close fielders jump a bit when lose balls were bowled. Eventually Quantrill fell for 31, a ball just stopping slightly and taking a leading edge. Martin Ives played another useful innings to keep Clark company for a while, but having given a few of their lesser players a bit of a go Town Malling eventually grew tired and brought on their main opening bowler, Smyth, who helped remove the last 5 wickets for the addition of only 3 runs, including Clark for an excellent 40, showing that the experience he has gained playing in the first team league games this season has been put to good use.

Scorecard