Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd May
Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd May
Kent Regional Cricket League - 46 Overs per side
New Ash Green (3pts) 113 all out (36.3 overs)
Hsrtley (20 pts) 116-2 (36.2 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 8 wickets
With half the team making their season's debuts New Ash Green might have expected to struggle, but after being given first chance to bat despite the sweltering heat it was those who had been playing, mostly batsmen, who let the side down. After a bright start from Andy Payne there was a clatter of wickets, mostly to careless shots, and 12-0 became 15-4 in no time. From there on it was always going to be a struggle on a pitch where timing was never easy, but Karl Bartlett (yet again) and Martin Ives showed real resolution in rebuilding the innings, and Arron Ward, on leave from the RAF, played a bright cameo. At 81-9 it looked like an embarrassingly early finish was on the cards, but James Gegg, playing his first game in about 15 years, showed some real promise in keeping Mick Sumner company, while Sumner was very pleased to find Hartley trying to finish matters off with spin and tucked into two loose overs from Kokkiligadda to be top scorer with 24, before the return of the opening bowler ended the stand at 32, leaving Gegg on 11*.
Hartley were muttering about finishing things off in 10 overs and having beer matches as they came off, but in fact they had to work extremely hard for their runs. Apart from Keith Bushell's first over none of the bowlers betrayed their lack of match practice, and Mick Sumner and Andy Mayers caused the opening batsmen all sorts of problems without having much luck. The run rate was no quicker than New Ash Green's but crucially wickets didn't fall, the one early chance, a moderately difficult catch, going down. Paul Sumner also beat the bat a few times, and eventually made the breakthrough courtesy of a good catch from his brother, but with Hartley having time on their side it was really too little, too late and although there was time for a late wicket for Andy Payne, almost embarrassed to take a return catch from a full toss, Hartley coasted to a comfortable victory. Despite the apparent ease of the victory, though, and with all respect to Hartley, it was apparent that they (like Holborough the previous week) were not in the same class as many of the teams New Ash Green have been playing in the last few years, and there has to be every hope that provided they can get people playing regularly and in form New Ash Green should be able to win a few games in this division.
Scorecard
Current League Table
Kent Regional Cricket League - 46 Overs per side
Holborough Anchorians (13 pts) 111 all out (32.2 overs)
New Ash Green (20 pts) 112-9 (30.1 overs)
New Ash Green won by 1 wicket
At last a genuine second XI, and after some late shuffling a reasonably strong one. Between the two sides there must have been at least 6 players who had played in last week's match between the two first XIs, but this one gave the New Ash Green contingent a measure of revenge. Holborough chose to bat first and found scoring difficult throughout – the fact that John Harding conceded 21 byes says all you need to know about the wicket, and extras were in fact top scorers in both innings. Nonetheless it needed a good bowling performance and good fielding to take advantage and New Ash Green got that from all their players, with a run out by Adam Brown and a catch from 13 year old Edward Quantrill via both hands and his face to give Adam Reeves the bowling honours with 4-28. Holborough's top order all got starts, but their lower order scores would be familiar to any New Ash Green player of recent years, with only one player between 5 and 11 getting off the mark and 5 ducks between them.
Chasing 111 was not easy on such a difficult wicket, and wasn't helped by Dan Lewsey's decision to allow one of the opposition non-players to umpire both ends despite not having been present for the whole game. Presumably knowing he had few people able and willing to umpire Lewsey acceded to the "umpire's" request, but paid the price (and learnt his lesson) as he was one of the 4 (of the first 5) to be given out LBW, not all of them entirely plumb. Of those five, though, four were able to make some contribution, with a promising innings from Adam Brown and Chris Bartram top scoring with 17. There was something of a wobble in the middle, but John Harley (currently averaging 48 for the season) got off the mark with a 6 and he and Adam Reeves took New Ash Green within sight of victory before Reeves fell and Edward Quantrill soon afterwards. 6 were still needed as Matt Bushe joined John Harley for his first innings of a season restricted by his ongoing back injury. Last year's Duck Cup leaders were not going to start their challenge for this year's trophy just yet, though, and knocked off the remaining runs without alarm to notch up a win, the first genuine second team win for a long while!
Scorecard
Current League Table
Friendly Match - Proper Cricket
New Ash Green 200-4 dec. (43 overs)
Cobham 181 all out (32.1 overs)
New Ash Green won by 19 runs
For the second day in a row New Ash Green were generously invited to bat first in sweltering heat, and this time they took advantage. The batting was not actually much more convincing than the previous day, but the bowling and fielding from the opposition were this time equally unimpressive, and both openers benefitted from spilled catches as they ground their way to a century opening partnership. At that point Dan Lewsey finally found a fielder who could catch, but Andy Harrington joined Matthew Quantrill in adding another 53 for the second wicket before being bowled leg stump trying to glance. By this time Quantrill was finally beginning to time the ball, and he reached his century with some powerful drives and cuts, before launching a six over the covers from a full toss. He then aggravated a groin strain taking a quick run, and retired to allow Mark Chapelhow, on debut, and Tim Cooper to get in, and out, and Joe Elisak and Bradley Lonergan to fling the bat for an over or two, bringing up 200 just at the point John Harley had decided to declare.
The score looked a comfortable winning one, but as in last year's game Cobham's batting rather outshone their bowling and fielding, and to their great credit they played with complete commitment in trying to chase the target. John Harley picked up an early wicket courtesy of a smart slip catch from Tim Cooper and there were several further good catches along the way, but also a number of big hits as the total mounted and the run rate was kept well in sight. Ryan McKivett and Ryan Harley suffered some of the hitting, but Joe Elisak was also hit about a bit despite getting two wickets, and in the end John Harley turned to Dan Lewsey and Andy Harrington to bowl the final few overs. Neither could completely contain the batsmen, but Harrington did get enough movement to make attacking him dangerous, and wickets fell steadily, until with 20 needed from the last 4 overs Andy Jefferson got a top edge and was taken by Lewsey at slip to give Harrington a five wicket haul and New Ash Green a 19 run win, a good end for them to an excellent game of cricket.