Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th July
Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th July
Kent Regional Cricket League - 46 Overs per side
Hartley (10 pts) 160 all out (45.3 overs)
New Ash Green (20 pts) 164-7 (34.1 overs)
New Ash Green won by 3 wickets
At last able to put out something vaguely resembling a full strength first team New Ash Green chose to bowl first on the basis that so far this season they had been marginally better at chasing than defending. On a hot day and with a flat looking pitch it was a bold step for a side who have been battered for a lot of runs in recent years, but their faith in their bowling attack proved justified. Mick Sumner and Ashley Woodward dominated the downhill bowling, and both bowled well, being hard to get away as well as constantly roving a threat, while Andy Mayers, Andy Harrington and Keith Bushell bowled manfully up the steep slope and gave little away. Sumner got the first breakthrough when the aggressive Kokkiligadda top edged one and Sumner himself took the catch. Woodward eventually took the second with an LBW and Harrington with the first of three increasingly good catches from Adam Reeves. From a steady start Hartley badly needed to accelerate, but found it hard to do so against the impressive Woodward, who persevered through tiredness to keep bowling accurately and with movement. It was, though, Bushell who took the next wicket, Hartley captain Fuller cursing when given out playing well forward, but the ball seemed very straight and low. Woodward finally got the rewards he deserved at the end of his spell, picking up three more wickets to finish with 4-29 from his 12 overs, before Sumner returned to take another with a top edge, and end with 2-27 in 11. Bushell also took two more, both courtesy of Adam Reeves, who leapt high to take the final wicket in the last over and give Bushell 3-31.
160 was slightly more than New Ash Green had wanted to chase, but it still looked like a below par score in very good conditions. It looked even more reachable when Matthew Quantrill cracked the first ball of the innings for 4, and followed up with another two balls later, and he and Vic Mayers were looking comfortable enough that Hartley's heads were already beginning to drop in the first few overs when Quantrill got one that shot a bit and resulted in the umpire's finger being raised. New Ash Green seem incapable of making winning easy, and within a few minutes Mayers and Karl Bartlett were also back in the pavilion. Andy Harrington and Andy Mayers were the key remaining batsmen, and they steadied the ship and Mayers in particular started to play some shots, putting the Hartley change bowlers to the sword. The pair added 82 for the 4th wicket in good time and once again the game was looking safe when Harrington holed out for 28. Joe Elisak followed soon after, but Chris Bartram kept Mayers company while he increased his scoring rate. He lost Bartram to what looked a very surprising LBW decision, given out off the outside of his thigh, but responded by hitting the returning opening bowler straight back over his head for 6. Once again it all looked secure for New Ash Green when Mayers missed a straight one and was bowled for 83. Mick Sumner survived the next two balls, but New Ash Green were worried about Adam Reeves' prospects against the pace of Kieran Hammond. Those fears turned out to be utterly unfounded as he calmly flicked the first three balls of the over away for 4s, to bring the scores level, and if that went slightly to his head as he tried to give Hammond the charge next ball he was able to survive the over and leave skipper Sumner with the glory of hitting the winning runs and keeping New Ash Green in touch with the pack in the league.
Scorecard
Current League Table
Friendly Match - Proper Cricket
New Ash Green 144 all out (34.1 overs)
Rainham 148-2 (20.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 8 wickets
With tour numbers having dropped off somewhat there turned out to be enough still at home to put out a Sunday side, effectively a second XI, against Rainham 2nds. John Harley continued his bold policy of choosing to bat first on winning the toss, but his plans must have suffered a blow when Scott McKechnie was caught and bowled for 26 fairly early on. Mark Chapelhow, though stepped up to anchor the innings, making 44 before being bowled within sight of a half century. Although no one else made double figures for a change most made high rather than low single figures, and with the help of a generous sprinkling of extras a respectable total was posted.
Rainham, though, got the runs with relative ease, even after losing Chris Taylor to injury early on, perhaps brought on by the joy of scoring his 10000th career run! John Harley and Martin Ives picked up a wicket each, but at some expense, and the change bowlers all went for runs, the most economical being Edward Quantrill, who also took a catch off Harley's bowling. A defeat, but plenty of positive points against fairly strong opposition.