Saturday 26h & Sunday 27th June
Saturday 26h & Sunday 27th June
Kent Regional Cricket League - 46 Overs per side
New Ash Green (6pts) 193 all out (45.4 overs)
Leybourne (20 pts) 194-4 (45.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 6 wickets
Having an umpire and thus winning the toss two weeks in a row presented New Ash Green with the chance to bat first on the hottest cricketing day of the year so far. The wicket didn't perform quite as well as hoped, but still had enough pace in it to make shot making easier than much of the season, but the Leybourne bowlers were accurate enough to restrict New Ash Green to a slow start. Each time they seemed to start to pick up the pace another wicket would fall, with no one in the top order really getting going, though there were several reasonable contributions. A cluster of wickets leaving them 101-6 looked to have undermined the innings, but Karl Bartlett (33), Mick Sumner (17, including a huge six) and especially Paul Sumner, who scored his 34 off just 20 balls with 3 fours and three sixes, kept the momentum going. The highlight was an over in which Bartlett took two 4s and a 3, before Paul Sumner got a four and a six, to make it 22 off the over. Unfortunately both Bartlett and Paul Sumner got out in quick succession after a season leading 63 partnership for the 8th wicket, and the momentum was lost in the last couple of overs, perhaps critically.
In response Mick Sumner generated great pace and troubled the batsmen early on, with 5 maidens in his first 6 overs, but as so often couldn't seem to find a way of getting wickets – not entirely his own fault with several chances going down. Dan Lewsey did pick up an early wicket, but the 2nd wicket partnership for Leybourne changed the game. After a cautious start Dave Cahalin at number 3 started chancing his arm, initially entirely outside off stump, but increasingly across the line to the leg side as the game wore on. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective, and with Andy Mayers slightly out of sorts in his first full bowl of the season the partnership gradually put Leybourne in command. Just as they seemed to be in complete control Paul Sumner finally induced a thin edge from Cahalin, who departed for 70, and soon afterwards removed the other opener, Smith, by finding some extra bounce and someone who could catch at slip in David Baker. The next pair didn't look as confident in scoring runs, but somehow survived and kept the scoring rate just about up with what was required, helped by the inability of the New Ash Green bowlers to avoid the occasional loose ball. Mick Sumner returned to provide some menace at the end, but the batsmen, Blandford especially, continued to find a way of making runs every time the pressure seemed to be building. With the scores level and nine balls to go Sumner bowled Pearce to at least earn an extra couple of bonus points, and two more dot balls from him followed by two from Andy Mayers kept the tension building. There was no likelihood of a miracle tie, though, and on the third ball of the final over Blandford squirted an edge away to make the winning run. However with a side nearer to full strength than at any other time this season New Ash Green had shown they could compete, and while it may take a while to re-learn the winning habit they can at last feel they are competitive at this level as long as everyone remains committed.
Scorecard
Current League Table
Kent Regional Cricket League - 46 Overs per side
Leeds & Broomfield (20 pts) 373-3 [46 overs)
New Ash Green (1 pts) 50 all out (30.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 323 runs
Leeds & Broomfield belied their league table position (bottom – largely due to conceding their first two games) with a hugely one sided win that showed some of the absurdities of league cricket. Their opener was apparently a first team batsman out of form, and he batted through the innings. New Ash Green started well enough, with debutant Sam MacNeil picking up three wickets and having his figures spoiled only by his last over, but with the opener Hartshorn well set a big hitter came in at number 4 and hit merrily, taking apart the various change bowlers and destroying the openers figures at the end, John Harley coming within one more big hit of being the second bowler in club history to concede 100 runs.
Quite what the point of batting on to 373 was only those who believe passionately in league cricket will know, and the pointlessness of such a high score was underlined as New Ash Green struggled with the bat. Of the five who batted for Leeds two also bowled and another kept wicket, meaning 4 of their side neither batted nor bowled although it would have seemed the obvious chance to give them a go. The big hitting Pike claimed six wickets, while for New Ash Green Matt Bushe showed that his metaphorical backbone is stronger than his actual one by batting for 69 balls for 10 and Ashley Woodward top scored on his debut with 12. No one else got past 5 and a huge defeat was wound up with 15 overs to spare. New Ash Green could at least console themselves with the knowledge that Leeds & Broomfield's first team had bowled out Sherwood for 20 and knocked off the runs in 5 overs without losing a wicket, so we weren't the worst side on the day!
Scorecard
Current League Table
Friendly Match - 40 overs
Locksbottom 173 all out dec. (38.1 overs)
New Ash Green 83 all out (22.1 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 90 runs
Having struggled to get a side out because of the thoughtlessness of the England football team in finishing runners up in their group and thus playing in the middle of the afternoon in the 2nd round, those who did play seem to have had a good game and probably enjoyed themselves more than those who did watch the football. Locksbottom, meanwhile, not only managed to put out a second team but to donate a spare player to New Ash Green as well. John Harley provides the following notes on the first innings: "We had Locksbottom in trouble at 71-7. Both Joe Elisak and Martin Ives bowled great opening spells. Joe's wicket was a great catch taken at first slip by James Turner after it took off from keeper Bradley Lonergan's gloves. First change Ryan Harley bowled a great spell to take two wickets which were both bowled and the other first change bowler Felix Habgood (14 year old Locksbottom spare player) also bowled well in taking two wickets. I came on as the 5th bowler to mop up the last 3 wickets, another LBW, a good catch from James Turner and a great short fly slip catch by Andy Noakes to end the innings."
His notes on the second innings are rather sparser ("Mark Chapelhow top scored and played well before he was out"), but all of the top seven got past 5, sadly none of them were able to go on to make more than 15. Had one person been able to build on their start the game might have been much tighter, but as John concludes: "Nine men NAG and one boy from Locksbottom, we did well with the team we had out."