Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th & Monday 30th May
Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th & Monday 30th May
Kent Regional League Match - 46 overs per side
Petts Wood (3 pts) 107 all out (38.3 overs)
New Ash Green (20 pts) 108-2 (30.4 overs)
New Ash Green won by 8 wickets
With both sides having an umpire a toss took place, and Joe Elisak managed to lose it. On a wicket that looked in good condition Petts Wood chose to bat first, but appearances were to prove deceptive. As ever this season there was some life and bounce in the wicket, but the long awaited rain on Thursday created additional problems as the ball swung, moved off the seam and turned far more than at any other time this year. Although the bounce was even there was certainly more in the pitch for bowlers than batsmen, and New Ash Green's bowlers exploited the conditions well. Initially New Ash Green had some concerns, with Ashley Woodward, Andy Mayers and Paul Sumner all missing, and Mick Sumner nursing an impressively black and blue bowling arm after straining a muscle the previous week. He tried bowling tentatively, and found that at a reduced pace not only was the pain bearable, but the ball swung around and he was able to beat the bat as regularly as at full pace. At the other end Dan Lewsey was also his usual accurate self, and once again New Ash Green's opening attack looked too good for the opposition batting. Lewsey picked up a wicket in his first over, and after some brief resistance from the second wicket pair the game turned decisively in the space of a few overs when Lewsey had one caught behind, Sumner bowled Petts Wood's captain (a century maker the previous week) and then Lewsey took a third, caught at mid off by David Baker. After that it was hard work all the way for the batting side. Sumner took another courtesy of a sliding catch from Joe Elisak, and he and Lewsey completed their spells for less than 60 runs between them. The change bowlers also found the conditions to their liking, with Joe Elisak getting prodigious turn and bounce and Olly Cooper moving the ball sharply away from the batsmen off the pitch. There was some dogged resistance from the lower middle order, but Cooper picked up two wickets, and Elisak finally removed the top scorer, Dan Kirby, who watched seemingly in a trance as the ball rolled slowly back onto his stumps and dislodged one bail. Elisak took another immediately, couldn't quite get the hat trick, but took his third wicket to wrap up the innings for 107 in his next over.
The conditions may have been helpful to the bowlers, but they weren't unfair, and the Petts Wood bowlers didn't have the pace or consistency to exploit them as well. Matthew Quantrill had found he was the oldest player in the team by more than a decade, and put that experience to good use, batting resolutely through the innings, playing solid defensive shots until bad balls came along, and mostly putting those away very effectively. Matt Clark kept him company as 49 were added for the first wicket, before he got under a cut and was caught in the gully. Fernando played a sumptuous cover drive to get off the mark, but stubbed his bat in the ground trying to repeat the shot, scooping the ball up for a fairly simple catch. Petts Wood thought they might be back in the game, but Quantrill remained unruffled, the bad balls kept coming and Karl Bartlett joined in exploiting them as they put on 51 to take New Ash Green to a very comfortable 8 wicket win, and into second place in the league table. With Gravesham losing they are now in pole position with a game in hand, but there remains a lot of work to do, with several sides clearly in the mix, and everyone else seeming to manage to beat Bexleyheath, the one side to have defeated New Ash Green.
Kent Regional League Match - 40 overs per side
Bexley (19 pts) 210-7 (40 overs)
New Ash Green (3 pts) 106-8 (40 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 104 runs
For the second team it was a familiar tale. Not outclassed, but lacking enough depth and cutting edge in their bowling and fielding they again conceded just over 200. There were early wickets for Keith Bushell and John Harley, and ones in the middle for Adam Brown and Mark Chapelhow, plus a run out for Ross Mole, but catches went down that might have reined the scoring in.
Similarly the batting lacked the extra edge needed to score runs fast enough. Mark Chapelhow made 30, and John Howland rolled back the years with a sprightly 22, with several smaller contributions keeping the runs ticking over, but no one threatened to play the big or quick innings needed to get the team into contention, and in the end they couldn't even reach bonus point territory. They did, though, again avoid being all out, which is at least progress, and there remains the feeling that the corner can be turned and results will start to come.
Sheppey 214 all out (34.1overs)
New Ash Green 104 all out (30.5 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 110 runs
A young Sheppey side chose to bat first, and against Matt Bushe and Dan Lewsey set off like a steam train, scoring at better than seven an over for the first 11 overs, Lewsey in particular suffering his usual Sunday malaise and seeming a different bowler from the one who opens in league games on Saturday. Things didn't seem to be going any better when the captain turned to Glen Freeman, and his first two balls went for four, but on his third ball a tentative appeal brought him a maiden wicket for the club, though it has to be said that more credit might go to the umpire than the bowler. The same combination of umpire and bowler accounted for another wicket shortly afterwards, and with the other opener and fastest scorer retiring on reaching fifty the scoring rate slowed down somewhat. Joe Elisak also bowled a few more loose balls than he had on Saturday, but still gained prodigious turn and picked up a wicket, while Freeman took an unquestionably merited third wicket when Tyler Reynolds had a huge swing and miss at a straight ball. Edward Quantrill bowled a couple of loose balls in his first over, but settled down after that to keep the batsmen pinned down, and picked up two wickets from a stumping and an LBW, one which the batsman accepted this time, before retiring to the field to take a catch from the returning Dan Lewsey's bowling. In the mean time Martin Ives had picked up a wicket at the other end in a short spell, and Joe Chapelhow had a short spell before being replaced by Joe Elisak. Lewsey and Elisak finally rediscovered their Saturday form to take the last two wickets, the final score being 214 in a very creditable 44.1 overs, all bowled in under 2½ hours.
Even with that small amount of additional time it still looked a tall order to chase down 214, but for a while it looked as if the game would be competitive. Dave Baker looked utterly solid against the opening bowler (also a first team opening bowler on Saturdays) and took the other bowler to the cleaners, with Glen Freeman also chipping in some powerful shots. The pair put on 63 in the first ten overs before Baker chipped one into the covers having made 40 from just 32 balls. At that point New Ash Green might just about have been favourites, but things went badly wrong from the moment Joe Elisak's third ball lifted sharply and he gloved (or armed) it to slip. Sheppey did their best to keep the game alive by using a wide range of bowlers, but no New Ash Green batsman could find a way of staying in. Freeman went for 22, and only Dan Lewsey and Karl Bartlett, with 9 apiece, could even get close to double figures after that. Matt Bushe maintained his average in the fifties with a long rearguard action, but failed to add to it, and the demolition was eventually complete when Joe Chapelhow was caught for 3, to complete a loss of ten wickets for 41 runs, and a 110 run defeat.
Friendly Match - Proper Cricket
Sidcup 247-3 dec. (35.3overs)
New Ash Green 147-9 (41 overs)
Match drawn
Having lost Derek Mole to a breakdown New Ash Green picked up a spare Sidcup player, and proceeded to be hit about the park by a 14 year old. Christian Stent had made 60 odd against New Ash Green the previous year, but this time he really went to town, hitting 8 sixes in a score of 147. Fernando bowled a good opening spell, taking 1-23 in 8 overs, but the rest were expensive, in some cases hideously so. In the end it was the borrowed player, Nick Jerrom, who removed the two batsmen who had put on 233 for the second wicket, getting Stent just short of the 150 that would presumably have brought a declaration anyway.
New Ash Green ended up with 41 overs to chase nearly 250, and not surprisingly never looked like making it. The pace of Sidcup's openers made sure they never got going, with Matt Bushe ending his run of not out scores and Fernando and Mark Chapelhow going cheaply as well. The middle order battled well against the other bowlers, Karl Bartlett, Phill Steers and Ross Mole all making reasonable contributions, while Joe Elisak had a merry thrash towards the end, swinging at the returing fast bowler, scoring at more than a run a ball including his first six in adult cricket. With the game looking safe wickets suddenly tumbled, and a dramatic finish saw Joe Chapelhow coming to the wicket needing to survive one ball to save the draw. The bowler was a spinner, but in the circumstances was still trying his best to get the wicket, and despite advice to play straight Joe probably took the sensible course, with men round the bat, and smacked the ball through the field for two runs and the draw. It would have to be described as a losing draw, but some honour was at least restored.