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Links to opposition play-cricket site, result
on play cricket and SPCC match report are included wherever possible
Season 2006 - earlier
For details of tearlier seasons, you now
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Sandwich
A struggle to get a finish resulted in a defeat in a very
low scoring game. Again. Sandwich taking all the points.
Hartley
With the rain during the week, much debate was whether we bat or
bowl.
It doesn't matter, if you bat poorly you won't score runs on any
pitch which is exactly what happened, as despite some movement it
was nothing more than any other game with a new ball. It wasn't
helped by some wicket to wicket bowling from experienced bowlers,
especiallly in Tutty.
A little inpatience, the odd rash shot, a few good balls and bang,
your in trouble. 20 off 13 overs for 3 not good, 87 for 6 off 40
overs not good, 159 off 50 was a reasonable total mainly thanks
to Rowey, Wrenny and Bear. It wasn't enough but you're always in
with a chance with tight bowling and fielding, really 200 plus it
should have been.
In reply, Hartley 43 off 8. Rowey bowled ok, but even he was made
to look average by James Hockley. For myself, a man out of form,
1 or 2 help yourself 4 balls isn't good for a low total. Didn't
go for many having said that, but cut the 4 balls out and its a
different game. Again though Hockley put the ball almost where he
liked, ably supported by David Thompson who easily milked the ball
and rotated the strike with ease. Bear bit back for a second, with
a hat-trick chance but unfortunately it was a little too late, and
Hartley passed the total in the 36th over.
We need to take stock, pull our socks up, dig in, pull our fingers
out, have a stick of dynamite up our backsides and all the other
sayings and fight back next week. We have the players, no doubt.
Body language wasn't good, you could tell from the moment we took
the field, to field, and from the first 4 to the boundary.
Some good trainng sessions with eveyone there are in order too.
Hold our heads up, have some pride, relax and enjoy the next games.
Bexley
Disappointment, bitter disappointment, sums it up.
Having won the toss, Bexley were inserted. After two overs they
were 1 for 3, with the Bexley openers showing little respect trying
to slap it from ball one, only to find Rowey picking up two quick
wickets and Squiresey one. Young Jack Bell showed some restrain
but eventually came unstuck, and likewise Jack Wells, you got the
impression that wickets would fall. However, ex-pro Vince Wells
hit a couple of 'big' fours and for some reason we looked like Bexley
were 300 for 3, rather than 70 for 3 after 25 overs. Half chances
were given whilst Wells was on 11, and decent chance on 22 and later
on another half chance. Wickets did continue to fall the other end
meantime, but most only seem to focus on Vince Wells who quickly
passed fifty, but looking very tired, he eventually got out on 88
looking exhausted, thanks to Rowey. It was a classy innings and
very well played but as they say catches win matches and we let
him get away. You have to get it into perspective though one man
scored all the runs and 179 on a fast drying and improving wicket
was a reasonable score. Rowey bowled exceptionally well again, as
did AA with only 4 runs off his 6 overs.
In reply we started as usual, with a four, but unfortunately, and
there was a lot of chatter, we lost Hank early and others followed,
George, Hobo and AA hung around a while, and we got the score to
75 for 3 but, mainly due to the good bowling from the rejuvinated
Vince Wells, found ourselves at 79 for 7. Wells bowled well, seamed
it around but I think the chatter got to a few of us and they got
wickets. 94 was all we could muster, when Bear pulled one to the
man behind square, we were all out.
Not too clever, there were positives, Bexley were a good side, but
certainly not to beat us by that margin if at all. You could even
go as far as to intimate a one trick pony?!?! We'll see.
Strange results this week too, but again lets get it in to perspective
only two games gone, we've played two decent sides who came down
from the Premier, lets forget it, learn from it, train hard and
win next week.
Awesome.
Yalding
The Park’s Sunday away XI made an excellent
start to the campaign with a good workout and an emphatic victory
over Yalding. Early arrivers to the picturesque ground were treated
to the entertaining sight of one player emptying a bucket of water
over the pitch while his ten teammates strained to push an enormous
broken-down roller behind him. The Yalding skipper curiously opted
to bat first, and his team were soon in trouble as Rowey and Squiresey
looked unplayable on a lively, unpredictable wicket. Hardly any
balls went in front of square in the first ten overs as the top
order showed an understandable reluctance to get forward. However,
a solid fifth-wicket stand got them back into it, ended by a good
catch in the deep by Trevor, who successfully avoided the rabbit
holes in clinging on to a steepler. Some tidy bowling by spinners
Allon, Allon and Hank, backed up by more safe catching on the boundary,
wrapped up the innings for 128.
The Park’s reply began in unfortunate
circumstances as George shaped to pull a half-tracker but was hit
on the boot plum in front. Hank batted superbly, making batting
look easy as he took no unnecessary risks and punished any loose
offerings, ending up unbeaten as he saw us home, well supported
by Trevor and Hickers. All in all he couldn’t have asked for
a much better first game.
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Folkestone
Satisfying is a good word for this
game.
We won, a big 20 points too.
Winning the toss we batted
first on a decent pitch despite the recent wet weather. A slow but
sure start saw us at 64 for 1 at 25 overs. Another good solid innings
from George, 42, (that runs not
age although the grey hairs...) set a good solid platform. Folkestone
bowled ok but their fieding wasn't too hot and quite often ones
were comfortable twos. However they bowled well enough until Rowey
got stuck in with a 69 not out, with some mighty hitting to land
us 193 at the end. Difficult time to go in at the end, chasing the
ball, but Wrenny, Ben, Washer did well enough, and Hank looked good
before succumbing, adjudged caught behind after clipping his pad
with his bat (To be fair must have been difficult as there was a
loud woody noise. Not so sure about AA's though - even Ken the photographer
couldn't believe it!!!)
A decent total in the end despite some
not so good running between the wickets and some poor calling.
Anyway in reply Folkestone got off to a steady start with Irish
World Cup star Niall "Do you know who I am" O'Brien easily
nurdling it around before deciding to unnecessarily dance down the
track to try and smack Rowey for 4 gets caught (very well too) by
George. After further good, tight and disciplined bowling the wickets
fell, and also some self destruction on the Folkestone batters part.
Craig Coleman, Himmi and a few others got starts but frustration???
got them out.
After that we knew there wasn't a great deal to come, only to be
patient and operate the same discipline. AA bowled well for his
3 wickets, Bear kept it tight as usual, unlucky not to have two
wickets (and thats being very very diplomatic about it!) and of
course MOM Rowey swept up, the final wicket falling (for the second
time - See Bear above) in the 48th over.
20 bigs ones, thanks for coming.
Well done the fielders, especially Trev, it makes a big difference
to have support/encouragement/excellent fielding to back you up
when bowling. Wired wasn't in it!
Apart from Hartley the top boys didn't fare well and with Dartford
also winning its still very tight.
Bexley next week, another fixture, another week. Lets keep the momentum
as best we can.
Canterbury
A washout, though nice to see George make 50
on a seriously tricky wicket where 120 looked like it might be enough.
Harvel A decent win.
A good toss to win, twice (after the oppo queried
the first call)
Harvel batted poorly on a good wicket, aided by some good tight
bowling from my end (at last) and Rowey's ability to pick up wickets.
Bear and AA filled in the gaps. The fielding wasn't put to to much
of a test to be fair, apart from a quick one between keeper and
1st slip, an excellent effort for one from Rowey, and another uncharacteristic
simple chance (by his standards) from Rowey - or was it two?
Anyway Harvel's overseas dug them out of real trouble with some
big shots to finish on 47 not out, when the last wicket fell in
the 50th over, the score on 117.
Just wander if we could have/should have really finished them off
sooner, just seemed to relax a bit too much, but we did fine.
In reply, despite the ease it may appear, their overseas (Frank
Van Der Meuwe) was the sharpest I think I've ever seen in Division
1 to date. He constistantly got the ball at head height and over,
and on our pitch too, AA took the full force of one and ended up
with a very disfigured finger and Hobes had a warm welcome too for
his first ball. However bowling it that short was a slight downfall
too as it took pace off an we were able to manouevre the ball around.
George looked the best, I think, I've seen him for a while and batted
very well for his 35, heres the important bit, not out. Hobes also
looked really good with some fine shots for his 57, good cricket
shots especially with one eye on the weather (which incidently came
to nothing)
Again we lost perhaps a couple of un-necessary wickets but we reached
the total at the end of the 36th over.
A good solid performance by us, against (not having seen Orpington
myself) probably the worst side we've played to date - not sure
how many or who was captain!
Another crunching battle next week - looking forward to it
Orpington
I didn't play and quite glad about it too.The
comment I got was Orpington were the most shambolic, unorganised,
didn't look like a cricket team we'd ever seen.
Thats good, what does that make us!
Dodgy wicket or no dodgy wicket, how long have we been playing this
stupid game! and it's the same for both sides.
Needless to say I was very upset and had to text Bear 3 times on
everrything to confirm his phone wasn't going funny!
And another thing, I know the old bollocks about don't worry about
the opposition etc, but everyone reads the results each week to
see who's done what, so we should know better than to respect Neil
Bradford cause he's dibbly dobbly on the spot but apart from that
they have naff all else. (See Bear's report). Nothing less than
a stick of dynamite up our backsides as the next to home games are
extremely important against stiff opposition. (A lot of ex premier
league players who could easily still play Prem, and I don't mean
one or two)
Folkestone
A hugely awaited first Kent League game, ended
a little flat in the end with a flat Folkestone falling short.
Put in to bat, Sibton stormed off with
Hank hitting the first ball of the day for four (which would have
ended up by Radnor Park if it hadn't been for the wall). Unfortunately
AA departed early on 5, despite him clipping his pad, caught behind.
(The keeper admitted later he was appealing because he was so pleased
he'd caught the ball at all!!) Hank continued to build but the other
end wasn't holding up with Trev Squire going 2 balls after AA and
George about 3 overs after that. Luke Samrasinghe bowled well for
Folkestone in the beggining, but their fielding was poor a lot of
the time which didn't help the bowlers.
Hank eventually departed, unfortunately, on 51 with
the score at 75 after 18 overs, but for 5 wickets. Batsmen continued
to get starts but failed, until Sibton's youth side in the form
of Bej (Ben Allon) and Matt Davey. Ben got his first Kent League
50 before running himself out on 58 with Rowey, and when Rowey was
out shortly after, Matt Davey continued the fight. Like I've said
thanks, to some now poor Folkestone fielding (It was bloody freezing
just quitely, in the wind) and the bowling went to pot a little,
we eventually ended up on 173 all out in the 45 over, giving them
5 extra overs to get them.
In reply, Rowey got us off to a flyer quickly removing opener Daniel
Clarke and George 'I've got a lot to say in the field for one so
small' Marshall for a big fat ZERO. (Wasn't so chatty after that!)
Himi Waingankar and ex Sibton Crag Coleman came together
and put on a few, before Himi was expertly caught by Martin Wren
at slip, off of yours truly, for 24 and Craig helped himself to
34 before, batting very well, before falling to the returning Rowey.
Only Lawrence Ward put up a fight with Folkestone easily keeping
up with the run rate but like us losing wickets, but in the end
seemed to either not go for them but be happy with a draw or not
be able to get them (not sure), with James Squire, AA and Hank all
bowling very tightly and very well. A late flurry of wickets with
Folkestone seeming to be happy getting to 150, although not quite
making, it was a little too late when they finished on 147 for 8
after 55 overs.
Although 173 was well under par by us, should have been
a lot more, 173 with help from the Folkestone fielding was a competitve
total on that wicket. All bowlers bowled pretty well in the main,
except myself (a little out of sorts) especially James Squires and
Rowey, and the fielding was very very good. Unbelievable that Folkestone
didn't go for it, they still only needed 28 in the last over with
only 6 wickets down for the win and only 40 odd 3 overs previous
with 5 down, but still...
A good start for us, a solid platform - looking forward to the next
game - Bexley at home
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