40 Overs per side

Meopham 211-8
New Ash Green 212-7
New Ash Green won by 3 wickets.

Invited to participate in Meopham's cricket week New Ash Green struggled to find enough bowlers to take part in the match, and with bowling resources too thin to be confident of defending anything less than 300 were probably pleased to lose the toss and be asked to field. Andy Stuart bowled a short opening spell, and beat the bat a number of times, seeing the ball fly past statuesque slips off the edge, before retiring to the field to keep himself fresh for the serious business of the weekend. He was replaced by Andy Harrington who bowled a useful spell and broke the opening stand of 69, while Sharad Bawdekar was also bowling tidily at the other end. Harrington bowled an 8 over spell taking 4-30, but after he had finished the bowling became distinctly variable as New Ash Green tried a variety of spin bowlers.

Of these spinners Oliver Harding was probably the only one to turn the ball, but he was unfortunate to be on when the most aggressive batsmen were in and took 1-31 in 3 overs. Graham Hampsheir bowled an occasional good ball amongst some astonishingly bad ones, being the first NAG bowler to be no-balled under the new laws for bouncing the ball 3 times before it reaches the stumps, but he did get two vital wickets, taking 2-30 in 4 overs. Darren Phillips, once he'd stopped trying to bowl bouncers, bowled respectably, and also benefited from the earlier wickets which had brought in less aggressive batsmen, and he took 1-18 in 6 overs. John Howland and Kieran Hoddinott also bowled tidily at the end, but without taking wickets. Having started soundly with Gary Howarth making 37 and been boosted by middle order hitting led by Keith Hall with 36, Meopham slowed considerably in the last few overs, and a total which had been threatening 250 was in the end only taken as high as 211-8 by top scorer Denis Smart with 42 not out, but scored at a much slower rate than the earlier batsmen.

In response New Ash Green were pinned down early by the accurate medium pace of Nick Richardson and Aussie Andy Payne. On a lifeless pitch the bowling wasn't dangerous but was very difficult to score off, and only 23 were made off the first ten overs before Kieran Hoddinott perished trying to force the pace. Payne lost his line and length and was punished by Andy Stuart who took 20 off Payne's last two overs before hitting his final ball straight to Darren Deekes. Matthew Quantrill hit some early loose balls from Gary Wallace to the boundary, but Wallace tightened up and Matthew Payne, Graham Hampsheir and Oliver Harding all fell cheaply trying to force him away, and when he was taken off with 3-29 the score was 99-5 after 27 overs, with another 113 needed in just 13 overs. By now, though, Quantrill was getting his eye in, and once he was past 50 he began to pick up the run rate, ably supported by Darren Phillips. The required run rate climbed slowly from 9 an over upwards, but it didn't get away completely as both batsmen played with increasing confidence.

Keith Hall went for 40 in 5 overs, and when he was taken off 35 were needed from the last three. Steve Buzzwell was brought on, but immediately went for 13 in his first over, and when Quantrill hit the first three balls of Deekes' next over for 4 it was suddenly down to 10 needed from 9 balls. More drama was still to come as a scrambled single was followed by the run out of Phillips for 28 (off just 26 balls) to end a 6th wicket partnership of 104. Quantrill hit the last ball of the over for 4, leaving Deekes with figures of 0-58 from 6 overs, and just 5 needed off the last over. John Howland pushed a single first ball, but with four needed to win Quantrill dragged an attempted drive round into mid-wicket's hands to be out for 122.

Enter Rob Newmarch, captain for the day and President of New Ash Green CC, for a splendid cameo - he hadn't bowled, or done much in the field, and he faced just one ball - which he drove straight down the ground to the longest boundary for the winning runs. A win which had looked improbable for most of the match was completed with 3 balls to spare, and was apparently Meopham's only defeat in their Cricket Week!