Mid-Kent League Match - 46 Overs per side, Maximum 12 per bowler

Tonbridge (9 pts) 129-7
New Ash Green (18 pts) 130-6
New Ash Green Won by 4 wickets.

Winning the toss and electing to bat on a wicket that was under five inches of water three weeks before meant that Tonbridge were favourites to win the Kent League 4^th Division game.

New Ash Green's new ball partnership of Matt Meehan and Andy Cox are used to making early breakthroughs. However with only two wickets down after 15 overs it meant there was a lot of work for the replacement bowlers. Ian Shambrook was the pick of these bowlers as he picked up 4-27 in his 12 overs. James Hewitt who bowled five consecutive maidens in his unbroken 10 over spell, went for 22 runs and picked up a wicket as he assisted Shambrook very well in keeping the middle/lower order of Tonbridge to a score that seemed to be below par.

Had New Ash Green caught all their catches Tonbridge would have surely struggled to reach three figures. ‘Keeper Steve Hurst nursing a damaged hand was responsible for three drops and Teflon Hands Shambrook in the covers dropped what may turn out to be easiest catch ever and completed possibly the worst piece of fielding I have ever seen. Had Darren Phillips dropped his catch off Andy Cox’s bowling I am sure he would be nursing multiple fractures in an Intensive Care ward at this moment.

As New Ash Green started their second innings a run rate of just below three seemed very attainable. But the early loss of Rob Newmarch for a duck and the slow progress of Cox and 1st XI debutante Gary ('Girly throwing arm') Browning put added pressure as each over passed. Having lost a couple of further wickets the turning point of a close match was when Steve Hurst and Matt Meehan put on 50 in the space of twelve overs.

When New Ash Green lost Darren Phillips to a dubious LBW decision it was up to Hewitt and the impressive Meehan to knock off the final 30 runs. Meehan ended his splendid workmanlike innings on 49 not out.

This win meant New Ash Green kept their 100% record and continued their early season progress at the top of the league.

New Ash Green II v Tonbridge II
Saturday 26th May 2001

Mid-Kent League Match - 46 Overs per side, Maximum 12 per bowler

Tonbridge (12 pts) 174-7
New Ash Green (18 pts) 175-8
New Ash Green Won by 2 wickets.

Warm weather and a dry ground made for a pleasant change, and a match which swung back and forth and went to almost the last ball matched the standard of the conditions. Tonbridge won the toss and chose to bat, but when Mick Sumner took a wicket with a first ball that cut back and kept low and rapped the Tonbridge no.3 Topham on the knuckles with a vicious lifter 3rd ball it looked like an unwise decision. After that, though, the pitch was entirely blameless, and with a mixture of luck and powerful strokes Smiles and Topham put on 80 for the second wicket before falling in quick succession. Tonbridge captain Colin Jenner then scored a quick fifty as another 72 were added for the fourth wicket with French, and with 8 overs to go and seven wickets in hand Tonbridge looked set for a total in excess of 200. Crucially though Mick Sumner (2-20) and Richard Slatem (3-55) bowled superbly in these last eight overs and only a further 23 runs were added, leaving Tonbridge on 174-7 at the end of their 46 overs.

The New Ash Green openers initially looked comfortable, but when captain Matthew Quantrill misjudged the line to be bowled for 8 and the run rate had fallen to less than 2 an over things didn't look quite so good. However Rob Jansen mixed solid defence with an occasional big drive over the top and another of New Ash Green's talented under 15's Mark Klus rode his luck with some powerful hitting before being bowled for 49. When he went with the score on 99 and more than five an over needed the balance seemed to have swung back Tonbridge's way, but it was yet another 15 year old, Matthew Scanlan, who seized the initiative back, hitting some magnificent drives in his 34. He put New Ash Green right back on top, but there were yet more twists to come as more wickets fell. Jem Watkins, who had opened the bowling returned to take four wickets in his last four overs, though quite a few runs were taken off him as well, and he finished with 5-42. When Mick Sumner was controversially given out bowled by a loopy slower ball from Watkins which had initially been called as a no ball before the umpires retracted the call, the pressure was back on. Richard Slatem (you've guessed it - he's 15 as well) showed no nerves in driving his first ball of the season all along the ground through extra cover for 4, leaving just seven needed off the last two overs. Five runs were scrambled off the penultimate over, so just two were required from Watkins' final over with three wickets in hand. Still the drama wasn't over as a dot ball, a wicket and another dot ball increased the pressure, but a quickly run bye brought the scores level and Richard Slatem struck the next ball hard enough to prevent the fielders doing more than deflecting it into space and allowing the winning run.

This was a magnificent match, played in the best spirit of the game and enjoyed by just about all involved! A special mention must go to the whole Tonbridge team who despite losing in such a tight situation never showed a moment's disappointment and were entirely generous in defeat and sociable after the game - they are an example to cricketers everywhere and a credit to their club.

Old Pilotonians v New Ash Green
Sunday 27th May 2001

Friendly Match

Old Pilotonians 215-4 declared
New Ash Green 100-8
Match drawn.

After winning the toss New Ash Green elected to field. After bowling a massive FIFTY overs and using ten bowlers New Ash Green were unable to make any real impression on the opponents batting. Matt Scanlan finished with very respectable figures of 1-20 in 10 overs and Oliver Harding 1-27 in 9. If New Ash Green had hung on to four catches which were all dropped it might have been very different. (Duguid, G.Shannon & K.Hoddinott twice if anybody was wondering who the culprits were!!!)

The batting line up was weaker than expected due to Domonic Adolphe dropping out due to failures against Old Pilotonians in the past ! I'm not sure what excuse he gave this time to get out of the team? (Editor's Note - As Dom doesn't read the web-site reports I'll leave this bit in, but it'll be interesting to see his reaction if he ever sees it!)

Duncan Shannon top scored with a steady 25, John Harding made 22 and skipper Darren Phillips dropped anchor making 15 not out off the last twenty overs to see the side home for the draw after they were 46 for 5. New Ash Green ended on 100-8, but they only received 39 overs. Perhaps it might all have been different if they had had the extra 11 overs....

New Ash Green v Sutton-at-Hone

Sunday 27th May 2001

Friendly Match

Sutton-at-Hone
New Ash Green
New Ash Green won.

Detailed report awaited, together with another post-match quote from James Hewitt!

UPDATE: Mr. Hewitt has now forwarded his full report, and it is replicated below, in its entirety and unedited:

We won……………..signed Wellington xx

Gravesend Rugby Club v New Ash Green

Monday 28th May 2001

Friendly Match - 40 Overs - Maximum 8 overs per bowler

Gravesend Rugby Club 172 all out
New Ash Green 173-5
New Ash Green won by 5 wickets.

A bank holiday match was played in a bank holiday spirit, with both sides giving everyone a game and playing a mostly enjoyable game. Gravesend Rugby Club won the toss and batted first and immediately struggled against the youthful opening attack of Richard Slatem and Matthew Scanlan, before the middle order, all playing their shots aggressively, put some respectability back into the score. Dave Errington top scored with 65, more than one third of his runs coming in just six balls as Kieran Hoddinott bowled one over for 22 runs! Dave Harrington kept the batsmen in check with 3-33, and James Hewitt also shone in a brief spell, taking 2-6 in 3 overs. A useful last wicket stand eventually took the Rugby Club's score to 172 all out.

New Ash Green started well, with Matthew Quantrill making 24 and Simon Duke in his first game of the season getting 33, but problems with the wind-assisted pace of Miguel Dee (2-12) slowed the middle order. Kieran Hoddinott made up for his bowling by standing firm for 16 not out, while Andy Stuart made all the bowling look easy in his unbeaten 45, and the sixth wicket partnership added 57 to take New Ash Green home to a comfortable win by five wickets with a couple of overs to spare.