Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Bobbing Court (1 point) 75 all out (31.5 overs)
New Ash Green (16 points) 78-3 (22.5 overs)
New Ash Green won by 7 wickets.

New Ash Green 1st XI powered to a comprehensive win over fellow strugglers Bobbing Court to ease out of the relegation zone in Kent League Division 3.

Having lost the toss and been asked to field New Ash Green got off to a perfect start when skipper Andy Stuart got the breakthrough in the very first over, with Vaughan John clinging on to a sharp catch at point from Elgar. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors in the very next over when Richard Gower could only deflect an Andy Cox delivery onto his own stumps to leave the visitors in real trouble at 1-2.

With Stuart finding some variable bounce with the new ball, the visitors continued to struggle as Stuart, via a return catch, Klus at short-leg and Ginn at gully, took his tally to 4 wickets for 7 runs in his opening 6 overs. However resistance in the form of Mark Heather kept the scoreboard ticking as Andy Cox struggling for rhythm at the other end proved relatively expensive in his opening 5 overs.

Vic Mayers and Mick Sumner entered the attack and any chance Boobing Court had of posting a respectable score went when Mayers ended Heather’s resistance for 24. Although Sumner was relatively unthreatening, he was certainly difficult to score from in a 5 over spell, which went for just 2 runs, while Mayers (10-1-13-3) at the other end continued to make inroads into the visitors middle order with Ginn taking another catch at gully.

With Bobbing Court on their way towards a partnership of 22 for the 8th wicket, NAG turned to the spin of Ginn, who despite finding prodigious turn couldn’t make the breakthrough, before Cox returned to wrap up the innings. He took a single over to finish things off, dispatching the Bobbing Court 10 & 11 to finish with 3-26 from his 6 overs and Bobbing Court all out for just 75.

With the wicket offering assistance to the new ball in the first innings, this was going to be anything but a formality for the NAG batsman.

Once again the mandatory early wickets fell, Andy Payne (4) having hit a lovely four off his second ball played all around one just a few balls later to leave NAG 4-1 after the first over and Vic Mayers was once again asked to re-build following the loss of an early wicket. Vic, together with Vaughan John, looked very comfortable as they patiently went about re-building the innings.

With the wicket proving very true under the lesser pace of the visitors attack Mayers (0) having patiently played himself in, picked up a short one only to watch in anguish as the ball flew from the middle of his bat straight into the hands of long-leg on the boundary.

The visitors were now sensing a real opportunity, while the usual panic set in in the home dressing room as the mad scrabble for pads began with scoreboard reading 7-2. However Kevin Ginn played the perfect innings for the situation, playing himself in cautiously while keeping the scoreboard ticking, together with John he took the score to 28-2 before John fell to Mark Heather for a gritty 8.

Ginn now looked well set he started to open up, with Cox providing solid support at the other end. When Cox was dropped at square leg, the game was effectively over as Ginn went on the attack and raced to a chanceless 56* for his second successive half-century and to take New Ash Green to a comfortable 7 wicket victory in a game that lasted a little under 55 overs.

Addington II v New Ash Green II
Saturday 21st June 2003

Kent League Match - 100 Overs

Addington (20 points) 183-8 (50 overs)
New Ash Green (5 points) 158 all out (48.3 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 25 runs.

On another hot day New Ash Green once again paid the price for not having an umpire by having to take to the field in the heat. With the wicket harder and grassier than in the past at Addington this might have been an advantage, and when Pete Burke sent back one of the opening batsmen early on retired hurt after being rapped on the hand by a lifting ball New Ash Green were hopeful that they could make early inroads, particularly with the extra pace available to them through having Andy Mayers in the side. However the pitch only produced the odd difficult ball and the Addington batsmen survived those and were quick to put away loose balls. Mayers did eventually take a wicket when Castle skied an attempted hook, but Cantor Mocke carried on in similar vein, though he was nearly run out early on after sharp work from Neil Howick was spoiled by an inaccurate throw.

Matthew Scanlan and Paul Sumner both also bowled tidy spells, and Sumner picked up the wicket of opener Clarke, but again Addington carried on picking up runs and slowly upping the run rate towards 4 an over. Looking well set to launch a big attack over the last 20 overs or so. The tempo of the match was changed at this point as New Ash Green were under time pressure, needing to get the last 20 overs bowled inside an hour to avoid the risk of penalty points. The increased urgency seemed to carry through into all areas of their game, and with Sharad Bawdekar and Pete Burke bowling well the pressure began to tell on the batsmen. The run rate fell again and as the pressure increased wickets began to fall. Burke took 2-44 in 15 and Bawdekar 2-52, and Matt Scanlan returning at the end also picked up a wicket as Addington were kept down to 183-8, a lot lower score than had looked possible at one stage.

New Ash Green's reply started very steadily with Matthew Quantrill and Andy Mayers playing themselves in and then slowly beginning to pick off the bad balls and increase the scoring rate. As so often recently, though, just as New Ash Green seemed to be getting on top they let their opponents back into the game with Quantrill not quite timing a drive and being caught by a full length dive by Dave Gunner, who as a grandfather was probably entitled to be delighted by his agility. Andy Mayers and Matthew Scanlan followed fairly quickly and Neil Howick and Graham Hampsheir both struggled. Howick, though, was never going to be kept quiet for long and soon started hitting the ball hard, including a six to the very long mid-wicket boundary which was tipped over the line by Gunner, who couldn't repeat his earlier catch. When quick (but a bit wild) bowler Ross McDermott was brought back on Howick took on the challenge, going for his shots, but after one four had been smashed through extra cover he went for a hook and was given out caught when the ball went to the keeper off his shoulder. Graham Hampsheir had been becalmed throughout this partnership and was unable to get going at all before being bowled by Fabrice Klein to leave NAG on 80-5 and seriously struggling. Andy Tutt and Pete Burke then put on the highest partnership of the innings in adding 40, with Tutt taking the lead in shot-making, mixing some lucky shots with some very good ones before he was tempted down the wicket and stumped off the very slow bowling of Addington stalwart Danny Minchella. Pete Burke, Shane Hampsheir and Paul Sumner all carried on the pursuit, but once they had all holed out Gary Browning (suffering from another mystery injury which had paralysed his shoulder) and Sharad Bawdekar were left to see out the innings and try to pick up some bonus points. They achieved a 2nd batting bonus point and looked as if they would comfortably survive until Browning, perhaps feeling his shoulder loosening up, started playing some shots and was caught with 9 balls remaining, much to the delight of promotion chasing Addington.

In the end another fairly tight game against a title chasing side, which showed that anyone can be beaten, but that to make a serious push for the top of the league New Ash Green will need to be on top of their game the whole time.

Sheppey v New Ash Green III
Saturday 21st June 2003

Central League Match - 40 Overs

Sheppey 286-6 (40 overs)
New Ash Green (5 points) 106-9 (40 overs)
New Ash Green lost by 180 runs.

A late call up to the 2nd team for Graham Hampsheir means a 3rd successive week's report from Alan Carter, who is clearly growing in confidence as his literary skills are honed and his match reports start to gain on those of the more experienced reporters in length!

New Ash Green travelled to the tropical Isle of Sheppy reeling from the news of the withdrawal of star batsman and captain Graham Hampsheir. With the sun beating down on a pitch of dubious quality Sheppy won the toss and elected to bat. Butcher and Walker opened brightly, always alert to a quick single, which the New Ash Green close fielders repeatedly allowed them to take. Robin Wills produced an excellent ball to clean bowl Walker with the score on 37, then repeated the trick with the score on 56 to clean bowl the new batsman Philo for 8. Except for the odd moment of brilliance the New Ash Green bowling lacked accuracy and penetration on a pitch that should have been a bowlers paradise. The exception was Blair Wilson who bowled a very tidy spell, 6 overs 0-23, created some pressure on the batting side and with a bit more diligence in the field should have secured a few run outs. The batting side, however were wary of the demons in the pitch and continued to score their runs in singles and two's. The last 10 overs, however brought Bronger and Manning to the crease, who decided to up the tempo and crash as many fours as possible. At this stage the New Ash Green fielders completely lost the plot and a succession of fours going straight through the fielders contributed greatly to the Sheppy total. With only Butcher (58) and Bronger (52) getting half centuries, it was very disappointing that the highest score was extras on 66. Wills, although at times erratic, showed what a fine bowler he could become, and the emergence of Blair Wilson and Steve Bull bides an exciting time in the next few years as these talented players develop. Sam Wilson pulled a muscle and in obvious pain continued to field on at first slip.

In recent weeks the New Ash Green batting has reached about 60 then collapsed; this time the collapse started from the first over, Clive and Duguid giving Martin a double wicket maiden in his first over, opening from the prison end. Lewsey followed soon after, then Poole and Wills to leave the total on 7-5 with the added embarrassment that not one run had been scored off the bat. In the nearby nature reserve it is illegal to shoot ducks, it's a pity we didn't play in the nature reserve! Blair Wilson then had a novel idea, play straight, defend good balls and hit bad balls and when John Sharpe got in and stayed with him a good partnership developed. John Sharpe, incidentally, was batting at number 7 and scored the first run off the bat. Blair never panicked and played the type of innings that his more experienced colleagues could do well to learn from. He top scored with 40 and deserved the ovation that he received notably from all the Sheppy fielders as well as from his own team. Steve Bull played well and Sam Wilson, batting with a runner could do very little about his dismissal. Hoddinott and Carter batted the last 7 overs determined to at least bat out 40 overs (captains orders). After such a terrible start the team showed enough fight and desire to suggest that better results can't be too far away.

The champagne moment for the day goes to Dan Lewsey, who after getting out for nought and dropping 2 catches (one a real dolly) then tried to chat up the biggest girl in the club afterwards, spent all night buying her drinks (borrowed money from me) only to be told that he weren't her type-that's quality Dan! However the story of the day is clear - six ducks and 8 of the nine wickets to fall were clean bowled.

Dads v Lads
Sunday 22nd June 2003

Not sure what the original plan was for this, but it didn't happen!