A review of Cricket Week 2017

Posted 26th July 2017

Enjoy this synopsis about each match in what turned out to be a brilliant cricket week! Although this tells you what happened from the playing perspective, spare a thought for everyone who put a shift in to help from rolling and cutting the pitches, taking the covers on and off, umpiring, scoring, providing tea, cooking breakfast, flipping burgers on the BBQ, pulling pints, sweeping the floors and doing the bins. Without you, none of it would have been possible!

 17th July - Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 181 All Out  Versus Barry Hainsworth XI 175 for 8 – Old Wilsonians won by 6 Runs!

Having won the toss, surprisingly Barry Hainsworth’s team elected to field on a sunny and very warm Monday – the ideal start weather wise to the 2017 cricket week. OWs got off to a cautious start as Marcus Aimey and Chris Jacob didn’t bowl too many loose balls for the flying start the home team were looking for; Aimey bowled a tight off stump line throughout both his spells with the ball moving just enough away from the bat and was rewarded with match figures of 4-18 off his allotted 8 overs. Charlie Smith (3-18) coming on as first change continued the accuracy as the OWs slipped to 43-5 nearly halfway through their allotted 40 overs. Then came the recovery as “the overseas” in the form of the Aussie combination Jordan Thomas (42) and our guest from Bromley Common Mark Solway (78 off 53 balls) put on a quick-fire stand of 105 to get the home side back in the game and paved the way to a respectable total. The Hainsworth XI reply started with a drop catch off the very first ball of the innings as Clinton Hibbert put down Barry Hainsworth but Andrew Steel was not too downhearted as two balls later he bowled him. Richard Brewer then joined Marcos Aimey at the crease and they repaired the early damage with a partnership of 66 to get Hainsworth’s team up with the rate. Once Brewer was dismissed, the OW’s then took wickets at regular intervals and as Aimey was starting to run out of partners, he upped the tempo and was at one stage bowled in the nervous 90s by Dan Seston, only to be reprieved by a no-ball. He then got through to a fine 100 only to be caught finally going for a big shot to take the opposition ever closer to the line. The U13 pairing of Roberts and Smith never gave up in pursuit but ultimately ran out of overs as the OWs got the week off to a winning start. Thanks to Barry Hainsworth for bringing his guest team down and we are glad you enjoyed the day! Thanks also to Ian Forbes for organising tea. View Scorecard 

Player of the Match: Marcus Aimey – scoring a ton and taking 4 wickets in a fine all round performance for Barry’s team.

Moment (s) of the Match: Tom Sullivan’s attempted reverse pull off Aimey going horribly wrong leading to plumb LBW and the scorers getting smoked out for the first of many times during the week by the BBQ.

 18th July - Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 239 All Out  Versus Upminster XI 238 for 8 – Old Wilsonians won by 1 Run!

Tuesday saw the return of Upminster and again surprisingly, they asked the home team to bat first which led many of us to believe it was purely tactical to enable them to spend more time in the bar. In fact, the dark fruits, lager and bitter was in full flow an hour before the toss as both teams enjoyed a liquid lunch as part of their pre-match warm up routine. Upminster didn’t waste time bowling their overs as they sprinted between ends to get the 40 in as quickly as possible. The home side didn’t waste time either as Tom Finan (37) and Josh Lawrence (66) hit the ball cleanly; not sure why but Josh walked off retired out when a 100 was surely there for the taking. Anyway, the acceleration continued at warp speed with Matt Abbett finding the middle of his normal bat for the first half of his innings then switching to “the mongoose” to maximise his 6 hitting chances which were pretty much taken as he hit 7 very easily including one that landed inches away from the clock on the pavilion. My understanding is that ball is still there and hopefully will remain as a reminder of what a great week it was. Matt then retired but the rest of the team didn’t last very long as they were in a rush to get back the bar as well. Amazingly the 239 OWs scored came off 30 overs; if they had lasted another 60 balls then anything above 300 would have been achievable. Nevertheless, it was still a good total and Upminster fancied their chances of chasing as wicket keeper Adam Quested scored a solid 65 before being stumped (ok it was more like an iron gloves run out) by Laurence Allen from the only ball Josh Lawrence managed to flight and turn all day. Nicky Ison ended up being their top scorer with an excellent 92 and if he had stayed until the end, they would have won with overs to spare despite losing wickets at the other end. However, Doug Forbes pinned him on the back foot LBW and the OWs were definitely back in the game. The tail wagged to give Upminster a shout of victory in the final over but Doug’s accuracy got the home team through to another win!  Thanks to Rob White of Upminster for bringing a team over in coordination with Adrian Beckett and also thanks to Andy and Shirley Steel for providing tea! View Scorecard 

Player of the Match: Matt Abbett – a spectacular hundred off only 32 balls and a contender for the champagne moment in 2017 with the six that so nearly hit the clock.

Moment (s) of the Match: 1) Guy Hannah flooring the Upminster opening bat with an accidental beamer (he was fine and came back to the club after a precautionary hospital visit to have a few beers with everyone) 2) players getting dressed up with fake moustaches wearing various colours of war paint 3) The drinks breaks being taken to another level as Malibu and Coke /Jaeger Bombs came out for the players along with the customary orange juice.

19th July - Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 222-7  Versus Old Olavians 221-9 dec – Old Wilsonians won by 3 wickets!

In this all day game that lasted just over 100 overs, Old Olavians won the toss and elected to bat on a coldish morning with light drizzle falling occasionally in the first hour of play; a contrast to the sunny conditions from the first two days. A steady opening stand from Miles Braithwaite (29) and Freddie Luff (26) was surprisingly broken by Louis Pryor (normally he keeps wicket) who had the honour of turning his arm over in this game and bowled a tight 6 over spell that kept OWs in the hunt. The main star of the show for Olavians was Alex Dombrandt who scored a rapid and hard hitting 75 and was crucially caught out at a time that could well have seen him take their score well beyond the 221 they eventually declared on after 51 overs. The OWs chase got off to a circumspect start as Seston and Brindley negotiated the opening bowlers just about given at least 3 catches were spilt by Olavians before tea. Chris Swadkin (3-10) was then introduced after the break and his accurate left arm spin put the breaks on the chase even further. However, things took a turn for the better as Chris Scott (29) and Louis Pryor (69 not out) adjusted nicely to the conditions to get the home side up with the rate. A couple of quick wickets then fell but an exciting finish was set up by Ex OW Billy Woollard (up from Margate – welcome back) whose quickfire 30 helped the home side to victory with an over to spare. Thanks goes to Brian Cantle for organising the Olavians team and we look forward to welcoming you back next year! Thanks also to Ian and Jill Forbes for providing a lovely lunch and tea! View scorecard http://oldwilsonians.play-cricket.com/website/results/3191733

Player of the Match: Louis Pryor – he couldn’t even lay bat and ball in the first 10 minutes of his innings but once settled, played some lovely shots and his innings proved to be the cornerstone of the run chase.

Moment (s) of the Match: 1) Elliott Betteridge turning up 45 minutes late thinking the opposition were Upminster and when informed it was Old Olavians, his response was “what league is this team in?”  2) OWs chat with the opposition batsman Dave Golbey – some great lines and great laughs when he was batting!

20th July Twenty-20 Day

Part 1: Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 145 for 9 Versus Kent League Guest XI 162 for 8 – Kent League Guest XI won by 17 runs!

On the showpiece day of cricket week, the day started very early for the 60 guests that attended the Champagne Breakfast (fantastically organised by Paul Jenkins and his team including wife Steph, Steve Lawrence, Kenny Maxwell, Paul Maxwell, Graham Watts to name a few) that were on site from 6.30 that morning setting things up and preparing a fantastic breakfast and making sure everyone was well looked after. Thank you! As the champagne flowed, so did the rain for a time and a delayed start meant the match didn’t get underway until around 11.45 as the Kent League side elected to bat first. Matt Smit (52 retired out) ended up being the top scorer, particularly taking a liking to OW Overseas Jordan Thomas who was hit for 4 boundaries in one his overs. Pip France with 3 sixes in his 29 kept the momentum going as a competitive score of 162 was posted; Michael Mitchell and Stan Sherlock taking two wickets each. The home side set about chasing the target down but the league side’s spinners kept things tight for the majority of the innings as Nathan Hill’s 3 wickets coupled with 2 more from Faisal Zaman kept OWs behind the rate despite the efforts of Jordan Thomas (41) and Lawrence Roots (30) who never gave up in their brisk stand of 57.In the end the OWs fell short but it was a great start to the day and thanks to Mitch for organising all of those guests who came up to play! View scorecard 

Player of the Match: Matt Smit – 52 off 26 balls from the Bromley CC left hander says it all

Moment (s) of the Match: 1) Josh “Dudders” Holland on the Microphone / acting as DJ – put it this way; some interesting tunes including “Down to Margate” by Chas n Dave 2) Alex Dombrandt hitting one of the bigger sixes at the ground that was very close to clearing the fence at the Wickham Park end of the ground. 3) Louis Pryor planting a huge six over the pavilion in to the Garden of the house at the end of Hayes Hill

Part 2: Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 142 for 6 Versus Surrey Masters 140 for 9 – Old Wilsonians won by 4 wickets!

The big match against the Surrey Legends, that included former England Internationals Martin Bicknell and Joey Benjamin, took place in front of an excellent crowd; the champagne breakfasters were holding their own in the bar and others arrived in good time as the match got underway at 3.45. Surrey won the toss and elected to bat with skipper David Ward and Scott Newman getting them off to a flying start before both were dismissed by Josh Lawrence. Dudley Owen Thomas (who played for Surrey in the late 60s and early 70s) then blocked his way to 1 off 15 balls as the home side wrestled back control. Once he was dismissed, Gary Butcher (brother of England International Mark) was then run out of his first ball faced meaning Surrey had to dig deep for that competitive score. This came in the form of Paul Atkins (37) and Bicknell who casually stroked 28 off 17 balls including 2 sixes to help the masters finish on 140 for 9. The OWs reply started with caution as skipper of the Masters team (and Old Wilsonian) Neil Kendrick opened the bowling with Bicknell and Benjamin. Given their experience, although not as quick as they once were, they bowled with enough seam and swing to cause some problems. However, this didn’t last as Matt Abbett coming in at 3 scored a rapid 59 off 23 balls which kept the home side in the hunt for victory. Seamer Daryl King then took 3 quick wickets to give the Masters hope but Louis Pryor with 25 not out clinched the OWs win with 5 balls to spare. Overall it was an excellent day, capped off with a great Curry (thanks to Azman Shahan for catering) an auction which raised £1000 for the cricket section (well compered by Paul Jenkins) and plenty of celebrations that went well into the early hours. Thanks to Neil Kendrick for bringing the Masters to the Hill for the game! View Scorecard 

Player of the Match: Matt Abbett – a second award of the week well deserved with this quick fire 50 which was crucial in the victory charge

Moment (s) of the Match: 1) Matt’s reverse “ramp” for six off Gary Butcher 2) Scott Newman’s pulled rocket flat 6 into the crowd on to the pavilion balcony that nearly took a couple of people out!

 19th July - Old Wilsonians Cricket Week XI 207 for 8  Versus Dulwich CC 218 for 6 – Dulwich won by 11 Runs!

The week ended with a gentle 40 over afternoon match against Dulwich with skipper Laurence Allen losing the toss (much to the disappointment of some now weary players / volunteers who had been rushing around for the 6th consecutive day on the trot). The home side started with 10 men as Seth Clifford went AWOL after the night before but luckily Steve “The Future” Lawrence stepped in to field at slip given how knackered he was from the work hard  / play hard approach to the week. Dulwich started comfortably with a 65 opening stand before Shehan Sivaranjan (son of Siva) broke the partnership and then followed up again with another quick wicket to give the home side some comfort going into the drinks break. The spinners tightened things up after drinks but opener Oliver Steward was ticking along nicely and brought up a superb 100 before retiring. Some late hitting from skipper Matt Baulch (26 not out) and Jonny Stone (28) took Dulwich beyond 200 and set up a stiff chase for the OWs. The reply was shaky and at 72-4 a collapse could easily have happened. However a quick 51 stand between Siva Ranjan and Laurence Allen kept up with the run rate and Siva eventually fell for and excellent 93 to play himself back into form for the remainder of the season. Allen fell for 38 playing one too many sweep shots but Howard Abbett (32 not out) and Stan Sherlock (25) tried their very best in the push for victory, however, time ran out with OWs 11 runs short. Thanks to Jeff Mascarenhas for coordinating this game with his old club and to Jeff’s wife for providing a lovely tea for everyone. View scorecard 

Player of the Match: A shared award for Oliver Steward and Siva Ranjan – both knocks were crucial in setting up the innings of the respective teams

Moment (s) of the Match: 1) Matt Abbett’s umpiring stint – he was so tired that he was lying down at square leg and stopped a ball going for four as his attempt at dodging the ball didn’t quite go according to plan 2) Laurence (A.K.A Rob Key ?!?) Allen smashing a six into the trees (admittedly the short boundary) only for the ball to stay stuck in those same trees “new ball please”