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Holyport  162 all out 51.5 overs (J Morris 6-21)
PTGCC 166-4 42.4 overs

Match Won, 25 points (Holyport 6 points)

Side:
R Royce (wk)
T. Bentley
C.Mason
S. Powell
I. Holford (c)
D. Graham
C. Judge
J. Morris
S. Parry
J. Carpenter
T. Liquat

Full 1st XI results for Saturday 11th May and latest league table here

A view from Steve ‘Powello’ Powell…

With Captain Mason deciding he needed a week off to re-charge the batteries, the 2nd XI was in the very capable, and very loving (ask Jeff) hands of Ian Holford. Another toss won (their captain called it wrong so is that technically a win, or did their just skipper lose it?). Anyway, Holford had no hesitation in having a bowl, a decision based on overhead conditions rather than the pitch – which once again looked and played wonderfully well. Good pace and a bit of bounce and nice carry through to the keeper.

The start was solid if un-spectacular with runs at a premium, with a few plays and misses and inside edges squirmed down to fine leg, but no real alarm bells being wrung. Typical stuff really and concentration was vital – no thinking about the forthcoming excellent tea provided by Mrs O’Hagan (D Graham tucking into 4 slices of carrot cake and 2 slices of ginger cake – that’s why he’s put on so much weight this season).

After a slow start, it got slower and slower with wickets falling regularly. Tony Lad started Holyports decline and his enthusiasm was rubbing off on us all, as indeed was his Yorkshire accent. For no apparent reason we gradually started sounding like a team from Yorkshire rather than the Home Counties.

Wickets were shared around until Jeff got a bowl, and with his career stats still etched in our minds after we’d seen the printouts he’d kindly provided (www.jefipedia.com) his bowling was irresistible and they soon succumbed to a below par 162 all out from their full 52 overs, Pretty tedious stuff I have to say. Morris finishing with excellent figures of 6 for 21 to take him onto 1405 career wickets and 49 5 fors (seriously).

Bentley and Royce set about the target, Royce with some relish, driving and cutting the angry quick from the field end to give us a solid start of 30 odd, but his dab to a well placed deep gully nearly started a bit of panic. This wicket would be one of 3 to fall in the same fashion, with all of us getting ourselves out in poor fashion. Not good chaps (self included). A small collapse looked to be on the cards with the middle order not offering much, apart from a typically composed innings from C. Mason, who along with Chris “Judgey” Judge calmed things down nicely. Judge handing out his own version of a judicial review with a patient well constructed knock of 42* – some lovely drives and shots worked using the pace of the ball. Judge and Morris comfortably seeing us home with nearly 10 overs to spare. A good win all round and with a W for the ones as well, a good weekend of winning cricket for Penn & Tylers Green CC.

Until next time,

Powello (in love)

Penn Street 245 all out (40 overs)
PTGCC 161 all out (30.3 overs)
Match Lost

Team:
Elliot Scott
Steve Coleman
Ian Holford
Martin Lawrence
Jeff Morris
Samuel Parry
Nick Parry
Zach Godfrey
Jon Wilson
Liam Weatherall
Richard O’Hagan (captain, wicketkeeper, general dogsbody)

A view from The Skipper…

A sunny bank holiday Sunday sees us make the short trip to Penn Street. Given the presence of a pub on the boundary and the prospect of a day off the next day, it was surprisingly hard to get a side together for this one, so much so that we took the field with no fewer than three colts in the team.

To the immense credit of Samuel Parry, Martin Lancaster and Zach Godfrey, they did far more than make up the numbers, they put their elders to shame. Samuel bowled eight overs of often unplayable spin before top scoring with the bat, Martin pulled off stop after stop in the covers and then anchored our innings when it looked like collapsing around him, and Zach bowled as quickly as anyone on the day and unveiled a bullet arm from the outfield.

From this unusually positive opening, you’ll gather that it was another day that went a bit wrong. Winning the toss and electing to field was supposed to be a positive move, given that the Penn Street square hadn’t been played on yet in 2013. But then Holf’s first ball of the innings bounced twice after passing the bat before hitting the wicketkeeper a painful blow on the wrist. When your opening bowler tells you you’re standing too far back you know you’re in for a long day.

Things actually picked up a bit from there. Three consecutive maidens started the innings and then Jeff spun out an opener via a deflection from a glove. Holf then decided that he was bored of not conceding any runs and began to try and bounce the batsmen out, which didn’t really work. Jeff’s quicker ball accounted for the number three, and then the other opener opener slogged a sky-er off Liam Weatherall which Holf did well to juggle into his hands. Unfortunately, though, that was it for around about 200 runs, as numbers four and five blasted our bowling around the park. In fairness to our bowlers and fielders, we had very little luck, with chances falling just short or just behind fielders at regular intervals. Oh, and there was a really, really horrible missed stumping off Samuel’s bowling, which we won’t go into because the culprit is still hoping to one day be able to drop himself for it. Jon Wilson picked up a wicket at the end, just to show the colts that he does know what he is on about, but it was not our day in the field.

Things didn’t get any better when we batted. Penn Street opened up with the number four batsman, who still had the same interesting action that he had when we played this game two years ago. He gave Steady and Elliot little trouble. The opener from the other end, however, was a different proposition. Bowling with a loping run off an overly long runup, then looping the ball down at about 1/8th of the anticipated pace, he was like a younger version of this writer. Only with the ability to take wickets. Three of them, which left us reeling and, effectively, out of the game before we even reached the tenth over.

Martin battled gamely. Jeff tried to reach fifty entirely in boundaries, but was forced to run a three at one point. Samuel was at times inspired, dancing down the track several times to hit bowlers over the infield. NIck Parry rolled back the years with some lusty blows. Jon wore one on the helmet and was then given out caught off a ball he didn’t hit. Fortunately, the umpire balanced that out by giving Liam leg before to a ball he had hit. It was that kind of day.

Two games, two losses, two centuries scored against us. It has to get better from here, surely?

Until next time,

Richard

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Hit or Miss 258 – 40 overs

Penn & Tylers Green 127 all out

Match Lost

A view from The Skipper…

Ah, the start of the cricket season. The feel of leather on willow. The smell of linseed oil. The panic of wondering if you can raise 11 players. And yet every year I forget how artery-clenching freezing it is in April.

How cold is it? Well, Jeff is wearing full length trousers, I’m wearing two sweaters and Steady’s 58% of the way to being cryogenically frozen. Upon winning the toss, the decision to field first is based upon nothing but the consideration that it will be warmer than fielding second.

After a hold-up to the start of play because Ricky has had to go home to fetch his jockstrap (which has to be the worst euphemism for kitty-fiddling ever) the ten men of Penn (yes, we never found an 11th) take the field for the traditional opening Sunday contest against the Hit or Miss.

Initially, things go well. The visiting top three are clearly taking their team name a bit literally and after some lusty swings which don’t always connect with anything they are soon three down and we are in the game.

That’s when it all goes pear-shaped. The Hit or Miss lot, rather than sticking to their own pubs, have raided ours and found a chap called Winfield lurking behind the Horse & Jockey. He duly bludgeons his way to 136 in a ferocious display of straight hitting.

Amid the carnage there’s a lovely display of quick swing bowling from debutant Tony Liaqat, who is often too good even for the centurion and who, with a bit more luck, could easily have had five wickets.

Credit also goes to Liam Weatherall, playing his first game for several years, who rides some rough treatment from Winfield to bowl him and then end up with three wickets, one off a remarkable legside stumping by Ricky which saw him backhanding the ball at the stumps whilst on the run*.

On our ground 259 in 40 overs is a gettable target, but the downward spiral continued when our gun opening partnership of Elliot and Danny mustered just 11 between them. Steady ground his way to 18, Jeff chipped in 22 and Ricky somehow top scored with 26. There was some lovely strokeplay from Zach Godfrey (the ball went along the ground, so clearly his dad hasn’t been coaching him) and Callum Weatherall, but really the least said about this innings the better, as we wound up 127 all out.

*well, stumble, possibly tripping over his own feet.

Until next time,

Richard

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