Outwood (A)
A crash back to reality this week, with the skipper losing the toss on a very spicy wicket to the best seam attack in the league. Hardly a recipe for success.
And so it played out, with Outwood bowling very tightly on a pitch doing everything, and wickets falling constantly with runs failing to be accrued in quite the same manner. Alas we found ourselves both quickly and slowly at 19-5, after 16 overs.
Myself and Jo managed to weather the storm with a combination of extravagant leaves, inside edges past the keeper and sheer dumb luck. After managing to being dropped on a straightforward but firmly hit chance, I was then caught out by possibly the greatest catch I’ve seen at our level. Think Stokes vs South Africa, world cup, but fielding at cover instead and running backwards to begin with. “You cannot do that”… he did that
But outwood had fallen into our trap, and activated Hodor. Clearly having read last weeks match report, he set about a mixture of defence and swashbuckling batting, and made a personal high score if 42 in challenging conditions. For those keeping score, his high score is now ahead of total ducks, by 2. Tune in next week for the latest update.
Alas wickets fell very regularly around myself, jo and hodor, meaning we were bowled out for 117, with the pitch also getting noticeably easier to bat on after the first 25 overs. Understandably, we were hopeful but also realistic about our chances at tea, but never say never!
First 3 balls of Outwoods innings were eventful: 4,6,W… the Harry dunmall strikes again! Alas aside from some good bowling from dunmall, and a dropped catch by your truly off jo price, outwood advanced to the total quickly and effectively. Muddy striking with less than 10 needed, removing Ash with a pearler, giving us a hint of a bowling point. However, this was not to be, and we ended up beaten by 8 wickets by a quality side for the first time in 2 years.
If anyone can play this weekend, we are in need of one player in each team,.please do make yourself available!
Marden (H)
Back to back weeks vs the two best teams in the league was always a tough run, add in some tropical thunderstorms and a very rare appearance of a Hanson, and you had quite the spectacle.
Marden turned up with a young, keen, talented rugby team, who apparently also played cricket, and with a shortened game (30 overs) negotiated at the toss, we chose to bat on what seemed like a good hard deck. (I did double check auto-correct on that sentence…) Pat and Muddy started well, Pat looking particularly fluid, with Speldhurst compiling a very repeatable 50-1 off the first 10. Then the heavens opened, the covers were rapidly dragged on, and a thoroughly doused Woody could be found reclaiming his sitting stick he had discarded in fear of lightning.
The deck still played well, but it was clear the rain had benefitted the fielding side, with a slower outfield and a slower pitch siding the swinging conditions, as well as Mardens tight bowling unit. Pat was given out lbw, less than thrilled with the decision after staring at his bat, then woody, then his bat, then woody, for several seconds. This brought myself to the crease with hanson, and aside from a few loose balls thay were punished, we both struggled to find and fluency, and were out for small double figure scores.
Fitz upped the run rate with several clean strikes and innovative shots, but alas fell trying to build the total, and whilst there was much effort from the rest of the line up, we struggled to really post a competitive total, finishing on 163 off 30 overs.
IMPORTANT NOTE: last week I stated Dunmall scored 42, it was in fact 41. This means total ducks only need one more to tie. All to play for moving into the final 8 games.
Speaking of dunmall, he opened up with fitz, and some good bowling brought about an early wicket from dunners and a very economical run rate from both. Pat came on from Dunmalls end and immediately struck, with speldhurst now sensing a real shot at beating top of the table. However a 60 run partnership for the 3rd wicket, scratchy to start with but progressing with increasing ease got marden to a comfortable 7 an over needed off the last 15 overs with 8 wickets in hand. There was also a runout by at least a yard not given by the Marden umpire to the disbelief of everyone on the pitch, including both batsmen and a rather baffled pigeon.
Luckily this wasnt punished, with barkhan picking up a well deserved wicket, a good catch behind from Happy after juggling it for over a second. But unfortunately this brought their rather explosive no 5 to the crease, hitting a rapid 42 with several 6s, taking the game out of our reach.
Despite some late game heroics with Dunmall taking 3 wickets including 2 in 2 balls, the first a good catch from fitz, the 2nd clean bowled, their number 3 saw them home with an unbeaten 50 and us losing by 5 wickets and 10 balls.
Sadly I am away next week, but our overseas signing is here so please get yourselves available for the next 2 weeks! Huge games.
Bidborough (A)
After a week of mixed weather reports the 1st team had the trip away to Bidborough, where the pitch looked surprisingly in decent shape, however gale force winds were I play.
As stand in skipper for only the 2nd time for the 1st team in my career, I had the pleasure of tossing, which we won and chose to field (first time we have done so this season I believe!).
3 people were making their first appearance of the season this week, the first being Miguel Jeffé, formally known as Mike Jeffreys. Naturally I gave him choice of ends over Hodor. Both bowlers started very strong, picking up wickets, although the most clear thing about these opening overs was that the pitch was an absolute minefield…
Hodor was extremely unlucky not to have picked up more, 3 drop catches (out of 11 on the day), however he did manage to collect the scalp of Speldhursts regular thorn in the side Dan Page. He also managed to get wided off a length ball that went over the batsman head!
David did David things with the ball and Charpie bowled extremely tightly, both the easily the most economical figures of the day, Dave 1-22 and Charlie 1-24 from their 9. Mr Nash was our 5th bowler who struggled to find the pitch to start with, however found it eventuaply and bowled some lovely balls.
They finished on 158-9. Not bad.
After tea I was trying to find any reason not to open as the pitch was not getting better, I also turned to 2s skipper Happy to open, who also was trying to find any reason not to open. End result, we both opened.
The first over went our way, 24 from it through some lusty blows primarily from Happy! I then decided to put a full length ball in the air to continue my shocking form, Happy followed shorty, not a bad start though.
Time for the return of Tom Hinton and Jimmy Greenich, both played as if they’d never been away, playing sensibly and punishing the balls they could. Of course, things came to an end and wickets fell.
Mj and Hodor were our next notable partnership. Putting on a good score together, and 1 very notable 6 from Hodor. They run a 2, ball gets thrown in and clonks Hodor on the top of his head, he falls like he’s being paid £50k a week at Old Trafford, people rush to see if he’s okay. He was. 30s of tears, hugs and telling Hodor it’ll be alright later, the umpires had just realised the ball went for 4, laughter. At least Ben Stokes apologised unlike Hodor.
More wickets fell unfortunately for few runs, however MJ remained, so hope was still there and the game getting more and more tense. Ed and Omar did extremely well to hang around whilst MJ attempted to hit the bad balls, however it was down to Charlie Barkhan and MJ. Last over 6 to win. Mj takes a single, Couple of dots, Charlie out having to go for it. Mj 29 not out.
A game we ‘coulda’ ‘shoulda’ ‘woulda’ won, if it wasn’t for a few costly fielding errors.
Bowling 9/10
Batting 7/10
Catching -2/10
Both times captaining we have lost in the last over… not sure if I want to do it again 🤣
Bearsted (A)
It was going to rain, we won the toss and bowled in a t20.We bowled 7 overs in increasingly wet conditions, picking up a wicket but going for 53. Too wet, came off and then went to pub(s) to watch various sport and imbibe liquids.
Best game of the season!
Speldhurst Cricket Club 