Barnards Green cricket Club Match Reports.

Lye vs Barnards Green 1^st XI

Barnards Green Singles vs Knighton on Teme

Barnards Green 1^st XI travelled to Lye on Saturday for a crunch promotion match in division 3 of the Worcester League. On a hot day Tim Williams won the toss and decided to ask Lye to bat. Lye’s opening batsmen got off to a flying start with boundaries coming regularly. The introduction of spin saw the Green claim there first breakthrough when Flynn had Else caught on the boundary by Rob Richards for an excellent 70. Ishtiaq fell soon after for an excellent 89. Tim Clarke and Flynn took wickets at regular intervals despite some big hitting from the Lye middle order. The Green stuck to the job in hand and with some good catching from Drinkwater, Churchill, T.Clarke and a spectacular diving effort from Doughty as well as two sharp stumpings from Glendinning the Green managed to restrict Lye to 257 for 8 in their 50 overs. With a good track and lightening outfield this was very much a get able score. The Green started very solidly with Doughty and Jez Clarke taking them to 54 for no wicket after 17 overs. In an attempt to up the scoring rate Doughty, having hit Ishtiaq for a huge six perished soon after, attempting a similar shot to Kaleeq. Clarke then also fell attempting to increase the score rate and when Dan Flynn fell soon after the Green was in some trouble. However Chris Hill and Paul Drinkwater came together and Drinkwater in particular looked in excellent form as he peppered the straight boundaries to get the Green moving towards the victory target. However Drinkwater was stumped attempting one more six. This brought Rob Richards to the wicket with the Green needing a rate of 8 runs per over. Richards immediately unleashed a brutal array of magnificent straight sixes. Richards struck the ball with great power and timing hitting six sixes in a score of 60 off just 28 balls. Richards’ heroics meant that the Green needed 13 runs off the last 2 overs. However Kaleeq found some extra energy and managed to bowl a maiden including the wicket of Chris Hill for 29. This left Richards on strike and the Green still within 13 of victory. However attempting another big hit he was well caught at long on. This left the new pair of Tim Clarke and Tim Williams with the unlikely task of 13 off 5 balls. The pair only managed to scramble 6 runs and the Green fell short of victory by 7 runs. Despite taking a creditable losing draw and 9 points the result effectively ends the Greens push for promotion with 2 games still to play. Next week the Green entertain champions elect at North end Lane and will be looking to return to winning form. Main Index

Barnards Green singles left the field mightily aggrieved to have lost this match by one wicket with Knighton batter James taking the plaudits from his team mates when the ‘singles’ were convinced they had him caught behind long before he reached double figures. Knighton asked the Green to take first use of a hard fast true wicket down at Newland. The Knighton opening bowlers made the most of the new ball and tied down Freeman and Genever as the opening ten overs yielded only 18 runs. Hipkiss bowling predominately at C Genever and did not concede a run off the bat until the sixth over whist Griffiths’ pace and swing made scoring difficult. Freeman with borrowed kit having been the victim of a burglary (remember the bat is worth at least £100) took on the bowling and immediately had his rewards, playing shots all around the wicket he regularly found the boundary culminating in an imperious hook off Griffiths that disappeared into the adjoining field. The twentieth over saw the Green reach sixty and the next over saw Freeman reach fifty. Whistance replaced Griffiths and made a somewhat fortuitous breakthrough. Freeman failed to connect with a hook shot and the ball ballooned off his chest, over his head and landed on top of the bails and he departed for 51. Wheeler took up the challenge of quick runs and within two overs had passed Genever’s score. Whistance took the second wicket however when Wheeler flat batted a wide half volley straight into the fielders hands for 26 leaving the Green 120 for 2 with 15 overs remaining. With Genever reluctant to come out of his shell it was left to those around him to seek the boundaries. White came and went for a rapid 20 and the introduction of Evans (4 –25) was to see off the tail. Chris Genever reached his fifty in the fortieth over and struck two further boundaries before departing for 60. The Green were going to have to bowl and field well to prevent Knighton reaching the 207 target. Knighton started off confidently and prepared to go for their shots but Brookes made the early breakthrough. Gittens though was playing superbly, smashing Leech through the covers forcing a field change. He tried the shot again and Freeman held onto a ‘bullet’ at cover taking the ball inches from the turf. Knighton now consolidated their position and as Toms and Batt were content to wait for the bad ball as the opening pair tired. Batt tucked into Mike Genever’s off spin but perished to Spiers for 44. Two wickets fell with the score on 136 brought the Green back into the game with Toms going for 33 as Leech (2-52) returned. James and Griffiths slowly inched their way towards the target and Freeman turned to Richard Genever. His rewards were instant bowling Griffiths for 21 leaving Knighton forty runs short with four wickets and 10 overs remaining. Genever’s next over was to be the turning point of the match, James flashed and the nick heard by all, including Hinds the scorer, and prompting an appeal from Brown at Slip who was playing at North End Lane, started to walk looked at the umpire who shrugged his shoulders so returned to the crease. He proceeded to play a shot a ball smacking boundaries all over the field. Genever regained his composure to remove Gasch. Freeman brought back Spiers after Spencer 2- 32 had done his bit. James though took on Spiers smacking fourteen runs in one over leaving Knighton three runs short. James smacked the next ball and celebrated victory only for Freeman to pull off a magnificent diving stop. Genever bowled Whistance next ball and Knighton needed two whilst the Green needed one wicket. The evergreen Hipkiss entered the fray and calmly clipped the ball to square leg for the winning runs, Rich Genever’s excellent 3 for 20 bowling spell should have been enough but the sour aftertaste marred what had been an excellent game of cricket.