18th July 2009 - Match Reports.
BGCC 2nd XI vs Belbroughton	BGCC 4th XI vs Hanley and Upton 2nd XI
I missed the Green’s second team fixture this Saturday (18^th July) as I was up in Yorkshire celebrating my mum’s 60^th Birthday. Luckily Cyril Dean and others’ in the team kept me up to date with events at North End Lane through a series of texts and phone calls. The match report for this game is made up of a selection of these communications. Tuesday 14^th July – JD - text to all ‘Boys big game this Saturday rsvp asap’  Tuesday 14^th July – Replies from whole team apart from Brooker. Wednesday 15^th July – JD – texts Brooker’s girlfriend – She replies – ‘he can play’ Thursday 16^th July Cyril pulls out of the fixture due to a gunshot wound to the calf and Robin Longmore is drafted in to captain the side. Friday 17^th July 21:30hrs -  JD Calls James Curtis to makes sure he leaves the Naggs Head at a decent time and to stop Yorkie from visiting Caspian Pizza. Saturday 18^th July  - JD texts Scully to wish him luck. Scully replies with ‘I’ll do the job don’t stress big man xxx’ Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at 13:20 to say ‘We won the toss and are fielding J’ Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  14:16 to say ’15 overs gone 48-1’ I think to myself  ‘a steady start’. Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  15:43 to say ‘195-3 off 40’ Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  16:23 to say ‘300 for 7 dec off 49’ Saturday 18^th July  - Yorkie texts at 16:30 to say ‘a good selection of cakes today in the tea, tidy’ Nikki tells me to put my phone away and stop stressing about ‘another bloody cricket match’. I turn my phone to silent but still check it every 5 minutes! The second innings begins. Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  17:10 to say ‘ Yorkie and Jon L 49-0 off 10’ Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  17:16 to say ‘Ooops 55-2 Jon out and ash brew out 3^rd ball for none.’ I’m now worried that I’ve jinxed the innings by moving from my mum’s living room to the garden to chat with my auntie and uncle. Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  17:37 ‘121-2 off 18 Yorkies having a 6 attack and Adam Greaves is doing well.’ Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  17:37 ‘At least 4 balls seen rolling down Orford Way following Yorkies 6’s’ I stay put in the garden despite the rain so as not to jinx Yorkies innings. Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  17:42 ‘Oh dear, its raining and the players are heading off’ I see this as a chance to leave the garden and the rain, returning inside to socialise with my family. Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  18:40 ‘We came off for 30 odd mins 167-5 off 31 – the rain took its toll.’ My mum asks me how’s the cricket going – I begin to explain the complicated permutations regarding rain and the league rules and she walks off before I finish my first sentence. Anyone would think it was her birthday!  Saturday 18^th July  - Cyril texts at  18:58 ‘Got the 75 percent easy 93 off 9 overs to win with 5 wickets in hand!’ I tell my mum that we might win the game, we could draw it but hopefully shouldn’t lose it. She shakes her head and calls me ‘sad’ before telling me I shouldn’t have any more birthday cake. I call Cyril and he gives me a ball-by-ball commentary on the final over of the game. A tight finish with the Green missing out on the winning draw points by virtue of a better run-rate by just 7 runs. 270 for 7 in 46 overs shows what an excellent fight the Green gave Belbroughton and, had it not been for the rain break where four overs were lost, could possibly have won a high-scoring game on what was described as a ‘main road of a wicket’. Yorkie got 99 and Adam Greaves on second team debut got 65. Well done to all involved – by text it certainly seemed an exciting match! Saturday 18^th July  - 21:03 - Andy Williams (Astwood Bank Captain) texts to ask how we got on, he also tells me ‘Astwood got 511-2 and bowled Lye out for 86!!!’ At this point I knock my wine glass off the table and try and drown myself in my bowl of soup. My family question my sanity and wish they’d bought me a tennis racquet rather than a cricket bat for my fourth birthday!  The Green are still unbeaten and are now second, 14 pointsbehind Astwood Bank. Many Thanks to Robin Longmore who stepped in at short notice to captain the Youth Club and to Cyril, who, despite his injuries acted as both team manager and commentator on the day.	After heavy overnight rain at Barnards Green’s Newland ground, the ground staff worked wonders to present a well prepared, but understandably damp wicket for the 4^th team match against Hanley and Upton 2^nd XI. The Green’s skipper Dick Brown was asked to bat first and after just a few overs it became evident that this would not be a high-scoring match. Returning from injury, veteran Julian Hall opened with the younger Chris Horne and both players had to contend with seam bowling of the highest order from Conway and Lewis who bowled with accuracy and control and a ball swinging violently in both directions. Hall looked out of touch after his long absence and was bowled by Conway for 4, closely followed a few balls later by Elliot Hennesey who missed a straight delivery. With the run rate at less than two per over, Dick Brown asked opener Horne to protect one end whilst trying to force the pace himself at the other. Brown did well to cope with the tight bowling but eventually fell LBW for 19 in the 19^th over with a meagre 43 runs on the board. Robbie Tyler (3)  was bowled playing down the wrong line and when the normally solid Mark Perkins (5) became Lewis’ third victim and James Merley failed to score The Green appeared in trouble. The batting order was re-shuffled in an attempt to post a respectable total and Steve Hunt (11) started to find his touch before being run out after being dropped off the same ball at mid-on. With less than four overs to go Dave Price joined the resilient Horne and immediately injected pace into the run rate. Putting on 20 runs in the last three overs Price finished on 9 not out and Horne carried his bat for a superb 65 as The Green finished on 136 for 7. The visitors had all bowled well and The Green felt far from comfortable at the break. After a beautifully prepared tea the sides came out to an overcast sky and a humid atmosphere. With his usual opening bowler missing from the action Brown entrusted the new ball to Elliot Hennesey who immediately hit the spot to demolish D Williams’ stumps with his second ball. This signalled the start of a superb performance by all of The Green’s youngsters as they conspired to remove Hanley and Upton’s batsmen at regular intervals. Nine of  the visitor’s wickets were taken by under 15 players who also produced  a fielding display which was virtually faultless. For the visitors only R Williams (14) achieved double figures, looking dangerous until he too fell to the youngsters as Hennesey took a steepling catch at mid-wicket. Hanley and Upton were bowled out in the 28^th over for just 70 runs with debutantes Matt Wren and James Merley each taking 3 wickets and the home side taking 24 points. Despite the low scores this was a well contested game which could have been won by either team but on the day the dogged determination of Horne with the bat made the real difference. Both teams should be congratulated on playing within the spirit of the game and with a smile on their faces. Bromyard vs Barnards Green 1st XI After a weekend where all WCL Division 1 games were abandoned a week of wet weather was not what second placed Barnards Green needed in their quest to catch league leaders Pershore. Despite Bromyard’s limited time to prepare the pitch it was with great delight for both teams that the umpires decided that conditions were fit for a 2pm start with overs reduced to 43 per side. Skipper Williams managed to win only his 3^rd toss of the season and with a side missing Smedley and Williams (suspended), Harris (US Soccer trials) and Golder(aviation commitments) elected to field first. Unfortunately for the away side despite a pitch that looked like it would help the seamers the sluggish nature meant that Leighton and Bullock managed to see off the new ball threat of Murphy and Williams, posting a partnership of 66. Leighton was first to go for a stodgy 28 off the bowling of Ford. Rodrigo contributed a breezy 30 including a huge six into the nearby transport depot before he was the first of 4 well deserved victims for Lewis Hooper whose tidy off spin returned figures of 4-36. At this point Saeed and Thomas tried to accelerate the rate but were hampered by the slow pitch and outfield as well as the openers having used up over 150 balls without one of them going on to anchor the innings. Saeed fell for 28 to a well judged boundary catch by Ford off Hooper and Thomas fell stumped by Binks for 15 to leave the home side 153-4.  The Green then managed to exert severe pressure on the home side with no one else reaching double figures as Murphy returned for two scalps closing the Bromyard innings on 169. With no regular 1^st XI openers in the side skipper Williams entrusted the duties to Mark Hooper promoted from strong form in the 2^nd XI and Murphy who has been accustomed to the number 11 spot for most of the year. Saeed and Greg Leighton opened proceedings for the home side and Saeed particularly bowled economically on the still slow pitch. Despite the occasional play and miss and a difficult dropped chance Hooper and Murphy were assured in their play in the opening overs and saw off the immediate new ball threat. At this point both Hooper and Murphy began to latch onto every scoring opportunity, Hooper delightfully clipping Leighton for a brace of leg side boundaries and Murphy unleashing a powerful drive off Saeed. Hooper brought up a well made 50 before playing the shot of the day a crisp straight drive off Saeed which seemed to sap any remaining hope from the home side. Not to be outdone Murphy reached his own half century before upping several gears dispensing harsh justice to Rodrigo who he hoisted for 2 huge maximums from consecutive balls in a an innings which accelerated from a 71 ball fifty into a brisk 90 from just 98 balls with seven sixes. Hooper finished with 65 from 105 balls in a convincing 10 wicket win which closes the gap at the top of the table to just 4 points with the Green entertaining local rivals Colwall at North End Lane this weekend with admission free to all. The Tansell’s Garage man of the match was Nick Murphy for his 90no. Bromyard 169-9, Lewis Hooper 4-36 BGCC 170, Murphy 90no, Mark Hooper 65no