18th July 2009 - Match Reports. |
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BGCC 2nd XI vs Belbroughton | BGCC 4th XI vs Hanley and Upton 2nd XI |
I missed the Green’s second team fixture this Saturday (18th July) as I was up in Yorkshire celebrating my mum’s 60th 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 14th July – JD - text to all ‘Boys big game this Saturday rsvp asap’ Tuesday 14th July – Replies from whole team apart from Brooker. Wednesday 15th July – JD – texts Brooker’s girlfriend – She replies – ‘he can play’ Thursday 16th 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 17th 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 18th July - JD texts Scully to wish him luck. Scully replies with ‘I’ll do the job don’t stress big man xxx’ Saturday 18th July - Cyril texts at 13:20 to say ‘We won the toss and are fielding J’ Saturday 18th July - Cyril texts at 14:16 to say ’15 overs gone 48-1’ I think to myself ‘a steady start’. Saturday 18th July - Cyril texts at 15:43 to say ‘195-3 off 40’ Saturday 18th July - Cyril texts at 16:23 to say ‘300 for 7 dec off 49’ Saturday 18th 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 18th July - Cyril texts at 17:10 to say ‘ Yorkie and Jon L 49-0 off 10’ Saturday 18th July - Cyril texts at 17:16 to say ‘Ooops 55-2 Jon out and ash brew out 3rd 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 18th July - Cyril texts at 17:37 ‘121-2 off 18 Yorkies having a 6 attack and Adam Greaves is doing well.’ Saturday 18th 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 18th 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 18th 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 18th 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 18th 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 4th team match against Hanley and Upton 2nd 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 19th 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 28th 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 |