Barnards Green cricket Club Match
Reports.
21st August 2004 Gree |
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Oldswinford vs Barnards Green 2nd XI |
Enville vs
Barnards Green 3rd XI |
On a constantly
lively track at Oldswinford, this match produced all sorts of action. Green
skipper Dick Brown showed good sense by choosing to field. He later claimed
to have been in two minds during the toss, but batting might have been fatal
and would certainly have provoked his team. His opening attack
of Andy Lamb and Chris Hill regularly beat the bat for eight overs, with
keeper Glendinning’s glovework as usual too fast for umpires and batsmen.
Then the game took a peculiar turn. Hill had just bowled successive maidens,
but a theory began to circulate that he would obtain more bounce at Lamb’s
end. Jonno Boult was given an over of offspin to allow the switch, but first
he brought the ball to the umpires’ attention. Indeed it was of junior size
and weight, and a correct senior ball was produced after consultation and
delay. Boult then obtained impressive turn, was asked to persevere, and
bowled Whitticase through the gate. Blunt and Wear
inched forward at two or three runs per over against Boult’s spin and Hill’s
accurate leg-cutters, and looked frustrated and aggressive when the halfway
drinks arrived. Brown now introduced his reserves. Rob Lewis bowled six
steady overs, but James Scullion did even better as Wear played on and Blunt
lofted a catch to Brown (87-3). Then Boult in turn switched ends and
demolished the middle and late order, taking four more wickets including two
stumpings. Almost every
bowling change somehow produced results. Justin McMillan launched a few long
hops but defeated Ganner with his offbreak. Clinton was run out by Nick
Rogers. Finally Jones was plumb lbw to Lamb, and Oldswinford had declined to
132 all out. Yet the Green had fielded shoddily, apart from Glendinning who
had conceded only 3 byes, and they could not be satisfied or confident at
tea. Regular opener
Hancock, and his irregular partner Brown, began cautiously against Jones and
Blunt. The ball was still moving generously, and Hancock (11) nibbled outside
off stump. The excellent slip catch was by Ganner, normally the 1st
XI keeper, who had overslept and been obliged to play at home. Rogers did
nothing to calm Green nerves, swiping one legside boundary but top-edging an
attempted repeat. Scullion senior then played an important, free-flowing
knock of 30, but kept lifting the ball off the deck and eventually lifted
Fradgley’s slow spin back to the bowler. Now the remaining
batsmen blended youth, age, and unfitness in a most disagreeable manner,
while Brown was close to exhaustion and beginning to swipe carelessly. Hill, after a couple of loose prods,
realised what was needed. He took few chances, made sure that Brown had some
breathing space, and settled into a mode of steady accumulation. Brown was
nursed through to a captain’s undefeated 50, and then Hill (18no) struck the
winning boundary with 10 overs to spare. Oldswinford 132
all out (42 overs; M Wear 31; J Boult 5-24) Barnards Green
135-3 (34.1 overs; R W Brown 54 no, I Scullion 30) Barnards Green won
by 7 wickets Lye 235-0 (31 overs; Gulbar
111 no, Clifford 110 no) Barnards green Singles vs Knighton on Teme by 10
wickets The batting demons
of the previous week almost wrecked Barnards Green’s chase for victory, but
Birch held firm to see his side home. Winning the toss
Freeman asked Knighton to have first use of a damp and slightly under
prepared wicket. Knighton made steady if unspectacular progress against some
steady bowling but when they played shots they rode their luck. Humphries saw
shots falling short of the fielders and then survived a stinging caught and
bowled chance against the luckless Spiers. Evans then enjoyed even greater
fortune when he lobbed a ball towards Richard Birch who proceeded to make a
hash of the chance, technically not a drop as he failed to get hands to the
ball. The reprieve was short lived when Andy Sanders was rewarded with a
catch behind. A period of stalemate ensued, Freeman content to stifle the
runs as Gasch and Humphries failed to break the infield. The match changed
dramatically when ‘part time’ bowler Beavan was introduced. He benefited from
a dubious LBW to see off Humphries for 34. Skipper Gasch dropped anchor and
left to others to score the quick runs. The latter batsmen enjoyed the odd boundary
but Beavan was wreaking havoc whilst Simon Clarke (3 – 35) was his usual
metronomic self whirling away and picking up wickets. Beavan put the ball in
the right areas seeing the impeccable White snaring three catches behind and
the more spectacular catches followed as Knighton stumbled to 129 all out,
Skipper Gasch 28 no but Beavan with 5 for 31 destroyer in chief. After an excellent
‘last game at home’ tea the Singles were confident of victory on a now easing
wicket. Despite some excellent bowling Freeman and Leech had little problem
in negotiating the early onslaught. Leech was usual belligerent self in
dispatching the loose delivery whilst a more circumspect Freeman took the
score to 60 before the wheels fell off. Freeman (15) fell to change bowler James
quickly followed by Lewis and then Leech (34) was unluckily run out when
Whites straight drive was finger tipped onto the stumps, 60 without loss
became 60 for 3. White (12) looked comfortable until the impressive Whistance
(3 – 12) sparked another collapse to 75 for 5. Metcalfe joined Birch and
whilst Birch was a big rock Metcalfe took the more aggressive approach and
scored quickly to post the 100 until Gittens had him caught in the covers
again one wicket brought two and 25 runs were needed with three wickets
remaining. Birch became more adventurous stroking two boundaries and Saunders
took his side to the brink with a towering six but followed soon after. With
four runs required and two wickets remaining Birch took command nudging the
ball around to bring the scores level and with the field closed in calmly
drove the ball to the fence. The victory alleviating all of the Singles
relegation fears and a chance of nicking third spot, so tight has this
division been. |
With the Green
3rds sitting top of the league, a trip to Kinver to play lowly Enville looked
a comfortable game on paper, however, with Enville's seconds having had their
game called off, a number of their players found themselves dropped to the
thirds. Stand in skipper Robin Longmore won the toss and inserted
Enville on an all weather track with an outfield that had not seen a mower
for some little while. Fourteen year old Adam Price and thirteen year
old Tom Clack opened the attack and the openers made steady progress until
Clack produced an excelent delivery to find the edge and keeper Mark Perkins
took the catch. Stu Fletcher, looking to find some form after a period
of absence with a bad back soon got into a good rhythm and hard hitting
opener Fellows edged to slip where Robbie Tyler took the first of three good
catches. Wickets tumbled regularly but too many wides were conceded
although only Passmore (21) went into double figures. Fletcher finished
with 5 for 15 off his 12 excellent overs and Rob Tyler was introduced and was
unlucky to have two catches dropped off consecutive balls in his first
over. To his credit he persevered and picked up two wickets for just 5
runs and Clack was reintroduced to finish off the tail and pick up his second
wicket. Enville had reached 110 thanks in main to 34 extras including
28 wides! Young Mat Higgs again fielded well in only his second game
for the Green. Barnards Green 1st XI vs Oldswinford Chris Smedley again won the toss and were asked to bat first on a wet
slow but reliable wicket. The green batsman again batted nervously finding it
hard to force the pace. It took the cool head of Rich Williams to eak out
precious runs as partners came and went to increasingly poor shots he finally
departed for a priceless 69. With the innings perilously balanced judd
doughty (28) again played another superb innings to rescue the green and
along with a clever knock from matty brookes (19) managed to guide the green
to a respectable 173 for 9 off their 50 overs. With the batsmen dissapointing the pressure was
again on the greens bowlers to perform and they responded brilliantly with
duncan bell (2-37) playing his first 1st team game of the seasonand Tim
Williams ripping into the Oldswinford top order, aided by some fine fielding
the green kept plugging away taking wickets at regular intervals only arron
Nichols (47) making a major contribution, fittingly Tim Williams wrapped up
the Oldswinford Innings bowling the stubborn Hall (10) thus finishing with
magnificent figures (7-44) off 18 Overs Saturday 21st August 2004 A day to remember. The first time that all 4 of The Green’s sides have won. |
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