Barnards Green cricket Club Match Reports.

^22ndMay 2004 Ending in a winning dr Barnards Green Singles v aw for Barnard Barnards Green Singles v Brintons s Green

Barnards Green 2^nd XI vs Enville The Green were off the boil for much of this game, and at times they mixed bad luck with poor cricket. Dick Brown lost the toss, they were inserted under cloudy skies, and the accurate King almost at once lured Hancock and Jon Lewis down the track to be stumped. The score progressed at only two per over for the first hour, with Rob Lewis becalmed but determined. Hacking made a brusque 15 but fell to a very long hop, and then Middleton (27) and Lewis ground out a key partnership of 75. With Middleton bowled trying an ambitious glide, Chris Hill wasted no time but scored only 3 before Branch took a good one-handed catch at point. Dick Brown achieved a duck by slapping yet another catch direct to a fielder. The Green looked in deep trouble but Lewis made a valuable 57 before late and unexpected runs appeared. Scullion stroked 13, and Glendenning impressed the crowd with 22 including a mammoth six. Both were run out, Scullion hilariously off a misfield, but 172 from 45 overs was a fair score and better than had seemed likely. Then Scullion, warming up to spearhead the pace attack, turned his ankle and could not bowl. This ruined the skipper’s plan and put the Green in peril. They escaped with some credit, thanks to another steady effort from Sam Spencer (14 overs for 26) and a dominant one from Hill (six for 15 off 22 unbroken overs). Hodges and Branch had nudged to 15 by the eighth over, but Branch was taken sharply at slip by the alert Brown, and Simon Clarke took an easier catch at cover when the dangerous Spears attempted a hitting game. With Hodges plumb lbw, and Harris and Wilkinson soon bowled, Enville ambition faltered. Survival was easy, on the slow grassy pitch against this reduced Green attack, but quick scoring was very risky. Powell, who showed some boldness, hit Simon Clarke to Scullion on the midwicket boundary. From then on, Fellows (24) attempted few shots and P Brown (8 no) almost none. Hill clamped one end and claimed Fellows, well caught at slip by Dick Brown, in his last over. Clarke, Hancock, Middleton and Spencer were rotated at the other end, but despite a couple of alarms Enville were in little danger once they dug in. The Green, having lost the toss and their main bowler, and thrown away four or five wickets when batting, endured a frustrating last session but took comfort from a winning draw and the skilled work by their veterans Lewis and Hill. Barnards Green 172-9 (45 overs; R Lewis 57, K Middleton 27, G Glendenning 22; N Gordon 3-32) Enville 90-7 (45 overs; K Fellows 24; C Hill 6-15) Winning draw for Barnards Green Enville vs Barnards Green 1^st XI Last Saturday Barnards Green 1^st XI traveled to Enville on a beautiful sunny day. On a good looking track skipper Chris Smedley won the toss and asked Enville to bat. The Green had the perfect start with Chris Harrison striking twice in the first over, before a run had been scored. Pitt and Roberts added 23 before Tim Williams stooped to catch Pitt off his own bowling. Branch and Turner soon followed both bowled by Williams to leave Enville in deep trouble at 27 for 5. Enville managed to add some respectability to the total with a string of patient partnerships. However they never managed to increase the scoring rate above 2 runs per over. Clive Churchill then clean bowled Smith and Ralphs and had Howells smartly caught by Drinkwater at short leg. Jez Clarke caught Roberts off Tim Williams for a defiant 29 and Chris Harriosn returned to clean bowl Heathcock, leaving Enville all out for 100. Tim Williams finished with 4 for 35 off 22 overs and Chris Harrison and Clive Churchill both bowled very well for 3 wickets each. In reply Jez Clarke and Kevin Golder set about the total in a positive fashion. Golder moved swiftly to 34 before being bowled by Smith with the score on 51 after 5 overs. Clarke and Jono Boult continued to score at an excellent rate with both timing the ball very well. Clarke fell with the score on 73 for an entertaining 27. Tim Clarke joined Boult and the pair saw the Green home after just 16 overs. Boult finishing on 29 not out. The Green picked up 20 points and remains in 2^nd place behind Harborne who they welcome to North End Lane on Saturday. Thanks go to Sponsors, Interkey of Malvern.

Barnards Green Singles v Brintons WC vision – Saturday 15 May 2004 The ‘singles’ traveled to league leaders Brintons and left with a winning draw after Brintons made no attempt to chase 185 for victory. Brintons won the toss and asked the Green to take first use of the wicket, with no recognised openers available Spencer turned regular Number 11 Richard Brown. Brown who has often asked for an opportunity higher up the order did not disappoint the skipper. He was the mainstay of a opening stand worth 46 but the introduction of Morris was the undoing of the singles middle order as the batting collapsed with Brown going for 46, at 72 for 7 the Green were in big trouble. It took veteran Dave White and youngster Phil Harris to repair the considerable damage inflicted by Morris (5 – 19). Batting sensibly the pair took the score to 107 before Harris went for 15. White now found allies with the tail that wagged considerably, batting around the now fluent White 80 runs were added in the final 11 overs. White crashed the ball to the boundary at every opportunity 15 in all, as he compiled 77 runs not out. Bell 7 perished in the final over but his ten over vigil had been vital in giving the Green a total they could defend. Brintons made no effort to chase the runs but had to defend stoutly as Bell and Brookes made scoring extremely difficult. Bowling straight through Bell conceded 16 runs from his twelve overs for one wicket whilst Brookes’ spell yielded two wickets for 23 runs. Only 35 runs came from the opening twenty overs as opener Jones dropped anchor and struggled to get anything off the square. Some lusty hitting by Waldron and Waldron was too little too late as youngster Paddock bowled both “neck and crop” but his three wickets for 25 could not force an unlikely victory. Opener Jones remained defiant with 30 not out, as the Green had to settle for the winning draw points. Barnards Green 3^rd XI vs Belbroughton Quote of the Day. On Saturday Barnards Green 3rds entertained Belbroughton at Newland in a high scoring thriller. Put in to bat, the Green lost opener Dave Bayliss early on and then John Sherliker pulled a ball into his face and had to be whisked off to hospital. This brought newly appointed skipper Cyril Dean to the wicket to join Lee Dyment. Both batted cautiously early on against some tight bowling. As the batsmen started to dominate, Dean was particularly severe on anything short and played a number of exquisite cover drives. Dyment (32) then opened up using his new Crusader bat to good effect regularly finding the boundary before being run out taking a quick single. Mark Perkins failed to trouble the scorers, whilst Andy Hoddy (25), Robin Longmore (11) and Dave Price (33no) gave Dean good support as he passed his maiden century and went on to a superb chanceless 132 before being bowled in the final over having taken the total to 268 off the allotted 45 overs. This was a superb knock by the skipper who showed a full range of shots on an excellent batting track. Belbroughtons reply was subdued to start as Robbie Tyler and Patrick Jelley got into a good rhythm and Tyler bowled Doolittle with the score on six. He later removed Pardoe for 18 as the Green looked in control. Knights then started to build an innings and looked dangerous before he was superbly bowled by Emily Price whose flight and guile caused the batsmen problems. Willetts and Doolittle then dug in and skipper Dean set about trying to buy a wicket but the ball continually evaded the clutches of the fielders and the ball regularly found the boundary often through hands and legs. Tyler and Jelley were reintroduced to the attack and Willets skied the ball to Longmore to give Tyler his third wicket and Jelley bowled Person for a swift 22. Mick Ross and Bridges then hit some mighty blows and ran well between the wickets and the scoreboard showed the scores level with one ball remaining. Jelley kept a level head and duly bowled Bridges with a peach. Despite a few discrepencies in the scorebook, the game was tied and all retired to the bar to talk about an excellent game, superb tea and a marvellous innings from skipper Cyril Dean. Many thanks to Newland ground team for preparing an excellent track and to match sponsors the Three Nuns Inn.