Dear all,
Work Party
Most of you will have already received a reminder of the work party that is going on this afternoon to make the outfield safer on the top pitch – if anyone is available from 3.15pm onwards, we need your help!
Coaching Courses
If anyone is interested in furthering their cricket coaching ability, please contact me as soon as possible for forms. Level 1 and Level 2 courses are available before the end of the year but you will need to register before 12th August. E-mail me for further details.
Drinks post game
With 3 games at home, the 2’s playing in Dulwich and the 4’s in Morden, it seems like a good excuse for a drink up post game in the bar!
Last weekends results:
Saturday
The 1st X1 missed out on a chance to pull clear of the relegation zone as they suffered a 3 wicket defeat away to Horsley and Send. SMCC batted first and lost regular wickets in posting 174. Only Wes Fernando played an innings of any substance, scoring 72 not out. H&S got off to a flyer to reach 50-0 off 10 overs before SMCC applied the pressure with Hassan, Davenport, Mortimore and Talbot picking up wickets. At 110-6, the game was in the balance, but with the H&S pro still at the crease, their captain launched a counter attack and took the game out of SMCC’s reach. (D Ellis)
1st X1 League position – 10th / 10
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A rare lost toss meant that S&M had to bowl first on a very hot day against Southern Railway & Kenley. With the boundary very short on all sides restricting the opposition to 220 in 54 overs was a great effort. Good bowling by Crutts, Saga and Armani was backed up by some excellent fielding (this has been an area that has improved most this season as blobs fledglings have have really worked hard to not remain 1 dimensional cricketers!).
A sold start by Ledley and Claw who seems to get his highest score every week! 82 from half our allotted overs – this is an area we need to improve on as we approach 50 over league cricket. But then a mini colapse made the total harder to achieve. An exciting partnership between Adam and Bushy (who scored his 2nd league hundred of the season) took us to within 11 runs of a winning score. The winning draw was secured and the team move into 2nd place with 6 to play. An exciting end to the season approaches and starting this Saturday with a local derby at AOB! (M Eldridge)
2nd X1 League position – 2nd / 10
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The match vs Addiscomnbe saw another nailbiting end to a game which, in fairness, should have won far more comfortably than it was. Opting to bat, a solid opening stand coupled with some useful contributions throughout the order (primarily Hobbs, Thompson, Sowton and Zelent) guaranteed that we were competitive; Vidler’s solid 60 ensured that the innings took us beyond 200, which represented a very decent score on a slow, low pitch. Kiddy’s innings was not without incident though, as having narrowly survived a plumb LBW shout, took a quick single and charged through the crease as though an ice-cream van was in town, and flattened the secretary, dislocating his finger in the process. The skipper can assuredly expect the crooked Bowden next week in revenge.
Starting with the old ball, Barty and Breed bowled well, reducing the oppo to 46-3. The real story of the match though was to come with the introduction of Murali Bizzle into the attack. With a mixture of guile, full bungers, skill long-hops and mystery double-bouncers, Warno ripped out the Addiscombe middle order. Tommy and Greg could only look on in jealous frustration as their smorgasbord of half-trackers had been despatched to the boundary earlier in the innings. In between his wickets, Lethal actually bowled well, but this five-for has to go down as the luckiest return since Ramsay’s 4-11 in the first game of the season. An honourable mention should also be made for Beggsy as well, whose ‘feeling in his bones that we were going to win’ both at the start of play and in the interval was worth at least 30 runs.
All in all, a dirty win, but to get promoted you have to win these sorts of games. Up to 4th place and a massive game next week as we play the pride of the A23, Purley. (C Sowton)
3rd X1 League position – 4th / 18
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With the 4th XI league being so tight with anyone from 5th still in the running for the title, the 4’s travelled away to Addiscombe in a must win fixture after the defeat the week before. Skipper Henderson won the toss but with his wicketkeeper somewhere on route from France, chose to bat first for the first time this season. The decision looked disastrous with the top order collapsing like a house of cards to 44 for 6, Henderson the only batsman to hang around for 25. Then Gavin “K Pax” Buck (a patient 15), fresh from Paddington Station and Matt Clark, fresh from the pub by the looks of him, with a dominant 66 not out saved the day allowing the 4’s to post a more than respectable 160 all out.
Addiscombe had 51 overs to play with and dispite a great spell of swing bowling from 4’s debutante Stuart “Disco” Brotherton (10 overs for 24 runs) they looked comfortable. Henderson tore through the top order finishing with 4 for 57 off 17 overs, top draw fielding including a wonder catch, and a snappy run out saw the 4s staring at victory. The spin twins of Dave “Showbiz” Gladstone (12 overs, 2 for 16) and the Chris “the Drag Queen” Reardon (5 overs 1 for 8) left Addiscombe blocking out for the draw. Up stepped Clarky, wanting to get the most of his 12 quid match fees, to take the last wicket with 11 balls to spare, sparking celebrations that led the oppo captain to complain “you’ve won a match, not the world cup!!” to which the ever diplomatic Newton Moss breaking out into a rendition of “We Are The Champions” (A Henderson)
4th X1 League Position – joint 1st / 10
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The 5’s secured a draw against Orpington. Orpington made 259-7 in 45 overs with Sarwan and Lynch picking up 2 wickets apiece. In reply, Viossat and Fitzharris batted well for the 2nd wicket before a middle order collapse left the lower order blocking out for the draw.
5th X1 League position – 7th / 9
Sunday
The Development X1 travelled to Purley and batted first. Alan Knott and Jake Ashgar did well to see off the Purley opening bowlers who bowled fiery spells with lots of short pitched deliveries (Jake actually having to dive on the floor to avoid catching one flush on the lid). Jake was the first to go with the faintest of edges to the keeper. Kirk De Ruyter came in and took the attack to the Purley bowlers hitting a quick fire 38 before he was caught turning one around the corner at square leg. Just before Kirk fell, Alan had gone as well. Kasheef Hassan and Ollie Beauchamp steadied the innings once again and both players looked good, nudging the ball around to rotate the strike, running well and putting the bad ball away. Kasheef ended up with a fantastic 54 and Ollie with an attractive 26. The middle to lower order all chipped in with Sayif Sarwan hitting an entertaining 44. We posted a huge total of 264.
We took to the field after a fantastic tea for once and quickly found that Purley had one very good batsman who had single handedly managed to keep up with the run rate after 10 overs. Armani fiddled with the bowlers as we knew that to win the game, we had to get him out. After noticing the Purley batsman was slightly airy off his legs, Armani put a short mid wicket in. Kasheef then brilliantly bowled on middle and leg hoping for him to put one in the air and he did. There is nothing better than when a plan comes together. Quick reactions made it a great catch by Alan and definately an important one. As soon as the ball was safely in Alan’s hands, the whole team went wild in celebration. We knew this was a huge wicket and the belief was suddenly with us after a slow start to the season. Kirk De Ruyter took 4 wickets and Younis Faiza bowled very tight lines as the Purley middle order tried to keep the game alive but they ended up a whopping 123 runs short.
A great victory that will hopefully give us the confidence to go on and win our last two. I told you a big score was coming! (A Sharif)
http://stmcc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/results.asp
This weekends games:
Saturday
1st X1 home to Trinity Mid Whitgiftians
2nd X1 away to Alleyn & Honor Oak
3rd X1 home to Purley
4th X1 away to Old Rutlishians
5th X1 home to Old Colfeians
Sunday
1st X1 away to Albamorphics
2nd X1 home to TBC
Development X1 away to Trinity Mid Whitgiftians
Midweek
Home to Linden Park on 8th August
http://stmcc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/fixtures.asp
Best of luck to all the sides.
Dan