Dear all,
Too hot to write an intro – news…
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NEWS
Devon Tour – Cancelled
Unfortunately this year’s proposed Devon tour is being called off due to lack of numbers. There were a lot of people who were interested when the tour was originally mooted, but unfortunately not enough were able to commit when push came to shove. Sincere apologies to those of you who had paid your deposits (they will be returned!), and special thanks to Barty and Savitri for their efforts on the organisation front.
Scorer Needed for this weekend
The 1s require a scorer for this weekend as our regular scorer is away – is anyone able to score a home game? There is a small payment available for your time, plus food and I may even buy you a drink. Please contact me asap if you can assist.
Battersea Net Sessions
Additional net sessions will start tomorrow until the end of the season at Battersea Park. These are ideal for any players who are based in central or SW London or simply unable to make Tuesday nets. Sessions start at 7pm. Unlike the Tuesday nets there will be a (very) small charge but the surfaces are a good quality and less than a couple of years old. For more information please contact Marcus Shukla: 07828 174296
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LAST WEEKEND’S RESULTS
Saturday 1st XI vs Addiscombe
Lost
Another hot one and again SMCC won the toss and batted first. Rostami, Shah and Ellis all departed early to leave the youngsters to rebuild. Hassan (30), Thomas (31) and Baskerville (25) all played well but lost their wickets just as SMCC has wrestled some initiative. Fuller (no longer in the youngsters bracket) scored 51 important runs, batting mainly with the tail and playing a mix of high class orthodox shots with some inventive shots (some of which he connected with). 197 all out gave us something to bowl at. Walker and Rostami started well finding some movement off the pitch. The Addiscombe openers (well, one of them) then decided it was time to tear the bowling apart and took 40 off the next 4 overs to put SMCC on the back foot. Mortimore and Hassan were brought on to restrict the pair and did a fine job. However, the Addiscombe batters kept patient and the scoreboard continued to tick over, albeit at a slower pace. JC hit the batsmen a number of times with balls which spat from the surface and for a while, that looked the only way we were going get him off the batting crease. Their opening partnership fell at 134, with Walker taking a boundary catch off Hassan and the same bowler also took the only other wicket to fall before the Addiscombe number four hit 26 off 10 balls to see them home. (D Ellis) 1st XI League position – 8th / 10
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2nd XI vs Ashford
Lost
2nd XI League position – joint 6th / 10
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3rd XI vs Kempton
Winning Draw
The threes went to high flying Kempton on Saturday. We lost the toss and on the hottest day of the year, they decided to bowl. Knapp and in particular Sowton got us off to a flying start, taking advantage of the short boundary and fast outfield. When Knapp (15) was caught, Bartolo came in and continued the high tempo and even when Kempton brought on their best bowler in the 21st over, the scoring never slowed. Sowton (69) was the next to go, bringing Guns to the wicket, who again played beautifully for his 35. Bartolo finally holed out for 66 but Patel (51*), Thomas, Lynch and the skipper all contributed in as we declared on 289 in 49.1 overs. The Kempton reply was interesting in that they never really went for it but until the last few overs were never entirely out of the game. They opened with Morgan, their larger than life opener who started by charging Patel then, after Sowton caught him on the boundary, had a spliff or two and started singing.. Two quick wickets and we were on our way; a 3rd wicket stand held us up before Patel took two in quick succession to get us going again. Our fielding was good, Thomas taking a juggling catch and de Ruyter and Sowton combined for the game’s champagne moment. De Ruyter initially fumbled the ball but recovered brilliantly and hurled in the perfect throw, allowing Sowton to break the wickets and run Lee out After the second drinks break they started going for it again but Harris got the dangerous Singh and that was kind of that, Kempton shutting up shop and though we got close, it was no cigar. It wasn’t great that we couldn’t force the win but we’re unbeaten in three with two wins and a winning draw and have a home game against Kingstonian to look forward to on Saturday. (M Begg)
3rd XI League position – 8th / 16
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4th XI vs Old Rutlishians
Won
A blistering hot afternoon on the bottom pitch with a pitch that looked like an absolute road was the setting for the visit from an Old Ruts team that had already recorded a victory over the 4th XI earlier in the season. The skipper proceeds to lose the toss again and Ruts choose to bat, a decision that left the 4’s doing what they were going to do if they won the toss anyway, result! Opening spells of differing effect, Driscoll (4-0-31-1) unlucky, after removing their opener caught behind by the debuting Portal (one of four catches he would take), the other opener, the ever talking Piper-Masha (41), took a liking to his bowling and attacked with devastating effect. At the other end Viren Patel (6-1-18-0) bowled beautifully, a nagging length and line that troubled all batsmen and deserved a stack full of wickets but walked away empty handed. Henderson (10-3-16-3) came on to bowl and removed Piper-Masha first ball, nicking a gentle away swinging delivery through to Portal. 49 for none soon became 53-3. Hughes (4-0-25-1) struggled for rhythm and bowled a long over but the extra balls worked in his favour with another catch going the way of Portal. Then it was Showtime with the league’s leading wicket taker coming on to bowl, broken toe and all. Gladstone (9.2-0-30-5) bowled with his usual skill and guile and ran through the bottom half of the Old Ruts line up. Vinay Patel bowled 6 good overs and his deliveries to the left handed Tony Green (not the fat bloke from Bullseye!!) were an impressive showing of control from the young man. The fielding was top notch, the lads battled on in the inferno like heat and to bowl out a team for just 149 on a track that offered very little for the bowlers was a terrific effort and we all went in to tea feeling positive but knackered in the knowledge that the total was probably 100 runs down on what was probably a par total on the beauty the Roger had provided. The skipper, fresh from his monumental failure last week and Hobbs, fresh from his stunning 99 last time out, strode to the wicket with the sun still burning in the sky. Both took the attack to the bowlers with ruthless aggression. A chanceless partnership of 125 in just 17 overs all but completed the job, Hobbs, with a plethora of drives and cuts that show just how class a batsman he is, ended on 77* and in truth was a better knock that his cracker the week before. Henderson completed a day of injuries for himself, already struck in the face by a flying slip chance via Portal’s glove, proceeded to cramp up and fall over like a tripod missing a leg when set for a half century he deserved, but instead was carried off the pitch when on 39*, retired hurt or (as Cornsy put it) retired unfit. Stuart came in to see the game home and at 153 for none in just 20.1 overs a ten wicket that was fully deserved and a display of the direction that the side is going after the poor start to the season. The side now holds the league’s leading run scorer in Hobbs (240runs at an average of 60) and the two leading wicket takers in Gladstone (21 wickets) and Henderson (19). The race is on. (A Henderson)
4th XI League Position – 3rd / 10
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5th XI vs Catford Wanderers
Won
A blistering hot days see us visit one of South London’s bastions of privilege. We visit the green lawns and hushed cloisters of St. Dunstan’s College like intruders in some sacred place. Worse we visit shorn of Shiraz, Justin, Mike and Andrew. Nevermind we have worthy replacements. Toby ‘Hubert’ Dalton-Dampier escapes Rugby and the Groucho Club to revisit his Alma Mater. Roddie’s mate Ed Ware steps n and Kavit gives up weddings and France to keep. Followers of this report service will have noted with alarm the poor fielding standard of recent times. Not today – we were blisteringly good in the field. It is not possible to give wholly accurate details here as the Catford book record of their innings was an elaborate approximation of some things that might have happened and others that did not. A 30 run discrepancy between the bowling totals and the scoreboard score was the result at tea. It is true to say though that Barrington Wilks bowled well again in the heat. A wonderful low left handed catch of his own bowling removing the elegant opener followed by a fine delivery to bowl the other opener. Paul Henly bowled very well to take 4 wickets off his 10 overs although the Catford book said he had bowled 7. Great catches from Mark Davis at silly mid off, Ed Ware over his shoulder in the gully helped us on our way. Kavit kept well and took two catches behind the stumps. Brijesh bowled wel at the death and fielded very well all afternoon at long on. Then Kalai came in with Catford around 100 for 7 or so. This is a class player. He proceeded to cream 72 runs around the park before Dalton-Dampier bowled him with the last ball of the innings. Catford’s final score was either 201, 176 or 182 depending on whether you went by the scoreboard, the batting totals or the bowling totals. We shook hands on 192. There was a lot of bad feeling at tea because of the book, the heat and Kalai thumping us around the park. We got off to a poor start losing Roddie Bell and Dalton-Dampier and Ed Ware cheaply to be 34 for 3. Newton Moss (44) was still there though and joined by Paul Henly (36) they put on 57 for the 4th wicket in their delightfully contrasting styles. Newton batted almost flawlessly, cutting powerfully and square driving forcefully. Paul kept muttering to himself, ‘this week I am Justin..’. And he was, the Sbresni dab and back cuts were in evidence even though the copyright holder had elected to go on a beano. When Newton was out we lost Kavit and Kirk Smith quickly to 100 for 6. Mark Davis strode to the wicket with 93 needed. He would not come back until they were scored. Mark (51 not out) and Paul put on 59 for the 7th wicket before Paul was bowled by the excellent Kalai. Brijesh thumped a full toss to square leg’s grateful hands. Barrington played two delightful shots – the straight drive down the ground for 4 was exquisite. The big pace man then saw a full toss and decided to see how high he could hit it. Very high was the answer but not too high for the grateful fielder. With a face like Stalin after the Germans launched Barbarossa the captain went to the wicket with 2 needed for victory. He did not have to face a ball as 4 byes came off the next ball. This Catford side were a very good outfit and with a little more experience they would have won. They were also a very nice bunch of people despite the controversy, the heat and the tension. We came through because of our fielding, our bowling, our batting but mostly because of our iron will. (L Johnston) 5th XI League position – 1st / 10 ————————————————————-
5As XI vs Northfleet
Won
A vastly improved performance against Team Mitcham gave 5As a real confidence boost ahead of this away fixture at Northfleet. Winning the toss and batting first gave us the chance to establish a big total and make our hosts toil in the blistering heat. Chowdury and Knott’s recent 103 run opening partnership for the Sunday 2s was fresh in the memory and they set off in spectacular fashion: 17 runs plundered in the first over, Northfleet know they are in for a long afternoon. Knott was on 17 and looking settled before being caught at mid-wicket. That brought Michael Hall to the crease and the big man played the supporting role as Chowdury started to hit some terrific strokes across the park. The scorching heat was no problem for the classy Kolkatan and as Northfleet changed their bowlers and moved their field, he treated their deliveries with contempt. The partnership had reached 100 before a farcical run out which saw Hall exit on 38. Thinking the ball had gone for four and halfway down the wicket, he looked on in horror as the bails were whipped off. As we have learned from our games against Mitcham and Eltham, expect the unexpected with the big man. This had little effect on Chowdury who continued to bat with aplomb; joined by Pentycross who posted an aggressive 45 off 42 before falling LBW to Sam ‘Vengsakar’. Chowdury carried his bat with a delightful 119 not out and we had posted an excellent 240-4. After tea we set about the task in a positive and confident manner. Cockar’s first spell conceding only 16 runs and though Northfleet were later able to play some commanding shots, we were disciplined and keeping the run chase in check. The breakthrough wicket came from Syed-Hussain (1-30), bowling Sam for 25. More pressure was applied as Shukla (2-29) bagged a brace and Van Aswegen (1-29) deservedly claiming the wicket of Singh. Credit to Northfleet; they have some big hitters in the team and their middle order played aggressively keeping us on our toes at all times. Our chances of a win were increased after two incredible pieces of fielding; firstly Hunsley’s direct hit run out from cover, smashing down two stumps from a 90 degree angle. Not to be outdone, Hall took a splendid diving catch at slip to give Cockar a thoroughly deserved wicket (Hall breaking his finger in the process). The death bowling from Cockar (1-35) and Chowdury (1-30) was tight and disciplined and despite our hosts’ best efforts we prevailed by 21 runs. A welcome victory with everybody making a positive contribution. Let’s hope this is the springboard for more and more success this season.(M Shukla)
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Ladies XI vs Amsterdamsche
Lost On Saturday we played the very lovely and super-talented Dutch touring side Amsterdamsche who called their tour ‘Dansen mit Alish’ (or something close). All to do with a Dutch pop song and the fact one of their players called Alice had played for 30 years but never on a grass wicket! Apparently women’s cricket isn’t big in Holland. Well it should be, because the country is clearly full of fantastic female cricketing talent – I mean serious talent – talent that on a scorching day proved a little bit too hot for us to handle. Batting first, they put on a very solid 120 off 20 but at one stage it looked like it could have been a lot more so applause must go to Sam and Anne from Dulwich for helping us to keep it to that score taking wickets and bowling tidily. There was some pretty decent fielding efforts as well, so for sure not a disaster. So into bat we went and again our Dulwich import Sam performed superbly at the top of the order – many thanks to her and Anne for joining us. Sam would later be awarded the S&M CC player of the match – thoroughly deserved. Unfortunately S&M’s own batswomen weren’t able to successfully chase down the target set, pinned down by some solid, straight bowling typified by Dag’s 12 ball duck! It’s not often we face such skilled combined bowling and fielding headed up by their former Dutch international wicketing captain, and our own captain Rabz thought it was actually a decent performance on our part to reach 72, with some positive performances from Rabz, Karen and El, but for sure we need to practice our batting hard, as it is that area that is appears to be our weakest discipline currently and is letting down our solid bowling attack. However today was perhaps less about the cricket and more about forging a new relationship with Amsterdamsche. Many thanks to Karen for liaising once again and doing all the unseen background work and we very much hope to see them (perhaps minus some of their ex-internationals would be helpful to our cricketing cause!:)) soon again…especially also as they came bearing gifts and we wish them a safe trip home (although they will be home come this report) on their bad boy P&O Ferry. Dank u Amsterdamsche! And dank u Roddie and Ian for umpiring. Much appreciated. (T. Mattinson)
Ladies XI vs Ashford
Lost After several stressful journeys in 30 degree heat the ladies team miraculously all arrived at Ashford before the start of play (just). Skipper Rabiena won the toss and elected to bat on a hard and dry surface. Accurate bowling of a good line and length restricted our run rate in the opening overs. Tammy (2) was unlucky to nick off one to the keeper which brought Leia to the crease, who played herself in nicely and batted well with skipper Rabz (4) until the latter lost her wicket. Enter Dag. Batting to avenge her unfortunate death at the wicket the day before (I had run her out), Dag batted with power and confidence to score an impressive 30 runs until she took her eye off a straight one. Leia worked in harmony at the other end to achieve a well worked 24 whilst crucially steadying the ship and preventing a collapse of wickets. Andie (3) did well to defend so much accurate bowling on her s&m debut and we finished on 98 off 25 overs. Not a ridiculously impressive total but we took to the to field with a positive attitude, knowing that the game was winnable if we bowled well. Leia (5-0-15-0) and Rean (4.5-2-15-0) continued their run of excellent form, meaning that Ashford were well below the required run rate after 10 overs. Unfortunately the other bowlers could not replicate these accurate overs and the game started to slip from our grasp. Ashford won by 7 wickets with 4.1 overs left to bowl. A disappointing result, which annoyingly leaves us in limbo as to whether we qualify for the cup or plate section of our league. Fingers crossed. (E Johnston)
Ladies 1st XI League Position – joint 2nd / 8
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Trust XI
Trust XI League Position – 1st / 8
http://stmcc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/results.asp
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UPCOMING FIXTURES
Saturday
1st XI home to Churt
2nd XI away to Thames Ditton
3rd XI home to Kingstonian
4th XI away to Malden Wanderers
5th XI home to Blue Star
5A XI away to Reigate Priory
Sunday
Trust XI away to Addiscombe
Friendly XI home to ?
http://stmcc.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/fixtures.asp
Best of luck to all the sides.
Dan
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