WILTSHIRE COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB
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CAPTAIN'S MATCH REPORTS 2018
Wiltshire 70+ v Devon 70+, 26 July 2018
As Wiltshire's players and their small knot of loyal supporters descended on sun-baked Goatacre, it was difficult for many of them to forget their salutary defeat at the hands of the men of Devon earlier in the season. This would no doubt be a tough and gruelling afternoon's cricket played on one of the hottest days of the year. Team morale was not helped by the absence from the field of play of the dependable
John Williams who was obliged to content himself by watching from the sidelines as he ruefully rubbed his injured groin. Stepping in as captain for the day, Andy Clinning orchestrated the toss as a result of which Devon decided to set the pace by electing to bat. In short order the dangerous and prolific opening pair of Whitby and Stanton launched into the Wiltshire attack before the former was smartly stumped by Keith Redding off the bowling of subtle-witted Swindon stalwart Randy Roze, when the score stood at 41. This was the first of Roze's three wickets in a spell conceding a mere 27 runs. Andy Clinning, meanwhile, continued to probe away from the pavilion end and although wicketless managed to ask serious questions of the batsmens' technique, as indeed did Tim Lerwill when he replaced Roze in the
fourteenth over. When Clinning's 8 over spell drew to its close there was a sharp intake of breath around the ground when he threw the ball to Alan Stratford. It had long been a great disappointment to supporters of Wiltshire cricket that this battle-scarred campaigner had not been seen in action throughout the 2018 season and as he prepared to bowl his first ball the sense of anticipation was palpable. Yet,as Stratford's lengthy first over drew towards its close after three wides had been conceded, there were those on the field who began to wonder whether his introduction to the bowling attack had been a little premature. The last ball, however, proved doubts to have been premature when Stratford took a smart return catch to send Tom Stanton back to the pavilion when the score stood at 73. At this point, the worm turned. His shoulders squared and his head held high, Stratford bowled a further seven overs and, like the proverbial hot knife through butter, decimated the Devon middle order, returning the remarkable figures of 6 for 25. The remaining Devon wicket fell to the irrepressible “Demon” David Gibson who delivered five testing overs for 19 runs. At tea it seemed that the modest total of 133 would be well within the capabilities of the Wiltshire batsmen provided they batted with common sense and application. In the meantime the bowlers could congratulate themselves on giving away only 14 extras, a significant improvement on the 40 extras returned in the previous game. Tea taken, Peter Robinson and Keith Redding strode purposefully onto the field to open the Wiltshire account. Progress seemed sure and serene until, with the score at 39, Robinson was bowled by Brent Howard for seven runs, only to be followed (horror of horrors!) by the normally prolific Tim Lerwill who scored a single before being dismissed by the bowling of Stuart Lott. After twelve overs the score now stood at 40 with two key players pondering their fate in the pavilion. Wiltshire nerves were now a little frayed as Mickey Dean joined Redding at the crease. These two pushed on the score to 91 when the ever-dependable Redding was bowled by Paul Burnham for a well-crafted 54. It had been a good day for Redding, his runs complemented by two catches and a fine stumping during the Devon innings. Mrs Redding, watching contentedly with other Wiltshire supporters beneath the cool of a suspiciously unstable awning, seemed justifiably proud of his efforts. Dean, with his unconventional, slightly alarming, but nonetheless highly effective technique continued to score steadily together with Richard Moore-Colyer and the pair overtook the Devon total midway through the thirty eighth over. Dean accumulated fifty runs and Moore-Colyer sixteen, between them demonstrating that cool heads and application were invaluable assets in pursuing a modest score. Given the earlier disaster in Devon, this was a famous victory. Long may Wiltshire successes continue! On this occasion the considerable batting talents of Sandy Steel-Davis and David Hobden were not required, though both had performed with phlegm and distinction in the field. Mel Cammish, unfortunate not to be selected for this game, watched from the sidelines. Support from this talismanic and iconic figure was appreciated as much by the players as by the watching crowd.
Thanks to Richard MC.
Wiltshire ECB 50+ 176-8 Devon Cricket Board 50+ 179-1. Devon won by 9 wickets.
We all set off from Wiltshire with the thoughts of an upset in mind.
First hurdle is finding the ground which helpfully on their website is given the wrong postcode. Having done the wiggly lane to the wrong place the “Scouts from the South” then find the right place. Driver implores Jakki to drop a pin on a google map and send to others so they don’t make the same mistake. She has to have a lie down so great is that pressure!
Top Gun, (aka Frodo) next on the scene, roof down, hair blowing in the wind, cool as a cucumber having had no trouble finding the place. Jakki, now somewhat revived, enquires how he found it so easily and he says he has used lat. and long. coordinates. Of course he has.
Jakki takes another funny turn!
TG doesn’t want this vehicle dented by any errant 6 so starts pacing out distance to wicket to be sure. In the meantime everyone else has appeared having all seen parts of the wiggly lane. Everyone that is except the skipper! No sign of him.
Geoff Ramsey deputed to go out and win the toss. Duly achieved. “We’ll bat”. Skipper appears. “What do you reckon he asks?” “Done it, we’re batting” he is told.
Some pretty tight bowling, some lightning finger work from “their” umpire and the wheels are wobbling a bit. In fact not much to report until bowlers, obviously picked for their batting, Mark Banham (47*) and Stuart Brazington (18*) come together and rattle up a 56 run partnership. That looks quite easy now say the batsmen!
Stuart and Geoff going at 5 an over are most economical in the bowling department! Stuart taking the only wicket caught and bowled one handed having earlier eschewed a similar two handed option. Numbers 2 & 3 reach fifties and race to the total in the 27th over. Not our finest hour we reflect over a cold beer before the long trek home.
Cornwall on Sunday 15th at Truro. One we need to win to right last year’s great escape by them.
PS. Doc, the wicket was the first Bunsen of the campaign and you decided to set off on your own trek to Pembrokeshire. He doesn’t turn it anyway someone mutters. Was that you Frodo?
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Author Geoff Ramsey
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Wiltshire ECB 50+ v Somerset ECB 50+
Wiltshire Over 50s 250-7 , 45 overs beat Somerset Over 50 s 247-5 , 45 overs, by 3 wickets.
On a baking hot sunny day the finest specimens of Wiltshire’s geriatric cricketers arrived at Trowbridge in the hope of a swift start to their crucial (for a change this year they all seem to be crucial) pool fixture with a Somerset side sitting above them in the table. Instead it was a swift half while watching England resemble a football team , awaiting the denouement of the local under elevens test match . Eventually the juniors finished and the Somerset team arranged the boundaries to suit themselves, trying to have a 100 yard boundary on one side. Fortunately common sense prevailed and the legside boundary was slashed to a more manageable 60 yards or so. The game could now finally commence.
Mo , ever keen to ring the changes , selected a team with five bowlers rather than the usual three or four . This meant a debut for Adrian Day . The Somerset side had been out warming up in the sun for a good while , bowling and stretching. Wiltshire’s warm up ,novel, even for your correspondent after many years of playing cricket , involved Steve Rendall in for his first game of the season practicing the toss in the hope of helping Captain Mo to call correctly. Five minutes of intense practice ,closely observed by the rest of the team, resulted in the pronouncement that it was a fifty-fifty call. Brilliant. Thanks Steve. As it was a home fixture Mo didn’t get to make the call anyway. Predictably the toss was won by Somerset who chose to bat. The sunscreen was liberally applied to most . An unidentified member of the team , with a clearly identifiable odour lingering in the changing room, preferred the option of deep heat which was a surprise to some given the prevailing conditions.
With a background noise of regular cheers from the football watchers in the clubhouse, Stuart Brazington opened up into the breeze. A gentle full toss obligingly tapped back . An over correction and a rank long hop was bunted straight to Neil Roynan at cover. First wicket down. Two more wickets fell quickly , first a catch by Graham Chandler in the Doc’s first over , and then Braz ripped one through the defences of Fussell with who seemed reluctant to leave the crease despite the middle stump being disturbed. Wiltshire in charge with the Doc bowling better than in his previous outing at one end and Braz bowling straight through. Multiple appeals for leg before turned down . Somerset slowly turned the innings round helped largely by the incompetence of the Doctor who managed to drop , or more accurately fail to cling on to, arguably five catches, albeit three of them off the same delivery . The final chance being a failure to grab hold of a rebound from an unseen exocet that had it been six inches higher might well have resulted in the match report being written from either a hospital bed or more likely while an inpatient at the local mortuary. Whoever said catches win matches was clearly wrong in this instance.
Steve Copeland eschewed a warm up delivery , presumably on the basis it was difficult to get much warmer than he already was. Shame , as the first ball a waist high loopy full toss disappeared off towards Melksham. A second high full toss threatened to be the end of Coppo’s spell , but ever alert to the thud and subsequent groan from the batsman, Coppo managed to persuade the umpire it couldnt possibly have been a no ball unless the batsman testicles were already in his chest ,prior to ,as opposed to just after the delivery.
Confused as he was with his plethora of bowling options, Mo brought Adrian on to bowl his nine overs straight through after the twenty ninth over. (Yes , do the Maths.) A tidy spell. The hotter it became the more the Somerset boys ran the Wiltshire outfielders ragged, halted very briefly by a direct hit from fifty yards by Adrian to run out Thomas after he had reached his fifty. Andy Stevens , in from the first over batted sensibly and reached a well deserved century just before the innings closed. 160 from the last 20 overs and it felt like Somerset may have scored 20 too many.
Tea was taken . Mo was optimistic , possibly more so than some of his troops. So confident was he that he could afford another change of opening partner for the resident run machine (well on Sundays anyway) that is Clive Warren . This week Graham Chandler was the yin to Clive’s yang. The author would be delighted to give a full recount of Clive’s remarkable innings but unfortunately there was still fruit cake left to be consumed and so he missed the first two overs of the innings and consequently Clive’s first 30 runs. I’m advised by Clive this included a straight shot back over the bowler’s head , but there was no corroborating evidence to the fact and as the remaining 70 of his runs were sweeps and reverse sweeps I’m loath to take him at his word. The Somerset bowlers were visibly irritated by Clive’s manipulation of the field with just the two different shots. The seven fielders permanently placed in front of square were reduced to redundant onlookers.
Meanwhile Graham perfected his forward defensive and subsequent pose. A single here and there . A century partnership at more than six an over. The game was surely in the bag. A straight hit down the ground and what seemed an easy two. Unfortunately Graham forgot the second had to be run until too late. Coppo next in , took his time initially and rather carelessly on more than one occasion went against his latest vows “I don’t do twos” . Still in the bag. Clive having reached his century was finally was given out LBW (the only decision given all day , grumble, grumble) . Steve Rendall after bailing the captains aberrant maths out with a tiring one over bowling spell lasted a similar length of time batting. Geoff Ramsey and Neil Roynan came and went and the run rate had suddenly risen to eight an over. Coppo looked a little panicky at the thought of running with John Burton and ran / limped past one to be stumped for a well made fifty. The Doctor had previously been heard grumbling about always having to go in and bat with JB with ten an over needed . And so it came to pass. 32 needed off 3 overs. Time to stand and deliver. A few inside edges , scrambled twos ,a couple of boundaries through the leg side and miraculously only nine needed off the last over. A two, a couple of singles. Not happy with the speed of JBs running the Doctor used a ball up to push one back to the bowler and send JB on his way. Captain Mo next in . a three courtesy of an overthrow with the keeper protesting he couldn’t see the ball in the sun. A couple more and it was last ball. One to tie , two to win. What field to set ? All of doc’s 13 runs thus far had come through midwicket. Instead of three midwickets and a deep cow, the Somerset skip chose to go for victory by setting a ring field with five fielders on the offside. A full ball just outside off stump, the usual hack with extra bottom hand and four winning runs through midwicket again.
Never in doubt.
Man of the Match: Some would give it to the Wiltshire centurion, but I choose the Somerset skipper for persisting with his orthodox field placings to the batsman who scores nearly all his runs behind square.
Two other points of note. Well done to Jakki , scoring in the face of a blazing sun for the entire day . Keep the sweets coming . What news of Frodo, selected as twelfth man , and absent without leave ? Apparently the first class train service only goes as far as Westbury. The message came back late in the evening that Frodo “feels abandoned he does”. Good news though , he has already hired a chauffeur for the journey to Barnstaple.
Wiltshire , now in danger of qualifying for the knock out rounds , have their next outing in ten days time in Devon. This correspondent will unfortunately be away on holiday in Pembrokeshire . Unless there is, an as yet unidentified ferry service available between Swansea and Barnstaple , a new reporter will have the right of reply. Frodo ????
Wiltshire SCS 50+ v Hertfordshire SCS 50 +
Wilts took on Hertfordshire at a new venue for the 50's side " Gaigerville " ( nee Potterne ). A picturesque postage stamp of a pitch. Not a bowlers paradise,however, on an overcast and somewhat damp outfield Wilts won the toss and decided to field. The steady opening partnership of Mostin and Footie were beating the bat on numerous occations,but with little success. This was due mainly in part to our usual slack fielding allowing the visitors to slog freely. S. Wells took over from Mostin (0-55). Swinging to the left and right, then delivering some unplayable balls.
Every mothers fovourite A. Mildenhall took over from footie ( 1-62 ). First ball," out" c&b, then the unmistakable grin of a cat who got all the cream ! (76-1) Wickets began to fall on a regular basis, even the umpires Trigger and Tonto got into the act, 2 LBW's apiece.Skipper off (2-47) R. Mosdell on from the field end. Unbeknownst to his fellow team mates his long lost brother was facing him at the other end. With this in mind he decided to provide him with some well earned batting practice, 25 off his last over! His brother carrying his bat (155 n.o ) End of innings a respectable 267-8.
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Into the clubhouse for a sumptuous tea with all the trimmings. The Gaigerville locals waiting in anticipation for any crumbs to fall from rich mans table!
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With the sun out and a rousing speech from S.Wells our opening pair of P.Clarke (Potterne exile) and C.Downham went to the middle. The latter reminding me earlier that he had never scored many runs on this pitch. How right he was (0 ) playing on chasing a wide ball. (15-1). John Baden next, sauntering out to the crease like a man who had taken full advantage of his all inclusive holiday ! After a few quickish singles, a consultation took place in the middle, P. Clarke was heard to say, " running like this does not suit our physique " The tempo changed; like 2 Templars on a quest, they put every bowler before them to the sword ! The ball being smashed to all parts of the ground, 100 partnership (120 balls),200 ( 170 balls),are we day dreaming?
I had to ask myself. Finally the end of a thunderous knock from J.B caught in the deep (33yds) for a well deserved 130.
Into the affray D Gayle, (13 n.o )being a true gent and possibly enduring cramp from sitting on his hands for the past 34 overs allowed P.C to reach his century (110 n.o). With that in the bag, victory was a forgone conclusion.
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Finally to Lynne our long serving, or should I say suffering scorer whose birthday celebrations brought a great ending to a wonderful day.
Wiltshire ECB 50+ 253-8 beat Dorset ECB 50+ 246-9 by 7 runs
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I was watching England’s first World Cup game and after ten minutes having seen some Tunisian with comedy gloves leave the field in tears , and England miss a rash of chances , already bored with wendyball , my thoughts turned to a review of Wiltshire’s latest victory in the ECB competition. My initial musings were not of the cricket match but more the absence of our dear friend Frodo from this latest venture. His name had been on the team sheet as twelfth man and yet when the call came after a late withdrawal , Frodo decided that truffle snuffling in the local woods was more appealing than patrolling the hospital end at Trowbridge. If only Frodo had played we could have all marveled once again at his catching skills in the outer. Never mind, maybe next week.
Captain Mo , ever willing to move against perceived wisdom, this week decided the self inflicted handicap would be to play with the vast majority of the team capable only of either lumbering in slow motion or falling to the ground in installments while in the field (the author being a particular expert in the latter).
So, with a team full of batting , somewhat less of bowling , and very limited fielding Wiltshire were asked to bat first at a Trowbridge ground with a boundary set out for the under 9s earlier that morning. At least there would be no threes to be run . Wrong again Doc. Clive Warren on his birthday opened with late call up Paul Clark . The opening spell from Ryan was probably the best seen thus far this year and it was fortunate that the fare from the other end was somewhat less taxing. The first wicket fell in the twelfth over with Clark’s castle disturbed. Geoff Ramsey knocked up an aggressive 30 before he suffered the same fate. Neil Roynon may have been in at four but unfortunately was still fast asleep trying to ward off a massive hangover. Meanwhile the birthday boy sailed merrily on sweeping his way in to the seventies. Fourteen attempted regular sweeps and fourteen fours , one reverse sweep toe-ended back to the bowler . Which was the better bet ? Yes you guessed it. LBW on the reverse , with Clive bleating about how he’d gloved it. Twenties from Baden and Beale kept the scoreboard moving. Enter Neil Roynon the man with all the shots. Unfortunately he hadn’t remembered more than the one (the hack to leg) for the first half of his innings. Thrice was he dropped before he reached double figures. Eventually the neurotransmitters started crossing the synapses in his brain and a somewhat more aesthetically pleasing cover drive kick-started his own innings. Neil didn’t want to risk any tiredness from running between the wickets . Seeing that the returning Steve Copland , minus about three stones of resident alcohol, was next man in Neil consequently disposed of the risk that was John Burton by a good half a pitch. After Neil was out following a return to the hack Doc and Coppo “I don’t run twos” clouted sixteen crucial runs off the penultimate over before the close at 253.
Tea was taken . Good news, no rhubarb. In the normal course of events the total was par . With Wiltshire’s array of traffic cones yet to be placed some (well the doctor at least) thought the home county may have been fifty short . Wrong again Doc.
How would Mo deploy his bowlers. The danger man was perceived to be Ryall the opener. Braz , after some discussion about who might bowl what end, took the new ball and duly cleaned Ryall up in the first over. Dorset then accumulated at a fair rate . Coppo , the latest slow bowling call up, was accurate and deservedly picked up the second wicket as Mo hung on to a rasping lob to cover. This brought in the Dorset number four , Dawkins, who appeared to have forgotten his bat but remembered his shovel. With an interesting technique , that certainly had the author scratching his head , he played a supporting role to the excellent opening bat Harper and took Dorset in to a dominant position , needing less than a hundred in the final twelve overs. Jon Haines , so excited was he at bowling into the wind to a short boundary, successfully achieved his first diving/ falling stop for several years . Sadly while attempting a repeat effort both left feet got tangled up and the ensuing indignities suffered meant that he required rolling off the ground . There was a brief debate whether Pete Mathias or his dog would be of more value as a fielder , but when it was pointed out that the dog didn’t have opposable thumbs Pete was sent to ransack the changing rooms for some spare kit. He reappeared in some rather fetching blue trainers , black trousers and a Malmesbury shirt, and proceeded to show up a number of the younger members of the team with speed and athleticism around the boundary. On one such occasion Pete demonstrated the accuracy and power of his throwing arm by launching the ball , despite the plaintive calls to “mind the helmet” , with unerring accuracy directly on to the offending lid to donate a further five runs to the Dorset cause.
Finally Doc got to find the Shovel’s edge and the third wicket fell. The fourth wicket fell to Braz courtesy of a fabulous catch on the boundary by John Burton, previously sacked as keeper and replaced by Paul Clark. John would like to think it was because he was fleeter of foot , but we all know it was really because the skip wanted a snapper who would catch the edge. The big wicket was the dismissal of the Harper for 89 caught again very well by Braz another of our few mobile fielders running round the boundary at long off to one of the Doc’s few intelligent balls. Forty five needed off the last five with five wickets in hand , game on. A wicket and runs off the next three overs . Seventeen off two with four wickets . Baden called on to bowl . Despite a desperate urge to lob the ball up as instructed in his previous spell, common sense prevailed and the over only realised three runs. Geoff finished the innings off and the game was won.
On reflection the difference was the ability of the Wiltshire side to catch the chances offered. This outweighed the significant number of runs conceded by some , albeit willing, limited ground fielding. Next match back at Trowbridge against Somerset next Sunday with Wiltshire still optimistic of progress out of the group.
Wiltshire ECB 50 + v IOW ECB 50+ 16 May
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Wiltshire 290-8, 45 overs beat Isle of Wight 146-10 32.2 overs by 144 runs
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Where to start a match report? On arrival at the ground, or at the captains toss, or from the first delivery of the match? All of the above are reasonable but to do so would leave so much unsaid in a day in the life of a Wiltshire over 50s cricketer.
Young Frodo was asleep in his cave when the call came. Captain Mo, after all his assurances of full disclosure on how the team might gather and travel together across the ocean, had hitherto been prevented from fulfilling his duties by smoke induced laryngeal spasm. With one mighty effort he rasped at Frodo “see you there, and by the way you’re picking up Simon”. Frodo was confused. Who was Simon? There was no Simon on the team sheet. Never mind, if he polished his ring hard enough the answer would become apparent. Frodo thought carefully and came to the conclusion that he needed to make an impression on Simon so he polished his pristine toy car, booked two places in the ship’s upper class Lounge and set off without a care in the world. With any luck the rest of his teammates wouldn’t find him as they were all booked in steerage. Mo however, while on his usual walkabout, found young Frodo and his new friend Simon scoffing down the free cakes and coffee with no thought for their fellow cricketers. Luckily none of Frodo’s teammates were upset by his display of crass selfishness and welcomed him to their small cramped corner of the cabin. Frodo didn’t like it much in the cheap seats and soon ran away back to his comfortable quarters leaving poor Simon all alone.
Despite this Frodo was invited to join his fellow cricketers for lunch at a fabulous seafront restaurant high above the industrial wastelands of Sandown. Frodo didn’t have time. He needed to get to the ground early so he could stake his claim for a space under the covers. More adventures of Frodo later.
Meanwhile the paupers couldn’t afford to sit inside at the restaurant but the owner took pity and allowed them to share a whole blanket between them outside on the grass. Geoff tucked into a full pre-match fry up while other athletes enjoyed the local rabbit’s leftovers. Luckily Neil’s carer had given him some pocket money. The ice cream was delicious. It didn’t matter to Neil that others couldn’t afford an ice cream. He wasn’t going to share it.
Some while later the team finally convened at the ground despite rather than because of the local directions given. Mo won the toss, elected to bat, and opened up with himself and last week’s debutant Clive Warren. Looking to repeat his previous innings Clive decided to play the same pull shot. Unfortunately the ball wasn’t short. First wicket down. Geoff Ramsey up next. Geoff scored all round the wicket, while Mo scored all his forty runs in the “v”. The “v” in question that between long stop and square leg. A partnership of seventy at a run a ball and Wiltshire were on their way to another big score for the second week in succession. Immediately after Mo , unused to batting for very long, didn’t want to embarrass himself by retiring “tired” after only 15 overs of batting as had happened in Barbados had a heave and was duly bowled. Roynon, weighed down by the ice cream didn’t last long. 100-4 and the innings could have gone either way. Iggy Gould, not having picked up a bat (in fact not having been physically capable of picking up a bat for most of the winter) and John Burton put together a century partnership with uncommonly sensible batting and running. Newbie Simon in the side as the fifth bowler, not that he was aware of that, came and went. The Doc and Scott with an array of ugly heaves and swipes, dodgy calling and running managed to cobble together another sixty in the final six overs before Doc decided it was time to take a look at the batting skills of Frodo. Unfortunately for Frodo his entire time at the crease was looking on from the other end. Never mind Frodo.
Tea was taken, to excess in the author’s case. The chocolate brownies were rather splendid. Replete Wiltshire took to the field full of calories and optimism. Mo reprised the opening bowling partnership of the previous week. Scott reprised his spell of the previous week, keen to make the snapper stretch even further. One such stretch and the first victim of three for Jon B . Smart legside work from the snapper and Geoff had his wicket for the day. Mo then decided it was time to sew the game up by bringing on the spinners to tighten the run rate. Good thinking Mo. Initially the plan looked a good one. Time for Frodo to make his play. Hiding in the long grass at cow corner the batsman clearly couldn’t see him and launched a floated delivery out toward the mid-wicket boundary. Would it be four or six? Frodo had other ideas. Steadying himself, not having had to move a muscle, there could only be one outcome. Dropped. Bad luck Frodo. The opposing captain then took a liking to the Doc’s length and line and repeatedly sent the ball back over his head for several maximums. One such blow bounced off the pavilion roof on to the boot of Frodo’s car leaving a visible dent in the boot. Poor Frodo. Time for the mystery fifth bowler. Simon right arm round the wicket and hostile as you like ripped through the middle order with a spell of 4-10 to put the result beyond doubt. Fireman Mark was brought back to claim his first wicket on debut. The match finished when the Doc surprised everyone, including himself, by claiming the final catch with a one handed juggle at mid on. Victory for Wiltshire and nearly everyone had had a positive day.
Man of the Match: Frodo McClure
Somerset SCSC 50+ v Wiltshire SCSC 50+ 3rd May
As part of the team build up to an eagerly anticipated SCSC league programme, a Wiltshire 50+ XI travelled to play Somerset. On a rain affected wicket at Hinton Charterhouse CC, the visiting skipper won the toss,and as it was a friendly,decided to bat and give his players some practice at the crease. After the loss of four quick wickets early on, a fine partnership between John Baden( 86no )& Dave Gale helped the score along to a decent total of 205-7, albeit a bit below par. After the break, Mark Unwin, on his return to seniors cricket, then bowled
his 8 overs straight through, taking 2 early wickets. The rest of the bowling was fairly tidy, but showed early season rustiness in lacking a
cutting edge against a good batting side who were not giving their wickets away on a surface which had become better suited to batting. Somerset eventually won by 5 wicket with just over 2 overs to spare. All in all, a good work-out which gave an opportunity to all 11 players.
As always a special thank you to all the Wiltshire players and Scorer Lin for making themselves available on the day.
Wiltshire ECB 50+ v Channel Islands ECB 50+ 6th May
Wiltshire 269-9 45 overs , Channel Islands 167 all out 30.4 overs
Wiltshire win by 102 runs
A new summer and freshly renewed of hope the Wiltshire over 50s were invited to convene at Winsley for the first league match of the new campaign under a baking hot sun. Skipper Mo Beale had the whole wet winter to sort out a team for this first match and yet just over twelve hours prior to the start he was still on the phone looking for an eleventh player. Fortunately Clive Warren had not yet started on his fifth pint of cider and was just about capable of answering the call in the affirmative.
Mo won the toss and on a moderately boiling hot day elected to bat. Clive and opening partner Paul Clark set off at a fast lick . The Islander bowlers pitching short on a regular basis and being clattered to the boundary on equally regular basis. Fifty up in no time at all. Clive had obviously spent all his money the previous night and duly avoided having to explain why he couldn’t buy a jug.
Paul was invited to leave the stage a short while later leg before wicket. Geoff Ramsey and John Baden looked in little trouble with shots all round the ground until John spotted the lone sentry in the outfield and bunted it straight to him just eighty-two short of a century. Neil Roynon next in, having earlier been delivered to the game by his carer, played with caution to the floated leg spinners initially and then together with Geoff played an array of proper cricket shots. Neil having discussed the option of accelerating further promptly was out next ball, bowled whilst checking out the alignment of the stars in the sky. Geoff went on to a well made fifty before holing out. The highlight of the remaining overs was watching Mo being made to run threes by Jon Burton and the local, via Canada, Scott Sandford crack a quick unbeaten twenty. The final total of 269-9 was certainly the highest total, by a margin, that your correspondent can remember Wiltshire making for some years.
A lovely tea was provided by Paul, or was it Pete, while the Wiltshire boys contemplated the post tea fielding session to come. The bowling options looked limited and on what look like very definitely a wicket for the slower bowlers to perform, Mo duly opened with the rapid Canadian. Despite Scott bowling several good and seemingly unplayable balls the Islanders got off to a flyer with any contact of bat on ball disappearing to the boundary. Jon Burton got himself into the groove launching himself left and right to take some deliveries. Ten overs in with the score at 66-0 Mo had to turn to the slower options of Doc and Milders. Having confused both batsman and bowler by making one zip the wrong way past the outside edge the Doc’s second ball turned and bounced in a more predicted manner and the opener gloved it down the legside for Jon to snaffle the first of six victims , four of which were stumpings, for the innings. Two more wickets fell on the same score and Wiltshire were back in charge. The scoring rate dropped. A couple of chances were missed. The usually reliable scout at cow corner Sean McClure shelled one. Fortunately there was no available noose nearby. At least not one that he could reach. Neil also couldn’t hang on to what he described as a bullet (in fact a gentle lob to mid on)The skip with another inspired change brought on John Baden just as the Islanders were getting back in to the game. Two balls into his spell and twelve runs later the decision looked dubious. However John B kept his nerve and the batsmen lost their heads and in the remaining twenty two balls of his spell he took three wickets for only nine runs, helped in particular by some very sharp work from the snapper. At nine down with over a hundred needed those of us who played at Winsley last year remained cautious in our optimism. Fortunately lightning couldn’t strike twice and a gentle lob to mid off from the eleventh man and the game was won.
Some special mentions. First thanks to Winsley for their hospitality and providing a good wicket so early in the season. Secondly, to our scorer Jakki, you are a saint. Next time bring some earplugs.