MATCH REPORTS 2019 | Wiltshire Seniors

CAPTAIN'S MATCH REPORTS 2019

Wiltshire 60+ v Oxfordshire 60+

23 JULY 2019 @ Marlborough CC
The post season Vase stage pits the middle ranked teams from each league into a play off for rankings, and in this case conspired to provide the gallant O60s of Wiltshire with a frightening deja vu scenario. Thus it was that 22 men arrived at Marlborough wondering if this was an advance stage of dementia in that they had only played the same opposition at the same venue about 2 weeks previously. To reinforce the dream like qualities of the moment there was also the general feeling of lacking preparation for the impending examination (Freud: Dream Interpretation Theory: Magnus Oxford 1922) but fortunately none of the nakedness that is generally manifest in such delusion. We have played Oxfordshire twice already this season: once we tied when cruising to a win and the other we lost when steaming towards a tie so this was a chance to prove supremacy once and for all. Oxforshire are a great bunch but we still owed them. The skipper is nothing if not a man who learns from experience
and, having chased twice without success opted to bat on a sultry day with the thermometer topping 30. Wiltshire started brightly with Tim Lerwill and Mick Hunter building a 50 partnership for the second successive game before the latter departed caught for 17. Dave Allen continued the motion with a bright 22 and then Tim Mynott continued building until Lerwill was run out on 55. Geoff Ramsey then added 21and when Mynott was eventually bowled for 54 Wiltshire had posted a respectable 193 for 6: shy of the estimated par but defendable. Again the respectable run rate and multiple partnerships enabled the innings in the face of good bowling. Oxfordshire are a known quantity and their strength lies in the top 4 batters so reducing them to 47-4 after 17 overs left Wiltshire buoyant; the damage was done by Pete Mathias (2-25) and Mark Banham(2-29)
who both bowled an excellent line and utilised the swinging ball. Geoff Ramsey (1-33) kept things well under control (the first time Oxon had been exposed to his line and length) and Martin Stennings then took the pace off and, along with Tim Lerwill forced Oxfordshire to attack, Lerwill (2-36) picking up wickets to smart catching in the deep. Despite the loss of wickets however it was proving impossible to prevent the visitors from scoring and having reached the last 20 needing 5.5 an over they remained on target. It is a fortunate captain indeed who can offer such a depth of bowling at this level and the introduction of Tim Mynott (2-31 having finally recovered from his innings) as sixth bowler was a cruel act and seemed destined to kill the game, particularly when he removed the 8 and 9 batsmen, but the runs kept coming and by the last over Oxfordshire needed 8 to win with no 11 at the wicket. With the skipper taking responsibility all was going to plan until his cunningly disguised yorker was smacked emphatically through mid wicket for 4: there followed a rapid field change and 3 deliveries that fell into the category so well captured by the great Sir Alex Ferguson as “squeaky bum time” (Ferguson: My Autobiography: Hodder&Stoughton 2016) but happily this was the last ball that the tail end charlie hit and Wiltshire emerged winners by 3 runs. Another well fought contest and the third occasion when the ball by ball Whatsapp commentary was predicting a tie against this opposition, but this is another indication of how far this team has come because in years past we lost to teams like this and failed to close down games to a win. With tough opposition to come in Kent, Surrey and Gloucestershire there remains much to look forward to.

Wiltshire 60+ v Hampshire 60+

2 JULY 2019 @Hursley Park CC

Hampshire away on a broiling hot day at Hursley Park – isn’t it always? The skipper had done a brilliant job of assembling 11 players of the highest quality, however he had actually exceeded his brief and managed to name 12 across two different team sheets and to his eternal gratitude Mick (bat where you want in future) Hunter as the local boy gallantly stood down to allow those who had travelled across the county to play. The Hants skipper won the toss and somewhat alarmingly elected to field: Hampshire have never been short of batting so this indicated another ploy because the track looked decent. After losing Pete Robinson for 4, Geoff Ramsey and the ever dependable Dave Allen set about the opening
bowling at a steady rate posting 67 before Ramsey departed for 37. A substantial stand then built between Allen and Tim Mynott until the former was caught on 39. Ian Swain (27) then stayed with Mynott (52) for an 80 run stand that allowed Wiltshire to post 181 for 9 at the end of their 45 overs: never enough but the wicket was not easy to score runs on. Predictably Hampshire were 105 for 2 after 20 overs until a flurry of wickets reduced them to 105 for 6 and a reversal seemed possible. The initial breakthrough was made by Tim Mynott taking a stunning one handed return catch low to his left on the follow through to remove the opener who was making the majority of the runs. It was the sort of catch that should be remembered for many years, but in fact it was forgotten 2 overs later when Simon Wells took an even better one in precisely the same fashion to remove the other opener, and then took a further 2 wickets to break through the middle order. Sadly Hampshire had the depth to re-build and continued to the required total without too much difficulty, reaching the target in 43 overs for a 4 wicket win. There were some positives in solid partnerships - particularly Ian Swain’s contribution in the middle overs, and an excellent spell of bowling from Simon Wells taking 3 for 38 against probably the strongest batting side that we play in the league. Hampshire remain our bogey team but on the back of this season’s
performances we really should be able to beat them and must target to do so next year.

Wiltshire 70s v Wales 70s

24 July @ Swindon CC

The news that the National 70+ County Championship fixtures for tomorrow had been cancelled "The Management Committee has decided that in view of the extreme weather forecast and health warnings relating to tomorrow, Thursday 25th July, and our duty of care, to suspend the whole programme of games." Now such whimpish behaviour from the men of Wiltshire and the Valleys, so on a sultry summer’s day at the County Ground the players arrived to find a few puddles on the gravelled surrounds left by the tremendous thunderstorms of the previous night. The Square had been sensibly left uncovered by the groundsman to allow at least some rehydration having previously been drier than a 7 year old cream cracker. As officials went out to toss Wiltshire team to a man praying captain Williams would win and avoid fielding in the insidious heat of the afternoon. It was good news, the toss was won but wait Williams had asked Wales to bat. Disbelief was the sentiment in the Wiltshire dressing room and as JW returned he asked who had complained about fielding first, we all bloody did was the curt response. Taking to the field we looked for the shade it was clear that there was more chance of Oscar Pistorius catching athlete’s foot. Williams and Clinning opened the bowling, the former justifying his decision to field bowling a tight but luckless spell of 5 overs for 18 runs. The introduction of Liddington to partner Clinning proved expensive with the Welsh openers just taken a shine to Stuarts doblers, and with a plethora of bowling options Captain Williams ruthlessly removed Liddington from the attack after 2 overs and introduced Randy Roze. This proved to be the turning point of the game. Finishing with 3 for 17 from his 8 overs. Clinning completed his 8 overs 0 for 30 this included a fine stop from his own bowling, preventing a four, and more importantly the ball removing his dentures and a certain visit to A&E. This brought the introduction of David “Gibbo”Gibson into the attack claiming two wickets, one caught behind and a caught and bowled, Gibson finishing with 2 for 35 from his 8 overs. At this point it’s very important to understand the good natured banter and Mickey taking which in a modern workplace would probably be construed as bullying and harassment but we are not of that generation and forms an integral part of the 70s team. If you can’t take a joke you shouldn’t have joined. With 30 overs gone we were all wondering just what normal opening bowler Stratford had done to upset JW, instead forth change was occasional bowler Richard Moore Colyer his 5 overs leaking just 21 runs. This could have been a little more frugal. Having been encouraged by the stumper to pitch the ball up managed a legside full toss which was clubbed for 4. The sniggering from Rose and Robinson behind the stumps was not appreciated by RMC who then produced a Professor's theory that the full toss was entirely Robinsons fault and that his half trackers were costing him less runs. A conclusion that brought even more frivolity from behind the sticks. There then followed a couple of smart throws by Micky Dean albeit one slightly wide allowing stumper Robinson to demonstrate a replay of the Butler World Cup winning runout dive. At last the introduction of Stratford the seventh bowler used in the innings and fine spell finishing with 3 for 16 from his 5 overs including a stumping off the last ball of the innings to see Wales close on 159 all out. After a splendid Swindon high tea the newly formed opening pair of Capps and Richard Moore Colyer strode to the middle knowing their target was exactly 4 an over. Disaster struck in the third over with RMC snapped up round the corner with a neat catch, or as RMC preferred, the best catch in the history of the game! Anyway he was gone for a single. Robinson, who had been hoping for a longer rest post his keeping duties found himself at the crease in the third over. A steady start after 9 overs the total to the 26. Capps perished for 14 bowled by Turner and trudged off for a well deserved rest having been beasted for too many short singles by Robinson. This brought Mike “Basher” Brind to the wicket. The pair shared a stand of 68 runs for the third wicket before being Basher was stumped for a fine 32. Having thought he had been bowled he didn’t bother to make his ground. Micky Dean then joined Robinson with the asking rate now down to three runs per over, however old habits die hard and Robinson took one too many short singles, gambling that Taff wouldn’t pick up and hit a single stump but it was Taff’s day and was run out for 41. In the 27th over with the score on 113 Dave Gibson then played steadily picking up singles and hitting the bad ball. Micky Dean then chipped one and was caught for 17. Gibson was then joined by Randy Rose who had earlier pulled a fetlock whilst bowling so was even slower between the sticks the than normal. Roze soon realised that if you hit the ball over the rope you don’t have to run. A quick fire 19no with Gibson on 25no saw Wiltshire home by 5 wickets in the 37th over.

Prior to the match Captain John Williams had gathered the players to inform us that Sharon, wife of Keith Redding and staunch Seniors supporter, had sadly passed away losing her battle with cancer. A minute’s silence was held in her honour supported by the players from Wales and the officials. #RIPSHARON

Wiltshire SCS 50+ v Hampshire SCS 50+

18th July @Liphook & Ripsley CC
The SCS side has always prided itself on it's enjoyment, education and banter levels ( which neatly complement the improved performance levels over the last few years ) but managed to step these,up a level last Thursday when Rich Mosdell made a schoolboy error while we were batting by producing a copy of the Groundsman magazine ( yes, there is such a publication !!). Nigel Mullarkey and Paul Clark were batting very capably and sensibly in pursuit of the Hampshire total, but the excitement levels were obviously not sufficient for our adrenaline-seeking Groundsman. And it soon became clear why --- did you know that a customised 900 cylinder Honda sit-on mower had achieved a record for a mower, clocking 0-60 in 6.9 seconds ?!?! This soon sparked sufficient interest among the rest of the side who clamoured for more information to satiate their desire for groundsman-knowledge. They were not to be disappointed -- the pictures of groundsmen standing proudly astride green swathes in heir uniforms of green shortsleeved polo shirts, petrol-stained cargo shorts, working boots with socks rolled down around the ankles provided almost as much visual entertainment as the Groundsman Wives feature, while for those who got more thrill out of the printed word, then the article on Advanced Bush Trimming (sic) and the Readers letters page provided seconds of entertainment.
So, dear reader, you might be forgiven for thinking that this was Rich's biggest contribution to the afternoon. You might also be forgiven for thinking that this was the main purpose of our trip to the attractive Liphook & Riplsey ground. But you would be wrong on both counts !!
We had travelled to try & impose on Hampshire what would be only our 2nd victory over them after several seasons of SCS rivalry. Hants had won the toss & batted. Paul Burrows, so often the Wilts nemesis in these games, had started in typical fashion by despatching anything slightly short & wide. Then in Mark Morris' 2nd over he tried one of those drives of which we had seen far too many in the last few seasons. It wasn't quite timed and spiralled high in the air for what seemed like ages ( to put it in context, it was there for even longer than a full over of the captain's famed slower balls would have taken to reach the batsman, while the cumulative height of an over of such slower balls would
have been far exceeded !). 10 players in the side were already thanking the ricketing gods that it was not coming to them. But the 11th kept his eye on the ball as it swirled and dropped.....to be safely taken by a very relieved Rich Mosdell -- a great catch which far exceeded the contribution of the Groundsman magazine to the success of the afternoon. Buoyed by this wicket, the whole team produced a fine all-round bowling and fielding display, with Mark Morris bowling extremely well to finish with the excellent figure of 9-4-15-4. All the bowlers took a wicket, with Justin Wagstaff claiming 2 important wickets in his 2nd spell, and Sean bagged 4 catches.
Wilts needed to bat sensibly in reply. Nigel Mullarkey and Paul Clark duly obliged putting on 90 for the first wicket before Paul was stumped for 29. Nigel stayed there & was our shortly before the end for a fine 70, but he had done enough to see us through to a very satisfying 7 wicket win and our first of the season while batting 2nd. And so onto our final group game v Devon this Thursday, where we are lacking a few regular players. It is looking as though 3rd place in this group will ensure qualification for the main knockout stage of the competition ( though there is also a Plate competition ) which would be a first for the SCS side. We are currently in 3rd, with an outside chance of 2nd. All to play for guys.......

Wiltshire 70+ v Somerset 70+

18th July @ Keynsham CC

Only rarely does a game of cricket fail to yield little surprises or even bizarre incidents. A spectacular catch here, a comical fielding error there, an absurd run-out, or even a shapely "streaker" can sometimes enliven what might be seen by some as a rather peculiar way of spending a full afternoon under the sun. Probably to the relief of their many supporters, there is no great tradition of "streaking" among Wiltshire senior cricketers and hitherto no young bloods of either (or any) gender have felt the need to dash naked before their rheumy eyes! From time-to-time, however, pre-match occurrences can amuse and confuse in much the same way. Such was the case on Thursday July 18th when, owing to a bewildering sequence of equivocal signals on the Whatsapp device, the rump of Wiltshire players found themselves at Brislington CC, while the remainder assembled at Keynsham which, as matters turned out, was the appointed venue. A sequence of phone calls resolved the issue and in due course all were safely gathered in under the watchful eye of Captain Williams who has now fully recovered from injury.

The day was warm, no rain threatened, and under a sunny sky Somerset elected to bat on a dry but grassy wicket. As Andy Clinning and Alan Stratford set about their work, the Somerset openers made steady progress until, in the eighth over, Clinning bowled Webster and, four overs later the hard-hitting Betty was run out with the score standing at 50. The miserly and subtle-witted Clinning struck again in the fourteenth over when he summarily dismissed Fairman leg before when the score had advanced by a mere two runs. The north-country wizard eventually completed his spell with the admirable figures of 8-1-24-2. The persistent and normally penetrative Stratford was rather less successful and he finally returned figures of 8-0-44-0. He lives to fight again.

Following the departure of Fairman, Somerset hopes lay with the belligerent combination of Sheppard (57 n.o) and Lines who advanced the score to 120 by the thirtieth over when Lines (47) was run out by a smart throw from Peter Robinson. By this stage John Williams, who had himself bowled two overs only, was employing the combined skills of Messers Roze, Iles and Nichols to confront the Somerset batsmen. Although several dropped catches did little to help the cause, the trio managed to peg back the final Somerset total to what seemed a manageable 182 for the loss of five wickets. Both the Headmaster and the Roze of Swindon bowled with guile and subtlety but remained wicketless with figures of 8-2-18-0 and 6-1-20-0 respectively. Bowling with his usual searing pace, Iles finished up with 8-0-49-1.

A quietly confident Wiltshire side emerged from tea and openers Peter Robinson and Keith Redding took to the middle shortly after 3.30. To his many fans the length and breadth of Wiltshire, the prospect of watching the flamboyant and swashbuckling Robinson at the crease can brighten the dullest of days. Today,however, they were devastated when their hero departed after facing three balls, his off stump uprooted by the bowling of G. Flynn. But if the main course had disappointed, the dessert would be sweet and the chastened crowd now thrilled to the arrival of Alan Capps. Wearing his trademark hat,vaguely reminiscent of those sported by elderly gentlemen sitting in deckchairs in the 1950s, Capps kept Redding company until the nineteenth over when he was finally caught off the bowling of Pearson for a well-made 39. Skilfully rotating the strike and occasionally bludgeoning the ball to the boundary, he admirably complemented the serene Redding (40) who shortly afterwards was adjudged LBW to the bowling of Pearson. A decent platform had now been established and it was now up to the middle order of Messers Brind, Moore-Colyer and Nichols to carry the score to somewhere near the Somerset total. But they flattered to deceive! The "Basher" drove his first ball sweetly to the boundary before succumbing to Pearson five balls later, Moore-Colyer was comprehensively bowled by what he claimed to be one of the finest deliveries in the history of any class of cricket, while the unfortunate Headmaster (who had fielded like a man possessed) pulled up lame and was obliged to retire injured to the sidelines. By this time the score had edged forward to 101 after twenty two overs, effectively for the loss of six wickets. Only, it seemed, would the combined talents of the Roze of Swindon and Farmer G. Iles offer any chance of a Wiltshire victory.

There now followed a passage of play which for sheer nerve-tangling excitement could scarcely be bettered. Had either of these batsmen been dismissed the fragility of Wiltshire's lower order would have been exposed and a Somerset victory highly probable. The Roze, however, appeared completely oblivious to the possibility of dismissal and during the course of his undefeated innings of 41 batted with the freedom and belligerence of a man without a care in the world. Striking four of his first eight balls to the boundary he lay waste to the Somerset bowling and as the heads and shoulders of the fielders began to sink and slump he continued to pile on the agony. At the other end Graham Isles was equally proactive, smashing four fours in his unbeaten 25, the last of which brought up the winning runs in the thirty fifth over. This devastating and pulverising partnership was surely one of the high points of the season to date!

As Wiltshire continue to pile victory upon victory they approach next week's confrontation with the Men from the Valleys with ever-growing confidence.

Wiltshire 60+ v Oxfordshire 60+

9th July @Marlborough CC

This was always going to be interesting since we had tied away and there was not much between the teams. In addition Wiltshire were without Tim Mynott and Geoff Ramsey who would have featured in the bowling attack. Undaunted by that, and with the new found 2019 depth of talent we won the toss and stuck them in on a day when any assistance was going to be early doors. As expected the Oxfordshire openers set a brisk pace, helped by the odd loose delivery and an outfield that supported a 5 an over run rate: this pretty much perpetuated throughout both innings. Pete Mathias and Chris Barrow held them to 50 off the first 10 overs and Pete Mathias took the first wicket to a catch by Barrow. Not much changed and at drinks Oxfordshire were 120 for 1 and looking at a 260 total. The introduction of Tim Lerwill and Martin Stennings put a check on the flow

such that the 150 took 32 overs but a flurry in the last 10 saw a target of 256 for 5 which was probably 25 more than they should have got. Wickets were shared by Stennings 3 for 28 and Mathias 2 for 42. Special mention to the fielding which is now an expectation but some great chasing by Rich Guy and Pete Mathias kept things decent. Stennings was the pick of the bowlers and his figures mask the fact that he completely contained capable batsmen who were well set by the start of his spell on a batting track.

Wiltshire started well with Rich Guy and Tim Lerwill setting a rapid run rate thanks to the odd well hit short ball before Guy was very well caught pulling square for a brisk 21 off 18 balls. The innings was then built around the ever solid Tim Lerwill who built a 100 run partnership with Mick Hunter; when Hunter was then bowled for a very solid 41 this appeared to have set the conditions for the lower middle order to carry us home. Needing 100 runs off 18 overs this seemed perfectly possible even when 2 quick wickets brought Banham out with 6 down and 7.5 an over to get. Some very clean hitting and rapid singles meant that this was well under control until Tim Lerwill was very unfortunately run out for 87 when he stopped abruptly mid run with a wasp strike in his eye and the fielding side unsympathetically threw down the stumps. Chris Barrow joined the skipper and departed after a few lusty blows for 19. Even with a run rate of 10 an over the win seemed probable until on 48 Banham was adjudged LBW (the 4th of the innings) and the game wrapped up quickly for 238 and an 18 run loss.

The game was lost on the inability to contain the Oxfordshire last 10 overs but they bowled well enough to win and it was a well contested game. Notwithstanding the loss, Wiltshire retain 3rd place in the table in the first season of South Central and can be very satisfied that they have been very competitive in pretty much all of their games this year. We now await the outcome of the seedings which will confirm the next stages.

Wiltshire 70+ v Warwickshire 70+

10th July @Goatacre CC

Still smarting from their recent crushing defeat at the hands of Devonshire, a rather chastened Wiltshire team began to assemble at Goatacre on a hot and humid morning on Wednesday July 10th. A little knot of players, under the watchful eye of former Acting Captain Andy Clinning, gathered on the square to exchange sage remarks about the wicket as they anxiously awaited the arrival of John Williams, now recovered from injury and once again (to the relief of the whole county) at the helm of his side. In keeping with the proud traditions established by Secretary Blenkinsop, they were, to a man, sporting their Wiltshire ties and were generally attired as became a group of elderly gentlemen. As the injured Colonel Hobden and ever-loyal Cyril York took their seats among the excited lady supporters, the sun shone brightly through the thin cloud cover to illuminate the emergence from the car park of the Captain himself. His appearance on the scene sparked mixed emotions. There were sharp intakes of breath, guffaws, looks of stern disapproval and, among the ladies, a modest quickening of the pulse. For there was Captain Williams, previously a sartorial martinet, swathed in beachwear! His shapely pale legs emerged from a pair of buff-coloured shorts while his upper person was host to a rather fetching shirt innocent of the revered club tie. It will ever remain a matter for debate whether his enforced absence from the summer game had in some way erased his memory of the Wiltshire dress code! But he was here, hale and hearty in the full vigour of his manhood, once again the leader of men prepared to go forth and toss for his county!

As that scorer par excellence Jakki Knight positioned herself for action, Williams accompanied the opposition captain to the centre of the square and when the coin had been flipped it soon became clear that Wiltshire had been invited to bat on a wicket which seemed, on the face of it, to be replete with runs. As openers Keith Redding and Richard Moore-Colyer set about their work the scoreboard ticked away merrily until, in the third over, the unfortunate Redding (8) was well-caught at slip. Moore-Colyer was now joined by the dangerous Peter Robinson and brisk progress ensued until, with the score on 30,the former (16) was run out in what can only be described as a moment of madness. His departure heralded the arrival at the crease of Malmesbury cricketing celebrity Michael “Basher” Brind whose suave elegance inevitably provokes comparison with the great David Gower. For the next fifteen overs the assembled crowd were treated to a feast of runs as the combination of Brind's deftness of touch and Robinson's relentless power hitting took the score to 125 by the twentieth over when Brind (35) was eventually bowled. The platform was now set for what would apparently be a high Wiltshire score especially since the Warwickshire fielding was, judged by even generous standards, very poor. A neutral observer might have been forgiven for thinking, as balls sped to the boundary within feet of fielders and as catches were assiduously ignored, that the Warwickshire fielders were indifferent to the outcome of the game. When Peter Robinson was finally bowled in the 21st over for a well-crafted 54, the remainder of the Wiltshire innings was occupied by the grizzled partnership of Micky Dean and and the slender David “Demon” Gibson. Dean continued in his rich vein of form while the Demon, playing his first game of the season for Wiltshire, batted as a man possessed. If the pair, mindful of the weight of their years, were reluctant to exploit lacklustre fielding by converting singles into twos, they amply compensated by the alarming frequency with which they pierced the boundary. As the fortieth over came to a close the proud pair (if a little breathless) went undefeated into tea with scores of 54 and 53 apiece. They had carried the Wiltshire total to a probably unassailable 250.

After a splendid tea, courtesy of the fragrant ladies of Goatacre CC, the Warwickshire opening batsmen wandered to the middle to prepare to scale the foothills of what probably seemed a very high mountain. If it seemed a forlorn hope at the outset, it began to look almost impossible as wickets began to fall and the score to proceed at the pace of a very slow and reluctant snail. As Andy Clinning bowled with his customary meanness and Alan Stratford with metronomic accuracy, runs were extremely hard to come by and with the departure of the unhappy Budd to Stratford's first ball, of Day to the same bowler and of Swift to Clinning, the Warwickshire position seemed increasingly forlorn. Sarson and Bates resisted bravely until Bates was eventually bowled by Stratford who completed his work with the fine figures of 6-1-19-3, while Clinning returned 8-2-24-1. By the nineteenth over Warwickshire had posted only 58 runs for the loss of five wickets. By this time Williams, who himself bowled two overs for six runs, had turned to the guile and subtle skills of Mr Cricket himself, the Roze of Swindon,and to batting hero “Demon” Gibson. As ever Roze bowled beautifully and in a spell of 8 bamboozling overs conceded a mere 8 runs and accounted for the obdurate Sarson (27) and poor Mr Thorne who quit the field with a first ball duck. As Roze and Gibson wove their spell, it was merely a matter of time before Warwickshire met their Waterloo. Gibson (surely today's man of the match!) had Lawrence caught behind by Keith Redding and Clay sharply caught by Moore-Colyer at his accustomed position at short mid off. Meanwhile Stuart Liddington wheeled away at the Old Folks Home end and although most unusually for him he failed to take a wicket, he returned the respectable figures of 6-0-20-0.

One of the wonders of the game of cricket is that it never fails to yield surprises. In a piece of captainancy that teeters on the verge of genius, Williams invited Charlton CC partnership breaker Richard Moore-Colyer to relieve the weary “Demon” at the pavilion end when the Warwickshire score stood at 84 for 8 in the thirty first over. Andy Clinning frowned; Randall Roze grinned ironically, but that fine reader of the game and our gallant captain knew exactly what he was doing! In a mesmeric spell of three overs during which a single run was conceded, Moore-Colyer applied the necessary pressure to allow a refreshed Gibson to bowl Greatorex in the 34th over and when Griffiths was run out by Stuart Liddington, the game drew to its close with Warwickshire dismissed for a mere ninety nine runs, the happy “Demon” quitting the field after bowling four overs and taking three wickets for four runs.

What a difference a week makes! Last Wednesday Wiltshire players drove wearily home after being dismissed for 62 runs. But the worm has turned. No longer depressed, dispirited and downcast, they face the prospect of playing Somerset next week with renewed hope and restored vigour!

Wiltshire SCS 50+ v Devon SCS 50+

4th July

Many of you will already have seen the outcome of this game, which ended in a hard-fought victory by 6 runs in a game where over 600 runs were scored, but given the nature of the game then worth a report !!
Bradninch was a new venue to all the team, but the setting (with spectacular views over the rolling Devon countryside above the M5 & West
Country railway corridor ), the quick & topographically ( look it up ! ) challenging outfield, the wicket and the weather combined to make it a
location to remember ! As indeed did the game itself ! The captain managed to call correctly at the toss & opted to bat. A solid opening partnership
between Mo Beale & Paul Clark set the base until Paul was out. Steve Jones, playing his first game of the season joined Mo & they added 99 for the 2nd wicket before Steve was out for a well- played 38. Gerald joined Mo, who was starting to play with some real fluency ( sic !), before Gerald was out for a brisk 27. John Baden was happy to play 2nd fiddle to Mo who continued to a chanceless ton ( he even produced and survived a couple of reverse sweeps !!) before being out for 120 ( off 109 balls ) with only a few overs to go. John then stepped into the lead role to finish the innings with a flourish as Wilts ended on 309-6, with John on 82no off only 39 balls. Mindful of the quick scoring nature of the ground and that we had lost to Hants last year having scored over 300, the skipper reminded the team of the need to bowl tightly and everyone to field well. Unfortunately this didn't quite go to plan, with the 1st ball of the innings being smashed over point for 4....up the hill. The bowlers were struggling to avoid bowling loose deliveries in the face of some very positive/ aggressive batting. Simon, bowling 1st change, managed to stem the tide for at least an over by having one of the openers LBW in his first over for only 1 run, only to see his next over go for 13! The Devon captain was leading from the front and it took a good one-handed catch by John Baden at short extra cover to remove him off the bowling off Raj Samant. Numbers 3 & 4 continued to punish anything slightly loose and when the captain withdrew a successful LBW appeal against their number 3 ( following an inside edge before hitting the pads ) it was difficult to see how we were going to breakthrough. At drinks at 30 overs, they required 7 an over with 8 wickets in hand. But 1st ball after drinks Wilts got a wicket with a catch straight to John Baden at a carefully positioned long-off and from then on Wilts were able to start tightening things up as Devon batsmen found it more difficult to come in and score freely. John Baden was brought on and his best spell of the season saw him take 3 late wickets and bowl a very tight last over to see Devon finish on 303-8. Ultimately a good performance in the
field, with 2 smart run-outs courtesy of the captain and Dave Gale, with everyone remaining positive about what we needed to do. So a really good win in a very close, competitive game on a ground where batsmen had every chance to shine. It served to emphasise the view we had held all season that every side in this Division can beat any other side -- it is a very open Division. as emphasised by the aggregate points gap between top and bottom in each of the 3 SCS Divisions. In the East Division the gap is 14.6 points. In the Central Division it is a whopping 22.25 points. In our (West ) Division it is 2.63 points !! There is a long way to go yet .......

Wiltshire SCS 50+ v Dorset SCS 50+

27th June

Thursday turned into a disappointing home defeat at Malmesbury to Dorset. Having won the toss, we batted first and a solid batting performance from the top 5 saw us score 236 - 3 with John Baden ( 80no ) & Geoff Ramsey ( 48no) adding an unbeaten 139 for the final wicket.
Paul Clark marked a return to form with 41 at the top of the innings. Was 236 enough ?! It felt like a good score but not unbeatable on that wicket.

The answer proved to be No as S Leadbetter scored an unbeaten century ( the 3rd against us this season with Wilts yet to score 1 in reply ) opening the innings to see them home by 8 wickets with an over to spare. A few half chances but some inconsistency between the bowlers -- whenever we looked as though we could squeeze their run rate, a looser over came along to encourage Dorset. There were a few half chances & plenty of edges, mistimed shots etc, but the wicket was the real winner with only 5 wickets falling all day.

Wiltshire 60+ v Buckinghamshire 60+

25th June

There is some well established military wisdom drilled into every officer at Staff College that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. It is clear that Napoleon Bonaparte who first made that observation never played Buckinghamshire at cricket because on 25 June Wiltshire O60, appropriately at Marlborough finally disproved the theory.

Early telephone discussions between the team captains established that the ground was damp, the forecast was dreadful, the travelling distance was not insubstantial and the very best we could hope for was a 20 over thrash once the forecast torrent ceased. No good reason not to crack on then. Having persuaded the umpire that he probably should still get to the ground for a 1300 start and having won the toss (again), Wiltshire walked out to bowl smack on time and despite some boring drizzle the game was completed as scheduled (Bucks captain "I’ll never trust your groundsman again").

Now the plan was to bowl 45 overs at less 3.5 runs and then chase down the total: and with Bucks at 62 for 2 off 23 at drinks this appeared to be precisely what was happening. Another great opening spell from Tim (what groin injury) Mynott and the criminally accurate Pete Mathias was backed up by the very welcome return of Geoff Ramsey, stiff with cortisone, whose nagging off stump line constrained the batsmen to the odd single. With the skipper coming on second change the choke collar never slipped and additional spells by Chris Barrow and Tim Lerwill left Bucks well short of par 158 for 5. Half of the job done. Wickets were shared by Mathias (2), Ramsey and Lerwill (2) and the fielding belied the age group: debutant Trevor Carlton wearing a couple for the team at square leg and Graham Horne denying any ambition to pierce the long boundary.

After a short interruption for rain and another outstanding Glyn Mathias tea Wiltshire began a steady run chase, and despite the early loss of Wilkins , partnerships of 59 between Lerwill (60) and Mynott (26) and then 54 between Lerwill and Banham took Wilts to the brink of victory. When Lerwill was bowled with the score at 126 it looked a formality however the rapid dismissals of Ramsey and Horne, neither troubling the scorer resulted in an unwelcome outbreak of optimism within the fielding side. With the skipper doggedly protecting his average it was left to Barrow to smack a rapid fir e 26 to restore order thereby securing victory by 5 wickets and the double over Bucks.

Takeaways from this game are that even with injuries Wilts can now produce a genuinely miserly bowling attack (Stenning and Carlton played and didn’t even bowl) and have now twice chased down reasonable totals without taking risks. Wiltshire now sit fourth in the table and can move on to the tougher teams with some optimism. Fair enough it did get a bit tense towards the end but nowhere near the tension that the WhatsApp commentary appeared to be stoking. A solid win and absolutely according to plan. So one in the eye for old Boney as Bucks meet their Waterloo

Wiltshire 70+ v Wales 70+

June 5th, 2019.

The modest (and,it has to be said, rather unprepossessing) town of Wem in Shropshire is hardly the place to be for an honest man on a wet Tuesday evening in any month of the year, is hardly the place to be for an honest man on a wet Tuesday evening in any month of the year. Apart from having the dubious honour of being the birthplace of the green-fingered gentleman who took the trouble to breed the first sweet pea in England, the place has little to commend it. However, your correspondent, a more assiduous student of maps than postcodes, decided some weeks ago that Wem seemed a suitably quiet place to rest his ageing limbs prior to journeying a little further north to Malpas, the venue for Wiltshire's forthcoming struggle with the elderly cricketers of Wales. So it was that he arrived at his hotel after a journey of some 120 miles from Minety. The long night passed without incident, although judging from the rumbling, shaking and moaning from the room next door, a sequence of incidents wholly unconnected with rest, repose or cricket were taking place! With the coming of the morning the rain had stopped, the sun shone weakly and your correspondent tucked into a fat-soaked and glutinous breakfast while reflecting upon the day ahead. As he chomped on the last piece of (white) toast, he casually looked at his mobile (are they really mobile?) phone and with some alarm awoke to the realisation that in the three kingdoms there were, in fact two Malpases and if the postcode on the phone was correct, he was most assuredly in the wrong one! Giving vent to a range of expletives which would have caused the most hardened docker to blush, he fled to the car and headed south at an alarming pace, only now and then thinking of the number of speeding tickets which his flight might generate. There was little to console him in the realisation of his idiocy save for the memory of Graham Iles' journey to Surrey in 2018!

In due course, a rather chastened Richard Moore-Colyer pulled in to the ground of Malpas CC near Newport in south Wales, hoping against hope for the sympathy of his fellow-players. Of sympathy there was none; of derision a great deal! Only the alluring sweetness and delicate texture of Mrs Brind's home-made flapjacks would eventually revive his spirits. In the meantime, Wiltshire captain Andy Clinning paced up and down before the pavilion, not unlike the Emperor Napoleon on the British battleship carrying him to his final exile. Was he thinking of those far-off days when, as a celebrated events manager, he was charged with the grave responsibility of judging wet T shirt competitions and kindred delights? Not at all; he was ruminating on the prospect of facing the might of Wales with a mere ten men, to say nothing of the absence that motivator par excellence John Williams.

The pattern of the day seemed to have been set when Clinning lost the toss and Wales elected to field. As Wiltshire openers Peter Robinson and Keith Redding strode to the middle, Jakki Knight fiddled with her felt tips and prepared once again to score, her ardour whetted by the first of many boiled sweets. She remained busily occupied until the eighth over when the suave Robinson (9) was bowled by Storey. Richard Moore-Colyer then joined Redding and the pair pushed on the score to 42 before the former (10) was bowled by Anthony Evans. A hush now descended over the ground. There was, of course, deep disappointment among the crowd at the cruel dismissal of Moore-Colyer but more significantly a sense of thrilling anticipation as the tall, languid figure of Mike Brind entered the fray. How would "Basher" play? Would he occupy the crease and leave the ever-reliable Redding to liquidate the Welsh bowling attack, or would he entertain his many fans with the range of elegant strokes which he had demonstrated to such good effect against Somerset the previous week? When he launched his second ball for four it was clear that the iron had entered his soul and that he was in a destructive mood. As Redding pushed and scampered and "Basher" bludgeoned and bashed, the score moved quickly on until Redding, the cement of this batting side, was eventually stumped in the 31st over for an excellent 56. By this time Mrs Brind's bosom was swelling with pride as her husband went about his work in partnership with the dangerous Graham Iles. But it would not be long before he was once again by her side, having been bowled in the 34th over for 64 runs accumulated in a mere 68 balls. It was a scintillating and refulgent innings (including eight fours) and it is to be hoped that the splendid "Basher" will dismiss any gloomy thoughts of retirement from the summer game. When Brind returned to the pavilion the score stood at 145 and Graham Iles remained to shepherd the tail for the last six overs. Unhappily the Wiltshire tail failed once again to wag with much vigour and John Matthews (2), Alan ("Gritty") Stratford (2) and Andy Clinning (1) offered little trouble for Ms Knight and when the innings closed after Stuart Liddington had launched his fifth ball for a fine on-driven four, Graham Iles remained undefeated on 17 and the score at a quite respectable 169. There was much relief in the Welsh camp at being spared the prospect of bowling at the belligerent Cyril York whose eccentric skills were not required on this occasion.

To defend their decent, but by no means unassailable total with ten men only Wiltshire would need to be on top of their game; bowling would need to be accurate and penetrative and fielding at or above the usual standard. Obvious though this appeared, Captain Clinning emphasised its importance as the players tucked into their tea, provided by the fragrant ladies of Malpas CC. Wiltshire's little band of loyal supporters now looked forward to a disciplined and ruthless attack on the Welsh batsmen whose openers walked onto the field shortly after four pm. Messers Allen and Price proceeded cautiously against the characteristically tight bowling of Clinning and Stratford, reaching 28 runs after the eighth over. At this point,with the guile and fearless preparedness to experiment which has come to typify his captainancy, Clinning introduced the pianist, model aircraft maker and wily campaigner Cyril York into the attack. After an alarming flurry of runs, York persuaded Gwyn Price (12) to hit a ball from outside the leg stump into the capable hands of "Gritty" Stratford at square leg and the first wicket fell with the score standing at 42. York was eventually to bowl a further over and finish with figures of 2-0-26-1. By the time that Clinning and Stratford had completed respectively five and six overs and the Yorkist experiment had temporarily come to a halt, Graham Iles and Stuart Liddington entered the fray and by the nineteenth over, when the score had reached 102, Peter Allen crashed a Liddington leg side ball to square leg only to find the admirable "Gritty" who took a splendid one-handed catch. Sadly for Wiltshire no more wickets were to fall and, like Mrs Thatcher's premiership, Welsh batsmen Howe and Pendleton went on and on. Although they scored relatively few boundaries they were enabled to plunder runs courtesy of lacklustre and, it has to be admitted, pitiful fielding by the Wiltshire side. By the thirtieth over Wiltshire heads were down and backs bowed; there was a sort of end of term feeling about it all. Wales finally reached the Wiltshire total after 31 overs. Clinning returned figures of 6-1-22-0, Stratford 8-0-25-0, Iles 4-0-270 and Liddington 8-0-33-1. Richard Moore-Colyer, after bowling successfully at the weekend for Charlton contributed three overs for sixteen runs. In effect,he flattered to deceive, being somehow incapable of releasing the ball at the correct moment, thereby bowling a succession of rolling no balls! If the past 48 hours had not been among his finest, the same might be said of Wiltshire Senior cricket although, bloody but unbowed, the playerslive to fight another day !

WILTSHIRE 70+ v SOMERSET 70+

30th May 2019 at Steeple Langford CC

Wiltshire v Somerset, 30 May, 2019

Ever-sensitive to the glories of the natural world, David Hobden praised the charms of Steeple Langford cricket ground as he pondered the events of the coming afternoon with Richard Moore-Colyer. Rather uncharitably the latter observed that the overall aesthetics were not helped by the ranks of nondescript bungalows along one side of the ground. Yet the occupants of those bungalows were shortly to witness moments of high drama far exceeding anything that had happened in Steeple Langford since the local Home Guard commander erroneously blew up a pigsty in 1940, killing a sow and her litter. From their decks and patios, verandahs and porches, or from behind nervously twitching net curtains, they would be party to a titanic struggle of epic proportions. Few could have prepared themselves for the heart-thumping, nerve-tingling, palm-sweating afternoon that lay ahead as Wiltshire Senior cricketers confronted their Somerset counterparts. From the outset there was something special about the occasion since, sitting in the tented VIP enclosure, was no less a distinguished personage than Gwyn Blenkinsop, the highly-respected former cricketer and Wiltshire Secretary. Alongside him sat that wounded lion John Williams, while close by (but not, of course, too close) perched Jakki Knight who has scored (and will no doubt continue to score) throughout southern England for many years to come.

Having lost the toss on this rather humid afternoon, Wiltshire were invited to bat on a very green pitch which apparently favoured the bowling side. Openers Keith Redding and Richard Moore-Colyer strode purposely to the middle and set briskly about their work until, in the fifth over with the score standing a 16, Moore-Colyer (12) was bowled by a superb in-cutting delivery from S Sheppard. Rather impertinently, newcomer to the side Tim Nicholas (aka The Headmaster) claimed that the batsman had simply missed a straight ball! Moore-Colyer himself, however, together with many students of the summer game who watched aghast at his dismissal, appreciated that his downfall had come about from one of the finest balls bowled in the history of Wiltshire cricket. Sucking greedily on a cigarette, Moore-Colyer was now able to sit and watch the elegant and swashbuckling Peter Robinson attack the Somerset bowling until, having attempted one cut too far, he was well caught in the slips for a quick 15 runs. Redding was now joined by Alan Capps wearing his trademark hat ( a garment not dissimilar to those seen in photographs of elderly gentlemen on Margate beach in the 1950s), and, to the dismay of the purists, black socks! There now followed a curious passage of play during which the unfortunate Redding was run out for 9 and Capps was joined by the tall, confident figure of the Headmaster. In the sixteenth over Capps(10) was caught off the bowling of Morris with the score at 54 and Mike Brind joined the Headmaster. After Brind and Colonel Hobden had batted with steadfast, grim and sluggish determination against Warwickshire the previous week there was some concern that henceforth the scoring rate would move on with the progress of a thawing glacier. John Williams, however, remembering the days of yore, reassured us that in his heyday Brind was celebrated as "Basher" and perhaps today the clock would be turned back. And how right he was! "Basher" cut, drove, pulled and swept like a man possessed and by the time the Headmaster (13) had departed in the twenty fourth over, the score had moved on to 88. He was subsequently ably supported by Hobden and was eventually bowled by Sheppard for 47, the Colonel following shortly afterwards for a well-crafted 20. The four final overs carried the score from 139 to 152 with the loss of the remaining wickets, leaving the talismanic figure of Cyril York to walk into tea with an undefeated single.

As Wiltshire ( and especially Stuart Liddington) tucked in to a fine tea provided by the wholly admirable ladies of Steeple Langford CC, there was much talk as to whether 152 was a par score. Time, quality of bowling and subtle captaincy on the part of Wiltshire's bluff north country captain would tell. In any event, when captain Clinning led his side on to the field there was about it a certain confidence and swagger as might befit last year's League champions. Somerset seemed to be adopting an attritional approach and the steady accuracy of Clinning, Nicholas and Alan Stratford restricted the score to 47 by the close of the fourteenth over. As he grows into his captainancy role Clinning is readily prepared to adopt an occasionally eccentric approach, in this case exemplified by the early introduction of Cyril York into the attack. Your correspondent has commented previously on the mesmeric qualities of York's bowling. Between the ball leaving the big man's hand and its arrival in the proximity of the batsman, the latter has time to dream up a sonnet, plot a small war or decide on the menu for a state banquet. So much time to think, so much time to make the wrong decision! Thus might Manley have thought after he had been bowled by York for 23. Strong and silent, York was to take no more wickets and ended up with figures of 7-1-36. But with Kane and Chaudoir at the crease the total began to mount until, in the 23rd over Stuart Liddington persuaded the dangerous Chaudoir to guide a catch into the hand of (yes, you've guessed it) Cyril York, at slip. Chaudoir's excellent 54 had placed Somerset in a strong position of 96 for 2 although when Nicholas bowled Kane for 12 shortly afterwards and Dibb was run out by a brilliant throw from the ever-dependable Alan Stratford the score had only advanced to 108. By this time the assembled crowd advanced to the edge of their seats. Fingernails were gnawed and crosswords abandoned; John Williams broke into a nervous sweat and Gwyn Blenkinsop's normally cool visage seemed transformed by angst and jitters. Could Wiltshire hold their collective nerve? Would the run rate be strangled? Would catches be held? A sense that they were witnesses to some extraordinary event seemed even to seep into the consciousness of the patio and verandah-bound watchers!With Sheppard and Lines at the crease, the score began steadily to mount until Lines(6) was sharply caught by Moore-Colyer at short mid-wicket off the bowling of Stratford and subsequently Swift (11) was run out by Andy Clinning's throw. Stratford struck again in the next over when the hard-hitting Sheppard launched a viscious drive towards short mid-wicket where Richard Moore-Colyer, with the litheness and panache familiar to those who know and love him, took a fine one-handed diving catch. Sheppard's efforts had taken the score to 149. There seemed little escape for Wiltshire....and yet more drama was to come. Keith Redding held on to an edge from Morris in Stratford's next over before Stuart Liddington came into the attack in over number 35 and immediately dismissed Crompton for 2 runs with the total at 151.

If ever there was a moment for cool nerves, this was it, as the final batsman, Mr Brunt, settled in at the crease. As the fielders crowded around him, Brunt's nerve endings tingled as the honour of Somerset rested on his broad shoulders. Surviving the first ball, he pushed at the second of Liddington's deliveries which dropped short of Moore-Colyer at silly mid-off. At this point the Headmaster (probably reflecting on his career of making boys into men), instructed the same fielder to edge closer to the bat. This the fielder did, although, he readily confesses, with tepid enthusiasm!

Towards the end of the 37th over Mr Brunt, the heavy breath of fielders upon him, was clearly thinking of dressing room glory when he launched an expansive on-drive. Here, surely, was the single run that would carry Somerset over the line! But oh, unhappy Brunt! He had managed to drive the ball straight to that excellent fielder Peter Robinson who dived forward and took the catch close to the ground......Somerset were all out for 151.

This was, of course, a mighty triumph with the League champions at their steely best! The excellence of the bowling was underpinned by high quality catching, although it has to be said that Wiltshire's ground fielding stands in need of improvement if they are to continue to make progress.Andy Clinning, though wicketless, bowled in his usual miserly fashion (8-2-25-0) and was ably supported by Tim Nicholas(8-0-32-1), the splendid Stratford (8-2-29-3) and the steadfast Liddington (3.5-0-23-3). The Colonel contributed two perplexing overs, conceding only five runs.

We live in stirring times. We fret about Brexit, we worry about our children's future and we rage against the ineptitude of our political leaders. But when we can enjoy such a game of cricket on a pleasant summer's afternoon such matters evaporate in significance like the proverbial snowflake in the desert.

WILTSHIRE ECB 50+ v IOW ECB 50+

29th May 2019 at South Wilts CC

Wiltshire 141-2 (18.2 overs) beat IOW 139-6 (20 overs) by 8 wickets.

Salisbury on a miserable misty wet Wednesday, and a home fixture (a nominal term in my view after another long journey on the county's finest roads several of which turned out to be closed) against the Isle of Wight. Covers on, the outfield damp, and the hills almost visible in the distance. No chance of a start on time. Still, a nice warm clubhouse with carpets, TV, bar , and comfortable chairs to relax in . The downside , none of us had made previous acquaintance with the sadly recently departed gentleman, and consequently didn’t reasonably feel we could join the masses upstairs at the wake. Consequently the next couple of hours were spent sitting in a concrete bunker on a wooden bench fighting with mobile phones in an attempt to make the local wi-fi work while trying not to inhale the noxious fumes coming from the cubicle with the deposit.

The wake came to a close. Finally the clouds lifted , the hills hoved in to view, the ground was playable and yet in true cricketing fashion tea was taken .

Negotiations between both captains and the umpires took place and all agreed the determining factors for the number of overs to be played would be the minimum allowed purely because no one wanted to be any colder or wetter than was strictly necessary. Twenty overs a side it was. The islanders won the toss and elected to bat. The team talk pre-match focused on keeping it tight and not letting the opposition off to a flyer. Braz opened the bowling with a nice dry ball and the first delivery, a waist high leg stump full toss, was duly despatched for six. To be fair the rest of his spell was miserly. The first wicket was courtesy of a run out effected by Iggy steaming in from the long boundary and launching a throw back to Braz who pulled out of his sulk at the prospect of a two that shouldn’t be there just in time and took the bails off with the batsman well short of his ground. The skipper took over from Gibbo and took the opposite view to bowling to Braz. Two good balls at the beginning of his spell resulted in two loud , some felt possibly overly loud , appeals for leg before. The second of which persuaded the umpire to give the batsmen out. Thereafter his spell was a pile of dross that disappeared in all directions. Fortunately all the other bowlers stepped up and regained control of the run rate. Fielding was generally excellent , one particular incident aside where a stationary ball was somehow hoofed over the boundary , given the difficult conditions . Catches were taken and the final total of 139 was significantly less than it may have been at the halfway point.

Clive “the janitor”, on the back of a league double century , opened up with the limping Geoff Ramsey in an attempt to get Wiltshire off to a fast start. Clive duly resumed where he left off from last year and swept a faster than a run a ball fifty. Chris Lailey walked out to the wicket took a look around and returned back to the shed without troubling the beleaguered scorer . Jakki was on her own across at the other end of the field trying to negotiate the technology as well as the paper scorebook and barely had time to tuck into the sweets bag. An emergency call for a scorer for the IOW team had not been fruitful . Something to do with those asked servicing their broomsticks.

Neil Roynon next man in, was forced to interrupt his commiserating with an island fielder off the field with a bad shoulder, shuffled out into the gloom and swung himself off his feet. The end came appropriately enough with two wides and Wiltshire had registered a third successive victory.

A post match beer courtesy of JB on his birthday in the cells downstairs and a one hour trip back home beckoned. Two hours later via the brother in laws back yard ( Mo’s bladder), a Marlborough retirement home (Mo ‘s bed for the night), a car park in Chippenham (Neil had forgotten where his car was) and the day was done.

Wiltshire 60+ v Hampshire 60+

28th May 2019 @ Marlborough CC.

Wiltshire won the toss, asked Hampshire to bat and through a combination of accurate bowling and some interesting shot selection reduced the opposition to a very achievable total. Well that was how it was meant to go. In fact Wiltshire lost the toss and were invited to bat The game was going to be a challenge at 10 for 2 after 12 overs and with only Dave Allen (42) Richard Guy (13) and John Wilkins (28) posting any sort of score the total of 98 was never really going to be defendable.

And so it transpired that despite some pretty good bowling by Pete Mathias and Tim Mynott (one wicket apiece) the Hampshire early order were never under enough pressure. Taking the pace off with Martin Stennings and Tim Lerwill made a transitory difference but Hampshire ran out winners in 18 overs for the loss of 2.

There was not really much to take out of the game except that the toss probably made a difference but frankly not that much and once again we were shown how to chase down a total; this time largely over long off and long on. Our primary lesson is that we have to get a start in the first 10 overs.

And so to Oxfordshire next week and another team that we don't really know so an opportunity to reload and re-focus. Highlight of the day for Wiltshire - Glyn Mathias's outstanding tea and her sanguine advice when informed that the changing room was a bit glum -"oh get over it". Wise words indeed

WILTSHIRE SCS 50+ SCS v HAMPSHIRE SCS 50+

23rd May 2019 at Goatacre CC

Having beaten Dorset the previous week, the side were upbeat for the second fixture of the season. The wicket didn't look as full of as many runs as usual at Goatacre but, reasoning it would be much the same for both sides, the captain won the toss & decided to bat. The early loss of both Paul Clark & Gerald Hayward didn't augur well, but Chris Lailey ( playing his 1st SCS game for 2 seasons ) started to make batting look more straightforward scoring a fine 70, aided and abetted by a variety of players who all got starts but were unable to go on & make a significant score. Andy Mildenhall was next top scorer with 32, while John Aitken scored a very useful 18 not out in the final 3 overs. A final score of 221-9 felt below par but was at least a score which the side could start to try & defend. Hampshire opened with their regular ( v Wilts !) pairing of Paul Burrows & Mark Jackson. they maintained their record against us with an opening partnership of 145 with Paul in particular enjoying the short straight boundaries. None of the Wilts bowlers bowled badly, despite the occasional 4 ( or 6 ! ) ball but it was not until the introduction of Chris Lailey as a 6th bowler was the partnership ended when Mark Jackson fine edged the ball to Sean who took a fine catch standing up. Having got one, Chris then proceeded to take 3 further wickets to end with figures of 8-4-33. and when the skipper bowled his opposite number to leave Hants 182-5, Wilts sensed a possible victory which hadn't seemed likely 10 overs previously. Unfortunately the bowlers, accompanied by some unorthodox batting from the Hants No7, were unable to finalise the result in Wilts favour and we lost by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining. So, despite a fine all-round individual performance from Chris Lailey & a good fielding performance from all, this was ultimately a disappointing defeat full of " what-ifs & what-onlys". Not even any particularly amusing stories nor interesting facts. Sean's torso took a battering while keeping, Clarkey achieved a first when he actually ran 20 yards in the field to try & chase a thick edge to the short 3rd man boundary, Mo managed to stop post-match nets had finished. Oh......& it's not every game where your tea, drinks etc are prepared by the Mum of an England World Cup player !!

WARWICKSHIRE 70s v WILTSHIRE 70s

Studley CC, May 20th 2019.

Still smarting from their early-season defeat at the hands of Devonshire, the elderly cricketers of Wiltshire converged on the agreeable town of Studley to confront their Warwickshire counterparts. Deprived once again of the inspiring presence of captain John Williams whose frame is becoming a martyr to injury, Wiltshire played under the leadership of Andy Clinning whose guile on the field proved him to a more than adequate substitute. His management of the bowling attack and disposition of fielders were pivotal elements in what would become a famous victory.

A small, but enthusiastic crowd watched excitedly as Keith Redding and Richard Moore-Colyer strode out to open the Wiltshire innings, only to be plunged into the depths of disappointment as the latter was caught in the slips after scoring a mere three runs. With the score standing at thirteen Peter Robinson strode onto the square and gave lie to the accuracy of the Warwickshire bowling by striking a variety of lusty blows. Yet neither he nor the elegant Redding were able to persuade the ball to penetrate the lush grass of the outfield to reach the absurdly deep boundary. It nevertheless speaks volumes for the virtues of clean living that the pair managed to complete two all-run fours during the course of their partnership! All seemed to be going swimmingly for Wiltshire until Robinson was adjudged lbw to the bowling of Bateman for 22 and Redding followed him to the pavilion shortly afterwards having been bowled by the craggy Lewis for 15. At the thirteenth over, the score stood at 45 for 3. There followed a curious passage of play when spectators were tempted away from the cricket towards their newspapers, knitting and other diversions. David Hobden and Mike Brind, each playing their first game of the season, seemed becalmed in the face of metronomic Warwickshire bowling and only managed to advance the score to 57 by the twenty fifth over. The Colonel, perhaps still under the influence of the steady pace of life in the Antipodes and South America where he had happily wintered, eventually departed for 4 runs, and his partner was bowled for 9 by Day in the next over.

The ever-popular Swindon stalwart Randy Roze, in partnership with Alan Stratford, managed once again to move the score along until Roze was caught off the bowling of Day and when he departed for 10 the score had advanced to 81 in the thirty second over. By this time bets were being placed as to whether Wiltshire might fail to breach the three figure barrier. But the tail fluttered limply on and the innings finally closed on 102. Bloody, bold and resolute, Stratford remained undefeated on 23 and left the field in the company of the unlikely figure of Cyril York who was also undefeated with 2 not out after a mere nineteen balls! Taken as a whole, the Wiltshire performance was hardly one to inspire confidence and had little to commend it as a spectator experience.

All, however, was not doom and gloom and after tea and a few gruff words of encouragement from the captain, Wiltshire took to the field in good heart. Miserly bowling by Messers Clinning, Stratford and Liddington limited the home side to 17 runs in the first eleven overs. After this point came the deluge. First blood fell to Randy Roze who bowled opener Sanderson for six runs while, four overs later, Stuart Liddington persuaded his fellow opener Pinfold to launch a powerful drive in the direction of David Hobden. Ever conscious of the need to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats, the Colonel juggled briefly with the ball before finally clutching it to his bosom. Warwickshire were now 25 for two in the seventeenth over and Wiltshire hopes were rising. Rose and Liddington struck again in the next two overs and when Cyril York dismissed the dangerous Powers for 17 and the obdurate Day for 8, Warwickshire had only managed to advance their score to 62 by the thirty first over. It is not easy to find adjectives describe York's mesmeric bowling. "Super slow", "ultra slow" "snail-paced" give some idea and serve to remind us that pace, like size, is not everything since the sturdy York returned figures of three wickets for 24 runs!

The end was in sight for Warwickshire when Roze dismissed Lewis and Stratford and Clinning mopped up the remainder of the tail to dispose of the opposition for 82 runs in thirty eight overs. Roze returned figures of 3 for 10, Liddington 2 for 12, Stratford 1 for 14 and Clinning 1 for 17.

So it was that Wiltshire conjured victory in a low scoring game on an early-season wicket. A key feature of that victory was the high level of commitment in the field. In this respect the unstinted efforts of Richard Moore-Colyer, David Hobden and Peter Robinson to save every possible run should be commended. Long may their enthusiasm and ageing limbs endure!

WILTSHIRE 60+ v BERKSHIRE 60+

Tues 21st May 2019 at Marlborough CC.

An so the undefeated 2019 Wiltshire O60s strode onto the green sward of Marlborough CC to face the somewhat stiffer challenge of Berkshire. We knew that they would be a strong side but fancied ourselves to post a total and defend it. Sadly this strategy was found to be little lacking in the application and whilst the wheels didn't quite come off this was a convincing introduction to the reality of competing at this level.

A first innings total of 130 was never going to be enough after a slow run rate made against some very good bowling was punctuated by a couple of partnerships but nothing of significance. Top scorers were openers Tim Lerwill (29) and Richard Church (22), Dave Allen returning at 3 who made a restrained 26 and skipper Banham with 27 however Berkshire managed to keep the run rate at 3 an over throughout and significantly held their catches

We went out to field with intention of bowling tight areas to restrict the runs and breaking through the top 4. Sadly we achieved neither primarily due to their very impressive running between the wickets and skill at placing the length ball into the gaps. We also dropped early chances that proved crucial as despite Pete Mathias claiming one of the openers making it 6 for 1 the resulting partnership saw them pretty much home in less than 27 overs and without having to take risks. We bowled just over half as many wides as last week but we also bowled just over half of our overs and, whilst the bowling figures actually look fairly reasonable we never looked like holding them to the requisite rate. Mathias was the pick of the bowlers finishing with 2 for 29 off 8. Ironically we looked half their age in the field but the real difference was catching.

We move on to play Hampshire who defeated Berks last week but with a clear lesson learned that good sides can chase totals and that we have to be prepared to challenge the fielding in order to post a realistic total

WILTSHIRE ECB 50+ v CHANNEL ISLANDS ECB 50+

Sun 19th May Lymington CC, Wiltshire 214-5 (39.4 overs) beat Channel Islands 213-7 (43 overs) by 5 wickets

A cricket match should be stress free. With Wiltshire it rarely is. Team selection complete , eleven players and a reserve published a week ahead of time. One “I’ve torn me hamstring” and one withdrawal because “I’m going to the races on Saturday and I might not be fit” meant late Saturday and early Sunday calls to find an eleventh. No joy , and time to call the scorer Ramsey who had previously declared himself not fit to play cricket this summer due to sore feet. “Bring your kit Geoff, you’re playing” .

A long journey for those on the fun bus with an interesting detour through the New Forest back roads , where several members of Frodo’s family were spotted in the undergrowth, navigating around the horses , donkeys and cows . A slightly late arrival and an apology for our lack of scorer to be made.

The CI scorer, Pauline is a lovely lady, but idiosyncratic in her scoring ways . Once met never forgotten. It was mooted that regular scorer Jackie having not knowingly missed a cricket match in decades only booked her cruise after seeing the dates for the forthcoming season. It’s fair to say Pauline was unimpressed that she would be on her own for the day. The promise that we would be sure to tell her the names of all bowlers and catchers as the game went on was met with a very quick “they all say that” . More from the scorebox later.

The toss won and the likelihood of rain during the game resulted in a decision to bowl. Rain reduced the game from the start to 43 overs a side. The CI openers batted sensibly and punished the occasional bad ball . A bunt over mid on was sensibly ignored by Munners the closest to the ball and skip had to retrieve , but not before an all run four. Trying to repeat the shot against Gibbens the opener ballooned one up to mid on where the skip took the catch. Tall Small was introduced and made the first of several interventions during the day bowling Veillard . Small ran out the opener . Doc bowled and a couple of chances were missed before Brazzers snaffled one at deep backward square. Munners bowled a few overs of off spin with no luck, Small wheeled away . Small bowled out the next batsman . Wickets fell at regular intervals and the rate never rose above fives for the innings. Small finished his spell. Ramsey trundled through a few overs in some rather fetching blue trainers . Brazzers and Gibbens bowled at the death. The innings finished and the team woke up and went for tea.

The Wiltshire innings began, and it transpired that most batsmen were still snoozing. Iggy departed the scene for a birthday duck muttering and promptly said he was putting his kit on ebay forthwith. Gaunt, Toseland, Roynon and Ramsey fared little better and Wiltshire were very quickly 60-5 . Iggy stomped off to the scorebox to give penance for his performance . He royally entertained Pauline in the box while never deigning to even take his seat. Roynon was dispatched to the box to take over and promptly insisted that he would not be staying long unless he was furnished with a plentiful supply of beer and possibly some earplugs.

Meanwhile tall Small strode out to join the team athlete Jon Burton in the middle. All was gloomy in the dressing room. Small and JB settled in and manoeuvred the ball around for half an hour or so. A couple of the Wiltshire boys started to take an interest. A couple of big sixes from Small and everyone started to watch more intently. All of a sudden, in true cricketing illogical fashion, no one was allowed to move in case a wicket fell. Neil was allowed another beer. Iggy took his kit back off e-bay and Munners ignored team instructions on account of his bladder .

Tall Small clattered a few more and JB continued to run between the wickets like a Duracell bunny. Unfortunately Small seemed to have a different brand of battery within and couldn’t continue at the pace of JB . Skip eventually decided to move from his position , risking the wrath of the cricketing gods, and take out a drink for a clearly fatiguing Small , at the same time advising JB that a run out was not the desired outcome.

The CI bowlers ran out of options and belief and the winning runs came in a rush. An unbeaten stand of over 150 between JB and Small that was simply outstanding.

Tall Small was a definite candidate for man of the match for his all round performance , best bowler , best fielder and best batter. My vote though goes to Pauline the CI scorer who kept up a ball by ball commentary on proceedings in the score box throughout the whole match pausing only for five minutes for a cup of tea between the innings.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 60+ v WILTSHIRE 60+

New Group, unknown opposition, not won for ages – what was not to like about the O60s first ECB fixture away against Buckinghamshire. Having done the research of their stats from 2018 they could obviously bat – at least their top 4 could since 3 of them had made three figures last year. And they could obviously bowl because they had decent bowling points, so we gathered our team in the dressing room and talked about winning the toss and setting a target before strangling the run chase.

We won the toss: so far so good. Hunter and Guy faced the first few overs of very respectable seam before Guy was adjudged LBW for 3. A solid partnership of 25 followed until Mynott was bowled for 17 bringing John Wilkins to the wicket. The slow pace frustrated his more expansive stroke play and he eventually fell for 17 caught trying to accelerate the run rate. Hunter was out for well constructed 42 bringing Lerwill and Banham together for a stand of 65 at pretty much a run a ball that shaped the rest of the game. Lerwill was out for 34 and there were useful cameos from Barrow and Wells before Banham fell in the penultimate over for 43 leaving Mathias and Wells to add what proved to be vital singles. The total of 194 appeared to be OK for the conditions and having been 75 at drinks demonstrated the depth of batting.

Wiltshire took the field with the aim of bowling line and length and stopping bBcks from scoring freely. Mynott and Mathias did precisely that: Mathias getting 2 early wickets (20-2) and raising expectations. The next pair however settled into a steady pattern of singles and the occasional four. Banham and Wells at first change maintained the pressure and Barrow bowled at less than a run a ball; the latter two making their O60 debuts. Despite this, and despite an excellent and maybe even athletic fielding performance, Buckinghamshire stayed with the run rate and were ahead at drinks. The third wicket stand continued for 100 runs and the batsmen looked set for the day. Something had to change and it was the introduction of Tim Lerwill that made that difference. Taking all the pace off the ball he frustrated the batsmen such that he drew the free scoring left hander down the track and Rich Bryant was able to make a sharp stumping and so the game turned. Once again Despite Bucks number 4 batting to the last ball for 96, the remaining batsmen failed to score a boundary between them and the wickets and run rate stayed pretty even until Bucks were left needing 15 off the last 2 overs. Having bowled out the first 3 seamers it was left to Simon Wells to bowl the 43rd over and to his great credit he came back cold to hold it to 5 runs. Pete Mathias, canny as ever bowled a near perfect last over and the fielding did the rest as a catch off the last ball prevented the four needed to win and Wiltshire got home by 2 runs. Pete finished with 4-45, Tim Lerwill 2-35 but all the bowlers did the job.

A great game and a great finish. The down side to the game for Wilts was 20 wides bowling and 90 dot balls batting but we knew the rules and need to find the off stump. The upside was several batting partnerships and the superb fielding. No-one minds losing a really close game but we would have minded this one. There is much scope for optimism with 7 capable bowlers to select from and various combinations that still bat down to 9 or 10 (sorry Rich) so as we go into the next game against Berkshire at Marlborough there is plenty to play for.

DORSET SCS 50+ v WILTSHIRE SCS 50+

Wiltshire won by 34 runs.

We won the toss & decided to bat on a wicket which looked good for batting but with enough slight indentations to suggest there may be some help for the bowlers. Paul Clark departed early to an LBW decision for which only the bowler appealed — it was a long way forward & was the subject of some prolonged comment from the crowd of locals who had gathered to watch — they had had not banked on being royally entertained throughout the Wiltshire innings by new Wilts recruit Phil Cheese “hamming “ it up !!

No Beale & Gerald Hayward then combined for a very useful 2nd wicket partnership before Gerald was out for a hard- hit 44. Unusually John Baden was out for single figures before another useful partnership between Dave Gale ( hitting the only 6 of the game ) & Mo. Mo was eventually out for 56 & useful late runs & running from Andy Mildenhall, Nigel Mullarkey & Sean McClure saw Wilts to a competitive 190-8 — a score which the said locals saw as being around par for the ground.

In reply Mark Morris clean bowled their opener in the 1st over. The other opener ( 1 of 7 left handers in the Dorset side ) was proving v strong on anything pitched up so it was a relief when the no 3 hit a firm drive straight back down the wicket off the captain, allowing the captain to demonstrate his sleight of foot by subtly allowing the ball to deflect off the underside of his foot onto the stumps to see the opener 2 yards out of his crease! A perfectly executed run- out ......!! In the next over, Mark got his 2nd wicket with a running catch by the captain at mid-on.

So Dorset 17-3 .... but there then followed a century partnership which threatened to expose the absence of an additional bowler in the Wilts attack, until it was broken by Andy Mildenhall getting an LBW decision akin to the 1st Wilts wicket. Gerald then successfully managed to execute another deflected run-out of the non-striker ( 2 in a game !!) & he & John Baden proceeded to successfully mop up the Dorset innings, aided in part by a good catch from Phil Cheese. Dorset were all out for156.

So a good result, albeit one which felt slightly fortunate. As both captains agreed in the pub after the game, both sides will feel they can improve significantly on their performances. But a win is a win ..... so well played to al the team.

WILTSHIRE 60+ v WALES 60+

And so they travelled to the land of Gwyn’s fathers – many questioned that he ever had any but in any event the welcome in the valleys was warm: unlike the weather. This was a friendly so everyone was going to get a look in, particularly the youth who had filtered up over the close season and bowling first offered that opportunity. The opening pair of Mathias and Knight bowled a tight line and kept an experienced Welsh opening pair to about 5 an over. This on a ground with a wicket that made Lords look like a spirit level and an outfield that ran away to the short boundary with a 1 in 4 gradient. The tight clipped outfield and the clear intention one batsman to flay the seam off the new ball made for some challenging fielding inside the circle. They kept up a steady run rate within which Knight took 2 wickets with a sharp catch behind and the second of 2 plumb LBWs,

Banham and Stennings kept up the pressure: the deft flight of the latter drawing a number of flogs down the hill and across the line. One of which, appearing to be clearing the boundary on a flat trajectory drew a salmon like dive from Pete Robinson and a one handed catch that would have brought the IPL crowd in Calcutta to fever pitch. In fact it brought in their Test tourist whose reputation swept before him until he promptly nicked off to Stenning and a fine leg side catch by Bryant. Chris Barrow then continued the pressure in his first game bowling a tight line and length and picking up 3 wickets in his 6 overs. The remaining overs were shared between Swain and Heywood and the seamers closing and Wales finished all out on 224 in the final over. Not a bad target on a run a ball pitch. Wiltshire fielded very well with a number of fielders taking one for the team. We kept their batsmen honest and held catches., a special mention to Rich Bryant who kept flawlessly on an interesting track

So Wiltshire began with much confidence and a game plan to bat the overs and try to work the singles. At 9 for 3 after 7 overs this became a little more challenging. Robinson bowled for 1, the skipper leaving a ball that was clearly missing off stump until it didn’t for 0 and Swain caught at mid off for 7. Hmmm. John Wilkins steadied the ship with a very impressive quick fire 25. One six in particular would have been a 12 at Goatacre and with a degree of low bounce creeping in he was going to win the game unless they got him out – sadly they hung on to an edge at deep point. There then followed an impressive stand between Andy Church 49 NO and Chris Barrow 38 who demonstrated that the run a ball game plan was in fact perfectly feasible if applied. When Barrow was out LBW to a shooter Gordon Heywood stayed with Church for 12 and Pete Mathias held it together to the end with 12 NO with Wilts on 161 for 7 and Church tragically stranded 1 short of a his first county half century.

The summary was that this was a very useful opportunity to look at some new players and despite the loss, had we managed to get a solid start to our innings it would have been a much closer game. We will step into the first ECB round with a full coterie of proven bowlers and potentially batting down to 8 or 9. All then to play for.

As the sun went west, rather like the local coal industry, the welcome news emerged that the showers were hovering somewhere between tepid and life threatening but the warmth of the hospitality more than compensated. We look forward to hosting Wales at Marlborough in June.

WILTSHIRE COUNTY SENIORS CRICKET CLUB

CAPTAIN'S MATCH REPORTS 2019