Full Fixture Information

Result Descriptiom

Lost

Man of the Match

Chris Wilton - great debut with Ball and Bat

Champagne Moment

Chris Wilton - first wicket for the club

Teddy Bear Moment

Nick Sole - leaving his tea at home

Full Match Report

Last week I?d spent a very nice Sunday mainly pootling up and down the river Erme in Devon on my paddleboard. I?d also been following proceedings from Hursley Park where the vice-captain had masterminded a very straightforward victory by skittling them all out for under a hundred and then romping to victory by 9 wickets.

Our bowling last week wasn?t massively different to our bowling this week. Dave and Aaron were playing, Josh was playing, we had Rupert H this week who is always an improvement to any bowling side, and with debutante Chris Wilton a good club bowler I felt we had good attacking options and it wasn?t the end of the world when I lost the toss and Grayswood chose to bat.

Rupert opened up from the top end and as he always is, was on the money from ball one. And, as is often the way, the ball passed the bat frequently, missed the edge, missed the stumps and whistled through to the keeper. When there was a nick that flew to Lakh (in possibly a lightly unfamiliar position of 1st slip) it bounced in and out and (perhaps) left Rupert wondering about how Lakh had ended up at 1st slip in the first place.

From the other end, Aaron opened up ? and bowled a pretty good line to both batsmen (right and left handed) and although the book said he went 5-1-37-0 that included a four through Mark?s legs at point, a four through my hands at mid-off (a drop) and several fours through where 4th slip would have been off the edge of the bat.

Chris Wilton ? making his debut for the village ? replaced Aaron and immediately found pace and swing from the playground end. Picking up the first wicket when he jagged one into the left-hander to take the top of leg stump in his 3rd over. Rupert immediately had their number 3 bowled for 1 in his next over, followed up by Chris bowling their number 4 in his next over, and suddenly 60 odd for none was 65-3 and East Meon were on the hunt for wickets. Rupert continued to bowl well and finished up with figures of 9-6-7-1 (4 of those seven runs having been edged through the slips) and Chris ended up with excellent figures of 8-3-16-2.

Dave Rees replaced Rupert and bowled well but with one or two loose balls to finish with 5-0-24-0 and Mark Davis came on for a couple of overs that went for 18 before asking to be taken off.

At some point when Mark was bowling Ali Wheeler on the boundary at Square Leg combined well with the keeper to run out their opener who?d got to 29. Josh replaced Dave and bowled well 6-1-35-1 and I replaced Mark ending up with 6-0-35-1 in a spell that included two dropped catches behind the wicket and a ball that Dave Rees managed not to see and so allowed to sail harmlessly past him at extra cover at a very catchable height.

All in all it meant that Grayswood had ended up on 189-5 at tea after we?d bowled an impressive 41 overs.

It was at that point that I remember Jimmy?s text that morning ? don?t worry they?re a bowling side they don?t really bat.

Hmm.

Ali and Mark opened up. There were very few high points of our innings. It went something like this.

Mark was bowled in the 4th over for a duck.

Josh was bowled in the 6th over for a duck.

Lakh was caught behind first ball in the 6th over for a duck.

Andrew (me) was bowled in the 14th over for five.

Tim Clay was caught in the 14th over for a duck.

Ali Wheeler ? who?d batted well (and possibly found himself at the right end most of the time) was then bowled in the 16th over for 29.

Nick Sole was bowled in the 19th over for five.

Dave Rees was LBW in the 21st over for one.

Rupert was LBW in the 24th over for a duck.

Chris Wilton (having biffed a few) was the last man out in the 26th over for 17.

We were all out for 78. It was pretty shocking. Yes they were good bowlers. Yes a few of us were unlucky to receive balls that didn?t bounce and shot along the deck. But when 2, 3 and 4 are all out for a duck (good batsmen all) it?s going to be hard work.

Well batted Ali.

Great debut Chris.

Fines were mainly about deciding on the colour of the note.

And that?s it really. On to next week and to see if we can encourage a few more players into double figures and beyond.