Witches Punish Lacklustre Greens!
A very mixed week for The Green’s results in both teams heading for mid table finishes in Div 1 and Div 8 respectively. The 1’s had a pasting at Gt Witchingham (although GW are now dropping all of their EAPL players to the 2’s as the 1’s season is a write off) while the 2’s had a great win on The Green. For those of you with a sensitive disposition, avoid the match report for the 1’s!
Just two league games left in the season now for each team and with 4 wins it would make things look good for next year. The 1’s could still grab 3rd place and the 2’s can push up the league still. This weekend see’s the 1’s entertain Beccles and the 2’s away at top of the table Rocklands. On Sunday Holt rugby club are on the green for a 20/20 starting at 12. See you on The Green!
SC
ALDBOROUGH HUMBLED BY DOMINANT WITCHES
Words by Paul Reeve
I will start with the highlight of the match for our team. It must be said that Tony Fell’s 67 not out, against the best side in the division, batting at number 8 and scoring most of his runs when we were 44 for 9 was the best innings of the day by a country mile. Tony showed composure, intelligence and bottle. His innings was well supported by Dingle who played sensibly and we only wish Fell had been at the crease against Hethersett at the front end of the season. Witchingham had smashed us by this time, however they were not interested one bit in giving us cheap runs. They replaced Mears with one of their EAPL players and still Tony was resolute. Watching Tony the only thing that was going to prevent him from getting a ton would be a wicket at the other end and unfortunately and not by his fault Dingle did fall to a run out.
However for the rest… If it was politically correct and it was allowed and we were not living in a world were people are wrapped in cotton wool [If that’s what floats your boat! Personally I prefer clingfilm but we won’t talk about that… editor] then this report would be easy. With this in mind and the editorial hand waived over me I suspect my next remarks will not even reach you [They are printed in full… editor]. I can happily stand up and say where I went wrong. Once again my body was ill prepared to bowl my full spell and I was not sure how many overs were expected of me and when it came to batting I still cannot get my concentration to the levels needed to bat at number three. I played a loose shot when patience was needed. So there is one criticism that I can make because it is about me. I could give both barrels to nearly all the rest of the team but it would not be printed. So herein is a woolly, sensitive partly honest match report.
On Saturday basically we bottled it, many things went wrong and they started from the toss and finished with an unfortunate run out of Nick Dingle to see us dismissed for 101.Many of the things that went wrong were in our control and these built up over the afternoon to a car crash of an innings.
We bowled first on a good pitch and started pretty brightly and made early in roads. Great Witchingham’s professionals then moved the score on nicely. Some good recovery bowling brought the game towards us again without taking any wickets. Fielding started off well with players like Fell and Bacon throwing them selves around to stop boundaries. However this slowly deteriorated and many players failed to concentrate and basics such as walking in and encouraging the bowlers was non existent at the end. The home side had a good team out and at number five Chipperfield, an EAPL player all year, came in and spanked the ball to take the team total up to 261 for 5. In those last overs we got into the regular Witchingham players and they would have never got the team total up to anywhere near their end score if they had been without their stars.
In reply it was clear the game was over. Lip service was paid and all the right things were said but it was apparent all round the changing room that we were done. We clearly have not got things right chasing. We were poor and not up to it. I would hope that we can bounce back and we are led through the last games of the season to two victories. As for this match – those who forget about it will not improve those who try and learn from it may.
ALDBOROUGH ‘A’ SECURE SAFETY WITH VITAL WIN
Words by Mike Cramp
Aldborough ‘A’ all but secured their position in Division 8 of the Norfolk Cricket League this weekend with a good win over promotion contenders Old Buckenham ‘B’.
Put in to bat by the visiting team, openers Richard Fisher (37) and Tim Nicholson (18) got the team off to a solid start, despite some tight bowling by the Old Buckenham openers, reaching 47 in the 15th over before Nicholson fell to Fitt. This brought Mike Cramp (42 no) to the wicket, who batted with his father-in-law to move the score along to 71 before Fisher was then removed by an excellent ball from the young Speller that pitched on leg stump and hit the top of off stump.
At 100-2 in the 30th over, the innings was set for a push in the last 15 overs to see Aldborough up to a strong and defendable target. However, despite the best attempts of the Aldborough middle order on a wicket where boundaries were hard to come by, this never really materialised and they closed on 159-5 from their 45 overs, a potentially obtainable target for the team positioned second in the table at the start of the day.
After the tea interval, Aldborough came out with vigour and determination however. Tight opening spells from Mark Holroyd (3-32) and Kevin Walton (4-35) kept the chasing team in check and removed the opening Old Buckenham pair with some excellent catches held by Fisher at gully and Slee at deep mid-off.
At 95-3 in the 30th over, the game was delicately poised and the introduction of off-spin from Cramp (3-28) enabled the removal of Sinclair (24) who was beginning to look a threat, gloving one through to wicket keeper Nicholson. After his removal, the young Downs (49) batted well until a good catch taken by Cramp running back at mid-off removed him off the bowling of the returning Holroyd.
At 117-5 after the 37th over, the game suddenly swung in Old Buckenham’s favour after a loose over from Walton gave the batting side 13 runs. However, the promising young bowler quickly redeemed himself in his subsequent over, taking two wickets in three balls and leaving the score at 144-8. With the game still in the balance, Cramp then trapped Fitt leg before wicket in a wicket maiden over, before Walton wrapped the innings up in the 42nd over, with Old Buckenham bowled out 15 runs adrift.
Black Boys Man of the Match: Mike Cramp