Minch
played hosts to Whitminster on the 1st game of the new season at
Stuart Playing Fields.
On a cloudy, overcast day, skipper Alex Waring rightly chose to bowl
first on a damp Minch wicket, despite being short of a couple of key
bowlers. The new look opening bowling attack of Jaime Waring and Tom
Shearman soon put the pressure on however. The ball proved difficult
to get away for Whitminster and openers Rob Helliwell and Jim Hyland
found it tough going. Waring then took 2 quick wickets dismissing Helliwell
caught behind by Dave Cruickshank and Campbell again caught behind, this
time by Matthews. Shearman took the wicket of Kev Woodham clean bowled
and Whitminster were struggling. However it was the introduction of Nick
Hitchcroft who despite any pre-season nets, finished off Whitminster.
Hitchcroft took 5 wickets as well as limiting the run rate in an excellent
bowling spell and despite a late flurry of boundaries Whitminster could
only muster 98 all out.
In reply Minch got off to the worst possible start. Looking to the experience
of Warren Cresswell (0) and John Davies (3) to guide them home, both
were in the pavilion after 3 overs. Skipper Alex Waring (0) also fell
quickly and Minch were struggling at an astonishing 5 for 3. Whitminsters
tight bowling and attacking field placings were paying off. With experience
out the window, Minch looked to the youth of 15 year old Josh Jones and
17 year old Tom Horrell to rescue them. Jones played some lovely shots
trying to claw Minch back into the game, but then fell for 18 just as
he started to get settled. At 30 for 4 the game was still ominously poised.
Tom Horrell and Jaime Waring had other ideas though and chose to attack
the close in Whitminster fielders. Horrell in particular hit some crisp
shots to all parts and backed up by Waring they put on 70 for the 5th
wicket in just under 10 overs to guide Minch home. Horrell finished on
52 not out (46 in boundaries) and Waring on 24 not out as Minch won by
6 wickets.
Eastcombe
began the season with an emphatic victory over Frocester IV after
a wobbly start. Put into bat on a damp slow wicket, Eastcombe lost
two early wickets, but stalwart Simon Ward (16) and skipper Anth
Perrins steadied the ship. Paul Wiffen was enjoying a good spell
of swing bowling and was unlucky to finish wicketless after 10 decent
overs. Perrins was then joined by Dave Gee (33) and Steve Taylor
(20) in further useful partnerships before departing himself for
66. Sean Little (11 overs 2 for 43) and Jim Curtis (10 overs 2 for
39) both continued to make if difficult for the home side, who were
thankful that Roger Nairn (8 not out) and Tom Morgan (14 not out)
scored some late runs to boost the total to 190 for 8. After tea,
Eastcombe took to the field without their star young bowler Tom Furley,
who they wish well now that he has moved on to Club Frocester. Instead,
the home skipper went with a gut feeling and turned wicket-keeper
Jer Ward into opening bowler (well he looked decent in the nets !!).
It worked. Ward bowled with purpose and took 3 early wickets, all
bowled, and finished with 7 overs 5 maidens 3 for 5. Tim Phillips
chipped in with 2 wickets, and Frocester were in real trouble at
16 for 5. Only R.Spyvee (14) made double figures. Tom Morgan (2 for
5) and Steve Taylor (2 for 10 plus a direct hit run out) continued
the rout, not forgetting a sharp catch behind the stumps by Tony
Salter. The visitors were all out for 53, meaning that Eastcombe
took the extra 2 points to finish with 22 on their first game of
the season.
Frocester IV v Cranham
A
superb all-round performance from Steve Walden was too much for Frocester
as Cranham powered to their third consecutive win in the league at
a hot and humid St Peters Field. Batting first, the home side made
a competitive 157-8 thanks mainly to a patient 42 from G. Bailey
and some lusty hitting from Frocester skipper Sean Little (37). Earlier,
paceman Tom Finnikin claimed his first wicket for the club with a
sizzling yorker followed by a seaming off-cutter to remove opener
Richard Tuck for 10.Opening
partner Charlie Overs also got in on the act when a faint snick from
opener O'Donnelly was tidily taken by keeper Jeremy Strickland.A
resolute innings of 42, however, from youngster Baily prevented any
sort of Frocester collapse despite the spin of Steve Walden claiming
4-35.Frocester
eventually closed on 157-8. However, Cranham would have to reach
the target with 10-men as Nathan Moore left the field with a suspected
broken thumb.
In
reply, Cranham were soon in trouble when opener James Mears was caught
behind off Dave Richardson for 8. Fellow opener Jeremy Strickland
made a useful 17 before he was caught and bowled by Jim Curtis for
17. At 48-2 Steve Walden and Brad Mears looked to steady the ship.
However, the accuracy of Sean Little did for Mears as he was bowled
for 15.Quick
wickets now would have swung the match Frocesters way but it wasn't
to be as Walden and Charlie Overs dug in to produce a gutsy stand
that defied everything the Frocester attack threw at them. Waldens
74* proved to be a match winning innings with the support from Overs
(37) invaluable.Cranham
squeaked passed their target with effectively 6 wickets remaining
and in doing so maintain their 100% record so far in the league.
Hardwicke v Minchinhampton
Minch visited Hardwicke on a muggy hot Saturday afternoon and embarked on a fascinating and close game.Skipper Alex Waring chose to bat first this week and his decision looked a little in vain after the first 10 overs. The Minch top order of Cresswell, Davies, Alex Waring and Josh Jones couldn’t build an innings and all fell for less than 10 leaving Minch languishing on 30 for 4. For the second week in a row Tom Horrell and Jaime Waring set about rebuilding the Minch innings with some attacking play. They put on 45 for the 5th wicket dragging Minch out of danger. However Horrell fell for 23 and Waring pushed on before falling for 39 and Minch were still struggling at 98 for 7. Dave Cruickshank hit a couple of lusty blows, but it was the last wicket partnership of Nick Hitchcroft and Pete Wallis that saved Minch. They put on 43 for the last wicket, Hitchcroft with 33 made some particularly crisp hitting and Wallis finished on 18 n.o. Minch in the end finished on a slightly more respectable 166 all out. Medaland picked up 6 wkts for 40 runs.
In
reply Hardwicke made a steady start. Adrian Pierce and Jordan Rouse
started well and despite some excellent fielding Minch couldn’t
find the breakthrough. Wallis plugged away and in the end pulled
off a great caught and bowled to remove House for 22. Shearman couldn’t
make a breakthrough and Hardwicke plodded on. The introduction of
Jaime Waring brought about a quick wicket of Evans, but Peirce was
still going at the other end. Josh Jones couldn’t make a breakthrough
either and Hardwicke were slowly but surely moving toward their target.
Nick Hitchcroft entered the attack and quickly sent 2 Hardwicke batsmen
to the pavilion. With 37 needed of 6 overs with 5 wickets in hand,
Hardwicke were well on course to win. However Pierce inexplicably
ran 2 players out pushing singles and then fell himself for an excellent
70, Hitchcroft again the wicket taker. Matt Clutterbuck (23n.o) entered
the fray and hit some big blows and Minch were again on the back
foot. Wallis (2 for 31) and Hitchcroft (4 for 38) were bowling well
in tandem, but with 1 over left Hardwicke needed 7 runs, with 1 wicket
in hand. Tom Shearman bowled a superb final over to limit the runs
and with 3 runs needed off the last ball Hardwicke could only manage
1 run, leaving Minch winners by just a single run. Minch’s
fielding was superb throughout and ultimately won them the game.
Uley v Eastcombe
Eastcombe dominated at Uley on Saturday after being put into bat and scoring far too many runs for the home side. Jer Perrins set the tone with a meaty 78 and shared in a feast of a second wicket partnership with Tim Phillips, who devoured the bowling attack on his way to 109. Eastcombe made 262 and it was always going to be out of range for Uley once Jer Ward took early wickets. Ward finished with 12 overs 6 maidens 2 for 21. Wickets were hard to come by for Eastcombe as Uley went on the defensive at times, but Phillips worked hard to pick up 2 for 29 to go with an excellent run out. Kev Pring and Dave Gee took a further wicket a piece to secure 18 points for the visitors.
Minch v Frocester
Minch played hosts to Frocester on an overcast Saturday afternoon at Stuart Playing Fields. Winning the toss skipper Alex Waring had no hesitation in bowling first and this initially looked the right decision as Pete Wallis dismissed Tuck with a sharp catch behind by Dave Cruickshank. However Frocester re-built their innings through Bailey and Baker and although runs were slow to come by, they batted well. Minch in stark contrast to the previous week, were dreadful in the field! Baker was dropped no less than 4 times until Waring held onto 1 finally in the deep to remove him. However Frocester still had plenty of wickets in hand and when the unseen before Stottesbury entered, he took the Minch bowling apart with some huge hitting. Making 71 not out he pushed Frocester on in the last 10 overs to amass 203 for 4 and leaving Minch to rue their earlier missed chances.
In reply Minch made a trade mark bad start. As weather conditions got worse Alex Waring , Warren Cresswell and Josh Jones couldn’t muster any runs and even the in form pair of Jaime Waring and Tom Horrell were soon back in the pavilion and Minch were languishing on 42 for 6. Frocester were looking to wrap the game up as the rain started to pour, but where the Minch top order has failed this season the middle and bottom order has always performed on the batting front! John Turton and Chris Wall both making first appearances of the season had other ideas and batted well, dispatching the bad balls to the boundary and running very well between the wickets. Frocester were made to work hard in the sub zero weather conditions and Turton and Wall put on 85 for the 7th wicket. At one point with 10 overs to go and Minch needing 60 to win, the impossible briefly looked possible. Wall eventually though fell for 37. Tom Shearman had a brief flurry, but Turton finally fell for a superb 65 and Minch were in the end short by 38 runs on 165 all out.
Bisley v Eastcombe
Eastcombe made it three wins out of three on Saturday with a good win played in a good spirit at neighbouring Bisley. Put into bat Bisley began solidly, with most of the top order making starts, but none of them going on to build a big innings. Gerry Baker (18), Paul Hemming (24), Nick Green (24) and Olly Smith (31) were the cases in point, and one person was involved in the downfall of all of them. Eastcombe's Jer Ward had a hand in the dismissal of the whole of Bisley's top 6. Four good catches, three of them off the bowling of Tom Morgan, accounting for Hemming, Green and also Rich Gegg, - Morgan finishing with 4 for 52. Then, with the ball, Ward's 9 overs earned him 2 for 24. Kev Pring (12-2-33-1) bowled tightly early on, and Tim Phillips picked up 2 for 12 as Bisley faltered to 147 for 9 at the close. In reply Eastcombe also began solidly, with Simon Ward (31) and Rich Powis (28) laying the platform. Once they were gone, Tim Phillips took over and was joined by little cameos from Lee Pritchard (13) and Anth Perrins (18). Lloyd Green (2 for 24) was the pick of the Bisley bowling, but Phillips was in fine form, striking 5 sixes on his way to 51 not out, taking the visitors to 149 for 4 and 20 points. This was a very sporting game of cricket played between the two sides finishing first and second last season. Eastcombe's Mark Powis was the only person who knew he had not taken a clean catch mid way through Bisley's innings, while Bisley should also be commended for playing on through a spell of rain.
Uley v Miinchinhampton
Following a large amount of unavailability for this weeks game, Minch fielded 5 Under 18 players to help and the decision paid off…in the end!
Alex Waring chose to bowl first and his decision looked good as Tom Shearman removed Lovegrove clean bowled in the first over. Uley fought back as Josh Jones couldn’t find a wicket and Harper looked ominous at the crease. It took a sharp run-out from the Waring brothers to remove him, but this led to Fawkus-Gibbs entering the game. Despite a seemingly early edge behind, he picked off some wayward Minch bowling and raced to 50. Other Uley batsmen fell though, as Nigel Matthew (2-33) and Nick Hitchcroft (2-48) bowled a good line and length, with one particularly good catch from 13 year old Jack Sherrington in the covers. Fawkus-Gibbs plowed on though and Wellingham (21) provided a healthy mid-order partnership to take the score to 150. Jaime Waring entered the bowling and picked up 2 wickets in 2 balls (2-51) and the innings looked to be over. However Fawkus Gibbs pressed on and brought up his hundred with a huge 6 over square leg. White provided some late resistance and Uley totaled an excellent 208 all out.
In reply Minch got the start they’d been looking for all season. Warren Cresswell and Tom Horrell batted correctly and dispatched bad balls and they moved onto 53 off the first 10 overs. Horrell looked particularly good before mis-timing a pull and falling for 26. Both Warings were removed cheaply by Wayne Fisher as Uley clawed it back though. 15 year old Josh Jones and Cresswell re-built the innings and Jones looked good before a dubious LBW sent him back to the pavilion for 19. Cresswell then quickly fell for a well played 39 and the game was evenly balanced at 105 for 5. However the experience of Nigel Matthew and Chris Wall had not given up and put on 45 for the 6th wicket, Wall with some particular big blows. Matthew fell for 20 and Hitchroft didn’t last long, as the game now swung back to Uleys advantage! Wall pressed on though and backed up by some superb batting and shot selection from 15 year old James Manley with 14 they inched closer to the total. Wall finally fell for a match winning middle order 58 and it was left to No 10 Tom Shearman to smash the winnings run for Minch to win by 3 balls, with County Under 13 player Sherrington left nervously waiting in the pavilion.
A superb team batting display by Minch saw them through, further emphasising Minchs potential long batting line up and excellent youth players coming through the club.
Eastcombe v Cranham (submitted by Eastcombe)
Eastcombe showed their fighting spirit to win an epic encounter against previously unbeaten Cranham. Electing to bat first, Cranham started well, reaching 51 for 1 off the first ten overs. However, Steve Taylor pegged them back with 12 overs, 3 for 36, dismissing Alex Pocket for 31, caught by Lee Pritchard, who took three catches in all, one of them showing remarkable agility over his head in the covers, to help Tom Morgan to his 1 for 33 from 9 overs. Charlie Pritchard was the mainstay of the Cranham innings, starting steadily before striking some huge blows on his way to 71 not out. Tim Phillips chipped in with two wickets as the visitors reached 192 for 7 at the end of their 40 overs. In reply Eastcombe lost two quick wickets, with James Pocket (11-1-29-2) bowling a very tight line. Eastcombe captain and vice captain, Anth Perrins and Simon Ward, steadied the ship with a strong partnership, and when Perrins departed for 37 he sent in Lee Pritchard to add momentum, which he did with a swift 34. At 146 for 4 Eastcombe were in command. However, a flurry of wickets to J.Petrie (2 for 42) and S.Waldon (4 for 65), plus an unfortunate run out, left Eastcombe reeling at 161 for 9. Steve Taylor (20 not out) was joined by Tom Morgan (13 not out) and the two of them played Eastcombe back into the game. Requiring 11 runs to win off the last over, Morgan hit a six to square leg off the penultimate ball to win the match and keep Eastcombe's unbeaten record intact………. just !
With both teams thus far unbeaten, this game was tipped by many to be a cracking encounter and so it proved as an edge-of-the-seat see-saw battle went down to the penultimate ball of match.
Having won the toss, skipper Alex Pockett elected to bat first and started well, reaching 51-1 off the first ten overs. However, Steve Taylor soon had the top order pegged back figures of 3-36 including the wickets of Alex (31) and James Pockett who looked in fine form before falling for just 14. Lee Pritchard would prove to be a thorn in Cranham's side all afternoon - he took three catches in the field, one of them showing remarkable agility over his head in the covers. Charlie Pritchard was the mainstay of the Cranham innings. He timed his knock expertly, starting steadily before striking some huge blows on his way to 71 not out including a mammoth straight six into a stiff breeze off Tim Phillips. Phillips himself then chipped in with two wickets as the visitors reached 192-7 at the end of their 40 overs, collecting maximum batting points in doing so.
In
reply Eastcombe were soon stunned as they lost two quick wickets,
with James Pockett (2-29) taking a wicket with his very first ball
and Charlie Overs removing the dangerous Tim Phillips for single
figures with his trademark yorker. Anth Perrins and Simon Ward then
steadied the Eastcombe ship with a strong partnership, and when Perrins
departed for 37 he sent in Lee Pritchard to add momentum, which he
did with a swift 34.At
146-4 the game was Eastcombe's for the taking. However, Cranham fought
to the very end and the pressure told as, in another twist, a flurry
of wickets to James Petrie (2-42) and Steve Waldon (4-65), plus a
touched-on-to-the-stumps run out at the non-strikers end, left Eastcombe
staring defeat in the face at 161 for 9.Steve
Taylor, however, showed remarkable composure to crack a vital 20*
alongside tailender
Tom Morgan. The two of them played Eastcombe back into the game.Requiring
11 runs to win off the last over, it was Morgan, however, whole claimed
the glory blow - hitting a six over square leg off the penultimate ball
of the match to record a remarkableEastcombe victory but just 1 wicket.
Agony
for Cranham but ecstasy for Eastcombe who played good cricket and
held their nerve to keep
their unbeaten record intact... just!
Minch played hosts to league dominating Eastcombe at Stuart Playing fields looking to cause an unlikely upset. With several key batsmen missing skipper Alex Waring chose to bowl first on a soft Minch wicket and duely took their trademark early wicket, Tom Shearman dismissing Simon Ward for a duck with a sharp leg side catch from Dave Cruickshank. This great start however was short lived. Entered Tim Phillips to join Jer Perrins and the game was taken away from Minch quickly. With crisp hitting to all parts of the ground both batsmen amassed runs at a fast rate. Minch were made to pay though as both Perrins and Phillips should have been run out in the 20’s but Minch were sloppy and rued these golden opportunities. The 2 batsmen made a 212 partnership, before Jaime Waring finally dismissed Perrins LBW for a fine 104. Phillips pressed on though soon bringing up his hundred and with hefty hitting toward the end finished up on a huge 143 not out, emphasising that his quality is of a much higher level than the Stroud League. Tom Shearman bowled well for Minch finishing with 1 for 49 from his 12.
In reply Minch got off to the worst possible start. Tom Horrell and Josh Jones were both in the pavilion quickly as the bounce from the wicket become unpredictable. However the Waring brothers turned things round for Minch. Putting on 72 for the 3rd wicket at a fast run rate they worked hard, whilst dispatching some wayward bowling. Jaime Waring finally fell for a hard hit 39, but Nigel Matthew carried on the push. At one point with Minch 140 for 3 from 29 overs they looked like delivering a respectable score of 200 plus before Alex Waring then fell for a well played 60, LBW to Morgan. However enter Kev Pring to change the innings back in Eastcombes way. Matthew fell for 28 and the Minch tail end crumbled. Pring finished with 5 for 43 from 9 overs and wrapped up the game, backed up by tight bowling from Morgan with 1 for 19 from 9. Minch finishing on 151 all out.
Minch were ultimately undone by some high class batting, in what was yet another Eastcombe trouncing of the opposition.
Minchinhampton v Eastcombe (submitted by Eastcombe)
Eastcombe maintained their 100% record with a crushing win at Minchinhampton. Batting first Eastcombe lost a wicket in the first over when Simon Ward was excellently caught behind down the leg side by the keeper. However, this brought together Tim Phillips and Jer Perrins, and the two of them put on a batting display to savour, both making hundreds. After a steady start against some decent bowling from T.Shearman and P.Wallis, the pair began to increase momentum and then eventually cut loose with an array of boundaries. Perrins was first to reach a century, off 97 balls, before he was given out LBW for 105. His innings included 11 fours and 4 sixes. Phillips brought up his second century of the season off of 88 balls, and went on to smash 13 fours and 8 sixes in total of 143 not out off of 104 balls. Their partnership was 218, and then Lee Pritchard (16 not out) joined Phillips for the last 5 overs, Eastcombe reaching a mammoth 280 for 2. Minch, to their credit, attacked the total, despite early wickets as Jer Ward (1 for 37) bowled Tom Horrell and Steve Taylor (1 for 28) bowled J. Jones. The Waring brothers, James and Alex then shared a good partnership. Alex top scored with 60 before snared by Tom Morgan (9-1-19-2), while James made 38 before becoming the first of Kev Prings 5 victims. Veteran Pring was on fire, clean bowling his next four victims and finishing with 5 for 47. Only N Mathews (28) really troubled the scorers and Minch folded on 151 all out.
Bisley v Cranham (submitted by Cranham)
Still smarting from last weeks one wicket defeat at Eastcombe, Cranham
travelled
to Bisley looking to get their Premier Division campaign back on track. Stand-in
skipper Brad Mears won the toss and elected to bowl on a damp looking
track. Bisley made a fine start through openers Richard Gegg and Rich
Tuttle.
Having offered the chance of a catch early on in his innings, Gegg
cracked an aggressive
half-century before being well caught by Mears in the deep off Charlie
Overs. Besides Gegg, support was also offered from skipper Oli Smith
(28) and G. Baker (22). After
their flying start, Bisley were then pegged back with wickets from Charlie
Overs and Steve Waldon and eventually closed on 173-8, a score which
at one
stage could have easily been 220+. Charlie
Overs was the pick of the Cranham attack with figures of 3-29. Bryony
Overs also bowled well at a difficult stage of the innings and was duely
rewarded with
2-33. Spinner Waldon also chipped in with 2-44.
Opening with Matt Smith and Jeremy Strickland, Cranham made a solid start before Smith was trapped plumb LBW by Lloyd Green who bowled in testing areas to all the Cranham batsmen. The wickets of James Mears and Strickland followed quickly after as the Cranham slowly began to capitulate. Charlie Pritchard looked his fluent self before he was superbly caught by a flying Rich Tuttle at mid-off (to quote Richard Gegg from behind the stumps, "I wouldn't be buying a lottery ticket tonight if I was Charlie Pritchard"). Cranham were eventually put out of their misery for 66 and in doing so Bisley claimed a valuable two extra bonus bowling points. Lloyd Green collected an excellent 4-29. A dismal batting performance from Cranham but a solid all round performance from a good Bisley side who should be up there at there at the end of the season.
Minchinhampton visited the superb Cranham cricket ground on Saturday and embarked on a good game of cricket, despite playing with 10 men following a late drop out.
Winning the toss for the 6th game in a row Alex Waring chose to bat as Minch welcomed back some players missing from the previous week. Despite this Minch got off to a bad start. Youngster Tom Horrell couldn’t resist a slower ball from Finnican and was caught for a duck early on. Warren Cresswell was in aggressive mood with a quick fire 22 but also holed out from Finnican and John Davies became Finnicans 3rd victim falling LBW also for a duck. Alex Waring set about rebuilding the innings with a hard hit 32 but fell to the guile of Buzz Pockett and Minch were languishing on 77 for 6. However Jaime Waring had other ideas and attacked the Cranham bowling early on, picking off some much needed boundaries for Minch. Wall, Matthew and Shearman all provided brief support but last man Pete Wallis showed strong resistance and Waring and Wallis put on 30 for the last wicket. Waring finished on 58 and despite the bad start, Minch managed to post a slightly more respectable 144 all out. Finnican, Pockett and Walden all picked up 3 wickets as Cranhams bowling was testing throughout.
In reply Minch knew they needed early wickets. Shearman and Wallis bowled well and very tightly for the first 8 overs and Wallis was rewarded with a great yorker removing Matt Smith for 6. Moore soon went again bowled by Wallis and Minch sensed a glimour of hope. Meanwhile opener James Mears batted well, dispatching the bad balls. Wallis with 12 overs 2 for 26, was however bowling superbly well and his bounce and swing was often unplayable. Minch were once again made to rue chances though. Mears offered 3 catches, all dropped by Minch and brother Brad and him started to form a good partnership to take the game away from Minch. Jaime Waring finally found the breakthrough bowling Brad Mears for 21 but it was too late for any collapse as James Mears guided the team home with a fine 93 not out.
A great game, played in great spirits by both teams on a picturesque day. Minch would like to thank Cranham for their hospitality afterwards with the BBQ.
On Saturday Eastcombe took on the only other unbeaten team in the Stroud Premier, Hawkesbury Upton, and beat them with a clinical performance to stay top. Batting first, Eastcombe's innings was based almost entirely on a formidable third wicket partnership between Tim Phillips and skipper Anth Perrins. Tim Phillips continued his imperious form, following up last week's unbeaten century with another one, - with an array of sweet boundaries to keep the ball-finders busy !! Anth Perrins also played a crucial role, coming in after a couple of wickets had gone down and steadied the ship with a well worked 52, bringing up his fifty with a straight six off Tim Chancellor who bowled well with no luck. The wickets went to Chris Gardiner (4 for 79) and G Huxford (2 for 44). All the visiting bowlers bowled reasonably well, but at the end of day there was no stopping Phillips who went on to finish with 131 not out as Eastcombe totalled 251 for 7. Hawkesbury responded with purpose, initially ahead of the required run rate, but wickets began to tumble. Wicket-keeper-turned-opening-bowler Jer Ward (3 for 51) again took key wickets, and in-form Kev Pring bowled a fine 12 overs to take 3 for 36. Tom Morgan also bagged 2 for 25 and the visitors fell well short, all out for 116. Joe Salt (34), Chris Gardiner (23) and G Bailey (22) were the top scorers for the visitors. Hawkesbury have a fine batting line-up, certainly capable of batting better, and they will need to bounce back quickly with games against Cranham and Bisley coming up. Eastcombe, though, continue relentlessly with another 20 points.
Bisley v Minchinhampton (Submitted by Minch)
Minchinhampton travelled to Bisley on what started out a glorious sunny day and Minch were looking for a win after 2 back to back losses. Winning the toss for an incredible 7th game in a row (and rightly being brandished a ‘great tosser’) Alex Waring chose to bat on a hard Bisley wicket. Minch made a good start. Warren Cresswell and Tom Horrell batted well and dispatched the bad balls to the boundaries and ran well between the wickets. They moved onto 50, before Cresswell fell for 22 off the bowling of Rich Tuttle. Horrell and Alex Waring carried on the push though and Waring was dealing mostly in boundaries. Horrell and Waring put on 76 for the 2nd wicket until Waring fell for 36, LBW again to Tuttle. Horrell brought up a fine 50 and moved on before falling for 68, the second 50 of the season for the youngster. At 126 for 2 with 14 overs to go Minch looked set for a big score. However a huge batting collapse from Minch saw the last 8 wickets fall for 60 runs as only Josh Jones could reach double figures. Tom Hopkins bowled excellently at the death picking up for 5 for 33 and Oli Smith picked up 2 for 18. Tuttle was slightly more expensive but finished with 2 for 61 as Minch finished on a good 185, but disappointed they didn’t post a score of 200 plus.
In reply Minch started slowly, not helped by a 30 minute shower just before tea. The slippery ball was being dispatched by Rich Gegg and Jason King. The two got Bisley off to a good start, before King holed out off Nick Hitchroft well caught by Tom Horrell in the covers. Gegg was playing some powerful and clean hit drives and scored runs freely. However he was struggling for partners to stick around as Paul Hemming went cheaply to Tom Shearman (1 for 27). Jaime Waring entered the attack and picked up the wicket of Nick Green for a duck, well caught behind by Dave Cruickshank. Waring (3 for 29) bowled straight through and removed both Baker and Tuttle for low scores, as Minch for once held onto catches in the field. Oli Smith provided some much needed support for Gegg with 25 to claw it back for Bisley, but the spin of Tom Horrell changed the innings. Horrell picked up the vital wicket of Gegg for a superb 66. Nick Hitchroft (3 for 50) returned to the attack and picked up the wicket of Smith, caught again by Cruickshank. Warren Cresswell also held on to 3 in the field, as Minch fielded well throughout. Tom Horrell (3 for 33) rounded off a great day for himself, picking up the last 2 wickets as Minch bowled Bisley all out for 145, winning by 40 runs
Hawkesbury v Cranham (by Cranham)
Sluggish Cranham destroyed by Salt
With conditions perfect for cricket, Cranham made the trip down the A46
to the beautiful village of Hawkesbury for their first league encounter
with the 2nd placed side. Winning the toss, Hawkesbury batted and immediately offered a chance off
the first ball of the match when Blackwells flashing blade squirted a tricky
chance to John Varker at point who just struggled to cling on. The let off, however, didn't deter Blackwell who went flying out out of
the traps for a rapid 20 before his attacking intentions got the better
of him as he was expertly stumped by Alex Pockett, standing up to the wicket
to Charlie Overs. Some uncharacteristic wayward bowling from fellow opener Matt Smith, however,
helped Hawkesbury find their feet again and soon looked on track for a
big score. Looking for some control on the game, the spin of Steve Walden
was introduced which soon paid off as Gardener thick edged to keeper Pockett
for 12. Meanwhile Overs had Bailey, again, caught behind by Pockett for
12. When J. Salt holed out to Nathan Moore in the deep off Walden for 0, the
game swung back Cranham's way. Sensing this, Hill (39) and Chancellor (27)
dug in to form a useful partnership before wiley veteran Buzz Pockett collected
both scalps including the 2nd of what would be three stumpings in the innings
for keeper Pockett. Some excellent fielding from Cranham, typified but a superbly judged running
catch from Charlie Pritchard at long on, prevented the home side from ever
really cutting lose and, despite some clean hitting from T. Salt (22*)
at No. 9, Hawkesbury posted a par 174-8.
On Hawkesbury's large playing surface Cranham fancied their chances of
chasing these down but Cranham were soon in the mire when their top order
was blown away by J. Salt. Matt Smith (6) and Charlie Pritchard (8) were
both clean bowled by Salt. When skipper Pockett and Nathan Moore both
failed to trouble the scorers, a collapsed ensued from which Cranham
never recovered despite a cameo 14 from Charlie Overs and gutsy 27 from
James Petrie at No. 7 - who would prove to be Cranhams top scorer. With only a single batting point to gain from the remainder of the game,
Cranham limped to 75 thanks to a deft touch from No. 11 Andy Hopkins. Cranham
were eventually dismissed for 81.Bowling plaudits for Hawkesbury went to J. Salt who took 5-43 in an excellent
spell. Gardener also claimed 3-22 and Huxford 2-5 to finish Cranham off.
Another dismal batting performance from Cranham chasing. A weak tail no
excuse as the top order failed to deliver yet again. Hawkesbury were simply
stronger in all departments on the day and the margin of victory was just. Cranham will hope for a better day at the office when they tackle struggling
Woodchester at home this Saturday.
Woodchester v Eastcombe (submitted by Eastcombe)
Eastcombe maintained their 100% record with a comfortable win at Woodchester.
Batting first the home side lost an early wicket as Kev Pring carried on
where he left off last week, knocking the stumps over in emphatic fashion.
Woodchester recovered and starting to put together a total, M.Curtis (26)
and C.Smith (47) forging a useful partnership. S.Holford continued the
good work with 40 before he was well stumped by Dave Gee of the bowling
of Steve Taylor. A couple of good run outs, by Gee and Tim Phillips kept
the home side in check, but it was Pring who stood out, with 11 overs 5
for 42, helped by a couple of smart catches by Lee Pritchard. Woodchester
were all out for 182. Eastcombe's response was very assured. Firstly Jer
Perrins (55) and Rich Powis (45) began with a 100 partnership. Once these
two fell in quick succession to Jags and Hanks, Anth Perrins (35 not out)
and Dave Gee (23 not out) made sure that these were the only two wickets
to fall, and in doing so, gave Eastcombe a 24 point haul as they reached
183 for 2
Eastcombe v Whitminster
Eastcombe maintained their 100% record with a comfortable win at home to Whitminster. Winning the toss for the first time this season, home Eastcombe skipper Anth Perrins elected to bowl, and was rewarded with a fine 12 over opening spell by Kev Pring, earning him 3 for 26. While Rob Helliwell played an assured innings at one end, his batting partner was changing with some regularity as further wickets fell to Jer Ward and Paul Newman (8-1-22-1). L.Medcroft chipped in with 17 and M.McGill with 10, but both of these were dismissed by Steve Taylor who bowled with menace to take 3 for 35, including a superb ball which clattered into the stumps as Ron Birch shouldered arms. Helliwell soldiered on to make 71 before being run out in the last over by Russ Chamberlain, as the visitors finished on 131 for 9. Eastcombe made fairly light work of the target. Jer Perrins (18) hit 12 in the first over but then snicked one behind off of K.Woodham. With rain threatening, Lee Pritchard was promoted to number 3 and struck a lightening 53 including 22 off of one over of the unfortunate Birch. Helliwell then trapped him LBW and Phillips for once failed, bowled for 7 by A.Davies. Simon Ward played the pivotal role with 36 not out, joined by Anth Perrins (15 not out) to see Eastcombe home for the loss of just 3 wickets with 14 overs to spare.
Woodchester v Minchinhampton (submitted by Minch)
Lacking no less than 6 ‘regulars’ Minch took the field with a number of youthful debutants boosted by the welcome return of veteran Alan Hunt who took a great slip catch to make his day! Skipper Warren Cresswell and Rob Masters made a steady start but Smith and Skeen kept it tight. After Master’s departure Tom Horrell was his usual belligerent self but following his departure for 37 and Cresswell for 59, Patel demolished the remainder of the visitor’s innings with 5-32. Only Dave Cruickshank offered much resistance with a hard hit 23.
In reply Woodchester were equally steady but after bowlers Tom Shearman and Dan Woodrow had success it was down to hard hitting Woodchester skipper Chris Smith to hold things together. With 90 on the board and plenty of overs in hand a tight finish looked likely but youngsters Tom Horrel and Josh Jones – both bowling spin – kept one end tight while Woodrow and Shearman accumulated the wickets at the other. Horrell eventually bowled danger man Smith for 41 and after that, a collapse set in with Minch running out comfortable winners. A great result for the visitors and the two meet again next week for the re-match.
Whitminster v Cranham (by Cranham)
A 150 run 2nd wicket stand shared by Matt Smith (81) and
Charlie Pritchard (88)
formed the basis of Cranham's 228-5. Earlier
on Neil Carpenter was unlucky to fall for just 2 after a fortuitous trickleback
on to the stumps. This only made way for Pritchard who, having come
off the back of last weeks century, made the most of a supurb batting
surface and a shortlong-off boundary. Nathan Moore hit a quickfire 23
at No.5 and Steffan Curry chipped in with promising 14 not out.
In reply Whitminster began positivly but ran out of wickets as, according to the scorebook, Steve 'Wogan' took 5-35. Neil Carpenter made amends for the bat with 2-15 to finish Whitminster off for 127.In a quirk of fixtures, Whitminster will again face Cranham this Saturday. Could be interesting as the majority of the Cranham team will be attending James Pockett's wedding.
Hardwicke v Cranham (submitted by Cranham)
A magnificent 103 not out from Cranham skipper Alex Pockett enabled Cranham
to post a formidable 216 on a damp Hardwicke track. Given
the rain that fell in the week and the almighty shower that swept through just
an hour before the start of play, it was a miracle that a ball was
bowled at
all. But as the showers slowly diminished and the sun appeared some how
play was possible albeit on a soggy, slow wicket.A
good toss to win then, which Hardwicke skipper Chris Hutchings duly did
and didn't hesitate to insert the visitors. Openers Alex and Ben Pockett set about their task studiously. Despite
a brief break
for rain, the pair made a solid start before the latter fell to a sharp
catch at silly mid-on off the bowling of Hutchings.A
series of Cameos from Matt Smith (22), Jeremy Strickland (25) and latterly
Brad Mears, who cracked a rapid 48, supported Pockett who himself was also
beginning to open his shoulders. Pockett
paced his innings superbly - bringing up his century with a straight six
in the last over but it was not without a scare as the fielder at long-off
very nearly clung on to the catch but instead spilt the ball over the line
to the relief
of the Cranham Skipper. Cranham closed on 216-4.
In reply Hardwicke started badly, losing both openers to the spin of Steve 'Terry' Walden and the experienced guile and accuracy of Buzz Pockett at the other end. It proved to be a start from which Hardwicke would never recover as Walden on Pockett rattled through the middle order. Now, I don't know what Buzz Pockett had for tea but the man was a live wire all afternoon taking four wickets, pinging the ball in like a madman and delivering the coup de grace with a smart catch at first slip. An emphatic 124 run victory with Alex Pockett taking the plaudits with an unbeaten century. Cranham will go into this Saturdays game against Frocester with renewed confidence.
Cranham v Frocester IV (by Cranham)
Another huge knock from Cranham skipper Alex Pockett alowed his side to post a massive 252-1 as Frocester will look back on the numerours chances they gave the Cranham batsmen. Earlier, Ben Pockett looked set record a century himself before he miscued to the willing mid-off fielder for an expansive 80 containing some sublime cuts and pulls. Matt Smith cracked a rapid 47* to support Alex Pockett but found himself unable to get the skipper on strike in the final over to record what would have been back-to-back centuries. An excellent knock nonetheless as the skipper found himself stranded agonisingly on 99 not out.
Frocester were never in the hunt and folded for 98 thanks to superb figures of 12-9-10-4 from the ever consistent Charlie Overs, 4-56 from Cranham jug-avoider-in-chief Steve Walden and some sharp catches from the Cranham outfielders – Jeremy Strickland pouching two beauties at mid-off. Not all Cranham fielders had the same luck however as Buzz Pockett wore one at short mid-on requiring a visit Stroud General. Thankfully only a couple of stiches and not as bad the the hareem of female first-aiders the old devil had swarming around him might have suggested. Another big win for Cranham who are building up head of steam in preparation for the clash with Eastcombe next Saturday week. Before then Cranham make the trip to table-propping Uley.
Minchinhampton v Hardwicke (by Minch)
Minchinhampton played hosts to Hardwicke at Stuart Playing Fields and embarked on interesting game of cricket.
Minch skipper Alex Waring lost a vital toss and were rightly put into bat. With overcast conditions and a soft Minch wicket, Minch started very badly. Openers Cresswell and Davies were removed early by Medland and Hutchings with some erratic bounce and numbers 3,4 & 5 of Horrell, J Waring and Matthew were also removed quickly as Minch were languishing on an astonishing 16 for 5. Needing a rearguard action, Minch found just this from Alex Waring and Tom Shearman. Shearman was strong in defensive and Waring picked off what runs there were to have. As the pitch dried out they slowly but surely built their partnership, putting on 50 in 18 overs. Hardwicke plugged away but the two batsmen upped the run rate and Waring moved onto a fine 64 before Medland claimed his wicket. Dave Cruickshank was moved up the order as Minch looked for quick runs and this paid off. Shearman upped the pace and Cruickshank hit some lusty blows making 27 not out and the two put on 50 off the last 7 overs. Shearman brought up his maiden club fifty with a scrambled run in the last over, a fine gutsy knock from the youngster and the 7th different Minch batsmen to hit 50 this year. Minch finished on a good 177 for 7, an excellent score considering the abysmal start.
In reply Minch again started badly and in contrast to the Minch batting, Hardwicke now found runs easy to come by on a dry wicket. Jordan Rouse looked in ominous form hitting three 4s in the first 2 overs as Nick Hitchcroft and Pete Wallis struggled for line and length. Minch thought they’d claimed the wicket they needed with a run out of Rouse in 8th over but it was not to be as Pierce and Rouse batted on, putting on 80 for the first wicket. Pierce was finally removed for 25 by Shearman with a sharp catch in the gully from Jon Davies. Taylor entered the crease and hit a quick fire 18, but Minch still were not bowling consistently enough as Rouse continued to hit fine shots all over the ground. Highlight of the Minch innings was a superb one hand catch from Alex Waring in the slips, but this was a good as it got! Tom Horrell picked up a couple of late wickets but it was too late as Rouse brought up his hundred and guided Hardwicke to a 6 wicket victory with 5 overs to go. A great and faultless knock from the young Hardwicke player to guide his team home.
Eastcombe v Uley (by Eastcombe)
Eastcombe cruised to a 10 wicket victory to maintain their 100% record in the Stroud Premier League. Uley batted first and were immediately on the back foot when Jer Ward (2 for 21) broke through with 2 wickets. The miserly Kev Pring backed him up with a 1 for 15 from his 8 overs. S.Kirk (20) and N Lovejoy (19) showed some resistance but the change of bowling brought dividends for the home side as Tom Morgan bowled with great control and took 5 wickets to rip through the middle order. Morgan finished with 8.2 overs 3 maidens 5 for 17, and with Steve Taylor also picking up 2 wickets, and 3 fine catches for Jer Ward in the outfield, Uley were all out for 95. The total was not enough to trouble Eastcombe, with openers Simon Ward (33 not out) and Rich Powis (58 not out), seeing Eastcombe home in 18 overs without losing a wicket. Powis was particularly assured, striking 4 clean sixes on his way to his half century, including the last strike of the match which took Eastcombe to 101 for 0.
Eastcombe v Bisley
Eastcombe completed the double over neighbours Bisley on Saturday, picking up 21 points in the process of maintaining their 100% record this season. However, at one stage, it didn't look like being the comfortable victory that it turned out to be. Norman Banyard and Gerry Baker gave Bisley a flying start, racing to 50 for 0 after 10 overs. After the first drinks break on 16 overs, Steve Taylor was brought on to bowl and began to put the brakes on the visitors. With the score on 99 for 0 the turning point came. Kev Pring saved his best over for his last. He beat the bat continually in his 12th consecutive over, until, on his very last ball, he bowled Banyard for 39. With the very next ball Steve Taylor induced a nick from Gerry Baker and Dave Gee gleefully took the catch behind the stumps, Baker out for a fine 60. The new partnership of Paul Hemming and Rich Gegg started cautiously, but Gegg began to look his dangerous self with a couple of crisp sixes. Eastcombe nervously put down catching chances to take his wicket, before Taylor took it via an inside edge on to his stumps, - Gegg gone for 35. Taylor was now looking rampant, and he proceeded to knock over the stumps three more times in pretty quick succession. The game had by now completely turned around with Bisley struggling to build on their total. Before too much longer Taylor had Hemming smartly caught behind by Gee for 15, to finish with an excellent 6 for 36, and Bisley faltered to 155 for 7 at the close. In response Eastcombe started brightly, with a fluent 22 from Adam Warner. When he fell to Rich Tuttle, Tim Phillips strode purposefully to the crease to begin another commanding innings. In the 12th over Tuttle (2 for 51) struck again, removing Simon Ward for a cheeky 12. At 49 for 2 Phillips was joined by skipper Anth Perrins, who took on a supporting role as Phillips continued to score boundaries, passing 50 with apparent ease. Perrins finished unbeaten on 24 and Phillips unbeaten on 72 as Eastcombe strolled over the finishing line at 163 for 2 with 8 overs to spare.
Cranham v Eastcombe (by Cranham)
The mouth-watering rematch with Eastcombe proved to be a game that would go down in the annals of Stroud League history as the all-conquering league leaders finally relinquished their two year unbeaten run. Winning the toss, Eastcombe skipper Anth Perrins inserted the hosts on a sticky track that had bore the brunt of earlier showers. Openers Alex Pockett and Charlie Pritchard made a fine start, however, as the pair accumulated 52 from 15 overs before Pritchard mis-cued to mid-off for 23. James Pockett joined brother Alex at crease but the partnership wasn't to last long as the former was caught behind off the accurate line of Steve Taylor for 12. Brad Mears then departed cheaply for 3 off the bowling of Morgan to leave Cranham on 88-2. Nathan Moore joined the skipper at the crease during which Alex Pockett recorded a half-century before gloving behind to Taylor for 56. Moore then cracked two sixes in a quick-fire 25 before falling to an excellent catch in the deep of the bowling of Ward. At 112-4 in the 32nd over Cranham needed some quick runs if they were to post a competitive total. It wasn't to be however as the none of the lower-order reached double figures and Cranham were bowled out for 148. Given Eastcombes batting prowess, it didn't feel enough.
Perhaps inspired by the excellent tea courtesy of the Mears family, Cranham made a dream start as James Pockett and Charlie Overs reduced Eastcombe to 16-4. Skipper Anth Perrins and Simon Ward then dug in to form an obdurate partnership that was eventually broken by a superb piece of skill behind the stumps from Alex Pockett who stumped Perrins off the bowling of James Pockett to open the flood gates. With flashbacks of the previous fixture in their minds, Cranham were determined not to let this one slip from their grasp. Despite a stubborn 28 not out from the seemingly iremoveable Simon Ward and fluent 21 from Steve Taylor, Eastcombe were dismissed for 78 with the spinners doing the damage. Steve Walden took his personal league tally past 40 wickets in taking 3-11. James Pockett, who was at times unplayable, collected 3-19 and Buzz Pockett concluded proceedings with 2-10.
The bravado, whooping and cheering aside, it must be recorded that Eastcombe, and skipper Anth Perrins in particular, were a model example of sportsmanship and graciousnous in defeat. The length of their unbeaten run must be congratulated and is just reward for not only the quality of their cricket but their approach to and respect for the game.
Next weeks sees a break in the league program for Cranham at least as they participate in the annual Cranham feast. Proceeding start at 11am with an all day cricket tournament, the famous boundary race, deer roast and all sorts of other fun and games. All are welcome.
Cranham v Eastcombe (by Eastcombe)
Eastcombe's long unbeaten run stretching back to 2006 finally came to an end at Cranham. In truth Cranham were fully deserved winners having bowled exceptionally well and Eastcombe had a bad day with the bat. It all looked rosy for the champions at tea, having bowled Cranham out for 148. Cranham had begun well with Alex Pockett & Charlie Pritchard, and it took until the 14th over for Eastcombe to make the first breakthrough, a smart catch by Steve Taylor off the blowing of Jer Ward to account for Pritchard for 23. Taylor himself was soon brought on to bowl, and was the pick of the Eastcombe bowling, never allowing Cranham to get into their stride, taking 4 for 23 from his 9 overs. Alex Pockett's calm assured innings was eventually brought to an end when he snicked one behind off Taylor for 56. Nathan Moore scored a useful 25 in the middle order, but Jer Ward returned with 3 late wickets to finish with 4 for 52.
Eastcombe felt confident of reaching the 148 total, but they didn't account for such a superb opening spell of bowling by James Pockett (9-4-19-3). Pocket's spell of fine spin bowling reaped him 2 early wickets, while Charlie Overs (12-3-36-1) also bowled very well, and with his early wicket and a run out Eastcombe found themselves languishing on 6 for 4 after 8 overs. Captain and vice Anth Perrins and Simon Ward hung around for a while trying to consolidate, but when Pocket had Perrins stumped Eastcombe were in even more trouble at 27 for 5. Steve Taylor offered some resistance with 21, but Pockett was replaced by leading wicket taker Steve Waldon, who bowled Taylor and took 3 for 8 from 6 overs to leave Eastcombe at 66 for 8. Eastcombe looked towards the 75 target, which Jer Ward (13) helped them to achieve, but with Ben Pockett also taking 2 for 10, both plumb LBWs, Eastcombe finished all out for 79, with Simon Ward remaining unbeaten on 25 not out. A great day for Cranham (and good news for Hawkesbury !!), which should lead to an exciting end to the season. Well played Cranham, and a good game played in a good spirit by both teams.
Minchinhampton v Uley (by Minch)
Minch played hosts to Uley in a game that was touch and go following some overnight rain on the Minch wicket. Groundsman Mike Waring begrudgingly gave the go ahead to play and the weather held out and proved to be a fine sunny day at Stuart Playing Fields. Bearing in mind the weeks weather, stand in skipper Warren Cresswell made the obvious decision to bowl first against bottom side Uley and his decision looked correct after just a couple of overs as the even softer than usual Minch wicket did allsorts! Pete Wallis (2 for 20) and Dan Woodrow (3 for 24) bowled well early on and both openers Williams and Opher were removed quickly. However Kirk (19) and Tutten (37) re-built the Uley innings with some lusty blows off the bowling of Horrell and dug Uley out of early danger. Minch pressed on though and took regular wickets as Uley struggled to build partnerships. Minch were however sloppy in the field and also sloppy with the ball at times, gifting Uley 25 runs in extras. The returning Josh Jones picked up 2 wickets as did Hitchcroft and Uley posted a useful 135, given the difficulty of the wicket.
In reply Minch got off to a trademark bad start. Warren Cresswell went 3rd ball as did Tom Horrell and Minch were 5 for 2. Jaime Waring and John Davies briefly clawed it back, before Waring went for 12 and Rob Masters also stuck around for a while for just 8 as Minch found runs very hard to come by. Uley were bowling well, with a tight line and length and Minch panicked, with bad out shots, terrible running between the wickets and an inability to build partnerships. John Davies was however batting well and looked set for a 50 and was very disappointed at being run-out pushing a quick single for 36. Minch proceeded to collapse to just 88 all out and Hitchcroft was the only other man to reach double figures. Uley must be congratulated for their first win of the season, with tight bowling (Fisher 2 for 15, Williams 2 for 21 and Opher 2 for 17) and fielding and in keeping their extras below 5, showed Minch how it was done. Minch must now try and pick themselves up with a daunting fixture away at Eastcombe next week, but with some key returning players are hopeful of at least a better performance.
Hawkesbury v Eastcombe (by Eastcombe)
It's going to be a tense finish to the season, as on Saturday reigning Premier League Champions Eastcombe lost their second game of the season, this time to a youthful Hawkesbury outfit, who, in doing so, scrape marginally ahead of Eastcombe at the top of the table. Eastcombe may feel a bit aggrieved at a couple of key decisions which went against them, but that shouldn't take anything away from a battling Hawkesbury team who once again proved that they are a match for Eastcombe. After last season's thrilling tie down the A46, this season's corresponding fixture proved just as nail-biting, and it should also be noted that Hawkesbury played the game in fine spirit throughout. In fact, credit should go to both teams, and the umpires, for sticking it out in absolutely atrocious conditions !! Hawkesbury batted first and started well with Danny Blackwell (32) in punishing form. He was unlucky to seemingly kick the ball on to his own stumps to be 'bowled' by Steve Taylor. Eastcombe then took control, with Jer Ward in particular putting the shackles on the home batsmen. The run-rate slowed up significantly as Hawkesbury went from 44 for 0 off 10 overs to 64 for 3 off 20 overs and Ward's figures of 10 overs 2 for 23 were the main reason. However, Chris Gardiner was beginning to get into his stride, and when he was joined by Tim Chancellor coming in at number 6, the home side quickly gathered momentum. Tom Morgan tried his best with a relatively tidy 5 overs but Eastcombe didn't help themselves by dropping catches, putting down Chancellor two or three times as the partnership grew. Gardiner finished unbeaten with a fine 66 not out, while Chancellor's swift 30 not out helped his side up to 171 for 4 at tea. Normally Eastcombe would view 171 as a fairly comfortable target to chase, but, after collapsing at Cranham recently it was not going to be plain sailing, - and so it proved as man of the match Gardiner's opening 12 overs yielded 4 for 22. At the other end he was being well supported by 'Snake' Beeley (10-2-32-2). With Eastcombe's top 5 falling to 4 catches and a run-out it looked like the difference between the two sides was going to be the fielding. However, Eastcombe have depth in their batting, and at 45 for 5 came the first partnership of real note. Tony Salter was joined by Steve Taylor, whose cameo 17 started to make in-roads into the total before becoming Gardiner's second caught & bowled. With Salter joined by Jer Ward the drama continued as the game almost came to a halt in the driving rain as the bails were seemingly removed by one of the umpires and Ward began the walk off the field only to be called back by the other umpire !! The game continued, and with Ward punching anything loose, Eastcombe began to look as though they were still in with a chance. The two of them took the visitors up to 132 for 6 and the result was back in the balance with Eastcombe needing 40 from the last 5 overs. However, then came another turning point with Chancellor bowling out Ward for 38 quickly followed by Morgan LBW in the same over. After scoring 10 in the 39th over, the last over left Eastcombe 14 behind with Salter still at the crease, visibly struggling with a back injury but bravely battling on in the rain and turning down the offer of a runner. The first 3 balls went for 8, but after two singles a boundary was required off the last ball. Hawkesbury skipper Chancellor remained calm and his tight last ball went for just 2, leaving Salter valiantly not out on 47, and Hawkesbury victorious by 2 runs. With two games each to go, it could be the closest finish ever, as a single bonus point either way could tip the balance in favour of either side, and Cranham still in with an outside chance, - due to entertain Hawkesbury next week.
Cranham v Hawkesbury
This
much anticipated top-of-the-table clash delivered a one-side outcome
that may have suprised some in the Stroud League. Having seen off Eastcombe
in the previous week, Hawkesbury lay top of the Premier table and would
have been briming with confidence going into this
game remembering also the emphatic nature of their victory over Cranham
in the first fixture. This
didn't translate in Hawkesbury's batting however as spinners James Pockett (4-13)
and Steve Walden (3-21) ripped through the order to leave them in
tatters
on 104 all out. A dogged 37* from Bailey was the only highlight.
In
reply Cranham were never in trouble and James Pockett was the only casualty.
Ben (39*) and Alex Pockett (37*) steered Cranham home to a rousing 9
wicket
victorythe effect of which would prove to topple Hawkesbury off top spot
back down to 3rd and ascend Cranham to 2nd place - their highest position
thus far this season. So it's calculators at the ready this weekend as any one of the top three
could
finish as either Champions or runners-up... and they said this league was
one-side!
Eastcombe v Woodchester
After two recent hick-ups, Eastcombe needed to win their last two games and win them well to ensure retention of their Stroud Premier league title. This they did in emphatic style, earning 22 points from both games to claim the championship for the third year in succession. First off it was Woodchester, for whom Paul Carter top-scored with 44. However, wickets had been falling with regularity, particularly to Jer Ward with 5 wickets for 44 runs from his 12 overs. The pressure was applied right from the start, with veteran Kev Pring (10-1-26-2) bowling a tight spell. Steve Taylor chipped in with 2 wickets as Woodchester were all out for 139.
After losing an early wicket, Perrins brothers Anth & Jer settled any Eastcombe nerves with a solid partnership. It was important to pick up the bonus points for wickets in hand, and, with this in mind, the two of them began carefully but were always up with the moderate run rate. Opener Jer Perrins carried his bat with 77 not out including 11 boundaries, while skipper Anth Perrins hit 6 fours and 2 sixes on his way to 53 not out. The 130 unbroken partnership took Eastcombe home comfortably to 141 for 1.
Whitminster v Eastcombe
Eastcombe travelled to Whitminster and finished the season in some style. Jer Perrins again shared a 2nd wicket partnership of over 130, this time in a supporting role to Tim Phillips, who was in belligerent form. With 13 boundaries including 5 big sixes, Phillips made 91 before becoming one of 4 victims for Rob Helliwell (7-0-44-4). Jer Perrins made a solid 57, after which the rest of the batting just had to add quick runs to boost the total. Anth Perrins (29) and Dave Gee (20) were the main contributors in this task, taking Eastcombe to 217 for 8, - a good score on a very slow outfield, and with 12 good overs from J.Owens (3 for 45).
In reply, only L.Cook made double figures for Whitminster, as Eastcombe rattled through the home batting. Bowling against his old club, Tom Morgan enjoyed taking 4 wickets for 6 runs, after early wickets had fallen to Jer Ward (6-0-17-2) and Kev Pring (5-1-5-2). Steve Taylor then took his haul of league wickets for the season to 37 with his 2 for 23, as Whitminster crumbled to 51 all out.
Both final games were played in good spirit, but the final two comprehensive wins mean that Eastcombe are again victorious holders of the Stroud Premier League crown.