by Ravi Godbole
The first league game of the season saw Crown Wood host last years runners up, Mortimer West End. The new season saw a change at the helm for Crown Wood as John Cartledge took over the reins, ushering in new beginnings for the team, with the half the side under 20 years old.Cartledge won the toss and decided to field. Gremlins in the early season wicket showed themselves straight away, the ball moving around off the seam, proving ideal conditions for the Crown Wood opening bowlers. Ravi Godbole (3-18) took the first wicket to fall; Ashley Fowles (2-31) removed the dangerous (but injured) Jamie Stead courtesy of a brilliant one-handed diving take from CW keeper Andy Taylor. Jono Bray and Tom McKenzie played as best they could on a seaming wicket - Ben Pearson claimed his first 1st XI wicket with McKenzie's prized wicket. Bray was bowled by a beauty from Rob Crook, who bowled 12 overs of controlled spin to really halt the momentum of the MWE innings. Ollie Armstrong-Wood (2-23), CW's other young debutant, claimed Bob Hodson's and Nick Bielby's wicket, showing promise with some good pace bowling. Lusty blows from Andy Johnson and Jay Patel took MWE to a competitive, but not daunting, 148 all out.CW's reply started poorly as Chris Allwright was dismissed by a diving Jono Bray at cover with seven runs on the board. The skill of Bielby and Hodson in pitching the ball in the right place on this wicket was making life very difficult for the batsmen. In what could have proved a crucial moment, Godbole was dropped early in his innings. Wedatilake and Daniel Cartledge were given out LBW, by then the score had moved on to 61. Together with Rob Crook, Godbole moved the score along to 112 and CW were favourites. Kenny Allsobrook, the MWE captain, brought himself on and changed the course of the game, and the result, with the wicket of Rob Crook. Moving the ball away considerably, he had Crook caught at second slip. Meanwhile Godbole was prospering by making use of more dropped catches, and waiting for the bad ball to punish. But with the score at 120, having just hit a straight six, Godbole badly judged the need to push the score on and took one too many liberties with Bielby, and was bowled via inside edge and pad for 79. MWE sensed the fragilty of the CW lower order and went for the kill. Allsobrook had Fowles LBW, and then bowled four batsmen in very quick succession, decimating the CW reponse, and taking CW from 120-5 to 138 all out. Allsobrook's figures were 6-34, Bielby and Hodson had identical figures, 2-33.In reality Crown Wood did well to push an experienced and stable MWE side as far as they did, but will rue the fact that, yet again, they got so near to an upset but couldn't finish the job. MWE will take heart from recovery from the early season wobble and will certainly be contenders for the title come the end of the season.
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by Rob Crook
The Pinkneys green Vs
Crown Wood game was one of the few on the final weekend of the season not to be
involved in deciding the division champion. Pinkneys green however were playing
for survival and crown wood (already safe) were playing for honour, spurred on
by stand in skipper Raz Rubbani.
Crown wood won the toss and showing confidence in his batting lineup, Raz decided to bat. The opening pair of Aun Abdi and Ollie Johnson started well, until Johnson gloved the ball
to a sprawling wicket keeper. Showing maturity beyond his years he walked,
despite the umpire not giving the decision. Abdi and Thamindu Wedatilake
continued at a steady pace on a difficult pitch, keeping the runs flowing,
including an uncharacteristic six from Wedatilake. The next wicket fell to a
sharp return catch from Craythorne, sending Thamindu on his way. That bought
stand in skipper Rubbani to the crease and with a combination of well struck
blows and well placed edges and an uncanny ability to pick the fielders who
were going to drop him, Raz accelerated the run rate. Once Aun fell trying to
push the game on, Raz was ably supported by the in-form Chris Allwright, these
two combined well to bring Crown Wood to a respectable total of 199-4.
After a superb tea to recharge, crown wood took to the field, possibly a front-line bowler short, but confident in their ability to bowl a side out. After having seen the success of
the Pinkneys Green spinner, Raz decided to start the innings with the old ball
and use the spin combination of Jeyarajah and Crook. This decision was met with
almost immediate success as Crook removed James Anderson (not that one) for
just 4. After this loss, Lashley and Dhillon steadied the ship until another inspired
bowling change bought Dan Cartledge into the attack. He struck immediately by
brilliantly bowling a long hop for Dhillon to smash, straight to the hands of
Fuller, who took a good catch in the deep. Crown wood sensed victory now and to
re-enforce this, Jeyarajah bowled Coz for 0. With the new ball taken, Cartledge
and Abdi bowled extremely well, filling the shoes of the absent bowlers, Abdi
being unlucky to take a wicket. Not much resistance was provided by the second
half of the Pinkneys Green batsmen; they were not playing for the draw as only
a win would save them from relegation. As a result of this there were chances
given and the Crown Wood fielders held on to their catches well. The final
wicket to fall was a run-out with Pinkneys Green finishing on 176 all out.
In all the game was played in good spirit and a very impressive performance by a young Crown Wood
team showing encouraging signs for next season. A win was a good end to the
season and an enjoyable game in what was left of the summer sun.
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A brilliant all-round display from Crown Wood's Kamran Iftikhar
augmented by a solid team performance saw Crown Wood dash Grosvenor's
BCL title hopes with a 68 run victory.
Grosvenor, missing skipper
Hamid Sana, won the toss and elected to bowl. Good pace on a slightly
slow track from Rizwan and Nasir was rewarded with the wicket of young
Aun Abdi. Thamindu Wedatilake, CW's in-form batsman, then joined
Iftikhar in well fought and ultimately match winning 2nd wicket
partnership worth 135. Punishing the loose ball and playing the good
balls with straight bats, the pair built momentum from a steady start.
Iftikhar was the first to reach his 50, shortly followed by Wedatilake,
as the pair started to open their shoulders from the 30th over.
Grosvenor tried 7 bowlers to break the stand, and only suceeded when
Iftikhar flashed at a wide ball and was well taken by Bhatti behing the
stumps. Raz Rubbani came in and upped the scoring rate, scoring at a
run a ball. Heads dropped in the field as Crown Wood totalled 220-6
from 45 overs, mainly built around Iftihar's 80, Wedatilake's 75 and
Rubbani's 37. Crown Wood went to tea the much more happy team. Only
Mustaq Ahmed (1-39 off 12) and Rizwan (2-39 0ff 11) would have been
happy with their bowling figures.
Knowing they had to score runs
quickly Grosvenor came out with intent. Having seen Ahmed bowl so
effectively in the previous innings, Crown Wood started with the spin
of Iftikhar and Crook and this reaped rewards immediately as Grosvenor
failed to cope with the turning ball. At 17-4 in only the 5th over
Crown Wood were well on top. A breathtaking innings however was now in
full flow from Mohammed Rafi, who swung through the line of the ball
with immense power and timing. He seemed intent on scoring the runs
himself, hitting 8 towering sixes, losing 3 balls in total! Some of the
sixes were the biggest on the ground seen in a long time. In this
period Jay Jeyerajah bowled the best spell of the match, 11 overs only
going for 22 runs, but no wickets in reward for a magnificent spell
against a batsmen showing no mercy! In partnership with Chad
Cudjoe, Rafi had a chance of getting the required runs - however
Iftikhar came back and Cudjoe hit a full toss straight back to him to
end the fine partnership. Rafi was still swinging and whilst he was at
the crease any result was possible. It took a bowling change to get him
out, Shabrin Maujoon bowling a bouncer first ball up and Rafi
mis-hooking to an excellent running catch in the deep by Rob Crook.
Rafi had scored 103 in 106 balls with 7 fours and 8 sixes. Effectively
game over at this point, Rob Crook returned to claim the final two
wickets and de-rail the title hopes of Grosvenor. To cap his fine day
Kamran Iftikhar took 6-53, and his spin twin Rob Crook 3-38.
This
was an excellent match played in a very friendly spirit, and this match
showed that their isn't much difference between the top sides and the
lower sides in the division - perhaps just a matter of consistency.
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The 1st XI made it three wins out of four with a wonderful display
against champions and league leaders Mortimer West End. Crown Wood won
a vital toss and asked MWE to bat on a damp wicket.
With a
slightly shambolic start (too many late comers Crown Wood - need to do
better), Crown Wood took to the field with 9 men, Jay having to move
his car from the emergency entrance and Raz at Heathrow dropping his
parents off. Godbole and Malik began well. The prolifc Jamie Stead was
dropped by Rob Crook cutting to gully, but Rob made amends by holding
on to one from Timi that popped off the shoulder. A massive wicket soon
follwed, Timi Malik clipping the top of Jono Bray's off stump to
send the classy Aussie back without scoring. Scoring was difficult on a
slow pitch, Bob Hodson holding up one end and still punishing the loose
ball. Scoring became more difficult as the spinners Rob Crook and Jay
Jeyerajah took control of the game. The dangerous Tom Mackenzie-Prinn
(24) looked for one big hit too many and skied a super catch to Timi
Malik on the mid-wicket boundary, the ball in the air for possibly a
full 5 seconds before Timi was able to safely pouch it.
Jeyerajah picked up two wickets and was the best bowler on show, his 12
overs going for only 22 runs. Runs dried up, Hodson finally holed out
for a well controlled and essential 60. A couple of smart catches from
Chris Allwright in the deep and a quick stumping from Andy Taylor, with
some great keeping in difficult conditions, saw the end of the MWE
innings for 126. Malik took 3-32, Godbole 3-28.
The chase began
against the spinners of MWE, Maujoon immediately trapped in front
without scoring. Godbole entered and set about getting some quick runs.
The second wicket partnership was worth 52 before Godbole was caught at
first slip for a fine 40. Rain fell at this juncture and delayed the
game for an hour. With the pitch finally suitable for play after the
showers, and 10 overs lost, Crown Wood upped the rate. Wedatilake
departed for a solid 20. Raz Rubbani joined Ali Malik at the crease and
played some aggresive shots, looking like the batsman of old, one
glorious straight six standing out. Both Malik brothers were bowled by
Kingston but Rubbani, 31 not out, stood firm and Rob Crook once
again hit the winning runs, 128-5 in the 31st over.
A very
pleasing win over very good opposition. Wickets came from all bowlers,
and Godbole and Rubbani looked impressive with the bat. Certainly CW
had the better of of the bowling conditions, the opposite of the
previous game between the two teams which ended in a close win for MWE.
Honours even over the season then! Crown Wood look to take their recent
good form to Peppard next week.
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Crown Wood thirds played Stratfield Turgis for the second time in the
season on 18th July 2009, this time away, needless to say, it rained
again. The pitch appeared to have improved since the two teams met
there last year, although the dead moss was still in evidence.
Stratfield won the toss in a repeat of last year, and immediately
realised it was their choice whether to bat or bowl; they went for the
safe option and chose to field first. Crown Wood's newly produced stats suggested that Harvey and Rupes
should open, but in a totally unselfish way, Rupes pushed the
youngsters of the team up the order, whilst at the same time ensuring
Mark and Owen were no where near the top. For Charlie Blake this was
great, for Harvey not so; maiden followed maiden from C. Strudley and
then Harvey was caught for only 1, meaning that Rupes was still way
ahead in the stats - eat my dust suckers...! Jack hit a streaky 19 living on his luck a little; Mike "the mouth"
Brundish was out for 1, being simply too good for this team. Dougie and
Krishna steadied the innings both making decent scores of 38 and 20
respectively. Bye's run of good form continued as he smashed an above average 5
before becoming the only and unlikely victim of Jones caught and bowled. Cameos by Rupes and Ethan push the score along a little at the end leaving Alasdair not out having faced only one ball. Mison bowled 15 overs all the way through as usual but only claimed 2
for 48 this time around; C. Strudley bowled 13.5 overs but claimed 5
aided by the Crown tail as they tried to push the scoring along.
Tea was a standard cricket tea with sandwiches and cake but not enough Chocolate logs for Byes!
Stratfield's batting line up was different to usual, the regular opener
and several of the team were in Loughborough playing for Hampshire
whilst their opener waits for his England central contract (no joking,
and we got him out for 19 last time we played).
The old ball was taken for the first 13 overs with Harvey and Alasdair
asked to do some butt wuppin'. Harvey, despite bowling from the 'wrong'
end (due to the short boundary for his form of spin) managed great
control and eventually he trapped opener Norford in front for 18,
ending with 2 for 29 off 12; Alasdair wasn't his usual self although in
retrospect the figures weren't too bad; brought back later in the
innings he trapped C. Strudley in front with an unlikely first ball. Krish was brought on with the new ball but was unfortunately spanked
all around the ground. He returned figures of 1 for 3 off 6 overs
before his knee gave way in his first spell; this left Byes to change
his persuasion and turn his arm over, see below. Krish returned later
finishing with figures of 9.5-5-8-3, including the removal of
Stratfield's last man Mison bowled for 1. E. Dingwall carried his bat
for 38 not out. All of the bowlers had to be economical and all were (except Charlie
2-0-10-0). Byes having received a ball in the shoulder whilst keeping
had to retire for a few overs, the thoughtful team managed not to laugh
until he was out of earshot, his place taken by mighty mouth Brundish,
who actually did a job without moaning for once. Needless to say Byes
returned later to take over where Krish's knee left off taking two
wickets in one over; we all know what you're doing next week mate... The last wicket for Stratfield had to leave before he batted and
therefore Crown Wood won the match with 6.1 overs remaining; Stratfield
all out for 106 well short of Crowns impressive 122.
Some of the umpiring decisions had to be questioned when several
appeals should have been given out but then less likely ones were, it
probably evened itself out in the end.
Crown Wood 32 points, Stratfield 7.
Oh, by the way, stop chatting as the bowler runs up, it's rude!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Super Fowles sets up Crown Wood win - by Ravi Godbole
On a day where it seemed the weather would win rather than one of
the on-field teams, 17 year old Ashley Fowles bowled Crown Wood into a
winning position with a fine display of swing bowling.
With dark
skies and a damp pitch, Crown Wood won a crucial toss and asked
Sulhamstead to bat. Fowles was unlucky in his very first over, an edge
being dropped by the 'keeper. But in his next over the first wicket
came courtesy of a catch from Maujoon. The ball of the match came from
the first ball of the next over, as Ashley hit the top of Tristan
Evans' off stump with a cracking inswinger. 'Keeper Andy Taylor made
amends for the earlier drop with a stunning full length one handed
catch take to get rid of Jamie Seward, and S&U were in trouble at
27-3. Lattimore and Gardner tried to rebuild, before Lattimore's stumps
were rattled by Godbole. Wickets continued to fall, only Ian
Williams looking untroubled, particularly strong through leg, for his
34 runs. Rob Crook came on to continue his vein of form to take 3 late
wickets. Ashley returned to take a fine caught and bowled and narrowly
missed out on his first 5-fer for the 1st XI, finishing with 4-21 from
12 overs. Crown Wood's target was 108.
After a fine tea provided
by Mrs. Wedatilake ("I HAVEN'T TAKEN HIS NAME!"), Kamran Iftikhar and
Shabrin Maujoon opened the innings after a very short rain delay with
confidence. Maujoon (26), looking very strong on the drive, departed to
a good catch by Philips with the score on 43. Godbole joined Iftikhar
to move the score along to 72 before Iftikhar (30) became Longman's
second victim. With only two runs needed for the win Godbole (34)
offered up a catch off the occassional bowling of Gardner, leaving Rob
Crook (14*) to hit the winning runs and win the game for Crown Wood by
7 wickets.
This good win for Crown Wood gives them hope for
survival in the Premier division, the target being 2 more wins from the
remaining 7 games. Especially gratifying was the bowling and fielding
performance by Crown, galvanised by young Fowles' bowling.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Crown Wood 3rds win again - by Jonathan Reypert
At Bigshotte Park the outfield was covered in beer bottle tops and plastic lids,
the strip was grassy, in fact it looked like the local authority has a side
line in growing hay, and it undulated as though it had been recently ploughed across
its entire length. The pitch was so bad that you could feel the bumps under
foot just walking up and down. At the ‘no-six’ end on a length was a 4 inch
wide ridge, causing the ball to pop up around the batman’s ears and then roll
along the floor the very next ball! Not only won’t we be getting any good marks
for the pitch this season but it is damn right dangerous.
Rupes won the toss and, having had the benefit of a pitch inspection before decided
that fielding was the only option. Get the opposition out for 50 or 60 and have
65 overs to carefully and slowly (as is our want) to knock them off.
PJ opened with Charlie Johnson at the other end; despite PJ having a couple of bad
overs he ended going at 4.65 per over and CJ went at only 2.5… until he was
brought back near the end of the innings and was slogged for 12 an over! A good
find was Ollie Armstrong-Wood who bowled with great control; 4 overs for 13; he
would have bowled more but for the ECB’s fast bowling initiative, thanks ECB!
Mr Knox was the saviour yet again for the 3’s gaining 2 for 53 off 10 with two
more dropped at mid wicket. Sam Wilkinson showed promise despite being a little
overawed by the occasion; his two overs went for 13 although, the person to replace
him at the ‘no-six’ end, Harvey, ended up with the worse figures of the day 5-1-33-0.
One day Owen will make amends for the number of byes (27 in this match) and
outscore the number he’s let through. Having said that, with an average of 3.29
it doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen any day soon.
WP declared on a sporting 207 for 3 off only 35 overs, leaving CW only 3.76 per
over required off their 55 overs.
Harvey's tea was fantastic; everyone was very impressed until he told us that he'd mixed the tuna and mayonnaise in the sink because he couldn't be bothered to wash a bowl up!
Rupes consulted his able assistant (now known as Byes) about the batting order to be
told that he was in a purple patch and he should open, Rupes reminded him that
OJ only had 40 minutes therefore he'd open with Harvey and Byes could go in at
3. Harvey top scored with 35 and Ollie hit five scoring shots all 4’s before getting himself out in time to give his girlfriend some “special Ollie” time. Byes came in at 3 and all watched in
anticipation of the new found run of good form; the shot of the day was the
paddle sweep for 2 off the very ordinary but there to be slogged (and then get
out) Greenslade who ended with 5 off his 17 overs for 81; however, Byes skied
the very next ball and was caught for a massive, albeit slightly lower than his
average, 3.
Charlie Blake relishes his batting in the three’s and didn’t disappoint with 18; Ollie A-W looked much better than his 9; very correct technique and we look forward
to him playing for us a lot more. Last of the Johnson sisters to be mentioned
was Rob who surprised even himself with a nice knock of 20 off 45 balls; it was
also good to see the elder sister ably assisted at the crease by her younger (but
more skilled) sibling Charlie who scored 16. Sam also showed good technique on
the first two balls faced but was unlucky to find an edge from one that turned
off Bucknell who ended with 4 off 16 overs for 54. PJ was disappointed to end
without facing a ball on naught not out. The last three wickets fell without
adding to the score only 40 short of the WP total; at 167 for 8 the WP skipper
might have been thinking hard about his declaration.
CW
had not done too badly bearing in mind this was a team with only five regular
players and, as mentioned by the WP skipper, a completely different team to the
last time the two teams met; managing to equal their top score of the season.
Needless to say CW 3rd XI is still to win a game this season and is
still being used as the foundations of the 5th division.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Lack of a match winner pays again - by Jonathan Reypert
CW
3rd XI received a mauling against Catcliffe Way on 4th July. CW won the
toss remembering last years magnificent game at Sol Jol Park when
Catcliffe were out cheaply and Raj took 8 for not many. This year was
different. Catcliffe had gained a couple of ex-premier league players
over the winter and others had received coaching at Northants.
Shaklady, the skipper opened, scoring 63 he was unrecognisable from
last years batsman. Little further resistance was put up until Goddard
at 7 smashed 61*; the remainder of the batsmen top scoring with 18 and
the rest in single figures. Crown Wood had no answer as Catcliffe put
on 250 for 8 off 39 overs.
Tea was a nice mixture of doughnut sandwiches and tuna cake with vanilla custard all washed down with a glass or two of Kiora.
CW mixed up the batting order in an attempt to find a match winning
performance, alas the strategy didn't work; D Luis bowled superbly
claiming 6 for 23 off just 9 overs; Jack Green batted well at 1 for 19;
Ollie chipped in with 16 at 4 and Rupes brought up the rear (fnar) with
34 at 9 being the last man out to the unplayable Shaklady spin
(1.1-1-0-1).
The 3's this year are missing a batsman who can hit good scores
regularly; the team are all able to contribute on their day with 15-20
runs but the lack of a match winning batsman is leaving the team short,
even in division 5.
Note to self: Don't listen to Raj telling you how great he is with the bat.
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Malik Bros unite to bolster bubbling Crown Wood - by Ravi Godbole
With thunder rumbling around in the second half of this game like
Gary Dixon's ample stomach rumbling, Crown Wood 1st XI were looking
anxiously to the Pinkneys Green sky hoping to see the rain skirt the
ground. And it did, allowing Wood to complete their third victory of
the season in style.
Having won the toss and electing to bat in
hot hot hot conditions (27 deg according to my car), Shabrin looked to
follow last week's 80 with another good score. And with the shot of the
day coming of the scond over as Shabs stroked a glorious cover drive,
all looked good. Until he was bowled all ends up next ball! Godbole and
Wedatilake played the most impressive PG bowler, Chris Anderson,
cautiously and looked to score runs the other end. Wedatilake got a
ball that stopped on him to depart for 10, bringing the batting
colossus Ali Malik to the crease. As ever, Ali scratched around early
as he looked to get his eye in. Godbole and Malik shared an 54
partnership before Godbole (having edged Anderson through the
slips) got a spitter from Dhillon and gloved to Brant behind the stumps
for 33. The brothers Ali and Timi Malik continued to build runs, Timi
obviously learning from his brother, reigning his natural attacking
instincts back just a bit. Tim departed to a fine catch from Lashley at
fly slip (one handed off the ground no less!) for 31. Good support from
Jeyerajah, Crook and Khan allowed a tiring Ali Malik to compose a
glorious 109, including 3 sixes. Crown Wood set PG a tough target of
248 to win.
After a fantastic tea, an attacking field allowed
runs to flow, but importantly wickets fell. The threat of a storm not
too far away, Timi Malik swung the ball both ways to remove the top 3
batsmen. Godbole replaced Fowles and claimed the vital wicket of Jags
Dhillon, one of the league's best batsmen, and one who easily could
have won the game for PG. Kevin Cox and Chris Anderson tried their best
to consolidate, but with a good innings of 42 from Cox ended by a
stunning catch at mid-wicket by the portly but tigerish Babu
Khan, writing was on the wall for PG. Rob Crook bowled 9 excellent
overs, claiming 2-18 as the stubborn tail end were winkled out.
Hussain's long stay (including some tenderising of a very sensitive
area by Jeyerajah) was ended by the returning Timi Malik, ending with
another 4 wicket haul of 4-50.
The win should give CW some
breathing space from the bottom of the Premier Division and allow the
batters to relax a bit. PG will be worried as they are pushed
further away at the wrong end of the table.
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Close Encounters - by Jonathan Reypert
Pinkneys Green 2nd XI are near the same end of the league table as CW 3rd XI and therefore, this promised to be a good game. It lived up to expectations. CW won the toss and played safe (as usual)
by fielding first. Wickets fell regularly and the dangerous players
from when the two sides met earlier in the season were outed cheaply
thanks to Nick Cooper and Pranav Chada - the top 5 making 27 between
them. Then the strange middle order of PG came into force; keeper J
Anderson hitting 54 before PJ bowled him for the second match in a row
having just been bad mouthed by the batsman. The sloggers came in next,
Adnan hitting 50 not out; he really didn't have much of a clue where
the ball would end up and that made setting a field very difficult; so
a plan was hatched to keep him off strike. Rupes cunning worked as the
last two batsmen managed 4 between them. PG all out off 31 overs; Nick
and PJ claiming 3 a piece. CW could cruise having 59 overs to reach the
170 needed to win, everyone was aware that a 6 on a tied score would
earn CW maximum batting points.
A lovely tea was prepared by the foul mouthed but strangely delightful
tea lady; she informed us "oi, CW f*ckers, your sh%tting tea is over
here... £ankers!", the warm pizza and sausage rolls, jam rolly polly
and custard and lashings of hot cocoa was enjoyed by everyone.
The CW innings started as planned, an opening partnership of 56 being
skillfully applied by Rupes and Harvie and then continued by Charlie
Blake, who looked very accomplished at the crease; CW were already
contemplating the points total when the rot set in. At 73 for 3 three
ducks in a row followed by the loss of Charlie 2 runs later left CW on
104 for 7; it had to be all over bar the completion of the league score
sheet, but that's when CW dug deep with Nick and Pranav building a
partnership of 59 to take CW to 163 for 8 when Nick got out. Needing
only 7 to win with 19 overs to play, PG threw in the towel and brought
on W. Heyes (10 years old) to get some experience bowling to seniors;
needless to say his wicket maiden was followed up by another impressive
over containing a single run and another wicket - the last of the
innings! CW were all out for 168 still with 17 overs of the match
remaining.
With the closeness of the match the points allocation didn't do justice to the efforts the team put in; 35 to PG; 9 to CW!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Space Aliens Kidnap Crown Wood's 3rd XI - by Jonathan Reypert
For a bowling side with not a lot of batting the roles were reversed
during the week when Rupes was unable to attend. The team accumulated a
whole wicket whilst fielding in the heat leaving the opposition on 250
for 1; and then managed one of the highest CW 3rd XI scores of the
season of 152 all out. Everyone contributed to a greater or lesser
extent with Owen getting out to "2 brilliant Berkshire players - one of
them an Australian international". What he failed to mention was that
she was an international darts player!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1st XI finally win again - by Ravi Godbole
It was a while coming but the 1st XI ended their run of defeats with a
thumping win against Emmbrook & Bearwood. Having won the toss the
amiable new E&B skipper, Will Layne, his first game in charge, won
the toss and asked CW to bat. The opening bowlers gave CW some short
balls to hit on a wicket that looked beautiful to bat on. Shabrin, in
his new pinch hitting role (more to come I think) put his very first
ball away for four. But a cunning trap got him steering the ball to
deep point, where Shabrin had actually made a point of looking where
the fielder was. We were reliably informed later that Shabs meant to
hit it over him but a bout of unlikely conservatism grasped him at the
last second. DOH! This brought Ravi to the crease. He has benefitted
from many dropped catches against E&B and this innings was no
different. He should make E&B his home ground; Twice dropped in the
slips, the CW batsmen rode through a brilliant spell of bowling from
Bradshaw and Trill. So on top were the bowlers that Bradshaw bowled 21
consecutive dot balls; Trill bowled 3 or 4 unplayable deliveries in a
testing spell. But these bowlers tired and the change bowlers got
hammered by Godbole, who moved to 73 before playing a baseball shot too
early to give Lazenbury his only wicket. A couple of quick wickets
followed with CW looking for 250, bringing in recently holidayed
Jeyerajah to the crease to aid Thamindu "The Rock" Wedatilake. Jay was
in belligerent mood and smashed a very quick 69, in contrast to the
slower, but just as important 71 Wedatilake composed. And very composed
and crafted it was too. CW ended on 263-6 with Trill and Bradshaw
unluckily ending up wicketless.
A formidable total was looking well out of reach when Timi Malik and
Ashley Fowles ran through the E&B top order. Both getting prodgious
swing, Fowles, in his first league game this year after taking his
exams, took 2 early wickets. The game was over as a contest when Malik
took 2 in 3 balls to leave E&B 35-6. But young Andrew Lazenbury,
15 years old, showed real promise as he shrugged off a dropped catch to
buck the trend and continue scoring runs. In fact CW retreated and gave
him 1 to have a go at the other end, such was the youngsters batting. A
good father and son stand was broken by Malik claiming his 4th wicket,
and CW bowled E&B out with a some resistance from the tail, for
102.CW desperately needed the win this week, a maximum point win a real
bonus.
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A Big Let Down - by Jonathan Reypert
Crown Wood 3's were always going to have a tough time against Pinkneys
Green 2's and having two players not turn up meant it was really hard
on the nine that bothered to check their email having made themselves
available. Things were made slightly easier when John Blake rushed back
from an enjoyable pub session to field for the last 10 overs and bat
making the numbers up to 10.
It was not a surprise that the, usually relatively strong, Pinkneys
Green bating line-up managed to sneak 254 runs past the 9/10 players of
CW; the biggest plus point being that CW didn't let the situation get
them down, although tempers frayed a little when balls went through
fielders legs and the umpire gave yet another back foot no-ball. The
bowlers all did well claiming at least one wicket other than Kabir who
managed to aggravate an ankle injury sustained during birth.
As a team made up mainly of old men and U17 bowlers, it was going to be
a huge surprise if Crown Woods batting wasn't up to Pinkneys Green's
254 run mark, and sure enough it wasn't. Runs came at a decent enough
rate for the 50 overs allowed but so did the wickets. Top scorer, and
showing more maturity in the middle than anyone, was Charlie Blake with
24. 125 all out allowed Crown Wood to salvage at least some points.
Three games played and three losses is not what the team deserves.
Foot note: It happened again. Everyone has to umpire and decisions are
decisions but, when the fielding side appeals for LBW, umpires should
be looking for any reason why they shouldn't give the batsman out; any
element of doubt, not the other way round. Please bear this in mind
when you are asked to umpire. Ask me to see page 33 of the league
handbook which covers LBW before you head for the middle.
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by Jonathan Reypert
Once, twice and thrice upon a time there lived a cricket team called
Crown Wood 3rd XI. The team started at the top with the openers and
went downwards till it reached the bottom order, which had been waiting
years for the batting to reach them, and as soon as it did they
invented cross batting and scored many times what the openers should
have.
It was one of those days; Rupes should have known it was going to be
one of those days when the Stratfield skipper spun his 20p and allowed
Crown Wood to call heads. Once the coin landed, and it was evident that
tails had won, there was a 20 minute delay whilst the two skippers
wondered what the other was going to choose to do. Once Rupes had
reminded Stratfield that they had in fact won the toss he immediately
regretted being honest as Crown Wood was inserted to bat on a grassy
and at the same time bald pitch; it having had the moss killed two
seasons ago, only for nothing to grow in its place.
Indeed nothing took root on the Stratfield pitch including the opening
order of Crown Wood. Rupes was quite unfairly given out first ball of
the innings LBW to a ball that would have taken the middle and leg
stumps out of the ground. Owen Byes (oops, sorry Bye) was so worried
about being out caught and bowled by the diminutive J. Legg that he
decided to spoon a catch to the same opening bowler, giving C Strudley
2 in two overs for 1 run. Nick Cooper lasted longer scoring a whole run
before being caught out in fantastic fashion as he played the ladle
shot to mid on. Three overs 3 for 2, one of which was a leg bye! The
newly promoted Kabir Singh Parhar and Alasdair Knox steadied the
innings Kabir keeping his concentration in an impressive innings of 17.
Alasdair started his innings in the only way he knows how, trying to
smash every ball out of the ground, however, after a few overs of being
shouted at by the ever experienced Crown Wood opening order, he
listened, got forward and played some nice shots; a fantastic six
landing on the scorers desk soon stopped the barrage of abuse from the
edge of the field.
At this point Raj arrived at the ground; some people are always late,
like the late King George V; to a slow handclap complaining about cars
on the road and re-runs of Britain’s got Tallent being later than
advertised.
Next in the line up were a couple of Charlies, Charlie Johnson did well
to use up as many overs as possible but didn’t trouble the scorer;
Charlie Blake all the while looked like a batsman and was impressive
for his 15.
Pranav, undertook to stay around for a while and looked the part only
to fall for a duck; the same cannot be said for John Blake who was back
in the pavilion before he’d left, somehow defying the laws of time and
dimensions in space, more Dr. Poo than Who.
Raj (23*) and PJ (9) made amends for dreadful batting in the last game
by scoring some runs, taking the total past the single point point of
75 and to within 1 point of the second point point; then PJ decided it
was all too much and got himself run-out before he exploded in a fit of
excitement.
Tea was a nice combination of steak tartar; sushi and wine gums all
washed down with lashings of Chateaux Le-Feat, made by a players wife
from old socks and washing up water. It was a better colour than most
tea and probably more tasty too.
The opening pair for Stratfield looked like a new line up. DuPlessis,
the Hampshire county player, started with a runner and Campbell, who
we’d not seen before, put the opening bowlers to the sword. Rupes moved
the field around regularly watching as the batsmen played their shots
and the way they moved their feet. The runs dried up and after only a
few overs Raj caught and bowled DuPlessis for 14; Byes recalled last
years match where low totals were scored and Crown Wood came away as
victors.
Pranav opened the other end and the control was something in complete
contrast to Raj whose “variation” ended in 2 off 9. Pranav had to come
back at the end to get his well deserver wicket, trapping Turvey, the
Hampshire county player, in front for 10.
PJ and Kabir were the first change bowlers and their perseverance and
control, as well as trying to out do each other meant that the run rate
virtually stopped. Kabir was replaced by Charlie Johnson as he used up
his overs each earning two wickets and forcing Stratfield to 64 for 6.
The partnership between Turvey, the Hampshire county player, and Jones
(20), however, moved the hosts to within 9 of their target before being
broken.
The brave and aggressive field positioning of John Blake at silly
mid-on, looking like a man decades younger, and Rupes at silly mid-off
forced the Stratfield batsmen to make several mistakes including
Kabir’s catch of G Strudley off Charlie Johnson at square leg and Rupes
unorthodox catch of Simmons off Kabir (being caught between the knees).
Special mention has to be made of Byes who didn’t really earn his nickname with only two byes in the innings.
Stratfield used a full 45.3 overs to reach their target of 100; Crown
Wood having used only 34.5 to get to 99 all out. The same lesson must
be learnt as last time, use the overs up; with 10 or 20 more runs on
the board and with the opposition having fewer overs to use up it would
have been a different game.
Everyone played their hearts out and, despite losing, it was an
enjoyable game and no-one’s head went down, this team was a credit to
Crown Wood... and I promise to let Nick have a bowl next time.
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by Richard Ashton, Stoke Row
Pitch: A touch green although decent pace and carry. Some occasional
'tennis ball' bounce but all-in-all a fine wicket for early May.
Weather: The dawning of a new season was greeted with fabulous, warm sunshine. Long may it continue!!
Highlights: The expected control of Ravi Godbole (11-2-34-2) and Jay
Jeyerajah (11-5-22-1) for Crown Wood, supplemented by a fine spell from
Kamran Iftikhar (12-4-32-4); Thamindu Wedatlike's 37 and Iftikhar's
unbeaten 90 ensured an emphatic victory during the run chase.
Catering: A decent selection of sandwiches and a healthy portion of
fresh fruit (the melon particularly good) and assorted chocolatey
luxuries. Something may have gone wrong with the sausage rolls however!
Report: A marvellous all-round performance from Kamran Iftikhar helped
Crown Wood annihilate Stoke Row at St. Sebastians last Saturday. Having
taken 4-32 with the ball, the opening batsman proceeded to accumulate a
classy 90* and eased Wood to a comprehensive nine wicket victory. Having won the toss, Crown Wood captain Ravi Godbole had no hesitation
in asking Stoke Row to bat first with the obvious intent of allowing
his side to ease into their first league game of the season. Indeed, this decision almost proved to have the 'Midas Touch' when a
vociferous appeal arose as early as the third ball – in a battle of
respective captain's the ever-reliable Godbole and his teammates felt
aggrieved when an appeal for caught behind against Maharajas leader
Richard Ashton was rejected. Yet both Godbole and fellow opening bowler
Shabrin Maujoon bowled economical spells and gave Ashton and Will
Macdonald very little to punish. Whilst Ashton's luck continued to hold – dropped at both slip and
'keeper off Maujoon – Macdonald began to ease himself into his form of
2008 until an attempted cut from a Godbole short ball was well held by
Nizlam Nazim who was standing up to the stumps. Stoke Row 39-1. Further accumulation of runs saw the introduction of off-spinner Jay
Jeyerajah, and he nearly worked the oracle as soon as his second ball,
when Ashton was dropped for a third time - on this occasion Raz Rubbani
could not hold on to a powerfully struck drive. Yet Ashton's luck could
not hold forever, and shortly after receiving instruction that a
lottery ticket purchase may be in order, he too got a faint edge
through to Nazim. Indeed, the edge was so fine that only Nazim
appealed, yet Ashton walked and the score read 65-2. In an attempt to add solidity to the order, youngster Josh Browne was
promoted to number 4, and, with the experienced Oliver Nowell looking
in fine fettle at the other end, a score of 170 appeared in the offing.
However, a disastrous middle order collapse saw Nowell spoon a catch to
extra cover, Browne have his stumps rearranged by Jeyerajah and Darren
Clark run out brilliantly by Thamindu Wedatalike. A promising start had
faded into the mire and Row stood on 81-5. Yet Stoke are nothing if not gritty and committed and a fine
sixth-wicket stand between the returning Nicky Howell and Christopher
Young put the Maharajas right back in the mix. Timing the ball sweetly,
the pair added 45 in just 8 overs before both fell to Iftikhar in the
space of three balls – arguably the crucial stage of the game. One
suspects that if the duo had batted the last five overs that a score in
the region of 175 could have been attained. As it was, despite a couple of lusty blows from Dion Sampson, including
one quite outrageous sweep shot that nearly went for a maximum, and
Marcus Lunnon's run-scoring affiliation with St. Sebastians continuing
(1*), Row were restricted to 146-8 – a fair score possibly twenty light
of par.
As is often their wont, Stoke elected to take the old ball and spinners
Macdonald and Clark bowled tidily although without a great deal of
menace. Iftikhar gave one half-chance to slip where Ashton failed to
cling on, but he and Wedatalike generally appeared in complete control. After ten overs Ashton opted to take the new ball, but this decision
backfired. The added pace on the ball saw 25 scored in the 4 over burst
of Lunnon and Browne, and suddenly the required rate was irrelevant.
Yet Stoke Row kept plugging away, and debutant seamer Charlie Macdonald
enjoyed a solid, albeit unlucky first spell. With Christopher Young his
usual economical self, drinks were taken after 22 overs with Wood
cruising on 87-0. Row utilised a seventh bowler immediately after drinks, and Dion
Sampson displayed flickers of his class from the previous two years.
Yet as the target came closer and closer, Row's fielding became
increasingly sloppy and the South African's figures were not to match
the skill with which he bowled. Iftikhar, by now struggling with cramp and needing a runner, began to
cash in on a subdued Row, and despite Clark taking his maiden Premier
Division wicket, Crown eased to a nine-wicket victory off the
penultimate ball off the 35th over. All in all, there is no hiding the fact that Crown Wood completely
outplayed Stoke Row across all three disciplines. Whilst Wood's
four-strong attack bowled with control, Row were always willing to send
down at least one 'four-ball' per over. In a cruel circle, this enabled
Wood's batsman to thus be patient and punish some shoddy bowling,
whilst Stoke's proved impatient and thus got themselves out.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The 2009 season got off to winning ways this weekend as Crown Wood's second string travelled to Sulhamstead on Saturday. At a ground reminiscent of Canterbury
(well there's a tree inside the boundary anyway), the home skipper won the toss
and elected to field. The visitors were weakened by the last minute withdrawal
of Riyas Rajab who had been called in to supervise the cleanup of a Smarties
spillage at work (apparently, he was rewarded with a finger of fudge).
Nevertheless, the opening pair of Ken Fuller and Aadhil Badurdeen strode
purposefully to the wicket and after a watchful start, Fuller (who is now
eligible for his state pension) started to open his shoulders, dispatching
young Tom Bradfield for a couple of fours in one over. This proved a false dawn
however, as Bradfield's opening partner, Craig Palmer, had him caught with the
score at 20. The imposing figure of Badurdeen then started his innings in the
seventh over (even though he had been at the wicket since the first), but after
he and Naveed Nackvi had been pegged back for four overs, they both succumbed
within the space of five balls to leave Crown at 31 for 3 in the 11th
over. The new streamlined Gazza was now joined at the crease by Andy Clifton, and under the guidance of his skipper, the latter started his innings in an uncharacteristically subdued fashion. Despite his best efforts to wear down the opening bowlers, the skipper was
given out leg before by the umpire when the ball struck him just above the
ankle in front of middle stump. All in the ground agreed that the decision was
the most conclusive LBW they had ever witnessed, though Gazza still maintained
the ball struck him just below the throat. After the arduous effort that was
the skipper's innings (0 off 14 deliveries), Clifton welcomed the arrival of
young Ollie Johnson to the crease. These two then set about seeing off the
opening pair and taking advantage of the change bowlers. Despite their team
being in the perilous position of 41 for 4 in the 16th over when
Johnson arrived, they put on 52 inside the next 12. Clifton returned to his
more recognisable modus operandi of hitting over the field (some onlookers
suggesting he was trying to hit every ball into the next field) and Johnson,
after a circumspect start, started to find the gaps with some well-timed shots. When Clifton departed attempting to pull a good length delivery, Johnson's innings really started to take off. He became more positive in his strokeplay as he recognised the uncertainty of the
batting to come. As he was joined briefly by Martin Dixon, Marcus Webtser,
Krishna Sabbineni and Nirav Upadhyay, he moved from 22 to 54, with the score
advancing from 93 for 5 in the 28th over to 143 for 9 in the 41st.
A thoroughly well played and well deserved fifty had been reached as last man
Alasdair Knox came in to bat. At this stage, with just 28 balls
remaining, a total of 160 would have been gratefully accepted. But Johnson had
other ideas. Knox faced just 3 of those deliveries, but remained alert to the
calling of his senior partner – a job well done. Johnson, however, was a
revelation. He brilliantly engineered the strike and took full advantage,
scoring 38 off his next 23 balls faced, all of which came off the previously
parsimonious opening pair of Bradfield and Palmer, including a magnificent six
over square leg. As the last two deliveries of the innings approached, his own
stood at 92 off 91 balls. The penultimate ball was sent to the boundary but
with a fairytale inaugural century beckoning, he could only manage a single to
finish on 97. From the back of the scorebox were the faint mutterings of jug
evasion, but nevertheless it was a fantastic knock. The skipper was overjoyed,
and as he tucked into his Weight Watchers tea, began to busily plan his
fielding strategy.
As Crown Wood spilt buoyantly onto the
greensward for their stint in the field, Gazza called his troops into the
huddle for one of his legendary inspirational addresses. Having pointed out
that his charges only needed to take 10 wickets and that this was a game he
wanted to win (is there another sort?), he sent them forth into battle and Ken
Fuller set about marking out his 35 yard run up. With his reliable metronomic accuracy,
this legend of Crown Wood cricket tied the batsmen down, conceding just 12 runs
from an opening stint of 10 overs with a wicket to boot. Unfortunately, his
opening partner, Martin Dixon was less impressive and his father let him rest
after just four overs. This allowed the wily Nirav to enter the fray, and after
taking an over or two to get his line and length adjusted, he proved the
perfect accompaniment to Fuller's ever impressive length. When Nirav ensnared
his second victim, the home team were 51 for 3 in the 19th over.
Having slowed the run rate, a Sulhamstead victory was looking less and less
likely, though all the time Booth was at the crease, the game was not safe. At this point, the skipper replaced Fuller with Krish and using the clever tactic of mingling wide deliveries with
unplayable ones, he and Nirav proved a winning combination. This was
particularly impressive as Gazza talked of Krish's slow left arm stuff giving
the batsmen something different to think about, but Krish used reverse
psychology by bowling right arm swing and seam. Booth quickly fell to Nirav and
the home side collapsed to 75 for 8 in the 28th over. Wary of last
year's corresponding fixture in which the home team clung on for a losing draw,
Krish gave way to Alasdair Knox (who DOES bowl left arm spin), Krish finishing
with 3 for 9 off his 5 overs. Nirav then cleaned up the tail with Knox taking a
smart catch at shortish fine leg to end the innings.
Highlights in the field, apart from the
obvious bowling exploits of Nirav, Krish and Ken Fuller, were good catching
with not one chance put down and Gazza showing his excellent grasp of
mathematics, informing the team how many dismissals were still needed at the
fall of each wicket. Special mention must go to Oliie Johnson, who after an
excellent innings showed off his own unique juggling skills with the ball. With a winning start to the season and confidence buoyed, there is talk that Gazza is looking to solve the current
economic crisis and provide a solution to world poverty, all in his own
inimitable fashion (including his new whites, when they arrive).
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