| RESULTS AND MATCH REPORTS |
|
| Saturday 9th July
1st XI home v Broxbourne Following an indifferent week weather wise, the pitch unsurprisingly looked to be a bit of a sticky dog for the visit of in form neighbours Broxbourne. Surprisingly having won the toss, they elected to bat a decision they must have regretted at 49-7 following an excellent opening burst of seam from Brownie, Banger and Benny Spence. The bowling was backed up with an outstanding diving pluck at mid off from Georgie Barbett, from a Banger half volley and a smart take standing up from Kitt off the bowling of the excellent Brownie who ended up with 4 - 23 from 14 overs. In addition to this, during the course of the innings we picked up 5 lbw verdicts - a stark change from last weeks staunch not outers officiating. At 49-7 Bronxbourne had little choice but to look to occupy the crease, something they did very well especially as we lack pace to blow tails away (and in general come to that). The tiring seamers were replaced and with Benny Spence being afforded a maximum of 7 over bursts we had no option but to turn to spin in the form of Ansell and Charlie Frederick. Ansell removed the number 9 Moffet but the number 8 and 10 batted very well and it took the returning Benny Spence to remove the number 8 lbw. One chance was put down with the score on about 115 and in the end Broxbourne reached a total of 154 from 49.3 overs - other than the dropped catch I don’t think we did much wrong - their lower order batted well. So to our innings, please ignore last weeks words regarding chasing totals - as this week we made a pigs ear of a chase that we should have made a much better fist of. Dockers and Gilo opened the innings and Giles was soon back in the pavilion - potentially slightly hard done by. Dockers was his usual belligerent self and in company with Brownie took the score to 48 in the 10th over before Dockers miscued to be caught at long on. 2 runs later and Brownie ran past one to be stumped leaving us 50 - 3. That was the source of most of this season’s runs out of the way and in truth we didn’t play all that well with the innings subsiding to 104 all out - a number of people got starts but couldn’t convert to a bigger score and 4 globes certainly doesn’t help. A lot of the team have not had much opportunity to bat this season as we have been beating a lot of teams comfortably and Broxbourne bowled well. Other results went quite well for us and we remain in 3rd place with a trip to WGC II’s in store next week where hopefully we can return to winning ways. ----------------------------------------- Saturday 2nd July 1st XI away v Preston. Won by 8wkts A balmy early July day witnessed the visit of the Bury to the picturesque ground of Preston. The wicket looked less so, being green and with some questionable patches on a length at the top end of the ground with a fairly pronounced slope. Kitt won the toss and elected to field - something the oppo skipper was also keen to do . Brownie and the returning Banger opened the bowling with Brown electing to bowl up the hill trying to exploit the uneven surface. Banger was clearly troubled by bowling with the aid of the slope and the wind and it is fair to say Preston got off to a flyer racing to fifty within the first 6 overs. Brownie eventually struck trapping the free scoring opener lbw and whilst progressing at a decent rate, the other opener and the number 3 seemed content to consolidate - in fact the number 3 seemed content to play and miss consistently at Brownie, so much so he did bowl the proverbial piano and your correspondent can confirm he couldn’t play that either. Joe replaced Banger at the top end following a disappointing 5 over spell costing 35 runs and failed to stem the tide of runs and was replaced by Ansell as we looked to take the pace of the ball. It had become apparent by this point that the track was not the minefield that the expert analysts had presumed it would be and Brownie and Ansell then bowled unchanged for the duration of the innings picking wickets up at intervals along the way as Preston closed on 232-7, some way below the total they should have achieved given their start but a total which could have been lower had we fielded with more gusto in certain periods of the game. Special mentions in the field for Giles ’Teflon’ Tilbury who had a very rare bad day at the office dropping a couple of chances he would normally expect to hold on to and Sturge who again fielded superbly, effected a direct hit run out and most importantly managed to rile the home team immensely in the process of doing so. Tea was a superb affair with a plethora of home-made culinary delights to tuck into. In fact it could have only been bettered had it been served by Kate Garraway and Susanna Reid (with Andrew Castle on the washing up). After this, Dockers and Gilo opened the batting against what could at best be described as a modest opening attack and both scored freely from the outset keeping us well up with the rate. After 4 overs the ’seamers’ were replaced by slower bowlers and whilst Dockers was dropped twice aiming to go large runs began to come at a fast pace. Giles was 1st to depart caught at deep backward square sweeping for 20 and was replaced by Brownie. At this point Dockers had settled in and was striking the ball cleanly and began peppering the surrounding properties back gardens, the highlights being the maximums clearing the conker tree and the pavilion. He then unluckily deflected a ball from the slow left armer of Preston onto his wicket and departed for a crowd pleasing 90 (Rumours of jug avoidance and that he threw his wicket away to join Steph and Ben on a McDonalds visit on the way back to the Bury have subsequently proved to be unfounded). Kitt came out at 4 to join Brownie who until now had been playing second fiddle to Dockers. The scoreboard continued to tick over nicely and we were always well up with the rate. Kitt initially hit the fielders more regularly than he would have liked with some attractive strokes before finding his range at which point the boundaries began to come for him and Brownie continued to accumulate runs despatching the bad balls nicely as they serenely took us over the line without further alarm. Brownie ending 72 not out and Kitt 35 not out. Another good win against a decent batting team and the big positive to take from the game was that regardless of the quality of bowling we can chase down decent totals. Dockers and Brownie continued their good form with the bat and also good to see Kitt regain a bit of confidence and form at the crease with a tidy red inker. On the downside we were slow out of the blocks in the field and whilst we were happy with the total in the end, we could have been out of the game if they had shown more positive intent with the bat. Next week we are at home against Broxbourne who have been on a good run over the last few weeks in what should be a tough game. 3rd XI away v Flamstead II Flamstead 178 -10 (James Harley 5-37, Mike Anson 3-30) STMCC III 133-10 (Dave Brown 34, George Blemkin 20) STMCC lost by 45 runs. A rather inept & careless batting display cost The Bury the win & 30 points on Saturday after a breezy opening stand of just over 50 put us in fantastic position to claim victory. Our visitors won the toss & elected to bat on a hot & humid afternoon but were soon in trouble at 10-2 with Harley & Wicks claiming a wicket each. The remainder of the top order all made a contribution without any one of them reaching fifty & the score ticked along evenly with a target in excess of 210 looking on the cards. When the Flamstead No. 7 came to the wicket a much larger score seemed likely as he stroked the ball with ease around the ground & the run rate began to rise. The fact that their best batsman was batting so low meant that he had either arrived very late or he was also the opening bowler giving some of team-mates a bit of a game. Sadly for us the latter proved to be the case but more of that later on. The re-introduction of James Harley to the attack proved crucial for the Bury as he mopped up the tail with ease and finished the innings off with three wickets in four balls to claim his third 5 wicket haul of the season. Mention also to our Northern League representative from the East Riding, Mike Anson, who bowled very tidily to pick up 3-30 in his excellent spell. The innings closed at 178 all out in the 44th over and the consensus was that this was a very achievable total with the strong batting line up at Des’s disposal this afternoon. After tea & true to form the Flamstead No 7 opened the attack , his run-up starting just inside the goal area from the Football Ground end. Browny & George used the pace of the ball he generated to great effect however & the scoreboard was soon ticking over nicely, with Browny launching one mightily impressive 6 towards the score box. After 9 overs we reached 51-0 & things seemed to be going swimmingly. A bowling change at the New River end changed the course of the game when Flamstead introduced a bearded nemesis by the name of Cook. Not Alistair, Peter or even Captain ; simply the imaginatively nicknamed Cooky. With his combination of the stock slower ball, the even slower ball & his almost come to a stop ball, interspersed with the odd ripper he bamboozled the Bury batsmen into an array of poor shots that even the most amateurish apprentice photographer would have been ashamed of. His unplayable delivery or doosra was the cunningly disguised full toss which has the home teams batsmens’ eyes light up like Christmas trees, before dimming rather rapidly as the dismissed batter trudged back to his disbelieving team mates. Three batsmen were dismissed in this way as well as two stumping victims who were teased down the wicket with the offer of Pork Scratchings, sweets & a good night out in Flamstead as The Bury innings slumped to 133 all out with 16 balls remaining. A rather deflated dressing room was soon enlivened by the arrival of Browny’s summer party shirt which was indecently bright & outlandish. Down to 5th in the table now & a good result is needed soon to reignite our promotion hopes. --------------------------------------- Saturday 25th June 1st XI home v Dunstable The Bury put unstable Dunstable nearer the foot of the Table Following persistent overnight rain, the covers were removed to reveal a playable wicket, completely dry at one end but some ’seepage’ had occurred at the other end which looked as though batting may prove to be testing. The umpires decreed that we waited for a couple of uncovered wickets to dry out and play got underway at 1.30 with Dunstable having won the toss and surprisingly electing to bat. A special note of thanks at this point to everyone involved in enabling the game to get underway in the 1st place. Brownie and Sam Anthony opened the bowling and the score had progressed to 16 before Brownie had the more positive opener caught at mid off looking to force a ball that he probably should not have. The other opener was fairly turgid in his approach and was joined by cow corner Colin batting at 3 for Dunstable. They took the score to 50 before Colin was caught by Dockers in the slips off the bowling of Joe Anthony who had replaced his brother from the bottom end. Brown then had the number 4 caught behind for no score. Joe was bowling very well using the conditions to good effect and removed the opener nicely caught behind by Kitt and also the number 6 without troubling the scorers. Shanners came on to replace Brownie and had the number 7 caught at backward point with the score on 79. Joe then had the number 8 (great name by the way S. Illyass)caught by Sturge who was putting in an exemplary shift in the field. Ansell came on to replace Shanners to facilitate an end change and he had the number 5 caught at mid-off looking to force the ’pace’ with the score on 103. Next over Shanners bowled a full bunger which left the bat at the speed of an exocet missile and was miraculously caught one handed at short cow by Citrus - a catch that even Banger would agree both Gal Wilson and Pedro would have been proud of. Shanners then caught and bowled the number 9 to bring the curtain down on proceedings with Dunstable having mustered a woeful 109 all out, Joe Anthony the pick of the bowling with 4-23 from 11 overs . After an impressive home tea Gilo and Docks opened up with Dockers racing to 23 before skying a catch to the keeper. Gilo adopted a they shalt not pass approach and in partnership with run machine Brownie they ground the Dunstable attack into submission and took us to the brink of victory before Brownie was caught for 51 looking to hit some of the buffet bowling into the river - nonetheless his 4th score of in excess of 50 in the first 8 matches. He was replaced by Sam Anthony who deposited 3 tasty morsels served up by the hapless Dunstable attack to the boundary in quick succession to bring matters to a close and a well-deserved 30 points. Dunstable were at best average, and were certainly outclassed by us. This win puts us in 4th position in the league - results above us went in our favour and we are now within touching distance of the promotion berths. 2nd XI away v Hitchin Jolyon’s report:- Well, what a lovely day it turned out to be albeit a tad breezy on the West side of Hitchin after all the rain we had. Hitchin had confirmed that the wicket was covered and we would be good to go. On arrival, the wicket was hard and dry and there were no damp patches or suggestions of standing water anywhere on their square or outfield. Having won the toss I opted to bat feeling that we had a good bowling side and that we would also get double points should things not go to plan. We opened up with James Barbett and yours truly against some military medium and swing from the top end. 60 for nought off twelve overs felt like a good start as we climbed into some tasty morsels when offered. James had got to 26 when he got a little frustrated and got out when well set, the Captain then played a poor shot and was bowled for 39 prompting min-wobble. The Good Ship Bury IIs was steadied by Scooby at number five and Gary Bentley at number 6. They retrenched and then became more expansive and put on some seventy runs before Olly was out for 22. After forty overs we are on 145 for 5 and looking at full batting points and a declaration, we then batted poorly with the lower order unable to bat around Benters who went on to make 79 before being the penultimate man out. With ten overs to go Benters smashed a long hop straight which caught Ian Mulligan a glancing (thankfully) blow on the left of his head - he didn’t continue and sat out the rest of the game but was walking round before we left. I have just spoken to him and he is absolutely fine and will be officiating this coming Saturday - well done Mully. We were eventually all out for 187 at the end of the 52nd over. With a side stacked with bowling - nine genuine bowlers excluding me and Tready, people were going to have to take their turn. We opened with Al Scarborough (8-1-37-1) and Robbo (16-2-43-1) who were nice and steady and didn’t allow Hitchin a fast start. We got the openers out, Al persuading one to play on via his body/pad juts dislodging one bail and the other to Kam (10-2-25-1). Martin eventually having the number three caught by Al at a straightish extra cove put there for the shot, however our "can’tcatchitis" had spread throughout the team as we grassed seven chances and didn’t get a hand on an eighth. Ringing the bowling changes with Gregor (4-0-25-0), C Fred (6-0-18-0), Barbie (2-0-18-0) and Scooby (2-0-10-0) all having a roll of the die as we tried to find something that would persuade the Hitchin batsmen to give us a chance that we could accept. We kept them in the game as the run rate was rising, my reasoning being that at that stage we were unlikely to get seven wickets, they are too far ahead of us for thirty points to them to make any difference to us and by them going for it we stood the best chance of picking up further wickets. A good penultimate over from Scooby meant they need ten off the last over which they achieved off the last ball. A good game, played with nice people on a nice day on a nice ground in the right spirit. I enjoyed myself and hope that the rest of you did. Looking at the game, I think 187 was a competitive score and we had the bowling to make it a tight contest. We lost by seven wickets, we dropped seven chances do the maths. I am not saying we would have won but we’d have had a look at their lower order and I wasn’t overly convinced by what was left in the hutch. As you know catches win and my mantra is "That in every form of cricket, in every game every single run scored or saved can be crucial". Aside from the catching the only other thing I would have preferred we had done better was to get to 200 which was well within reach - something we can improve upon. ---------------------------------------------------------- Saturday 18th June - Washout ! One’s and Three’s called off without a ball being bowled. The Two’s managed 50.5 overs before rain ended the match, leaving Darren Peddar stranded on 99no. Jolyon’s report:- Well, what a stupendous Saturday from a weather perspective. Having won the toss and really not knowing what to do I opted to bat being aware that some rain was very likely and if it was a lot at least we’d have had our bat and so it proved. This meant that with the Is rained off we were treated to the presence of a goodly number of the first team and especially Banger having the opportunity to watch and worship his god (The Lord Pedder) bat and his wonderful innings - really you had to be there to hear some of the drivel that Banger came out with, excellent stuff! We started on time and despite there being a couple of damp patches the wicket behaved well. George Blemkin was strangled down the leg side in the first over and James and Darren saw us to a steady if unspectacular start. James was given out caught behind and Beeds joined Darren in a good stand for the third wicket, one dismissive smash over a widish mid off by Beeds being the shot of the day (though not according to Banger who felt that one of DP’s forward defensives was about the best he’d ever seen). Beeds was bowled by one that moved and we struggled to find someone to stay with Darren as we reached 134 for 6. Gregor Noblett came in at number 8 and then proceeded to show the rest of us how to bat on that wicket as he outscored even Banger’s god. Gregs smashed it all over as he made his highest league score of 36 as we reached 193 for 7 off 50 overs and 5 balls. Towards the end as the rain gathered momentum we were poised by the cover ready to run on with it as Darren inched towards his century which he was determined to reach in singles, finally when he was on 99 the umpires has no option to bring us off as the rain had reached official stair rod proportions. Tea was taken and after further rain I offered the Umpires a pint each which they accepted as the game was called off. Around five thirty we were then treated to a brilliant display of cover diving by Messrs Noblett, Lane, Bendin and Frederick - makes you proud to be at the Bury! Saturday 11th June - a Bad Day ! 1st XI Home v Old Finchleians (sorry no full report this week) Overnight rain left the selected strip unplayable, so a late decision was made to prepare a new strip. However this was still wet, and losing the toss meant that we had to bat, and only Simon Tilbury (26 incl 2x6s) was able to offer any resistance as the Bury were bowled out for just 84. With tea not ready, the second innings started immediately, and Banger manage to remove the openers in the 2nd and 8th overs. However after tea, the pitch seemed to have dried out, and the no’s 3 and 4 batsmen knocked off the remaining runs with ease. 2nd XI Away v Bentley Heath This was a very strong selection week with four players who had already played in the second team this season asked to play at home with Des. In addition, as Mully was unavailable and without any obvious cover captain riffiths decided to Umpire. So with a strong team (seven batters, five seamers and two spinners) we turned up at Bentley Heath who were second bottom, both of their sides having been promoted last term. Gary won the toss and decided to bowl on a decidedly damp looking pitch. Initially this seemed to work with Kam (10-0-42-2) and Gregor (11-4-37-0 having only 4 runs scored off his first seven overs) bowling tight opening spells and leaving BH on 28 for 2 off fourteen overs. There was a real feeling of levity on the pitch as if it was a tour or festival game and as if we expected Bentley Heath to roll over for 70 odd. It seemed to me that there was a lack of intensity/commitment on the field, e.g. no backing up or taking of the stumps from mid on/mid off and the slips. Robinson (13-0-44-3) and Anthony (9-2-29-0) then took over and the BH number three proved the wicket was not impossible to bat on as the Bury fielding deteriorated - say four "easy" chances dropped and a further three chances spurned? After 39 overs GB went for spin and bowled Barbett (3-0-22-0) and Beedell (7-0-31-2) as the number 3 (who finished on an unbeaten 117) and BH’s number 9 (29*) showed that runs were there if you were patient enough and chanced your arm. In response the Bury IIs were poor, as if there was a belief that the pitch was full of demons and impossible to bat on - having watched the opposition number three scored an unbeaten century! We crawled to 45 for 5 off 30 overs and were never in it, The only batters who showed any stomach for a fight were George Blemkin (third out for 6) Joe Anthony with 22, Kam with another 22 (though I think he was given a few of Joe’s runs!) and Gregor Noblett who played out the last few overs for 2 not out as we held on for a draw at 105 for 9. All in all poor all round. 3rd Xi Home v Letchworth V Letchworth V193-9 (James Harley 5-38, Andy Parker 2-26) STMCC III 171-10 (Dom Lane 49, Steve Gilmore 33) STMCC lost by 22 runs The third XI lost for the first time this season and so relinquished their position at the top of division 11. The failure of any of the top 6 to reach 30 runs was the main contributory factor & despite a splendid bowling performance by James Harley, who bagged his second 5 wicket haul of the campaign & a tremendous 7th wicket stand between Dom Lane & Steve Gilmore we fell 22 runs short of our target. After heavy overnight rain the wicket was damp & Des having won the toss had no hesitation in inserting the opposition. After a slow start and the loss of the opening pair (a wicket each for Wicks & Anson), Letchworth built a match defining partnership in excess of 100 courtesy of the Morgan brothers & at one stage another run chase in excess of 240 looked on the cards. Bury kept to their task in the field though with some excellent diving stops and all round ground fielding. Our catching was another matter however and 3 absolute dollies were put down during the afternoon’s events ; Dom at 1st slip, Smiffy at extra cover & finally Browny having got into the perfect position at long off saw the ball disappear through the recently appeared holes in his hands & onto the turf. The reintroduction of James H into the attack along with the nagging & consistent lines of AP at the other end put the brake on the Letchworth scoring. In the final 10 overs the run rate was a paltry 3 an over with wickets being taken on a regular basis. James closed the innings with a double wicket maiden to get the team 4 bowling points. The Bury reply got off to a terrible start with 5 wickets falling between the 6th & 13th Overs. Mark B was Ct & Bld for 7 & Des soon followed for the same score. AP was caught for a duck & then Browny was bowled for 15. When Mike was run out for only 3 after a mix-up between him & Wicksy things looked bleaker than the leaden skies which were now rapidly approaching overhead. In strode Dom, last weeks catalyst for victory & with Ian they set about rebuilding the innings. A great partnership was developing when Wicksy middled one straight to mid-off, who in the split decision moment of whether to catch it or wear it, put up his hands & caught it. Ian was gone for a classy 24. Recalled to the side at the last minute & keen to prove a point Steve Gilmore came to the crease and batted beautifully with Dom to get Bury to within 30 of the required score & the rate down to 5 an over. Could another victory be on the cards after a glorious run chase? No! was the answer as Dom fell one short of his half century & then Smiffy & Steve soon after leaving us 26 short with 1 wicket remaining. Jacko has broken his thumb whilst keeping & came in at number 11 with the rate now 7 an over. He hit his first ball for 2 then repeated the effort next ball only to be run out going for the third in an effort to win the match. James H was left high & dry at the other end & the game was gone. A good effort from a very difficult situation at 5 down, but 9 points and still in second position in the league. Here’s to next week at Northampton Exiles. ----------------------------------------- Weds 8th June Geddings League v Cheshunt won by 5wkts Martin Beedell 4:16 - Ben Spencer 35 ----------------------------------------- Saturday 4th June - a Peacock Day ! 1st XI away v Ickleford (sorry no full report this week) Ickleford bowled out for 134 in 37 overs - Martin Brown 5wkt, Shanners 4 & Ben Spencer 1. StMCC reply 135-1 in 20 overs - Dockers 101. 2nd XI v Hertford IIIs We lost the toss and Hertford IIIs batted. Kam Raja (7-0-15-1) and Nick Sheffield (7-1-23-1) opened up and bowled tidily enough and got numbers one and three out. Sheff should have had another wicket but the other Hertford opener failed to walk having middled it through to Griffiths (deputising for Tready behind the timbers). A double change saw James Harley (6-0-37-1) and the Athlete (A Anstead Esq.) (8-1-32-1) into the attack, James struggled with his length (Ooh ’er Missus!) and the Hertford number 4 tucked in with four boundaries in one over, James then snared his man in his next over safely pouched by Dusty Miller at square leg where he had been positioned from the slips for just such an eventuality. With an absolutely blinding slip catch by Bails (making a welcome and belated return to Bury colours) off the Athlete we were getting into them. With Hertford proceeding at four an over we changed to Martin Beedell’s offies (11.3-3-35-2) and James Barbett’s leggies (10-1-29-4) and tight control was established over Hertford’s scoring rate. With Barbett extracting at times extravagant turn the Hertford wickets finally started coming to the Bury despite Hertford’s number seven having caught the non-walking bug from the number two having middled it to Griffiths down the leg side. Not to worry, James and Beeds polished them off and quite frankly Hertford seemed happy to get six batting points. In reply George Blemkin and James Barbett began well getting us to 47 before James was bowled by a good ball for 35. George (23) and Darren Pedder (83 not out) took the score to 93 before the former lost his wicket bringing in Martin Beedell. Beeds (31 not out) and Darren effortlessly put on 90 unbeaten runs to bring us home by eight wickets - a fair reflection on the day. Hertford’s bowling in particular was poor and Darren helped himself to the buffet on offer - well done DP. Man of the match was James Barbett for his all round contribution - more of the same please Young Man! 3rd XI v Shenley Village IIIs Shenley Village III XI 246-7 (47 Overs) (Browny 2 - not many) STMCC III XI 247-6 (41.3 Overs) Mark Bailey 75* , Dom Lane 61, Ben Hart 24* STMCC won by 4 wickets The 3rd team maintained their position at the top of Division 11 with a nail biting victory over a mixture of regular Shenley third teamers & last season’s first XI captain. On a belting track at The Bury we won the toss & Des bravely elected to bowl first, backing the team to chase whatever total was set in pursuit of the golden 30 points. Tom & Smiffy opened the bowling & Baucher the younger struck early, forcing the Shenley opener to play on whilst trying to cut a ball much too close to him. A good early wicket but this brought the afore mentioned exiled 1st team skipper to the crease apparently nursing a bad leg back to full fitness in the less demanding surroundings of Division 11. Happily for him the recovery was almost instantaneous as he began to stroke the ball to all corners of the ground with comparative ease. At the other end the opening bat was taking the arial route with some success and a large partnership was quickly accumulating on the scoreboard. Des eventually broke the partnership himself having the opener well caught for 60 at long off by a sprinting Stevie G. The remainder of the Shenley innings was totally dominated by the Johnny Vaughan look alike who, & I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, was 1st XI captain last season. He smote the ball in various directions, invariably for a boundary & when not, sprinted between the wickets like a whippet on his way to an impressive 136 before being run out by a brilliant throw from deep square leg by Mark Willis. No other batsman really troubled the scorer & the wickets were shared about with Browny getting 2 & Mike Anson, Smiffy, Tom B & Des bagging one apiece. It was a hot day in the field and the general feeling at tea was that this was going to be a tough ask ; 247 in 43 overs. With Wicksy & JK unavailable today it was with great pleasure that Des announced that for this week & for this week only ; Ladies & Gentlemen, our opening pair will be Bailey & Gilmore. To reassure himself that his bad leg was truly on the mend the fresh as a daisy Shenley centurion would be opening the bowling, but only from his short off spinners run up. Stevie G started brightly & kept the score moving before being caught & bowled for a breezy 20. Des came in & hit 2 glorious fours before he too was on his way back to the pavilion having nicked one to the keeper. Browny in at 4 today was not his usual self & couldn’t settle at the crease. He tried to carve a straight ball over mid wicket & was cleaned bowled for just a few. At 60-3 we were staring down the barrel but Mike came in to partner the Tavare like Mark B & the score moved on at 4/5 an over until Mike was undone by a peach of a ball by their young leg spinner bringing wicket keeper Dom Lane to the crease. Not mentioned earlier in this report was that Dom put down a chance offered by the Shenley run machine from Des’s bowling when he had made a paltry 82 but he was about to make up for that with interest. "Don’t get done, get Dom" is a popular catch phrase from daytime TV I believe & one that I feel we should adopt from now on whenever the team is is dire straights. After sensibly playing himself in he began to hit the ball with immaculate timing & fearsome strength, picking up anything short & loose and dispatching it to the fence. He was the dominant partner in an 80+ run stand with Mark, who was happy to push the singles to get Dom back on strike. He eventually fell for a stunning quick fire 61 & brought the game & the victory back within our grasp. Thus the final act was begun. Ben Hart joined Mark at the crease & the plan was to put the fielders under pressure & try to run off every ball. The rate required was 7 an over & with a mixture of suicidal singles, well struck fours, overthrows & wides we needed 15 from the final 3 overs. The ex 1st team skipper was back on by now & bowling at full speed as he saw the game slipping away from them. The Bury crowd were in full voice as a Peacock day was on the cards & the 1st & 2nd team players were now surrounding the boundary. The 41st over saw Ben pinch a single to 3rd man & then Mark hit a two then a four through mid wicket. The remaining 2 deliveries of the over, in the spirit of 3rd XI cricket were somewhat on the shorter side ; the first hitting him squarely in the midriff, the second just below the jaw line. He was down but not out. A quick mid over discussion was had and it was agreed we would try to get the 8 needed in the penultimate over. Ben dutifully played the first delivery back to the bowler before smashing balls 2 & 3 to the boundary to complete a remarkable a very satisfying victory. A brilliant team performance by everyone & a marvellous 30 points. ------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday 28th May 1st XI home v Shenley Village - Villagers Browned Off This week’s visitors to the Bury were Shenley Village, who counted amongst their ranks the former Zimbabwe test and one day player Dion Ebrahim, who graciously had agreed to play in their 1st team having accepted an offer to be paid handsomely to coach at the club this year. Kitt won the toss and elected to bowl although the pitch looked good in spite of some mid week precipitation, with a fairly strong cross wind looking to aid movement through the air from the opening attack of the restored Brown and Banger. Ebrahim and his fellow opener started well against the new ball and took the score to 21 before Brownie unleashed a jaffa to have Ebrahim (odi average of 20.61**) snared at 2nd slip by Joe Anthony. The number 3 was also pouched at the wicket, caught by Kitt again off the bowling of Brown for nought. Number 4 was then shelled on nought and he and the other opener took the score to 61 before a suicidal single caused the run out of the number 4, Banger promptly bowled number 5 for a golden duck and the next over brownie struck twice more to remove the opener and the number 7 - 4 wickets for no runs - nice! The number 8 was unfortunately dropped on nought to a difficult chance in the slips and along with the Shenley keeper added 49 before Ansell removed the number 7 - brilliantly caught by the prowling panther in the covers Sturge. After this the innings petered out to 132 all out with Ansell and Ben Spencer claiming 2 wickets apiece, in addition to the 4 claimed by Brownie. A good effort although with a sharper slip catching display this could have been less than a hundred all out. After a half past 3 tea Gilo and Dockers took to the field with 67 overs to get the runs required. This pair took the score to 29 before Dockers over balanced having foxtrotted down the track to the 1st change bowler and was caught at the wicket for 20. Brownie, in a rich vein of form made his way to the crease and took the score to 43 with Giles, before Gilo was deceived and bowled for 14. Sam Spencer was next in and batted patiently with Brownie before Chav was removed for 13. By now Brownie had found his range and was batting well along with Kitt who was striking the ball well, albeit unfortunately straight to the fielders. The Villagers rang the changes and coach Ebrahim had come on to "bowl", his action obviously having been cleared by the Herts League biomechanics subcommittee. He then removed Kitt, caught at short square, to leave us at 105-4. Pink Panther then made his way to the middle and started well striking a couple of boundaries. At this point Shenley Village clearly threw the towel in bringing on a shot putter to bowl and Sturge and Brownie eased us over the line with 28 overs to spare. Brownie notching yet another 50 to end 69 no with PP undefeated on 13. A comprehensive win against a team on paper we were expecting a sterner test from, which sees us maintain our 2nd position in the table. Next week we are away at Ickleford. Highlights:- Martin Brown 4-65 and 69*. The test match dismissal of D.Ebrahim caught at 2nd slip. Brownie’s bouncer to their number 7. Sturge’s catch in the covers. **6.99 less than Gal Wilson (as at 31/5/11) ------------------------------------------------- Saturday 21st May 1st XI away v Redbourn This week the Bury Bandwagon rolled into Redbourn, mid table finishers in the Div 2 table last term, with a strong squad at Skipper Wallis’ disposal. From a distance the pitch looked like a road, on closer inspection it was indeed a road although it ran through the outfield - ’village’ cricket at its finest. The track however, had indeed been used as a road for some idiot to have doughnutted over on their quad bike in in the close season - that said it looked okay. Kitt lost the toss and Redbourn decided to take first use with only 10 on site and another apparently on the way - surely it couldn’t be a certain G.Wilson following the filthy buck to Redbourn?! The new ball was taken by Banger and Sam Anthony, making his 2011 bow with Martin Brown unable to bowl citing a shoulder niggle - undoubtedly caused by patting himself on the back too much after last week’s unbeaten ton. Both bowled well with Banger making the early breakthrough castling the opener with a mere 9 on the board. Citrus replaced Sam Anthony at the pavilion end after 12 overs and nearly had the opener stumped off a difficult chance. This was not to prove too costly as Banger produced another jaffa to knock his middle stump back next over. The next over Ansell had the number 3 adjudged lbw to leave them 49 for 3. At this point a huge sigh of relief for the Bury as the late car contents made it’s way to the crease with not a shamrock or surrey badge in sight. He struck a 4 before Banger again struck removing him lbw. Their skipper was in next who made his way back to the pavilion having been bounced, sorry long hopped out by the Banger & Mash combination - Ansell taking a smart catch at midwicket. At this stage Ansell began to take wickets, the number 6 top edging a sweep, a brace of lbw’s and a caught behind reducing our hosts to 96-9 in the 36th over. A very close lbw appeal to the number 11 was turned down with the score at less than 100 and we were then guilty of switching off in the field which allowed Redbourn to rally to 156 all out - Ben Spencer finally removing the veteran gloveman Sanford for 51. Banger ended with excellent figures of 4-49 from a marathon 20 over spell and Ansell with 5-63 from 19 overs. Whilst we would have taken chasing 156 at the outset it was 50 more than it should have been. Following tea Gilo and Dockers commenced the run chase. Dockers was unsettled early doors by the persistent vitriol from the slip cordon and was then removed lbw to leave us 8 for 1 - undoubtedly unsettled by earlier events. Brownie, brimming with confidence from last week took to the crease and with Gilo steadily accumulating at the other end they took the score to 92 before Brownie hit a half volley straight to cover for 61. A typical Bury wobble ensued with Giles being bowled for 23 with the score on 99, and Sam Anthony following adjudged lbw with the score on 105. However, whilst Redbourn at this point had their tails up and smelt an unlikely victory they had not banked on the finishing capabilities of George ’Michael Bevan’ Barbett and his partner in crime, our leader Kitt, adorned head to toe in Warsops finest from the new 20th May range. This pair calmly took us over the line to a thoroughly deserved 30 points with a 52 partnership - Barbett ending on 29* and Ben 19*. Again, a comfortable win for us although it should have been a lot easier and we need to work on being a lot more clinical in the field which will matter a lot more against stronger opposition. Highlights: Steve Ansell 19-4-63-5, Kevin Walls 20-4-49-4, Martin Brown 61, The late car not containing Gal Wilson. Sat. 2nd XI home v Redbourn II we got off to a really good start from George Blemkin and James Barbett. James batted like a King this week smashing Thatcher out of the Redbourn attack through shots of classical elegance - a rapier rather than a bludgeon. He was sadly out LBW for 32 off 24 balls to the left armer who subsequently snared George in the same way. A rare failure by Martin Beedell clean bowled by Lee brought a pleasingly solid middle order to the fore in Nick Miller and Tim Read, they steadied the ship and then took command with more bludgeon than rapier. After putting on 97 together Tim was out for 40 and with the momentum rested back Nick went onto make a very good 77 before the Bury IIs declared at 236 for 6 off 50.4 overs. Good opening spells from Harley (10-2-1-30) and Noblett (10-3-2-29) with a wicket apiece saw Redbourn on 28 for 2 after ten overs. Behind the clock their numbers 3 and 4 took initially to the spin of Frederick and Barbett (14-3-2-49), however the youngsters reasserted control and with Barbett in particular extracting at times extreme turn we started to work our way through their order as he bowled Redbourne’s numbers three and five. Gary Bentley replaced Frederick and settled into the groove with a spell of 9-3-2-27 including the Redbourn number 4 brilliantly caught by a diving Barbett at a wide mid off. There then followed brilliant fielding by George Blemkin hitting a single stump at the non-strikers end for one run out which was then followed by Gregor Noblett hitting the strikers stumps whilst supine to end the determined resistance of Redbourn’s 14 year old number 7. So down to the last three overs two wickets required and Redbourn seventy runs shy of their target having fallen badly off the pace having been 96 for 2 after 25 overs at drinks. In Gregor’s last over a clever change of pace induce an edge to gully where Charlie Frederick held a good catch giving us eight balls at the last pair. Sadly we could not break through so we took nineteen points as opposed to the thirty we deserved. ----------------------------------------------- |
| Saturday 14th May
1st XI left Frustrated by Reed Negativity Reed were this week’s visitors to the Bury. The pitch was firm and looked full of runs. In the absence of skipper Wallis, the reins were handed to Shanners for the day. He lost the toss and Reed elected to bat. The Reed skipper Heslam and their Aussie overseas opened the batting against the new ball attack of Brownie and Banger. The opening pair were full of intent to score and whilst not always the purest of shots, took the score to 84 in the 20th over before the Aussie was trapped in front lbw to Banger who was bowling very well into the wind. Once the Aussie eventually left the crease the Reed skipper continued to score freely although his partner seemed less keen to do so which enabled us to regain some control of the scoring rate by giving him the strike. This worked well with Heslam becoming visibly more frustrated and played in a less confident fashion. By this time the spin of Ansell and Shanley had been introduced into the attack and having taken his time to play himself in the Reed number 3 began to play slightly more expansively. An agricultural hoik however, resulted in him being bowled by Ansell who then trapped the number 4 lbw with the next ball to leave Reed 171 - 3 off 40 overs. Although the mouthy Greaves survived the hat trick ball, Shanners had the opener caught the next over for a well compiled 97 and in the next over Ansell struck twice to leave Reed at 173 for 6, a passage of play which saw 5 wickets fall for 2 runs. Having been looking at chasing 250 plus we were now back in the game. The Reed keeper batted well and picked up some support along the way to take the score to 222 for 9 with 2 run outs and Ansell picking up his 5th wicket (courtesy of a great catch from Banger)in the last over to end with 5-74 from his 17 over spell. A decent total but a chaseable one should Reed show any intent on trying to win the game. What happened after tea was something we may have to get used to seeing this season? In normal circumstances at this stage of the season with a total of 200 plus, having won the toss, coupled with the 6 over advantage in your favour would see some attacking fields and intent to get in and amongst the top order and trying to win the game. The pattern for our innings was set early on though. Having hit a 4 over the infield in his 2nd over, Dockers saw a deep square posted and generally follow ball was the order of the day which saw our 47 overs take at least 3 ½ hours to complete and was more about us not winning the game than Reed trying to win it. The Reed opening attack was the best we have encountered so far this season and at 59 for 3 after 20 overs we were always up against in terms of run rate and the overly negative Reed tactics. Brownie and Sturge put on a stand of 67 for the 4th wicket before Sturge yorked himself to be bowled. Brownie by this stage was in imperious form and took a particular liking to the bowling of Greaves which saw the rate increase and began to take us up through the batting points. Tim Read fell without troubling the scorers and Dusty Miller joined the bronzed batting Adonis in putting on 62 for the 5th wicket before he was caught behind from the returning opening bowler. Just prior to this Brownie had brought up a maiden league century and managed to pierce the 9 men on the boundary in the last over for a boundary to take up past 200 and to leave us with a haul of 19 points from the game. Brownie batted beautifully and held the innings together well for us ending up on 112 not out with his century coming off 110 balls with 16 fours, and the second fifty taking only 29 balls. Our innings ended on 201-6 from our 47 overs and10 bonus points to go with the 9 we picked up with the ball. A frustrating game of cricket as Reed appeared to be happy with their lot having got maximum batting points. Our return of 19 points sees us 2nd in the table behind Cockfosters. Next week sees a trip to Redbourn where hopefully we will get back to winning ways. Highlights: Steve Ansell 17-3-74-5, Martin Brown 112* (110 balls, 19x4, 2nd fifty -29 balls) Second XI away v Reed II We got off to a really good start having lost George Blemkin early doors. James Barbett was batting like a Lord and Beeds was settling in for supper. A rush of blood by JB on 47 led to him chipping a half volley to midwicket and 82 for 1 rapidly became 84 for 4 with Jacko and Griffiths joining the ranks of the waterfowl. Beeds and Charlie Frederick promoted to 6 steadied the ship and things were again at 133 for 4 when misjudging a run Beeds ran himself out having just got his fifty. Reed suddenly came alive and were able to clean the tail up despite some good hitting from Charlie and Gary Bentley, we were all out for 170 with the last run coming from Kevin Blemkin who laced one through the covers to gain us the fifth and sixth batting points and to claim bragging rights at home as the highest runmaker in the family! We opened with Sheff and James Harley reasonably well and James had their captain and number 3 back in the hutch with twelve on the board as he extracted a bit of extra bounce with the new ball. Sadly, that was as good as it got as the Reed reply gathered momentum and we bowled poor lines and lengths enabling Reed to score at six an over. Charlie Frederick had a good tussle with some batters who were looking to be aggressive and he snared the number 4 well caught by Jacko behind. Gary Bentley having been brought on at the wrong end (sorry) became his impecunious self when switched to the pavilion end albeit too late to influence proceedings. The fielding was better with George Blemkin outstanding. 3rd XI away v Hertingfordbury II StMCC 234 for 4 -Des B 60—Mike A 74 no Hertingfordbury 184 all out with 3 balls to go Wickets shared around - but Ben Hart 4 catches -all good , the last one handed in the slips to win the game !! GREAT WIN ! AND now up to 3rd in the table !! --------------------------------------- Saturday 7th May 1st XI away v Chipperfield Clarendon The 1st XI fresh from an opening day triumph against Northwood, made the relatively long journey across Hertfordshire to face newly promoted Chipperfield Clarendon full of confidence. On arrival they were greeted with the site of a well prepared, firm wicket which had been well protected from the inclement morning conditions and looked to be full of runs. Skipper Wallis called correctly and had no hesitation in inserting the opposition and play got underway promptly with Martin "£20 match fee" Brown opening the bowling with the slope and breeze favouring his medium pace. His opening partner Kevin "Banger" Walls came up the slope into the breeze and together they maintained a tight line and length and kept scoring opportunities to a minimum. Brown struck 1st in the 5th over removing Moore, smartly caught by Kitt in front of 1st slip. Banger struck next in the 12th over with the other opener trapped in front lbw with the score on 16. A period of consolidation ensued with skipper Grout and McNicol intent on survival. Walls shelled a regulation caught and bowled from Grout before Brown struck again this time with an lbw. Walls was replaced by Noblett making his 1st team league debut and Brown begrudgingly made way for Ben Spencer. The introduction of the off spin of Darren Shanley in place of Noblett saw the next wicket to fall with Grout lofting one to be well caught by Noblett. This was followed up with a 1st ball dismissal of the aussie pro for a golden duck excellently caught by Sturge at silly mid-off diving one handed. The innings subsided to 127-8 with Shanley bagging 2 more victims and Ansell picking up a couple of wickets having replaced Spencer from the top end. What ensued was a mixture of some decent lower order hitting, some kamikaze running and a host of missed run out opportunities caused by some indifferent fielding close in to the wicket. Chipperfield’s Innings closed on 185 for 9, 50 more than they should have scored really with the last pair adding 30. Shanners was the pick of the bowling and picked up 4-47 from his 11 overs. Following an ’exceedingly good’ tea, Dockers & Gilo opened the innings. The Chipperfield overseas, Brammer looked a fine bowler and caused both of the openers concern early on with pace and movement in the air and off the pitch. However, Dockers was in particularly belligerent IPL form and punished anything that Brammer and the other opener Swart and 1st change bowler Fitzgerald served up - one large six apparently landed on the 13th Green at the Grove. His 50 came up from 34 balls. First to fall was Gilo for 21, who was adjudged LBW sweeping the slow bowler McNicol with the score on 88. Dockers departed next with the score on 114, for a well-made 65 to Brammer who then had Wallis given out caught behind the next ball to leave us 114-3 with 24 overs remaining. George Barbett joined Brown and together they added 40 odd with one mid-wicket collision the only blot on the copy book. Fortunately both survived this mix up. Both played a range of good shots and whilst Brown fell for 48 with the score on 157, Barbett (35*) and Sturge took us over the line with no cause for further alarm for a comfortable win and another 30 points. In summary, a competent performance, but victory could and should have been easier had we been a bit more clinical in the field. Highlights:- Darren Shanley 11-2-4-47, Simon Tilbury 65, Martin Brown 48, George Barbett 35*, Martin Brown’s sunburn story, Ben Spencer claiming he looks like Fernando Torres. 2nd XI - v Potters Bar Many congratulation to George Blemkin for a maiden 2nd XI league fifty - unbeaten at that and plenty more to come from this young man as well as Martin Beedell for 49 not out, good to have him back at the Bury. The fielding was a little inconsistent with one or two schoolboy errors on show (slips please back up the keeper rather than pass the time of day with each other!), some good catches were taken by Nick Miller and Jack Wood and a couple of chances went down. As we all know catches win and its important we take all possible offerings - note to self. On the bowling good opening spells from Kam and Sheff were followed up by spin from Beeds and Charlie Frederick who bowled well without luck. The pick of the bowlers was clearly Barry Gently who having worked out his length (Oooooh no not that one Missus) after figures of 11.2 - 1 - 40 - 0, then took 4 for 4 in fourteen balls as PB slumped from 149 for 5 to 155 all out, BG finished with 13.4 - 0 - 44 - 4. All round a very enjoyable afternoon’s cricket played in a nice spirit with nice people - couldn’t really ask for more. -------------------------------- 30th April 3rd XI v Hatfield Crusaders StMCC III 197-8 (Boucher 76) Hatfield Crusaders II 169-9 (Harley, Wicks & Anson, Club Solicitors, 9 between them) Match drawn ------------------------------------------------------------------- It was warm, sunny & a pleasure to be back playing Cricket after the cold, bleak winter of 2010/11, albeit on what looked like a very sporting & variable track at Hatfield Crusaders. There was a host of familiar faces in the StMCC 3rd XI dressing room, most of whom had either put on a few pounds or had lost a few hairs (skipper excluded of course). One figure stood out from the crowd though, he looked like someone I had seen before ; Was it my Postman? a finalist from last years Britain’s got talent? The bloke who sells The Big Issue outside Kings Cross station? No ! It was Jacko ; well most of him anyway. A fine svelte specimen of a man & some 4 & 1/2 stone lighter than last year’s model. What an achievement, well done mate, now what’s your secret? The home side won the toss and offered us the first use of the facilities. A rare bird was spotted on the field of play as the first ball was bowled ; not the Purple Heron or the Bittern but that of Sharpy umpiring, something that I have on good authority has not happened since Arsenal last won a major trophy. He was soon in action when Wicksy nicked one to the keeper bringing our new captain to the crease. With JK he added runs in good time and a partnership of over 50 quickly developed. John was out for 16 having laid the platform for a large total, bringing our token Northerner Mike Anson to the wicket. Mike added a brisk 26 including some trademark pulls off the back foot before being bowled by one that refused to leave the ground ; even for ready money. Your correspondent, keen to impress his new skipper, did so in dramatic style by running him out on the second ball of their brief partnership after calling for a quick single to short 3rd man, with Des (76) well set for a deserved century. A rattle of quick wickets followed as we aimed to gain 10 batting points & we finally ended our 47 overs on 197-7. An excellent tea which included sumptuous cakes & fresh fruit was enjoyed by all except Sharpy who had a few fags & a cuppa instead. The Hatfield innings was a curate’s egg of an affair with The Bury making early inroads into their top order thanks to some splendid bowling by James Harley & a bit of a mixed bag from Mr Rusty. Both styles contrived to take wickets at regular intervals ; One by being completely unplayable, the other by having the batsmen not knowing what was coming next. During this passage of play which culminated in the hosts being about 60-5 (A guess as no scorebook to hand) our Premier off spinner and last years Promotion winning team leader was injured in a dramatic attempt to take a catch at mid-off. Although it appeared that Sharpy had initially bagged the offering it somehow slipped from his grasp at the first attempt. On his second attempt he managed to knock the ball up, as if teasing the batsman that he may be about to dismiss him. On his third attempt, with the ground now rapidly approaching, a full length dive ensued, but if William Hill had been in the crowd observing, Sharpy would still have been odds-on. On the fourth & final attempt the ball landed tantalisingly within his finger tips only to roll out unapologetically & brazenly onto the turf. Sharpy was down but not out & despite having cracked his ribs in the effort he refused to go off & continued fielding for the remainder of the innings. A few weeks out was the diagnosis with the odd Fosters now & then for medicinal purposes only. Anyway, back to at the match. Hatfield put on a tidy partnership for the 6th wicket which gained them some batting points before the introduction of Mark Willis & Mike Anson reduced then to about 120-8. They then needed about 12 an over which they set about chasing in a very unusual way. One batsman would block out a maiden from Mike at one end whilst his partner would slog 10/12 from who ever was bowling at the other end. With 3 overs to go they needed 35 & it was only the reintroduction of James that finally did for the aggressive No.10, with a hostile piece of strike bowling, softening him up with the bouncer before shattering his stumps with a yorker. The final 2 overs were played out without incident & our hosts held on for the draw. A good start for the 3s, 19 points in our inaugural game in the Bear pit that is Hertfordshire League Division 11. |
|
CHECK OUT THE LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND LEAGUE TABLES
Hertfordshire League Web Site |
|