Scorecard

South Woodham Ferrers 1st XI v Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI on Sat 02 May 2015 at 1pm
Great Waltham Cricket Club Won By 57 runs.

Match report A fantastic all-round team performance where every individual played their part.

It'd been a long time since a Great Waltham side had played at Saltcoats Park, so much so that it was a straight 1st XI fixture the last time the two teams met. They were the opposition in my first game as 1st XI captain, 10 or 11 years ago...

Asked to take first knock on a notoriously low and slow track, the sluggish outfield made run scoring particularly difficult. It quickly became apparent that something north of 150 was going to be competitve and 170-180 potentially match-winning. A steady and watchful partnership of 41 set a solid foundation before the Skipper departed LBW to a bit of a 'shooter'. A couple of boundaries later and Slippery holed out to one that held up in the breeze blowing in from the River Crouch.

Brockenbrow and Stephenson were keeping the score in check and when Matty was dismissed for a dogged and valuable 20 - comfortably worth double that - we were wobbling at 66-3. Chuckle and Robbo came and went and at 98-5, revised estimates of 130-140 were being mentioned in hushed tones. And then PA clicked into gear.

With solid and patient support from Tommy, an unbroken partnership of 60 for the 6th wicket took us to 158-5 at tea. Having struggled early on, PA took the battle to the bowlers and punished anything loose and if it was pitched up... it went. Two straight maximums off Smith were the highlight as the pendulum swung back in our favour. Game on.

Early wickets were a must and Pistol duly delivered by cleaning out Cox in his first over. Captain Permmanand swiftly followed in his 2nd - rather fortuitously if truth be told - top edging a 'high' full toss back to the bowler. With no call from either umpire, to the bemusement of the SWF captain and to our relief, Woodham were on the rack.

With former Burnham Sports CC batsman Grant Smith in at No.4, there was an ominous feeling that his stay at the crease was going to be key to the final outcome of the game. Having scored plenty of runs down the years in far higher divisions, there were some anxious looks as he despatched Sammy to the boundary 3 or 4 times in quick succession. But Harmy soon found the best reply, a beauty that nipped back through the gate to rattle the timbers. Royce went for a golden duck to give Pete his 3rd wicket and we were firmly in the box seat.

'Shiv' Permmanand briefly threatened to bring SWF back into the game but PA didn't just apply the brakes... he clamped the car. Using all his experience he quickly removed Chanderpaul before tearing through the SWF middle-lower order in an exhibition of line & length bowling. The wicket of Stuart with the 1st ball after drinks (such a cliche) gave us a real strangehold on the game but with Brockenbrow still at the crease there was still a danger to remove... and Deano duly obliged with a sharp one-handed return catch that took me back to his heyday in the early 1990's.

The icing on the cake was the final wicket for Ash Toomey. After a nervous first over he found his rhythm and got his rewards. Having spent last season 'filling in' for the 1st XI, hopefully this can be the start of a productive season for him.

Who knows what this season has in store? As ever, it'll be a race to get to 6 wins (probably safety) and then a case of re-evaluating. Last year was about progression, development and enjoyment... and I don't think that ethos will change. There appears to be a bigger pool of players vying for selection which can only be healthy... to the point where the 'old guard' are happy to be rested.

The return of PA is such a boost for the Club and the young players in the 2nd XI can learn a lot from watching him in action. It was also great to see Deano returning to the fold as a regular rather than a stop-gap. Injuries and persuasion permitting, there might even be a few more 'returning heroes' over the course of this season...

A great way to start the season.

Skip

Ps. Thanks to Harrison Elles for filling in as 12th man. Wonderful to see him and Joel Barker contributing in the Sunday fixture...

Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
4nb 12w 5b 5lb 
for 5 wickets
26
158		        
Simon Richardson lbw Brockenbrow 19 1 1
Matty Reed ct Stuart Bowled Brockenbrow 20 2
Neil Harman ct ? Bowled Stephenson 8 2
Phil Whettell ct Royce Bowled Smith 8 2
Paul Allen Not Out  58
Neil Robinson b Smith 8 2
Tommy Clampett Not Out  8 1
Dean Harman   5 4 1
Ashley Toomey  
Sam Harman  
Pete Collins   1

South Woodham Ferrers 1st XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Permmanand R8.012800.003.50
Hatcher6.011300.002.17
Brockenbrow10.0421210.502.10
Stephenson10.0220120.002.00
Smith6.0032216.005.33
Permmanand C5.002800.005.60

South Woodham Ferrers 1st XI Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
101 (33.1 overs)		     
R Permmanand ct & Bowled Collins 5
Cox b Collins 0
Brockenbrow ct & Bowled D Harman 21
Smith b S Harman 22
Royce b Bowled Collins 0
C Permmanand ct Richardson Bowled Allen 21
Stuart b Allen 2
D Stephenson b Allen 9
Southall b Allen 10
Chapman b Toomey 4
Hatcher Not Out  0

Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sam Harman7.0039139.005.57
Pete Collins8.031735.672.13
Paul Allen10.041243.001.20
Dean Harman5.0017117.003.40
Ashley Toomey3.1112112.003.79

  • Umpire :
    Players
  • Scorer :
    Players