Scorecard

Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI v Rayleigh 3rd XI on Sat 30 Aug 2014 at 1 p.m.
Great Waltham Cricket Club Won By 2 wickets.

Match report What a game. What a finish. What a season.

A great team performance that perfectly encapsulated what this summer has been all about.

Progression. Development. Enjoyment. The 3 key words that were central to the ethos of the 2nd XI this season. To provide opportunities for our young players to play with confidence and belief... And they certainly didn't disappoint.

On Saturday, the stars of the show were 13-year old Lewis Chapman who picked up his first Senior 5-for and 20-year old Sam Harman who narrowly missed his 3rd 5-for of the season coming agonisingly close to hitting the magical 30 wicket mark in the process. Progression? Check. Development? Check.

Rayleigh decided to take first knock on another green 'un and they were quickly wobbling at 55 for 5. Harmy simply tore into them. 6 overs down. 6 overs up. Backed up by 'Pistol' and Lewis, Rayleigh had no answer. 'Better bowling than you get in Division 1' was one comment from a batsman who'd spent the previous week in the 1st XI. Certainly the delivery from Lewis to dismiss the No.3 left-hander was simply unplayable. Pitching middle & leg, a wonderful off-cutter that struck the top of off.

Gosling (50) and Davies (25) restored some respectability to the score with a 6th wicket partnership of 67 as different bowling options were explored. 12-year old Harrison Elles on debut was particularly unlucky not to pick up his maiden Senior wicket. In tandem with 63-year old Derek Richardson, it was a lovely passage of play for players and spectators alike. A special mention for Tommy Clampett who - if he persists with his bowling (practice makes perfect!) - could be another spin option we're so desperately in need of.

Lewis returned for his 2nd spell as Rayleigh applied their foot to the gas and the run-rate picked up. Pete took the bulk of the punishment and bore the brunt of some big hits... his big task next season is developing his variations, particularly when it comes to the art of bowling 'at the death'.

Lewis was a model of control and consistency. Block hole deliveries saw the timbers rattled on 3 more occasions - twice in the last over - as his final ball secured maximum bowling points much to the delight of the 3rd XI on the old boys bench who warmly applauded him as Lewis raised 'the cherry' in their direction. 196 all out.

In reply, it was a case of something old and something new. After the early dismissal of Matty Reed, Tommy (32) and Chuckle took great delight in carving the Rayleigh attack to all parts. It was just a shame that Tommy 'gave it away' in such ugly fashion. 95-1 swiftly became 106-4 as the VC failed to accept the invitation to 'tee off'.

So it was left to two former 1st XI Captains to steady the ship... and here's where I pay tribute to the brilliance of Phil Whettell. The word 'legend' gets bandied about all-too-readily but I can't think of a more fitting epithet. He's a classical batsman, ageing like a fine red wine, who notched up his 500th run of the season and his 4th league fifty in the process, compiling a quite brilliant 66. Two cover drives towards the end of his knock had the pavilion purring. I can't thank him enough for his support this season... never mind his runs.

So often this season, Phil has held our innings together and with his departure, the nerves crept in. Needing to assume responsibility for getting us 'over the line' the Skipper needlessly holed out on the long-off boundary in search of a maximum... and when Lewis top edged one to end a typically hard hitting and boundary-laden cameo, we still needed 12.

The scene was set for the final act of the season. And you couldn't make it up.

With Gilly batting on one leg and with a runner - yet again - and 'Fletch' hobbling to the crease with his two arthritic knees, the target seemed further away than two lusty blows. The pavilion was packed to the rafters. Everyone was on tenterhooks.

'Fletch' calmly struck his first delivery for 4 but only just avoided a diving catch at square leg. A wide. A single. A bye. A wicket as Gilly was yorked. Enter Pete. 5 required.

Another pull from 'Nipper' through midwicket... but not enough on it! A comfortable two though. Surely? Not when you're 63-years of age, have two dodgy knees and the second run is up hill. Painful and comical in equal measure, Fletch narrowly hobbled home. 3 to win. Another scrambled single. 2 to win. Pete on strike. 12-year old Harrison padded up and ready to go.

Cox bowls. Pete swings. The ball spirals towards the pavilion. Two fielders converge. Both call for it. Neither pulls out. Thankfully a serious injury is avoided as the chance is spilled... the ball runs away as one of the fielder gathers his senses. Can they make it back for two? A bullet throw. A slide of the bat and the clubhouse erupts in spontaneous applause and laughter.

What a game. What a finish. What a season.

Enjoyment? Check.

I'll mull over an End of Season review... but will probably save it for the Dinner (which is already shaping up to be a cracking evening).

What threatened - on more than one occasion - to be a difficult season has been a veritable triumph for the Club. Not in silverware terms but two mid-tables finishes with teams packed with products of the youth set-up... I'm already looking forward to next season.

Skip II

Ps. Huge thanks to Graham Brown for his help in sorting out Selection from 9pm Friday to 10:30am on Saturday... and for allowing me to see the season out with the 2nd XI whilst keeping an XI together that have played the bulk of their cricket in Div.5.
PPs. Credit should also go to Atul for stepping off a plane from the Algarve and leading his young charges to a 7-point performance that proved enough to see us finish above the Auld Enemy.

Rayleigh 3rd XI Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 14w 5b 4lb 
for 10 wickets
24
196 (45.0 overs)		     
Peppiatt ct  Richardson Bowled S Harman 3
Wratton ct  Richardson Bowled S Harman 25
L Smith b  L Chapman 13
S Gosling b  L Chapman 50
Adams lbw  S Harman 4
Healey b  S Harman 6
Davies ct  Whettell Bowled L Chapman 25
T Gosling Not Out  23
Jones run out  (Chapman/Collins) 12
Cox b  L Chapman 2
Green b  L Chapman 5

Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sam Harman12.043348.252.75
Pete Collins12.036200.005.17
Lewis Chapman10.023957.803.90
Tommy Clampett4.001900.004.75
Harrison Elles3.001500.005.00
Derek Richardson4.002100.005.25

Great Waltham Cricket Club 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
6nb 18w 13b  
for 8 wickets
37
197		        
Tommy Clampett b  Wratton 32 5
Matty Reed ct  ? Bowled Green 2
Phil Whettell ct  T Gosling Bowled Cox 66 10 1
Sam Harman b  Wratton 7 1
Neil Robinson b  Wratton 0
Simon Richardson ct  Green Bowled Cox 26 4 2
Lewis Chapman ct  T Gosling Bowled Cox 20 4 1
Steve Gilliland b  Healey 2
Derek Richardson Not Out  7 1
Pete Collins Not Out  2
Harrison Elles  

Rayleigh 3rd XI Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
T Gosling4.003000.007.50
Green12.0626126.002.17
Smith3.003300.0011.00
Wratton12.0141313.673.42
Cox8.4148316.005.54
Healey2.01212.001.00

  • Umpire :
    Shared by players.
  • Scorer :
    Shared by players.