[Cricket] The village / amateur 2024 CRICKET thread...

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I imagine everybody's played with or against somebody who's clearly playing several levels lower than they really should be.

Probably not this many levels further down than they should be though.

Howzat! Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara makes Dorset Cricket League debut

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 68 and took one wicket for Shillingstone against Kingston Lacy.

www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Even at this stage in his cricketing career, I might be inclined to push him a bit higher than no.5 in the batting order in a Dorset League County Division 3 match.

 

[Eeyore]

I imagine everybody's played with or against somebody who's clearly playing several levels lower than they really should be.

Probably not this many levels further down than they should be though.

Howzat! Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara makes Dorset Cricket League debut

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 68 and took one wicket for Shillingstone against Kingston Lacy.

www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Even at this stage in his cricketing career, I might be inclined to push him a bit higher than no.5 in the batting order in a Dorset League County Division 3 match.

I remember playing in the mid-90s against an occasional at best New Zealand Test cricketer from the 70s who's name escapes me.

A team mate who bowled dollies got him out and was crowing about it. Turned out he was a bowler anyway and a complete bunny. But my team mate wasn't having it.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I remember playing in the mid-90s against an occasional at best New Zealand Test cricketer from the 70s who's name escapes me.

A team mate who bowled dollies got him out and was crowing about it. Turned out he was a bowler anyway and a complete bunny. But my team mate wasn't having it.

“Hanging balls”?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I remember playing in the mid-90s against an occasional at best New Zealand Test cricketer from the 70s who's name escapes me.

A team mate who bowled dollies got him out and was crowing about it. Turned out he was a bowler anyway and a complete bunny. But my team mate wasn't having it.

I thought I'd have a quick look on cricinfo to see if any possibilities jumped out.

It probably won't surprise you that there's a fair few occasional New Zealand bowlers from the 70s with deeply underwhelming batting records.

All-round records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

But more importantly, this is as close to a perfect excuse to post this as I'm going to find.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I imagine everybody's played with or against somebody who's clearly playing several levels lower than they really should be.

Probably not this many levels further down than they should be though.

Howzat! Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara makes Dorset Cricket League debut

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 68 and took one wicket for Shillingstone against Kingston Lacy.

www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Even at this stage in his cricketing career, I might be inclined to push him a bit higher than no.5 in the batting order in a Dorset League County Division 3 match.

Ex pat sport is great for this sort of thing. I played for a cricket team in Tokyo and we had a Japanese international, a couple of ex grade Aussies, some village standard players including myself and a Japanese guy who’d only played baseball and held the bat in the same way.

Then on to expat footy in Taiwan, where I once played against a guy who’d been on Bayern Munich’s books as a youngster and also an American goalkeeper who couldn’t catch, dive or kick.

 

[Eeyore]

“Hanging balls”?

It was our celebrated spinner who deceived batsman with his stock non turning ball. Not seen him for some time, but I gather he is well and living over Worthing way. We had some splendid times together. My favourite conversation was the one where I put on 99 with him at Chelwood Gate in an unlikely partnership. He made sure I was aware that we would have made a 100 if I hadn't ran one short. I pointed out that we would have made a 100 if he hadn't got out.....

 

[Guinness Boy]

It was our celebrated spinner who deceived batsman with his stock non turning ball. Not seen him for some time, but I gather he is well and living over Worthing way. We had some splendid times together. My favourite conversation was the one where I put on 99 with him at Chelwood Gate in an unlikely partnership. He made sure I was aware that we would have made a 100 if I hadn't ran one short. I pointed out that we would made a 100 if he hadn't got out.....

I see him on the WSU concourse from time to time.

 

[Audax]

Uckfield 1sts chalk up another loss. We played with 10. I went n to bat at 8, made 15 not out in a total of 147. Extras top scored with 59...

Tunbridge batted positively from the start, targeted the gap in the field and easily knocked off the runs. I bowled one over towards the end, but I've got something wrong with my action so far this year. Was a load of dross and got yanked. One over, but my back's not happy this morning.

 

[timbha]

Uckfield 1sts chalk up another loss. We played with 10. I went n to bat at 8, made 15 not out in a total of 147. Extras top scored with 59...

Tunbridge batted positively from the start, targeted the gap in the field and easily knocked off the runs. I bowled one over towards the end, but I've got something wrong with my action so far this year. Was a load of dross and got yanked. One over, but my back's not happy this morning.

59 extras? You must explain

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

59 extras? You must explain

Sounds completely reasonable to me.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

The boy got a late call up on Friday for yesterdays second XI game away in Rye. Their opponents made 280 all out and unfortunately we made a slow start so by the time my lad came in at 6 the game was probably out of reach, needing 130 off of about 10 overs. So he decided to go for it and see if he could narrow the deficit slightly. 7 balls later he was out but he’d scored 15 runs including two sixes which he was very happy with. An unbeaten 125 from one of our openers meant we finished on 242/7 losing by 38 runs in the end.

His second game in men's cricket about 3 weeks short of his 14th birthday and his first runs so a big day in the end for him.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I imagine everybody's played with or against somebody who's clearly playing several levels lower than they really should be.

Probably not this many levels further down than they should be though.

Howzat! Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara makes Dorset Cricket League debut

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 68 and took one wicket for Shillingstone against Kingston Lacy.

www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Even at this stage in his cricketing career, I might be inclined to push him a bit higher than no.5 in the batting order in a Dorset League County Division 3 match.

I once played against a team with a bowler who (rumour had it) used to play for Barbados second team. Not over quick but bowled massive in-swingers.

I also played against a London team called "Caribbean and Commonwealth" whose fourth change bowler was significantly quicker than their openers (who weren't slow). They also had a batsman who hit the biggest six I have ever seen off our opening bowler. We lost.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Another really good win, and up to second in the table.

Once again we lost the toss. Once again the opposition invited us to bat. Once again they may have questioned that decision as our openers racked up their second 200 partnership in three weeks. We finished on a monster 295/3 - the GUN racking up his FOURTH TON in his first 5 matches for the club (possibly linking in with @Sid and the Sharknados question about having played with people too good for the level… his scores to date are 132*, 0, 119, 135*, 144)

Gosport Challengers (with a couple of locally well known big hitters) came out swinging furiously to keep in the game, but thanks to some decent catching, soon lost touch, and were ultimately all out for 176.

Injured wrist (with all movement or feeling strapped into oblivion) held up - 9/2/34/2, but came back to haunt me, when I was down in the kitchen at 4am, gobbling painkillers

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The boy got a late call up on Friday for yesterdays second XI game away in Rye. Their opponents made 280 all out and unfortunately we made a slow start so by the time my lad came in at 6 the game was probably out of reach, needing 130 off of about 10 overs. So he decided to go for it and see if he could narrow the deficit slightly. 7 balls later he was out but he’d scored 15 runs including two sixes which he was very happy with. An unbeaten 125 from one of our openers meant we finished on 242/7 losing by 38 runs in the end.

His second game in men's cricket about 3 weeks short of his 14th birthday and his first runs so a big day in the end for him.

Having the timing / power to hit any six in a senior game at 13 is very impressive.

 

[Audax]

59 extras? You must explain

Their keeper was standing up for a couple of bowlers he could have been back for. We got a lot of byes and a few 5 wides.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Shrops u14s lost to Notts Outlaws on Sunday in the Royal London u14 county Cup.

We put them in and they got off to a flyer, 150-1 at 23 overs drinks. We pegged them back and got them 210-9 with 10 overs to go. They closed on 253-9.

Our reply was swift and we were ahead of the rate and DLS. But the steady loss of wickets saw us bowled out for 199, still with 10 overs left.

Ho hum, Worcestershire pears next week @ Stourbridge CC should be closer.

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

I remember playing in the mid-90s against an occasional at best New Zealand Test cricketer from the 70s who's name escapes me.

A team mate who bowled dollies got him out and was crowing about it. Turned out he was a bowler anyway and a complete bunny. But my team mate wasn't having it.

In a similar vein our village team came up against then current or recent zimbabwe test player John Rennie. My son, then about 15 and not really a bowler, sent down a long hop from which he was spectacularly caught on the square leg boundary. A story that's been re-told a few times over the years.

 

[dazzer6666]

I imagine everybody's played with or against somebody who's clearly playing several levels lower than they really should be.

Probably not this many levels further down than they should be though.

Howzat! Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara makes Dorset Cricket League debut

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara scored 68 and took one wicket for Shillingstone against Kingston Lacy.

www.dorsetecho.co.uk

Even at this stage in his cricketing career, I might be inclined to push him a bit higher than no.5 in the batting order in a Dorset League County Division 3 match.

Ian Gould’s son (Martin) ended up in W Sussex Div 6 or 7 after his team took over a league place from another (despite protesting to the league they would be too strong at that level). He ended up averaging around 100 for the first 2 or 3 seasons as they obliterated every team around them. Against us, we got him caught in the first over but it was a no-ball. We got him out again when he was on about 110 - after 11 overs

 

[amexer]

Ian Gould’s son (Martin) ended up in W Sussex Div 6 or 7 after his team took over a league place from another (despite protesting to the league they would be too strong at that level). He ended up averaging around 100 for the first 2 or 3 seasons as they obliterated every team around them. Against us, we got him caught in the first over but it was a no-ball. We got him out again when he was on about 110 - after 11 overs

He has certainly done the rounds of Sussex league clubs

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Ian Gould’s son (Martin) ended up in W Sussex Div 6 or 7 after his team took over a league place from another (despite protesting to the league they would be too strong at that level). He ended up averaging around 100 for the first 2 or 3 seasons as they obliterated every team around them. Against us, we got him caught in the first over but it was a no-ball. We got him out again when he was on about 110 - after 11 overs

Just a quick check, do you mean Michael Gould as in this guy (https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/michael-gould-297487), or does Ian have another son called Martin as you've written?

I only ask as I've just spent longer than I can reasonably justify trying to work out if there's a family resemblance to Martin Gould the professional snooker player.