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

[Simster]

Cracking game for me on Saturday, We limped to a paltry score of 121. I had been batting well but threw my wicket away with the score on 23 but my fellow opener went on to make 46.

In response, the oppo were 72/1 off just 7 overs. Then our skipper brought himself on and changed the game with some gentle accurate twirling - and half an hour later of his they were 106/7 and couldn't buy a run. Sadly we lost by 2 wickets in the end though.

I've now played 4 matches this season and lost the lot.

 

[Audax]

Lost again...

7-1-24-2 bowling figures for myself, helping bowl Laughton out for 148. We fell short in the chase ... threw my wicket away for 5 late on trying to chase a required run rate that was over 2 per ball.

Disappointingly, I'm missing the next 2 weeks. On the bowling side, everything clicked on Saturday. Probably my best spell of bowling since joining Uckfield, really enjoyed it. Just need to get my fitness up, should really have bowled out my 9. Early season shoe-induced yips still impacting even now I've switched back to the old boots. Rest of the team are now joking that they're going to glue the old shoes to my feet.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Took this on Monday evening with you cricketing chaps in mind. Old Fields, Trinity College, Cambridge.

I know v little about cricket but there’s something magic about it.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Mid week game for Jnr yesterday, playing for the Aldridge Academy 1st XI vs the MCC, in the shadows of the Amex at Falmer.
A slightly chilly but bright day, MCC put up 222 in their innings. BACA lost 2 early wickets, but fought back well to make a game of it - but ultimately falling just short by 13 runs. Jnr had a good day though, hitting a decent 87 on his 18th birthday.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Shrops u14s lost to Northants last Sunday. Staffs this Sunday will also be tough, as they're always strong.

But player development always takes precedence over wining at all costs in Shropshire County aged group cricket, so we play on.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Had a little run out for Hedge End Hawks in the Southampton Evening League, Div 1, last night, to limber up for Saturday, as I've not played the last two weekends.

In context of the opposition's total of 125/6 from 16 overs, my 3/-/15/1 was pretty tidy.

'We' knocked them off in the 12th over - our opener went berserk, making 95* of the 126 required (including eleven massive sixes). Lad plays for Lymington 1s, in the ECB Premier Diviison, and is really quite something when he tees off.

My proper game tomorrow:

Solent Rangers 1st XI v Ampfield 1st XI
Hampshire County League, Div 4 - Farlington Cricket Ground

 

[Eeyore]

My lad had probably his best game for Mayfield for quite a while on Saturday, even though it did end in a comprehensive defeat to B. Hill.
48 with the bat, and a decent bowling economy as well.

Splendid ground is Mayfield. Nice pavilion with decking if I'm correct.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Splendid ground is Mayfield. Nice pavilion with decking if I'm correct.

yep, really nice ground up there. We haven't been at all this season though, as Jnr is driving himself around these days!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

first 3 wicket haul of the season for the lad this weekend vs Buxted Park. Came back to earth with a bump with the bat though - LBW for 3, after scoring 244 runs in his previous 3 innings

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Horrible game Saturday, in various respects.

'Ground' was a playing field in Portsmouth with absolutely no facilities. Wicket was a dust bowl - bowlers' landing area was literally just loose sand by the second innings.

No neutral umpires meant a series of questionable decisions, leading to escalating poor spirit between the sides, all afternoon. And I bowled - when it mattered - as poorly as I've bowled in years.

We won the toss, and made 242/4. The gun carried his bat, for the third time this season (for 107 - his fifth ton, in his first 7 knocks for the club). Strangely though, all was not 100% well, even there - his innings Saturday was obviously impressive, on a dubious track - but there was very much a sense that in the last 10 overs when we really needed to cut loose, that he was dead set on getting his 100, and protecting his (ridiculous) average, to the detriment of the total. Preserving his wicket at that stage wasn't really important - we had 3/4 big hitters in hand.

I opened the bowling, and reeled off 6 overs for 20, but no wickets, but beyond that, they started to really get after us. Finally came back on with 50 required from 8, and bowled so badly that it was embarrassing. Just could not sort my run-up / feet out. Bowled a handful of (3 inches past leg stump) wides, and length was all over the place.

Had a little spat with the umpire (opposition captain) too - which was somewhat unseemly. He'd just turned down what my team-mates were absolutely adamant was a clear run out, when after a delivery he says to me "after you release the ball, you're falling across in front of me, blocking my view. I won't be able to see if there's an lbw appeal". Instead of just acknowledging / thanking him, I gave him a big fake smile and said "that's fine - it isn't as though you are going to give anything, anyway". Which he took offence at.

My spell of three overs went for 25, and they cruised home. Bag of shit.

 

[Eeyore]

Horrible game Saturday, in various respects.

'Ground' was a playing field in Portsmouth with absolutely no facilities. Wicket was a dust bowl - bowlers' landing area was literally just loose sand by the second innings.

No neutral umpires meant a series of questionable decisions, leading to escalating poor spirit between the sides, all afternoon. And I bowled - when it mattered - as poorly as I've bowled in years.

We won the toss, and made 242/4. The gun carried his bat, for the third time this season (for 107 - his fifth ton, in his first 7 knocks for the club). Strangely though, all was not 100% well, even there - his innings Saturday was obviously impressive, on a dubious track - but there was very much a sense that in the last 10 overs when we really needed to cut loose, that he was dead set on getting his 100, and protecting his (ridiculous) average, to the detriment of the total. Preserving his wicket at that stage wasn't really important - we had 3/4 big hitters in hand.

I opened the bowling, and reeled off 6 overs for 20, but no wickets, but beyond that, they started to really get after us. Finally came back on with 50 required from 8, and bowled so badly that it was embarrassing. Just could not sort my run-up / feet out. Bowled a handful of (3 inches past leg stump) wides, and length was all over the place.

Had a little spat with the umpire (opposition captain) too - which was somewhat unseemly. He'd just turned down what my team-mates were absolutely adamant was a clear run out, when after a delivery he says to me "after you release the ball, you're falling across in front of me, blocking my view. I won't be able to see if there's an lbw appeal". Instead of just acknowledging / thanking him, I gave him a big fake smile and said "that's fine - it isn't as though you are going to give anything, anyway". Which he took offence at.

My spell of three overs went for 25, and they cruised home. Bag of shit.

Part apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was your night at the theatre ?

 

[ForestRowSeagull]

Solly March turned up to watch the game I played on Saturday (Chiddlingly) - was a bit starstruck!

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Quick update from me about the boy, we haven't had much cricket the last few weeks as games have been called off over availability. He did manage to find a local village team looking for players for a friendly so guested for them, getting two run outs while keeping and hitting 15 not out batting at number 9 (very low down the order for the lad).

Then after a few weeks of nothing we had three T20 games in a week. 3 losses but he continues to impress with the bat and at keeper when given the chance.

Monday saw an age group T20 game. He took a catch at wicket keeper (his first) and then retired not out on 30 with the bat off 19 balls to open the reply (3 fours and 2 sixes in the innings although later one of the fielders said he things one of the 4s actually went for 6 but it was close). He was very pleased as he's got a bit of a rivalry with the opening batsman on the other team, they competed for opening spot on the MCC team earlier in the season which my boy eventually got. In this game both retired not out on 30 but the other lad took 29 balls to get there. So he's taking that as a win. Unfortunately he's team mates couldn't keep up with his run rate and we lost by 65 runs.

Thursday night he played a mens T20 friendly, opened and scored 4 before being run out, a little slow to react to a quick single, but it's all about learning and his team mates are always very encouraging about his play and what he did right and wrong. I thought our score looked a little short of what we could have got and so it proved to be, they won by 6 wickets, largely thanks to a great 66 from their opener off 42 balls.

Sunday we had a development friendly so a mixture of youngsters and adults. Was meant to be a 35 over game but was reduced to a T20 to make sure we were done in time for the football. When we arrived the field was still setup for the first team game from the day before so the boundary was huge. He kept wicket and again impressed with his bravery behind the stumps. He's also getting a bit of a voice now shouting encouragement to the bowler etc.

He came in at 3 and really went for it. With the big boundary the other side had struggled to score only hitting 6 fours in their entire innings. The lad had already said he was going to take it on, he loves hitting big and he hit 5 fours in a total of 30 off just 19 balls (i see a pattern emerging here), before he got stumped trying to hit big again, he shared a 49 run partnership for the second wicket. We scored steadily and this one was going down to the wire, we needed 4 off the last over but some excellent bowling saw us only get two off that over meaning we lost by one run but there it was a great experience for the youngsters. We had 5 in our squad and they all contributed in some way. One of the young lads on the other team is going to join out under 14s team as they don't have an age group team and he looks like a good player.

On a side note I was asked to score the last two games which I really enjoyed, did it through the play cricket app and it was good to feel involved in the game in a small way.

 

[Audax]

when after a delivery he says to me "after you release the ball, you're falling across in front of me, blocking my view. I won't be able to see if there's an lbw appeal".

I said almost exactly that to a bowler while umpiring a couple of seasons back. He'd been bowling well from a little wider of the stumps, but as the spell progressed he came across and started blocking my view. Instead of giving a warning for running on the pitch (which he was), just dropped a hint that I couldn't see to give any LBW shouts and he promptly went back to the wider delivery point. Achieved what it needed to: got him out of the danger area, and meant I could see.

 

[Brian Fantana]

Took this on Monday evening with you cricketing chaps in mind. Old Fields, Trinity College, Cambridge.

I know v little about cricket but there’s something magic about it.

View attachment 184674

Fun fact: I took my only career hattrick (thus far) playing a club cricket match on that ground. My dad was umpiring at the end I was bowling at and thankfully didn't need to get involved as all three victims were bowled.

 

[Titanic]

... Had a little spat with the umpire (opposition captain) too - which was somewhat unseemly. He'd just turned down what my team-mates were absolutely adamant was a clear run out, when after a delivery he says to me "after you release the ball, you're falling across in front of me, blocking my view. I won't be able to see if there's an lbw appeal". Instead of just acknowledging / thanking him, I gave him a big fake smile and said "that's fine - it isn't as though you are going to give anything, anyway".

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I said almost exactly that to a bowler while umpiring a couple of seasons back. He'd been bowling well from a little wider of the stumps, but as the spell progressed he came across and started blocking my view. Instead of giving a warning for running on the pitch (which he was), just dropped a hint that I couldn't see to give any LBW shouts and he promptly went back to the wider delivery point. Achieved what it needed to: got him out of the danger area, and meant I could see.

I wasn't running down the pitch (not as far as the prohibited area, anyway).

 

[Audax]

I wasn't running down the pitch (not as far as the prohibited area, anyway).

.

Always a difficult one at the level I'm playing at. No dedicated umpires, so things like running on the pitch, full toss no balls (and warnings related to such) can become flashpoints if not careful. Think it was first game of the season our 'keeper was given a warning for collecting the ball before it passed the stumps (he wasn't from where I was stood).

 

[Mackenzie]

No game for the girls this week, but my son had a nice little cameo of 22 not out as his team won by 5 wickets.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Hursley Park 2s v Ampfield 1s
Hampshire League Div 4
12.00pm start, weather permitting.

Chance to put right the crap performance of a week ago. New boots arrived today. Not sure whether to risk them, or continue to risk the knackered old ones, held together with tape!

Quite a few first choice lads away, so a few new faces, including the usual 2s keeper - who is a former Saints (170+ games) and Manchester City (100+ games) midfielder...