cricket 19 Jun 2006 11:26 pm
Another good performance
A Winning Draw away at Camp Hill is not to be sniffed at. In ten years playing for SMCC I’ve never been on the ‘right’ side of the result at Rumbush Lane (although I did once see the Sat 1st XI get a winning draw there in 2001 - see the pictures here.
On the majority of those occasions, we batted second and struggled on the Camp Hill wicket - which always looks ok but then doesn’t quite play as you’d expect - yet the home side are usually good at using their experience to get the best out of the surface with bat and ball. With this in mind, combined with the hot weather and our good performances fielding second so far, I was keen to bat (and glad when the coin came down heads! Martin Weir, take note).
Having said that, at 46-4 off 25 we were struggling, and the 25 I contributed were not very pretty. Ian Jordan, Camp Hill’s left-handed opener, must be glad he doesn’t have to face Sikander - who was tricky when he got it in the right place. The couple of overs he bowled at Martin Weir would have been too good for most - a rare failure for Martin this season. However, the graft was worth it as Neal Rughani made a hard-fought 43 (no boundaries) which enabled Jack Hemming (66*) and Tom Hemming (35*) to push to hosts hard in the last 10 - not forgetting Si Baxter’s rapid 18 including a huge six! Another really good batting effort with 200 being a good total psychologically and in the context of the game.
Although Camp Hill were steady in reply, I don’t think we ever felt they were going to reach the target. Everyone bowled well, with Jim Shirley and Keith Rondeau taking 3 each. Tim Westwood looked good again when it was in the right place, and Rick Singh bowled a useful spell - as did Simon Baxter. A few missed chances, including poor captaincy by the skipper choosing to place himself in direct sunlight - sharp spectators will have noticed the change of sides after an embarrassing miss!
In the rest of the division, there were plenty of runs scored, as Bablake hit 367 against next week’s opposition, Streetly. Fillongley got the better of Hampton, while Wishaw beat Stockton and YMF beat Ansley. The only surprise was probably the defeat of Bournville by Southam, which keeps the middle of the division table closely packed.
Close inspection of the division table shows we have been deducted 4 points - this is from the Wishaw match (slow over rate) - we are appealing. Had we got that final wicket against Fillongley to take 24 points, we would have been in the top 3. However, key fixtures against Streetly, Ansley, and Bournville to finish the first half of the season give us the opportunity to move up in the pack at the half way stage.
Nearly half way through the season? I can’t believe it either.
4 Responses to “Another good performance”
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on 20 Jun 2006 at 6:55 pm 1.legend said …
My first view of the 1st XI this season and I was very impressed by the smart turn out of the team all wearing matching shirts and caps. A credit to the club. Their cricket wasn’t too bad either
on 21 Jun 2006 at 1:47 pm 2.will said …
High praise indeed from the legend.
Quick quiz for you - how many players from the 2001 winning draw at Camp Hill were present in the team on Saturday, 5 years on…..?
on 21 Jun 2006 at 1:52 pm 3.Tom said …
Is it 2? Jim Shirley and Jack are the only ones I can see in the photos that played on Sat… jeez
on 21 Jun 2006 at 1:59 pm 4.will said …
Well done that man… It would have been 3 if Guy Morris had been playing but only those two remain.
Everyone else in the team except Si Baxter was playing in the SMCC 2s or 3s though - as far as I can tell.
For the real anoraks….
Scorecard - Sat 1st XI vs Camp Hill, 4th August 2001
Weekend report - 4th August 2001