Match Report

08/07/2001 v HEXTABLE

Drawn

It was decided before the match that we would field if we won the toss, since we are having problems bowling sides out. So Richard loses the toss and we bat first. Hextable had a fairly weak side out, but Simon Price, the one man cricket team, was playing, and he made things decidedly awkward for the openers. The Waller Park pitch was even harder but also with a bit of a green top, which had the ball lifting and moving away alarmingly. Clive survived a confident LBW appeal from Price early on, but it was Tony who perished leg before only several balls later. The stand in wicketkeeper was having severe difficulties with the pitch, and extras were keeping the scoreboard ticking away nicely. Clive kept Price at bay while Lawton scored freely at the other end. Lawton in fact played Price very well when he got down that end, and soon the scoreboard was rattling up boundary after boundary. Stringer hit four fours’ in one over, including one of the sixth ball which was a no ball. Unfortunately he was out off the seventh ball for 47 a shameful piece of jug evasion. Andy Steene came in to support Lawton , who was hitting the ball very strongly in the 'V', but also had a few lives, as even Price spilt a fairly easy catch.

Jock hit a rapid fire 40 before giving way to Priddy who also started enjoying himself. Lawton was told that he need only 15 more runs for what would have been a maiden century for the club, but promptly got out. Extras by this time had notched up a staggering 55- second top scorer in a total of 259. This is the second highest total scored by the club, only eclipsed by the 269 at Igtham a few years ago when Jock went mad and scored 144.

No surfeit of sausage rolls this week, but Adam had brought some interesting left overs from a party he had attended. Nobody was sure when the party was, so they treated with caution.

This was a high score, but on the very fast outfield, Old Dartechs had to be a little bit worried that Price, (who opened the batting as well as bowling throughout) , would knock off the runs. A few ominous drives were merely a prelude to a marvellous couple of balls from Coverly- the first mvoing away and beating the outside edge, the second moving back in and hitting middle stump. More wickets were to fall, but some obdurate batting , particuarly from Latham held up the Old boys. Ironically the man that did most to frustrate Old Dartechs, was Bob Dunkley- not picked because of a cock up on the availability front- who was playing for the opposition. Bob even managed to stay off his backside as he played out the final 5 overs with aplomb. A missed opportunity to win a game, but at least the batting was spectacular.

v HEXTABLE 172 for 7

Wickets

Runs

Clive Stringer

47

Tony Day

7

1

48

Steve Lawton

87

1

22

Andrew Steene

40

Neil Priddy

24 *

1

15

Adam Deal

6 *

Colin Deal

Martin Smith

1

46

Pete Smith

Richard Coverly

3

26

Jonathan Stringer

259 FOR 4 ---Drawn