|
|
|
2006 Season Report December 9th 2006 |
ABBERTON - Spring 2006 was very dry & largely sunny until our season started & the first game at High Easter was rained off. However we got under way in bright sunshine but in a persistent bitter wind on a pitch that was hard & dry, unknown for Spring Lane in April. We made the perfect start by rattling up 194 for 6 having been put in. The foundation was laid by a 2nd.wicket partnership of 99. Chris Martin swept & pulled his way to 43 before trying it once too often & being bowled round his legs. Charles Stewart continued the good from he had shown in the nets with some powerful back foot shots through the covers. Having not previously reached 20 for Lexden he overcame that psychological barrier & went to make exactly 50. Jon Jones continued their good work & ensured our strong position wasn’t wasted. He batted with great control to finish the innings unbeaten on 49. Ali Manhire gave good support making 15. Their reply never really got going thanks largely to Colin Hayward who took 2 early wickets in his first spell, finishing with 2 for 18 from 9 overs. Ed Vandermark & Mark Howlett combined to make the initial breakthrough with a run out then later on Ed bowled a fine spell of 10 overs right through to claim 3 for 27. Ali quickly slotted into his usual groove to earn the splendid figures of 9-2-20-3. Jon beat the bat on numerous occasions & deserved more from his 2 spells but still had an impressive analysis : 10-4-16-1. Chris also held on to a good catch at slip to end their innings.
**Champagne Moment** Jerry Morgan missing a run out chance by hanging on to his cap.
CHAPPEL & WAKES COLNE – The game at Danbury was also rained off so our second match was again at home & produced another convincing win. Having chosen to bat first our openers got us off to a cracking start with 58 off just 9 overs. Allan Highfield(35) led the way with some sweetly timed back foot strokes through the covers before mid-on claimed a low catch off his foot. Chris Martin(23) managed to reach the hedgerow with one pull shot & hit a rare back foot drive through mid off for 4. There was a slight wobble when 3 wickets fell in 4 overs but Charles Stewart(46) provided the necessary stability. He stroked numerous firm shots into the off side off both feet but often straight to fielders, otherwise he would have secured a second successive fifty. He put on 73 for the 5th.wicket with Jon Jones(42) who again allied control to his characteristically perfect timing. Both were eventually run out trying to push the score along but Colin Hayward made a quickfire 17 not out & lifted the total to 204 for 6. Chappel seemed to think this was beyond them from the start & after 15 overs had only reached 32 for 1. Jon bowled with real pace in his opening spell & made the initial breakthrough, coming back later to finish with the superb figures of 10-4-14-1. Colin was a model of consistency, probing away around off stump & went straight through his 10 overs conceding just 20 runs. At this point there was a deeply unhappy moment as poor Ed Vandermark, who was just about to bowl, twisted his knee while fielding. It was a really sad sight seeing him being carried off the field & we all hoped his injury would not prove too serious. Fortunately Jeremy Jenkins had turned up to watch & was drafted in as 12th.man. Before long he made a vital contribution. Their opener D.Maytham had made a cautious 40 but was just beginning to open up when he lofted the ball to mid on. We all held our breath when we saw it was Jeremy who was there but he hung on to the catch. Allan, given the responsibility of bowling Ed’s overs, responded splendidly. He took 4 wickets including J.Garrad for 47 who had been threatening to take the game away from us. Mark Howlett played his part by completing a stumping & conceding only 2 byes. Ali Manhire, also bowling a consistent line around off stump, picked up 3 wickets. Anthony Shearman, pressed into service as 5th.bowler, produced 4 tidy overs & claimed 2 bonus wickets, the second via a low catch taken by Allan with his left hand. They were all out for 149 leaving us winners by 55 runs.
**Champagne Moment** Jeremy’s catch as sub fielder.
EIGHT ASH GREEN - Our home match against Cavaliers was the 3rd. cancellation caused by rain & there was no fixture the following week so 3 weeks passed before the cup game at Eight Ash Green. On the first hot day of the season we chose to bat & were soon reduced to 21 for 3.There followed the only substantial partnership of our innings when Chris Martin was joined by Jerry Morgan. Having steadied the ship they then picked up the scoring against the change bowlers, putting on 59 for the 4th.wicket before Jerry was caught for 22. On a pitch of uneven bounce it was difficult to score unless the ball was full & after 45 overs we only managed 130 for 7 with Chris having carried his bat for 44 not out. He only found out afterwards that it wasn’t going to count towards the averages! When they batted our bowlers tried manfully but were unable to separate the openers K.Hammond(56 not out) & D.Polley(51 not out) as they cruised home by 10 wickets. Both Jason Summerfield & Jeremy Jenkins had their first bowls for the club, Jason ending up with the most economical figures of any of our bowlers conceding just 20 runs off 5.5 overs.
KIRBY - We maintained our 100% winning start in the league with a comprehensive win over Kirby. After winning the toss Robin Seller led the way with 110 in just 19 overs, an innings which included 14 fours and 4 sixes.Chris Martin provided the anchor with an unbeaten 87 including 11 fours & together they put on 140 for the 3rd.wicket. Jon Jones kept up his good form with 59 not out including 7 fours & 4 sixes, adding an unbroken 102 for the 4th.wicket with Chris. Ali Manhire chipped in with 35 as we compiled an impressive 306 for 3. For Kirby Alder only went for 32 in his 10 overs, but the rest of the home bowlers were put to the sword by our batsmen. Kirby's reply started with a quick 49 from Michael Lucas but after his dismissal by Colin Hayward (3-44), the required rate climbed above 8 an over. Dave Wilson scored 76 as Kirby closed on 214 for 8 and we ran out easy winners by 92 runs, exactly the same winning margin as against Abberton. Allan Highfield (3-29) and Craig Alderson (2-12) were the other wicket takers.
**Champagne Moment** Robin hitting Oram for 2 successive sixes.
EARLS COLNE & BURES – A rock-hard pitch & fast outfield provided ideal conditions for run scoring and our openers took full advantage. Allan Highfield was in his most commanding form, unleashing his full range of shots to all parts of the ground off both front foot & back. After striking 16 fours & looking totally assured it was a surprise when he was out for 93 playing another big shot. His partner was Chris Martin who lent able support before also being caught off the very next ball for 40. Together they had put on 151 for the 1st.wicket in 27 overs, an all time Lexden record for any wicket, surpassing the 143 by Robin Seller & Jerry Morgan at Kirby in 1999. After a mid-innings blip Colin Hayward hit 21 in a 6th.wicket stand of 37 with Jon Jones who again batted through to the end, making 46 not out with many sweetly timed strokes. Our total of 245 for 6 was also a new record for us at Spring Lane, beating the 244 for 7 against Kelvedon in 2001. The record for the ground, however, remains the 297 for 6 in 2004 by, ironically, Earls Colne & Bures. In their reply they kept up with the run rate for a long time but kept losing wickets, one to a brilliant low diving catch at cover by Jon with his right hand. It was Colin who kept pinning them back with his swing, bowling right through for 10-2-25-4 including 2 wickets in 2 balls. Jon achieved the same feat & although the hat trick was avoided he took another with the the 1st.ball of his next over to finish with 9-2-17-3. They were all out for 169 of which P.Francis made 52. Earlier Jason Summerfield took his 1st.wicket for Lexden.
**Champagne Moment** Jon’s diving catch.
EIGHT ASH GREEN – The first league match against our near neighbours was played on a Spring Lane pitch with more bounce than usual. Early on it looked as though we might squander the opportunity of batting first as for once the top order misfired. Only Anthony Shearman(17) reached double figures as we slipped to 59 for 4. Ali Manhire then also made 17 in a stand of 35 with Jon Jones which repaired some of the early damage, but at 94 for 5 there was still much work to be done. Jon was then joined by Jerry Morgan(23) in a partnership of 64 for the 6th.wicket which first steadied the ship then set us well on the way to a good score. That was ensured when Colin Hayward struck a quickfire 30 not out in adding 73 for the 7th.wicket & Mark Howlett stroked 2 of the 4 balls he received for 4. Throughout the scoring tempo was maintained by Jon who peppered the short boundaries with his full range of shots, the ball cracking off his bat like a rifle shot. He was only dismissed in the final over when trying to reach his hundred, finishing with a sublime 94 including 12 fours & 2 sixes. Our total of 239 for 7 must have seemed a long way off as Ali & Colin reduced them to 11 for 3. But a partnership of 82 for the 4th.wicket put them in a good position before it was broken by Jeremy Jenkins, who picked up 2 for 27. Kevin Smith made 53 before falling to a good low catch down the leg side by Mark off Jon who slowed their scoring & took 3 for 38. Ali took the final wicket to finish with 3 for 40 as they were bowled out for 199 giving us victory by 40 runs, as it turned out our smallest winning margin of the season.
**Champagne Moment** Mark’s legside catch.
WEST MERSEA - Our first league defeat came at second-placed West Mersea. On a hot cloudless day they surprisingly put us in & althought the pitch looked awful it played well enough. We had a series of solid stands as 5 of the top 6 reached 30. Charles Stewart(31) announced himself with a georgeous square cut & provided the early momentum in a stand of 47 for the 2nd.wicket. The 3rd.wicket added 41 before Allan Highfield fell for an unusually subdued 30. Robin Seller showed he preferred playing away in hitting a quickfire 42 including 6 fours & the only 6 of the match. The biggest partnership of the innings was 58 for the 5th.wicket of which Ali Manhire made a brisk 32 before receiving a dubious LBW decision from their umpire. Colin Hayward(15) helped put on a further 43 for the 6th.wicket but was overshadowed by his partner. Anthony Shearman biffed a series of pulls & cuts which yielded 7 fours and maintained the scoring rate. He couldn’t manage to reach his 50 in the final over but nonetheless ended up with top score of 47 not out. Our total of 233 for 6 looked defendable but they also built good partnerships of 55 & 66 for the 2nd. & 3rd. wickets. Aussie O’Regan made 69 after their umpire gave him not out first ball to a really good shout for LBW from Colin, who was the most economical bowler with 10-2-40-1. Jeremy Jenkins opened with him & also bowled right through in a well controlled spell of 10-1-45-1 but a hard-hitting 50 from Pryke started to take the game away from us. Ali was the most successful bowler taking 3 for 55 including 2 in his last 2 overs to set up a tight finish. Needing 4 to win off his last over there were 2 dot balls & a wicket but the 4th.ball was somehow scraped wide of mid-on & ran away to the boundary. It was tough to lose such a close game but at one time they seemed to be cruising so we did well to hang in & take it to the last 3 balls.
**Champagne Moment** Run out of O’Regan by Robin Seller & Mark Howlett.
HIGH EASTER – We returned to winning ways at Spring Lane where 3 weeks with virtually no rain produced the hardest, driest pitch we’ve ever had there. For the first half of our innings it seemed we would plunder another record score as the openers put on 34 with Allan Highfield making 19. There followed a major partnership of 87 for the 2nd.wicket in which Anthony Shearman carried on his good form from the previous week with a well-made 24. Chris Martin was the dominant figure, his first 20 runs all coming in boundaries. He went on to hit 12 in all as his timing made a welcome return in an innings of 65. Having reached 121 for 1 in the 27th. over we rather lost our way in the second half as the last 9 wickets went down in 16 overs for the addition of 85 runs leaving us all out for 206 in the 43rd. Robin Seller(17) & Jon Jones(19) made useful contributions but we were undone by Barnard taking 6 for 49 with the slowest of slow bowling. It was indicative of our success this season that we were disappointed with that total which was really the minimum we had expected.
In reply they lost 3 early wickets as Jon made early inroads, twice knocking leg stump out of the ground and bowling with great pace & skill in a spell of 6-3-8-2 which contained only 3 scoring shots. They got back into contention during their only worthwhile stand which yielded 38 runs in just 7 overs for the 4th.wicket, before 2 double strikes ended their resistance. The partnership was broken by Ali Manhire who bowled Nourse for 31, then hit the stumps again in the same over ending with 2 for 23. Allan removed Norgrove for 39 via a smart stumping by Mark Howlett and in his next over held a caught & bowled to finish with 2 for 16. Jeremy Jenkins bowled two tidy spells to earn the highly respectable figures of 6-2-11-2 having earlier hit 2 fours in an over batting at no.11. They were all out for 113 in 34 overs to give us our biggest win of the season thus far - 93 runs – just pipping the earlier 92 run margins.
**Champagne Moment** - Jeremy’s 2 fours.
CAVALIERS - The last Sunday in July was again hot & sunny at the end of another dry week and the rugby club ground looked made for scoring runs. They chose to bat but after 9 overs had limped to 25 for 3. They recovered thanks initially to Broster who made 40 in his first game for them. There followed a substantial stand of 70 for the 5th.wicket involving Smith(39) & Qazi(46) before the latter was stumped by Mark Howlett. That was off Allan Highfield who also mopped up the tail in a fine piece of bowling to earn 4 for 29. Jon Jones worried all their batsmen with his pace ending with 3 for 33 while Colin Hayward picked up a wicket at the beginning & end of his spell taking 2 for 37. Chasing 169 our reply began inauspiciously – 0 for 2 after 13 balls. At this point Robin Seller joined Chris Martin(25) in a partnership of 90 which repaired the early damage & set us well on our way. Jon then contributed 24 as a further 33 were added for the 4th.wicket & Ali Manhire chipped in with 15 not out in the gathering gloom before victory was secured by 4 wickets at 8.40pm.
Robin played the ultimate captain’s innings, leading the recovery & holding things together as others fell around him. Watchful in defence he was imperious in attack, striking 13 fours in a masterly innings of 88 not out – surely one of his finest. That win, combined with Mersea’s defeat the previous weekend, virtually guaranteed us promotion.
**Champagne Moment** One-handed catch at silly mid-on by Charles Stewart.
EIGHT ASH GREEN – Following the cancellation of the next 2 games, we recorded one of our highest ever scores thanks in large part to a century from Chris Martin, his first for the club. His 108 contained 15 fours, only one on the off side, as he swept & pulled to great effect & mainly off the middle of the bat. He put on 140 for the 1st.wicket in 27 overs with ‘emergency’ opening partner Anthony Shearman, who also made numerous clean strikes through the square leg region. He made 67 with 6 fours & that was his highest score for Lexden. Chris added another 41 for the 2nd.wicket with Allan Highfield(10) & a further 44 for the 3rd. with Robin Seller, who went on to hit 43 off only 17 balls including 5 fours & a six. Dismissing Chris brought no relief for their bowlers as it only ushered in Jon Jones who flayed them for 51 in just 18 balls, striking 4 sixes & a four. He piled on the agony adding 38 for the 4th.wicket with Robin & 34 for the 6th. with Rob Davis, who made a quick 12 not out on his first appearance of the season. Our total of 314 for 6, second only to the 322 for 6 we made at Chappel in 1996, always looked daunting & quickly became out of reach as early wickets fell. Kevin Smith biffed a brisk 57, Colin Mammond made 38 & Trevor Lansdown 28 but the rest offered little resistance & they were all out for 185. The winning margin of 126 runs was our biggest in a season of big wins. The most successful bowler was Jeremy Jenkins with 3 for 46 & Ed Vandermark made a welcome return to action, bowling his full 10 overs & taking 3 for 65. Ali Manhire took 1 for 19 in a tight accurate spell of 7 overs at the start of their innings. Jon wrapped things up at the end with 2 for 24 & also took the final wicket with a run out. Having bowled & seen the ball hit through mid on he chased back himself & threw down the bowler’s end wicket with a direct hit, leaving the lumbering Dave Merriday stranded as he tried to complete a second run.
**Champagne Moment** Run out by Jon or first 100 by Chris.
KIRBY – Our second defeat of the season was far more comprehensive than the first. On a pitch that was a little damp after recent heavy rain we felt batting would be easier later as it dried out. That decision to field first seemed justified when the first wicket went down with only 2 runs on the board. But opener George Wilson, after a cautious start, crashed 133 with 12 fours & 10 sixes – the highest individual score any of us could remember at Spring Lane. With support from his dad Dave(66 not out) he put on 204 for the 2nd.wicket to set up a total of 248 for 5 which was about 30 more than we might have expected. Jon Jones took the early wicket & was the only bowler to exercise any control finishing with 10-4-22-1, remarkably economical as all the others went for more than 5 an over. Even so, with two very short boundaries the target was still attainable & we were given an ideal start. Chris Martin continued his fine form with 34 including 6 fours in an opening stand of 79 from 18 overs. His partner Allan Highfield played with poise & control in collecting 7 boundaries before falling to the first ball after the drinks break one short of his fifty. Unfortunately that proved to be the only substantial partnership. Having reached 128 for 3 off 27 overs we were well-placed to push for victory but lost momentum as wickets fell. Robin Seller was caught behind for 28 & Jon, after being struck a painful blow on the foot, was bowled off his pads for 26. Rob Davis made 11 & Jerry Morgan 10 not out but we ended well short at 196 for 9. Consequently our final home match against second-placed West Mersea became even more of a must-win game.
WEST MERSEA – Fortunately this crucial game was blessed with warmth, unbroken sunshine & a dry pitch after some iffy weather during the preceding week. Robin was away becoming a dad again & acting captain Ali Manhire boldly chose to bat. That decision was fully justified as the openers gave us yet another fantastic start. As ever it was Allan Highfield who led the way, caressing the ball to the short boundaries without appearing to hit it hard. He was going along so smoothly that it was a real disappointment when he pulled a full toss straight to deep midwicket for 46. He had put on 77 for the 1st.wicket with Chris Martin who then picked up the tempo & even played a few offside shots. He also holed out for 45 but Ali kept things moving with a brisk 22. Jon Jones provided substance to the second half of the innings, hitting a couple of sixes with crisp pulls before missing a straight one after reaching 48. Colin Hayward supplied a late flourish with 20 not out, lifting the total to 228 for 8. We’d been unable to defend 233 at their place but O’Regan wasn’t playing here & wickets fell regularly. Colin battled away manfully running into a strong wind for his full 10 overs & recording highly creditable figures in the circumstances of 10-3-34-1. Jeremy Jenkins took 3 for 34 including the dangerous Graham Pryke 3rd. ball & a good caught & bowled despite being distracted when the skipper called “mine” but didn’t actually come for it. Rangi Pahura, who turned out at short notice as he had done at Mersea, had his first bowl for us & picked up a useful wicket. ‘Catches win matches’ is the old adage & it was certainly true in this case as three were taken on the boundary. Allan turned the tables by holding a good one at deep midwicket & Rob Davis grabbed two at long off. These were particularly fine efforts as both times the ball came at him out of the sun & the second was even better than the first as he also had to leap in the air, clutching it above his head. Even so they still posed a threat while J.Tilsley was at the crease picking up 5 an over off his own bat. However, when he had made an untroubled 69, Jon was recalled into the attack & promptly removed his middle stump before mopping up the tail in true fast bowler style to finish with
4 for 23. Suddenly they were all out for 155 with nearly 10 overs unused to give us victory by the deceptively comfortable-looking margin of 73 runs. That win clinched promotion and fair play to Mersea who turned up for such an important match with a genuine 2nd.XI.
**Champagne Moment** Second catch by Rob Davis.
EARLS COLNE & BURES – We nearly let the title slip from our grasp with a limp batting display at the picturesque Bures ground. On a glorious sunny day all this season’s big run scorers failed, providing unexpected opportunities for others. Initially it was Anthony Shearman who stepped into the breach, mixing stout defence with some robust shots in making 32. But when he was out to the last ball before drinks we were 67 for 5 with half our overs still left. At this point Ali Manhire took over & after an uncertain start became increasingly fluent. Helped initially by
Jerry Morgan(13) he first averted a complete collapse then went on the attack. He dominated the biggest stand of the innings, 58 for the 8th.wicket with Mark Howlett who, given a rare chance for a long knock, gave solid support contributing 17. Ali was left high & dry on 62 not out when, having taken 15 runs off the first 4 balls of the 42nd.over, the last wicket fell off the 5th. 170 never felt like enough, especially with 3 overs conceded & so it proved. Whiggan made an assured 38 to set them up as Jon Jones(10-2-29-2) strove hard against the top order. Allan Highfield gave us some hope by taking 3 for 26 as they neared their objective & Ali Manhire picked up 1 for 26 in his 9 overs. But Ayers made a composed 55 not out to see them home by 2 wickets in the 46th.over. Had we batted our 45 that would probably have been enough.
CHAPPEL & WAKES COLNE – We secured the Division 3 title in emphatic style with a comprehensive 96 run win at Chappel, our 4th. this season by a margin of
90-odd runs. Having been asked to bat our openers resumed normal service putting on 76 in just 15 overs before Chris Martin was out for 16. At this point Allan Highfield had already passed 50 & he added 40 for the 3rd.wicket with Robin Seller(26). He was then joined in a crucial partnership of 105 for the 4th.wicket by Jon Jones who blasted an awesome 65 including 6 sixes. Allan was eventually out having reached a personal landmark. His 101(12 fours)was his first ever century for Lexden after 35 years – congratulations! We made 252 for 7 – an imposing total especially after being put in. The Chappel reply was always behind the required rate as only Saunders(57)looked comfortable. Jon followed up his batting by taking 3 for 39 but Jeremy Jenkins(2 for 26) & Ed Vandermark(2 for 30) also bowled impressively & Rangi Pahura wrapped things up at the end with 2 for 3. That victory rounded off an outstanding league season which saw Lexden Cricket Club win a championship for the first time ever.
**Champagne Moment** Allan reaching his first century for the Club.
COLCHESTER GARRISON – Our final match of the season was a friendly in which we had only 9 players & the opposition 10. Allan Highfield skippered & made sure everyone got involved. Ed Vandermark was given the new ball & responded with a tight opening spell. He returned later to finish with 8-4-27-3. Jeremy Jenkins also bowled 2 tidy spells ending up with 7-2-27-1. Young Tom Clewlow(7-1-25-0) showed some promise, generating a bit of pace from a nice high action & attacking the off stump area. He was unlucky not to pick up a wicket when a simple catch was dropped & also fielded superbly. Three Williams & Griffin players made useful debuts. Neil Morrison kept wicket capably, saving several runs with sprawling stops. Dave Clough was the most successful bowler with 5.3-0-12-3 and
Mark Turner(5-0-21-1) chipped in along with Allan(4-1-9-1). Their total of 144 all out was perhaps 10 to 15 runs more than we would have hoped for but a good effort with only 9 fielders, three of them over 50! Anthony Shearman opened up against a quickie who liked banging the ball in short, one early delivery clattering into his helmet. Having been hit on the arm & body hooking Anthony realised he was playing too soon & produced 2 sumptuous pulls which forced the bowler to pitch up. He made what turned out to be top score of 23 in an opening partnership of 41 before guiding a catch to gully. His partner Jerry Morgan made 14 untroubled runs before driving a low catch to cover. Neil, after a slightly streaky start, grew in confidence but just as he seemed set he was out for 16. He added 36 for the 3rd.wicket with Allan who made a fluent 17 before falling to a catch in the deep. Wickets then fell regularly until the last pair were left to bat out the last 5 overs & earn a draw. With the help of some ostentatious ‘leaves’ outside off stump by Jeremy, dogged defending by Ed & a dropped catch they managed it to leave us on 98 for 7 in the gathering gloom.
The margins of victory that we achieved must give us great hope for continued success next season in Division 2. We’ve beaten most of the clubs we will meet before so there’s no reason why we can’t do so again. And with a new pavilion to play from we are definitely on the up, in more ways than one. Roll on 2007!
|
|
