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2007 Season Report May 3rd 2007 |
GOSFIELD - Our opening game in Division 2 was played at the end of the warmest April since records began in 1659 & during which there was hardly any rain. Gosfield’s pitch was therefore rock hard but with unpredictable bounce. On a day of unbroken sunshine we chose to try & grab early wickets with the new ball but it didn’t work out that way. Colin Hayward took one in the 6th.over & was the most economical bowler going right through for 10-2-24-1. But we were unable to make any real breakthrough & a series of partnerships enabled them to accumulate steadily. Skipper Gary Dicker was the lynchpin, carrying his bat for an unspectacular but determined 80 not out. Ed Vandermark took 2 for 41, Jon Jones 1 for 27 & Allan Highfield 1 for 31. Chris Martin also took a fine tumbling catch at short midwicket, just getting his hands under the ball as he dived forward. Their total of 172 for 6 was well within our capabilities had we batted like last season but we appeared decidedly ring rusty. Of the top six only Anthony Shearman made double figures, hitting
3 fours in his 20 before trying another ‘swivel’ shot & falling LBW. This left us on 67 for 6 with half our overs still left & facing a humiliating rout. However, complete disaster was averted by Jerry Morgan & Colin Hayward who almost doubled the score with a stand of 61. Colin dominated, striking 6 fours including a top quality
on-drive past the bowler, all along the ground, timed so well that even long-on couldn’t cut it off. When he was out for 39 an unlikely win had come within reach but Jerry(23) followed soon after leaving 31 needed from 3 overs which proved too much. At least we managed to make 152 & earn a 4th. batting point.
**Champagne Moment** - Tumbling catch by Chris.
WEST MERSEA 1(Cup) - Pitches at The Glebe always look rough but sometimes play well. This one, however,lived down to its appearance & was the worst we have played on anywhere for many years. There was no way of knowing whether the ball was going to shoot along the ground or rear up to shoulder height so batting was a lottery. Nevertheless, having been put in we battled along with a partnership of 34 for the 2nd.wicket. Anthony Shearman made top score of 16 having been hit on the arm, the grille of his helmet & the shoulder by a throw from a fielder. Jerry Morgan ground out a defiant 9 before failing to keep out another in a long line of ‘shooters’. That turned out to be the only stand of any substance & from 42 for 1 we slowly declined to 93 all out, 7 batsmen being clean bowled. Other notable knocks came from Ali Manhire(13) & Craig Alderson(12) but the largest contribution by far was extras with 34, 21 of them byes. At least we managed to keep them in the field for 40 overs, which was an achievement in itself. They knocked off the runs in 15 overs for the loss of 4 wickets thanks largely to 38 not out from skipper Danny Harness but not without a slight wobble as Ali took 3 for 41. All 4 of their batsmen were also bowled bringing the percentage of dismissals by that means for the match to 73%, which tells its own story about the poor quality of the pitch, simply not up to the required standard.
GREAT BROMLEY - The next 2 games were rained off so it was a relief to actually play & it felt a bit like the season was starting again. Bromley’s square was immaculate and the pitch dry, hard & flat – a delight after what we had played on thus far. The match itself was one of the most exciting & pulsating contests we’ve been involved in for years. Choosing to field first we soon had them struggling. Jon Jones, bowling with accuracy & pace, was also able to swing the ball and made early inroads in what turned out to be his only spell of 6-2-10-2. Ali Manhire backed this up with hardly a ball off line in 2 spells to earn the excellent return of 9-3-19-4. Allan Highfield bowled an equally tight line picking up 2 for 11 in his 5 overs. One of those came courtesy of a smart stumping by Mark Howlett and the other a brave catch from a fierce drive at long-on by Michael Rudge, an important contribution on his return to the side. It was a fine all round fielding performance as we took every chance offered & in good batting conditions bowled them out for 131 in 37 overs.
All we had to do then was bat sensibly & the game was ours but things didn’t work out that way. Two wickets went down in the very first over including Anthony Shearman being run out without facing a ball – on his birthday! Soon after we were 15 for 4 having chucked away all the initiative won by our bowlers. Robin Seller, playing his first game, announced himself with some booming drives & was joined by Jon, who was content to just keep an end up against accurate bowling. Robin made the most of being dropped 3 times before playing back to Pedro Brinkley’s first ball & hitting his wicket. His innings of 45 included 8 fours in a partnership of 71 which put us back in with a chance but 46 were still needed. Jon then assumed the dominant role but wickets continued to fall including another farcical run out. At 100 for 8 he was joined by Mark who displayed an admirably straight bat & unflappable temperament amidst much ‘chat’ from the fielders. Together they took the score up to 129 when Jon, looking to win the match with one blow, was caught on the deep midwicket boundary. Enter Ed Vandermark with 3 needed to win, 2 to tie. A new bowler comes on whose first ball is called wide – 2 to win. With steely determination Ed played out the entire over & the focus switched to Mark. A shortish ball, wide of off stump – a cut through gully & they run 2. Game over & a win by 1 wicket in the tighest of finishes. A fantastic game of cricket made all the better, of course, by being on the winning side. Afterwards our scorecard had a bizarre look with 2 players making 40’s but no one else scoring more than 5.
**Champagne Moment** - There were several candidates :- Catch by Michael, Mark hitting the winning runs, or Anthony being run out without facing.
TENDRING - This was the first outing for our new friendlies side & it was something of a baptism of fire. They set off at 6 an over & never slowed down thanks to a blistering 130 from 15 year old Michael Hayward, whose real sport is rugby! The next highest score was 32 which shows how much he dominated their innings. They totalled 247 for 5 in 40 overs & although we were never able to apply any pressure there were plus points. Ed Vandermark bowled tidily in 2 spells picking up 2 for 51. Jason Summerfield, having his first bowl since nets, got better the longer he went on. He sent down 10 overs in succession taking 1 for 53 which on a hot afternoon was a tremendous effort. Our new wicket-keeper Neil Morrison held an awkward high catch & only conceded 4 byes. Our reply was centred around a 3rd.wicket partnership of 72 in which Colin Hayward blasted 39 with 7 fours in just 12 overs. He was well supported by Matt Elmakahleh playing his first game for many a year but showing no signs of rustiness at all. Mixing solid defence with powerful pull shots his was an innings of real authority & full of promise for the future. He scored 63 with 11 fours, the first player to score a half century on debut for Lexden since Chris Martin. While those two were together there seemed a chance we might come close but no one else made double figures & from 122 for 3 we subsided to 147 all out, losing by exactly 100 runs. So a big defeat but as England players always say we could take some positives from the game.
GREAT TOTHAM - Finally a dry Sunday & we were able to play our first home game on 10th.June! Choosing to field we kept their batsmen quiet on a pitch of low but mainly even bounce as all the bowlers performed well. Jon Jones took 2 early wickets & finished with 10-3-20-2. Colin Hayward was steady as ever with 10-2-21-2 unusually in 2 spells. Jeremy Jenkins showed good control in his first spell for the club this season of 8-1-22-0. The most successful bowlers were Allan Highfield with 3 for 26 & Ed Vandermark 3 for 34 as they were bowled out for 131 in the last over, of which K.Mays made 51. Chris Martin, having earlier taken a fine catch diving forward at cover, gave our reply a solid start making 34. He shared stands of 42 for the 2nd.wicket with Anthony Shearman(14) & 27 for the 4th. with Robin Seller(17). Charles Stewart made 10 before being bowled by a wonder ball that pitched outside leg stump & hit the top of off. Jon made 14 but when he was out at 110 for 8 it looked as though we may have blown our chance. But once again Mark Howlett showed great sang froid & technical ability under pressure. Ably supported by Ed he manoeuvred the ball around until 7 were needed from the final over. Clever placement & almost suicidal running brought 3 twos & with the scores level Mark then played an exquisite cover drive for 4 to seal victory by 2 wickets. He finished 21 not out & with Ed, who scored 1 not out, shared an unbeaten partnership of 25 for the 8th.wicket. The bowler of that last over was C.Powell who before it began had taken
4 for 17. It was a remarkable achievement & spookily similar to the win at Great Bromley. There they were also bowled out for 131 & we won by 1 wicket with the same 2 batsmen at the crease.
**Champagne Moment** - Cover drive by Mark to win the game.
WEST MERSEA - Perhaps surprisingly the home side chose to bat first & that proved a big mistake as they crumbled to 46 for 8. The architect of their downfall was Colin Hayward who was exceptional taking 5 for 15, his best return for Lexden since he took 5 for 11 at home to Langham in 1999. However there followed a 9th.wicket stand of 60 between Vince & Sanderson which enabled them to reach 111, curiously all 10 were bowled. Chris Martin led our reply and, despite having to retire hurt for a while after edging the ball into his ear, returned to make 44 not out & steer us home. Anthony Shearman was the other main contributor with a steady 23 as we ran out comfortable winners by 8 wickets. There was also a personal footnote. After scoring his first century for the Club last season, Allan Highfield finished not out – a feat he hadn’t achieved in over 200 previous innings spanning 13 years for Lexden.
CLACTON RAMBLERS - A pulsating match which didn't finish until 8.25pm saw us become the first side to lose to Clacton Ramblers this season after the game swung to and fro all afternoon. Having been invited to bat we proceeded sedately to 63-1 off 18 overs as Allan Highfield(13), Chris Martin(25) and Anthony Shearman(10) saw off the new ball; the latter pair adding 44 for the second wicket. This soon became 82-6, however, as the slow wicket and fine catching saw our effort to increase the run rate back-fire spectacularly. At this point the patient Charles Stewart was joined by Ali Manhire and both were dropped as the damage was repaired.
Ali played some fine leg side shots and his excellent 46 was instrumental in the 7th wicket partnership adding a season's best 89. Charles finished 33 not out and the in form Mark Howlett chipped in with an unbeaten 11 to see us post 186 - 8.
This score, although slightly under par, was certainly defendable but the Ramblers top order had different ideas. At 83-1 at half way the hosts were firm favourites; but Ali claimed 2 wickets in an over, including the dangerous Clayton Jeffery for just 2. Jon Jones(2-18) returned to dismiss Thurgood for 62 and the run rate crept up to over 6 an over with the match back in the balance. Clacton needed 8 off the final over but crucially Lexden old boy, Steve James, was still at the crease and it was his calm batting that saw them home with 43*. The final over saw a champagne moment candidate with Charles taking a running catch over his shoulder as Ali finished with 4-41 to complete a great individual performance. The game was closely contested and played in the right spirit as we lost a tight finish following earlier narrow wins in similiar situations against both Great Totham and Great Bromley.
**Champagne Moment** - Running catch by Charles
TENDRING - Our second friendly was against the same opposition as the first & played on a similarly hot, sunny afternoon – such a rarity this summer. They again batted first & set off at 7 an over with the dangerous Michael Haywood making 29 in no time. But then Craig Alderson, with his first ball, had him well caught at mid-off by Mark Turner & thereafter we were able to exercise some control over their scoring. Craig bowled with excellent control of length & direction claiming 2 for 36 off 9 overs. At the other end Keith Farrow, playing his first game for Lexden, was a model of accuracy & generated a bit of zip off the pitch. He posed problems for all the batsmen & deserved better than his return of 9-1-35-1. The only other maiden over we delivered was bowled by 11 year old Ashley Ling, whose smooth action & tight line around off stump earned him 4-1-8-0. 12 year old David Moss also impressed with his accuracy & flight and he deservedly picked up 2 for 20 from 5 overs, one via a smart stumping by Neil Morrison who conceded only one bye throughout the innings. 12 year old George Evans bowled 3 tidy overs at the end when the run chase was on & all 3 lads acquitted themselves well in the field. Their total of 200 for 7 was perhaps a little more than we deserved to concede but 12 no balls & 13 wides didn’t help. Our reply was given a fine start by an opening partnership of 48 off 12 overs & it came as a surprise when Matt Elmakahleh(6) was bowled. The stand was dominated by Anthony Shearman who made top score of 29 with a mixture of lofted drives & neat deflactions. Unfortunately all 10 wickets fell for the addition of only another 60 runs & we were bowled out for 108 to lose by 92 runs. Mark(15) & Craig(11) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures as extras contributed 28. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable game played in a good spirit & the sun shone!
ARDLEIGH - A lacklustre all-round display saw us lose to a team in danger of relegation for the second week running as we put in our worst league display of the season. We were heavily beaten by a mediocre Ardleigh side and barely deserved the six points we collected from the match. Having elected to field first the overcast skies soon became blue, and the pitch played much better than it looked, as Jo Bland
(60) and Kurt Lamont (52) added 83 for the third wicket to set up a decent platform. A few lusty blows from the Ardleigh middle order saw the hosts to a competitive but not unassailable 201-7. Jon Jones was the pick of our bowlers and finished with 3-23 from his 10 overs, whilst Colin Hayward contributed with 2 run outs and a wicket courtesy of a good catch by Allan Highfield at deepish long-on. Our reply started with an untroubled opening partnership of 29 but 3 quick wickets left us at 33-3 and facing an uphill stuggle against an unthreatening home attack. Just as the captain and vice-captain were beginning to repair the damage, Ardleigh's infamous umpire Maynard gave Robin Seller (21) out to a laughable leg before and Ali Manhire (18) was bowled by a shooter leaving us at 78-6. Our highest partnership followed as Jon Jones (27) and Michael Rudge (15) added 41 but then we lost our last 4 wickets for just 4 runs to collapse to 123 all out. Ardleigh skipper Phil Bland somehow ended with 4-28 and the loopy slow bowling of Bob Barrel 3-13 as the win was completed. With tricky games against Totham, Bromley and Bentley to come in the next month we need to urgently be looking to improve our batting to ensure that our season doesn't fall away.
Possible Champagne Moment - Colin's direct hit run out of Jo Bland.
TWINSTEAD - We had a strong team out for this friendly until Ali Manhire had to leave before the start of play to comfort Sarah following a road accident. Fielding with 10 men left plenty of gaps which were expertly exploited by their opener Walters who struck a scintillating 127. The opening pair put on 94 in 15 overs before Tom Clewlow struck in his 3rd.over. He also took the second wicket, both bowled, in his 5th. & maintained a good pace through 10 consecutive overs ending up with 2 for 66. Matt Elmakahleh bowled 6 steady overs taking 1 for 17 & Allan Highfield took 2 for 22, including another stumping by Neil Morrison. It might have been 3 but Jason Summerfield, attempting to take a catch, was struck by the ball on his right eyebrow. With blood pouring from the wound he was out of the game. This was a pity as he had just dismissed Walters with the second ball of a new spell, thanks to a well-judged catch by Matt at deep midwicket. They declared on 243 for 6 after 40 overs & in reply we were never able to match their rate of scoring as their opening bowler Payne posed problems with his accuracy & bounce. Allan played a controlled innings of 69 containing 10 fours, battling through the awkward early overs then becoming more expansive later on. Unusually he was outscored in a partnership for the 2nd.wicket with Anthony Shearman who made a positive 26. The other main contributor was Neil who took the time to play himself in before upping the tempo once he was set, finishing on 39 not out with 5 fours. Craig Alderson clipped a couple of boundaries in his 9 not out before playing out the last few balls to ensure we secured a draw having reached a respectable 167 for 6.
GREAT TOTHAM - Our most lamentable performance so far came on the last Sunday in July at Bull Meadow. In a month which has seen parts of the country under several feet of water, heavy overnight rain had forced a last minute change of pitch. Despite much rolling the chosen surface was soft & having been put in we failed to deal with the conditions. So poor were we that they brought their colts on to bowl after only 15 overs with the score on 57 for 5. Added to deficient batting techniques was an element of self-destruction as both Chris Martin(22) & Charles Stewart(13) were run out. Having blundered along to 74 for 9 we were treated to a last wicket stand of 36, by far the largest of the innings. Ed Vandermark made top score of 26 with a judicious mixture of careful defence & selective hitting which earned him 4 fours & a six. He was ably supported by Jeremy Jenkins whose 7 not out included a six but mainly lots of solid forward defensive blocks. Despite these heroics 110 all out was never going to test a strong Totham side who knocked off the runs with ease in under 16 overs as Powell hit 66 not out. It was our worst batting display since we were bowled out for 99 at Cavaliers in June 2004(I don’t count our 93 against the West Mersea 1st.XI in the cup) & our third successive defeat. A much-improved performance will be needed next time out.
COLCHESTER GARRISON - The most evenly-contested friendly so far was played on a gloriously hot afternoon at Spring Lane. Choosing to field despite the conditions we again struggled to make much impression with the new ball although Ed Vandermark bowled an initial spell of 5-3-6-0, conceding only 3 scoring shots in 30 deliveries. The opening pair put on 77 before Huxley was bowled middle stump for 33 by Jeremy(Terry Tornado)Jenkins. He had a difficult catch dropped in his next over at which point he had taken 1 for 24 off 6 overs. Unwisely the skipper gave him a seventh which somewhat spoilt those figures. The undisputed star in the bowling department was 11-year-old Ashley Ling, or ’Wee Man Ling’ as he appears in the score book. Coming on to bowl the 25th.over with the score on 119 for 1 he completely changed the course of the match. Their top scorer Ingram, who made 63, had put on 44 for the 2nd.wicket with Goodall but Ashley removed them both in his very first over, then claimed another scalp in his 3rd, a wicket maiden. Because of E.C.B. restrictions the skipper was forced to take him off after 4 overs but then recalled him to finish their innings off, which he did. His 5th.over, was another wicket maiden & he only needed one ball of his 6th. to polish things off. The champagne moment(for me)came when skipper Jerry Morgan held the catch that gave Ashley his 5th.wicket & ended their innings – the first time we have bowled a side out in a friendly. Ashley’s final analysis was 5.1-2-6-5. That is the joint-second most economical 5-for on record for Lexden, placing him alongside Jon Jones & Ali Manhire. However it must not be overlooked that Ed’s contribution was also highly praiseworthy. Coming back for a second spell in the heat he took 2 wickets in his 1st.over & one in each of his next two. He was also in contention to record a 5-for & finished with 10-3-17-4 which, on any other day, could have made him the leading light. In the end they lost all 10 wickets for 99 to reach 176, which was gettable but by no means easy. Our openers gave us a good solid start with a partnership of 38 before Anthony Shearman(16) was controversially given out caught behind. Chris Martin(15) followed without addition in the next over & there followed a stand of 42 for the 3rd.wicket. Matt Elmakahleh(12), having looked secure against the seamers, was undone by the loopy leg spin of Jens Wair & stumped. His partner was Mark Howlett who made the most of a rare opportunity to bat up the order, displaying his usual mixture of good timing & calm assurance but over an extended period. He was joined in the biggest partnership of the innings, 46 for the 5th.wicket, by Jerry(10) & batted through to the end ensuring there was no danger of a collapse. Mark’s innings of 56 not out included 3 boundaries & was his maiden half-century for Lexden. Craig Alderson made a bright 7 not out at the end. We finished 39 runs short on 137 for 6 which was a creditable effort considering all their bowlers were fairly accurate & gave little away. It was an achievement for us to get within range of our opponents & not be bowled out to earn an honourable draw.
**Champagne Moment** - Ashley’s 5th.wicket.
GREAT BROMLEY - A vastly improved performance all round brought a desperately needed win in only our second home league match of the season – on 12th.August! The pitch was superb – perhaps the best ever at Spring Lane – with both pace & bounce that rewarded good batting & bowling alike. Chris Martin(23)cracked some of his trademark pulls in a 2nd.wicket partnership of 47 with Anthony Shearman(11) which provided a solid foundation. Robin Seller(38) & Jon Jones(31) then built on that with a stand of 70 in just 13 overs for the 5th.wicket, both batsmen striking 5 boundaries. Jerry Morgan(19) saw us through to the penultimate ball of the last over for an all out score of 178, Foley taking 4 for 42. It was a below-par score in the conditions but our bowling & fielding made up for that potentially inadequate total. Jon bowled with real pace conceding only a wide in his first 4 overs and taking a wicket, adding another before being rested. Colin Hayward played his part in restricting their early scoring, nagging away with good control throughout his spell for well-earned figures of 10-3-23-2. Ali Manhire was almost as tight, conceding the same number of runs in his initial spell of 8 overs & picking up a wicket. They were kept in the game by L.Perrin who made exactly 50, mostly scored with a series of unorthodox slog-sweeps. He eventually fell to Allan Highfield, thanks to a well-judged catch at deep square leg by Jerry, his second of the afternoon. Jon returned to take 2 for 5 in his final 3 overs & finished with the fine figures of 10-3-23-4. They were all out for 157 to give us victory by 21 runs. Mark Howlett more than made up for his extraordinary golden duck earlier by taking 5 catches, the best of which was the last one – a low, fast nick off Jon taken away to his right. It is many years since a Lexden ‘keeper last took 5 catches in an innings.
**Champagne Moment** 5th.catch by Mark.
GREAT HORKESLEY - The game at Great Bentley was abandonned due to rain & the following weekend was Allan’s barbecue so after a 3-week break it was good to be playing again in this friendly. As usual we chose to field & in only the 5th.over were treated to the first of several potential champagne moments. Ed Vandermark induced an edge which flew to gully where Anthony Shearman stuck out his left arm & held a stunning catch. Ed followed this up with another wicket in his next over ending this initial spell with 5-2-9-2. Even this fine performance was surpassed by Jeremy Jenkins who produced 2 successive wicket maidens, his victims coming via well-taken catches by Jason Summerfield & Chris Martin in a spell of 5-3-4-2. At 51 for 4 they were in a spot of bother with Tom Clewlow regularly beating the bat in a pacy spell of 8-1-22-0. However Graeson Laitt & Neil Morrison(playing for them as we already had 12!)then put together a dogged partnership of 105, both of them making 47. Ed returned & took a further 2 wickets, finishing with 4 for 17 – exactly the same as in the previous match. Jeremy also came back & dismissed the dangerous Al Conybeare to end up with 3 for 17. This final wicket came thanks to a splendid catch by Ed who clung on to a lofted sliced drive at third man. Ali Manhire also picked up 2 for 24 in what was a thoroughly good performance in the field, only spoilt slightly by conceding 18 wides. Their total of 184 was again 20 or so more than we might have expected given some tennis-ball bounce in the pitch & longish outfield grass. It seemed making half that many might be a struggle as we slumped to 43 for 5 with 21 overs gone but a beacon of light shone through the gloom. Mark Howlett, following his 56 not out against the Garrison, was again head & shoulders above the rest. Cautious at first against accurate bowling, he became more expansive as Horkesley sportingly gave all their outfield players a bowl. He reached his 50 with a six & later struck the first 5 balls of an over for four, taking a single from the last. Understandably tired having already kept wicket for 45 overs, he went on to make a superb 109 including a six & 17 fours, his maiden century. He had taken the score up to 154 for 8 & when he was out had contributed 70% of our runs. With the light fading we couldn’t quite muster the additional runs needed & were all out for 172 in the final over.Only Ed(11) & Ali(10) made double figures as we lost by just 12 runs, the closest we have come to winning a friendly. A significant factor was that we conceded 25 more extras than they did, something to work on. It was a thoroughly enjoyable game played in an excellent spirit which in the end could have gone either way.
**Champagne Moments** 1)Catch by Anthony in the gully. 2)Catch by Ed at third man. 3)Mark reaching his 50 with a six. 4)Mark hitting 5 fours in an over. 5)Mark making his maiden hundred.
GOSFIELD - It was a mirror image of this season’s opening game as Gosfield came to Spring Lane after a prolonged spell of dry weather. The pitch was rock hard & Allan Highfield found some form at last with a brisk 30 including 4 fours & a six. On his dismissal there was a stand of 40 for the 3rd.wicket between Anthony Shearman(19) & Ali Manhire, who then shared a partnership of 52 for the 4th.wicket with Robin Seller whose contribution was 9. Ali continued in serene fashion, stroking delightful shots to all parts & became the first player to score a league half-century this season. It came as a surprise when another well-struck drive was caught just inside the long on boundary, his 70 containing no fewer than 14 fours. Jon Jones chipped in with 17 & Matt Elmakahleh made a crucial 15 not out at the end, taking us up to 210 for 9. In reply their openers put on 48 before Michael Rudge was introduced in the 11th.over & struck straight away, following that up by taking the 2nd.wicket through a well-taken catch by Anthony. Michael belied his lack of bowling by maintaining splendid control of line & length and containing good batsmen throughout his spell of 10-2-31-2. Ali, cleverly held back to bowl through to the end, also kept them in check to return 10-1-40-1. He claimed the only other wicket to fall thanks to an eccentric catch at long off by Jeremy Jenkins, who fell on his back clutching the ball before throwing his arms out in celebration. The 4th.wicket pair of Dicker, who scored 66 not out despite feeling sick, and Chinnery(51 not out)put on an unbeaten 83 together. Having reached 162 after 40 overs they doubled the scoring rate in the final overs with controlled aggression. However, with 14 needed from the last over bowled by Jon, who was also keeping things tight at the end, they could only manage to score 6 & fell just short on 203 for 3. It was a cracking game of cricket in which both sides played well but we managed to hold our nerve well enough to squeeze home.
**Champagne Moment** - Catch by Jeremy.
COLCHESTER GARRISON - A lovely sunny afternoon & a hard, dry pitch provided the perfect conditions for this last friendly of the season. Choosing to field as always we took a firm grip on the game straight away & never let go. Their early batsmen had no answer to Jon Jones who was only needed for one spell of 3-1-6-2, which included another terrific catch in the gully by Anthony Shearman. Ed Vandermark, gamely running up into a strong wind, took 2 wickets in his 3rd. over through well-taken catches by Matt Elmakahleh & Jeremy Jenkins, then returned later to claim the final wicket & finish with 6.2-1-20-3. Jason Summerfield put in a good accurate spell of 5-2-14-3 in which he had the distinction of dismissing Allan Highfield, who was playing for the opposition as they were short. Jeremy bowled a tireless spell of 9 overs battling against the wind & conceded only 19 runs. Ashley Ling was unusually hit for 3 boundaries but his spell of 4-2-14-2 included the key wicket of Louw for 51, the only batsman who was able to take us on. Jon held 2 good catches at deep midwicket as we took all our chances to bowl them out for 105, half an hour before tea! We didn’t make the best of starts as both openers went cheaply but Matt got his head down & made a stylish 18. There then followed a match-winning unbroken partnership of 67 for the 4th.wicket to which Jerry Morgan contributed 9 not out. Once again the star of the show was Mark Howlett who carefully played himself in before upping the tempo with some gorgeous shots off both front foot & back. As the victory target drew nearer a flurry of wides left him 4 short of his half-century with only 3 needed to win, but he calmly despatched the ball to the midwicket boundary to finish 50 not out. Mark’s average in this season’s friendlies was therefore an astonishing 215! It was extremely satisfying to finish on a high note, both in terms of the result & the weather. The Garrison laid on a splendid tea plus a barbecue after the match which all added to a really enjoyable afternoon.
**Champagne Moments** - 1)Catch by Anthony. 2)Highfield caught Jones bowled Summerfield 3)Mark hitting 4 to reach his 50 & win the match.
WEST MERSEA - Our last home game of the season was memorable as 2 new run scoring records were established. The scene was set on a lovely sunny afternoon, a belter of a pitch, hard fast outfield & our opponents unfortunately a man short. Even so runs still had to be earned & Allan Highfield made the most of this opportunity by getting his head down & waiting for the right ball to hit. He laid the foundation for a big score in a 2nd.wicket partnership of 93 with Anthony Shearman who mixed careful defence with some expansive drives to make a solid 25. Acting skipper Jon Jones then helped Allan put on 91 for the 3rd.wicket, scoring 45 mostly by skilfully placing the ball into gaps. Friendlies run-machine Mark Howlett then also stroked 25 as a further 54 were added for the 4th.wicket. Dealing mainly in singles or fours Allan, timing the ball as well as he ever has, progressed to an elegant hundred, his second for the club in successive seasons. To his credit he didn’t then give in to fatigue but continued on to record his highest career score – 128. Allan hit the most fours(24) in an individual innings & the most runs scored in boundaries(96) since our records began. The team total was a whopping 271 for 6 which is also the highest we have ever made at Spring Lane, comfortably beating the previous record of 244 for 7 against Kelvedon in 2001. Needing 6 runs an over from the start their openers set off at a cracking pace, helped when Jon of all people dropped an absolute sitter at mid-off. Tikley had raced to 24 in just 6 overs when Ed Vandermark slipped in a good yorker that squeezed off the bottom of the bat onto the stumps. Thereafter Ed kept things tight & bowled right through for a creditable 10-2-33-1. Even so after 20 overs they were 105 for 1 & well on course to put in a serious challenge. At this point Jon brought himself on & immediately made up for his earlier howler by bowling Vince for 25. The beneficiary of Jon’s blooper Sheldrick was eventually run out thanks to quick fielding & a good throw from the outfield by Jason Summerfield to the bowler’s end where Michael Rudge finished the job. Michael followed this up with 2 wickets, one through a sharp catch by Jon(!), in a controlled spell of 9 overs. Having dried up the run scoring when he came on to bowl Jon ended their resistance with an accurate, pacy spell of 9.4-2-19-4 which included an awkward skied catch well judged by Chris Martin. With one player not batting due to injury Mersea did well to manage a good reply of 177 all out leaving us winners by 94 runs. One statistical curiosity is that due to the fast outfield there wasn’t a 3 scored in the entire match. The win preserved our 100 per cent home record in the league this season & with Gosfield losing it meant we climbed to 3rd.place.
**Champagne Moment** - Allan reaching his hundred.
EIGHT ASH GREEN - The season ended with a visit to the champions on a pleasant autumnal afternoon in a game reduced to 40 overs a side. Choosing to field we maintained reasonable control as each bowler in turn did his bit. Ed Vandermark was the pick with 9-1-25-1, his wicket coming courtesy of a typically sharp catch in the gully by Anthony Shearman. Jon Jones wasn’t far behind with 9-0-30-1 & also held a good catch to give Jason Summerfield a wicket in his useful spell of 4 overs. But with Richard Polley making 50, Paul Marston 66 not out & Alistair Hammond 40 not out they posted a challenging total of 195 for 3. In our reply Chris Martin finally made some runs, striking 5 fours in his 37 which turned out to be top score by some way. His opening partnership with Jerry Morgan(12) started well enough with 32 off 10 overs but then became bogged down & although they put on 52 it took 22 overs. As the other batsmen were forced to attack wickets inevitably tumbled with only Ali Manhire(10)& Jon(15) reaching double figures. By the end we were hanging on to avoid being bowled out & finishing on 102 for 8. The losing margin of 93 runs was almost identical to our winning margin the previous week against relegated West Mersea, which perhaps demonstrates that while we are good enough for Division 2 we are not yet ready for a step up to the next level.
**Champagne Moment** - Catch by Anthony.
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