With champions elect Brentwood in an uncomfortable position of 120 for 5
Jahid Ahmed was dropped in a moment that encapsulated the season for the 1st
XI. Ananda Krishnan (2-42) and
Shanka Gunalan (2-45) had given Green the initiative but Jahid (158) and Max
Osborne (56) mad them suffer as the home side amassed 362 for 8 from 50
overs. It was a familiar story too with the bat where 6 players made double
figures but nobody more than Alex Cason
(28). Ramesh Gunalan (27) and
Royston Smith (22) got reasonable starts but failed to make the large
score required as Osborne (4-39) added to his batting performance by
accounting for the top and bottom of the order.
Another poor start by the 2nd XI saw them struggling at 20 for 2.
Graham Cook (50) dominated a 3rd
wicket stand which took the total to 69 and Green built a promising position
of 164 for 5 thanks largely due to
Martin Cason (59). Four wickets fell for 1 run before
The Pig (19 n.o.) and
The Beast (18) added 43 for the
last wicket to provide the consolation of full batting points if not a
respectable total. Dean Skipper was primarily responsible for the below par
score with 4 for 52. Mick Clarke
gained an early success but the rest of the game was dominated by
Hornchurch's Andy Roberts whose magnificent 121 not out saw the visitors win
at a canter in the 29th over.
It was an untidy performance by the 3rd XI in the field for their last game
at Ilford Wanderers in 2009 against Chingford. Ryan Dack made an early
breakthrough but opener Claydon (54) continued to score freely. Green gained
some sort of a grip through a rare bowling spell from
Andy Cook (2-28) and the late
introduction of John Coxall (3-40).
Dalton Calcott took two excellent catches including the crucial wicket of
Haydon and there were good catches too from Ryan Dack and
Joanne Cook. The latter stages saw
the visitors hit out effectively to post a reasonable total 0f 190 for 8
before declaring their innings closed.
Sir Harold was in particularly
impressive form as green's openers added 139 for the 1st wicket.
Cockinson (5)) was first to go
when the game seemed under control which prompted a minor crisis as 3 more
wickets fell cheaply. Sir Harold
was joined by Paul Sutton and took
Green to the brink of victory but was dismissed with just 3 runs required
for 78. Suggs stayed calm to see
Green home by 5 wickets.
Unusual circumstances brought a premature end to the 4th XI game against
Upminster 5th XI on the artificial wicket at Coopers School. With Green on
118 for 4 chasing 205, the game seemed to be destined for a draw when a low
setting sun behind the bowlers' arm at one end made it impossible for the
batsmen to see the ball. Unlike Derbyshire, who managed to erect an
elaborate shield on a cherry-picker after one of their games was similarly
abandoned, Upminster were powerless to intervene. The game was,
unfortunately, abandoned although not to the satisfaction of all. Earlier,
Upminster had built their total around half centuries from Alex Mitchell
(55) and Billy Bilton (69) whilst Green relied heavily on the bowling of
Keith Mitchell (3-44) and
Ted Patel (2-36). Green's reply began
well with The Doc (54) making a
half century and Captain Fierce (34)
his normal obdurate self.
The 5th XI were some way short in their attempt to pass Brentwood's total of
218 for 7. After losing Paul 'Squeak' White for a golden duck, Terry Dack
(32) and Malcolm Waters (59 n.o.)
began the recovery. Kevin Chapman
made a swift 33 but Green never really looked likely to achieve victory.
Brentwood's total owed much to Prem Pithia (56 n.o.) whils
Rob Duhig moved 1 league wicket ahead
of Kevin Chapman with 2 for 22.
A youthful Woodford wells Sunday XI looked certain to amass a massive score
against Green's Sunday XI as the opening batsmen played with increasing
freedom at the Wells. It was Fraser King who brought Green back into the
game by taking the first wicket in a tidy spell of 1 for 35 from his 8 overs.
Opener Majeed made 53 and there were double figure contributions from most
of the batsmen as the hosts posted 238 for 8 from their 40 overs.
Tiraj Patel took 4 for 57 and
Matt Simmons 2 for 48 but it was
young Kiran Hindocha who took the eye on debut with a 7 over spell in which
he took 1 for 41. After a cautious start,
Tiraj Patel took the game to the Wells and Green looked well placed
after an opening stand of 118. The introduction of spin turned the game with
Cockinson dismissed for 26.
Tiraj looked certain to record a
century when run out by an good throw from mid-off. Wickets then tumbled
regularly as Green slumped to 178 all out.
Green's first visit to Dunmow for over 20 years ended in disappointing
fashion with a 36 run defeat. Green started short despite
Keith Mitchell foregoing his
traditional 3 course lunch to arrive 10 minutes after the start. It was an
over an hour before Potter and
Jacob Thompson finished their tour of Essex and Green were up to full
strength. The hosts generously provided a full compliment of subs. The
Dunmow openers found the bowling to their liking as
Thomas Oakley and
The Sub took quite a hammering.
The Whale brought about a measure
of restraint and it was Bones who
made the breakthrough. With The Pig
taking 3 for 52 and Jacob 2 for33 with a selection of replacement balls as
the frequent search parties worked overtime outside the ground. A total of
234 for 7 looked a reasonable target on a pitch with good pace and bounce.
Green's batsmen did not find it so easy.
Potter mistimed his way to 33 and
Thomas Oakley tried to get out
many times before being dismissed for 31. With Jacob looking solid it needed
someone to bat sensibly at the other end but, although The Sub scored 31 in
quick time, the dismissals of
Cockinson, Bones,
The Pig and
The Whale beggared belief and he
was left high and dry on 52 not out.
The rare appearances of Bones and
Toast were testimony to the
quantities of food and drink on offer in the annual match against the Vice
President's XI. As the years pass, the games seem to get shorter with this
year's offering being 30 overs a side.
James Duhig took 2 for 32 and, with a vast spread awaiting, the VP
batsmen declined to gorge themselves on
Smudger's pies allowing him to
take 6 for 23 as they were dismissed for 235 in the final over. Most of
Green's batsmen got in with Ananda
Krishnan (54 n.o.), Alex Cason
(49), Potter (36 n.o.),
Smudger (24),
Albury (23) and Jacob (20) all
getting runs but they were 7 runs short when the overs ran out. We are
indebted to the support of Terry Jackson
throughout the year and this provided an enjoyable day in his honour.
Green's 1st XI were destroyed by Woodford Wells' opening attack of
Richardson (4-38) and O'Reilly (3-37) who reduced them to 65 for 7. A change
of bowling brought no respite as Clark and Ellison soon finished off the job
in just 22 overs. A total of 87 was extremely unlikely to inconvenience the
hosts too much and so it proved. The target was passed in the 26th over for
the loss of 1 wicket.
Having decided to bat, the 2nd XI may have had second thought when they
found themselves 27 for 3 at Central Park. However
Martin Cason (78) put on 79 with
Chris Gibbon (53) and 91 with
Matt Simmons (53 n.o.) as Green
recovered sufficiently to be able to declare on 221 for 6 by the 49th over.
James Duhig made an early
breakthrough but a 2nd wicket partnership of 90 put the visitors, Harlow, in
a strong position. It was the golden arm of
Funky that turned the game with a
spell of 5 for 24 as Harlow subsided to 169 for 9 before
Matt Simmons (2-46) broke the
last wicket stand of 34 to complete the victory.
Tiraj Patel and
Simon Brown also picked up a wicket
apiece.
An early dropped catch put Green's 3rd XI on the back foot against West
Essex at The Rolls. The beneficiary was Nazir who, having been dismissed 1st
ball of the match in the previous encounter, struck the ball mightily for
his 61. Green's depleted attack stuck manfully to the task with
Keith Mitchell bowling a marathon
spell to take 5 for 64. Ryan Dack bowled an impressive spell, taking 2 for
24 when the home side looked set for a huge total. Green however could not
maintain that momentum with tail-ender Griffiths hitting out to boost the
total to 251. Green made slow progress in reply in a solid opening stand of
72. Two wickets fell cheaply with
Cockinson (22) and Bambi
dismissed in the space of 3 overs.
Sir Harold (46) kept going as Gavin
Castle looked to be very comfortable at the other end.
Graham Cook hit out lustily in his
own style and an outside chance of a win looked possible. However, this
wasn't really on and Green finished well short on 199 for 6 and were left to
rue their slow start.
The 4th XI struggled to post a sizeable total at South Woodford and had to
thank Herbie Gosnell's 55 for
enabling them to reach 175 for 8. Andy
Symes (29) and The Doc (26) scored useful runs but the total looked to
be short of the requirement. The Doc (2-30) and
The Hanger (2-35) took a couple of
wickets apiece but they were unable to make sufficient inroads to trouble
the home side.
The 5th XI surprised high flying Billericay 4th XI with a 5 wicket victory.
Rob Duhig (3-36),
Malcolm Waters (2-16) and Daniel
Drury (2-36) bowled out the hosts for 190. In response,
Chris Haylett returned from injury
to score 56 and, with Muddy Waters
(43) and Kevin Chapman (44 n.o.)
weighing in, Green eased to a 5 wicket victory. Alex Cason (85) and Jacob Thompson
(73) put the previous Sunday's debacle behind them as Green raced to 249 for
5 from their 40 overs. Graham Cook
(30) and Paul Hurworth (28)
boosted the total in their normal belligerent manner. Orsett never really
got in their stride as James Haylett
(3-19) and Russell Savidge (3-31)
each took 3 wickets and they subsided to a 104 run defeat.
A very weak Sunday 2nd XI acquitted themselves fairly well in the field as
they took on South Weald. The Whale
bowled his 8 over spell for 13 but it was
Vic Simmons (2-25),
Rob Duhig (2-40) and Mitchell Collett
(2-50) who were responsible for the wickets with South weald making188 for 8
from 40 overs. The batting did not fare so well against a good bowling and
fielding side. Pummell (4-12) and Sharma (4-8) were the main destroyers but
Green had little comfort when facing the rest of the attack.
Billy Shorey alone stood firm at
the top of the order making 24 whilst
The Hanger tried to hold the tail together with 31 n.o. Green were never
up with the rate and were bowled out well short for 107 in the final over.
Following the drubbing at the hands of Shenfield in the Sunday League
fixture, Green's midweek team looked set for more of the same.
James Duhig was the surprise early
package, striking the ball well in his 36.
Thomas Oakley (28) looked out to
impress (not cricket lovers it must be said) as he tried to play a shot a
ball and perished prematurely. Adam Green
gave the score some respectability with 60 whilst the Whale hit out for an
unbeaten 20. With a lightning fast outfield, a total of 242 for 9 seemed
insufficient. It looked as if the game might be over before the tea had got
down as the home side raced away at 15 an over. However, Green's bowlers
plugged away with Ted Patel (2-28) and
Rob Duhig (2-56) each picking up a couple of wickets as the Shenfield
got home with lots of overs in hand but only 2 wickets left. If Green had
been able to hold on to their chances then an unlikely result may have been
possible.
The 1st XI registered a much needed victory as the Premier Division games
reverted to a 50 overs a side format. Batting first,
Royston Smith (72) and
Ricky Gill (64) showed good form as
Green reached 238. In reply, Chelmsford were soon in desperate trouble as
Ananda Krishnan bowled an
excellent spell of 10-5-7-5. What looked to be a comfortable victory was
anything but as Prowting batted superbly for the visitors to score an
undefeated 97 before he ran out of partners when
Smudger ran out the last man. The
39 run victory was welcome not achieved without a few jitters.
Green's 2nd XI were in trouble at 30 for 2 with Lasif Ganasena and
Martin Cason dismissed cheaply. The
rest of the innings was dominated by a magnificent undefeated 134 by
Thomas Oakley who dominated the
Hutton attack. Thomas added 46 with
Tiraj Patel (27) and 125, Chris
Gibbon (47) and 52 with Matt
Simmons (26 n.o.) as Green raced to 272 for 6. All but 3 of Hutton's
batsmen reached double figures but nobody exceeded Steve Hammond's 32 after
Aaron Hills (2-36) had removed both
openers. Matt Simmons (4-41),
Thomas Oakley (2-21) and
The Pig (2-12) all took wickets at
regular intervals as the home side were dismissed for 162.
The 3rd XI's openers faced a strong examination from visiting Hutton's
opening attack of Patterson and Turrell. It was, more or less, honours even
as the pair put on 67 for the 1st wicket. Hutton skipper Darren Howard
removed both openers in quick succession after which
Jack Taylor (47) struck the ball
well, first in partnership with Bambi
(18) and then Clouseau (46 n.o.).
The Inspector looked in excellent form and a late flurry from
Graham Cook saw Green reach 207 for
6. Patel (31) and Woods (39) batted solidly for the visitors before
John Coxall removed them both in a pattern similar to that of Green's
innings. However, there were no middle order heroics as
The Fox took the first 5 wickets and
ended up with 6 for 52 overall. Javed Ali (2-30) and
The Sub (1-56) took the other
wickets but Hutton held on for a draw.
Openers Adam Green (94) and
Gary Pearson (56) were in good form
with the bat as Green comfortably passed Hutton's total of 185 in the 4th XI
fixture. This was Adam's highest
score to date and Pads' half
century was a welcome return to form. The foundation for the victory was
laid by a disciplined bowling performance in which the older element of
Bones and
The Whale were economical whilst
Billy Greaves (2-38) and Dalton Calcott (2-23) took the wickets.
A poor batting performance by the 5th XI saw them shot out for 82 against
Stanford-le-Hope 3rd XI. With Kevin
Chapman unable to bowl (having been overworked in the midweek game by
The Pig), Green did not have the
ammunition to reciprocate and, although Paul Simmons took an early wicket,
Stanford got home with 7 wickets in hand.
The 1st XI were annihilated by Shenfield in the Sunday League game at
Central Park. The visitors amassed 392 for 5 in their 40 overs with Jacob
Thompson taking 2 for 29. Green got nowhere near half way with only
The Sub (48) and
Albury (43) emerging with any
credit.
Two wickets in two balls by Rob Duhig
turned the Sunday 2nd XI game against Aspenden, Standon and Puckeridge at
the pleasant Hetfordshire ground in Aspenden. The hosts were cruising in
pursuit of Green's 236 for 5 when, with 3 overs left,
Rob removed the dangerous Clifton and
Baxter in successive balls before the hat trick ball was struck a long way
for six. At the other end, Michael Strange had batted beautifully for his
136 but was bowled by Matt Simmons
at the start of the next over. The task of striking 16 from the last two
overs proved beyond the two new batsmen at the crease and Green ended up
with a 12 run victory (curiously, for a limited overs game, recorded as a
draw on the home team's website). Earlier, Green's openers scored freely
against Ward but struggled to get Pankhurst away. The latter bowled his 8
overs for just 7 runs but, as is often the case, the wickets fell at the
other end. Tiraj Patel was first to
go followed shortly after by
Cockinson. The Onion struggled
for runs on a rare appearance but Adam Mathias and
Matt Simmons were in excellent
form and quickly upped the tempo. Adam was first to his half century but the
latter stages of Green's innings were dominated by
Matt who scored an excellent
undefeated 96.
The midweek encounter at Chingford was a very close run affair with Green
winning by 1 wicket. Matt Gregory (38) had given Green a good start in reply
to Chingford's 188 but the middle order fell away with over 8 wickets
falling for less than 130. Jacob Thompson (60 n.o.) and
The Pig (24) took Green to the
brink of victory until an over-ambitious sweep by the latter with the scores
level saw him fall LBW. Kevin
Chapman had been the star with the ball taking the first 6 wickets to
fall for 64. Chingford had made a decent start with over 80 for the first
wicket but Chappers took wickets
at regular intervals. Mike Blake, fresh from his century at the weekend,
promoted himself to No 7 but had a far from cheerful countenance on his 2nd
ball dismissal. His smile returned however when he found an
Ardleigh Green member gullible
enough to buy his book on the history of Chingford.
Green went out of the Bertie Joel Cup in disappointing fashion against South
Woodford at Central Park. In a game reduced to 40 overs a side after the
rain, Green posted a reasonable total of 233 for9 with Jacob Thompson (94)
and Royston Smith (40) to the
fore. After a good start, the visitors struggled when the pace was taken off
the ball and the game looked to be turning Ardleigh Green's way. However
some big hitting off some loose bowling towards the end saw South Woodford
home by 3 wickets. Jumbo Jeffries
(2-51) and Ananda Krishnan
(2-45) were the main wicket takers.
A touch of IPL hit the Old Vics when Ted 'Boom
Boom' Patel launched an assault at the start of Green's reply to the
hosts 167 at High Beach in the midweek friendly. The home side thought that
Ted had only one shot (which is one more than
his team mates thought he had) but he used it to good effect to hit the ball
to all parts of the undulating ground in his 43. Ted
dominated the opening partnership with
Cockinson (44 n.o.), which was
not too difficult, but the Old Vics were then subject to a
Potter assault who, despite scoring an
undefeated 60, barely middled the ball. Earlier it had looked as if Green
would be chasing a fairly large total until the opening stand was broken by
a run out from Burdy. The game turned considerably with the introduction of
Matt Simmons to the attack.
Matt found turn and bounce on what had
seemed to be a lifeless wicket to take 4 for 26.
The Pig, always with an eye on the main chance, brought himself on to
take the last 3 wickets without personal cost.
The 1st XI were left holding on once again after Hainault & Clayhall had
scored 306 at Central Park. For the visitors, Tasin Patel (59), Irfan Shah
(63) and Ashfaq Ahmed (67) all made half centuries and although
Chris Cook (4-63),
James Wyatt (3-72) and Ali Horne (2-65)
were amongst the wickets, most bowlers were conceding about 5 runs an over.
Green had a better start than of late with Freddie
(23) and Potter (68) to the fore. Jacob
Thompson (41) was also amongst the runs but the innings fell away until some
late resistance from Ricky Gill (33). With Irfan
Shah (4-59) in fine form wickets tumbled leaving
BW and The Friar to play out time.
The 2nd XI were in trouble from the start at Loughton where
Tiraj Patel and
Martin Cason were both dismissed for ducks followed swiftly by
Thomas Oakley for 8 which left them 19 for
3. Lasif Ganasena (26) and Mick Clarke (25)
stopped the rot but it was Matt Simmons
(42) who supplied the best batting of the innings and
Aaron Hills, who showed a rare glimpse of his
batting prowess with an undefeated 26, that enabled Green to reach 173 for 9
from 52 overs. Loughton's openers, Ali Amjad (35) and Alex Wood (50) put on
115 for the 1st wicket and they were rarely inconvenienced in passing the
total for the loss of 3 wickets in the 29th over.
Mick Clarke (2-21) and
the Pig (1-20)
were the wicket-takers. James Duhig (3-42) and
James Haylett (2-49) both enjoyed early
success against Wanstead 4th XI at Ilford Wanderers but the 3rd wicket pair
dug in against economical spells from The Sub
and Jack Taylor. Jawaid Ali broke the
partnership after which Steve Baldwin (28) gave the innings some impetus.
Adnaan Bohardien picked up the rate with a half century and a very quick 26
from Giri Rathakrishnan saw the innings close 1 short of the 200 mark. Green
soon lost both openers but Jon Bayfield (60)
and Gavin Castle (55 n.o.) seemed quite
comfortable. Bambi accelerated the score
putting Green in a winning position. When he was dismissed,
Graham Cook and tried his best to keep up the
momentum but, on his dismissal, Green showed little ambition and gave up the
chase despite having wickets in hand.
It was slow going for the 4th XI who, by the 52nd over, hadn't posted
anything like a challenging score and batted on.
Kuldeep Minocha (29), Luke Hartman (22)
and Arjud Mincocha (20) all made runs but it was
Paul Sutton (102) who made the only significant contribution with a
century. Orsett's openers, Lockyer (45) and Pavitt (88), made light of the
target of 198 against Green's aged attack.
Keith Mitchell (3-65) broke the stand but he and
John Doughty (3-96) were unable to turn the
game round despite taking 3 wickets apiece.
The 5th XI bowlers were on song at Great and Little Warley where the
visitors, Benfleet, were shot out for 109.
Kevin Chapman (2-13) did the trick at the top of the innings after which
Tom Greaves (3-20) took out the middle order. The surprise package of Gary
Pearson Snr (3-20), in tandem with Rob Duhig
(2-11), then finished off proceedings. It was a day of surprises and Terry
Dack (42) and Dalton Calcott (25) continued the theme with their opening
partnership. They were both dismissed before the end but Green were
comfortable 7 wicket winners.
Hawks may be relegation candidates in the Sunday League but they proved to
strong for the Green. batting first they scored 209 for 8 in a game reduced
to 37 overs a side. Toast (3-57) and
The Sub (2-36) got amongst the wickets but
this represented a decent total in the conditions. The over reduction meant
little to Green who found ways of getting themselves dismissed for 153 by
the 29th over.Alex
Cason (45) and Potter (38) played the
only notable innings. The evening was notable for The Chair's wife being re-aquainted
with the delights of the pork sausage. Graham Cook provided an early blast to the
game against St Margaretsbury as the Sunday 2nd XI were 23 for 0 after 2
overs. This was misleading as the game was played at a much more sedate pace
after he was dismissed. The visitors fielded a young side who bowled a good
line and length and fielded enthusiastically.
Tiraj Patel (33) held the top of the innings together but only
Herbie Gosnell (40) and
Matt Simmons (26) of the later batting
managed to score at a reasonable rate. On such a slow wicket, Green's total
of 173 was more than respectable provided they could bowl with any control.
The visitors found runs just as hard to come by and struggled against
Matt Simmons (3-30),
Tiraj Patel (2-27) and
Rob Duhig (2-29). There was some spirited resistance from the 9th wicket
pair but Green finished with a 33 run victory.
On 3rd August 2009, Ardleigh Green were accredited with the ECB Clubmark.
We are indebted to Martin Cason and
John Coxall for the considerable amount of
work that they have put in to gain this accreditation.
With most games falling victim to the weather
on Saturday, the 1st XI still managed to lose a crucial clash against fellow
strugglers South Woodford. Put in by their hosts, all of Green's early
batting failed with the exception of Freddie Butt
who scored 62. Ramesh (27) and Shanka Gunalan (20) each got a start but
there was little else worthy of mention as Green subsided to Patrick Acharya
(5-41) and Carl Greenidge (3-60) in under 32 overs. Green too had early
success with James Wyatt (3-37) and
Ricky Gill taking 4 early wickets before Rizwan
Akram (90 n.o.) and Nick Browne (45 n.o.) saw South Woodford home without
further loss.
The 2nd XI too were put in against South Woodford at Central Park. There
were solid rather than spectacular contributions from most batsmen with
Mick Clarke (49 n.o.),
Thomas Oakley (36) and
Martin Cason (22) to the fore as Green
reached 205 for 6 before the rain.
It was an over 50s reunion at Harold Wood Rec where the 3rd XI (containing
Bones, The
Silver Fox, Clouseau and
Cockinson) took on Harold Wood
(with Tony Carman, Ian Honeysett and Ian Jones) with umpire Peter Price
thrown in for good measure. On a very good batting pitch, Tony Carman (118)
made the most of the conditions to score an excellent century and was
supported by Darren Ellis (33) and Glen Wooding, who managed to hit the ball
to some interesting places in his undefeated 46. The target of 250 posed an
interesting challenge and Green's openers made a good start in reaching 42
without loss before rain ruined what promised to be an interesting match.
The 4th XI inserted Harold Wood at Ilford wanderers and got the usual steady
performance from The Whale (2-38). The
balance between bat and ball was fairly even throughout with 7 of the
visitors' batsmen reaching double figures whilst
The Doc (2-46) and Fraser King (2-39) took
two wickets each and Vic Simmons and
Ted Patel one apiece. Wood set a target of 210
and both sides made an effort to play through the rain before the weather
finally won the argument with Green on 62 for 4.
Green's 5th XI bowlers were in good form at the victory Sports Ground in
Southend where they dismissed Southend-on-Sea for 108.
Kevin Chapman (3-37) and Kevin Hewitt (2-11) took the early wickets
before the home side posted some middle order resistance. However, Daniel
Drury took a wicket in an economical spell and Craig Burd picked up another,
leaving Rob Duhig (3-14) to finish the job.
Terry Dack and Phil Pearce fell early in the reply before James Hewitt (14),
Steve Shorey (40 n.o.) and Dalton Calcott (46
n.o.) saw Green to victory.
There was a thrilling finish to the Sunday League game against East Essex at
Central Park where the last pair of Trevor
Oakley (29 n.o.) and Ali Horne put on a
stand of over 20 to get Green home with 1 wicket in hand and 1 ball to
spare. Royston Smith (43) and
Chris Brett (29) had earlier set Green on the
way to their 170 target but wickets fell regularly before the last pair came
together. Earlier, Toast had been in good
form with the ball taking 4 for 43 and with Ali
Horne (2-18) and The Sub (2-22)
chipping in, Green did well to restrict the visitors.
Paul Simmons (2-19) and his father Vic (1-18)
gave Green's Sunday 2nd XI a good start when they won the toss and asked
Terling to bat on a sporting wicket at the picturesque village ground. Alex
Taylor (66) and John Marshall (29) blunted Green's attack and launched a
counter offensive before Matt Simmons (4-11) removed both and prompted a
collapse. Tiraj Patel, Fraser King and
Rob Duhig each took a wicket as the innings was
wrapped up for 170. Incidentally, Ivor has
asked that his two catches be mentioned. Green made a poor start before
Tiraj (34) and Ivor
(33) steadied the ship with a useful partnership. When both fell, Green were
well short of the required rate but Matt
Simmons put the home side on the back foot with a rapid 45 and looked to
pull off an unlikely victory in partnership with
The Panther (16). Roger Marshall returned to remove both and the game
petered out in the final overs with Green on 160 for 7. Ivor (20) and Aaron
Hills (27)provided a lively opening partnership in the midweek friendly at
Hockerill. Ted Patel failed to thrill the crowd
but Potter (61)and
Albury (60) struck the ball well before the latter failed to beat the finger
of Ivor and was run out. Torrential rain then
fell and the game abandoned.