Southwick Wanderers Cricket Club

Crawley Down vs SWCC - Sunday 19th July 2009

Match report by Tony Preston

How many times over the years  has the Emergency Fixture bureau produced good opposition for us at short notice? It did again for this fixture, coming up with Crawley Down, a strong Club with a very nice ground, a good wicket, a friendly team and a bar. What it didn’t do was provide a beautiful day, and the wind howled in off the steppes of Mid Sussex, bringing with it occasional rainy squalls. But enough of this poetic rubbish: ED

Crawley Down batted first, and got off to a good solid start, Barton, however, having to leave the field briefly after taking one of Jamie’s (thankfully slower) deliveries above the eye.

This did not seem to affect Hepple  and Heward, who moved the score along  comfortably until Hepple holed out to Luke at mid-off, Jamie taking a corker one-handed.

Ward looked immediately at home, and it was only due to a superb reflex catch by Preston Senior in the slips that the run flow was curbed (writes Tony Preston). Crawley Down kept the score moving though until Heward  was bamboozled by Dave Field’s canny swing and was LBW.
Wickets were falling regularly with John behind the stumps taking a catch off a very fast delivery from Jamie and a stumping off Dave who still has the knack of lulling batsmen into a false sense of security, before striking like a cobra(!?!)

Although we were making inroads into the Down batting, they had a powerful batting line-up, and runs kept coming, with a target of 200 being a distinct possibility for a while. There was a big (oh, alright, a pivotal) moment when Farley attempted a second run for an overthrow, and Dave ‘Errol’ Noakes ‘lammed’ one in right over the stumps (in the absence of Alan Brack  there was no other target) where John did the necessary, Farley departing for 16 and having looked very dangerous (and extremely unhappy).

With Preston Senior snaffling the 13 yr old White off Dave F’s cunningly disguised faster one (attaining an estimated speed in excess of 20mph). Jamie came back and polished off the tail just before tea, leaving a competitive total of 169, and both sides feeling they had done pretty well. From Wanderers point of view, the three main bowlers Jamie, Luke and Dave F all bowled excellently, backed up by ‘Golden arm’ Scholfield who inevitably broke the burgeoning partnership.

John and the ageing but still sprightly Preston Senior opened proceedings and John stroked a superb cover drive for 4 first ball, and runs flowed from both ends, 35 coming up in the 6th over. Some above averagely fast but wayward bowling from both ends provided some good opportunities, with John in particular enjoying himself before he was unluckily caught behind for an excellent 23 just tickling one outside leg, and sportingly walking, a gesture appreciated by Down. No respite for the toiling bowlers as this brought ‘Errol’ Noakes to the wicket, and though he looked mildly uncomfortable for a couple of overs, the discomfort was quickly transferred to the bowlers as he lived up to his (new) nickname, swashbucklingly (hmm, not sure about that one) whacking them to all corners of the ground.

Preston Senior got a low (and unfortunately for him) straight one and departed for a useful 26. ‘Golden Arm’ Scholfield came out, but fairly quickly was on his way back to the pavilion, bowled by the excellent Farley without troubling the scorer. Simeon in next, and the ship was steadied with a stand of 30-ish before he was caught behind off a skyer. Skipper Hyde strode out, and clearly relishing the bowling of the diminutive White (just 13 yrs old), hit a couple of beautiful 6s and with Dave scoring freely at the other end, suddenly what had seemed a competitive total was reached with 4 overs to spare. Dave Noakes hit a classy 68, and Jamie 33. Another win for the Wanderers, by 6 wkts, but more importantly, a super afternoon’s cricket which Crawley Down seemed to enjoy as well, and there is talk of repeating the fixture. From a selfish point of view, I had a super afternoon, catching up with everyone, and hope to repeat it at the earliest opportunity.

SCORE CARDS