Southwick Wanderers Cricket Club

Too close to call!!! - Match Report - SWCC v Lingfield Sunday 1sts     9th May 2010

Welcome to summer!

Debut Darren Radford

Wanderers' first match in anger of the 2010 season was conducted in Arctic temperatures at Lingfield, and what a great advertisement for Sunday cricket it turned out to be.

Both teams had only ten men, including, in the Wanderers case, two guests, Ian Wainwright and Charlie Almond.

Jamie lost the toss and we were inserted (!?). The openers bowled reasonably well on a good wicket and after a straight drive for 4 (where did that come from?) Tony Preston departed caught behind (why is the journey back to the pavilion always so much further than the outward version - discuss). 13-1. Kim Aspindale was at 3 and immediately looked at home, opening his innings with a boundary. Anthony Higgs was bowled by a fast yorker and we were 21-2. Jeremy Preston trembled his way to the wicket (naked fear and hypothermia in equal measures). Once at the wicket, however, he looked very good and struck the ball beautifully (writes Preston senior), moving to 16 in 4 scoring strokes.

The score moved quickly to 46, when the Lingfield skipper brought on Rigg, a precocious 16 year old, bowling pretty quick left arm over from the pavilion end. Kim negotiated his first over without scoring, but then, in his second, disaster struck. Jez tried to pull a shortish ball which did not bounce and was bowled middle stump. 46-3. Darren Radford was in next, but was surprised by the extra pace and was caught one-handed in the covers for 0. 46-4. Jamie in next, got an absolute peach, and was bowled middle stump first ball. 46-5. So, from the comparative comfort of 46-2 to 46-5 in one over.

Ian Wainwright was in next, and although looking far from comfortable initially, started rebuilding the innings with Kim. Kim batted with great resolve and authority, and gradually the score moved forward. Rigg could not repeat his exploits and was taken off after 4 overs (an ECB  requirement at his age - personally I would have sent him straight to bed without any tea). Both batsmen began imposing themselves on the bowling (although both were dropped in the slips in the same over - a wake-up call), and we reached 117 before Ian departed for an invaluable 29. Mark Johnson in next fresh from his slogfest in the InterClub day. Hmmm, would that one could report a repeat of those heroics, but sadly no, with a passable impression of DG wielding his Gary Nicholls he was caught for 0. Luke Smith in now, and hit a beautiful 4 straight back past the bowler, moving the score to 128 when a by now obviously tired (but at least warm) Kim was finally caught behind for a very good 44. A great innings and one that should set him up for the season. Charlie Almond came in at the tail, but did not trouble the scorer, being neatly stumped. So, a topsy-turvy innings closed at 128.

The Lingfield innings got under way after a nice tea, and Davey and Lloyd were men in a hurry. At 58-0 I was starting to think we might (would) lose by 10 (sorry 9) wickets, when we got the breakthrough. Both Luke and Jamie had been bowling well notwithstanding the score, so it was well deserved when Jez snaffled both openers behind the stumps, one each to Luke and Jamie. Hooker, Lingfield's no 3, was a class act, and began hitting some beautiful shots. It was clear we would need to see the back of him to have much chance of winning.

Jamie brought Darren on, who after 2 overs, started to find a good length, and some decent pace. Luke struck next, however, Darren taking a stinger at deep mid-on. 78-3. We fielded excellently throughout, taking every chance that came our way, Charlie Almond in particular saving loads of runs in the deep. Darren weighed in next, clean bowling Rigg. 80-4 and we felt in with a chance. Hooker was still there, and he and Obary advanced the score to 105, Darren then striking again, having Obary caught by Ian. 105-5. Then Ian (replacing Darren), induced a rash stroke from Hooker, gratefully accepted by Jez for his third catch behind the sticks. He departed for a good 34. 111-6. Game on! Luke was replaced by Jamie, coming back on, and it was soon 114-7, Ian catching Hendry off Jamie. There was still another twist when Ian clean-bowled Robertson to make the score 122-8, Lingfield still needing 7 to win, with one wicket left. Mitchell, Lingfield's skipper, was last in, but he is clearly no mug with the bat, and he and the cool under pressure youngster Hanna saw them home with 2 overs to go.

This was a super game played in the right spirit, with the result in the balance until the end. May the sun now come out!

SWCC Innings

FoW 13 Higgs-1: 21 T Preston-6: 46 J Preston-16: 46 Radford-0: 46 Hyde-0: 117 Wainwright-29: 117 Johnson-0: 128 Aspindale-46: 128 Almond-0

Lingfield Innings