Your Cricket JPKD's 2010 Season

[JackPKDennison]

3rd XI vs Merstham

Back for two weeks I was pleased to be playing at home this week again for the 3rd XI and hoping to try and find a bit of rhythm after it had been lacking at nets on Thursday. We won the toss and bowled on a beautiful warm day but despite this the pitch was good for batsmen and bowlers alike.

When I got in to the game the score was 76-4 and the Merstham had made a good start and seen off the quicks. They were bowled out for just 108 thanks to 5 wickets from myself. The first came off my first ball what can best be described as a low full toss was hit straight up in the air and added to a sharp catch I had already taken at gully. Next over I drew the batsman out of his crease and he fell to a good stumping.

Bowling stump to stump rewarded me with my final three wickets being LBW and bowled. I was very pleased to take 5 and it became my second in as many games. I also took a third catch again at gully before dismissing number 11. As we had bowled them out so quickly we started our innings before tea. When tea was taken we were 60 for 5 and I had my pads on. I didnt really feel like eating but when I was required with the bat only 15 we required to win. I added 2 before leaving a ball that cut back and struck my pad about shin high. I had no complaints but it was fairly nervous watching the side scrape over the line to win by 2 wickets.

Beer did flow to celebrate the wickets I took and I got my name on the Man of the Match chair for the first time this year. It also makes my average for the season 12 (7 in the league) the best in the club for anyone with more than 10 wickets. I now look forward to Monday and selection where I could find myself in the 2nd XI but probably not.

 

[JackPKDennison]

Sunday 1st XI vs Wilkinson Way

This unfortunately was perhaps the worst game of cricket I have ever played in. The opposition were rude and abusive to our team and our umpire and had complete disregard for the spirit of cricket. It was a 40 over game due to start at 2 o'clock. Our openers and umpires were in the middle at 2:15 and werent joined by the opposition until 2:30. The first over took 5 minutes as players slowly trickled on to the pitch after arriving late. The first 15 overs took 90 minutes to bowl as the opposition stopped once to argue with our umpire about where he was stood. Then argued twice amongst themselves for at least 5 minutes.

At drinks it was decided the game would be shortened to 35 overs a side to even the game up. Our opener scored a good 100 on a tough day against the odds. We declared on 30 overs 260 for 1. We offered them 35 to get the runs and the farce continued. One of their batsmen nearly squared up to one of our players before going on to make a 100. This guy was a hack who had no real idea of any of the intricacies of the game. he called for a drink in the middle of an over 5 minutes before drinks were due. It was not until 7 o'clock that the 50th over of the game was bowled. 50 overs in 5 and a half hours.

I did get to bowl 7 overs taking 3-61. Quite expensive but it should have been 4-50 as the centurion was stumped a good yard short of his ground in my final over while he was in the 90's. Their umpire refused to give him out and then he hit me for 6 next ball. My wickets were as followed bowled throught th gate to a ball that ripped, caught at long on and caught at mid on.

I did dropped my first catch of the season at mid on going back to a big skyer. The side dropped 5 or so catches and the centurion was bowled for 50 off a no-ball. Had we got any of those chances we would have won and my figures may have been better. The opposition were a disgrace to cricket and we will never play them again. My season average remains 14 wickets at 13.93 I was hoping for a call up to the 2's this week but will have to wait a while as the skipper doesn't like to change a winning side.

 

[JackPKDennison]

Hampton Wick Royal 3rd XI vs 3rd XI

This is for last week just a week late. After my 5 for in the league the week before I was looking forwards to another hot weekend and a dry bouncy pitch to bowl on. I was given a damp wet pitch on which we batted first. The pitch was lively and the top order batsmen complained of driving rain as the bowler roared in down a hill with nothing more than a red brick wall as a sightscreen to help them see the ball in the gloom. I had no such excuse. I nailed my first ball to mid-on and was dropped before getting a ball that bounced on me 3rd ball that I guided to slip.

In the second innings the sun came out and the pitch was still tricky but the opposition had only 103 to chase. I came on early after last weeks haul and bowled tight for 5 overs taking a wicket caught at deep mid-wicket. I got some turn and bounce and beat the edge a few times before my final over went for 11 as I bowled 2 juicy full tosses. When defending a total of 103 you cant afford that. As the pitch flattened they coasted home despite two batsmen not walking. For one of them our keeper dived some way to his left to take the catch but he was unmoved. Still have a league bowling average under 10 though.

Noramdy Trust XI vs Trust XI

For those who don't know what Trust XI cricket is you need 6 under 18's a few of whom need to be under 16. My team had 4 under 16's, 4 under 18's and 3 over 18's one of which was me, 19. We had a young side and as one of the senior bowlers I was chosen to open up with some spin to restrict. My captain who is one of the over 18's also bowls off spin and he took 6-33 off 4.3 overs while I took 0-25 off 8. I dropped a caught and bowled because the batsmen got in my way but its a batsmens game so he got away with it. I did take a slip catch in a bizarre fashion. As my skipper bowled the ball went low off the edge I stuck out my foot and the ball popped up nicely in to my hands off my left boot. Their batsmen departed for a golden duck much to my amusement.

I mused at the end of the innings and asked "Why do I have to bowl at the good batsmen (namely the 16 year old who smashed 67 off 57)" one of my team mates replied "Because you're our best bowler". This made me very pleased but my second duck in 2 days didn't. We lost again. This meant of the 7 games I have played this year I had won only 2 and in those 2 I took a 5 for in each.

 

[JackPKDennison]

Just got the big call in to the 2nd XI. Only problem is I need to get up at 7:30 to get to the game from Nottingham. It will be my home league d?but for the 2nd XI though.

 

[pcfan123]

Wow Jack, that slips catch sounds like one with one of the Waugh brothers. I can't exactly remember when though.

Good on you for the call up, sounds like you might be too talented to keep playing with the current side.

 

[JackPKDennison]

It is my chance to get ahead of the 2nd XI spinner who is unavailable. He's over twice my age and can't field and this season I have proved just as consistent as him with the ball. I just need to prove myself in the 2nd XI.

 

[darthlewis1]

Did you by any chance play streatham and marlborough today?