Results and Match Reports 2009
Wiltshire League Matches|Friendly Matches
Wiltshire County Cricket League - Division 2 Results 2009
Wiltshire League Division 2
Avebury vs Beanacre
Date : Sat 02-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 205 for 3 in 45 overs
Opposition score : 8 all out in 19 overs
An extraordinary game of cricket. Avebury lost the toss and were inserted by Beanacre, who bowled extremely well throughout the innings, having an impressive depth of bowling talent at their disposal, most of whom were able to make the ball swing in seamer friendly conditions. Avebury's eventual total of 205 was compiled in a sensible manner, with Chairman and Rhino seeing the new ball bowlers off, H.Fry pushing the pace with a breezy 43, and the Captain holding the later stages together with a fine 48 not out.
Gater's tea was something of a disappointment, lacking (as it did) any homemade cakes or scones, but neither Rob nor the tea can really be blamed for what happened next. Tight bowling from the Chairman at the top end, and Rob himself from the bottom, put the pressure on the Beanacre batters (missing their best batsmen, with whom the game would no doubt have been very different indeed) and picked up wickets at regular intervals. These two were ably assisted by smart catching from Hollister behind the stumps, Rheinberg in the covers, and pressure in the ring from Duncan, Bradfield, Jephson, White and Force-Jones, none of whom let anything past in a remarkable 20 over innings. As the pressure mounted and wickets continued to fall, the batters were forced into a couple of crazy calls for two - both times picking out the best arm in the side. In the end, Beanacre's innings closed on 11 all out (I thought, anyway - WCCL has it differently) and Avebury ran out winners by a margin.
A word of consolation to the Beanacre side - what happened to you has happened to us before, and will no doubt happen again. Sometimes you can have a bad day where nothing goes your way, all the edges go to hand, and the opposition fielders all do their jobs well. The final result is no indication of the gap between these two sides, which in reality probably wasn't much at all, if anything.
Having said all that, huge credit must go to Avebury's new ball pair (especially Rob Gater), for the pressure they created and the absence of loose deliveries. If only it went like that every week....
Avebury vs Swindon III
Date : Sat 09-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 159 for 1 in 22 overs
Opposition score : 158 all out in 43 overs
Swindon III's were short of their four best players, and so the game resulted in a relatively easy win for Avebury, who fielded first, bowled their opponents out for 158. All bowlers did a decent job, with the exception of the Chairman who was off the boil after a difficult week at work. Pete Force-Jones led the way with a four-wicket haul, although wasn't quite at his best. Henry did a great job in the middle overs, and the fielders held on to their catches, with the champagne moment being a splendid one handed left handed effort by Tim Jephson at slip - the surprised look on his face just said it all. Avebury's innings was essentially defined by the cover drives of Alex Millward, which boomed over the ropes again and again as the home side raced to an easy victory in around half the allotted overs. After a pleasant round or two in the ASC, the Chairman and the Skipper enjoyed a romantic diner a deux in the New Asian Grill, with this weeks highlights being the Saracen Special and the Chicken Methiwala - the latter being packed with delicious dried fenugreek seeds, but rather unflatteringly referred to by the Skipper as "that fungus stuff". The waiters got the joke. Eventually.
Lacock vs Avebury
Date : Sat 23-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 165 for 5 in 43 overs
Opposition score : 164 for 8 in 45 overs
With apologies to regular readers for the delay in getting this report out. Wonder if the ever-watchful WCCL will fine me for failing to turn this one in on time? Can they do that? They might. They just might.
Lacock. A village sharing many traits with Avebury - National Trust mafia everywhere, World Heritage status, reams of tourists milling aimlessly about trying to decide whether to have a seventh ice cream...you get the picture. Turns out the cricket teams also share a number of traits - an elderly pavilion, a funny shaped outfield, an ageing team.
Anyway, I digress. Lacock won the toss and batted. The dangerous Copeland and his fellow opener merrily swatted away anything on or around half volley length, with even the miscues carrying over the boundary rope at this most bijoux of grounds. Eventually Gater induced the edge to account for Copeland, and the Chairman at the other end got another, Pete Force-Jones taking an excellent diving catch at backward point (yes, i did just write that).
Avebury's bowling attack had a touch of class about it today, with Will Thomas joining the ranks and taking over from the Chairman, whose temperature (39 degrees) and flu was finally getting the better of him. Moving the ball in the air and bowling at a brisk pace, he bowled very well in a crucial period of the game and stifled the Lacock batsmen's progression. H.Fry at the other end had some success but that naughty full toss kept creeping in to ease the pressure on the run rate. What a naughty ball!
The Skipper turned to Pete Force-Jones and A.Millward for some slow stuff and this had the desired effect, with both bowlers picking up wickets, and in order to complete the natural order of things Gater and the Chairman were summoned back to mop up the tail, which they singularly failed to do. Lacock's total of 164 for 8, though, felt sub-par on a decent track and a teeny weeny boundary.
In reply, Avebury got to 49 without incident before A. Millward played forward with soft hands only to see the ball roll oh-so-gently onto his stumps. The Chairman followed, chipping straight to mid-wicket who clung onto the chance, unlike a good number of his team-mates who chose to drop the generous Avebury offerings. H.Fry started in an ungainly fashion, but became increasingly fluid as the innings wore on and ended up anchoring the middle order, all of whom contributed but got themselves out - Dix swishing at a yorker, the in-form Hollister being LBW to a low full toss, and Rheinberg being...well...also LBW to a low full toss.
It's a strong batting line-up when Gater (6,400 runs for Avebury) is walking in at number 7, and with Will Thomas (22 last week for Dauntsey's 1st XI against an all-star MCC side including none other than the Chairman hahaha) coming in at 8, not to mention the might of Bradfield looking way too low at number 9, and the mercurial Tim "Tim's Tins" Jephson at 10. Happily, these last 3 9as well as PFJ) were able to enjoy the sunshine as Avebury saw off the returning opening bowlers and snuck home in the 43rd over, H.Fry unbeaten on 72 and Gater crashing a couple of boundaries to finish things off.
All in all, a much better game of cricket than others to date this year, and against a pretty strong team with whom we were evenly matched. Lacock have some strong batsmen, and two excellent opening bowlers - in particularly the one referred to as "browner" (though they never said what he was browner than). They are also blessed with an excellent pub, the George, a stone's throw from the ground, meaning a happy ending for all concerned.
Team: Millward, Dix, Fry H., Gater, Hollister, Rheinberg, Jephson, Thomas W., Bradfield, Force-Jones, Chairman
Avebury vs Swindon Civil Service
Date : Sat 30-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 258 for 4 in 45 overs
Opposition score : 221 for 9 in 45 overs
A hot day. Avebury in decent nick, and the ground fully pimped for the occasion, with most of the cow parsley gone from the sides of the ground, the wicket freshly cut and rolled, and the outfield lovingly clipped by Rhino and His Mower. Avebury lost the toss and were asked to bat. Millward and Chairman got going nicely, Chairman racing to 48 from 31 balls before a nasty run-out mix-up occurred. Millers and H.Fry progressed things nicely, the opener eventually falling for 35. Dix got going nicely but was caught on the boundary. Gater accelerated nicely towards the end, and on H.Fry's demise (for 42) was joined by Rheinberg, fresh from a long net session which must have paid of as he plundered 26 from 13 balls. All in all a decent total but all the usual caveats (batting wicket, small ground, fast outfield) applied.
SCS were out of the traps like the proverbial greased ferret, Spackman and Smith scything the bowlers to all parts. Gater cramped up in over number 2 and was out of the attack, leaving the delighted SCS openers to gorge themselves on utter filth from the Chairman, and the odd bad ball from H.Fry and PFJ. Will Thomas bowled nicely but once again his figures didn't do him justice as he leaked a boundary or so ever over against 2 in-form batsmen. Finally A.Millward was introduced and got the breakthrough, Spackman departing for a robust 60. Despite continued clean hitting from the excellent Sean Smith, SCS continued to lose wickets, and the re-introduction of R.Gater (albeit off 2 paces) was enough to stifle the run-rate and force the errors. A. Millward deserves special commendation at the other end, for a critical spell of slow bowling which calmed everything down. The Chairman and H.Fry finished off, and despite getting a bit of tap, SCS didn't have enough steam to overhaul the total and Avebury claimed a fourth consecutive league victory (last happened in 2006).
Team: Millward, Dix, Fry H., Gater, Hollister, Rheinberg, Bradfield, Thomas W., Force-Jones, Jephson, Chairman
Urchfont vs Avebury
Date : Sat 06-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 236 all out in 45 overs
Opposition score : 201 all out in 43 overs
How Avebury won this game I have absolutely no idea. In response to Avebury's extremely modest (and in the circumstances, disappointing) 236 all out, Urchfont were absolutely cruising along at 135 for 2 after 25 overs, with the dangerous Cosmo "The Love Doctor" Cupid smashing the bowling to all parts (especially the Chairman, who registered one of his worst bowling performances of the decade). He was ably supported by the swarthy Urchfont skipper, who was also playing very well on this most superb of batting tracks.
The dramatic change of fortunes was engineered by Avebury's stand-out player of the season so far, the irrepressible Alex Millward, who followed up his half-century of earlier in the afternoon with a superb spell of slow bowling in which he trapped "Mr Lover-Lover" LBW, and bowled the Urchfont skipper straight after the drinks break. This exposed a surprisingly brittle Urchfont middle order, and allowed Pete Force-Jones at the other end to pick up four wickets (not all with particularly great balls as the man himself will admit).
Earlier in the day, the Chairman and Millward had got Avebury off to a decent start against some interesting bowling. Someone has obviously told Urchfont's opening bowler (Bevan?) that he is bowling at the same pace as Fidel Edwards or Jerome Taylor, but unfortunately it's more Paul Collingwood. Millward was particularly hard on the short ball, and this appeared only to spur the bowler on to bowling shorter.
Follwing the Chairman's inveitable departure slogging horribly to long-off, Fry H. hit a patient fifty, and got some support from Dix before the latter got a leading edge to the dangerous Keith Bills, whose superb spell of slow bowling netted him 6 wickets for Urchfont.
Avebury's middle order was disappointing, and the glory belong to a tenth wicket partnerhsip of 21 between Dave Bradfield and Pete Force-Jones, which was ultimately much of the different between the two sides.
Urchfont's pitch is a belter. A word of warning to any sides who haven't played here before - 250 is the bare minimum on this pitch, with it's solid batting suface, lightning fast outfield and boundaries sloping away from the wicket on all sides.
Avebury continue to head their division. Not that anyone seems particularly keen to return to the pleasantries of Division 1 any time soon.
Team: Millward, Chairman, Fry H., Dix, Gater, Hollister, Rheinberg, Blake, Duncan, Bradfield, Force-Jones
Avebury vs Highworth
Date : Sat 13-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 238 all out in 45 overs
Opposition score : 121 all out in 33 overs
In deference to the excellent reporting of cricket generally in the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, today's match report has been written "in the style of" that wonderful journal.
Headline:
Something racy like "Village Wins Again In Style"
Text:
Avebury Skipper Greg Dix was extremely please with his side's performance against Highworth on Sunday, which saw the home side through to a sixth successive victory.
In another ground-breaking and revalatory interview with a cricket club captain, Dix said: "I am really please with my side's performance against Highworth on Sunday, which saw us through to a sixth successive victory."
Avebury batted first and had real momentum up to the 40th over, but lost 6 wickets in the final five overs as the lower order batsmen struggled to maintain the run rate, only Dave Bradfield standing out with a towering six onto the Avebury monument.
Skipper Dix said: "I was really pleased with the way our top order played today - particularly Rob Gater, pushed up the order to open in place of Alex Millward who is moving house this weekend. Rob made a fantastic 88 and it was a pity he didn't register his first league hundred. I was able to chip in with 66, and the rest of our top order contributed too."
In a further insightful comment which really opens up the subleties of this team game, Dix went on "It seems that every week, one or two of our top order get going and make some runs, and that's what you need really."
In reply, Highworth lost early wickets, but this only brought the dangerous L.Beavor to the crease for Highworth, and soon the ball was disappearing to all parts before the unlucky batsman smacked another leg-side long-hop from the Chairman straight into the hands of Rheinberg at square leg.
Dix said: "That was an important wicket which definitely turned the game in our favour. Our bowlers all did well today - particularly Ben Bradish in his first Saturday game for the club, and Pete Force-Jones who didn't bowl well but still took wickets. The Chairman was lucky to pick up a Michelle, and would surely want to thank Rob Gater at the other end for creating the pressure in the first place. i also want to thank Trevor Startup for stepping in at short notice and bowling some tidy overs from the bottom end."
Avebury's catching was markedly improved from previous seasons and, thanks to a huge effort from everyone at the club, the wicket, square and outfield are finally getting the care they deserve.
Avebury now face Corsham III on an artificial pitch next Saturday. Dix said "We are really looking forward to it. We haven't had a chance to play on an artificial wicket since 2002 when we were in Division Five, so to get the opportunity in Division Two is a rare treat."
Team: Chairman, Gater, Fry H., Dix, Rheinberg, Hollister, Duncan, Bradish, Bradfield, Force-Jones, Startup.
Corsham III vs Avebury
Date : Sat 20-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 298 for 7 in 45 overs
Opposition score : 211 all out in 44 overs
This wasn't the most interesting of games from a spectators perspective. Anyone who has visited Corsham's main ground at Station Road will be impressed with the smooth outfield, immaculate square, and welcoming clubhouse. Visitors to their other ground in Leafy Lane will not be quite so enamoured of the treacherous outfield, artificial matting strip, and a pavilion sprinkled liberally with broken glass for children to crawl around in. The artificial surface however is as true a surface as you could hope for, offering absolutely nothing whatsoever for bowlers. Add to this the short boundary and awful outfield and you can see why big totals need to be posted by the side batting first.
Avebury batted first and scored a very defendable 298, Henry scoring a quiet and diligent 98, Dix and the Chairman getting low thirties, Gater (opening again) a rollicking 77 and Millward a quickfire 20 of 11 balls towards the end. Rheinberg didn't quite fire on all cyclinders today and neither did Neil, but Rheinberg's big black trainers were my personal highlight - a glimpse perhaps of what Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson might wear if he were playing the game regularly.
Corsham's response was full of purpose but they lost wickets early on to the grumpy Chairman and Gater too, although today's fielding display was nothing like as tidy as last week. PF-J took a bit of a hammering as Corsham's effervescent all-rounder Liam "Sumo" Sumsion demonstrated a fine display of clean hitting in the arc between straight long-on and cow corner. Credit to Simon White for doing a lot of fielding in the third man region at both ends, and to Henry and Alex whoalso picked up wickets.
On balance though the highlight of the Corsham innings was the interruption caused by a wandering caravanner, camped across the other side of the field, wandering across the pitch in bristling defiance of the fact that a game was going on. Words and hand gestures were exchanged by all and sundry, the final word belonging to this cheeky traveller, who appeared to mistake the Skippers swarthy complexion and glowing suntan for a more permanent skin colour, and starting hurling racial abuse at him too.
Another game, another solid win, and well done to the team for trying to make light of a rather dull game in which Corsham (through no real fault of their own I might add) were never really up with the run-rate and fell short by 90-odd runs.
Another highlight was going back to Corsham and seeing one of their players (?) coming out of the changing room wearing flip flops, drainpipe jeans, and a bomber jacket. Lovin' the look....
Team: Gater, Fry H., Dix, Millward, Hollister, Rheinberg, Blake, Bradfield, Force-Jones, White, Chairman
Avebury vs Wanborough
Date : Sat 27-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 224 for 4 in 43 overs
Opposition score : 222 for 7 in 45 overs
On another miserable day for bowlers, Wanborough chose to bat first and posted a healthy 222 for 7 wickets in their allotted 45 overs. Much of this was due to the efforts of the newly formed Avebury CC Grounds Staff (Rheinberg, Bradfield, Duncan, Hollister and the Chairman) who have worked hard to produce the flatest cricket pitch in history, and the world's fastest outfield. Wanborough looked a well-drilled and organised side, their top order players looking particularly dangerous but (on this occasion, luckily for us) not managing the big scores of previous games.
As for the Avebury bowlers. toiling away on an unpleasantly warm afternoon, Gater and the elderly Chairman were OK but not amazing, the change bowlers Bradish and Lythe were exceptional, and once again Millward slowed the game down with some tidy off-breaks. Hell, even PFJ got in the game, finding for once that mythical length of 6 years ago. The Chairman's day got off to a particularly bad start being warning for running on the wicket 6 inches past the popping crease with his second ball of the day. "Get in the game, umps!"
An aside here: In deference to whoever submits match reports for Beanacre I suppose I should have written "Ben Bradish (16 years old) and Jacob Lythe (16 years old)" in the paragraph above, as I have noticed this many times in the WCCL results this year. I am not sure I get it. Is that supposed to mean we should be surprised at how good 16 year old cricketers can be? My view is the opposite - our 16-17 years are by some distance the most talented players in the club, so it should come as no surprise that they can play a bit. Next time Henry bashes a hundred, maybe we should write something like "H.Fry 114 not out (33 years old but still gets asked for I.D. in Wiltshire pubs)".
Anyway. Back to the game. Wanborough's lower order batted exceptionally well in the final 10 overs to get their score well past 200. Tea was delayed slightly as Rheinberg had to cut his sandwiches, meaning the Avebury openers lost the usual benefit of 30 minutes controlled eating and had to be content with half a sandwich and a mug of tea before the fielders were back out.
Once again, in time honoured tradition, the Chairman and Millward batted well for the opening overs before both perished to rash shots. H.Fry also gave chances, but the Wanborough fielders weren't able to hang on to them and the Milky Bar kid was soon past 50. At the other end, Dix was looking good for a much-overdue big score on a Sunday, but contrived to miss a straight one whilst looking to push the run-rate along. All-rounder Gater played some delightful shots but he too perished as the required run rate escalated past 6 an over. Enter Rheinberg, fresh off a scintillating 40 not out in 110 balls last Sunday. The run-rate continued to climb, prompting howls of anguish from the pavilion as H.Fry and Rheinberg looked to bat out for the draw.
Eventually, though, something had to give, and a couple of big overs were gifted to Avebury by some wayward bowling in the latter stages, H.Fry capitalising on the loose stuff with 'berg immovable at the other end. In the end Avebury scraped home in 43 overs to notch up another win. And once again, the scoreline did not accurately reflect was in truth a tight game at times.
Having gone on a bit earlier about young players I think it's worth mentioning the excellent performances of Lythe and Bradish, the former in his Saturday debut. Well played lads - and sorry we make you do all the fielding....
Team: Millward, Dix, Gater, Fry H., Rheinberg, Hollister, Bradish, Lythe, Bradfield, Force-Jones, Chairman
Beanacre vs Avebury
Date : Sat 04-JulType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 101 all out in 31 overs
Opposition score : 220 for 8 in 45 overs
Many players missing from today's game (notably Millward, Rheinberb and the Chairman) so I will summarise the match report as found on Beanacre's website:-
"Looking to avenge the embarassing defeat on the opening day, we soon lost our first wicket. But a partnership of 164 between Ben [that must be Ben Brown, aged 16? Ed] & Stu Wakeley soon had us in charge. Ben [Brown, aged 16. Ed] went for 72 while Stu went for 94. The rest of the batting apart from Paul Drew didn't maintain the momentum & our innings closed on a slightly dissapointing 220 for 8. Ben [Brown, aged 16. Ed] took a wicket with the 1st ball of the Avebury innings & we remained on top from then on. Robbie finished with 5 for 34 off 12 & Niall chipped in with 2 for 3 as the leaders were hustled out for 101. This was an excellent all round team performance."
Andy Footner - 04/07/2009
Well team, the only question I have for you is: Were you ACTUALLY hustled?
Henry's report is:
'Well, it (probably) had to happen at some stage and so, in hindsight, on a day when ACC were without several regular players, it was perhaps the occasion of choice for a naaasty, 'oribble defeat to creep into our season. Under partial cloud cover and with a stiff breeze blowing, we elected to field first. Despite an early break through by Rob, no.s 1 and 3 batsmen settled in and began accumulating runs on a wicket with variable bounce, but with assistance from a hard and fast out field. Several chances came and went to break the partnership, and this won't be a fielding session ACC will care to remember although I’m sure we’ve been worse. The partnership for the second wicket took Beanacre to a healthy c.170 in over 36ish before PFJ eventually snared no.3 (stumped). Soon after, Will Thomas bowled no.1 with a short delivery that would have scalped any surfacing earthworm in its path. There didn't appear too much batting resistance after this, although Beanacre did manage a further 50 runs to reach 220 for 8 from their 45 overs. Avebury’s bowlers generally bowled quite well, but the challenge of bowling into the wind from the pavilion end did unsettle the odd delivery!
Needing 221 on what appeared to be a testing wicket always seemed like a challenge (and credit to BCC's no.1 bat for playing so solidly) and our innings couldn't have started more sickly when Rob G spooned a short one to midwicket on ball 1 of the innings. Blake proved to be the mainstay to the innings and top scored with 38, while those who should have done better (Fry H, Dix, Hollister - a low one, granted!) gave away their wickets cheaply. We can’t really blame this one on the pitch because BCC managed ok, albeit 2 of their batsman succeeded - but that’s all they needed. Our tail wagged a little, and helped us to 2 batting points, but being knocked over for 101 will not be one for the ‘ACC Happy Memories 2009 Annual’.........but at least it wasn’t for 8.'
Swindon III vs Avebury
Date : Sat 11-JulType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 94 for 2 in 21 overs
Opposition score : 93 all out in 31 overs
Moredon Royal Oak is, as we have noted on these pages before, a wonderful cricket facility now in terminal decline, rather like an English seaside resort. The lane leading to the ground is bordered by wooden hoardings covered in graffiti; the pavilion is surrounded by iron bars (to keep people out, or in, as appropriate), the sounds of the nearby Barnfield recycling centre (or dump, as it used to be known) fill the air. You get the picture. It's a real shame; the square itself is enormous (this clearly was a mighty impressive ground at one time in its life); the outfield flat and fast, and the ground bordered by mature trees on one and a half sides. It's problem, I suspect, is that the whole thing is maintained by a Council with far more pressing demands on their purse strings.
The pitch itself has improved from our visit of 3 years ago (when it was plain dangerous) to merely erratic. Bowling first in an attempt to force an early result before the forecast 4pm downpour, Avebury had first use of its springy green surface, heavily thatched and promising all manner of things for the four-strong seam attack queueing up to bowl on it. Gater and the Chairman snaffled five early wickets and kept the run-rate down below 3 an over; Will Thomas and Jacob Lythe continued the good work, and snaffled the other five. Avebury's leading all-time bowler, PF-J, was allowed a rare day off, and played as a specialist fielder!
Swindon's innings ended on 93 runs in the 33rd over; the last 30-odd being added by the last three batters, who played very well indeed. Apart from some decent fielding in the covers from Duncan, Lythe, Bradfield and Will Thomas, and tidy work at backward point from Trevor Startup, mention must be made of another superb performance behind the stumps from the ever-improving Hollister, who took four catches today and looked at ease whether scooping balls from off the turf or leaping salmon-like down the leg side to catch another boomer from Jacob "16 years old" Lythe.
Avebury's response got off to an awful start, with the (frankly, exhausted) Chairman still in bits from his 5am wake-up call and in no kind of mood to focus on things like shot selection. Rheinberg fell a few overs later to a woeful decision (don't care who's reading this time round - it was, as I say, woeful - the ball hit John's shirt sleeve, with bat and glove nowhere to be seen). However, the reassuring presence of Gater and Dix calmed the nerves of the Avebury dressing room, and a pair of 40 not outs from these two saw the villagers home to an early victory in the 21st over and with the rain just starting to fall.
Well done Avebury for a sneaky victory on a day when many other games were abandoned.
Team: Rheinberg, Gater, Dix, Hollister, Lythe, Thomas W., Startup, Bradfield, Duncan, Force-Jones, Chairman.
Heytesbury and Sutton Veny vs Avebury
Date : Sat 18-JulType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 130 all out in 35 overs
Opposition score : 183 all out in 38 overs
A damp and rainy day. OneVillage arrived at TwoVillages looking forward to a short game and an early journey home once the predicted downpours did their bit.
OneVillage won the toss and elected to bowl, making early inroads into TwoVilages' top order with wickets for both Gater and the Chairman, and Hollister continuing his sparkling form with the gloves - this young fellow doesn't drop a thing, you know.
However, a dangerous partnership began to form between Mr Warminster 1st XI captain, and the other guy, who both looked extremly comfortable. Good news for OneVillage was the return to form of PFJ, who has adjusted his run-up to more of an angle, and as a result is able to propel the ball the required distance almost every time. Ben "If I played for another team in this league they would write "16 years old" in brackets after my name" Bradish bowled a tidy spell, and even Hamry Fry got in amongst the wickets. It was a great shame for OneVillage that Gater was only able to run in off one pace. The author feels that, at full potency, he would have been a right handful.
After a couple of rain delays we went out to finish the TwoVillages innings, and went to tea feeling like we had kept the opposition to a more than manageable 183. However, despite a breezy start from Rheinberg and the Chairman, OneVillage collapsed from 51 for 1 to 55 for 5, much to the delight of TwoVillages, who were doing airplane celebrations and everything.
Wilth the score at 94 for 7 there was an enquiry as to whether OneVillage had actually already won the game, given that they are, in fact, only OneVillage as opposed to TwoVillages. However, after a short consultation period it was decided that OneVillage should continue their innings and try to reach the combined total of TwoVillages.
Eventually, and despite a good partnership between Gater and Blake, our long batting line up (including Sam Carter in his debut for the club, Andy Blake, Nile Hollister and Ben Bradish) lost patience, failing to take advantage of the outrageously small boundary and disastrous outfield, and "slumping" (to coin a phrase from the popular press) to 130 all out.
Lowlights of the game: The Chairman ruining his side's chances of victory with an attempted slog off TwoVillage's stalwart bowler; Neil Hollister being out without realising the bowler was running in to bowl, playing 38 overs of miserable cricket in the rain.
Highlights: Practicing sliding dives on a slippery outfield; debating the wisdom of eating, at tea time, raw prawns that might well have sat on the back of someone's parcel shelf for the last 8 hours; moving our kit around in the changing room so that it didn't get dripped on; sitting in the pavilion and being so close to the wicket that you could quite happily carry on a conversation with the batsmen in the middle; playing darts in the Red Lion, Heytesbury after the game.
Team: Carter, Bradfield, Bradish, Rheinberg, Hollister, Force-Jone, Dix, Gater, Blake, Fry H., Chairman.
Watch out guys. The word on the street is that Millers is back next week after a month-long absence. And as any student of OneVillage's form this season will know, Avebury simply doesn't lose at cricket when "Blackheef" is in town....
Avebury vs Lacock
Date : Sat 25-JulType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 150 for 4 in 33 overs
Opposition score : 148 for 8 in 45 overs
I can keep this pretty brief. We were playing at Avebury on a strip that really didn't look like it had had £190 worth of a groundsman's time spend on it - flattened down 3-inch rye grass all over it. Not very impressive. Anyway, it also happens to be the infamous "strip 1" (our 8 strips on the square run from 1 to 8, North to South) which left a tempting 38 yard boundary on one side with a whopping 75 yarder on the other. Anyway, Lacock elected to bat and for the first 20 overs nothing happened whatsoever. Gater and the Chairman trundled in, the batsman left most of it alone, and the run rate toddled along at a fraction under 2 an over, keeping all 10 wickets intact. Change bowlers Bradish and Millward allowed the opposition a chance to accelerate, but Millward struck removing the dangerous Copeland, and allowing Avebury back into the game. Bradish, a little wayward today, was replaced by Lythe, who also seemed to be more than a little off target, but managed to pick up another crucial wicket. The openers returned to ensure a small total didn't grow any bigger, and Avebury left the field in the unusal position of not having offered PFJ or H.Fry the opportunity to turn their arms over.
After an H.Fry tea, OneVillage (see last week's report) set off with their usual purpose in pursuit of the total, losing the Chairman with the score on 48, and H.Fry soon thereafter. Gater and Millward consolidated; Gater accelerated whilst Millers gave a simple return catch. Thereafter, after a slow burning fuse followed by brief fireworks from Rheinberg, Sam "Dan's Brother" Carter saw the game home with Gater in the 35th over.
Team: Carter, Fry H., Millward, Bradfield, Gater, Hollister, Lythe, Bradish, Chairman, Force-Jones, Rheinberg.
Swindon Civil Service vs Avebury
Date : Sat 01-AugType : League
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Abandoned due to yet another bout of foul weather. A pity - Swindon Civil Service have proven to be sturdy opposition for us over the last 3 years, whether we have been battling out for promotion at the top of Div 2, or engaged in a "relation dog-fight" in the depths of Div 1.
Avebury vs Urchfont
Date : Sat 08-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 165 for 5 in 35 overs
Opposition score : 164 for 9 in 45 overs
A carnival atmosphere once again at the Avebury ground, as Avebury sought to consolidate their position at the top of Div2 with a double-header weekend fixture - Urchfont on Saturday, TwoVillages (Heytesbury AND Sutton Veny) on Sunday.
Saturday's team was missing Gater (at a wedding or something) from the batting and bowling line-up. In stepped Henry's brother-in-law Ed E-S to fill the shoes of the ever-reliable performer, and we also welcomed back Tim "Tim's Tins" Jephson after a long Saturday absence.
On another damp Avebury wicket, Urchfont were duly inserted. The Chairman and Ed E-S both made valiant attempts to get the ball to rise above stump height, but the pitch, like a young wife responding to the amorous advances of her husband following childbirth, wasn't have any of it. Nothing of any importance happened in these opening exchanges, as the Urchfont batsmen dug in and occupied the crease. In time, though, the loss of one of the openers brought in the dangerous (and hilarious) Cosmo Cupid, and the stage was set for an epic battle.
Not for the first time this season, Lady Luck was smiling on the Avebury team, and after a few ominous sythes and swats, Cosmo heaved across the line against Ed E-Square and was well caught by the bowler himself.
Change bowlers Fry H. and Millward also got in on the action, both picking up two wickets but with Millward not quite his usual miserly self. Henry accounted for the other two "big swishers" in the Urchfont line-up, their stats reading "6-6-6-out" and "6-4-4-out" respectively. Pete F-J enjoyed a brief cameo, but the unreceptive pitch did not bring out the best in his bowling, with shorter balls being hammered away to an unprotected midwicket boundary. Urchfont's innings was held together by a battling 68 not out from Urchfont's diminutive Dave Thompson, with the lower order failing to deliver many lusty blows against the bowling of the returning E-Square (4-44 from 12 overs) and the Chairman (1-17 from the same).
Special mention to the Avebury fielders today for a strong performance across a sluggish outfield. Dave Bradfield enjoyed a busy day (as ever) at extra cover, with bowlers continuing to keep the ball well pitched up and inviting the drive that is never quite there at Avebury, and clung on to a steepler off Ed E-S to keep the game moving in our favour. Catches from Millward, Rheinberg, Dan/Sam Carter, and 3 for Ed E-Square highlighted the improvements from last years’ woeful fielding displays.
After a Pete Force-Jones "buffet special" team, Avebury's openers set off in pursuit of a modest 164, and once again Millward and the Chairman created a solid platform on which other, more fluent batsmen could build. The Chairman hung around for over 90 deliveries for his 54, whilst Millward's 30 was accumulated at a similarly test match run-rate, largely due to the miserly bowling of Mr Keith Bills from the Pavilion End, who (you may recall) took six wickets against us last time we played Urchfont, and is not a man to be dictated to on a low, slow pitch.
After a hilarious episode in which Urchfont's players, having been more than happy to deliver some healthy and aggressive chirping throughout their fielding display (directly entirely at the batsmen and in no way even pretending to be motivational), were shown to be incapable of seeing the funny side of having it thrown back in their faces, E-Square and Rheinberg accelerated nicely towards the finishing line, and it was left to Sam/Dan Carter to hit the winning runs for Avebury.
All in all, a pretty dull game of cricket on a pitch that gave nothing to either batsman or bowler. However, an important win for Avebury, tying up the top slot in Div2 and (most likely) ensuring participation in the that bastion of cameraderie and sportsmanship, Div1, next year.
Team: Millward, Chairman, Fry H., Dix, E-Square, Rheinberg, Carter, Hollister, Bradfield, Jephson, Force-Jones
Avebury vs Heytesbury and Sutton Veny
Date : Sun 09-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 50 for 2 in 15 overs
Opposition score : 47 all out in 35 overs
Like so many sporting contests, this game did not quite live up to its pre-match billing as a top-of-the-table clash between two in-form sides. Having been re-scheduled for a Sunday, both sides were able to give some of their Sunday regulars a taste of league cricket, and Avebury’s groundsman had even pushed the boat out and cut a second strip for us - a real treat for a Sunday game. However, despite the best efforts of the enthusiastic grounds staff, nothing could be done to offset the combined effects of four days’ rain during the week, and the surface remained obstinately slow and low throughout the game.
TwoVillages won the toss and elected to bat first, but were soon in trouble as accurate opening salvoes from Gater and Sunday regular Rob Minton made scoring difficult. Minton in particular looked threatening, securing two wickets in two balls, including that of former Heytesbury star Justin Wagstaff for a golden duck with an inswinging yorker. Dix, standing at slip, resisted the temptation to "aeroplane" the departing batsman, despite having received this treatment from the batsman in the earlier fixture this year!
Minton's 3 for 6 in his spell was impressive stuff, but no less impressive was Will Thomas, replacing him at the top end, who bowled with control and discipline in picking up 3 for 7 from his spell. Trevor Startup, another Sunday regular, also shone with the ball, picking up 1 for 10 in his 6 over spell, the Captain choosing to rest PF-J having realised that today's pitch was not conducive to his style of bowling. Once again Avebury’s fielding was top-notch, with today’s busy boys being Adam Duncan and Dave Bradfield in the covers and at mid-wicket, PFJ just behind square (always a threat) and Trevor at short third man. Bradders nearly held onto a beauty running backwards, only to see the ball escape from his grasp as he hit the ground (with, it has to be said, something of a thud).
Reeling at 28 for 8, there then followed a period of cricket which will no doubt divide opinion. From TwoVillage's perspective, it might best be described as a valiant partnership between two plucky young tail-enders, seeking to make amends for the errors of their top-order batsmen, grinding out important runs in the march towards a defendable total.
From OneVillage's perspective, it amounted to little more than a monumental waste of time and effort, as the two batsmen resolutely refused to play any shots, scoring at well under one run an over and taking up valuable minutes of everyone's Sunday. From my perspective, I will settle on the former - it was an admirable display.
In the end, TwoVillages collapsed to 47 all out, and after an excellent tea from Bradfield the Avebury top order knocked off the runs for the loss of just two wickets.
Team: Rheinberg, Chairman, Garter, Dix, Hollister, Minton, Duncan, Bradfield, Thomas W., Startup, Force-Jones
Highworth vs Avebury
Date : Sat 15-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 175 for 9 in 45 overs
Opposition score : 143 all out in 41 overs
We have all calmed down considerable following the high tension of Saturday, so now is a good time to put things into perspective.
Avebury lost the toss and were asked to bat on what was later described as a “filthy” wicket. Blake and Rheinberg started cautiously as the ball continued to misbehave off the pitch, and the Highworth opening pair bowled tidily. The lack of runs available soon forced a mistake as Blake was caught at the wicket off the bowling of S.Close. The Chairman soon followed, prodding a ball that popped on him straight back to an ecstatic bowler. However, the drama was set to continue as the irrepressible Close, clad in tracksuit trousers and dancing slippers, claimed the wickets of Dix (0), Gater (0) and Fry H. (0) to leave Avebury in utter disarray at 31 for 5 after 16 overs.
At this point in the game, legitimate questions were being asked in the pavilion about the mental health of the Avebury side. Going into the game needing only a handful of points to secure the top spot, there was without doubt a somewhat relaxed attitude to today’s game, fuelled by emails from the Chairman earlier in the week asking for ideas about post-match celebrations. This over-confidence was further exacerbated by a number of the Avebury players tucking into pints during their side’s faltering innings - presumably an attempt to numb the pain of the woeful on-field display.
Rheinberg and Carter found themselves together at the crease and, as the opening bowlers tired and (eventually) completed their allotted overs, began to attack. Carter took nearly 20 deliveries to get off the mark but was soon playing forceful shots all round the wicket. Rheinberg, cautious to the last, continued to hold up the other end and push singles where available.
Perhaps the turning point of the innings came when Carter launched one of the Highworth change bowlers into the tennis courts. “Shot!” exclaimed the delighted spectators in the pavilion. To which certain members of the Highworth side took offence, and launched into a war of words with the spectators. This eventually fizzled out, but the damage on the field was already done. Highworth’s team began a slow process of mental disintegration, as Carter, supported initially by Rheinberg and later by Hollister, lashed the ball all round the park, prompting further rounds of in-fighting and anger within the Highworth ranks.
With further support from Will Thomas, Dave Bradfield and Pete Force-Jones, Avebury’s innings closed at 175-9, with Carter the standout performer with 63, and a swashbuckling 35 from Hollister the perfect accompaniment. Rheinberg (23 from 81 balls) was very much the glue that held the innings together.
After a pleasant enough tea, Highworth set off positively in pursuit of the target (a shade over 3.5 runs per over) but lost early wickets as Rheinberg, fielding under the batsmen’s noses, picked up a couple of cheeky catches off the bowling of the Chairman. The removal of Gater and the Chairman from the attack brought in Will Thomas and H.Fry, with Will in particular finding an excellent rhythm from the top end and snaring a couple of LBWs as the ball continued to skid through very low on occasions.
It was one of these LBWs that produced a most on-field unpleasant episode, as Highworth Top Dog Lee Beaver was palpably LBW to a ball from Thomas that kept low and hit him plumb in line. Having (rightly) been given out, the disgruntled batsman stood his ground for what felt like an eternity, arguing with the umpire, before it was suggested that he might like to head off for the pavilion. This suggestion was met with even more bile and vitriol, accompanied by one of the rudest words any of us have ever heard or are likely to hear. The departing batsmen continued in this potty-mouthed vein all the way off the pitch and, later, from the pavilion. And all this from a representative of Her Majesty’s Forces who has served his country in Iraq.
Needless to say this turned the mood of the match. There is always some place for light-hearted banter between sides, but when umpires are dragged into it, and it tunrs to straightforward abuse, then the line is clearly over-stepped. Umpires stand in our league on an independent basis, usually unpaid, and (presumably) because of their love of the game. Abuse like this is not exactly going to encourage anyone witnessing it to think seriously about the prospect of becoming an umpire in later life, nor is it likely to encourage existing standing umpires to continue.
Happily for Avebury, Will Thomas then went on to bag the key wicket of the Highworth opening batsman; Henry got one of his magic slower balls to hit the stumps; Pete “bought” a wicket (at a cost of 37 runs, so not cheap); Rob and the Chairman kept things tight in their final spells and it was left to Will, returning for his final spell, to claim the final wickets and his first Michelle for the club. All credit to the Highworth 9 and 10, who played extremely well in defence, and clattered enough boundaries to keep the game in the balance all the way.
Returning to the pavilion, it was no surprise to receive the anticipated frosty reception, a refusal to shake hands, hushed undertones of personal abuse, and more allegations of cheating. And, according to some bright spark in the pavilion, “At least we know how they got to the top of the (expletive deleted) league”.
I think that merits an answer. On the basis that we’re no better than any other team in the league, how did we win it this year? I think we did it by: Having a group of committed players willing to sacrifice weekend activities to support the club; infusing an ageing crop of players with a sprinkling of very talented young cricketers (notably Lythe, Bradish, Minton, Thomas); having opening batmen who didn’t throw their wickets away (Millward, Blake); having opening bowlers who didn’t give opponents a fast start (notably Gater); having a wicket-keeper who has improved 500% since last year (Hollister); having fielders (Duncan, Bradfield) who put their bodies on the line to save runs in the covers); having the latest technoloogy in ‘surprise package’ bowlers (Force-Jones and, on occasions, Fry H.); having Sunday players willing to play on Saturdays when we have been short, and turn in meaningful performances (notably Startup); enjoying strong and consistent leadership from the Skipper, who has (as usual) had to put up with an awful lot of jaw from his own team (and on occasions, the opposition); having fielders happy to put their lives on the line in the worthy cause of putting confident batsmen off their strides (Rheinberg); having a middle order (notably Hollister and Carter today) capably of putting on 120 runs after a five-wicket collapse; continuing to see the funny side of competitive sport and the glorious futility of cricket; striving to be a friendly side who happens to play league cricket, rather than a league side who happens to play friendlies; having a nascent group of members willing to put in time and effort on improving the ground.
Team: Thomas W., Fry. H, Bradfield, Gater, Rheinberg, Hollister, Force-Jones, Carter, Dix, Blake, Chairman.
Today’s highlights: Will Thomas 5 for 22; Sam “Dan” Carter, 63, Hollister 35.
Today’s scariest flashback: It’s the 16th over of the Avebury innings, and in the scorebox, Bradfield and Force-Jones already have their pads on.
Avebury vs Corsham III
Date : Sat 22-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 236 for 8 in 45 overs
Opposition score : 60 all out in 21 overs
If we spend our time next season getting beaten by better sides with stronger batting and bowling line-ups, and, in doing so, we perform to the best of our abilities, then we should remember that losing such games is, on balance, more fun than winning games by large margins against opposition teams with no interest in winning or losing.
From start to finish this game was devoid of momentum. Avebury batted first on a good looking strip prepared to a large extent by the home side themselves (for the first time). Despite the kind of early collapse that is becoming a feature of our later-stage games this season (we were 63 for 5 at one stage - an improvement on 30 for 5 last week, but an embarrassment nonetheless) the village was rescued by a rollicking 72 from the in-form Gater (currently re-arranging his mantlepiece at home to accomodate the prestigious league batting trophy) and yet another quickfire 50 from Sam "Dan" Carter, proving once again that the enlightened recruitment policy of MZA Consultants is paying dividends.
In reply, Corsham III spluttered to an unfortunate 60 all out, with a few wickets each for Gater and Will Thomas, and a magnificant Michelle for the Chairman. We are extremely fortunate to have good links with Corsham CC having played them on Saturdays and Sundays for many years now, and it was nice to have a drink afterwards and chew the fat of Wiltshire cricket. Today's game, though, was not one that will stick long in the memory.
Team: Rheinberg, Gater, Hollister, Bradfield, Carter, Thomas W., Fry H., Dix, Force-Jones, Millward, Chairman.
Highlights: Gater and Carter - unstoppable in the middle order for Avebury.
Wanborough vs Avebury
Date : Sat 29-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 191 all out in 45 overs
Opposition score : 131 all out in 37 overs
Avebury rounded off the season nicely with a decent win at Wanborough. Batting first, the visitors got off to a positive start with the Chairman hitting 30 from 30 and then gloving one behind and walking off (what sportsmanship!). However, despite a decent wicket with good carry, the batters failed once more and it was 70 for 6 before anyone knew what was going on. But once again, the strong middle order of Carter and Hollister steadied the ship, and on Hollister's demise it was left to Will Thomas, 16 years old and batting at number 9, to register his first 50 for the Club and to see us through to a very respectable 193 all out in 43 overs.
Wanborough came out all guns blazing, the opening batters taking a real interest in the tripe being served up by the Chairman and Gater. However, one played down the wrong line and the other edged behind to the ever reliable Hollister, and wickets fell steadily through the innings. Gater picked up 4 and nearly had 5; PFJ registered 1 wicket in 1 over; Millward picked up 1; Will Thomas another; and the Chairman sneaking 3 in total.
Team: Thomas W., Hollister, Carter, Dix, Gater, Rheinberg, Force-Jones, Fry H., Chairman, Bradfield, Millward.
Highlight: Will Thomas 52
Friendly Games
Fonthill Park vs Avebury
Date : Sun 19-AprType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 153 for 8 in 33 overs
Opposition score : 152 for 8 in 35 overs
After the usual early season panic around availability, we managed to get eleven fit players out onto the picuresque Fonthill Park ground for our opening friendly of 2009.
In a 35-over format, Fonthill won the toss and opted to bat, no doubt hoping to capitalise on some rusty bowling arms. Fortunately for Avebury, Will Thomas had been let off GCSE revision for the afternoon and, fresh back from a school tour to the West Indies, produced some accurate bowling from the top end, whilst senior pro Trevor Startup was back in the groove, getting the ball to stop and turn on a good surface with some inevitable moisture underneath. Both picked up early wickets.
Rob Minton and Scott Nelson took over, and showed good energy but rather less control (come to pre-season nets next time chaps!) allowing Fonthill's run rate to accelerate above five an over. The fielding looked a little rusty, with Ian Thomas, Henry Fry and Scott Nelson failing to cling on to half (or in Ian's case, full) chances, and with Henry and Rob getting up very gingerly from attempted dives. Only Dave Bradfield shone with some fine stops at short extra cover, although Scott and Rob Minton did a great job patrolling the long side of the boundary.
Adam Duncan came on and bowled some tidy balls from the top end (the ones that hit the cut strip, anyway) for no reward, and it was left to Gater and the Chairman to stem the run flow and pick up a couple more wickets - Adam taking Avebury's first catch of the season. Will Thomas returned to the attack and despite an expensive final over took a couple more wickets and restricted Fonthill to 152-8 from their allotted 35 overs.
In reply, Henry Fry and Dave Bradfield raced away to a flyer, reaching 75 without loss in well under 10 overs and capitalising on some wayward bowling. Bradfield perished to one hoick too many, and there ensued something of a collapse, as Dix (11), Ian Thomas (0), Gater (7), and Scott Nelson (1) perished as the runs just dried up. Henry then departed for a breezy 62, and it was left to the tail of Will Thomas, Adam Duncan, Rob Minton and the Chairman to see Avebury home with 2 wickets in hand.
All in all a successful start to the season - amazing weather, a great tea, wonderful local bitter (Keystone), aclosely contested game, and no major injuries. Roll on the President's XI next week.
Team: Fry H, Bradfield, Dix, Gater, Thomas I, Nelson, Thomas W, Minton, Duncan, Startup, Chairman
Avebury vs Presidents XI
Date : Sun 26-AprType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 226 for 6 in 40 overs
Opposition score : 170 for 8 in 40 overs
Apologies for the delay to all involved in getting this report out. Much of what actually took place before and during the game followed precedent of recent years. Both sides struggled during the week to raise a side. Eventually, both sides managed to get to a full eleven, with some familiar faces in the President's XI in addition to some new ones.
In time honoured tradition the Captain's XI batted first and despite lacklustre performances from the Chairman and Dix, a magnificent 118 from Rob Minton (his first ever century, repeating the feat of martyn Fidler a year earlier) and a patient 60 from Rob Gater saw the home side reach a decent total of 226 from their 40 overs.
Missing their lynchpin H.Fry, the Presidents XI looked short of a class middle order, but their innings opened with some very technically correct and sensible batting from Fidler and David Liddiard, both of whom looked in good touch. Their demise brought in Paul Sore's son, who played extremely well for a very patient fifty, batting for around 30 of the allotted 40 overs. Despite this fine knock, no other players (including the irrepressible Matt Chatfield, who had again travelled up from Cornwall to help the President's Men) were able to stick around for long, and wickets for all the Captain's XI bowlers (including Rob Minton, sealing his man-of-the-match award) kept the pressure on. In the end, the game petered out into a rather weak victory for the Captain's XI by around 50 runs.
Avebury vs Marlborough
Date : Sun 03-MayType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Can't deny it - being snubbed at the last minute by a club the size and depth of Marlborough for a Sunday friendly is mind-boggling. With an Academy running from under-9 to under-17, two mens sides and a Sunday side, it was really sad to hear on Sunday morning that they couldn't get a team out. Somebody at Marlborough needs to take control - friendly cricket used to thrive at Marlborough - it would be a shame if it became an afterthought.
Avebury vs Minal
Date : Sun 10-MayType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 177 for 8 in 39 overs
Opposition score : 176 all out in 39 overs
Minal won the toss and elected to bat first. Avebury's rather tired and careworn side was rejuvenated by the presence of two new faces - Ben Bradish, playing his first game for the club and swinging the ball very nicely from the top end at a lively pace; and Daniel Dix, brought in drive down the average age of the Avebury middle order in the way that only an eight year old can.
Minal started brightly, wickets fell at regular intervals (with Bradish, Startup, Neve, Dix, Ian Thomas and the Chairman all enjoying some success), and the innings gained impetus in the closing stages thanks to some lusty blows from the swarthy Nicky Cook.
Chasing 177, Avebury were given a solid start by the Saturday Skipper (still smarting from not having had a bat yesterday) and Nathan Bliss. Nathan's departure (without troubling the scorers - blame the two week old baby) brought Scats to the crease and the run rate rocketed roaringly along until the inevitable happened and Scats was caught going for a big one. Neil Hollister started confidently and, following the early demise of Dix, was the rock around whom the innings was re-built.
Neil shared in partnerships with Dix G., Scattergood, Dix D. (the little fella failing to be dislodged for 10 overs), Braddish and Startup, before falling for 67. Startup and the Chairman took the game agonisingly close, with 12 needed in the final three overs and only James Neve and Ian Thomas to get us home.
And get us home they did, thanks to some steady stonewalling from Neve and flambouyant hitting from Thomas. All in all, another classic game, with the Chairman doing his best to engineer a close finish, and fluffing his lines at the last minute only for the lower order to see us home.
Avebury vs Bradford Town CC (Sunday XI)
Date : Sun 17-MayType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 107 for 3 in 14 overs
Opposition score : 106 all out in 20 overs
No game yesterday due to the decision (an unpopular one as it turned out) to reschedule our league fixture with Heytesbury & Sutton Veny until later in the year, in order that they did not have to face us with a weakened side (due to a wedding clash) - a decision which will no doubt allow them to field their strongest side against us later in the year and therefore (presumably) administer a good thrashing against an Avebury Sunday side. What were we thinking??
Anyway, back to today. It rained heavily overnight, but was dry all Sunday morning so the Chairman (standing in as match manager) chose not to call the game off and arrived at 1.45pm to the sight of 21 decidedly unamused looking men, unchanged, waiting for their opportunity to give a piece of their minds to the idiot who had not called them 3 hours earlier. Half an hour later the boundary was marked out, ropes around the square removed, the stumps set, and the Bradford Town openers walked out to the wicket for a shortened 20-over format game, having won an excellent toss.
Despite distinctly unfriendly conditions, with the drizzle falling steadily, the ball slipperier than a greased ferret, and the wicket turning into a mudbath at both ends, the Avebury opening bowlers Bradish and Minton stuck admirably to their task, restricting the flow of boundaries and taking wickets to a flurry of rash shots.
Impressive though these two were, they were upstaged by the next pairing of Dix and Scott Nelson, who bowled superbly in the crucial middle overs and again picked up wickets with sensible length bowling. Old hands Scattergood and Startup kept things tight as the innings reached its frenetic conclusion, and the Bradford score finally reached 106.
After a short break for a cup of tea, Avebury set off in pursuit of this modest total. Earlier in the day, the Chairman had walked over to Bradfield and I.Thomas in the outfield with a view to asking them to open the Avebury innings. "Keep talking, maybe he'll ignore us" was the response he received. This should have told him something about the willingness of these two to open the innings, and perhaps if he had picked up on these subtle signals, then our score would not have read 0 for 2 in 1.2 overs, with both players back in the pavilion.
Fortunately, the effervescent N.Hollister was up to the task of building the innings of the day, and it was his unbeaten 64 (his second consecutive fifty) that allowed us to overhaul the Bradford total in the 14th over, with Neil being ably supported by G.Dix and latterly Ben Bradish.
All in all, most agreed that we had collectively made the best of the miserable weather, and hopefully none of the participants left the ground feeling short changed. Special thanks go to M.Fidler for agreeing to (i) do the teas and (ii) not play in the fixture due to that rarest of things - a surfeit of players.
The team's unbeaten form continues - previous target of 2006 and 2005 (4th June) remains in sight!
Avebury vs Lechlade
Date : Sun 24-MayType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Lechlade (yes, the town in Gloucestershire) got through to the next round of the Wiltshire (yes, Wiltshire) division of the National Village (yes, Village) Knockout Championship, so had to cancel our fixture. Shame, as we had eleven men and were raring to go. Another time, perhaps.
Avebury vs Swindon Civil Service (Sunday XI)
Date : Sun 31-MayType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 210 for 6 in 31 overs
Opposition score : 207 all out in 50 overs
The chosen format of today's game (timed, rather than limited overs) allowed Avebury to show off their full array of bowling talent - with Bradish, Startup, Ian Thomas, Duncan, Scattergood, Neve, Gater and the Chairman all getting a bowl. SCS batted very sensibly and in a controlled fashion to get to 207 all out after 51 overs.
In reply, Avebury gorged themselves on a somewhat weakened SCS bowling attack, Saturday Skipper Dix weighing in with a beefy 137 not out, ably supported by Neil Hollister, and some good support from Simon White, Dave Scattergood and Ian Thomas).
Avebury managed to chase down the total in under 35 overs, meaning that the total number of overs bowled in the day was a very manageable 86, allowing everyone to get home at an acceptable time.
Team: Dix, Gater, Scattergood, Bradish, Thomas I., White, Neve, Duncan, Hollister, Startup, Chairman
Marlborough vs Avebury
Date : Sun 07-JunType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Once again, the bitter taste of disappointment as one of the largest clubs in North Wiltshire fails to put out a side against a small village with a population of no more than several hundred.
CS Nomads vs Avebury
Date : Sun 14-JunType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 130 for 5 in 30 overs
Opposition score : 128 all out in 39 overs
The absence of Hendy Alleyne from the CS Nomads side altered the dynamic of the fixture, as did the presence of no less than five under-20s in the Avebury side.
Chasing a modest total of 128, Avebury set off confidently with a 50 partnership between the contrasting styles of Rheinberg and Thomas W, the former swinging at everything, the latter playing by the coaching manual. All in all an effective combination which necessatitated field changes every ball.
Useful contributions from Duncan and Minton kept things ticking over, and Matt Daniel was able to get off the mark in his first game for the Club before missing a straight one. It was Jacob Lythe and Ben Bradish who completely the job for Avebury, Ben finishing 19 not out and Jacob a solid 30 including some excellent clean hitting.
Earlier in the day, Avebury bowled well to contain CS Nomads on their home ground, aid and abetted by longer-than-average outfield grass. The opening pair of Minton and Bradish bowled briskly and with enthusiasm, Rob Minton in particular getting rewarded for bowling straight and picking up early wickets.
The fielding highlight was Ben Bradish's run-out of the CS Nomads number three, throeing from backward square leg to the bowling end with a direct hit. It's just not the sort of thing we see very often on a Sunday!
Will Thomas, Matt Daniel and Jacob Lythe then took te game forward, Will bowling well from the top end, and Jacob showing glimpses of real pace in his spell. Matt Daniel was unlucky not to pick up wickets, particularly given the well-set leg side trap engineered by Captain and bowler.
Team: Lythe, Daniel, Bradish, Minton, Thomas W., Duncan, Startup, Hollister, Rheinberg, Dix, Chairman
Bishops Cannings vs Avebury
Date : Sun 21-JunType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 143 for 9 in 38 overs
Opposition score : 142 all out in 26 overs
Today was the day the glorious unbeaten run nearly came crashing down! With Gater at the helm, and a depleted BCCC side of only 9 players thanks to some casualties on their recent tour, BCCC batted first and made a decent 142 all out in 26 overs, with Avebury showing off their full range of bowling talent (even Blakey rolled his arm over).
In response, Rob did the right think and mixed the batting order up, pushing himself and the Saturday Skipper down to 10 and Jack respectively. Rheinberg opened up with Blake, and, when the latter was dismissed without scoring, quickly assumed the role of Boycott/Tavare, setting out his stall to play a miserly innings. Indeed, someone had to - wickets crashed down at the other end, with Whitey, Ian Thomas, Neil, Scats, Rob Minton, James Neve and PFJ all failing to put much of a score on the board. Enter the man of the moment, Greg Dix at number 10, to see the side home. And farewell to Dix as he wanders back to the pavilion having scored just 8.
At 86 for 9, things were defeinitely looking a little wobbly for the mighty Avebury Sunday XI, but, somehow, Gater managed to stick with the immovable Rheinberg and guide the side home to a 1 wicket victory in the dying moments of the game. Man of the match: John Rheinberg for his magnificent 40 off 102 balls! Let's hope he is back to his cavalier best next weekend.
Team: White, Neve, Thomas I., Minton, Scattergood, Force-Jones, Blake, Dix, Hollister, Gater and of course Rheinberg
Avebury vs Swindon United Churches
Date : Sun 28-JunType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 191 for 9 in 36 overs
Opposition score : 187 for 5 in 40 overs
It was going to take something very special from stopping the in-form Avebury Sunday side today, and my goodness it nearly happened.
The Sunday Skipper walked to the wicket listening to a long eulogy from the S.U.C. Captain on the weaknesses of his side and the highly remote chances of anything approaching a decent game of cricket. The home Skipper won the toss, and against the laws of gravity, and of all cricketing wisdom on this sweltering afternoon, chose to field first - largely a reflection of the depth of his bowling attack. An unusual format was agreed - 40 overs a side, with a maximum of 8 for any Avebury bowler and 10 for any S.U.C. bowler (which caused some confusion later in the day but was at least clear in the minds of the respective captains).
With a veritable arsenal of bowling talent at his disposal, the Avebury Skipper was able to restrict the workload of all bowlers to a mere 5 overs each, with no significant dip in quality. First up was the swing of Rob Minton from the bottom and Ben Bradish from the top, both of whom made runs hard to come by for S.U.C. Next up we saw the guile of Jimmy "The Cat" Neve from the top, and The Treasurer from the bottom. Next on the menu was the slippery pace of Will Thomas, well complemented by Matt Daniel who looked a changed bowler from his performance of 2 weeks ago which I now put down to nerves. Finally, Jacob Lythe continued his great run of form for the Club with some lively pace from the top end, with Neil "The White Chris Gayle" Hollister throwing darts from the bottom. What a display! S.U.C.'s total was defendable but surely insufficient on this small, fast ground. Or was it?
I should mention at this point the presence in today's crowd of the Saturday and Sunday captains, taking a well-earned mid season break in order to heckle from the boundary. Not unlike Waldorf and Stadler, the two old men who used to heckle on the Muppet Show, these two stalwarts of the club were to have a field day with what unfolded as they chugged back expensive continental larger from well-stocked picnic hampers.
After a belter of a tea from Jimmy "The Cat" Neve, the home Skipper called on the only two other non-bowlers, Rheinberg and Thomas I., to open the batting, with the following instructions: Rheinberg to make full use of a 3lb bat and a small boundary, Thomas I. to play an anchoring role at the other end.
Six balls later we were 0 for 2, both men back in the pavilion re-reading their scripts for the day. Next up we had Thomas W. and Minton, both of whom have been in sparkling form this year. Well, five overs later these too joined their openers back on the front bench of the pavilion, as S.U.C. tore mercilessly into the Avebury top order.
Next up, the three new recruits to the Sunday side, Bradish, Lythe and Daniel, all of whom are no strangers to the cricket pitch and are perfectly capable of playing the match-winning innings. Not today. Jacob looked bright and made a few before being caught; Ben played very nicely for 20-odd before going the same way, and Matt Daniel missed a straight one. Enter Adam Duncan, who played nicely with Ben before he and Hollister were involved in a horrible mix-up with Adam being the unlucky party. At 80 for 8 in the 18th over, the run-rate was certainly not the issue, as the Sunday Skipper joined the redoubtable Hollister at the crease.
After a cautious start, and with the heckling from the deep midwicket boundary starting to come thick and fast as 'Waldorf' and 'Stadler' got into their stride, these two concentrated on doing what those before them had failed to realise was the easy way to win the game - namely, pinching singles at every opportunity and hit rank balls for four or six. This proved a mighty effective strategy until Hollister contrived to feather one through to the keeper with the score on 139.
This brought Jimmy "The Cat" Neve to the crease, looking to crown a perfect day from a personal perspective (a tidy spell of bowling, and a beautifully prepared tea that will certainly be a contender come the end of the season) with a match-winning partnership.
That these two batters managed to defy the onslaught and win the game by one wicket says less about their own abilities as batters (though mention must be made of the sturdy defensive technique of Neve, who never once looked like getting out) and more about the increasingly eccentric behaviour and field placings of the S.U.C. Skipper. Given the increasingly regularity of this fixture we are already attuned to the game of bluff that surroundings the pre-match discussion on relative strengths of the two sides. In addition, we are well used to the incessant tinkering with field placings, adding at least an hour and a half onto what might be considered a decent time to finish a game of Sunday cricket. This year, however, we had even more idiosyncrasies to contend with - first, failing to restrain bowlers from answering back to umpires; second, jogging backwards 50 yards as the bowler runs in to bowl and subsequently trying to blame the umpire; and third, putting every single fielder on the boundary in the last five overs in an attempt not to take wickets but to save boundaries. The explanation? There can be no explanation.
The result extends Avebury's unbeaten run to 16 games in all forms of cricket. This has never happened before - we're now into July. Extraordinary stuff.
Team: Thomas I., Rheinberg, Thomas W., Minton, Lythe, Daniel, Bradish, Duncan, Hollister, Neve, Chairman.
Man of the Match: Jimmy "The Cat" Neve - prawn and salad sandwiches. Nuff said.
Swindon Civil Service (Sunday XI) vs Avebury
Date : Sun 05-JulType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 91 all out in 35 overs
Opposition score : 121 for 7 in 40 overs
Don't appear to have a full match report available on this one, suffice to say that Avebury lost, for the second time in the season. Highlights included a sparkling innings of somewhere between 40 and 60 (not out) for Tim Buxton, Matt Daniel taking his first wicket for Avebury, some good bowling (again) from Ben Bradish, and a second appearance for the club for 9-year old Daniel Dix.
Full report to follow when one of the players from today's game writes an email to the webmaster complaining about the lack of a full match report, which (I hope) will prompt a fuller account of the days' events.
For what it's worth (very little), the Chairman was away playing for the Grannies at Sheffield Park, site of the first ever test match between England and Australia in the 1870's. Owing to a shortage of bowling options the poor chap had to bowl 20 overs from the bottom end into a stiffening breeze...
Avebury vs Fulham Taverners
Date : Sun 12-JulType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 248 all out in 40 overs
Opposition score : 221 for 8 in 40 overs
Evidence of heavy overnight rain had all but disappeared as proceeds got underway shortly after the scheduled 2pm (hem hem) start, the home side losing the toss and being inserted by the tourists. Avebury's side sported almost as many 16-year olds as the local ale-house, and a very underage drinker in Daniel Dix, making his third appearance for the Sunday XI, once again beset by availability problems despite 45 phone calls this week. The youngsters all played some delightful shots but all got out to some decent early bowling from the Tavs. Adam Duncan was able to steady the ship before he walked across a straight one, and Gater kept things ticking along nicely. Dix Snr joined the party but was woefully run out by the Chairman, prompting accusations of selfishness from the opposition. After a morning of ground work, clearing and tidying the pavilion, herding errant players, and contemplating taking a night job to pay the bills after three gruelling months of ground improvements, the Chairman was less than amused, and after swiping at thin air a further 265 times, was finally caught for an ugly 129. Lusty blows from Trevor and PFJ saw the village to 248 all out - and into the pavilion for a very well-made Dix tea.
In response, the Tavs were restrained by some decent opening bowling from Startup and Bradish, but started to find their rhythm and were ticking along nicely. The departure of their big-hitting captain calmed things down, and Avebury were able to make full use of the bowling talents of Lythe, Daniel, Neve, Duncan, and Force-Jones, with a superb first over from Daniel Dix and a 3-over masterclass from Garter.
Once again the Avebury came under fire from his two critics, Waldorf and Stadler, for some unusual field settings, but was able to justify those wide open spaces in the covers and around the midwicket area as the shots kept coming and wickets continued to fall. Particularly pleasing, though, was the return to form of PJF, continuing his rehabilitation with three fine wickets around 21 apiece.
The Tavs refused to give up the chase, and in the end finished up only 20-odd runs short after 40 overs, with wickets still in hand. Hopefully they enjoyed their curry in Devizes and we look forward to seeing them next year.
Team: Bradish, Lythe, Daniel, Dix, Daniel Dix, Duncan, Force-Jones, Startup, Neve, Chairman, Gater
Compton Bassett vs Avebury
Date : Sun 19-JulType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
It rained and we didn't play. Re-arranged for 20 September instead.
Avebury vs Spye Park
Date : Sun 26-JulType : Friendly
Result : Abandoned
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Leaden skies, a damp pitch, and (eventually) heavy rain put an end to the game 15 overs into Spye Park's reply to Avebury's very competitive total of 247.
Two major highlights for Avebury brightened up an otherwise quiet game.
The first was an absolute belter of an innings from Hollister, registering his maiden century for the club in what must be getting on for 15 years of cricket here. Hollister has been in the form of his life this season with both bat and with the gloves, and I suppose that today's feat was to an extent long overdue. With his trademark paddles, scoops, and straight legged drives, Hollister made light work of some occasionally very wayward bowling, accelerating form his half century to a hundred in around 25 deliveries. "Chapeau", comme disent les francais!
The second highlight, dare I say it eclipsing the first, was an absolute belter of a tea put on by Tim Buxton, his wife Rachael, daughter Tilly and let's not forget Peanut the dog who helped out with tidying up. Trays of beautifully cut sandwiches arrived bang on time, and the teams tucked in with gusto to cheese and tomato, egg mayonnaise, and (my favourite) chorizo and cucumber, all made with proper, thick cut bread, ust the right amount of mayonnaise, and clingfilm sealed to lock the freshness in. Needless to say, all of this went down an absolute treat.
Add to this a wonderful tray of brownies, and another of banana cake topped with a most sinful icing, and you have the recipe for the perfect cricket tea. McVitie's finest chocolate digestives almost went un-noticed as hungry, damp cricketers scoffed the whole lot. I have to be very careful what I say here, but there have been a good number of "fair to middling" teas this year, with few rising up above the standard fayre and daring to dream of future glories and the coveted "Best Tea" award. This tea, without a shadow of a doubt, will no doubt a contender when the judges sit down towards the end of the season.
Team: Hollister, Dix, Gater, Bradish, Lythe, Daniel, Startup, Minton, Buxton, Fidler, Thomas W.
Avebury vs Aldbourne
Date : Sun 02-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 191 all out in 40 overs
Opposition score : 165 all out in 39 overs
This was a new friendly fixture for 2009 arranged largely due to Rob G's wish to spar with his boss Andrew Ashley, a keen Sunday cricketer from Aldbourne.
Avebury opted to bat first, Hollister and Blake getting off to a steady start having to deal with decent bowling coupled with a testing crispy-shepherd's-pie-topping-with-soft-fluffy-mash-underneath-wicket. The ball generally kept low so no surprises there. At relatively early doors, Neil suffered the misfortune of being LBW (in the eyes of Timstins, standing as umpire) and the two didn't speak for the rest of the day!
The circumspect batting continued with Blakey and Duncs getting a few but falling before they got going. 41 for 3 from 13 overs. Then followed a handy partnership from young bucks Bradish and Minton who dealt some hefty blows balanced with some mature and watchful batting - coming to an end at 93 - 4 from 24 overs. Matt Daniel, the third member of our whipper snapper trio, kept the score ticking along with Minton and then Fry, before prodding one back to mid on. 122 - 6 from 30 overs.
The last 10 overs presented some slightly more tired bowling which was both expensive to Aldbourne but also costly to Avebury, as the double-bouncer specialist Mr Ashley skittled(literally) poor John Moore (who had only popped over from Birmingham) and then Tim Jephson - but not before he'd had decent partnership of nearly 50 with Fry. Avebury finished on 191 all out in 39.5 overs.
Taking the field, Avebury started off bowling exceptionally well, with Trev and Rob Minton (7 overs, 3 for 8) providing a challenging combo for the Aldbourne top order. When younger-still Bradish came steaming in and took a wicket in his first over, it was looking horribly one-sided, with Aldbourne reeling at 40-5 from 16 overs.
However Avebury's bowling lost its way (or Aldbourne's batting began to wake up) from overs 16-32 and about 100 runs were conceeded for our troubles. However, a wicket from Duncan and some tight bowling from young Matt Daniel had always kept some semblence of pressure on Aldbourne. Not wanting to take too many chances, Fry H elected to bowl himself and also Avebury Great Force-Jones finish the overs off.
Aldbourne valiantly fought to a healthy 160-odd before their last wicket fell in over 40. It was a great fun game, with some good moments (Bradish's catching) and some weaker moments (Fry H's catching). Our youth policy members are looking extremely promising with their allround talent, and we sincerely hope we manage to keep them rolling up.
We thank Aldbourne for the game, and hope we can host them once again next year.
Team: Blake, Hollister, Duncan, Fry H., Startup, Daniel, Bradish, Minton, Moore, Force-Jones, Jephson
Bratton vs Avebury
Date : Sun 16-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 231 for 9 in 40 overs
Opposition score : 189 all out in 40 overs
On a much improved wicket from last year, Bratton won the toss and inserted Avebury. Openers Dix and Will Thomas made a steady start, but Will departed for 15, Rob Minton for 11, Matt Daniel for 5 and Adam Duncan for 2. Fortunately, Dix found a solid partner in Blake, whose steady 56 matched the Saturday Skipper's fine 58. Lower order contributions from Gater (21) and Jacob Lythe (30 not out) saw Avebury to a very healthy 231 in their allotted 40 overs.
In response, Bratton made a strong charge at the total, closing their innings on 189 all out, with wickets for the evergreen Trevor Startup (2 for 46), Rob Minton (1 for 26), Matt Daniel (1 for 12), Ian Thomas (1 for 24), and Will Thomas (2 for 19, making 7 for the weekend).
It is extremely difficult to make any further comments on the game, owing to the fact that the author of this report was feeding lambs at a petting farm somewhere the other side of Wiltshire. But, by all accounts, the Avebury team enjoyed their visit to Bratton as much as the ickle lamby-wammies enjoyed their milk bottles (which was a lot).
Team: Dix, Thomas W., Thomas I., Minton, Daniel, Lythe, Duncan, Blake, Gater, Hollister, Startup.
Avebury vs Bishops Cannings
Date : Sun 23-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 153 all out in 31 overs
Opposition score : 230 all out in 35 overs
What can I say? Not much - I wasn't there. All I can do is replicate, from his email, the Saturday Skipper's Sorry Summary of Sunday's Saga:-
Bishops Cannings won toss and elected to bat.
D Russell b Startup 9
B Read b Startup 8
B Corke b Gater 24
E Mardon b Minton 0
C Moss c Minton b Gater 66 (8 sixes before a spectacular catch on boundary by minton)
N Devine b Liddiard 4
J Page c Hollister b PF-J 44
M Pearce b Liddiard 18
J Roberts c Minton b PF-J 14
T Roberts b P F-J 3
A Webster not out 15
Total: 230 all out in 35 overs (O dear! This is starting to sound ominous!)
Avebury Bowling:
Minton 7-0-41-1
Startup 8-1-50-2
Gater 4-0-26-2
Liddiard 8-0-26-2
Pukka Pete 7-0-63-3
Jephson 1-0-11-0
Avebury
J Rheinberg b Roberts 0
G Dix b Pearce 53
N Hollister b Roberts 9
R Gater c b Moss 18
T Jephson c b Moss 14
D Scatts c+b Pearce 0
D Lydiard c b Devine 14
I Thomas c b Russell 5
R Minton c b Devine 1
T Startup not out 9
P F-J b russell 13
Total:153 all out in 31 overs
Result Avebury lost by 77 runs.
Enough said. What can I say? I can't leave this lot alone for 5 minutes without them stuffing something up!!!
(That was a joke by the way for anyone who thought it was serious).
Avebury vs Badgers
Date : Sun 30-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 199 all out in 37 overs
Opposition score : 165 for 9 in 40 overs
Grey skies, drizzle throughout the day - hardly a recipe for a wonderful bank holiday cricket match. However, thanks to good spirits on either side, and a wonderful Perkins tea (scones with Jam and frehsly whipped cream, a variety of sandwiches including the Queen's favorite, Coronation Chicken, and numerous sponge and fruit cakes) the day was more fun than the cricket.
Batting first, Avebury scored a healthy 199 or thereabouts, anchored largely around a decent 69 form Dix. Most others contributed in some way shape or form, and Avebury tucked in to tea knowing that only a sparkling performance from the Badgers would be enough. As it turned out, the Badgers were still suffering from their 10-pint-night in Devizes (each, not altogether, apparently) and never really got the start they needed, being 32 off the first 15 overs. There were decent bowling performances from Sam Carter, Trevor Startup, Ian Thomas, Will Thomas, Pete Force-Jones (back to winning ways we think), Ben Ellbogen, Dan Kubler (1 over, 1 wicket), Andy Blake (bit expensive), the Chairman, and Captain Kipper with 4 wickets in his 8 overs.
The Badgers clawed their way to about 165 in their allotted 40 overs; there is talk in their camp that they are improving ever year, and Avebury will have to be on their guard to ensure there is no upset in next years fixture.
Team: Dix, Hollister, Ellbogen, Kubler, Startup, Thomas I., Thomas W., Chairman, Blake, Force-Jones, Carter.
Avebury vs Weekenders
Date : Sat 05-SepType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 191 all out in 40 overs
Opposition score : 161 all out in 38 overs
Going to have to be far too brief here. If others would like to elaborate please let me know. Avebury scored about 190 thanks to 64 from the Chairman. In reply, the Weekenders ended around 160 all out. Bradish takes his first "twofer" for the club. Jephson - what a player - bowls 7 near-immaculate overs. Sam "Dan" Carter produces a miserly spell of almost metronomic accuracy (until he gets clobbered for a few). Many thanks to the Weekenders for being excellent tourists and providers of good banter! Also many thanks to Simon White for a truly sensational tea (more of which later).
Avebury vs Seagry
Date : Sun 06-SepType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Seagry could not raise a side so unfortunately the game was cancelled.
Avebury vs Corsham
Date : Sun 13-SepType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 211 all out in 38 overs
Opposition score : 242 for 8 in 40 overs
Autumn seemed to have set in early for this fixture, and anyone not wearing two woollies was a braver man than me!
Corsham generally puts out a decent side for this fixture late in the season, and today was no different. Our hefty workload for the day soon became apparent as CCC opened up with a couple of very competent young batsmen who latched on to anything too short, too full, too wide and even anything pretty good too unfortunately. A couple of dropped catches didn’t help matters during the opening overs but the opportunities soon dried up as the batsmen took control. Good bowling spells from Trevor (yet again, 8 consecutive overs, up the hill, and into the breeze – for how many seasons now?!) and Rob M yielded little as CCC reached almost 100 without loss.
Incident of the innings had to be a Rob M half-tracker which Neil somehow managed to wear just below his right eye – leading to an afternoon visit to A&E with chauffeur J Neve. The innings resumed and thanks to CCC for providing sub fielders to cover. Back to the bowling, despite the pantomime efforts of Pete, Henry and even El Capitano del Sabado, wickets came at very a high cost, and it was only Rob G who managed to bulk up his stats for the better, with a 4-41 from his 8 overs, the highlight being a very tidy caught and bowled. Well done to CCC’s D Collier for hitting a decent looking 102.
Having been set a higher than average target of 242 it was necessary for ACC to kick off their innings well – this sort of happened until Rob M took one swoosh too many off some very dangerously appetising slow bowling from M Hick. Henry soon followed, being adjudged LBW to P Smith (playing the same shot he had done a few weeks earlier in the League fixture and collecting his second bruise on his left upper thigh – he’s not bitter!). Greg fell for not a lot after a careful start, and Adam too. Healthier contributions came from Rob G and Andy, but it was a heroic 80 from Rhino that saved us from a crushing defeat. We particularly enjoyed the partnership of 60 ish for the 8th wicket that he and Trevor shared, with Trevor scoring none of them, a masterclass in strike rotation indeed. Anyway, we were bowled out for 211, some 31 runs short.
Before I end, I must say a big thank you to Bradders for preparing the wicket for this game, it gave us full value as far as a day’s cricket is concerned, although Neil may feel slightly short changed!
Compton Bassett TBC vs Avebury
Date : Sun 20-SepType : Friendly
Result : Abandoned
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -