Scorecard

Berkhamsted Cricket Club 3rd XI v Potton Town II on Sat 05 Jun 2010 at 13:00
Berkhamsted Cricket Club Won by 8 wickets

Match report A beautiful day and we all arrived early for our team photo with the exception of the organising skipper. The club selection guidelines were explained – apparently it is not just who your mates are; form and availability are taken into account. I am sure some players welcome transparency, team selectors want justification and most club members accept no system will please everyone all the time. As long as common sense prevails, the guidelines are weighted, players aptitude and aspirations are taken into account, selectors realise most of us are playing for fun and that it is a TEAM game one assumes it will all come out clean in the wash and/or the status quo will be maintained.

Having changed early, with a late oppo, last year’s team photo was taken wearing this year’s sponsor’s shirts and our man of last season missing. More bizarrely the camera used for the photo used an ancient media known as a film. This concept was explained to the colts. Obviously one could argue the skipper is entitled to own an antique camera but he does make a living trading digital images.

Charlie won the toss and elected to bowl. The opposing skipper had said his team were rubbish; they were going to lose and were just hoping to scrape a few bonus points. Any club members looking to sell motivational speech classes may wish to target that part of the county. Ben Beard opened the bowling with Ian Merrett. What became readily apparent was their number 2 could drive, quite hard and quite accurately. Ian struggled a bit controlling the swing and was replaced by the W’Ezard. Ben had a couple of inside edges just miss the stumps and a sharp high edge fly over the slips but had the number 1 playing on. Number 3 could cut. With Mr Driver at one end and Mr Cutter at the other this seemed to play havoc with our bowlers’ length and field positioning. Replacing Ben, Bart’s first couple of overs also took a bit of tonk. After 15 overs Potton were 74 for 1 and looking fairly well set.

Bart and Ezzy gained some control, Mr Cutter’s frustration led to a slash off Ezzy pouched by Mark Burgess keeping. It then became more apparent they didn’t have much left on the batting bench. Mr Driver slowed down but soon became frustrated and started going aerial. This led to a well taken catch by Ed roving between deep extra cover and long off giving Ezzy another deserved scalp. Barty eventually hit the stumps and Goughie took over as Ezzy was wheeled down to fine leg to recover. The rest was sweets from children with Ed administering the coup de grace. With only 9 men and one young lady they were all out for 111 in 38.3 overs. A 10th man appeared but as he wasn’t registered we didn’t bother letting Ed complete his over. Insurance: Health and Safety, it was hot and we wanted our tea.

An early tea was extended while the pizzas were cooked despite umpire Mickey Walker’s admonishments. Ezzy had to remind Mickey of the relevant clause in the rule book allowing for this eventuality. Tim and Mark opened with 61 overs to get the runs. After 8 overs with 24 on the board it all looked rather predictably in the bag. Tim had a rush of something, put his head up and had a big swing at a straight one. Toby Phillips, who’d fielded very well, smacked a pleasant four and promptly got caught when he went aerial. Puds entered the fray to show his class and between them the run rate accelerated safely. Mark had a no ball he patted to gully to check he was awake but otherwise it all looked plain sailing. They saw us home in the 23rd over with Puds on 30 and Mark on 65. Mark hit a couple of good sixes – one a biggy straight, which is a long boundary.

Another 30 points and puts us third in the league behind Pirton and Kings Langley. Thanks to Mickey for umpiring. Ezzy contributed the most bowling but man of the match would go to Mark Burgess for his 65 not out and keeping. Bovingdon next week who are 8th but only 14 points behind us. Let’s hope we get selected to play! How did the new Kiwi walk straight into the ones? Maybe its Health and Safety preventing him working his way up from the fifths.

Potton Town II Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
111 (0.0 overs)		     
Worboys b  Beard 1
Highland ct  Goodwyn b Ezard 44
Dean` ct  Burgess b Ezard 25
Fletcher lbw  Gough 10
Holmes ct  Buckley b Ezard 1
Raggett b  Smith 5
Booth Not Out  14
Kilshaw ct  Phillips b Gough 0
Reynolds ct  Buckley b Gough 4
Williams ct  Smith b Goodwyn 0
   

Berkhamsted Cricket Club 3rd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Ben Beard6.0032132.005.33
Ian Merrett3.002100.007.00
Jon Ezard11.041936.331.73
Bartho Smith13.0332132.002.46
Martin Gough5.02431.330.80
Edward Goodwyn0.30111.002.00

Berkhamsted Cricket Club 3rd XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 2 wickets
0
117		        
Tim Buckley b  Highland 9 2
Mark Burgess Not Out  65 1
Toby Phillips ct  b Highland 4 1
Ian Putman Not Out  30
Edward Goodwyn   1
Bartho Smith   1
Ben Beard  
Charlie Hussey  
Ian Merrett  
Martin Gough  
Jon Ezard  

Potton Town II Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.