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Match Reports 2011
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Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 7 Wickets batting first away at Bexley CC
BPCC 194 - all out (48.4 overs)
BCC 195 - 3 (40.2 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - Won by 6 wickets batting second at home to Bexley CC
BCC 197 - all out (50 overs)
BPCC 195 - 4 (41 overs) (F. Strachan 45, J. Ramsey*)
Saturday 3rd XI - Won by 51 runs batting first away at Chislehurst and West Kent CC
BPCC 206 - 7 (50 overs) (S. Barnett 51, M. Dring 64)
C&WKCC 1st XI 155 - all out (37.4 overs) (G. Barnett 5 - 35)
BICKLEY BIDS FOND FAREWELL TO FAHAD AS SAFETY NETS MICHELLE
What a wonderful way to end our 2nd season in the Kent League. A resounding victory against our near neighbours in a performance which contrasted sharply to our heavy defeat this time last year. This latest victory came on the back of a terrific run of late and helped us complete the double over them - local bragging rights well and truly secured to help see us nicely through the winter months.
Despite poor availability yet again, the skipper managed to get some big guns out for this finale, with rare but very welcome appearances by Biffer and Bashir, both of whom we had all thought had been lost to injury and busy social calendars this year. We were also very happy to be able to call upon the expert services of our dear umpire, Peter “The Allotment King” Gariff, returning from grandparenting duty to help us out.
The skipper duly won the toss and chose to bat (“my bat, my ball”) and shamelessly put himself up the order in a forlorn attempt to outscore his nearest challenger GB for the minor accolade of 2nd highest runscorer in the side – how pathetic!
While Safety got his head down to record yet another impressive score and guarantee more board action, the skipper obviously got a nose bleed batting so high up and inexplicably decided to leave one only to see his off stump go flying.
At least that did allow our star turn this year to spend even more time at the crease. It was alas only a brief appearance at the crease for our run machine as he was undone by an absolute beauty from their new Sri Lankan recruit – not before Fahad had played the shot of the match though courtesy of an absolutely sublime cover drive.
The unlikely pairing of Bashir and Dringy then got us back on track with a terrific partnership – replete with blistering boundaries and dodgy running. Well done both on notching up fine half centuries and being major contributors in our total of just over 200.
After the break Biffer got us off to the best possible start with a wicket early in the piece, while fellow good egg, Taffy Antrobus, claimed his first Kent League scalp for the 3rd team shortly afterwards. Our hosts then stubbornly put together a stand which took them halfway and briefly threatened our sub-par total. As good teams do however, we pulled together and then gradually squeezed the oppo with tight bowling and energetic fielding, taking wickets at regular intervals. The chief architect in our victory was club legend himself, Safety Barnett, who showed us what we’ve been missing by netting a Michelle which was celebrated by all in fine style.
We eventually ran out winners by 51 runs and then shared an enjoyable pint or 2 with our hosts before heading back to our Field of Dreams to join in the end of season festivities, while also taking the opportunity to send our friend Fahad back to his homeland with our best wishes and gratitude for an outstanding contribution this year. View Scorecard
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 204 runs batting second at home to LESSA Christ Church CC
LCCCC 2nd XI 245 - 5 dec (38.1 overs)
BPCC 41 all out (28.1 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 87 RUNS batting SECOND away at Tunbridge wELLS CC
BPCC 240 - 4 (50 overs) (R. Clinton 63, C. Coulson 56*, G. Darroch 43*)
TWCC 241 - 4 (47 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - won by 3 wickets batting second at home to tunbridge wells CC
TWCC 95 all out (29.3 overs) (R. Horner 12-6-17-5)
BPCC 96 - 6 (34.1 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - mATCH INCOMPLETE AWAY AT BLACKHEATH CC
3'S REAR GUARD AVOIDS DEFEAT & SECURES LEAGUE STATUS
If someone had told me that we'd be safe with 2 games to go, after the first 4 games of the season, I would have bitten thier hand off! However in the last 6 weeks the feeling amongst the players is that we should have done much better! VERY ENCOURAGING!
This week we were playing high flying Blackheath - a normally quite spicey fixture already - their promotion hopes just added to it. As we arrived to the ground - we were met with locked gates, changing rooms and general disorder! Even so we conducted warm-ups and were raring to go. However the skipper lost the toss (again - i'm getting worried) and missed the chance to bat first on a good deck! Taking the field first in 4 weeks was a bit weird but the opening bowlers both performed very well! Ahmad (12-47-1) and Barton (7-12-0) were very tidy and should have had a couple of wickets a piece! As rain came and went the spin twins Hewitt (12-48-1) & Iqbal (15-68-4) made inroads and stopped the easy flow of runs. Had we fielded better then the oppo would have got far less then the 200-7 from 47 overs (a 94 from the opener who was aggricultural to say the least - the thorn in our side!). We felt with a good start we could get it.
Due to the delay an early tea had been taken - so we switched around very quickly. What happened next was totally unlike our recent form and was couple with some very poor cricket spirit (opposition players doing a moon walk on the pitch to rough it up - really!! Do Blackheath own a MCC spirit of cricket handbook??). The effort of the whole team to ensure Blackheath were denied a win was AWESOME! Really proud of every single one of you showing some heart and proper cricket spirit! Especially the tail! 79-9 = MATCH INCOMPLETE!! 8 Points banked and we go into last two games searching for points to get to 4th place!! Bring it on View scorecard
MOM: WHOLE TEAM FOR SPIRIT
NB - IF YOU HAVEN'T PAID SUBS - BETTER PAY SOMETHING - AS THE POLICE ARE AFTER YOU!!
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 6 wickets batting second away at old wilsonians CC
OWCC 2nd XI 206 -5 dec (40 overs)
BPCC 131 - 8 (52 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 6 wickets batting first at home to sevenoaks vine CC
BPCC 152 - 9 (50 overs) (A. Kale 59)
SVCC 153 - 4 (35 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - Lost by 78 runs batting second away at whitstable CC
WCC 238 - 8 (50 overs)
BPCC 160 all out (31.5 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - winnind draw runs batting first away at walmer CC
Saturday 24th XI - Lost by 10 wickets batting first at home to dartfordians CC
BPCC 76 all out (31 overs)
DCC 2nd XI 77 - 0 (13.5 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 87 RUNS batting SECOND away at SIBTON PARK CC
SPCC 304 - 4 (50 overs) (A. Kale 101)
BPCC 217 all out (42.5 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - winning draw batting first at home to Sandwich Town CC
BPCC 281 - 2 (50 overs) (S. Melaniphy 80, M. Maunders 93, S. Keyes 87*)
STCC 188 - 9 (50 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - WINNING DRAW batting FIRST AT HOME TO Bapchild CC
3'S Bullet Train Continues To Roll! As Hasan and Iqbal Ton Up!
There have been times this season when I questioned whether it was the right choice taking over as captain of the 3's! To go with a terrible 2011 for the skipper personally - the selection troubles and lack of backbone at the club have made matters much worse! THANKFULLY the last 3 weeks have provided the whole side with a much needed boost!! Amazing what happens when people make themselves available and we start smashing everyone to pieces! The term 'WE PLAYED ALL THE CRICKET' couldn't be closer to the truth!
After lasts weeks giant killing episode, we were confronted with early season high fliers Bapchild!! Due to the worst availability i've seen my time at the club, the previous fixture this season was a one sided affair, as we had to field the 4th XI and cancel their game! In fact both the Skipper Patel and VC Hewitt were miles away at Sandwich turning out for the 2XI !! Thankfully the reversal in fortunes between the two sides meant we were at our strongest now and Bapchild were our next targets, as we attemped to move above them for the first time this season! With 2 strong performances (in previous weeks) the whole side were definately up for this one (given the amount of chat Bapchild had given their ex players Lincoln and Fulton about the standard at Bickley)!! Yet again we were first to the ground and conducted our warm ups whilst the oppo conducted rugby drills (some talk about a wedding the night before)!! Surely not another side that thought there was an easy win in the bag? Does no one look at results anymore? To my pleasure the oppo's temporary captain Larking was a decent bloke and commented on our recent excellant performances. Unfortunately they had left their umpire at the previous nights wedding, so forfeited the toss! Due to the strength in depth of the side we had, I felt we'd continue on our previous two games tactics and batted first, on what looked like a pitch you'd see in early May!
Bunn was delayed due to traffic (but making the effort to be there after flying back from Scotland that morning!! - a Chairman's work is never done!) so we opened up with Russell & Fas Hasan! With a bit of pressure on two young lads it was great to see them both knuckle down on a seamers paradise and make it look easy. They simply waited for the bad ball and nicked quick singles everywhere! A few comments were heard along the lines of 'We're on top here boys - their skipper has made them bat first on this crap heap,' I found it amusing as we were 50 for 0 off 12 overs! As the oppo began to feel the pain, Russell smashed one back to their spinner and was out for great 31 that should have been much more..66-1! What followed was..erm..well CARNAGE! As Iqbal joined Hasan at the crease (fresh from a maiden hundred the week before), even our lads couldn't believe what we saw! As both started to tear into the Bapchild bowling it became clear there would be a few DNB's!! Iqbal made it ton number two in succession with an awesome 120* (club record is 3 in a row mate) - but Hasan (under some scrutiny for his place and a big reputation from Bromley) was the best innings in many ways! After scores of 4, 0 & 0 he showed some backbone, determination and FINALLY showed his class, batting all 50 overs for his first Kent League ton - 101* (career ton infact). A simply awesome effort from a player under pressure and on a very difficult pitch! Top work mate! 270-1 off our 50 overs was way over par! Total dominance!
At tea everyone was hungry for another 20 points and it became clear anything else was gonna be 2nd best - how the season has changed! When we took the field we deployed a short leg (Firth is specialist at the moment!) and Lycett again settled the quickest of the two opening seamers! He ripped through the top 3 batsmen in a devastating opening spell - oppo 28-3! Hardy (another catch at 2nd slip! That spot is yours) was the unluckiest of the two opening bowlers. Finding an edge 3 times (all dropped) and deserving at least 2 wickets - we let him down and took the pressure off (unlike the previous 2 weeks)!! 28-3 turned into 64-3! As the switch was made to slow right arm Neville - the break through came! With the oppo well behind the rate - Neville did what he does best..4-23 ripped the heart out of the oppo's middle order! At the other end Hewitt was carrying an injury, so Iqbal came on and the oppo blocked the crap out of it! 121-9 and Iqbal finally claiming his first wicket, meant we had 9 overs to go, in order to claim 20 points! As bowlers came and went, chances were dropped and the oppo got very lucky to avoid fielders! Hewitt returned for the final few overs and found the edge from the 2nd ball of the last over! But we again just failed to field as well as last week - what could have been!
Another 14 points (winning draw) and total control of proceedings means we are joint 5th and looking to catch 4th! Perhaps even 3rd! This is the reason we keep turning out lads - so please keep these high standards up! Winning lager and lime tastes better then losing shandy's! Next week we travel to Walmer and will try and secure our kent league status (for the season) and fly up the table! Bring it on!!
MOM: Iqbal 120*, Hasan 101*, Neville 4-23 & Lycett 3-62 - all take the individual glory! Come on Fahad 3 ton's in a row and Mr. Crowdy Snr will be sweating on his club record!
Once again awesome Team performance! Great work lads View scorecard
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 6 wickets batting first away at Blackheath CC
BPCC 91 all out (36.3 overs)
BCC 6th XI 92 - 4 (32.1 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 3 wickets batting second at home to Blackheath CC
BCC 217 - 9 (50 overs)
BPCC 144 all out (47.3 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - Lost by 6 wickets batting first away at Blackheath CC
BPCC 227 - 4 (50 overs)
DCC 230 - 4 (45.4 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - won by 118 runs batting first at home to nonington CC
3'S IN GIANT KILLING EPISODE!! AS IQBAL DOMINATES PROCEEDINGS WITH 1ST BICKLEY LEAGUE TON
After last weeks awesome performance I can say with confidence that every single player selected couldn't wait for this match! Another easy selection week allowed us to field an equally strong team as the previous week - if not better! As the skipper arrived at BPCC to grab some league balls, two things became apparent 1). Who has the 3rd XI allocation of league balls? Bunn wants to know as do I!! 2). Potter/Keyes had taken my kit bag and left me Sean's! Not a great start! This resulted in Harry Potter having to come back from Blackheath to swap the bags over and made the skipper slightly late! Thanks VC for stepping in and conducting warm ups!
The opposition arrived at 12.30 and began playing football! Clearly the league's 2nd placed side thought this was an easy win....perhaps the opposition skipper hasn't seen our results from the last 7 weeks Won 4, WD 1, Lost 1 & 1 Abandoned!!!? It amounted to disrespect in some quarters - but who cares! What followed was ample revenge for that! As the skipper P-Man lost another toss - it became apparent that we didn't care if we batted or bowled first - but my preference was batting and the opposition played into my hands and stuck us in!! One thinks Mr J. Burrett is gonna regret that decision for the rest of the season! With a long batting line-up we were very upbeat and knew if we posted a score we could boss the game!
Bunn (14) and Barnett (43 - runs not years) continued their steady approach and although not quite the same as last week, took up time and got us to 24 before the first wicket fell. As Iqbal approached the wicket fresh from smashing the HKCC for a ton early in the week (at the field of dreams), it was clear he meant business! Iqbal started smashing the ball to all parts whilst Barnett showed excellent support - great running between the wickets (oh and thanks nobby!) and good shots ensured we reached 122-2 before Barnett departed. Enter the skipper Patel (46) to keep the momentum going! As runs began to flow the key to this innings was big partnerships! With Iqbal homing in on his first ton - he gave the skipper Patel the best bit of advice in the match!..Don't get out! Our experienced overseas clearly knew this was a tough wicket to bat on and he was right. It's only through a fantastic team effort that we made this look easy! As Iqbal reached his century, it was great to see the support and applause from our lads! Very classy knock indeed (post game the oppo skipper said it was the best innings he'd seen in his 7 years in league cricket!!)! When the skipper was finally out chasing quick runs, we were 249-3..with 3 overs left! As Firth (0) came and went (shocking decision - and photographic evidence to prove it!), Hassan entered the arena! With a big reputation, it might have been harsh to expect big things with 3 overs to go! However another 3rd ball duck was clearly not what he wanted! Put it right this week mate! Iqbal fell just short of getting some red ink for a glorious 130! Top effort mate!. We finished on 260-6 (Hewitt & Braithwaite 1* each - look after that average guys) - on this pitch that was worth 320 for sure!! And we knew it!
Another great atmosphere at tea meant we had bowlers arguing over the new ball. Nice change in proceedings! As we strode out onto the field the initial instruction was to bowl the ball on one side of the wicket and let the pitch do the work! What was now a dust bowl, was also offering indifferent bounce and turn galore! However only one of the bowlers hit his straps early with Lycett bowling much better then his figures suggested (a few lucky air shots made it worse)! On the other hand Howard, who had been handed the new ball before Hardy due to his previous work,..was a little rusty. He took a little longer to hit the correct side of the pitch! Sorry Sam Hardy...form is form mate - i'll remember that in future games!
As if by sheer coincidence when Howard did hit the correct line, it was Hardy that caught a trail-blazer at 2nd slip! Have we found your fielding spot Sam?? - the next few weeks will tell! With pressure mounting Lycett claimed the wicket he deserved thanks to a great catch from the VC Hewitt (body on the line again sir! Youngsters take note) - the oppo were 13-2!! Enter the oppo's skipper JB (who can't have experienced that scoreline much this season!!) and he proceeded to hit a lofted drive for four, off his first ball!! Early signs were the oppo didn't have the game to grind the result or use up overs! Due to an injury to Howard, Hardy entered the frame - however the pitch was crying for spin! Alas the next wicket fell thanks to VC Hewitt (and a good catch from Iqbal) - 68-3 (oppos skipper baked)! With the Iqbal/Hewitt spin partnership in full flow we took wickets at regular intervals and the fielding was once again awesome (even if we were carrying a couple of raspberry's and the skipper dropping one at midwicket off a full toss!)! 97-8 with Iqbal demanding a Michelle (literally) and Hewitt trying to ensure he got his customary 3 wickets to be chalked onto the board - dominance!! At 109-9 with Iqbal taking 4 wickets and Hewitt with 3 - the VC made a generous gesture and baked himself (not in tight games FYI). Firth came on for some much needed league overs but it was Iqbal that finally claimed his first league 5 wicket haul to go with his first ton earlier (yes the skipper Patel took a slip catch at 1st slip!! Unlucky batsmen)! A fantastic team effort and awesome from Iqbal! Our first 20 points of the season! View scorecard
Once again thanks to the whole team for making it a game everyone wanted to be part of...this is why we play on saturdays...for matches like this - when we know if we support each other - we will beat anyone! Selection is tough...make sure you perform and be part of it lads!
MOM - Iqbal might just nick this one 130 & 5-41! But awesome efforts from the team and others worth a note: Patel 46, Barnett 43 & Hewitt 3-14! Roll on next week and a chance to jump up the league! 5th spot is calling!
Sunday 1st XI - Lost by 26 runs batting second at Home to lordswood in the CCC SEMI Final
LCC 221 - 8 (45 overs) (J. Ramsey 4-14)
BPCC 196 - 8 (45 overs) (C. Coulson 54*)
Sunday XI - Lost by 7 wickets batting first away at bromley cc the kdl
BPCC 103 - 7 (40 overs)
BCC 104 - 3 (31.5 overs)
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS LEADS FROM THE FRONT BUT BICKLEY’S KDL SIDE COME UP SHORT AGAINST THE OLD ENEMY
While understandably all eyes were on the big cup game at our very own Field of Dreams, a different battle took place up the road in another Kent Development League fixture
Courtesy of the sterling efforts of Bazza and McQ, we were eventually able to piece together a team which combined a healthy blend of youth and experience, 4 of whom shared the same Christian name. Question: What do you call a collection of Chris’s? Careful Gents, ladies present!
With regular skipper Riddles on cup duty, it was left to Voisey to lead the troops into battle against the old enemy – a task which he took to with great aplomb and authority. The day started well with Voisey winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Both the skipper and Braithwaite Junior then dealt well with some hostile bowling from our opponents and got us to 33 without loss at a good lick with the innings ready to take off.
Unfortunately however the lads were pegged back by some tight bowling and only Coach Hainsworth and Chris “Cool-Hand” Eaton were able to get into double figures. Bazza was looking set for a long knock until he was unfathomably triggered by some vindictive Welsh bloke. Mind you, what was he doing trying a reverse sweep at his age???
At the other end, Chris Eaton was coolness personified; his only blemish being the amount of time he takes to actually get to the wicket! Fair play to our rivals as almost to a man they applauded this talented youngster for his batting prowess.
Young Chris Jacob and Club Legend The Nevlar also merit a mention as they too occupied the crease for a good in attempting to use up our full entitlement of overs.
Sadly neither Zoe nor Sasha were able to get to the crease on this occasion – probably a good thing considering the form Roy’s currently “enjoying”!
Realistically 103 was never going to be enough but we defended our total stoically and an early scalp from the Leader of our attack Rowdy Lycett gave us all some encouragement. All the lads (and a certain young lady!) bowled tidily and it was to our great credit that it took our hosts over 30 overs before they past our target.
We fielded with great energy and our never-say-die spirit was epitomised by Captain Courageous himself who shrugged off a dislocated shoulder would you believe after diving to stop a ball at cover and then proceeded to play through the pain barrier without any fuss or bother – awesome work Voisey!
Despite the defeat, the team yet again showed great spirit, fought well and had an enjoyable day’s cricket. I sincerely hope more of you will make yourselves available for one or two games to see at close quarters the next generation of Bickley superstars!
There’s no doubt we won one thing though – our kit (sponsored by A&J Electricals) was certainly more striking than theirs! View Scorecard
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 3 wicjaets batting first away at Bromley CC
BPCC 135 all out (47.1 overs) (A. Kale 101)
BCC 139 - 7 (36.3 overs)
Saturday 2nd XI - winning draw batting first at home to Bromley CC
BPCC 212 all out (49.5 overs) (O. Youll 42, G. Darroch 60)
BCC 178 - 8 (50 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - WINNING DRAW batting FIRST AT HOME TO OFFHAM CC
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 2 wickets batting first away at Belvedere CC
C&WK 212-8 (Z Hainsworth 5-48)
BPCC 131-8 (Lycett 44)
Sunday 2nd XI - Lost by 81 runs batting second at hone to Chislehurst & west kent CC
BPCC 131 - 8 (C. Lycett 44)
Friendly cricket returned to Bickley Park on Sunday with a rare outing for the Sunday 2s while the senior side participated in the T20 finals day.
We fielded an excessively youthful side against our neighbours of Chislehurst and West Kent.
AGE ANALYSIS: Average age 17.5years (without me averaging 15!) - oldest player 43, next oldest 19 & youngest 11.
Winning the toss we played to our strengths and bowled first and I was pleasantly surprised by a flurry of early wickets for our opening pair Jacob & Hainsworth. All our bowlers stuck to the task on an unseasonable warm afternoon with good work from Braithwaite junior behind the stumps, but we did start to look a bit ragged in the field after 30 overs. I did my best to keep the fielders on the ball in my own inimitable fashion. Dropping their number 3 first ball cost us 80 runs alone but we fought back after drinks only to be looking at a 180-ish chase, unfortunately the C&WK tail wagged hard as we bowled poorly at the death and they set us 213 to win.
During the late innings carnage there was one notable achievement in that Zoe Hainsworth took her maiden 5-fer (7-0-48-5) at the home of cricket including the wicket of one Paul Crowdy (Thank PC that cost me a fiver!). Well done Zoe.
With the bat we struggled to score at the required rate off their ‘sort of’ new ball only Chris Lycett stuck around with his new plank and was our top scorer with a scratchy 44, extras made a notable contribution to our poor total of 131-8 but at least the youngsters didn’t give their wickets away.
A well deserved win for C&WK but some useful performances by our youngsters.
Saturday 1st XI - League match at home to Hartley CC abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday 2nd XI - League match away at Hayes CC abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday 3rd XI - League match at home to Bromley Town CC 1st XI abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday 4th XI - League match at home to Shooters Hill CC 2nd XI abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Saturday 1st XI - Won by 102 runs batting first away at The Mote CC
BPCC 206 - 8 (50 overs) (A. Kale 45, B. Fulton 47)
LCC 165 all out (46.5 overs) (P. Browning 4-36)
Our first 50 over game of the season, and an ultimately comfortable win. We were struggling at 53-4, but AVK and the Captain then shared a record stand of 148 for the fifth wicket. Both fell just short of deserved centuries - holing out for 93 and 90 respectively - but a flurry from Riddles and a run a ball innings from Jack ensured that we reached 251-9 off our 55 overs.
The Mote chose to open with their two best batsmen, and that pair put on 54 before Neil sent Hodgson back for 24. Expensive in his first spell, Hoops had Waters caught at slip off the second ball of his second, and the game was all but over as a contest. Mote's skipper Tom Harvey always gets runs against us and sure enough he was last out for 86, but he received all too little support from the middle order as the innings closed on 149 to see us win by 102 runs. Hoops ended with 5-39, and there was also the rare occurrence of a Mote player out obstructing the field. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Lost by 3 wickets batting first at home to Dartford CC
BPCC 70 all out (36.1 overs)
DCC 71 - 7 (35.5 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - Lost by 172 runs batting second away at Cowdrey CC
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 9 wickets batting first away at Dartford CC
Sunday 1st XI - Won by 9 wickets batting second away at HSBC in the CCC Quarter Final
HSBC 100 all out (32.1 overs) (J. Ramsey 4-14)
BPCC 103- 1 (17.3) (R. Soulsby 44*)
Hoops took the first three wickets in the course of a lively first spell, and Riddles bowled accurately to go for only 23 off his nine. But this was a cup game, and so it was time for the serious dob. On this occasion, it was Jules who was the destroyer - he took 4-14 off seven as HSBC were 100 all out.
If HSBC were to have any chance, they needed early wickets - and there was a confident lbw shout off the first ball of the innings. But it was given not out, and our all-Northern opening pair of "Seymour" Youll and "Osbourne" Soulsby took us to 68 before Seymour was well caught for 22. Osbourne (44 red) and Browning (26 red) did the rest, and we won by nine wickets with 27.3 overs to spare. View Scorecard
Ealing are out, so we are joined in the last four by Chingford, Finchley and Lordswood.
Saturday 1st XI - Winning draw batting first at home to Bexley CC
BPCC 1st XI 183 - 5 (55 overs) (C. Coulson 39*)
BCC 1st XI 150 - 9 (55 overs)
PC and Browning gave us a good start, and then AVK and the Captain opted for caution against Bexley's spinners. After AVK was out for a patient 34, Jules came to the wicket and demonstrated that stroke play was actually possible. He ended with 26 red and the Captain with 39 red - but our total of 183-5 still seemed a little below par.
When Bexley were 79-1 at drinks, our total seemed rather a lot below par - but then we took three quick wickets. All of a sudden, Bexley couldn't get Browning, AVK, and Neil off the square, and the only question was whether we would bowl them out. When Min was bowled by AVK to reduce the Bats to 115-7, it looked as if we would. But alas! A couple of catches went begging, and Bexley held on at 150-9. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Winning draw batting first away at Bexley CC
BPCC 2nd XI 249 all out (49.5 overs) (S. Keyes 89, G. Darroch 57)
BCC 2nd XI 205 - 8 (50 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI - Won by 9 wickets batting second at home to Chislehurst & West Kent CC
C&WC CC 1st XI 49 all out (22.3 overs) (F. Iqbal 4-9, M. Howard 3-10)
BPCC 3rd XI 50 -1 (10.2 overs)
3'S SMASH LOCAL RIVALS IN TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE!
Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisaged what would happen on derby day against our local rivals! After particular trouble during selection this week (with teams being filled on Saturday morning) it was sad to see the 4th XI have to forfeit their match. Clearly the club needs to address this but this took nothing away from my lads performances......A THROAT STEPPING EXERCISE! Pity the same wasn't done in the 2 matches earlier this season we got losing draws in! Who knows where we'd be!
After the VC ensured the overseas Fahad took control of the pre-match warm up - the team was in good spirits. The skipper P-man duly gave his side the upper hand by winning the toss (6-2 for season). Much to ex-Bickley player Paul Crowdy's dismay - but I doubt even he would have had a bet on what happened next!
We took the field with a great buzz and the opening bowlers soon realised where to put the ball if they wanted to stay on! Lewis Higgins got us off to a flyer with a flying catch at mid-off to snare the Chislehurst opener! What followed was a combination of top bowling and fielding to ensure the visitors were skittled for 49! M. Howard 3-10 (first board action this season - getting better Biffa!), C. Barton 2-19 (welcome back - pitch it up!), F. Iqbal 4-9 (very expensive Fahad!! ;-) ) and C. Jacob 1-6 (and claiming his first kent league wicket! well done son!) - AMAZING BOWLING & FIELDING!! WELL DONE LADS!
Due to the time we decided to skip tea and go straight out to bat! The instruction was to take time and have a net!..So we knocked off 50 in 10 overs!!! M. Dring 18* and F. Iqbal 30* - Great performance by M. Braithwaite behind the sticks earlier meant I forgave him for being the only one out (next time tell me you are tired mate - excuses excuses ;-) ). STUNNING PERFORMANCE 50-1!! Chislehurst baked!
The win took us to 7th for the 1st time this season and catching the teams above! More performances like this will mean we ensure Kent League safety and ruffle a few feathers along the way (watch out you big teams)! Spirit is a great thing when it's backed up by great performances! Remember that if you want to hang on to your shirt lads! Players due back imminently (might mean Skipper and VC do nothing in a few more games!! NO WAY!)! View Scorecard
MOM - F. Iqbal 4-9 and 30*, M. Howard 3-10 - Well done lads! Let's beat the table toppers next week!
Saturday 4th XI - Match Conceded to Lessa Christ Church CC 2nd XI
Sunday XI - Lost by 10 wickets batting first away at Sidcup CC in the Kent Development League
BPCC XI 86 all out (37 overs)
SCC XI 88- 0 (12.2 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Won by 41 runs batting first away at Lordswood CC
BPCC 206 - 8 (55 overs) (A. Kale 45, B. Fulton 47)
LCC 165 all out (46.5 overs) (P. Browning 4-36)
Oh dear, they've got Amjad Khan playing - and after seven overs we were 12-3. But Abby Kale and Bin Fulton took the score to 100 before both fell in the 40s, and then the captain and Knut complete with Mongoose led us to a competitive total of 206-8.
It was beginning to turn - which was just as well since our bowling attack was Hooper and four off spinners. Hooper and Browning reduced Lordswood to 51-5, and a smart stumping off Kale made it 90-6 - but Greenwood and Moore then played sensibly and looked like winning the game for the Chathamites.
That pair took the total to 161, but then Hoops took an excellent catch in the deep off Browning to send Greenwood back for 52. Kale struck twice in the next over, and then Moore played an ugly mow against Browning to get bowled and give us the 20. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Won by 103 runs batting first at home to Lordswood CC
BPCC 166 all out (50 overs) (X. Darroch 5-31)
LCC 63 all out (40 overs) (M. Johnson 4-14)
Saturday 3rd XI - Won by 5 wickets batting second at away to Wickham Park CC
Midweek 20/20 XI - Won by losing fewer wickets batting first away at Gravesend Rugby Football Club
BPCC 121 - 5 (20 overs) (C. Coulson 50*)
GRFC 121 all out (20 overs) (X. Darroch 4-17)
We started late and with seven because the M25 was in a bad mood, and made a par 121-5 off our overs (Coulson 50 red). The Rugby Club were cruising to victory at 90-3 seven out, but then the dangerous Atwal was bowled by Riddles for 32. Panic set in slightly, but still the home club had the upper hand - and at the start of the last over, they were 120-7 so needing two to win.
Up stepped Xavier. First ball to No 9, poor shot, simple catch. No 10 Mann to the wicket, a dot and then a single. One to win. No 7 Wilde now on strike, a dot and then a swing in the direction of point and straight into Piet's hands. But they crossed, so Mann on strike, joined by No 11 Waghorn, an older gentleman who had kept wicket. Mann played, missed, and ran. Waghorn also ran, but Knut beat him to the stumps to seal the victory. Xav took 4-17, and we got out of jail by the narrowest of margins.
The quarter final will be on Tuesday 19 July at home to Linden Park.
Saturday 1st XI - Won by 6 wickets batting second at home to Tunbridge Wells CC
TWCC 1st XI 173 all out (55 overs) (B. Hooper 5-51)
BPCC 1st XI 175 - 4 (39.2 overs) (P. Clinton 39, P. Browning 36, B. Fulton 35*)
It usually rains when we play T Wells, and this was no exception. A twenty minute downpour caused a two and a half hour break in play, and either side of it TW were bowled out for 173. Sniffer took 5-51, and Jack, Neil and Browning kept it tight as only Paulsen ever got on top of the bowling.
We didn't start batting until gone six o'clock, and were left with 40 overs to reach the target. Browning teed off, the Clinton cousins batted more circumspectly, and then Bin, Piet, and Jules ensured that we won the game by moonlight with four balls to spare. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Lost by 4 wickets batting first away at Tunbrridge Wells CC
BPCC 2nd XI 133 all out (40.5 overs)
TWCC 2nd XI 134 - 6 (36.4 overs)
A disappointing loss for the 2s this week against a generally youthful T. Wells. In a season where we seem to be finding consistency hard to come by, this was definitely a missed opportunity to put some more daylight between us and the danger zone.
After a pretty dour week weather-wise, we soon encountered yet more rain as we headed down to the famous Dave Neville ground. I’m sure a few of our lads had already decided that our game would be a wash-out and looked as though they’d already played the Friday raincard! At least that’s how it looked as we performed pretty dismally with the bat to record a meagre total of 133 a.o. - Harry Potter top scoring with a typically obdurate 36.
Defending this low total was always going to be a tough ask and we all took our turn to do a rain dance and get the game abandoned. Quality covers, a break in the clouds and patient umpires all combined to mean that we were alas able to resume the contest after a lengthy pause.
In all fairness to the lads however and in true Bickley fashion, we bowled and fielded like demons to take 6 of their wickets and make the chase pretty awkward for our hosts.
Undoubted positives from a difficult day were the debut of Firthy’s bessie mate, Farhan Hasan, as well as the welcome return from Uni of Rowdy Lycett. Both these young lads had some good moments and will no doubt help improve selection options for the remainder of the season.
Great too to see Bickley legend Keith Crowdy back umpiring for us after a bout of ill health. Thanks for standing Keith – very much appreciated and glad you’re feeling better.
Another fixture goes by without us putting together a complete performance – woe betide the side that faces us when we finally piece everything together though which I’m sure will happen sooner rather than later.
One final observation – despite some stiff competition over the years, surely the skipper’s companion today was the best of the lot. Shiny dark hair, playful and truly adorable – pity she had 4 legs! View Scorecard
Saturday 3rd XI -Match Abandoned at home to Blackheath CC after 6 overs
Saturday 4th XI - Match Abandoned at home to Old Wilsonians without a ball being bowled
Sunday XI -Won by 30 runs batting first at home to Bexley CC in the CCC KO Cup
BPCC 1st XI 188 - 8 (40 overs)
BCC XI 158 all out (36.3 overs)
Ollie and R Soulsby went out to bat for 45 overs - but after a brief rain delay, that was reduced to 40. Ollie made 51 and Browning made 40, and the rest chipped in as we reached 188-8 off our 40.
Hooper and Horner kept it tight in the early overs of Bexley's reply, but took only one wicket. So it was time for the serious dob that wins us cup games - and once again, Jules and Xav came up trumps. Jules took 2-33 off his eight and Xav 4-38 as Bexley fell to 109-7. By then the game was over as a contest, and it was left to the off spinners to finish the job as Bexley were all out for 158. Soulsby took two catches and three stumpings, all off wides which must be some kind of record! View Scorecard
Saturday 1st XI - Losing Draw batting second away at Sevenoaks Vine CC
SVCC 261 all out (54.3 overs)
BPCC 206 - 8 (55 overs)
Whenever we play the Vine, the sun shines and J Bowden gets runs. Both of these things happened yet again as they batted first and were bowled out for 261, of which Bowden made 106. Jack took 3-55, and there were two wickets apiece for Browning and Riddles.
Ollie and PC gave us a bright start, but once they were both out we soon fell behind the rate required. Bin's 71 and Hoops's refusal to wear a helmet ensured that we didn't lose the game, but it ended tamely with us on 206-8. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Won by five wickets batting second at home to Whitstable CC
WCC 64 all out (31 overs) (X. Darroch 5-31)
BPCC 66 - 5 (17 overs)
Saturday 3rd XI -Won by 4 wickets batting second at home to Walmer CC
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 8 wickets batting first away at Dartfordians CC
BPCC 73 all out (29.5 overs)
DCC 2nd XI 77 - 2 (13.1 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Won by 8 wickets batting second at home to Sibton Park CC
SPCC 1st XI 151 all out (48.5 overs) (R. Horner 4-29)
BPCC 1st XI 154 - 2 (27.4 overs) (P. Browning 66, R. Clinton 64*)
A very welcome first league win of the season at home to Sibton Park on Saturday. Hoops struck early to send Andy Allon back, but Sibton Park then made steady progress to 46-1 before Jack (15-3-29-4) took three wickets in three overs. When Jules (9.5-0-29-3) came on to replace Hoops he struck with his second ball, and after 30 overs Sibton Park were 92-8. There followed some sensible batting from the lower order and some interesting fielding, but they were eventually all out for 151.
We too lost an early wicket, but Browning and RSC made light of the target and had taken us to 130 before Browning fell for 66. RSC went onto 64 red as we won by eight wickets with 33 overs to spare. A comprehensive victory, but we'll be needing a few more of them in the weeks to come. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Losing Draw batting second away at Sandwich CC
SCC 2nd XI 280 - 8 (50 overs)
BPCC 2nd XI 205 - 8 (50 overs) (S. Keyes 95, R. Potter 46*)
After a difficult week for the club availability-wise, we eventually rustled up 11 and travelled down to the coast to take on lowly Sandwich in the hope of getting back to winning ways. What a picturesque ground it is down there – surrounded by a river, ducks aplenty and the locals out in force, all bathed in glorious sunshine. What a treat!
Our beloved skipper however once again failed to win the toss and duly consigned us to 50 overs in the heat. Thanks pal! Big Dog then proceeded to do what he does best – reel off 15 overs on the bounce for very few runs. Well bowled matey – an awesome effort. His pardner at the other end once again was our favourite Trinidadian. Marcos eventually snaffled a useful 3-for even though he wasn’t at his most consistent on this particular occasion. Lots of us were given a bowl as we tried to keep the score within the skipper’s pre-match target. To be fair, the home batsmen batted aggressively and capably and runs flowed too freely for our comfort. Big Sam Hardy injured his hammie early into his spell which put us on the back foot – a real shame after his terrific efforts the previous week. Late call-up Lillsie bowled an eclectic mix of snorters, boundary balls and double bouncers – thanks for helping us out Lills!
Harry Potter was energy personified in the field and seemed to cover every blade of grass, while Keyesy (yes Keyesy!) also threw himself around impressively. Others just threw up! Their innings got away from us slightly and we eventually broke for tea staring at a total a little in excess of what we aimed for at the start.
Needless to say where else but Sandwich could you expect a lovely tea? A beautiful spread was duly laid on by their very attractive tea ladies. Your thoughts too eh skipper?
Early setbacks meant that we were unlikely to reach their target and at 71-4 things looked pretty bleak. Up stepped Keyesy to play a peach of an innings and steady the boat somewhat. Sean was back to his imperious best and was surely deserving of a quality ton but was run out by a direct hit from the deep when trying to get us close. Well played matey – a quality knock. The other mainstay of our innings was Geordie Potter who once again brickwalled anything dangerous to reach a very useful score of 46 not out by the end and keep us from defeat.
We need to get back to winning ways soon as a second successive losing draw is starting to make life a little uncomfortable! View Scorecard
Saturday 3rd XI - lost batting second by 161 runs away at Bapchild CC
BCC 1st XI 263 - 8 (50 overs) (D. Neville 4-70, Vi Bala 4-74)
BPCC 3rd XI 102 all out (30.2 overs) (P. Burke 42)
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 141 runs batting second at home to Blackheath CC
BCC 6th XI 218 - 6 (46 overs)
BPCC 4th XI 77 all out (24 overs)
Midweek XI -Won by 7 wickets batting second at home to Hayes CC in the 20/20 KO Cup
HCC XI 134 all out (19.4 overs)
BPCC XI 135 - 3 (17 overs)
On an evening of sunshine and showers at the home of cricket, we booked our place in the third round of the Kent T20. We bowled Hayes out for 134, with Neil (4-21) the pick of the bowlers.
Browning (27) and Bin (36) both batted well before Ollie (44 red) and the captain (21 red) saw us home by seven wickets with three overs to spare. The third round seems likely to bring us a trip up Widmore Road to the Cage; bring it on!
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 96 runs batting second away at Blackheath CC
BCC 233 - 7 (55 overs)
BPCC 135 - all out (40.1 overs)
There’s an ASBO in force which means that the sun isn’t allowed into SE3 during the hours of cricket, so once again we froze at the Rectory Field. The innovative tactic of giving Neil the new ball worked well enough (1 for 35 off 15) and Jack took three wickets in his second spell, but the tall figure of W Lee made 57 off just 38 balls as Blackheath reached 233 for 7 off their 55 overs.
There were a few talking points in our innings – notably PC being dropped at the wicket and still given out and DV being bowled by a no ball – but we never seriously threatened the total. A sensible 30 from Hoops was our top score, while RSC and Bin were the only others to pass twenty. 136 all out, and the morrow’s game not being anticipated with too much enthusiasm ... View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Losing draw batting second at home to Blackheath CC
BCC 219 - 6 (50 overs)
BPCC 186 - 9 (50 overs) (J. Ramsey 51)
Saturday 3rd XI - Lost by 4 wickets batting first away at Nonington CC
Saturday 4th XI - No match this weekend
Sunday 1st XI - Won by 12 runs batting first away at Teddington in the CCC Cup
BCC 201 - 6 (45 overs) (C. Coulson 57*)
TCC 189 all out (43.5 overs)
What a difference a day makes! It has been rumoured that last year’s National Knockout game against Teddington got a bit contentious, but if revenge were ever needed it was secured at Bushy Park on Sunday.
We were inserted, and our all-Northern opening pair of Soulsby and Youll gave us a decent start with 38 off nine before Soulsby was adjudged lbw. Bin came in next, and looked threatening in making 17 before he was mystifyingly given out caught behind. Ollie went onto a solid 42, and then the 1st XI captain and the 2nd XI captain put on 57 for the fifth wicket. Coulson ended the innings on 57 red, and our total of 201 for 6 looked competitive on a desperately slow wicket.
Teddington made a solid if slow start, but then Hooper twice and Jack once struck in three overs to reduce them to 43 for 3. Last time we played Teddington it was No 3 Ben Duncan who won the game for them, but in Xav’s first over he removed Duncan’s leg stump. Jules too hit the stumps in the very next over, and then there was a run out which left the two batsmen calling each other names and Teddington reeling at 65 for 6. That became 83 for 7 when Soulsby took a smart stumping off Xav, but then wicket keeper Page and Wood (the 85 mph spinner) batted rather more sensibly than their predecessors.
Page did survive a difficult caught and bowled chance, but there were few other alarms as the pair took Teddington to 167 for 7 with five overs to go. Page was then stumped off Browning for 45 with the score on 170, but Wood and his new partner Hannah had taken the score to 184 by the time Jack stepped up to bowl over 44. Wood played and missed at the second ball, and then went for a little stroll. In no time Soulsby had the bails off, and up went the finger at square leg. A bye and a four followed, but then Jack bowled Hannah to seal our victory by 12 runs. View scorecard
Monday XI - Match Abandoned due to rain
MCC 173 -9 (40 overs)
BPCC 79 -1 (17 overs)
AUSSIE LEGEND COMES HOME AND STARS AGAINST THE MCC
For somebody who took 1 wicket fewer than the Mighty McQuigg a few years ago, it’s amazing how highly regarded Joe Dawes is by his friends at Bickley Park. Joking apart, the Aussie cricketing demi-God will be forever welcome at the Field of Dreams after that amazing season when he took over 60 wickets in all forms of cricket. Joe’s wickets did of course come mainly as a result of some seriously quick bowling – let’s not forget however that he did make the odd appearance for McQuigg’s Sunday All Star XI where he burgled one or two more!
As a few of us were helping another Bickley legend celebrate his 40th birthday at the weekend (you only look 30 Bashir!), it was a very pleasant surprise to see Joey among us once again. It was even more of a surprise to hear that he wanted to don the famous Bickley colours once again and I was of course only too pleased to grant him that wish! Thanks to another Club legend (Brew Brew) for stepping down and helping make that happen at such short notice.
As for the match itself, i’m afraid to report that persistent rain eventually put paid to any chance we had of completing this particular fixture against our friends from the alternative MCC (Macknade Cricket Club). Not before our guests however had chosen to bat first and reached 170-odd from their 40 overs. Needless to say our own special guest threw a few quick ones down, taking a wicket with his first ball back at the Field of Dreams in quite a while. In good company there Lillsey!
Apart from Joey, it was good to see Chris “The Future of Bickley” Barnett also turning out for the club again and telling us how well he’d been batting for Beckenham this year! Seriously though Junior – looks like you’re coming on leaps and bounds in all aspects of your game and it’s always fun having you in the line-up.
A couple of sour notes to report I’m afraid - I didn’t take too kindly to Joey’s suggestion that the ultimate decisions on field placings, bowling changes etc should come from the sidelines and the REAL skipper - namely Mrs H! I for one won’t be sad to see him go! It’s never easy captaining a side full of egos and Superstars I can tell you – mind you, I expect a little more decorum and restraint from our very own Chairman of Cricket. Bunny obviously didn’t take too kindly to being hauled off mid-spell just so that I could take a cheeky wicket. Personally I thought it was only to protect his bowling average for an over but he obviously mistook my grand gesture as one from a selfish captain!
After a lovely tea, we went back out in the hope of entertaining the ever-increasing Bank Holiday crowd. Keyesy, Barney Barnett and that man Dawes all got 20-somethings at a good lick as we threatened the target for a while. The heavens opened however and killed any chance of a fun end to the day’s proceedings.
Many thanks to all the lads for giving up their Bank Holidays, Teresa for providing such a splendid tea, Lady Lou, Emma B and the Burkey clan for their support and of course Bingie and Wifey for umpiring and scoring-cum-skippering, respectively!
Finally, good luck in your new career as Adelaide’s bowling coach Joey – we’ll be following your progress with great interest on the net. Make sure you come and see us again soon big fella.
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 36 runs batting second at home to Bromley
BCC 1st XI 236 - 9 (55 overs)
BPCC 200 all out (51.4 overs) (R. Clinton, 57, B. Fulton 87*)
When the Old Enemy come to Pigeon Park, it never goes quite as expected – and it certainly didn’t this time. The boundaries had been set very long indeed this week, and Bromley’s new look batting line up doesn’t have the power of the old one, but they still made 236 for 9 off their 55 overs. Dennington and the unorthodox Sadiq were their main contributors, while PC took two quick wickets and Jack and Neil proved hard to get off the square.
We were soon three down, but then RSC and Bin steadied the ship and took us to 127. From there we should have been able to win the game – but after RSC was caught in the deep for 57, Bin got all too little support. Browning got a brisk 30 before holing out off Mees, and then Mees and Butters did the rest as we fell to 200 all out. Bin ended on 87 red, which included the only six of the day. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Lost by 9 wickets batting first away at Bromley
BPCC 128 all out (36.3) (C. Hewitt 37)
BCC 2nd XI 132 - 1 (25.2 overs)
BICKLEY 2S' WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END AGAINST THE OLD ENEMY
Our excellent early season form took a bit of a hit as our close neighbours and old enemy got the better of us on this occasion.
The lads went into the game on the back of 2 strong winning performances and were bolstered by the returns of "Gloves" Francis, "Young Gun" Firthy and FA Cup Winner Blue Moon to the line-up.
Once again the skipper demonstrated his poor tossing capabilities and we were thus asked to bat on what looked in all fairness a pretty decent track. I'm not sure exactly what happened but before too long we were in the rather unusual position of 43-7! Matty Russell and Gloves Francis each played some gorgeous off drives but a combination of good bowling, injudicious shots at the wrong time and some unfortunate decisions made our position extremely perilous.
It may be rather perverse to say but rare failures from Gordon and Jules gave the rest of us mere mortals a bit of a philip. When these guys get going they tend to make batting look ridiculously easy and it was nice they show they're only human from time to time!
Taking a break from daily debauchery at Southampton Uni to help us out for this crunch game, Young Dave Firth once again showed his class by knuckling down to help stead the ship with assistance from the lower order. Make that top order next week skipper!! Typical of the way our innings was panning out, Firthy eventually succumbed in the most unfortunate of circumstances. He was caught by the skipper after rebounding off the chest of their gully fielder.
Some lusty blows by a proud Welshman and an X-Man got us past the century mark but 128 all out was never going to be good enough against our confident rivals.
Taking the field after tea, the lads undoubtedly tried their hardest and some of our ground-fielding at times was quite brilliant. Firthy was throwing himself around the park to complete a good day for him, while the Old Raspberry himself (Mucky) and Blue Moon weren't too far behind in the acrobatic stakes . Gloves Francis again showed his class - much more impressive than the jokers we've had behind the sticks hitherto!!.
Of all the teams to perform so badly against Goddammit. May I suggest an earlier night for some of you this coming Friday?
Once again, many thanks to "Bingie" for doing the umpiring duties. At least the early finish allowed us to show some support for the other Bickley sides still playing.
Better luck next week lads. View Scorecard
Saturday 3rd XI - losing draw batting second at home to Offham
OCC 1st XI 223 - 4 (50 overs)
BPCC 218 - 7 (50 overs) (G. Barnett 77)
Saturday 4th XI - Lost by 90 runs batting second at home to Belvedere
BCC 2nd XI 199 - 4 (46 overs)
BPCC 4th XI 109 all out (40.3 overs)
Saturday 1st XI - Losing draw batting second away at Hartley CC
HCC 270 - 8 (55 overs)
BPCC 233 - 5 (55 overs)
With the very first ball of the game, Hoops hit James Hockley’s stumps – but the bails didn’t come off. He did get his man caught by RSC two overs later, but as usual at this small ground the runs began to flow. They couldn’t do much with Neil though, and will have felt that their 270 for 8 off 55 overs was fewer than it should have been.
PC made a brisk 45 including two massive sixes, and Bin and the captain both made 30s before being adjudged lbw to Hemphrey. But against two decent spinners, we just didn’t quite have the ammunition to launch a major assault on the target. Riddles (33 red) and Hoops batted well enough in the closing overs though, as we finished on 233 for 6. View Scorecard
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Saturday 2nd XI - Won by 4 wickets batting second at home to Hayes CC
HCC 218 - 7 (50 overs)
BPCC 219 - 6 (48.1 overs) (S. Keyes 93, G. Darroch 61)
“LILLSIE AND LIMES” ALL ROUND AFTER HAYES SENT PACKING
Don’t panic Nob – nothing to do with you once you left the clubhouse on Saturday night. Mind you, another one of those dodgy outfits and we may have to reconsider! Just some news of another routine win for Gordon’s All-Stars at the Field of Dreams.
We turned up nice and early only to find a player wearing an England tracksuit bearing the name of Yardy already warming up intensely in the nets. Our first thoughts was that Captain Fantastic had pulled off a sensational transfer coup and had strengthened our squad with the addition of Sussex’s finest. First Clarkey and now Yardy! Strange that one of England (& Wales)’s T20 World Cup Winners (Keyesy please note) had chosen good old Bickley Park to regain his mental fortitude we thought – it’s normally the last place you’d look for stable minds!
On closer inspection however it was most certainly not Yardy of Sussex and England wearing the shirt, but Lardy of Hayes and Chelsea! (Sorry Lills – couldn’t resist!) We look forward to the next outfit Lillsie sports when he next makes an appearance – let’s hope it belonged to Jonathan Batty!
Some of you may care to disagree, but it appears that our much-loved skipper (ain’t that the truth?) is not a great tosser. Our visitors thus chose to bat but we took the field in positive mood following the brilliant and miserly opening overs Marcos and Xavvy had produced the previous week. Luck was against us this time though as their openers played and missed on a number of occasions but still survived. In all fairness however, they also played some good-looking shots and ran very well between the sticks, aided and abetted by our below-par ground fielding if truth be told.
The game was evenly poised as we broke for drinks and with Hayes wickets in hand the target set by our skipper looked a stiff one indeed. Thankfully for us, the oppo didn’t really build on their solid start and we were happy to restrict them to 218-7 by the end. Star turn with the ball for Bickley was of course the £11.8 million man, Julian Ramsey. Jules huffed and puffed his way down the hill to notch another 3 wickets and continue his excellent start to the season.
Our other headline act was of course the returning Prodigal who purveyed 4 overs of schwing and half-decent deliveries, interspersed by the odd double bouncer! Needless to say the ultimate showman marked his arrival by taking a wicket with his first ball in competitive cricket for 2 years, courtesy of a snick behind to the skipper who made a bit of a meal of it but clung on amid much mirth and merriment.
Resuming after yet another lovely tea courtesy of the delightful Teresa, our confidence took a bit of a blow as Matty Russell gave gully some catching practice and Harry Potter departed all too early. Proving that practice makes perfect however, Keyesy no doubt benefited from midweek nets to play an absolute corker of an innings, full of beautifully timed drives – a Keyesy specialty. Sean ultimately departed 7 runs short of what would have been a quality ton, while the skipper also continued his excellent form with a high class 61.
Jules eventually added to his Fantasy Points total with a nerveless 35 not out to see us home but still walked off the pitch in true Ramsey-style after finishing the game with an all-run 4! Well played Jules – only a dropped catch spoilt another flawless contribution from our happy-go-lucky Bean Counter.
It was terrific to see Lillsie back in the fold after his 2-year sabbatical from cricket and we all celebrated his return and our victory with a few well-deserved Lager and Limes as Lord William Marsden provided his own unique commentary on the Eurovision Song Contest in the background. What a night!
The win made it 2 from 2 in an impressive start to the season and allows us to go into our next game away to our dear neighbours in buoyant mood. The side might however include a number of changes to the line-up, especially if certain players keep questioning the skipper’s field placements!
As ever, thanks to our umpire for helping us out. This week ex-President and club legend Mike Bingold stepped in to do the honours. Much appreciated Bingie, and well done. View Scorecard
Saturday 3rd XI - Losing draw batting second away at Bromley Common CC
Re: MOM - I only award one when we have a W on the board at Bickley lads...sorry - new skipper = tougher standards! Hope you're are enjoying the 2's VC! View scorecard
Saturday 1st XI - Lost by 55 runs batting second at home to The Mote
TMCC 195 - 9 (55 overs)
BPCC 140 all out (49.4 overs)
The first league game of the season saw the Mote visit Bickley Park. Tom Harvey made 70 for the visitors but the others struggled against Hoops (3 for 58) and Neil (3 for 40) and the Mote closed on 195 for 9.
The Clinton cousins gave us a solid start and we were 63 for 1, but then Harvey came on to bowl and all of a sudden we were 93 for 6. It ought to have been straightforward enough to block out for a draw, but that’s not what we did – we continued to play strokes and ended up 140 all out with five overs to spare. PC made 31 and Hoops 23, but no one else reached 20. View Scorecard
Saturday 2nd XI - Won by 3 wickets batting second away at Dartford
DCC 164 all out (46.4) (J. Ramsey 5-39)
BPCC 165 - 7 (46 overs) (G. Darroch 45)
Saturday 3rd XI - lost by 6 wickets batting first at home to Cowdrey
BPCC 79 all out (26.3 overs)
CCC 1st XI 80 - 4 (18 overs)
Bowled like a Saturday 3rd XI but batted like Sunday 3rd XI!!
So a new season, a new skipper and a new team! However same issues with the BAT! The 3rd XI got their season off against newly promoted Cowdrey CC 1st XI ( a team we owed a bit of payback), so we were hopeful of a close match. Sadly that didn't happen as the Cowdrey skipper won the toss and elected to bowl on what is normally a batting wicket at UCH (when it actually gets watered during a sunny week!).
With most of the normal 3rd XI squad (Chewitt (VC), Keyes, Russell & Aimey) in the 2's (a serious failure to recruit any new /old faces!!) - we were very light on the batting front. That said a few big guns were still around and I was hopeful we'd be watchful and grind out a score! That didn't happen with the pitch showing indifferent bounce at times, but with that said there was a serious lack of heart, grit and determination to use up the overs by the whole team! 79 all out in less then 30 overs is a total disgrace lads and if we don't show any heart (or kiss the badge) going forward, the season will be a long one! Only two batsmen were actually dismissed due to the pitch, Matty J the only one to hold up one end with red ink (even though he normally wants to smash it - well done pal) and the rest..a total lack of application / graft! On a tough wicket you have to use the 50 overs boys - that's everyone not just the recognised batsmen!! I look for a bit more heart and less excuses this week lads!
After a pretty shell shocked tea, I'm pleased to say we did come out and show some spirit with the ball. Matty J deserved a wicket as he beat the bat several times, Sam Hardy claimed a scalp in his first game back (bring that length back a foot mate) and then new boys Geoff Williams and Vino all claimed wickets (Geoff claiming his first 2 for the club). We fielded well (except for one 'it was in the sun' moment - had to be the bloke that got 50!!) and I got the feeling the team wanted to drag some of them down with us. 64-4 was a good position to have a team, if we'd posted 150!! See what I mean about using the overs! Sadly one point was all we picked up as Cowdrey finished 80-4 and took 16 points!
Hopefully a few old hands and some new faces arrive this season, but as the opposition skipper told me in the bar '50 runs more by your lot and I think it might have been anyone's game.' I hope everyone takes that onboard in our team - if we'd used the overs - who knows!!
Bring on next Saturday and a first win lads! View Scorecard
Saturday 4th XI - Won by 4 wickets batting second at home to Dartford
DCC 4th XI 132 all out (43.3 overs)
BPCC 4th XI 133 - 6 (39 overs) (Vas Bala 58)
Sunday 1st XI - Lost by 5 wickets batting first at home to Hastings and St. Leonards Priory in the National KO Cup
BPCC 201 - 9 (45 overs)
HSLPCC 203 - 5 (40.2 overs)
A second wicket stand of 87 between R Soulsby (87) and Bin (43) was the backbone of our 201 for 9 off 45 overs against a very young Hastings team. Browning and Riddles were the only other people to reach double figures; from 102 for 1 twenty overs out we should perhaps have scored a few more.
It looked that way when Hastings were 137 for 1 after 28 overs, but then they lost four wickets in five overs – two to Hoops, and one each to Browning and Ramsey. Panic refused to set in though, and there was no further excitement as Hastings won by five wickets with four overs to spare. View Scorecard
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Bickley Park Cricket Club,
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