150 Years in 2018

This is the beginning of a very busy week.

On Saturday the 1st XI are at home for the Premier League match against Bexley. Please note that there will not be a BBQ this Saturday. However, support always welcome.

 The 150th Anniversary Cricket Week starts on Monday with Fixtures against Club Cricket Conference (Monday), MCC (Tuesday), Hong Kong CC (Wednesday) and a Kent League Rep side (Thursday). Lunch will be served each day between the innings at about 2.30pm. If you wish to join the teams for lunch please book in with Hazel (07890 197790) in advance.

 On Tuesday evening there will be a Summer Party in the marquee with the Club’s own live band. Entry will be £10 a head and BBQ food will be available to order throughout the evening. A number of people have already booked tables in advance but please feel free to come on the night and pay on entry. It will be starting at 8pm

 Martin Maunders will be preparing BBQ food on Wednesday evening to entertain our guests from Hong Kong. Please come and join in.

 The Anniversary Dinner on Thursday evening is already sold out so many thanks for the fantastic support. Please note the Dinner is 7.30pm for 8pm sharp and jackets and ties are essential. Let’s make it a great celebratory week!

 


BICKLEY PARK CRICKET CLUB LIMITED

Our 150th Anniversary Cricket week runs from 13th to 17th August and is bookmarked by two home 1st XI fixtures.

August 13: BPCC v CCC

August 14: BPCC v MCC  followed by Summer Party with live music

August 15: BPCC v Hong Kong CC

August 16:  BPCC v Kent League Representative XI  followed by  150th Year Anniversary Dinner

August 17: Juniors Tournament

Match Reports:

Our week long celebration of cricket began with an important win at home to Bexley.  Two early wickets for Warren and one for Dan reduced Bexley to 53 for 3, but George Haley has been a thorn in our side every time we’ve seen him this year, and he made 65 in a century stand for the fourth wicket before being trapped lbw by Philip.  From there, Bexley were looking for a score close to 250 but we pegged them right back in the late overs and they had to settle for 208 for 8.  There were three wickets each for Warren and Dan and two for Philip, while Adeel bowled his ten overs for just 21.

We needed a solid start, and the Alex family ensured that we got it.  When drinks were taken at the half way point we were 69 for 0, but we did need to push on and the Alexes now did just that, adding 45 in the next eight overs before Moen was stumped for 60, his first Premier League half century.  Fullarton was then joined by Ollie and that pair added 50 in just seven overs before Fullarton fell for 67 and Ollie three balls later for 29.  A minor collapse followed, but Warren and Michael put us back on track.  We needed eight to win off the last over, but Michael soon ensured that we didn’t need the last three balls and the win was ours.

Monday’s game against the Club Cricket Conference began in drizzle, but the weather soon cleared up and a CCC team based heavily around Loughton CC made 215 for 7 off its 45 overs.  Jancan Adams took 3-52, while Darren Ironside scored 70 but with little support as we fell to 124 for 7.  The game was beyond us, but Mike Pym took advantage of a rare chance to show us what he can do with the bat and hit 45 off 38 balls before he was last out as we were dismissed for 180.

The MCC batted first on Tuesday, but with the sole exception of Lordswood’s IPL star Chaitanya Bishnoi they found batting hard work.  Bishnoi made 40, but his team made only 112.  There were two wickets each for Adeel, Ironside, Josh Louw, and Ainsley.  We passed the MCC’s total for the loss of four wickets, with Sam Smith’s 61 not out looking a class above anything else on show.

Wednesday’s game against Hong Kong CC was a runfest.  Sam Smith made 88, Jancan Adams 67, and Alex Cooper 39 as we reached 259 for 8 off our 40 overs.  Some eccentric fielding enabled us to take nine off the last ball of the innings!  The visitors’ Ben Zanol made 110 as they chased hard, but he eventually fell to Mike Pym – showing off yet another string to his cricketing bow! – and his team were bowled out for 236 in the 38th over.  Two wickets for Pym and three apiece for Andley Adams and Jancan Adams.

Thursday morning was wet and the early afternoon was even wetter.  All the same, the rain relented in time for a T20 match to begin at 5.00, and Warren’s Kent League XI made 124 for 8 off its 20 overs.  The top scorer was Bexley’s Calum Basey, while Michael Ridley took three wickets and Dan and Parag two each.  I am willing to wager that never again will Warren have the words “st Sam Smith b Parag Patel” beside his name!  Alex Moen celebrated his admission to Cambridge with 29, but at 60 for 5 we were some way behind the game – until Michael Ridley bludgeoned 53 not out off just 27 balls and took us to within three of the league’s score.

We rounded off the week by beating Sandwich Town, a win which made it mathematically certain that we will play in the Premier once again next year.  We lost two early wickets, but Alex Fullarton and Dan dug in and took us to 95 before Dan was bowled for 39.  Fullarton went on to 45 and Warren added a brisk 22, before Adeel – after an unusually cautious start – blasted 62 off 54 balls as we ended on 204 for 9.

In truth that total was a little below par, and when Sandwich were 105 for 3 midway through their innings they should have been comfortably in control.  But their Zimbabwean test player Reg Chakabva was already out, trapped lbw by Warren, and Jordan Cox soon followed lbw to Adeel.  At 159 for 6 the game seemed ours, but the next pair added 25 to put Sandwich back in command.  Warren took the seventh wicket thanks to a fine boundary catch by Adeel, and in his next over he made a run out off his own bowling to put Sandwich on 188 for 8.  Eight wickets became nine when warren took an even better boundary catch off Philip to send back the stubborn Gray, and Sandwich were down to their last pair.

That last pair scampered seven off six balls, but Warren put the game to bed by bowling the veteran Spanton with the second ball of the final over.  We had won by 9 runs, which simultaneously secured our Premier place and ended Sandwich’s faint hopes of the title.


September 8: BPCC vs Cross Arrows at Lord’s

September 27–October 2: Club Tour to Menorca