MATLOCK vs. ROLLESTON 1st XI – July 30th 2011

Matlock won the toss and opened the batting with ex-Clay Cross player Chris Fletcher (34) and Kev Leatherday (30). Zac Fried (2-44) and Alex Britton (0-16) bowled tight spells, the hosts’ first boundary arriving in the tenth over. Some excellent fielding helped limit the openers to just 41 runs from nineteen overs.

Mark Bellm replaced Alex and had Leatherday dropped behind before the introduction of Luke Nelson had immediate effect, Leatherday caught by Gareth Marshall. South African Burton de Wett (12) strode to the middle and, having taken seven deliveries to get his eye in, launched Mark B. for two consecutive sixes over the long-off hedge and across the main road. Not content, he tried for the hat-trick of maxima only to see the ball nestling in the safe grasp of Alex Brown at mid-on.

Fletcher was finding life tough but was at least shoring up one end whilst the more attacking John Aspinall (39) looked to improve the run rate. He was particularly harsh with Mark B. (1 for 61) but fell leg before to Nelson in the 35th over, the score on 125.

Luke’s following over saw the demise of Fletcher after two hours of tedium, Paul Allen securing the run out. Skipper Peter Camm joined Minesh Keshwala and hammered both Rich Wyatt and Luke to the rope, taking two sixes off the spinner and adding 40 runs in twenty two minutes before lofting him to Zac at long-on.

This fifth wicket partnership had spanned six overs and added 49 runs. Nelson bowled Andy Rodgers (4) in his following over but Keshwala (23) was next to cut loose, smacking Rich’s final and somewhat expensive over for two more sixes. Zac returned and bowled both Keshwala and Eddie Lowe (14) but, having gone for only 26 runs from his opening eleven overs, leaked 18 from his final two. Nick Rosling (7 no) and Sreve Pell (5 no) ensured full batting points for the hosts who closed on 225 for 8.

Gareth (2) and Mark James (26) faced a fired up Camm and youngster Ed Lander in reply. Both bowlers appeared to stick to a plan as skipper Camm placed just two fielders on the on-side – backward square and a shortish mid-on. With Lander bowling from wide on the crease and angling in towards off stump and Camm regularly beating the bat, runs were proving hard to find. Camm eventually forced an edge from Gareth to wicketkeeper Rodgers in the seventh.

Rodgers caught another when Jamo snicked Lander into his gloves to leave Mat Ford and Tom Rutter at the crease. Mat fell leg before to Fletcher despite the bowler sportingly informing the umpire that the batsman had clearly hit the ball with his bat prior to pad. Tom took a good look at the bowling, 23 consecutive dot balls faced before striking Fletcher for two fours and de Wett for a huge six over Matlock F.F. clubhouse.

Paul Allen (47 no) arrived to strengthen the middle order but Tom (19) clipped a de Wett full toss straight to Leatherday at mid-wicket to leave the visitors on 81 for 4 after 28 overs. Within five minutes the weight of the reply fell heavily on Allen’s shoulders when both Brownie and A.B. were adjudged lbw in the same de Wett over.
Zac arrived to face the last ball of that over, and promptly hammered a six.

Camm returned but Zac slashed him for two consecutive fours before being caught by Pell at mid-on next ball. Richie nicked a couple of singles but Camm beat him for pace to signal the arrival of Nelson (18). The ninth wicket stand of 40 runs was Rolleston’s most productive and both Paul and Luke appeared quite comfortable against a range of bowlers.

Fletcher came in to field at silly short-leg and received a couple of bruises for his trouble, manfully taking the hits from Allen through gritted teeth. Back from injury, Ed Lowe (2 for 7) joined the attack and was granted a leg before decision over Luke prior to having Mark.B caught at mid-on by Pell – 167 all out the final score.

ROLLESTON 1st XI vs. CLIFTON – August 6th 2011

High flying Clifton called correctly and opted to set a target for the men from the Willows to chase. But doubts regarding the wisdom of the decision were raised as early as the third over when Charlie Wedgewood (3) fine edged Alex Britton to wicketkeeper Ford. Former overseas pro, Campbell Ogilvie (43) joined opener Matt Wilson (157) and the pair ticked along at more than five runs per over.

Wilson often struck both Zac Fried and Ali B. to the boundary and passed fifty off 59 balls in the same number of minutes, including nine fours and a six along the way. Ogilvie was a little more circumspect but, having smashed Luke Nelson for a maximum, fell leg before to the off-spinner’s next delivery – the score on 129 for 2 after twenty-two.

Clifton’s second wicket stand of 117 runs was impressive enough but the visitors soon established an equally effective one between Faisal Khan (50 no) and Wilson. The partnership faced an immediate problem when, following the introduction of Andy Cooper, the batsmen set off to steal a single but the opener and bowler accidentally collided and both fell to ground. Wilson discarded his bat and raced to make his ground but was nowhere near when a direct hit from Zac broke the wickets. The appeal was upheld but skipper Ali B. set a fine example of the ‘spirit of cricket’ when he called the batsman back to the crease.

Unfortunately for the hosts, Wilson repaid the gesture by striking a series of boundaries off Coops and Nellie, and was one run away from his century when he clipped the former to Marshy at cover who just failed to collect the opportunity. The ton was achieved after 107 minutes and 108 balls. At the other end, Khan was happy to score in singles and give his partner the lion’s share of the strike.

The opener lofted new bowler Mick Haynes (4 for 51) to Tom Yates at long off but the chance was dropped. He also gave Tom Rutter a catch at point and a more difficult one over Yakka’s shoulder but both were spurned. Nellie changed ends and Wilson added another couple of boundaries to pass 150 before the hosts’ leading wicket taker pinned him leg before. The 118 run partnership took Clifton to 247 for 3 with nine overs remaining.

Haynes gained his reward for bowling straight and on a good length when ace batsman Riffatullah Mohmand fell to a catch by Rutts at point. The batsman naturally waited for the umpire’s finger to be raised just in case the waist-high catch had escaped his attention, replacement Achin Chand falling in Haynes’ next over when Allen held on at mid-wicket.

Nellie (3-97) claimed his third leg before decision – Simon Moore – and Haynes clean bowled Flower and Harvey to leave the visitors on a towering 295 for 8. Importantly, the hosts had picked up six wickets (and extra bowling points) in the last ten overs but the target seemed quite daunting.

The reply set off at a cracking pace, Mark James (64) flying to his half-century in 41 balls and 46 minutes. Gareth dropped anchor for an hour-and-a-quarter as Jamo pressed on, the pair reaching 81 off the first sixteen, the pace eventually subsiding following the introduction of Mohmand and Ogilvie. James had notched twelve fours including a handful of cover drives before he attempted to sweep Mohmand, the resulting top edge collected by Ogilvie with ease. Ford fell leg before to the New Zealander without scoring, and Marshy flicked Mohmand full toss to Khan at mid-wicket to become the third home batsman to fall with the score on 83.

Paul Allen (7) was soon bowled by the Pakistani all-rounder but Rutter (58) was growing in confidence. He accompanied Yakka (10) in a 40 run partnership, the latter coping well with Mohmand’s spin but finding himself pinned in front by returning pace bowler Simon Moore. Tom struck four different bowlers to the rope and eased through his half-century off 73 balls in 70 minutes.

Ali B. and Rutts moved the score onto 169 for 5 before heavy rainfall delayed play for twenty minutes. The game restarted at 7-25pm which gave the visitors just 35 minutes in which to bowl 9.5 overs to avoid the match being incomplete and six points being awarded to both sides (in addition to any batting/bowling points earned).

In the 43rd over Ogilvie outfoxed Rolleston’s number four with one that nipped back off the seam and, in the 45th, claimed AB leg before with one that appeared to be shaping down leg-side. Zac and Luke got their heads down and looked quite secure until they inexplicably tried to run a bye off Ogilvie, their stop-start indecision eventually leading to the Aussie’s run-out when runs were not really required.

Haynes came to the middle and dead batted Ogilvie leaving Nellie to play out a maiden from Peter Hort. Two overs remaining and two wickets in hand, Ogilvie steamed in and Mick blocked his first three balls but was desperately unlucky to play on when the fourth delivery clipped his off bail, much to the fielders’ delight.

Coops lost his stumps when Ogilvie sent down his last ball of the day which quickly became the last ball of the match – 181 all out.

The game ended at 7-56pm (after 49 overs) which suggests that the umpires would have had an interesting decision to make if, as permitted within the laws of cricket, Rolleston’s incoming batsmen had fully used up the three minutes allowed to be in position to receive the next ball following a dismissal.