Today is Sunday 7th June. And we were due to head down to the coast for a match with Gosport Borough in the first round of the SPCL T20 competition, a tournament where our record is …. ummmm …. not the best! So, how about we start with us actually winning a Round One game?
It is probably a little bit surprising that our record in this form of the game isn’t as good as it should be. As regular participants in the Border League since the 1970s, we have had a decent grounding in the shorter versions but, for some reason, we just don’t! But we finally got a win at home to Waterlooville, although we didn’t half make a meal of it! A home T20 game at Loperwood is always great fun, with DJ Jono on th decks, the lads and lasses on the BBQ, the bar fully open and fun for all the family – aside from the cricket.
The visitors won the toss this contest in 2015 and elected to bat first and their innings was centered around Tim Jackson’s 41 as they were bowled out for 115 – nine of the ten dismissals being caught (the other was a Paul Proudley run out). James Rose led the bowling effort with 3-16 while Steve Wright (2-17) and Mike West (2-12) kept the total down. At 21-0, all was ok. At 57-6, we were looking at yet another early exit! Thankfully, West’s 32 off 30 balls, with a couple of sixes was joined by Ben Perry and they doubled the score before Westy went with two left to win. Perry (15* off 20) took us to the victory – which put us into Round 2 … and a trip to South Wilts!
It was league action in SPCL Division 2 in 2014 and a game to forget! Rowledge would win the league at a canter at the end of the season and, on this showing, you could see why. They won the toss and put us in and would savour the decision by steamrollering us for just 73 in 39 overs with the only batsman to reach double figures was Josh Holden’s 41 in 83 balls at the top of the innings. He was eighth out and the end came 10 overs later with the addition of just 12 runs as Matt Taylor (2 off 29) and Daniel Croft (7 off 36) tried to keep the visitors longer in the field. Hope sprung when Chris Yates went second ball but it was short lived as they went to victory within 20 overs, winning by six wickets.
The 2s went to Hambledon 2s in County 3 South and were well beaten by 65 runs despite Tom Pattison’s 4-44 helping pull the hosts back to 169-8 but we would be swept away for just 104. The 4s were the only side victorious, beating Tichborne Park 3s by 8 wickets. Darryl McMahon’s impressive 2-10 in nine overs cut through the top order, Calum Bailey with 3-37 went through the middle order before Jack Stuttard’s 4-31 cleaned up the tail as they were bowled out for 124. We lost a couple of early wickets before Callum Stanton (49*) and Ryan Lomax (32*) played well to see us over the line.
We were back in County One in 2008 and with a couple of wins banked, we headed down to central Portsmouth to play Portsmouth & Southsea hoping to keep that good form going. We didn’t – as the home side ran out 28 run winners which could have been much more but for a strong rearguard late on. Three half-centuries from Dew, Richardson and Allen lifted the hosts to 243-8 despite James Rose’s 3-34 and a couple of wickets each for Pete Clark and Nigel Hill. At 70-6, a heavy defeat was on the cards but Pete Clark and Tom Pegler put on 99 for the seventh wicket. Clark hit 43 but Pegler climbed in with 76 off 68 balls – he hit 50 in 61 balls and his next 26 off only 7 but it was too late to make an impression and we were bowled out for 215.
It was mentioned in yesterday’s OTD the value of Darren Challis, the all rounder. If yesterday’s performance was good, today’s is sublime as he virtually single-handedly brought the 61 run victory over Ampfield 2s in Regional 1 South – although Paul Henry’s effort came a close second. Challis came to the crease when we were 36-4 and hit a brilliant 92 not out in 118 balls and, with Henry (38 off 51) put on 87 for the seventh wicket which guided us to 184-7. It was Chally’s opening spell that sent Ampfield crashing to 43-6 as he returned figures of 12-4-20-5 and Henry (3-31) ended their innings at 123 with the final three.
For the first time in these OTDs, we find an “all-day” SPCL Division One encounter. We had four seasons of playing the mix of 50 over and all day games from 2000 to 2003 and our record was Played 36, won 8, lost 15, drawn 9, abandoned 2, no result 2. The earliest all dayer … ummm yeah … was a long day out down the road at star-studded BAT Sports, containing seven players who had played either first-class or full ListA cricket in 2003. They won the toss and batted first and closed their innings at 263-9 after 57 overs (you were permitted to have 66 overs in the first innings if you wished). James Hibberd bowled 21 overs and took 4-92 and Eugene Burzler 3-59 in 15. However, BAT had one of the quickest local club bowlers around and former Hampshire youngster Dan Goldstraw in their ranks. He bowled unchanged and claimed figures of 13-4-29-8 as we were removed in just 25 overs for 53. This was the first of a run of six ‘all-day’ defeats. We got relegated at the end of the season. BAT Sports won the league.
We wheel all the back to 1986 and it was good to finally get some cricket that year. It was week five of the season but this was just the second game played with three washouts previously so it was pleasing that this local derby with Paultons managed to go ahead. It was even better than we won too of course, and that was down to the tall seamer David ‘Beanie’ Barnes who bowled ‘Ray Hurst style’ 21 overs through the innings and took 6-59. 15-year-old Adam Carty assisted with 2-40 as the visitors made just 142-8 in their 42 overs. Four batsmen made 20+ but none went on to 30 in the reply but it was enough to seal the six-wicket win as Billy Sims (29), skipper Bob Wilcocks (26) and a 44 run unbeaten stand between Terry Chilcott (20*) and Paul Hoskins (22) brought our first win of the season.
While the 1s were beating Paultons at home, the 2s were doing the same down the road at Whitemoor Lane – by the same margin! Paultons batted first with A. Wharton (70) and D. Chambers (32) putting on 100 for the first wicket but they only made 138-8 in 42 overs as Paul Sealey ripped though the middle order with 6-39. Gary Stinson cracked 65 and received good support from Graham Cooper (26) and Mark Hardy (27*) as we won by six wickets with four overs in the bag.
We always love a clean sweep of wins across the club and there would have been a lot of beer drunk in the clubhouse at KGV in 1980 (we hadn’t moved to Loperwood yet) after this round of games as it featured three sizable victories.
The first team were at home at Old Simmarians in County One and a day to remember for Steve Brandes. The visitors batted first but Steve bowled through the innings to claim his first 1st XI five-wicket haul for 5-38 in 20.5 overs, bowling out the St Mary Old Boys for just 99 in the last over. Captain Ben Lyon’s 30 not out was the backbone of the reply which saw us win by five wickets, giving us four wins from our first five games that season.
It was a long trip to Leckford for the 2s in South West One and they had little answer to a brilliant bowling display from Tufty Taylor. We only made 123-8 in our 42 overs with Stan Piper (31) and Tony Archer (30) giving us a platform to work from. We were to win by 80 runs in the end after Tufty ripped through the North Hampshire men with 8-19 in 15 overs. Michael Newman kept him company with 1-20 and Billy Stroud took the final wicket to fall as they were sent to just 43 all out.
And the 3s were at home to Fawley and came back with a huge 199-run victory in New Forest Division 3 although it was a missed opportunity for David Lock! We made 246-8 in our 40 overs with Lock and John Robertson put on 139 for the fourth wicket was John made 66. But David was caught for 99! You have to feel for Fawley’s Lennard who opened the bowling, bowled through the innings for figures of 4-136 in his 20 overs. Fawley were bowled out for 47 – Maurice Geary took 3-9, Adrian Goddard 3-0 in two overs and Dave Morgan 2-19.
I think we will finish on this one, as it comes as a precursor to our special “On This Day Chat Through” tomorrow. It was Round 1 of the Hector Young Evening Trophy – a Southampton Parks tournament – in 1982, which saw us defeat a team called Richard Taunton College at Southampton Sports Centre by 23 runs. Looking at the scores, it does look like it was played on one of the smaller pitches as we batted first and made 170-2 in our 24 overs. Terry Chilcott batted through the innings for 98 not out which contained 8 fours and six sixes and he was joined by Billy Sims with 42 not out featuring three sixes too. The College side didn’t come close although Stuart Tulk made 42, Williams 32 and D’Mello 22* as Chilcott picked up 3-43 as they closed on 147-8. In the days of not so much big hitting, Steve Brandes still went for 37 in his five overs!
CALMORE SPORTS BIRTHDAYS:
2003 – Dan Eckton
