A glorious Sunday! The sun is shining, the wind is blowing a bit – but still no live cricket to be seen. So what happened “On This Day” across Calmore Sports history … or will the 24th May 2020 be forever remembered for a former club captain dancing with a green dinosaur in a dress (the dinosaur was in a dress …. not the former captain!!).
We start today with a look back five years ago to 2015 and the start of the Hampshire NatWest Under-19 T20 competition and Matt Taylor’s side took on a potentially difficult contest with highly fancied Bashley (Rydal). Winning the toss and batting first, a superb retired not out innings of 55 from Ben Johns – with six fours and three sixes – led the way. 20 from Michael Donovan and an unbeaten 39 for Callum Stanton lifted us to an imposing 163-5. The visitors made steady progress in response with Kaine Stanton removing both openers but they were edging ever closer. They hadn’t banked on an inspired bowling spell from Callum Kitcher, who slammed the brakes on taking 5-24 which brought us an 11-run victory.
It was a very wet weekend in 2014 with all four Saturday league games abandoned so we have to climb all the way back to 2008 for the last round of league action and James Rose’s 1st XI went to the seaside for a County One game with Mudeford – and returned with a six-wicket win. Electing to bat first, the home side slid to 110 all out with Roy Walton (3-38), Nigel Hill (3-22) and Pete Clark (2-25) doing the damage. An opening stand of 62 by Nick Coe (25) and Mark Lavelle (32) charged the reply before we lost four wickets for 9 runs. Thankfully, Ben Perry with a run-a-ball 27 ensured we didn’t stumble any further.
The 2s were at home to Woodgreen in Regional 1 South and we got ‘Nash’d’! Jon Nash opened the batting and hit 85 in the visitors’ 159 all out with Kieran Richard taking 3-12 and Paul Henry 3-46 (with 14 wides!!!!). After being 19-3, Dave Wilson’s rearguard 57 and Darren Challis with 25 gave us some hope and at 122-5, we were back on course. Paul Bowring’s 16 took us near but Stuart Nash’s 4-18 – including getting through Luke Johnson’s defences sent us to a six-run defeat.
We didn’t beat Havant very often. But we had a great chance of doing so in 2003 in SPCL Division One but came up just 16 runs short. Dominic Carson’s 48 and Bevis Moynan with 36 led them to 214-6 batting first as James Hibberd (3-36) and Charlie Freeston (3-36) restricting the hosts well. Former Middlesex, Essex, Warwickshire and Leicestershire seamer Chris Wright couldn’t make any inroads (0-50 in 10 overs) as Clive Surry made 50 before being stumped and skipper Tom Pegler (30) and Dave Rouse (32) took us to 149-4 and 180-6, but a flurry of wickets saw time run out as we were bowled out for 198 – Havant’s slower bowlers Moynan, Loat and Hindley taking their side to victory.
Southern League in 1997 on this day was a trip to Lymington. We batted first and a steady 66 from 105 balls from Hampshire professional Paul Whitaker and 40 off 61 balls for Paul Draper gave us the foundation to make 211 all out from our 50 overs – Martin Kellaway (27) and Stuart Bailey (20) pushing the score up. After Chris Steedon removed the dangerous Glyn Treagus early, the spinners got into action with Whitaker (1-39), Draper (1-23), John Shepherd (3-25) and Kevin Marshall (2-24) sliced through the hosts and only some lusty hitting from keeper Tom Thorp (41 off 44 balls) gave their 163 total any respectability.
Back in 1986, the 1st XI were in County One and went down by 7 wickets to Portsmouth & Southsea despite Terry Chilcott’s 41 and 2-28 in 15 overs from Steve Brandes but there was better news for the 2s who travelled eight miles west of Salisbury and beat Broadchalke by four wickets. Ron Merritt took 6-38 and Stuart Bailey 2-19 as the home side were restricted to 111-9. We soon found ourselves 21-4 before Mark Hardy with 35 and Michael Newman an unbeaten 45 with five sixes took us home with the win.
There was a fairly strange game down at the KGV in 1980 when Bass (Alton) came for a County One game. Paul Hoskins with 32 and Terry Chilcott 27 were the lead scorers in our 136-8 in 42 overs. But when you have a bowling attack of Ray Hurst, Steve Brandes, Terry Chilcott and Ron Merritt, a chase of 3.24 runs per over was never going to be easy. To not even reach two runs per over …. that’s just outstanding from the quad as we conceded just four boundaries and delivered 18 maidens in Bass’ 42 overs as they made only 76-6 – Ray returning 21-11-25-4, Steve 13-2-28-1, Terry 5-3-5-1 and Ron 3-2-5-0 to see us win by 60 runs.
Our earliest league game on this day was in 1975 when we travelled to Stubbington to play against Crofton in County Two. A brilliant 98 from Ben Lyon – one of only two instances of a batsman being dismissed for 98 in 1st XI league history, the other coming 25 years later at Burridge by Paul Draper – along with 31 from Stan Piper and 28 by Terry Chilcott took us to 162-4. Skipper Roy Matthews claimed 5-10 and Michael Newman 3-14 as the home side only made 81.
