Scorecard

Northiam v Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI on Sun 30 Apr 2023 at 1.30pm
Newenden Cricket Club Won by 68 runs

Match report Newenden won by 68 runs (Newenden 203-7 (35 overs) - F Piper 66, B Browning 57. Northiam 135 All Out ( 28.4 overs) - G Smith 3-25, C Harker 2-2, C Kutner 2-25


Renowned English poet, Edmund Blunden once wrote 'Cricket to us was more than play, it was a worship of the summer sun'. Well I assume Mr Blunden had never played cricket at Newenden in April.

Following record levels of rainfall throughout March, if Noah had lived at the NCG he would have deemed the ark unfit for purpose. But a miracle occurred yesterday as Northiam were able to provide us with an opportunity to actually play some cricket.

We turned up with the sun blazing down on a lush and green Northiam ground, whose groundsman had worked wonders to prepare a wicket.

Having lost the toss and being put into bat, things didn't start too well, with Patel falling cheaply after having being dropped in the first over. This brought Browning to the crease who immediately settled into his work, whilst the other batsmen were struggling to come to terms with a tricky wicket, Browning was dispatching the ball to all parts. Parr was next to go when one climbed on him, would have probably been a slot ball to anyone else.

Morris's stay at the crease was brief yet comical, as he managed to make their slow bowler look like Shane Warne. Every ball was greeted with howls of laughter from the pavilion as he was caught in more minds than a bipolar schizophrenic. Fortunately he was put out of his misery blissfully quickly. It didn't help that the bowler told him he only had one eye, which was one more than Morris on the balance of play.

The look of dejection as he trudged off the pitch, you would have thought he had won a Spurs season ticket in the local raffle.

Browning was next to go, holing out in the deep for an impressive 57. Jim Piper and Harker then continued to accumulate runs before both fell in quick succession, leaving us 124-6 with 10 overs to play. Enter Mr Finn Piper.

Finn decided rather than waiting for the ball with his name on it, he would take the game to the opposition, and this he did in some style. Ably supported by Sloan, he started to dismantle the Northiam attack, peppering the boundary at will. He took one over for 26.

Piper finally fell in the last over, run out trying to get back on strike, but his work was done as we posted an imposing 203-7 from our 35 overs.

After a wonderful tea, thank you Northiam for keeping this essential tradition going, we took to the field.

Things started well with Smith then Kutner removing an opener a piece within the first six overs. The pair were bowling beautifully, as wickets continued to tumble. Smith finished up with 3-25 and Kutner 2-25, leaving Northiam reeling at 64-5.

Smith was also responsible for executing the most frustrating way a batsman can get out by touching the ball back onto the non-strikers wicket, following a booming straight drive by the Northiam number three.

There was still time for our other bowlers to make their mark on the game. Finn Piper and Browning bowled tidy little spells, before Stone managed to break the Northiam resistance, capturing their main man just as he had passed 50, with Parr taking a superb catch out on the long on boundary.

Patel then got in on the act, clean bowling their set bat with his fourth delivery. Confucius once wrote 'never give a sword to a man who can't dance' and the same ethos could be applied to 'never give the ball to Charlie Harker after eight cans of Guiness', but what does Confucius know, as Harker wrapped up the Northiam innings with figures of 2-2 from 2 overs.

It was a great game, played in a great spirit, with the sides sharing a few jugs at the pub long into the evening.

We were just glad to be able to get out onto the pitch and play some cricket before things start in earnest next week, as we take on local rivals Stone in our first game in Division 1.

Let's hope we can keep up the winning start to the season.


Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 7 wickets
0
203		        
Chirag Patel Caught  5
Ben Browning Caught  57
Mike Parr Caught  16 2
Philip Morris Bowled  5
Jim Piper Caught  19
Charlie Harker Caught  9
Charlie Sloan Not Out  16
Finn Piper Run out  66 1
Christian Kutner Not Out  0
Garry Smith  
Alex Stone  

Northiam Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Northiam Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
135 (28.4 overs)		     
J.Mackenzie ct Smith 13
P.Thompson b Kutner 12
O.Rhys-Jones ct Stone 50
J.Keen b Smith 0
D.Channon b Smith 1
H.Rhy-Jones ct Kutner 5
L.Cross Run out  2
M.Hinge b Harker 22
T.Martin b Patel 6
J.Martin Not Out  6
Sandy b Harker 0

Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Christian Kutner6.0025212.504.17
Garry Smith7.002538.333.57
Finn Piper3.001200.004.00
Alex Stone5.0031131.006.20
Ben Browning4.001900.004.75
Chirag Patel2.0010110.005.00
Charlie Harker1.40212.001.20