Scorecard

Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI v Wingham on Sun 25 Jun 2023 at 1.30pm
Newenden Cricket Club Won by 44 runs

Match report Newenden won by 44 runs ( Newenden 187-9, Bellhouse 39, J Piper 35, Wingham 143 All Out, Edwards 4-20, Smith 2-26, Bellhouse 2-26)

Man of the Match : Mike Bellhouse

Legendary American motivational speaker Tony Robbins once said ' Don't limit your challenges, challenge your limits. Each day we must strive for constant and never ending improvement'. Well big Tony needs to spend a little time in Newenden, as we took on our biggest challenge yet last Sunday and demonstrated how the side is constantly improving.

Wingham CC are one of the best sides in Division One, having won the title seven times in the past 15 years. We knew this was our chance to really see how far we had come as a league side.

The scene was set, and what a scene it was. The sun was baking down on a magnificent NCG, Guy had worked his magic and somehow managed to make her look even more beautiful than ever. The game had drawn the biggest crowd of the season so far, with Wingham bringing a sizeable travelling support all the way from Canterbury.

It was certainly a day when you wanted to win the toss and bat, thought curiously Wingham didn't see it that way, as they won and decided to field.

The Newenden innings started well, with Greig wasting no time to take on the opposition attack, crunching 13 from the first over. Unfortunately, his partner in crime Edwards was unable to join in the fireworks as he was dismissed for a duck in the second over.

Greig continued to take on the bowling and we had raced through to 40-1 from four overs before he too fell, holing out to deep square leg after the bowler had got one to bounce more than he expected.

This called for a period of consolidation, which was overseen by our very own Usman Khawaja, Jonathan Bourne. Bourne and stand-in captain Browning knew that any further damage would leave things looking precarious, so they knuckled down for an attritional passage of play.

They had taken the side through to 83 before Browning was stumped as he looked to move the score on. Bourne followed shortly after, chipping up a full toss to short cover. We were suddenly 90-4 and things were looking shaky.

If you ever need two men to drag you out of the mire, it would be Mike Bellhouse and Jasper Piper. The pair started to build a strong partnership, working the Wingham bowlers for ones and twos, I have never seen Bellhouse run like that. At one point he almost broke into a sprint, you would have thought he had been invited for a private debrief in Philip Schofield's dressing room.

The pair navigated some very good bowling and had taken us through to 150 before Piper was caught. Bellhouse continued, as batsmen came and went, before we saw a good wag from our tail, with Bradney, Sloan and Smith all adding useful runs. With the biggest cheer of the day coming when Smith smashed their best bowler over the ropes.

We ended up on a competitive 187-9 from our 40 overs.



Now for the tea. Every week you think that things cannot get any better, then along comes the Bradney tea. If Carlsberg made cricket teas, well you know the rest. It was an absolute triumph. We were treated to the most delicious pitta pockets filled with steak and mustard, salmon and salsa, and brie and cranberry. There was a superb pancetta and parmesan tart and some of the best ' twisted' sausage rolls I have ever eaten. There were smoked salmon bagels, even chicken, peach and cucumber kebabs. Then we moved onto the cakes, oh my god the cakes. Jo, Harry's Mum, had made a three-tiered victoria sponge that looked incredible and tasted even better. There was a chocolate malteaser cake, some beautiful caramel bites, mini apple pies and scones. If you want to see the video, go to the club Instagram page.

Thank you Jo, Caro and Harry (not so much - he wrote the signs) that was one of the finest teas to ever grace the NCG.

Now it was time for us to bag up the win, we didn't have an imposing total to defend so we had to combine attack with defence to ensure we could stay in control of the game.

Their openers were decent and got off to a good start before Finn Piper managed to snag his first wicket, with Bourne taking a sharp catch at backward point. The Wingham top order could bat, and their captain looked in the mood before Edwards bowled him an unplayable delivery which just clipped the top of off stump.

With the track offering considerable turn, Bellhouse was then introduced for the first time this season, and it turned out to be a masterstroke, as he returned figures of 2-26, which included two of their top batsmen, though I fear he may have got their wickets but he certainly won't be making the Christmas card list of their number four.

Bradney then took over and showed superb control to stifle the Wingham batters, picking up a wicket following an unbelievable stumping by Sloan.

But Wingham continued to score at a rate which kept them ahead of the game. We knew the only way we would win the match would be to bowl them out, and one man took that quite literally. The game was turned on it's head by a superb spell of bowling from Dan Edwards, as he picked up three wickets in as many overs, clean bowling each man. Edwards is fast becoming a key component of our bowling unit, as he bowls quickly and at the stumps, a captain's dream.

The game was not won yet, as their dangerous number five was still hitting the ball well and there was plenty of time left in the game. Smith was brought on and soon showed why he wins the bowling trophy most years. Firstly picking up the dangerman by taking a steepling catch off his own bowling, before seeing us over the line as he clean bowled their last man. Cue the celebrations.

Make no mistake, this was a pivotal day in the club's brief league history. We have now made it from Division 5 to the summit of Division 1 in four years. Those that may not have heard of Newenden before certainly will have now.

We go again this weekend with another tough league match against Borstal. let's hope we can lock up another victory.

Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
6nb 11b 3lb 
for 9 wickets
20
187		        
Jack Greig ct H Harding b A Maddison 28 13 6 215.38
Dan Edwards b A Cork 0 2 0
Jonathan Bourne ct P Moore b A West 13 40 2 32.50 1
Ben Browning st B Rumley b H Harding 28 56 3 50.0
Jasper Piper ct M Pilbeam b J Cork 35 51 6 68.63 1
Mike Bellhouse ct A West b H Harding 39 47 5 82.98
Chirag Patel ct H Harding b J Cork 1 4 25.00
Finn Piper lbw H Harding 2 3 66.67
Harry Bradney ct N Mclennan b J Cork 8 8 1 100
Charlie Sloan Not Out  8 11 72.73 1
Garry Smith Not Out  7 8 1 87.50 1

Wingham Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Adam Cork9.0245145.005.00
Albie Maddison7.0029129.004.14
Noah Mclennan9.004000.004.44
Harry Harding8.031836.002.25
Daniel Pilbeam3.001600.005.33
Andrew West1.00717.007.00
Jason Cork3.001635.335.33

Wingham Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
4w 4b 7lb 
for 10 wickets
15
143 (31.5 overs)		     
Daniel Pilbeam b D Edwards 23 30 5 76.67
Mick Pilbeam ct J Bourne b F Piper 15 20 3 75.00
Andrew West ct J Piper b M Bellhouse 20 27 3 74.07
Noah Mclennan lbw M Bellhouse 22 29 4 75.86
Peter Moore ct G Smith b G Smith 27 38 5 71.05
Philip Thompson st C Sloan b H Bradney 1 4 25.00
Bobby Rumley b D Edwards 8 17 1 47.06
Adam Cork b D Edwards 0 6 0
Albie Maddison b D Edwards 7 13 1 53.85
Jason Cork b G Smith 5 7 1 71.43
Harry Harding Not Out  0

Newenden Cricket Club Sunday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Finn Piper5.0024124.004.80
Chirag Patel4.002000.005.00
Garry Smith4.5026213.005.38
Dan Edwards7.162045.002.79
Mike Bellhouse6.1026213.004.22
Harry Bradney5.0116116.003.20