Welcome to this week’s Wizzy News – our weekly roundup of news and events at Wisborough Green Cricket Club. If you missed last week’s edition of Wizzy News, please click here
Junior cricket training
Just a quick reminder that Junior cricket training has officially finished for the season but there will be training for the under 10 – under 14 age groups from 6:30 pm on Friday (a slightly earlier start because of the fading light)
End of Season awards
Junior Ball and awards
Senior Dinner and awards
Honours Boards
Congratulations to all the players who made it onto the honours board this week :
Match reports
First X1 vs Rustington
Our strong victory over 2nd place Barns Green on August 6th coupled with a surprise (BG) loss to Findon the week after meant Wisborough went in to their home game against Rustington with refreshed focus. Never more important was it to secure 30 points to close the second place gap and push for promotion into Division 4.
Diverting the home game to Warnham was in fact a blessing rather than a curse as a multitude of guests swooped in Thurs afternoon to occupy the Wizzy field making camp at cover, square leg, point and/or mid wicket dependent on ones perspective. Several debated if our new found friends could patch up the trenches on the Green or if by chance any of them bowled leg spin? No one however had the courage to ask.
On to the game. The Wisborough contingency, for the most part, landed on time and were met with a very well dressed, athletic looking Rustington XI. Stand in captain Newman lost the toss, yet again (we have lost 8 out of the last 9 tosses?!), and Rustington decided to bowl…. no wait bat as their keeper was stuck in traffic. Newman negotiated a 15 min late start as legend Laws was also running behind (preflighted late arrival) and the Green took the field at 1.15pm after an elongated warm up.
Junior back, injury free, opened the bowling and immediately found his lines. Gardner and Stone simply had no answer and Gardner fell first caught Laws at 2nd slip with literally his first touch of the ball. Stone followed after a few flukey boundaries caught confidently by stand in keeper Wilson. March at the other end struggled to find his line to the right handers but finally found his length removing the dangerous Martin Reen caught brilliantly by Oscar Warmington at square leg. Champman was caught well by Ran Dawson, another young gun, again bowled by March and Rustington were in deep trouble at 49-4. With the squeeze on Dixon replaced Junior with the same excellent line and length and Newman came onto replace March to slow things down. The next few overs saw a couple of big swings of the bat but ultimately Rustington folded like a cheap suit, Dixon bowling Hobbs and Newman picking up 3 quick wickets. Klein in his last game of the season, girlfriend and mother watching, unfortunately only got one over as he sent 2 fast deliveries crashing into Mangold and Adfield’s uprooting their stumps. Rustington all out for 104 after only 25.2 overs. An excellent bowling and fielding display from the Green. Correlations again drawn between arriving early, a good warm up and a good fielding performance.
In reply the Wisborough openers Calder-Smith and Newman strode to the middle to chase down what looked like a small total – both conscious however of the very green deck and arguable one of the better bowling attacks in the league. Finlay Gardner opened the Rustington attack with some considerable pace and caused both batsman concern, mainly due to his inconsistency. Calder Smith looked in fine form cutting a few shots for four but cricket is a cruel game and Steve was caught on 15 after chipping one softly to cover. Rich Wilson joined Newman at the crease and he timed the pants of his first ball hitting a beautiful mid on drive for 4 whilst at the other end Newman luckily escaped a drop catch at point. Wilson hit another beautiful timed 4 but didn’t last long as hoped, Gardner proceeding to cartwheel his leg stump. Newman continued to hit the ball to all parts after his lucky escape and was ably assisted at the other end by young star Will Dixon, who following in the footsteps of Wilson, nonchalantly hit his first ball for four! Maybe the England cricket’s team’s Bazball is rubbing off!?The partnership grew, the highlight being a sweetly struck 6 by Dixon (smash….was that a roof tile or window?) and there was no chance back for Rustington. Hard to get a game when the oppo is all out for just over a 100 but special thanks to Oscar, Ran and Juan who came up from the 2nd’s and didn’t complain once. Also huge thanks again to Peter for umpiring and Rob for scoring.
Wizzy celebrated with £1 beers (I’ll come again Warnham) and walked away with 30 points to Rustington’s 3. The Green drinking deeply post match closely monitored Barn’s Green game and were further buoyed by the news that BG had lost to West Chiltington! Cherry on the cake as they say.
Summary from our very own Peter Mattock below on what needs to happen for the 1’s promotion. Note I have not fact checked this but if you can’t trust your umpire who can you trust!
- So, with 2 games to go, here’s a summary of the state of play…
- If we win both games, with a minimum total of 52 points, and Barns Green lose at least one of theirs, we will be promoted. (West Chiltington would not be able to catch us, even with 60 points.)
- If Barns Green win both games with a maximum of 54 points, they will be promoted. (We would not be able to catch them, even with maximum points.
- I haven’t checked what happens if two teams finish level….
- Remaining games….
- BG have EP at home then Chi away
- WG have Worthing at ‘home’ then Findon away
- WC have Stirlands away then Rustington at home
James Newman
Click here for the scorecard
Second X1 vs Pagham
• A vibrant and energetic WGCC 2s team arrive early (despite the heavy coastal traffic) at a sunny Arundel to enjoy a fielding and catching warm up led by Dan Vickery which proved to be a master move for what was to follow
• The Green once again lost the toss and left the Pagham skipper to contemplate the best strategy and he eventually made the decision to bat.
• Ollie Warmington and Matt Ritchie open the bowling for WGCC – a youthful opening batting pair make the most of the short boundaries and attacked anything short or wide
• It took a change in bowling with Dan down the hill to make a breakthrough George Nicholls taking a great low catch at point (warm up by Dan is paying off)
• Dan strikes again with another athletic low catch by Tom Dawson at cover to take No. 1 batsmen out (warm up by Dan paying off again)
• Matt gets a well-deserved wicket with a simple catch by Tarni Dixon at mid-off to get rid of the No.4
• The Pagham No. 3, who looked uncomfortable with anything bowled in a good area, launched any full-length deliveries well over the boundary until George caught another good catch off Dan’s bowling (warm up……)
• The Pagham total was rapidly amassing and at 20 overs they were at around 170 for 4.
• The WGCC attack and fielding then stepped up a notch and Dan got his 5fer (5 for 40 off 9) with a bowled and a fine high catch from Ollie at square leg – well bowled Dan (catching practice paid off)
• Ollie came back for a very tidy second spell getting movement and bounce and was rightfully rewarded with 2 wickets. Frank Vickery gets one with a boundary catch by Matt.
• Pagham ended up on 267 for 9 after 40 – a great WGCC fielding performance in the final 20 overs kept us well in the chase
• After a delicious tea it was time for the opening pair, Tom Dawson and Tarni Dixon, to go to work with the advice that all we need is 3-4 decent partnerships to win the game
• The advice was taken, and Tom and Tarni started to build a partnership from some average and erratic opening bowling. Tom finally succumbed to a straight one that hit his pad after a partnership of 98 off 13 overs.
• George strides in to take up the mantle which he does very effectively whilst Tarni hits the ball straight to mid-wicket on 76 and WGCC are 121 for 2 off 18. The game is on.
• George and Dan build the score effectively together and then Dan is caught on 20 – 2s are now 158 for 3 off 23 overs.
• Matt is in next and develops a great partnership with George – both playing with freedom and control. George sails past his half century and Matt soon follows suit with a massive straight six.
• George (64 not out) and Matt (53 not out) with his long awaited maiden senior half century , win the match for the 2s – a great recovery in the field followed by an impressive chase down by the top order – very well done Team.
Tarnie Dixon
Click here for the scorecard
Team selections
Our First X1 and Second X1 are both in action this weekend – please click here for the team selections. Because of the condition of the outfield at Wisborough Green, the First X1 will be playing their ‘home’ game at Warnham Cricket Club against Worthing.
Spotted out and about …..
Click on the video link below
That’s it for this week.
Thanks again to all our sponsors for their support . Please see offer from Savills below.
If there is anything we need to know – you know where to find us !
Have a great cricketing week
#UptheGreen
Cheers
Wizzy
