Hi everyone

Welcome to the penultimate edition of Wizzy News for the season which includes some great match reports of the final senior games of the season.

Next week we will be sending out our final Wizzy News of the season which will include the highlights of the season and reports from our various age groups. We would like to include as many memories of the season as we possibly can so please do send in some pics or let us know of anything else that was particularly memorable, whether it was on or off the pitch, so we can include them all. Please click here for all previous editions of our Wizzy News articles which may help to jog your memory.

Lost property

We have a large collection of water bottles, helmets, pads and boxes in our lost property box. If you recognise any of the items please collect them from the Umpires room which is located upstairs in the Pav.

End of Season Dinner

We have a few spare places available for our end of Season Dinner which will be held at the Sir Roger Tichborne Country Pub in Alfold next Friday 15th September. We need to confirm numbers with the Pub on Friday 8 Sept at the latest so please do let us know if you would like to come along by emailing Jonny Farmer at jon.farmer87@gmail.com. Please look out for an email response from Jonny after you have booked.

Details of the dinner below

Honours Boards

Congratulations to all players who made it onto the Honours Board this week

First X1 vs Horsham

Last game of the season away at Horsham.

Wisborough Green once again won the toss on a gleaming white strip and decided to bat.

Under 16 stars Ran Dawson and Will Dixon strode to the crease. The ball came on nicely and both batters ticked along nicely taking advantage of some slightly overpitched bowling. Ran hitting nicely over the top and Will with his trademark flick over midwicket.

The first wicket would fall on 36 after just 6 overs. Ran bowled for a run-a-ball 13. Shortly after Will was trapped plumb in front attempting his flick over midwicket. A glorious shot when it comes off but on two occasions versus Horsham it resulted in his downfall. After getting 50 in the previous week Jnr back at number 3 didn’t have the same success, getting yorked for just 4.

Injured Oscar, in for his batting capabilities, partnered up with lower order dasher, Joey, aiming to prove his talents with the bat. Both batted sensibly keeping out some full quick bowling, rotating the strike well and wrestling back some momentum. Taking it to 77 for 3 there was a real chance and batting long and reaching a respectable score.

Unfortunately Oscar was stuck on the pad and the home umpire didn’t hesitate in raising the finger, a theme we would later discover. Soon after Joey was bowled followed by Matt Ritchie.

Hugo batting at 7 hung around with Ollie Warmington who was batting for the 1st time in the 1st XI.
It was Ollie who took the score on smashing the ball to the boundary including a six over wide long on, much to the surprise if his younger brother.

The partnership ended with a comedic umpiring decision, the ball spinning into Hugos thigh pad and trickling down to short fine leg, only for a stifled appeal to be rewarded as the the batter was preparing for the next delivery.

The man who puts the emphasis of ‘home’ in home umpire, struck again, DJ having one strike his pad and the ball going to 1st slip. Although the initial thought was a somewhat understandable LBW decision it was later discovered that he gave it out caught.

If you thought that was the end of the drama in the over a third wicket would fall. The umpire with clearly looking to take a starring role, gave Tom Dawson out. Again not obvious exactly what for, but ultimately was LBW. Tom adamant that the only thing that hit his pad was his bat.

An injured SCS (Steve Calder Smith) came in at number 11 and was left stranded when Ollie took a big swing and missed mistakenly thinking that the number 11 couldn’t hold a bat.

All out for 113. Against a strong lineup, on a road, with no spinners and a biased if not bad umpire against us, the task would prove tricky.

As with most of my match reports and like the match itself, the second half was over much quicker.
Both opening batsmen getting off to flyers. Jnr inducing the odd play and miss but also dispatched to the boundary. Hugo bowled okay at the other end but bowlers were rotated quickly to get a breakthrough. Even turning to Matt Ritchie to bowl some spin, at the request of the skipper, who will likely ask him to bowl pace next time.

Ultimately, we lost by 10 wickets but all was not lost as it allowed us to watch the 2’s finish the season with a win and go for a curry.

The season as a whole may be one to forget for the 1st team, as we ended bottom of the league. Overall, it was difficult to be competitive when much of the team that got us promoted weren’t available. However, next year looks much brighter with many talented youngsters, having been given more opportunities this year, becoming more settled in the 1st team, as well as, a host of new additions added to the club with good skills and more importantly a good laugh. All led by a new captain.

As captain this year, I just want to thank some unsung heroes: Rob Knight for scoring most the year, Caroline Ritchie and Brian Goodchild for stepping in when he hasnt been able to, Peter Mattock for umpiring all year, Peter Klein for all things admin related and Dan Vickery for pretty much everything else. Nothing would get done and games wouldn’t be played without these heroes.

Captain Jnr over and out !

Please click here for the full scorecard

James Rainford

Second X1 vs Roffey

The sun shone on our little patch of paradise on Saturday as the Second XI made their final appearance of the season in front of a well oiled and, dare I say, raucous crowd in the Pav. Whilst survival was still mathematically not secure, the confidence that comes of two wins on the bounce, and facing a team (Roffey 4s) that was mathematically already relegated (albeit one that had beaten us in the corresponding fixture a few months earlier), was palpable and a strong team comprising old(er) wily campaigners and young(er) bucks assembled ready to put in a strong performance.

And what a performance it was too.

Captain Farmer won the toss and we batted – seemingly based on the cold-pint-in-hand-anecdote worthiness of the “Farmer and Palmer” opening pair. Alas it wasn’t a vintage start as Johnny fended a nasty lifter to point in the 3rd over. 12-1. After that, it has to be said it was pretty plain sailing for the Wizzy men.

Jack Dixon at three, looked like a man who hasn’t put a bat down all season as he combined sumptuous flicks through midwicket with booming cover drives. Palmer, at the other end, nurdled a few barely off the square to keep the board ticking over. Runs flowed, 50 up in the 9th – 150 in the 22nd with Palmer chuntering along nicely on 70. Jack had suffered a little brain fog and missed a loopy straight on for 32, on a day when he, and everyone else, was expending a big score.

Tommy Colbran, (SPONSOR MESSAGE – proudly supported by Whispers – Billingshurt’s Premier Breakfast Destination) continued where Jack left off, and supported Palmer to his maiden 100 on the Green in the 24th ish over, where he toe ended one to midwicket in a manner than can only be described as “tired”. Out for 111. What followed as Tarni Dixon joined Tommy was one of the most bombastic displays of hitting that I have seen for a long time. Highlights were Tarni’s consecutive sixes into the Residents Enclosure, a joy to the eye. The Roffey boys were hot, tired and little dejected as Tommy and Tarni made hay in the sunshine, closing on 308-3 after the 40 (Dixon 72, Colbran 60).

As the second XI recovered from the gastronomic tour de force that was tea, a real sense of wanting to do the job right was very clear. The message from Captain Farmer – field like pros, get the job done, get everyone involved.

Combination of Tom Jenkins down the hill – all sartorial flair with a hint of Graham Dilley in the action (look him up…) – and young Rafferty Finn up the hill, proved deadly from the off. Raff trapping their opening LBW on the cheap and then using length beautifully to have the other opener taken by George Nicholls with a smart catch. Wickets fell at regular intervals – impressive catching and fielding – Nicholls again, Tarni at first slip of Harry Hunter (who bowled with impressive with rhythm and pace) keep meant that Roffey never really got going. Monty Palmer chipped in with an impressive over at the end full of dots, but it was appropriate and fitting that the irrepressible Joshy Dixon should stamp his authority on the scorebook with a triple wicket maiden at the end to close out the victory.

A magnificent victory to close to season, secure survival and give a sizeable crowd something to smile about.

Some immediate thanks:

Johnny Farmer – for your thoughtful and sensitive captaincy – you get everyone involved and create a lovely environment for young and old. Thank you.

Peter Klein – for your tireless giving to the club – be it umpiring, administration, coaching and, err, playing, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

And on a personal note, it’s been a complete pleasure for Monty and I to get stuck in to WGCC for the last few months. Such a welcoming environment, filled with great characters and real commitment to make and keep the club (and village) great. Thank you all so much, can’t wait for 2024 season.

Please click here for the full scorecard

Tim Palmer

Spotted out and about

That’s it for this week.

Have a great cricketing week 🏏😊

Cheers

Wizzy