Scorecard

Thurrock v Springfield Cricket Club Saturday I on Sat 27 Jun 2015 at 1pm
Springfield Cricket Club Won 7 wickets

Match report On a scorching hot day, Springfield travelled to Thurrock to play a team which had only lost once; a close fought game with OCs. With similarities to last year’s fixture in our minds, where we travelled here to face an unbeaten top-of-the table team, we knew that this clash was an important game in our quest to retain the Premier League title.

It might have been flashbacks to the prior year match (where a destructive innings from Mani Singh followed on from a huge opening partnership) or reading about our batting performances this year (excluding blips at OCs and High Roding) that caused the home skipper to elect to bat first, or maybe it was just due to the gorgeous batting conditions on a pitch that normally plays better than it looks…

After a quick warm up (of just lying in the sun) and the traditional cap presentation to debutant Iestyn Powell, it was time for the first innings. It was business as usual for Andy Ovel, opening up and immediately extracting seam movement off the pitch; getting one to nip back to clean bowl Sands in the first over and getting Sultan to edge to JLJ in the slips a few overs later.

Despite these breakthroughs, moral was low without our resident clown Marrion, however, Charlie Prudence attempted to make us laugh with some woeful bowling towards first slip at the other end… Never really sure which we he was swinging it, he bowled 5 overs, going for 20 runs – all wides… His replacement, Powell, bowled with much more control (1-21) and picked up the wicket of Fullbrook leaving Thurrock 65-3 at drinks.

The introduction of spin triplets slowed the run rate further, with Wasim (1-20 off 7) removing the watchful Ayub. The skipper and Chalk (2-27) picked up further wickets thanks to another comedy moment from Prudence, appealing for a one hand one bounce which was upheld by the umpires. The Thurrock keeper batting at 9, Hymas (41), counterattacked and with a few lusty maximums took Thurrock to a respectable total. Credit to the captain for keeping himself on after being smashed for 26 in an over to return and take the wicket – another choice in a long line of decisions which have been questioned by his troop… Brooks finishing with 3-54, although it could have been more had he taken a dolly of a chance off his own bowling.

A decent catch (would have been a worldy if he had dived and rolled – come to me lad) from Iesty to remove the dangerous Hills, and one ball of his second spell for Ovel saw the inning close on 151-10. Andy finishing with fantastic figures of 3-8 from his 7.1 overs.

After tea, we began what could potentially be a tricky run chase on a pitch offering some assistance to the bowlers. Obviously JLJ wasn’t watching the first innings as he helped himself to 15 off the first over, and 16 off the third (probably didn’t help that the bowler threw the ball back at him off the one shot he defended – but in fairness, he was probably angry at himself that he hadn’t allowed another cover drive from that delivery). Prudence, game face on now, got in on the act, hitting a few boundaries and a beautiful straight 6.

The change of bowling worked, with the left-arm-googly-chinaman deliveries of Mo Rahim accounting for JLJ for 39 (off only 17 deliveries), with Prudence following the next over after a decent catch with the score on 72 in the 8th over. Mani Singh and Symonds (35*) continued where the openers had left off, and once Mani was stumped, it was down to Clarky (22*) to join Jimmy at the middle and ease us home with no further alarm, Springfield reaching their target inside 20 overs.

MoM was Sven for an impressive controlled bowling display.
DoD was clearly Harry Williams for not getting a mention in this report – who else would agree to come and play at the redundant no.6 position?!

After the match, skipper Lee Brooks had this to say: “It was a good win, and it was nice to get another 3 cheap wickets while Marrion was away on wife duties… I can almost smell that Reeocah… Spelling it is a different matter. Onwards to Little Baddow, where I’m sure I can steal a couple more wickets.”

Thurrock Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
13w  
for 10 wickets
13
151 (41.1 overs)		     
Sands b  Ovel 2
Sultan ct  Latimir J. b. Ovel 2
Ayab ct  Latimir J. b. Khalid 18
Fullbrook b  Powell 12
O Neill ct  Latimir J. b. Brooks 37
Hills ct  Powell b. Chalk 13
Wren ct  Prudence b. Chalk 1
Hills ct  Clark b. Brooks 2
Hymas b  Brooks 41
Neil lbw  Ovel 4
Rahim Not Out  4

Springfield Cricket Club Saturday I Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Andy Ovel7.14832.671.12
Charlie Prudence5.002000.004.00
Iestyn Powell5.0021121.004.20
Wasim Khalid7.0120120.002.86
Lee Brooks10.0154318.005.40
Matt Chalk7.0027213.503.86

Springfield Cricket Club Saturday I Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
6w  
for 3 wickets
6
155		        
James Latimir-Jones Caught  39 17 7 1 229.41 3
Charlie Prudence Caught  36 20 5 1 180.0 1
Manpreet Singh Stumped  16 15 2 1 106.67
Jim Symonds Not Out  35 26 7 134.62
James Clark Not Out  22 35 2 62.86 1
Harry Williams  
Wasim Khalid  
Matt Chalk  
Andy Ovel  
Lee Brooks  
Iestyn Powell   1

Thurrock Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Sultan2.003100.0015.50
Hills A5.0142142.008.40
Rahim4.0032132.008.00
Wren4.002200.005.50
Neil4.0114114.003.50
Sands1.001400.0014.00