Soon after we arrived at Speldhurst it started to rain. Then we lost the toss and were put into bat. Then we found out that Pete had used up the last of the bog roll, and a few members of the team started to look a little anxious.

Nick Walker Jr and Sree Kokkiligadda opened for Shoreham, and scored steadily against the new ball. Sree was eventually caught on 23, which brought the fresh-faced Peter Wright into the game. Pete and Nick had just begun to accelerate when Nick was caught on 31. Pete got the only half-century (with the bat) for Shoreham, reaching 57 before being deceived by a ball which kept low – although this doesn’t excuse your shot selection Pete!

We needed a strong finish if we were to post a decent total, so there was pressure on our next man in to force some runs. Unfortunately, Phil Edge’s batting looked a little tipsy, and was bowled before he could unleash the beast. Andy Monteith and James Trick then had a good partnership to get us to around the 200 mark. And after James was caught on 36 (ruining his average), a fired up Mark McDonald, egged on by his admirers, bashed a quick-fire 13no to compliment Andy’s 28no, and elevate our inning’s total to 226 for 5 (including 32 extras).

The weather was starting to dry up in time for the home side’s innings after tea. Ed Walker opened the bowling for Shoreham, and produced two ‘entertaining’ overs, before being removed from the action to reflect on his performance (and finish digesting his tea) at fine-leg. At this point I would like to add that the ball itself was in dire condition after the rain from earlier on – although this didn’t seem to hold back James Trick (9-31-3), who picked up the vital wickets of Speldhurst’s top three batsmen, bringing Shoreham right back into the game. Pete Wright (9-33-0) did a good job with the ball for no reward, before Ed was given a chance to redeem himself – and ended with figures of 9 overs for 50 runs and 2 wickets. Ed’s half-century (off his own bowling) should have secured him this week’s JABA, but I’ve just noticed that Mr Sree went for 26 from his 3 overs, so I’m not sure who deserves it the most now…

Renton (37), Roche (34) and Booth (35) all fell just as they were getting going, which meant that Speldhurst were always chasing the game. Three catches from James, two from Mark, and one from Phil made the difference for Shoreham, as did some exemplary fielding from the sprightly Nick Walker. John Dinnis (the wise farmer) bowled aggressively, shattering Spelhurst’s lower order, ending with 4 wickets from his 7.2 overs for 28. And Sandy Clark’s two overs at the end were enough for him to pick up a wicket for only 9 runs. Speldhurst were all out for 181 in the last over of the game, leaving Shoreham victorious for their 13th game in a row.

After a beer with the opposition, the majority of the team met up with the 2nds in The Geroge, before an elite squad of youthful players (and Mark McDonald) embarked upon an evening of heaviness in Sevenoaks. Now I won’t go into any details, but here are some words that should paint a picture of the night for you: wolves, tequila, antibiotics, vodka, pitchers, mouthwash, head-butts, broken hearts, pebble-dashed, Batman.

- Ed

Posted on Monday, 4th August, 2008 in 1sts Match Reports.