The weather was glorious as Shoreham’s finest took to the field on Saturday afternoon.  George Rivett was loitering around the boundary, watching on as his neighbour and chaperone, Ed Walker (7-32-0), hurled the ball down from the pavilion end for a tight seven over spell.  James Trick (8-13-0) bowled even more tightly at the top end, but neither could make the breakthrough.  Halstead’s opening pair of Brooker (30) and Smout (24) put on 52 before Shoreham’s secret weapon (and lucky mascot), Harry, turned up at the ground (late – as punishment for not going to bed when he was told to the night before), signaling the beginning of the end for Halstead.  Harry’s Dad got Shoreham’s first wicket the moment the little man arrived, and from then on wickets came regularly for Shoreham.  Bob Stacey’s turn and Sandy Clark’s wobble ripped through Halstead, after their patient start; Bob picking up 4 wickets from his 9 overs for 33, and Sandy getting 5 wickets from his 5.4 overs for 29 – match winning bowling which guaranteed two jugs already at the pub (as Bob got a run-out off his own bowling also).  Only Barclay (38) made any more signifant runs for Halstead, as they were bowled out for 143 from 35.4 overs.  Sree Kokkiligadda (4-22-0) and Nick Walker Sr (2-11-0) also contributed with the ball, but less than 15 overs of bowling from Bob and Sandy did the job for Shoreham. Oh yeah, and only 1 bye got past the joker behind the stumps.

Sree Kokkiligadda and Andy Monteith opened our batting after tea, and perhaps it was the tea that accounted for Andy being caught LBW first ball.  Either way, this brought the in-form Nick Walker Jr to the crease, and he and Sree started to assert themselves.  Sree, unfortunately, was caught on 14 just as he was getting going, which meant that we were 33 for 2 when Phil Edge entered the arena.  Phil and Nick saw off Halstead’s openers with a few suspiciously quiet overs, then when the change bowlers came on they suddenly went up a few gears.  Nick chose to only run 9 of the 63 runs he acquired, the rest of course being boundaries (very lazy of you Nick); and Phil was just as bad, only running 8 of his 56 runs, which included 4 sixes and several lost balls.  Nick and Phil saw Shoreham home within 30 overs to the delight of the rest of the team, who knew they now had all the more time to enjoy the four jugs that the day’s game had produced!  A worthy effort.

- Ed

Sissinghurst is probably the farthest ground away from Shoreham in Division 3, but, once off the A21, the journey is not an unpleasant one.  Miraculously, everyone turned up on time and jumped into their whites, before embarking upon their much-copied-but-never-bettered warm-up (involving throwing the ball to each other in a big circle with Mark in the middle).
 
Sissinghurst chose to bat on what looked like a firm batting track.  Ed Walker opened the bowling from his usual end (i.e. the uphill one) and, as he does whenever he runs in to bowl his first ball, was wondering where it might end up.  In the trees behind him wasn’t one he expected though, as the Sissinghurst batsman cashed in on a slightly wider-than-desired delivery to hit the first of three 4s from Ed’s opening over.  At this point I’d like to note that Andy Monteith is entirely to blame for the third boundary.
 
With Sissinghurst’s intentions made clear from the start, James Trick fired himself up at the other end (the easy downhill one) and bowled a tight first over.  Ed responded well in his second over and picked up Shoreham’s first wicket – with a straight-forward caught-behind by Mark.  Soon after, James Trick got the wicket of Sissinhurst’s other opener with a piece of brilliant fielding from Nick Walker Jr; the ball was hit high and long, and Nick had to run at full speed with the ball coming from over his shoulder, dive, hold on to the ball, and not slide over the boundary – the best catch most of us had ever seen!
 
After this inspired catch, Shoreham had the momentum in their favour.  Ed got a couple more wickets, with catches from Nick Walker Jr (again) and John Dinnis, ending with figures of 9-46-3.  He will gracefully accept this week’s JABA because he did go for the most runs, but in return he will award the RTFA to his father for dropping a sitter off his bowling.  John Dinnis picked up one wicket for 33 off his 7 thanks to a catch from Big Phil.  Bob and Sree both chipped in with three very tidy overs each.  But it was, once again, James Trick who excelled with the ball, destroying Sissinghurst’s middle order. James got 5 wickets for only 25 runs from his 8.2 overs, with solid catches from Phil and Andy. The prospect of James’s jug as well as Mark’s (from the week before) at the pub afterwards made fielding in the heat of day all the more bearable.

Sissinghurst were restricted to 114 from 30.2 overs, despite looking dangerous at the start, thanks to tight bowling and some flashes of brilliance in the field.

Nick Walker Jr and Sree Kokkiligadda opened the batting for Shoreham, and both picked up early boundaries, piling pressure on Sissinghurst’s bowlers. Sree was caught on 23, but Nick was looking solid at the other end. Any Monteith joined him, and reached 19 before being bowled by a great first ball from a new bowler. Phil Edge then stomped out to the crease. His intentions were made immediately clear after hitting his first ball for a humongous six straight back over the bowler’s head. Phil then hit a 4 to bring the scores level. Nick then had the opportunity to smash a six to win the game for Shoreham in 16.1 overs, and get a fifty for himself – and our third jug for the pub!

After a quick pint in Sissinghurst, the victors raced back to Shoreham to join the 2nd team in the revelry.

- Ed

When Shoreham faced Chevening two months ago, in the first game of the season, we had a very tight contest that went down to the final over.  Second time around, and on the back of nine successive victories, we were feeling confident; although Chevening had won their last three matches as well, and were hoping to keep that momentum going.

Shoreham started bowling with one man missing – Nick Walker Jr being held up after his car was driven into by some moron on his journey to the ground.  Nevertheless, Shoreham’s locally-grown, organic opening double-act of Ed Walker (9-28-3) and John Dinnis (8-26-1) got us off to a strong start, with Ed removing three of Chevening’s top order, and both bowling tightly.

In the presence of the RTFA’s inspirational founder and spiritual leader, our fielders stepped up their game accordingly: Sam Trick snapping up a catch at slip; Sandy Clark keeping hold of one in the covers; and later on James Trick getting two caught-and-bowled.  It was Ray, though, who provided us with the most memorable moment of the game – stretching his left arm out to a ball that had seemingly already passed him at gully, and grabbing it like it was the last doughnut left in the shop.

Bob Stacey (9-14-1) was Shoreham’s most economical bowler – going for only 14 runs from his nine overs.  James Trick (9-42-4) tried hard to get anything out of a dull wicket, and, unusually, ended up as our most expensive bowler.  But he more than made up for this by ripping up Chevening’s middle order, taking 4 wickets.  Ray Trick (5-29-0) strut his stuff but couldn’t pick up a wicket this week.  Burkitt (63) and S Smithers (44) were the only batsmen to get going for Chevening; bringing their end of innings total up to 140 for 9.  Only 5 of these were extras, and, as a certain Australian would like me to point out, none of them byes.

Confident of their top order, Shoreham’s lesser batsmen duly over-indulged themselves at tea.  Nick Walker Jr looked in good touch, as did Andy Monteith, but a leading edge by Andy flew upwards, only to be dropped with him stranded half way down the wicket, then subsequently run out trying to scramble back.  Nick carried on playing his shots until he was caught at square-leg for 27.

Alex Hofmann, freshly promoted from the 2nds, took his time getting off the mark, but didn’t seem daunted by the ferocity of Division 3 – reaching 12 before being bowled by Blake (9-21-1).  Sam Trick strode in at no.4 for Shoreham, and hung around just long enough to hit a big four before misjudging one from Baldwin (9-31-2).  Shoreham were 62 for 4 after their slightly shaky start.

With Chevening looking to rattle off our middle order, James Trick and Mark McDonald, heroes of the previous week, were left to find the runs for Shoreham.  Mark was not holding anything back, and was on 48 when James eventually brought the scores level with a hefty six.  One ball of the 29th over was all Mark required to whack his 11th four to get his fifty, winning the game for Shoreham with 10.5 overs to spare.  You still owes us a jug boy!

- Ed

The match we’d all been waiting for had finally arrived: Shoreham Brackets Kent CC versus Weald CC. The big clash between the top two teams in Division 3 of the Kent County Village League. Our last game of the first half of the 2008 season was always going to be a tense affair.

Shoreham had pretty much their strongest XI out for the game, although James, Ed and Bob were all feeling a little stiff from the Isle of Wight tour of the previous three days. Well I was anyway. Weald won the toss and elected to bat on a decent track. Ritesh (6-17-1) opened down the hill and varied between some very tight deliveries and some very wide ones, with very little in-between. His early pressure did result in the wicket of Weald’s no.2 for only 4 runs with the score on 7. It was too early to celebrate though as Weald’s other opening batsman, Clive, kept their scoreboard ticking over. Ed Walker (9-33-0) was the only Shoreham bowler to use his full quota of overs, and despite bowling tightly, couldn’t pick up a wicket this week.

James Trick (7-28-0) replaced Ritesh at the top end, and, much like Ed, bowled tightly for no reward. Clive was still chipping away at the Shoreham attack, so we were in need of some wickets. Peter Wright (5-22-1) broke the deadlock, getting Balcombe out LBW for 10, leaving Weald on 74 for 2. Bob Stacey was then handed the ball, and bowled tremendously to get 3 wickets for 36 from his 6 overs, backed up well by a solid catch from Pete and a tidy stumping from Mark. John Dinnis (7-38-1) came on to bowl after James and quickly launched into his familiar volley of deliveries, using the whole length and breadth of the wicket, to secure this week’s JABA.

Weald ended on 175 for 7 at tea, aided by Shoreham’s 18 extras, and some loose bowling at the death. Clive was the only batsman who made any significant runs for Weald, being run out near the end for 101. Shoreham felt confident that they could reach this total, but Stringer’s bowling was going to be the deciding factor.

Shoreham’s top five of Nick Walker Jnr (16), Sree Kokkiligadda (0), Peter Wright (5), Andy Monteith (4), and Ritesh (16) all fell within the first dozen overs – leaving Shoreham facing the prospect of an embarrassing defeat on 33 for 5! Stringer ripped our top order open, ending with figures of 9-19-3. His last three overs were saved for the end though, and Shoreham’s middle-to-low order needed to grab the opportunity to make some runs. James Trick, the Shoreham skipper, shared a pivotal 6th wicket partnership of 122 with Phil Edge which changed the face of the game. Phil’s lusty blows earned him 57 runs before being caught in the deep going for yet another monster six, whilst James remained on about 40. Suddenly victory was in reach for Shoreham, with 20 runs required from 24 balls. Mark McDonald, who had been pacing around in his pads for the last 30 overs trying to remember what it was like the last time he batted (6 weeks ago!), was thrust into the middle with the responsibility of bringing Shoreham home with James. The lad did not disappoint, hitting an assured 12 n/o (including a lovely top-edge for 6). James carried on at the other end, finishing with 49 n/o – a true captain’s innings. Shoreham won with 5 balls to spare, much to the relief of our three remaining batsmen: John, Ed and Bob, as well as the whole of our top order!

A thrilling end to a tense game, which really proved the depth of our batting, and strength of character. Shoreham are now on 128 points at the top of Division 3, having won all of their 9 matches. Although Weald are not far behind on 105. Will it go down to our last game of the season against them?

RTFA: A first for Nick Walker Jnr this week, joining the long list of RTFA winners, after a couple of fielding errors and dropped chances. Congratulations!

- Ed

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The Shoreham 1st team came into their latest match with 7 wins from 7 games under their elasticated belts.  The sun was shining down as we took to the field after (naturally) winning the toss again.  James Trick decided that he needed to digest his lunch a little longer, and handed the ball to Ed Walker (9-35-2) and John Dinnis (7.5-28-1).  Ed bowled his first three overs for only a couple of runs, as JD fought hard to find his rhythm.  Wood (41) and Shipton (19) were looking solid after 11 overs with the score on 56, until the introduction of James Trick (8-17-2) and Pete Wright (9-16-3) brought about Shoreham’s first wickets of the day, in quick succession.

Kemsing’s number 3, Shaw (31), was the only other batsman to get going; but a sharp run-out by Andy Monteith (with assistance from Ed Walker) left Kemsing struggling on 112 for 5.  James and Pete had ripped through Kemsing’s top order, and their tail didn’t trouble the Shoreham bowlers either – John, to everyone’s (including his own) surprise, even picking up his first wicket in ages at the end!  A good fielding performance all round, with no clear RTFA candidate as far as I can remember (although Nick Walker Snr did technically drop two catches, they were admittedly Very Hard chances, and he helped me with teas).  It would also be rather cruel to award the trophy everyone’s talking about – the “JABA” – to anyone in particular either, as there were no deserved performances this week.  Sree bowled his 5 overs for 25 runs by the way, and JD surprised himself a second time by bowling what he insisted was his first no-ball EVER.  Yeah we believe you John.

With yet another low target to chase, Shoreham’s lower order gorged themselves on the Walker tea, and grappled for the comfiest chairs from which they could spectate for the remainder of the game. After his 165 n/o of the week before, Sree Kokkiligadda’s duck came as a surprise blow for Shoreham at the start of their innings, and almost had me choking on my home-made doughnut at the thought of having to put my pads on. Pete Wright came to the rescue, however, and amassed 64 runs which, along with Nick Walker Jnr’s well-crafted 60, got us past Kemsing’s target with 20 overs and 9 wickets remaining. To the pub!

- Ed

- Photos by James Asplin and Ed

K&L won the toss and chose to bowl with the new ball on a damp wicket.  After our comprehensive victory against Bidborough II the week before (where we didn’t lose a wicket), the Shoreham batsmen were looking forward to the opportunity to really get some runs.  Opener from the week before, Sree Kokkiligadda, started out where he’d left off against Bidborough, hitting boundaries all over the place…  Nick Walker Snr kept up with the pace at the other end, scoring a measured 64 before being the first Shoreham wicket to fall, with the score already on 195!  A superb opening partnership by Sree and Nick laid some very solid foundations for a Big Score from Shoreham.  By the time Andy Monteith finally got out to the middle, Sree was in full flow.  Andy joined in the hitting but was caught on the boundary for 13 – he’ll have to wait another week then before he emulates his crushing 158 of earlier in the season.  Phil ‘The Edge’ Edge strolled out to the wicket for a taste of the action, but soon returned after scoring a quick 8.  When will this behemoth of batting get the runs his unique style so deserves? Sam Trick then chipped in with 10 before losing his gamble that the K&L fielder would miss the stumps with his throw on a tight run. By now, though, we had got all the batting points we could get, and were just pushing to get as many extra runs as we could. James Trick joined Sree at the end, and knocked a quick-fire 35 to bump our total up to a whopping 349 after the full 40. Sree had batted magnificently throughout to reach the highest total for a Shoreham batsman that anyone can remember – 165 not-out! An incredible performance. He may have ridden his luck a few times, but he punished K&L for their mistakes.

After that slogging the ball was unrecognisable from the one K&L had started with. Ed Walker found it hard up the hill, going for 50 runs from his 9 overs – but did pick up the wicket of K&L’s opening bat in the process. John Dinnis started from the top end, and bowled an economical spell, going for only 7 from his 5 overs. He was replaced by James Trick who (as is becoming a habit of his) ripped through the opposition’s top order: 9 overs, 5 maidens, 10 runs, for 4 wickets. Meanwhile, Bob Stacey took over the uphill duties, and was also rewarded with 4 wickets – from 7 overs for 18. Ray Trick (a.k.a. ‘Sting’) had a cameo at the end and picked off the last K&L wicket of the day.

After a couple of pints in Kilndown (or was it Lamberhurst?) the Shoreham party returned to its spiritual home where they were greeted, once again, by a victorious 2nd team! Congratulations guys. I can’t remember what we were drinking, but it was good. It must have been midnight before the ‘Fun Warden’ got mean with the remaining revelers, forcing them to take their thirst to a 21st Birthday party in the village. Thanks very much Joe and Chris for allowing us in, we had a great time! Mark ‘definitely not a crook’ McDonald spent his first night over in Shoreham. And then it was Sunday, and another game of cricket…

RTFA: No distinguishable candidates this week.
JABA: I suppose it’s got to be me – after all, over half K&L’s runs were scored off my bowling.

- Ed

(No photos unfortunately because someone forgot their camera.)

Bidborough’s ground is perched on the side of a slope, at the bottom of which is their pavilion. Shoreham won the toss and decided to bowl as usual. Unusually though, James Trick withheld himself from the opening attack; giving the pleasure of the new ball to Ed Walker and John Dinnis instead. The hard wicket added an extra zip to Ed’s bowling (or was it his streamlined new haircut?) and he seized the initiative for Shoreham, picking up 2 wickets for 19 from 9. John kept Bidborough down at the other end, going for only 12 from his 5 overs. James Trick then announced his fashionably late entrance to the game with a barrage of pace and swing bowling. James decimated the home side’s middle/top order, ending with no fewer than 6 wickets from his 9 overs for only 10 runs! Bob Stacey then joined the party with a couple of wickets from 6.5 overs for 17. By the end we were so confident that even James Asplin was given the ball to hurl down at the unsuspecting tail-enders (and wicket-keeper); squeezing in one over for 7 manly runs.

With only 73 runs mustered from 30.5 overs of Shoreham’s finest bowling, Bidborough needed early wickets to have any chance. Nick Walker Jnr and Sree Kokkiligadda had other ideas though, as they proved that the track was just as good for batting as it had been for bowling. Nick (42) and Sree (29) bashed Shoreham to a 10 wicket victory after only 10.3 overs. Job done.

Our victorious team suddenly had a lot more drinking time available to them so, after a couple in Bidborough, it was a race back to our home turf to grab the remaining Fosters from the fridge, and see how the valiant 2nds were getting on against St Lawrence II. The stunts of Chris Brown (to be emulated by Kevin Pietersen the following day) and the Rivett double-act at the end produced raucous appreciation from the stands. Then everyone retired to the pub and topped up on liquids.

P.S. Sree took the RTFA from John this week, although Ed was (in some people’s eyes anyway) pretty close to it too.

- Ed