SPITFIRE O70 1st X1- 2013
Thursday 26th September 2013
Norfolk& & Suffolk finished their Spitfire championship season in third place following a six wicket win over wooden spoonist's, Herts & Bucks. The scheduled start was delayed by an hour due to the non arrival of most of the visitors as a result of traffic problems on both the A11 and M1. As the visitors arrived in dribs and drabs, the two captains agreed to reduce the length of the game to 38 overs and Herts agreed to bat first to allow the missing players more time to arrive. Unfortunately for Herts one player failed to arrive and they had no wicket keeper. With Bob Perrett injured, Dave Howe on holiday, Ricky Radford and Graham Penny unavailable, it was a much changed Norfolk &Suffolk side that took to the field. Skipper Chris Watson elected to open the bowling with Russ Abbott and David Gale and this pair restricted the visitors to just 19 runs from the first 10 over’s. Grahame Harrup and Peter Knight were introduced at this point and Knight struck in his first over as B.Mitchell (12) hit his own wicket with the score on 20 off 12 overs. M.Dexter came in at 3 but found scoring runs equally as difficult as both Mitchell and Muggleston had against the tight bowling and excellent ground fielding. Muggleston escaped when he misjudged a ball from Knight and the ball went straight up in the air. A simple catch for the wicketkeeper however the slip fielder managed to impede the keeper as he called for the catch and between them the chance went begging. The second wicket soon fell as Knight took a superb return catch from Muggleston (13) with the score on 42 but with 22 of the 38 overs gone. R. Waters replaced Knight who had the excellent figures of 6-2-2-8 at this point whilst Harrup bowled unchanged for his eight over stint. He took the prize wicket of Dexter (19 off 52) in the 29th over with the score on 76. Nobby Cobb was brought on to bowl with Waters and he collected his first wicket for three seasons when he trapped A.Rasheed (0) in front of his stumps with the score on 79. Harrup bowled the hard hitting I.Holt (24) with the score on 96 with only 5 overs remaining. D.Gale replaced Cobb needing just two wickets to top the Spitfire League's leading wicket table and he responded by having J.Scott(7) well caught by Mike Barnham at mid off with the score on 117-7 in the penultimate over. S.Sigwell (14) and G.Bassill (0) added five more runs as the innings ended on 122-7. Harrup with two wickets joined Knight as the top wicket takers on the day and D.Gale became equal top of the Spitfire Championships wicket takers with 16, the same as B.Scolley of Sussex.
N.Cobb and M.Barnham opened the batting for the home side and set about the task with an urgency that had been sadly lacking from the visitors. The running between the wickets was exceptional even to the extent of an all run four. The first 50 came up in the 15th over and the score had moved onto 99 before Barnham (40 from 70 balls) was bowled by Rashhed. This pair should have had a 100 partnership but they missed out as a result of two short runs. Another feature of this partnership is that only two boundaries were struck. Cobb was struggling with a hamstring pull and on reaching his half century (51 off 83) retired hurt. A mini collapse saw G.Cooke bowled for just 1, M. Smith hitting his own wicket for 6 and R.Abbott being run out without scoring. The winning runs however came in the 35th over as D.Etheridge (12) and P.Knight (2) finished the not out batsmen with the score on 123-4 A.Rasheed took two wickets for the visitors at a cost of 22 runs. Herts & Bucks 122-7; Norfolk & Suffolk 123-4
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 6 wickets
As the visitors arrived without a wicketkeeper G.Cooke, the Norfolk & Suffolk keeper kept for them for 19 overs and was replaced by N & S skipper Chris Watson for the remainder of the game. After the game a presentation was made by B.Mitchell to his skipper on behalf of the Herts & Bucks team to mark his retirement as skipper of the side. This win consolidated Norfolk & Suffolk's position in third place in the Spitfire League and had they not lost the game that they really should have won against Worcester, would have been champions. That said, it has been a very successful season and should it prove to be the last as a combined county, everyone involved can look back with pride on what has been achieved.
Over 70'S Cricket - Season Summery
During the last season Norfolk & Suffolk had 15 matches, 12 in the league and 3 friendly. One friendly and 9 league games ended in victory, with one friendly fixture drawn. Out of the 7 counties competing Norfolk & Suffolk lost once to Sussex and twice to Worcester and finished in third position. Worcester are champions , Sussex runners up with Norfolk & Suffolk third. 21 players were used over the season with Chris Watson the only player to play in all games. Mike Smith was the top run scorer with 387 followed by Chris Watson with 355.. Ricky Ratford topped the averages with 44.00, Mike Smith being second with 43.00. Top wicket taker was David Gale with 16 followed by Peter Knight on 14. Peter Knight topped the best average, 16.64 with Dave Gale second on 22.69. Best economy went to Conrad Wright with 2.78 albeit from just one game. Bob Perett with 2.83 and Russ Abbott just behind on 2.95. Mick Smith had three half centuries plus, Chris Watson two , Ricky Dougie and Nobby one apiece. Top score of the season went to Ricky, 94 not out against the Two Counties Best Bowling went to P.Knight with 9 -1- 4-17 against Kent This year five players each recorded a duck. M.Smith, Ricky, Dave Etheridge, Gerald and Nobby Chris Watson 6th, Mike Smith 7th, Dougie Andrews, 15th, Nobby Cobb 18th, and Ricky Ratford 25th finished in the top 25 run scorers list for the Over 70 Spitfire Championship.
Norfolk& & Suffolk finished their Spitfire championship season in third place following a six wicket win over wooden spoonist's, Herts & Bucks. The scheduled start was delayed by an hour due to the non arrival of most of the visitors as a result of traffic problems on both the A11 and M1. As the visitors arrived in dribs and drabs, the two captains agreed to reduce the length of the game to 38 overs and Herts agreed to bat first to allow the missing players more time to arrive. Unfortunately for Herts one player failed to arrive and they had no wicket keeper. With Bob Perrett injured, Dave Howe on holiday, Ricky Radford and Graham Penny unavailable, it was a much changed Norfolk &Suffolk side that took to the field. Skipper Chris Watson elected to open the bowling with Russ Abbott and David Gale and this pair restricted the visitors to just 19 runs from the first 10 over’s. Grahame Harrup and Peter Knight were introduced at this point and Knight struck in his first over as B.Mitchell (12) hit his own wicket with the score on 20 off 12 overs. M.Dexter came in at 3 but found scoring runs equally as difficult as both Mitchell and Muggleston had against the tight bowling and excellent ground fielding. Muggleston escaped when he misjudged a ball from Knight and the ball went straight up in the air. A simple catch for the wicketkeeper however the slip fielder managed to impede the keeper as he called for the catch and between them the chance went begging. The second wicket soon fell as Knight took a superb return catch from Muggleston (13) with the score on 42 but with 22 of the 38 overs gone. R. Waters replaced Knight who had the excellent figures of 6-2-2-8 at this point whilst Harrup bowled unchanged for his eight over stint. He took the prize wicket of Dexter (19 off 52) in the 29th over with the score on 76. Nobby Cobb was brought on to bowl with Waters and he collected his first wicket for three seasons when he trapped A.Rasheed (0) in front of his stumps with the score on 79. Harrup bowled the hard hitting I.Holt (24) with the score on 96 with only 5 overs remaining. D.Gale replaced Cobb needing just two wickets to top the Spitfire League's leading wicket table and he responded by having J.Scott(7) well caught by Mike Barnham at mid off with the score on 117-7 in the penultimate over. S.Sigwell (14) and G.Bassill (0) added five more runs as the innings ended on 122-7. Harrup with two wickets joined Knight as the top wicket takers on the day and D.Gale became equal top of the Spitfire Championships wicket takers with 16, the same as B.Scolley of Sussex.
N.Cobb and M.Barnham opened the batting for the home side and set about the task with an urgency that had been sadly lacking from the visitors. The running between the wickets was exceptional even to the extent of an all run four. The first 50 came up in the 15th over and the score had moved onto 99 before Barnham (40 from 70 balls) was bowled by Rashhed. This pair should have had a 100 partnership but they missed out as a result of two short runs. Another feature of this partnership is that only two boundaries were struck. Cobb was struggling with a hamstring pull and on reaching his half century (51 off 83) retired hurt. A mini collapse saw G.Cooke bowled for just 1, M. Smith hitting his own wicket for 6 and R.Abbott being run out without scoring. The winning runs however came in the 35th over as D.Etheridge (12) and P.Knight (2) finished the not out batsmen with the score on 123-4 A.Rasheed took two wickets for the visitors at a cost of 22 runs. Herts & Bucks 122-7; Norfolk & Suffolk 123-4
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 6 wickets
As the visitors arrived without a wicketkeeper G.Cooke, the Norfolk & Suffolk keeper kept for them for 19 overs and was replaced by N & S skipper Chris Watson for the remainder of the game. After the game a presentation was made by B.Mitchell to his skipper on behalf of the Herts & Bucks team to mark his retirement as skipper of the side. This win consolidated Norfolk & Suffolk's position in third place in the Spitfire League and had they not lost the game that they really should have won against Worcester, would have been champions. That said, it has been a very successful season and should it prove to be the last as a combined county, everyone involved can look back with pride on what has been achieved.
Over 70'S Cricket - Season Summery
During the last season Norfolk & Suffolk had 15 matches, 12 in the league and 3 friendly. One friendly and 9 league games ended in victory, with one friendly fixture drawn. Out of the 7 counties competing Norfolk & Suffolk lost once to Sussex and twice to Worcester and finished in third position. Worcester are champions , Sussex runners up with Norfolk & Suffolk third. 21 players were used over the season with Chris Watson the only player to play in all games. Mike Smith was the top run scorer with 387 followed by Chris Watson with 355.. Ricky Ratford topped the averages with 44.00, Mike Smith being second with 43.00. Top wicket taker was David Gale with 16 followed by Peter Knight on 14. Peter Knight topped the best average, 16.64 with Dave Gale second on 22.69. Best economy went to Conrad Wright with 2.78 albeit from just one game. Bob Perett with 2.83 and Russ Abbott just behind on 2.95. Mick Smith had three half centuries plus, Chris Watson two , Ricky Dougie and Nobby one apiece. Top score of the season went to Ricky, 94 not out against the Two Counties Best Bowling went to P.Knight with 9 -1- 4-17 against Kent This year five players each recorded a duck. M.Smith, Ricky, Dave Etheridge, Gerald and Nobby Chris Watson 6th, Mike Smith 7th, Dougie Andrews, 15th, Nobby Cobb 18th, and Ricky Ratford 25th finished in the top 25 run scorers list for the Over 70 Spitfire Championship.
Thursday 19th September 2013
The Spitfire Championship decider took place at Clay Hall Ipswich on Thursday 19th September with Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s needing a win over Sussex to clinch the title from Worcestershire. With Sussex beating Worcestershire last week it opened up the way for Norfolk & Suffolk so everything was on this game. Right from the start you sensed that Norfolk & Suffolk had broken a few mirrors or run over the odd black cat when skipper C.Watson lost the toss and was asked to bat first. Most of the home side’s success this season has come when chasing a target so to have to bat first was a bit of a blow. The wicket looked good however the outfield was still a little wet from the previous day’s rain so it was difficult to see what a good total would be. Certainly any score above 200 would prove a challenge. C.Watson stuck with his new policy of the right hand/left hand openers with R.Ratford and M.Smith the nominated duo. Disaster struck in the first over as M.Smith turned a ball straight into the hands J.Anderson at short square leg and Norfolk’s most prolific run scorer was out first ball for a duck with the score on 1.The right handed G.Penny replaced Smith and he and Ratford tried to rebuild the innings. Both were looking settled, when B.Scollay bowled Ratford with a ball that kept a bit low. 29-2 with 8 over’s gone and both openers back in the shed, Ratford with 10 from 21 balls. N.Cobb, the other left hander joined Penny and once again started to build a partnership, Penny being the more aggressive whilst Cobb was content to push the ball into the gaps for ones and twos. Once again, just as the partnership was gaining momentum, it was broken, this time Penny (30) being bowled by Milner with the score on 59. C.Watson came in at five with 15 over’s gone and both batsmen were bogged down for three or four over’s as both Milner and Barnard found their rhythm and only 22 more runs were added in the next 11 overs.With the score on 81, Watson (12) departed in the most unusual way, being run out at the strikers end as Barnard deflected Cobb’s straight drive onto the base of the stumps with Watson just out of his ground. Where oh where was Lady Luck. D.Howe came to the crease and as has happened on many occasion when this pair are together, the run rate increases dramatically. A mixture of boundaries and quick positive running between the wickets resulted in a partnership of 61 from just 66 balls. Cobb was on 48 but was denied his half century as he was caught at cover by Booth of the bowling of U.Maharaj in the 39th over. Knight(4) arrived but for just a short stay of 7 balls ,falling to Maharaj and worse was to follow as Perrett (2) was dismissed in similar fashion as his captain when A.Shawks deflected a ball from Howe on to the stumps at the strikers end. With both over’s and wickets running out Howe (25) perished as he was well caught, one handed by B.Scollay at wide mid on with the score on 159 in the 43rd over. D. Gale (2*) and G.Hallop (8*), neither of which have batted all season took the score to 167-8 by the end of the 45th over.
A few runs short of what was thought to be the minimum target of 200, Norfolk & Suffolk new that they needed quick wickets to create pressure on the visitors. Sussex however were determined to grind out the result they so desperately wanted and were most fortunate as Lady Luck continued her love affair with the Sussex side. B.Booth was chancing his arm and his aerial shots dropped between fielders on three or four occasions. Add to this a slip catch that just failed to carry, another to mid off that dropped inches short of the fielder, two catches that went to hand but were put down and you can imagine the frustration of the home team. 71 were on the board with just 18 over’s gone when for some unknown reason J.Anderson (35)took a massive heave to P.Knight and was clean bowled. B.Peay arrived and along with Booth took the score to 129-2 with 35 over’s complete before hitting a ball straight to M.Smith at Point and departing with 31 to his name from just 45 balls. Skipper B.Scollay was determined to finish the game as soon as possible but with Booth reaching his half century, his luck finally ran out as D.Gale trapped him lbw for 51. The score was now 149-3 with 5 over’s remaining, just 19 needed from 30 balls. Scollays (19) dismissal in the 42nd over with the score on 160 gave the home side a faint chance and their hopes were increased further next ball as R.Barker went first ball, caught Smith bowled Gale. Unfortunately this was the last success for the home side as Stickells and Johnson saw the visitors home in the 45th over. To complete Norfolk & Suffolk’s misery, the winning run was a wide.
All round this was possibly the worst performance of the whole season. The batsmen failed to set a challenging total (200 plus would have been very interesting). The bowlers were too inconsistent with both line and length (19 wides) and the fielding was well below par. That said nothing should be taken away from Sussex who managed to bat, bowl and field well and were worthy winners on the day. For Sussex U Maharaj bowled extremely well and was rewarded with 4 wickets and for Norfolk & Suffolk ,D Gale coming on as third change bowler deserved his three wickets and indeed should have had 4.
So the title goes to Worcester, Sussex get runners up and Norfolk & Suffolk finish in third spot.
IF ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mick Smith & Nobby Cobb on the way back to the pavilion after the win over Sussex at the County Ground in Hove.
Tuesday 3rd September 2013
Norfolk & Suffolk returned to winning ways with a comprehensive win over fellow title contenders Sussex at the Sussex County Ground in Hove. Following last week’s disappointment against Worcestershire, this game was a must win fixture for Norfolk and Suffolk if they were to have any chance of the title. The venue, Sussex County Ground at Hove added to the occasion and for a group of ordinary cricketers it was almost the equivalent of playing in a FA Cup final at Wembley.
On a warm and sunny morning it was Chris Watson, the visitors skipper who won the toss and inserted the opposition on hat looked a decent track however, Norfolk & Suffolk always seem to be at their best when chasing down a total and although Sussex were fielding no less than seven England Internationals this did not faze the visitors in any way. R.Abbott and B.Perrett opened the bowling and restricted the home side to 27 runs off the first 10 and an opener back in the shed courtesy of a catch to the wicketkeeper G.Cooke off B.Perrett. Fielding was sharp and needed to be as the outfield was fast (and big). 12 more runs to the total before B.Perrett produced the actual unplayable ball to dismiss the luckless Bidwell (6). The ball pitched on a length and immediately died, shooting along the ground and striking the middle stump. Not the sort of ball you would expect to see on a county track. At 20 over’s the score was 67-3 when B.Peay (14) skied a catch to M.Barnham at backward point off P.Knight and departed for just 14.The runs were being kept down and wickets were falling just as a partnership gathered momentum and the visitors were the happier of the two sides at this point. Opening bat Anderson (33) was the next to perish as he played a careless shot off D. Howe straight into the hands of P.Knight at short mid wicket with the score on 74. With the top 4 back in the pavilion, the visitors were well on top but with Skipper B.Scolley the next man in the game was far from over. Scolley with partner StIickells added 20 runs and were looking dangerous until P.Knight bowled Scolley for just 12 runs with the score on 94 with 31 over’s gone. The visitors could have been forgiven for thinking that the hard work had been done with half the side out and just 14 over’s left however Stickells was joined by R. Barker and this pair set about restoring some of the early damage. 100 came up then 150 as this pair took quick singles and pushed the fielders about and with 5 over’s to go a score of 200 was not beyond the realms of possibility. R. Barker (26) had batted well but perished in the final over of the innings when he was bowled y Abbot however L.Stickells remained not out with a well deserved half century as the innings ended on 172-5, mainly due to the 6th wicket partnership of 77 runs. All the Norfolk & Suffolk bowlers bowled well with B.Perrett and P.Knight both taking two wickets each. However a special mention should be given to D.Howe, normally the 6th bowler who had to cover for the absent D.Gale and he did the job superbly.
Much discussion took place during the tea interval as to how good a score 172 would prove to be however apart from one ball during the Sussex innings, the wicket didn’t appear to have many ‘Gremlins’. Skipper Chris Watson decided to change the batting order to enable him to have a left/right combination at the crease, promoting number 3 R.Ratford to the opening position. What an inspired decision this was as both Ratford and Smith rotated the strike which forced the bowlers to constantly alter their lines. With Smith in scintillating form, 50 runs were on the board with just 10 over’s gone and the hundred run partnership was reached off 21. None of the bowlers were proving effective with Maharaj particularly off colour. It looked as though this pair would bat through to the end but R.Ratford misjudged the pace of a ball from Scolley and popped up an easy catch to Milner at point. 104-1 with 23 gone as N.Cobb replaced Ratford (43) to maintain the left/right combination. Smith reached his half century and then he and Cobb (20*) added 72 runs in 9.3 over’s to take the side to a well deserved and comprehensive victory with 12 over’s to spare. Sussex used 6 bowlers however none of them could make a telling contribution or bowl half as well as their opposite numbers.
This win moves Norfolk & Suffolk to the head of the Championship with two games to play. Sussex have both Worcester and Norfolk left to play however; a Sussex win over Worcester and a Norfolk win over Sussex will see Norfolk & Suffolk crowned Champions
Sussex 172-6, Norfolk & Suffolk 176-1
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 9 wickets
Tuesday 3rd September 2013
Norfolk & Suffolk returned to winning ways with a comprehensive win over fellow title contenders Sussex at the Sussex County Ground in Hove. Following last week’s disappointment against Worcestershire, this game was a must win fixture for Norfolk and Suffolk if they were to have any chance of the title. The venue, Sussex County Ground at Hove added to the occasion and for a group of ordinary cricketers it was almost the equivalent of playing in a FA Cup final at Wembley.
On a warm and sunny morning it was Chris Watson, the visitors skipper who won the toss and inserted the opposition on hat looked a decent track however, Norfolk & Suffolk always seem to be at their best when chasing down a total and although Sussex were fielding no less than seven England Internationals this did not faze the visitors in any way. R.Abbott and B.Perrett opened the bowling and restricted the home side to 27 runs off the first 10 and an opener back in the shed courtesy of a catch to the wicketkeeper G.Cooke off B.Perrett. Fielding was sharp and needed to be as the outfield was fast (and big). 12 more runs to the total before B.Perrett produced the actual unplayable ball to dismiss the luckless Bidwell (6). The ball pitched on a length and immediately died, shooting along the ground and striking the middle stump. Not the sort of ball you would expect to see on a county track. At 20 over’s the score was 67-3 when B.Peay (14) skied a catch to M.Barnham at backward point off P.Knight and departed for just 14.The runs were being kept down and wickets were falling just as a partnership gathered momentum and the visitors were the happier of the two sides at this point. Opening bat Anderson (33) was the next to perish as he played a careless shot off D. Howe straight into the hands of P.Knight at short mid wicket with the score on 74. With the top 4 back in the pavilion, the visitors were well on top but with Skipper B.Scolley the next man in the game was far from over. Scolley with partner StIickells added 20 runs and were looking dangerous until P.Knight bowled Scolley for just 12 runs with the score on 94 with 31 over’s gone. The visitors could have been forgiven for thinking that the hard work had been done with half the side out and just 14 over’s left however Stickells was joined by R. Barker and this pair set about restoring some of the early damage. 100 came up then 150 as this pair took quick singles and pushed the fielders about and with 5 over’s to go a score of 200 was not beyond the realms of possibility. R. Barker (26) had batted well but perished in the final over of the innings when he was bowled y Abbot however L.Stickells remained not out with a well deserved half century as the innings ended on 172-5, mainly due to the 6th wicket partnership of 77 runs. All the Norfolk & Suffolk bowlers bowled well with B.Perrett and P.Knight both taking two wickets each. However a special mention should be given to D.Howe, normally the 6th bowler who had to cover for the absent D.Gale and he did the job superbly.
Much discussion took place during the tea interval as to how good a score 172 would prove to be however apart from one ball during the Sussex innings, the wicket didn’t appear to have many ‘Gremlins’. Skipper Chris Watson decided to change the batting order to enable him to have a left/right combination at the crease, promoting number 3 R.Ratford to the opening position. What an inspired decision this was as both Ratford and Smith rotated the strike which forced the bowlers to constantly alter their lines. With Smith in scintillating form, 50 runs were on the board with just 10 over’s gone and the hundred run partnership was reached off 21. None of the bowlers were proving effective with Maharaj particularly off colour. It looked as though this pair would bat through to the end but R.Ratford misjudged the pace of a ball from Scolley and popped up an easy catch to Milner at point. 104-1 with 23 gone as N.Cobb replaced Ratford (43) to maintain the left/right combination. Smith reached his half century and then he and Cobb (20*) added 72 runs in 9.3 over’s to take the side to a well deserved and comprehensive victory with 12 over’s to spare. Sussex used 6 bowlers however none of them could make a telling contribution or bowl half as well as their opposite numbers.
This win moves Norfolk & Suffolk to the head of the Championship with two games to play. Sussex have both Worcester and Norfolk left to play however; a Sussex win over Worcester and a Norfolk win over Sussex will see Norfolk & Suffolk crowned Champions
Sussex 172-6, Norfolk & Suffolk 176-1
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 9 wickets
Wednesday 28th August 2013
Norfolk & Suffolks Spitfire Championship aspirations were severely dented when they succumbed to a last ball defeat to fellow challengers, Worcester at Mundford.
This was a must win game for both sides and George Batty won the battle of the toss and asked the home side to bat on what looked a very good wicket. It was obvious that both captains were unsure of what a winning total would be but it certainly looked as though anything less than 200 would not be enough.
Mike Smith and Chris Watson opened the innings for the home side against the very experienced T. Neel and P.Tudge and from the off found scoring difficult with only 15 runs coming from the first 10 overs. Both opening bowlers completed their allotted 9 over’s, restricting the home side to 37 with 18 gone. Neither batsman looked in any danger but the visiting skipper was the happiest as only 65 runs were on the board with 28 over’s gone. Mike Smith (24) retired with an injury and Skipper C.Watson signaled a change in the batting line up, promoting the dangerous R. Ratford to number 3 to hopefully up the run rate. Alas this didn’t happen as Ratford (0) was unlucky to receive a ball that kept low and hence departed first ball without scoring. N.Cobb joined his skipper, conscious of the fact that a lot more runs were required if the bowlers were to have any chance against the strong Worcestershire batting line up. Just 5 runs came in the next three over’s but at the cost of another wicket when C.Watson (39) dawdled on a single, expecting the throw to go to the keeper only to be surprised when the bowler removed the bails at his end with him well short of the crease. D. Howe replaced his skipper and immediately the tempo increased with spirited running between the wickets with both batsmen showing intent. 66 runs were added in the next 12 overs before Howe (33) of 30 balls was stumped off the bowling of G.Batty. A further 20 came off the next three before Cobb (35) of 39 was bowled by Taylor. Perrett and Knight took the score to 167 before Knight departed (8) and Perrett and Cooke saw the innings to a close two balls later when Cooke hit a boundary off the last delivery. The innings closed on 171 for 5, a score that didn’t look possible with 30 over’s gone. It looked competitive however it was 29 runs short of the total that the home side wanted. T.Neel and P.Tudge bowled extremely well without taking a wicket but only conceded 18 and 17 runs respectively. C.Taylor took 2-34 and was the main wicket taker of the seven bowlers used.
If Norfolk & Suffolk were going to win this game they needed early wickets and specifically the wicket of J.Brookes. Perrett and Abbott opened the attack and restricted the two openers with just 14 coming off the first six overs. The breakthrough came in the seventh as Abbot produced a false stroke from Brookes and he drove upishly to mid off. N.Cobb moved to his right but dropped the catch however; he reacted quickly and threw the ball to the bowler with Brookes (8) well short of his ground. 16-1 became 18-2 when Coombes called for a run and Haines (0) was easily run out by P.Knight with a throw to the wicketkeeper. G.Thorne came in at 4 and the run rate dropped for a couple of over’s as the visitors consolidated their position but when Coombes (12) was bowled by Harrup in the 13th over the initiative returned to the home side. P.Knight removed himself from the attack with a shoulder injury which forced Watson to use his ‘go to’ bowler D.Howe .Skipper Batty joined Thorne and although Watson changed his bowling attack this pair took the score to 74-4 with 22 over’s gone, Batty (20) being bowled by the recalled P.Knight. Thorne and Smith upped the rate and pushed the score to 99 before Gale had Thorne (37) caught out in the deep by Harrup with 30 over’s gone. The home side were conscious that one more quick wicket quickly seal the victory however, C.Taylor and D.Smith set about the bowling and the target got closer and closer. Eventually Knight bowled Smith(36) but Taylor looked in total command. 6 needed off the final over. A wide off the first then a dot ball. Two more off the next delivery, another dot and with two balls left, Peer nudged a single to get Taylor back on strike with the scores level. With the entire field close in, Taylor swung the bat and the subsequent edge pierced the ring and went to the boundary for 4.
P.Knight took 2 wickets for 22 but could only manage 4 over’s whilst Harrup and Gale took one apiece. B.Perrett, resplendent in his freshly awarded England cap failed to bowl to his usual standard being wickless after 9 over’s at a cost of 29 runs
A great game off cricket in the end. Had the Norfolk and Suffolk openers been a little busier at the crease earlier on and the side had totaled 200 runs then it’s possible that the victory would have been theirs.
By mutual consent Worcester were allowed to use an under-age player(67) and this decision came back to bite them. 2 wickets for34 runs and 49 not out surely was the difference in the end.
This author has trouble in understanding how players under the age of 70 are allowed to compete in an over 70 competition. I personally believe that the Spitfire League Management Committee need to revisit the rules of the competition as its abundantly clear that there are sufficient over 70 players around to compete. Whilst the rule is there some counties will use it or should I say abuse it.
Norfolk & Suffolk 171-5; Worcester 175-6
Worcestershire won by 4 wickets
Norfolk & Suffolks Spitfire Championship aspirations were severely dented when they succumbed to a last ball defeat to fellow challengers, Worcester at Mundford.
This was a must win game for both sides and George Batty won the battle of the toss and asked the home side to bat on what looked a very good wicket. It was obvious that both captains were unsure of what a winning total would be but it certainly looked as though anything less than 200 would not be enough.
Mike Smith and Chris Watson opened the innings for the home side against the very experienced T. Neel and P.Tudge and from the off found scoring difficult with only 15 runs coming from the first 10 overs. Both opening bowlers completed their allotted 9 over’s, restricting the home side to 37 with 18 gone. Neither batsman looked in any danger but the visiting skipper was the happiest as only 65 runs were on the board with 28 over’s gone. Mike Smith (24) retired with an injury and Skipper C.Watson signaled a change in the batting line up, promoting the dangerous R. Ratford to number 3 to hopefully up the run rate. Alas this didn’t happen as Ratford (0) was unlucky to receive a ball that kept low and hence departed first ball without scoring. N.Cobb joined his skipper, conscious of the fact that a lot more runs were required if the bowlers were to have any chance against the strong Worcestershire batting line up. Just 5 runs came in the next three over’s but at the cost of another wicket when C.Watson (39) dawdled on a single, expecting the throw to go to the keeper only to be surprised when the bowler removed the bails at his end with him well short of the crease. D. Howe replaced his skipper and immediately the tempo increased with spirited running between the wickets with both batsmen showing intent. 66 runs were added in the next 12 overs before Howe (33) of 30 balls was stumped off the bowling of G.Batty. A further 20 came off the next three before Cobb (35) of 39 was bowled by Taylor. Perrett and Knight took the score to 167 before Knight departed (8) and Perrett and Cooke saw the innings to a close two balls later when Cooke hit a boundary off the last delivery. The innings closed on 171 for 5, a score that didn’t look possible with 30 over’s gone. It looked competitive however it was 29 runs short of the total that the home side wanted. T.Neel and P.Tudge bowled extremely well without taking a wicket but only conceded 18 and 17 runs respectively. C.Taylor took 2-34 and was the main wicket taker of the seven bowlers used.
If Norfolk & Suffolk were going to win this game they needed early wickets and specifically the wicket of J.Brookes. Perrett and Abbott opened the attack and restricted the two openers with just 14 coming off the first six overs. The breakthrough came in the seventh as Abbot produced a false stroke from Brookes and he drove upishly to mid off. N.Cobb moved to his right but dropped the catch however; he reacted quickly and threw the ball to the bowler with Brookes (8) well short of his ground. 16-1 became 18-2 when Coombes called for a run and Haines (0) was easily run out by P.Knight with a throw to the wicketkeeper. G.Thorne came in at 4 and the run rate dropped for a couple of over’s as the visitors consolidated their position but when Coombes (12) was bowled by Harrup in the 13th over the initiative returned to the home side. P.Knight removed himself from the attack with a shoulder injury which forced Watson to use his ‘go to’ bowler D.Howe .Skipper Batty joined Thorne and although Watson changed his bowling attack this pair took the score to 74-4 with 22 over’s gone, Batty (20) being bowled by the recalled P.Knight. Thorne and Smith upped the rate and pushed the score to 99 before Gale had Thorne (37) caught out in the deep by Harrup with 30 over’s gone. The home side were conscious that one more quick wicket quickly seal the victory however, C.Taylor and D.Smith set about the bowling and the target got closer and closer. Eventually Knight bowled Smith(36) but Taylor looked in total command. 6 needed off the final over. A wide off the first then a dot ball. Two more off the next delivery, another dot and with two balls left, Peer nudged a single to get Taylor back on strike with the scores level. With the entire field close in, Taylor swung the bat and the subsequent edge pierced the ring and went to the boundary for 4.
P.Knight took 2 wickets for 22 but could only manage 4 over’s whilst Harrup and Gale took one apiece. B.Perrett, resplendent in his freshly awarded England cap failed to bowl to his usual standard being wickless after 9 over’s at a cost of 29 runs
A great game off cricket in the end. Had the Norfolk and Suffolk openers been a little busier at the crease earlier on and the side had totaled 200 runs then it’s possible that the victory would have been theirs.
By mutual consent Worcester were allowed to use an under-age player(67) and this decision came back to bite them. 2 wickets for34 runs and 49 not out surely was the difference in the end.
This author has trouble in understanding how players under the age of 70 are allowed to compete in an over 70 competition. I personally believe that the Spitfire League Management Committee need to revisit the rules of the competition as its abundantly clear that there are sufficient over 70 players around to compete. Whilst the rule is there some counties will use it or should I say abuse it.
Norfolk & Suffolk 171-5; Worcester 175-6
Worcestershire won by 4 wickets
Tuesday 20th August 2013
Surrey arrived late for their match against Norfolk and Suffolk at Dereham, which delayed the start resulting in the match being reduced to 40 overs per side. Once again Norfolk & Suffolk skipper called correctly and invited the opposition to bat first and was rewarded with a wicket in the 6th over when D.Wheeler was brilliantly stumped by D.Andrews off the bowling of B.Perrett with the score on 12 Two overs later it was 15-2 when Perrett brought one back to clean bowl J.Turner. R.Abbott was bowling well ,beating the bat on numerous occasions but without success. D.Gale replaced Perrett whose 5 overs had cost just 13 runs from his 5 overs, and he produced one of the finest displays of bowling seen for some time. His 8 overs cost just 6 runs.First he had Blumberg caught by D.James and then he clean bowled the dangerous R.Maynard and finished up by bowling A.Reid. At the drinks break Surrey had reached 40-4 and at the resumption .N.Cobb took a fine catch of G.Harrups penultimate over to dismiss P.Raynor as the score became 41- 5. D.Brewster was providing some resistance however D.Howe had C.Jeavons caught by N.Cobb and three balls later clean bowled D.Loader to close the innings with the score at 97-8. D.Gale with 8-6-3-6 was outstanding, D.Howe 2-7 and B.Perett 2-16 were also impressive. R.Abbott 8-2-0-21 did not do him justice.
As often happens in cricket, small totals become difficult to chase down however M.Smith and C.Watson added 26 runs in the first 10 overs before Smith was bowled by D.Brester for 15. Watson played the anchor role as D.Andrews played his usual flamboyant knock scoring 16 of 13 deliverys before being trapped lbw by Brewster with the score on 51. N.Cobb joined his skipper and this pair took the score to 71 before D.Loader had Watson stumped for 26. Cobb was next to go with just 7 to his name when he was bowled by Loader with the score at 78-4. D,Howe and B.Perrett saw the home side to victory in the 27th over finishing with 10 and 12 respectively. D Brewster 2-17 off 6 and D.Loader 2-25 from 5 were the best of the Surrey attack.
Surrey over 70’s 97-8. Norfolk and Suffolk over 70’s 98-4
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 4 Wickets
Norfolk & Suffolk now lead the Spitfire Championship by 2 points from Worcestershire
Norfolk & Suffolkteam with Australian touring side at Old Buckenham
Friday 16th August 2013
Old Buckenham was the venue for the eagerly awaited fixture between Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s and the Australian over 70’s touring side. With rain forecast and dark skies the outlook was gloomy but with the camera’s from Mustard TV in attendance, everyone was in fine spirits. Contrary to the weather forecast the game got underway in bright sunlight with the Australians winning the toss and electing to bat first. The game was to be 45 overs with batsmen being compulsory retired at 36 and with both sides using a rolling substitute fielder.
Both the Australian openers looked the part and scored at the rate of 3 an over off the bowling of Bob Perrett and Russ Abbot. Freshwater looked a class bat and soon reached the retirement figure whilst partner Willson was content to take singles at every opportunity. He was fortunate to survive when put down by N.Cobb off the bowling of P.Knight however, this error did not prove costly as he retired with Freshwater at the 22 over point having scored just 23 runs. Wickets, like busses have the habit of coming in pairs. First T.Donn was brilliantly caught at wide mid on by N.Cobb and then Whish Wilson was run out both without scoring and Australia were 77-2. Chris Watson rotated his bowlers but both Ives and Lloyd scored at will and retired. 89 more runs were added before the home side tasted success and it was opener B.Perrett who took the wicket. Once again two wickets came in quick time as P.Knight bowled Lowe to claim his first and Norfolk & Suffolks 4th wicket. The innings closed on 167-4 with Freshwater(38), Willson(23) Ives(26) and Lloyd(25) all retiring. C.Watson used 7 bowlers and must have been pleased with the performance of D.James on his first match since his illness as he returned figures of 6-0-0-18. Perrett, Knight and Gale each took a wicket with Gale putting in the best figures of 6-1-1-13.
The home sides reply was delayed by 40 minutes as the threatened rain duly arrived but the covers did the job and play commenced immediately the rain stopped. C.Watson and M.Smith started cautiously but by the time 8 overs had passed the run rate was up to 4 an over. Watson misjudged a ball that kept a little low and went fo 13 with the score on 30 but D. Etheridge joined Smith and they added 50 runs for the second wicket before Etheridge edged to the keeper for 28. N.Cobb joined Smith who went on to 34 and then retired which brought D.Howe to the crease. This pair took the score to 121 before Howe was caught off the bowling of Freshwater for 14. 15 overs to go and a further 47 runs required for victory and 21 of these were scored before B.Perrett was lbw to Wilton with 9 overs remaining. P.Knight was forced to retire with a calf strain having scored just 8 runs and suddenly the Australians sensed that they were still in with a chance. Cobb was approaching the retirement figure and with just 6 runs needed for victory struck a boundary to retire on 36 and leave D.James and G.Cooke to score the two required for victory. James took guard and the promptly hit the ball into the vacant mid wicket area to score the winning runs with just 8 balls remaining.
Cobb(36) Smith (34) both retired and Etheridge 28 were the home sides top scorers. Lowe, Flack, Wilton and Freshwater all took 1 wicket as the Australians used 7 bowlers throughout the innings.
After the game G.Freshwater, Australia’s Man of the Match was presented with a Norfolk & Suffolk Shirt. N.Cobb received a Australian ‘On Tour’ Cap as Norfolk and Suffolk’s Man of the Match.
A grand total of £104.00 was raised by the raffle in aid of the defibrillator fund.
Australia over 70 Touring Team 167-4. Norfolk & Suffolk over 70 Team 168-4
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 6 Wickets
Tuesday 13th August 2013
After a long drive to the picturesque ground situated in the middle of Ascot Race Course, Norfolk & Suffolk were asked to field first by Herts and Hants. With a depleted bowling attack,(R.Abbott, D.Gale and G.Harrup ) all missing, the visitors had drafted in Ricky Waters for his first competitive game to assist R.Murphy, P.Knight and D.Howe. This game also saw the return of B.Perrett after his on field collapse against the same opposition at Stowmarket a few weeks earlier.
Herts and Hants started brightly in a game reduced to 40 overs by mutual consent and runs came at a rate of 5 an over right from the start. Blackey was his usual composed self and after the dismissal of Wharton (10) with the score on 36, was joined by Marston. Although C.Watson rang the changes with his limited attack the two batsmen scored at will, adding 136 for the second wicket. R.Murphy pulled a calf muscle after 7 overs and was forced to leave the field for the rest of the innings which left the visitors skipper looking for a sixth bowler to cover his remaining over. Blackey reached his half century and shortly afterwards gave a very hard and difficult chance to Mike Smith at cover. In spite of getting both hands to the ball ,it passed through them with sufficient force to reach the fence. The breakthrough however came shortly afterwards when D.Howe completely outfoxed Blackey and clean bowled him for 72 with the score on 172-2.Home skipper Martin then joined Marston who went to his half century but with only 15 runs added, he holed out to Andrews for 60 off the bowling of debutant R.Waters. A further 23 runs were added for the loss of 3 more wickets as the innings ended on 210-6.None of the bowlers escaped punishment however, B.Perrett 8-0-2-32 and R.Murphy 7-0-1-28 returned the best figures.
Needing to score at 5.25 runs per over and with rain threatening, Norfolk and Suffolk suffered a huge blow when M.Smith was caught out on the boundary in the second over with the score on 6. Andrews joined Watson and he set about the bowling with relish whilst Watson played the anchor role.With the score on 67, Andrews was bowled by Branson, the ball keeping low but his 44 came of just 42 balls. R.Ratford joined the fray and was just getting into his stride when the rain came and the game was held up for 30 minutes. After the resumption the first target was to reach 158 by the end of the 30th over in case further rain came .The score had progressed to 128 in the 22nd over before Ratford was dismissed by Biddlecombe. A spirited knock by P.Knight (promoted up the order) helped the cause before he was bowled by Branson for 22. With Cobb and Perrett both going ,shortly followed by skipper Watson(44) the target became almost out of sight however with 4 overs left the deficit was just 23 runs. Cooke perished in the chase but D.Howe (13*) and R.Waters (17*) saw the visitors to victory with 1 over to spare. P.Biddlecombe 8-0-3-28 being the best bowler for the home side.
Hants & Berks over 70’s 210-6, Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s 212-8
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 2 wickets
Tuesday 6th August 2013
Chris Watson won the toss and inserted the opposition on a pitch that had been affected by the heavy overnight rain. Right from the start the Kent batsmen struggled against the bowling of G.Harrup and R.Abbott and found runs hard to come by. 24 runs were scored in the first 20 overs with Abbott returning figures of 9-5-1-4 and Harrup 9-3-1-13.With the introduction of P.Knight and R.Murphy, Kent continued to struggle with only opener M.Back offering any real resistance. At the 45 over end of innings Kent had struggled to the measly total of 83-7 and although M.Back carried his bat he only accumulated 37 runs. P.Knight finished with 4-17.
The run chase looked an easy 2 runs per over and 41 runs were added by Smith and Watson in the first 22 overs before Smith was bowled for 17. Andrews joined Watson and the game concluded 8 overs later on 86-1 with Watson39 and Andrews 27 not out. P.Warboys 9-3-0-11 and P.Humphrey 9-3-1-12 were the pick of the Kent bowlers.
Kent Over 70’s 83-7 Norfolk & Suffolk Over 70’s 86-1
Norfolk & Suffolk Over 70’s win by 9 wickets
Tuesday 30th July 2013
Norfolk & Suffolk ‘s eagerly awaited clash with Sussex was unfortunately abandoned without a ball being bowled. The visitors had made the long trip up to the Ipswich Cricket Club only to be met with non-stop rain that had started around 10.30. With the forecast of rain until at least 4pm, the game was called off at 12.30. A new date is to be arranged.
Wednesday 24th July 2013
A much changed Norfolk & Suffolk side from the one that had played Hants and Berks the previous day travelled to Halstead for a friendly fixture against the Two Counties. With seven new faces, Chris Watson had hoped for a bit of luck with the coin however, for the third time in a row he lost and was forced to field first. With only ten men it was obvious that the ultra fast and large outfield was going to be hard to defend against a very strong Two Counties batting top order and thus it proved to be. With only Dave Gale from his usual bowling line up it was a relief to know that there would be no restriction on overs but with the hot and humid conditions this was no consolation to Mr Gale. With John Stuck, Essex’s equivalent of Norfolk’s Martin Pearse opening the batting the omens were not good however, his reputation rather than his batting technique saved him when the home umpire turned down a plum lbw decision first ball. From this point on the game went down hill for the Norfolk and Suffolk side as Chris Watson had only occasional bowlers to call on. B.Marlow on debut bowled reasonably well to back up D.Gale but the other three N.Cobb, M.Barnham and R.Waters never looked likely to take a wicket. Stuck went on to score 130 and W.Mugleston scored his maiden century as the home side declared on 275- 0 from only 42 overs.
In reply Norfolk & Suffolk lost wickets with monotonous regularity as R.Abbott and M.McCloud took full advantage of the lack of bowling restrictions, taking five wickets between them from the first 23 overs. Only a fighting 94 not out from R.Ratford with support from I.Flack 21 and 12 not out from C.Watson allowed the visitors to limp to 173-6 when time was called after the final 20 overs.
Willie Mugleston was the worthy recipient of the Two Counties Man of the Match award for his first ever century whilst the Norfolk & Suffolk award went to R.Ratford.
There was however a very positive gain from the game as the raffle took in £74.00 in aid of the Norfolk & Suffolk de-phib fund.
Two Counties Over 70’s 275-0 Norfolk & Suffolk Over 70’s 173-6
Match Drawn
Tuesday 23rd July 2013
On a hot and humid July day at Stowmarket, Norfolk & Suffolk over 70's cricket team returned to winning ways with a comprehensive seven wicket win over Hants & Berks.. The win however was overshadowed by the collapse and subsequent removal to hospital of Bob Perrett, Norfolk & Suffolk’s opening bowler after he had bowled his second and the third over of the innings. Emergency services arrived within minutes and after carrying out various tests, a conscious Bob Perrett was taken to Ipswich hospital. As a result of the delay the game was reduced to 40 overs per side.
Hants & Berks had won the toss and elected to bat first and it appeared to be the right decision with 30 runs coming off the first 9 overs before Wharton(8) was caught by Andrews off the bowling of D.Gale. Blackey was scoring freely but was lucky to survive when Harrop grassed a sharp catch at slip, once again off Gale. The score had progressed to 89 before Marsden (14) fell to a fine catch by R.Murphy off the bowling of Harrop.
This proved to be the last success for the home side as both Blackey & Martin punished the five bowlers used by C.Watson and the innings finished at the end of the 40th over with Blackey on 115 and Martin 33 with the team on 184 for the loss of 2 wickets.
With a required run rate of four and a half runs required, openers Smith and Watson hardly had a chance to play themselves in however , 31 runs were on the board before Watson (8) was adjudged lbw to Wharton in the 8th over. This brought the free scoring Andrews (60) to the crease and when he departed, bowled by J.Hall the score had moved on to 145. Ten overs to go and 41 still needed for victory but with only 3 more added to the total off the next two overs the rate started to climb. The inevitable run out came as the two batsmen attempted a suicidal run bringing the innings of Cobb (2) to an end. Cometh the hour, cometh the man and Howe hit 20 off the same number of balls as he and the not out Smith (79) reached the required total with two overs to spare
Hants & Berks 184-2 Norfolk & Suffolk 188-3
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 7 wickets
Tuesday 16th July 2013
Norfolk and Suffolk’s unbeaten run in the Over 70’s Cricket Championship ended when they lost by 34 runs to table topping Worcester at Ashton Bank on Tuesday. Following a 4 hour drive, the visitors were asked to field first on arguably the hottest day of the year so far. Worcestershire openers Ebbage and Brooks made a cautious start against Perrett and Abbott and were fortunate when Andrews missed a difficult chance off Brooks behind the stumps to deny Perret an early wicket. Surviving this earl y scare, both batsmen started to score freely and had reached 36 without loss after 10 over’s. Perrett was struggling with a ham string problem and elected to bowl his allotted 9 overs straight off but Abbott mad way for Murphy who was forced to bowl from his non preferred end. Both openers now had their eye in and the score started to rise at a rapid rate. Once Perret had finished his spell he was replaced by Howe and Knight entered the fray in place of Murphy. With the score approaching three figures, Knight finally achieved the breakthrough, getting Ebbage (37) caught of a skier by Cobb at deep mid on. 89-1 became 111-2 when the dangerous Briscoe was adjudged lbw by the home side appointed umpire. In spite of the long stare by Briscoe as he held his pose the umpire remained firm and the decision was upheld. Brooks reached hi half century before being trapped in front of his stumps by Knight and the score had moved on to 143 with 31 overs completed. Rose was unfortunate in the fact that he injured himself whilst attempting a quick single and with only this run added to the total retired hurt. If that wasn’t bad enough Thorne didn’t even last that long being bowled by Howe first ball. The visitors were now feeling as though lady luck was on their side especially when skipper Batty was clean bowled by Murphy with the score on 148-5. N& s skipper C.Watson was changing his bowlers and reaping the reward however he could not break the partnership between Haines and Lawrence until they had added56 valuable runs. Abbot in his second spell dismissing Haines (45) with a brilliant caught and bowled. Lawrence was then bowled by Howe with the score on 208 in the 43rd over. The final two wickets fell to ABBOTT, the second off the final ball of the innings with Worcester on 219-9. All the bowlers performed well against a very good batting attack and although G.Harrup and D.Gale were missing their replacements D.Howe (9-1 3-42) and P.Knight (9-0-2-41) demonstrated the strength overall of the combined counties attack. To be critical of any part of the fielding on this very very hot day would be unfair however the odd uncharacteristic mistakes cost about 20 runs that could and should have been prevented.
With a target of 4.5 an over in mind, both inform openers C.Watson and M.Smith were hoping to get the visitors off to a sound start, however they found themselves a wicket down in the first over when Smith was brilliantly stumped as he overstretched to play a ball on his leg side. The wicket should have held no fears for the batsmen but when Andrews played all around a straight delivery from the wily Neel, a mini slump set in. 17 for two became 28 for three as Watson was bowled by one that kept low in the 10th over. The hard hitting R.Ratford was joined by N.Cobb but without another run being added Ratford played inside a delivery from Neel and was comprehensively bowled. The scoreboard made dismal reading as the fifth wicket fell when Neel got his 4th wicket, clean bowling G.Cooke as he swung across the line after scoring just the one run. D.Howe and N.Cobb then set about giving the scoreline some respectability and proceeded to accumulate runs. Not particularly entertaining a first but at least they had stopped the rot. Eventually the partnership was broken with the score on97 when Howe (25) was stumped off the bowling of Haines in the 30th over. 123 more runs required with 15 overs to go, a mammoth task which got even harder when Cobb (35) went with the score on 111. P.Knight(44*) was trying to make light of the task as he bludgeoned the bowlers around the park scoring at a run a ball and he received sound support from the injured R.Perrett (29*) (batting with a runner) however the innings ended with the score on 185-7 just 34 runs short. T.Neel, approaching his 80th, yes 80th birthday bowled extremely well as he picked up 4 wickets in a spell of 9-0-4-24 which took out four of the top five batsmen and from a score of 32-5 it was always likely to be a bridge too far and thus it proved to be.
No disgrace however as unbeaten Worcester lost 9 wickets for the first time this season and D.Howe and P .Knight both proved their worth as main stream bowlers. An uncharacteristic batting failure by the top four but proof that in Cobb, Howe, Knight and Perrett, the weight is not on the top four to produce each and every time.
Worcester 209-9 beat Norfolk & Suffolk 185-7
Worcester win by 34 runs
Tuesday 9th July 2013
Following their 7 wicket win against Surrey at Nutfield, Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s moved into third place in the Spitfire League with a 95 run win over Kent at Dereham on Tuesday. Put in by the opposition the home sides openers Smith and Watson (27) added 55 for the first wicket at a steady pace. Andrews (27) and then Radford (59) supported Smith (64*) as they increased the tempo and the innings ended on 210-5 after 45 overs. Opener Smith carried his bat whilst R.Milton finished with 3-19 for the visitors.
The Kent reply started disastrously with the inform opener D.Birmingham being dismissed for 0 with only 3 runs on the board. More bad fortune was to follow as yet another dangerous batsmen, B.Smith (12) was dismissed with the score on 36 for 3. All of the Home side bowlers were bowling well and were unlucky not to have more success as opportunities went begging. P.Kennard (57*) was the main benefactor being dropped twice and should have been stumped twice as he went on to a half century. Kent were always behind the run rate and with only one more wicket falling the game was as good as over at the second drinks break at 30 overs. C.Watson used the opportunity to check out his fringe bowlers, choosing to save his main strike force for the tough trip to League leaders Worcester next week. Kent finished on 115-4 with G Harrup taking 2-15
Norfolk & Suffolk 210-5 (45 overs) Kent 115 -4 (45 overs)
Norfolk & Suffolk win by 95 runs
Tuesday 25th June 2013
Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s made it two wins out of two when they comprehensively beat Surrey at the picturesque ground at Nutfield. Winning the toss N & S skipper Chris Watson asked the home side to bat and was rewarded as B.Perrett and R.Abbott restricted the home side to just 15 runs from the first 15 overs. Abbott claimed his wicket with the early dismissal of Reid with the score on 8 but the arrival of F.Skipper saw a change of both fortune and tempo. Abbot went for 19 off his penultimate over as first Skipper and then R.Maynard took on the bowling attack. The impressive D.Gale struck in his first over to remove A.Kingham (7) and later bowled Springer (47) as the home side tried to set a competitive score. R.Maynard was caught in the deep of G Harrup just one short of his half century but the remaining batsmen continued to punish the bowling at every opportunity. With the 45 over’s bowled, Surrey were on 170-8 and were a little disappointed that they had not reached the 220 mark.D.Gale with 3-34 and R.Murphy with 2-20 were the two main wicket takers for the combined counties.
With Mike Smith missing from the lineup, C.Watson promoted D.Andrews up to number 1 and it proved a shrewd move. Both batsmen scored at the required rate as they put on 76 before Andrews (40) was adjudged to be lbw. R. Radford on debut hit 22 at rate of a run of one a ball N.Cobb (17) and C.Watson then took the score to 152 and which saw the skipper reach his second half century of the season. D.Etheridge (8*) and c.watson (56*) reached the required total with 9 balls to spare.
Surrey 170-8, Norfolk & Suffolk 171-3
Norfolk & Suffolk won by 7 wickets
Tuesday 11th June 2013
Norfolk & Suffolk over 70’s opened their Spitfire Cricket Championship campaign with a comprehensive victory over Hertfordshire at Preston on Tuesday 11th June.
Another cold, windy and overcast day coupled with a wicket that had more cracks than a crazy paving path, the toss would prove crucial. Chris Watson, the combined counties captain won it and had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat first. From the off the variable bounce caused the batsmen problems and it was obvious that runs would be difficult to come by. A steady start by the openers saw the score to 15 before a ‘’grubber’’’ from Russ Abbott removed the dangerous Mitchell for 10. Three spilled catches occurred before the next wicket fell; a change of bowling and Morris was completely ‘bamboozled’’ by Rod Murphy’s first ball and thought that the wicket had been broken by the keepers pads. No such luck as the square leg umpire informed him that he was clean bowled. The five bowlers all bowled well and the fielding was good. Only Dexter seemed to have come to terms with the pace and bounce of the wicket as he reached his half century with one over remaining however 8 wickets were down with the lower order contributing just 29 runs to the score. One more wicket fell off the last ball of the innings as it closed on 137-9 off 45 overs with Dexter 52 not out. All Norfolk & Suffolk bowlers bowled well and were rewarded with a wicket. R.Murphy 2-25 off 89, D.Gale 2-14 off 9 and B.Perett 2-25 off 9 were the main wicket takers.
Batting was just as difficult following the tea interval but the visitor’s openers C.Watson and M. Smith knew exactly what was required to win the game and batted accordingly. A slow but steady accumulation of runs saw C.Watson to a half century whilst M.Smith played a solid anchor role for his skipper. A hundred partnership without loss ensured that the visitors remained firm favorites to win the game however, Smith was suffering from a hamstring problem and it affected his concentration to the extent that he lost his wicket when bowled by T.Foster for 34. The damage was done as D. Andrews joined his skipper and victory became a reality in the 40th over with C.Watson on 73 not out and D.Andrews on 13. Only S.Cragwell with very impressive figures of 9-4-0-8 posed serious problems for the combined counties.
‘Elementary my dear Watson’
Hertfordshire 137-9, Norfolk & Suffolk 138-1
Norfolk & Suffolk won by 9 wickets
Tuesday 4th June 2013
On a glorious sunny day, Norfolk Over 70’s entertained a Worcester Over 70’s touring side at Hockwold Cricket club on Tuesday 4th June. With the combined Suffolk and Norfolk sides having to go their separate ways at the end of this season, this was the ideal opportunity to see what sort of a side Norfolk could produce on their own.
Norfolk captain Mike Smith won the toss and decided to bat and it immediately became apparent that the wicket was not as good a batting track as it first appeared. Uneaven and at times lack of bounce made run scoring difficult and openers Cooke and Barnham struggled to come to terms with the lack of pace off the wicket.This particular condition led to the loss of the first wicket as Cooke with 11 runs off 14 deliverys mistimed a pull to square leg and was easily caught by T Williams with the score on 15. D.Etherigde joined M.Barnham and added 58 for the second wicket before Barnham was bowled by Nair for 29 off 62 delivery’s in the 21st over. Etheridge, (not renowned for his running between the wickets) batted steadily, accumulating 37 runs from 93 balls. Captain Mike Smith scored 22 not out from 31 balls as wickets fell in the chase for runs and the innings ended after 45 overs with Norfolk on 145-6. This was a disappointing total that should have been larger had the running between the wickets been more aggressive. M.Mudway with 2 wickets for 17 from his 9 overs was the visitors best bowler.
After a fine tea provided by Hockwold Cricket Club, Worcester started their reply but suffered a blow in the third over when Lloyd was adjudged lbw to Murphy with the score on 3. Unfortunately this was to be a lone success as Taylor and Williams batted cautiously and saw off both opening bowlers, Murphy and Gale. The introduction of Harrup and Marlow into the attack resulted in the second wicket when Williams holed out to Barnham off the bowling of Marlow. At 20 overs the scores were almost identical but Lawrence and the impressive Taylor increased the tempo and 80 runs came at just over 4 an over. Murphy was brought back into the attack and was rewarded when Trivitt took a fine catch at long on to remove Lawrence(39) with the score on 130 with eight overs remaining. Norfolk’s skipper was struggling to juggle his attack having lost James at the tea interval with a stomach bug and with Taylor in fine form the winning runs arrived in th 40th over. Taylor carried his bat for 65 not out and the visitors gained their second victory in two days after their success in Suffolk the day before. R.Murphy with 2-32 from his 7 overs was the pick of the Norfolk attack.
Hockwold Cricket Club were excellent hosts and provided a post match BBQ. The raffle raised £41.00 towards the defibrillator purchase fund
Norfolk 146-6, Worcester Touring Side 147-3:
Worcester won by 7 wickets
Wednesday 22nd May 2013
On a cold and overcast day, Norfolk and Suffolk (N & S) over 70’s cricket XI commenced their 2013 season with a friendly against the Two Counties (TC) at Mistley. This game was played in the ‘Old Format’ without limited over’s so all options of win, lose or draw were available. N & S batted first and found runs hard to come by as both openers Chris Watson and England & Norfolk’s over 70 new cap Mike Smith from Dereham struggled to come to terms with the pace of the pitch and the tight bowling of the opposition. Wickets fell at regular intervals as runs were agonizingly accumulated by one and all. Smith retired on 32, Bob Perrett , Suffolk’s addition to the England squad 29 not out and Nobby Cobb (27) top scored as the visitors declared on 142-7. Tommy Gould bowled 16 consecutive over’s for the TC and was rewarded with 4 wickets for 47 runs.
The Two Counties had an hour’s batting plus a minimum of 20 over’s from 6pm to chase down the total and set about their task in a positive frame of mind. Badger Ball survived when dropped at short square leg and W Mugglestone should have been run out after a mix up between the two batsmen. However Mugglestone reached his half century before being dismissed by sixth change bowler David Howe. The T C were cruising at this point and at 6 pm needed just 76 from the final 20 over’s with 9 wickets remaining. Two more wickets for David Howe and a run out by Bob Perrett slowed the scoring and the home side needed 9 off the last over. Unfortunately they only managed 6 and the game ended in a draw with The Two Counties on 140-5. Mugglestone (54) and Badger (49) top scored for the home side whilst D.Howe with 3 wickets for 24runs was Norfolk & Suffolk’s best bowler.
On a day when the bowlers starred it was fitting that the two man of the match awards went to T.Gould and David Howe respectively.
Norfolk & Suffolk 142-7: Two Counties 140-4
Match Drawn
