Sandon Cricket Blog

It was nice to get back to winning ways after the disappointment of the Cup exit. It was even nicer to be in the pub early after Steve and Mick skittled Leigh out in just 13 overs. Steve was the match winner with 8 wickets in just 7 overs.

The Leigh wicket was interesting and we were in a bit of trouble at one stage. Dave dug in though and provided the glue that held the innings together. True sportsman that he is, Dave walked after a faint nick to the wicket keeper (28). (the umpire hadn’t picked it and wouldn’t have given him out). The innings ended quite respectably on 110 all out, particularly as Leigh bowled pretty well.

Given the quality of our opening bowling attack and the feisty wicket, I think we were confident that we could knock them over and 13 overs later we had done. The fielding was generally good, with good catches from Dean, Mick and Shaggy.

I won’t dwell too much on the defeat the week before in the cup, other than to mention the superhuman effort by Steve (53 not out) and Ade (23 not) to give us half of chance of rescuing the game. We couldn’t winkle out their opening bats though and although we took it to within 8 balls of the 40 overs, we were on the day second best.

As a footnote however it is worth pointing out that we were handicapped by what is thought to be an incorrect application of the shortened run up rule for the bowlers. Me thinks that although Stevie G bowled well off just 6 paces, that it didn’t allow him to bowl to full potential. Who knows what Dave could have done off his full run as well!).

Anyway, to end on a positive, we have over the last few weeks shown that we can bat right the way down the order.

As Atters did us a big favour, playing after an 11th hour call up, I thought he might appreciate someone else doing the match report while he placates Mrs Atters!!

Shaggy won the toss and put them in, and I think the consensus was that this was our best chance of a result against an experienced Moddershall team just out of the North Staffs League. The bowling performance was good, backed up by our best fielding performance for some weeks. Steve and Mick bowled a really aggressive opening spell and it was nip and tuck with neither side grasping the initiative. Nando came on as first change, bowling controlled line and length with a bit of movement through the air, but it was a straight one that did for the dangerous Andy Lightbown. Shaggy bought himself on from the pavilion end on a track that looked like it'd take spin and Nando continued at t'other end. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Modd tried to push on the score and we took our chances. Nando finished with 4, denied a 5 for when their skipper decided not to walk after leg glancing off the face of the bat into the keepers outstretched glove. These things happen, but it cost us a good 30 odd runs. Having said that we were pretty happy restricting them to just over 180, and enjoyed our tea.

Mick and Dave made a decent start against the best bowling attack we've faced for a long time, using the pace of the ball on a good track. Mick fell first, then Shaggy was unlucky when caught off a full toss on the 7th ball of the over!! Atters took a blow for the team, but the experienced bowling attack did for him shortly after. I came in to join Dave and we steadied things for a while, riding our luck at times but giving the Sandon support a few boundaries to cheer. We saw off some hostile bowling (got the bruises) and nudged the score up past 50. The runs dried up a bit as the bowling was changed and Dave and I fell in quick succession. We didn't do ourselves justice and fell short of what was needed. Daz finished not out, and Ade batted on one leg at the end.

Although we didn't really make a contest of it with the bat we can take heart from our performances with the ball and in the field. It's our first real test and I'm looking forward to the rematch. These are the kind of games we should relish boys. It was a real battle out there and the reason we play this great game. We can learn much more from this defeat than from any of our previous victories. They're good, and have the resources to pick a very strong team to play us. We all have to be on our A game next time we play them. On our day we can make it a much closer match.

Not a spectacular win, but it was a nice and comfortable one in the end.

The tone of the day was set by the unseasonably cold weather and the pitch, which with a few exceptions didn’t have the life in it of recent weeks.

Apart from Mick getting one that exploded off the pitch and being caught off the shoulder of the bat, things were progressing along fairly nicely with us 50 odd for 2. There weren’t the fireworks of last week though with Andy top scoring with 37. Really important contributions from Steve and Daz meant that we posted what was felt to be a reasonable score of 123.

In the end this proved to be more than enough. Mick got the early wickets but Steve suffered again with dropped catches. Nando carried on his fine seasons form and aided by some well held catches ended up with another 4 wicket haul. Andy brought himself on at the end to successfully clear up the tail.

Sterner tests lie ahead but we have to be happy with the start that we have made to the season. Hopefully better weather lies ahead too.

In the end this was a draw that did indeed feel like a winning draw. It’s fair to say that barring a strange umpire decision to come off the field for just one over at a critical stage in the game, that we would have pulled off an epic victory.

The weather it has to be said was not promising neither in forecast or in actual fact. No sooner had Stafford commenced their innings that we were off for a fairly lengthy rain delay that ultimately cost us 14 overs off our innings.

The Stafford innings got off to a decent start, aided and abetted by some fairly abject fielding by Sandon leaving Mick and Steve hard done to, to be wicketless. A brave decision by the skipper to bring on Rusher the partnership Crusher paid dividends with the said Shaggy holding his nerve to catch a skyer and see the danger man on his way back to the pavilion.

Nando was the star of the bowling and bowled a lengthy and tidy spell ending up with a deserved 4 for 64. The fielding throughout though was a bit of a mixed bag with a few bad misses, although Louis showed what a valuable addition he is to the team by holding 2 skyers.

The Stafford innings ended at 180 after the full 50 overs leaving us 31 overs to get them in. (just over a run a ball). The feeling was that we could get the runs and Mick set off in a manner akin to a seal cull and murdered the opening bowling. We were off to a great start with everyone keeping up the pace so that the target was always on.

Phil came in and set his stall out right from the start with a steady succession of magnificent blows. As the crux of the game approached with Steve at the crease and Phil seeing it like a football, the pivitol moment arrived, with the intervention of the umpires. Despite an afternoon of on and off showers a very strange decision was made to bring us off the field for 1 over with just a handful of overs left. In the end the loss of that one over cost us the win, as we ended up just 3 runs short thanks to great knock from Phil that kept things alive right until the last ball.

Useful points though with many games rained off.

Atters

It really wasn't cricket weather, but then 3 weeks ago the ground was covered in a blanket of snow! We were put in to bat on a wicket that looked pretty good for this early in the season. Dave got one that moved away and found the edge (caught on camera by the Newsletter photographer as well as by the wicketkeeper!) whilst Mick went on to pass 50 in good time. Shaggy made the most of an early drop in the slips to go on and make a half century and share in a 100+ partnership with Mick. With a little drizzle in the air the skipper opted for a declaration as we passed 150 and we took tea.

Determined to make it a man of the match performance Mick took the early wickets and finished with 4. Although Steve was a little slower getting going he finished with a well deserved 5 for. Louis came on for his debut Sandon over and his first ball was played just short of the slips. No mistake with his second ball and Leigh were all out.

Well done boys. Great to be back on the cricket pitch again.

Folks due to the weather our ground force day at the club is now this Saturday.
Please take the time to come as any help is appreciated. It's also very important
that I remind you to ask local businesses if they will sponsor us through the
boundary board scheme. We may have to buy some expensive machinery very
soon and the club needs some extra funds.

We are also open to any ideas for fund raising, so if anyone would like to step up
and be counted to help our club now is the time!

This weekend also sees our last net session at Sandon high school at 15:00hrs.

Can I also remind everyone that annual subscriptions are due before the first
game of the season. £30

Mick

Happy new year everyone!

Pre-season cricket nets start February 17th between 15:00 - 16:30 hrs at Sandon Business and Enterprise School

Can I reiterate the need to strengthen our squad so it's everybody's responsibility to ask anyone they can think of if they want to come and play for us..

Here's to another successful season!!

Mick

I've put a few photos on Picasa from the Kangy game. I've sent the link to everyone whose email I have.

If I don't have your email address and you want the link to view them send me an email and I'll send it to you.

All of the hard work organising this very special day - you know who you are - was well worth it, and we were rewarded with weather that wouldn't have been out of place at the height of summer. The day ran very smoothly and the turnout of Harmeet's work, cricket and social friends, plus those that had read about it in the paper, was fantastic - more than we could have hoped for.

The cricket match was secondary to the occassion of celebrating a great man and friend, but it was a keenly fought contest with Sandon coming out on top against an All Star team.

Many thanks to everybody that came; it was great to catch up with everybody. A big thank you to the ladies for baking cakes, selling raffle tickets and refreshments. To Dave for manning the barbecue, and a special thank you to Doug and Pete for umpiring the match.

Another special mention has to go to Olivia who put a mammoth amount of hard work into the day. Thanks for your help and support of the club, it really is appreciated.

The final total hasn't been totted up yet, but we will have raised somewhere between £900 and £1000 for the British Heart Foundation. A brilliant effort, and once again thank you for your generosity.

After the disappointment of not playing a week ago, and so having won the league, it was important to show we could beat our closest rivals Leek Moorlands.

Shaggy won the toss and decided to bat on what looked to be a pretty decent track. It was tough going, and Jamie hung in there for a while to amass 15. With only Tilly (11), extras (21) and me (22) making double figures a score of 98 looked well below par. A bit of bad luck and some indifferent bounce could be blamed, but we didn't really do ourselves justice.

A tea including oatcakes and victoria sponge must've done the trick (thanks Andrea!) Moorlands started well, but once Stevie G ripped into the top order we looked odds on to pull off an unlikely victory. Some resistance from opener Grant Denny (27) and all-rounder Tom Rhead (28) was all that Moorlands could muster as they were shot out for 71 in the 25th over. Steve finished with 7 and Mick took the other 3. Tilly finished with 3 catches, and 'bucket hands' Millington took a blinder at slip.

Well done boys! A difficult season for many reasons, but we've come through it as Premier League Champions.

Folks we have a friendly fixture arranged against Hales Cc on Saturday 25th August starting at 13:30, address as follows, Valley View Ground, Almington Road , Market Drayton, Shropshire, TF9 2PP.

Really pleasing win to coast into the Cup Final. Everything came together for a change against a Keele side that had no answer once we stepped up the pace in the last 15 overs.

A brave decision by Captain Shaggy at the toss proved right by an emphatic drubbing against our "bogey side".

Mick and Shaggy batted superbly on a tricky wicket before Saj, Tilly and Nando all chipped in with a mixture of shots all around the ground. It was great to watch as we found the gaps, took quick singles as their heads dropped. The pace of the innings was superb as our boys took control of the game to set them a stiff target of 184 to win.

They never really got going. Dave and I opened up and had them 22-3 after 10 overs. Dave backed up last week with a great spell before Mick Showed off agian with four wickets. Shaggy's off breaks baffled everyone before Nando and Atters finished the job with them a meagre 102 runs short.

Daz took another contender for catch of the season (although I preferred Phil's) at mid-wicket. Bonus points for the dive, roll and celebration. Minus a point for winking at Miss Atters and her furry friend.

All catches held, superb to a man with the ground fielding and shutting out the singles. Brilliant display.

Lucky toss to loose.A game where the weather would have ruined a result, inspired captaincy by shaggy gave sandon a great win.Thumbs up shaggy.Invited to bat on a wet wicket shaggy changed the batting order and my gamble didn't pay off but steve took to the bowlers and sandon maintained a steady run rate.
After the loss of steve shaggy and phill did a great job by consolidating the innings and as the situation demanded put together a match winning partnership.All changed after the rain break.
From 81 for 3 we slipped to 90 for 6.at 100 shaggy did a timely declaration to give them a stiff target under those conditions.

Well Porthill did have positive intent as the 1st delivery was driven powerfully for 4.That didnt last long, the very next ball he tried to repeat it and shaggy held a well judged catch and steve provided a big breakthrough early.
Dave hassall sharing the new ball instead of mick was a great decision.Dave hassall gave a hard time to their batters by repatedly hitting stumps,some unplayable deliveries..Great spell dave to get the next 4 wickets to fall..well judged catch by daz to get rid of Mason who can be dangerous.Steve got into the act again by removing their middle order.the delivery to the left hander was a beauty..well done steve..
Time running out and their opener still at the wicket shaggy did a great bowling change.Micks pace was too quick and with 4 deliveries sandon managed to get the last to wickets..Leaving mick on a hat-trick for next match..Great day for sandon where no other teams managed to get a full game.Well done sandon

Pinfold Semi-final date now confirmed as Sunday July 8th (home) v. Keele(surely 'main man' Neil Cheadle can't have the same luck twice!!

Roy Bradburn (Ump Sec) has contacted me tonight(not sure why he doesn't ring Butler!) to tell us that the League have re-scheduled Leek v Porthill's Pinfold QF cup game for Sunday 24/06/12. Once that is resolved, they will give us a new date for our semi-final game. So hang fire boys!

Dave