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2004-2006 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
2024 SeasonApril 28th Staplefield v TWCC - too wet May 5th Streat and Westmeston May 12th TWCC v Greys May 19th TWCC v Xiles May 26th Nuthurst v TWCC June 2nd Balcombe CC v TWCC - Availability failure June 9th TWCC v Xiles June 16th TWCC v London Unity Jun 23rd TWCC v Cutters' Choice June 30th Henfield CC v TWCC July 4th - 7th Tour Letchworth - home of the World's first roundabout July 14th Hurstpierpoint v TWCC Availability failure July 21st TWCC v Burgess Hill July 28th Horsted Keynes v TWCC August 4th Duke of Wellington v TWCC August 11th Headliners v TWCC - Availability failure August 18th TWCC v Ferring CC August 25th TWCC v Horley CC - Availability failure September 1st Ditchling v TWCC Top 2023 Season April 30th Staplefield v TWCC - Wetted off May 7th Streat & Westmeston CC v TWCC May 14th TWCC v Greys May 21st Partridge Green CC v TWCC May 28th Bolney CC v TWCC June 4th TWCC v Balcombe CC June 11th TWCC v Xiles June 18th TWCC v London Unity June 25th TWCC v Cutters Choice July 2nd Henfield CC v TWCC July 9th Horsted Keynes CC v TWCC July 16th TWCC v Horley CC July 23rd TWCC v St James Montefiore July 30th TWCC v Horsted Keynes CC August 6th Brighton Crescent v TWCC August 13th Headliners v TWCC August 17th to 20th Tour August 27th Eastbourne Martletts v TWCC September 3rd Ditchling Sunday XI v TWCC September 10th Loxwood Sunday XI v TWCC September 17th TWCC v Bolney CC September 24th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston October 1st TWCC v Zambucca Tigers Top 2022 Season April 24th Staplefield v TWCC May 1st Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 8th TWCC v Greys CC May 15th Lindfield v TWCC - Rained off May 22nd Horsted Keynes v TWCC May 29th TWCC v Balcombe CC June 2nd TWCC V Locksbottom CC T20 June 5th TWCC v Xiles June 12th TWCC v London Unity June 19th TWCC v Jevington CC June 26th Henfield CC v TWCC July 3rd Balcombe CC v TWCC July 10th TWCC v Burgess Hill Sunday XI July 17th Cuckfield CC v TWCC July 24th TWCC v Cutters Choice - Cancelled July 31st St James Montefiore CC v TWCC August 7th TWCC v Headliners August 14th TWCC v Cutters Choice August 21st TWCC v Horley CC September 4th Crescent CC v TWCC September 11th TWCC v Bolney CC September 19th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston CC September 25th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Top 2021 Season April 25th Staplefield v TWCC May 2nd Streat and Westmeston CC v TWCC - Match abandoned May 9th TWCC v The Mighty Greys May 16th Lindfield CC v TWCC - Rained off May 23rd TWCC v Bolney CC May 30th Headliners v TWCC June 6th TWCC v Xiles June 13th TWCC v London Unity June 20th TWCC v Lindfield June 27th Henfield v TWCC Abandoned (early) July 4th TWCC v Balcombe CC Rained off July 16th Hurstpierpoint v TWCC 20:20 July 18th Cuckfield CC v TWCC August 1st St. James' Montefiore CC v TWCC August 8th TWCC v Zambucca Tigers - Rained off August 15th Pavilion TWCC v Warninglid - and Pavilion opening August 22nd Parham CC v TWCC August 29th Ditchling CC v TWCC September 5th TWCC v Staplefield CC September 12th Bolney CC v TWCC September 19th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston - Match abandoned September 26th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Captain's Review Top 2020 Season July 12th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston July 19th Crescent CC v TWCC July 26th Cutter's Choice v TWCC August 2nd Hadlow Down and Moulsecombe Wanderers CC v TWCC August 9th Warninglid CC v TWCC August 16th Balcombe v TWCC August 23rd TWCC v Parham CC August 30th Ditchling CC v TWCC September 6th TWCC v Staplefield September 13th Bolney CC v TWCC September 20th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 27th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Captain's Review Top 2019 Season April 30th TWCC v Wisley CC May 5th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 12th TWCC v Greys May 19th Lindfield v TWCC May 26th TWCC v Westbourne CC June 2nd TWCC v Southwick CC June 9th TWCC v Xiles June 16th TWCC v London Unity June 23rd Jevington CC v TWCC Cancelled - arson! June 27th-30th Tour - Wimborne July 14th Staplefield v TWCC - Cancelled July 21st TWCC v Billingshurst - Cancelled, no team (50 over World Cup) July 28th TWCC Single Wicket Competition August 4th TWCC v Cutter's Choice Cricket Club August 11th TWCC v Warninglid CC August 25th TWCC v Sunday Seconds CC September 1st Crescent CC v TWCC September 8th Staplefield v TWCC September 15th TWCC v Bolney - Cancelled September 22nd TWCC v Streat and Westmeston Top 2018 Season April 29th TWCC v Wisley - Match cancelled May 6th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 13th TWCC v Greys May 20th Lindfield v TWCC May 27th Bolney CC v TWCC June 3rd Jevington CC v TWCC June 10th Xiles v TWCC June 17th TWCC v London Unity June 28th - July 1st TWCC Tour to Wimborne Minster July 22nd Headliners v TWCC July 15th TWCC v Staplefield - Match cancelled August 26th TWCC v Warninglid - Match cancelled September 2nd Crescent CC v TWCC September 9th Parham CC v TWCC September 16th TWCC v Bolney CC September 23rd TWCC v Streat and Westmeston Match cancelled - rained off September 30th TWCC v Brighton Beamers 2018 Captain's Report Top 2017 Season April 30th TWCC v Wisley CC May 7th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 14th TWCC v Greys May 21st Lindfield CC v TWCC May 28th Bolney CC v TWCC June 4th Parham CC v TWCC June 11th TWCC v Xiles June 18th TWCC v London Unity June 25th West Chiltington & Thakenham CC v TWCC June 30th - July 2nd Tour to Oxfordshire July 16th TWCC v Staplefield July 23rd Warnham CC v TWCC No match, no opposition August 12th Steve Rogers Memorial Game August 20th TWCC v Rottingdean No match, not sure why August 27th Nuthurst v TWCC September 3rd Crescent CC v TWCC September 10th Ashurst v TWCC September 17th TWCC v Bolney CC September 24th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston In Praise of Old Scorebooks - Richard on finding buried treasure Season Review Top 2016 Season April 24th TWCC v Partridge Green (no play due to several circumstances principally a lack of PG players) May 1st Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 8th TWCC v Greys May 15th Lindfield v TWCC May 22nd Bolney v TWCC May 29th Parham CC v TWCC - Called off June 5th West Chiltington v TWCC June 12th TWCC v Rottingdean June 19th TWCC v Malayalee July 1st to 3rd Tour! July 10th Staplefield v TWCC - Called off July 17th TWCC v Wisley July 24th Henfield v TWCC - Called off July 31st Partridge Green v - Called off August 7th TWCC v Xiles - Called off; no Xiles present August 14th Warnham CC v TWCC - Called off, not by us! August 21st Warninglid CC v TWCC August 28th Crescent CC v TWCC September 4th Ashurst v TWCC September 11th TWCC v Bolney CC September 18th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 25th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Top 2015 Season April 26th Brunswick Village v TWCC May 3rd Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 10th TWCC v Greys May 17th Swans (Moulsecoomb Wanderers v TWCC) May 24th Bolney CC v TWCC May 31st Parham CC v TWCC (Rained off) June 7th West Chiltington v TWCC June 14th TWCC v London Unity June 21st TWCC v Headliners July 3rd-5th Tour - Bournemouth July 12th TWCC v Staplefield July 19th TWCC v Wisley CC August 9th TWCC v Xiles August 16th Warnham CC v TWCC August 23rd TWCC v Streat and Westmeston CC August 30th Crescent CC v TWCC September 6th TWCC v Ashurst September 13th TWCC v Bolney - Teamed off (us) September 20th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston - Teamed off (us) September 27th TWCC v Brighton Beamers 2015 Review - Richard Brock TWCC Captain Top 2014 Season April 27th Brunswick Village v TWCC - Match Teamed Off May 4th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 11th TWCC v Greys May 18th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers May 25th Bolney v TWCC June 1st Parham CC v TWCC June 8th TWCC v Twineham School 20:20 Good game, good fun, ran out of Harveys. June 15th TWCC v London Unity June 22nd TWCC v Headliners July 13th Staplefield v TWCC July 20th TWCC v Wisley July 27th Henfield v TWCC August 3rd Albourne and Sayers Common v TWCC Teamed off (not us!) August 10th TWCC v Xiles August 17th Warnham CC v TWCC Teamed off (them) August 24th TWCC v Warninglid Teamed off (them) August 24th TWCC v Henfield August 31st Crescent CC v TWCC September 7th Ashurst v TWCC Teamed off (them) September 14th TWCC v Bolney CC September 21st TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 28th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Cancelled due to low numbers Top 2013 Season April 28th TWCC v Brunswick Village May 5th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 12th TWCC v Greys Rained Off/Teamed Off May 19th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers May 26th Bolney v TWCC June 2nd Parham CC v TWCC June 16th TWCC v London Unity June 23rd TWCC v Headliners June 30th Poynings v TWCC July 5th - 7th Tour July 14th TWCC v Staplefield July 21st TWCC v Wisley July 28th TWCC v Henfield August 4th Warnham v TWCC August 11th Moulsecoomb Wanderers v TWCC Rained Off/Teamed Off August 18th Partridge Green v TWCC Rained Off/Teamed Off August 25th TWCC v Warninglid September 1st Crescent v TWCC No Data, Rained Off or Cancelled September 8th Ashurst v TWCC No Data, Rained Off or Cancelled September 15th TWCC v Bolney No Data, Rained Off or Cancelled September 22nd TWCC v Streat & Westmeston No Data, Rained Off or Cancelled September 29th TWCC v Brighton Beamers No Data, Rained Off or Cancelled Top 2012 Season April 29th Brunswick Village v TWCC Rained Off May 6th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC Rained Off May TWCC v Greys Rained Off May 20th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers May 27th Bolney CC v TWCC June 3rd Parham Park v TWCC June 10th TWCC v Xiles June 17th TWCC v London Unity Rained Off June 24th TWCC v Headliners Cancelled July 1st Henfield v TWCC July 6th - 8th TWCC Tour July 15th Staplefield v TWCC Cancelled July 22nd TWCC v Wisley July 29th TWCC v Henfield August 5th Albourne and Sayers Common v TWCC August 26th Warninglid v TWCC September 2nd TWCC v Crescent September 9th TWCC v Ashurst September 16th TWCC v Bolney CC Top 2011 Season April 24th TWCC v Brunswick Village May 1st Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 8th TWCC v Greys May 15th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers May 22nd Bolney v TWCC May 29th TWCC v Xiles June 5th Parham Park v TWCC June 12th TWCC v London Unity Rained off. June 19th TWCC v Headliners June 26th Poynings v TWCC July 3rd Wisley v TWCC July 10th Tintern v TWCC July 17th TWCC v Staplefield Rained off though the golf was on and lots of people thought it might be nicer to sit indoors watching it rather than get wet which we would have done if we'd played. July 24th Henfield v TWCC July 31st Albourne and Sayers Common August 7th Moulsecoomb Wanderers v TWCC August 14th TWCC v Warninglid August 21st Partridge Green v TWCC August 28th TWCC v Crescent September 4th TWCC v Ashurst Rained off September 11th TWCC v Bolney CC September 18th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 25th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Top 2010 Season April 25th TWCC v Brunswick Village May 2nd Streat and Westmeston v TWCC rained off May 9th TWCC v Greys May 16th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers May 23rd Bolney CC v TWCC May 30th Parham Park v TWCC June 6th TWCC v Xiles June 13th TWCC v London Unity June 20th TWCC v Headliners June 27th Poynings v TWCC - Poynings called it off because they prefer football to cricket July 4th TWCC v Preston Park July 11th Staplefield v TWCC July 16th - 18th TWCC Tour to Dorset July 25th TWCC v Henfield - Match cancelled due to shortfall of players. In numbers that is. August 1st Albourne and Sayers Common v TWCC August 8th Moulsecoomb Wanderers v TWCC August 15th Warninglid v TWCC August 29th TWCC v Crescent September 5th TWCC v East Brighton September 12th TWCC v Bolney September 19th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 26th TWCC v Brighton Beamers October 3rd TWCC v Partridge Green - Match cancelled due to too much weather Top 2009 Season April 26th TWCC v Brunswick Village May 3rd Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 10th TWCC v Greys May 17th Moulsecoomb Wanderers v TWCC rained off May 24th Bolney v TWCC May 31st Ashurst v TWCC June 14th TWCC v London Unity June 21st TWCC v Headliners June 28th TWCC v Poynings July 5th Wisley v TWCC July 26th Henfield v TWCC August 2nd TWCC v X-iles August 9th TWCC v Moulsecoomb Wanderers August 16th TWCC v Warninglid September 6th Albourne and Sayers Common v TWCC September 13th TWCC v Bolney September 20th TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 27th TWCC v Brighton Beamers October 4th TWCC v Partridge Green 2009 Season Review 2009 Statistics Top 2008 Season April 27th Brunswick Village v TWCC May 4th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 11th TWCC v Greys May 18th TWCC v Moulscombe Wanderers May 25th Bolney v TWCC June 1st Ashurst v TWCC June 8th Single Wicket Competition June 15th TWCC v London Unity June 20th to 22nd Tour to Suffolk June 29th Poynings v TWCC July 6th TWCC v Wisley July 13th Staplefield v TWCC July 20th TWCC v Southern Cross and Hornblowers July 27th TWCC v Henfield August 3rd TWCC v President's XI August 10th Moulsecoomb v TWCC August 17th Warninglid v TWCC Top 2007 Season April 29th Brunswick Village v TWCC May 6th Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 20th TWCC v Moulescomb Wanderers June 10th Single Wicket 2007 July 1st 2007 Twineham and Wineham v. Poynings July 22nd Southern Cross and Hornblowers July 29th Henfield v TWCC August 12th Moulescombe Wanderers v TWCC August 19th TWCC v Warninglid September 2nd TWCC v Worthing Foresters September 9th Albourne and Sayers Common v TWCC September 30th TWCC v Brighton Beamers Top 2006 Season August 6th TWCC v President's XI August 13th Moulescombe Wanderers v TWCC August 20th Warninglid v TWCC 17th September Bolney v TWCC 24th September TWCC v Streat and Westmeston 1st October TWCC v Brighton Beamers Season Retrospective Top 2004-2006 Season - In Praise of Old Scorebooks Written by Richard Brock in 2017 - on the occasion of Nigel finally returning a scorebook! |
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| Top of page 2024 Season Top of page Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 5th 2024 Well. Here we are again. Cricket! Hooray for this at least in this difficult world. Skipper Brock was delayed by his inability to pass by on the other side, and so it was Skipper Edwards who won the toss and chose to bowl first on a grey afternoon with the occasional touch of rain in the air. (It cleared out later, hence the lovely Streaty pictures.) Tom R and Henry opened up the season's bowling campaign in great style, Tom from the Downs End and Henry from the Posh House End, both charging in as if the winter layoff hadn't even been a thing, and they were right on it with the ball nipping and cutting about on the juicy surface. Matt Porter and Rich Gill saw off the first four overs with the ball repeatedly smacking into Jonathan's gloves as the ball nipped about off the juicy early-season surface. Of the two batters it was Rich Gill who seemed to have been living on an IPL diet, and he was operating on a see-ball hit/edge/miss-ball basis which, actually, was working fairly well. Matt was the first to go as he mistimed a shorter ball from Henry to square leg where the ball was confidently held by Brocky, which thus, naturally, firmly fixed the Champagne Moment bar so high it could never be further raised. Tremendous moment for Henry who started off his 2024 season so well, and, indeed, which he added to in the next wicket maiden as he bowled a slightly slower ball under Rich Gill's bat and knocked over his stumps. Henry's off and running. Tom, with inspirational energy, was regularly making the batters play and miss as the ball smacked into Jonathan's gloves, until the moment it smacked into Mike Wise's middle stump knocking it clean out of the ground. Streat and W from 29 for no wicket were suddenly 30 for 3. Charlie and Jim took over the bowling reins and Charlie's name was soon in the wickets column as he first bowled Dave Christmas and then sent down a stoppy ball to Steve Penney who was through it too early and lobbed a highish catch to Tom R at mid-off who ran round slightly to take a safe catch. (I have to be honest here - Tom, you must have made the catch look so easy that I had no recollection of it at all and had to ask Matt! Oh dear - the Gazette can't get the staff.) (Or decent ones in any case.) (At least they're honest.) Jim meanwhile, blinking in the light of day as he emerged from his winter storage, was rolling in and getting a bit of swing, and though wicketless, and increasingly left-kneeless, he was also pretty much run free in his six overs. In amongst all this tight bowling Streat and Westmeston were now 46 for 5 off 15 overs, but they still had batting to come, not least Colin Mansfield who can generally be relied on to lift the scoring however well the bowlers might think they're doing. But, worry not, TWCC fans, Brocky had yet to enter the bowling fray, and he was on a good length straight away, and his 11th ball popped up a bit off a full length in front of Colin M who slightly went through with his forward prod and the ball popped up towards Matt at extra-cover who ran in, dived forwards, and took a lovely diving catch low to the ground. The home side were on 63 for 6 with Colin back in the pavilion, and soon Matt, having replaced Jim, had Rob Eastwood caught and bowled - a sharpishly hit shoulder-high return ball that Matt clung on to with characteristic ease. Brocky then had his second as Colin Marshall toe-ended a wider ball outside his off stump that went through to Jonathan who was standing up and who held on to complete the Proper Cricket Moment of the day as he grabbed a great quick catch, backing up an afternoon of excellent keeping that we might seem to take for granted but don’t. With Streat and W on 83 for 8 after 29 overs, a bit of rear-guard batting action from Bill Baxter and Lee Maysey put on a few runs as thoughts turned towards tea. Tony, who began with a maiden, bowled three tight overs of varying pace and turn, using the slope from his left to right as the ball dropped from assorted heights, but he ended up wicketless. Henry returned and he and Tom Firth finished off the innings as the two and a half hours were up, with Tom looking pretty good too as he wheeled in and immediately found a good length with some pace. And there we were - it was time for some lovely sandwiches and a slice of cake unless you were the person who had several slices of cake, as Streat and Westmeston finished off on an under-par-but-you-never-know 114 for 9 in 39 overs. No Paul, amongst others, but we had half of our regular opening batsmen in The Firth, who was joined by Matt and the two set about things with gusto as Matt Porter and R Hull opened the bowling for the home side. Matt Porter immediately found some good late swing and one ball in particular started off on Tom F's fourth stump on a great length, and it swung back in and nipped through to clip the top of the stumps. Another moment of proper cricket, though, sadly, it did for Firthy who was out in the third over for just three runs. Talking of three, in at three came Tony who, with two balls to survive in this difficult Matt Porter over, took guard, swung his arms about at bit to loosen up, and ignoring how difficult all this cricket business was, smacked the first ball he'd faced since last year for four through the covers, and, just to make sure everything was working ok, he did the same with the next ball as well. He was off on one. Matt, too, was stroking the ball about by now, and two lovely standing tall back-foot punches through cover point for four off Hull continued to make it look as if a TWCC walkover had begun. But, lest we forget, TWCC are famed for batting performances of many colours... Matt, who followed the off-side shots with some leg-side boundaries from shorter balls before Dave Christmas found his length, was the next to go as that length was found and he was bowled for a fine 23, with TWCC on 49 for 2. Brocky joined Tony in the middle, and the pair put on runs as Tony's piratical take no prisoners approach to batting quickly pushed the score up, and, of course, Brocky played his part too as he not only rotated the strike but also scored a couple of boundaries of his own. The score inexorably approached Streat's low total, when Mike Wise and then Colin Marshall began to deliver some quite serious bowling. On target, on a good length, it was no longer the done thing to assume that everything would work out alright and, indeed, it began not to. Tony was out to the tight off-spin of Wise, bowled, for 37 which included some belligerence as well as guile, and then Brocky was caught behind off Colin Marshall to a really very good low and wide catch by, after a process of elimination, I assume Rich Gill with the gloves? Fear not, previously traumatised TWCC fans, in the middle we now have Jonathan, he of the low stance and potent mix of angled placement and shotgun drives, and he it was who secured Shot of the Day with the first of two straight drives for four, one either side of the bowler's stumps. The first of these was the winner for us here the Gazette, as the sound of crisp middled ball cracked around the stadium and the ball rocketed off to the long-off boundary. Played on length, he waited for the ball to arrive under his eyes, and then he hit through with great timing, a shot he repeated almost immediately and, though slightly less middled, off it went to the right hand side of the distant sight screen. And now batting with Jonathan, after Brocky's demise, we have the stately figure of Tom Ry.... oh no we don't. His head full of all the right thoughts about taking his team on to overtake an easy target, Tom faced his first ball that arrived from Colin Marshall, a lovely half volley that he drove hard but uppishly to Matt Porter at mid-off and he was out almost before he was in. Oh golly. At one point TWCC were on 104 for 3 with only 11 to get, and here we were having transited through 104 for 4, 104 for 5, and, what's this? 104 for 6! But why did Jonathan get out? There he was, all sorted and in charge, and then he was caught off Wise by Matt Porter, out for a totally convincing 16 off 12 balls. Surely there was no need for that! Having found a spare knee in his bag, Jim was in at 7 to help with the collapse, and he had been all set to not get out while watching Jonathan sort out the win when suddenly he was in there with Charlie and then Charlie let one from Colin Marshall squirrel under his bat and TWCC were 105 for 7... Hmm... The TWCC Press Officers would be lying if they pretended that this sort of precedent didn't exist, and Streat seemed to know it. But Henry next in - he can bat. All good. A few scurried ones and twos, a four from Henry, lots of dots as Mike Wise and Colin Marshall didn't let up at all, a bit of batting patience, lots of watchful blocking, then finally Jim pounced on a rare wide ball from Wise and it was all over with Henry and Jim not out and a TWCC win finally dropped in to the bag. With excellent bowling and fielding from both sides, but with mixed batting performances, this was a game that TWCC should, after restricting the home side to 114, have won more easily, but win they did. Low scoring matches are often good fun because the reason for low scores is often not entirely down to incompetency, and there are issues to overcome. Good bowling, tight fielding, a nippy wicket were all in play, and it added up to an enjoyable game to be part of. Thanks to Streat and Westmeston for being full of the joys of cricket and we look forward to the next time. Scorecard Toss won by Skipper Edwards who chose to bowl first S&W Innings: M Porter ct R Brock bld H Short 1; R Gill bld H Short 20; M Wise bld T Rydon 0; D Christmas bld C Howes 8; S Penney ct T Rydon bld C Howes 5; C Mansfield ct M Edwards bld R Brock 8; R Eastwood ct & bld M Edwards 14; C Marshall ct J Rowland (wk) bld R Brock 10; B Baxter run out (C Howes) 6; L Maysey not out 13; R Hull not out 0. Extras 29 (B11, LB4, W 12, NB 2) Total 114 for 9 (39 overs). Fall: 1-29, 2-30, 3-30, 4-37, 5-46, 6-63, 7-79, 8-83, 9-103. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-15-1; H Short 9-3-18-2; C Howes 5-0-23-2; J Simon 6-3-6-0; R Brock 5-1-13-2; M Edwards 4-1-7-1; T Pearce 3-1-8-0; T Firth 2-0-8-0. TWCC Innings: T Firth bld M Porter3; M Edwards bld D Christmas 23; T Pearce bld M Wise 37; R Brock ct wk bld C Marshall 17; J Rowland ct M Porter bld M Wise 16; T Rydon ct M Porter bld C Marhsall 0; J Simon not out 8; C Howes bld C Marshall 1; H Short not out 4. DNB E Bunn. Extras 8 (B2, W4, NB2) Total 117 for 7 (27 overs). Fall: 1-9, 2-49, 3-86, 4-104, 5-104, 6-104, 7-105. S & W Bowling: M Porter 7-0-41-1; R Hill 2-0-15-0; D Christmas 7-2-21-1; M Wise 7-2-27-2; C Marhsall 4-2-14-3. TWCC win by 2 wkts (TWCC only had 10 players). Top of page TWCC v Greys May 12th 2024 Excess rain continued to make mowing the home pitch impossible, and so TWCC offer thanks to Greys who masterminded a switch to the Horsdean ground where, ironically, the Sun beat down on the hottest day of the year so far. Matt won the toss and chose to field first, firing up Ed and Henry for the opening salvoes. Flynn and Line, Greys’ opening pair, began slowly but relentlessly, and it was a relief to TWCC when the first wickets fell off Henry’s fourth over, two in quick succession, one bowled and the other to a remarkable leg-side low catch from keeper Jonathan that involved at least two changes of direction and remarkable reflexes. Wonderful and, well, catches win matches, don’t they? More wickets for Henry in a season I’m sure we’ll look back on as that of his true emergence. Flynn continued to bustle the scoring along, and he was joined by the capable Ashton with the score on 25 for 2, and the two then began an 18 over partnership that really swung the game towards the Greys. Ed and Henry were replaced by Matt and Rob, the skipper wanting to keep the lid on the building score as much as possible and TWCC needed a breakthrough, but even these two bowlers were unable to slow the scoring. Chinu replaced Matt, and chances began to happen in the field, but balls fell in-between fielders and in the end he was wicketless on the day. It wasn’t thrashy or forced batting, but rather just a steady string of overs going for one or two boundaries time after time, and the score climbed and climbed. There were maidens, there were good balls, but there were also strokes that were fully rewarded. After a couple of maidens, and otherwise tight bowling which will come as no surprise, Rob’s seventh over went 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, W as Ashton pulled ball after ball to the leg-side boundary then rather floundered with the final ball which ended up in his stumps. The end of a match-defining partnership of 124, but Flynn was still there on 58 with the total already on 149 in the 24th over. This was going to be a big total for TWCC to chase. It became possible, with a new batter, for TWCC to manage the scoring to some extent, and Flynn was kept off strike and thus some pressure was able to be applied as Kanishka and Charlie took over the bowling, and Charlie, as often happens, got a straight one under Sewell’s defences in his first over. 160 for 4 after the 26th over, but Flynn was still there, and he was joined by Hoare who also began to score freely and the total cleared the 200 mark in the 32nd over. Kanishka, in his first spell of the season, whirred in and sent down full balls that had a look at the batters’ leg stumps and pads, but none of which got through. Jim’s first ball, quite slow, swung off leg stump and nipped under and round Hoare’s bat to hit middle stump low down, and from that point on the scoring was slowed. Ed and Henry returned to finish off, and Henry’s shorter ball to Newland was top-edged to square leg where Jim managed to clamp his hands around a spinning ball, Ed bowled Hermitage, and the innings closed with Greys on 237 for 7, with Flynn carrying his bat onto a very good unbeaten 86 not out. One other notable feature of our fielding performance was the complete of any byes! And that's not because we didn't try. Well done Jonathan (again!). Ed, having manfully volunteered to provide tea, seemed to have mobilised an entire catering department. It was, course, wonderful, and we look forward to Charlie’s tea with great anticipation. Matt, with commendable imagination, chose to open the batting with Jim, and, although the scoring was slow in the face of some tight bowling, the two batted well together, confident in their running and calling, before Matt, after several previously successful lifted boundary drives over the in-field, was caught in the slips for 29 good, sensible, effective runs. The pair had been running hard in the hot sunshine, lots of twos as the grass was quite long, and generally keeping the scoreboard at least interested if not moving with any great conviction in the face of the target of 238. Indeed, as Rob walked in at three, it was already the 14th over and the total was not really high enough at just 43, but the asking rate hadn’t really been discussed in any detail – we’d just see what happened. And with Rob, lots can. Even Jim managed a couple of leg-side boundaries as well as all his ones and twos, and the two began to push the field quite well, if a little riskily on Jim’s part as he did his best to up the rate and/or get out. Rob began to become more expansive, life was good, until Jim tried too hard to pull a ball that got somewhat caught in his jockery and which ended up disturbing his furniture. Jim out for 25, but never mind, given the total TWCC were chasing, and with TWCC then on 69 for 2 in the 19th over, TWCC needed a bit of an impetus and there are few more impetustastic batters than Chinu. Chinu at 4 – a masterstroke from Skipper Edwards, and Rob and Chinu began to score some lovely serious runs, taking the score up rapidly with 6’s and 4’s and even a few singles to 110 as Rob and Chinu sent the ball to all corners, both hitting more boundaries than anything else runwise. But all good things come to an end, and after a rapid partnership of 41 off about 4 overs Rob went for a wide square cut off Ashton’s first delivery, the ball minimally found the toe-end of his bat and the keeper took the undeviating ball off the finest of cue ends. Rob, out after some cultured well-timed swings of his bat, including a straight 6 and six 4’s, for 37. But Chinu was still in, then on 14 off 6 balls with two sixes to wide mid-on/straight mid-wicket (...oh, alright... cow corner...) as Jonathan joined him for some more going-for-it batting. An enjoyable period of play, though the target was still a long way off with half the overs over, as these two carried on the good work, and it only ended when Chinu failed to fully step back into his crease for a slightly slow-motion stumping. Oh dear, out for 34 off just 22 balls – but worry not for Chinu will fly again. After this, it did all rather go Greys’ way. Ashton bowled well in spite of tweaking something when umpiring, oddly, and he ended up not only with Rob and Chinu’s wickets, but also with those of George and Jonathan, both bowled, and TWCC went from 143 for four to 152 for 6 in the same over. There remained moments of individual glory for the TWCC players; Kanishka’s patient observation of the first eight balls he faced before clattering a lovely... no clattering is the wrong word... timing/pushing almost blocking a ball with a straight bat, left-hand high, over the bowler’s head for six was one, and he hit another four before being caught off Newland for, well, 10. Then, after Edward’s bat wasn’t quite as long as he remembered and he was bowled, and Ed was given out LBW after stroking a lovely 4, we were treated to a cameo from Henry, batting low down on this occasion, as he hit three beautifully-timed shots for four. Henry and Charlie were the last of us, TWCC were on 177, and with the 238 target now too far off and with only 25 balls left there occurred something strange. It was an odd one. Firstly, it was odd because although these two were TWCC’s last pair, and although a draw was possible, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of everyone crowding the bat, or, indeed, of the batters going into their shells. Henry wasn’t in any trouble, scoring evenly and safely, then oddness struck again as he edged a ball through to the keeper, who dropped it, and then with the excited appeal still ringing round the ground, he was given out LBW. It may have been pad first, it may have been... well...something else I can’t think of, but what it definitely was was the end of the game. TWCC all out for 182 at the end of the 36th over, with Henry on 14 and Charlie not out 0. The game was won by Flynn and Ashton with the bat in their productive partnership, and with these runs on the board the TWCC chase was always going to be risky if we went for it, as we did of course. It’s only cricket – got to be fun. Scorecard Toss won by Skipper Edwards who chose to field first. 38/42 flexi-over draw possible format! Greys Innings: Flynn not out 86; Line bld H Short 11; J Walker ct J Rowland (wk) bld H Shortt 0; Ashton bld R Rydon 68; Sewell bld C Howes 6; Hoare bld J Simon 23; Newland ct J Simon bld H Short 7; Hermitage bld E Howes 8; Burgess not out 2. DNB McHugh, A. N. Other. Estras 20 (LB3, W13, NB4) Total 237 for 7 (40 overs). Fall: 1-25, 2-25, 3-149, 4-160, 5-202, 6-211-ish, 7 234-ish. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-2-25-1; H Short 8-1-43-3; R Rydon 7-2-44-1; M Edwards 4-0-28-0; C Sharma 3-0-40-0; C Howes 4-0-22-1; K Bahttacharya 3-0-21-0; J Simon 3-1-11-1. TWCC Innings: M Edwards (Capt) ct Ashton bld McHugh 29; J Simon bld Sewell 25; R Rydon ct J Rowland (wk) 37; C Sharma st, bld Ashton 34; J Rowland (wk) bld Ashton 17; G Howes bld Ashton 0; K Bahttacharya ct Newland bld Hermitage 10; E Howes LBW Newland 4; E Bunn bld Newland; H Short LBW Sewell 14; C Howes not out 0. Extras 12 (B5, LB4, W3) Total 182 all out (36.5 overs). Fall: 1-43, 2-69, 3-110, 4-143, 5-143, 6-152, 7-162, 8-166, 9-177, 10-182. Greys Bowling: Hermitage 8-1-27-1; Newland 6-1-19-2; McHugh 6-0-33-0; Sewell 8.5-1-45-2; Burgess 3-0-41-0; Ashton 5-2-8-4. Greys win by 55 runs. Top of page TWCC v Xiles May 19th 2024 Thank you Ed for sorting out the match. I suspect anyone else would have crumbled and said game off, so good one! And there we were, playing a home game at Lindfield against Xiles, who won the toss and chose to bowl first in a 38/42 wünderformat. Tom F and Jonathan opened the batting for TWCC and both were on top form. It was all lovely with both batters scoring freely and yet safely. Tom’s notable strokes were an on-drive for four all along the ground, a top edge to cover point who fumbled an easy catch, and a few hard pulls to leg off full tosses, and Jonathan was watchfully knocking the ball about including pulls and drives and asstd. other strokings when, with both of them on 26 not out, one of them was out. It was Tom, bowled on 26, TWCC 52 for 1. Tony joined Jonathan and off they went, scoring both calculated ones and twos as well as hitting powerful boundary drives and pulls rapidly building on this excellent start. Neither batters were hanging about, and the score climbed to 109 in the 20th over when Tony did something I can’t remember that resulted in him being caught for 35. Great contributions from TWCC's top three - and one of them was still going. From this point on, sadly, we can be more brief. No one other than Tom F, Jonathan and Tony did much. Newcomer Ranunjay did look very accomplished, in particular a lovely leg glance for 4, but he was out for 10, and that was more or less it apart from one continuing exception; Jonathan. Jonathan’s innings was a master class of concentration, and I don’t think he was in trouble at any point. His strengths playing pulls and glances either side of the wicket were present in full, but his power and timing in shots straight down the ground yielded 4 after 4 as well. Tremendous. He passed 50 in a partnership of 33 with Ranunjay and ended up not out, carrying his bat, with 86 runs to his name. Clearly eyeing, and deserving, a century it’s a great shame his team mates rather failed him on the day. Three batters, including Jonathan, scored 147, Mr Extras chipped in with a valuable 21, and the rest of the might of TWCC scored 18. Oh dearie me. There was a little controversy along the way as Jim was out LBW in spite of several players hearing the edge, and Ranunjay might have been out of his ground for a stumping, but in the days... weeks... months... alright, years to come more or less all of us will have forgotten all about these little details. TWCC all out in the 36th over for 186, with 86 of those runs, including fifteen 4’s, coming from an unbeaten, though no doubt tired, Jonathan without whom... well... you know. Worryingly for TWCC on paper Xiles’ batting was rather stronger than their bowling. And, although the game did at one point veer towards the exciting, so it proved to be. David Hooper and Steve McReadie-Ford saw off Tom R and Charlie, and Henry was off the field, so Jim and Ed took over. Jim bowled McReadie-Ford and after a while Ed bowled David Hooper, but the batters kept coming, not least Bailey who, in the end, stayed put throughout. There was bowling and fielding success as Ranunjay took two wickets in his debut game, one bowled and a catch from Tom Firth in the covers. Kanishka also took two wickets, one bowled and the other was another great catch from Jonathan, standing up, as Shahzad Khan, who we know can score big, toe-ended a ball as he tried to cut the ball square, and Jonathan’s gloves were right there to snap it up. Proper cricket! By this point Xiles were more or less cruising to a win, but as Davids Hannant and Bailey might well have been representing the last of the thick of their batting, an unlikely TWCC win did begin to creep into WinViz’s percentages. TWCC’s batting colla... shortfall not only very likely deprived Jonathan of a century, but also handed Xiles 43 overs in which to chase 186. In the end they needed 41.1 overs of the 43, and, of course, TWCC could have batted through to 42 overs in their innings if they could have batted. If ifs and ands were pots and pans... The scorebook is a little unclear as to how the figures add up, but there is little doubt that, in the end, Xiles win was comfortable enough even though there were only 11 balls remaining to be bowled when the winning runs were scored. Scorecard Xiles won the toss and chose to field first. 38/42 draw possible format. Skippers E Howes and D Hannant. TWCC Innings: T Firth bld S McReadie-Ford 26; J Rowland not out 86; T Pearce ct D Hannant bld D Hooper 35; H Short ct Shahzad Khan bld D Hooper 4; J Simon LBW D Hooper 0; R Shekhawat ct D Bailey bld D Hannant 10; T Rydon ct D Bailey bld D Hannant 0; E Bunn ct wk bld D Hannant 1; K Bhattacharya bld T Richardson 1; E Howes ct & bld Shahzad Khan 2; C Howes bld R Manger 0. Extras 21 (B2, LB4, W13, NB2) Total 186 all out (36.4 overs). Fall: 1-52, 2-109, 3-119, 4-152, 5-152, 6-156, 7-168, 8-169, 9-185, 10-186. Xiles bowling: R Manger 7.4-1-21-1; T Richardson 8-1-40-1; Shahzad Khan 5-1-26-1; S McReadie-Ford 5-0-37-1; D Hooper 4-1-18-3; D Bailey 3-0-23-0; D Hannant 4-0-24-3. Xiles Innings: D Hooper bld E Howes 39; S McReadie-Ford bld J Simon 11; Sabir Khan ct T Firth bld R Shekhawat 4; D Bailey not out 50; A Carter bld K Bhattacharya 0; P Gupta bld R Shekhawat 4; Shahzad Khan ct J Rowland (wk) bld K Bhattacharya 10; D Hannant bld T Rydon 28; R Manger not out 2. DNB J Savitt, T Richardson. Extras 26 (B10, LB1, W6, NB9) Total 188 for 8 (41.1 overs). The book does not add up in many ways, with various totals achieved. Fall: 1-49, 2-70, 3-89, then it all stops and falls apart... TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 10-2-22-1; C Howes 5-0-34-0; J Simon 5-1-17-1; E Howes 6-1-14-1; R Shekhawat 5-0-27-2; K Bhattacharya 5-0-22-2; T Firth 5.1-0-40?-0. Tom's bowling analysis is hard to read and is not entered well enough to decipher... Xiles win by 2 wickets. Top of page Nuhurst v TWCC May 26th 2024 Well done Ed, again, for snaffling an away game when we needed one after Bolney pulled out. This time to our sometime opponents Nuthurst, over in Mannings Heath. Breezy, bright, scudding clouds sort of a day. Lovely. After winning the toss Nuthurst asked TWCC to bat, and some of us did. Tom F and Jim opened up calmly enough, a few runs knocked about to some tight bowling on a wicket that sloped and had quite a lot of variable, often low, bounce. Jim went too far forward to a ball that didn't come down the slope and he was stumped in slow-motion, but Tom and Tony continued on really well, absorbing the straight ones, the in-ducking ones, the low ones, whilst at the same time seeing off Nuthurst’s opening bowlers. Tony's eye, as always, was in from the start, and only got more innerer as the game progressed, but there’s no denying that it was slow going for all as the wicket was difficult and the bowling was pretty much spot on. 18 overs passed with the total on just 41 when Tom was bowled by a ball that kept a little low, but by then he had 19 well-taken runs to his name in his partnerships of, first, 10 with Jim and then 31 with Tony. In came Matt and he and Tony set about scoring more heavily as pace was put on the ball. Perhaps Matt's shot of the day, though there were many contenders, was a patient smooth lofted extra-cover drive for six into the bungalows, and Tony wasn't hanging around either as the score moved onwards and upwards. Tony,was taking a progressively more attacking approach, allowing himself a freer rein, and when Matt was out for 15 in the 26th over, having shared a partnership of 41 with the increasingly aggressive Tony, it was up to Brocky to carry on the good work - supporting Tony and knocking a few balls to the boundary on his own account before he was bowled for 12 by Nuthurst's skipper Rob Keen, with Tony on 47 and with 106 runs on the board in the 31st over. Time for TWCC's right-handed answer to David Gower, assuming, somewhat fancifully, that that question is ever going to be asked; full of style and grace as he...hang on...what's this... is this Tom Rydon out there, defending, pushing ones and twos? Yes it was; the proper Tom, the still in Tom, the sharer of another partnership with Tony as the latter began to apply a calculated disdain to his batting. The runs kept coming, mostly off Tony's bat, though plenty from Tom too as the score galloped on past 150 in the 37th over, with plenty of time to keep on going given the excellent and commendable over rate Nuthurst were delivering. In a day of so many eye-catching shots, rather than imply that any were "better" than the other, I'll mention two I particularly remember. The first, other than Matt's 6 or either of Brocky's back to back fours, was from Tom R, as he played forward to a pacy good length ball on an off-stump line, and, keeping an angled bat, he guided the ball down to third man off the face of the bat for a jogged single to put Tony back on strike. Now, regular readers will know that here at the Gazette we love a single almost more than anything else in that it indicates quick-thinking assessment, restraint and cricketing nous, and Tom's single epitomised the lot. The other shot that comes to mind has to come from Tony's bat, and I'm sure there are many I could mention. I've chosen the moment when Tony ignored the fact that the keeper was standing up, and as the bowler ran in Tony took one, then two, then a third shuffle down the wicket, and sure enough made a perfect half-volley out of a good length ball and thumped a six into the ring of protective netting at deep mid-wicket for one of his four 6's. With eleven 4's to his name as well as his maximums by the time the tea whistle blew Tony was on 106 and, with Tom on 20, the two had shared a partnership of 84 as they manufactured a total of 180 on a difficult wicket. The consensus was that with the ball keeping low and diving sideways down the slopes of the wicket, a decent par score might be anywhere from 140 to 160 (err... 150?), so no doubt the visitors' tea table was a slightly happier place than that of the home side, and not just because tradition insists that visitors don't have to do the washing up. Welsh griddle flat tea-cake-scone thingies. That's all I'm saying. Rather than go through everything to do with the Nuthurst reply let's just go with wickets for all the bowlers, three for Matt, two for Henry and Brocky, and one each for Tom R, Ed and Charlie. Some good catches were involved, six bowled (clean or otherwise), and with only opener R Singh, skipper Rob Keen and G Prior making it to double figures, the home side were unable to approach a chase or, as it turned out, to fend off a loss and they were all out for 66 or 68 depending on which part of the scorebook one focuses on. An away win in a game dominated, as on the previous week, by one performance, though this time in a winning cause for TWCC. Nuthurst were very welcoming, thank you if you read this, and are one of the sides we meet who get Sunday cricket with inclusion, fun and support being the most important aspects of the game. We hope to be back for a few more currant-based discs or to welcome them to our home ground when it surfaces. Did I say "good catches"? Well, three were good as in all catches are good. Jim took a dolly at square leg off Henry, Matt and Ed had to back-peddle for theirs, and that leaves a fourth to account for. Tony. Again Tony, he of century fame, nursing, as he was, a puffed up painful knee he found himself at second slip in a ring of, perhaps even three slips and a gully for Matt's third over of pacy bowling. Singh, Nuthurst's most resilient batter who looked like he was waiting for some indifferent bowling that never showed up, played half-forward to a fast ball around his off stump, and the ball found a thick edge that rocketed into the slip cordon where Tony, with the ball still going up, and which just missed his left ear, literally snapped it out of the ether like a frog catching a fly. There was a short stunned silence, not least from the batter, soon followed by us all glorying in the basic sportiness of the Tony. And he's good at golf. And, worst of all, he’s extremely nice. Scorecard Nuthurst won the toss and opted to field first in a timed match. Skippers R Keen and R Brock. TWCC Innings: T Firth(†) bld G Prior 19; J Simon st, bld J James 2; T Pearce not out 106; M Edwards bld G Prior 15; R Brock(*) bld R Keen 12; T Rydon not out 20. DNB H Short, E Bunn, C Howes, E Howes, G Cuthbert. Extras 16 (B8, W6, NB2) Total 190 for 4 (43 overs). Fall:1-10, 2-41, 3-82, 4-106. Nuthurst Bowling: K Greenwood 6-3-10-0; J James 11-4-34-1; A McLennan 4-0-17-0; G Prior 8-1-30-2; R Singh 7-0-39-0; R Keen 7-0-52-1. Nuthurst Innings: R Singh ct T Pearce bld M Edwards 22; K Greenwood ct M Edwards bld E Howes 3; C South bld T Rydon 1; D Williams ct J Simon bld H Short 1; O Prior bld M Edwards 1; R Keen(*) bld H Short 10; R Merry bld M Edwards 0; G Prior not out 10; G McLennan bld R Brock 0; A McLennan bld R Brock 0; J James ct E Howes bld C Howes 0. Extras 20 (B11, LB3, W6) Total 68 all out (27.4 overs). Fall 1-12, 2-14, 3-31,4-35, 5-49, 6-49, 7-49, 8-61, 9-61, 10-66 or 68 depending on book interpretation. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 6-2-7-1; E HOwes 6-3-4-1; H Short 6-1-17-2; C HOwes 2.4-0-8-1; R Brock 2-1-2-2. TWCC win by 122 or 124 runs. Top of page TWCC v Xiles June 9th 2024 Back on home turf, if you can call it turf, for the first time this season, TWCC welcomed Xiles for a return match having met them in an impromptu game a few weeks before. Xiles' skipper David Hannant won the toss and chose to bowl first. Tom and Matt opened the batting and Tom set the ball rolling with a crisp 2 off the first ball of the match. Tom then found himself playing the anchor role as Matt's natural ebullience soon saw him finding the boundary with increasing frequency. Lots of scoring, lots of overs, bowling changes, lots of not getting out followed, until the 20th over when Matt let one through from Rich Manger. TWCC 73 for 1 and Matt, deserving of a half-century, had to settle for a nonetheless lively 42 off not many more balls. Tony joined Tom for an over or four, before Tom, playing with freedom, was caught off Manger for a valuable 29 having, with Matt, set the game up brilliantly for the home side. Jonathan, at 4, provided the perfect left/right combo with Tony – both quick scoring and with plenty of overs in which to stretch out the situation - and the aficionados were sitting back to do a bit of revelling when Jonathan clipped one too uppishly to Shazad and his partnership of 17 with Tony was brought to a premature halt. Jim, in at 5, did his best to get and keep Tony on strike, a policy which bore fruit as their partnership ultimately added 94 when, after 13 overs together, Jim toe-ended a ball through to the keeper and he was out for 25. Tony had been peppering the boundaries, his ability to find the gaps quite astonishing, and he was powering on to a second successive century when he was caught by Shazad off Dinny for 89 after having hit eleven 4's and four 6's. Tremendous batting from TWCC's maestro. Henry and Ed had no time to do much, which they did, and the innings closed with TWCC on 211 for 5 in 42 overs. After a lovely Tony tea, Xiles went out with bats and TWCC went out with the same ball that had survived all Tony’s efforts to lose it. The familiar figure of Xiles' David Hooper opened, for a few balls, until Henry’s pace simply got through and somewhat shattered the stumps in his opening wicket maiden, and then in his first over Ed did for Sabir Khan who lobbed a ball up to Charlie at mid-on, leaving Xiles at 0 for 2. The familiar presence of Shazad Khan, he of the powerful bat and prolific cricketiness, came in at 3, and with David Bailey at 4 surely here was the Xiles powerhouse, the match-grabbers. Indeed they did begin to look as if they knew how to win the game, and, with the fast-running outfield, they took advantage of the few hittable balls. One particular shot from David B was a lovely loping front-foot drive watched all the way from Henry's hand onto the middle of his bat and off it went through extra cover to Jane’s hedge all along the ground. But the Xiles innings was soon in trouble as Shazad played a pull shot to a straight ball that was just a little fuller than he might have thought from Ed, and it did keep down a bit, and he was bowled in the 6th over for just 12 and Xiles were 22 for 3. The fall of wickets column is a little light on detail, and I would think a pencil sharpener might also have been a good idea, so it's impossible to be certain when David Bailey was out, but out he was, for just 19 and from that point on the game was firmly TWCC's to win. Henry it was who took this prized wicket, with, and I quote from Edward, "The best ball I've seen in village cricket - unplayable". Henry's rhythm was perfect, and bowling left arm over on a fourth or fifth stump line then swinging the ball into the top of off and middle... well, it's hard to argue with Edward’s assessment. Henry took two further wickets in a double-wicket maiden in a really excellent and very watchable spell. At the other end, following the wicket with his first ball, Ed’s sixth over saw Gupta edging a rising ball through to Jonathan for him to catch at shoulder height in the day's Proper Cricket moment, leaving, thank goodness, only four wickets for Brocky to mop up. Not that the batting entertainment was over as Dinny, then especially Rich Manger, fought a bit of a rear-guard action. Rich Manger was advancing down the wicket, smacking fours through mid-wicket off the front foot, even ramping the ball off Matt, and it was great to see the batters' unwillingness to even think of holding out for a draw, even if that was an unlikely stretch. But the wickets fell, Brocky taking two in his first over one of which was a sharp catch from The Firth at point, and then, well, more followed as Brocky's difficult length and true line led to an LBW and catches to Matt and Jonathan, resulting in Xiles being all out in the 24th over for 117, 94 runs behind. Tony and Matt, backed up by Tom and Jim, had ensured plenty of runs to defend, and Henry and Ed broke the back of any Xiles chase having Davids Hooper and Bailey and Shazad out for 31 runs between them. Truly an excellent pair of opening spells from these two pacers. Brocky and Matt were the only other TWCC players to bowl, and Brocky’s four wickets in his 5.5 overs hastened the end as TWCC’s first home game of the season was sealed with happy beer - the best sort of beer there is. Scorecard Xiles won the toss and chose to bowl first in a 38/42 80 over draw possible format. TWCC Innings: T Firth ct P Tully bld R Manger 29; M Edwards bld R Manger 42; T Pearce ct Dinnie bld Shazad Khan 89; J Rowland† ct Shazad Khan bld P Tully 4; J Simon ct wk bld Swapnil 25; H Short not out 4; E Howes not out 1. DNB E Bunn, C Howes, R Brock*. Extras 17 (B1, LB1, W15) Total 211 for 5 (42 overs). Fall: 1-73, 2-87, 3-104, 4-198, 5-206. Xiles Bowling: A Dinnie 8-0-37-0; A Sankar 8-1-23-0; P Tully 8-0-37-1; R Manger 8-1-40-2; Swapnil 5-0-22-1; D Hannant 4-0-45-0; Shazad Khan 1-0-5-1. Xiles Innings: D Hooper bld H Short 0; Sabir Khan ct C Howes bld E Howes 0; Shazad Khan bld E Howes 12; D Bailey bld H Short 19; P Gupta ct J Rowland (wk) bld E Howes 3; S Singh ct E Howes bld H Short 0; D Hannant ct T Firth bld R Brock 6; A Dinnie LBW R Brock 21; Ash ct M Edwards bld R Brock 0; R Manger not out 30; P Tulley ct J Rowland (wk) bld R Brock 9. Fall: 1-0, 2-0, 3-22, 4-41, 5-43, 6-43, 7-57, 8-58, 9-83, 10-117. TWCC Bowling: H Short 8-2-32-3; E Howes 7-0-22-3; R Brock 5.5-0-35-4; M Edwards 4-0-28-0. TWCC Win by 94 runs. Top of page TWCC v London Unity June 16th 2024 Sunshine! Not hot, but shirtsleeves were seen. Skippers Brock R and Driver J decided that London Unity would bat first, which clearly suited everyone at the time, and so began an innings that never really got going and a bowling performance that never really let up. Tom and Henry opened the bowling and, though Henry initially struggled a little into the strong wind, Unity’s openers were under pressure immediately with the pace from both ends. Tom was especially potent with the wind behind his thunderbolts, and he bowled Cockburn with just 8 on the board. Henry had to run into Tom’s wind, and although he was causing difficulties he was taken off to come back later with the elements less against him. Jim, replacing Henry, was getting his usual away swing and, in his first over, a slight leading edge was skied to mid-on where all the sensible money was on the catch being dropped. The ball was swirling about in the gusts, high on the wind, and it was hard for Kanishka to judge where to stand, and in the end he sensibly opted to stay where he was, and when everything stopped moving about there was the ball, safely clutched to his chest. Lovely catch (thank you, Ed). Unity were 25 for 2, and then, when Tom bowled Joe Driver and Jim had Kane LBW, the visitors, with half the overs gone, were on just 54 for 4. Tom really was on form, truly troubling good batters not just with his pace, but also with his line and length - really one of his great days with the ball and a pleasure to witness. Weekes, Unity's No 6, had to retire on 25, and though MacKenzie was still there the bowling didn't allow him to make any sort of telling impression on the scorebook. Matt, in a long spell, and Kanishka in a short one, took the game forwards, and then Brocky joined in. The game moved on, some runs were scored but not many, Matt bowled Caesar with the last ball of his ten overs, and Henry returned, now with the wind up him, and he was back to his usual self, bowling with pace, his left arm over angle troubling the batters just as they were looking to make the most of the freedom of the last available overs. Tom returned for two final overs and there just weren’t any freebies at all right through to the very end of the innings, and though Unity have batters who can score heavily, they sort of didn’t. Before we move on we must, once again, acknowledge the excellence of Jonathan with the gloves. Time and again his quick feet made takes from all over the place seem simple, and standing up he reacted quickly and securely to swinging, jumping deliveries, generally stopping any batters from wandering down the pitch and keeping everything tidy. Good keeping underpins any fielding effort, and keeping Unity down to 160 for 5 in 42 overs was all about an overall good fielding performance. One element of the TWCC bowling, however, does bear examination. 24 wides!!! Some were runs on top of the ball being wide, and whilst the windy conditions and a swinging ball didn’t help, well, I mean... 24? Extras in total...wait for it... 42. 42. MacKenzie’s 56 was the only other big score in Unity’s innings, and 161 to win was probably not enough. Lovely Brocky tea – thanks Rich, and thank you Louisa for all the help. Matt and Jim opened the innings for the home side, and though Weekes with his left arm over action did need some watching, Daniels provided some slow, short balls that went to the boundary much too often for Unity’s liking. As well as generally scoring freely as he does, Matt cracked a couple of lovely consecutive fours through mid-wicket off Weekes before, in the ninth over, he minutely edged the ball down short of first slip, only for keeper Caesar to dive forwards and stick out a sticky glove to hold on to a great catch. One of the moments of the game, sadly for Matt, out for 28 in an opening stand of 48. Jim followed soon after as he flashed for the first time in an otherwise sober effort, at a wide ball off the leg-spinning Coleth, to be caught at point by Weekes for a useful 18, leaving Tony and Jonathan to pile on the runs after TWCC’s short but productive opening partnership. Jonathan was as punchy as always, though he was caught behind for 16 off a ball that jumped up off a length from Coleth, who was bowling a good tight line and full length, whilst Tony was being the sensible, watchful, clever version of himself, not afraid of dots whilst also picking off the bad balls for fours. And, later, sixes. Ranunjay, in his second appearance for TWCC (thank you Ranunjay), showed good skills until he pushed too hard at a ball lobbing a catch up to mid-on, and Kanishka, with Tony still being the main force, took the game on to what was, largely thanks to Tony’s watchful power, beginning to look like the day should end with a home win. But TWCC have been here before... and here comes Mark Driver with the ball. Mark is a good bowler, no question, still with good pace, holding a consistent tight line and length, and nipping the ball about. Kanishka, whose role was to keep Tony company as he opened up the taps, helped their partnership reach 49 before being caught off Mark for 8, with Tony still going strong on 53. Enter Tom, looking every studied inch the stylish master of the situation, until he, too, was a victim of Mark’s really accurate and quite sharp bowling, out for just 10 after a lot of good work with Tony in a partnership of 17. So, once again, it was left to Henry, who often provides exactly what’s required in these situations, and Tony to ease TWCC to the target with three overs to spare. Tony, finished not out again, with a big score again, with sixes and fours again, on 73. Readers don’t have to be too astute to read the common thread that ran through this TWCC innings, again. Tony was never in any trouble, never gave a chance, somehow playing with safety in mind whilst at the same time peppering the landscape with well-timed pulls and cuts. Wonderful. Unity were unable to rattle the home side and the 161 target was reached with a few overs in hand. A shorter write up might have simply said “Good TWCC bowling and fielding kept Unity’s score below par, and, though he didn’t do it alone, Tony’s batting was the difference”, but where’s the fun in that? Scorecard Mutual agreement led to London Unity batting first in an 80 over 42/38 flexthingy London Unity Innings: D Gashemi ct K Bhattacharya bld J Simon 10; M Cockburn bld T Rydon 0; D MacKenzie not out 56; J Driver* bld T Rydon 3; A Gane LBW J Simon 8; M Weekes retired hurt 25; A Caesar† bld M Edwards 9; M Driver not out 7. DNB Burke, Coleth, Daniels. Extras 42 (B8, LB3, W24, NB7) Total 160 for 5 (42 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-25, 3-39, 4-54, 5-139. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 10-2-16-2; H Short 7-1-23-0; J Simon 7-2-25-2; M Edwards 10-0-32-1; K Bhattacharya 2-0-31-0; R Brock 6-1-23-0. TWCC Innings: M Edwards ct Caesar (wk) bld M Weekes 28; J Simon ct M Weekes bld Coleths 18; T Pearce not out 73; J Rowland† ct Caesar (wk) bld Coleths 16; R Shekhawat ct, bld Coleth 0; K Bhattacharya ct M Weekes bld M Driver 8; T Rydon ct J Driver bld M Driver 10; H Short not out 2. DNB E Bunn, R Brock*, M Short. Extras 6 (B1, LB2, W3) Total 161 for 6 (35.1 overs). London Unity Bowling: M Weekes 6-1-20-1; Daniels 6-1-39-0; Coleths 9-2-45-3; M Driver 8-1-25-2; Burke 6.1-0-28-0. TWCC win by 4 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Cutters' Choice June 23rd 2024 Having been put into bat, TWCC didn't score enough runs even with some help, and Cutter's Choice, needing 173 to win, were always in control of the match and won it with three overs to spare. Of note were three exceptional catches. All three in the slips, all three extraordinary, and all three taken by Tony the Great. Two were one handed, perhaps the best was when the ball was almost past him, off Matt's bowling, when the ball wasn't in his hand and then it was. Scorecard Cutters' Choice won the toss and chose to field first in an 80 overs flexidraw format thingy. TWCC Innings: T Firth ct (covers) bld Louis 24; M Edwards ct P Dalton (wk) bld Vijay 10; T Pearce ct P dalton (wk) bld Saff 1; J Rowland bld Jessie 35; Chinu bld Louis 4; H Short run out 2; J Simon not out 49; R Rydon bld Jessie 0; K Bhattacharya ct, bld Sam 15; T Rydon not out 2. DNB R Brock. Extras 30 (B17, LB1, W10, NB2) Total 172 for 8 in 42 overs. Fall: 1-31, 2-38, 3-38, 4-60, 5-72, 6-109, 7-113, 8-164. Cutters' Choice Bowling: Vijay 6-3-12-1; Saff 8-1-22-1; Louis 8-1-23-2; Vidit 6-1-19-0; Aman 5-0-22-0; Jessie 7-0-24-2; Sam 2-0-25-1. Cutters' Choice Innings: P Dalston ct T Pearce bld M Edwards 25; Toby ct T Pearce bld R Rydon 23; Jessie ct T Pearce bld R Brock 24; Someone whose name I can't decipher not out 59; Vidit bld T Rydon 20; Sam not out 2. DNB Nick R, Saff, Aman, Vijay, Louis. Extras 16 or 17 (LB1, W15 or 16) Total 175 for four. Fall: 1-57, 2-79, 3-110, 4-168. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 10-0-45-1; H Short 4-0-10-0; R Rydon 8-1-29-1; M Edwards 7-0-49-1; R Brock 5.1-0-30-1; J Simon 1-0-9-0. Cutters' Choice win by 6 wickets. Top of page Henfield CC v TWCC June 30th 2024 TWCC skipper Brock won the toss and chose to field first in a 35 overs/side first past the post game. Henry started off perfectly, his very first ball smashing into Hampton’s stumps, and then, as if that wasn’t enough, he did the same to Henfield’s No.3 with his third ball! This double wicket maiden firmly established the trajectory of the game as Henry put Henfield on the back foot from that electric start, both his wickets involving some lovely fast inswing and the clipping of the very tiddly top of the bails. Proper cricket. Tom R, opening from the pavilion end, took out their freer-scoring Griffiths (18) with another lovely piece of nip-back pace (I'm making this up - hard to see from wide mid-on) that crashed into the stumps. Henfield were somewhat rocking on 27 for 3 when there followed a brief recovery as Tom Helps made his way to Henfield's top score of 32 before we come on to the next top spell of the day. Ed, back after a few games off, had seven runs scored off the first two overs of his 5 over spell, which isn't especially remarkable, but then he bowled a double-wicket maiden, then a wicket maiden, then another wicket maiden! Three of his four wickets were clean bowled, with the other one being a catch for Jonathan with the gloves. The fall of wickets is missing from their book, but the Henfield innings never really recovered from there - and how could it? Charlie mopped up the last three wickets as the batters hit out a little, Jonathan taking a stumping, and Tom F and Alex taking catches. Some catches are easier than others, and some, like Alex's catch running hard round the deep mid-wicket boundary to get rid of T Lewis, are really quite impressive. Proper catch! Asstd. Howes took the last seven wickets; Ed 4: Charlie 3, and Henfield were all out for 110 in 29.3 overs. It wasn't an easy wicket as it was slightly stoppy and had a gentle sideways slope, but it has to be said the bowling was, once again, excellent, and that was without Brocky bowling himself, or Alex, or anyone for more than 5 or 6 overs. Quote of the day was from their umpire who said, on the day of England played someone in Eurofooty, "I wanted to see the game, but I didn't particularly want to watch the build-up..." TWCC were given 111 to win, which doesn't sound like a lot, but then Henfield had a lot of likely looking bowlers, not least their skipper, Tom Helps, who was right on it, forcing Tom Firth and Matt to concentrate more on defence than on any attempts to get to the football early. Enter TWCC's second-highest scorer; Byes... The pace and the slightly up and down surface led to 24 byes, 16 of them going to the boundary as, once past the keeper, the ball just kept running, and without this 24 who knows what might have happened as the wickets did fall, and for a while reaching the target was an uncertainty. Tom F and Matt got TWCC to 27, excellent in the difficult circumstances and given what followed, before Tom was bowled. Then Matt was bowled, then Henry was bowled, then Jonathan was caught behind of another Helps (Ed? Ed.) after he had knuckled down and, on 54 for 4, TWCC needed something to settle the run-chase down. Enter Alex, he of the classic school, he of the strong hitting - oh - look! A 4! A powerful, middled, 6 over mid-off! Alex was quickly on to 13 in 8 balls, time for the football! But then he was out, caught off a (have I remembered this right?) a slightly clothed strike to Tom Helps. With plenty of overs in hand and only 47 runs to get, though the visitors were 5 down, it was time for some glue, time to wait for the bad balls and the byes and even the odd runs off the bat. Time for Jim and Tom. Well, Tom. Tom R we're talking about here, he of the classy shot-making and the fearless follow through. Tom took the total through to 108 for 5, when just three more runs were needed for the win, before a lapse of concentration allowed an innocuous ball to bumble through to his stumps, but not before he'd struck five 4's on his way to 26, TWCC's top score – beating even the byes! One lovely smooth, patient, lofted drive for four over the bowler’s head being the most memorable. Tom's wicket, his and TWCC’s work complete, was followed by Edward's who was possibly unsettled by Jim's calling him through for too quick a run (I’m still sorry about that Ed, Ed.), and who didn't see the low pace of O Brace and which led to an LBW finger being raised. Jim faced out an over of really quite good pace from G Crawley, leaving Charlie to nonchalantly middle a late cut off O Brace for two, then to send the next ball away for a single and the game was over. Henfield played this game in the true Sunday spirit, bowling lots of their team, caring less about the result and more about giving everyone a game. Even so, all their bowlers were difficult to face, some had some excellent pace, and for a while as a few wickets fell, it was a low scoring thriller until Tom did the business with the bat. Skipper Brock's captaincy was adroit as always, but in the shortened game he ended up rather denying himself a bowling or batting role which is a shame as his team mates always enjoy a bit of Brocky action. Time for this to be addressed as the season progresses we hope. Scorecard Toss won by TWCC, Skipper Brock chose to field first in a 35 overs first past the post limited overs match. Henfield Innigns: J Hampton bld H Short 0; C Griffiths bld T Rydon 18; E Helps bld H Short 0; T Helps* ct J Rowland (wk) bld E Howes 32; C Carey bld E Howes 9; J Crawley bld E Howes 0; T Lewis ct A Rydon bld C Howes 21; G Crawley bld E Howes 0; S Thorps st J Rowland (wk) bld C Howes 2; J Brace not out 12; O Brace ct T Firth bld C Howes 2. Extras 17 (B9, W6, NB2) Total 110 all out in 29.3 overs. Fall: 1-0, 2-0, 3-27, 4-67, then no record kept. TWCC Bowling: H Short 5-1-23-2; T Rydon 6-0-32-1; E Howes 5-3-7-4; M Edwards 3-0-6-0; C Howes 5.3-0-27-3; J Simon 5-2-11-0. TWCC Innings: T Firth bld E Helps 11; M Edwards bld J Hampton 7; H Short bld J Crawley 3; J Rowland(†) ct wk, bld E Helps 9; A Rydon ct T Lewis bld J Crawley 13; J Simon not out 9; T Rydon bld O Brace 26; E Bunn LBW O Brace 0; C Howes not out 3. DNB E Howes, R Brock*. Extras 30 (B24, LB3, W1, NB2) Total 111 for 7 (29.5 overs). Fall: 1-27, 2-27, 3-41, 4-54, 5-64, 6-108, 7-108. Henfield CC Bowling: T Helps 3-0-7-0; J Hampton 5-1-15-1; E Helps 6-2-11-2; J Crawley 3-0-13-2; S Thorps 4-0-6-0; J Brace 3-0-18-0; G Crawley 3-1-6-0; O Brace 2.5-0-8-2. TWCC win by 3 wickets. Top of page TWCC v BHCC July 21st 2024 Friendly cricket - everyone gets a bat, and many bowl a few overs. If this inclusive ethos can also produce an exciting game then the skippers have, whoever wins, fulfilled their Sunday briefs. BHCC won the toss and chose to bat first, and they were soon in some sort of trouble as Henry took his customary early wicket bowling Andy Glynn-Jones, and Charlie, opening from the Downs End, had Brownsell comfortably caught by Henry. BHCC were 2 for 2. A recovery partnership of 40 between Jarvis and Murphy was then halted as Matt, replacing Charlie, took 3 for 1 in just two overs leaving the visitors reeling a little on 43 for 5. Matt took himself off and Ranunjay, in his first over, made that 48 for 6 - in just the twelfth over of the innings. The worry of a cold urn loomed, but Billy Fuller was scoring freely as he moved on past his fifty, and even though the wickets were falling he eventually found a partner in No.9 Thomas to move the total on past the hundred, and a potential tea crisis was averted. TWCC’s fielding, and even the catching, was excellent, exemplified by Ranunjay who held on to three excellent catches, one in particular diving to his left at cover point to hold a one-handed catch off Fuller’s top edge, whose 63 from batting at 7 had set the game up well. Ranunjay took three catches in all, Charlie two, and Henry, Chinu and Tony one each which left just two bowled wickets; Henry's earlier wicket and, at the end, one for Ed who wrapped up the innings leaving BHCC all out in the 35th over for 152. Time for TWCC to get those 153 runs and go to the pub. Matt and Ed opened the batting, and there do appear to be a few fours in the book, but all too soon for TWCC there were also wickets. Ed was bowled by the excellent Toby Cranfield who got the ball to swing away from the right hander off a perfect length, and Matt soon followed, LBW, to the same bowler after a run-per-ball 18. Tony didn't help much being caught by the keeper for just 2 off Fuller, and Chinu, after his signature crunching flat bat drive, was also out to Cranfield for just 2. After six overs TWCC were 30 for 5... Jim came in at 5 determined to settle the ship, and at first with Ranunjay, then Kanishka some semblance of scoring did occur. Kanishka's lofted drive over mid-off for 6 was a sight indeed, but his tenure was, albeit productive, short lived. There then followed, as Henry joined Jim, a period of calm accumulation which was all that was required, and, it has to be said, BHCC's approach during these middle overs was generous and fitting as the visitors ran through all ten of their team only stopping short of giving the keeper a bowl. Henry and Jim didn't over-hit and ran well together with lots of good calling, smart singles, even hitting a few fours as the required run rate never moved from around three an over - quite gettable even though the home side were six down. Henry's patience and placement was lovely to see, and, speaking for Jim, very enjoyable to be part of, but the 46 run partnership ended as Murphy's second ball dropped down just under Henry's bat and went on to clatter in to the stumps. Good partnership - still a dodgy situation at 98 for 7. Jim upped the rate as he could but as Graham was caught behind, and specialist No.11 Michael's promotion yielded just one run for him - but was that his first run for the club? - TWCC were suddenly 9 down, still needing a further 40 runs to win. Charlie, a capable batter to have at 11, showed his mettle, and Jim, hitting out at this stage of the innings, took the score on to 137, their side ending up just 15 runs short of BHCC's total as Charlie was bowled by the pacy Brownsell in the 33rd over. Game over. A good effort in the end, and that BHCC got to 152 was a sign of well-managed skippering from Matt, and that TWCC got close to 152 was a credit to the skippering from BHCC who only brought on their most forceful bowler in order to finesse a win for the visitors. And why not? Loss for the home side. Win for BHCC and Sunday cricket. Fun. Scorecard Toss won by BHCC who chose to bat first in a 40/40 game. Whether or not a draw was possible is unknown but makes no difference. I think it was. But it still doesn't. BHCC Innings: C Jarvis ct C Howes bld R Shekawat 21; A Glynn-Jones bld H Short 0; W Brownsell ct H Short bld C Howes 0; N Murphy ct R Shekawat bld M Edwards 18; R Goss ct C Howes bld M Edwards 0; D Girdhar ct R Shekawat bld M Edwards 0; B Fuller ct R Shekawat bld J Simon 63; G Cranfield ct C Sharma bld K Bhattacharya 0; M Thomas not out 17; T Cranfield ct T Pearce (wk) bld J Simon 6; P Murphy bld E Howes 5. Extras 23 (B6, LB1, W9, NB7) Total 152 all out (34.1 overs). Fall: 1-1, 2-2, 3-42, 5-43, 6-48, 7-83,, 8-133, 9-141, 10-152. TWCC Bowling: H Short 6-0-30-1; C Howes 3-0-25-1; M Edwards 2-1-1-3; J Simon 7-2-23-2; R Shekawat 4-0-27-1; K Bhattacharya 4-1-25-1; G Cuthbert 4-0-16-0; E Howes 3.1-1-4-1. TWCC Innings: M Edwards LBW bld T Cranfield 18; E Howes bld T Cranfield 4; T Pearce ct wkt bld Fuller 2; C Sharma bld T Cranfield 2; J Simon not out 53; R Shekawat ct N Murphy bld B Fuller 2; K Bhattacharya LBW bld M Thomas 11; H Short bld N Murphy 16; G Cuthbert ct wkt bld A Glynn-Short 1; M Short c&bld N Murphy 1; C Howes bld N Brownswell 2. Extras 25 (B9, LB2, W9, NB5) Total 137 all out (32.5 overs). Fall: 1-11, 2-24, 3-26, 4-28, 5-30, 6-52, 7-98, 8-106, 9-113, 10-137. BHCC Bowling: T Cranfield 3-0-10-3; B Fuller 3-0-20-2; M Thomas 4-1-11-1; C Jarvis 4-0-25-0; G Cranfield 4-0-9-0; D Girdhar 3-0-19-0; N Murphy 4-1-6-2; A Glynn-Jones 3-0-12-1; W Brownswell 2.5-2-1-1; P Murphy 2-0-13-0. BHCC win by 15 runs. Top of page Horsted Keynes v TWCC July 28th 2024 A day in the sun. Horsted Keynes' Jez won the toss and opted to bat first. And, as the logic unfurled, TWCC bowled first. Henry's gyro took a few moments to stabilise as he ran in down the slope, but then he was beating the bat as normal. On this occasion he beat the stumps as well and left it to Charlie, opening uphill, to bowl balls just dodgy enough to provoke false shots and catches. Charlie's line and length wasn't strictly MCC, but he was getting some swing and, indeed, his first wicket was bowled, which can't be argued with, not that we here at the G would want to. His second wicket was a top edge to Jim at mid-off, the batter having a heave at a ball that moved off line a touch with that beguiling dip and swing, sending the ball spinning into the air. The home side were 2 down in the third over. Jim and Matt took on first-change duties, and both were soon in the wickets. Jim's wickets were mostly down to some excellent catching (though the ball was swinging too, Ed.), firstly as the left-handed Jez top-edged a ball towards his mid-off boundary, whereupon Chinu scampered off in pursuit of the ball flying over his head to, we all assumed, try to keep it to one, but then he seemed to power up into some sort of leg-blurring overdrive as the crowd watched the ball drop from on high into his hands for a remarkable running – no, sprinting! - catch. Quite a moment. Jim’s second was another catch as Jones didn’t time an unintentionally slower ball off his heels to Rob at catching mid-wicket, who safely gathered it in as he tumbled forwards. Good catches both! Matt’s wickets were more worthy, unsurprisingly, as he ran in down the slope, and, with just enough away swing and pace, he first bowled Crouch (28) and then Hitchen. I’d go on longer about Matt’s bowling, but we’ve got his batting to deal with as well, and enough’s enough. Graham, after Jim, was also soon in the wickets and Charlie found his hands in the way of a powerfully struck ball for a very good sharp catch at mid-wicket, and Kanishka, in his exuberant way, brought two catches Henry’s way which, of course, he hung onto with no fuss. This leaves Chinu who, after offering up a couple of scoring opportunities, lulling the batter IAFSOS, found the leading edge of Brown’s bat and took a sharp catch for a C&B to end the matter. For Horsted Keynes only Crouch, and then later on Wright and Brown, made runs in any number, as wickets regularly fell and the total didn’t really get going. Matt bowled two as mentioned, but the catching on the day from the combined forces of TWCC was perfect. No drops at all, with Chinu’s running catch being the pick of them, and Horsted Keynes were all out for 132 in the 26th over. Banoffee pie! Oh – I’ve just got it... banana and... toffee! I never worked that out before. Amazing. Like trifle... is ...tr... Or Spaghetti Bolo... is ... spaghetti and stuff. Hot dog? After tea TWCC’s No.1 walks out to face up to C Rampling (different one) and, oh dear. In his mind’s eye Chinu is punching the ball on the up through the covers for four, but the sound of the bails flying behind him is his and TWCC’s reality. First ball. We all have them, and whilst this GD doesn’t detract from Chinu’s proven ability to tonk the ball on the up through the covers for four, on this occasion he was out, just like that. Time for some Tony. C Rampling (still not that one) ran in and it was clear, with a bigger sample-size, that this bowler was serving up something pretty awkward. Tony manfully kept a couple out until he prodded at a difficult length ball that found the outside edge of his bat and ended up in the safe hands of Wright at second slip. Matt, watching all this from the non-striker's end, sees Brocky striding to the middle. It’s still the first over, but now TWCC have a brace of captains fighting our cause. Who better? Well, we don’t need better. From 1 for 2, to 112 before the Edwards/Brock partnership came to an end. Matt was verging on the imperious with powerful hits and glances all around the ground, and Brocky’s excellent timing saw the ball rocket over the ground for many fours, and these two just took the game away from the home side. We had more umpires than batsmen as the two of them saw off all bowlers in a 111 run partnership. Matt, in the end, was caught off an edged rising ball as first slip ran round behind the keeper, but not before he’d notched up a trouble-free 64 (eight 4’s and a 6) taking TWCC, in full association with Brocky, more or less all the way to the win. Kanishka, in at 5, with a powerful straight 6 off his second ball, and Brocky ending on 47 not out saw off the remaining 21 runs required, and Brocky, just about surviving an LBW shout, struck a final crisp boundary to take us to the pub. Oh, we were already at the pub. And there were also crisps, apparently coming in many exotic flavours. Team-wide great catching, Matt’s 64 and Brocky with his 47 not out won the game, though with Rob, Jonathan and Henry’s powder still dry I suspect we might have won another one as well. Thanks to Jez and HKCC for sharing a lovely sunny afternoon of cavorting about. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon. Scorecard Toss won by Horsted Keynes who chose to bat first in a 40:40 win or lose game. Innings of Horsted Keynes: R Spetch bld C Howes 0; E Crouch bld M Edwards 28; J Kashdan ct J Simon bld C Howes 1; J Humphreys-Davies ct C Sharma bld J Simon 5; R Hitchen bld M Edwards 1; K Jones ct R Rydon bld J Simon 10; C Rampling ct C Howes bld G Cuthbert 12; C Wright ct H Short bld K Bhattacharya 25; N Brown ct & bld C Sharma 24; E Entwistle ct H Short bld K Bhattacharya 4; Phoenix not out 0. Extras 22(W16, NB6) Total 132 all out ((25.3 overs). Fall not recorded. TWCC Bowling: H Short 5-2-16-0; C Howes 4-0-32-2; J Simon 4-0-10-2; M Edwards 4-1-15-2; G Cuthbert 4-0-23-1; K Bhattacharya 4-1-28-2; C Sharma 0.3-0-8-1. Innings of TWCC C Sharma bld C Rampling 0; M Edwards ct C Wright bld K Jones 64; T Pearce ct C Wright bld C Rampling 0; R Brock not out 47; K Bhattacharya not out 11. DNB R Rydon, J Rowland, H Short, J Simon, C Howes, G Cuthbert. Extras 14 (B4, W6, NB4) Total 136 for 3 (31 overs). Fall: 1-0, 2-2, 3-112. Horsted Keynes Bolwing: C Rampling 6-0-35-2; E Entwistle 4-0-26-0; R Hitchen 4-1-13-0; R Spetch 8-1-21-0; E Crouch 4-0-18-0; K Jones 2-1-16-1; Phoenix 2-0-9-0. TWCC win by 7 wickets. Top of page Duke of Wellington v TWCC August 4th 2024 New fixture (thanks Ed), new ground, new pub, new end-to-end sloping slightly vague wicket with indifferent inclinations. But it was cricket! Same for both sides and all that. Breezy westerly wind, sunny dispositions. The Duke of Wellington won the toss and chose to bowl first in a 35 overs/side no draw format, and Tom F and Henry sorted out 29 runs before Tom didn't get his bat down on a straight one from Dean that kept a little low and he was bowled for 17. Henry followed soon after, caught at extra-cover off the slow bowling of Alex for 5. Tony at 3, Pride of Twineham and Wineham, looked completely at ease for his 8, including the moment he carefully placed the ball into the hands of Pritesh at slip. Oh Tony – come back! 40 for 3. TWCC have been here before... Disappointing derailment doesn’t definitely deal dire destinations, duly duo Dob and Dim dug down defiantly, diffuse dinks definitively deployed, doubling during dominant dynamic driven dazzling diligent decisive dream developed deserved Dix! desperate disappointing durability dopey doodle digestion Ditchling doh! Rob, naturally, scored with more prowess than Jim, but the running worked, the not getting out worked, the total climbed and we suspect, though the entire Gazette staff were otherwise occupied at the time, that as the overs rolled through a whiff of "Am I going to get a bat?" might have begun to circulate in the visitors' dressing room. And, indeed, no one else did bat, but it wasn’t as if no one was scoring any runs. Jim did his best with some nurdling as Rob passed his 50 with a 6 to square Brighton, after which, as the overs began to run out, he moved up another gear scoring his next 46 runs off just 27 balls on his way to a very disappointing 97 before time was up. Jim, on 40 (with just three 4's) had rotated the strike well enough, and the two of them in a partnership of 143 had steered the visiting side to a very defendable 183 for three in the 35 overs, Rob's 15 fours and a six in his 97 being mainly responsible in a 2.425:1 sort of way. It was a BYOT* affair, which, with a 12.30 start, many had failed to do. Happily there was a nice weather-boarded park cafe/ice creamery to hand, and in the hand of one member of TWCC there soon appeared a calorific brick of Bakewell Tart style chewy badness. It had an element of coconut in it which was a surprise but which worked well, and most importantly it did not have any of that disgusting "almond" chemical that routinely finds its way into anything with almond paste in it. I assume it was home-made by grown ups and it was perfect. Ed opened up the bowling when it was TWCC’s turn in the field, and he patiently waited until his 5th over for his wicket when Howard Carter (not that one, though his luck was out) was LBW. Rahul, known to his mates as Tan, did, however, in their opening partnership, respond well to a particular call for a quick couple of runs, setting off the instant he heard Carter shout “Two Tan - come on!” Charlie, having opened up hill, patiently waiting for the ball to do what he saw in his head, went through his repertoire and then caught and bowled Rahul after he'd top-scored with 26. DoW two down. Rananjay ran in down the slope after Ed... I mean... he wasn't running after Ed down the slope...but he sort of was? Oh dear. Rananjay, first change, was completely on it, getting the ball past the bat and into Keeper Firth's gloves many times, and although he didn't get a wicket in his long spell, he certainly could and should have. At the Bakewellcoconutslicenoalmondawfulness End Chinu ran after Charlie and he, too, bowled a great spell of quite fast off spin, on a length, causing all sorts of problems for the batters. Edges were found and one of them ended up in Edward's right hand as he stooped to safely gather in a catch to his right at slip. Lovely bit of PC, and good to have Edward back after a few weekends while he fiddled away doing something else. All this time, in spite of a reasonably fast start, the home side weren't really getting anywhere as the wickets fell. Their scorebook doesn't provide anything to go on, but they were on something for something after so many overs and the writing was on something. So. We come to the main event. Kanishka chased Rananjay down the hill and began a significant spell. Nothing special in his first over, perfectly alright - some byes and a few runs - and then the first whisperings of what was to come began to be felt by all. The ground hushed as the oncoming storm gathered, cafe staff boarded up their windows with almond slices, chairs were brought in, children covered their eyes or were sent home, and a foreboding chill descended on the ground. Kanishka’s second over... A maiden! I know! Over No.3. Two wickets! Bang Bang; Jim took a lumbering catch at mid on/off, and Kanishka bowled Damien. In his next over Special K had Gary caught by Henry at gully/point. Three wickets to his name, but Mr Kanishka was not done. We move on to his sixth over... Bowled! His seventh over was his last chance at a five-for, but sadly he failed, choosing, instead, to knock the bails off twice more to take six wickets! And the pub does real ale by the bucket! Woo-hoo! He finished on 6 for 12. Seven overs, six for 12. My oh my. Will we ever see the like again? Henry showed us yet another string to his bow as he jogged in from a short run and bowled some pretty good off spin. I mean pretty darned good. He'll get as many wicket with this as with his usual pacey stuff, and it was, indeed, Henry’s LBW that ended the matter. Kanishka's six wickets, backed up by one each from Ed, Charlie, Chinu and Henry, would have won a proper game, but a victory it was in any format. Rob's all-but century and Kanishka's all-but 7-for floated us to the eponymous pub where we sat in the warm glow of a win, the beer was very beery and bonhomie ruled. Thanks to the Duke Of Wellington team for a nice welcome and a game played in just the right way. Scorecard Toss won by Duke of Wellington CC and they chose to bowl first in a 35 overs win or lose format match. TWCC Innings: T Firth† bld Dean 17; H Short ct Dean, bld Alex 5; T Pearce ct Pritesh bld Alex 8; R Rydon not out 97; J Simon not out 40. DNB K Bhattacharya, E Bunn, C Sharma, R Shekavat, C Howes, E Howes*. Extras 16 (B9, LB3, W4) Total 183 for 3 (35 overs). Fall: 1-29, 2-31, 3-40. Duke of Wellington Bowling: Dean 7-1-28-1; Damien 7-2-25-0; Alex 6-0-20-2; Rahul 7-0-35-0; Howard 6-0-53-0; Kevin 1-0-10-0. Duke of Wellington Batting: H Carter LBW E Howes 7; Rahul ct & bld C Howes 26; Dean ct E Bunn bld C SHarma 15; Pritesh ct J Simon bld K Bhattacharya 18; Damien bld K Bhattacharya 7; Gary ct H Short bld K Bhattacharya 0; Martin bld K Bhattacharya 7; Alex bld K Bhatacharya 3; Kev not out 4; Andy H bld K Bhattacharya 0; John S. LBW H Short 1. Extras 28 (B14, W12, NB2) Total 116 or 117 all out (31.4 overs). Fall: Unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 5-2-6-1; C Howes 7-0-41-1; R Shekavat 5-1-19-0;C Sharma 6-0-24-1; K Bhattacharya 7-2-12-6; H Short 1.4-0-1-1. TWCC win by 67 or 66 runs. Top of page TWCC v Ferring CC August 18th 2024 I've spent hours on this write up. Many hours, and it's just not coming together. So I've binned all previous efforts and I'm just going to do this once - off the cuff. There's Dave, of course. He's most important, but I don't seem to have words this week. But Brocky said it all, and we thank him for speaking so well as we stood out there in the middle. Dave. We all have our memories, as we do about Steve. As for the cricket, of secondary importance, it just seems as if there's too much if I go through everything, so I won't. There were individual moments; Edward, Rob and Matt Brock took some marvellous and inspirational catches, Jim, Rob, Bhanu, Matt, Kanishka and Brocky all bowled well and each took a wicket, but it was Henry who won the innings for TWCC as he removed three of Ferring's top order in his 7 over spell. So many runs were not scored because of Henry. Top job and, really, it was Henry who set the game up in TWCC's favour. Then there was Jonathan who put in a tremendous performance with the gloves, taking some wonderful catches diving about and also just being the quiet cement of the fielding performance. Henry and Jonathan get what words there are as Ferring were all out for 156 in the 42nd over. Mention must be made, too, of Henry Chandler, Ferring’s No.3, who batted freely on his way to 66. In the end he was bowled by Bhanu – his first wicket for TWCC, a nip-backer that clipped the very top of off. Lovely innings, lovely wicket. A Rydon tea. Thank you Rob and Louisa - lovely everything. It’s all lovely. Tom and Jim opened the batting for TWCC, Jim’s run out was lovely, Jonathan came in at three and then the score was just rolling along as the bowling became quite varied. It still needed dealing with though, and these two dealt with it. Tom was out, sadly, but not before he'd scored 55 (nine 4's and a perfect 6) and taken the total on to 121. Jonathan did last the distance, cracking some hard shots away down the ground on his way to 52 not out. Rob, not out 12, and Jonathan saw off the remaining runs and TWCC cruised to an easy win. Max batting plaudits go to Tom and Jonathan, though Rob’s lovely 12 and Jim’s wonderful 2 can’t be ignored... To all those who didn't get a chance to join in with the bat there’ll be another chance. I’ve mentioned everyone bar Chinu, who was there, but who was feeling under the weather. See you soon Chinu. TWCC were also happy to meet Bhanu Singh, who seems to be just the right person for us. He bowled well, fielded well including instigating a run out, and who was just about to show us that he can also bat but he wasn’t given the chance. Nice to meet you Bhanu - we hope to see you again soon. And that's it. Scorecard Ferring CC won the toss and chose to bat first in a 38-42 80 overs match. I never did find out if a draw was a possibility. Ferring CC Innings: E McClean-Brown ct E Bunn bld J Simon 2; G Burgess bld H Short 14; H Chandler bld B Singh 66; H Lewis ct M Brock bld H Short 0; I Wardley bld H Short 1; J Binns ct J Rowland (wk) bld K Bhattacharya 30; C Burgess ct J Rowland (wk) bld R Rydon 0; J Chandler ct R Rydon bld M Brock 1; M Lewis run out (B Singh) 21; P Holford not out 7; T Cutler bld R Brock 1. Extras 10 (B2, LB2, W4, NB2) Total 156 all out (41.2 overs) Fall: 1-3, 2-40, 3-40, 4-42, 5-99, 6-102, 7-104, 8-135, 9-149, 10-156. TWCC Bowling: H Short 7-1-22-3; J Simon 6-0-31-1; R Rydon 6-1-21-1; B Singh 6-2-21-1; M Brock 3-0-10-1; K Bhattacharya 8-3-26-1; R Brock 5.2-1-16-1. TWCC Innings: T Firth bld H Chandler 55; J Simon run out (H Chandler) 2; J Rowland† not out 52; R Rydon not out 12. DNB B Singh, H Short, M Brock, R Brock*, E Bunn, K Bhattacharya, C Sharma. Extras 36 (B15, LB3, W15, NB3) Total 157 for 2 (30.2 overs) Fall: 1-12, 2-121. Ferring CC Bowling: E McClean-Brown 6-0-32-0; H Lewis 6-1-18-0; I Wardley 4-0-15-0; P Holford 3-0-23-0; H Chandler 6-3-8-1; M Lewis 2-0-18-0; C or G Burgess 2-0-16-0; J Chandler 1.2-0-6-0. TWCC win by eight wickets. Top of page Ditchling CC v TWCC September 1st 2024 Hot. The annual mismatch began well enough with Ditchling winning the toss and choosing to bat, which was a good thing. Less good from a TWCC perspective was that when their number 1 was out - oh, hang on, he wasn't out - he retired on 102 off 92 balls. Also, we suspect, that any number of Ditchling's other players could have, on the day, batted just as well as Dean did do (or "what Dean done" as it should more properly be written) with his 18 fours. Aha! NO SIXES DEANO! But we get ahead of ourselves. Tom opened up with the ball running down the slight hump, and he was really pretty darn swift, but, with the customary drop in the slips (no names - just check Tony’s medical records), he was wicketless on the day. Sadly our lovely, shiny, Reader's County Match A ball did end up lost in the hedge as Tom overpitched and, well, you lose a match ball Tom and you're off. And he’d bowled the only maiden of the innings. Ruthless captaincy. Ed opened from the other end, and although the batting was clearly pretty handy at getting on with things, Ed did bowl Ollie Murphy, out for 18, and shortly afterwards Henry took two quick wickets having replaced Tom. Henry lunged forwards off a mistimed shot to take an excellent low diving catch, and Rob ran round to take a catch somewhere, thus taking out McArthur (6) and Carr (4) respectively. Well done Henry - you probably saved TWCC many runs. Then we had this big ol' partnership between N S Dean and W Nolan. Big. Hundreds. We bowled ok, but when people hit the occasional boundary every few balls you're soon looking at six an over. What really helped matters was Deano getting his hundred. Good on him, a great innings really, and we'd all love to be able to do that - as some of us can. But didn't. Dean retiring and the subsequent Sunday-shuffle brought in new batters and Kanishka was soon in the hedg... wickets again, first as Charlie held on to a catch...somewhere else... or maybe in the same place... I don't know it was hot! - and then he bowled J Murphy for his second in the same over. The ordeal was nearly over when H Eastman joined the still-batting six-hitting W Nolan, and these two scored their way to an early declaration from the home skipper as Brocky and Charlie joined in the bowling fun towards the end. Nolan, coming in at 5 and ending on 82 done good. Fielding was also pretty good in the face of the fierce heat and hitting, with Chinu doing the Firthy role of scurrying after everything and chasing balls to the boundary, saving two many times. We all did our best, but Chinu’s great energy stood out. Thank you Ditchling for such a nice tea - it was much appreciated there in the cool of the pavilion, nice sandwiches and a nice crunchy-based (semolina?) quiche too. Excellent. So - to the batting reply. Hmm... Lots could go wrong here, with Ditchling having this plethora of youthful talent. Charlie Eastman charged in and Jim managed to keep him out, leave him alone, and even to stroke a couple of fours when he overpitched, but he didn't get out. At the other end Tom had to face the pace of Sullivan, keeping out and leaving excellent balls as required. Sullivan bowled three maidens and was sundaytakenoff. Clearly good and probably not even trying his hardest. I think he was one of the two overseas players (Dean the other?) and so TWCC were rather up against it. But why not? Scoring began to be a thing that wasn't happening, but neither were wickets falling. It would have taken, perhaps, something other than what we had in our locker for TWCC to seriously attack the target at a rate of 5.3/over for 44 overs... We suspect here at the Gazette that the game would have been over fairly soon if aggressive swinging of bats had been adopted, and so the slow start from Jim and Tom is, perhaps, excusable. Thus it wasn't until the 19th over, when Jim checked a pull shot off leg-spinner J Murphy and lobbed a simple catch to square leg, that TWCC lost their first wicket with 52 on the board. Alright, not going to win the match, but, well, perhaps it was this opening stand that helped us not to lose it. Tony sadly continued his recent run – he just needs longer in the middle to get going, and then Tom was caught behind off the leg-spinner. Another Tom weird dismissal - he has all the talent to avoid the more obvious ways of getting out - but he does seem to provide interesting variations on back-of-the-bat freak catches as the ball gently lobbed up to the keeper from the most minuscule contact off an unusual part of his bat. Out for a very good, nay impressive, 36, having weathered the early storm with Jim, having kept out all the good balls, having concentrated so well, he had at least kept the draw well and truly alive, even if the win was still, rather like barmaids on tour, an unlikely fancy. This brought Jonathan and Rob in to do the batting bit, and as TWCC only needed 160 from the last 19 overs at 8.5 an over, who better? But whilst they, of course, did bat with their usual style and positivity, it was more about watching some nice cricket than it was about threatening the target. Jonathan was the first to go, bowled Murphy, and then the crowd had some Rob and Henry to enjoy. Classical batters both, studious grafters as much as explosive hitters, we enjoyed some sixes, a few fours, and lots of proper cricket. Henry's straight six off Charlie Eastman's off-spin was a soaring wonder, a delight of trajectory, a parabola of power. Oh, and Rob hit one too. Henry was out, caught somewhere, then Chinu was Ji... Dean's first LBW victim, as he swung at a swinging ball. Rob followed soon after, out for 33, missing an in-swinging leg stump yorker from Dean (overseas NS Deano of batting prowess). Drawviz was showing a solid 85% before Rob was out, and it didn't move much as Brocky came in to tippy-tap (is that the saying from a disillusioned Mum some years ago?) and first Charlie then Ed saw out the overs with him. Ditchling didn't press with, say, Sullivan again, but they did end the bowling with Dean and Nolan who needed some attention as, 8 wickets down, if anyone could pull a loss out of a situation like this, TWCC are that team. Ed checked there was one ball to go, when there was one ball to go, which there was and as TWCC couldn't lose he smashed a ball to the long-off boundary. It didn't actually go for four, and, it struck me at the time, he and Brocky could have run 94 as the ball just stayed there, a foot inside the rope, and no one bothered to go and get it! Opportunity missed for TWCC there, so a draw it was albeit in a not very we-could-have-won way. Ditchling, on the other hand, could easily have won but weren’t so hung up on that sort of thing, and were, as always, the best of teams to meet. A closer game could no doubt be had if Ditchling could find a more competitive side to play us, but I doubt they can to be honest, and, in any case, it’s a privilege for us to play against the future. Scorecard Ditchling won the toss and chose to bat first in a 38/42 VariDraw format. Ditchling Innings: N Dean retd. 102; O Murphy bld E Howes 18; S McArthur ct & bld H Short 6; T Carr ct R Rydon bld H Short 4; W Nolan not out 82; M Nolan ct C Howes bld K Bhattacharya 0; J Murphy bld K Bhattacharya 0; H Eastman not out 8. DNB J Sullivan, A Eastman, C Eastman. Extras 12 (B4, LB7, NB1) Total 232 for 5 (36 overs) Fall: 1-40, 2-47, 3-61, 4-208, 5-208. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 4-1-19-0; E Howes 6-0-28-1; H Short 6-0-41-2; J Simon 6-0-37-0; R Rydon 5-0-41-0; K Bhattacharya 5-0-32-2; R Brock 3-0-14-0; C Howes 1-0-9-0. TWCC Innings: J Simon ct O Murphy bld J Murphy 13; T Rydon ct wk bld J Murphy 36; T Pearce bld T Carr 1; J Rowland† bld O Murphy 15; R Rydon LBW N Dean 33; H Short ct M Nolan bld W Nolan 9; C Sharma LBW N Dean 0; R Brock* not out 0; C Howes bld W Nolan 2; E Howes not out 2. DNB K Bhattacharya. Extras 27 B15, LB3, W9,) Total 138 for 8 (44 overs). Fall: 1-52, 2-59, 3-73, 4-117, 5-130, 6-131, 7-132, 8-136. Ditchling Bowling: CEastman 11-1-45-0; J Sullivan 3-3-0-0; S McArthur 5-2-11-0. J Murphy 7-1-31-2; T Carr 5-0-17-1; O Murphy 4-0-10-1; N Dean 5-3-3-2; W Nolan 4-1-3-2. Match drawn. in the nicest possible way. Top of page 2023 Season Top of page Streat & Westmeston CC v TWCC May 7th 2023 After the disappointment of having TWCC's season opener against Staplefield washed out, it was tremendous to receive confirmation that the match at Streat would go ahead, and thanks must go to Colin Mansfield for working away at producing a playable surface. Matt, captain of the day, won the toss and chose to bat first, hoping that the promised brightening of conditions would favour the side bowling later in the day. Paul and Tom F faced up to the bowling of Lea and M Porter and very much took their 2022 form into the new season. There was some swing available to the bowlers, which was commendable given the dampness of the ball, and the outfield was slow, and wet, and so boundaries were few and far between even though the uphill boundary towards the pavilion was close. Nonetheless plenty of eager running and lots of 2's and 3's soon began to get the scoreboard heading upwards, and it reached 52 before Tom was caught at wide mid-off (I think...) for 17 (two 4's) off the pacy bowling of S Lea as the slightly soggy ball just didn't get up over Dutta's head. With such a fine start to the innings TWCC looked well set, and it was the perfect time for Tony to dust off his ambition and set about things. Two singles and he'd seen enough as he cleared his left leg and swung through a good length ball from M Porter and planted it in the far hedge at long-on for 6 (below). By some great good fortune, the Gazette staff photographer captured this power shot, but failed to press the shutter the very next ball when a clever slower ball from Porter found the toe end of Tony's bat, and Colin Marshall with the gloves jogged backwards to hold onto the skied ball. Tony out for 8 in 7 balls - not much, but all the signs are there. Disappointing though Tony's demise was, TWCC had another Pearce up their sleeve, and Mikey immediately looked like the batsman he is as he and Paul continued to play proper cricket. First change bowlers Colin Marshall and Chris Fullerton, whilst slower through the air than Streat's openers, were offering nothing but a tight line on a good length, but even so the regular scoring continued, with Paul still playing an opener's role to perfection, and Mikey powerfully middling the ball, mostly straight, and, once, finding the hedge for a 6. Next to go, though, was Mikey, with the total on 102, as he was caught by Lea off Fullerton for a characteristically quick 22 (24 balls, one 4, one 6). Another partnership in which Paul participated, the first being of 52 with Tom Firth, the second with Tony for a quick 15, and, then he added a further 35 with Mikey - what more could one ask of a No 1? Eventually, however, a straight ball from Chris Fullerton got through to Paul's stumps, just a ball or two after Mikey was out, and his first innings of the season was done - out for 33 and, with just one 4 and lots of scurrying, it was just the start that he, and TWCC, now with103 on the board, needed to see in their new season. Oh, but before we let him go we mustn't forget Paul's magnificent further and last partnership of 1 with Jim. For Paul it was just another single to his name before he was out, but for Jim it was a cherished shared contribution, which he can now look back on with pride in the context of the rest of his innings. As Paul left, in came Jonathan, a fine player to have come in at 6, and after Jim was run out for a convincing 0, he was joined by Matt, who also didn't get going and was out for 1. Tom Rydon, after a strong 6 off his second ball, also fell to the continued excellent bowling of Colin Marshall. And so TWCC began to drift a bit as, with Ed going for 4, the TWCC effort went from 102 for 2 to 135 for 8 in 10 overs. However, Jonathan was still there, and Henry, in at 10, did what many others had failed to do over the ages as he summed up the mystery that is Stan and survived the experience. Jonathan, meanwhile, was timing the acceleration of his innings to perfection, and he was soon planting sixes over the pavilion (why was Stan bowling to two left-handers from the Downs End?) on his way to a wonderful 53 not out (four 6's, one 4), and he and Henry (9 not out) had, in a ninth wicket partnership of 55, taken the total to 190 for 8 (43 overs). A lovely tea, complete with, appropriately, coronation chicken sandwiches, was sadly marred by the news that Stan had suffered an injury to one of his fingers when fielding and was taking himself off to hospital. We all wish him a speedy recovery from what must be a difficult injury at the best of times, let alone right at the beginning of a season. So to Streat's batting reply, and to see how TWCC's speed trio might shake off any Winter stiffness. Ed and Tom R had the first go, and they both settled down very quickly, and the Matt and James Porter opening pair were unable to make many inroads into the TWCC total. The grass had more or less completely dried by this time, and the Sun even came out, so whilst the ball did travel a little faster over the outfield, it was also possible to bring back a little shine to the ball and some movement in the air became available to the bowlers. Ed broke through first, as Matt Porter thick-edged a ball out to Rob at deep-ish wide mid-on who made the chance into a safe catch. Tom R, meanwhile, had started off with two maiden overs, and after 13 overs Streat were on just 38 for 1, but even though runs were not accumulating, neither were TWCC, in spite of the good bowling, making many inroads into the Streat batting order. Rob and Matt came on to bowl, and both found an excellent line and length, and it was Matt who bowled a rising delivery that tempted Colin Mansfield into playing at a shorter ball too close to him that rose up and glanced off his gloves to Jonathan who took an important catch - getting Colin out for 0 can't have happened that often. Streat were 50 for 2, but with 20 overs already bowled it was time to present the batsmen with something different, and Tony and Mikey were the men for the job. Tony bowled a few tempters, but the batters weren't biting, so TWCC were relying on Mikey to offer something more palatable, but he failed completely and, instead, dropped onto a challenging line and length, varying his pace and generally bowling an inspired spell. In his first over Mikey's first victim was Colin Marshall who powered a cover drive low to Jim's right in the covers, whose glasses miraculously passed their first test, and then, the very next ball Mikey's second was the wicket of J Dutta who was served up a yorker-length ball and was out LBW. Hat-trick? In TWCC's first game? Mikey? Didn't happen, but Mikey's first over was a double wicket maiden and TWCC were on their way. Mikey was only supposed to be on for an over or two, but it was impossible to take him off as there were, as advertised, some balls there to hit, but in going for runs the batters had to navigate all the many good balls as well, and whilst both Manger and then Fullerton were scoring some runs, they both felt encouraged enough to run at the ball, miss it and fall victim to the stumping-speed of Jonathan with the gloves. In an unprecedented 10 over spell Mikey finished with 4 for 22. Excellent, and we have to rely on his maturity for him not to go on about it. In the meantime Tom Firth fielding at point had almost caught James Porter off Mikey's bowling, but he quickly turned the situation into a smart run out, and TWCC might well have thought they were on the home straight. Henry had replaced Matt, who, whilst he did test Jonathan's agility behind the stumps, did also cause a few false shots, one of which was a skied leading edge from the bat of Stuart Lea which needed all of Tom Firth's concentration to grasp as it looped behind him at mid-wicket for a great catch. With Stan no longer being available Streat's No 10 was their last man, but this was none other than Dave Porter, who, with Martin Butcher were Streat's last pair at the wicket, but they are both capable batsmen and in spite of the bowling side's best efforts, including a return over for Tom R, they survived to fend off defeat and the home side's innings closed on 130 for 8 (42 overs). A good run out (who mentioned run outs?) for both teams, and a good game played in the great spirit that exists between our two clubs. For TWCC it was their first match of the year, and it sets up the prospect of yet another exciting season. Paul and Tom F set the match up very well, and asstd. Pearces at least aired their batting skills. Jonathan's was then really the only significant contribution with the bat, but a very good one it was, and he could well have won the match, but certainly secured the draw, for without his 53 the two sides may well have ended up on more or less the same total. Matt, Tom and Ed made a batting effort in order to pile on the runs, but it was Henry who stayed with Jonathan at the end which allowed some heavy scoring to the short pavilion boundary to get the visitors up to what proved to be an unassailable score. This was the first game for a long time in which TWCC were without Phil, and his presence may well have tipped the balance of the game as his prowess is getting rid of good batters quickly, and TWCC will miss him on many levels and we hope to see him back soon. We did get to see Edward, which was great, and who has, until he's mended, identified a role for himself as TWCC's coach/mentor, and we look forward to benefitting from his support and encouragement. Neither was Skipper Brock with us on this occasion, and we look forward to seeing him and to sharing his enthusiasm for the game and for all that we enjoy as members of TWCC. Paul and Tom's opening stand of 52 set the game up well, and, of course, further special mention must go to Jonathan, whose glove-work was called upon often, sometimes to swat down some early-season wides, but more importantly to hold onto a catch off Matt's bowling to get rid of Colin Mansfield, and then to smartly stump two of Mikey's victims. Mikey's bowling, with Jonathan behind the stumps, was a treat to watch as the ball frequently passed close to the bat at varying pace, and there could easily have been more Mikey wickets such was the quality of his bowling, but four is quite enough. Scorecard TWCC won the toss, and Skipper Edwards chose to bat first. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Bld C Fullerton 33; T Firth Ct J Dutta Bld S Lea 17; T Pearce Ct Wkt Bld M Porter 8; M Pearce Ct S Lea Bld C Fullerton 22; J Simon run out (R Manger) 0; J Rowland not out 53; M Edwards* Bld C Marshall 1; T Rydon CT J Dutta Bld C Marshall 7; E Howes Bld R Manger 4; H Short not out 9. DNB R Saunders. Extras: 32 (B16, LB3, W9, NB4) Total 190 for 9 (43 overs). Fall: 1-52, 2-67, 3-102, 4-103, 5-103, 6-114, 7-127, 8-135. S&WCC Bowling: S Lea 7-0-23-1; M Porter 8-1-36-1; C Marshall 8-1-33-1; C Fullerton 8-3-14-2; R Manger 5-1-19-1; S Spiegel 4-0-33-0; J Dutta 2-0-10-0; J Portert 1-0-1-0. S&WCC Innings: M Porter Ct R Saunders Bld E Howes 18; J Porter run out (T Firth) 27; C Mansfield Ct J Rowland (wk) Bld M Edwards 0; C Marshall Ct J Simon Bld M Pearce 4; J Dutta LBW M Pearce 0; R Manger Ct J Rowland (wk) Bld M Pearce 21; C Fullerton Ct Rowland (wk) Bld M Pearce 6; M Butcher not out 11; S Lea Ct T Firth, Bld H Short 7; D Porter not out 15. DNB S Spiegel. Extras 18 (B3, LB2, W10, NB3) Total 130 (42 overs). Fall: 1-32, 2-50, 3-55, 4-55, 5-67, 6-67, 7-98, 8-112. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-1-16-1; T Rydon 7-2-26-0; M Edwards 8-2-13-1; R Saunders 3-0-11-0; T Pearce 1-0-2-0; M Pearce 10-2-22-4; H Short 5-0-34-1. Match drawn. Top of page TWCC v Greys May 14th 2023 Who was playing at home? TWCC's ground was waterlogged and the bulk of the silage had yet to be baled, and Greys don't have a home ground, so here we all were playing at St James' ground - and thanks to Alex from Greys for arranging that. Whatever the protocol that was thrashed out in the middle by the skippers it emerged that TWCC would bat first in a match to be played in the proper tradition of a timed match. Good work there from TWCC's Skipper Edwards, though he may have had to concede that Greys would bat first, which meant that in the second innings TWCC would have to take 10 wickets in order to win the match. The Mighty Greys, and why not give them their full title?, have, indeed, proved to be too mighty for TWCC in recent seasons, though on paper and in spirit the two sides are a good match. They seem to be a side that knows how to invoke some of TWCC's famous batting collapses, though on this occasion TWCC had a full XI of people who could hold their own with the bat. All to play for. Paul and Tom Firth saw off four and half good overs from Hermitage and Day before Paul, on a careful 5, was LBW'd. Was he downhearted? A little, no doubt, but he was more disappointed that his batting contribution was over than worried by any decisions here or there. Never mind - it's cricket and we're lucky to be playing it with so much grief going on in the world. One thing was clear; the outfield was plenty fast enough in three directions, and Tom managed to find it three times before he was bowled by Hermitage for a useful 14. Tony took a bit more time to see himself in than he did in his first game of the season the previous week, and waited fully until his third ball before crunching a boundary, after which, largely in a family run partnership of 70 with Mikey (in at 4), he hit a further 13 fours and a six. In recent innings Mikey's Top Trump strength has been his timing and the power with which he hits the ball, but on this occasion he didn't clear fielders so much as give them catches to drop. In the end Hoare decided to just hit Mikey's stumps and he was out for a remarkable 37 for 5 if you include a run out. Greys strength is that they don't let up as all bowlers bowl well and all batters bat well and, perhaps rather like TWCC, they could mess about with who does what when and any order would work well enough. Not many poor balls were coming down, and thus it took some application to get the ball away at all, and not a little risk to find the boundary, but notwithstanding this Tony continued to pile on the runs, and in this endeavour he was joined by Jonathan who carried on from his great innings of the previous week and between them they added a further quick 33 before Tony, now comfortably past his half-century, let a straight one through to his stumps, and he was out for 71 (14 fours and 1 six) off 72 balls. A tremendous innings – the Tony of old, and nice for him to have shared time in the middle with Mikey. Unbelievably, given his prowess, TWCC still had Rob Rydon to come in at 6, and not many sides could afford to do that. Sure enough, the two left-handers put on a quick 36 in 4 overs before Rob, having graced the ground with a number of classic shots including a tall 6, was caught at... dunno... for 24 off 30 balls. This left Jim a few balls to try and run Jonathan out, but, perhaps because Jim had woken up a little, they actually ran well together and added a further 18 in 3 overs before Jonathan was bowled as he played across a straight one half way through what the clock had decreed was the last over of the TWCC innings. Jonathan, out for 25 off 40 balls, and Jim not out 10 off 9 went off to tea with TWCC on 190 for 6. The TWCC batters had concentrated, and scored, well and made everything they could out of all the good balls that were sent down. All quite crickety really. Had catches been held the TWCC innings may well have been strangled at some point, but with batsmen all the way down to No. 11 the TWCC total might well have been headed towards 200 come what may. But although TWCC had a compelling total, in order to achieve a win they would have to take 10 wickets, and Greys are no mean batting side and wouldn’t have thought 191 beyond them. The game was set up well. However what soon became apparent was that TWCC meant business in the field. Matt and Ed opened up the bowling, and Matt was soon in the wickets, bowling, first, Flynn for 1 in his first over, and then also bowling Line in his third. Ed was no less likely to take wickets, but in this his first spell he didn’t. Given that Greys’ depth of batting was well known, Matt decided that he and Ed would bowl short spells in order to allow space for returning later on, and this was very effective, especially as there are other bowlers, even if none of them were Phil, who could carry on the current good work. Matt’s four overs 2-2, and Ed’s four overs 0-8 meant that Greys didn’t get off to anything like the fast start they might have wished for in the face of a demanding chase. Enter Tom Rydon, taking over from Matt down the hill - in he charged in his committed athletic way - and with his first ball he bowled an in-swinging yorker to Greys’ No. 4 Dorrell, and there was a wicket with his first ball; stumps akimbo. Ninth over, Greys 3 for 12. However, TWCC were familiar with the batting of the genial Covill, Greys’ No. 3, and further down lurked some powerful players; this was a line up which could always cut loose. But, backed up by some excellent fielding, this they failed to do as the bowling was tight from Tom R (4 overs 1 for 6), and Jim, who replaced Ed, also kept Covill at bay with a short spell of 3 overs that only yielded a single scoring shot (but it was a four...). With 15 overs gone, Greys were only 23 for 3; a perfect time for Mikey to bowl more or less whatever came out – if he bowled like he did the previous week he’d be directly effective, and if he bowled like he did the previous season he’d be likely to benefit from the batters hitting out a bit. As it happened he bowled like he did in his last game, and he bowled Greys’ No. 5 Newland for 29, and then, vitally, found the edge of Covill’s bat giving Jonathan a sharp chance which he pocketed with no trouble. Covill never really got going, out for "just" 26, thanks to some tight bowling and fielding, and Mikey's spell of 2 for 27 off 10 overs was, again, a pleasure to witness. Henry, from the South end, didn’t drop on a full length and was a little expensive, but that really didn’t matter and, indeed, getting Greys to hit out a bit was a good thing, and then he was replaced by an assortment of returning opening bowlers whose energies had been banked earlier. Sure enough Ed had the formidable Ashton LBW, and Matt and Tom carried on where they’d left off but it was increasingly clear that Greys weren’t going to overhaul the TWCC total. Tony and Tom F had the final cracks with the ball, but the looming draw duly arrived, with Day and Burgess marooned on 13 and 33 not out respectively. Features of the game were the number of chances Mikey got away with, and, indeed, Tony's 6 was caught inside the deep mid-wicket boundary before the ball was pushed over the rope. As always there are a few maybes - what if Paul hadn't been out early, what if Mikey had been caught more often, what if Tony had been caught on the boundary, what if, what if, what if? In the end it's cricket and what ifs butter no parsnips. I'm funny with parsnips - sometimes there's nothing nicer than meltingly soft buttered parsnips, and sometimes they're just too much. Rather like kippers. Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to bat first, although there was some talk around whose home ground it was, so trade offs re. format and who batted when were in play. It was all a bit confusing for me, which won't surprise anybody TWCC Innings: P Hunter LBW Bld Hermitage 5; T Firth Bld Hermitage 14; T Pearce Bld Ashton 71; M Pearce Bld Hoare 37; J Rowland Bld Day 25; R Rydon Ct Dorrell Bld Ashton 24; J Simon not out 10. DNB M Edwards, H Short, T Rydon, E Howes. Extras 4 (B2, LB1, W1) Total 190 for 6 (41.3 overs). Fall: 1-10, 2-33, 3-103, 4-136, 5-172, 6-190. Grey's Bowling: Hermitage 8-2-31-2; Day 8.3-2-32-1; Sewell 6-0-31-0; Hoare 6-0-26-1; Ashton 9-0-51-2; Newland 3-1-16-0. Greys Innings: Flynn Bld M Edwards 1; Line Bld M Edwards 1; Covill Ct J Rowland (wk) Bld M Pearce 26; G Dorrell Bld T Rydon 1; Newland Bld M Pearce 29; Burgess not out 13; Ashton LBW E Howes 14; Day not out 23. DNB in no particular order Hoare, Sewell, Hermitage. Extras 21 (B10, LB5, W6) Total 139 for 6 (41 overs). Fall: 1-2, 2-6, 3-12, 4-66, 5-74, 6-93. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 6-3-9-2; E Howes 9-0-18-1; T Rydon 8-2-27-1; J Simon 3-2-4-0; M Pearce 10-3-27-2; H Short 3-0-28-0; T Pearce 1-0-5-0; T Firth 1-0-6-0. Match drawn. Top of page Partridge Green v TWCC May 21st 2023 Lindfield couldn't get a side, Partridge Green could - thanks Ed, and thanks to Partridge Green for fitting us in. Partridge Green, home no longer to Dark Star brewery but still the place to go for a great butcher's shop and one of the best hi-fi manufacturers in the whole world, also had a recreation ground with a grass wicket with a short boundary on one side, a very long boundary on the other and a teamful of cricketers somewhere between the two. Skipper Brock, returning to the helm for the first time in 2023, won the toss and chose to bat first. TWCC welcomed Kanishka, a first time player for us, and it was good to see Matt C, Charlie Howes and Matt Brock back in the fold. Jim and Tom F opened up with a modest 21 partnership, then Jonathan (27) and Rob (43) were the main contributors to TWCC's total of 148 in their third wicket partnership of 66 as their series of fours, one all-run, and Rob's smooth straight 6 handily upped the scoring rate as the overs ticked on by. Henry, Kanishka and Ed formed an assortment of valuable partnerships as the end of the innings neared, and on a slow wicket with longish grass the visitors hoped that 148 might well be tougher than one might think to overhaul, especially in just 35 overs. Ed and Henry opened the TWCC bowling reply, and were soon in the wickets, though it was Henry's tremendous throwing down of the stumps from short fine leg that started the ball rolling. Ed was his usual dangerous self, and Henry's rhythm and pace were back to normal and soon the home side were 21 for 4, with Ed having Smallman LBW and Henry provoking a couple of catches. Time for Kanishka to have a bowl and he produced in-swinging (to right handers) full length balls that dipped under the batters' defences, and he had two bowled wickets in no time leaving Partridge Green on 36 for 6. There was a short regrouping from the home side as Tudhope and Wellstead put on 30 runs between them, with Matt Brock being straight enough, and Matt C perhaps exercising Jonathan more than he was hoping for. Soon however, it was time for the Skip to turn his over-wintered arm over, and with his second ball he bowled Wellstead, backing this up with another clean-bowled dismissal in the same over. Charlie Howes was his usual tricky self, replacing Matt Brock, but he ended up wicketless, and it was left to the returning pair of Ed and Henry to take the last two wickets to end the game. Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to bat first. 35 overs/side format. TWCC Innings: J Simon LBW White 6; T Firth Bld Grinsted 12; J Rowland C&B Moules 27; R Rydon Bld Moules 43; H Short Ct (Wk) Bld Miller 13; Kanishka not out 15; C Howes Bld Miller 0; E Howes not out 14. DNB M Brock, Matt C, R Brock. Extras 18 (B1, W13, NB3). Total 148 for 6 (35 overs). Fall: 1-21, 2-31, 3-97, 4-101, 5-119, 6-119. Partridge Green CC Bowling: Grinsted 7-0-24-1; White 7-0-31-1; Morgan 7-2-22-0; Wellstead 4-0-39-0; Moules 6-2-11-2; Miller 4-0-15-2. Partridge Green CC Innings: G Grinsted run out (H Short) 1; J Smallman LBW E Howes 9; K Miller Ct M Brock Bld H Short 0; S Barry Ct J Simon Bld H Short 7; J Bullingham Bld Kanishka 1; J Tudhop Bld E Howes 17; R Moules Bld Kanishka 0; T Wellstead Bld R Brock 12; M Wykes Bld R Brock 0; S White not out 14; D Crumback Hit Wkt Bld H Short 5. Extras 19 (B15, LB1, NB3) Total 95 all out (27.2 overs) or 85 if you add up the batters' totals plus extras. Fall: 1-1, 2-3, 3-20, 4-21, 5-27, 6-36, 7-66, 8-66, 9-90, 10-95. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 5-1-13-2; H Short 5.2-0-25-3; Kanishka 3-0-4-2; M Brock 3-0-14-0; Matt C 2-0-22-0; R Brock 4-1-7-2; C Howes 5-1-8-0. TWCC win, whichever format one finds appropriate. Top of page Bolney CC v TWCC May 28th 2023 Being up front about this, it’s not going to be easy to keep this write up brief – a lot happened, most of it interesting if you're inclined that way. First off – lovely day. Matt won the toss for TWCC and chose to bat first, confident in his bowlers, possibly less so in his batters as TWCC were without Tony, Jonathan, and Rob amongst other willowmeisters, but were with Paul and Tom F, and they manfully squared up to the Brazilian paceman Luiz Morias who charged in down the hill and delivered really quite the quickest rockets anyone’s had to face for years. Morias, just one of a Brazilian contingent that Bolney had found on the international market, bowled a very good line and length combining this with pace and swing and it was all a bit serious. Both opening batsmen dealt with this shock onslaught very well, and, oddly, and annoyingly, it was the less potent bowling off Jignesh Agnihotri that prised open a crack in Tom’s concentration and he popped up a simple catch to mid-wicket. Mikey, seemingly on top of keeping Morias out, also fell to Agnihotri as one of his total defensive blocks failed to meet the ball, and as he lifted his foot back to the crease the bails were removed by the keeper and a very close call stumping was the result. Enter Jim, nostalgically in at 4, who also seemed to be capable of keeping Morias out until he wasn’t. Jim might have looked mildly competent for a few balls, but he received what one respected analyst described as the “ball of the century” – hitting middle-and-off until it swung away late to tap the very outside of the top of off stump. There is no shame here. Matt seemed to be able to survive this modern bowling, and its follow ups of a less penetrative nature, and he and Paul put some of the pieces back together in a partnership, at last, of some import. Morias’s bowling had, through no fault of his own, contributed to the innings’ second top scorer, Extras, who ended up with a magnificent 49 not out. Just as well. So, let’s move on, and one can’t overlook someone playing possibly the most significant role of the day. Paul was not only watching every ball closely onto his bat, and still scoring off Morias as well as Agnihotri and all subsequent bowlers, but as he did so he was keeping those yet to bat safe from harm. The Gazette feels this innings of Paul’s was one of his most skilful as it was constructed in the face of some truly excellent bowling and was as much a triumph of concentration as it was of scoring. But scoring there was, and, with Matt (non-striker, above), a partnership of 58 appeared before our very eyes until Matt was caught somewhere by someone off Green Smith for 10. It may seem as if at this point TWCC were out of the woods, but they were on 79 for 4 and the innings could go either way from here. And so to Chinu – apologies, Chinu, if I’m writing your name wrong, I’ll check with you later – who came in at 6, and set the game alight. Un-phased by the pace of the returning Morias he generally set about whacking the ball in a style all his own. Sometimes baseballing the ball over the covers for four, and at others pulling it to the on side, he and Paul took the game to a new level, and as Bolney went through their full card of bowlers, these two put on a further 60 before Paul didn’t chase too hard to get in and was run out. What an innings - full of character and produced in something of a vacuum as early partners came and went - and he only left the crease when he felt he could safely leave the batting in Chinu’s hands. With 12 fours in his 68 off 74 balls Paul’s concentration in the face of some challenging bowling was looking like a match-protecting if not yet a match-winning contribution. He could walk into the pavilion with pride, put his feet up for three minutes before going out to umpire the rest of the innings before he kept wicket for the rest of the afternoon. Champion. Chinu, returning to the TWCC fold after his opening appearance in 2022, took on all comers and began to use his natural skills to great effect as he fearlessly hit four after four, and he was joined by Tom R, in at 7, who looked every inch the classically trained performer he is. Sadly Tom seems to be dogged by bad luck and this time he was run out by a non-intentional half stop by the bowler of a powerfully hit ball by Chinu at the batting end, and he was out of his ground. Up to that point Tom had been the best of batters but he was run out for 12, but with a valuable partnership of 37 behind him so he was not too downhearted. Enter Henry, who is quietly stalking an impressive average this season, and he and Chinu continued on, building the TWCC total beyond anything they could have imagined at 21 for 3, before Chinu’s stumps were finally felled by the returning Morias. Chinu’s 47 off 50 balls (8 fours) took the TWCC innings up to and beyond the 200, and it certainly made it a tough afternoon for Bolney. Ed has promised to pay me not to report how long his innings at 9 lasted, but Morias it was again who did for him and shortly Henry's 18 off 22 balls and Graham in at 10 were declared upon by Skipper Edwards in consultation with TWCC's (self-appointed) Chief Minister for Declarations Firth - one of his most significant moments of the match. TWCC 210 for 8 off 38 overs. A grand total, considering their early difficulties (which mysteriously disappeared when Morias was rested, only to reappear when Morias came on for a second spell), with Paul, Chinu and Extras providing the bulk of the runs. Steve Bowles produced a master class tea (thanks Steve) which, amongst many delights, put forward a tray of sausage and mustard sandwiches which may well repeat at some point later in the season. There had been some mutterings overheard; "When I was playing county cricket" and "First Class" and "List A" amongst the Bolney unknowns, and these weighty words were indeed backed up by some powerful batting as the home side began their return campaign. Indeed, Luiz Morias and Ian Crouch looked entirely untroubled as they drove and pulled a few fours, but then the pedigree of TWCCs bowlers is as good as any we see, and whilst runs were indeed scored, Ed found a thick edge and Graham pouched a spinning ball to start the wickets column off, though Tom R, feisty as ever, was wicket-free on this occasion. Jim, nostalgically first change bowler from Ed's end, and Matt - skipper Edwards keeping his opening pacers fresh in case of unforeseen eventualities as the afternoon progressed - kept up the good work, though Luiz Morias was striking hard at the ball, and he was not alone as the Bolney top order looked more than capable. However Jim's mix of luck, natural variation and luck was enough to find the thin bits of Morias's bat as he played a big cover drive to an out-swinging ball and top-edged the ball to Matt at an excellently placed short cover. Matt, in what became a spell of 2 for 5 off 4 overs, bowled Bolney's No. 3 who had looked solid in his batting, and then Jim tucked up ex-Brazilian captain Matthew Featherstone who tried to pull a ball that was onto him a little quicker and bounced higher than he thought and he top-edged a pull shot into the empty spaces just over the heads of the on-side fielders. The ball was clearly not going to fall near enough to any fielder to take a catch, which was a shame because this was a List A batsman capable of taking the game long. Henry was briefly interested at short fine leg, and then Charlie at mid-wicket went into full scurrying mode, and he began to catch up with the high ball. He spun round, running at full tilt away from the wicket, the ball now coming from behind his shoulder, and he stuck out two hopeful hands in front of him where he suddenly found the ball! An astonishing catch out of nowhere, definitely the champagne moment of the day as making it a chance at all was remarkable, but to actually to make the catch and take one of Bolney’s best out of the action was pivotal. After these early wickets, and after Matt had hit the stumps for a second time, Bolney had quickly moved from a promising 70 for 2 to a difficult 82 for 6, not helped by the loss of Jignesh Agnihotri who pushed off for a quick run and collapsed to the ground with what looked like an achilles injury. Poor bloke was in serious pain, and he was carried off and we all send him our best wishes and hope he has a quick recovery. Mikey took over from the South end after Jim's wicket maiden (just saying) and he was soon in the wickets too as Bolney's middle and lower order were called in to play, with two bowled wickets, mostly full length yorkey kind of bowleds. Mikey's batting had sadly been cut short, but his new to 2023 bowling is something of a revelation. Henry, replacing Matt at the top end, could have had a few wickets too, with one chance passing close to the single slip fielder, but on this occasion he was wicketless. But TWCC still had Charlie and Graham up their sleeves, and Charlie lined up his radar, and was soon in the wickets as he jagged a ball back up the hill to bowl Clemenson. Bolney were 8 down, and now, with Jignesh out, were one wicket away from defeat. Graham needed no time at all to align any radar - he was straight on the money, but he didn't get a second over as Charlie backed up a fine day's play by bowling Bolney's last man with the first ball of his second over. Bolney all out for 125 in 32.1 overs. An excellent game, with quite a bit of to and fro. Initially TWCC were in some sort of trouble with the bat, negated principally by Paul whose 68 in difficult circumstances was key, and then, as Bolney went through their bowling options, the visitors were able to rally with Matt and then most significantly with Chinu whose fresh style and powerful hitting grabbed the game and powered TWCC on to a fine total. One other candidate for the Champagne Moment - a Prosecco Moment? - was when Luiz Morias was pounding down towards him, unleashing another good length fast ball, and Chinu simply moved his left leg to the side a little and straight-drove Brazil's finest with complete ease. Proper cricket, and it was truly a heartening moment for the TWCC dressing room. Extras helped - take 49 off 210 and you get 161 which would have put Bolney's chase in a different light altogether. TWCC down, then up. Then, after tea, for the first few overs of their innings Bolney were suddenly right back in the game again, as their batsmen looked very much the part and were untroubled by much at all. But then a few key wickets fell, helped by some good and then excellent catching, and Bolney were back in trouble, though historically their lower order is very capable of not getting out. And so to the long line of TWCC bowlers, managed well by Skipper Edwards, and the interest lay in taking all the wickets, a feat not often accomplished in Fortress Bolney. Jignesh's injury was most unfortunate, both for Bolney's chances on the day and more importantly because it left him in some pain and let's hope his season will be back on track soon. In closing it occurs to the Gazette to wonder how many teams can throw the ball to an eighth bowler in the team and rely on them doing the business? In fact TWCC could have expected perfectly good bowling performances from all 10 fielders, but there was no time for Chinu and Tom F to have a go, and we know both can bowl, as can Paul of course, though he might have been hampered by the pads and gloves. One could make the same argument, after duly acknowledging TWCC's virtuoso premier batters, and conclude it's a team of all-rounders, which makes any game interesting as one never knows from whom the sparks will fly. Scorecard TWCC (Skipper Matt Edwards) won the toss and chose to bat first. Umpires Barry Griffin and Steve Bowles. TWCC Innings: P Hunter run out 68; T Firth Ct Morias Bld J Agnihotri 0; M Pearce stumped Bld J Agnihotri 0; J Simon Bld Morias 6; M Edwards Ct, Bld E Greensmith 10; C Sharma Bld Morias 47; T Rydon run out 12; H Short not out 18; E Howes Bld Morias; G Cuthbert not out 0. DNB C Howes. Extras 49 (B25, LB5, W16, NB2) Total 210 for 8 (38 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-12, 3-21, 4-79, 5-139, 6-176, 7-192, 8-192. Bolney CC Bowling: L Morias 8-1-40-3; J Agnihotri 8-0-22-2; I Crouch 6-0-25-0; E Greensmith 5-0-16-1; B Clemenson 5-0-27-0; M Madden 3-0-32-0; T Cook 2-0-15-0; M Feathersone 1-0-3-0. Bolney CC Innings: Luis Ct M Edwards Bld J Simon 37; I Crouch Ct G Cuthbert Bld E Howes; E Greensmith Bld M Edwards 12; M Featherstone Ct C Howes Bld J Simon 5; J Agnihotri retired hurt 11; Bob Bld M Edwards 0; G Sandwith Bld M Pearce 4; B Clemenson Bld C Howes 9; Tony Bld M Pearce 1; Dave not out 22; Mark Bld C Howes 0. Extras 16 (B11, LB3, W2). Total 125 all out (32.1 overs). Fall: 1-23, 2-70, 3-70, 4-82, 5-82, 6-82, 7-89, 8-93, 9-125. Jiggi retiring hurt meant TWCC only needed 9 wickets to win. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-31-0; E Howes 4-0-16-1; J Simon 5-1-21-2; M Edwards 4-2-5-2; H Short 6-0-12-0; M Pearce 6-1-12-2; C Howes 1.1-0-9-2; G Cuthbert 1-0-8-0. TWCC win by 85 runs. Top of page TWCC v Balcombe CC June 4th 2023 Well after the season had begun local naturists had spotted a heron fishing at silly mid-on and ducks pairing up at fine leg, meaning that, following cancellations and rescheduling, this June fixture was the first game TWCC had played on their home ground’s newly laid artificial wicket and no one was quite sure how the ball would behave. The Balcombe side, instant old friends when we first played them, was full of familiar faces, and there was much anticipation of another good game. Balcombe won the toss and chose to field first, and from the first delivery it was clear that this new wicket was somewhat tennis-ball-bouncy. The Gazette will admit to batsman error being a thing, but the ball hitting the bat higher up than expected certainly had an effect on the early wickets. Skipper Brock, in at 4, and Tom Firth led a bit of a recovery after Jim and Chinu were history, until both Tom F (15) and Brocky (14) joined them in the pavilion. TWCC at 35 for 4 could have been an issue, but with Rob and Stephen (Steve? Can you "v" a "ph"?) Laing in the middle it became clear that the home side's fortunes were in the hands of batsmen of note and an element of calm descended over the afternoon’s play. Sadly Steve's innings was cut short by a straight one getting through to his pads from Dhanki, and he was out with an excellent 38 (six 4's) to his name, by which time TWCC had advanced to 101 for 5. Steve's very crickety mix of patience and power, mirrored, really, by Rob at the other end, was a treat to behold as this pair shared a very valuable partnership of 66. Ollie Laing continued on the good work with Rob, but this was about the time Dave Ward came on to bowl, and even though he was only rolling in from a few paces, his left arm over cutters soon took the game back in Balcombe's direction as he bowled Ollie (5). This brought Henry into the middle, and there began a lovely partnership between Rob and Henry that, ultimately, put on a further 44 as Henry kept out the good balls and rotated the strike with Rob who powered on through his 50. Ward, as the scoring rate increased, began to up his intent and, sure enough, eventually he turned a faster cutter in through a gap between Rob's bat and pads that no one even knew existed. Rob, out after another fine innings for TWCC, for an invaluable 67 (nine 4's) had, with his partners, taken a dodgy situation and turned the game into something Skipper Brock could work with. Henry, who weighs up which balls to go at very well, (and which not to - Ed) (not Ed, as in Ed), provided some cement to the innings, and as TWCC neared the end of their allotted time, Charlie entertained the crowd with an extraordinary stroke that involved taking the ball from above his right shoulder and swatting it for 6 over mid-wicket. Where that came from is still a mystery, but a notable one. Henry, pushing on, was Ward's final victim as he was caught by Bohm for 12, which brought Tom R in for a ball or two (two) before Ed, TWCC's secret weapon at 11, sorted out a few swashbucklers as he rattled off 19 off 15 balls before running his brother out an over before it was strictly necessary. TWCC ended on 193, which was, with the grass long, possibly a little above par, though with Balcombe's resources some scores are never high enough. Matt Rawbin and Dave Ward were the most successful of the Balcombe bowlers, with three wickets apiece, and the TWCC powerhouse middle order the pick of the TWCC batters, though there were contributions from across the board, give or take. Tea was a treat of laser-cut sandwiches and delightful treats, and our thanks go to the Short Emporium, though it is a worry that the bar has now been set so high. So to Balcombe's reply with the bat. TWCC opened with the trusty pacers Ed and Tom R, with Tom F manfully taking the gloves in the absence of any other volunteers. Disclaimer: The Balcombe innings isn’t in a book, so nuances of the game aren’t available on a simple-to-read single page of paper. I’m sure it’s all there if one cares to hunt it down, but there’s nothing like a scorebook for actually seeing what happened, how it happened, and who did it. On this occasion it was Tom who did for the visitors' top four batters. Tom had some trouble with letting go of the ball at the right time, and a few no balls resulted, but in his 9 overs for 34 there were three straight bowled and a catch. Tom's wickets didn't happen all at once, and although Balcombe were 1 for 3, Russel Nevard and Aayush Dhanki took Balcombe on to 39 before Ollie took a good catch off Tom to stop the free-scoring Dhanki at 27. The next three wickets happened quickly, and Balcombe were on 54 for 5 before any partnerships developed, and Tom’s four wicket haul had set TWCC off on their path in excellent fashion. Rob then got through, bowling Hirst for 18, he and Wall having put on a handy 42 as they took the visitors on to 96 for 6. In match terms, though, TWCC's total was still looking safe, especially so after Ed, with another catch taken by Ollie, took out TWCC's nemesis batter (and bowler...) Dave Ward for just 6 - potentially the most important wicket of the innings. Charlie, Henry and Chunu were wicketless on this occasion, and Louis Bohm was piling in the big shots as Balcombe were homing in on a win, but then Skipper Brock took the ball and before you knew what had happened he'd got through first, Bohm, and then Jack Teasdale, bowling both with deliveries that seemed to dip past the bat and ping the stumps (the sprung stumps don't clatter - more of a peeoiunggg). Bohm had taken Balcombe a long way towards their goal, and yet Ed, returning to the fray, produced, with Tom Firth, another moment of proper cricket as he found the outside edge of Wall's bat and the ball whipped through to Tom's right hand where he held on to a great sharp catch. Wall was out for 47, top scorer in the innings, and the win predictor twitched back up to hover around the 50:50 mark. Following Brocky and Ed's two wickets each, Balcombe were 188 for 9, and with... I don't know how many balls were left at this point... but in the end Balcombe needed a few off a few balls, and, ultimately, with two balls to go the scores were tied. TWCC needed one wicket for a win, Balcombe needed one run for their win, and two dots would have resulted in a tie. It was moderately exciting, although there’s generally always a scampered single to be had somewhere so Balcombe were favourites at this point, and Callum Botting it was who, with an off drive, calmly saw the game through in Balcombe's favour and a tight game ended up as a win for the visitors. Balcombe are very much into the genial side of the Sunday game, but one has to play well to beat them, and scoring 193 against their bowling and taking nine of their wickets is nothing but a sign of TWCC having played well. Ward being out for just 6, and then Brocky’s late wickets were potential match-winning contributions for TWCC, but in the end Balcombe ended up winners. Victors, maybe – we were all, as always, winners. Scorecard Toss won by Balcombe CC who chose to field first. Timed match. TWCC Innings: J Simon Ct R Nevard Bld M Rawbin 6; T Firth† Ct C Botting (wk) Bld M Rawbin 15; C Sharma Ct T Wall Bld M Rawbin 0; R Brock* Bld J Teasdale 14; R Rydon Bld D Ward 67; S Laing LBW A Dhanki 38; O Laing Bld D Ward 5; H Short Ct Bohm Bld D Ward 12; C Howes run out 9; T Rydon Ct & Bld L Bohm 0; E Howes not out 19. Extras 8 (B4,LB1, W2, NB1) Total 193 all out (43 overs). Fall: 1-6, 2-6, 3-35, 4-35, 5-101, 6-116, 7-160, 8-173, 9-174, 10-193. Balcombe CC Bowling: M Rawbin 7-0-16-3; J Teasdale 7-2-25-1; R Hirst 5-0-27-0; A Dhanki 7-0-32-1; B Nevard 6-1-26-0; D Ward 7-0-35-3; L Bohm 4-0-30-1. Balcombe CC Innings: B Nevard Bld T Rydon 3; R Nevard Bld T Rydon 4; A Dhanki Ct O Laing Bld T Rydon 27; M Rawbin Bld T Rydon 0; R Hirst Bld R Rydon 18; D Ward Ct O Laing Bld E Howes 6; T Wall Ct T Firth (Wk) Bld E Howes 6; L Bohm Bld R Brock 46; J Teasdale Bld R Brock 1; C Botting not out 6; G Botting not out 0. Extras 37 (B15, LB8, W3, NB11) Total 195 for 9 (37.5 overs). Fall: 1-3, 2-39, 3-40, 4-46, 5-54, 6-96, 7-183, 8-185, 9-188. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 7.5-0-34-2; T Rydon 9-0-41-4; H Short 5-0-16-0; C Howes 4-0-8-0; R Rydon 4-0-13-1; O Laing 3-0-8-0; C Sharma 2-0-37-0; R Brock 3-0-15-2. Balcombe CC win by 1 wicket. Top of page TWCC v Xiles June 11th 2023 Hot. That's what it was. But TWCC cricketers are of brave mettle even if it was starting to melt, so when Xiles' skipper David Hannant won the toss and chose to bat first, the elite sportsters of Twineham and Wineham were not downhearted. Tom and Ed opened up the taps and, sure enough, within Tom's first over he had crashed the new ball in to Hannant's stumps and the visitors were 1 for 0. David Hooper, Xiles' No.2, was his usual effective self and he duly found the boundary off both Tom and Ed before Tom produced the day's second-most unplayable delivery of the day to nip one past Hooper's bat and onto his stumps. In at 3 had come one serious looking player in the form of Shahzad Khan, who gave every appearance of not messing about. With the Hooper wicket, Xiles were 24 for 2 when Khan was joined by Bailey, who started carefully enough, not least because Henry and Matt replaced Tom and Ed to good effect, but as the batters became attuned to the wicket, even our most reliable bowlers soon began to suffer. For any TWCC fans it's perhaps best that we don't dwell too long on the remains of the Xiles innings, although Khan and Bailey certainly deserve full credit for taking the game somewhat away from the 10-man home side with some powerful hitting. Soon every bowler became more expensive than usual, although, amongst all this moderate carnage, Skipper Brock made something of a breakthrough as a difficult length ball was uppishly mistimed to Tom at point who held onto an important catch, dismissing Khan for a firm 57 (8 fours, 1 six). In a partnership of 99 Xiles had shot to 125 for 3, and from then on it became very much the Bailey show as he went on to claim the first century of the day, continuing on in partnership with Padam Gupta who certainly played his part ending on 22 not out. A quick count up shows that Bailey hit 7 fours and 8 sixes in his innings of 122 not out, and, we wish to point out, only two of them were off Jim's bowling although it didn't seem like that at the time. When tea time finally arrived Xiles were on an impressive 216 for 3. It certainly wasn’t wilful, but whether it was the heat, extra drinks, or the time spent looking for balls, or all of the above, the record shows that TWCC only bowled 34 overs which isn't really enough being honest about it, so although it wasn't commented on at the time Xiles would clearly have added to this total if they had faced a more normal number of overs. However, it's Sunday cricket, and it all seemed fine at the time. Tom R's figures stand out, not only for his two wickets, but also because he didn't come on for a second spell when Bailey was in full flow! Anyone bowling at the end was going to have to reappraise their ultimate standings in the end of season averages - no names needed, I know who I am. Hats off to Bailey – 122 not out is a tremendous individual score. Skipper Brock had not only marshalled his valiant bowlers, but had also masterminded a voluptuous tea and it was very nice to see a few TWCC friends, starting with Phil who brought out some drinks and it was very good indeed to see him and we all wish him a swift return to health. Also there, completely by chance turning up at tea time, were Dave Rogers and Steve Taylor, who had been lunching in the Presidential Palace, and the distraction of news from the far reaches of the TWCC family was very welcome as the TWCC troops drew breath after their ordeal in the Sun. Although Coach Bunn, Phil, Dave R and Steve were at the game, two people they were without were Tom Firth and Jonathan, and so it was that once again Jim found himself meandering out to the middle with Paul to begin something of a daunting chase. After a calm start from both batters (I know!), Paul edged a full ball from Manger and he was caught behind for 10, which, given how well Paul's been batting this season, and with over 200 to chase down, meant that this wasn't a great start, either for him or his team. But in at 3 came Tony, and he and Jim set about affairs in a curiously responsible fashion, if you don't count Jim being dropped here and there. And there. The bowling wasn't especially difficult to keep out, but there was a definite outbreak of something akin to responsibility as even Tony was studiously dropping unintimidating but straight balls down at his feet such was his determination not to get himself out. But even with this abundance of caution the two were offered sufficient opportunities to score four, five, six, and more runs an over, and everything was going well for the home side. When Jim was out for 23, thinning a ball into the covers from Xiles' leg-spinning skipper, Hannant, the score was 117 for two, and the rest of the game largely comprised Tony plus A. N. Other as different partners came and went. Now, this certainly isn't to say that Tony's partners had no role in building TWCC's total, far from it, but such was Tony's dominance that he was regularly able to keep the strike which by definition kept other contributions small. But the runs from all were vital, as we shall see. When Jim was out the required run rate at that point was around six per over - much the same rate as had been achieved all along - and all the remaining TWCC batters were quite capable of successfully keeping Tony company and of scoring in their own right. The only problem was that, capable or not, whilst Tony's partners didn't do anything especially wrong, they did get out just a little too often for comfort. No one looked to be in any particular trouble, but first Matt, then Tom fell to MccreadieFord and the returning Manger, but critically they too had scored boundaries, and, along with Duracell Tony still powering away, Matt's and Tom's partnerships with Tony had been of 25 and 34 respectively. But Tony was, and continued to be, the man. Sadly, the entire Gazette staff were in an adjacent field looking for a ball when Tony passed the 100 mark, missing the moment, but if TWCC were to win the game it was essential that he continue on, and this he did even as the bowling threat went up a considerable notch. It's possible that Xiles' skipper hadn't intended to use the powerful Shahzad as a bowler, but, now, here he was, putting his mark down a long way back (as was the keeper) and we could all guess what was coming. From being 187 for 4 with 8 overs to go, by the time there were just a couple of overs left TWCC were on 209 for 8. The later wickets that fell - in order Matt(5), Tom (2), Ed (6), Charlie (4), Henry (2) ensured a very close finish, and not only was Shahzad sending down accurate and pacy deliveries that not many would be able to keep out, but Tony was running out of partners. One theme and two moments stick in the mind. The theme was how well Tony optimised his opportunities even as he ran out of partners and time. At one point the much-penetrated mid-wicket boundary became increasingly defended and yet Tony played with the fielders out there, assessing his different boundary options as the fielders moved about and, sure enough, relentlessly finding the hedge, and, with pushes for twos and singles at or near the end of the overs, Tony's cultivation of the strike was a treat to watch, and he continued to increase his scoring right to the end of the game. The two moments that stick out? The first was Graham's boundary four. It came at a time when TWCC were all but all out, and Shahzad was threatening to finish the game off in Xiles' favour with every ball he bowled, and so it was essential to capitalise on the bowling of Manger at the other end. There were a couple of blameless dots after Henry was run out, and then Graham squared himself up and pulled Manger over square-leg for four, swinging the game around again as the runs came and Tony was going to be on strike during the following over. Cheers went up from the pavilion for Graham’s four and it was game on. Before we get on to the second notable moment, we get to the day's most unplayable delivery which, oddly, wasn't bowled at Jim as is usually the case. Less surprising was that it was Shahzad who bowled it, on Graham's 5th stump line. It was a difficult length, and it cut back off the pitch and took the very top, bail height, of Graham's off stump. Graham took one for the team there, for if it had been bowled at Tony it's not certain that even he would have survived it and then where would TWCC have been? Back to the second notable moment. Graham was just out (see above), and TWCC’s last man was in. There was one ball left in Shahzad's over before Tony could be facing again at the other end. One ball left in the over to survive and keep the game going. Shahzad stormed in, tail up, and he sent a ball down straight at the off stump of TWCC's last man in. Who might be TWCC's Jack Leach? Who do you think? The man for the job was Captain "Scooby" Brock, who calmly put his bat in line with the delivery, the end of the over was seen out, Tony was on strike at the other end and it was game on again. More survival was required further down the line, which our Scoob managed without too much difficulty, but in allowing Tony to have a further scoring over, and then to, indeed, score Leachy's single to keep Tony going meant that TWCC's last man, Skipper Brock, with Tony still unbeaten, was instrumental in the home side chasing down the target of 216 with eight balls to go. After fielding during the heat of the day as Xiles batted, and then batting more or less right through the TWCC innings, Tony's 141 not out was truly one of TWCC's great innings and it was as clever as it was powerful. An examination of his scoring will show that he hit an almost incredible 20 fours along with 4 sixes, and he went on to back up this tremendous effort by buying a full round at the pub, which seems a little wrong, really, as his team mates should have done the buying. A memorable game, skippered inclusively by both captains and a lot of credit goes to them for engineering, as much as is ever possible, a close and exciting game. A player scoring a century for the side batting first would normally have ensured a win, or at least a draw, for their team, but, well made though Bailey's runs were, Tony's were all the more impressive for having been scored in the face of prolonged, and greater, jeopardy. Scorecard Toss won by Xiles, who chose to bat first. Timed match. Xiles Innings: D Hannant bld T Rydon 0; D Hooper bld T Rydon 11; S Khan ct T Rydon bld R Brock 57; D Bailey not out 122; P Gupta not out 22. DNB S MccreadieFord, P Thompson, A Sankar, S Shindgikar, A Dinnie, R Manger. Extras 13 (B3, LB1, W7, NB2) Total 216 for 3 (34 overs). Fall: 1-0, 2-24, 3-125. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-1-12-2; E Howes 8-1-48-0; M Edwards 7-0-47-0; H Short 5-1-37-0; R Brock 4-0-29-1; J Simon 3-0-41-0. TWCC Innings: P Hunter ct P Gupta (Wk) bld R Manger 10; J Simon ct P Thompson bld D Hannant 23; T Pearce not out 141; M Edwards ct A Dinnie bld S MccreadieFord; T Rydon ct. bld R Manger 2; E Howes ct P Gupta (wk) bld D Hooper 6; C Howes ct S MccreadieFord bld R Manger 4; H Short run out (A Sankar) 2; G Cuthbert bld S Khan 4; ; R Brock not out 1. DNB M Pearce who had very little input into the game. Extras 22 (B4, LB1, W15, NB2) Total 219 (40.4 overs) TWCC win by 1 wicket. Top of page TWCC v London Unity June 18th 2023 Every forecast had, for days, been predicting, or even just plain out stating, that anyone playing cricket in Twineham during the afternoon of Sunday 18th June 2023 would be doing so in the rain. However, at the time when decision-makers prowl, the sun, of course, was brightly out and only the saddest of doom-mongers and those with an aversion to honey-roasted sausages would have intervened. With the rain factored in, a full match wasn’t on the cards, and so, much to the amazement of TWCC aficionados, a nostalgically reimagined Skipper Simon and Unity’s Mark Driver co-negotiated a swift 30:30 limited overs match. Three Unity players were still on their way, and so, in the face of the impending deluge, TWCC offered to field first and that’s what happened. TWCC’s novice skipper, who, as ever, combined gormlessness and innovation in unequal proportions, and on one occasion both at once, insisted on a fielding huddle in order to get his excuses in early. Usually, with the bowling luxury of Ed, Matt and Tom in any permutation up front , TWCC’s route one through an opposition’s top order is clear, and if circumstances dictate, or permit, one can retain or spend their power as the skipper sees fit. On this occasion, however, there was no Matt or Ed, and so Jim explained that whilst he would open with Tom, because early wickets are early wickets, he would only give him maybe two overs in case a later Unity middle order resistance movement needed a crackdown. It would be Tom then Henry from one end, and Graham and Charlie from the other. Pace from one end can often provoke light-headed stroke-play from the other, and both Graham and Charlie are slower but do bowl difficult lengths, and so that, such as it was, was the plan. TWCC were also pleased to welcome Michael Short for his inaugural game, and though the Gazette missed the formal presentation of his trousers, his already familiar face clearly fits in the TWCC player’s enclosure and we hope to see him in whites more often. TWCC were out there on the bong of 1.00, huddle achieved, and not long after they were joined by the Unity opening batters, who, not long after, were back in the pavilion again. Regular followers of TWCC will know that Tom Rydon gets early wickets, and, sure enough, with his sixth ball he splattered the stumps, which he went on to do with the sixth ball of his second over, by which time Unity were 5 for 4. What? Here’s how it happened. After Tom’s first over, Graham soon found his customary good length and Joe Driver slightly clothed a ball for Henry to catch at...mid-on?... and Unity were two down after 8 balls. A great start for Graham, and then, in Tom’s second over J Burke pushed a ball through the covers towards the tree/standpipethingy-combo and Charlie set off in hot pursuit. Just a single really, but Burke turned for a suicidal second because whilst we know that crowd favourite Charlie has a bit of an arm on him, Burke didn’t, and a perfect throw to Paul produced a lovely clean run out and Unity were 4 for 3. Then, as alluded to in the above flashforward, Tom bowled Unity’s No 5 Gane in his second over and that’s how we get to 5 for 4 in three overs. The huddle-plan plus a run out was working out well from TWCC’s perspective, and it was time to see what Henry could do as the pace follow-up to Tom. Sadly, although he started with a perfect maiden over, Henry’s back said no to more bowling, and so, as Graham finished his spell of 1 for 4 off 3 overs, Mikey and Charlie took on the job of bowling into the teeth of something of a Unity fight back. Gashemi, at 3, was clearly a hitty out kind of batter, and a couple of 6’s and a few 4’s were sticking themselves to the scoreboard before the Pearce’s took him out with, we imagine, a slightly smokin’ catch in the covers by Tony off Mikey’s bowling. There would be more of a Technicolor description of the catch to insert here if only the Gazette insider had seen it, and it was lucky that the ball wasn’t hit towards TWCC’s ever-attentive skipper who was facing the other way at the time. Anyway, a wicket for Mikey, an indescribable catch, and Unity were, even after this fine stand of 51 between Gashemi and Caeser, still somewhat on the ropes at 55 for 5 after 17 overs. Charlie was wicketless on this occasion (although his bowling analysis does give him a wicket without showing where it might have come from...) but he was bowling very usefully, along with Mikey, through the brief but forceful Unity regrouping. Rob replaced Charlie after a five over spell and, unlike his son, he waited until his second over before bowling anyone which he did with the first ball of his second over. Unplayable we believe. Jim wheeled in with a few overs, bowling tremendous wicketless deliveries, which brings us to Chinu who was needlessly unconvinced of his own abilities, and who bowled 5 overs straight off which included Caeser’s wicket when a top-edged pull was caught by Jim at deep square leg, and he kept bowling to the end with excellent figures of 5 overs 1 for 20. Graham and Charlie came back as the 30 overs limit approached, and Graham topped up his wickets column by enticing Mark Driver to lift a ball to Jim at mid-wicket and then by bowling Unity’s No 9 to end with figures of 3 for 14 off 5 overs. Very good. Unity had scored 95 for the loss of 9 wickets in their 30 overs, the early wickets having taken their toll, and in the light of the now-arriving rainstorm, the two teams quickly turned around without tea, and Paul and Tom opened the batting for TWCC, but neither of them truly got going, much as Unity's bowlers were finding it hard to bowl with an increasingly wet ball. Paul lifted a ball up to be caught at... mid-on? ... and Tom was bowled by Page who possessed a quicker ball that came as a surprise. Notwithstanding his exit after just nine overs, Tom did play the shot of the day – a lovely patient lofted off-drive over the infield off the slow bowling of Nuttall that had the Offcrick inspectors reaching for their gold stars. Tony, at 3, simply carried on from his previous innings, which had, in turn carried on from the one before that, and he was briefly joined by Mikey who was also out caught, which brought Jim in with TWCC on 44 for 3, and he and Tony were about to win the game in no time at all when, with the rain setting in somewhat, after 12 overs of the TWCC reply it was time for tea under the verandah. TeaViz had been showing 80% Nigella all afternoon, with Jamie on an unlikely 20%, and, sure enough, there were the sausages, the full sandwiches and plump cakes. During this wonderful Rydon tea, however, the on-off drizzle became steady rain, the captains declared an abandonment, and the game was transferred to the pub. Looking at how people get out it’s a definite possibility that the new wicket is behind many of the wickets that fall. This isn’t because of any inconsistency, but rather simply because of the high bounce. When driving off the front or back foot, the ball seems to hit the bat higher up than the batters are expecting with catches the consequence, and then, when playing with a horizontal bat, the ball needs a more definite hitting down to avoid the same fate. We’ll adjust if this is the case, or we won’t which is more likely. An abandoned, but enjoyable, match, and it seemed as if everyone was glad they’d turned up. Scorecard Toss uncontested (Unity had some latecomers) and Unity batted first. Certain big rain around 4.00 - 5.00 mandated an unusual agreement to play a 30:30 limited overs game. Unity batting: J Driver Ct H Short bld G Cuthbert 1; M Cockburn bld T Rydon 0; D Gashemi ct T Pearce bld M Pearce 38; J Burke run out (C Howes) 2; A Gane bld T Rydon 0; A Caeser ct J Simon bld C Sharma 20; D Page bld R Rydon 4; M Driver ct J Simon bld G Cuthbert 7; T Burke bld G Cuthbert 6; A Nuttall not out 4; Daniels not out 1. Extras 12 (W9, NB3) Total 95 for 9 (30 overs). Fall: 1-1, 2-2, 3-4, 4-4, 5-55, 6-60, 7-75, 8-84, 9-92. TWCC bowling: T Rydon 2-0-2-2; G Cuthbert 5-0-14-3; H Short 1-1-0-0; M Pearce 6-0-24-1; C Howes 6-0-27-0; R Rydon 2-0-4-1; J Simon 3-1-3-0; C Sharma 5-0-20-1. TWCC batting: P Hunter ct M Driver bld A Nuttall 5; T Rydon bld D Page 5; T Pearce not out 28; M Pearce ct, bld A Nuttall 4;J Simon not out 1. DNB H Short, C Sharma, R Rydon, G Cuthbert, C Howes, M Short. Extras 1 (LB1) Total 44 for 3 (12 overs). Fall: 1-5, 2-33, 3-44. Unity bowling: J Driver 4-1-9-0; A Nuttall 6-1-21-1; D Page 2-0-21-1. Match abandoned due to rain. Top of page TWCC v Cutters Choice June 25th 2023 This shouldn't take long to wrap up. No more than a few days. Hot. Dry. Breezy. Long wait after Cutters Choice won the toss and chose to field first without a full team at the ground... Without dwelling on individuals the TWCC innings, with a couple of exceptions, was mostly about getting out, but as it turned out, this wasn't a bad thing. There was one LBW (Paul), an unlucky bowled (Tom F) and the seven other wickets were catches. The bowling wasn't especially threatening, though of course there were plenty of good balls, but throughout the innings several TWCC batters got themselves out through a lack of concentration. There were exceptions, such as when Chinu, batting at 5, was unlucky when he truly smoked a half-volley back at the bowler, Saffi, who knocked the ball up and held on to the juggle for a great catch. There were several boundaries from all, a 6 from Tony, some good running here and there as TWCC tottered towards some sort of score, but it wasn't until No 8 Sam got to the crease with 26 overs gone, the total at 90 for 6, that anything much happened. Sam seemed to be in control, and even looked as if he could not get out if he didn't want to, and as tea approached he just increasingly went for it. Tom R (4) and Ed (6) came and went, which brought last man Matt B in, and Sam and Matt took the home side to an at least respectable total. Matt certainly played a big part in this last wicket partnership of 41 off 32 balls, playing proper cricket shots including a whipped wristy cover drive all along the ground for 4. Matt's innings of 15 off 10 balls certainly invigorated TWCC's innings, but Sam seemed to be redrawing the boundaries on another level as he first tested out the strength of the Terry and June Oak, and then began to pepper the surroundings with all sorts of big hits, including taking a low full toss from around his ankles and cracking it clean over the pavilion. TWCC were on 148 at the start of the final over, Matt knocked a single, and Sam hit the remaining five balls for 6, 4, 6, 6, 4 taking TWCC to 175 for 9 and his own score to 55 not out off 22 balls, which included six 4's and four 6's. TWCC went in to tea with at least something reasonable on the board, and Cutters Choice played their part in this by not reverting to their key bowlers at the end. Sam and Matt's batting must have given the visitors some pause for thought after a long period when TWCC really couldn't seem to string any runs together, though we suspect that they were quietly confident. The Gazette reporter, however, and for full disclosure, was as confident that it would be a draw or a TWCC win. There was, as we combatted Tony's well-filled sandwiches and pork pies with bunches of grapes and slices of watermelon, an eye-of-the-storm atmosphere at tea. The unease of distant but gathering forces lurked behind both sides' reliving of the play just gone as they thought of what might be to come. In the TWCC camp Sam and Matt could hold their heads high, but maybe the rest were either pondering their bad luck or dwelling on their mistakes. But TWCC do bowl and field well, it says here, so the home side were all bigged up as play resumed with Ed and Tom performing their usual ballistics display. It's funny how it goes; this time it was Ed who took a wicket and Tom who didn't, but neither were going for runs and after ten overs although Ed's wicket had yet to arrive, they had only put on 24 runs. Cutters Choice would need to up the rate, but in their No 2, Toby, there looked to be someone who was on top of their craft and who, more importantly, seemed to be able to concentrate well. Early developments came from Ed, who, first had No 1 Paul out LBW, and then ran out CCCC's No 3. However, after that Toby, now joined by Paddy, set about setting about accumulating runs at an increasingly increasing pace. Sam and Matt E took over the bowling at about this time, both with mixed success as, particularly Toby, played more and more expansively without looking to be in much trouble. His prowess was more front-footed than when playing shorter balls on a tight line, but the score was still climbing too fast for the home side to ignore. Sam, who hadn't played for a long time, became more confident as his spell lengthened and he finished off with a fast yorker that he forced through under Sam's bat (...no surnames to be seen...CCCC's No 6) for a solo wicket. Mikey was soon right on the mark again, and sure enough he bowled the ball that Matt E caught at square leg. It really didn't take long to get there either, whipped as it was off a half-volley on leg stump, and Matt's reaction catch a foot above his head was great to see, but if you blinked you would have missed it. Tom R held another one off Mikey's fifth over which was a double wicket maiden... Where did this Mikey come from? And he started with a maiden! Who cares? - he's here now. Toby was still in, and he really did hold CCCC's innings together very well, and he was now joined by capable all-rounder Saffi. Cutters Choice needed around 30 runs off the last 4 overs, and Matt had brought back Tom R and himself to try and either nip through the wickets or defend the total, and it was Matt who finally found the under-edge of Toby's bat for a played-on bowled. Toby had batted very well, and no doubt only attempted the shot he did in trying to get his side home. He was out for 76 (eleven 4's, more or less all nicely along the ground) and TWCC felt they were back in with a chance of a result that might not begin with an "L". Little did they realise that No 8 Sham was another classy performer. He was simply untroubled by the bowling and his wristy pick-ups were reminiscent of Rohit who featured for TWCC in 2022, and he and Saffi in the end took the visitors home with ten balls to spare, leaving some bowling analysis carnage in their wake. The Gazette has yet to mention the TWCC catching, significant though it wasn't. To mention each drop would be as repetitive as it is depressing, and CCCC's main protagonists had been undoubtedly living something of a charmed life. CCCC held lots of catches, TWCC didn't. In the home side's defence not many, if any, of the TWCC dropped chances were easy - skied balls on a bright breezy day are never easy - but had they been held the result may very well have been different. Sam and Matt gave TWCC hope, Toby dashed most of it, and Saffi and Sham finished it off. On the day Cutters Choice were the better side, so hats off to them, and MCC counselling for TWCC. Perhaps they missed their Coach? Scorecard Toss won by Cutters Choice, who chose to field first. Timed game. TWCC Innings: P Hunter LBW Sham 15; T Firth bld Sham 9; T Pearce, ct, bld Andy 12; M Pearce ct, bld Andy 4; C Sharma ct & bld Saffi 0; M Edwards ct, bld Ryan 18; J Simon ct, bld Ryan 19; S Simon not out 55; T Rydon ct, bld Aide 4; E Howes ct wk, bld Paddy 6; M Brock not out 15. Extras 15 (B4, LB1, W8, NB2) Total 175 for 9 (37 overs). Fall: 1-23, 2-31, 3-42, 4-46, 5-49, 6-90, 7-91, 8-109, 9-134. Cutters Choice Bowling: Sham 6-0-23-2; Andy 7-0-22-2; Saffi 7-1-14-1; Ryan 8-0-43-2; Aide 4-2-4-1; Sam 3-0-32-0; Paddy 2-0-32-1. Cutters Choice Innings: Paul LBW E Howes 8; Toby bld M Edwards 76; Kyle run out (E Howes) 1; Paddy ct Matt Edwards' bld M Pearce 39; Dave ct T Rydon bld M Pearce 0, Sam bld S Simon 9; Saffi not out 14, Sham not out 15. DNB Andy, Ryan, Aide. Extras 11 (B4, LB1, W4, NB2) Total 176 for 6 (40 overs). Fall: 1-31, 2-41, 3-111, 4-111, 5-137, 6-150. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-3-22-1; T Rydon 8-2-35-0; S Simon 6-0-26-1; M Pearce 7-2-20-2; M Brock 4-0-22-0. Cutters Choice win by 4 wickets. Top of page Henfield v TWCC July 2nd 2023 Clear, breezy day. Not hot – any influencers nearing pension age wore a short-sleeved jumper. TWCC's skipper Edwards won the toss and chose to bowl first, which Ed and Tom did with such gusto that Henfield's innings was rather compromised early on. This time it was Ed who seemed to have the run of the wickets; an LBW and a bowled backed up by some excellent catching all round. Mikey, running backwards at mid-off, turned an impossible chance into a wicket, and then couldn't quite make the ground to give Ed his full wickets five, and Matt took another catch to leave Ed with the excellent figures of 4 for 26 off 8 overs. Jim snaffled a catch at shortish mid-wicket to give Tom his, on the day, only wicket, and Henfield, in spite of some classy shots being played from many in the top order, were 45 for 5 in just the 11th over. Tom off, Matt on - no respite - and soon Matt was causing trouble for the batters, culminating in an edge to 2nd/3rd slip, where Tony fought off all challengers to take a firm one-handed catch diving to his right. Another excellent catch on a TWCC catching day. Salt to wound was applied by Charlie who chased after a wide ball at fine leg, and pinged in his accurate throw to run out No. 8 Davis, and Henfield were in all sorts of trouble. Lal, Henfield's No. 4, was the only long-term presence at the crease, and his score of 65 when all around were playing good shots but getting out was truly a stand out performance. Lal stayed in whilst Charlie and then Graham bowled Henfield's 9 and 10 respectively, but his was the last wicket to fall, in the 26th over, after Jim bowled a ball a little wider that was mistimed to Matt at mid-on. Pick of the Henfield batting; Lal, though many Henfield batters were playing classy shots before they got out. Of some note was the excellent fielding, with five catches and a run out. The BYOT was disappointing, it has to be said. Paul and Tom F began the batting reply, and very nearly finished it too. The visitor's dressing room was relaxed, no doubt buoyed by the presence of their coach, as Paul smacked several shorter deliveries to the straight and mid-wicket boundaries. Tom pitched in with much the same, and some lovely high-elbow straight drives for 4 live on in the memory. Somehow, however, there was room in this game for Tony to score 39, so at some point Paul was out for 29, having hit six 4's, playing-on via a bottom edge off the leg-spinner Lewis. A lovely breezy unconcerned free innings shared with Tom, and TWCC were well on their way at 45 for 1. Tony, in at 3, simply never seems to be out of form as his instinctive footwork compels the ball to meet with the middle of his bat, and he was soon charging about, timing big shots, placing 1's and 2's and generally living the dream. In no time at all TWCC were within three runs from victory, when Tony was bowled by a slippery ball from Mendis, out for a brisk 39 which included three 4's and a chunky six over... well... cow corner. And why not? Tom nearly batted right through, but just before TWCC had overhauled Henfield's 121, he chipped up a ball to the excellent Mendis to catch. Tom was out for 40 of the best, having also hit six 4's along the way, and his partnerships of, first, 45 with Paul and then of 63 with Tony were the backbone of the TWCC innings. Great stuff. It only remained for Jim, but principally Mikey to knock off the odd run or three, and TWCC were the easy winners in the 26th over. Summary? Henfield's batting strength was somewhat nullified by some excellent bowling and catching, and perhaps their bowling wasn't as penetrating as TWCC have had to contend with in the past, but this takes nothing away from the TWCC bowlers doing what do very well, backed up by some almost faultless catching, and whilst Henfield's bowling was perhaps not as penetrating as they have been in the past, this also takes nothing away from the sheer competency of TWCC's top order. A solid game. As TWCC skipper Matt said; “...about as good as I’ve seen us bowl and field and bat – for those of us that batted!” Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to field first. 40:40 limited overs format. Henfield CC Innings: J Howson ct J Simon bld T Rydon 13; A Gander LBW E Howes 3; R Skinner bld E Howes 0; Lal ct M Edwards bld J Simon 65; Kieran ct M Edwards bld E Howes 10; D Mendis ct M Pearce bld E Howes 4; T Lewis ct M Pearce bld M Edwards 1; W Davis run out (C Howes) 3; Archie bld G Cuthbert 0; Mike not out 0. Extras 20 (B6,w14) Total 121 all out (26.3 overs). Fall: 1-17, 2-17, 3-21, 4-35, 5-45, 6-52, 7 & 8 unrecorded, 9-95, 10-121. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-2-26-4; T Rydon 5-0-18-1; M Edwards 3-0-3-1; C Howes 4-0-18-1; G Cuthbert 5-0-38-1; J Simon 1.3-0-11-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter bld T Lewis 29; T Firth ct & bld D Mendis 40; T Pearce bld D Mendis 39; J Simon not out 1; M Pearce not out 6. DNB J Rowland, M Edwards, T Rydon, E Howes, G Cuthbert, C Howes. Extras 10 (B5, LB1, W4) Total 125 for 3 in 26.5 overs. Fall: 1-45, 2-108, 3-119. Henfield CC Bowling: Kieran 3-2-13-0; F G-M 3-0-9-0; Lal 4-0-18-0; T Lewis 10-1-51-1; D Mendis 6.5-0-22-2. TWCC win by 7 wickets. Top of page Horsted Keynes v TWCC July 9th 2023 Once again TWCC found themselves in the time-warp village of Horsted Keynes with its cricket pitch surrounded by slightly rambling lavender hedges through which, perhaps, Agatha Christie gently poisons the Rev W Awdry's roses. And there's the slightly rambling pavilion, and the Harvey's pub that has rambled sufficiently to actually form part of the boundary. TWCC, complete with their coach, Coach, and touring supporters, were elevened by new-to-us Pete Fleming to whom we all extend our thanks and hopes that he both enjoyed himself and might like to join in again. Be warned Pete - once the jolly talons of TWCC have gripped, they often don’t let go. The general sense of bonhomie was further enhanced by the beaming presence of Skipper Brock - very good to see him back - who won the toss and chose to field first. Rather than go through endless mentions and details, the Gazette is, instead, offering up more of an impression of the game as its reporter was beguiled more by the soft balm of a summer’s afternoon than by any nipping and tucking. Besides, who needs the effort? Not the reader and certainly not the writer. The wicket was hard and slightly prone to deviant bounce, though only the very odd ball kept low which was a blessing. Tom bounded in down the hill, and, whilst there was no good reason why this should be, no wickets came his way. Ed, on the other hand, running in up the slope, opened the wickets tally having Horsted Keynes’s No 2 Wilson out LBW in front of the stumps that looked like they'd been put in by Salvador Dali. Graham turned a suicidal run into an early run out, then he and Jim bowled a bit, then Charlie and Pete did some more of the same, and Brocky and Tony finished it all up. There – that wasn’t too hard was it? The bowling was tight – all that was required was a good length and the wicket did the rest - the fielding was excellent, Ed took a remarkable catch running backwards under a high ball, all-rounder Tony mopped up 3 wickets for 23, and Brocky produced his trademark 2/3 of a hat-trick. The home side never really got going, and even though Tony’s penultimate ball ended up in Richmal Crompton's bay window, his next ball bowled Horsted Keynes’s big hitting No 11 and it was time for tea with the home side all out in the 40th over for 126. The tea was lovely. Maybe it’s a function of coming out of lockdown - a desire for some zip - but 2023, the Gazette’s food critic insists, has been the year of mustard. He recalls being in a trattoria in Italy when someone said, “Non ha senso mettere un tocco di questo o quello, un barlume di basilica o una sniffata di limone: se entra devi saperlo assaggiare!”* and we couldn’t agree more when it comes to mustard. Pickles. Onion. Get the jars open, get the chopping board out, if it's going in, make it count – and Horsted Keynes’s teamongers were right with the programme. Or “program” as our American friends who secrete their spelling checks around the globe would have it, though they would be better served checking their own mustard. And cheese. And beer. A digression too far? Of course it is! Though we intend to be whimsical throughout, it is nonetheless important to mention a few specifics as TWCC’s chased down their modest target. It started straight off the bat as Paul absolutely smashed the very first ball of the innings for a four through the square leg umpire. It was one of those resounding sharp cracks of a hit that Paul had been working on the previous week, and it set the tone much as Zak Crawley’s cover drive did for the Ashes. Lovely, and from that moment on (spoiler alert) this was going to be a TWCC win. Paul's rapid 30 off 23 balls was another key Hunter fast-feet innings and included a full toss outside the off stump being pumped for a six over extra cover. Henry, unable to bowl for a while, had opened the batting with Paul, and he was joined by a sequence of TWCC representatives, some more representative than others, and between them they zig-zag-stalked the Horsted Keynes total. Henry's excellent 21 was cut short by a stumping, and Tony was oddly circumspect as he accumulated 15 off 43 balls which says a great deal about the slightly treacherous wicket. It was left to Jonathan batting at 7 to pile in a quintet of fours in double time as he moved the game towards the pub with 24 off 25 balls before he was out leaving nothing for Jim and Ed to do, which they did. Jez and his Horsted Keynes team were as welcoming as always, and it was one of those games when all players, from whichever side, were appreciative not only of any good play, but also of the joys of just being out in the sun, doing a bit of cricket, laughing at stuff and not being too bothered about who actually won. An oasis of Sunday calm in this troubled world. An oasis but no mirage; that was a pub and that was Harvey’s. Perfect. Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to field first. 40:40 limited overs format. Horsted Keynes Innings: D Marmian bld C Howes 23; S Wilson bld E Howes 4; R Spetch run out (G Cuthbert) 0; E Long ct J Rowland (wk) bld J Simon 14; J Humphries-Davies bld T Pearce 23; M Floyer LBW C Howes; S Parker ct E Howes bld T Pearce 1; L Duly not out 17; O Wright bld R Brock 5; D Elliott ct H Short bld R Brock 0; G Holloway LBW T Pearce 7. Extras 20 (B9, LB5, W3, NB3) Total 126 all out (39.2 overs). Fall: 1-16, 2-17, 3-44, 4-61, 5-80, 6-94, 7-98, 8-118, 9-118, 10 126. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-2-7-0; E Howes 5-2-6-1; J Simon 6-1-12-1; G Cuthbert 6-1-20-0; C Howes 4-0-13-2; P Fleming 3-0-12-0; R Brock 5-0-19-2; T Pearce 5.2-0-23-3. TWCC Innings: P Hunter ct & bld D Elliott 30; H Short st, bld L Duly 21; C Howes ct S Parker bld G Holloway 1; T Pearce ct J Humphries-Davies bld S Parker 15; G Cuthbert LBW G Holloway 6; P Fleming ct O Wright bld M Floyer 7; J Rowland LBW M Floyer 24; J Simon not out 10; E Howes not out 2. DNB T Rydon, R Brock. Extras 12 (B5 ,LB2, penalty runs (hat) 5). Total 127 for 7 (35.1 overs). Fall: 1-37, 2-40, 3-60, 4-76, 5-89, 6-93, 7-122. Horsted Keynes Bowling: R Spetch 4-1-220; D Elliott 8-1-26-1; G Holloway 8-2-7-2; L Duly 5-0-17-1; S Parker 6-0-19-1; M Floyer 4.1-1-19-2. TWCC win by 3 wickets. *Translatata Googleroni Top of page TWCC v Horley CC July 16th 2023 How to begin? It is going to be difficult to convey the drama, the twists and turns, that unfolded into one of the classic games as TWCC welcomed Horley CC to their humble village setting, but we'll have to have a go. Skipper Brock won the toss and elected to field first in a 38:42 Flexidraw game. Conditions were dry but the lingering blasts of a full on Summer gale would make life difficult for anyone unlucky enough to be under a high catch or bowling from the Pavilion End. On the other hand if you're one of these fancy highly tuned fast bowlers you get to make the most of such wind assistance, and Tom duly stormed in from the Downs End with a helpful push behind him. Tom's analysis suffered a few early blows as edges evaded fielders at fine leg and third man and went for unwarranted boundaries, but he was right on the money and took the first wicket as Childs mistimed a forward push and sent the ball to Henry at mid-off (I think... - well, I know it was Henry, but as to exactly where he was fielding..?). TWCC were under way. Jim, running into the gale, just about managed to make it to the crease and used the new ball and the slight crosswind to reasonably good effect. Although there were good balls in there it was a rather indifferent performance in terms of consistent line and length (blame the wind!), but one of the consequences of Tom’s much tougher bowling from the other end was that batters had ill-advised lunges at Jim’s wayward, though swinging, offerings and Horley’s Childs and Duncan Jee thick-edged the ball, first, to Henry for another catch, and then to Matt in the covers. Tom got through to the stumps of Horley's No 4, and with his and Jim's two wickets each Horley were 26 for 4. A very good start against a side that looked as if they meant quite a lot of business. Matt replaced Tom, and with the wind at his back he built on Tom's good work, removing the capable Richard Waddington with a lovely bit of proper cricket as he sent down a series of in-swingers that the batter just kept out, and then just drifted one the other way that found the outside edge of Waddington's bat (I've got all this from Matt...can you tell?), and the ball flew through, really sharply, to Paul with the gloves, who held on to a great catch as if it was a routine and simple moment. It was all over in a flash, but there it was, a lovely bit of bowling backed up by Paul’s excellent reflexes and solid glove work. Horley had been enjoying a considerable resurgence and the removal of Waddington for 23 was an important moment in the game. But Horley were far from done, and Davies, now joined by Horley's captain Luke Smith, continued on with the defiant work and so, when Matt’s lengthy spell of 9 overs 1 for 41 was done, it was clear that, unless checked, the two batters at the crease were capable of taking Horley’s total up to worrying heights, so Brocky brought Tom right back in to see what he could do. Sure enough, as Davies tried to pull a waist-high ball from just outside the off, one of Tom’s pacy deliveries caught the inside edge of Davies’ angled bat, and he played on, out for an excellent 62 off 66 balls. Very good work, and he and Smith had taken the visitors on from 70 for 5 to 147. Whilst the gale itself had abated somewhat, Brocky, replacing Jim, had found himself bowling into the teeth of some pretty capable and unforgiving batting from Davies and Smith, and so, wicketless on this occasion, he thought it was time to see what all this hype about Mikey 2.0 was about. Well, although Mikey was very good, so were the batsmen, and an excellent and very crickety battle ensued, but, sure enough, in Mikey’s 6th over he finally got through taking two quick wickets, having Bayliss caught (another one for Henry!) and almost immediately bowled Jack Jee. On 154 for 8 little remained of Horley’s hope to set a big target, and when Mikey bowled their skipper Smith for his third wicket, out for an valiant 50 off 62 balls, there was little hope of much further progress, and, indeed, Kanishka, who was sending down perfectly respectable nippy deliveries, had Dave Bunn caught by Tom and the Horley innings was over with 157 on the board. Several performances demand commendation, and we must begin with the bowling of Tom and then Matt with the wind behind them which was something to see. I can’t recall any bad balls or any looseness at all from either of them, and both had edges that flew above or past fielders. TWCC’s fielding was excellent as always, backed up by some very good catching not least from Paul, which all added up to a fine fielding performance. From the Horley’s perspective the batters had plenty to worry about, and yet Richard Waddington (23) and then Ben Davies (62) and Luke Smith (50) stood tall and showed their cricketiness. It was proper cricket vs. proper cricket. Time for tea and I want to shout out for Matt’s sandwiches. Too often the cry when it’s Matt’s tea is just BROWNIES! but his sandwiches were really good too. Plenty of filling, so thanks Matt for all the mustardy effort. But he had more to give... Horley opened up with bowlers who were not threatening in terms of pace, but they were very accurate indeed. Paul, his usual busy self, was out for 8 after being in no trouble at all when he annoyingly half-gloved a ball back to the keeper. Jim was joined by Tony at three, and the two of them set about Tony scoring some runs, but it wasn’t long before Jim attempted a bit of agriculture, yorked himself, and TWCC were 34 for 2. But TWCC had batting in spades, or at least it looked like that was what Jim had been using, and Tony was still going strong as Henry, at 4, came out to face a few balls with him, but all too soon he fell to a catch as he tried to hit out a little. Time for Mikey and sure enough he produced some lovely shots as the Pearces set about calmly overhauling the Horley total with some cultured and positive batting. However, everyone knew that in the visiting ranks was a classy bowler, no doubt a force in league cricket, and Horley’s skipper Luke Smith rightly judged that this was the time to attempt to stop TWCC in their tracks by the taking of a few wickets. Ben Davies, who had top-scored for Horley, marked out a lengthy run up, sprinted in, and bowled low skimming pacey deliveries one of which did for Mikey who was out rather too soon for just 7. Enter Matt who hoped to build a powerful partnership with the remaining Pearce, but then Tony was also bowled by Davies who must have felt he had more or less done his work with TWCC on 49 for 5. But in at 7 TWCC had Charlie! If there’s a man for a crisis it’s Charlie. He’s fearless and capable and he and Matt were soon working even Davies about the field, for ones and twos and occasional fours and the total began to climb once more, and from TWCC’s point of view it needed to. In good Sunday spirit Horley’s Luke Smith rotated Davies out of the attack, and this gave Matt and Charlie the opportunity to get out to bad balls – which they didn’t take! It’s hard to focus on individual moments during this passage of play, but suffice to say that the two doughty batters advanced their cause to such good effect that Davies was called back. Matt and Charlie had worked away at the deficit, and even after the fast bowler came back on in an attempt to halt TWCC progress, Matt pulled head-high bouncers for four using the pace and lifted a drive over the covers for a six to the poplar tree off Ben Davies’ first return over. Equally memorable were Charlie’s lean-back Root-like glances to third man off the face of an angled bat off Davies’ further bowling, plus, off the slower bowling of Waddington, he made a lovely uncomplicated swing of the bat to a full toss outside the leg stump that despatched the ball into the field beyond the poplar for a six. Matt and Charlie powered through in a stand of 80 before Davies finally got one through Charlie when he was out, bowled, for 22 off 44 balls. What a stand, and though I can’t easily tell from www.playcricket.stupid how many overs were left at the time Charlie was out, the situation for the home side at this point was a lot better than it might have been, but by no means was there any writing on either wall and WinViz was decidedly undecided. Kanishka, at 8, joined Matt for a while, but having hit a big ball he was caught in front of the pavilion by Horley’s skipper Luke Smith who dived forwards whilst running round the boundary, scooping up a two-handed catch inches off the turf. Truly one of the best catches you could hope to see. But Matt with Kanishka’s 3 had added a further 11 and TWCC were on 140 for 7. I can count back...hang on... playcrickekljfaj...look at whose wicket stupidnetbasednonsense... and .. er.. who bowled when... Ah! There were 5 overs to go! 18 runs required, and Tom took care of 4 of them with some good running, but then he, too, fell to Duncan Jee’s bowling, and, Oh! it’s all happening... then Graham, suffering with a concrete neck, also came and went leaving Matt, who had climbed past his fifty some time before, with last man Brocky and the score on 151 for 9! Seven runs required, but in order to get there TWCC couldn’t afford to lose any more wickets. Both sides in with a good shout, but what could TWCC do against the four remaining balls of the accurate Jee's last over and the final over from pacey Davies? Ten balls. TWCC’s two skippers in the middle. Could Brocky be Leachy to Matt’s Stokes and score the telling single to get Matt back on strike? Of course he could! And, what’s more, Matt scored a further single off Jee’s fifth ball to ensure he would have the strike at the start fo the final over. Brocky, unflappable, ensured a dot in the book off Jee's last ball, leaving Matt to face the pace of the final over. Six balls left. Davies charged in, all results possible... and Matt knocked the first into an empty space, and the batters ran a solid 2 off the first ball. Scores tied. TWCC 9 wickets down. All results still on the table. Davies, bowled the next ball, and he tried to intimidate Matt again with a fast bouncer, but Matt simply squared up and hooked the ball from head high from where it flew to the square leg boundary for a four! With the sharp crack of a middled ball Matt had steered his team home for a classic victory! A wonderful moment, and even the Horley players were appreciative of the drama and of Matt’s indomitable batting. This was a match defined by moments of proper cricket, from Tom, Matt and Mikey’s bowling, to the patient but powerful striking of Horley’s more successful batsmen, to Paul’s catch, to Davies’ excellent pace bowling, to Matt and Charlie’s capability and resistance, to Luke Smith’s catch, topped off by Matt standing tall and taking on Davies’ final over in such a fearless fashion. It was a day of strike batting and strike bowling, fast running, catches held, bouncers, spinning deliveries, square cuts, crunching fours and sixes, ducking and clever glances – it seemed as if, having fallen asleep during a village game, one had woken up in the middle of some sort of county match with all the familiar faces doing extraordinary things. And yet, behind all this committed play, the spirit of Sunday cricket was maintained with inclusive Sunday captaincy and supportive sportsmanship from both sides. Proper cricket and proper village cricket are not mutually exclusive! In spite of many great performances from all sides it was Matt’s day and his batting was truly a sight to see. Heroic stuff. And let’s not forget Brocky’s single... Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to bowl first. 38:42 Flexidraw. Horley CC Innings: K Childs ct H Short bld J Simon 13; N Waddington bld T Rydon 1; R Waddington ct P Hunter (wk) bld M Edwards 23; R Bunn bld T Rydon 0; D Jee ct M Edwards bld J Simon 0; B Davies bld T Rydon 62; L Smith bld M Pearce 50; A Bayliss ct H Short bld M Pearce 1; J Jee bld M Pearce 0; D Bunn ct T Rydon bld Kanishka 1; D Childs not out 0. Extras 6 (B4, LB1, W1) Total 157 all out (37.2 overs). Fall: 1-11, 2-24, 3-25, 4-28, 5-70, 6-147, 7-154, 8-154, 9-157, 10-157. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-1-34-3; J Simon 5-1-13-2; M Edwards 9-1-41-1; R Brock 6-0-35-0; M Pearce 7-1-24-3; Kanishka 2.2-0-5-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter ct R Bunn (wk) bld D Childs 8; J Simon bld D Bunn 1; T Pearce bld B Daview 30; H Short ct K Childs bld D Bunn 0; M Pearce bld B Davies 7; M Edwards not out 67, C Howes bld B Davies 22; Kanishka ct L Smith bld D Jee 4; T Rydon bld D Jee 4; G Cuthbert ct D Bunn bld D Jee 0; R Brock not out 1. Extras 16 (B6, LB3, W5, NB2) Total 159 for 9 (43.2 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-34, 3-36, 4-47, 5-49, 6-129, 7-140, 8-145, 9-151. Horley CC Bowling: D Childs 8-2-14-1; L Smith 3-0-13-0; D Bunn 6-2-16-2; B Davies 10.2-2-36-3; A Bayliss 5-0-19-0; J Jee 3-0-24-0; R Waddington 3-0-14-0; D Jee 4-0-14-3. TWCC win by 1 wicket. Top of page TWCC v St James Montefiore July 23rd 2023 Sunday sides put together by the bigger clubs in the area, St James Montefiore being a case in point, are often hard to size up. And, indeed, St James arrived at TWCC's home ground with an interesting blend of youth and older players and there was no way of knowing how well-matched the two sides would prove to be. Slotted more or less squarely in the middle of the SJMCC age spectrum was their skipper, Ben Vardy, who did the honourable thing and lost the toss. TWCC's Matt, skipper on the day, chose to field first and with TWCC's full beans pacy trio available he duly opened with Ed from the Downs End who bowled out the visitors' No 2 and 3 in his third over. Tom battled in against the wind from the Pavilion End, but in the interests of keeping his powder dry, and since Ed had already taken care of a couple of wickets, he rested Tom for later and brought Jim on which sort of worked, but not so's you'd notice. Jim was economical overall, but a bit of a mix of unplayable and hittable, but at least one ball was slightly harder to hit for four than usual, and Hall, SJMCC's No 1, decided to run two where there wasn't two to be had, and Ed threw in a ball to somewhere near Jonathan who found enough of the stumps to run out the batter. Charlie replaced Ed from the Downs End, and he did his energetic Charlie thing with his usual gusto, but he, too, was wicketless and, quietly, a bit of a stand was building between Kelly and Duddy who had taken the visitor's total from 20 for 3 to 83 when Henry, putting his body on the line, and taking over after Jim pulled up with a nasty strain, bowled Duddy who was out for 24. Henry's bowling is faster than his action betrays, but, sadly and we hope temporarily, his back played up again and he had to stop after just two overs. But he'd made the breakthrough TWCC needed, ending a fine partnership of 63 between Kelly and Duddy. Chinu, following on from Charlie, settled on to an awkward length and before you know it he'd got the ball through to Malone's stumps and taken another wicket and St James were 85 for 5. However Kelly, now joined by Ben Vardy, were clearly both proper cricketers and the two put on a further valuable partnership of 54 before Matt, having saved himself for just this sort of moment, sorted all this out by taking a couple of quick wickets thanks to a brace of excellent running catches by Ed (again - Ed), running back from gully and snaffling the ball from over his head as he ran. One catch was easier than the other which was a bit harder than the other one of the two but both were harder than just an easy catch because of their difficulty. And he had the run out. Oh, and he took two wickets. And then he caught another catch off Tom, who had come back from the Downs End to help with the proceedings, but at least we have yet to get to Ed's batting. Where were we? Oh, look, what with all the wickets, Matt and Tom coming back on, stuff happening all over, and I'm sorry if I've nissed anyone's notable performance out but it all sort of finished a bit earlier than St James would have wanted, thanks to some excellent management of his bowling options by Matt, and suddenly the BYOT moment was upon us, unless you hadn't done that and were left with a cold potato and a strawberry. St James' total of 153 all out in just 31.3 overs definitely put TWCC in the driving seat, but it had already been a fielding day once, and could easily be so again. And so to TWCC's batting reply. Sadly, during the first over of the St James bowling, amongst an abundance of waywardness there was a straight ball which would have hit Paul’s stumps if his pads hadn’t been in the way. The bowling side spotted this and successfully appealed for LBW. An early exit for the home side’s star batter, and TWCC would have to do without the quick early runs he often scores, and perhaps rely, instead, on a steadier approach. Luckily in at No 3 was our Henry, and he and Tom (T. firtharii) set about some steadiness that was pretty effective. It chewed up a few balls, but it was because of this approach that their shift together put on a stand of 65, and, as there weren’t many runs to get and there were plenty of overs in which to get them, this was no bad thing. In the end Henry fell first, bowled by the young tearaway Will Dalgliesh, who will no doubt be a real force in the land in years to come. What an excellent young cricketer. Henry fell first to the young paceman (30 off 76 balls), then Tom followed (24 off 72 balls) having defied and scored as required. Solid is the adjective that springs to mind. Match situation: 24th over, TWCC on 74 for 3, and there were 21 overs left to score the remaining 80 runs. Just under 4 an over. No probs. Well done top order. Jonathan and Ed were now the men in charge of TWCC’s future, but Ed, he of the run outs catches and wickets, tonked a lusty 4 and then went for another biggy. He really did connect, his sharp eyes placing the ball on the middle of his bat sure enough, but they didn’t spot the fielder lurking under the poplar tree at square leg, who took a very good catch. Jonathan of course looked his usual competent self, seeming to have more time than anyone else, but he chipped up a ball from Dalgliesh to mid-on/off and went early for just 6. So, on with the chase, TWCC now on 83 for 5. Enter Matt, TWCC’s ongoing star batter, and suddenly there we were, basking in the shared joy of being part of Matt’s innings as he pulled and drove and genrally got everything going in the right direction. Chinu, at 7, scored a chunky and well run 3 before he missed a straight one that kept a little...straight, and it was time for Charlie, the thinking man's superhero. Charlie, fearless in attack, solid in defe... oh... he was out for 0, bowled by Dalgliesh again, whose four for 16 off 6 overs was really commendable. But.. Charlie’s gone?!? Who can steer the TWCC ship home with Matt? TWCC still needed 55 to win and were 7 down, but as Tom (T. Rydonata) confidently strode out to the middle hopes were still high for the home side and, sure enough, Matt and Tom were soon safely scoring good runs quickly. Tom pushed a comfortable single for his first run, and then stroked through a lovely six that I didn’t see at all because I was trying to get my pads on, but it sure was a goody I betcha. It went into the field by the pavilion anyway, I know that, and he and Matt were just doing the business when Matt was caught out, on 29 off 33 balls - another fine innings under a little pressure, especially as the bowling was still pretty hot. There were almost no runs left to score, and almost no one to score them, but Jim and Tom managed the task of finding about 9 runs off loads of available balls and that was it. Tom ended not out on 26 (34 balls) and for once wasn’t out in some unlikely and unlucky fashion and his was one of the four more substantial innings behind the victory for TWCC. Another enjoyable game, for both sides I'd like to suggest. Good humour all round, chat about each other's cricket, who'd done what well and so on - all very Sunday crickety and life affirming. Plus we'd won of course. Scorecard TWCC won the toss and chose to bowl first. Timed match. Be warned you scorebook fetishists - not much of this adds up. SJMCC Innings: J Hall run out (E Howes) 7; J O'Niel bld T Rydon 5; M Dalgliesh bld T Rydon 1; T Kelly bld M Edwards 46; E Duddy bld H Short 24; H Malone bld C Sharma 0; B Vardy ct E Howes bld Trydon 38; W Mitchell ct E Howes bld M Edwards 3; W Dalgliesh ct E Howes bld M Edwards 4; D Mitchell bld T Rydon 0; D Mitchell not out 0. Extras 22 (B8, LB2,W8, NB4) Total 153 all out (31.3 overs). Fall: 1-12, 2-12, 3-20, 4-83, 5-85, 6-139, 7-151, 8-151, 9-?, 10-153. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 4-0-12-2; T Rydon 7-2-22-2; J Simon 6-1-14-0; C Howes 5-1-21-0; C Sharma 3-0-22-1; M Edwards 4.3-0-31-3; H Short 2-0-18-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter LBW O May 0; T Firth bld W Dalgliesh 24; H Short bld W Dalgliesh 30; J Rowland ct H Malone bld W Dalgliesh 6; E Howes ct W Dalgliesh bld E Duddy 4; M Edwards ct H Malone bld D Mitchell 29; C Sharma bld W Mitchell 3; C Howes bld W Dalgliesh 0; T Rydon not out 26; J Simon not out 5. DNB M Short. Extras 25 (B10, LB1, W12, NB3) Total 154 for 8 (41.3 overs). Fall: 1-2, 2-67, 3-74, 4-81, 5-83, 6-98, 7-99, 8-146. SJMCC Bowling: O May 7-1-29-1; W Mitchell 8-2-30-1; D Mitchell 6-0-26-1; B Vardy 7-2-21-0; J O'Niel 2-0-7-0; H Malone 3.3-0-14-0; W Dalgliesh 6-1-16-4; E Duddy 2-0-9-1. TWCC win by 2 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Horsted Keynes CC July 30th 2023 It was raining before Horsted Keynes CC team rolled up for their first visit to the Twineham ground, it was raining when play started, and it was pretty much raining throughout the game. So, what did we do? We played all the way through of course. A full game. Quite right too. The toss was won by HK's skipper Watts, and with joy in our hearts TWCC skipped out to enjoy fielding. At this late stage - it's now some days since we played - I think we should make this a gentle canter through the play rather than the customary blow-by-blow account we often enjoy so much, and so suffice to say that TWCC's enviable bowling attack, even without, on this occasion, Tom R - or any Tom come to that - soon had wickets in their columns and the visiting side’s batting intent was somewhat blunted early on. As soon as it was decently appropriate skipper Brock relieved the tearaways of their duties with the (increasingly wet) ball, with Ed having 1 for 11 off three overs, and Matt having started with a maiden, following it up with a wicket maiden, and finishing with a double wicket maiden. Good job he was taken off! All wickets clean bowled, apart from one off Matt that was an edged ball safely held by the no nonsense Paul with the gloves. Horsted Keynes found themselves on 11 for 4 off just 6 overs. Time for some Chinu and Graham, whose spells nicely dovetailed with the middle order heat of Horsted Keynes's batting, which was a thing. Graham was slightly expensive though he did provoke a rash shot from Emerson who lobbed the ball up to Charlie in the covers, and Chinu certainly kept is end up with some great balls landing on a difficult length. It was time for Horsted Keynes, now on 39 for 5, to face up to a short spell from Henry and a burst from TWCC's premier spinner, although as it happened only Mikey was available. Henry, still struggling with his back, was only on for a couple of overs, but Mikey, his bowling bit firmly now in his teeth, produced the goods even with a wet ball, hitting the stumps of Long with his second ball, and then taking a caught and bowled with his tenth, this time the prized wicket of the high-scoring Waters who was out for 40. But even at 88 for 7 Horsted Keynes were far, far from done as their No's 8 and 9, Marmion and Smith, took the game on with gusto, and the home side were soon filching balls out of hedges, from gardens and not even bothering to look for some at all such was their escape velocity. Charlie replaced Henry and though he was doing his Charlie thing pretty well, the total was beginning to climb. Not in itself a bad thing, but on a wet day who knew what a good score was? Skipper Brock, sensing that the batters who were in the middle might, from TWCC's point of view, be better off back in the pavilion, reintroduced the only lightly bowled openers Ed and Matt who did stem the flow, but it wasn't until Ed bowled the powerful Smith (played on - from memory (a dangerous precedent)) that there was a sense that the total could be restricted to below 200. Horsted Keynes now on 169 for 8, after Smith's crucial 45 in a partnership with Marmion of 81, had set the game up nicely. From this point, though, TWCC were able to manage the strike as No 10 Hunt found it hard to get the ball away, and sure enough Brocky had Hunt stumped by Paul's quick hands in his first over. The visitors were now on 180 for 9 in the 35th over, at which point the Horsted Keynes skipper, having put himself down as No 11, and feeling a not out could be bettered by a not wet, decided to declare! Good move. Marmion ended not out on 37 – an excellent innings. Tea, a Howes family triumph, was really one of the best ever with fresh cakes, sandwiches so full there was hardly enough room for bread, fresh fruit - the lot. The bar is now higher than ever, and hopefully everyone forgets this Howes effort when it's my turn. Thank you team Howes. Paul and Matt opened for TWCC, and the game suddenly seemed to more or less take care of itself. There was nothing wrong with the Horsted Keynes bowling, far from it, but if anything it was a little wayward. Smith was pacy but didn’t really threaten the stumps, and Paul and Matt simply batted. And batted. There were the trademark boundaries from both of them, but also a lot of singles and we all like a single - little and often wins the day. In not over-hitting, the TWCC's openers didn’t fall to poor deliveries and the partnership grew and grew, first to 50 and then on to 100. Lovely! Although, perhaps just this once, it would have been a joy to witness the opening pair return to the pavilion undefeated, it wasn't to be as Matt was caught in the covers off Watts, and he was out for a trouble-free - up to that point - 37 which included six fours and lots and lots of lovely singles. What a partnership! 118 with not a chance anywhere that I can recall, though, again this is from memory... What a treat, and with Paul still there on 63 and going strong in came Tony. Tony did his Tony thing, quite often, and in a quick innings of 23 in 22 balls with three fours and a six he had his fun but it all ended in a stumping when, for once, his eyes were bigger than his bat. Henry, was similarly in and out, hitting a couple of fours in his quick visit, but Paul was still there. Jim, at 5, magnificently pulled his second ball for four behind square leg, although as it happened it didn't get as far as the boundary as he was caught by an excellent, truly wonderful, gravity-defying diving catch and he was out for 0. Not an unusual event in itself, but it left both Jim and his invisible fan somewhat disappointed, we imagine, and TWCC on 173 for 5, still needing just eleven to win. Paul, now on 79, was joined by Mikey and soon the two were sharing the victory strut back to the pavilion. Paul, by the way, not only carried his bat, ending on 81 not out with eight 4's and two 6's, but he also kept wicket immaculately, letting just one bye through, and as official ball-dryer at mid-wicket/mid-on I can confirm that his skills also fully conform with Rob's definition of properness. Batting's one thing, but without the strike bowlers taking out Horsted Keynes' top order so early TWCC's target could well have been very different. At the risk of sounding, no, being, obvious, you need both wickets and runs to win a game, and as it happened the efforts of TWCC’s elite bowlers and batters combined seamlessly to secure a home win. Scorecard Horsted Keynes won the toss and chose to bat first. 80 overs split format, with options including a draw. Horsted Keynes Innings: D Foden bld M Edwards 9; D Marmion bld M Edwards 0; S WIlson bld E Howes 2; G Emerson ct C Howes bld G Cuthbert 10; S Teasdale ct P Hunter (wk) bld M Edwards 0; A Waters ct&bld M Pearce 40; E Long bld M Pearce 14; J Marmion not out 37; T Smith ble E Howes 45; J Hunt st, bld R Brock 7. DNB B Watts. Extras 10 (B1, W7, NB2), Total 180 for 9 declared (35.4 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-11, 3-11, 4-11, 5-39, 6-77, 7-88, 8-169, 9-180. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 9-0-39-2; M Edwards 8-3-23-3; C Sharma 4-0-25-0; G Cuthbert 3-0-40-1; M Pearce 6-0-22-2; H Short 2-0-12-0; C Howes 3-0-18-0; R Brock 1.4-0-2-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter not out 81; M Edwards ct T Smith bld B Watts 37; T Pearce st, bld B Watts 23; H Short ct E Long (wk) 11; J Simon ct B Watts bld A Waters 0; M Pearce not out 10. DNB R Brock, C Howes, C Sharma, E Howes, G Cuthbert. Extras 23 (B6, LB3, W13, NB1) Total 183 for 4 (32.9 overs). Fall: 1-118, 2-159,3-173, 4-173. Horsted Keynes Bowling: G Emmerson 6-0-24-0; T Smith 6-1-25-0; E Long 4-0-28-0; J Marmion 4-0-20-0; A Waters 6.4-0-43-2; B Watts 6-0-29-2. TWCC win by 6 wickets. Top of page Brighton Crescent CC v TWCC July 30th 2023 It wasn't raining, so that was a thing. Sensing a fellow adventurer into the wilds of cricket formats, TWCC's skipper Matt proposed a 40:40 2/3 for a draw format to Crescent’s skipper Gatword – and, at last, we were going to try out what many have said was a good idea and yet no one’s ever tried. Matt won the toss and chose to field first, which we did. Blessed with one of TWCC’s strongest bowling attacks, lacking only, maybe, Mikey’s spin, the hosts were nonetheless worryingly capable of not getting out and scoring runs at the same time. Ed did bowl a ball at Pomfret’s pads, which he obligingly popped up to Chinu at square leg who held on to one of those catches that it’s all too easy to put down, but Chinu was safe as houses. Ed and Tom blasted on and all seemed to be going swimmingly, but it was nonetheless the case that after twelve overs the score was up to 40 for the one wicket, with Wood swinging free and hard and making the most of anything hittable. Rob and Matt took over, and, before he pulled an intimate muscle, Rob broke through in his first over, finding Coles’ stumps and generally putting the lid on things. Matt, still in a fine vein of form, then bowled the troublesome Wood and, to some extent, at 70 for 4, the game was slightly swinging towards TWCC, especially after Crescent’s No’s 5 and 6 didn’t especially trouble the scorers, falling to Rob and Matt respectively. However, just as Rob pulled up with a strain, the batting kept on coming, and Crescent’s skipper Gatword was joined by Lakkakula and the runs kept on coming with even more regularity. Henry, still troubled by his back, bowled just two good overs, and Jim presented his usual mix for everyone, including the batsmen, to enjoy. Jim nearly had the wicket of Lakkakula in his first over, remarkable only because of Tom’s efforts to take the catch as he ran out from point, his head spinning round and round as he looked back over his shoulders, and launched himself forwards in a massive dive towards where the ball might arrive in due course, and landed heavily in a heap with the ball somewhere nearby. Somewhat winded it would have been one of the greatest catches of all time, but it wasn’t to be, and after seeing he was alright everyone resolved never to dive for a catch again ever. Thanks for the effort Tom, and I hope the glory of the effort lives longer than the pain. This phase of the match was characterised by some very effective batting, as Jim and then Charlie found out, and even when Ed and Matt returned they, too, found that keeping the batters quiet was no easy task. In the end Matt did get one through to his opposite number Gatword, who was out for 46 in a partnership of 93 with Lakkakula, the total, by then, having climbed up to a challenging 175 for 6, with Lakkakula still in and scoring heavily. Skipper Matt finessed the last overs out of himself, Jim and Ed, both Rydons being somewhat incapacitated, and there it was, with 40 overs gone Crescent had powered through to 178 for 6 at tea on a difficult surface in the face of some largely excellent trademark TWCC bowling and fielding. In itself 178 isn’t a particularly challenging-looking total for TWCC to run down, but the grass was very long and Crescent are a good side and it was to be a difficult chase. One felt this might be an excellent score. TWCC were joined by their coach, affectionately known as Coach, and he watched as Paul and Matt opened the batting, and Brown and Bowley opened the bowling for the home side, and the ball won over the bat to the extent of hardly any runs being scored, but the batters saw what was afoot and realised that there was no point in them swinging and getting out as TWCC’s incoming batsmen would only have to face the same accurate, but not especially penetrating, bowling. Better to bide time, keep ten wickets in hand, and move on when the bowling changed. With eight overs gone, the score was just 13 for 0. When sixteen overs had passed by, the score was 36 for 0. The “0” is the important element as less sensible batting could well have TWCC on 45 for 4 which would have been of little better value. The two opening bowlers bowled out, with excellent figures with just 32 runs against them after their eight overs each, and things did indeed start to change. The ball came on much quicker from Lakkakula and Lawson was easier to get away, and the score began to build. Now was the time to open out, which the boys in the middle did and it’s a great credit to them that they were still there to do so. Matt, however, was the first to go, in the 20th over, being bowled by Lawson for 27, and from then on, truth be told, the Crescent bowling and fielding made it difficult to make any risk-free progress. Crescent could, with the slow outfield, keep all the fielders in to stop the singles or quickly get to the ball if it had gone through the circle and thus runs were kept to mostly singles with just the occasional two. The only way to go was up, and Paul began to find the boundary, on one occasion clearing it for six, but Tony couldn’t quite get the whole Tony thing going, and he was out caught trying to for just 5, and TWCC's score was 80 for 2 with just 15 overs to go. Paul was next to go having just got to his 50, and with 11 overs to go TWCC still needed 70 off 11 overs. Somehow Paul had managed to hit five 4’s as well as his six, but it was no easy task to get the ball to the boundary. Matt had hit three 4's, but only Chinu and Tom were to get the ball to and over the rope respectively from that point on, and 178 began to seem like an impossible dream. After Tony was out, Jonathan, Chinu, Rob and Henry went out to score the runs, and that did happen but wickets kept falling. Everyone bustled, but it was largely singles and the odd two, and those didn’t add up to enough. With the win out of the equation Jim at 8 mirrored the earlier scoring rate (0 off 13 balls!), whilst Tom mirrored an innings borrowed from the Hundred as he pushed a 2, lofted a cover drive over the boundary for 6 and then was out. With eight balls to go, and 30 runs to get, Charlie faced the last couple of balls from the very successful Gatword who finished with tremendous figures of 7 overs, 1 maiden, 6 for 23, and kept him out successfully, and Jim, if we ignore the dropped chance to backwards square leg, safely saw off the 40th over from Lakkalula with his fiery in-swingers which were widely described as having been unplayable. It was the same person who described it, he just did it in a number of different places. The match was drawn, with TWCC falling short on 150 for 8 after their 40 overs. Points of note; though the bowling and fielding of both sides was really excellent, the slow outfield was overcome more persuasively by the Crescent batters than by the visitors. That was the difference, really. Paul’s 50 and Matt’s 27 were the only TWCC scores of note, but the necessarily slow start left TWCC rather behind the game, and though it definitely isn’t TWCC’s way to plod through a game, that became inevitable as the required rate climbed to around ten an over with five overs to go. Tom, in a final hurrah, did flash the blade, which earned him further credit, but HMS Draw hove into view and was firmly tied up at the end of play. TWCC don't often draw as they normally do something about one or other of the alternative results, but it was a good game with good people and it's a shame it wasn't closer. On the day Crescent were the better side, TWCC did their best and that's cricket. Scorecard Toss won by Skipper Matt Edwards for TWCC, and he chose to field first. Format: 40:40, 2/3 first innings total required to reach a draw, 1/1 + 1 required for a win. Brighton Crescent Innings: B Cole bld R Rydon 10; B Pomfret ct C Sharma bld E Howes 3; M Woodbld† M Edwards 39; J Gatword* bld M Edwards 46; M Lawson bld R Rydon 8; S Lakkakula not out 50; Varun not out 0. DNB A Lambert, S Wood, M Brown. Extras 14 (B3, W8, NB3). Total 178 for 6 (40 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-40, 3-58, 4-70, 5-?, 6-?. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-1-34-1; T Rydon 6-1-21-0; R Rydon 7-0-29-2; M Edwards 8-0-28-3; J Simon 7-0-37-0; H Short 2-0-8-0; C Howes 2-0-20-0. TWCC Innings: P Hunter bld J Gatword 50; M Edwards† bld M Lawson 27; T Pearce ct B Pomfret bld Varun 5; J Rowland* ct M Bowley bld J Gatword 12; C Sharma ct S Lakkakula bld J Gatword 7; H Short LBW J Gatword 1; J Simon not out 0; T Rydon ct S Lakkakula 8; C Howes not out 0. DNB E Howes. Extras 29 (B13, LB7, W7, NB2) Total 150 for 8 (40 overs). Fall: 1-61, 2-80, 3-109, 4-129, 5-132, 6-140, 7-141, 8-149. Brighton Crescent Bowling: M Brown 8-1-18-0; M Bowley 8-1-14-0; S Lakkakula 3-0-9-0; M Lawson 5-0-29-1; Varun 3-1-10-1; J Gatword 7-1-23-6; A Lambert3-0-20-0; B Cole 3-1-7-0. Match drawn. Top of page Headliners v TWCC August 13th 2023 Some way from TWCC's usual stamping ground, recalling for some the ancient trail to Hadlow Down, the Headliners hosted a game at Coleman's Hatch Cricket Club in the verdant high ground of Ashdown Forest. Very nice indeed, on a fresh, blustery, dare I say it?... early Autumn afternoon. TWCC were only 9 strong, though Graham had agreed to drive up from somewhere in the Amazon to take part later in the afternoon, but in that 9-to-be-10 was James Taylor, a TWCC regular (he regularly plays every three or four years) and so, although they would be one down, the visitors were a good side. Also, whilst Graham was in transit and TWCC were only nine-strong, the genial Headliners were kind enough to supply a series of excellent fielders, for which we thank them. A good bunch, and the game was played throughout in a very nice spirit. One quirk of the ground was a curiously short boundary, and when sitting in the pavilion it felt as if one was at fine leg/third man, sitting in a comfy chair, still saving one. TWCC's Skipper Matt won the toss, and opted to field first. Ed and Tom opened the bowling, and didn't immediately break through which was a bit of a novelty as Huq and Khan navigated the difficult deliveries and sent the rest into the AONB. Headliners were on 63 for 0, with Ed and Tom having been temporarily been switched out, before James's off-spin did for Headliners' Huq, LBW for 21, with an excellent delivery that nipped back onto Huq’s pads for an LBW dismissal. Rob bowled a tremendous straight eight over spell from the Eastern End, and as Ed and then Matt rang the changes from the Pavilion End, the number of hedge-bound balls began to diminish as Suhail Khan’s left-handed power batting was increasingly restricted, and whilst Rob’s 2 for 25 was TWCC’s outstanding bowling on the day, Matt, Tom and Ed came back and took wickets in the middle overs, the most notable one being when Tom's tight line found the top edge of a possibly tiring Khan's bat, and Graham, who had just arrived and who couldn't possibly have known how many runs were at stake, found himself under the ball and he securely held the catch on his second grab. Rob's two wickets included a Rydon caught Rydon, and Ed, in his second of three spells, also enjoyed a Howes caught Howes thanks to Charlie, and it all becomes a bit complicated to document, really, with lots of runs, plenty of determined fielding, calm efficient keeping from Paul and some good bowling from the main protagonists - but this was not a ground, with its short boundaries, to be a player short. James, Matt, Ed and Tom all came back on at various ends, Jim filled in for a tremendous 38th over that was 83% one run, and it all ended after 40 overs with the home side on 209 for 7 after Hudden (23) and Iqbal (39) had put together a good load of late runs. We enjoyed a very nice tea, sitting in front of the weather-boarded chalet that is the Coleman's Hatch pavilion, but it was soon time to see whether 200-ish was reachable. It felt, with the short boundary, that it wasn't far above par, if, indeed, it was even as high as that, but possibly the Headliners would have been the happier side at half time if they'd known how TWCC were going to bat. Paul and Tom opened up, the season's regular pairing soon settling into their work, but the bowling was pretty fierce and swingy and the ball nipped about off the wicket. Paul fell early to a very good reaction catch at first slip. It was the keeper's catch, really, but it went past him very quickly, and first slip just stuck out a right hand and when he had a look the ball was in it. It was an edge, but it's not often such a chance is taken. Tom was progressing very well, his signature off-side play reaping rewards to the short boundary off the pacy Junaid Khan, but James at 3 was LBW to Junaid before he could get the measure of the bowling. Rob joined Tom with TWCC on 6 for 2, and it was time for some rebuilding, which they did, but all too briefly. In the end Rob left a ball that didn't turn as much as he was expecting, and which caught the top of his off stump, but he had not only shared a partnership of 39 with Tom, but he'd also sent a ball for six over the longest boundary all the way over towards Uckfield in his curtailed innings of 18. Jim, in at 5, calmly pulled his first ball for four behind square, a shot he later repeated in his own partnership with Tom of 31, before he went at a wide half volley and toe-ended a catch to point, out for 10. Now we come to the main event. Matt, TWCC's Stokesy, joined Tom and they were both soon going strong, but another wicket fell all too soon when Tom was an early victim of Suhail Khan who began his late spell with two wicket maidens. Tom F's innings was one his best given the demanding circumstances as wickets fell around him, and he shared partnerships of 5, 1, 39, 31 and, now with Matt, of 43, and within it there were any number of Shots of the Day as he glided, punched, and cut the ball past gully and point, also hitting strongly down the ground. He was out for 35, including six 4's, and there was little more one could ask of him. TWCC needed a few more innings like Toms, but only Matt stayed in long enough to make a difference. After Tom F left, with the scoreboard showing 119 for 5, Matt took a look at things, realised that the short boundary was there for the taking, and he cleared the decks and went for it. Sadly, with the returning Suhail Khan and Franklin, the going was a little tougher, and although Matt didn't appear to be in any trouble himself, he ran out of partners as Tom R, Ed, Charlie and Graham all fell cheaply shall we say. There were plenty of good balls, but one in particular from the powerful Franklin did for Ed as it pitched on middle and leg on a forward/back/forward/back/back length, and it cut away to take the very top of off stump. It has to be said it was unplayable. Unless, of course, Ed had got forward and played it. In a final stand of 19, Matt and Graham cleverly managed the bowling, but in the end it was an attempt to keep the strike that led to Graham, TWCC’s last man, being more or less run out in the 36th over, with TWCC on 156 (for 9), some 53 runs short. Matt finished on a tremendous 64 not out off 44 balls, which had included ten 4’s and two 6’s, and it was shame that only Tom F and Rob chipped in with runs of their own. Matt keeps turning in performances like this, and it's a joy to behold as he strikes the ball so well and without seeming to be in any trouble. Tremendous stuff. The bowling honours were pretty much shared by the two sides, as keeping any reasonable side to around 200 on that ground was a good effort, but Headliners' batting won the day, and congratulations to Suhail Khan whose 89 was the difference as he took his side to a 53 run victory. It was a pleasure to see James again, and to think of the Steves, Dave and other past players. The Headliners, a friendly bunch of players, had found a lovely ground, and we look forward to taking on the challenge of this fixture in years to come. Scorecard Matt won the toss for TWCC and chose to field first. 40:40 limited prospects format. Headliners Innings: R Huq LBW J Taylor 21; S Khan ct G Cuthbert bld T Rydon 89; Marshall ct T Rydon bld R Rydon 12; F McAteer ct C Howes bld E Howes 2; J Khan bld R Rydon 2; Hudden not out 23; S Iqbal run out 39; Zak bld E Howes 12. DNB I Huq, Franklin, Mustafa. Extras 9 (B2, LB3, W4) Total 209 for 7 (40 overs). Fall: 1-63, 2-98, 3-101, 4-112, 5-133, 6-188, 7-209. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 8-2-36-2; T Rydon 8-2-43-1; J Taylor 7-0-63-1; R Rydon 8-1-28-0; J Simon 1-0-7-0. TWCC Innings: P Hunter† ct Marshall bld Franklin 4; T Firth bld S Khan 35; J Taylor LBW J Khan 0; R Rydon bld I Huq 18; J Simon ct J Khan bld I Huq 10; M Edwards* not out 64; T Rydon ct J Khan bld S Khan 0; E Howes bld Franklin 0; C Howes bld Franklin 0; G Cuthbert run out 0. Extras 25 (B5, LB4, W14, NB2) Total 156 all out (for 9) 35.4 overs. Fall: 1-5, 2-6, 3-45, 4-76, 5-119, 6-127, 7-129, 8-137, 9-156. Headliners Bowling: J Khan 7-1-30-1; Franklin 8-3-25-3; Mustafa 4-0-40-2; I Huq 7-0-40-2; McAteer 4-1-14-0; S Khan 5-2-20-2. Headliners win by 53 runs. Top of page Eastbourne Martletts CC v TWCC August 27th 2023 We were almost on tour again, it seemed, as the TWCC convoy circled their wagons in the middle of another housing estate in wildest Kent. Skipper Brock won the the toss and agreed to a 35 overs win or lose game, also undertaking to bat first after some honest talk with Eastbourne Martletts' skipper. Paul and Tom F opened the batting, Paul doing more damage more quickly than Tom with 22 off 25 balls before he decided to run himself out. Tony, in at three, set the game alight with some strong shots and lovely safe knock-down singles. Tom didn't quite get going as usual, the dead wicket not helping him, and was out for just 11, and so Tony was joined by Jonathan and soon the two of them were scurrying about and driving like good'uns. The artificial wicket yielded rather a low bounce which was a feature throughout the game, but Tony and Jonathan kept their heads down and powered on even in the face of some pacy bowling from Calcott which at first seemed as if it might be difficult to keep out. The two went on to share a wonderful partnership of 105 before Jonathan, then on 34 off 65 balls, was given out LBW at which point Tony's puff ran out and he retired on a match-defining 69 off 65 balls. Brocky, a welcome presence at 5, and Henry added a few more runs coming in as a new pair with just two overs to go, and in that time Brocky's strike rate of 160 shows that he should bat more often than he does - the perennial skipper issue. TWCC ended on a creditable 172 off just 35 overs, the total helped, as if often the case, by an unlikely number of extras - 24 in this case! The Gazette normally enjoys dwelling on the tea but sadly there isn't sufficient space on this occasion, so we move on to the second innings. As far as TWCC's bowling was concerend Tom R started with two maidens and Jim with two wickets, bought, probably, as the contrast with Tom's excellent pace encouraged the two openers to play across Jim's bendy line. These two early wickets brought the free-swinging left-hander Calcott to the middle, and, though he gave the odd chance (no names mentioned), Jim only worked out after he'd been hit for ten off his third (and, curiously, last) over that Calcott was less potent if you bowled at his heels. Replacing Jim, Charlie's natural instinct for the game allowed him to find this better line (a foot outside the leg stump) and so he was the perfect foil to Calcott's ambition, and the scoring slowed a little. Henry, replacing Tom and back to his best, bowled a great five over spell, bowling Levett at a time when he and Calcott were threatening to cut loose, and Rob did his Rob thing after Charlie's spell, taking two quick wickets in his three overs, bowling Calcott, Eastbourne Martletts' only real scorer (a valuable 43), in a double wicket maiden. His second wicket was notable for the sharp bounce and the equally sharp reflexes of Jonathan behind the timbers, whose gloves rose up and took the edged shoulder-high catch with aplomb. After Henry it was time for a bit of Chinu music, and he really came into his own bowling full length deliveries, one of which forced a false shot out of Pandey that became a catch for Charlie, and another having Norman LBW in what turned out to be a four over 2 for 14 spell. Brocky, replacing Rob, went in for the end wickets, bringing about a wonderful low catch from Tony at slip - the second bit of Proper Cricket of the day to add to Jonathan's catch off Rob's bowling. Brocky it was, and fitting that it was Skipper, who ended the game as Harris chipped the ball out to Tom R at point for TWCC to take the tenth wicket with the home side on 99 in just 28.1 overs. TWCC win by 73 runs. Scorecard TWCC (Skipper Brock) won the toss and agreed to bat first. 35 overs limited horizons match. TWCC Innings: P Hunter run out 22; T Firth ct & bld I Vasquez 11; T Pearce retired puffed 69; J Rowland LBW E Johnson 34; R Brock not out 8; H Short st J Levett bld E Johnson 3. DNB R Rydon, J Simon, C Sharma, C Howes, T Rydon. Extras 24 (B11, LB3, W7, NB3) Total 172 for 4 (35 overs) Fall: 1-37, 2-56, 3-161, 4-172 (Tony retired between the 3rd and 4th wicket). Eatbournce Martlett's CC Bowling: J Levett 5-0-13-0; J Small 6-1-30-0; I Vasquez 5-0-14-1; T Norman 5-0-19-0; L Calcott 6-1-22-0; C Harris 3-0-25-0; A Panday 3-0-28-0; E Johnson 2-0-8-2. Eastbourne Martletts CC Innings: R Calcott bld J Simon 0; N Piercey(?) ct T Pearce bld J Simon 1; L Calcott bld R Rydon 43; J Levett Bld H Short 11; E Johnson ct T Pearce bld R Brock 11; J Small Ct J Roland (wk) bld R Rydon 0; A Pandey ct C Howes bld C Sharma 1; C Harris ct T Rydon bld R Brock 13; I Vasquez run out (T Firth) 1; T Norman LBW C SHarma 0; T Brad not out 1. Extras 17 (B8, LB4, W2, NB2) Total 99 all out (28.1 overs). Fall unrecorded, but there were a couple of quick wickets, a partnership between L Calcott and J Levett, then a decline. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-2-6-0; J Simon 3-0-20-2; C Howes 5-0-24-0; H Short 5-0-11-1; R Rydon 3-1-5-2; C Sharma 4-1-14-2; R Brock 2.1-0-6-2. TWCC win by 73 runs. Top of page Ditchling Sunday XI v TWCC September 3rd 2023 One of TWCC's more recent annual fixtures, Ditchling are a club with resources to burn, and however this match was to pan out TWCC knew that they would have to be at the top of their game to be competitive. Matt, skippering once more, won the toss and following a discussion about relative strengths, offered to bat first. Ditchling opened with two youthful bowlers, with all the pace that that often brings, which Paul quickly got on top of as he often does. Tom F, at 2, found himself facing the greater pace of C Nolan, which he manfully kept out while Paul scored more freely from the other end. Ultimately, however, it was Eastman who found the edge of Tom’s bat and he was caught at slip with TWCC on 26 in the 7th over. Enter Tony, who was soon encroaching down the wicket towards Nolan’s pace, and Paul and he were building the innings nicely when Paul slightly pulled out of a drive and lobbed a catch out to cover. This was to be a familiar form of dismissal as TWCC’s innings played out, with “out” being the operative word. With Paul out for 24, a peppering of fours behind him, Mikey joined his dad for a few balls until Tony couldn’t leave a fast rising ball alone and he edged a catch through to the keeper, who dropped it, so he did the same with the next ball and this one was taken and thus Tony was out before he truly got going. Henry, at 5, looked solid until the in-swinging good length bowling of Carr got through to his stumps, and he was followed back into the pavilion soon after by Mikey, already on an eye-catching 20, who top-edged a cover drive up and to the left of O’Donnell in the covers, who ran round and back to take a very good running catch. Matt and Jim put on a few more before Matt chipped one up to O’Donnell again, which is what Jim did and is what Chinu did and is what Tom R did. In amongst this catalogue of self-destruction one has to mention the good length bowling, just short of a half-volley, from Carr, Simmonds and Cooke, which, with the ball stopping in the wicket, just meant the batters weren’t quite to the pitch and the ball was repeatedly clothed up for a series of very similar dismissals. As we look back we can see some good cricket from the batters nonetheless; Matt’s top-hedged 6, some good running, Chinu’s intent, and shot of the day Tom R’s straight six off Cooke. Comment of the day was from Ed who, as the crowd were applauding Tom’s wonderful towering six, said “he’ll be out next ball.” No help, but prophetic. Which leaves someone we have yet to mention – the wonder that is Charlie, in at 9, who is gloriously fearless in his approach – and who cracked fours as if his bat wasn’t made of balsa wood. Chinu and Charlie put on 16 in their very entertaining 8th wicket partnership, and then, after Tom R was out for six, the Howes boys were once again showing some welcome flair for their team-mates and the excellent crowd to enjoy. Charlie continued to wield his Elven blade and Ed’s fast hands kept clipping the ball to the leg-side for four as the two put on a last wicket partnership of 24 to gladden the hearts of their followers. Ed, with a valuable and persuasive 19 to his name, including four 4’s, was finally caught towards the deep long on boundary (AKA cow corner) and the innings was over after just 32 overs. It could have been worse, and there was certainly no lack of intent, but this had nonetheless been an innings frustratingly punctuated by repeated catches lobbed into the off side. Good length slow bowling did the damage as the ball stopped and stood up slightly, and possibly a lack of foot movement to the ball led to the scoreboard finally coming to rest at a lowly 149 all out. The second innings started well enough for the visiting side, with Tom and Jim combining once again in the first over or two, but after Jim’s slight out-swing found the top edge of Cooke’s bat for Ed to take a head-high catch at point, it all went slightly south. The Nolan brothers, in at 2 and 3, showed their pedigree as they freely swung at top-of-off balls from both bowlers, and the score climbed quickly from that point on as all bowlers were somewhat put under the pump as the home side’s score climbed rapidly and inexorably towards their modest target. No details concerning partnerships are available, but the two Nolans and Harry Eastman in at 4, were dominating the play. Rather than dwell on each bowler, let’s instead pick out a few TWCC highlights, taking the excellent batting performances as read. Mikey took two wickets, one a Jim catch at the straight boundary as top-scorer Connor Nolan went for another biggy, and then Paul stumped Harry Eastman as he wandered out of his ground, giving the young entrepreneur figures of 2 for 27 off 5 overs. Henry, bowling into the teeth of the onslaught, did get the ball through very nicely, with good pace, but he was unsuccessful on the day as the batters had their eyes in and were finding the boundaries all round the ground. Chinu’s good-length off spin was effective as the batting bravado slightly thinned, and, indeed, he instigated the day’s Champagne Moment as Rufus Nolan, not quite middling a ball bowled slightly short of a length, struck it to the long on boundary where Ed, his heels teetering close to the rope, held on to a great catch. With slower bowling being the harder to survive, it wasn’t until the end that Matt brought himself on, and he started with a wicket maiden as he so often does, as Roger Spur, who had previously played for TWCC in a past life, bottom-edged a high wide ball down onto his stumps. But that was it, TWCC never had enough runs, and though the home side were 6 down by the end, there were still batters to come and the Harvey’s pump was being primed some time before the final curtain fell. Looking at the wider TWCC picture the batters did provide some useful scores, with the top score being from Paul, again, whose 24 was achieved during the initial burst of pace and which was followed by Mikey’s 20 off 26 balls. Charlie and Chinu’s 16, followed by Charlie and Ed’s 24 at the end were the pick of the later partnerships, and in the field good catches were held when they were offered, the fielding was tight and restrictive, and everyone manfully kept going in the face of some forceful scoring. Talking of which one has to mention the home side’s main three batsmen of the day, Connor Nolan (51) and his brother Rufus (40) being backed up by Harry Eastman (27), who quickly took the game away from the visiting side. However, TWCC did take their wickets and definitely had the bowling to take more, and if they had put, possibly, as little as 30 more on the board in their innings the game might well have been tighter, but Ditchling cruised through to a four wicket victory. Scorecard TWCC won the toss, and after amenable Sunday deliberations, chose to bat first. TWCC Innings: P Hunter† ct M Simmons bld C Nolan 24; T Firth ct C Nolan bld H Eastman 2; T Pearce ct Forman(?) (wk) bld C Nolan 12; M Pearce ct R O'Donnel bld R Nolan 20; H Short bld T Carr 4; M Edwards* ct R O'Donnel bld M Simmons 13; J Simon ct R O'Donnel bld P Cooke 2; C Sharma ct R O'Donnel bld C Eastman 6; C Howes not out 15; T Rydon ct C Eastman bld P Cook 6; E Howes ct R Nolan bld C Eastman 19. Extras 25 (B5, LB2, W8, NB11) Total 149 all out (32 overs). Fall 1-26, 2-51, 3-55, 4-70, 5-81, 6-97, 7-100, 8- 116, 9- 125, 10-149. Ditchling Sunday XI Bowling: H Eastman 6-0-32-1; C Nolan 7-2-22-2; T Carr 4=1=19=1; R Nolan 4-0-7-1; P Cooke 6-0-31-1; M Simmonds 3-0-12-2; C Eastman 3-0-19-2. Ditchling Sunday XI Innings: P Cooke ct E Howes bld J Simon 3; C Nolan ct J Simon bld M Pearce 51; R Nolan ct E Howes bld C Sharma 40; H Eastman ct M Edwards bld E Howes 13; R Spur bld M Edwards 1; D Eaton(?) not out 1; G Forman(?)† not out 6. DNB 2 others plus T Nolan*. Extras 9 B1, LB1, W6, NB1) Total 151 for 6 (23.2 overs). Fall: 1-3, 2-85, the rest unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-40-0; J Simon 3-0-18-1; E Howes 4-0-27-1; M Pearce 5-0-27-2; C Sharma 2-0-7-1; H Short 2-0-21-0; M Edwards 1.2-1-5-1. Ditchling Sunday XI won by 4 wickets. Top of page Loxwood Sunday XI v TWCC September 10th 2023 Another first time fixture, and thanks to Ed and Loxwood for getting a game on after a touring side pulled out from a Twineham home game. The records ought to show that the week leading up to this Sunday's away game for TWCC was the hottest on record for September, and which also contained the hottest day of the year for the UK. In September! Oh dear - what have we done? Brocky won the toss, in a 35 over per side game, and chose to field first. Tom R and Mikey(!) opened the bowling for the visitors, and a scoring rate of five an over seemed to settle in for the duration as the hard ground and a short boundary on one side took their toll. Ed replaced Tom, and took the first wicket in an unbroken and excellent spell of 7 overs, two maidens 1 for 15, but no one else really managed to keep the lid on Nick Ranson's scoring as he repeatedly found that short boundary and generally looked to be in little trouble. A broad brush portraying TWCC’s bowling would describe balls passing the bat, edges that went for fours, and Nick Ranson not getting out as he forged a trouble-free extended partnership with his young son, Lachlan, on his way to a match-defining 75 which included thirteen 4’s and a 6. All the bowlers found their way past the bat, but not always, and runs just kept on accumulating although Henry did have Ranson senior dropped. Quite a serious drop, but we won’t mention any names because we’re better than that at TWCC. It was Charlie, in the end, whose tempting bowling provoked Nick Ranson into a mighty pull off the middle of his bat, only to look and see that Ed's right hand was securely wrapped around it. A remarkable shoulder-high reaction catch at midwicket that stuck as if nothing else would ever have been a possible outcome. It went into his palm, and that's where it stopped. I’m not even sure he was looking. Champagne right there, no other moments need apply, one of the best catches we've seen. The wicket of Ranson senior brought more batters to the middle, and much the same scoring rate of five an over just carried on. Ed's catch wasn't the only fielding moment of glory as Tom F ran back to overtake and hang on to a skied ball from the bat of Lachlan Ranson after Jim bowled a slower ball that actually worked. It was a wonderful catch that not many would have got to - he's a speedy chap, Firthy - but the scoring sort of just carried on at this pesky five an over - perhaps a natural scoring rate for the ground? Will Price, Loxwood’s No 4 batter, was soon scoring heavily and, indeed, he advanced the home side’s cause significantly as he swung free and powerfully. Chinu caused his customary measure of difficulties for the batters in his short spell, but it was Brocky, his usual indomitable self, who found the top of the stumps with his very first ball - a perfect length delivery that just did enough of something, and there it was; another wicket which brought in another batter who also scored at sort of five an over, maybe a little more, and as the last overs played out Price’s quick 44 not out and Warmington’s 12 not out off 11 balls took the home side to 201 for 4 at half time. A big thank you to Loxwood for a wonderful tea – it really was appreciated, particularly as the early start and the travelling had meant that there had been no time for lunch, and no time, probably for some, for breakfast either. A proper tea made with obvious care and generosity makes a visiting side feel truly welcome. Paul and Tom F opened the batting for TWCC, and Paul’s two boundaries off the first over set the positive tone that was required if the visitors were to overhaul 201 in just 35 overs, and this approach was matched by Tom as the two put on a quick 32 before Paul was given out LBW to the clearly accurate and wily Newman. Paul always gives momentum to the start of an innings, and he looked to be in just the right frame of bat once again as he, and Tom, exploited the fast-running outfield and it’s a shame he was out early for just 18 during which he hit four 4’s. But in at three was Mr Mikey Pearce, and not only do we all know what he can do, this time he did it! Perhaps it was the worry of Jim being the next man in, but whatever the reason Tom and Mikey didn’t especially get out as they navigated their way through some excellent bowling, not taking risks with good balls but putting less threatening offerings to the sword. As the opening bowlers either finished or were rested, the scoring opportunities increased, and the visitors were right on track on 113 for 1 after 20 overs. There we go again; about 5 an over... Tom and Mikey really were providing something of a masterclass of batting and running, until Mikey was run out. It did take a direct throw from Will Price to shatter Mikey’s dreams and stumps, but there he was, walking back to the pavilion, wistfully swishing his bat to and fro as his dominant innings was curtailed with him on 44 off 52 balls and the total on 125. A great knock, and a 93 partnership with Tom which was just perfect for the occasion, but sadly cut short. At least it was some great fielding that led to his downfall, if that’s any consolation. Which it isn’t. Thirteen overs to go, six runs per over required. Tom still in and looking good. Loxwood had plenty of bowling in reserve, and, with Jillians, Curtis and the two openers up their sleeve, it was going to be hard to maintain the required scoring rate, but Tom and Jim did alright in a partnership of 27, with some strong play and good running, but there would be no prizes for falling short with batters to come, so Jim rather clunkily stepped outside off to Curtis, who was getting some away swing, and he top-edged a ball to midwicket, out for 13, all but one run of which were fours. Tom was still there on 48, still scoring, and TWCC had plenty of batting to come, which was the point of Jim having a rush of what passes for blood. Henry, at five, found himself once again required to play a selfless innings, which he did, striding down the wicket and using his good hand/eye coordination to swing through, but at this point TWCC were, quite rightly, taking risks and burning wicket in their chase, and he was out caught going for a shot of which his coach may, in other circumstances, not have entirely approved. Loxwood’s openers returned as the 35 overs limit loomed, and, pushing on hard as ever, Tom F, in the end, was bowled shortly after reaching his half-century, 52 off 68 balls, and the top-scorer for TWCC on the day. He was bowled by Bonney as he went hard at the ball having hit nine 4’s and run really well on a very hot day, and it must go down as one of his best outings. Or, rather, innings. And outings. Err... both. TWCC were now on 163 for 5, with just four overs or so left. Graham, at 6, epitomised the desired approach as he kept his first ball out, produced a contender for shot of the day with a smooth, punchy, on-drive from a ball that wasn’t quite there to hit that screamed between mid-on and mid-wicket for four for his second, and then he was caught behind off Bonney from his third ball. But the point was that he’d scored four off three balls. Enter Chinu, who understands the game as well as anyone, who went in with perfect ambition, knocked a run, then was bowled as Newman picked up his second wcket. Notwithstanding the wickets tumbling, it really was building to a decent climax as TWCC still had another Tom, an Ed and the powerhouses of Charlie and Brocky to come. With two overs to go the match situation became starkly clear. With Tom R and Ed at the crease 27 runs were required off 12 balls. Difficult, but not insurmountable, and even moderately exciting from an optimistic viewpoint, which is clearly an untenable perspective to have in life. But there are such people about, and it doesn’t hurt to cheer every scrambled run and hoick. Last over. 21 required. Tom and Ed in the middle. A wonderful TWCC victory was, at least, a possibility as Reynolds ran in to bowl the last six. A wide! Still six more balls to go. Oooh - a dot.... A scrambled single. Ed’s hit a boundary! Another wide! A dot. A bye! A two to finish, and the win was the home side’s as TWCC's valiant effort fell short on a creditable total of 193 for 7 – just 9 runs short. It was not a TWCC win, but it was a genuinely enjoyable afternoon’s play with both sides clearly aware that the prime objective of Sunday cricket is to do just that first, and then win if you can. The Ranson family’s combined 110 runs, backed up by Will Price’s 44 and his fielding, were the prime movers for the home side, though, naturally, all players from both sides contributed in the many ways that cricket rewards effort and commitment. Well done Loxwood, and good to see Firthy and Mikey hitting the big time, even if in a losing cause. Scorecard Toss won by TWCC (Brocky) 35 overs/side win or lose. Loxwood CC Innings: A Seeley bld E Howes 11; N Ranson† ct E Howes bld C Howes 75; L Ranson ct T Firth bld J Simon 35; W Price not out 44; M Jillians bld R Brock 1; O Warmington not out 12. DNB J Curtis, O Reynolds, J Bonney, M Newman, C Newman. Extras 23 (B6, LB8, W5, NB4) Total 201 for 4 (35 overs) Fall unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-21-0; M Pearce 3-0-17-0; E Howes 7-2-16-1; H Short 5-0-38-0; C Howes 4-0-39-1; J Simon 6-0-30-1; C Sharma 3-0-19-0; R Brock 2-0-16-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter† LBW bld M Newman 18; T Firth bld J Bonney 52; M Pearce run out (W Price) 44; J Simon ct W Price bld J Curtis 13; H Short ct M Jillians bld J Bonney 9; G Cuthbert ct O Warmington (wk) bld J Bonney 4; C Sharma bld M Newman 1; T Rydon not out 8; E Howes not out 5. DNB C Howes, R Brock*. Extras 39 (B7, LB9, W21, NB2) Total 193 for 7 (35 overs). Fall: 1-32, 2-125, 3-152, 4-159, 5-163, 6-164, 7-175. Loxwood Bowling: J Bonney 7-0-46-3; M Newman 7-1-26-2; O Reynolds 7-0-32-0; C Newman 5-0-30-0; L Ranson 2-0-22-0; M Jillians 5-2-12-0; J Curtis 4-0-12-1. Loxwood CC win by 3 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Bolney CC September 17th 2023 Within the balmy world of timed Sunday afternoon cricket matches, bathed as they are in a Wodehousian glow, it is often difficult for a side bowling second to take the ten wickets necessary to secure a victory. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t happen, and the bowling and fielding journey is all the more rewarding when it does, but as the days get shorter and the rain wetter, fitting in around forty overs per side is more of a challenge and so, on the day TWCC welcomed Bolney to their ground in the pouring rain, with thunder and, presumably, lightning, crashing around, Skipper Edwards for TWCC and Skipper Elliott for Bolney, agreed to a 35 overs per side match, with the proviso that the side batting second could still achieve a draw if they scored at least three-quarters of the first innings score. Not a unique innovation, but one that TWCC have now instigated a few times with some success. While we’re at it, let’s hope that 35 overs per side doesn’t take root as fitting in as many overs per side as possible is more likely to guarantee that all players get a bowl or a bat or both. Principal bowlers will always get a bowl, top order batters will always get a bat, but if shorter games become the norm there are some who might fall between the cracks. The rain, really the heaviest we’ve seen since the season began, lasted for an hour, but it did blow through and, after Bolney won the toss and chose to bat first, Matt had the difficult task of finding a couple of bowlers who might be able to run in and bowl without falling over on the slippery surface. Ed opened from the Downs end, and he didn’t seem to have too much trouble, not that he made much of anyway, and whilst Jim did lose his footing as he bowled his first ball, he put even less effort into his bowling from then on and all was well. The ball, however, was soon wet and so there was really no swing, but going cross seam on the wet artificial surface did occasionally provide some extra bounce and the occasional cut off the seam. That’s the bowling. The batters, Gould and Morris, had their own troubles as several beautifully-timed drives, on and off, that would have been fours in a flash in normal circumstances, but which instead pulled up in a spiral of spray as the long, wet, grass dragged the ball to a standstill just past the inner ring of fielders. Swings and roundabouts. Right. Onto some wickets! There weren’t that many of them is the truth. Jim did manage to get a few good balls down, one of which jagged up a fraction from a just short of a length, and Jonathan, standing up to prevent Gould making it a half volley by leaving his ground, took a wonderful sharp catch as the ball found the edge of the shoulder of Gould’s bat as he half-pushed at the rising ball. If this sounds a bit like Proper Cricket then, well, we’ll leave that up to the reader to decide. It was certainly a proper catch. Gould’s wicket, and we were to learn that this was a good wicket for TWCC to get as Gould is a serious player, brought Shah to the middle, and, as he and Morris worked their way through Jim’s sixth over which went for thirteen, the remaining overs of Ed, then Tom R (who did slide about as he bowled...) then Henry, then Charlie and then Graham... Oh dear! or Oh good! depending on your allegiances and/or on whether watching runs being scored is your thing, these two, Morris and Shah, took the immediate initiative away from the home side. Pace on seemed to be what the batters found easiest to score from, and so, recognising this, Matt called upon Charlie and Graham and they both did get past the bat on several occasions and in the end it was, indeed, Charlie who finally produced a false stroke from Morris as he pulled and top-edged a rising ball that flew over Tom R’s head at square leg, which he leaped after and took a really very good catch that dropped over his shoulder as he ran. Important wicket indeed, with Morris on 57 and having been in very little trouble on the way. Charlie backed this up with a second wicket in that same over as Nasseri also edged a rising ball from Charlie to produce another fine keeper’s catch from Jonathan who was really doing the business. Top marks Charlie. Shah, now joined by Adby, was still scoring freely and he went on to pass his century, scored in just 72 balls. Tremendous batting, and Bolney were by this time also past the 200 mark with five overs still to go in their innings. Matt brought himself on and took the wicket of new-to-the-crease Adby with another piece of real proper cricket - a fast ball that flew through off the edge of Adby’s bat, and, still rising, thumped into Jonathan’s gloves at shoulder height. Lovely to see. Unless you’re Mr. Adby of course, to whom I apologise for making so much of it. Shah was still in occupation, still scoring, and, given that the surface was still slippery and that Tom's physical health wasn't worth risking when he still had tea to deliver, Matt brought Jim on to bowl the 35th and final over. Regular readers will no doubt be slightly concerned at this prospect, but a tiring Shah fended off Jim’s first ball that cut back into his midriff, and he clothed the ball to Tony who was fielding at a shortish mid-wicket, a skipper’s master-stroke field placing? Anyway, a good solid catch from Tony, and no further runs were added as Bolney finished on 228 for 5. Shah’s innings, ending in just that final over, totalled a fine 116 off 83 balls, with thirteen 4’s and three 6’s, was certainly match-defining. TWCC had stuck to their task well, even in the face of some hard-hitting batting, but had on the day come up against some proper players, and that’s a good thing. Tom R had tead, from the verb to tea, and thank goodness he had spread the Rydon load to others in the group as this led to a tray of lovely warm honey-glazed sausages; the Rydon hallmark of sausagey excellence. It wasn’t all about the sausages, of course, as everything sandwichcake was present and very correct and the bar was worryingly raised to new heights with two teas still to go... So to TWCC’s batting reply. 213 to get in 35 overs is... hang on... that’s... just over 6 an over. A tough prospect, no mistake, but not necessarily too many for TWCC’s strong batting brigade to chase down. As he has all season, and of course has done for years, Paul set about the challenge with intent, and he was soon pulling fours across the drying grass, whilst Tom F, who himself started his account with a four, rotated the strike with Paul in an altogether accomplished fashion. All looked good as TWCC go going in the face of some pacy bowling from Nasseri and the characteristic guile from the Great Chaffmeister. Dryer grass meant more twos and fours for the batters, but a dryer ball and run-ups were a plus for the bowlers. S&R* Things have to happen though, and the first setback for TWCC was the loss of Tom F as he chipped a ball up into the covers. Out for just 7, he and Paul had nonetheless put 29 on the board, and incoming was Tony, brimming with Tonyness. At first he didn’t appear to be letting rip, but he soon got going as he and Paul put on another 25 before Paul, after Nasseri was replaced, pulled a ball from Mark Madden to mid-on which just carried to Chaffey who held onto a good low catch. Paul’s rarely out in a passive way – he’s always going for it one way or another – and TWCC were on the march albeit two down for 54 in 13 overs. That’s 4 an over; not enough, but it was a good promising start. Having denied himself much in the way of bowling, Matt put himself in at four, and why not? His recent time in the middle has shown us all how good he is, in a good way, and he didn’t let his team down. Both he and Tony, perhaps realising the importance of them not getting out before they’d done some damage, allowed themselves time to settle in, but then the two really did let rip as they somewhat plundered the bowling from all comers. Sixes and fours began to rain down and... err.. along... as these two took TWCC from 54 for 2 in the 13th over to 143 in the25th before Matt was given out LBW to Symes, playing back to a ball that, perhaps, didn’t get up as expected. What a shame, as he was really flying along, with at least two of the best shots of the day as he lofted off-drives over the infield for one-bounce fours to the cover boundary. A partnership of 88 in 12 overs was just what the TWCC doctor ordered, if there had been one (we don’t even have a physio unless you count the peas in Jim’s freezer). A lovely innings, and a shame it was cut short. Tony at this point was on 39, but, happily for TWCC, he was just getting going. Joined by Jonathan – the batting just keeps on coming - Tony switched into top gear, and these two continued to score at a rate that might have begun to worry the visiting side who, not without good reason, might have thought 228 in 35 overs was a pretty safe total to defend. Tony was swinging through in his freestyle fashion, swishing the ball high over the hedges, as he powered on to 82 off 64 balls before he was bowled by the off-spin of Gould. One got through, but plenty hadn’t, and Tony and Jonathan had taken TWCC to within a few further big shots of an unlikely win. Tony was out in the penultimate over, with the total at 199 for 4, and who better to come in at 6 to score some immediate boundaries than Mr T Rydon? Sure enough he started with a 2 off the impressive Gould, and then he straight drove a four! TWCC were on 203, with one over to go. A long shot; 26 required. Several long shots. Jonathan, then on 16 and really getting going, tried to run two when it would have taken a misfield to allow that, and he was run out for the cause. In came Ed, the very man for some more quick runs. A leg bye. Tom then skied a tremendous blow that would have been safe had anyone other than Michael Gould been under it, but, predictably and to his credit, he made the catch look easy. Tom out, Jim in, and whilst here at the Gazette we are perenially in awe of his latent superpowers, it is true that even Jim was probably not equal to this task of scoring 22 in 3 balls. He survived an LBW decision, scrannied a quick single from a sweep to fine leg, and then, off the last ball, Ed hit a four. Which is what he does. TWCC ended on 212 for 6, 17 runs short. One wins many less enjoyable games, and in this instance the 3/4 runs rule secured the home side a well-deserved draw getting to within striking distance of Bolney's excellent 228. It was a pleasure to see a revitalised Bolney, and we look forward to our next meeting. Scorecard Bolney won the toss and chose to bat first in a 35:35 over 3/4 draw hybrid game which seems to be a thing and good job too. Bolney Innings: M Gould ct J Rowland (wk) bld J Simon 21; K Morris ct T Rydon bld C Howes 57; A Shah ct T Pearce bld J Simon 116; A Nasseri ct J Rowland (wk) bld C Howes 4; S Adby ct J Rowland (wk) bld M Edwards 8; D Symes not out 5; M Madden not out 0. DNB B Clemenson, J Elliott, J Moore, D Chaffey. Extras 17 (B5, LB2, W6, NB4) Total 228 for 5 (35 overs). Fall: 1-34, 2-159, 3-167, 4-209, 5-227. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 7-0-34-0; J Simon 7-3-23-2; T Rydon 5-0-43-0; H Short 3-0-32-0; C Howes 6-0-54-2; G Cuthbert 5-0-24-0; M Edwards 2-0-11-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter ct D Chaffey bld M Madden 30; T Firth ct D Symes bld D Chaffey 7; T Pearce bld M Gould 82; M Edwards* LBW D Symes 50; J Rowland run out 16; T Rydon ct M Gould bld K Morris 6; E Howes not out 4; J Simon not out 1. DNB H Short, C Howes G Cuthbert. Extras 16 (B6, LB1, W9) Total 212 for 6 (35 overs). Fall: 1-29, 2-54, 3-142, 4-199, 5-206, 6-207. Bolney CC Bowling: A Nasseri 5-1-17-0; D Chaffey 7-1-23-1; M Madden 6-0-44-1; D Symes 7-1-42-1; B Clemenson 2-0-23-0; K Morris 4-0-17-1; M Gould 4-0-37-1. Match drawn (TWCC scored over the 172 threshold to secure a draw) *Work it out for yourself Top of page TWCC v Streat and Westmeston September 24th 2022 Oh my goodness another season's nearly done. How did that happen? But here we are, and this penultimate fixture was a momentous one for TWCC and for Edward who made his playing return to the team sheet after a lengthy absence. He has shown great fortitude and resilience and his customary dedication to the club, manifested in repeated appearances as Coach, home and away, is really much appreciated by his friends and team mates. No longer do we have to just imagine the outbursts from first slip as someone drops a catch or fumbles the ball. Anyway - welcome back Edward. Notwithstanding the lateness in the year, the day was markedly bright and clear, albeit with a very strong south-westerly careening in from the Atlantic, as TWCC welcomed their old friends, and some not so old, from Streat and Westmeston. Skippers Edwards and Marshall met in the middle and decided, in exemplary Sunday fashion, to do what they could to engineer a full and enjoyable game. On this occasion they decided that TWCC would bat first in, it almost goes without saying, a classic timed match. And didn’t that work out well! With no Paul, and Tom F being scheduled to be late for the start, Mikey and Matt strapped on the pads and went out to open the batting for TWCC. Colin Marshall, he of the perfect line and length with a little away swing, and Chris Foulerton with a little extra pace opened the bowling for S&W and, initially, it wasn’t too easy to get the ball off the square. If there had been a square. The grass was long and the bowling straight, but soon the batters began to get the measure of the conditions, and they were off and running. Matt didn’t see much of the strike, and then Colin found the edge of his bat and he was caught behind for just 3. Obviously a shame for him and for the cause, but these things happen. Coming in at three was a slightly stiff Rob, who soon loosened up sufficiently to run all sorts of threes and quick runs in a second-wicket partnership with Mikey that just kept on giving as the bowling rotated and the TWCC innings was enthusiastically embraced. In the end Mikey went first, caught off Barnes after he’d plundered the bowling for 68 runs, which included eight 4’s. Mikey stands tall, and punches the ball powerfully on the off side, and even plays with a straight bat into the on side which is more than can be said of some. Tremendously crickety stuff in a seamless partnership of 75 with Rob. PC indeed, that had left TWCC on 102 for 2 in the 19th over. Next we have to report an extraordinarily bit of bad luck that befell Tom Firth, who had only just got his pads on after driving down from some sojourn or other in Oxford, only to fall to a fluky run-out at the bowlers end as Rob middled a straight drive along the ground only for the bowler to half-stop the speeding ball and deflect it onto the stumps at Tom’s end. Naturally Tom was backing up and there you go... Out for just 1 after just having got to the middle. With Jonathan at 5 the batting kept on coming, and he and Rob continued the scoring with lots of powerful drives mixed in with cuts and pulls to the boundaries. Well into his stride, Jonathan reached forwards to sweep a slightly overpitched ball from Maysey for a crisply struck four, and then a couple of deliveries later Maysey just held back a ball that turned off middle as Jonathan tried to sweep again, and the ball hit the top of his off stump. A good bit of bowling to get rid of Jonathan for 34 quickly scored runs in a 46 run partnership with Rob. But good runs, quick runs, were accumulating. Next in was TWCC favourite Chinu, whose batting you don’t want to miss. He’s always at the bowlers, generally crunching balls into the middle distance. He was denied at least two straight fours, or even sixes, as he timed some mighty blows up into the stalling gale. One particular shot that sticks in the mind was a clip off his heels with a vertical bat for four behind square leg, reminiscent of Viv at his best. If you don’t know who Viv is, you’re younger than some and you missed out. The TWCC innings was powering on, as you might have gathered, and as it approached 200 after around 30 overs the crowd began to bay for their too-long-absent hero. Sensing this, Rob took on a second run that wasn’t there, an act of generosity rather than misjudgement, and he was run out for another big score, this time 64, comprising lots of running, eight 4’s and a 6 he’d hit into the Gazette’s carbon offset zone. The crowd were to be denied Edward for a while, however, as Henry went in to enjoy a few tonks with Chinu, but Chinu was bowled by Colin Marshall in his return spell, but not before he’d scored a lively 22 in no time. A TWCC star in the making. And in, finally, came Edward, taking his rightful place in the TWCC line up. We know he’s missed his cricket, and we’ve missed him, but here we all were again, or most of us at least, and, sure enough he was immediately off the mark with one of TWCC’s more significant singles. As Henry struck out again, only to be caught by Foulerton for a quick but classy 7, Matt took the opportunity to declare with Edward not out on 1 and TWCC on 215 for 7. Graham was the provider at tea - a debut possibly? – and he hit it out the park as they say but I wish they wouldn’t and that I hadn't. There are various signature offerings that have come to populate the tea calendar, and I’m afraid, Graham, your corned beef and potato pie can never not be part of your future. A revelation in warming comfort. I suggest you do the teas in the cooler parts of the season when this is absolutely just what is required. Thank you and good work. The bar remains high. Hopes should not be raised for the final game. Nigel Butler and Colin Mansfield opened the batting for S&W, and Jim and Henry the bowling for the home side. In a remarkable bit of bowling, Jim, just about running in against the gale, managed to hit Colin Marshall’s stumps with his first ball - normally a cause for celebration here at the Gazette - but sadly these were the stumps at the non-striker’s end and he had to bowl it again. After that these two openers bowled well, though neither had the odd chance held and both were wicketless on the day. Not so the first change bowlers Graham and Chinu, who both found their customary great length. Graham took the first wicket as Nigel Butler pulled a ball hard to square leg only to find Henry there to catch it. This was a significantly solid, business-like catch, held with such confidence by Henry that it set the fielding tone throughout the game. Good bowling and catching were just what was required if TWCC were to take ten wickets for a win and Henry had shown the way. Then it was Chinu’s turn for a wicket, and his was a product of some really excellent bowling as he got the ball to nip about off the surface from just short of a length, and S&W’s No 3 Rich Flower almost placed the ball into the competent hands of Mikey at first slip. It looked like proper cricket to me! Talking of PC, look at Graham there, scampering after a ball behind square leg, attacking the ball and whipping in a throw to Jonathan to run out Colin Mansfield going for a second run. Oooh! Suits you, TWCC! Colin's is a difficult wicket to take, so well done Graham (and Jonathan!). Matt and Mikey took the bowling reins, and the game moved on again as, first, Mikey had John Suckling LBW and then, as Barnes and Foulerton began a spirited attempt at the target, Chris Foulerton skied a ball from Mikey into the safe zone in the hinterland beyond mid-on, some distance from any likely fielders, and so the unlikely one sprinted over from mid-off to take a wonderful running catch! Skipper Edwards was the man, and if we need a second Champagne Moment after Edward’s quick single, Matt’s catch was it. Foulerton’s approach was as commendable as it was short lived, but more wickets were required if TWCC were to win the game, and who better than Rob to amble in and bowl his thunderbolts? In the midst of his typically economical eight over spell Rob found the top of Bill Baxter’s off stump and S&W were 91 for 6. Amongst these TWCC successes, Murray Barnes was still there, scoring freely on his way to a somewhat isolated 50, until Matt got a ball through to his stumps and he was out for 53 after an outstanding innings during which he scored freely even as Streat wickets were falling all around him. There still remained some batters in the way of a TWCC win, and Matt brought Mikey on to bowl at Lee Maysey who pulled a ball straight to Michael at square leg, TWCC’s self-declared specialist fielder, who held on to a catch much like Henry’s earlier one at the start of Streat’s innings. Now 9 wickets down with just 125 on the board, Matt’s declaration had bought the overs TWCC needed to finish the match, and as Mikey bowled his ninth over poor Stan was surrounded by fielders and he chipped the ball up to Jim at short sillymidoffsideshortcoverthingy who juggled a catch to end the game. Streat & W all out for 125, with just 2.1 overs left, it was exciting stuff, and thank goodness the skippers had agreed to play a timed match as the result was uncertain throughout and the win for TWCC had to be earned. Well done Matt and Colin, well done cricket. Matt's marshalling of his team to secure a victory when bowling second was exemplary, as was, indeed, the overall bowling and fielding performance. Talking of Matt, this was his last game of the year and the Gazette would like to congratulate him on his skippering throughout the year. Between them Brocky and Matt keep the TWCC ship buoyant and help make the club what it is on and off the pitch. It was also the last game for Mikey, Tom F, Edward and Michael, and some others had already played their last 2023 match before this, so a big thank you to all for contributing to all that we do together. Meanwhile, let's not forget that it's not yet time to hang up the off-whites. Weather permitting, we look forward to one more waffer-thin game... Scorecard Matt and Colin Marshall met in the middle to compare notes. In a tossless outbreak of common sense it was decided that TWCC should bat first in a proper timed proper Sunday proper cricket proper match. TWCC Innings: M Pearce ct Foulerton bld M Barnes 68; M Edwards* ct R Flower bld C Marshall 3; R Rydon run out 64; T Firth run out 1; J Rowland† bld L Maysey 34; C Sharma bld C Marshall 22; H Short ct Foulerton bld C Marshall 7; E Bunn not out 1. DNB J Simon, G Cuthbert, M Short. Extras 11 (B1, LB1, W7, NB1) Total 215 for 7 declared (36.3 overs). Fall: 1-27, 2-102, 3-109, 4-155, 5-187, 6-214- 7-215. Streat and Westmenston Bowling: C Marshall 6.3-0-3-32; C Foulerton 11-0-0-53; R Eastwoos 6-0-0-30; M Barnes 6-0-1-56; L Maysey 6-0-1-30; S Spiegel 1-0-0-2. Streat and Westmeston Innings: N Butler ct H Short bld G Cuthbert 3; C Mansfield run out (G Cuthbert) 27; R Flower† Ct M Pearce bld C Sharma 6; J Suckling LBW M Pearce 8; M Barnes bld M Edwards 53; C Foulerton ct M Edwards bld M Pearce 3; B Baxter bld R Rydon 0; C Marshall* bld M Edwards 6; R Eastwood not out 5; L Maysey cy M Short bld M Pearce 0; S Spiegel ct J Simon bld M Pearce 0. Extras 14 (LB1, W8, NB5) Total 125 all out (47. 5 overs). Fall: 1-12, 2-27, 3-51, 4-81, 5-90, 6-91, 7- 113, 8-124, 9- 125, 10-125. TWCC Bowling: J Simon 7-1-17-0; H Short 5-1-5-0; G Cuthbert 3-0-8-1; C Sharma 5-0-10-1; M Edwards 11-1-46-2; M Pearce 8.5-2-23-4; R Rydon 8-1-12-1. TWCC win by 90 runs. Top of page TWCC v Zambucca Tigers CC October 1st 2023 How did that happen? Whoosh - another season goes by. But, before it passes into history TWCC have one final game to enjoy; their traditional autumnal match against Brighton Beamers. But... what? The Beamers have bowled their final ball, hit their final run - ever. For many years the Beamers have been exactly the right opponents for TWCC, but after many close and exciting games, the Beamers have ceased trading. Maybe they'll come back in some form, but for now that's it. TWCC would like to thank them for being competitive but fun, intelligent and fair and good for a pint in the pub after many close-fought games. We'll miss you Beamers, and thanks for all the memories. If nothing else it highlights TWCC's great fortune in being able to count on just the right number of elite sportsmen, and occasionally, women, as we continue into future seasons. We are ageing, but we are youthing as well, and good on us all. But, yes, sorry to have lost you Beamers, and thanks for all your cricketiness. So it was time for TWCC's hard-working Fixtures Sec., who thought his 2023 work was done, seinen Stein abzulegen and seek out a team who could fill the gap, and he came up trumps with Zambucca Tigers CC. They are an interesting club with over 150 members, but only eleven of whom arrived in the October sunshine to share a game with TWCC. Skipper Brock won the toss and chose to bowl first in a 38-to-42 overs (3/4 runs for a draw) format, and from the off it was clear that the Zambucca Tigers' batters were well organised and that it was going to take something special to break through. It was also clear that their batters would have had early boundaries to their names had the grass been shorter, but some very well-timed shots along the ground stalled just outside the ring with singles going into the book rather than fours. As for the full innings detail, the prospect of listing everything that happened is just too overwhelming, and so, instead, we’ll just hope readers can take it as read that all the batters were accomplished, and of course all the bowlers were great. Yes, this write up is being brought to you in glorious Wokerama!™ which not only filters out the very few drops, but also gives us the space to dwell on the catching! It started with Tony. We have all seen some spectacular catches held in the slips by Edward and Tony, and this one was something special indeed as Porter edged a fast ball from Tom that was whistling on through the slips until Tony, in a flash, stuck out a shoulder-high right hand and solidly held on to a very sharp slip catch to rival anything we've seen over the years. What a catch! It shocked the entire crowd into silence. Porter was quite funny as he left, tucking his bat under his arm as he said in a mock huff; "Well... if you're going to play like that..!" I think we’re going to like the Zambuccas. Chauhan was joined by De Silva who, similarly, looked to be very capable, but Tom wasn't done yet as Chauhan uppishly pulled a shorter ball to Chinu at square leg who held on to a lovely catch. The ball wasn't travelling at top speed as Tom had forced a false stroke out of the batter, but it still needed catching and Chinu was very much up to the task. The Tigers were very quickly on 8 for 2 in the 5th over, when Henry, who opened at the other end from Tom, and who was bowling with good pace and rhythm, had Irani caught at short fine leg by Tom to move the score to just 9 for 3. Tom doesn’t drop catches, and he didn’t drop this one. Three wickets, three catches, the visitors weren’t able to break free, and with Charlie and Matt Brock taking over the bowling it wasn’t going to get any easier for them. It was Matt who bowled a pull-able ball, and De Silva pulled it. Hard. I mean proper hard off the middle of his bat, and the ball flew absolutely horizontally to Chinu at square leg who managed to control the ball with some part of his anatomy or other and then grab it in his hands. Whoosh. It was over in a split second, and another wonderful wicket had been taken thanks to some really solid catching. I don’t think Chinu will ever be far from square leg in the future! Each of the batters who had been in and out had looked worryingly good, and without this fine fielding the total could well have been building fast, but as it was the Tigers were 39 for 4 in the 12th over. And there’s more catching to come, as Rob’s usual tight and pacy bowling forced some false shots from, first Majitha and then Tomlins, the ball on both occasions being chipped up from a leg-stump line to Charlie at mid-on. One went more or less straight to Charlie, but the other was only taken after he made some considerable ground to meet it. Two more great catches, off excellent bowling of course, but we’re taking that as read, remember? Tigers were now 84 for 6. But still the batters came in, and Sam Silverwood-Cope was another goodie as he took on the bowling without giving chances, and Steve Donelan was another. But the catching wasn’t finished either, and as Chinu came on to bowl his lovely line and length, which brought edges into play, Tony was in action again twice more. I can’t remember one of this pair of catches, but the other was certainly memorable as either Mariner or Silverwood-Cope thick-edged a ball high into the air over the top of Tony's head, and although I doubt if he ever thought he'd chase it down, he turned and sprinted back towards where a fly-slip would be if there was one, and stuck out his hands just as the ball dropped past him, and there it was again – another catch held. This really was a catch made out of the slimmest of chances, and many would have though the high ball was going to fall safe. And it did - safe into Tony’s hands! Two wickets for Chinu and the Tigers were somewhat reeling on 110 for 8. Donelan, who was clearly a proper player, managed the strike very well with his last two partners, but in the end poor Steve Adams and Simon Binns fell to the inevitable, but nonetheless skillful, tail end skirmishing of Skipper Brock who saw his chance and took it, bowling these last two without any further catching being required. The Zambucca Tigers ended on 158 all out in the 41st over, so one has to say they paced their innings well in the face of some truly memorable fielding, and Donelan farmed the strike and scored some valuable runs as the overs ran out ending up with a really valuable 37 not out as the last wicket fell. On this long grass, and if the Tigers bowled as well as they batted, TWCC might be up against it. In reply, Paul and Brocky opened the batting for the home side, but the Gazeteer didn’t see much of the early phases of the innings as kitchen duties called. Thus we can’t add anything much beyond the unemotional scorebook entry that reads R Brock, LBW, bowled Mariner for 5 in the 5th over, at which point the total was 19, with Paul on 14. From the little that was seen in the reflection of the urn the bowling didn’t look as if it was too penetrating, which impression was backed up as Paul and , now, Tony, simply took the game on and won it. This isn’t to say that the two of them had an easy task, not at all, just that they executed their duties with exemplary pacing and shot-making. Paul soon found his role morph into one of watching his partner bat as Tony let loose some end of season carnage hitting four 6’s and four 4’s (and two 3’s) and that was just on his way to 50. Then he accelerated, adding three more 4’s and four more 6’s, the last of which took him on to 101 with TWCC's total 148 for 1. Catches win matches, but centuries help! What a way to fuel oneself at the season's end, and Tony can glow all winter long. With Paul alongside him there were plenty of neat and tidy singles and twos, all of which we love, and if this sounds like a walkover I don’t really think it was always destined to be, as the Tigers clearly have good players and promise to be well-matched opposition if we are able to continue with this fixture, but Tony and Paul simply had the answers on the day. Tony made way, in a TWCC retirement for beer deal, for Henry, and with just 11 more runs required and endless time in which to get them, it was just a case of getting the job done. Which Paul, sadly, just at the end, couldn’t quite do himself as he was stumped off De Silva after his anchoring role had almost seen him carry his bat. Out for 33, partnering Tony through their partnership of 129, he was out with just three more runs required. Busy and involved, first as keeper (no byes at all) and then as No 1 batter more or less seeing TWCC home, Paul's winter will also be warmed by some lovely cricket memories. Henry and Matt B saw the home side through to the, by then, inevitable victory and the season was done. As may have been gathered from all the above, the Zambucca Tigers could well have scored more than they did, were it not for a whole inningsful of really tremendous catching from, in particular, Chinu and Tony. The long grass didn’t help the Tigers either, but then the same conditions prevailed for both teams. In the, sad, absence of the Beamers, hopefully the Tigers will become our new end of season opponents and we’ll see how this all develops over the years. In the meantime another season’s rushed by, but not without joys and jokes, a tour (thanks Ed (and Tom)), and with a committed clubful of friends behind us there’s nothing to lament, so let's just celebrate. Scorecard Toss won by Skipper Brock for TWCC, and he chose to field first in a 38-42 over 3/4 runs for a draw game. Excellent. ZTCC Innings: A Chauhan ct C Sharma bld T Rydon 5; B Porter ct T Pearce bld T Rydon 1; N de Silva ct C Sharma bld M Brock 16; R Irani ct T Rydon bld H Short 0; D Majithia ct C Howes bld R Rydon 26; S Silverwood-Cope ct T Pearce bld C Sharma 36; A Tomlins† ct C Howes bld R Rydon 1; S Donelan not out 37; T Mariner ct T Pearce bld C Sharma 10; S Adams bld R Brock 3; S Binns bld R Brock 4. Extras 19 (W16, NB3) Total 158 all out (41.4 overs). Fall: 1-6, 2-8, 3-9, 4-39, 5-80,6-84, 7-98, 8-110, 9-127, 10- must have been 158 but the book says 151. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 4-1-5-1, H Short 4-0-12-1; C Howes 5-0-25-0; M Brock 5-0-27-1; J Simon 4-0-12-0; r Rydon 4-2-8-2; C Sharma 5-0-25-2; G Cuthbert 6-1-24-0; R Brock 4-2-18-2. TWCC Innings: P Hunter st Tomlins bld Da Silva 33; R Brock* LBW bld Mariner 2; T Pearce (retired) 101, H Short not out 3, M Brock not out 1. DNB J Simon, T Rydon, R Rydon, C Sharma, C Howes, G Cuthbert. Extras 15 (B6, W9) Total 159 for 2 (26.4 overs). Fall: 1-19, Tony's retirement-148, 2-156. ZTCC Bowling: T Mariner 8-0-39-1; S Binns 2.1-0-18-0; S Adams 4-0-25-0; D Majithia 4-0-47-0; S Donelan 4-0-10-0; N De Silva 2-0-7-1; A Chauhan 2.5-0-7-0. TWCC win by 8 wickets. Top of page 2022 Season Staplefield CC v TWCC April 24th 2022 Earwigo again! Bright day, chilly at times, particularly later when sitting outside the pub. Chipper Skipper Brock won the toss and Paul and Jim went in to try and remember what to do. The wicket was one of the worst ever, with bare patches, dry knobbles and dusty dents, so it was hard to figure out a par score. Staplefield were only a nine-man side on the day, which TWCC failed to notice until we counted up about half way through TWCC's innings, and though this helped with the general scoring it wasn't of much importance, sadly, to Paul who was bowled by a ball that shot along the ground under his bat and onto the base of the stumps. Jim and Jonathan in a stand of 44 began to flip some numbers on the scoreboard, until Jim failed to make any sort of effort with a straight one and was out LBW for 27. Jonathan (16), Matt (11), Edward (1) and Tom R (9) cycled through runs and wickets, the choicest being Tom's exotic leave which saw the ball sail through under MCC shouldered arms to catch the top of the stumps. For those of a cynical nature this was one of the contenders for the champagne moment of the day, but there are more candidates along the way, both comedic and wonderful. Thus it came to pass, following Tom's dismissal, that Alex strode to the middle to join Edward, where he was all too soon to be joined by his father for what was to prove to be an extraordinary partnership. Of note, and instructive, is the fact that, with 25 overs of the innings stretching ahead, Alex sensibly steered his way through ten dot balls before worrying about scoring and Rob's initial circumspection was equally essential with TWCC 6 down with more than half the overs still to come. However, gradually, the shackles were thrown off as both batters were skilled enough to trust their eyes over expectations, and the boundaries began to flow. Fours were not hard to come by what with the boundary up the hill being so short and the wide open plains of the rest of the village green being downhill all the way to the main road, and Alex and Rob duly peppered the undergrowth as the opportunities were presented to them. Staplefield's Rizwan, known of old, was his usual challenging self with his pacy, accurate off-spin with the occasional other one thrown in, and was the pick of the home bowlers in spite of the nought in his wickets column, but it would be wrong to say that playing the ball off that wicket was ever easy as neither of the Staplefield bowlers were particularly easy to face. Alex pushed a single to mid-off for his 50, and then just carried on. A sequence of champagne moments followed and the Gazette's shot of the day wasn't either Alex's or Rob's towering straight sixes, though both were tremendous, but rather a perfectly timed on-drive from Rob that sped across the ground to the pavilion for four. Both players watched the ball and then had the ability to put the bat to it once it was done messing about, which prowess saw, first, Rob to his 50 (8 fours, 1 six) and then, momentously, Alex to a 72 ball 100 (15 fours, 1 six). This was Alex's first ever century and it was magnificent that, in their 6th wicket unbeaten partnership of 170, father and son were able to share the anticipation and then the long-anticipated champagne moment itself. Curiously a maiden over finished the 40, and Rob finished on 53 and Alex on exactly 100, both not out and setting the bar high for the season's average-hunters. There was tea, which was most welcome, thank you Staplefield, and then it was time for Skipper Brock's master bowling plan. Phil bowled the first over and soon had his radar adjusted to 2022 specifications as he stopped going for runs and took his, and TWCC's first wicket of the season as Jonathan side-stepped to hold onto a glanced edge on the leg side. Ed, running in with the wind behind, was more hindered than helped by the wicket, as was poor Jonathan who risked teeth on several occasions with the ball repeatedly failing to bounce and skidding through along the bumpy ground. Let's get this over now; Jonathan had a lot to deal with. In proper cricket the keeper just stands up and sidles about, and the ball neatly climbs into his or her gloves off a regulation line and length. In this game both keepers were "awarded" bye after bye - often four of them - as the ball did ridiculous things off the pitch, and, let's be honest, there are some bowlers who don't help. Many a fine stop was pulled off by Jonathan who also kept very well when orthodox keeping was possible. Excellent stuff. 5 overs of Phil brought the first change, and on came Matt whose first four overs, let's be honest, went for 20. But, as the Winter rust wore off and his pedigree glow began to shine through, his next three overs were remarkable. Not more champagne moments, surely? Sure enough, it was Matt's day as his next over was a double-wicket maiden, and so was his next one which included two in two and the inevit... didn't happen. What a shame as it would have been truly remarkable for someone to get a hat-trick at Staplefield which has, apparently, always proved to be an elusive milestone for the club. Hey ho, Matt took his fifth wicket in his 7th over which left him with wonderful figures of 5 for 21. The ball was Matt's. Can one have too much beer? Brocky bowled Staplefield's No. 3, the impressive Riz, in a short and accurate spell, and then Tom was unleashed. Rather late in the day for someone of his ability, but his pace was, as suspected, making batting (let alone keeping) more or less plain dangerous, so, sadly for him, he only had a couple of overs before Paul and Jim were brought on to mop up the final wicket, and sure enough Paul's bowling provoked an unwise pull shot and the top edge was skied towards Alex's safe hands. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" shouted Jim, strutting in from mid-wicket, whereup... oh dash it all... Champagne ridicule followed and Finisher Phil was needed to send down a straight one, which he did three balls in to his comeback over, and the game was up. Many things combined to make this match rather one-sided, not least the fact that TWCC were the only team with eleven players. The game was remarkable for the eye-opener of a wicket - quite a shock for the first game of the season, especially if you're Paul. Then there was Rob's pedigree 53, Phil's reliability as the enforcer, and Jonathan's heroic keeping. Tom's cultured leave and Jim's catch were appreciated by many, but of course the honours of the day go to Matt for his 5 wickets and especial congratulations go to Alex for his maiden century constructed in actually quite difficult circumstances. Hooray for cricket and Harvey's. Scorecard TWCC (Skipper Brock) won the toss and chose to bat first. Limited (40) overs format for some reason. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Bld Sadler 1; J Simon Bld Clarke 27; J Rowland Bld Clarke 16; M Edwards Ct, Bld Sadler 11; E Bunn Bld Threader 1; T Rydon Bld Clarke 9; A Rydon not out 100; R Rydon not out 53. DNB E Howes, R Brock, P Steinke. Extras 30 (B13, LB5, W11, NB1) Total 248 for 6 (40 overs). Fall: 1-2, 2-46,3-59, 4-64, 5-76, 6-78. Staplefield CC Bowling: Clarke 8-0-51-3; N Sadler 8-3-19-2; Threader 8-1-40-1; Parish 6-0-60-0; Rizwan 7-1-40-0; Revitt 3-0-22-0. Staplefield Innings: J Ellis Ct Rowland (Wk) Bld Steinke 12; R Prevett LBW Edwards 30; Rizwan Bld Brock 33; N Sadler Ct T Rydon Bld Edwards 0; Bein Ct Rowland (Wk) Bld Edwards 0; Steve Bld Edwards 5; Pike Bld Edwards 0; Dan C Bld Steinke 27. Rhys not out 8. Extras 30 (B18, LB1, W11) Total 145 all out (for 8 wkts). Fall: 1-26, 2-86, 3-86, 4-90, 5-94, 6-94, 7-97, 8-145. TWCC Bowling: P Steinke 6-1-21-2; Howes 8-2-33-0; Edwards 7-2-21-5; Brock 3-0-12-1; T Rydon 2-0-7-0, Simon 4-0-9-0, P Hunter 3-0-24-0. TWCC win by 103 runs. Top of page Streat and Westmeston v TWCC May 1st 2022 Dust-encrusted windscreens began to show spatters of what might have been rain as these two friendly foes met up once again under the V. There was some inexplicable reluctance to get going because of the vanishingly small amounts of intermittent drizzle falling, but, once common sense prevailed we started proceedings and the weather played no further part in the game. Skipper Brock won the toss and, having been restricted on safety grounds the week before, Tom R was unleashed from the Posh End for a blistering, though ultimately wicketless, statement 5 over spell of which four were maidens, and the other one went for just the one run. Somehow the batsmen survived several near-misses, whilst Jonathan also had less scurrying to do behind the stumps as the wicket was very true and the bounce consistent (thank you Colin for all the hard work), and, backed up by some excellent fielding all round, runs for the home side were hard to come by. Ed's fuller length was the perfect compliment to Tom's slightly shorter-pitched bowling, and there was plenty of risk to the batters' wickets from both ends. Skipper Brock changed the attack after ten overs, keeping his openers fresh for a late bite, and Rob S came on for his first outing of the year, and what a worthy spell it was. Starting with a maiden and then in denying, particularly Colin Mansfield, easy access to the ball unless shots were to be played at risk and at a stretch, Rob continued to ensure the scoreboard remained inactive. Phil, absolutely his usual reliable self, also gave away nothing as he took TWCC's first wicket by bowling the home side's No 2. Eastwood in his 9 over spell of 1 for 19. After 16 overs the S&W total was, remarkably, just 33 for 1. With drinks taken and a message given to the batters to up the rate, a few runs began to flow, but not without risk. Advancing down the wicket to Brocky, who replaced Phil from the Downs End, the ever-in-form Colin Mansfield missed a ball which Jonathan pulled in from outside the off stump for a sharp stumping, which action provided the afternoon's Champagne Moment. S&W 67 for 2 after 30 overs, and Colin back in the pavilion. As all good things do, Rob's lengthy spell of 9 overs for just 22 runs came to an end, and Jim took over from the Posh End. The ball swung about in the clammy air, and Jim had, first, N Butcher out LBW, and then he found the base of Marshall's leg stump. With no runs being on offer S&W were 77 for 4 after 35 overs and with time for just a few overs, Brocky (5 overs 1 for 20) and Jim (6 overs 2 for 11) were replaced by TWCC's mighty opening bowlers for a final attack, and Ed, indeed, bowled M Butcher under his bat for his first wicket of the day. Lea and Wolff were adding a few runs as S&W's allotted time was up, but it was a case of too little too late and the 110 for 5 total was looking a little unlikely. After tea Paul and Jim opened the batting for TWCC, though Jim barely blunted the scorer's pencil as he pushed at what should have been a defensive block and was well caught by Hartfield diving forward in the covers. Tom Firth at 3, he of much great fielding in the covers, was the perfect man to help Paul to overhaul the modest total S&W had set, but whilst he certainly looked at home and in charge against the undoubtedly impressive bowling of Wolff and Lea, he didn't last as long as he might have being given out LBW to Wolff for just 6, with the total on 18. It was to get worse as Will and Ed Howes' brief visit to the middle was over all too quickly, and habitual wanderers in the hinterland of the Gazette's archive will have recognised the signs with TWCC on 22 for 4 which, whilst being just plain silly, was also not unprecedented. With endless time in which to get the very small number of runs required, what was needed was a bit of good old proper batting as exemplified by TWCC's No. 1 Paul who, with four down, might have only been on 3 runs off 22 balls faced, but neither was he, critically, out. At least someone was paying attention to the facts of the matter, and in an exclusive Gazette interview conducted in the middle during drinks, Paul said that the job was simple; just build an innings and the runs will come. Jonathan came in at 6, and, as S&W's excellent openers were replaced, and the business of just staying in was made slightly easier, more scoring opportunities arrived and were duly capitalised upon. Paul remained unquestionably open-y in his new-for-2022 approach in that he didn't once hit the ball in the air in his chance-free innings, which isn't to say there were no agressive shots but rather that he waited for the right ball to hit. In the meantime Jonathan gave a little more encouragement to the fielding side when he went over the top once or twice, but both Paul and Jonathan in their match-winning partnership of 92 first brought the target down to safe levels, then overtook it without any further assistance required. Jonathan's 36 not out (5 fours) stopped any further slippage in its tracks, whilst Paul's definitive 44 not out (7 fours) sent out a strong message for the rest of the season. No pressure. Streat and Westmeston came up against a strong TWCC side which, in spite of the odd outlier, in current form boasts a remarkably low average age which on this occasion was further reduced by the welcome inclusion of Will Howes who selflessly flung himself about in the field and who,sadly, has the scars to prove it. Specific points of advantage TWCC had on the day, and have in general, is their depth of bowling, their energy in the field, and, in certain players, some of whom didn't even get to put their pads on or weren't even there, no little ability with the bat. Skipper Brock was typically Brearley-esque in his decision-making, and Jonathan, who crisply shepherded every ball, was once again a pivotal presence in the middle both with the gloves and, as it turned out, with the bat. All teams have someone who keeps wicket, but not many have an actual wicket-keeper, as we'll find out next week when Jonathan's not about... Scorecard TWCC Skipper Brock won the toss and chose to bowl first. Proper format. S&W Innings: Mansfield St J Rowland Bld R Brock 21; Eastwood Bld P Steinke 17; Butler LBW J Simon 24; Marshall Bld J Simon 5; Butcher Bld E Howes 14; C Wolff not out 16; S Lea not out 3. DNB Baxter, S Lea (or J Lea?), R Wolff, Hartfield. Extras 10 (B3,LB3, W3, NB1) Total 110 for 5 (43 overs). Fall: 1-33, 2-67, 3-74, 4-77, 5-100. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-4-7-0; E Howes 7-0-26-1; R Saunders 9-4-22-0; P Steinke 9-1-19-1; J Simon 6-0-11-2; R Brock 5-0-20-1. TWCC Innings: P Hunter not out 44; J Simon Ct Hartfield Bld S Lea 2; T Firth LBW C Wolff 6; W Howes Bld S Lea 1; E Howes Bld C Wolff 1; J Rowland not out 36. DNB R Saunders, E Bunn, T Rydon, R Brock, P Steinke. Extras 24 (B10, LB6, W4, NB4) Total 114 for 4 (24 overs). Fall: 1-8, 2-18, 3-19, 4-22. S&W Bowling: C Wolff 5-1-5-2; S Lea 5-0-10-2; R Eastwood 5-0-19-0; M Hartfield 5-0-30-0; R Wolff 2-0-12-0; M Butcher 1-0-11-0; C Marshall 1-0-10-0. TWCC win by 6 wkts. Top of page TWCC v Greys CC May 8th 2022 The Gazette skates a fine line with the press regulators, and has been fending off accusations of bias on a number of occasions, and so, in order not to provoke further brushes with the powers that be, this report will, sadly, not be dwelling for long on TWCC's performance in this match against Greys CC. Disappointed readers may wish to read reports of the first two games of the season. TWCC served up the finest of weathers, skipper Brock won the toss, and Greys were asked to bat first. Tom Rydon made the first breakthrough, clattering a perfect-length ball into the stumps, and then we saw a resurgent performance from Matt Brock as he first set about finding his line and length before instigating the first of three nominated Champagne Moments of the day as Flynn, Greys' No 2, edged a ball through to Edward at first slip who didn't "cling on to", or "snatch", or otherwise flounce a catch; he just caught it neatly and cleanly at chest height in an outbreak of proper cricket. Lovely to see. Greys continued to send in batsmen who knew what they were doing and who all added substantial numbers to the score sheet. Phil provided his trademark clink of ball onto bails dismissing Grey's No 3, and then Brocky bowled Ashton, but not before he'd scored 32 powerful runs, and the total, whilst it wasn't so much getting away, was nonetheless consistently climbing. Edwards, Greys' No 5, was beginning to follow Ashton's example, and a period of strike-management followed ending in Edwards offering Jim the simplest of caught and bowled wickets of which Skipper Brock was very proud having been, it seems, almost 100% responsible for it. The second Champagne Moment happened during Jim's spell as a wide delivery (it does happen) avoided Paul, who was keeping, and the ball ran down towards the distant boundary whereupon Tom Rydon, at mid-off, registered the lack of interest in fielding the ball and sprinted from, yes, mid-off, to, yes, fine leg, overhauled the ball by the boundary, and kept the runs to just two. Like a whirlwind he went, and what an awareness and commitment from the young greyhound. Tom Firth replaced Jim for just one over, probably because of the wide and the four off his slower ball, in which Tom also took a catch off his own bowling and, the very next ball had Newland caught by Matt E, and so had, once again, taken two in two which meant the ha... didn't happen. Graham's first bowling moments of the season, which to his credit prompted several novelty scorebook innovations, finished off the innings with Grey's having been restricted quite well overall, to what many would consider, at 178, no more than a par score. Brocky provided his and TWCC's first real live tea out of the new pavilion, and what a joy it was to share in the cornucopia, sitting around on the grass, balancing plates of sandwiches and cake just as players who don't care about their waistlines have done for centuries. So, to TWCC's batting. It would be wrong to say there were no highlights, but there were plenty of the other sort of lights. Starting off with one of the highs, Paul, having kept so well in the absence of Jonathan, was his usual batty self, and he, once again, top-scored for TWCC in their stuttering reply. Jim, again playing forward too pushily, was out for the second week in a row to a low diving catch of unlikely excellence, and Tom Firth was in early and there followed a period of relative stabilty as Greys began to run through their bowling options to great effect. But, in the end, after 14 overs, Paul was out for a commendable 37 (7 fours, many his trademark pull behind square), Matt E was bowled by something of a mystery ball that somehow got through to his off stump, then Tom F was out, caught somewhere (mid-off?) and there began a bit of a... well, a bit of a... thing. Let's not go into the detail. Resistance there was from Matt Brock whose belligerent counter-punching, which, whilst intimidating, didn't seem to particularly involve the ball much, nonetheless did endure for 28 balls and featured a collector's item of another highly emotional father and son partnership. You had to be there to enjoy the melodrama. The surviving younger Brock's partnership with Edward was a glimpse of what might have been as the inevitable end drew closer. Indeed, Edward, as well as pulling several balls in front of square for four, provided the third, and most persuasive Champagne Moment of the day as the pacy Ashton, one of Greys' most proficient players, bowled a faster ball short, and the ball climbed up but, quick as a flash, Edward pivoted and hooked the ball to square leg for four, all along the ground and comprehensively a win for the batter. A second outbreak of proper cricket which both, not coincidentally, involved Edward who finished on 31 not out (7 fours) giving some comfort to the home side who were, let's be honest, unable to lift the score up to anything approaching par. Matt was eventually out, as was everyone else bar Edward and that was it; Paul and Edward scored 68 for 1, and everyone else was 20 for 8. TWCC not good enough, so we're going to stop now and get on with the rest of the week. I've just taken a loin/belly of pork out of the freezer and that's going to become either a porchetta or, maybe some Chinese nuggets of braised soy ginger chiliness. Or both! Scorecard TWCC Skipper Brock won the toss and chose to field first. TWCC fielding a 10-man side. Greys CC Innings: Brasher Bld T Rydon 6; Flynn Ct E Bunn Bld M Brock 26; Line Bld P Steinke 19; Ashton Bld R Brock 32; Edwards Ct & Bld J Simon 23; Burgess Ct & Bld T Firth 26; Fenton LBW J Simon 0; Day run out (T Rydon) 9; Newland Ct M Edwards, bld T Firth 0; Sewell not out 2; Hoare not out 6. Extras 29 (B6,LB3, W18, NB2) Total 178 for 9 (37 overs). Fall: 1-28, 2-66, 3-66, 4-109, 5-137, 6-137, 7-162, 8-162, 9- unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 6-1-21-0; T Rydon 5-1-15-1; P Steinke 8-1-24-1; M Brock 3-0-38-1; R Brock 7-1-27-1; 4-0-17-2; G Cuthbert 3-0-25-0; T Firth 1-0-2-2. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Bld Hoare 37; J Simon Ct, Bld Newland 6; T Firth Ct, Bld Sewell 10; M Edwards Bld Hoare 2; T Rydon Ct (Wk) Bld Sewell 0; M Brock Bld Ashton 1; R Brock Bld Sewell 0; G Cuthbert Bld Sewell 0; E Bunn not out 31; P Steinke Bld Ashton 1. Extras 6 (B4, W2) Total 94 all out (9 wkts) in 27.5 overs. Fall: 1-23, 2-51, 3-53, 4-57, 5-58, 6-58, 7-58, 8-68, 9-94. Greys CC Bowling: Day 7-1-26-0; Newland 4-1-17-1; Hoare 5-2-11-2; Sewell 7-2-28-4; Ashton 4.5-2-9-2. Greys CC win by 84 runs. Top of page Horsted Keynes v TWCC May 22nd 2022 Eager followers of TWCC's local rivalries will have been looking forward to this weekend's fixture, but, sadly, Bolney were unable to raise a Sunday side and so TWCC's Fixtur ED ept. went into action to find a replacement game. Thus it was that the TWCC motorcade headed over to Horsted Keynes on the sunniest of sunny days to find what may well be the perfect village, not only because there are two pubs (though with one actually backing onto the playing field who needs another one?), but also because it offered an opportunity to travel back in time, and the Gazette staff were reminded of a golden era when bacon was dry, when phone numbers were three digits long, and, if you were a little under the weather, your doctor would actually visit you at home, albeit in a car that produced fumes that could kill you. The cricket pitch itself was surrounded by a jumble of tile-hung Wealden homes each with separate shanty garages one could aim at, with tidy gardens in which museum piece renactments of afternoon teas were taking place. Everything in the whole world was temporarily absolutely wonderful. Horsted Keynes CC were, under the genial captaincy of Jez Humphries-Davies, clearly a happy bunch and within minutes it felt as if we'd known them for years. Captain Brock won the toss and suggested that TWCC would like to bowl first, and so Tom Rydon wound himself up and charged in down the slight hill and ripped out a good part of the home-side's batting. Some, who should be more supportive, say there were full-tosses, whilst others more generously inclined say they were very full yorkers, but what undeniably happened was very stumpish as, first, Spetch was bowled on the third ball of the match, and then, the very next ball, Simpson also found his stumps in pieces. Oh, wait a goddam minute here; two in two? That means... doesn't that mean...? Didn't happen. What had happened was that Tom had the home side 0 for 2 in the first over. There was no let up from Ed, bowling up the hill, but TWCC's pacers didn't have it all their own way as Simpson, Horsted Keynes' No 2. batter, began to whip the ball to the boundary with low hands, taking advantage of any imprecise width or length. Matt replaced Tom and carried on the good work, keeping a tight lid on things, but it was game on indeed. Time for some Phil, who just did what Phil does, nipping the ball back from outside off, the perfect top-of-stump length first giving a catch to Edward in the slips to get rid of Kadshaw (10) and then clean-bowling the powerful Foden whose blistering innings ended on 31 (5 fours) but which looked as if it might otherwise have gone on to do some real damage. Phil took two further wickets, an LBW and a catch to Tom, and with figures of 6-overs 4 for 14, proved to be, on top of Tom's earlier successes, the deciding factor of the day. Brocky came on from the high ground, and Graham from below, and Graham produced his most impressive spell to date having, first, Horsted Keynes' skipper Jez stumped thanks to Jonathan's typically quick fast glove-work, and then producing a catch to backward point for Jim to make a meal of. Graham ended on 2 for 14 off 5 overs; very impressive and his best figures ever. Rob Rydon was brought on to engineer an early tea, and unless we're careful, he'll walk away with all the averages, bat and ball, as, quietly stalking to the crease like Michael Holding on beta-blockers, Rob unceremoniously bowled Williams, and then Eloisa Duly as she flicked the ball up to Edward in the slips for a gentle catch to end the home side's innings on just 96 all out. Horsted Keynes were clearly capable of some heavy scoring but with Tom's two early wickets and then Phil's four-fer evisceration of the middle order, they were definitely under par even as it certainly felt that, on another day, they could well have expected to rack up a much larger total. Thus it was time, albeit a few overs earlier than one might have expected, for tea to be enjoyed in and around the perfectly un-restored period-piece pavilion, and a lovely tea it was, replete with charcuterie, filo quiches and feta salads. Sunshine, tea, excellent savoury and sweet fare and the perfect day glowed on. Until, that is, Paul and Jim went in and a slight shadow fell across the afternoon's play as Jim was given not out to a double-bouncing ball from opener Eloisa Dule that tumbled into his stumps, but the analysts and Google later were of the opinion that this wasn't a no ball at all having possibly passed the crease before its second bounce. Jim was out soon enough after that, playing through a pull too early to a ball that stopped and was caught behind off the back of his bat, and then Paul pulled across a short straight one that similarly dug in, looped up and dropped onto the top of his stumps some time after Paul had finished playing his shot. But there really had been no need to get out, as Jonathan and Matt began to prove as they took the score on without too much trouble and with plenty of pizazz, especially from Jonathan as he repeatedly pulled balls for four behind square, and Matt's leg glances were lovely to watch. The Gazette's champagne moment of the day wasn't however, any of the grandiose shots from Horsted Keynes' Foden, or Jonathan's cultured all-along-the-ground pulls for four, nor any of Phil's wickets important though they were, but was, rather, a lesson in how to go about playing cricket - a lesson of which others would do well to take heed. Matt it was, who with the field set a little deep because of the abundant scoring, noted a good, but simple, straight ball and pushed it deliberately and safely into the no-man's-land of the short off-side, and called Jonathan through for the simplest of lightly jogged runs. There's nothing like proper cricket, as is often the case. With the small total all but overhauled, Williams came on from the top end for the last rites, and produced what the standing umpire felt was the ball of the day, which took care of Matt's off stump. Moderately pacy, the ball swung in from outside off to middle, and then jagged back away from Matt's bat to hit the top of off stump. Matt had to leave, but there's no shame in being out to great bowling, and, with a cultured 27 (4 fours) behind him, the game was already in the bag. With the scores tied on 96 Tom joined Jonathan who was on 44 (8 fours), and, with there being only one way Jonathan could reach the magic fifty, he abandoned his usual skills and strode down the wicket towards the ball, swung and gently lobbed the ball up in the air to be out caught with the scores still tied. An unfortunate end, but, once again Jonathan's precise batting, in a partnership of 77 with Matt, had steered TWCC to a six (or five if you count Jim as being out twice) wicket victory. Rob joined Tom in another emotional match-winning family partnership of 1, which Tom scored and the game was over. Looking through and beyond the apparent scoring disparity on the day, Horsted Keynes and TWCC are a good match for future cricket, and the two sides agreed to make this a permanent fixture if the 2023 stars align, and they can look forward to more Sunday cricket at its glorious best. Perhaps the format could be more draw-ey, as always, but on this occasion the flawed 40:40 format didn't impact the day at all. There was beer, there was Googling, there was an attempt to get TWCC's umpire to apologise to Eloise Dule for denying her a wicket, and there was plain old sitting out in the soft focus of the 1950's for as long as possible. And happily, for some, not even Monday morning sharpens anything up much. Scorecard Toss won by Skipper Brock, and Horsted Keynes were invited to bat first. 40:40 but it didn't matter. Horsted Keynes CC Innings: R Spetch Bld T Rydon 0; D Foden Bld P Steinke 31; D Simpson Bld T Rydon 0; J Kadshaw Ct E Bunn Bld P Steinke 10; J Humphreys-Davies St Rowland Bld G Cuthbert 18; R Willard Watts LBW P Steinke 0; L Duly Ct T Rydon Bld P Steinke 8; D Marmion Ct J Simon Bld G Cuthbert 3; D Elliot not out 14; B Williams Bld R Rydon 1; E Duly Ct E Bunn Bld R Rydon 0. Extras 11 (B4, LB1, W6) Total 96 all out (35 overs) Fall: Miscellaneously recorded. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 6-2-10-2; E Howes 6-1-15-0; M Edwards 5-1-17-0; P Steinke 6-2-14-4; R Brock 5-0-25-0; G Cuthbert 5-0-14-2; R Rydon 2-2-0-2. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Bld D Simpson 11; J Simon Ct Humphries-Davies (Wk) Bld D Simpson 5; M Edwards Bld B Williams 27; J Rowland Ct Willard-Watts Bld L Duly 44; T Rydon not out 1; R Rydon not out 0. DNB E Bunn, G Cuthbert, E Howes, P Steinke, R Brock. Extras 9 (B4, LB1, W3, NB1) Total 97 for 4 (19.3 overs). Horsted Keynes CC Bowling: E Duly 3-0-9-0; D Simpson 2-0-15-2; D Elliot 4-0-15-0; R Willard-Watts 3-0-28-0; R Spetch 3-1-9-0; L Duly 3.3-0-16-1; B Williams 1-1-0-1. TWCC win by 6 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Balcombe CC May 29th 2022 Quite a special day for TWCC as we welcomed Balcombe CC to our new pavilion for the first time, as we also did two new players in the persons of Henry Short and Ed Noakes, both relatively local and both under 60. Skipper Edwards won the toss, and chose to field first in yet another hybrid format that still allowed draws if that was the way it went, and also guaranteed a maximum total of 80 overs play if one team was slow to bowl their allocation as does sometimes happen (naming no names - you know who you are). As it turned out TWCC, usually adequately rapid when bowling their overs, were themselves somewhat guilty of a slow over rate, though (at the risk of giving too much away), ball-hunting was a factor... Balcombe had come with what appeared to be a strong team, and they went about proving it as they resisted the potency of Tom R and Matt, until Matt bowled a fast full-pitched ball which R Botting smashed to mid-wicket where Tom somehow grasped the meteoric ball just before it took his head off. On many another day Tom's catch would have walked the champagne moment alone, but there were to be more candidates down the line. G Botting, Balcombe's No1, continued to take and make runs, and he was briefly joined by T Wall, who couldn't keep out Tom's pacy fare and whose stumps were soon in disarray, and Balcombe were 35 for 2 in the 9th over. And here matters took on a different aspect as G Botting and No4 Ward began to score more freely, sometimes just a few runs here and there, and then a number of boundaries. Jim dropped Botting on the long-off boundary which didn't help, and it wasn't until Rob and Phil came on, and other fielders were involved, that the game swung around again. First, Rob produced a thin edge from the hitherto worryingly solid bat of G Botting and Edward held on to a sharp catch at first slip in another outbreak of Proper Cricket - supplying another CM candidate - but, by then, Botting, out for 47 (6 fours) had built Balcombe a great platform. Ward, with a very fast 26 to his name, was beginning to treat the bowling with some disdain when Phil sorted out his stumps which produced another event for the Champagne Committee to consider - not the important and well-engineered wicket - it was the celebration that caught the eye and the ear. Which brings us to yet another CM candidate, as Rob's concealed pace forced a rapid outside edge to Tony, who had only just then been moved to backward point by the intuitive Matt. After the thick snick and the flurry of action was over, Tony looked at his right hand and was surprised to find that there was a ball in it to give Rob his second wicket of the day in another fine spell of 2 for 13 off 6 overs. But the Balcombe side had many reserves down the order, and it's certain that had they wanted to be less Sunday-ey, their batting order could well have been arranged somewhat differently. First, Pradhan, with a steady 25, and then Draude and Balcombe's skipper Bohm were simply untroubled by the bowling they faced. Brocky did have Pradhan caught by Matt for a steady 25, but the competence and forceful skill of Draude (ending not out on 42 - 8 fours) and Bohm (ending on 38 - 5 fours and 1 six) saw the visitors to an impressively easy total of 207 for 6, at which point Balcombe declared two overs before their innings would otherwise have had to end, on 207 for 6 in 38 overs. Whilst the game clearly got somewhat away from the home side, it would be remiss not to mention Newest Ed's skills with the gloves, with many a leg-side ball being de-bye'd as a result of his fast footwork, and Henry, the other debut player in the team, who dashed about with wonderful energy in the field and, indeed, bowled a four over spell at a difficult time as a fine introduction to the team. Only the most elite of athletes denied themselves more than one sandwich and a small piece of cake from the Hunter spread, and at least one of these padded up and headed out to face the music in the middle. It seems as if, in 2022, one or other of TWCC's regular opening batsmen (and we use the term loosely) is prone to an early dismissal, and this time it was Paul who prodded at a ball too close to him, and he was out caught in the slips with just one to his name. Jim was joined by Tony, only playing his first game of the season, and who was duly circumspect for 10 dots, after which he followed with a four just to show he was still in there. These two put on 27, with Tony pulling several fours to leg from the shorter offerings of Teasdale, before he powered a half-volley to mid-off where the capable hands of R Botting held on to a sharp catch. Tony's first offering of the season was over for just 18 (3 fours) but at least he was on his way and it is to be hoped that he can now get going for real. With Tony gone in strode one of TWCC's new recruits in the form of Ed Noakes who, scoring just two off his first 35 balls, kept out the straight ones and ignored the rest. In the meantime Jim was inadvertently keeping out the pace of Sivapragasam, and even actively hitting the odd ball, up to the point when the bowling became easier to face, which was, naturally, the cue for him to get out, and he duly skied a top edge to mid-off with, depending on scorebooks, either 19 or 21 to his name. TWCC were 43 for 4 and, from here, the game could have gone a number of ways, but with Rob walking in with many overs in hand clearly the home side were thinking...oh. The scorebooks show R Rydon Bld Gordon 1, but, apparently, that does nothing to describe the pearler that pitched on leg and took the top of off. Which was a shame, and as one doesn't often see Rob bowled congratulations must go to Gordon for getting significant turn on the artificial wicket. Then, as Bohm, the Balcombe captain, began to run through his bowling options and a few drag-downs presented themselves, who better to pull the ball to the roadside than Edward, in at 6, and he and Ed took the score on from 64 for 5 to 110 before the older Edward simply lost concentration as he let a straight ball get through to his stumps. He had been in no trouble up to that point, and there is little to explain how the ball got through as he wasn't playing across the line - it just happened. In to join New Ed came New Henry, and, with Balcombe giving more overs to their occasionals, this was the perfect introduction to the home side's ranks for the new recruits. Henry and Ed saw off many overs, with increasingly confident strikes, before Henry was out for a fine 19 (3 fours), caught off the bowling of R Botting. The game, by this point, was clearly beyond the reach of a victory for TWCC, which result wasn't over-eagerly sought by Balcombe, and it was Matt who came in for the final overs. D Ward, he of the strong batting, was also clearly a very strong bowler who had hitherto been reigning in his pace, and so there was some surviving to do, but survive Matt and Ed did, up to the last ball when Matt was encouraged to go for a "six to win" off the last ball. Happily for the legal team he didn't get his six, and instead he was bowled which just goes to show you shouldn't mess about. Balcombe clearly had the better game than TWCC and were generally in control of events, and TWCC look forward to the forthcoming return fixture. The actual Champagne Moment of the day, notwithstanding Tom, Edward and Tony holding on to some great catches, was the walk back to the pavilion at the end of play when we applauded Ed's debut 55 not out (6 fours), and, who, like Henry, was increasingly forceful with his bat as his time in the middle lengthened. Both new players had, we trust, enjoyed their first afternoon with TWCC and we hope to see them often amongst our ranks. Scorecard Toss won by TWCC (Skipper Edwards) who chose to field first. 80 overs game, max 40 to be bowled by team bowling first, declarations with transferred overs a thing, draw possible. Innings of Balcombe CC: G Botting Ct E Bunn Bld R Rydon 47; R Botting Ct T Rydon Bld M Edwards 2; T Wall Bld T Rydon 6; D Ward Bld P Steinke 26; N Warde Ct T Pearce Bld R Rydon 0; P Pradhan CT M Edwards Bld R Brock 25; N Draude not out 42; L Bohm not out 38. DNB I Gordon, D Sivapragasam, J Teasdale. Extras 21 (9W, 1NB, and something called "Fielding Extras" in iPadland... which added another 11. Presumably a failure to note byes and leg byes?) Total 207 for 6 declared (38 overs. Fall: 1-8, 2-35, 3-93, 4-94, 5-98, 6-142. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 8-1-34-1; M Edwards 8-0-53-1; R Rydon 6-3-13-2; P Steinke 6-2-32-1; H Short 4-0-24-0; R Brock 4-0-23-1; J Simon 2-0-17-0. Innings of TWCC: P Hunter Ct L Bohm Bld J Teasdale 1; J Simon Ct D Ward Bld T Wall 19; T Pearce Ct R Botting Bld D Siva 18; E Noakes not out 55; R Rydon Bld I Gordon 1; E Bunn Bld T Wall 13; H Short Ct P Pradhan Bld R Botting 19; M Edwards Bld D Ward 8. DNB T Rydon, R Brock, P Steinke. Extras 10 (B2, LB3, W2, NB2) Total 144-ish for 7 (42 overs). Fall: 1-5, 2-36, 3-41, 4-43, 5-64, 6-110, 7-144. Balcombe CC Bowling: J Teasdale 5-1-17-1; D Sivapragasam 7-2-11-1; I Gordon 6-1-26-1; T Wall 4-1-7-2; N Warde 4-0-15-0; P Pradhan 5-2-19-0; D Ward 6-0-29-1; R Botting 4-0-17-1. Match drawn. Top of page TWCC v Locksbottom CC June 2nd 2022 Locksbottom CC made contact through the website of all places, and Ed H sorted it all out and then abandoned the fixture and went to Lords for the day. There were a couple of hangovers in evidence in the touring side, but they nonetheless provided some boisterous and capable opposition. Happily it had been decided that players had to retire at the end of the over in which they reached 25, otherwise there probably wouldn't have been much to stop the visitors from accumulating a very big score indeed after they won the toss, batted first and set about Matt E and Tom's bowling. Habgood and King were part of the imposed retirement package which stopped the score from ballooning even higher than it did, and new batters had to at least acclimatise before they, too, hit out. However Locksbottom weren't to have it all their own way, and Alice's debut appearance was another Noakes success story as she took two wickets in quick succession, bowling the opener Barton and then having Seymour caught by George at mid-wicket. Jim and Rob also hit the stumps, one with a little more force than the other, and Matt Smith pulled off a run out where there wasn’t a single at all and, after a few more overs from Matt S and Graham the visitors ended on 131, having lost 7 wickets, with 3 over-25’s retirements. Locksbottom opened their bowling having set a field of mid-off, the keeper and 8 slips, and Paul was offered an over of long-hops and full tosses which he dealt with by scoring three fours, which was just as well as the second over, bowled fast and, dare I say it, wide down Jim’s leg side, was a maiden. Jim was run out at the start of the second over and Phil Cuthbert, another debut player, scored a couple of runs before being bowled. Paul retired at some point with a quick 27 (7 fours) to his name, and George, he of the big swing, came in to swing and he duly swung big for a quick 28 (4 fours 1 six) before he, too, retired, but not before there’d been another run out which, sadly, took out Matt Smith who looked as if he could have made some serious inroads into the required total. In the meantime Tom came in to place the ball in second slip's palms... and Alice, at 7, seemed to surprise herself every time she timed the ball to the boundary, which she did twice, in a significant innings of 17. Then came Rob who, after he knocked his first ball for four, was surely the man to sort it all out with just about enough time left, but that script stalled in the face of some good length bowling, and Rob didn’t quite fire being out for 8. Ian Irvine, the irregular but welcome Staplefield Scrambler, was an impressive force with the bat, intuitively stepping to leg and creaming the ball off the middle of his bat into the off side for a crediatble 13 in quick time, and whilst his innings helped the home side at least approach the target, ultimately TWCC fell short, as Matt E was out for 9 off 9 and then Graham and Ian were left requiring 15 off the last over which didn't happen, but they did get us to within 7 runs which, actually, is pretty good and, now that I'm writing it out, it all seems rather more exciting than I remember at the time. Pub, chat, beer, a bowl of tasty rice and the tourers undulated back to Brighton under their "Bottom on Tour" caps for another no doubt unbearable night on the town, leaving the hushed gloaming to the Royal Oak Four who disjointedly chewed over England teams of the past like a Beckett read through. Scorecard Locksbottom CC won the toss and chose to bat first. T20, retire at the end of the over in which you score 25 (imagine that... 25!) Locksbottom CC innings: F Habgood retired not out 30, C Barton Bld A Noakes 18; E King retired not out 26, B Charman Bld J Simon 0; J Seymour Ct G Hunter Bld A Noakes 9; J Baxter Bld J Simon 0; S Baker Bld J Simon 0; S Stachini Bld R Rydon 5; J Thompson run out (M Smith) 14; P Stachini not out 25; J Lott not out 2. Extras 4 (LB3, W1) Total 131 for 7 (20 overs). Fall: 1-48, 2-50, 3-61, 4-61, 5-61, 6-86, 7-130, TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 4-0-29-0; T Rydon 2-0-19-0; A Noakes 4-0-21-2; J Simon 3-0-17-3; M Smith 2-0-5-0; R Rydon 3-0-12-1; G Cuthbert 2-0-25-0. TWCC innings: P Hunter 27 retired not out 27, J Simon run out (Hunter) 0; P Cuthbert Bld Baker 2; G Hunter retired not out 28; T Rydon Ct, Bld Cox 0; M Smith run out 6; A Noakes Ct, Bld Cox 17; R Rydon Bld Tanner 8; I Irvine not out 13; M Edwards Bld Unrecorded 9, G Cuthbert not out 1. Extras 5 (B1, W3, NB1) Total 124 for 7 (20 overs). Fall: Unrecorded. Locksbottom CC Bowling (Approximate!): Tanner 4-0-33-1; Lott 4-1-11-1?; Baker 2-0-16-1; Cox 4-0-32-2; P Stachini 2-0-17-0; S Stachini 2-1-4-0; Baxter 2-0-5-0. Locksbottom won by 7 runs. Top of page TWCC v Xiles June 6th 2022 Jubilee socialising took precedence over cricket on TWCC's home ground, and Xiles kindly arranged for the fixture to played in East Brighton Park, which looks nicer in the above photo than it is. TWCC's skipper Matt won the toss and chose to bowl first. After Xiles' skipper had dashed home to fetch some stumps, the match got under way with Tom skidding in down the slight slope, and Ed bowling up the hill with less underfoot difficulty. These two were their usual excellent selves, and between them they bowled out Xiles' two openers for not much. Rob and Matt continued the good work, from TWCC's point of view, each taking a wicket with Rob's being a proper catch from Paul with the gloves and Henry taking a catch at mid-off (I think...) off Matt's bowling. All was going as usual with TWCC who bowl deep and field well, up to the point when a nice Parking Monitor in hi-viz popped his head through the hedge and offered to look elsewhere for a few minutes "just in case not everyone had paid for their parking yet" which cleared the pitch for 20 minutes whilst society's cheaters lined up, heads bowed, in front of the pay and display machine like naughty kids in front of a robot headmaster. As play resumed Xiles's No 5 Shahzad began to find his range, and in his mighty innings he cleared the boundary for four 6's on top of six 4's and he wasn't fussy about whose bowling he despatched into the middle distance. Increasingly puffed, however, he eventually fell to a Matt run out for a fine 63 which was just as well for TWCC because he didn't look like getting out any other way. The only other Xiles batter who scored significant runs was Smith, at 7, who in the end fell to a Phil tempter that had him caught by Jim at long on for 22. Ed came back on to bowl Samson, Phil took his usual haul of excellent wickets (3 for 29), and Henry finished off the innings removing Xiles's No 10 thanks to an Ed catch at mid off (I think...). Xiles all out for 150, which, whilst not a big score by any means, didn't feel like it would be an easy target to chase on a stoppy wicket. Paul and Jim. Well, Jim lasted three balls if you count the one he edged to second slip, but Paul looked like he knew what he was doing as he hung in, keeping out good balls and scoring when he could. And good balls were what everyone got, right through the innings, from the openers Manger (1 for 15 from 7 overs) and Smith (3 for 27 off 7 overs). Smith's first victim was none other than Rob, who was in at three because after Jim TWCC needed someone who could bat, but not even Rob could keep the ball out. Rob out to Smith. Henry in and out to Smith. This Smith was trouble. Matt, in at 5, took his cue from Paul who was still there being a proper cricketer, and played out seven dots before the ever-accurate Smith over-pitched a fraction outside the off stump and Matt calmly swung through a lofted drive that hung up high in the breeze and fell back to earth beyond the cover boundary for a lovely 6. This was TWCC's Champagne Moment, and, unusually, was probably the only contender, though the Rob/Paul wicket was very Proper Crickety. In the end Matt was bowled by, yes, Smith for 12, which brought Edward in at his much-loved No 6, and he did his No 6 thing, never looking to be in trouble even though, by this time, the slow but very accurate bowling of Tim Richardson was causing everyone some difficulty, including the umpire, who shall remain nameless, who gave Edward out LBW even though the ball hit the bat (so I'm told). (By everyone.) Luckily the opposition withdrew the appeal and let Edward be bowled later by Samson for a fine 25 (five 4's). By this time Paul's marathon was over with him being caught off the deceptively impressive Richardson by a ball that, I think, somewhat stopped on him, and that was more or less it. Paul had been determined to stay in, which was just as well as no one else did, and his 29 with just two 4's off 76 balls was remarkable for its resilience and toughness and there should be more like him. Tom looked very cool and collected until Richardson provided the perfect ball for him to pull low and very hard to deep square leg to pick out Smith who took a fine catch. Ed, New Matt (Cox) and Phil came in, and Ed scored some good runs, as usual, ending up not out on 11 (two 4's), while Matt Cox succumbed for 1, as did Phil. TWCC all out (9 wkts) for 96. Not very good, but although both sides fielded and bowled equally well, the batting of Xiles was better, and Shahzad's innings in particular was the difference. Scorecard TWCC won the toss, and Matt chose to bowl first. Proper friendly timed match! TWCC 10 players. Xiles Innings: Padam Bld E Howes 8; S McCreadie-Ford Bld T Rydon 5; Karthik Ct H Short Bld M Edwards 11; D Bailey Ct P Hunter (Wk) Bld R Rydon 19; Shahzad run out M Edwards 63; Hannant Bld P Steinke 2; A Smith Ct J Simon Bld P Steinke 22; Samson Bld E Howes 2; R Manger St P Hunter Bld P Steinke 4; Pete G Ct E Howes Bld H Sort 7; T Richardson not out 0. Extras 6 (B3, W3) Total 150 all out (37.2 overs). Fall 1-13, 2-13, 3-39, 4-58, 5-69, 6-115, 7-117, 8-132, 9-143, 10-150. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-2-17-1; E Howes 9-0-39-2; R Rydon 6-1-17-1; M Edwards 7-0-38-1; P Steinke 7-2-29-3; H Short 1.2-0-5-1; J Simon 1-0-2-0. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct H Smith Bld T Richardson 29; J Simon Ct Karthik Bld R Manger 0; R Rydon Bld A Smith 9; H Short LBW A Smith 2; M Edwards Bld A Smith 12; E Bunn Bld Samson 25; T Rydon Ct A Smith Bld T Richardson 2; E Howes not out 11; M Cox Ct Hannant Bld Karthik 1; P{ Steinke Ct Manger Bld Samson 1. Extras 6 (LB1, W4, NB1) Total 96 all out (9 wickets) 96. Fall: 1-1, 2-21, 3-25, 4-42, 5-69, 6-77, 7-83, 8-84, 9-96. Xiles Bowling: R Manger 7-1-15-1; A Smith 7-0-27-3; Pete G 7-0-18-0; T Richardson 7-3-17-2; Karthik 4-1-11-1; Samson 3.1-1-8-2. Xiles won by 54 runs. Top of page TWCC v London Unity June 12th 2022 A game of two sides, one of them being TWCC, unashamedly our favourite club here at the Gazette, and Paul and Jim went in to bat for the home side after skipper Matt won the toss and decided he'd like to watch other people running about in the heat. Paul did a great job of bustling the score along even as he kept the good balls out, and Jim did the same with one important difference. In came Rob R, ever capable, and Paul and Rob put on a very crickety 58 run partnership before Paul was caught off the slow bowling of McKenzie in a fashion the entire Gazette's staff can't recall. Rob fell in the very next over to the impressive Mark Driver who bowled a lifting ball that moved away from the middle of Rob's bat and the slips gobbled up the edge. Paul (40, 6 fours) and Rob (29, 5 fours) suggested what the innings ought to, and could, have been, but beyond these two punchy performances TWCC crumbled somewhat. The slow bowling being offered up from the Pavilion End was both tempting and deadly with all the usual consequences, whilst Mark Driver was wheeling in with remarkable consistency and skill and Mark's figures of four for 7 off 9 overs says it all. So, to wrap up the next 5 wickets, Tom F, Henry, Matt E, J Armstrong and Tom R all fell cheaply, some after solid resistance, and some not. Obviously all these can bat well, but Unity on the day had their number and TWCC fell from, first, 35 for 1, through 93 for 2 after 17 overs, to 116 for 8 by over 28. But not all was lost as tremendous resilience from Rob S and Graham kept pads-on-Phil firmly in his seat. Rob's innings was characterised by enourmous patience punctuated by pulls for four, and he, with Graham, kept the innings alive and at tea these two were not out, with Rob on a very valuable 21 and Graham with 3 well-taken singles, and they took the TWCC total on to a mildly defendable 139 for 8 off 37 overs. Regular readers may have noticed a new name in TWCC's ranks as they welcomed Jake Armstrong into their side, and his four runs may not look much, but only four players managed double figures and he did keep his wicket intact for longer than some. Play after tea is even simpler to report than the somewhat disappointing TWCC innings, in that Unity looked good with the bat and were as good as they looked. The first wicket did fall respectably early when Tom R had Unity's No 2 caught somewhere by Matt (can't remember I'm afraid but it was probably in the covers?) with the score on just 20, but after that McKenzie and Ghashemi were taking full advantage of several lives being handed out as they survived many dropped catches; it's hard to think of a match in which so many catches went down. Some were impossibly difficult, like the two that Jim only just failed to hang on to, but had all the other simple chances been taken the game might have ended up being considerably closer than it was. But, as it was, by the time Rob S had, first, McKenzie caught by Tom F from a leading edge in the covers for 46, and then Ghashemi caught behind (another fine keeping performance from Paul), for 41, the game was all but over. Burke and Gane knocked off the remaining runs required, and that was it. For once both Phil and Rob R ended their spells with an empty wicket's column and it was Rob S who made the breakthroughs, but it was all too late with too many lives having been given to the Unity batters along the way. On a more positive note the short spells from Henry and Jake at the very end commendably held back the Unity tide for longer than might have been anticipated by the visiting side, and these two new players looked quite difficult to score off even when, by that time, barely any runs needed scoring. On the day TWCC didn't score enough runs or take enough catches and Mark Driver bowled really well, and that decided the result. Scorecard Skipper Edwards won the toss and chose to bat TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct, Bld D McKenzie 40; J Simon Bld S Page 10; R Rydon Ct Ghashemi Bld M Driver 29; T firth Ct M Daniels Bld M Driver 3; H Short Bls M Daniels 4; M Edwards Ct, Bld M Daniels 4; J Armstrong Bld M Driver 4; T Rydon Ct and Bld M Driver 1; R Saunders not out 21; G Cuthbert not out 3. DNB P Steinke. Extras 20 (B4, W16) Total 139 for 8 off 37 overs. Fall 1-35, 2-93, 3-93, 4-101, 5-101, 6-108, 7-109, 8-116. London Unity Bowling: A Griffiths 7-0-32-0; D Page 7-0-36-1; D McKenzie 4-0-23-0; M Driver 9-7-7-4; M Daniels 8-0-31-2; D Ghashemi 2-0-6-0. London Unity Innings: D McKenzie Ct T Firth, Bld R Saunders 46; M Cockburn Ct M Edwards Bld T Rydon 11; D Ghashemi Ct P Hunter (Wk) Bld R Saunders 41; J Burke not out 13; Gane not out 22. Extras 9 (B2, LB1, W5, NB1) Total 142 for 3 in 29 overs. Fall: 1-20, 2-102, 3-112. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 5-0-31-0; T Rydon 8-1-34-1; P Steinke 3-0-18-0; R Rydon 4-0-14-0; R Saunders 4-0-24-2; H Short 3-1-9-0; J Armstrong 2.1-0-6-0. London Unity win by 7 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Jevington CC June 19th 2022 It's been a while since we last met the excellent fellow-cricketers all the way from over there in Jevington, but unforeseeable factors, some local, some global, combined to impose a break of four years between our first and second matches. But here we all were, Jevington won the toss and chose to field first. Paul and Jim, the usual suspects worked through the early bowling, and, indeed, a fair portion of the middle bowling in an opening stand of 119, but after drinks and with so much talent lurking in the pavilion, a certain amount of rashness entered the mind-sets in the middle, and Jim threw his bat at a tempter from the leg spin of Rippinghall and he was comfortably caught by mid-off running round to his left. Jim's innings, worth about 50 runs more than normal, included 8 fours and, almost more pleasingly, 2 threes! Paul was then joined by Tony, back from manoeuvres, and the pair put on a further very quick 52 runs before Paul was caught off the bowling of Page for an excellent 88 (13 fours), leaving Tony to mastermind his way on past 50 in no time with a combination of mixed boundaries and crafty singles. Henry chose too tight a run to call and was run out for 4, and Alice, at 5, was caught after a quick 5 runs which included a lovely pull for four. Which brings us to TWCC's acclaimed No 6 who, with Tony, took the score on to 245 for four before Skipper Brock called Edward and Tony in for tea ten minutes early. Edward scored more singles than boundaries (3 and 2 respectively) in the nine balls he faced, and Tony had whisked his tally on to 79 in just 44 balls (12 fours 2 sixes) in a humbling display not only of power but also of placement and generally discouraging ability. The first Rydon tea of the season was thus presented a few minutes early, complete with a pair of textbook Victoria Sponges, and then it was the turn of Jevington to bat, and Swansborough and Fielder had to face up to Matt and Phil. Matt was, as ever, sending down wicket-taking balls, but wickets were there none as the batters kept out the straight ones and missed the edgy ones, but Phil was more stumpy and duly got his first wicket in the sixth over of the innings bowling Fielder for 23. Jevington clearly had an impressive arsenal of batsmen and, right through to the tail, were fully capable of scoring from everything that came at them. TWCC's first changers, Alice and Henry, had to cope with being taken on, but both had the last word when first Alice bowled a dipping yorker to Jevington's No 1 Swansborough (32) and then Henry got through to Nelson's stumps. Henry also had the first Jim drop to deal with, about which there is little to say beyond the increasingly obvious. Graham found his line and length quickly and was hard to get away though he was on this occasion wicketless, though Jim once again failed to hang on to a simple chance at short fine leg. Hmmm... One can only apologise. On a happier note Brocky's first ball caught the edge of S Page's bat and went through to wicketkeeper Tony whose hands were as safe as one could wish. Jevington's run chase was beginning to look as if it might be unsuccessful, but the batsmen kept on coming and the run rate barely, if at all, dropped. When the time came for the last 20 overs to begin to count down, it became clear that the Jevington skipper had mentioned that he'd like the home side's slightly early declaration to be recognised by the addition of an extra over, which at the time, was of potentially of equal benefit to both sides as it obviously gave TWCC an extra over in which to try to take any wickets that might be necessary, but also could provide an extra over in which Jevington could score a few more runs, and that might be important too. So, there was this extra 21st over looming over the end of proceedings, and it remained to be seen which side, if any, might be the beneficiary of these six balls. As it turned out, following Matt's run out of Vias, and Rob's two wickets - one a Matt catch at long on and the other a nice crickety edge through to Tony - and then the return of Phil who bagged, via a second well-taken catch by Matt at the other long on, it was Jevington who needed to hang on rather than TWCC worrying about the runs. Jevington did take the chase commendably deep, and the game was certainly interesting right the way through, but come the end, in the pursuit of the final wicket for the win, whilst Rob continued to ping the ball down, after his two wickets, he had no further success, and the return of Matt was equally wicket free. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and there is only one person for this kind of work; someone who threatens the stumps with every ball, and as the final over, the loaded 21st over since the countdown, began, Jevington's last man simply had to keep the ball out. It only took Phil two balls before the tinkly sound of bails graced the evening air, and the game was over and the pub was invoked. Thanks go to Jevington for making the longish journey over to these parts (and, indeed, in some number to the Royal Oak), and for sharing in a fully comp. game of cricket. Everyone had something to do with the day's play, and it was all conducted with great good humour and in good spirit. It was another game in which the obvious benefits of a timed game being the best format for this kind of thing were surely clear for all to see as the game was alive into the last over and both sides look forward to meeting up again next season. Scorecard Jevington CC won the toss and chose to bowl first. Proper timed Sunday game. TWCCInnings: P Hunter Ct, Bld S Page 88; J Simon Ct, Bld M Rippinghall 52; T Pearce not out 79; H Short run out 4; A Noakes Ct, Bld S Page 5; E Bunn not out 11. DNB M Edwards, R Brock, G Cuthbert, P Steinke. Extras 6 (B2,W3, NB1) Total 245 for 4 declared 10 mins early, off 37 overs. Fall: 1-119, 2-171, 3-198, 4-205. Jevington Bowling: R Figgins 7-1-48-0; L Page 6-1-31-0;M Vias 5-0-28-0; S Page 12-0-82-2; M Rippinghal 6-0-51-1; M Page 1-0-8-0. Jevington Innings: A Swansborough Bld A Noakes 32; R Fielder Bld P Steinke 23; M Rippinghall Ct M Edwards Bld P Steinke 50; L Nelson Bld H Short 0; M Page Ct T Pearce (Wk( Bld R Rydon 3; M Vias run out M Edwards; S Page Ct T Pearce (Wk) Bld R Brock 12; L Page Ct M Edwards Bld R Rydon 9; R Figgins Bld R Rydon 4; A Fielder Bld P Steinke 4; B Taylor not out 0. Extras 14 (B5, LB1, W6, NB2) Total 178 all out (38.2 overs). Fall: 1-28, 2-83 then unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 7-1-18-0; P Steinke 6.2-0-40-3; A Noakes 6-0-40-1; H Short 4-0-22-1; G Cuthbert 3-0-11-0 R Rydon 8-2-23-2; R Brock 4-1-11-1. TWCC win by 67 or 65 runs depending on which part of the scorebook you look at. Top of page Henfield CC v TWCC June 26th 2022 Away to Henfield, to play one of the more firmly-rooted local clubs we are fortunate to meet on our rounds, which normally guarantees a blend of really excellent youngsters, some established older players, and, if we're lucky, a fair number of players who begin to approach TWCC's average age. Matt won the toss and sent Paul and Jim out to face the music, and what a reliable pair these two are, for if one of them fails the other one always goes on to play well! In at three, after this Sunday's unplayable ball took out an assortment of Jim's stumps again, came Tony, throbbing with intent following his lightning 79 off 44 balls the game before. The slower pace of Garmston-Newman, compared to that of T Helps, belied the fact that he got the ball to move in the air and off the pitch, and a ball that came back up the slope caught Tony unawares as he chopped the ball onto his stumps and was out for just a single. Jonathan, back from a break, looked well in control, as always, but went for a gentle pull off Garmston-Newman rather than a full-blooded hit, and he scooped the ball to short fine leg. Out for another 1. TWCC 3 for 25, but Paul was still comfortably dealing with all the pace and movement, and there was plenty of batting to come so TWCC, even if there was some individual disappointment, were still encouraged by a warranted degree of expectation. Enter Alex Rydon, who joined in at the very point when the bowling became a little less difficult to survive, and he took four fours in a row from leg spinner Lewis's first over, and, once in the groove, continued, with Paul, to take it to the home side in a steady stream of runs. The total smoothly rose to 79 when Alex, who had taken on much of the scoring whilst Paul carried on with his appropriately steady approach, edged a rising ball from E Helps outside his off stump, and instead of the ball trundling down to third man it found itself in the safe hands of Griffiths in the gully. Rather a good catch too – yes it arrived at a comfortable height, but it got there quickly and no catch is easy (it says here) (in large capital letters) (necessarily large or I can't see them). Out for a quick-fire 47 off 41 balls, with 40 of those runs being from 4's, Alex had given TWCC some hope of a decent total. Paul, by now on 20, was joined by Tom Firth and this 5th wicket pairing of discerning batters took the innings safely and productively through towards the time when discretion could begin to be abandoned. In the end Paul's innings was brought to a close when he went for a sweep and the ball, a little full, slipped under his bat and onto his pads, and he was out LBW to Heitman, but once again he'd been the backbone of the TWCC innings, a constant and necessary force, and his 42, with five fours and lots of dots, proved the value of just continuing to be there through the sticky times. Time for a bit of Rob, and he soon tucked in, though he was forced to somewhat abandon his signature cultured play as tea approached, and, indeed, it was at long-on that he was caught, but not before he'd scored 31 off 25 balls which included four 4's and a 6. Selfless Rydon play, which trait was also in the mind of Skipper Edwards when he asked Tom R to go in and swing which he did. Two runs to Tom R, and a wonderful innings from Tom F who ended up not out with 37 chanceless runs behind him; runs scored in the face of continued bowling pressure from Henfield. Yet another excellent innings from The Firth. TWCC 180 off 37 overs, and it didn't feel like enough until Tom R and Ed took an early wicket each after tea. Tom bowled the strong-looking Stewart with a ball that rattled through to his stumps, and Ed found the outside edge of Griffith's bat so the be-gloved Jonathan could ice the propercrickety cake. 2 for 2. Could TWCC dream? Well, of course they could, and you got to have a dream, for if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream co... O-Ohh - Trouble, as 2 for 2 turned in to 86 for 3 as Mendis and T (Tom?) Helps seemed to have not quite enough of a problem facing Tom and Ed, and then, indeed, were equally untroubled by the rest of the bowling. However, in the end, it was Phil, of course, who broke through with a slower ball bowled a touch short, and Mendis, going for his second 6, knocked a ball up for Alex to catch in the covers, and, with their ears ringing from another trademark Phil celebration, Henfield were 86 for 3 at the start of the final 20 overs. But whatever success TWCC were enjoying, Henfield’s Digger Luck kept the ever-present T Helps in play, and the TWCC cause was beginning to look a little lost when Matt, who hadn’t been able to break through himself, deployed his last Rydon. Alex whirled in from the Pavilion End and the character of Henfield’s chase changed as he bowled, first, Digger Luck and then, the very next ball, E Helps. Oh – two in two!!! Would this be the first ever all-bowled hat-trick for TWCC? The field closed in around Henfield’s No. 7 Heitman, Alex sprant in and... didn’t happen, but Alex did have Heitman caught by Matt three balls later. T Helps was still the main problem for TWCC, and the main hope for Henfield, but a returning Phil dragged the impressive batsman forward, he missed the ball swinging for a biggy, and Jonathan whipped off the bails for a great stumping. T Helps’ fine 83 (eleven 4's) had ensured that Henfield were well on target, but, with Henfield now 6 wickets down and the remaining overs ticking down, a close finish was on the cards with all three results in play. But what was this? Henfield had seen TWCC's third Rydon and raised them another Helps - they also had a spare! Alex did bowl F Chaplin, giving him the remarkable figures of 5 overs, 4 for 21, but Ben Helps, Henfield's skipper at No. 8, appeared to have little difficulty in taking his side over the line with an over and a couple of wickets to spare as he calmly took a quick 24 runs off 18 balls, which included two fours and a six to win. Sunshine, extra cake, beer, chat, counselling, and we're all looking forward to the next one. Scorecard TWCC (Matt Edwards) won the toss and chose to bat first. Proper timed Sunday game. TWCC Innings: P Hunter LBW A Heitman 42; J Simon Bld T Helps 6; T Pearce Bld F Garmston-Newman 1; J Rowland Ct A Heitman Bld F Garmston-Newman 1; A Rydon Ct C Griffiths Bld E Helps 47; T Firth not out 37; R Rydon Ct D Mendis Bld F Garmston-Newman 37; T Rydon not out 2. DNB M Edwards, E Howes, P Steinke. Extras 13 (B3, LB2, W4, NB4) Total 180 (37 overs). Fall: 1-12, 2-13, 3-25, 4-79, 5-125, 6-177. Henfield CC Bowling: T Helps 6-2-14-1; F Garmston-Newman 6-2-18-3; T Lewis 7-0-43-0; E Helps 5-3-10-1; A Digger-Luck4-0-26-0; A Heitman 4-0-25-1; F Chaplin 3-0-2-0; D Mendis 2-0-17-0. Henfield Innings: H Stewart Bld T Rydon 1; C Griffiths Ct J Rowland (wk) Bld E Howes 1; D Mendis Ct A Rydon Bld P Steinke 43; T Helps St J Rowland Bld P Steinke 83; A Digger-Luck Bld A Rydon 11; E Helps Bld A Rydon 0; A Heitman Ct M Edwards Bld A Rydon 1; B Helps not out 24; F Chaplin Bld A Rydon 0; T Lewis not out o. DNB F Garmston-Newman. Extras 22 (B9, LB4, W5, NB4) Total 185 for 8 (34.5 overs). Fall: 1-2, 2-2, 3-86, 4-140, 5-140, 6-144, 7-169, 8-170. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-1-33-1; E Howes 5-1-37-1; P Steinke 6.5-0-34-2; M Edwards 6-0-29-0; R Rydon 4-0-17-0; A Rydon 5-0-21-4. Henfield CC win by 2 wickets. Top of page Balcombe CC v TWCC July 3rd 2022 Nominally the end of tour game, TWCC headed for the Principality of Balcombe where they were, as always, generously greeted by the Balcombe players. Balcombe's skipper Louis Böhm won the toss and asked TWCC to bat first. Paul and Jim - usual thing, with Jim falling early to an excellent low catch in the covers as he punched the ball along where the ground ought to be, but failed to take into account the fact that the ground was dipping down faster than the ball. Jim out for just 18 (four 4’s), but as the total was up to 81, thanks to Paul already having cracked on to 49, as starts go it didn’t look too bad. Tony came in at three, and he pushed the ball around for a few singles getting his eye in, and he and Paul put on another 44 together, with Paul finding the boundary with some ease and frequency. This was another vintage innings from Paul, one of many this season, but he eventually fell to Teasdale for 82 (eleven 4’s and two 6’s) but largely thanks to him the total of 125 for 2 had put TWCC on the path to a substantial score. Tony, sadly, didn’t make any further progress with his innings, but Jonathan and then Tom Firth made considerable headway again as they took the total on to 175, with Jonathan in particular finding the gaps to the boundary. The partnership was freakishly ended when a particularly strong straight drive from Jonathan struck the boot of the bowler, M Rawbin, and the ball ricocheted onto the stumps at the bowler’s end, leaving Tom, who was backing up, stranded and run out for 14 – some way below his par score of recent times. An unfortunate dismissal to say the least. Jonathan, who had watched the ball tightly and played late, and who had moved on to 33 (six 4’s), tried to repeat a lovely very late cut off Ward, but the ball lifted a little high and he gloved the ball through to the keeper who took a sharp catch to end his time in the middle. Edward had little trouble as he worked the ball around, and whilst Brocky and Tom R didn’t stay out there with him for long, Matt did linger, and the two of them took the total on to 227 by the time the 40 overs were up with Edward not out on 17 (three 4's) and Matt on 15 having hit three fours and a towering shot which looked like a six all the way so the batters didn't bother running, but which just fell short of the boundary where it died in a rabbit hole and no run was taken. 227 in normal circumstances would almost automatically be enough to defend, but the Balcombe ground was hard and very fast-running with slopes to the boundary on both sides, and one very short boundary indeed. Any sense of security there may have been in the TWCC camp was further enhanced when Matt homed in on the stumps of Balcombe’s 1, 2 and 3 in short order, and with Tom backing this up with great energy and acceleration into the crease from the Pavilion End the home side were looking shaky. Phil, replacing Tom, was soon into his work, and whilst C and A Botting did make some hay, they ultimately both fell to Phil, one bowled and one after skying a catch to Brocky at mid-on. Balcombe were 111 for 5, for the Bottings had been far from idle at the crease, but with just 16 overs to go they still needed a further 117 to win. But we all know how the bigger clubs, quite rightly, mix up their resources in the interests of giving Sunday opportunities to all, and, indeed, in this Balcombe (and Henfield last week) were no exception. Ward, who had already bowled well and, probably, at something less than his usual pace, is a player who TWCC have learned to respect - and with good reason as he, together with G Botting and then skipper Böhm, set about reeling in the TWCC total. With the total on 181, Brocky, in a welcome full 8 over spell, found the edge of G Botting’s bat and Balcombe were 7 down, but Ward was still there, knocking plenty of boundaries at a rate sufficient for their cause. In the spirit of the game, and in acknowledgement of Balcombe’s approach, TWCC bowlers were limited to a maximum of eight overs, and whilst a returning Tom bowled Louis Böhm, bringing Balcombe’s Teasdale to the crease, the momentum was certainly with Balcombe. Jim, for three overs, managed to keep something of a lid on the increasingly potent Ward, but eventually his outside the off theory was debunked as Ward repeatedly swung through the line and found boundary after boundary. Graham and then Phil bowled the last overs from the North End, and, indeed, with Ward at the non-striker's end, Phil heroically bowled five dot balls in a row in the 39th over, but Jim was spared the ignominy of bowling the final six balls to Ward as Teasdale knocked Phil’s last ball over mid-off for four to win the game with an over to spare. Scorecard Balcombe CC won the toss and chose to field first TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct. M Rawbin Bld J Teasdale 82; J Simon Ct Dransfield Bld J Teasdale 18; T Pearce Ct, Bld J Teasdale 5; J Rowland Ct C Botting (Wk) Bld D Ward 33; T Firth run out M Rawbin's boot 14; E Bunn not out 17; R Brock Bld L Böhm 8; T Rydon Ct, Bld G Botting 0; M Edwards Ct, Bld G Botting 15; G Cuthbert not out 0. DNB P Steinke. Extras 29 (B20, LB3, W6) Total 227 for 8 (40 overs). Fall: 1-81, 2-125, 3-129, 4-175, 6-188, 7-193, 8-223. Balcombe CC Bowling: B Dransfield 6-0-44-0; A Rawbin 5-0-18-0; A Botting 1-0-11-0; J Teasdale 5-0-30-3; I Tremble 5-0-27-0; D Ward 5-0-27-1; M rawbin 5-0-14-0; G Botting 4-0-26-2; L Böhm 4-2-13-1. Balcombe CC Innings: A Rawbin Bld M Edwards 12; B Dransfield Bld M Edwards 0; M Rawbin Bld M Edwards 0; C Botting Bld Steinke 21; A Botting Ct R Brock Bld P Steinke 36; D Ward not out 69; G Botting Ct J Rowland (wk) Bld R Brock 16; L Böhm Bld T Rydon 11; J Teasdale not out 9. DNB I Tremble, N Gordon. Extras 34 (B15, LB8, W10, NB1) Total 229 for 7 (39 overs). Fall: 1-1, 2-4, 3-27, 4-82, 5-111, 6-181, 7-? TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 8-0-19-3; T Rydon 8-0-30-1; P Steinke 8-0-39-2; R Brock 8-0-42-1; J Simon 5-0-38-0, G Cuthbert 2-0-28-0. Balcombe win by 3 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Burgess Hill Sunday XI July 10th 2022 In the absence of a fixture, as TWCC were supposed to be recovering from the rigours of touring, our favourite team realised that they would be all good to go again after all, and a fixture was arranged through Geoff of Burgess Hill CC, and there we all were, in the stifling heat, prepared to do the business; TWCC v a Burgess Hill Sunday XI. TWCC have been very pleased to welcome a few young Burgess Hill players into their team this season, and, indeed, on this occasion it was regular Henry who joined TWCC to play against a side that included many cricketers he knew. Good fun, and thanks to Geoff and Burgess Hill for making a game of cricket a thing. TWCC (skipper Matt) won the toss and mercilessly pushed Paul and Jim out into the heat, giving Paul the opportunity to score freely, and Jim a chance to try and not get out early. They both obliged in their various ways, with Paul benefiting from the ball being repeatedly offered up to his leg-side strength. The field could have more readily been adapted to stem the flow of runs, but simply wasn’t, and this allowed TWCC to get to 76 before Paul was caught at mid-wicket for a rapid 63 (Jim was on 11...). Another excellent innings from Paul whose 2022 season must, surely, be one of his best. The Firth joined Jim, and the two of them marched on with greater ease as the excellent Cerys Pegley was rested, and even though wickets occasionally fell, TWCC’s score progressed remorselessly upwards. First Tom (F) was caught at slip for 18 that included three 4’s – the wicket was providing a bit more lift even than usual – and then Jonathan was caught at mid-on off G Kaye for 14 that included a lovely late cut for four, but at 155 for 3 and with plenty of time still to go before tea the score was clearly becoming a problem for the visitors. Jim was eventually out to a slow yorker from Saffi Ismail, having taken 83 balls to get to 63 as compared to Paul doing the same off 38 balls, and with the total on 185 for 4 the scene was set for a Rob (R) explosion, but Rob, being a bit sun-struck, was caught at extra-cover for a modest 14. Edward set about stepping outside leg and straight-driving boundaries at will, and Matt was bowled by the returning Pegley for a quick-fire 18. Edward lost two balls in quick succession which brought about an early declaration (with one ball to go) leaving TWCC on 232 for 6, with Edward on 26 and Henry only just in but who knows how valuable his single might prove to be... After tea TWCC took to the field, and unless B Hill got cracking, 232 runs in the bank would be very hard to overcome. However, the ground was very hard and fast, and it was all possible until the wickets began to fall, which they did from early on. In rough order Tom R fizzed in a return to Jonathan for an ill-advised/suicidal run out, then Ed and Tom removed a few stumps each, Phil caused his usual first-change mayhem taking 3 for 18, which included some proper cricket as Edward and Jonathan took catches at slip and as wicket-keeper respectively. Henry got the ball talking and Paul took a catch, then Edward, Tom F and Jim all bowled truly magnificently but then were generous enough to leave Skipper Matt an opportunity to bring himslef on and clean up as the overs ticked down. Matt first had his revenge on Cerys Pegley and then, with just an over or so left before an exciting draw might have been recorded, he bowled Geoff Brailey and the game was over. Apologies for the late (but mercifully brief) report, but the BH scorebook was delayed in its arrival, and the Gazette team want the weekend off because Mon-Fri is such hard work. This was yet another example of draw-possible (AKA proper) cricket being the way to keep an imbalanced game interesting until it's reasonably acceptable to find oneself at the pub. I know it's not about the pub, or certainly not all about the pub, but there's almost nothing nicer than sitting around with your crickety friends on a warm evening with a glass of beer. Scorecard TWCC (Skipper Matt) won the toss and chose to bat first - timed format. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct R Goss Bld D Cole 63; J Simon Bld Saffey 63; T Firth Ct Saffey Bld D Cole 18; J Rowland Ct J Brailey Bld G Kaye 14; R Rydon Ct M Hammond Bld R Goss 14; E Bunn not out 24; M Edwards Bld C Pegley 19; H Short not out 1. DNB T Rydon, E Howes, P Steinke. Extras 16 (B3, W10, NB3) Total 232 for 6 (37.5 overs). Fall: 1-76, 2-123, 3-155, 4-185, 5-187, 6-222. Burgess Hill Bowling: K Bhattacharya 5-0-47-0; C Pegley 7-1-32-1; D Cole 5-0-29-2; H Hammond 5-0-28-0; R Goss 7-0-33-0; G Kaye 4-0-33-1; S Ismail 4.5-0-27-1. Burgess Hill Innings: G Kaye run out (T Rydon) 8; S Ismail Bld T Rydon 4; D Cole Bld E Howes 1; M Hammond Ct J Rowland (Wk) Bld P Steinke 22; H Hammond Bld P Steinke 10; R Goss Ct E Bunn Bld P Steinke 0; R Slack Ct P Hunter Bld H Short 10; C Pegley LBW Bld M Edwards 6; R Hammond not out 25; K Bhattacharyra Bld E Howes 0; G Brailey Bld M Edwards 1. Extras 16 (B3, LB2, W11) Total something like 93 all out (35.2 overs). Fall unrecorded, as was much else... TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 7-2-16-1; T Rydon 2-0-6-1; H Short 7-2-27-1; P Steinke 9-1-18-3; T Firth 4-0-13-0; E Bunn 2-0-14-0; J Simon 2-1-3-0; M Edwards 2.2-0-3-2. TWCC win by 139 runs. Top of page Cuckfield CC v TWCC July 17th 2022 Skipper Ed won the toss and decided to bat first, and Cuckfield started off by bowling two consecutive wicket maidens. Paul gloved a high ball close to his chest through to the keeper, and Jim’s bat hit more of his pad than the in-swinging ball and he was bowled. So, looking at that, it's more of an equipment issue than anything else! After this challenging beginning, unless TWCC were destined to be 3 for 0, there was only one way to go and happily Jonathan and Mikey set about getting some positive numbers on the scoreboard in both columns. As is common at this time of year with dry, hard pitches, any scoring shots were either a single or a four, and Jonathan's fours largely came from his signature very controlled knockdown late cuts to the fine third man boundary. However, it was an attempt at this same shot that undid him in the end as a ball from Sheldon lifted a fraction higher than before and caught the edge of his bat and he was caught behind. Neither Jonathan nor Mikey had looked to be in any great degree of trouble, and Mikey carried on in imperious style scoring freely and with some ease just as if he'd been turning out for weeks. Tony and Mikey enjoyed one of those much-coveted family partnerships before Tony, too, was caught behind off Sheldon who now had three wickets to his name, which brought Cerys to the crease in her debut for TWCC. Mikey and Cerys put on a further 22 before Mikey was caught at long on, pushing hard as always, for an excellent 54 (10 fours), and Cerys, too, was finding the boundary before getting to a pull shot a fraction early and chipping the ball to mid-wicket and being out for 12. TWCC were 101 for 6, and, whilst they've been in worse predicaments, as always when playing a big club's Sunday XI there are dangers lurking ahead as strong club sides out to have fun often mix up their resources. Thus Sam, in his first game for some years, found himself, yet again, in the middle with a bat in his hands and a somewhat pressing need to get some scoring under way, and so he knuckled down, first with Henry who managed a couple of fours before being bowled by S Sheldon, and then with Tom (R). This was something - a partnership! There was even quite a lot of defence, and some calm decision-making between them, not to mention some good running and plenty of boundaries. It was too good to last, but it almost did, until, after they'd put on a fine 78 runs between them, Sam was caught (was this the low, diving catch?) off Turner for 41 (6 fours). As with Mikey, it would be good if Sam could play more often. Turner, clearly a cricketer of note in the Cuckfield locker and held back in the interests of Sundayness, with his pacy spin and bounce was intent on wrapping up the TWCC innings, and in his one over he first took out Sam, and then bowled Tom. Which was a shame. It was great to see Tom batting for longer than normal, engaging that bubbly cricketiness that is too often dogged by bad luck, but which on this occasion happily donated a potentially vital further 40 runs (7 fours) to the TWCC cause. Skipper Ed, serially under-batted, was, once again left high and dry as Phil was stumped, finally giving a wicket to the dogged Tanfield who had up to that point bowled a long spell for no reward. TWCC were all out for 189 in 30.4 overs and it was a total that was unlikely to be enough on a hard, dry surface with a short boundary to one side and with every Cuckfield player likely to have been coached from the age of 2. It wasn't the Cuckfield batsmen who started well, however, as Tom R charged in up the slight hill with his usual high-octane stuff and removed both the openers in his second over. Ed, from the North End, kept up the pressure and bowled Cuckfield's No 4 in his third over, whereafter Tom finished off the early carnage in yet another outbreak of Proper Cricket as B John edged a ball through to Jonathan who held on to a catch that came through at a good solid height. Cuckfield weren't reeling, one couldn't say that, but at 34 for 4, and with Ed firing up his first change bowlers, it was time for Cuckfield to bring out their full on game. Sam took a few balls to line up after such a long layoff, but was soon pinging the ball down in like a good-un, and Phil took no time at all to do his Phil thing, but Turner and Galbraith-Gibbons were used to being actual batsmen and often dealt with every ball that came their way by sending it back out with interest. Sadly Phil’s spell was cut short when he stopped a ball with his shins and had to go and get that looked at, and whilst Sam occasionally bowled unplayable balls that got the batters playing and missing as the ball swung in and then cut away, quite a few of them also ended up in the fence and, on one occasion, over it. Cerys and Henry had the thankless task of sending the ball down to a pair of very competent batsmen who increasingly didn’t particularly care if they got out or not and so had a potency that saw the runs flow inexorably towards an early finish. Henry did have the consolation of having Galbraith-Gibbons caught by Ed at mid-on (I think), but he and Cerys mustn’t take anything negative away when reflecting on their bowling day as they did as well as anyone would have done in the circumstances, although Jim was just about to come on for a spell in which he probably would have taken 5 for 3 when Turner neatly averted Cuckfield’s consequent defeat by hitting lots of fours in a row. In the Cuckfield scorebook Turner is given 98, but a count up of his runs does give him a round 100, so let’s go with that. In any case, he may not be too precious about the odd century here and there as it’s certain he’s been there before and will be there again. One could say Turner was the difference between the two sides as he got rid of Sam and Tom in his one over when bowling, and scored a century with his bat, but Cuckfield’s superiority goes deeper than that, of course, and it’s likely that their squad would have been capable of winning the game in any number of different permutations. The positives for TWCC are, however, not hard to find as Mikey, Sam and Tom’s batting was creative and productive, Tom’s 3 for 24 with the ball provided the best of starts, and, once again, Jonathan’s keeping was truly excellent as he remarkably only conceded one bye when some of the bowling might not have been as easy to cope with as one could wish. It was also great to welcome Cerys to the team, and though she and Henry were bowling when the set batsmen were at their most carefree, they did well to prolong the game as long as they did. Scorecard TWCC won the toss and skipper Ed chose to bat first. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct (Wk) Bld B Sheldon 0; J Simon Bld S Shepherd 0; J Rowland Ct (Wk) Bld B Sheldon 15; M Pearce Ct, Bld Bennett 54; T Pearce Ct (Wk) Bld B Seldon 8; C Pegley CT, Bld Bennett 12; S Simon Ct, Bld Turner 41; H Short Bld S Sheldon 8; T Rydon Bld Turner 40; E Howes not out 1; PSteinke St, Bld Tanfield 0. Extras 10 (B6, LB1, W1, NB2) Total 189 all out (30.4 overs). Fall: 1-0, 2-0, 3-22, 4-44, 5-83, 6-101, 7-110, 8-188, 9-188, 10-189. Cuckfield Bowling: B Sheldon 5-1-23-3; S Shepherd 5-1-34-1; Bennett 4-0-41-2; S Sheldon 9-1-44-1; Tanfield 6.4-0-35-1; Turner 1-1-0-2. Cuckfield Innings: P Meader Ct P Hunter, Bld T Rydon 4; M Wood Ct E Howes, Bld T Rydon 2; B John Ct J Rowland (Wk) Bld T Rydon 20; J Downey Bld E Howes 4; G Galbraith-Gibbons Ct E Howes, Bld H Short 46; D Turner not out 98; A Bennett not out 8. Extras 7 (B1, W5, NB1) Total 191 for 5 (24.4 overs). Fall: 1-7, 2-9, 3-32, 4-34, 5-155. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-24-3; E Howes 5-0-37-1; S Simon 5-0-35-0; P Steinke 3-0-14-0; C Pegley 4-0-36-0; H Short 2.4-0-46-1. Cuckfield win by 5 wickets. Top of page St James Montefiore CC v TWCC July 31st 2022 As TWCC took to the field, after Brocky had won the toss and chose to bowl first, there was a whiff of a mismatch in the air as Tom Draca, he of youthful and athletic Aussie ability, set about the bowling in such a way that Tom and Ed, the pride of TWCC, were off after just three overs each. Ed suffered somewhat more than Tom, and boundaries there were aplenty on the hard and fast-running ground (if the ground was involved at all), and an early change was at least a thing Skipper Brock could do in order to alter the input end of the Draca equation. Manfully, Brocky took over Ed's end and began to send the ball down into the fiery furnace, and, as it is perhaps best to concentrate on the positives, we are happy to report that we found most of the balls that sailed into the hedge. The road. The next hedge. The next field. Undaunted, and with doughty spirit, Brocky persevered and, whilst Draca was occasionally forced into some circumspection, he continued to power his way on through Brocky's bowling average. Rob, having replaced Tom, was bowling fast and with a following wind, and the swinging Draca was often only able to rotate himself off strike leaving Rob the stumps of M Dalgliesh, StJMCC's No 2, to knock over. Which he did. This opened up the game for Brocky to begin his revenge, and though Draca, when on strike, was as sixy as ever, his partners were perhaps somewhat kidded into trying to bat like him, and a series of unnecessary strokes resulted in balls hit up in the air, where Paul (twice) and Tom F made difficult catches look easy and, thank goodness, gave Brocky something to put in the wickets column. Paul's catches were hit to him at mid-on with some pace and demanded sharp action, and Tom's in the covers was over his head all the way until it wasn't. Tom Draca was, after getting his hundred in 53 balls, minded to respect the Sunday game, and he made way for others in his team to join in and enjoy a bat. Draca's was an excellent, if cavalier, innings, and one can't argue with carefree power and it was impressive to see. We are reminded of George Hunter’s innings against Wisley all those years ago, and it was revelled in then, so it would be churlish not to hold Draca’s innings in similar regard. However, whilst there were still 25 overs left, the tone of Draca's batting had infected the StJMCC psyche and the home side's batting approach was rather more gung-ho than was desirable from their point of view and regular wickets began to fall. Rob hit the stumps again, and Henry, reliable and testing, took 3 for 17 bowling his tight line, with one caught behind and two bowled (proper cricket), and Graham, soon on a length, had two for 15 in his 3 overs. Draco returned, faced a few balls from Graham with which he didn't connect, and it was Henry's last wicket that ended StJMCC's innings as Malik's stumps were disturbed. From 135 for 2 in 15 overs, just nine overs later StJMCC had drifted to 171 all out. In reply Paul and Jim started off well enough, with Paul taking two fours off the somewhat random opening over from Vardy, but, as is often the case, Jim fell early, this time to an in-swinging ball from J Smith and was out LBW. Tony fell in more or less the same way the very next ball and was bowled by another in-ducker that started outside the off stump and went through a gap onto his stumps. At 26 for 2 some recognisable, if faint, writing was on the TWCC wall, especially so as it was hard to judge which bowlers were bowlers and who was being held back, but thanks to a wonderful third-wicket partnership between Jonathan and Paul, who both applied themselves to the task with great skill, the StJMCC total was in the end overhauled with some ease. Vardy, apparently more of a batsman, was expensive with the ball, and whilst his left arm over opening partner, J Smith, had taken out Jim and Tony early on and continued to be hard to get away, the rest of the home side's bowlers simply couldn't stop Paul and Jonathan finding their way to score freely on the fast-running ground. All season these two have been good enough in the first place to not get out early in their innings, and thus are able to take one Sunday's batting over into the following weekend, and their ability to apply a good defence if required, and to then have the confidence to hit through when runs are on offer, was key, and they took the TWCC reply to all but the finish line before Jonathan pulled up with Keeper's Calf. Jonathan deserved his fifty, but was stricken before he got there, and he retired on 45 off 49 balls (7 fours), leaving Tom F to join Paul in the 27th over with the total on 162 and with just ten more runs to get. Tom hit two fours in quick succession, but fittingly left Paul to see his side home as he clipped the winning two to fine leg. Paul deserved a century but his 89 not out (14 fours and a six) was a great achievement, as was the match-winning unbroken partnership of 136. It was a peculiar game in the end, with the home side perhaps having been strangely unbalanced by Draco's innings, for, once he had retired, the remaining batters seemed to be unable to settle down and just play cricket. And, when TWCC were batting, the home side either didn't bowl their full range of options, or didn't have options. TWCC, on the other hand, were resilient in the field after Brocky had taken one for the team, and, whilst TWCC's batting might not have been as explosive as Draco's had been, Paul and Jonathan's pace of play was more in tune with the demands of the game. With two Toms, a Rob and a range of further batters in hand, and with plenty of overs in hand, a higher total to chase would have represented no great difficulty on the day, but as it was the game was over with 13 overs to spare. Scorecard Toss won by TWCC - Skipper Brock - who chose to field first. 40 overs live or die. StJMCC Innings: T Draca not out 103; M Dalgliesh Bld R Rydon 27; S Attrell Ct P Hunter Bld R Brock 1; J Hall Ct T Frth Bld R Brock 0; D Stevenson Ct P Hunter Bld R Brock 0; M Smith Ct J Rowland (Wk) Bld H Short 3; J Riddell Bld R Rydon 0; J Smith CT R Brock Bld G Cuthbert 15; W Dalgliesh Ct E Howes Bld G Cuthbert 2; B Vardy Bld H Short 10; Malik Bld H Short 1. Extras 9 (B6, W3) Total 171 all out 24.1 overs. Approx. Fall: 1-120, 2-135, 3-137, 4-137, 5-138, 6-157, 7-161, 8-169, 9-71, 10-171. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 3-0-30-0; T Rydon 3-0-19-0; R Brock 6-0-70-3; R Rydon 6-1-19-2; H Short 3.1-0-17-3; G Cuthbert 3-0-15-2. TWCC Innings: P Hunter not out 89; J Simon LBW J Smith 7; T Pearce Bld J Smith 0; J Rowland Ret'd 45; T Firth not out 8. DNB T Rydon, R Rydon, H SHort, E Howes, R Brock, G Cuthbert. Extras 23 (B12, LB4, W6, NB1) Total 172 for 2 (27.1 overs). Fall: 1-26, 2-26. (J Rowland Retd 162) StJMCC Bowling: B Vardy 7-0-60-0; J Smith 8-1-20-2; W Dalgliesh 7-0-36-0; Malik 4-0-37-0; J Riddell 1.1-0-8-0. TWCC win by 8 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Headliners August 7th 2022 What a cheerful bunch the Headliners are. There are, I gather, fewer to no practicing journalists within their ranks these days, but in their place are a team full of people who enjoy getting together on Sunday and playing the great game. It’s hard to imagine a better match for TWCC. Skipper Matt won the toss, and, given the absence of a few regular TWCC bowlers, chose to field first which proved to be the correct assessment of the situation as wickets, for both teams, were hard to come by. Instead TWCC would have to rely on, yes, some wickets as they were certainly not without any good bowlers, but also on their ability to field well and restrict the runs. However, the ground was hard and very fast, and it was going to be a high-scoring game however well any side fielded. Matt himself and Rob Saunders – happily returned from injury – opened up for TWCC, and were threatening from the start, which, with the TWCC fielding machine kicking into gear meant that early runs were hard to come by. Rob made the first breakthrough, bowling straight, and had Barnett out LBW, which brought S Khan to the crease, a player who soon began to score freely. At the other end, Matt, in his sixth over, had, first, with the ball swinging back into line, R Ul-Haq LBW, and then B Khan caught in the slips by Edward (PC). That’s a lot of commas, but they get the job done. Headliners 3 for 40, but they weren’t in particular trouble as the day was long, their line-up was long, and the grass was short. Phil, economical as ever, and then Jim about whom we can say much the same, were unable on this occasion to make any further breakthroughs, and before long the power of the left-handed S Khan was bringing about rather a lot of boundaries. Khan’s partner, Headliners’ skipper McAteer who came in at 5, was less swingy, but there’s no doubting that his ultimate 52 not out was the steadying hand on the Headliners’ tiller as they navigated through their allocated two-and-a-half hours. Khan, finding gaps and scoring four after four, was a potent force, but at the same time TWCC weren’t simply letting the game go, and, after Tom (F) and Graham had had a go at getting someone out, Matt and Rob returned to take the game through to tea, and with some excellent fielding from all and especially Andrew Cuthbert (making his debut for TWCC), the visitors weren’t building up anything like an unassailable total. Matt took the final wicket of the innings with the caught and bowled dismissal of the high-scoring S Khan, and, shortly after, the session ended with the Headliners on 186 for four, in 37 overs. Khan was out for a dominating 84 which included 15 fours, and, also in the Headliners' bank, was McAteer’s 52 not out, which included the only 6 of the innings. Matt was the pick of the bowlers with his 3 for 32, and Jonathan, again, was the maestro behind the timbers with no byes at all going against him. Sadly, in preventing byes, he did subject his keeping finger to repeated abuse and by the end of the innings it was turning blue to purple to black and was, is, no doubt, very sore indeed. TWCC did very well to restrict the Headliners to under 200 on a hard, hot day, and a target of 187 was an attractive one. Jonathan’s fingjury meant he wasn’t going to be able to bat, either at all, or in any case with his usual potency, but as Paul and Jim made a steady start against some tight bowling TWCC were, after 20 overs, 77 without loss, which left a required rate, with 20 overs to go, of "just" five and half runs per over with 10 wickets in hand. Without taking any risks they’d been scoring at around 4 an over, and the opening bowlers were no longer in operation, so the prospects were good. Until, that is, Paul top-edged a high chance behind point, and didn’t hear Jim’s shout of “YES” until Jim mentioned it to him again when they met at Paul's batting crease. Paul hared off to the bowler’s end, and he still would have been in had not the fielder, who had dropped the catch, directly hit the stumps. Oh dear - a run out. Never a good way to go, and an unnecessary loss of a batsman whose potency might well be needed. But TWCC still had nine wickets in hand, including the redoubtable Tom F at three, and Jim and Tom began to up the rate a little, though the bowling was still coming down straight, and it was only when the lengths occasionally fell short that boundaries were taken with pulls to the leg side. All that was needed, from TWCC’s perspective, was a boundary per over topped up with ones and twos, but the batters began to fall back from even this modest demand, as, first, Tom played an uncharacteristically wafty shot up into the covers to be caught for 10, and then the ultra-slow bowling of R Ul-Haq, the Stan of the day, was exactly the right temptation to dangle in front of the TWCC batters’ eyes as they sought a few boundaries. Initially it all went well enough as, indeed, a few boundaries began to flow, but then Jim, losing concentration a little, went down the track in a rather haphazard fashion, missed the ball and was stumped. Not a bad innings of 48, but it wasn’t the best return on the investment of his innings up to that point. TWCC were 132 for 3, 55 runs behind with, now, just 7 overs to go. Eight an over would do it, and Matt was still in, having crashed his first ball through midwicket for four, and Edward, he of the strong arm and true eye, and who also pulled a four off his first ball, were men who could certainly do the job. The bowling was, by now, a mixture of slower fare, and it was, again, the tennis ball-y bounce of Ul-Haq that undid Matt as he gloved the ball through to the keeper just 7 runs later and with 13 to his name. Edward gamely continued on, with the infrequent but ever-welcome Ian Irvine as his partner, and they took the score up to 153 before Edward failed to keep one down towards mid-wicket and he was caught for 15 (14 balls with three 4’s) and the TWCC attempt at a win was, with just two overs left, something of a lost cause. It all became a little confusing from this point on, but in general terms a few wickets fell (Ian was, somehow, run out even though the runs had ceased to be a thing, and Rob was bowled) but Jonathan and Graham safely shepherded the draw home with little fuss and with TWCC 25 runs behind. A Headliners’ victory wasn’t ever especially on the cards, although they kept up the pressure having anticipated this situation by ensuring they bowled as many overs as they could throughout the innings. TWCC didn't have an individual reply to the big-hitting S Khan, and thus it was, rather, the overall pace of the TWCC batting that gave away the possibility of a home win. In the usual course of events if Paul and Jim are both batting after 20 overs, the total would be over 100 (with Jim on 20), but, in the face of some persistently accurate bowling all the way through the innings, even Paul wasn’t able to accelerate in his usual way, and as the required runs/over figure increased, TWCC were unable to meaningfully find the accelerator let alone press down on it. A missed opportunity, really, for TWCC, but with both sides having had a say in the game, and having enjoyed a day dashing about, there’s little to be sad about. Scorecard TWCC's Skipper Matt won the toss and chose to bowl first. Proper match. Headliners' Innings: J Barnett LBW R Saunders 12; R Ul-Haq LBW Edwards 22; S Khan C&B M Edwards 84; B Khan Ct E Bunn Bld M Edwards 0; F McAteer not out 52; J Khan not out 2. DNB S Iqbal, I Al-Haq, G Almeida, B Haddon, F Guoonghe. Extras 6 (LB2,W4) Total 186 for 4 (37 overs). Fall: 1-30, 2-40, 3-40, 4-182. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 10-2-32-3; R Saunders 8-0-39-1; P Steinke 7-2-23-0; J SImon 6-1-28-0; T Firth 3-0-26-0. TWCC Innings: P Hunter run out 37; J SImon Stumped Bld R Ul-Haq 48; T Firth Ct, Bld S Iqbal 10; M Edwards Ct (Wk) Bld R Ul-Haq 13; E Bunn Ct, Bld J Khan 15; I Irvine run out 1; R Saunders Bld J Khan 0; J Rowland not out 6; G Cuthbert not out 0. DNB A Cuthbert, P Steinke. Extras 31 (yes - 31!) (B6, LB8, W17) Total 161 for 7 (40 overs). Fall: 1-77, 2-114, 3-132, 4-139, 5-153, 6-153, 7- between 153 and 161. Headliners' Bowling: G Almeida 6-0-13-0; B Haddon 6-2-17-0; F Guoonghe 4-0-19-0; I Ul-Haq 7-0-35-0; S Iqbal 6-1-29-1; J Khan 7-0-18-2; R Ul-Haq 4-1-24-2. Match drawn. Top of page TWCC v Cutters Choice August 14th 2022 Still hot, still no green grass, still without Skipper Brock and, once more, without Skipper Edwards, so TWCC were operating under the captaincy of Ed Howes, who chose the easy way out by losing the toss. Cutters Choice decided to bat first, which is probably what TWCC would have wanted to impose had the toss gone the other way. Opening with Tom Rydon and the Skip himself, this time it was Ed who had something to show for his efforts, and Tom who missed out. Aniket chipped a leading edge (I'm making this up) back to Ed who took the catch off his own bowling, and then Ed found the edge of Nils' bat and Paul (wicket-keeper of the day) took a proper catch behind the stumps. It was possible that TWCC would need some bowling firepower further down the line, and so the openers' spells were short at five overs each, which brought Henry and Phil into play. Henry took a couple of overs to settle in, but soon got into his rhythm, but it was Phil who made the breakthroughs as he removed Cutters Choice No1 and No4, firstly thanks to Ed who held on to another catch, and then, with the next wicket, Phil provided the Champagne Moment of the day as Dave blasted a drive back at him and he snapped up the catch. A sharp chance indeed, and the visitors were 75 for 4. James Rayward, either making his debut or making a return after a long absence, was the next player to make a big impression as he took three quick wickets and held onto a catch. In turn, he and Paul combined in another bit of caught-behind PC, then in the next over, and at the time most importantly, James had Cutters Choice’s Sam finally, and excellently, caught by Tom Firth at deep mid-wicket/long-on. Sam had been swinging everything to cow-corner, and, indeed, soon three fielders were lurking in that small arc, but for four after four, Sam had been getting the ball through or over the field. He was always about to get out, but it was a matter of trying to get that to happen sooner rather than later, and eventually he skied a ball up and there was Tom Firth, thank goodness, who made the high catch look easy. The very next ball James bowled Vidit for his third wicket and set up another ha... DH, but the Cutters Choice innings had terminally faltered by that point, and it was up to Charlie Howes and Jim to wind up proceedings. Ed took a catch in the covers off Jim's bowling, and Charlie, with the remarkable figures of 1.1 overs, 2 for 6, offered up precisely the kind of bowling that will get wickets as long as catches are taken - and they were, one by James and the other by Tom Rydon. Memory fails the entire Gazette staff with regard to the details of the catches, but they were taken and the visitors were all out for 154, ten minutes before the allotted time was up. Worth pointing out is that there was only one bye and Paul probably has a valid excuse for that one, and all catches were taken. Excellent stuff. In reply Skipper Howes chose to shuffle the TWCC batting pack and Tom Firth joined Paul as the home side went about chasing the modest target. Paul leaped into action as normal, hitting his second ball for four, but he was bowled early on in the second over which brought Mikey to the middle who set about being Mikey. Hitting 37 off his first 19 balls (including seven 4's), his run rate was only moderated when Cutters Choice brought on their second pair of bowlers who were much trickier customers to face than had been the openers. Vidit varied the pace of his tight off spin to great effect, and Gaurish's pacey leg-spin/leg-cutters (it was too fast to see what was going on as the ball left his hand) were delivered with speed and accuracy, and both demanded a much more circumspect approach from the batsmen. Indeed, Tom, who had been at the other end of the Mikey Show, was a victim of Vidit's third ball, but he, byes and Mikey had by then put on 53 so TWCC were well on their way. Jim's job, at four, was mainly to keep reminding Mikey that his rate of scoring to date had put TWCC so far ahead that weathering the storm was all that was required for the time being, and, indeed, Jim himself couldn't do much with the bowling at first, but he did passively manage to keep Mikey on strike at the beginning of each over thus ensuring that ones and twos and the occasional four were still ticking their way up the scoreboard. Inevitably even these most capable bowlers began to tire, and the runs began to flow again as Mikey cruised on up past his fifty until Gaurish nipped a ball around/under Mikey's bat to bowl him out for, as it turned out, a match-winning 74 (twelve 4's). Mikey's innings had ensured that TWCC only needed to score off the bad balls, and these were occurring more frequently as Vidit and Gaurish tired a little and were, in time, replaced. Boundaries began to flow as looser deliveries arrived, and Edward, in at 5, was responsible for three of them before he was caught at mid-wicket off Aniket, which brought James Rayward to the middle who finished off the chase with three well-timed fours, including a lofted on-drive that only just didn't make it for 6. James, not out 12, and Jim not out 28 (six 4's), walked in with 10 overs to spare. Without Mikey's innings, who knows exactly what TWCC would have made of chasing 154, but Mikey had played his innings, and so there had been no need to find out. Scorecard Cutters Choice CC won the toss and chose to bat first. CCCC Innings: Paul Ct E Howes Bld P Steinke 33; Aniket Ct & Bld E Howes 17; Nils Ct P Hunter (Wk) Bld E Howes 1; Dave Ct & Bld P Steinke 13; Ryan Ct P Hunter (Wk) Bld J Rayward 13; Sam Bld J Rayward 24; Vidit Ct T Firth Bld J Rayward 22; Andy Ct J Rayward Bld C Howes 6; Ian Ct T Rydon Bld C Howes 8; Gaurish Ct E Howes Bld J Simon 1; Vijay not out 0. Extras 16 (B1, LB5, NB4) Total 154 all out (33.1 overs). Fall: 1-24, 2-35, 3-72, 4-75, 5-unrecorded, 6-137, 7-137; 8-unrecorded, 9-153, 10-154. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 5-0-20-0; E Howes 5-1-15-2; H Short 5-0-26-0; P Steinke 10-2-34-2; J Rayward 5-0-39-3; J Simon 2-0-5-1; C Howes 1.1-0-6-2. TWCC Innings: P Hunter† Bld Ian 5; T Firth Bld Vidit 6; M Pearce Bld Gaurish 74; J SImon not out 28; E Bunn Ct Gaurish Bld Aniket 17; J Rayward not out 12. DNB T Rydon, H Short, C Howes, E Howes*, P. Steinke. Extras 14 (B12, LB1, W1) Total 156 for 4. Fall: 1-7, 2-60, 3-100, 4-140. CCCC Bowling: VJ 5-0-32-0; Ian 4-0-26-1; Vidit 9-1-23-1; Gaurish 7-0-22-1; Andy 3-0-24-0; Aniket 2.4-0-13-0; Ryan 1-0-4-0. TWCC win by 6 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Horley CC August 21st 2022 Regular readers will be pleased to learn that there are two ways this write-up could go; brief or, as Brocky prefers, very brief. Horley CC were visiting Twineham for the first time, and as neither side knew the others' capabilities it was likely that the side winning the toss would opt to bowl first, thus avoiding the need to get ten wickets should winning become an option. Horley won the toss and bowled first. Paul, continuing on in what must be his best ever season, started with a four and carried on from there. Tom, Horley’s opening bowler, was surprisingly quick from a modest run up, and, sadly for the visitors, edges yielded more runs than chances. Jim didn’t last long, falling to a swinging yorker from Horley’s other opener D De Castro for 8, and Tony, slightly repaired, joined forces with Paul to get the game more thoroughly on the way. Tony and Paul put on a quick further 45 to take the total to 82 for 2 in the 15th over, when Tony’s forceful striking led to him being caught for 22 (four 4’s) off 23 balls. Paul, now on 46, was joined by Matt and the two began the partnership that defined the match, and Paul soon, once again, passed his half-century. Lots of running, lots of boundaries, the odd six here and there, and try as Horley might to find bowlers who could stem the tide, the total rose up through to 171 before Paul was, finally, bowled for a truly accomplished 82 (one 6, twelve 4's) by the returning opener Tom whose pace was, oddly just this once, accompanied by a touch of swing. Paul and Matt had shared a 13 over partnership of 89, which, although over, still left Matt going strong, who with his eye truly in, also nipped passed his fifty as his scoring rate further increased. Indeed, as TWCC’s total rocketed past 200 any thoughts of a declaration had to be shelved as Matt was, suddenly, quite close to scoring a century. Henry went in at 5 to do some scurrying which he did admirably, giving Matt the strike when he could, but he was run out in so doing, which brought Edward in to do the same thing. A tickle to leg for a single (given as a leg bye by... ahem, well, let’s not dwell on such things), and there was Matt, on 96, with the strike. A fast ball, a swing going for a big hit into the maple trees, but... didn’t happen as he was solidly caught at wide mid-off. But, however disappointing it was that Matt didn’t get to his century, nothing can take away the excellence of his 68 ball 96 (fifteen 4’s, one 6). He and Paul had ensured TWCC weren’t going to lose. The trick for TWCC, given this platform, would be to win, and, after Tom’s excellent tea (honey-roast sausages voted tops) there had to be some finesse from Skipper Brock in order to bring that about. Horley’s opening batters weren’t, it seemed, the most batty, and by opening with Henry and Phil, thus keeping the pace of Tom Rydon and Matt in reserve, he did the trick as Phil soon had the visitors three down with two bowled victims and another as Henry took a catch at short fine leg. Three down in the tenth over, and, soon five down as, first, Rob had Danny caught at mid-on by Jim off his loosener, and then Graham bowled Horley’s No 5. With the visitors at 5 for 36, and with lots of time left to get another five wickets, what could possibly go wrong? Well, it didn’t go wrong for TWCC so much as right for Horley, who in Ollie and Tom (no surnames supplied), had a pair of batsmen who were prepared to offer nothing but dogged resistance right through to the very end. Not even more Rob, whose first ball had taken a wicket, Tom R at full throttle, Brocky, Tony, Matt and then Jim could break through. Occasionally the batters would forget themselves when offered some tempting balls, and even some good balls, but they did manage to avoid actually getting out. And that was it. Some might say that playing proper draw-possible cricket denied TWCC a victory, but others would say that victories have to be earned, and if a side bowling second can’t take ten wickets, and if a side holds out for a draw then the greater game is being played as it should be. Horley earned their draw. Champagne moment? Matt scoring a century would, clearly, have taken the spoils, but as we were denied this milestone the focus unfortunately shifts to the Royal Oak. There is a press embargo in force, so all we can say is that it became all too clear why Rob had chosen Row Z (as far as possible - appropriately - from the Long Room) for stage 1 of his TWCC outreach programme. He then breathed a huge sigh of relief when he remembered he hadn’t committed to stage 2 which included dinner with the Latvian Ambassador. Scorecard Horley won the toss and decided to field first. Timed match. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Bld Tom 82; J Simon Bld D De Castro 8; T Pearce Ct T De Castro Bld D Childs 22; M Edwards Ct Millord Bld D Childs 96; E Bunn not out 0; H Short run out 3. DNB T Rydon, R Rydon, R Brock, G Cuthbert, P Steinke. Extras 19 (B10, LB4, W4, NB1) Total 234 for 5 (35 overs). Fall 1-37, 2-82, 3-171, 4-227, 5-234. Horley CC Bowling: Tom 10-1-53-1; D De Castro 5-0-30-1;Ollie 5-0-32-0; D Childs 6-0-37-2; D Bunn 3-0-20-0; T De Castro 4-0-30-0; C Patel 2-0-18-0. Horley CC Innings: Compton Bld P Steinke 3; Artie Bld P Steinke 0; Leon Ct H Short Bld P Steinke 8; Danny Ct J Simon Bld R Rydon 9; Tim Bld G Cuthbert 12; Ollie not out 64; Tom not out 26. DNB Chiraq, D De Castro, D Bunn, D Childs. Extras 11 (B1, W9, NB1) Total 130 for 5 (43 overs). Fall: 1-2, the rest unrecorded. TWCC Bowling: H Short 4-0-6-0; P Steinke 5-0-9-3; G Cuthbert 5-0-13-1; R Rydon 8-1-23-1; T Rydon 5-1-13-0; R Brock 2-0-5-0; T Pearce 2-0-14-0; M Edwards 6-0-35-0; J Simon 6-4-5-0. Match drawn. Top of page Crescent CC v TWCC September 4th 2022 So to the grandeur of the Horsdean Bowl - surely one of Adam's finest achievements. Adam Dobbs, that is, Brighton and Hove Director of Allotments. This was another last minute arrangement for which we have to thank Ed and Simon Wood, Crescent's very own last minute arrangerer. For once the Sun was shining and the wicket was a dust bowl rather than a soft pudding as TWCC's skipper Matt Edwards successfully lost the toss and Crescent chose to bat first - a brave move as the home side could then only win the game by getting all ten TWCC wickets. They were confident! And so we begin to describe the successive waves of quality TWCC bowling that defined the game. Rather than to unduly prolong the write up suffice to say that Ed, Tom R, Phil and Matt tore the heart out of Crescent's batting who were, by the 17th over, 6 for 64. It was clear, too, that good players were being removed, for from the first ball which Kidman back-foot-pulled through midwicket for four, his quality and that of subsequent higher order batters was undeniable, but TWCC's Fab Four were simply too good. Ed (LBW) and Tom (bowled) took a wicket each in their first spells, both working up a fine pace, and then, and this is TWCC's almost unique strength, after the first change Crescent had to face up to the equally proficient Phil and Matt. Phil, whose first over generally results in a wicket, bowled Crescent's No. 4 with his second ball, and he continued to be impossible to get away for his entire 8 over spell. In his seventh over he struck the stumps again, by which time Matt, in a golden period of form, had taken three further quick wickets, one in each of his first three overs. Matt's spell, and the catching that went with it, put the lid on any hopes Crescent may have had of reaching a total big enough to defend. Catches? What catches? There were only two in the whole innings, both full on Proper Cricket. First, Matt, who had been finding the edge of a few bats, got a ball to lift on this generally unresponsive wicket, and Tom F, at second slip, held a shoulder-high catch with creditable nonchalance, and then Alex (be-gloved in spite of his earlier demands) had to react to another fast rising ball from Matt that was edged high to his right and he, too, held on to a great reaction catch to get rid of opener Kidman, who had been very classy at the crease for his 30. Matt also bowled Lakkakula, and his spell of 3 for 26, together with Phil's 2 for 12 (8 overs 2 for 12!!!), stopped Crescent in their tracks. With the removal of the entire top order complete, Charlie, George and Sam set about the next bowling phase - trying to wheedle out resistant batters, and Charlie did bowl Awdry with a high looper that dropped onto the stumps, but generally wickets became hard to come by as the batsmen tried to bat the time and score as much as they could even though it was unlikely that it could add up to enough. Sam didn't quite manage to shake off the rust, and Roberts, batting at 7, kept the score going very well, and his contribution of 34 not out did lift the home side's total to something that might possibly be defendable, but after a run out (Matt was involved but I can't remember much else about it (in fact I can't remember it at all but it says "Run out M Edwards" in the scorebook)) there wasn't much further for the Crescent innings to go. Ed came on for the last few overs, and with the last available ball of the innings, he yorked Cordery to give him two, and TWCC ten, wickets. Crescent all out for 145 on the stroke of the agreed maximum of 42 overs. Beetroot houmous was the star of the tea - light and with a hint of mint. More like it please! Grass-sitting, chat, someone asked Jim about bread which caused people to drift away, sunshine, bleedin' football, Winter plans, padding up. Tom Firth and Jim opened the batting, in that order, and Jim set about making his most important contribution to the day by being bowled for a golden duck which brought Tony in nice and early. TWCC 1 for 1, to TWCC 140 for 2 says it all. Crescent had good bowlers, quite a few as it happened, but Tom and Tony played 31 overs of impeccable proper cricket if you ignore Tony's first ball at which he took a wild swing as it zipped past his outside edge. They kept the abundance of good balls out, and then pushed, nurdled, glanced and smote the rest to all parts. It wasn't until later in the innings that carefree hitting began to feature in their game plan, but Crescent had no answer to just excellent batting. Tom's defence was absolute, and Tony's fleet-of-brain opportunist play was a joy to watch. Both were scoring freely when they were presented with suitable balls, and, indeed, Tom got to his fifty before Tony which is a credit to Tom's ability and, also, I suppose, to Tony's restraint as quick scoring is his trademark. To his fifty Tony did get (?) and the pair of them began to benefit from a combination of being truly in, tired bowlers and, finally, not caring too much and the TWCC total powered up to 140 when Tony finally gave a caught and bowled to Hewitt. Tony was out for 68 (nine 4's) in 97 balls, and Tony and Tom's second wicket partnership of 139 was a great achievement in the face of consistently good bowling. Alex came in at four, watched two dot balls, and then proved how he would have gone on to another century in no time by driving a good length ball through wide mid-off for 2, which he followed with an on-drive on the up for the three runs required to win. Tom, batting from ball one, walked off with that lovely not out glow and 58 runs to his name (eight 4's off 99 balls) and a TWCC win in his pocket. It was undeniably a batting triumph from Tom and Tony, and with a not insignificant required rate of around four an over reaching the target was no pushover, but the target of 146 might well have been nearer 200 had not Tom R, Ed, Phil and Matt combined to restrict the Crescent innings with such a great bowling display. Ball and bat, bat and ball, which is tops is hard to call. Bat and ball, ball and bat, well done team and well done Matt. Scorecard Crescent CC won the toss and chose to bat first. Crescent Innings: M Kidman Ct A Rydon (Wk) Bld M Edwards 30; Vrushal Gharote LBW Ed Howes 18; D Hewitt Bld T Rydon 1; J Hughes Bld P Steinke 1; R Garg Ct T Firth Bld M Edwards 8; S Lakkakula Bld M Edwards 0; W Roberts not out 34; S Iqbal B P Steinke 13; F Awdry B C Howes 3; S Wood run out ( M Edwards) 4; M Cordery Bld E Howes 2. Extras 31 (B8, LB2, W18, NB3) Total 145 all out (42 overs). Fall: 1-35, 2-37, 3-45, 4-53, 5-55, 6-64, no further record. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 8-1-21-1; E Howes 8-0-34-2; P Steinke 8-2-12-2; M Edwards 8-1-26-3; C Howes 4-0-21-1; G Howes 3-1-3-0; S Simon 3-0-21-0. TWCC Innings: T Firth not out 58, J Simon Bld S Lakkakula 0; T Pearce Ct & Bld D Hewitt 68; A Rydon not out 5. DNB S Simon, M Edwards, T Rydon, E Howes, C Howes, G Howes, P Steinke. Extras 15 (B11, LB1, NB3) Total 146 for 2 (32.4 overs). Fall: 1-1, 2-140. Crescent CC Bowling: S Lakkakula 8-1-24-1; S Iqbal 6-0-28-0; M Cordery 5-2-17-0; D Hewitt 6-0-28-1; F Awdry 2-0-14-0; M Kidman 5.4-0-23-0. TWCC win by 8 wickets. Top of page TWCC v Bolney CC September 11th 2022 A perfect early Autumn day, albeit one that began with a nip in the air and a heavy dew on the ground. Happily, however, by 13-o-clock-00-zero-hundred-hours the sun was out and the game was on. By their own admission Bolney weren't at their strongest, and were, on top of that, fielding just ten players, so the toss was replaced by an agreement that TWCC would bat first. TWCC are a team full of all-rounders and in order to spread the skills around Brocky asked Tom Rydon and Ed Howes to open the batting which they managed without either of them being run out which was a little disappointing. 24 was safely on the board when Ed, who has scored many more, and tougher, runs in games gone by, holed out somewhere for 14 (one 4) which brought Mikey, who used to be an all-rounder himself but now, thankfully, has put that all behind him, in at 3 and he quickly found his stride. Tom, and Mikey in particular, ran really well together and the two of them just sort of played cricket, and twelve overs later we'd witnessed yet another hundred-plus partnership. They'd powered on through a few changes of not particularly threatening bowling and could probably have just continued on all afternoon and as Mikey kept piling into the bowling - an over came in which he hit two 4’s and two 6’s - it seemed a little wrong to allow this carnage to continue and so, as he had reached yet another half-century (56 - five 4’s and two 6’s) the retirement card was played – either by him or at him it’s hard to remember. Edward, in at 4, and Tom carried on the good work until Tom, in the interests of batters to come, clipped a ball off his toes towards the tall poplar tree where it didn’t quite carry for 6. Tom, often unlucky with the bat, was on this occasion at the crease long enough for his class to show through, and, even though he was caught on the boundary, his 55 (six 4’s) was a well-deserved reward for his season’s batting efforts. His bowling efforts speak for themselves. Edward, now with Brocky who had come in at 5, continued on with the accumulation up to the moment when Edward, having scored a trouble-free 21 (two 4’s), decided he, too, would make way for the next man. Whilst it was becoming clear that TWCC probably had more than enough runs, Brocky was going well which prolonged the innings a little in the hope that there'd be another 50 to celebrate, but sadly he was caught behind off an inside edge for 42 (six 4's) which, with Jim on a quick 18 not out (three 4's), meant that when TWCC declared, as they did at this point, the total was 214 for 3. Given the relative absence of wickets it's hard to give much of a mention to the Bolney bowling, but Lake and Symes did bowl tightly early on, and Symes' two wickets for 15 was notable within the context of the innings. Barry Griffin's catch to get rid of Brocky was also not an easy chance as it took an inside edge and kept quite low, and B Clemenson's two catches were solidly held. Apart from these moments Bolney's task was a little thankless given the free scoring from all the batters, and, with Mikey's dominance, Tom's elegant strokeplay and Brocky's 42 Bolney had rather been up against it. The task for TWCC after tea was simple; take nine wickets. In this pursuit Brocky opened with Phil, which is usually a guarantee of success, and Paul. Sure enough in Phil's second over he bowled the hard-hitting Lake, who'd scored 9 off just 5 balls, but even after that Bolney were in little trouble on 52 for just the one wicket and were well up with the required run rate. All good stuff. Paul was replaced at the Pavilion End by the half-centurion Tom Rydon, who set about his task with the usual gusto, and he duly bowled Bolney's No 3 Elliott in his third over. Symes, however, Bolney's No 2, was commendably still going for the win when Jim, replacing Phil, swung the ball onto the leading edge of Symes' bat as he tried to clip the ball to the leg side, and the ball skied somewhat which gave Tom Firth just enough time to ignite his rocket boots and sprint from mid-off to take a great catch on the on side. Bolney, from 52 for 1 were suddenly 59 for three, and then, shortly after 62 for 4 after Tom R bowled Graham Sandwith for 2 in his excellent spell of 7 overs two for 13. Bolney's run chase was done, but experience shows that once hanging on for a draw becomes the play, Bolney are a hard side to prise out. It was no given that TWCC would win the game. Tom Firth, his bat having temporarily been laid aside for this game, had a go with the ball, but to no avail, and so Brocky unleashed Matt and Ed, who had hitherto been held back in the quirky spirit of the day, and it was suddenly a different game. Matt, who'd also taken a batting backseat, was inexplicably wicketless, though there were many close shaves, and the successes were Ed's. Let's talk about Ed. He seemed to be in great rhythm and was bowling faster than many had ever seen him bowl before, and straight and true too. This didn't, and couldn't, go on long before there was an outbreak of Proper Cricket and the resistant B Clemenson who was settled on 21 and looking good, duly feathered a fast ball from Ed through to Paul (now keeping) who took a lovely chest-high catch. Mark Madden came in at 7, faced up to the rampant Ed, and edged the very next ball through to Paul for two in two! The hat-trick didn't happen, but these were two great PC wickets - great fast bowling and clean catching from Paul. Sadly for TWCC and happily for Bolney, these were the last wickets to fall, and not even the return of Phil nor the stump to stump bowling of Charlie Howes could prise out the ever-present Matthews who'd come in at 4 and been in since the 15th over for his 7 runs. Bolney's No 8 J Moore also refused to yield, and the visitors managed to hold out with three wickets still in hand for a draw. Normally the Gazette has to lay it on a bit thick in order to get players and readers to believe that draws can be enjoyable, but the result was in doubt for more or less all the game, and everyone had contributed to the day's play. Most who don't often bat/bowl had batted/bowled, and whilst TWCC were undoubtedly the stronger side they failed to take the wickets required for a win, and that's cricket. Scorecard Not so much a toss as an agreement that TWCC would bat first TWCC Innings: E Howes Ct B Clemenson Bld Symes 14; T Rydon Ct B Clemenson Bld P Clemenson 55; M Pearce retired 56; E Bunn retired 21; R Brock Ct Griffin Bld Symes 42; J Simon not out 18. DNB M Edwards, C Howes, P Hunter, T Firth, P Steinke. Extras 8 (LB1, W3, NB4) Total 214 for 3 (42 overs). Fall: 1-24, 2-130, followed by retirements which always mess things up. Bolney CC Bowling: Lake 8-0-29-0;Symes 6.2-1-15-2; Madden 6-0-28-0; Elliott 5-0-29-0; B Clemenson 7-0-55-0; P Clemenson 7-0-37-1; Matthews 3-0-21-0. Bolney Innings: A Lake Bld Steinke 9; D Symes Ct T Firth Bld J Simon 28; J Elliott Bld T Rydon 10; P Matthews not out 7; G Sandwith Bld T Rydon 2; B Clemenson Ct P Hunter (Wk) Bld E Howes 21; M MAdden Ct P Hunter Bld E Howes 0; J Moore not out 5. DNB B Griffin, P Clemenson. Extras 26 (B5, LB5, W15, NB1) Total around 107 or less or more for 6 (40 overs). Fall: 1-14, 2-52, 3-59, 4-62 no further recording. TWCC Bowling: P Steinke 9-0-23-1; P Hunter 4-0-21-0; T Rydon 7-0-13-2; J Simon 4-1-14-1; T Firth 3-0-15-0; M Edwards 6-2-8-0; E Howes 5-2-3-2; C Howes 2-2-0-0. Match drawn. Top of page TWCC v Streat and Westmeston CC September 18th 2022 Another lovely bright, clear, early Autumn day greeted TWCC's head groundsman when he turned out early to sweeten up the pitch. The grass was duly trimmed and the dew brushed aside and by the time cricket began it was a faultless surface. After a brief skippery chat between Brocky and Streat's Colin Marshall it was agreed that TWCC would bat first. Paul and Jim started off with characteristic briskness, and Jim was soon out brisking away at a wide ball that skimmed at head height into the capable grasp of Dutta in the covers. Jim's main task of getting Tony in nice and early was therefore successfully completed, and the two de facto openers began to play actual cricket for a while. All too soon, however, Paul followed Jim back into the pavilion giving Colin Marshall his second wicket, and then Matt, in at 4, gifted Colin his third by gently chipping a ball back for a caught and bowled. Now we come to TWCC's first mystery guest, Rohit. He and his friend Chinu were drafts in from friends, and we didn't know what to expect. We were to find out. Rohit watched his first ball carefully as it neared him, and then at the last minute he swooshed his bat through at enormous speed and clothed the ball for an easy two. Well - have a look Rohit, we thought, no need to go crazy. But Rohit's crazy and TWCC's crazy were two different things. TWCC's crazy would have been wild swings followed by a quick end, but Rohit's crazy was wrists and timing and bat speed and middled balls in the next field. Many fields. Somehow there were eleven dots, but the other 20 balls went for 69 (nine 4's and four 6's). He was a force of nature. Tony, still scoring as Tony does, was pedestrian by comparison as his, by any other standards, rapid scoring was going somewhat under the radar, but however it happened the two of them took the game away, rather, from the visitors in just a few overs of stadium-worthy grand striking. It became clear that Rohit's class was unstoppable, and were he to continue there'd be no competitive game, no balls, and no car windows, so, with good grace, he retired from the middle with an IPL 69 under his belt and the afternoon lost its extraordinary, and revealing, spectacle. The game returned to Sunday normal, the gentle breeze could once again be seen playing with the top of the poplar tree, and the birds started to sing again. But before we leave Rohit it must be recorded that, quite apart from his fast wrists and dominant ball-striking, never have there been more accomplished defensive blocks than those Rohit played when he'd sized up a good ball and decided to kill it dead. He isn't a thrasher, though the ball was often hit tremendously hard and the bottom line is he's a cricketer. Back in the real world Edward and Tony made consistent, though less parish-wide, progress, and the score kept nipping up on the board until Tony hit a fast ball into the stinging hands of James Porter at mid-wicket, and he was out for 51 (six 4's, one 6). Another half century for Tony who is, just in time for the end of the season, hitting peak form again. Rohit's friend Chinu came in at 7, and, though he said he wasn't as likely to upset the neighbours as his mate, he nonetheless scored 13 off 7 balls which included both a 4 and a 6. By this time the contrasting constituents of TWCC's innings had more or less resolved themselves into their final form, and so, when Edward was out LBW to Maysey for 8 (one 4), there remained an opportunity for, first Henry, and then Graham and Phil, to take the home side at a trot to a point of declaration. Henry, with his characteristic calm timing, was out to a good catch at mid-off for 7 (one 4), and Graham ended up not out on 6 when Phil was out caught. Brocky brought the innings to a close and TWCC declared a quarter of an hour early on 178 for 8 (34 overs). All good stuff. Rohit's innings had lifted what might have been a much more modest score up to a defendable total, but a total that was far from Streat and W's ability to overhaul. Had Rohit not batted in the way he did I don't think TWCC would necessarily have ended up with 69 fewer runs, as a certain lower state of concentration was in evidence post-Rohit than may have prevailed had TWCC been on, say, 120 for 6 with an hour to go, but the visitors had certainly made a good start with the ball that was negated by Rohit’s big hitting. With the ball TWCC were without Tom (either Tom, come to that) and Ed, but their absence certainly didn't mean there was a shortage of opening bowlers as TWCC are blessed with many potent operators, and Matt and Phil are as difficult to face as any. However on this occasion neither of them were able to break through which is rare indeed. Less rare, on this occasion, were missed chances in the slips off Matt’s excellent bowling, but the Gaz doesn’t blame anyone for not hanging on to these ephemeral opportunities because slip-catching is difficult. But do not fear - Henry's here! What a day for Henry, beginning as it did, with a wicket from his second ball and then another just two balls later. Henry, TWCC's very own Trint Boult, was getting the ball to swing back in from outside the off stump to right handed batsmen, and it looked as if he was pretty unplayable. Indeed, Colin Mansfield, one of Streat's finest, was Henry's first victim and his is no mean wicket, and, in due course there followed three further dismissals as Matt added to his catch off Colin’s bat with another to get rid of James Porter, and then Henry went it alone with an LBW and a clean bowled for his third and fourth wickets. Henry’s bowling, as game-changing as was Rohit’s batting, was tremendous stuff, of note because more or less all the wickets before and after Henry’s spell were ones in which the batsmen had rather got themselves out with rash strokes than been victims of unplayable balls. Replacing Phil, Chinu bowled good length slower off spin, and he was soon in the wickets as batsmen swung at balls without taking into account the fact that they ought to stay in. I speak from experience of this sort of thing, and Chinu, and later Graham, were exactly the bowlers to exploit the moments when batsmen's eyes unadvisedly lit up. Chinu’s 3 for 22 included a spectacular catch by Rohit at straight cover, which rocketed to him off Slimin’s bat, and it took one go to stop it going for four, and another to pull it in for the catch. Jim also bowled a modestly reasonable spell that, too, yielded a few edged chances, but although Henry returned for a bit it was Graham who polished off the Streat innings with a spell of 5 overs 3 for 17, his best ever, and which included a so-easy-it’s-difficult catch that looped up to Brocky at square leg which, once it was held, naturally became the game’s champagne moment. For those who wonder, the PC moment of the day could have been any of Henry's wickets, but the most proper of all these must be the ball that swung in from the fourth stump line, dived through between Webster's bat and pad, and clipped the bails on top of the middle stump. With a total of just 178 to overhaul, and plenty of overs in which to get the runs, Streat’s task was far from insurmountable, but, as with TWCC’s innings, the trueness of the wicket perhaps masked the bounce off it, and many batters from both sides were out caught. It was a day for either the disciplined keeping of the ball down and calmly ticking the runs off, or, alternatively, not doing that and batting like Rohit. But however significant Rohit’s innings was, and it was, it was Henry’s four wickets, backed up by Chinu's and Graham's three wickets each, that saw Streat all out for 120 in 33 overs. An interesting day’s cricket, with Streat and Westmeston making a good start with both the ball and the bat, and the result could have gone several different ways, but on this occasion TWCC won by 58 runs. Scorecard No toss, TWCC batted first after a chat TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct J Webster Bld C Marshall 10; J Simon Ct J Dutta B;d C Marshall 1; T Pearce Ct J Porter Bld J Dutta 51; M Edwards Ct & Bld C Marshall 5; R Pruthi retired 69; E Bunn LBW L Maysey 8; C Sharma Bld J Dutta 13; H Short CT J Dutta Bld A Slimin 7; G Cuthbert not out 6; P Steinke Ct, Bld J Dutta 0. DNB R Brock. Extras 8 (B3, LB1, W3, NB1) Total 178 for 8 declared. Fall: 1-4, 2-30, 3-39, 4-149, 5-163, 6-163, 7-173, 8-178. S&WCC Bowling: M Lea 5-0-12-1; C Marshall 9-1-40-3; S Lea 6-0-47-0; J Dutta 8-0-35-3; L Maysey 5-1-32-1; A Slimin 1-0-2-1. S&WCC Innings: N Buttler Ct R Brock Bld G Cuthbert 32; C Mansfield Ct M Edwards Bld H Short 4; M Barnes LBW H SHort 4; J Porter Ct M Edwards Bld C Sharma 9; J Webster Bld H Short 0; M Lea LBW H Short 0; J Dutta LBW C Sharma 16; A Slimin Ct R Pruthi Bld C Sharma 16; C Marshall Ct E Bunn Bld G Cuthbert 13; S Lea Ct C Sharma Bld G Cuthbert 12; L Maysey not out 0. Extras 15 (LB3, W11, NB1) Total 120 all out. Fall: 1-41, 2-46, 3-62, 4-62, 5-63, 6-63, 7-86, 8-108, 9-111, 10-120. TWCC Bowling: M Edwards 7-0-23-0; P Steinke 9-2-20-0; H Short 3-1-21-4; C Sharma 4-1-22-3; J Simon 5-2-13-0; G Cuthbert 5-1-17-3. TWCC win by 58 runs. Top of page TWCC v Brighton Beamers September 25th 2022 The ground staff had once again turned out early to transform a damp surface into an even, though slow-running, outfield, and although there were discussions in the middle between skippers Brock and Rigby, the Gazette isn't sure if a toss took place or not. Whatever the circumstances the Beamers padded up to bat and TWCC limbered up for a final run in the field. Tom R had one of those spells. And so did Matt. Tom picked the game up and shook it, homing in on a great line that took out Richard Rigby with a ball that nipped away off middle-and-leg to clip the top of off stump - the perfect wicket and certainly a PC moment. He then had Howarth LBW with a ball that ducked back in, and for his third he caused an edged ball off a full length to fly to Matt in the Gully, and who, of course, made the catch look easy. Matt, on the other hand, bowled with his usual flair and accuracy, but his efforts were unrewarded and he ended up with 3 maidens in his excellent spell, but no wickets. Brocky and Henry took the ball off Matt and Tom, and both were soon in the wickets with Brocky catching the slow-scoring but persistent Hutchinson off Henry’s bowling and Tony holding on to a ball at deep-ish square leg off Brocky’s bowling. It had been some time since Brocky last bowled, and he dropped straight on to a great line and length, and Henry’s rhythm was tremendous to see and some of his balls were basically pretty speedy. However, lest it appear that TWCC were having it all their own way, by this time Beamers’ No 6 Eastman was showing he’s a class above, and watching Henry tearing in, pinging the ball down, and seeing Eastman bat so well, were great memories of the day from da yoof. Less engaging was a display of yoof past when Jim dropped a simple catch off Henry’s bowling as Eastman chipped a straightening ball up to mid-on. Henry deserved that match-up wicket, and Eastman went on to do the only real damage of the Beamers’ innings. Matt, with a direct throw, ran out all-rounder Siddens, and Graham, Phil and Jim did their thing taking the last four wickets and the Beamers finished, with the excellent and exciting Eastman not out on 51, all out for 129 in 36.4 overs. The critical damage was done by Tom who took those early wickets, and Beamers, with the exception of Eastman, never got going after that. Most teams TWCC face have, perhaps, just two or three really good batters whose skills can go on to dominate a match, and time and again TWCC’s opening pacemen remove these players. “Too good for me...” they often respectfully mutter towards Ed, Matt and Tom as they tuck their bats under their arms and head back to the pavilion, and this was another game in which TWCC's opening bowlers, on this occasion it was Tom, absolutely set up the game in their team's favour. Jonathan, behind the timbers again after his sabbatical, was a fine replacement for Paul, and, indeed, those of a mind to delve deep into the analysis will not see any byes recorded at all, which is quite something given that he was standing up a lot of the time. As a performance, apart from one conspicuous drop, this was a fine display of bowling and fielding from the home side and a fitting one with which to end the season. In reply Mikey and Jim opened for TWCC, and Mikey was soon making the game look very easy, as much as Jim was doing the reverse. Ten overs down and Mikey was on 34 (Jim was on 3) when he was caught off Beamers’ opening bowler W Hutchinson – a characteristically forceful innings which included six 4’s and set TWCC well on their way to their target, now only 91 runs away. And when Tony, in at 3, carried on from where his son had left off, the target quickly began to draw nearer and nearer. Jim carried on staying out of the way, knocking the odd ball for 1 to get his partner on strike, and Tony strode on with characteristic vigour to yet another half-century in no time at all. Eastman, he of the fast bat, was also pretty fast with the ball, but he wasn’t able to get through, and when Tony was caught on 51 (eight 4’s), with the total on 106 the game was all but over. Richard “Riggers” Rigby’s leg spin is always fun to face, and he does get turn and bounce, and it was he who did for Tony, and although the reliable Siddens was his usual tight self, Blackadder wasn’t able to find a good line and length and Matt, in at 4, was able to benefit from this and pull the ball repeatedly to leg and wrap up the game. The end of another season, time to wash the kit one last time and put the Gazette to bed. As it happens we did take a team photo, which is good to have, even though it is of a side that doesn't include many of TWCC's regulars. So, apologies to them, but if we didn't have this photo there'd be no record at all. Scorecard Toss - not sure - Beamers batted first. Beamers' Innings: R Rigby Bld T Rydon 17; T Hutchinson Ct R Brock Bld H Short 9; W Howarth LBW T Rydon 4; B Rigby Ct M Edwards Bld T Rydon 3; G Blackadder Ct T Pearce Bld R Brock 10; H Eastman not out 51; R Siddens run out (M Edwards) 0; S Esson Bld G Cuthbert 3; M Renshaw Ct H Short Bld J Simon 0; J Richards Bld J Simon 0; W Hutchinson Ct J Rowland (Wk) Bld P Steinke 2. Extras: 20 (LB13, W5, NB2) Total 129 all out (36.4 overs). Fall: 1-27, 2-31, 3-43, 4-59, 5-78, 6-78, 7-102, 8-108, 9-108, 10-129. TWCC Bowling: T Rydon 8-0-17-3; M Edwards 7-3-15-0; R Brock 6-1-19-1; H Short 6-1-21-1; G Cuthbert 2-0-16-1; P Steinke 4.4-1-9-1; J Simon 3-0-19-2. TWCC Innings: M Pearce Ct Blackadder Bld Hutchinson 34; J Simon not out 17; T Pearce Ct T Hutchinson Bld R Rigby 51; M Edwards not out 18. DNB: J Rowland, E Bunn, G Cuthbert, H Short, T Rydon, P Steinke, R Brock. Extras: 10 (B6, W4) Total 130 for 2 (28.1 overs). Beamers' Bowling: M Renshaw 4-0-31-0; W Hutchinson 6-1-11-1; H Eastman 5-1-11-0; S Esson 4-0-34-0; R Rigby 4-0-18-1; R Siddons 4-0-9-0; G Blackadder 1.1-0-11-0. Fall: 1-39, 2-106. TWCC win by 8 wickets. Top of page 2021 Season Captain's Review - 2021 Season PLAYED 17 WON 7 DRAWN 6 LOST 2 ABANDONED 2 (2020 P 12, W 11, D 0, L 1) Last season was extraordinary because of the pandemic.This season was historic.Through the winter we had built a brand new clubhouse, after some 65 years of the previous block built clubhouse. It was kitted out by club members notably Paul, Jim and Jonathan and we were able to move in in the early season. In August it was officially opened by the former England wicket keeper Matt Prior and we had a splendid and celebratory BBQ for the whole village of Twineham, attended by some 80 villagers, club friends and club members. The sun shone and we celebrated. We have been back to a full season after so many matches had to be scrapped last season. Our results this season have been good: we’ve only lost 2 from 17. Our top order batting has excelled: Paul has had a remarkable season, enjoying the benefits of retirement by playing every game and great scoring. Jim has also played every match and has also had a good scoring season, plus some excellent spells of bowling. Tom Firth has continued to impress in the middle order – and Edward has had a fantastic season with the bat. Our remarkable bowling attack continues with shock and awe – and has been added to greatly by the full return of Phil whose skill and experience are invaluable. The figures tell their own story. We have a team of specialists, who can also all be described as all-rounders. We bat deep and bowl deep, which is why it’s important to get as many people involved in every match as we can. Now we’ve got our lovely pavilion, we need to concentrate on the long term future of the team. We need another couple of regular players. I’m delighted Rob Saunders and Graham have played as many matches as they have – but we still need to strengthen further. Our squad is small and vulnerable to the return of summer holidays. I will be proposing that one person takes this on as a project. One other thing for next season: we will tour again. We miss it!! The Player of the Year Award continues to challenge fine minds. The points system proved curiously divisive – but also difficult because I missed too many matches. There have been a large number of outstanding performances, and a number of players will see this as their finest season in a while. But one man has stood out. The man who once again had a brilliant season with the bat, frequently rescuing us from a batting abyss. But far more important is his continuing passion for the game, for our team and for our club players. His boyish enthusiasm is infectious and drives on the whole team. The TWCC player of the year goes to Edward Bunn. Congratulations Edward. Richard Brock, Captain TWCC Top of page TWCC v Brighton Beamers September 26th 2021 TWCC always enjoy playing the Beamers, who approach the frolic with intelligence and with the game's integrity to the fore. Rob Nicholls won the toss for the Beamers and he decided to test out the TWCC batting and see where that got him. Renshaw and Smith opened up for the visitors, and Paul and Jim negated the accurate and testing deliveries well, keeping out the many good balls and running some swift runs when they turned up. The first bowling changes, however, brought about Jim's demise as an innocuous leg-side ball glanced off his pads and ran back on to the stumps. Just 12 runs for Jim, though the Gazette has been inundated with requests to highlight a front-foot cover-drive that whistled through point, sadly condemned by the length of the grass (and its un-characteristic proximity to it) to be worth only 2 rather than the 4 it, we're told, so very richly deserved. But here we now have first-change bowlers, Paul set, and Tony with a license to thrill. Hammer Time! Tony's 2021 season has been dogged somewhat by a mixture of a lack of opportunity and some plain bad luck, and though he has contributed, of course he has, in several games, his fan base have been too often denied the spectacle of his free-flowing batting. But the season wasn't to close before he showed what he can do and he and Paul set about hustling and smiting the ball to all parts and generally dominating the game for much of the rest of the TWCC innings. Tony rocketed to his 50, shortly to be followed there and beyond by Paul, and the two of them, benefitting from the left/right challenge of their stances, put on a 153-run second-wicket partnership that defined the game. Tony, in the end, missed a ball that bowled him, but not before he'd plundered 73 runs (12 x 4's, 1 x 6) and he finished his batting season with something to savour over the cold winter months. Paul, still going strong, was joined by Jonathan whose cultured play once again graced the field of play, and he and Paul took the score on to 197 before Paul was eventually out, caught, off the returning opening bowling of Smith, with 76 runs to his name (10 x 4's). A fitting end to Paul's batting season, which has surely been one of his best, and his anchoring of the side through many matches is a vital component of the TWCC machine. Jonathan remained not out on 10 as skipper Edwards waved the innings to an end, declaring on 197 for just 2 wickets, some 19 minutes before the scheduled time. Tea, taken early, was soon over, and it was time to unleash TWCC's exceptional pace attack - Ed with the wind behind and Tom battling in against the rising gale. On this occasion Tom was wicket-free, though not in the absence of many excellent deliveries and certainly not from want of trying, and it was Ed who first climbed aboard the wicket train by first bowling Beamers' No 2 and then producing an edge that climbed on through to the ever-capable Jonathan with the gloves to remove Rigby, Beamers' other opener. Here at the Gazette we love anything that reminds us of proper cricket, and this was such a moment, a moving ball, a thin edge, a clean catch behind. Lovely! The Beamers were beginning to rock, and with a large total to chase they never looked as if they'd be able to get cracking, and when Phil provoked an unwise drive from the bat of Moores, and Jim took a solid (but simple) catch at deep-ish mid on, there was very little left in the Beamers' tank, even at this relatively early stage of their innings. Tom Firth, unused like so many in the home side's batting line up, was brought on to bowl and his rewards came early as he first took the top of off to bowl Cline, and then had Smith caught by Matt at mid-off in his four over spell. Tom, in the covers, caught Edwards off Phil, and the Beamers were looking very shaky indeed. Graham replaced the ever-effective Phil, and he immediatley found a great line and length which brought him a wicket in his second over as Tony rocked back at backward point and held on to a looping ball, and Jim's deployment of the even slower ball mopped up the final three wickets as Twineham cruised to victory. Matt's captaincy was on the money, not least in his declaration and thoughtful field-placings, but also with regard to his appreciation of the Sunday game as he spread the play around and by doing so denied himself a spell of bowling. Many batsme..batters didn't get a chance to wield the willow, and though Matt and Edward didn't get a chance to strut their stuff, all enjoyed the glow of the early Autumn afternoon. Paul and Tony, with the bat, offered much for their team to enjoy, and the bowlers, backed up by some excellent fielding (again), though they didn't need the extra time Matt's proactive declaration provided, had the great satisfaction of taking ten wickets. On this occasion TWCC were the easy victors, but we all know that the Beamers are capable of turning the tables next time. It was a shame for us and for Brocky himself that he ended up missing out on the last few games of the season, but even without his contributions the post-game pints at the Oak went down very nicely. Another season gone, and whilst one doesn't want to wish one's life away, many of us here at the Gazette are already counting down the days to the first game in 2022. Scorecard Brighton Beamers won the toss and chose to bowl first. TWCC Innings: P Hunter Ct Rob Beast, Bld S Smith 76; J Simon Bld T Edwards 12; T Pearce Bld Rob Beast 73; J Rowland not out 10. DNB T Firth, E Bunn, M Edwards, T Rydon, E Howes, G Cuthbert, P Steinke. Extras 25 (B11, LB4, W9, NB2) Total 197 for 3 declared (33.5 overs). Fall: 1-23; 2-153; 3-197. Brighton Beamers Bowling: M Renshaw 7-1-22-0; S Smith 4.5-0-14-1; T Edwards 8-1-43-1; R Rigby 5-0-36-0; Ron Beast 4-0-31-1; Notton 4-0-31-0; R Nicholls 1-0-6-0. Brighton Beamers Innings: R Rigby Ct J Roland (Wk) Bld E Howes 14; Chafey Bld E Howes 6; Moores Ct J Simon Bld P Steinke 20; Cline Bld T Firth 6; S Smith Ct M Edwards Bld T Firth 1; Edwards Ct T Rydon Bld P Steinke 8; R Nicholls Bld J Simon 16; R Beast Ct T Pearce Bld G Cuthbert 3; Notton Bld J Simon 1; Renshaw not out 0; Richards Bld J SImon 1. Extras 13 (B4,LB1, W8) Total 89 all out (31.5 overs). Fall: 1-12; 2-31; 3-54; 4-55; 5-56; 6-74; 7-83; 8-87; 9-87; 10-89. TWCC Bowling: E Howes 6-2-11-2; T Rydon 5-0-19-0; T Firth 4-0-23-2; P Steinke 6-1-12-2; J Simon 6.5-1-9-3; G Cuthbert 4-1-4-1. TWCC win by 108 runs. Top of page Bolney CC v TWCC September 12th 2021 Good wicket, fast outfield. After a characteristically tight start from TWCC's big 4 bowlers, in which Phil bowled Bolney's No. 1 and Matt found a top edge that went through to Jonathan with the gloves, Bolney's Morris and Jayarathne scored lots of runs. Jim, ever dodgy as facilities fail, dropped Morris off Matt's bowling at long-off before he went on to score another 100 runs, and it turned out that this was the single most significant event in the whole afternoon. Bolney didn't appear to have enourmous reserves of batting after the excellent Jayarathne at 4, and Morris' wicket in Matt's first spell would have had WinViz pretty convinced of a TWCC win. As it was, following the dropped catch, Morris and Jayarathne went on to score 184 runs in a convincing third wicket partnership. The value of so many runs was, however, somewhat squandered by the home side who batted all their 42 available overs, scoring hard all the time, which served more to bat TWCC out of the game than increase their chance of winning. Paul and Jim opened in reply, Jim being run out going for 2 after a fine bit of mock-dawdling in the 7th over, and then the first of the LBW's set in. Tony was given out LBW to Chaffey, which brought Tom Firth to the middle who set about a steadying and necessarily dogged innings. Morris' bowling was on the money and slightly curving off down the hill, and Paul and Tom dealt with it very well by the simple expedient of putting their bats in the way. Tom, however, did eventually fall to the slow bowling of Steve Bowles, mysteriously playing on a ball from well outside his off stump, in an innings comprising 20 runs but which, more importatnly, dulled the Bolney blade for 12 overs. Paul meanwhile was soldering on, resistance engraved in his features but nonetheless not turning down runs, and also not getting out. Jonathan at 5 fell to another tight LBW decision, and then a sequence of TWCC batters looked, and indeed were, in no trouble at all as the game dawdled to a draw as the 38 overs were done. Matt (14) and Ed (10) came and went, but Tom Rydon ended up on 13 not out along with Rob Saunders whose job it was to walk on with one ball to go, block it, and then walk off again. It was, in the end, a slightly disappointing game for both sides as it felt as if there was a good game in there trying to get out. Bolney's Morris and Jayarathne saw off all TWCC bowlers (and readers may like to dwell on the Morris drop), but in going for the big total and the glory of high individual |