B&PCC Sunday XI v East Hanningfield & Great Burstead Cricket Club

 More pavilions here - http://mpafirsteleven.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/cricket-pavillions-typology.html

 East Hanningfield pavilion

 The wicket at East Hanningfield

 The wicket at East Hanningfield.

During the last match with Belhus Liam Harms mentioned that he had bailed out of a Sunday game against East Hanningfield and that they may have been scratching around for another player. This was in the earliest phases of working with my new bowling approach and I thought that this might be an opportunity to give the new approach a go against batsmen.

So Sunday morning I hitched a lift with Tony Harms and Jamie Britton and headed out to East Hanningfield which was a double bonus as it meant that I could also shoot their Pavilion for my Pavilion Typology project.

We arrived first and the weather was classic early September - puffy white Cumulus clouds set against a blue sky.

Hanningfield Game.

I volunteered to score and did a pretty good job of it, filling in the book and putting up the scores on the scoreboard at the same time. I even got parts of the scoring wrong and was able to figure out what I’d done and reconcile the whole thing quite easily and when it was all added up at the end it all worked out fine. A massive improvement from last year and I now like to score especially as it keeps me out of having to umpire! That went well and we seemed to do okay and we finished with a reasonable score 170ish? We had a nice tea in their lovely pavilion/clubhouse and took to the field on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Earlier in the day I’d watched 4 Buzzards soaring on the updrafts above the pitch something which would have been unheard of 20 years ago, but Buzzards along with Kites, Peregrines, Hobbies and Merlins are all making a strong comeback in Essex despite the fact that it has a number of large urban areas. Thankfully in between our urban and industrial areas, Essex has some surprisingly beautiful and classic countryside (Think Constables Haywain).

Having been a late addition to this Sunday side and seeing that it was made up of some quality players, I didn’t know whether I’d get to bowl? I had no idea of how regular this side was and how they’d done over the season, so whether Jack would throw me the ball or not remained to be seen. The obvious bowlers all bowled first and then Jack indicated that I'd get an over or two.

This game was on Sunday after the Belhus game the day before, so whether that was a contributory factor or not I'm not sure or convinced as I played two games back to back earlier in the season and did okay, wasn't knackered at all? Or was it the Yips? Was it the fact that I was playing in a team full up with first and 2nd team players including the clubs best bowler Luke Dawe (Finger Spinner)? Or was it because this was one of the first attempts with the new re-configured bowling action? Whatever it was - it was embarrassing  - wides, balls landing half way down the strip and bouncing twice - all those horrific things that happen to wrist spinners when you start out. I went for a few fours and then hoped I'd settle down a bit in the 2nd over, but the same thing pretty much happened again and I thought that I'd be off after that. But, no, Jack gave me another over and changed the field around a bit. The 3rd over was marginally better as I went back to bowling off of one step and it worked and in the end I had 5 maybe six overs and pulled it back a bit. But to be honest so many runs were piled on during that spell I thought I'd lost us the  game. Meanwhile at the other end Luke Dawe had started taking wickets on his way to another fiver-fer.

With Luke bowling well, he pulled it back and once the two good blokes that I was bowling against had been dismissed, there was a massive collapse and we won the game easily.



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SDR CC v Rayleigh Fairview CC (Sunday Friendly Cricket) at The Rec 24th May

Everything you need to know about bowling Leg Breaks here.

Last Sunday Joe and I cycled over to the Rec and found a couple of Sunday sides playing and offered our services as players to the SDR club and they said yes we'll take your number and give you a call. They also said that they practice over The Rec on Thursday's. I wasn't able to go to that as I work Thursday nights normally until the end of June. But this morning at 11.00 hrs I got a call and they said 'We need a player' either you or Joe up for it'? Do bears s**t in the woods?


I nicked Ben's whites, got my kit together and at 1pm found myself almost the first bloke over there! The weather was fine, nice and sunny and warm and a bit of a light breeze. The word was the weather was going to get progressively worse as the day went on and that there'd be rain at about 4pm.

I'm not sure who won the toss, but whatever happened we fielded first which is always my preferred option. It also seems that because of the weather they decided it would be a 30 overs game. I fielded mainly at Mid off, which is one of my favourite positions as you're generally in the game. I didn't have a clue as to whether I'd get to bowl or not and it didn't look that promising when the first couple of blokes took 3 wickets no time for next to no runs especially the bloke Monty with 2 wickets for 0 off of 3 overs and then they took the poor bloke off! At that rate it looked to me as though he was going to be on for 15 overs!

Not the case though, the captain James was rotating the bowling, it seemed in order that everyone got a bowl irrespective of however they did during their spell, I guess though that makes sense as that kind of follows my theory in that if you rotate the bowling and bowl in short spells, it means the batsmen can't settle particularly?

16 overs in and they'd taken 5 wickets for 44. The scorebook hasn't recorded the details of the wickets, but there was some exceptionally good fielding from the captain James who had a fantastic game. He took three catches and all of them were a bit special. The first one was a ball hit through cover point and James set off to try and intercept it and it looked to me as though he was too late, but he dived and caught it just before it grounded one-handed pulling off a superb catch. The next one in the covers he had a ball hot straight at him - head height, out the middle of the bat, one of those that most of us would possibly manage to parry, but he made it look easy, albeit with the look of fear in his eyes. The other, again in the covers, a ball was hit over his head - high and loopy and he chased it, got under it and caught one of those where you're potentially running away and over-shooting it. Another good catch.

There was another bloke there who was playing for them for the first time and he got to bowl before me - a young bloke, looked a bit nervous, bowled a few ropey ones, but the team was behind him and cut him some slack. He got to bowl three overs for 15 runs.

Overall the bowling was good and when I was eventually given the ball, the pressure was on to follow suit. I didn't want to go for 8 off my first over like yesterday, otherwise I may have ended up with a very short spell! I was bowling at a kid who looked well organised with his batting and a big brute of a bloke armed with a Warsop. In my books anyone that goes out and buys a Warsop bat knows a thing or two about batting and as I made my way over to the crease I think James said "We've played this bloke before - he can bat a bit"...

 

It went okay in the end if anything the kid was a lot better than the big bloke. The big bloke looked a bit shaky on the leg-side even though he'd been looking to hit through the legside most of the time and continued to do so while I was bowling. There was a contentious ball hit through Long Leg, that appeared to be fielded virtually on the line. It was George, he clearly scooped the ball before the line, but the umpire said that his body was sliding over the line. There was a bit of an argument about it and the umpire eventually conceded that it was a single. What was certain was that George had flicked it back in front of the line, but what was uncertain was whether he's skidded across the line before releasing. I was happy with the outcome.

 

I didn't bowl too bad, a few down the leg-side, but the keeper Gloria was up to it and kept them all from being byes. The bloke at slips did a good job with one or two that Gloria didn't quite glove but got something on, he cleaned these up which was very much appreciated. Bowled as usual primarily Leg Breaks , but bowled a Flipper and kept the Wrong Un in the bag for when the big bloke was on strike looking to go big. Pitch didn't assist the spin that much, but it was enough. First over went for 2 with the kid hitting the ball on the full with a nice off drive. Second over I had the big bloke (L.Hayward) and I kept it reasonably tight. He got a single, putting the kid on strike, he batted well, but the SDR boys fielding was very good. The 3rd over the kid was on strike and he hit a single putting Hayward on strike. I'd been told by the captain that this was my last over and having seen how ruthless he'd been applying the rotation tactic, I though this is it, this over I've got to get one of these bloke and I'm running out of balls. Hayward had been set-up fairly well, he new it was turning, I'd had 2 dead cert balls that one or the other of them had completely missed, that in the real world would have 100% gone on to hit the stumps, but the umpire wasn't having it "Pitched outside of leg... Not out". So, he was looking to be a candidate for the Wrong Un and with just 3 balls left I chucked up the wrong on the off-stump - nice and full, he didn't seem to know what to do, it turned in and it hit middle.

I'm on here as 'Dave The Rave'.

 

We came off shortly after a few more overs having finished them off for 105 for 8 wickets (They only had 9 players). As we came off it started to rain, so tea was extended and for a while it looked dubious as to whether we'd continue which was going to be a real shame as they'd played so well. People with phones and internet access were saying that the rain was only going to last about an hour. A time was decided with that info, that if it was still raining at x time, it'd be called off, but just before that time, the rain stopped and the clouds thinned out.

 

The SDR boys sent two of their players into the field to help out the Rayleigh boys, I pitched in helping at one point fielding at Mid on. With only 105 on the board and being pretty good with the bat it wasn't that long before they'd won the game.

 

Word is, next week they're two blokes short. Joe and I are at Twickenham next Saturday watching the rugby so we wont be playing for B&PCC, so it looks like we might play on Sunday with SDR if we're lucky and get the phone call?

 

Overall it was a very commendable game with a good standard of cricket especially in the field.

 One of the SDR blokes gets forwards.

 Back to the sheds...

 Who's gonna win? I'm hoping when I'm this blokes age I'll be able to run around like he could!

 

This is the kid that batted well and also bowled really well, he's seen here setting his field which he did with utmost confidence.

 

 This was the ball that un-did this SDR blokes innings - clean bowled.

The Rayleigh Fairview blokes congratulate the kid.

 

 

 

Check out my other blog here - this is all about Leg-spin bowling and nothing else. Double click on the image below.

 

 





Basildon & Pitsea 4th XI v Hornchurch cc 5tx XI at The Rec 16th May 2015

Blog post under construction

*Note to the bloke who I'd said I'd send the pictures to, I'll have them to you in the next 48 hours or sooner.

Mid-week the weather had looked ropey with rain all day Thursday. Friday morning and it started to clear and by midday it looked very promising. Again, the team sheet on Wednesday after the selection process changed again and again as people updated their availability and by Friday night it looked as though we might be playing with 9 blokes.

Saturday - got up and the weather was fine and sunny with a little wind, everything looked set to go. I had a call from Abdul Baig as he had been called to say instead of going to The Rec, he needed to go and meet at Mopsies, I said he needed to do that as it sounded as though he'd been moved at the last moment. Joe and I were dropped off 12.25 to find most of the others already there and the stumps and flags already out.

 We went out and had a look at the wicket and it looked a lot better than last weekends! Joe and I had been over last night and we'd bowled a couple of balls on it to see if it would spin and it did, so the prospect of playing on it and getting a couple of wickets was promising.

Given the side that we had and the fact that we were a man down it was pretty much certain that if we won the toss we'd bowl to give ourselves a bit of a game. Although looking at who had turned up it didn't look too gloomy as there were some decent batsmen. Bowling though again was deficient in the seam up fast dept, but we had a 3 Offies, one left arm orthodox and me.

 

The Hornchurch blokes started to turn up just before one so it looked as though we'd get off to a late start. Lee and their captain made their way out into the middle and did the toss and it went our way and we fielded first. Walking back Lee asked "Do you want to open" and I said 'Yeah I'll do that'.

 

So the squad for today was...

A.N. Other didn't turn up. I did ask my older son Ben if he'd play and he declined because he's still doing his GCSE's. So we went out with a man short. As their team walked out it kind of looked fairly evenly balanced... a mix of kids, older geezers and then a couple of blokes that looked like they'd be better than most. I recognised one of them from last year and recalled he could bat. But to start off a couple of older blokes came to the crease to open. What was useful though, was the Hornchurch blokes came with their own supply of umpires, which was a result.

 

Tim Edmonds opened from the Park end bowling into a slight wind. He got off to a decent start with only a run and a wide. Then it was my turn with the new ball which was kind of odd. Again, with regards to what I was going to do run-up-wise, I wasn't at all sure. My run-up to the crease at the moment is a right mess, never feeling right and always in two minds whether I should go for a short run-up a la' Terry Jenner. With the short run I can bowl my variations, but the slightly quicker approach with the longer run-up is limited with regards the potential for variation. I opted to go for the longer approach to the crease and see how it went... Behind the stumps this week in place of our usual wicket keeper Jamie Britton was Mike Blerkom.

 

My first ball was okay and then I bowled a ball that got me 5 runs against my name it appears, I don't remember this, I seem to remember a 'No-Ball' that the batsman hit... (Head height - slippery/shiny ball) which the bloke hooked for 4. Looking at the score sheet the scorer has drawn a circle with a cross in it, so I'm not sure how this is scored. All in know is that it's gone against me, but the batsman didn't get credited with the fours runs? I'm not good on the rules, so I can't fathom out what should have been written in the score book, but I'm acceptance of the fact that I went for 5 runs. That was followed by a much better ball that he blocked. The 3rd ball though was a lot better... it pitched full, just a smidge outside of leg and came back in just a little and would have hit middle and leg and I went up for it along with some of the others and the umpire raised his finger and the bloke was back in the sheds. On the score sheet the bloke is down for out for 0, but I swear the bloke hit me for 4. I then bowled a wide and a couple of dot balls. One of the dot balls I'd swear was another LBW, the ball pitched in exactly the same place and did exactly the same thing - possibly with a little less turn, so would have gone on to hit middle, I went up for it asking the question along with several of the others and the umpire gave it not out, I was gutted! Finished the first over with 1 for 7.

 

In our next over, both of us Tim and me only went for 1 each. Tim then went for a few in his 3rd over and I went for just 1 again. Both of us then bowled Maidens in our 4th overs. In the 5th over Tim went for 1 run and got his first wicket "Wolstenholme"-  LBW. I then followed him up with another wicket, a kid - Imray Junior, the ball full, pitching on leg and hitting middle and off through the gate. The over included a wide, a single and a 2. By this time Imray senior was at the crease as well and he was one of the blokes that looked as though he might take me to task. Tim's over in the scorebook isn't marked as a Maiden either. He then went on to bowl his 6th over - (again an un-credited wicket Maiden over) with the wicket of Willison caught by Lee Dutton at Mid-off. My sixth over went for 3 with 2 wides and a single. At some point around this stage one of the blokes who looked as though he was going to be a bit useful and went on to score 93 not out (D.Kiff) who I think was the captain hit one of my leg breaks straight to mid-off where normally I have Tony or Liam Harms who are pretty much catching specialists - very rarely putting the ball down. Joe, my son was fielding there and the ball went at him fast and he stopped it, but with hard hands the ball just bounced back out and he spilled it, the bloke was almost out having only just come to the crease. There was another bloke as well who scored over hundred and he too was dropped early doors reinforcing that old adage 'Catches win matches'. I don't dwell on those things at all, it was good that Joe had a go, the ball came at him so fast he said afterwards... I did think I'd just get out of the way of it as it was coming at me like a rocket. If he hadn't stopped it, it would have gone on to cross the boundary for 4.

 

The seventh over brought my 3rd wicket a couple of dot balls followed by a wide and then a no-ball where I went across the line, which just goes to show how messed up my approach to the wicket is at the moment. I can't remember who the bloke was... S.Maydell and like all the others, according to the score book he went without scoring any runs at all. I was knackered at this point and the two blokes that had both been dropped, who then went on to score 93 not out and 140 not out hit 7 runs off me in the 8th and last over. I was ready to keep bowling, but aware that it might get messy what with only 10 players a few youngsters and one of our older players carrying a knee injury. So when the captain Lee Dutton said 'Have a blow', I gotta say I think I got off very lightly because once settled No.5 and 7 batsmen turned what was a very good start with 5 wickets for 33 runs and going into the 20th over, at a little over 50 runs made it into a very different match.

 

Mike Blerkom who was keeping at one point came down the wicket and had a word with me about my bowling, because I had changed it at some point around about the 6th over going from my usual stuttery 'Medium' run up to a Terry Jenner-esque 2 step approach to the crease. He said to go back to the medium version as it was faster and he reckoned it was a lot more effective. Which was interesting to hear as he's a good batsman and he plays me easily in the nets, so I'm taking that advice and I'm going to be working on a modified run up over the coming days.









 

So I finished up with 8-1-26-3, very similar to last week. A few wides and the no-ball five didn't help and if I'd not bowled those, I'd have had very respectable figures! Then if you consider the dropped catch and the LBW - that'd been a bit special. Very similar to last weeks game in those respects. 

Condovers + West Tilbury + Cricket + campsite

I'm still after information with regards the cricket pitch at Condovers campsite in West Tilbury, Essex. Double click on the image below for a larger image of it.




Ultimately, I'm after images of cricket either being played there or images of the ground, pavillion, teams that played there or scenic images shot there featuring the pitch. The best image would be of a game being played with the West Tilbury Church visible in the background shot by someone who was a bit handy with a camera (Black and white or colour).


I'm after information with regards who's home ground it was, what the team was called and their history. Ideally I'd like to be able to establish how long the pitch was there and whether its history is long and linked to the local community e.g. who's land it was and who leased it to the cricket team. If anyone has any anecdotal info about it please get in touch with me via the email address on this blog or email me direct at stupidaddress@hotmail.co.uk
8th Feb 2012

I stumbled upon some old photos of Langdon Hills cricket teams and discovered that in addition to the de-commissioned pitch opposite the Crown Pub at the top of the hill there, there was another probably older pitch heading S/E towards Horndon on the Hill. About 50 yeards along the High Rd, is the junction of Dry Street and on that corner there's a field currently with a beacon in it and a small car park. This rather rectangular field was in fact a cricket pitch in the 1950's and no doubt earlier.

Enthused by the Langdon Hills pitch No.3 find, I set out to look to see if there was any more info on the Condovers pitch and came across this entry in Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Tilbury and in the section on development and industry there's this note - Random surface destruction in the form of scattered gravel workings (‘ballast-holes’) either open or infilled, is evident in places, one of the 19th century quarries being now overgrown and serving as a pleasant scouting camp-ground. Which indicates that the cricket pitch is likely to be no older than around 100 years at the most? But, still no images and only one account by Allan Fullbrook at Thurrock Cricket Club (Formerly Grays and Chadwell Cricket Club) who prior to that were Tilbury CC and it was during that time I recall in the 196o's that Allan 'Fozzy' Fullbrook played at the ground. He remembers the pavillion, saying that it wasn't much more than two rooms to get changed in.


Cheers.
Check out my other blog here - this is all about Leg-spin bowling and nothing else. Double click on the image below.