Tuesday 19th August 2014
T20 Friendly
Stoke D’Abernon 156 for 5 (20 overs)
Claygate 83 for 8 (20 overs)
Stoke D’Abernon won by 73 runs
Scorecard : http://sdacc.play-cricket.com/view_results_details?id=12066731
Stoke scored a win over their friends from Claygate in their penultimate mid-week T20 fixture of the season. This match proved a more than useful work-out for those expected to compete for places in the weekend’s league sides, one of whom was Toby Tarrant who was making his first appearance for the club since last June.
James Trower took charge of the team and his negotiation skills were in good form as he secured an invite to bat first on losing the toss.
Will Thomson was also back in cricket mode after his World Tour and took strike with Ian Hopton. The pair scored quickly until a length ball from Webb spat off the surface at Hopton and ballooned to the keeper. Hopton’s cursory glare at his own pitch was a source of amusement to the crowd who gathered to take in the match and start Jack Raimondo’s birthday celebrations.
This brought Trower to the crease, and after nearly being cleaned up first ball, he got his feet moving and punished anything loose; one over from first change Connington containing four fours off successive balls.
Thomson, (23 from 21), mis-pulled W.Guyatt to mid-wicket, (47 for 2), but Trower and new arrival Alastair Curran kept the run-rate healthy with a partnership of 69 in just 8.1 overs; Trower retiring after reaching 53 from 33 balls faced with nine fours and nice straight six.
Curran was joined by Giacomo Gray who was his usual fluent self from the off. The pair added another 30 runs in just three overs before Curran, who hit 34 from 30 balls, holed out in the deep to Webb off Price attempting a repeat of his earlier six.
Having crossed, Gray then hit what seemed for all money to be a straight six into the sightscreen only for Vincent to make an incredible running one-handed grab over his head. Nico Spreeth negotiated the hat-trick ball, but was bowled by Thorpe for just a single in the next over.
Ben Holder and Billy Zander nurdled nine runs from the remaining ten deliveries to close the innings on 156 for 5. Now for the fielding effort…
Tarrant took the new ball and after a couple of looseners that drew ironic cheers from the home support, he found his range and bowled well; two fours from D.Walker ‘spoiling’ otherwise good figures.
At the other end Richie Parrett was his usual self, and struck first when he swung one through Ross’ defences.
Charlie Thomas and Holder were first and second change and did a good job against M.Walker and No.3 Cooper, the latter again showing what a decent find he has been for Claygate. Nice bloke, too.
Thomas bowled a good line and was rewarded when D.Walker hit him to Trower at mid-wicket. Soon after M.Walker was called through for a suicidal single, substitute Keegan Weideman effecting a simple run-out to the keeper. Weideman was on the field for Hopton, presumably this was contractual having been paid £5 to help with various groundsman’s chores earlier in the day.
Billy Zander was next into the attack and from the very first ball he bowled he moved Stoke from a position of strength into one of dominance.
Backward point is a crucial fielding position in T20, so quite how Parrett ended up there still remains a mystery, however he held on to a catch from Zander’s first ball to account for Thorpe who made what would be the innings’ highest score of 26.
Later in the same over Vincent hit to Gray, then in his next Price drove to mid-off where Curran showed safe hands. These last two batsmen would have been expected to make decent runs, but both departed for ducks leaving a long and youthful tail a near on impossible task.
Spreeth got some useful overs under his belt and found considerable, arguably too much, turn from the surface; but it was Zander who struck again when he bowled T.Guyatt to finish with career best figures of 3-0-10-4.
The closing overs were shared by Holder, Spreeth and Curran, the latter picking up the wicket of Webb who pulled a filthy full toss, (dew on the ball given as an excuse here), to Zander. Zander did well to see the ball out of the trees as the light deteriorated rapidly.
The innings closed tamely on 83 for 8, a total boosted by eight extras, and five penalty runs when a ball had hit the helmet behind keeper Thomson, the second time Stoke have conceded runs in this fashion in the space of a month.
Our thanks to Claygate for bringing a side over and we wish them well for the weekend – their 1st XI would secure promotion in their first season in the Fuller’s League with victory over Old Tiffinians. (http://claygatecc.play-cricket.com/league_table?id=10067674&season_id=72)
After club nets on Wednesday, Stoke make the short trip to Oxshott on Thursday to complete their T20 programme. Another purpose of these matches is to raise funds towards Stoke’s Clubhouse extension project. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by clicking here http://www.justgiving.com/sdacc/donate/
…or e-mailing stokecc@hotmail.com for more details.