Category: Cricket

Farningham II 192-6 in 40 overs (Simon Evans 63, Richard Pleydell 47*, Owain Withers 3-0-17-2) lost to Speldhurst II 193-7 in 36.3 overs (Mark Flemington 36, James Greenidge 93, Kevin Cullern 7-0-25-2, Chris Scott 8-0-30-3) by 3 wickets.

The 2s were asked to field at a warm Farningham which made a change regarding the weather, and it quickly became clear why. The pitch was hard and flat, and wickets were hard to come by, especially if you drop five catches before the first drinks break!

The breakthrough came through a suicidal run out, and a retired “tired”. We did take some late wickets through Owain Withers but plaudits go to the middle-overs squeeze provided by ‘spin twins’ Mark Flemington and James Greenidge. Both bowled nine overs for 25 runs and this in my eyes won the match.

Batting came second and came easier. M Flemington and Ed Wesson opened proceedings, both looking good until Ed missed one. Mr Greenidge then came to the crease with the full weight of his name and heritage behind him. He did not disappoint! The highlight of his fabulous 93 being a flicked six into the pavilion – the lowlight was him being out with 6 still needed to win.

Despite a late collapse (of course) we got there. With overthrows! I was actually out there at the winning time and ended with 6 not out which included the over throws. Fiery Farningham were audibly disappointed – couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch…

Bidborough III 133-4 in 35 overs (Alex Latham 43*, Andrew Reid 42, Ben Harrison 8-0-33-2) beat Speldhurst II 122 in 33.3 overs (James Flemington 38, George Van Der Westhuizen 7.3-0-21-5, Ant Davis 8-3-17-2) by 11 runs.

Another Friday night monsoon made Bidborough’s second ground, Vizards, a damp affair and another reduced overs match. The decision to bowl first was looking good when we had the opposition 3 wickets down with not many runs on the board, for perhaps the fourth time this season. It was a shame therefore, that we didn’t take another wicket until the penultimate over, again, for perhaps the fourth time this season.

A sharp, controlled opening 8 overs from Siraj Deane was the highlight with a very sharp run-out from Owen Fowler.

The batting looked good for a while without ever getting ahead of the rate. A short double-Flemington partnership provided mid-innings stability, but after that partnership was broken wickets fell at alarmingly regular intervals.

A youthful stand between Arthur Plunkett and Sam Mercer gave hope and, with 25 needed from 5 overs, only wickets stood between us and victory. In the end wickets won, and we fell 11 runs short.

A bright 21 from young Plunkett included the biggest six anyone on the team had ever seen, and upon measurement we confirmed it would have indeed been six at every single cricket ground on the planet. At least the football is coming home!

This result leaves the 2s level on points with our opponents in 7th place.

I finally managed to get my first run for Speldhurst, with a push into the covers, but that was the only run as I was last out in a game we should have won.

Sissinghurst II 171-7 in 40 overs (Michael Winner 55, Peter Smith 65, Ben Harrison 9-1-40-2, James Roche 9-3-15-3, James Flemington 9-0-32-2) lost to Speldhurst II 172-5 in 36.1 overs (James Flemington 76* Ben Harrison 40*, Charlie Streeten 7.1-1-33-2) by 5 wickets.

The weather was set fair, if the pitch and outfield a little soft and slow! Sissinghurst batted first and were 60-3 from 15 overs, with James ‘Junior’ Roche (3-15 from 9 overs) in particular being very economical.

Overs 20-35 were average in the field, but, despite some terrible mathematics from the skipper, we recovered well, restricting the opposition to 171 from the 40. Young Will Plunkett bowled very well under pressure, but still we wait for 10 opposition wickets!

In response, a celebrity appearance from Francis Booth lasted 21 balls with bat in hand. Unfortunately, no runs were scored! Junior Roche also failed to score, with considerably less time at the crease.
When Iqbal also departed we were 26-3 and looking precarious, but James Flemington had other ideas. Small partnerships with Nick Fowler and father Mark got us closer, but still 105 runs away.

It wasn’t until he was joined by his skipper that JFlem cut loose. Two very large 6s and a number of one-bounce 4s catapulted us to what had at one time seemed a very unlikely win by five wickets, with nearly four overs left. James finished unbeaten on 76 (65 balls) with skipper ‘Happy’ Harrison on 40 (46 balls).

Due to the good partnerships, I wasn’t required to bat and enjoyed my first victory with the club.