Abberley Hall Sports News

1st XI (away) Abberley 83 for 9, Dean Close 84 for 4 - Lost by 6 wkts

You can always tell the start of a cricket season at Abberley. Boys look longingly at their new pieces of willow, the weather is a little damp and the 1st XI have lost their top order in their first game before the sandwiches for tea have even been buttered ! The team looked promising on paper but proved a disappointment on grass. Having been put in at Dean Close we had subsided to 25-6 after a mere 9 overs. Fortunately Jack , assisted by Wiil F and Will C heeded my pre-match advice and manged to nudge our score up to 83-9 off our 30 overs. That was never likely to be enough, though Alex and Tom bowled some lovely spin to threaten the Dean Close batsmen assisted by a miserly Max. However 3 sharp catches were dropped and Dean Close batted with their brains, something several Abberley players had not done. We took 4 wickets and bowled 24 overs at the opposition. After 2 wickets in an over from Tom, there had been a glimmer of hope of a surprise but ultimately Dean Close played the smarter cricket all afternoon and deserved their win.

Not quite a St.George’s Day epic (no dragons slain by mighty sword on this occasion) but an interesting match all the same. Dean Close batted first and were at one point 36 for 7 after some tidy bowling from Nick B. and James A. Hugo S. and Ali W. got some wickets but unfortunately for us Dean Close were able to punish the bad ball and so we ‘bought’ the last three wickets for 43 runs! Ouch! Expensive!

Abberley’s fielding was tidy and a number of good catches were made. Although the pitch was tricky to bat on, the Dean Close total was not huge but we had to apply ourselves and be patient. We were at times too patient and needed to belt the bad ball. However first match nerves seemed to inhibit natural flair and we tended to prod about allowing the bowlers to gain the initiative. Nevertheless, Nick B. began to play some pleasant shots but was out to a superb catch. Fergus B. stuck around, Will P. belted a few and Alex P. was busy at the crease for a short while. Dean Close were worthy winners: they bowled tightly and their batting was more affective in the circumstances.

A good first game: the sun shone, the breeze was gentle and all the boys were involved.

We could hardly believe it when we got off the coach at Dean Close in Cheltenham - a glorious day, brilliant sunshine, a gentle breeze, a perfect day for the start of the cricket season (perhaps may sacrifices to the sun gods had been rewarded!).

We were put in to bat first and made a steady but understandably nervous start to the innings. Our opening batsmen did well to fend off their opening bowlers, but we then lost a couple of quick wickets in succession. Fortunately Peter and William did not panic and played sensibly, striking the ball well and scoring freely – at the half way stage the run total was accumulating nicely. Sadly we then had a bit of a mid order crisis loosing 4 wickets for a handful of runs. Enter the performers of the day Charlie and Freddie who managed to bat out the remaining overs (with a little help of some poor bowling) and scramble a last wicket partnership of 36 giving us a respectable total of 98 for 8 from our 25 overs.

In reply we bowled reasonably tidily but the opposition were well drilled in scoring quick singles to our fielders. We took five good wickets but we were unable to dismiss their opening star batsman, who batted throughout their innings and was the foundation of their run total. They surpassed our total with three overs to spare.

We were put into bat and lost two early wickets against accurate pace. Partnerships then began to build and we only lost one more wicket. Two fine knocks by Dell (65 not out) and H.Hickman (38 not out)resulted in a total score of 148 for 3 wickets. Our opponents got off to a good start but could not keep up with the run rate. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals and Dean Close ended up 115 for 9 wickets. Godfrey best of the bowlers.

The grass was green, the air was crisp and the sun was a shining. Just the sort of weather for cricket! The game started well for Abberley with Tom.W. taking a wicket in the very first over. The wickets came fairly quickly with George.B and Tom pinning Dean Close back to 13 for 5 at one stage. However the middle order fought back and established a mini revival. However the bowling attack worked well with everyone recording at least one wicket. Best figures were Robbie C. with 7 for 2. The batsmen also worked well and there was some impressive running from Robbie and Max.W. However this was a good all round effort from the team, particularly in the field.