Thursday! Pressure continues to build on the powers that be to bring some cricket to the masses before it is too late. Cricket finally happened in Hampshire yesterday – between two teams of England players at the Ageas Bowl. You could smell cricket on the breeze! Until we can finally hear leather on willow, we just have to sit and wait and hope. Today is 2nd July and we start with a Calmore micro climate!
It was all a bit strange today in 2016. The 1s were at home to Bashley 2s in SPCL Division 2 and played just 15 overs where the visitors had reached 49-1 in 15 overs before rain abandoned the match with no further play. And the 3s match at home to Alderholt in Regional 2 West didn’t get going at all with the Old Ground under water. So, normally, that would be that for the references to 2016 … but that was not the case.
Because Paul Henry’s 2s went to Sway, just 12 miles away in the New Forest and played virtually a full game, save for six overs, and the 4s headed Salisbury way to play Laverstock and Ford but their game was shorter, not because of the weather, just because they were well beaten.
The home side chose to put us in in the 2s game and watched on as Michael Cook struck 54 and Callum Holloway 39. But we would lose three wickets without adding, going from 108-2 to 108-5 but Michael Donovan (23), Matt Taylor (16) and Allan Hurst (21) all made crucial runs as we reached 177-9. Sway, who we had not beaten for six years, were hit by Luke Johnson’s double (2-24) before Hall (53) and Steadman (47) steadied the ship. When both were knocked over by Liam Newton, on his way to 3-35, it stopped them in their tracks and when the rain came after 39 overs, they were 9 runs shy of where they needed to be.
There was no rain to worry about for the 4s game, they were done by the time it came! Our 10 men were bowled out for 96 which was a great recovery from 55-8 thanks to Ian McCrindle with 29 not out and Matthew Lysandrides making 13. Laverstock wasted little time, reaching the target in 14.1 overs with birthday boy Calum Bailey taking the only wicket on his 18th – caught by his Dad, Stuart! Aww nice!
This next result was 33 years in the making! We had not beaten Hursley Park in a first XI league game since 1978, losing 13 in a row to the men from the Quarters. But we finally did it in 2011 at Loperwood Park in SPCL Division 3 thanks to a trademark innings from captain Darren Vann and a blistering opening spell of bowling from Storm Anning. Anning crashed through the Hursley top order on his way to figures of 4-39 and aided by Paul Cass (2-35) and Allan Hurst (2-22) although there was some late resistance from keeper Howard Bailey (42) and Mohammed Abdurahman (25*) which improved their 114-8 to 173 all out. Mark Archer blasted 17 in 12 balls, he scored 17 of the 18 run opening stand with his captain. But it was Vann who dominated the 85 run partnership he had with Brenton Allan, who went for 11, and the 54 run stand with Tom Pegler, who batted 64 balls for his 14 not out. Vann was at his brutal best, 95 in 100 balls with 14 fours and two sixes and when he went, only 10 runs were needed and we would record a fine six wicket win which finally laid to rest our Hursley bogey.
There was another moment of ‘jug avoidance’ in the 2s game at Locks Heath 2s in County 4 South, which we would win with absolute ease by 131 runs but saw our innings feature the rather bizarre sight of SIX run outs! SIX! Steve Dunn batted for 155 balls for an excellent 95 before he was run out – what a surprise. Mark Hardy hit 34 and Ollie Tull 27 – both run out as we reached 219-9 in our 45 overs. All five of the bowlers got in amongst the wickets with Paul Henry’s 3-14 leading the way close behind being Daniel Croft with 2-19 and Steve Brandes 2-11 as they were bowled out for 88.
Both the 3s and the 4s suffered defeats in their local matches. The 3s lost to Paultons 3s by four wickets despite a great all-round effort from captain Kevin Gardner who hit 26 in our meek 95 all out and then returned remarkable figures of 10-8-11-4 as he reduced them to 31-6 before Calmore legend Michael Newman (18*) and George Minards (35*) guided them home. And the 4s went down by the same margin at Cadnam 3s in Regional 4 Central. Matt Taylor top scored with 18, Shawn Kitcher 15 and Keith Woodhall 14 but we would be rolled for 88. Cadnam would find themselves 47-5 against Mark Taylor’s 3-16 but they managed to get home without further slip.
It was mentioned previously about our atrocious record in 2005 and that we wouldn’t win another game after week two. But quite how we didn’t win this one is anyone’s guess! It is SPCL Division 2 at home to Hungerford for Paul Cass’ beleaguered side. We won the toss and elected to bat first and Simon Ennew (19) and Mark Boston (25) got us off to a good start. But we crashed from 40-0 to 110-7 as Jason Williams took 6-33. Pete Clark hit 42 and Darren Challis 27 showed some late resistance to lift us to a competitive 182 all out. And it was the skipper who sliced through the Hungerford batting line up with 4-30, including Hampshire batsman Julian Wood for 0. At 76-7, our second win of the season was in sight. Not so fast! South African overseas player Wessel Hartslief was joined by first innings destroyer Williams and they would add 92 for the eighth wicket – Hartslief closing 37 not out and Williams dismissed for 51 and they would knock off the remaining runs to win by two wickets.
Having slipped up seven days previously at home to BAT Sports in County One in 1994, we needed to get back to winning ways. We would do that with a thrashing of Wellow and Plaitford which would kick start Steve Brandes’ side to go through the remainder of the campaign undefeated. Tom Pegler and Stuart Bailey put together 147 for the fourth wicket which was the pillar of our 261-8 although all of the top eight made double figures but it was Bailey’s 73 and Pegler with 67 that led the way. Our five-pronged attack zipped through the hosts for just 143 with Longman top scoring with 23 as the spin triplets of Kevin Marshall (3-28), John Shepherd (3-38) and Paul Draper (1-8) complimented Graeme Lyon’s early 2-31 to give us a soaring 118 run success.
The 1s had a big win, the 2s squeezed home in a thriller thanks to a brilliant early and late spell of bowling from Sean Eckton and all-round skills from Mark Boston and Billy Sims. Put into bat, Jimmy Gill’s 27 led the early part of the innings before Boston (33) and Sims (30) joined forces to help us to a below par 141 all out. Eckton snapped the top of the Gosport reply and then the spinners Boston (3-35) and Sims (2-33) cut through the middle order but they were still making steady progress at 123-6, needing only 19 more to win. Eckton was recalled and he produced a devastating spell to complete figures of 5-42 and give us a four run win.
Ray Hurst’s 4s travelled to Hyde 3s and Rockbourne in New Forest 3 and we were indebted to an outstanding unbroken seventh wicket stand of 149 between Graham Kinchington and Neil Dennis. Hurst made 22 but it needed something special to rescue us from 84-6 and we got it from Kinchington, who went to 102 not out and Dennis’ undefeated 54 which drove us to 233-8. A couple of wickets each for Terry Walton and Adrian Goddard ran through the home side before Graham Phelps took 4-2 to sweep away the tail for just 97.
The all-rounder Dave Morgan. Yes, you read that correctly. It was a 3s game at home to Woodgreen in the New Forest League in 1988 and we were in a bit of trouble at 78-6 having been put into bat. We were saved by a pair of 41 not outs from Dean Faulkner and Dave Morgan which took us up to 152-6. Woodgreen made a positive start at 71-1 before Morgan took 3-34 and Sean Eckton 3-31 reduced the Foresters to 125-7 for us to wrap up a 27-run win despite Ray Mortimer’s 56 not out.
There does seem to be a theme running through today’s edition – late order resistance as it was in evidence once again in this County One game in 1983 at Longparish. The home side were cut to 59-6 before big hitting Bob Sturt smashed five fours and five sixes on his way to a salvaging 73 not out and with Jon Hibberd’s 19 eased them up to 160-7 as Tufty Taylor (3-34) and Steve Brandes (3-44) claimed the bowling honours. Skipper Billy Sims launched the innings with 65 but he received little support, save for Terry Chilcott’s 21, as we were dismissed for 140 with Cooper claiming 6-32 and Sturt 3-26.
We are going to close today with a friendly match from 60 years ago in 1960 against Maybush in Millbrook Secondary School and a century from a man who was Calmore Sports through and through, so much so that he was instrumental in the creation of Loperwood Park in the early 1980s and his sons are regular members of these On This Day editions. His passing in 1988 was felt throughout the club but his legacy, along with many others, remains every time we set foot on our hollowed home ground. On this day in 1960, John Newman who raise his bat in glory in making 111 not out with 15 fours and be the main stay of our 216-6 declared with Trevor Lawrence helping himself to 32. Maybush would be bowled out for 95 with Stan Piper taking 6-45 and Maurice Geary 4-14 doing the damage.
CALMORE SPORTS BIRTHDAYS:
1998 – Calum Bailey
