And so to another day with no live cricket so we look back on the events on the field “On This Day” – 17th May.
Our first memory goes back to SPCL Division Two and the home game at Loperwood with local rivals Paultons in 2014. We were put into bat by the Paultons captain Stewart Magee and it looked to be a good decision as we crashed to 107-8. But opening batsman Mark Lavelle was still at the crease and he received solid support from Daniel Croft (8) in a stand of 31. Lavelle was last out for a 122-ball 48 as all seven of Paultons’ bowlers took a wicket with us bowled out for 141. There was no worry though as Lavelle’s 3-12 and Mike West with 3-22 plus singles for Croft, Maiden and Johnson ran through them for just 79 to record a 62-run success.
Unfortunately, in the reverse fixture for the respective 2s in County 3 South, an old boy was to be the key in Paultons’ three-wicket win. Calmore were put into bat and a 75-ball unbeaten 84 from number four in the order Paul Proudley was the main factor in our 158 all out as Paul Henry (20) and Jack Nicholson (18) the only batters to reach double figures. It was much the same story in Paultons’ reply with only Graham Pike’s 25 supporting their opening batsman – one Simon Ennew who led the chase with a 158-ball 92 not out. Tom Pattison (2-36), Keith Woodhall (2-16) and Paul Henry (2-29) taking the bulk of the wickets.
The 3s went to Sway 2s and an impressive all-round display from Michael Cook was not enough to see Marc Gilmore’s side to victory. Cook took 5-12 in Sway’s 212 all out with a couple of wickets each for Ryan Lomax and Callum Kitcher before he cracked 60 at the top of the reply but we were removed for just 168 – only Gilmore with 16 and Harry Morgan 18 keeping him company. And the 4s quite literally bowled out Totton & Eling 4s to win by 4 wickets. Nine of the dismissals in their innings were bowled as Jack Stuttard (3-15), Nathan Crowe (2-4) and ….. is this right ….. Stuart Bailey (2-0-2-3) – bowled them out for 84. Callum Stanton struck 50 not out as we lost six wickets getting them.
It was a Tuesday night in 2011 so Border League night and the Calmore B team travelled to Nomansland. This game saw a tentative return to the ground where he was carried off last season for Luke Gould but he loved it and with his fellow “Tuesday Night Bully” Tom Perry carted the hosts for 175-0 in 18 overs with Tom smacking 83 with five sixes and nine fours and Luke 73 with eight fours. Adam Hargreaves with 3-39, Tom Houlder 2-15 and Daniel Croft 2-11 ensured they didn’t get close, finishing 106-8.
In County One in 2008, Loperwood Park received Flamingo for a game hoping to rid themselves of the Lymington injustice the week before and we came up against a 16-year-old left-arm seamer (and his Dad!) who certainly made an impression. Put into bat, the visitors only made 162-7 in their 48 overs as James Rose (3-36) and Pete Clark (2-29) put the brakes on after Keith Woodhall’s 12-4-28-1. But the Flamingo’s opening bowler, one Steve Wright, returned figures of 12-3-36-3, including all of the top three Steve Dunn, Nick Coe and Nigel Hill. And his Dad, David, took 2-41 as well but Gordon Pritchard’s 38 and Tom Pegler, with a run-a-ball 42 not out took us to home by three wickets.
The 2s travelled to Bashley 3s in Regional One South and lost by 26 runs despite Paul Henry’s 5-35 and Steve Brandes 3-29 restricting the home side to 160 of which Ian Britton scored 82. Ben Perry with 41 was the only man to get to 20 as we stumbled to just 134-9 in reply.
There was a home game in the Southern League in 1997 against a strong Hambledon side but they were crushed by 8 wickets as Paul Draper became the third Calmore player to hit a half-century and take five wickets in an innings. The visitors were put into bat and Derek Kenway top scored with 46 and Mark le Clercq 22 helped them to 168-8 as they had little answer to the spin pairing of Draper (5-53) and Paul Whitaker (2-38). Whitaker went early in the chase but Draper (69*) and Rob Budd (66) put on 109 for the second wickets as we won with 10 overs to spare.
In Sunday Second XI action in 1992, we crushed Exbury by 183 runs. Mark Boston (64), Mike Durand (66) and skipper Paul Bowring (53*) lifted us to 230-4 before the bowlers got to work – Iain Bowring (2-9), Terry Walton (3-11), Stuart Hurn (2-8) and single wickets for Simon Ennew, Nigel Hill and Chris Hutchings removed the Gardeners for just 47!
Our final entry today was a game in 1981. Not just any game but a game to mark the official opening of Loperwood Park as a Calmore XI took on Peter Clark’s President’s XI which included former Hampshire players Jimmy Gray, Keith Wheatley, Bob Stephenson, Alan Castell, Bob Cottam and Derek Tulk. The match was drawn but that wasn’t important, the fact that years of hard work by so many people had finally come to fruition and we had our very own home ground to be proud of – and continue to be so, 39 years later.
