In the next of our feature, we look back at the events in Calmore Sports Club history ‘On This Day’ – May 6th. We are using our extensive CricketArchive records and the club statistical database to look back over the years.
A trip to the War Memorial Ground in Hungerford kicked off the Hampshire League County One season of 1989, a season under Steve Brandes that would ultimately end in the league championship and promotion to the Southern League. And this match in Berkshire marked the early intentions as we returned home with a 90-run success and 21 points.
Batting first, a typically brutal innings from Dominic Newman rescued us from 118-6 as his unbeaten 53 – containing four sixes – and Stuart Bailey (46) lifted the total to a competitive 196-8 after Robert Budd’s 37 earlier. Future Hampshire batsman Jason Laney top scored for the home side with 26 but they struggled against Newman (4-39), Darren Challis (3-23) and Steve Brandes (2-9) sending them crashing to just 106 all out.
It was also on this day in 2017 that the SPCL Division One season kicked off – a season that was to become the “are we safe yet?” season! Are we safe …. we won the league and it started with a 45-run home win over Hook and Newnham. Tam Goodrich’s 44 and Jack Rutter, playing his first match for the club after joining us from Melbourne-based Brighton CC, hitting 45. When Rutter took a smart catch to remove Ben Thane for 21 at 55-1, the visitors crashed to 144 all out – three wickets each for Rutter, West and Lavelle to clinch the opening day win.
It was 6th May 1995 which saw us return to the Southern League after a two-year absence and we received Gosport Borough to Loperwood Park for that opening contest and came through with the win by 40 runs. It was a dominant performance with Paul Draper hitting 78 and Rob Budd 38 before South African import Kurt Donaldson showed his class with 84* alongside Clive Surry’s 29, putting on an unbeaten 107 for the third wicket as we totalled 242-2. Despite a good start in reply from Banks (37) and Cunningham (60), Donaldson’s 4-37 and Kevin Marshall’s 2-37 kept Gosport to 202-9.
That same day in 1995, the 3s thrashed Amport 2s after we scored 241-5 in 42 overs – Trevor Hooker’s 67 and Nigel Hill’s 64 leading the way before Nigel’s 4-8 cleaned up the Amport tail after Tony O’Connor wheeled his way to 2-23, Dave Morgan 2-26 and Simon Ennew 2-25 snuffed out the home side for 119. And the 4s were down the ‘Eric’ playing Ordnance Survey 2s and being well beaten by 66 runs. Adrian Goddard (4-20) helped remove the mapmen for 134 but Stuart Hearn’s 20 was the only score of note as we were bowled out for 68.
In 2006, the 2s hosted Longparish and destroyed them by 107 runs, even though we only scored 161 all out with Gavin Hopgood (48) and Dave Wilson (47) leading the way before Paul Henry’s 4-15 coupled with Roy Walton (2-24), Darren Challis (2-8) and Steve Brandes (2-3) removed the former Southern League side for just 54.
The final league match to be featured in the 2017 3rd XI match at Wilton, which we won by a mammoth 164 runs. Mark Hardy with 74, Mike Cotton 35, Ollie Dennett 38 and Jack Nicholson 25 all contributed well to the 254-6 before Dennett, now a successful semi-professional footballer took 3-13 to join Sam Vidler (2-14) and Calum Bailey (2-18) in slaying the Carpetmen for just 95.
Away from league action, we welcomed Pylewell Park to Loperwood in 1990 for a Sunday 2nd XI friendly which ended in a draw but not before Keith Woodhall smashed the Foresters for a brilliant 101 (12 fours, 4 sixes) as we declared at 207-5 (B. Smith 36*, Graham Kinchington 25). Pylewell didn’t chase it down, settling at 107-6 in 38 overs with Bryn Pegler taking 2-31 with singles for Smith, John Ennew, Roy Walton and Mark Boston – even John Boston played!
Our home game with Paultons in County One and the 2s trip to Porton Camp in SW Two in 1978 both fell to waterlogged pitches as did the 2000 SPCL Division 1 opener at home to Bashley (Rydal) and the 2006 SPCL Division 3 game at Burridge started with us tumbling to 131-9 (Simon Ennew 32, Keith Woodhall 25) before the rains came and washed the game out.
