Woodcote Vs. Stoke Row
Date: 23rd August 2008
Venue: The Recreation Ground, Woodcote
Toss: Woodcote won the toss and elected to bowl
Result: Stoke Row won by 115 runs
Weather: Miraculously, the sun shone throughout the afternoon for the first time since July. Whilst it became a tad chilly when the overhead cloud covered the sun, it was generally warm.
Highlights: Sam Boughton’s hard-hitting 73 (including 5 sixes), a pair of decent starts from the Stoke Row openers Vickers and Macdonald, and some lusty striking from Ashton, Howell and Young in the closing overs. Spinners Macdonald and Sampson again excelled, taking 9-61 between them. For Woodcote, Knox and Wheeler bowled well, whilst that duo, plus Jezz Mayo, all made starts with the bat.
Catering: Following last week’s fine cuisine, Woodcote provided a simpler, yet equally fulfilling spread. The ‘old reliables’ of cheese and ham and lettuce sandwiches went down a treat, whilst the excess Tangy Cheese Doritos were disposed of by human hoover J. Wheeler Esq. when he indulged in a spot of post-dismissal comfort eating.
Report: Stoke Row turned in their finest performance of the season to ensure local bragging rights were secured as they thumped local rivals Woodcote by 115 runs. Having amassed an above-par 225-7, Stoke then dismissed the hosts for just 110 to leave their opponents in the relegation zone with just one game remaining.
Having won the toss, Woodcote captain Sam Peates elected to bowl first on what appeared a decent looking track, albeit one with a tinge of green smattering the surface. With many famous faces from the annals of Stoke Row’s recent history in attendance, most notably Scott Arlett and Les Clark, the Maharajas were keen to put on a show.
Whilst Titch Vickers has suffered something of a slump since his sparkling early season form, he immediately proved the veracity of the enduring phrase ‘form is temporary, class permanent’, by returning to his irresistible best. As a naturally attacking player, Stoke’s wicket-keeper batsman provides a perfect accomplice to the more solid and obdurate Will Macdonald. Despite Paul Knox and James Wheeler passing the outside edge on occasion, a barrage of fine cuts, cover drives and whips through mid-wicket helped the visitors to gain the early ascendancy as they moved to 46-0 after 10 overs.
Alas, Knox is nothing if not an extremely canny bowler, and he out-foxed Vickers with a ball which swung in late. Having bowled a succession of away swingers previously, this was bowling of the highest order. However, Vickers’ quick-fire 34 had acted as the catalyst for Stoke’s early assault. Yet when Oliver Nowell fell shortly afterwards, trapped L.B.W. by Knox, Woodcote had wrested back the initiative as Stoke Row lay on 53-2.
Whilst this was an undoubted setback for Stoke Row, they possess, in Macdonald (aged 20) and Boughton (21), two of the brightest young stars in the FNG-BCL. Both have enjoyed superb debut seasons at the highest level, and they again amassed a partnership of great maturity. Boughton displayed his customary power to full effect, whilst Macdonald was just beginning to motor when harshly adjudicated L.B.W. when it appeared he was some distance outside the line of off stump.
The ebb and flow nature of a fascinating contest continued as the decision to promote George Baker to number 5 failed to provide the desired results for Stoke Row. After he was quickly cleaned up by the returning Wheeler, Hennessy then slapped a Steve Henderson long hop straight to Mike Higley at mid-off, and Row were teetering on 126-5 after 32 overs.
Fortunately for the Maharajas, they undoubtedly ‘bat deep’. Whilst Rich Ashton has experienced a trying time in 2008, last year’s Division 2 second top run scorer is not a bad player to have come in at number 7. With Boughton registering his third fifty of the season after striking another monstrous maximum, the duo combined to add 52 in a little over 7 overs before the aforementioned was unluckily adjudged caught behind.
The returning Nick Howell appeared shaky at first, and was certainly fortunate to survive a compelling leg before shout first ball, but he began to progress and struck some fine shots. After Ashton was well caught at long on by Scott Allaway, for an important 26, Christopher Young came to the crease.
Having hit a stunning 40 against the same opposition in a friendly six days earlier, whereby Row salvaged victory by 1 wicket (going from 71-9 to 121-9 in the process), Young was clearly less than impressed to be languishing in the lower reaches of the order. Blasting 20 from just 7 deliveries, he combined with Howell to add 34 in the last 3 overs. Totalling 225-7 from their 45 overs, Stoke were possibly around 20 above par.
Nonetheless as the Premier Division knows, any score can be made to look paltry if James Wheeler fires. Opening with Knox, last season’s ‘Batsman of the Year’ appeared in the finest of fettle. Whilst Macdonald and Dion Sampson proved relatively economical at the outset of Woodcote’s reply, they did not initially appear threatening, not with standing a Knox edge which went past slip’s out stretched hand from Sampson. Yet in the tenth over the Protea had his man, a superb delivery clipping the off bail and reducing the hosts to 37-1.
Yet Wheeler continued to look imperious, a brace of trademark straight drives leaving Stoke Row perturbed. However, the thirteenth over of the game proved decisive - Macdonald, who’s bowling has improved beyond all recognition this season, dismissed both Wheeler and Higley in the space of 5 balls. Firstly Wheeler was bowled by a ball which spun sharply through bat and pad before Higley was fooled partially by a quicker ball but perhaps more so by the pitch – the ball kept extremely low – and Woodcote languished on 52-3.
The redoubtable Mayo was accompanied by Henderson in providing resistance against a complete collapse, though the latter in particular struggled with some fine new ball bowling by Howell and Marcus Lunnon. Once again, though, it was ‘golden-arm’ Young who struck, dismissing Henderson caught and bowled to further pressurise Woodcote.
But alongside Mayo, the experienced Pete Roberts again demonstrated his fighting nature by nullifying the aforementioned trio, as well as diffusing a short spell from Boughton. At the thirty over mark, Woodcote stood on 80-4, a far cry from victory, but also a far cry from defeat. Stoke Row found themselves in a position similar to the one they had encountered the preceding week against Emmbrook.
However, as they have done all season, the spin twins Macdonald and Sampson rose to the task. In three consecutive overs, the South African had Roberts leg before, bowled Mayo with a delivery even superior to that which had bamboozled Knox, and had Ross Brown stumped by the Scotsman’s Oratory colleague Vickers. At the opposite end, Macdonald had Allaway caught at short mid off to a shot which an only be described as being somewhat irresponsible. Woodcote were 102-8.
Although Grant Mottram and Stuart Higley battled bravely, the threat of Stoke Row’s spinners was too great (they have now taken 50 wickets at 13.42). Higley was unlucky to be given leg before to a ball which, whilst hitting the stumps, may have pitched outside leg, thus giving Sampson a second five-wicket haul of the season. There was far less doubt about the final wicket, though, as Mottram was clean bowled by Macdonald to secure a resounding triumph for the visiting Row.
In other results, the title showdown between Swindon NALGO and visitors Mortimer West End fizzled out into a tame draw, which suits MWE considerably more than Swindon. Having been dismissed for 172 (Nick Bielby claiming 5-29), Usman Sahar further upped his wicket tally to 43 for the season as Mortimer closed on 156-6. Jamie Stead’s unbeaten 56 proved vital for West End who keep their title assault firmly in their own hands.
Elsewhere Peppard were bolstered by a maiden century from young Dan Hayden as they racked up a new seasonal high score of 301-9. In reply, Pinkneys Green played steadily in amassing 142-5 on what one must assume was a lifeless track. Thus Peppard look set for a fourth placed finish, whilst Pinkneys may have to settle for fifth.
Most interesting, however, were the developments in the lower half of the table. Kamran Nassir (99 and 3-19) was the lead figure in a quite staggering 163 run victory by Crown Wood over Sandhurst which lifted them from 8th to 6th and, in all probability, survival for another year. Sandhurst drop to 7th, but far from safety. Lastly, Emmbrook moved out of the drop zone with an emphatic seven wicket triumph over Shinfield who are now officially doomed.
All in all, next week’s fixtures appear highly intriguing in a season where the league has proved highly unpredictable. Mortimer West End will have the opportunity to claim a maiden Premier Division crown should they beat Woodcote. Such a result would mean Woodcote would almost certainly fall into Division 1. If Woodcote claim an unlikely win, then a Swindon NALGO victory over Sandhurst would result in them claiming the title, and Sandhurst possibly falling through the trap door.
Crown Wood (who travel to Stoke Row) could still go down, as could Emmbrook, who will be keen to gain victory over a Pinkneys Green side who have very little to play for. Peppard travel to Shinfield, but that is another game which has very little riding on it.
Oh what a weekend it will be!
