Stoke Row Vs. Crown Wood
Date: 30th August 2008
Venue: Newlands Lane, Stoke Row.
Toss: Stoke Row won the toss and elected to bat
Result: Stoke Row (23) winning draw over Crown Wood (6)
Weather: Arguably the finest day of the summer. Hot throughout without any respite from the sun. A pleasant change from the beginning of August!
Highlights: ‘Il Maestro’ Macdonald’s captivating 122* and another decent knock from Titch Vickers. Crown Wood spinners Rob Crook (in particular) and Jay Jeyerajah bowled well. Also for Wood, stand-in captain Raz Rubbani’s excellent unbeaten 71. Young and Browne claimed braces for Row, Macdonald bowled immaculately, albeit unluckily, again.
Catering: Simply unbelievable. The days of Ashton and Boughton teas ruling the proverbial roost at Stoke Row are now in serious question – Marcus Lunnon and Sarah Walker produced an irresistible selection of sandwiches and cakes, with grapes, apple and a pair of pineapples providing additional fruity refreshment. Words cannot do it justice.
Report: Stoke Row’s final game of the 2008 FNG-BCL Premier Division ended with the Maharajas claiming a winning draw over visitors Crown Wood in a game where this season’s ‘batteur suprême’, Will Macdonald, again stamped his authority. After amassing 218-5, Wood salvaged a draw on the back of a battling innings from Raz Rubbani which ensured that they remained in sixth place.
On a glorious late summer’s day, Stoke Row captain Rich Ashton finally won a toss and elected to bat first on a pitch largely devoid of grass and with overhead conditions offering no possibility of swing. Opening batsman Vickers and Macdonald continued their highly impressive partnership by amassing a fifth half-century stand in just their eighth time initiating the innings together.
After again looking in the most fine of fettle it was a rush of blood which accounted for Vickers (ill-advisedly listening to his restless teammates) as he attempted to smash Crook into neighbouring Ipsden. Alas no contact was made other than that of the ball striking middle stump. Dismissed for 33, Vickers secured a return of 265 runs for the season, the third highest in the side, which proves to some degree the wisdom of promoting the keeper-batsman to the role of opener.
With a fine platform set, Stoke Row elected to send Sam Boughton in at number 3, and, although he entered in the face of some testing bowling from Crown Wood’s spinners, he began to settle reasonably well. At the other end, the untouchable Macdonald progressed serenely passed yet another half-century, and Stoke stood on 106-1 after 30 overs.
As they have done for the majority of the latter half of the season, Row’s ability to build these foundations, allied to their extensive batting line-ups, allowed another significant upping of the run rate. Despite Boughton falling to a fine catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary, Sam Fletcher demonstrated why he will be a huge asset to Stoke in the 2009 season with a breezy, yet technically sound 15. The Abingdon school opener will further bolster a powerful Maharajas middle order, and whilst he was dismissed sweeping Riyas Rajab, the sound impression he gave against Shinfield was further backed up on this occasion.
With George Baker falling cheaply for the second week in a row, it was left to Ashton and Macdonald to further the score towards acceptability. With the captain now beginning to settle into his new niche as a late-order finisher, he made a cameo 20 before running himself out.
Yet despite the efforts of all the Stoke Row batsman, it was at the other end that the true class again shone. Having been harshly treated during a Worcestershire trial earlier in the season, Will Macdonald has simply taken his game to heights that few would have previously believed possible. Whilst Sunday scores of 186, 158 and 146 provide outstanding highlights on any CV, it is, as they say, league cricket which truly matters. In truth, with the exception of a handful of players (Wheeler, Paul Vines and Sanders spring to mind), the 20 year old has proved a class apart even in the Premier Division. His unbeaten 122 took Macdonald to 694 runs for the season (at an average of 86.75), and should ensure he is in the hunt for various batting awards at The Calcot Hotel in late-October.
Having taken 112 off the last 15 overs, Stoke Row reached a defendable 218-5 from their 45 overs, and, as has become customary, took the old ball with MacDonald and Dion Sampson. Whilst perhaps not hitting the heights of the previous fortnight, the pair accounted for both Ninesh and Dixon in rapid order.
Taking the new ball at the culmination of the thirteenth over, it was once again the golden arm of Christopher Young who struck with his first delivery, the previously solid Thamindu Wedatlike flicking a low full toss straight to mid wicket. With Vickers standing up to the stumps, Browne’s wicket-to-wicket medium pacers proved effective as he trapped Rajab leg before and then had Crook superbly caught by Vickers. With Young bowling Clifton, Crown stood on 79-6 after 21 overs.
Yet the knowledge that third place could neither be improved upon nor reduced seemed to affect Stoke Row’s concentration, and, in conjunction with a partnership of skill and determination from Rubbani and Jeyerajah, the game meandered towards a draw. With the sun sapping the energy of batsman, bowlers and fielders alike, both sides would have been content to call an early halt to proceedings.
Utilising eight different bowlers, Stoke finally claimed a success through Fletcher’s first league scalp but, with this coming in the 41st over, it proved too little too late. Ashton, Baker and Hennessy (bowling in a league game for the first time ever!) gained respectable economy rates which are highly unlikely to ever be repeated, but full credit must go to Rubbani, who’s chanceless innings secured a worthy draw for Crown Wood. After 45 overs, the visitors concluded on 158-7.
And so the first season in the FNG-BCL Premier Division ended with Stoke Row claiming a highly creditable 3rd place. What is perhaps most interesting is that since the 14th June (the end of University), Row have acquired the highest average points of any Premier Division side, including Mortimer West End and Swindon NALGO (Stoke Row 220 / 8 – 27.5; Swindon 236 / 9 – 26.222; MWE 226 / 9 – 25.111) – if only they had not started the season so indifferently...or the weather hadn’t intervened with the potential return fixtures with the two table toppers!
Elsewhere in the league Mortimer West End claimed their maiden Premier Division crown by thrashing Woodcote by 9 wickets. Despite losing the corresponding fixture earlier in the season, Paul McGee’s 4-17 helped MWE blow away Woodcote for just 88, despite James Wheeler making 40. In reply, the champagne corks were popped as early as 6.30 p.m. when Jamie Stead and Jono Bray took West End to victory. The result also ensured that Woodcote slip back into Division 1 after a two year stint in the Premier Division.
This result would likely have been met with conflicting emotions at Memorial Park, Sandhurst, where, ultimately, the winners were the losers and the losers the winners. To clarify, Swindon NALGO beat Sandhurst by 4 wickets, yet, in the overall scheme of things Sandhurst would have been delighted to have avoided relegation, whilst Swindon’s victory would have been tempered by the knowledge that they finished as runners-up after a tremendous battle with Mortimer for the title.
In the other two games, Emmbrook, who headed into the final weekend in some danger of relegation, ensured that would not happen by beating Pinkneys Green by 6 wickets, a result which bumped them into 5th place in a hugely congested lower mid-table. Also, Peppard secured 4th place with a 152 run annihilation of Shinfield, for whom most of the 1st team regulars appeared in Division 4 playing for the 2nds. However, it was another fine day for the league’s all-time top wicket taker – Roy Hayden’s 7-36 securing him the best bowling performance for the month of August.
All that is left to be said, before a final review of the season next week, is congratulations Mortimer, commiserations Shinfield and Woodcote, and well done to all who played in a highly competitive (the champions 2 defeats came against the 2 relegated sides!!) and highly enjoyable season.
