THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!
- - - 2009 MATCH REPORTS & STATS - - -
Sunday 5th June 2009, Touring Theatres a) :
Windlesham team news:
Notty makes his first appearance of the 2009 season. DJ Wittzy and Spenza ruled out because neither have returned home in time from University because of crucial exams.
Match conditions:
n/a
DJ Wittzy's match report:
Notty got his season off to a solid, if unspectacular, start by scoring a rare run with the bat before "playing a silly shot" to get out. Now where have we heard/seen that before? Anyway that single was enough to help the 'Sham earn a draw and get the season up and running.
Score Summary:
Windlesham: -
Touring Theatres: -
MATCH RESULT: Match DRAWN
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 1
How out: Bowled
Position: No ?
Bowling:
Bowling figures: DID NOT BOWL
Sunday 21st June 2009, Club/Invitational XI h) :
Windlesham team news:
The home side are boosted as DJ Wittzy returns, and Notty retains his place in the side, which sees Jack's debut as captain. Spenza again ruled out.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, dry
Outfield - slow
Overhead - sunny and cloudy spells, warm
DJ Wittzy's match report:
The DJ's first game of the season saw the traditional Club day take place on a gorgeously warm day. Jack captained the current side for the very first time ...and made a bad start by losing the toss, meaning we were put into bat. The DJ, sporting a brand new pair of batting gloves (although still without my own bat and pads), was straight into the thick of the action as myself and Sam opened the innings in this 35-over contest. Notty was at Number 3. We (or rather Sam) made a promising start as he blasted four boundaries in the opening two overs while I was happily standing at the non-strikers end with a single to my name. However 17 for none off 2 soon became 34 for 4 after 6 overs in true Windlesham style. Sam was first out, before Notty again decided he didn't want to form a partnership with me, having lasted just 3 balls before being bowled through an enormous gap between bat and pad. His punishment for that duck was to collect the boundary markers at the end of the game, and deservedly so. Nick came in at 4 and looked in well, good... nick, hitting a couple of easy boundaries in similar fashion to Sam. Unfortunately he got a dodgy bounce which looped up kindly off the face of the bat to give the bowler a return catch and then I fell, having nurdled a few singles and a double when I was beaten for pace by their left-arm seamer. Jack came in and played a captain's innings and we reached the drinks break after 20 overs with only one further loss at 79 for 5. But that was our undoing as we lost a wicket first ball after the intveral, and Jack departed for 22 to leave us seven down. Ben and regular captain Alex mustered some crucial late runs between them to ensure our 12-man batting line-up reached 137 in the 33rd over before the final wicket fell. Colin and Sham began the reply with the ball and we got off to a good start to pull ourselves back into the game, the Club XI reaching 51 for 3 after 12 overs. That included a little DJ Wittzy cameo spell of 0-11 from 3 overs, as my 2-year wait for a wicket continued, whilst the introduction of Notty gave us a further unexpected boost, when his suprisingly rare accurate bowling was rewarded with 2 wickets, both of them bowled off stump. Unfortunately, and rather typically, Notty's impressive figures of 1.1-0-1-2 were ruined by the return of "hopeless Notty" when he lost all that early accuracy and conceded a couple of boundaries and several wides. My advice to Notty prior to the start of his spell to "bowl it on the strip" had paid dividends, at least until his 4th over when things went slightly pear-shaped. If Notty's bowling was good, his fielding wasn't quite up to that standard. He denied me a wicket when he dropped a catch off my bowling, and then rather more comically, let the ball bounce over his head when standing on the boundary. Had he been on a step-ladder, or instead simply just decided to jump, he would have saved our side 3 crucial runs. As it was, the Club side appeared to be getting away from us, until a double burst from Sham, who took identical caught-and-bowled chances in consecutive deliveries at the end of his allotted 5 overs, hauled us back into contention at 117 for 8. Some tight bowling by Nick meant it went down to the final over, to be bowled by myself, with 2 runs needed off 6 deliveries and 1 wicket for us to win it. Unfortunately, I had tired and lost all my earlier rhythm and it was the Club XI who nicked the game with just two balls left by the narrowest of margins. So another competitive showing by the Windlesham boys, but we were just edged out by our more experienced peers.
Score Summary:
TOSS: Club/Invitational XI
Windlesham: 137 all out (33 overs)
Club/Invitational XI: 138-9 (34.4 overs)
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 1 wicket
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 6
Balls faced: 14
How out: Bowled
Position: No 2
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 3.4-0-13-0
Catches taken: 0
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 0
How Out: Bowled
Position: No 3
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 5-0-26-2 (2 bowled)
Catches taken: 0 (1 dropped)
Sunday 19th July 2009, Touring Theatres h) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy returns to the Windlesham fold after a month's absence; Notty misses out as he is watching England rape the Aussies at Lord's. Alex captains a nine-man team.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, slightly damp, green & bouncy
Outfield - slow
Overhead - changeable, sunny and rainy spells
DJ Wittzy's match report:
Windlesham received a major boost in the build-up to this match with the welcome news that not only was DJ Wittzy returning to the side, but also that Notty was unavailable, and this probably contributed to the side's first win of the season. In this 30-over 9-a-side contest it was the hosts who batted first, and they got off to splendid start thanks to Martin and Jack, who found the boundary on several occasions. In the unfamiliar, but very advantageous, position of being 61 for 0 after ten overs, 200 was looking a distinct possibility. That was until Martin was the first to perish for a useful 39, bowled by the Touring Theatres spinner having being tempted to come down the track and hit him over the top. Unfortunately the usual Windlesham collapse wasn't far away. Having being dismissed for just 70 the previous week at Oakley, the hosts found themselves 77 for 5 just a few overs later. Jack went for a very handy 38 - before being adjudged lbw by umpire Wittzy (this time it was definitely out, unlike last year's decision... ). Andrew followed for a seven-ball duck, then Peter (3) and Harry (2) joined him back in the pavilion shortly after. Fortunately Nick, who reached a superb fifty, and captain Alex helped get things back on track with a crucial mid-innings partnership, helped by three dropped catches, which took the score past 150. When Alex retired out on 29, DJ Wittzy entered the crease to try and grab some valuable late runs (not easy as I'm notorious for my ultra-defensive innings on occasions). But I mustered a couple of runs whilst Nick departed and then Sam was bowled middle stump without scoring to conclude the innings on 189, a more than respectable total. Those two runs were enough to take me past 200 career runs, a jolly good effort, though not particularly prolific. Rich, who hadn't been present in our batting line-up, opened the bowling with Jack. Despite some good fast bowling (and little bit of spin) from Rich, it was Jack who made the breakthrough with his very first ball, nicked behind to stand-in wicketkeeper Nick. Jack picked up another wicket in his 2nd over, bowling their batsman off his pad, and was unlucky not to have made further inroads having drawn the edge on more than one occasion. After our good start with the ball, the Touring Theatres had slipped well behind the required run rate. William, however, gave them hope with a magnificent innings of 70 but the asking rate had exceeded ten runs per over by this time. I had a little cameo spell with the ball but still could not pick up a wicket; my figures of 0-30 off 4 overs looks expensive but I felt I bowled reasonably well, although again a couple of deliveries somehow got through but missed the stumps. Meanwhile Peter and Harry, who removed the dangerous William, chipped in with important wickets and a couple of run-outs to all but condemn the visitors to defeat. I put down a chance diving forward which just spilled out of my hands as I hit the turf, but Harry notched a wicket the very next ball and in the end we were victorious by a very comfortable 38-run margin, having bowled and fielded very well as a team.
Score Summary:
Windlesham: 189 for 8 (all out) (29.5 overs)
Touring Theatres: 151 for 7 (30 overs)
MATCH RESULT: WIN by 38 runs
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 2
Balls faced: 4
How out: NOT OUT
Position: No 8
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 4-0-30-0
Catches taken: 0
Sunday 2nd August 2009, Badshot Lea a) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy retains his place whilst Notty makes an (un)welcome return. Alex misses out so Rich Ellison captains the side.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, dry, bouncy, green
Outfield - average
Overhead - sunny and cloudy spells
DJ Wittzy's match report:
Windlesham, still basking in the glory of beating Touring Theatres two weeks ago to record their first win, headed up to Badshot Lea hopeful of a repeat performance. Unfortunately Notty was playing again so even before the game our hopes were dashed. We bowled first at the scene of Notty's infamous and calamitous run-out which had cost the team a valuable draw a couple of seasons ago. And opening pair Jack and Pete made a miserly start, restricting the hosts to a run-rate of less than 3 per over early on. The pressure from our good start eventually paved the way for three wickets in three consecutive overs as the home side slumped to 21 for 3 in the 9th over, with Jack notching a couple of wickets and Pete one, before he hobbled off with a slight injury mid-way through an over. Sadly for the visitors, we could not continue our fine early work, and Pete's replacement was less competent - Notty. His four balls cost eleven runs and the home side hauled themselves firmly back into contention. Luckily that was the last we saw of Notty's bowling, but after Laurence and Harry couldn't break the stubborn and dangerous 4th-wicket partnership it was Raver Express time. Yes, DJ Wittzy was introduced into the attack. By drinks, 21 for 3 in the 9th over had become 108 for 3 after 20. Unfortunately my inconsistent bowling was punished also and not even the mystery ball could work in my favour. Not that I was helped by some useless fielding from Notty on the legside boundary; having come across to cut out a potential 4, he somehow knocked the ball over the ropes to further ruin my already expensive figures. Notty was shipped out to the isolated cover boundary slot where he couldn't possibly hamper the Windlesham effort further. But eventually my 2-year long wait for a wicket was over when the Badshot Lea number 4 batsman sliced one to point, where finally Windlesham held one of their catches. I could have had another wicket next over as well, but Ben dropped a reasonably straightforward chance. A couple more chances went down as a slightly demoralised Windlesham were given the run around late on by some huge hitting which boosted the hosts' score to over 200. After their allotted 40 overs, Badshot Lea had posted a rather daunting 238, at 6 runs per over. But Notty's spirit was boosted at the innings break by Badshot Lea's wonderful teas which he had become such a big admirer of. However we needed more than a good tea to get us to victory - an aggressive start with the bat was required. Unfortunately Notty opening the batting was not the answer... but with the more reliable Ben at the other end we had hope of an outside chance of victory. Things looked bleak when Notty's first few balls saw him play and miss, and then swipe at thin air. But incredibly he connected with one - a full toss - swept beautifully to the square leg boundary. In that one shot Notty had reached his highest score of the 2009 season (not really that hard when you consider that Notty had accumulated just one run all season...). Anyway, the Windlesham opening pair looked fairly comfortable, every now and then finding the boundary rope. And more suprisingly it was Notty doing most of the hitting, having played a couple more sweep-shots to the legside boundary he had done something only achieved once before in his not-very-illustrious village cricket career - make double figures! Sadly he didn't hang around for much longer as he played over a dead straight delivery which clipped the top of his middle stump. The two Bens came together and both reached double figures but when both departed, we were 50 for 3. Captain Rich came in and made 11 before he was caught in the slips as the game was appearing to drift further away from us. However Ajoy and Andrew put on a splendid stand to guide the score past 100, with the former reaching his fifty in no time at all. Having taken the total to 145, the asking run-rate was hovering around 8 an over. But in one disastrous over both were dismissed and with defensive DJ Wittzy coming to the crease it was asking a lot to reach our target. Inevitably I got bogged down with the bowling and Jack (6) and then Laurence (6), who played a fantastic pull shot for 6 before being run out in a mix-up with myself, departed to leave us staring defeat in the face. Although technically it was Notty's fault that Laurence was run out and not mine, as Umpire Nott gave him out. Anyway my pedestrian 3 runs was followed by a considerably more aggressive unbeaten 14 from Pete and a 4 from Harry before the innings was wrapped up. My solid 3 was infact the lowest score of the Windlesham innings, just to demonstrate what a good team effort our batting total was, and I was also the only one not to score a boundary - that's quite humiliating as even Notty surpassed me this time.
Score Summary:
Badshot Lea: 238 for 5 (40 overs)
Windlesham: 178 all out (39 overs)
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 60 runs
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 3
Balls faced: 18
How out: Bowled
Position: No 8
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 6-0-45-1 (1 caught)
Catches taken: 0
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 12
How Out: Bowled
Position: No 2
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 0.4-0-11-0
Catches taken: 0
Sunday 9th August 2009, Catliffe Way h) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy and Notty retain their places in the Windlesham XI, whilst last week's captain Rich Ellison misses out and Alex is also unavailable so for some reason Notty is given the captaincy in this first-ever meeting between the two sides.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, dry, some uneven bounce
Outfield - average
Overhead - warm, sunny
DJ Wittzy's match report:
Notty was unexpectedly given the reins by Alex and got his captaincy off to a poor start by losing the toss. Unfortunately that was not the only thing he lost. However despite having to field first, the home side got off to another great start, when Pete's second (first legitimate) ball forced the Catliffe opener to edge behind to Ray in the second over. Sham, our other opening bowler, bowled brilliantly, turning their batsmen inside out, but was extremely unfortunately not to pick up a wicket. Indeed, it was Pete who made the second breakthrough, which came after three successive wides, but the visitors were now 19 for 2 in the 8th over. Notty was obviously doing something right - all those hours of playing Cricket Captain 2002 on easy mode had clearly helped his captaincy skills (shame it didn't do anything for his batting, bowling or fielding). After Pete's little cameo with the ball, Jack was introduced into the attack and continued his good form with the ball by taking wicket number three, helped by a good catch from those safe pair of hands belonging to DJ Wittzy. Notty tried to claim undue credit for that by strategically placing me at mid-on. And Jack followed that up with two more wickets in quick succession as the visitors slid to 54 for 5. Windlesham were on fire, although the sixth-wicket pair for Catliffe managed to fight back by drinks with an unbroken stand of 41. However, 95 for 5 after 19 overs was a good effort from the home side. And it appeared the drinks break had done the trick as far as we were concerned, as the partnership was broken almost immediately, with Jack going on to claim a fantastic 5-fer and the Burlinson brothers combining to dazzling effect as Sam took a blinder of a catch off Harry's bowling. Catliffe had slumped to 117 for 9, but their last pair boosted the mediocre total by smashing several boundaries before Sham claimed the final wicket (his second) as the away side were skittled for 158 in the 31st over. Windlesham had fielded brilliantly and held all their chances (unlike the previous week) although that last-wicket stand meant it was going to be a close contest. After his 12 last week in the opener's role, Notty again opened this time with Martin. Unfortunately, the proof that lightning doesn't strike twice was evident as Notty fell for a 12-ball duck, after playing that infamous and equally useless cut-shot across the line which saw him bowled out. Before that, though, Martin had departed for just 2, and then immediately after Notty went, Sam followed for a duck. At 12 for 3, DJ "Geoffrey Boycott" Wittzy entered the crease with plenty of work to be done. This was an ideal situation for me to dig and hang around for about 50 balls without scoring a run. But strangely that didn't happen. It was Ben at the other end who was blocking and leaving, whilst I had accumulated three boundaries in one over off their spinner as I had raced to 14 in no time at all. After running a couple of byes their wicketkeeper (who wasn't afraid to chirp in the batsman's ear) said to me "those aren't your runs." I duly hit the next ball for four and said to him "yes but those are mine." 1-0 to DJ Wittzy I thought to myself. But it didn't stop there. Oh no. Having got my eye in quickly, I was flashing the blade at everything. Unfortunately Ben departed for 1 when he was bowled through the gate, but our partnership of 30 had hauled Windlesham back into contention. Sham joined me at the crease. Having reached my joint-highest score of 26 I then tried to pull a ball which was too full and saw my stumps splattered in similar fashion to the week before, which was annoying. I was enjoying the experience of actually hitting the ball and getting some runs, but had become too overconfident. Nevertheless I had turned from DJ "Geoffrey Boycott" Wittzy to DJ "Freddie" Wittzy in just 38 balls. Pete then departed for a golden duck and we were soon 72 for 7. Luckily Ray was still there and made 26 of his own before Umpire Wittzy gave him out to a controversial lbw which might have been missing leg stump... oops. That was actually Notty's fault for making me umpire, abusing his power as captain clearly. That wicket pretty much ended hopes of a Windlesham win with just 9 overs left to hold on for a draw. Unfortunately Jack saw his off stump flattened before Harry skied a pull shot to conclude our innings 40 runs short of our victory target. So Notty's first game as skipper ended in defeat but we bowled well, although we batted like nine Nottys with the exception of the DJ and Ray joint-top scoring with runs off the bat (there were 43 extras!).
Score Summary:
Catliffe Way: 158 all out (30.2 overs)
Windlesham: 119 all out
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 39 runs
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 26
Balls faced: 38
How out: Bowled
Position: No 5
Bowling:
Bowling figures: DID NOT BOWL
Catches taken: 1
Captain Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 0
How Out: Bowled
Position: No 2
Bowling:
Bowling figures: DID NOT BOWL
Catches taken: 0
Sunday 30th August 2009, Windsor Police h) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy returns to Windlesham fold, whilst Notty retains his place in an experienced XI. Nick captains the side in Alex's absence.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, dry, some uneven bounce
Outfield - average
Overhead - overcast, mild
DJ Wittzy's match report:
After a three-week break, in-form DJ Wittzy returned to the Windlesham side and was immediately into the thick of the action, as myself and Notty aimed to get the team off to a solid start by opening the batting. Not suprisingly, that didn't happen. Again the DJ Wittzy-Notty partnership failed when Notty was out third ball of the innings for a second-ball duck, being struck on the pads for a plumb lbw. In typical Notty fashion, he looked disapprovingly at his bat and blamed it for his dismissal. So that was 1 for 1, and Notty's third consecutive nought (time to move him down the order again methinks)... That became 2 for 2 after the second over, and then Sham was caught out for 6 as the home side slid to 14 for 3. In almost identical circumstances to my previous innings, it was up to DJ Wittzy (and Bernard, who had joined me at the crease) to get the innings back on track. I had made full use of the extra short boundary I had created when I was marking it out by hitting several fours, whilst Bernard was more cautious at the other end. We moved the score along to 50 before Bernard had his middle stump ripped out of the ground by a vicious inswinging yorker for 7. Ajoy joined me at the crease and we set about increasing the lagging run-rate. I had by now reached a new highest score and overtaken Notty's best of 30. Unfortunately for me, just as I looked set to reach an unlikely half-century (never thought I'd actually type that...) I was involved in an inevitable run-out with Ajoy, who had wandered halfway down the pitch leaving me completely stranded. That was his second run-out in consecutive games after getting rid of Notty in similar fashion the previous game. However, Windlesham pushed on and finished their innings strongly as Ajoy completed his fifty and, with good support from Andy, managed to reach a highly respectable 171 for 7 after the allotted 35 overs. The visitors' reply started poorly as Sham got an early wicket, and Johnny's spin accounted for three of the Windsor downfalls, the third of which saw a brilliant diving forward catch by Bernard. Despite the fact they were 50 for 4, the Police had used up just 7 overs as their aggressive approach had merited several boundaries as well as frequent dismissals. And that pattern continued as the home side seemed set for a certain victory with Windsor in trouble at 94 for 8, albeit with plenty of overs remaining. Unfortunately the ninth-wicket pair included an ex-Northants 2nd XI batsman who duly smashed several large sixes into the trees and suddenly the Police were right back in the game. 139 for 8 and now it was the visitors who had firmly grabbed the initiative. Captain Nick removed the spin duo of himself and Andy, who had notched three wickets between them, and turned to a far more risky alternative - Notty... But to his credit, Notty's first over is always strong (before his pathetic little arms become tired and the runs start to flow again) and he managed to keep the visitors at bay with his first-ever maiden over! Unfortunately the Raver Express couldn't do the same as I came on at the other end. The scores were level after four balls - one four and a six - and despite Bernard taking a catch on the fifth ball, he had stepped over the boundary and the visitors had sealed victory in the most emphatic of circumstances with another six. That 9th-wicket stand of 83 had guided the away side to a narrow - and at one stage, highly improbable - two-wicket victory. So whilst Notty's bowling continues to improve, his batting can't get any worse, and for me it appears the exact opposite...
Score Summary:
Windlesham: 171 for 7 (35 overs)
Windsor Police: 177 for 8 (25.5 overs)
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 2 wickets
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 41
Balls faced: 79
How out: Run out
Position: No 1
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 0.5-0-16-0
Catches taken: 0
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 0
How Out: lbw
Position: No 2
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 1-1-0-0
Catches taken: 0
Sunday 6th September 2009, Odiham a) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy and Notty retain their places whilst the side welcome back Jack, Pete and Rich who captains the side as Alex is unavailable.
Match conditions:
Pitch - firm, dry, dusty
Outfield - fast
Overhead - cloudy, some sunny spells
DJ Wittzy's match report:
The DJ and Notty set off for their maiden visit to the picturesque Odiham ground in rural Hampshire and were impressed by the fact they actually had boundary ropes, as well as a sightscreen and batting nets - something we're not used to at Windlesham. The hosts sent out a young side and were pegged back early on by some tight Windlesham bowling from opening pair Rich and Jack. Unfortunately the good bowling wasn't rewarded with any early wickets and the home side grew in confidence, starting to find the boundary on regular occasions. However, just as the opening pair were approaching a fifty stand, Rich made the breakthrough to leave Odiham 48 for 1 after 10 overs. Notty then did something no-one (not even himself) thought they would ever see - he made a diving stop in the outfield to save a couple of runs! Sadly he let himself down a few overs later when he let the ball roll through his legs, and the runs were now starting to flow freely for the hosts, who reached the 100 mark after just 17 overs. Mike came on and got the crucial second wicket, but Odiham were still well-placed for a competitive total. However, Pete's second spell paid dividends as he snared three wickets as the home side stumbled to 156 for 5. Notty was getting excited because it was now Raver Express time! My first four overs were tight if unspectacular, but I strayed legside too often in the fifth and final one to end with anaylsis of 0-28. Jack came back to bowl the final over as the hosts boosted their total to just short of 200, a very challenging target for the Windlesham boys. But our spirits were lifted with the amazingly good teas provided by our hosts at the interval - pizza, cake, quiche, onion bhajees... this was superior to Badshot Lea's efforts which Notty was so in love with; he had now found a new love with this extraordinary effort. Anyway, we hoped that enjoyable tea would help Notty bat properly this time - somehow he was still opening (after 3 successive noughts), whilst the DJ (fresh from my 41 last time out) was relegated to the tail - work that one out if you can. Unfortunately, it seems nothing - not even a great tea - can improve Notty's batting, and sure enough he was out for a fourth duck in a row. Not the ideal start required when we were chasing a hefty total. Fortunately though, Mike (Notty's opening partner) remained and Jack came in at 3, adding 19, before becoming the second victim. Martin added 23 and Mike passed fifty as hopes were increased of a seemingly unlikely away triumph. Windlesham reached 130 for 3, requiring around 7 per over, and with the momentum of Mike's innings, it seemed like we had a great chance of doing so. Tragically though, the usual Windlesham collapse was just around the corner, as the next three batsmen - Nick, Andy and Pete (who covered himself in dust after a flawed attempt to avoid being run out) - all departed for a single each. Mike's mammoth innings ended on 84, an outstanding knock which had given us real hope, and now it was the DJ who entered the crease in an incredibly tense situation -13 runs required off 7 balls to win, with two wickets in hand! Unfortunately I didn't hang around long, one ball to be precise, and now it was 13 off the final over. However, my work wasn't quite done yet - I was Harry's runner - but in the end Rich managed to get only ten runs off the last six balls and we fell agonisingly short despite a very valiant effort. I harshly received some of the blame for the loss, but in all fairness I was as equally useless as Notty who wasted ten deliveries by not scoring at the start of the innings before finally deciding he would get out. Next week sees our final match of the season at Sonning, maybe we can go all the way this time?
Score Summary:
Odiham: 196 for 5 (35 overs)
Windlesham: 194 for 9 (35 overs)
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 2 runs
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 0
Balls faced: 1
How out: Bowled
Position: No 10
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 5-0-28-0
Catches taken: 0
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 0
How Out: Bowled
Position: No 2
Bowling:
Bowling figures: DID NOT BOWL
Catches taken: 0
Sunday 13th September 2009, Sonning a) :
Windlesham team news:
DJ Wittzy and Notty feature in the side's last game of the season, whilst Pete captains a nine-man team for the first time.
Match conditions:
Pitch - dry, firm, slightly green
Outfield - fast
Overhead - cloudy
DJ Wittzy's match report:
The DJ and Notty travelled to Royal Berkshire hoping to finish the season on a high after a series of narrow defeats. Alex returned to the side but was too lazy to captain himself, so he awarded the job to Pete, who was making his first outing as skipper. We batted first, still with Notty opening - probably just for comic value rather than anything else - and Will his partner at the other end. To his credit, Notty blocked out the first over pretty well, and then finally managed to get his first run for months with a hideously ugly, miscued cut shot which flew over the top of the slips for a single. Still, it was a run, and a long time coming at that. Notty was on a roll, and even had the audacity to use that risky cut again, but it paid off as he slapped it straight down the ground for a boundary. With Notty riding his luck and Will looking compsed at the other end, Windlesham had got off to a solid start. Sadly, the inevitable downfall of Notty wasn't too far away, as he attempted to avoid a waist-high full toss. He successfully avoided it, but the ball flicked the top of the unguarded leg stump. Typically, Notty questioned my umpiring by claiming it should have been a no-ball because of height. Overruled! Alex came to the crease and the visitors were going well until Will was harshly run out when Alex decided to run but Will didn't, with both batsman at the same end. Technically, Alex should have gone, but at 50 for 2 at least we had a platform for a potentially decent score. Jack came in and made 5 before becoming the next victim. Now it was DJ Wittzy time. I played a beautifully-timed leg glance for four second ball and added another single before attempting a sweep shot which hit the under edge of the bat, bounced off my toe and looped up into the fielder's hands - an unlucky way to go but it was definitely out. The wheels were starting to fall off the Windlesham innings as we slipped to 82 for 5. Rich (7) and Pete (5) both departed cheaply too, but Bernard guided the score past 100 with the help of several wides. Ray was last man out as the innings ended on 126, which at least gave us something to defend. And the bowling got off to the best possible start. Jack took a wicket first ball, captain Pete taking the catch. It was Jack who got the second wicket too, with the hosts now struggling at 5 for 2 in the 3rd over. And he was unlucky not to add further wickets to his tally, when Pete and Alex dropped catches of his bowling. Will took his first wicket at the other end as Sonning fell to 30 for 3 after 8 overs. Unfortunately, the hosts got themselves on top when a crucial fourth-wicket stand edged them closer to the victory target. Not even the Raver Express could break the shackles, but two wickets apiece from the Ellison brothers gave us late hope - infact Will was on a hat-trick but unfortunately his allotted six overs were finished and the home side polished off the remaining runs to seal the game, although it was a lot closer than it might have been at one stage.
And now, a new weekly feature suggested by Notty to accompany the match reports - The Tea Analysis:
This week's tea was ok, lacking in variety and quantity compared to the high standards set in previous weeks, but the sandwiches had good fillings and there were a few nice cakes, including swiss rolls.
DJ Wittzy's Tea Rating: 6/10
Score Summary:
Windlesham: 126 for 8 (all out) (27.2 overs)
Sonning: 130 for 7 (25 overs)
MATCH RESULT: LOSS by 3 wickets
DJ WITTZY'S STATS:
Batting:
Runs scored: 5
Balls faced: 8
How out: Caught
Position: No 5
Bowling:
Bowling figures: 2-0-16-0
Catches taken: 0
Notty's stats:
Batting:
Runs scored: 5
How Out: Bowled
Position: No 1
Bowling:
Bowling figures: DID NOT BOWL
Catches taken: 0
So that was the story of the 2009 season, unfortunately victories were extremely rare, but we had a lot of close games which on another day we might have won. Notty disgraced himself with bat and clearly should never open again in his life, although his short cameo spells with the ball were useful and earned a couple of wickets. DJ Wittzy improved again with the bat, making a new high score and making a new highest average score of 13.8 for the year, whilst the less said about the bowling the better. Spenza and Manish didn't feature at all, and could have provided useful assistance in the bowling and batting departments respectively.
- - - 2009 BATTING & BOWLING AVERAGES - - -
BATTING AVERAGES
Player Matches Innings Runs Highest Score 0's Not Outs Average
DJ Wittzy 7 7 83 41 1 1 13.83
Notty 8 8 18 12 5 0 2.25
BOWLING AVERAGES
Player Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Economy Best Bowling Average Catches
Notty 6.4 1 37 2 5.55 2-26 18.50 0
DJ Wittzy 21.3 0 148 1 6.88 1-45 148.00 1