Under 15s vs Wendover, 13th June 2005

--- Topsy-turvy season continues with a win at Wendover for the under 15s! ---

Ian Walter

Another day, another cricket match, or so it seems at the moment, not least to a large number of mothers and wives. Not even time to wash the whites after yesterday’s match with Farnham Royal, (not that I’m suggesting any connection between washing cricket gear and the fairer sex of course)! I’m sure most of the lads (like their Dads) wash their own kit!

June 13th being a Monday evening brought about six (arguably welcome) changes from the previous day’s team, largely due to many of our year 10 Chesham High School contingent being grounded for revision purposes. No prizes though for arranging the match on the same evening as the England v Australia 20:20 but to be fair nobody offered this as an excuse.

The changes brought in a number of very enthusiastic year 9 Chesham High players and a considerable change in our fortunes from the day before. I’d be very interested in the result of a game between the school’s year 9 and year 10 sides.

Wendover away always seems to be one of those ‘laidback’ fixtures with the opposition four or five short at start time. Winning the toss Ben Ford duly put them in and caused an immediate minor panic by clean bowling their opener with the first ball of the game. Much improved (except for the wides) bowling and fielding put the pressure on Wendover from the outset and with wickets falling regularly their innings never get going. Highest scorer of course was wides with 25 so we did make life more difficult for ourselves than should have been the case as Wendover closed on 93 for 8, only 59 of which came from the bat.

Wicket takers were Ben (2 for 8), Sam Helm (1 for 14), Phil Howe (1 for 20), Ollie Runswick (2 for 13), wide–king Mike Shrieve (1 for 9 from one 12 ball over) and Felix Chamberlain (1 for 15). Meanwhile Craig Peterson and Felix took good catches and Ollie clung to an excellent return catch.

Five overs into our innings and rumours were spreading round the ground that Australia were 28 for 7 in the sixth over replying to England’s 170 odd. Worse than us against Farnham Royal the day before!

For once we made light work of a modest target and a superb opening stand of 58 between Craig (28 not out) and Paul Boden (a career best 32 in a week which has seen his batting improve enormously after a five minute spell with head guru David Peterson). Well done Paul; a fine example of somebody who has not only listened to advice but taken heed of it too with immediate results. A lesson perhaps for some of the others for whom the red mist descends oh so quickly! We were duly seen home to an 8 wicket win with further contributions form James Lowe and Sam Harrison, complete with broken arm!

Meanwhile back at the Rose Bowl England sealed their win so a good night all round provided you were not a Wendover-based Australian!

But one mystery remains. Tell me lads; how can you clean bowl somebody one minute and then with the next ball miss the wicket by about five feet, either to the left, right or over the wicket?