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Hurlingham Club - Saturday 9th September 2006
LNZCC Go Down Fighting in High Scoring Game
The weather was glorious, the venue one of the best you will ever play; the pitch was hard, fast and true, and the outfield like a carpet. The setting for a great game of cricket was all there.
Vancer, one week away from his nuptials, won the toss and asked Hurlingham to bat. Little did he know what was about to happen.
Vance Thompson and Tim Bill-Everetts opened the bowling relishing the hard track. However the Hurlingham opening bats, knowing the pitch so well and using the pace of the ball, preceded to pick the right ball to smash to the boundary and which ones to block. Both bowlers were unlucky with Vance beating the bat regularly and Tim getting some prodigious away swing. However, after 80 runs made and at 7 an over LNZCC knew, they had a game on their hands.
A slightly fortuitous LBW for Tim was the opening breakthrough, but this proved to be no respite for the bowlers. The Hurlingham #3 clearly relished the wonderful pitch and with the ball no longer moving around as much decide that attach was the only option and preceded to take the LNZCC bowling attack apart. With the ball flashing around the ground a few sharp chances did not help out causes
Only Steve Lester was able to contain the rampant batsmen. It was another hundred or so runs before the second wicket with The Claw taking a good catch off Matt Reinholds. However, the score was 197 in only the 26th over. A couple of quick wickets to the economical Steve Lester and Tim against gave LNZCC some hope of keeping the score down. At one stage, the combined age of the two slips and wicket keeper was a round 150, but even this level of experience behind the wicket was not able to stem the flow of runs. There was no let up, the onslaught continued with all bowlers suffering, and Hurlingham eventually declaring and put us out of misery: 357 off just shy of 50 overs.
A smorgasbord of offerings for lunch gave LNZCC plenty of things to think about apart of the state of the game.
LNZCC would not go down without a fight, and in Matt Fanning and the nuggety Tony Penman, the team were able to match Hurlingham with their own stand of 82 odd in 13 overs. TP was first out but just after Matt had passed a well-deserved 50, he was also out trying to keep the run rate going. Some great shots from, the departing to NZ. David Chapman-Smith and the elder statesman and Chairman Richard Keyse, keep us going but they were soon out and we found ourselves 138 for 4. Gerald Walsh absolutely picked the wrong ball to try to smash, off the first ball from a new bowler and was clean bowled. 143 for five and still needing 215 runs to win.
In walked Steve Lester to join Matt Reinholds. Steve made his intentions clear with a boundary of his first ball. They put on 40 in 5 overs before Matt holed out. 191 for 6 and if we ever needed a captain’s knock then this was the time for Vance to do it.
Neither he nor Steve let us down. They put on 118 together in 13 overs with Steve Lester batting like I have never seen him bat before. His 50 was a blur and his 100 arrived off 54 ball. In one over, he scored 25 runs. Hurlingham were beginning to sweat a bit and there were some worrying comments from the fielders near the boundary about what was happening. I have seen some great batting but this was power and controlled bating at its best. One attempted big shot from Steve too many and a superb innings ended. He walked from the ground in his last game for the club, after 12 years, to a standing ovation from both side. It was his first century since he was as schoolboy and it will be along time before I will ever see a better one.
Vance had been a great support in the partnership, but like in so many cases, both partners sometimes fall in quick succession. A few good shots from Fishy and a delightful shot from Richard Holden were not enough and Kiwi, but Hurlingham Captain, Sam Martin wrapped up the LNZCC innings 33 runs short
680 runs on a perfect day cannot be bad but LNZCC had their chance but in the end the early wickets was always going to make it a tough chase.
Steve Lester won the GBK man of the match award. Going for 3 an over, when all others went for 8 or 9, 2 catches and a 54 ball hundred. There was no competition. LNZCC will miss him dearly in years to come. The best of luck to you Sari and the rest of the ever-expanding clan back in Christchurch.
However, that was not the end of the day. In a tradition started in the previous year, LNZCC was invited to the Annual Hurlingham Cricket Dinner. This was another grand evening even if the Hurlingham president, jokingly, said the only reason we are invited is because of the quality of our partners. I can certainly say I agreed with him on this account, and as always, we are honoured with the invitation
Scoreboard Hurlingham 357 – 6 dec (49.4 Overs) 324 all out (46 overs) Hurlingham win by 33 runs
Batting Runs Catches Stumpings Stats Matt Fanning 50 Tony Penman 31 David Chapman-Smith 9 Richard Keyse 18 Matt Reinholds 37 Gerard Walsh 5 Steve Lester 108 2 57 Balls, 18 4s, 3 6s *Vance Thompson 22 1 +Richard Fish 9* Tim Bill-Everetts 2 Richard Holden 4 Extras 27
82 92 101 138 143 191 309 309 316 324
Bowling O M R W Vance Thompson 12 2 83 1 Tim Bill-Everetts 11 0 63 2 Matt Reinholds 9.4 0 74 2 Steve Lester 10 3 34 1 Tony Penman 3 0 26 0 Richard Holden 4 0 41 0 |
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