A touring school side from New Zealand at Follies Farm

After many months of planning, attempting to find a ground, moving dates and a myriad of emails and WhatsApp messages the 2nd occasion an LNZCC XI was to take on a touring school side from NZ finally arrived on Friday morning at Follies Farm, Chiddingfold. The ground is owned by LNZCC alumni Guy Gibson and is home to the Old Spots Cricket Club, who LNZCC play on an annual basis – sign up here for this year’s fixture ‘Follies Farm Old Spots CC | 12th June (Sunday)| 1:00pm’ here Sam Martin. Guy Gibson and his wife Erin Gibson very generously provided the ground and facilities for this fixture, a big shout out to them both for this, thank you.

The team we were playing was known as The Old Collegians school side, made up of year 13 boys from two schools in Christchurch - Christ’s College and Cashmere High School. They had been in England for 3 weeks playing against various schools including Whitgift, Dulwich, St Edward’s and Millfield amongst others. They had won as many as they had lost, which meant this final game would help define the balance of results of their tour. Everyone managed to get to the ground on time and we managed to start soon after the clock passed 1:00pm with the LNZCC skipper Sam Martin winning the toss and electing to bat but not before a number of presentations were made – those being Alan Thompson with his Nottman Cap for his 5th game for the Club, a 50 games badge for Adam

Khanbhai, a 200th game badge for Tony Penman and, unbeknown to the recipient, a 50th badge for the skipper. Officiating the match for LNZCC was Martin Conway in his 3250+ fixture and one of the parents form the touring side umpired as well.

Before we get to the cricket it is important to note that the pitch was being used for the first time this season & upon inspection it was clear it was very dry and reasonably firm underfoot and to the touch with some less than green grass. Striding out to do battle with the new ball bowlers were our opening pair of Adam Khanbhai and Nick Ratcliffe, who both started circumspectly and without any signs of reasons to be fearful of the pitch.

Until Khanbhai failed to cover a straight one from the off spinner Coles in the 3rd over for 0.

Tom Gibson our local man with plenty of home ground knowledge and experience as a signed up member of the Follie’s Farm Old Spots CC then strode out to a wicket he knows very well and proceeded to last 9 balls for a well-constructed 1 and out caught at 1st slip by an outstanding 1 handed snare. This prompted Tom’s brother and host for the day, Guy Gibson, to depart back to his home office.

Our Nottman Cap recipient Alan Thompson then joined Nick for a very sedate 9 balls only to middle a chip shot to mid-on, for another 0. By way of a reminder Alan, there are more fielders in an 11 side match than in LMS…

When Shaun Raumati joined Nick the score was at 39 of which Nick’s 3 departed partners had a combined total of 1 between them. Nick and Shaun then faced a variety of bowlers and they put on a partnership of 59 runs with both striking some clean hits before Nick was undone by a short ball that came a bit slower than he had excepted and was bowled for 40 off 55 balls.

Shaun was joined by George Burdon when the score was 98 for 4 off 17 overs. They then put on a further 26 runs with both producing a number of cleanly hit boundaries before Shaun was caught after mistiming a short ball and being caught.

That brought the skipper Sam Martin to the crease and with now 2 old boys of Christ’s College at the crease it was time to teach this generation how to bat, 9 runs later George decided to leave a straight one and was unbelievably bowled!

Tony Penman in his 235th match then came out to bat and the skipper hit another boundary and then proceeded to glove a catch to the keeper and was walking off for 11 off 7 balls. That then brought to the middle the main man as far as the Old Collegians XI was concerned – their touring coach Matt Hay of OBCCC in Christchurch and with a handful of appearances for Canterbury under his belt – who promptly proceeded to be caught for 1 off 4 balls off the bowling of off spinner Falls-Anderson, much to the joy of the boys in the field. Nick Teulon then joined TP for a few balls then managed to be bowled for another well compiled 0 off 6 balls. This meant the last pair of Ryan Allan and TP were set with eth task of rescuing the innings – they put on 14 runs with Ryan striking 1 impressively clean hit for 6 over mid on. With Allan caught behind for 11 off 9 balls that left TP 2* off 13 balls. So, with tea taken at the fall of the final wicket in the 28th over of a 40 over fixture it is fair to say LNZCC had not made the most of the facilities. All in all the school boys used 11 bowlers and shared the wickets around, a special mention must go to top scorer extras with 47, 23 of which were wides.

Lessons learnt were to bowl a simple length, one side of the wicket and field half as well as the boys and we should be in with a shot. LNZCC opened with Ryan Allan and Nick Teulon – swing and pace from each end. After 6 overs the touring side were 17 – 0 and we were doing our job, then the newly elevated opener Falls-Anderson started to connect with a few cracking drives all along the ground and Jack Brent at the other end with a few aerial shots saw them get through to 50 in the 13th over by which time Matt hay the boys coach had joined the attack with his off spin and with a ball that turned maybe 2 foot dislodged Falls-Anderson’s leg stump.

The skipper then joined the attack and extracting a bit of seam movement and hitting a clean length managed to extract 2 more batsman so that in the 19th over they were 89 – 3. Then

Brent was caught by an incredible 1 handed snare at 1st slip by Tom Gibson (some weird symmetry here) off Martin’s bowling so they were 108-4. That brought to the crease some lower order bats & with some clean striking and a few boundaries amongst a few missed hits we managed to get 2 more wickets 1 to George Burdon caught by Teulon and another middle stump knocked out of the ground by Teulon.

That just meant their young lad Ryan came to the crease to proceed to deposit the returning Allan at the other end from where he opened to be dispatched for 6,6 & 4 to end the match in the 30th over, which may have had something to do with the offer form 1st slip to give him 4 beers after the match is he could repeat his first 6, I hasten to add this was not a fair reflection to how Allan had bowled at all. To the bowlers credit we went for only 6 wides. Martin finished with 3-23 off 8 overs and Teulon 1-24 off 7, Burdon 1-19 off3 and Hay 1-33 off 5. So the simple answer to the above is use your 40 overs and pick batsman who can Internal score more runs!

We played to the Old Collegians XI, top work by their parents for making the tour happen and as well as thanking the hosts Guy and Erin a shout out to Club Vice-president Richard Holden who called in to watch the game on his way back from inspecting his estate in Hampshire!

There is a chance that Christ’s College will be touring England next year as well as Craig Gibb one of the organizing parents from this touring side bringing a NZ Over 50 XI to also tour England, in late summer 2023, watch this space.