PDQ 3rd XI Match Reports
Sunday 27 September (PDQ Div 4)
For our final 3rd team game of the season, we travelled the short distance to Elmstead, looking to finish on a high. After winning the toss, the skipper elected to bat first and Shaun Whitfield and James Carroll opened the batting on an excellent batting track. Shaun was dismissed early for four and Chris Pettit joined Jet at the wicket and put on a 50 partnership before both went in quick succession, Jet for 24 and Pettit for 14. We were 76-3 at 20 overs. This brought Dan White and Phil Lingard together and what came next was a joy to behold. Phil went off like a rocket with some very hard pulls and drives.
Dan was quietly playing himself in, picking up the singles and despatching the bad balls to the boundary. Phil reached his half-century first and Dan followed him in the next over. At this stage Dan took over the majoirity of the scoring, playing quite brilliantly, with lots of fabulous shots. The partnership was finally broken when Phil was out on 66. Between them, they put on 152 runs for the 4th wicket. Dan was out in the 41st over for a tremendous 85. Matt Desborough (8) and Craig Scott (15) were the not out batsmen at the end of innings, with the final total of 256-5. This was viewed as being a good score but with a strong Elmstead batting line up, we knew we would still have to work very hard to win the game.
Scotty took a wicket in the first over when bowling Nigel Dennis for a duck. David Sargeant then took centre stage by domiating the scoring with some quite brilliant drives and pull shots. He raced to his 50 with the Elmstead total on 60. At this stage we set a more defensive field to David, trying to restrict the flow of runs and this did have the desired effect. Dave Digby was then brought into the attack and he soon took three wickets in as many overs and with Elmstead only having ten fit batsmen, the hopes were high of claiming the remaining wickets to seal the victory.
However the hosts numbers 7 and 8, Stubbins and skipper Sarsby had other ideas and set about the bowling and raced to a 104 run partnership for the 7th wickets before Stubbins was caught for 61. Paul Gates then joined Sarsby to guide Elmstead to victory with four balls remaining, Sarsby finishing on 48*. Dave Digby was the leading bowler with 3-33 and Dan Woodrow bowled very well at the start of the innings being was unlucky not to pick up more than the one wicket he did take.
All in all, a good season was had by the 3rd XI. We finished fourth from bottom in PDQ Div 4. This team is always the team that suffers the most when pull outs happen further up the club ladder, but as always the team played every game hard but fairly and everybody who played for the team this season, can be very proud of their efforts. Junior
Saturday 19 September (PDQ Div 4)
Abberton just about sealed their Fourth Division survival with this 70 run win over Kirby at The Brow on Saturday after Ryan Savill had made a fine 105 in their total of 213-6.
Mike Abrey also hit 29 despite looking out-of-sorts and when the fifth wicket fell at 160 with less than ten overs remaining, it looked as though the home side would be some way short of achieving a challenging target. However, Paul Johnson was joined by Craig Scott and the latter, after poodling about with little authority early on, suddenly broke loose to reach 35* by the close.
Scott and Andy Trssuler bowled very tidily at the start of the second innings and six of the first seven overs were maidens as the visitors seemed content to accumulate their runs slowly. Both bowled unchanged and at the end of their spells Kirby were on 55-3, Trussler having picked up 2-21.
Ryan Savill and Steve Whitfield took over and it was the captain who proved Kirby's undoing just as he had done in the corresponding fixture last year when he claimed an astonishing 7-17. This time his figures were 4-24 and it was left for Ashley Edwards to winkle out the last man with the score on 143. Abberton's fielding was quite impressive throughout and special mentions go to Ryan Savill for his usual enthusiasm and energy and to Ryan Brown whose groundfielding was truly maginificent, saving numerous runs. MP
Sunday 13 September (PDQ Div 4)
Springfield away. A series of factors lead the visiting side to be straining at the leash with exuberance for this late season fixture. A quick checklist: Arrive at meeting point late – check. First team cry offs and don’t tell the 3rd team skipper they are taking one of their players – check. Arrive at Springfield with nine men (although Rudders arrived after 10 overs) – check. Our 11th man being in Chelmsford in the morning, then a misunderstanding causing him to be in Colchester at 1pm for the scheduled start – check. Council pitch with numbered dressing rooms that you have to lock when you leave – check. Chilly autumnal weather and a stiff breeze – check. No sightscreens – check.
The mood lifted when both captains agreed to reduce the match to 40 overs and Abberton inserted the opposition. The nine men started well and restricted the home side to 37-1 off the first ten overs with Woodrow and Andy Trussler bowling well. Some aggressive batting from Springfield saw them accelerate to 98 at the halfway stage. The home side preferred the aerial route and kept picking out Rowan Farrow at mid off, who amazingly snared four almost identical catches. Maybe the ball was magnetised and attracted to the metal in his lip, or perhaps the batsmen were put off by his bright red cap, we will never know. Springfield ended up with 209-6 off of their 40 overs, with Jitu top scoring on 46. Captain Steve Whitfield took two wickets, with one apiece for the other bowlers.
After a tea which Tom Sawdon may have marked harshly had he been playing, Abberton began their reply in a positive fashion. Openers Carroll and Shaun Whitfield hit the ball to all parts and put on 41 in the first seven overs (sorry about the all run four Shaun). Some loose shots caused Abberton to lose three quick wickets, but Carroll and Rudlin showed their experience and repaired the innings with a partnership of 73, before Rudlin fell for 48. Ashley Edwards arrived at the crease with curry-stained whites to a huge roar from the boundary. Some local Asian lads had brought their own curry to the park, and the former 3rd XI skipper, armed with a paper plate, had managed to indulge his discerning palate.
Ashley was cheered every ball by what was dubbed The Ray Clay Family Enclosure – Bangalore Branch. Carroll was soon out for 49, after earlier surviving an unsporting run out attempt whilst retaining his cap from the middle of the pitch by their greasy, lank haired bowler. Some late hitting from Andy Trussler (36) gave Abberton hope, with Ashley contributing two runs to a 43 partnership. 62 were required off the last ten overs, but with only 10 men and probably one batsman short, the visitors ended on 193-7 and 15 runs short. A defeat, but not a bad effort considering the circumstances and valuable bonus points gained. JC
Monday 31 August (PDQ Div 4)
Following on from lasts week's disappointing home defeat, we had the chance to redeem ourselves with the return fixture at Copford. After winning the toss, Copford elected to bat first and Mark Tokley and Andy Trussler opened the bowling on a very hot and sunny afternoon. With a really short boundary on one side of the ground and opening batsman Soteriou looking to play mainly thorugh the gully/backward point area, the fielding positions had a very strange look about them.
Tokes made a couple of early inroads into the Copford innings and after ten overs, our opponents were 40-2. In the next fifteen overs Copford's number three and four batsman, Wood and Tuckwell set about the Abberton bowling attack with an expansive array of shots all over the ground. Kevin Brown was then brought onto bowl and quickly removed both batsman, each caught quite brilliantly by Reife Marangou on the long-on boundary; Wood was out for 71 and Tuckwell for 43.
Shaun Whitfield then got in the act with a couple of excellent catches also in the deep. Eventually the Copford innings ended in the 45th over with their score on 244, Mark Tokley was the leading wicket taker with 4-50, Kevin Brown took three wickets and Steve Whitfield two wickets.
After an excellent tea, Shaun and Steve Cowland opened the batting. Unfortunately, Shaun was out in the first over LBW for a duck. Reife came to the crease but Steve was increasingly being hindered by back trouble and eventually had to call for a runner. With Shaun being the only batsman out, he was asked to be Steve's runner but was found to be in the shower. Fortunately or most definitely unfortunately, Reife was bowled, so he became the runner and with Kevin Brown joining Steve at the wicket, both batsman were out in very quick succession. Our hopes of reaching the required total now rested with Rowan Farrow. After a scratchy start, he started to show his range of shots and power hitting that we are getting used to seeing. Andy Lockyer, came in at number six and hit a very elegant 12, much to the disgust of Copford bowler Catley. After 30 overs, we needed 68 runs to win with five wickets in hand. Rowan was out in the next over for a brilliant 82 and then Mark Tokley was run out and that virtually ended the run chase. The last few overs were just used to reach 200 runs and achieve maximum batting points, the innings finally ending on 219-9.
With three games of the season to go, we find ourselves third from bottom and, with all the upcoming games being against three of the top four teams, it will be interesting to see if we can get enough points to keep ourselves out of the bottom two. JW
