Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club

Scorecard

Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI v Bradfield on Sat 01 Jul 2006 at
Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Won by 5 wickets

Match report Crowthorne vs Bradfield – Berks League Division 3

Bradfield 223-7 45 overs
Crowthorne 224-5 35.3 overs

Crowthorne 28 points beat Bradfield 7 points by 5 wickets

Third Division Crowthorne romped to an emphatic victory over struggling Bradfield at Great Hollands on Saturday. Batting second they passed their visitors total of 223 with 10 overs and 5 wickets to spare to increase their unbeaten run to 5 games and propel themselves towards the top of the league.

On a scorching afternoon, Bradfield batted first with openers Dave Comber and Bob Bolton putting on 72 for the first wicket. Both batsmen rode their luck, seeing several edges race to the boundary for 4. Streaky boundaries aside they gave their captain just the start he wanted in perfect batting conditions as the Crowthorne bowlers and fielders began to toil in the afternoon sunshine.

It was Bolton who perished first, stumped for 28 by wicket-keeper Neil Stent off the bowling of Adam Elrick. Bolton had taken a couple of paces down the wicket, only to be deceived in the flight by Elrick and Stent did the rest, removing the bails with Bolton someway short of his crease.

However this bought Gareth Bartman to the crease. He signalled his intentions early with a mighty 6 and he and Comber added 102 for the 2nd wicket before Naz Younis found a way past Bartman to end an impressive knock of 66 which included several fours and sixes.. This breakthrough saw a mini collapse as Keith Power returned to the attack to claim 3 wickets. Power managed to defy the stifling conditions to extract pace and bounce from the pitch.

In addition to his 3 wickets, Power could have bagged more if catches had been held, although League Debutant Garth Imms could not be blamed when he just failed to hold onto what would have been a spectacular diving catch at mid-wicket. Power was also foiled when Robin Stent took a neat catch, only for the umpire to signal no-ball.

Skipper Elrick also bagged 3 victims as Bradfield crashed from 174-1 to 214-7.
Bradfield finished their overs on 223-7 which represented a good total, but which also demonstrated Crowthorne’s perseverance after seeing Bradfield get such a good platform to their innings. After getting 2 key breakthrough’s Crowthorne raised their game to pull themselves right back into contention with a flurry of late wickets.

If the total seemed a daunting one, Crowthorne failed to be over-awed by it. Openers Keith Power and Neil Stent found runs easy to come by as they racked up an opening stand of 56 in little over 7 overs. Both batsmen found the gaps with apparent ease as Bradfield’s bowlers had little answer to this opening onslaught.

The dismissal of Power, trapped lbw by Calvin Hall for 31, marginally slowed the run-rate as Stent and Gary Hampshire added 53 for the 2nd wicket. Boundaries had become harder to come by, but with the ball firmly in Crowthorne’s court, the batsmen were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over, rotating the strike and breaking their opponents resolve.

Stent’s vigil was finally ended with the introduction of young seamer Mark Bolton to the attack. Bolton struck with his first ball taking a low caught and bowled chance to remove Stent for 60.

Bolton picked up 4 wickets for 48 in a 7 over spell that threatened to put Bradfield back in the match. However the damage had really been done at the top of the innings. Gary Hampshire made a patient 39 before becoming Bolton’s 3rd victim to put Crowthorne firmly in the ascendancy..

With Crowthorne needing 70 runs to win Skipper Elrick joined in-form Robin Stent at the crease. The pair went about finishing the job in clinical fashion. Stent, batting with a runner and in obvious discomfort after damaging his hamstring early in his innings made 29 not out and Elrick raced to 39 not out as Crowthorne cruised to their target with 10 overs to spare and wrap up and emphatic victory.

This victory adds to Crowthorne’s run of good form that has seen them go 5 games since they last tasted defeat. It is a run that has put their season right back on track after the stuttering start that they had suffered. They reach the half way point in the season handily placed near the top of the table, hoping to build on the momentum that they have been gathering.


A delighted Elrick was unsurprisingly pleased with the result, but also the manner of victory. “I thought we applied ourselves superbly today, and were good value for the win. We stuck to our task in the field and kept our heads up even when things weren’t going our way, and we were rewarded for that with a great result.

Our bowlers kept going in the intense heat and although their total seemed large, we knew that the conditions favoured the batsmen and that gave us the confidence to go out and wrap up victory in great style..

We took the attack to them when we batted and after the great start we got, we never looked back.. The win strengthens our position in the league and we go into the second half of the season in confident mood. Hopefully we can continue our good form and build on the results we’ve had to date. We’ve had a good look at most of the teams in this league now, so hopefully we know what to expect. We have players in-form and full of confidence and plenty of players to pick form each week. “

As they move into the second half of the season, The Crows face Ruislip Victoria on Saturday at their Great Hollands ground. Crowthorne will be keen to make up for the points they were denied when the weather called an impromptu halt to their opening match of the season in the reverse of this fixture. Handily placed fro victory, the weather intervened and the match was abandoned, leaving The Crows frustrated.


Bradfield Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 7 wickets
0
223 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Keith Power15.0166322.004.40
John Cole8.013600.004.50
Dan Partridge4.002100.005.25
Adam Elrick14.0459319.674.21
Naz Younas4.0031131.007.75

Crowthorne & Crown Wood Cricket Club Crowthorne Saturday 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
224		        
Neil Stent Caught  60 1
Keith Power Lbw  31
Gary Hampshire Bowled  39
Jonathon Morgan Bowled  6
Robin Stent Not Out  29 1
Gary Attree Lbw  0
Adam Elrick Not Out  39
Gareth Imms  
Dan Partridge  
John Cole  
Naz Younas  

Bradfield Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.