Leigh Cricket Club,  Kent                                       2006 season

Latest Club News                                                             Last updated 10 September 2006

 

8 September 2006: John Knock honoured  John Knock was one of the annual Alan Albury Award winners for services to recreational cricket in Kent for 2006. John’s contribution to Leigh stretches back over 40 years as player, secretary, scorer and trustee.  Derek Underwood, President of Kent CCC and an old friend of John's, presented the award during the lunch interval at the recent Kent vs Sussex county championship match at Canterbury. The award represents a ‘hat-trick’ for Leigh as Eric and Daisy Batchelor of the Club received awards in 2005.

8 July 2006: 2nd XI v Horsmonden (h): July saw some hot cricket as well as sultry weather on the Green, especially when the second XI played Horsmonden in a league match:~   We had played the same club just two weeks earlier, away, and been soundly beaten.  When we scored just 131 all out (thanks mainly to a captain’s fifty from “Marvellous” Martin Parfett), it looked as if we would go the same way again.  At this stage of the season, with the pitch hard and the outfield fast, 131 is definitely NOT a winning score on the Green!  Yet the bowlers pulled together well, the fielders held their catches and somehow we had Horsmonden nine wickets down with a good dozen or so more runs wanted.   

The game was ours for the taking, having see-sawed back and forth every time a wicket fell or a four was hit.  Then a couple of pulled hamstrings decimated our attack/defence and a couple of boundaries (one of which broke a passing car’s windscreen!) saw the visitors draw level.  Cometh the hour, etc: right at the last, hero Mark “Dinky” Hollands pulled one out of the hat and bowled their no. eleven and a tie was secured – both teams bowled out for the same score.  This is a very rare result indeed – in this writer’s almost thirty years of playing cricket, I think this is only the second one I have played in.  An exciting finish to a well contested game.

 

22 April 2006: 2nd XI v Weald (h): The 2006 season started off on a surprisingly sunny day (given that we were playing Weald, a fixture normally rained off), with a green but firm and true pitch encouraging both bowlers and batters.  The ball swung (and not only over the pavilion) keeping Leigh's 'keeper Nigel Shaw busy down the leg-side.  Most impressive was youngster Jamie McCarthy who demonstrated good technique and control, swinging the ball away from the Weald RHBs; Also of note was Matt Grayland, playing his first game back for over four years, who took 3 catches; Will Martin bowled good tidying inswing; Darren Flint and skipper Martin Parfett showed us all how to field and Aaron Munday looked as if he was paying attention; Meanwhile, debutant Umpire Tim Bance, fresh from his umpiring course over the winter, and clearly still polishing his badges, tested his "wide" arms several times when Chopper Harris was bowling (harsh!).  

The men from Weald scored 195 by tea and after losing early wickets (Luke Grayland qualifying for the Primary Club!), Leigh needed 6.5/over going into the last twenty, with Flint and Parfett in control.  The skipper fell for 20, however, and Flint finally for 72 leaving the tail-enders batting out for a draw, which they did with Will and Jamie hanging on at the end on 150-9 .  

Without Dr Goezee on hand to administer remedies, there will be a few aching muscles amongst the older contingent, but that's one game safely under the belt.

 

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September 2004: Well done to Simon Southworth and Phil Wynn Owen (hey, it's not every day you get your name mentioned in the Sunday Times!) for another excellent season of Kwik Cricket, and dreaming up a new DIAMOND skills award to further test the older children [get em].  Should be some good new candidates for John & Vic's colts squad next year.

Into the close season now and Ray has scarrified the square and spread the loam. Knockout, mate.  What's more, Darren has stripped the ivy off the pav (well done, Dazza) and the next task is for Brisk Builders of Leigh to paint the outside and repair the various leaks and rotting window frames, etc. Luckily, we raised over £500 from the raffle (mainly thanks to Mr Linstead) which will help pay for it.

What else? oh yes, your intrepid webmaster assembled some elder luminaries of the club and a couple of the younger contingent to try to replicate the large photo hanging in the pavilion dating from 1931 match v S.  Nutfield (the one showing 3 spectators on the bench under the oak tree with 2 children on the grass watching the game - also to be found on p.32 of Nigel's great book); these came out quite well despite indifferent weather, so as soon as we can get them scanned, we'll post them on the site.  It's interesting to see how much some of the trees around the green have grown in the meantime, not least the oak itself, but also one of the conker trees which now obscures most of the church tower (sadly, from the point of view of the photo, since you barely notice the church now).  There's also a nice picture of Adam Reeves accepting the local council Triangular Award from the Hon. Presidente during tea in the game versus Selsdon (Sun. 12th Sept), as well as team photos of the Sunday squad taken at the same game; as soon as I can get reprint prices I'll quote those so featured "heroes of the green" can order a print for their homes (profits to club funds of course!).  BY the way, we tried to get the oak tree pic in the village calendar for 2005 but was, alas, too late as it's already at the printers.  Maybe next year..

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August 2004:  Good effort from the contingent (Walshe, Linstead, Bishop, etc, etc) who organised the BarBQ after the Outwood game.  Nice sausages Walshie.  And some fairly erotic photographic evidence is posted somewhere in this site  - you'll find them [here].

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July 2004 (2):  Well, it is finally safe for Dave Walshe and Ian Linstead to once again cavort on the pavilion balcony; thanks in part to a grant from the Parish Council, those good men of John Jarvis Ltd (aka Brian Ball and his mates) have shored up the rickety supports, driven out the rusty stuff and made it look ship-shape again - more than can be said for our over-weight players.  Play on!  (Note that I didn't include Doughnut in this list - despite his shoulder injury, he is looking ever-more svelte by the week - well done mate! - you can jump up and down on the balcony anytime you like - Ed.)

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July 2004 (1):  Apologies from your web-masters for not updating the site for several weeks (actually months - Ed.) ; initially due to lethargy, then due to a technical problem whereby it seems our web hosts (some good people called Fasthosts) had changed the specification whereby they accept uploading (yawn, boring technical bit - Ed.) from FrontPage, the software that our web-masters at idontlikecricket use to transport the content from their professional PCs to the "world wide web".  Anyway, all sorted now.  On with the season.  How's your batting average, Bishie?

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May 2004: What has happened so far this season? well, we have had games rained off, oppos cry off and Leigh have been knocked out of the National Village Knock-out yet again by Eynsford.  Ho hum.  Phil Wynn Owen took a hat-trick against league newcomers Withyham (Marc Wood got a ton, too).  Ken Ramsammy is STILL getting promoted to the first XI!  

All the 8's: Martin Parfett sprained his ankle falling down the pavilion steps going out to bat against the 8 men-and-boys of Cranbrook II, then went in no. 8 and scored 48*. 

The club has been kindly given a ££ grant by the Parish Council to fund the necessary repairs to the pavilion, principally the balcony which is looking more rickety than those new garden chairs Mike bought for the garden of the Bat and Ball (steady on Knockie, careful where you sit!).

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12 August 2003:  Grand Draw Raffle raises £578 for the club  We sold 523 tickets and also attracted £55 in donations making the total raised £578. Well done and thanks to all those  who sold tickets (including many non-playing members).

The winner of the meal for 2 at the Bat & Ball was Ted Peters, our regular Sunday supporter from Greenwich who sold an astonishing 45 tickets.  Jason Lee was 2nd with 41 ticket sales followed by a raft of players who sold 40 each. Jelly will be disappointed in missing out by just 4 tickets having tirelessly flogged them in the Bat & Ball on a number of occasions. But cheers anyway Jase! good effort mate!

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11 May 2003: Jason Lee leaps into the lead   Jason "Jelly" Lee has emerged as the early front-runner in the race to win a 2-course meal for 2 at the Bat & Ball.  Following his stupendous winning runs in the NVKO against Ightham earlier today, Jelly shone in the bar tirelessly flogging 20 Grand Draw Raffle tickets at £1 each to unsuspecting punters (as well as our hosts). Dave "Doughnut" Hollands, who had been hungrily contemplating the pub menu ever since the contest was announced, was not available for comment.  

Earlier, in the match itself, we beat Ightham in a last-over finish: Chasing the visitors' 248 all out in miserable conditions on the Green, Ian Linstead (76) and Darren Flint each scored 50's to set us on course. Clive Gordine and Ian Bishop (46) then took us to the brink before Marc Wood and Jason, arriving at the crease with the scores actually level and over an over to go, saw us home for a 5 wicket win. 

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10 May 2003: 1st XI win; 2nd XI lose; maiden ton for "Gloves"   Nigel "Gloves" Shaw hit his first ton for the club but it was not enough to stop the 2nd XI losing at St Lawrence in the opening league round.  Another in the runs was newcomer David Wells who scored his third consecutive half-century (3 in 3 games since arriving from Newquay) and helped the 1st XI to a relatively comfortable home win.  Fuller details of all games throughout the season from the KCVL web site. 

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March 2003:   Nigel Shaw is the new Hon. Sec replacing the retiring and outgoing John Knock who has led from the front since 1966! Well done and thanks to John for all his efforts. Eric Batchelor undertakes his 50th year as Hon Treasurer. For further details of new appointments, go to Officers

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2002 Season All-Rounder Awards:  Garry Wood cleans up following a sparkling season for the 2nd XI with bat & ball (no not the pub) go to all-rounder awards for 2002

 

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