Results and Match Reports 2005
Wiltshire League Matches|Friendly Matches
Wiltshire League Division 2
Potterne vs Avebury
Date : Sat 30-AprType : League
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Potterne's ground was too wet to play this game so it was cancelled. A shame as it was a lovely day in the end, but not surprising in April. Both teams got 10 points.
Urchfont vs Avebury
Date : Sat 07-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 220 for 4
Opposition score : 44 all out
After a washout last week, our intrepid band of heroes were looking to open their account in Division Two of the King-Arthur-Knights-of-the-Round-Table-Crusader-League-Fielding-Circles-and-Proper-Umpires League and to try to answer the question of where exactly our team should fit within the overall structure of the league. The ensuing victory probably doesn't give too much assistance in answering this question - Urchfont were by their own admission woefully out of form, although the overall result will have gladdened the hearts of Avebury supporters all over the world.
Avebury won the toss and chose to bat first on the same low and slow track which we have used for previous fixtures this year. John Rheinberg and DMF added 79 for the first wicket. Rheinberg looked in great touch, infuriating the bowlers by missing good length balls outside off stump and then crashing consecutive half volleys through the covers before finally succumbing for 78. Rob Gater looked in reasonable touch and Greg Dix also looked in control as he despatched the wily Wiltshire Coach Alan Crouch for six over midwicket.
The run rate increased in a steady and controlled manner, with Andy Blake and Henry Fry adding 50 in the last six overs with some controlled aggression and excellent running between the wickets. Avebury's innings closed on 220 for the loss of just four wickets, with all six batsmen reaching double figures and looking in good early season form.
Any strong impression left by the batting, however, was eclipsed by the bowling performance, with Vince Ogbourne and Rob Gater producing a wonderful opening spell of accurate and in Vince's case occasionally quite sharp medium pace bowling, picking up wickets at a steady rate with no batsman able to get going. When Gater took the wicket of key man Brooks, with a wonderful outswinger that glanced the outside edge on its way through to Neil Hollister, spirits were visibly lifted. Even the former Wiltshire player Crouch was unable to pick up runs, choosing instead to make remarks about the slowness of the pitch rather than get on with the job in hand.
The slow bowlers (Pete Force-Jones and Dom) mopped up the tail, and Urchfont collapsed to 44 all out, giving Avebury a convincing 200 run win and, pleasingly, a maximum 25 points. Urchfont gave us the lowest pitch rating we have ever received in three seasons, provoked perhaps by the fact that they were given such a drubbing. Might we have received a better rating if they had won? And if it was so bad, how did we manage to eke out 220 runs on it?
Seagry vs Avebury
Date : Sat 14-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 265 for 6
Opposition score : 101 all out
Seagry's ground is absolutely beautiful - the epitome of an English village cricket ground, with mature trees lining the boundary, a pavilion which whilst not in its first flush of youth is ageing gracefully, a well prepared wicket and square, and a freshly cut outfield. Once again the result was secondary to the thrill of playing at such a nice place against a quality opposition.
Batting first, DMF and John Rheinberg started positively, clattering several boundaries albeit a number of them through the vacant slip area, to the chagrin of the Seagry players, looking smart (as all teams seem to do in this league) in their matching shirts. The two Avebury openers, who on a normal day tend to do little more than take the shine off the ball in advance of the ?proper cricketers? in the middle order (Rob Gater, Greg Dix and the soon-to-be-married Henry Fry), actually decided to play properly for once, and set a new Avebury CC league record opening partnership for the first wicket of 161 - not bad for (as the opposition pointed out) "a pair of muppets". Rheinberg was finally out for 73 and Gater took up where he left off, moving very briskly to 45 before being bowled by Seagry's fifth change bowler. DMF prodded unconvincingly through the nineties and finally got to his hundred, but was soon run out having run halfway down the wicket for a single that wasn?t there. Henry Fry settled in and scored yet another sneaky not out, and Neil Hollister, Andrew Blake and Adam Duncan all added valuable runs as we crept up to 265 for 6 at tea.
Seagry came out with all guns blazing, with 2004 Division 2 leading batsman A.Fereday and his Australian partner (not in the sexual sense of the word hem hem) clattering the ball to all parts, taking a liking in particular to Rob Gater, who was somewhat off his oats on this occasion. Vince Ogbourne produced a tight spell from the top end and finished with just 2 wickets but could have had more. The demise of Fereday was brought about by the inspired introduction of Pete Force-Jones into the attack (replacing Gater) whose looping inswingers delivered from the back of the hand forced the batsman to half drive the ball into the tender hands of Henry Fry at mid off. Pete took a further three wickets, and DMF, complete with broken right shoulder, dodgy foot, bandaged wrist and bulging stomach, then produced an out of character display of accurate swing bowling at the other end to take four wickets for three runs in a shade under five overs, consigning the unfortunate Seagry (who are a better side than the scoreline suggests, particularly their opening bowler Nick Lancaster, who for some reason only bowled six overs) to a 163 run defeat.
It's a bit early to talk about where we might end up this season, but if our goal was to outperform fellow promotees Blunsdon then we are doing very nicely thank you, having opened up a 45-point gap in three games. Log on next week to find out how the Wiltshire League's answer to Accrington Stanley get on against Nationwide House, one of the fallen stars from Division One, on Saturday.
Nationwide House vs Avebury
Date : Sat 21-MayType : League
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Yet another May washout in the Wiltshire league. I wonder if they will ever change the start time until June, and run the league season until September when the the weather is usually so good? It would be a better innovation that fielding circles! We missed playing Nationwide, who we were looking forward to playing, so will wait until next weekend for our next league outing, when we are away to Swindon Civil Service. Does this mean they are civil servants or is it a nickname?
Swindon Civil Service vs Avebury
Date : Sat 28-MayType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 203 for 8
Opposition score : 183 for 7
Grey clouds scudded across leaden skies, and a chill wind swept across the desolate emptiness that is known to residents of the Penhill district of Swindon as Nalgo Sports Ground. The air of unease was exacerbated by the absence of opener John Rheinberg at the scheduled start, forcing Avebury, who had been asked to bat by Swindon Civil Service, to open with the brothers Fry. As students of Avebury's form will know, this combination almost never works, and it was not long before D Fry departed, to a slow ball which took the inside edge, ricochetred off the keepers right leg pad and dollied up to square leg. Gater didn't last long either, gloving a sweep shot to Spackman, Swindon's effervescent 'keeper. Henry Fry and Greg Dix kept the score ticking along nicely until Henry too was caught behind to another harmless delivery from one of Swindon's battery of innocuous slow bowlers.
John Rheinberg came in next and assumed an uncharacteristically defensive technique, quite justified in the light of the tumbling wickets and the fact the Dix was beginning to get into gear, rediscovering some of his old form. Rheinberg had started to expand his role in the partership before he too was out, bringing Neil Hollister to the crease, who shared another important partnership with Greg before holing out on the midwicket boundary.
At this point our innings began to go pretty much downhill again, as a mix up betwen incoming batsman Adam Duncan and the skipper resulted in the latter being run out for 95. Adam, Mike Pearce and Vince were unable to play nany expansive shots in the final overs, but nevertheless enabled us to creep over 200 and secure maximum batting points.
Swindon's reply started brightly, but the run rate soon dropped from 5 an over to nearer 3 an over as Rob Gater and the injured Vince Ogbourne began to find their line and pick up a wicket apiece. The absence of star bowler Pete Force-Jones meant that the injured Chairman had to be introduced into the attack, bowling with decent enough control to pick up a couple of wickets. Greg Dix came on at the other end and secured wickets of his own, as the required run rate grew steadily to around 10 an over. Henry Fry was introduced into the attack and was on the wrong end of some savage hitting from the pugnacious Spackman, but in reality all this did was to turn an easy victory into a slightly more fraught affair, with Swindon's innings finishing on 183 for 7, 20 runs short of Avebury's total.
Avebury's fielding throughout was very impressive on a difficult outfield and against an opposition who appeared desperate to win. Special mention goes to Greg for a fine innings when it mattered, and to Vince for a superb spell of 12 overs with a knee injury and off a shortened run up. It it this sort of dedication to the Avebury cause that sets us apart from other sides, who may have better individual players at times, but who often don't appear to have the same team spirit? At least with this win we have further improved our chances of staying in this division next year.
Cooper-Avon Tyres vs Avebury
Date : Sat 04-JunType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 90 all out
Opposition score : 95 for 3
Another chilly day at Avebury, with a fierce wind blowing all day from the pavilion end keeping the tourists and spectators away. The wicket looked OK (albeit slightly damp) but the outfield had once again not been cut and was bordering on being unfit for use as a cricket pitch.
Cooper Avon Tyres won the toss and elected to field first, and Avebury started brightly enough for the first few overs before Rheinberg fell to a vicious in-cutter from Cooper Avon's first change bowler. Gater looked in good form before he fell trying to force a good length ball on middle stump over midwicket for six, and was bowled. Dix came in and hit a very brisk 30-odd before he was caught behind, chasing a ball outside off stump. Henry Fry came and went in the space of a single delivery, edging the same bowler to the same keeper and departed with the scoreboard unchanged. Blake looked a little uncomfortable at the wicket, and was also bowled, followed by the rest of the team in fairly quick succession. Only D Fry managed anything like a respectable score, but he too lost focus and was bowled off his pads for 52.
Avebury were shot out for 90 - the team's lowest score in any form of cricket for over five years - by a bowling attack that contained absolutely nothing in the way of sharp edges, the only real weapon being the Tyre fitters propensity for acerbic comments - "Top of the league my arse" yelped one of the team as another wicket fell.
In response, Avebury's bowling attack (minus Vince who missed the game with a knee injury) could not find a way through the Tyre fitters' top order, and the game drifted towards a fairly inevitable loss in around the 26th over. The only incidents of note were a blinding catch by Gater to dismiss D.Perrin, and the same batsman squaring up to Dom having run down the middle of the track for a single, knocked him out of the way (Dom is putting on weight, but this contest was still David and Goliath), accused him of attempting to obstruct the field and threatened to "rip" his "f*!%$!? head off". Fun and games. As Greg and Rob pointed out, we had been warned to expect some unpleasantness from some members of this team and these predictions proved correct.
Never mind - we look forward to a better spirited and more competitive fixture in the second half of the season.
Buscot Park vs Avebury
Date : Sat 11-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 261 for 7
Opposition score : 230 all out
This week saw us visit the beautiful Buscot Park ground to do battle with this long-established cricket team. I think we lost the toss and were asked to bat, but I can't be sure. Anyway, Rheinberg and D.Fry made a decent enough start against some spirited bowling, notably from a character called "Goughie" who was a little sharper than his gentle run-up suggested. After some good natured (for once!) banter with the opposition and a flurry of boundaries, both openers succumbed and were sent back to the hutch, leaving more established batters H.Fry and G.Dix to get on with the more serious business of pasting the bowling to all parts, in a good stand of 125 runs for the third wicket, until G.Dix was unfortunately bowled for 36. R.Gater joined H.Fry and continued to progress things at a good rate, but with the demise of these two batsmen (Gater for 38, H.Fry for a robust 88) our innings lost its way, N.Hollister being particularly noticeable by his absence from the middle order. Anyway, our last 6 overs yielded a further 15 runs and we set Buscot a target of 262 to win in 45 overs.
Buscot came out with all guns blazing, both openers determined to run sharp singles and disrupt the normally immaculate lines of V.Ogbourne and R.Gater. The introduction of D.Fry at one end brought a wicket as G.Dix snaffled a catch in the slips, and a couple of overs later the Captain held onto an equally sharp chance from the bowling of Gater. However, the new batsmen seemed completely unruffled and continued to mix dazzling strokeplay with hastily taken singles, causing distinct sense of humour failures amongst the Avebury cricketers! The introduction of P.Force-Jones proved to be unsuccessful, as our special weapon was despatched for 49 runs from seven fruitless overs. In the end, a combination of H.Fry, G.Dix, D.Fry and several run outs contributed to the demise of Buscot, who needed just 85 runs from the final 15 overs but continued to play rash shots and lose wickets when simply finding the gaps was all that was required. The maths kept getting worse for Buscot as the run rate mounted from under six an over to around 10 an over for the final three overs.
Special mention goes to H.Fry for his fine bowling at the death, taking three wickets (including one from the final ball) and eradicating from memory the 'appalling mauling' he received from the hyper-aggressive M.Spackman of Swindon Civil Service. A further credit to J.Rheinberg, who had a great game as a stand in wicket keeper for the absent Hollister, and made full use of his skills as a top class hockey goalkeeper with innovative use of all parts of his body in stopping the leg side dross so often served up by Avebury's 'premier' bowlers! All in all, a great game played in good spirit against a side who were far stronger in the flesh than their league form had hitherto suggested.
Sutton Veny vs Avebury
Date : Sat 18-JunType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 183 for 7 in 43 overs
Opposition score : 181 for 8 in 40 overs
This week we trundled off to sleepy Sutton Veny, deep in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside. A beautiful village, its cricket ground is fairly picturesque although you could argue the pavilion could use a bit of TLC - not that the same can't be said for our own, but I am trying to create in my mind the ideal village cricket ground using the constituent elements of Wiltshire League cricket grounds, and am seeking perfection. So far, it would have Urchfont's wicket, Seagry's outfield, Buscot Park's pavilion, Sutton Veny's church on one side and Lechlade's stately home perched in the distance. I would probably add Avebury's spectators, tourists, and prehistoric stone circle, all of which I think add to the atmosphere of a cricket match as so many of the places we play are pretty deserted and sometimes depressing.
But I digress.
Anyway, we lost the toss on what was so far the hottest Saturday afternoon of the year, and were asked to field. Unsurprisingly, our team looked hot and bothered from the word 'go', and only some controlled bowling from D.Fry at one end prevented the home side from getting off to too strong a start. Of the Sutton Veny batsmen, Rob Nash looked particularly ominous - I am sure I have played against him in the Western Premier League when he played for Warminster, but I could be wrong - and was carting Gater's bowling all over the shop. Happily for us, the introduction of the Mystery Man ended this colourful innings, and he perished fairly tamely, prodding a good length ball gently back to the bowler. His comment was the Mystery Man "was almost a chucker" but in a way I think that's the point of the Mystery Man's bowling - the action is so mesmerising that batsmen get caught up wondering about what he's doing, rather than getting on with the more immediate process of hitting the ball.
After that, Sutton's wickets fell at regular intervals, but Avebury committed something of a howler by dropping 'Simmo' on the boundary (nice one Rheinberg, 20p in the tin please) who went on to make a fifty and guide the home side to a respectable 181 for eight at the close of the innings. A lowlight of the innings was Adam Duncan dislocating his finger as he attempted to hold on to a full-blooded drive at cover, which may put him out of action for some time, and leaving us with a fairly depleted side for next week, when we are also missing H.Fry and V.Ogbourne.
Avebury's reply after tea was spirited, Rheinberg and D.Fry pushing on at around 5 an over before D.Fry perished to the newly introduced spinner with the score on 88. After that, H.Fry and Rheinberg pushed things on nicely until H.Fry was out in exactly the same manner as his hapless brother. With the score at 131 for 2 with twenty overs remaining, this game should have lost its interest, but as the blood rushed to Rheinberg's head and he perished for a well made 87, Avebury engineered one of their famous collapses, losing five wickets in the space of twelve overs and making things rather exciting. Fortunately, Dave Bradfield had his sensible head on, and he and R.Gater got the last twenty runs comfortably, R.Gater hitting some nice boundaries and making amends for an unfortunate run-out incident involving the captain G.Dix.
All in all this was a great fun game to play in, against nice opposition in a lovely setting. We were quite amused that they had shown our match report from 04 June to Cooper Avon Tyres when they played them last week - I thought our global footprint didn't extend outside the team. Anyway, Sutton Veny's comment was "We didn't have any trouble with [Cooper Avon Tyres], but then again we did let them score 285 against us!". We didn't really have a problem with them either - it just appears that we play league cricket for different reasons. I was chatting (warning - name drop coming) to ex-England opener Bill Athey last month about the amount of slightly unnecessary 'chat' that is commonplace in village cricket these days, and he likened it to those "competitive dads" you sometimes see throwing a strop when they're out in a game of beach cricket. I sort of agree, but I guess that for some people it really DOES matter, whatever the level and standard of cricket. Ultimately that's fine, but you have to respect other people's rights to enjoy the game as well.
For what it's worth, we won, and are still fairly near the top of Division Two.
Blunsdon vs Avebury
Date : Sat 25-JunType : League
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Rather irritatingly, given the amount of cricket that did manage to take place around Wiltshire, our game against Blunsdon was cancelled, leaving us even further adrift of the top of the table having now lost three games to the weather. Never mind, Kate and I went to the Oval to watch Hampshire thrash Surrey in the 20/20 match, and we got absolutely wrecked as well, which was good fun.
Potterne vs Avebury
Date : Sat 02-JulType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 175 all out
Opposition score : 198 all out
Another miserable cloudy Saturday in Wiltshire found the Avebury side mopping up their damp ground for their fixture against top of the league Potterne. With previous results (in the Village Knockout) between the two sides standing at one apiece, this was always going to be a good close game, and one which we were all looking forward to. G.Dix won the toss for a change and elected to field first. Potterne's opening duo of Phil Oliver and Marlborough reject Paul Clarke (Joke, Clarkey, Joke!) got the away side off to a good start, going at between three and four an over for the first twenty overs. The introduction of the overweight but enthusiastic Chairman D.Fry at the top end eventually accounted for these two bringing Potterne's number three to the crease along with Sam Gaiger, one of the legendary, nay seemingly immortal, Gaiger brothers. These two started to accelerate away, but the introduction of seventies throwback P.Force-Jones eventually accounted for these two, particularly pleasing being the wicket of S.Gaiger who had just announced to us that he had worked out how to play Pete's bowling (Joke, Sam, Joke!). As the home side applied some pressure to restrict the free-hitting Potterne batsmen to around four an over, and their was much celebration at the wicket of Wiltshire League Hall of Fame S.Gaiger, run out coming back for a second. In the end some robust hitting from Potterne's lower order saw them post a healthy 198 after the allotted 45 overs, requiring Avebury to score a shade over four an over for victory.
Avebury started slowly, having to contend with some tight bowling from Potterne's opening bowlers, together with some amusing banter which certainly lent an air of occasion to the proceeedings. Despite the loss of J.Rheinberg to a full bunger from the bottom end, Avebury started to push the scoring rate up nicely, thanks in no small part to a couple of well struck sixes from London's premier commercial property specialist H.Fry. Unfortunately, an unfortunate incident then occurred which proved rather a dampener on proceedings. On the introduction of a new bowler from the pavilion end (the extremely nice Major Caiger, whose acquaintance we were all please to make), D.Fry pushed the ball to deep mid-on and called H.Fry through for a single. Having run his bat in, walked past the umpire and turned around, D.Fry began to walk down the wicket to talk with his brother about the new bowler. Much to his chagrin, Mr Fred Kerley of Potterne had other ideas, picking up the ball and hurling it at the stumps at the bowlers end, appealing in the manner of a Sioux Indian who has just returned from camp with the scalp of General Custer warm in his hands.
It is fair to say that confusion reigned at this point. Half the Potterne side appeared equally bemused as to why their side were appealing, presuming (as had the unfortunate D.Fry) that the ball was practically, if not technically, dead. Despite protestations the appeal was not withdrawn, and D.Fry departed for a careful 24. Henry Fry seemed shaken by this incident and was dismissed by the next ball as he sent it back to bowler Caiger, leaving Rob & Greg at the crease on 0. To cut an already long story short, Avebury never really recovered from this incident despite some spirited hitting from the middle and lower order, particularly Mike Pearse, and closed their innings some 22 runs shy of the Potterne total.
Avebury can take some solace from the fact that the opposition appeared equally undecided as to whether Kerley's actions were the hallmark of genius, or an act of outrageous cynicism, and their heated debate behind closed doors bore testament to this fact. The protestations of the veteran Mr Kerley at the bar after the game were touching but ultimately fell on deaf ears. Avebury can take pride in the fact that they never questioned the part of the umpire in proceedings (applying, as he was, the letter of the law), and took the defeat firmly and squarely on the chin. Ultimately, this was the right result - Pottern ought to be promoted next season. Finally, my thanks to Phil Oliver, Paul Clarke and Major Caiger for their kind words after the game. Also to G.Gaiger, with whom I agree that it would be great to have an Aveubry-Potterne fixture without controversy one day.
Urchfont vs Avebury
Date : Sat 09-JulType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 128 for 9
Opposition score : 131 for 3
Alan Crouch, Wiltshire cricket's very own Tony Suprano, is very proud of the Urchfont square, and rightly so - it's a batsman's paradise, and trundling medium pacers delight in being able to get a ball through at above stump height. Urchfont won the toss and predictably opted for first use of the strip, leaving Avebury to wither in the heat. However, Avebury's opening bowlers not only managed to restrict the flow of runs to under two an over for the first ten overs, but also managed to pick up a few wickets into the bargain, R.Gater managing to "nip out" (with compliments to Blunsdon CC website for this excellent verb) three Urchfont batsmen, whilst V.Ogbourne did all the hard work for no reward at the other end. Wickets continued to tumble at the introduction of P.Force-Jones and Prize Fresian D.Fry, and some impressive fielding (particularly from S.Nash) in the heat of the afternoon left Urchfont dangling precariously at 128 for 9 after their allotted 45 overs.
Avebury's response was enthusiastic but ultimately flawed, with both openers departing after trying to play big shots in a situation which, on quiet reflection, probably demanded preservation of wickets. However, trout fishing supremo G.Dix and one time deep sea angler H.Fry managed to knock off the remaining runs at a canter, ending our innings in the 27th over and providing Avebury with a much-needed morale-boosting win after the sorry affair that was the Potterne game. All in all a lovely game in great surroundings, and the barbeque afterwards was very good as well I'm told.
Seagry vs Avebury
Date : Sat 16-JulType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 250 for 5
Opposition score : 179 for 8
Today we played against Seagry. We batted first and it was hot. Damned hot. Hot and Steamy. The Caribbean atmosphere was enhanced by the banging of bongo drums from the Avebury Village Fete next door, although things admittedly took a turn for the worse when they stopped banging drums and started murdering Simon and Garfunkel songs instead. Rheinberg was out pretty sharpish, edging the burly Lancaster to Fereday behind the stumps. H.Fry and D.Fry had a pretty decent partnership after that, in which H.Fry anchored the innings with a fine 56 and D.Fry got quickly to 60 before being adjudged LBW by our stand-in Umpire J.Collie, who had very kindly agreed to replace Rob McGowan for this match. That brought G.Dix to the crease, and he tucked in to the bowling with vim, marshalling the final half of our innings with a fine 79 not out, helped by some swift running from A.Blake and R.Gater. We finished with 250 for 5 which was not a bad score, although with the dangerous A.Fereday lurking in the Seagry middle order one never knows what might happen.
After an absolutely fantastic tea prepared by Ann and Vince Ogbourne, Seagry went out to bat with some clear intent to pick up every run available, and (as often seems to be the case these days with us) we allowed the batting side four or five overs of free hitting before we managed to apply the brakes. After this initial spurt there was a period of complete stonewalling as Seagry appeared to have forgotten what they were doing, allowing D.Fry (standing in for the unfortunate R.Gater, who had injured one of his ickle toesie-woesies) to pick up some cheap wickets. V.Ogbourne again bowled a superb spell straight through from the top end, going wicketless despite some fine bowling and creating one or two difficult opportunities.
H.Fry found himself having to do quite a bit of bowling, and despite the odd full bunger looked much improved as a bowler, finding a good line around off stump and getting the batsmen playing shots on the front foot. He achieved a great result when one of Seagry's more fluent-looking batsmen hoisted him high over mid off, towards Mike Pearce who was standing on the boundary facing into the sun. As Mike ran towards the ball the rim of his floppy sun hat lifted upwards and the light struck his face, blinding him instantly, but he still managed to reach out for where he thought the ball was and cling on to it magnificently, trully taking the wind from the Seagry sails and rendering the march to victory a formality, despite some spirited hitting from the Seagry late order. In the end we were unable to take the final Seagry wickets and their innings closed on 179 for 8, giving Avebury another solid if not overwhelming victory.
Nationwide House vs Avebury
Date : Sat 23-JulType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 130 all out
Opposition score : 131 for 3
As the season marches on, anyone growing gradually weary of the relentless march of Saturday league cricket can console themselves that there are just five league fixtures remaining. Those of us relishing the prospect of slightly more lighthearted cricket can delight in the prospect of a further 10 friendly fixtures all the way up to the 18th of September. Anyway, whatever you are or are not looking forward to the last league game, the debate over whether or not we would employ an overseas "ringer" for our first season in Division One next year appears to be over, as Nationwide inflicted a reasonable comprehensive defeat on us at their well appointed ground on Saturday, banishing us to a lowly fourth spot and diminishing our chances of a fourth consecutive promotion.
I will be brief. We won the toss, chose to bat, were royally undone by the Wiltshire League's tallest bowler, Martin Harman, and in defending this total were denied our usual flurry of wickets by the Wiltshire League's smallest opening batsmen, the Brothers Flay. Our innings was something of a procession to and from the pavilion for the first 25 overs, and 56 for 6 certainly wasn't where we had hoped to be at the halfway stage. Of immense comfort and entertainment was the performance of our lower order, in particular Mike Pearce, who top scored with 27 and hit some wonderful sixes, taking on and beating the four men Nationwide had posted round the boundary, and Dave Bradfield, who hit the ball harder than anyone all day, with his cameo appearance also comfortably getting into double figures. Andy Blake preserved an aura of tranquility at the other end, anchoring the second half of our innings and ensuring things didn't get our of hand. All in all, our 130 all out was a triumph given the abysmal performance of the top order. The most amusing moment of the innings was the dismissal of Rob Gater, who tried to hook a ball from the tree-like Harman but lost his balance as it "got big" on him, swivelling round, losing his balance, and demolishing not one, not two, but all three stumps.
The match tea proved to be the highlight of the game for the Avebury side, and before you accuse me of making this statement lightheartedly, I will use my photographic memory to describe it to you. A large table in the centre of the room, piled high with creations both home-made and factory produced. Those favouring savoury products could chose from Cheese and Onion rolls, Onion Bhajis, Vegetable Samosas, Egg rolls, Pizza slices and some delightful little pork pies. Those seeking a little party food could help themselves to cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks, carrot and cucumber batons with a sour cream and onion dip. For those with a sweet tooth, there were plenty of cakes available as well as swiss rolls and fruit. All of this could then be washed down with lashings of hot tea or tartrazine loaded orange squash. All in all, a tea for champions.
It was little wonder that our fielding performance was not up to its usual standards after such a delightful feast. Vince and DMF opened the bowling but could not make a breakthrough. Rob and Gwilym came on and both induced mistakes from the Flay brothers, the smallest of the two being particularly hard to dislodge, insisting on holding every forward defensive pose for at least ten seconds after playing the ball. What a cheeky little chappie! In the end it was P.Force-Jones who got a breakthrough with a leg stump yorker, and Rob also picked up a couple of wickets but (unlike the tea) it was a case of too little, too late as the two (notably less competent) Nationwide batsmen overhauled our total in the 31st over.
Played 21, Won 15, Lost 6, and with 15 glorious days of cricket still to go...
Swindon Civil Service vs Avebury
Date : Sat 30-JulType : League
Result : Abandoned
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
A slightly miserable and rainy day. Avebury get put in to bat. Top order fails with the exception of Henry Fry who hits a very good 115 not out. Much rain falls throughout the innings, and tea is taken early. The light showers turn to constant drizzle as Swindon Civil Service go out to bat chasing an improbably 225 for victory. Henry Fry opens the bowling and, to put it mildly, goes for a few as the civil servants get off to a good start. However, with four wickets down and 115 on the board, the umpires finally admit defeat and the game is abandoned at 7.30pm with 20 overs still remaining.
Cooper-Avon Tyres vs Avebury
Date : Sat 06-AugType : League
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 146 for 9
Opposition score : 147 for 6
"Lowly" Avebury travelled to "Lowly" Cooper Avon Tyres looking to make amends for the awful performance in the first half of the season. Once again, our top order looked woeful, and appeared not to be able to play any shots other than solid defence or reckless slogs. There is a middle ground, guys, and we need to find it again. Our total of 146 was not huge, but on a terrible wicket with vicious variable bounce we always knew there was a chance.
However, despite a steady fall of wickets throughout the tyre fitters innings, the required run rate of three and a bit an over was always going to be difficult to defend and we unfortunately lost the game in the 42nd over. It is probably fair to say that the side is struggling to motivate itself, being well aware that we can neither be promoted nor relegated this season and subsequently losing a bit of competitive edge in the field.
The same cannot be said for the tyre fitters, who were yabbering away in the field "just like they see it done on TV" and certainly looked enthusiastic throughout. Henry, winner of the 2004 Most Mild Mannered Cricketer Award, got told off by the opposition captain for sledging in the field! Much hilarity. Other moments of mirth included seeing John Wiltshire wearing a shirt with "Wilch" written on the back (is this a word?) along with the digits "370". Much debate raged as to whether this referred to runs scored in a season, weight, or number of ducks. Again, unclear.
Once again, having lost the game Avebury were full of cheer as they headed into the bar for a drink, whilst the opposition captain fretted over the score sheets and his team mooched about as though they had just lost the cup. Lighten up chaps!
Buscot Park vs Avebury
Date : Sat 13-AugType : League
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
The rain which stopped the Ashes also stopped our match against Buscot Park. Boo hiss.
Sutton Veny vs Avebury
Date : Sat 20-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 135 all out
Opposition score : 123 all out
The fact that Avebury Cricket Club had not won a single fixture (League or Friendly) since the 17th of July was weighing heavily on the minds of the team arriving at the ground to play against Sutton Veny. Also missing middle order heavyweight Andy Blake, batsman turned supermodel Henry Fry, and international man of mystery Pete Force-Jones, our batting line-up and second and third change bowling options looked thin on the ground to say the least. Add to this the poor form of top order batsmen John Rheinberg (whose tally of recent scores read like a freephone number) and Rob Gater, and the result is a team struggling to remember how to win at cricket.
Sutton Veny won the toss and asked us to bat, on a good looking, easy paced Avebury wicket. Fry and Rheinberg started cautiously, in the manner of hibernating animals emerging from the darkness of the Winter into the bright sunshine of Spring. However, despite an admirable display of restraint from Rheinberg he still found the opportunity to swish at a medium paced dibbly dobbly away swinger from the ever-reliable 'Trolley', and was caught behind. This brought Rob Gater to the crease, who immediately found the boundary behind point off the bowling of the ever-dangerous 'C.B' (not the one out of Starlight Express, but simply someone called Colin Brown), but soon afterwards presented the same bowler with one of the largest gates ever seen between bat and pad in a cricket match, and was bowled. This brought the man known in the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald as`'Grog Dax' to the crease, and he and the immaculate D.Fry added 80 for the third wicket, D.Fry in particular playing some wonderful strokes either side of the wicket and looking every inch a test quality batsman (who writes this stuff? - Ed).
This dazzling display of strokeplay was brought to an end in the space of two balls as Dix tried to repeat an enormous six (but forgot to look at the ball), and D.Fry decided that ace bowler and former international Warminster superstat Rob Nash needed some gentle catching practice. After this, I am sorry to report that the tail failed to answer the call to arms, and we slumped, in spectactular and amusing fashion, to 135 all out.
At tea I was chatting to Tim Buxton, and although I was quite glum about our prospects he was quite right in pointing out that anything could happen. In fact, that was exactly what did happen. Vince began by bowling very quickly and with an energy we haven't seen for a while, and picked up the first two wickets. Rob looked a little out of sorts and was taken out of the attack, and D.Fry, furious at the under-performance of the team over the last month, produced an aggressive spell of slow-medium bowling from the pavilion end. The turning point in the game came when new batsman and former Warminster legend (he's got the cap, the shirt and, yes, the shorts) chipped a gentle half volley from the Chairman to Adam Duncan at short mid on, who clung on to the catch.
But as the wickets tumbled, so Sutton Veny continued to pick up runs. Vince finished a superb spell of bowling from the top end, and was replaced by Rob, who engineered a dramatic return to form, bowling accurately and getting a couple of crucial wickets. Finally, Rob clung on to a great catch to take the important wicket of the Sutton Veny captain, and mopped up the tail as Sutton Veny finished agonisingly close on 123 all out. Avebury can take considerable credit for this win, which looked pretty unlikely at tea time, and can reflect on a season of pretty good results in their first season in division two.
Our thoughts are with Sutton Veny for next weekend as the go to Potterne needing to win to avoid the drop - I for one hope they win, and stay up. I also hope they can find a willing and competent umpire - it wasn't fair on us having to put up with a run of poor decisions, and it wasn't fair on him having to do it without really knowing what to do. On behalf of all our team, we apologise.
Blunsdon vs Avebury
Date : Sat 27-AugType : League
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 229 for 4
Opposition score : 131 all out
We always enjoy our games against Blunsdon, who came up with us from Division Three last year. On a lovely end-of-summer day, and in front of a significantly enlarged crowd, Avebury went out to bat and scored a pretty useful 229 for 4, defusing the threat of demon bowler "Fish" (the scourge of so many Division Three sides last year) and accelerating the scoring nicely through the innings. D.Fry played another Boycott-like knock, finishing unbeaten on 80 and carrying his bat. Gater, opening with Fry following the demotion of Rheinberg to the more appropriate number five slot, also batted well and got to 26 before being bowled through the gate. H.Fry again threatened to make a massive score but eventually went for 24, holing out at deep backwards square playing his favourite short-arm pull over square leg. Dix scored a "breezy" 42 including a massive six into the school playground before being bowled by the same bowler trying to repeat the shot. Finally, Rheinberg, coming in at a stage in the innings where his form of crazed batting is most needed, blasted 31 of about half as many balls to take Avebury to a pretty reasonable total.
Blunsdon's response was pretty positive, until ace batsman "Fish" was "nipped out" by a swinging delivery from R.Gater, and the legendary K.Aubrey fell LBW to an inswinger from D.Fry which pitched on middle and off and just straightened enough. Wickets tumbled at a merry pace, Vince taking one from the top end, and change bowler P.Force-Jones taking three with his magical dippers. Blunsdon were all out for 131, and Avebury secured fourth spot in the league by three points over the Civil Servicemen of Swindon. A great day out, and we look forward to playing Blunsdon next year.....
Friendly Games
President's XI vs Avebury
Date : Sun 24-AprType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 164 for 5
Opposition score : 88 all out
After what seemed like an eternity it was wonderful to meet up on a typically dull Sunday afternoon in late April for what has now become the traditional opener to the Avebury Cricket Club season. Once again, the build up to this game complete with trading of players rumours about mystery spinners and overseas batsmen and hopes that someone has actually got better at the game, all petered into nothingness in what was sadly a typically one sided game of cricket.
However, it was great to see the return of Trevor Startup after a full seasons absence and also to watch Guy Perkins rediscover some of his form of ten years ago. Unfortunately for the President's men (all twelve of them) catching skills appeared to be in short supply, and the rusty Avebury batsmen were almost literally able to get away with murder. This was particularly true for D Fry who must have used up his whole season's good fortune in one innings - dropped 6 times before being finally caught.On the bowling front, Vince and Rob looked to be in good form, as well as Henry Fry who on Sunday's performance would appear to have shed his 'Bertie Bassett' nickname.
The Scattergoods produced a great tea with a fantastic team effort (including one of the most sophisticated sandwiches ever seen at a cricket tea - spinach, cranberry and brie - very nice). It was also lovely to see Dan & Matthew Dix enjoying the new ramp outside the pavillion, Nick and Jessica Daley having fun at watching the game, and Andy Blake's dogs running round the boundary (and occasionally onto the pitch) with gay abandon!
Goatacre vs Avebury
Date : Sun 01-MayType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 170 for 9
Opposition score : 121 for 8
It was third time lucky for Avebury as after two previous fixtures with Goatacre had been cancelled with no prior warning, we were surprised and pleased to finally be able to play the fixture. The side they bought with them was not quite their Sunday 1st team, but nevertheless contained several very useful cricketers. Avebury were asked to bat first and got off to a good start with Andy and Dom opening the batting against two fairly ordinary bowlers. However despite the run rate hovering at around 4 an over, Avebury continued to lose wickets throughout the innings. The slow pitch and uncut outfield didn't help the scoring, but Avebury still managed to crawl to 170 off their 40 overs, with Dave Scats and John Collie showing the rest of us how it should be done.
In reply, Goatacre got off to a slow start with some accurate bowling from Vince and Trevor (2 wickets for 10 runs in 8 overs) staunching the flood of runs usually associated with Sunday fixtures. Mike Milton took two good catches at the beginning but then avoided the hat trick three times with a couple of spectacular attempts which came to nothing.
Goatacre managed to pick up the pace at the 20 over mark, but some tight bowling from Rob and Dom slowed this right down, before Greg came on at the bottom end and took the key wicket of John Wilkins at which point the game was all but won.
Erlestoke & Couldson vs Avebury
Date : Sun 08-MayType : Village KO
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 260 for 7
Opposition score : 193 for 7
After two consecutive years of putting out weakened sides in the Village Knockout Championship, Avebury were at near full strength for their opener against Erlestoke & Coulston, missing only Vince Ogbourne and Trevor Startup from their preferred Sunday line-up. Avebury chose to bat first and scored 260 for seven, Henry Fry top scoring with 96 runs.
In reply E&C appeared not to have the faintest interest in chasing the total, their top and middle order trickling along at around three an over against a number of second string bowlers. The game dragged on to one of those boring finishes where every run gets cheered by the chasing team as if they were about to win, whilst a lethargic and bored Avebury side drifted through the overs with one eye on the clock, and the spectators got very cold. The highlight of the fielding display was John Collie's two wickets in the final over, one of these being clean bowled. The by-product of this victory is (apparently) an away fixture at Winsley, and you can just imagine how much everyone is looking forward to that.
Minal vs Avebury
Date : Sun 15-MayType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 270 for 6
Opposition score : 255 all out
Avebury?s fun-loving, happy-go-lucky Sunday side travelled into the bowels of Wiltshire for their annual fixture with Mildenhall. Batting first on a flat pitch, the visitors took advantage of what must have been some pretty wayward bowling to rack up a massive 270 for six wickets in their allotted 40 overs. Andy Blake and Mike Pearce opened the batting, and lasted for about 10 overs until key batsman Mike Pearce was out bringing the partnership to a close. Blake and Dix then went on the rampage, plundering the unfortunate Mildenhall bowlers, Andy finally being out for 82 and Dix undefeated on 129.
Mildenhall mounted a pretty impressive response to this giant total, with the man mountain Nick Cook helping himself to what must have been a full wedding buffet of bowling as he hit 115. As Greg puts it, "Some other kiddy got a fifty", but you will appreciate that this doesn?t give me much more to work with in terms of a match report. Mildenhall?s innings closed on 255, with the home side unable to sneak those extra few boundaries that would have seen them to their first victory against Avebury in a decade of fixtures.
Next week?s Sunday fixture has an element of seriousness about it as we make the somewhat inconvenient journey across the county to Winsley, who we meet in the next round of the national village knockout championship. Last time we played this fixture it was a truly miserable affair played in near torrential rain and with an umpire who called the Chairman for bowling beamers at about three miles an hour with a ball about the size and shape of a rugby ball. Let?s hope we have a more enjoyable game of cricket this time!
Winsley vs Avebury
Date : Sun 22-MayType : Village KO
Result : Abandoned
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
We travelled, somewhat optimistically, to Winsley for the next round of the National Village Knockout Championship. Unlike last year we started quite brightly, and had moved to a respectable 116 for 3, with Greg Dix and Rob Gater both at the crease and looking like they were getting back into form, before the taps were really turned on and the light rains turned to full downpour.
Winsley will travel to our ground next week for a rematch - hopefully the rain will stay off this time.
By the way, if you ever want to see what a sports pavilion should look like, go to Winsley and see what they have built - its absolutely fantastic, but comes at a price - c. ?70,000 by their estimates for the materials alone.
Winsley vs Avebury
Date : Sun 29-MayType : Village KO
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Last week's game against Winsley looked like being a great match until the rain poured down, so it was a shame that Winsley couldn't get a team out in the end for the replay. However as Holly & I kept telling Henry & Dom, bank holidays make quite a difference in being able to get a team together (unless you're Avebury).
So apart from the boys being miserable that there was no cricket on Sunday, this also means that we're through to the next round of the village cup.
Biddestone vs Avebury
Date : Sun 05-JunType : Village KO
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 181 for 7
Opposition score : 105 all out
After the miserable defeat at the hands of Cooper Avon Tyres the previous day, Avebury dusted itself down, adjusted its shirt and tie and took up the challenge of facing Biddestone in the Regional Semi Final of the National Village Knockout Championship.
Avebury won the toss and elected to bat, and only a dozen or so deliveries had been bowled before DMF departed having driven a half volley into the hands of mid off. However, with the exception of this failure, the rest of the top five batters (Greg Dix, Henry Fry, Neil Hollister and Rob Gater) made meaningful contributions, Greg scoring a breezy 49 and Hollister a superb 44 not out, batting with the tail for the last ten overs of the innings and hitting some very big shots. Having lost wickets all the way through the innings the team managed to score runs at a reasonable rate and finished with 181 for seven after the allotted 40 overs.
In reply, the contest was always going to revolve around Dwayne Perry, Biddestone's South African all rounder and star player for the last three seasons at least. After knocking the ball around ominously for a breezy 20 or so, Perry's over-confidence (and you would always have to forgive him being overconfident given his ability) got the better of him and he fired a half volley from Henry Fry into the hands of DMF at mid-off, causing much excitement and celebration amongst the Avebury players. Biddestone's number four also looked to be something of a player, but he too was undone by Henry's length bowling, as he smashed a ball off leg stump straight to Dave Scattergood at midwicket, who managed to cling on to an absolute stinger of a catch.
Thereafter, and in accordance with the gospel according to Little Durnford & Fonthill CC (who had played Biddestone in the previous round), there were little else in the way of resistance, and Biddestone crumbled to around 110 all out, Henry and Pete Force-Jones finishing with four wickets apiece.
This slightly surprising result means that, against a backdrop of under-enthusiasm for this competition amongst a good number of Avebury's players, we have progressed (for the second time in our history), to the regional finals of the competition, which at the time of writing are scheduled to take place on Sunday 19th June at Avebury's ground.
CS Nomads vs Avebury
Date : Sun 12-JunType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 201 for 4
Opposition score : 199 for 5
Having suffered home and away defeats against CS Nomads last year, the team had a point to prove. Unfortunately, for the first half of the game at least, they singularly failed to make it as the Nomads batsmen (or rather, batsman) collared the bowling to all parts and rattled up a very healthy 199 from their 40 overs, Avebury making full use of its team of 'all rounders' and using eight bowlers, the most eyecatching being the 'Scat Attack' of Dave and Keith, Dave in particular looking on form with his wily lobs lulling the luckless Nomads into error upon error. The other highlight of our fielding display was the renaissance of J.Collie, who has looked somewhat out of sorts in the fielding department in weeks gone by, but who, armed with a brand new pair of prescription spectacles, was back to his best, diving to all parts as if his life depended on it and leaping spectacularly through the air to cling on to a full blooded cover drive from the Nomads number four.
In response to this total, Avebury's chances were always going to revolve around the abilities of its frontline batsmen (Dix, Gater and D.Fry) to marry their talents with the huge, but so often unfulfilled, potential of the other eight members of the team. Things began badly when J.Collie, K.Scattergood and M.Pearce were all dismissed in the first ten overs in the face of some extremely tight bowling by the Nomads, but thereafter G.Dix and D.Fry slowly began to build the innings again, seeing off the opening bowlers, nurdling the spinners around the park and accelerating towards what would have been a superb grand finale had Dix not fluffed his line and got himself bowled. Gater and D.Fry finished off the chase, D.Fry ending up with 99 not out having failed to hit a six to win the game and having to settle for a four.
Lechlade vs Avebury
Date : Sun 19-JunType : Village KO
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 123 all out
Opposition score : 124 for 2
The much hyped and well publicised (not!) Dorset & Wiltshire Regional Final of the NPower National Village Knockout Championship took place at Lechlade on Sunday, between home side Lechlade and visitors Avebury. Avebury won the toss and, on another beautifully hot day, elected to bat first. Lechlade looked a very serious outfit in their smart shirts and matching caps, and set about their fielding with serious intent, bowling tightly and responding like automatons to orders from their captain P.Rowley, a bear-like man standing at short leg for much of the innings and sporting a rather fetching pair of sunglasses. Although runs came easily for Avebury, wickets fell continuously throughout the first twenty overs leaving Avebury struggling on 63 for five. Some determined hitting from the lower order (led by Mike Pearce, but also including a spectacular six from Keith Scattergood, sporting, for the first time this season, a pair of proper cricket trousers!) salvaged some modicum of pride for the visitors, but the innings closed on 123 all out on the final ball of the 40th over.
After a rather meagre tea, Lechlade set off with some purpose in pursuit of their total and achieved it with some ease after around 25 overs, for the loss of just two wickets. All in all it was rather a non-event in terms of the cricket, but it was a beautiful day and nice to see so many Avebury supporters who had made the journey up (including, Trevor and Ann, Guy Perkins, Richard and Jane Fry, Jo and Helen, Gillian and the Family Dix) that in the end it really didn't matter that we lost, and to play cricket in such a beautiful setting. Message to Bruce Hinder of the Avebury Sportfield Association - if you are looking for a good way to spend ?30,000 on a sports pavilion, you could do a lot worse than visit Lechlade and look at theirs, which is excellent, and you could have Parish Council meetings every day in it if you wanted! Its a classic example of how to go about a project like this - don't bother patching things up for ever and ever - just knock it down and start again!
Bishops Cannings vs Avebury
Date : Sun 26-JunType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 338 for 5
Opposition score : 260 all out
Apparently a rather amusing game took place at Bishops Cannings, where the home side played against an 8 man Avebury team bolstered by three of the opposition's youngsters. A combination of unfocused bowling by Avebury and good batting from Bishops Cannings saw the home side reach a robust 339 for five in their 40 overs. According to Greg "Some kiddie got a hundred", but alas we don't have a name to record this monumental feat. Apparently Phil Alsop of Bishops Cannings scored some quick runs, notably off his son Owen who was bowling for Avebury. Apparently it was a bit like the "Competitive Dad" character from Harry Enfield, who takes his kid to the beach and keeps blasting sixes into the sea. To make it even more amusing, he then took the valuable wicket of his son when it was Bishops Cannings turn to field! Anyway, unsurprisingly Avebury couldn't quite get to 339 and ended at around 260, Dix making 85, Rheinberg 42 and various other various numbers of runs, the details of which are not currently available.
Swindon United Churches vs Avebury
Date : Sun 03-JulType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 125 all out
Opposition score : 126 for 9
This was a great fun game. Avebury batted first and batted pretty badly, with the exception of some good hitting from K.Scattergood, M.Pearce, D.Bradfield and R.Gater, the latter scoring 30% of our runs with a well made 46. In reply, Avebury bowled pretty tightly and restricted the opposition well, in particular the miserly T.Startup, who hardly went for anything at all in his eight overs and picked up a nice load of wickets. D.Fry was wayward, strugglying with his injury, and R.Gater also looked a bit off his chips. Swindon United Churches looked in full control up until the departure of their jovial South African, Eric Van Zyl, at which point the wheels well and truly came off their innings. It was only some fairly generous bowling from Avebury that allowed the opposition to overhaul this paltry total in the 38th over, with just one wicket remaining and both sides confident of victory.
All in all, an excellent game played in great spirit on what turned out to be a lovely hot day. Well done also to Mrs Nash who produced an excellent tea on behalf of Snashy, who was presumably not allowed in the kitchen having covered his hair in green dye the previous evening. Pip pip!
Fulham Taverners vs Avebury
Date : Sun 10-JulType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 289 for 3
Opposition score : 225 all out
On another blistering Sunday afternoon, we entertained the Fulham Taverners as part of their annual Wiltshire tour. The Tavs won the toss and, slightly to our surprise on this hot day with the sun blazing down, asked us to have a bat. Nellie and Dom opened, and were able to take advantage of some loose bowling to thrash a quick 80 runs from 12 overs. Although Neil was looking extremely classy and playing some beautiful shots, he was caught out before making his fifty. Dom was lucky to be dropped a gazillion times, and between these mis-cues was also able to pepper the boundary. Dom ended up on 133 not out having also had partnerships with Henno who scored a very rapid 50 and Greg who hit some enormous sixes.
Avebury's final score of 289 for three, was always going to prove a challenge for the Taverners, but they went about it with vim and vigour. In particular they punished Trevor, who went for over 50 runs in his eight overs, but still managed to pick up three crucial wickets. Henry bowled eight overs from the top end and his good work was continued by Guy Perkins who took two wickets and bowled with the guile and control that is to be expected from a senior member of Avebury's Sunday side. Nashie also bowled well from the top end, and picked up a couple more wickets, although he also got tonked about a bit. With Bradders doing a fantastic job behind the stumps, we were able to see Nellie ("the white Chris Gayle") operating from the pavillion end, and he was very effective up until the point where he and Dom decided it would be funny to see how high he could bowl the ball, and these experimental deliveries kept getting whacked out of the ground, and marked as no balls...
The Tavs needed a hundred runs from the final ten overs, and despite their best efforts could not quite get there, with Avebury's usual good fielding helped particularly by Kevin Murphy in his first game for the Avebury side. Eventually they were all out some sixty runs short of the target. As usual a highly entertaining game, played in the best of spirits and with an excellent tea provided by various members of the team and their supporters!
Winterbourne Bassett vs Avebury
Date : Sun 17-JulType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 230 for 8
Opposition score : 210 for 4
A much depleted Avebury side made the journey across that most mighty of chalk streams, the Winterbourne, to play against a Winterbourne Bassett side containing a number of familiar faces from down the years. On another day of almost Egyptian heat, skipper R.Gater had no hesitation in batting first having one the toss. Being a Sunday game, we decided to mix up our batting order, with G.Dix and D.Fry dropping down to the lower order allowing D.Bradfield to open up alongside infrequent Avebury player C.Oliver. However, things didn't go quite to plan when C.Oliver was out to an abysmal umpiring decision, the slightly irritating P.Dobell shouting for an LBW and the umpire raising his finger like an automaton, despite the protestations of the Winterbourne Basset wicketkeeper who clearly felt that the batsman had been wronged.
A fairly rapid collapse ensued, with the lower order batsmen (M.Pearce, S.White, D.Bradfield) not managing to tuck in to the useless bowling being thrown at them (from one end, quite literally, buy a chap called Nathan who is going to have to seriously modify that leading arm to have any chance of making the MCC sides for the Winter) and all got out cheaply. H.Fry and G.Dix were also undone, as batting looked increasing difficult on a pitch which was dry, crumbling and, if anyone had been bowling above 30mph all day, probably quite dangerous. Anyway, at 37 for 6 things looked pretty grim, but fortunately R.Gater and D.Fry had an excellent partnership of around 150, until R.Gater was finally out for a well made fifty. D.Fry then shared an unbeaten partnership with G.Perkins, who looked in great touch and finished with 14 not out and D.Fry with 112 not out (or possibly 109 if you look at the other score book). Avebury closed on 230 for 8 after their allotted 38 overs.
In reponse, Winternbourne Bassett chose not to mix up their order and went out with their big guns. They batted batted slowly against the opening bowling of H.Fry and D.Fry who managed to exploit the awful pitch to some good effect, albeit without taking wickets. It was only when the twenty over mark was reached that the home side decided to actually go for the run chase, by which time Avebury had lost another fielder leaving them with only seven outfielders to try to stem the run flow. Despite some decent hitting from P.Martin and the increasingly querulous N.Clarke (following no doubt in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Dez Clarke), Winterbourne Bassett failed to reach the Avebury total and finished their innings on 210 for four, losing by twenty one runs, thanks in part to the introduction of G.Perkins from the south end of the ground who was very economical and who got a couple of crucial wickets.
Due to Winterbourne Bassett's insistence on a time format, D.Fry was able to enjoy 19 uninterrupted overs of bowling from the top end, more than he has bowled since Wiltshire Under 13's when he was a little dibbly spinner, and, I am pleased to announce, to no ill effect. All in all a great game and we look forward to a rematch later in the year, whereupon we will attempt to administer the same medicine.
CS Nomads vs Avebury
Date : Sun 24-JulType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
The rain poured down on Sunday so the game was cancelled.
Cirencester Nomads vs Avebury
Date : Sun 31-JulType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
After Rob spent hours searching for a team for Sunday, Cirencester couldn't get a team out and cancelled...
Corsham vs Avebury
Date : Sun 07-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 130 all out
Opposition score : 131 for 3
We trooped off to Corsham, batted first and made ourselves look like a bunch of complete muppets as we were bowled out for 136 by (and I choose my words carefully) a bowling attack that ought not to have troubled us. Highlights included Trevor and JC sharing a good partnership for the last wicket. In response, we could not stem the flow of runs from J-P Storey and his 14-year old opening partner, and lost by a healthy 9 wickets.
Lowlights of the game included Rheinberg getting hit in the eye whilst fielding too close to the wicket for comfort, and everyone appearing to lose it a bit in the field. Quite frankly, I think we were 'done' a bit by the opposition. They had a quite respectable side out, but insisted on bleating on about how weak they were. This caused us to mess about with our batting order (which NEVER works) and be over-confident, causing a slump and an inevitable low total, which (despite having at least 7 bowlers on the field) we had no hope of defending. Next time we play Corsham (later in September) we should remember that whatever J-P Storey tells us about his side, they will be 11 good cricketers and we should let them bat first and then allow the fact of having to chase down a total to bring some sort of discipline to our batting.
Winterbourne Bassett vs Avebury
Date : Sun 14-AugType : Friendly
Result : Cancelled
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Winterbourne Bassett couldn't get a team out this week - shame as it rained on Saturday, so there was no cricket this weekend
Lavington vs Avebury
Date : Sun 21-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 118 all out
Opposition score : 119 for 3
I will keep this short, as a mark of deference to our two shortest players in the team, Alex and Josh Milton, who both had fine away debuts for the club, Alex looking very confident at the crease, and Josh bowling a super spell of spinners from the top of the hill at Lavington, and picking up what we would love to think was the first of many wickets for Avebury. Turning to the game itself, we had overlooked the fact that Lavington now have no Saturday side and are now intent on playing their Sunday fixtures with a strong team (which is fine - we can do that too if required) but also featuring the pointless displays of motivational-speak favoured by many of the sides we meet in league fixtures on Saturdays. "Wow duuuun!". Never mind, it's a period of rebuilding.
And some rebuilding, too, must be in order for the Avebury Sunday side, who were almost uniformly useless in collapsing to 118 all out. Despite the best efforts of Josh Milton, Keith Scattergood, and Adam Duncan, no real breakthrough could be made, and Lavington reached this rather paltry total after about 30 overs.
All in all, a rather disappointing performance, and once again (I remarked on it last year and I will do so again) it is a shame to see how awful Lavington's square and outfield are these days. We are thinking of instigating a new policy next year on Sundays of not playing anywhere with a worse square and outfield than ours, as it's just not that nice to play on a field of weeds.
Minal vs Avebury
Date : Sun 28-AugType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : -
Opposition score : -
Weekenders vs Avebury
Date : Sat 03-SepType : Friendly
Result : Avebury lost
Avebury score : 56 all out
Opposition score : 60 for 3
I am not really sure where to begin with this one, suffice to say that having had a string of wins against this usually pitiful side, Avebury jumbled up the batting order and lost wickets to some good bowling from the Weekenders, and were all out for a pitiful 56, the third lowest score ever in the history of the club. The Weekenders fluffed their lines once or twice in progressing towards this paltry score, but the end result was never really in doubt and Avebury will have to do a lot better if the same all-Aussie line-up comes down next year. The Weekenders continue to adopt their slightly supercilious approach to tea-time conversation, with questions such as "What on earth do all you people DO down here in the evening?" ranking alongside classics of previous years such as "What do you do for a living - are you all farmers?". I called Kate in the evening to check what was going on in London, and she reported a massive shortage of bar staff in pubs all over London. That's because they were all playing cricket in Wiltshire, you see.....
Bishops Cannings vs Avebury
Date : Sun 04-SepType : Friendly
Result : Avebury won
Avebury score : 260 for 2
Opposition score : 236 for 7
Avebury needed to atone for an abysmal performance earlier in the year where we only managed to get 7 players out. This time, we managed to get out a near-full strength Sunday side, and put together a decent total of 260 for 2, of which the main contributors were D.Fry with 119 not out, G.Dix with 79 not out, and twenties from R.Gater and H.Fry. In chasing this decent total Bishops Cannings started too slowly against some good bowling from H.Fry and T.Startup, and wickets soon started to fall. D.Fry managed to trap the key man P.Allsop playing on to his stumps, and despite a nice partnership from the Moss father and son combination, the rate was soon up at eight an over. The introduction of "the muppet show" bowlers into the attack allowed Bishops Cannings to get pretty close to the Avebury total, thanks in no small part to some lusty hitting from the Aussie "Glin", who reminded me of someone out of Kath 'n' Kim. A grand day out, and it didn't rain until the second to last over of the day.