HTCC News Weekend 14th - 15th May 2005

Morning all

Some not so brief news on the weekends games and some brief info on availability
and tour

Availability
Please can let me know your availability as soon as possible this week, before
Tuesday evening if possible. If we have this info early, then we can discuss
team selection for longer, rather than spending time making phone calls. It is
more important this week, as there is a club management meeting which will
affect selection. Talking of which, I am your current cricket rep on the
management committee and if you have anything that you would like me to bring
up at this meeting, please let me know before Tuesday afternoon

Cricket Tour
Last call for those who want to go on cricket tour to Bournemouth this year - I
will be confirming numbers to the hotel and letting go any additional rooms
that I have reserved. So if I don't hear from you straight away, I won't be able
to guarantee a room.

The weekend's matches
Not such a good weekend results wise, but some good performances none the less

Saturday 1st XI
A really good team performance, in the face of some stonewall batting by
Boxmoor. We batted first and declared on 234 for 7 in 48 overs, with Taffy
topscoring on 83, yours truly getting 58 and good contribution from all the
batters. I must mention Eric's useful 26, in his first game for the club where
he didn't get injured! Long may it continue. Unfortunately, despite a generous
declaration on a ground with a fast outfield, Boxmoor didn't ever attempt to go
for the runs, with their number 3 boring us for 40 overs to get 48. Our seven
bowlers managed to get 6 wickets in the end, but with attacking fields and even
tossing the ball up to try to make them play some shots, we gave away 60 or 70
runs, to make their final score of 194 look good.

Saturday 2nd XI
It's hard to say very much here, except that their score of 116 was their best
of the season so far and that there is little the bowlers can do when they
don't have a total to defend. On paper this team should be scoring 200 every
week, as they bat down to Steve Fisk at 10.

Sunday 1st XI
Our opposition Walthamstow, although a team of young players, they were a very
strong outfit. Most of their bowlers were fast and accurate, giving us few
scoring opportunities, whilst me and Taff started brightly, we didn't take the
score on much past 30. It was left to Mark Davis who compiled a very good 60
runs, some quick fire stuff from Sharky and some intelligent batting from
Justin Schott to get us to 134 in 40 overs. 50 more runs and it would have been
interesting as the oppo took 30 overs to get the runs, with some tight bowling
by Justin and Tony Bacchus, with some useful bowling by TV Jr, Commie and
Kojak. A couple of observations about this game; it is the first time I've
played against two frenchman and a chinaman in the same game - the two
frenchman actually play cricket near Nice, mostly with ex-pats and the chinaman
was a  very accurate young left handed leg break bowler, you don't see that very
often. By the way, just for the record, the following were all bowled out by a
Frenchman, Taffy, Mincer and TV Jr - Hahahaha!

Sunday 2nd XI
Partly watching this game unfold from the other end of the ground and from the
the score box with a beer in my hand after our match finished 2 hours earlier,
it was quite a spectacular game. Wadham compiled 273 in their 40 overs, with
one of their batters hitting 127 (21 fours and four 6's!) and an awful lot of
HTCC bowlers being used, with the best contribution coming from Darren Tarling,
who took 4 for 25ish, in four overs - including 3 wickets in his 2nd over at the
end of which he was 4 for 4 and being taken for 18 off his last over! 273 seemed
an impossibly tall order, when both Wadhams opening bowlers started their run
upsfrom 2 yards inside the boundary! However a solid start by Stevie Fisk (45)
and Tom Gibbs (25) ensured respectability at the least. I though Steve was
going to get to 50, when Owen rang the umpiring changes and Bomber promptly
gave him out as soon at hit his pads. A brief sparkle ensued in the middle of
the innings when Darren hit 14 off 3 balls including a 6 (yes, he hit a six!),
then got himself bowled. The end in sight, oh no, not yet, Kev Cowan 41* and
Dan Bonner 30* smashed an unbeaten partnership, which took the team to 230. Not
enough overs, but a great effort. The only down side to the game was the slow
over rate by Wadham , who took the game to half past eight and dramatically
reduced the teams drinking time!