Scorecard

Epping Cricket Club Sunday Gentlemen's XI v Elstree on Sun 20 Aug 2006 at 2.00
Epping Cricket Club Won 6 wickets

Match report The Sunday Gents welcomed Elstree to Lower Bury Lane on Sunday blazed to victory with ease.

The opposition elected to bat first in the 40 over match and Epping took to the field with the traditional energy and athleticism that only the Gents XI know. The Epping legend of Beaumont opened up form his usual Pavilion End with Graham Preston probing away from the Lower Bury Lane End. Preston found with line and length straightaway and was proving a difficult prospect to either score off or even just survive. Beaumont was showing his experience with some tight overs but Preston was the first to strike when he had Cadogan (9) caught by Sibley. It must be noted the lightning reflexes that Sibley needed to pounce on his chance and the speed and agility just to get in to position!!! Preston (1-13) continues to beat the bat and cased problems without success, but with Barrett’s dropped catch, and was replaced by his brother. Terry trundled with the elegance and energy of someone who had just woken up but proved an even more difficult prospect on for the Elstree batsman. Barrett, still recovering from a few drunken student nights, then replaced Beaumont (0-31) and immediately had skipper John Grace (21) caught by Hancock in the gully. Hancock was knocked down by the pure force in the shot but managed to cling on well. Weston (18) then tried to put Preston in to Lower Bury Lane but only found the safe hand of Sanger at long off. Sanger never looked like dropping the ball, although it would have been a different story if he had needed to move more than 2 yards!!! This brought Digweed to the crease and he immediately set about destroying his first over against Barrett. First ball was struck straight back over the bowlers head for 4 and the gauntlet had been thrown down. Barrett responded well to the challenge for the rest of the over and only conceded 14 runs off it!!! Digweed and Thankey batted well to rebuild the Elstree innings as well as trying to push the score up to a challenging total. Barrett then bowled an over or pure genius and showed that he was just lulling the batsmen in to a false sense of security…what a tactician!!!! He had Digweed (22) caught well by Sibley at point and then produced a jaffa of a ball to bowl Thankey (15) all ends up. An over that had ripped the heart out of the Elstree order and the Gents smelt victory. Terry Preston, having finished is 8 expensive overs (1-11), was then replaced by the tasty pies of Sanger. Sanger kept things tight with Sibley, who had replaced Barrett (3-37), causing havoc at the other end with his Muralitharan like turn and his Harmison like quicker ball. He picked up the wickets of Perkins (2), Ward (0) and A.N.Other. Sanger also picked up the wicket of Everett (0) bowled by Sanger’s new delivery called the straight one!!!! Jaydee Grace and Humberstone then needed to see out the overs and this they did with ease against Sanger and Sibley, although a great attempt of a catch by Hancock nearly finished the innings off. Epping’s own Freddie Flintoff, Gravy Thorpe, was then called on to finish the stubborn defense of the remaining 2 batsmen and proceeded to find his line and length. It was not a particularly good line and length but it was Thorpe’s usual!!!! Humberstone took a liking to the length and proceeded clatter the ball to all parts of the ground. Jaydee Grace finished on 1 not out and Humberstone 12 not out but more importantly they had used up their overs. Elstree finished on 126-9 of their 40 overs but the Gents were confident at knocking off the total.

The Gents skipper had epiphany at tea and had envisaged the Epping Master Blaster Gravy Thorpe carving the ball to all parts of the boundary, must have been something in the tea!!!!! After this moment of inspiration the Gents openers, Hancock and Thorpe, that’s not a typing error it was actually Thorpe, were sent out to start the run chase. Unfortunately Hancock was undone by a lively pitch and was sent back without coring but Thorpe was carving out a career best at the other end. Elstree were now paying for dismissing his bowling so easily and Thorpe was in payback mood. Thorpe was finding the gaps with ease and able supported by the subdued Taylor set about the total. Thorpe was eventually dismissed for a majestic and entertaining 13 having gone for one too many expansive and lofted cover drives. Young gun Dan Twitchett came to the crease and joined Taylor in chasing down the Elstree total as if they had a date that evening. Taylor was playing his usual dismissive shots to all parts of the ground and punishing the bad balls to the maximum. Twitchett was slightly more refrained but just as effective in carving out a classy 28. That was until Twitchett, having counted the balls in the over I think, had tried to advance down the wicket to slog sweep the ball to only see the ball sneak between bat and bad for him to be stumped by a couple of miles. They hard work had already been done by that point and victory was there for the taking with skipper Twitchett Snr striding to the wicket. Unfortunately his stay was all too short and was back in the pavilion having registered only 3 runs. He did however stay long enough to see Taylor get a well crafted and thoroughly deserved 50 to celebrate his coming 18th birthday. Sibley was next in and with only a hand full of runs required the Gent knew that carnage could be on the books at any moment. Sibley nearly followed in Daw Twitchett’s shoes when he came down the wicket and but for the intervention of the shoulder would have been stumped easily. More drama was to come in the next over when Sibley, in his usual defensive way, lunged forward the length of the pitch and was struck on the pad and all 21 players, and spectator, appealed form LBW but Sibley was given the benefit of the doubt, must have been close though!!!! Sibley then finished the game off and the Gents had cruised to victory in 21 overs with Sibley unbeaten on 9 and Taylor having played a masterful innings not out 55.

A convincing victory for the Gents with a good all round performance, even from Gravy Thorpe!!!!

Epping Cricket Club Sunday Gentlemen's XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 4 wickets
0
130		        
Ian Hancock Caught  0 1
George Thorpe Caught  13 1
Dan Taylor Not Out  55
Dan Twitchett Stumped  28
Jim Twitchett Caught  3
Dan Sibley Not Out  9 2
John Sanger   1
Terry Preston  
John Sanger  
Graham Preston  
Bill Beaumont  

Elstree Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Elstree Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
126 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Epping Cricket Club Sunday Gentlemen's XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Bill Beaumont7.023100.004.43
Graham Preston5.0113113.002.60
Terry Preston8.0211111.001.38
Matthew Barrett8.0137312.334.62
John Sanger6.0214114.002.33
Dan Sibley5.04230.670.40
George Thorpe1.00600.006.00