Saturday 11th May and the return of the ex 2s skipper Manoj George and his Stratfield Turgis team. The wind from previous weekends had finally left and the sky was blue. Cricket season was well and truly under way. The half hearted catching practice from last week evolved into an actual drill. No increase in standard but it’s the thought that counts...
Welford skipper Myers, playing his first game of the season, uncharacteristically won the toss and Stratfield were inserted. Yahia and Herrington Jnr opened bowling. Yahia in particular was steaming into the crease, hitting the deck hard and forcing the batsman into some particularly attractive pull shots for 6. The crowd were diving for the cover of the batting cage but the opening partnership was soon broken by Herrington taking a classic fast bowlers wicket, caught at cover
After 8 overs, Fox and Herrington Snr were brought into the attack, H bowling particularly well and returning outstanding figures of 1-19 from his 8. Fox was less economical but broke the emerging second wicket partnership with an lbw. The wicket should have been taken an over earlier due to an outrageous catch in the gully, only to be reprieved by a front foot no-ball.
Former Park skipper George was brought to the crease in the 19th over and put on 116 run partnership with Butcher for the 4th wicket, building their innings either side of a particularly difficult Jones drop catch and some poorly backed up Herrington sledging.
Park had taken pace off the ball, with Ashton, Myers and Herrington Jnr (now bowling off spin) keeping the scores under 6 an over. With 5 overs to go and basic spin bowling not quite enough, Jones was brought into the attack to break the partnership. 3 balls and a new nickname later, Richie Two-Bounce had broken the partnership.
After a couple of late, meaningless wickets, Stratfield finished their 40 on 238-7.
In response, Myers and McManus opened up. Creaming the first ball through point for 4 was the height of Myers innings and jones soon followed him back to the hut, with the score 28-2. A couple of steady partnerships with Herrington Jnr and Goldsworthy ticked the scores along to drinks but when Keep was lbw for 0, Park still needed 100 with 5 back in the hut.
McManus passed 50 and after a couple of Yahia lives, the score was ticking along nicely thanks to some delicious cover drives and thwacks over the bowlers head. The pendulum swung in over 32 when McManus edged behind for 81, leaving park needing 43 at a run a ball. However Yahia was in no mood to let the game drift, seeing off Stratfields strike spin bowler and steering Park home with an over to spare and a win by 4 Wickets.
Man of the match: Split between McManus and Yahia for a fantastically timed chase
Moment of the match: Can’t really think of one...
Blue stripe: McManus for making an absolute hash of nominating the blue stripe in Wills absence
2 wins in 2 and a great start to the season. Up the park!
And so the 2019 season began. The clubhouse was painted, the pitch was immaculate and the Ferrero rocher was laid out for tea. The teams arrived in the sunshine but the calm weather wasn’t to last long.
After some half hearted attempts at catching practice in the by now windy & chilly conditions, the teams were ready to toss up. Captain Herrington continued the Welford tradition of losing the toss but getting what he wanted and Mortimer West End were batting first.
Fogden and Yahia opened up and after an early breakthrough due to some great fielding from Brown (and a slightly unsporting shout from the welford skipper), West End chugged along to 50-1 off 12. Senior Herrington was brought on and after a suspect 1st over, got the breakthrough via an inside edge onto the stumps in the second.
After some further run accumulation and a new nickname solidified, Steve “none-for” Yahia was replaced by Fox. Despite a pulled arse muscle after the first ball, Fox powered through to take the next 2 wickets (in the same over) and return respectable figures of 2-44 from his 8. A tight last 10 overs by both Herringtons and fogden kept the score below 200. Shout out to Griffiths behind the stumps with 2 run outs and a catch in a fine return to the 1st XI behind the stumps.
Goldsworthy and McManus opened up and started slowly. McManus was dropped on 0 but a base was built by the time Tiny was bowled, with the score 47-1. The base was extended further by Keep but captain Herrington was brought to the crease just before drinks with the score 67-2.
The pair saw it through to drinks and with some cultured Herrington hoicks, the run rate began to rapidly increase. Rotations of the strike and bad balls being put away, Park were rapidly getting on top of the game. By over 27, both men reached 50, McManus narrowly avoiding the humiliation of being overtaken to the milestone.
5 penalty runs for a hit of the helmet was the only surprise from then on, Herrington and McManus finishing the chase with 8 overs to spare for a dominant win and an unbroken 132 run partnership.
Man of the match: W. Herrington for a majestic unbeaten 78 to take the game away from Mortimer West End
Blue stripe: W. Herrington for 5 overthrows against Foxy (who was conveniently giving the award)
Moment of the match: C. Fox retrieving the ball from the boundary at mid off, only to inconceivably throw it back over the fence when attempting to return it to the bowler
Onwards and upwards for the season. Up the park!
A quick update from The Park,
After a quite winter it has been all go during the spring months, we have had a Natwest Cricket Force weekend (6th - 7th April), with the majority of players helping out over the weekend to get the clubhouse and ground in a ready state for the 2019 season. Quoting from Mark Jurgens who organised the weekend
Brilliant turn out over the weekend and masses achieved! Special mention to Mike Harrison who ambidextrously painted the home dressing room single-handed, Simon Edwards’ technical ingenuity to repair the cage using only a rope and a large tree stump, Archie Keep for all that soil sifting, Herro for being Herro and Denise who has done a load of mucky jobs for us. But just about everyone has contributed significantly.
So on to the start of the season, as you can see below the wicket is ready and waiting for our first game on the 27th April against Southampton University and Theale and Tilehirst CC on the 28th
Both games start at 1:30 this weekend and everyone is duly invited to come up to the club and see what goes on.
Bring a picnic with the family and make an afternoon of it or just pop up for an hour or so.
Around 4:30 you might even find some tea available.
However through the summer we would love to have some more players, scorers and umpires so if you are interested please contact me, Ian Herrington on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Welford Park Cricket Club Race Night on Saturday. There were around 70 attendees, who all seemed to appreciate the good food and the fun racing on the big screen. I would also like to thank everyone who contributed to the catering and to the Social Club for running a fantastic bar for us. Many thanks to everyone who became an owner of a horse or its jockey and, of course, to everyone who placed a bid in the final auction race of the night which raised £295. Finally, I would like to thank JSC Communications for their continued sponsorship of this evening together with the individual race sponsors listed below.
The evening started off with the James Barrett Stable again in fine form, winning the opening race of the night, making it 6 winners in a row over the last two race nights. He eventually ended up with 2 winners from his 5 horses but Upendra Deshpande also had two winners from his 3 horses running to end up as joint top owners. Alex Hutchinson ended up as top Jockey with 3 winners from his 4 rides. The results were as follows:-
Race Title |
|
Horse |
Owner |
Jockey |
|
|
|
|
|
Sporting Agenda Sprint |
|
Neigh-ver say Never |
James Barrett |
Will Herrington |
The Beanie Stakes |
|
Tarabel |
Jane Turton |
Alex Hutchinson |
The ITQ Gallop |
|
Shed is Bigger |
Adrian Bean |
Alex Hutchinson |
Five Bells Dash |
|
Frog Leg |
Upendra Deshpande |
Mike Brook |
Skelly Invitational Sprint |
|
Hay today gone tomorrow |
James Barrett |
Alex Hutchinson |
Moss Vehicle Maintenance Stakes |
|
Potus45 Burger |
Brenda Scott |
Mark Jurgens |
Westbrook Taxi Chase |
|
Beamer Boy |
Andrew Skelton |
Adrian Bean |
Newbury Fine Foods Handicap |
|
Belcher |
Upendra Deshpande |
Paul Bowers |
|
|
|
|
|
AUCTION RACE |
|
Cymbalism |
Hayley Brown |
Colin de Fraine |
The money raised will help to pay for essential new sight screens for the Club as the old ones have not survived another winter.
We hope to run a Race Night again in March 2018 and look forward to you joining us then.
Many thanks again to everyone who has supported our fund raising.
Ian Herrington – On behalf of the Welford Park C. C. Fund Raising Committee
Race night – Great Shefford Village Hall, Saturday 4th March 2017
Welford Park Cricket Club are pleased to announce the return of “The Race Night”. The event will again be sponsored by JSC Communication to whom we are most grateful.
Doors will open at 19:00 with the first race scheduled for 19.30.
This is a great evening out and will support your local cricket club at the same time. There will be an eight race card (plus a 9th auction race at the end) with a break in the middle to allow a two course meal, based on Jacket potatoes to be served. Many thanks to those people who have offer to produce the chilli, veg curry and tuna and sweetcorn options.
We would like to thank:-
Who have agreed to be race sponsors but we are still looking for more businesses to become involved.
Now is the time to get involved. Become an owner for £3 and name your horse. Be a Jockey for only £1. Both the owner and Jockey win a prize if your horse is a winner on the night. There will be a tote run on the night with a 50% payout with the balance going into the club funds. GET INVOVLED and make a note in your diary. (add event to your calendar)
Tickets for the evening are priced at £7 which need to be purchased prior to the event with your meal selection made. If you would like to attend, Sponsor a race or become an owner or Jockey please contact Ian Herrington on 07879 204696 or email him on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and he would be more than happy to deal with your request.
Sam Sargant is an old friend of the club. He’s taken 79 wickets for us but today he was looking to even up the score, leading his International Rescue team against us. Sam had been hoping that someone else that we all know well would be on his team too, but alas not. That person certainly wasn’t otherwise engaged flying Thunderbird One. Perhaps the cabin pressure was too much for him. Or perhaps he really had bumped his leg. Can you tell who it wasn’t yet?
Having won the toss Sam opened the bowling. There’s never a doubt that he’s a quality bowler and a peach of a ball forced Dushy to play and edge to second slip at the start of the third over. He sprayed it about a bit too though, indicating that he does need more cricket to avoid the rust setting in [contact Jamo, Curly or Herro to arrange it Sam].
Herro, whose begging and pleading to open the batting had been, frankly, embarrassing, was now joined by Will for a Herringtons spectacle . Straight drives through long off and tickles to fine leg occasionally interspersed with inside edges toward fine leg and straight drives through fly slip put on eighty for the second wicket.
And then it was time for the first in a series of utterly irrelevant record breaking. Having scored eight, Brooksie then broke the Jurgo record for the most number of balls being within one shot of 1,000 Sunday runs without actually scoring any more runs. At the other end Mikey replaced Herro who had made an impressive meal for two, promptly called Brooksie through for a second run that Joe Brown would have made at a canter, and became responsible for a second run out in two days. 146-3.
The sun was still shining and a day like this deserved a procession so it was Srin, Uzair, Ashish and Jurgo who provided it. 151-8 and 165-9 in the end.
Park began very quietly in the field but were soon encouraged, possibly by a narrow miss at utterly irrelevant record breaking or possibly by a quality ball from Curly. My money is on the record attempt being the key. Inspired by a recent Park Under 9s triumph, a Park Sunday team first was almost achieved: passing the ball from keeper, through the slips and around the ring without dropping it, getting as far as extra cover before disaster struck. Curly’s wicket was quite good too though.
So now normal banter was now resumed and, next up, in an inspirational piece of captaincy, Jurgo told Kiran to get a wicket. So he did, glancing the Jurgo nose with the deflection off the stumps. 24-2 and Kiran finished with figures that other bowlers eyed enviously: 7-1-7-2.
The next bowlers were Ashish and Srini. Both bowled impressive spells. Having not played for a long time before this season, Ashish’s bowling is getting better and better despite having to navigate around an invisible lamppost in his run up. He bowled the no.5 early in his spell and did likewise to the no.4 toward the end of it. Srini bowled tightly, conceding just 16 in his five overs.
Faced with a left/right hand partnership, Dushy was unnecessarily worried that his line was off. All’s well that ends well and a ball that looked to be sailing wide of the left hander’s leg stump took the bat and provided a leg side strangle.
Ten overs to go. Sixty-nine runs required. Four wickets left. A double change introduced the Herringtons to the attack. Will found big turn and soon bowled Moore. Sam was still a threat. Successive sixes reminded Park that there was work to do. But Herro is not one to shirk a challenge and he continued to take responsibility to tie up that short boundary end.
Will continued too. Devastatingly. Three wickets for five runs as he bowled two more opponents. Not all over yet. Sam needing less than ten per over is still a concern. But in the 37th over the International Rescue no.11 found himself facing Herro. Since the dawn of time (if not longer) it’s been the same:
“The no.11 misses. Herro hits.”
Thunderbirds are gone! It’s Park by 28 runs.
Epilogue
Spinders had come to watch the end of the game. He looked nervous when invited to join the Blue Stripe huddle and his desperation to remember which leg to limp on was transparent. Nonetheless, the Blue Stripe went to Will for being too thirsty to contest it to the dubious Blue Stripes panel.
Park did eventually achieve the utterly irrelevant record breaking feat of passing the ball all the way around the circle without dropping it (so put that in your pipes and smoke it Under 9s!). And, perhaps most remarkably, Mikey now holds the utterly irrelevant record for the most successive balls wearing the yellow cap as Park took the one and only chance that was offered.
Disclaimer: the match report author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of utterly irrelevant records. Neither the author nor any member of Welford Park Cricket club will be responsible for hurt caused to any person being denied an utterly irrelevant record or, more likely, for hurt caused to any person being incorrectly credited for an utterly irrelevant record.