Lavant v Lynchmere Match Report – Sun 27th Apr

After a long and wet winter finally the first game of the new season was upon us vs Lynchmere at home. Although it would seem, based on the conditions, winter wasn’t quite ready to move aside just yet. Due to the terrible forecast, it was agreed (in an effort to play some sort of game in the window available) that we would play a reduced over game (30 over a side with tea at the end) to give us the best chance to get some sort of result.

The new skipper started things off well by demonstrating his tossing skills and winning a crucial toss and inserting Lynchmere into bat hoping to exploit the soggy conditions (special mention for Tam who tried to cover the wicket the night before with tarps).

Lavant started proceedings by keeping things tight and bowling with an extremely frugal nature. As it felt like runs were going to be at a premium on a soggy and slow wicket it was important to keep the total down and the opening bowlers delivered a solid start bowling tight lines. Tam at one end backing up his bowling partner the pressure eventually brought the first wicket with Chris cleaning up one of the openers with a great delivery (Chris finishing with figures of 1-15 off his overs).

Once the opening bowlers had completed their spells there would be huge pressure on the first change bowlers to continue the good work. Obviously there was only one man for the job….the current club players player Dave Burford who not only announced before the game he was still using the terrible patch work shoes but also his trousers where not working.

Shoes and trousers aside it didn’t seem to matter as he tore into the top order picking up 3 wickets in one over alone and finishing with figures of 4-13. Amazing work! I have no idea what he was doing in Thailand (obviously not buying cricket equipment) but the rumour is he was seen visiting a Taiwanese shaman….

A special not for some early charges for the catching trophies with some solid grabs in the field from Tam and Phil! Normally a weakness for Lavant it was very pleasing to see and long may it continue.

We won’t talk about the ‘catch’ from Steve and the missed stumping from the wicket keeper…..

At the other end was out resident ‘James Bond’ who kept things really nice and tidy (ending with 0-15) and, on another day could have had a haul but today kept things ‘on the money’ as always.

The team then turned to debutant Richard to get into the game and he bowled brilliantly and with intelligence using flight and guile to exploit the conditions and keep the batters in check and picking up important wickets when Lynchmere were looking to push on (finishing with 3-18). A very welcome addition to the team. Richard took the team home and stood up to the task with the number 11 (who at one point was almost standing half way down the wicket).

At the other end Justin bowled with zip and cunning and continued to shut down any efforts to push the scoring along and was unlucky not to pick up an edge (even with a full stocked slip cordon)! Ending with figures of 0-8 it was a solid start to the season.

The first innings finished with Lavant bowling out Lynchmere for 97 and with a very quick turnaround (as the rain was imminent) the Lavant openers took to the field looking to chase down a tricky total.

Tragically the team got off to a bad start with mini collapse from the top order with Justin, Harry and Steve falling cheaply. Soon after Richard fell too and with 4 down the opposition looked encouraged that they could get over the line.

However, the Lavant batting order was extremely deep (with Dave and Iain down at 10 and 11) so there was still plenty of fight to come. I was personally so very pleased (after a crap last year) to see Jim back out and playing on the cricket field and when he got out to the middle, he was integral in steadying the ship and played a great knock by keeping the scoreboard moving, rotating the strike not taking too many risks.

BUT for every classic shot maker you always need a biffer and the resident team ‘master blaster’ Chris was at the other end! Chris got swiftly into his work by hammering the ball to all parts (apparently the locals thought there was cannon fire going on)!

The innings from Chris was crucial to not only move the game on quickly but also to dampen the spirits of the opposition whose thoughts of winning started to slip away.

It was a shame Jim wasn’t able to take the team home (getting out on 21) but Tam entered the scene and kept things calm and the game was won (albeit in the pouring rain) with a couple overs to spare. [Won by 4 wickets with couple of overs left to bowl]

Man of the match goes to Chris for top bowling figures (and keeping things tight at the start of the game) but also for the crucial knock (43 not out). Well done Chris.

Champagne moment should be Steve foxing the opposition batters into running by cleverly allowing a dolly of a catch to hit him in the chest so he could execute a run out but I think it should go to Phil for two very solid (and crucial) catches.

A special thank you should go to Lynchmere for not only agreeing to start early but being sporting enough to play a large portion of the game (whilst bowling) in the pouring rain.

Also a big thank you for Mark S for umpiring in terrible conditions (thankfully the pub was nice and warm). So onto to the next game! Well done everyone!

Lavant v Westbourne Match Report – Sun 5th May

After a week of hope and teasing from the UK Met Office Lavant was expecting good things for the second game of the season and after a glorious Saturday the day before woke up ready to go. However, being a bank holiday, it of course rained before the start of the game and with a chill in the air the enthusiasm levels were low.

Thankfully one man braved the weather to set up coverings over the pitch and this action made sure the wicket was ready come start time (big thanks once again to ‘Tam Tarps’)!

The burst of rain made the choice of toss interesting and the Lavant captain trudged out to the middle muttering ‘might be a good one to lose’ showing an undecided mindset. Alas being the best tosser in Lavant he won and elected to bowl first (with the hope of making the most of the damp conditions).

Tam ‘saw off the opener’ (by finding a very odd amount of bounce from a damp pitch) and the unfortunate opening bat being hit in the head and having to be taken to hospital. I’ve been in contact with the opposition captain and have been informed he’s ok and has put his name down for next week’s game. We obviously wish him well and I personally would advise the wearing of a helmet next week!

Lavant started amazingly well keeping things very tightly. After an issue of trying to find someone to open the bowling at the pavilion end, only one man put his hand up (after his arm being a little twisted by the captain). That’s right….our own resident sheriff of Nottingham Dave ‘the shoes’ Burford. As per normal the ever-reliable man didn’t let the team down keeping the finances….err…I mean runs down and, in conjunction with Richard working his magic at the other end, had Westbourne stuck with very little runs on the board and not going anywhere fast. A captain’s dream. Well bowled to both men.

Once Dave had finished his spell Lavant welcomed back James C to the fold and this leaner and meaner version didn’t let us down and continued the tight bowling and kept things tidy (good to have you back James)! On another day could (and probably should) have more rewards for his efforts.

Lavant had a debutant in the ranks and making his first appearance was a bit of a baptism of fire for Matt. Asked to bowl from the river end he found it hard to blow away the cobwebs from a long time not playing. I’m taking responsibility for the barrage of double bouncing deliveries as I asked Matt to embrace the dam busters’ spirit (I just wasn’t expecting that it would be more Barnes Wallis than 17 Squadron). I think we can all sympathise with how tough it can be to get back up to speed but I want to highlight that there were some really good deliveries in amongst the bouncing barrage and also, we can only thank Matt for the effort and energy in the field.

After a long period of control, the turning point came when Westbourne sent out a middle order player who started launching everyone to all parts (and one point hitting the pavilion).

With the Lavant captain desperately trying to keep control of the run rate (whilst also keeping the dangerous player) off strike he was looking around the field for volunteers but observed many people looking at clouds, counting the leaves on the trees and tying shoelaces (or glueing in Dave’s case) to avoid making eye contact.

Lavant ended up turning to Will and Justin to close the game out (which they were both very happy about). Both men stood up to the task and bowled beautifully and started to reign things in. Justin kept tying up the batters and didn’t allow them space to get the ball away and was rewarded with picking up the prized wicket with an appeal that continued until tea time.

Tragically after last week’s sharp catching this week saw the return of the Lavant catching curse with multiple catches going down from Will (who certainly deserved wickets for his efforts).

Westbourne finished with 173-4 setting a very above par total for the conditions.

Tea was served (many thanks to Rob for a great spread), drinks were drunk, bananas/strawberries/grapes were eaten and Lavant returned to the field looking for glory.

Disaster struck in the first over with the captain (after hitting the exact same delivery for 2 the ball before) managed to miss the next ball and kicked it onto his stumps. Richard then followed (being bowled) and a collapse looked to be on the cards until Rob came to the crease and showed a good fight and a dogged defence to keep his team in the fight. The loudest cheer of the day came when Rob finally hit his first runs!

Rob’s defences were finally broken when he unfortunately missed a full toss. There was a small amount of descent (complaining to the umpire it was a no ball) but I think Rob maybe just had his trousers pulled up too much to think it was above waist high.

Through the carnage one man stood tall at the other end. Justin has managed to rebuild the innings while facing taxing bowling (particularly a leg spinner who was spinning it both ways). It was a solid performance and he only really got out in an attempt to push the score along in the final hour of play in the hope to try to get the team in a position to win. I thank him for his efforts and batting for the team (as he could have easily just sat at one end not scoring). TBH, I think we were just all glad he wasn’t out early again so we all had to hear him moaning for another week….

Once the final hour/20 overs had started (and the platform Justin had built) Lavant were able to unleash their powerhouse middle order starting with Phil who helped change the dynamic of the game by taking the attack to the Westbourne bowlers. Everyone was gutted to see him having to retire hurt (after tweaking a muscle pushing off for a run) as it looked like he was just getting into his stride but it was great to see his batting potential shine through.

Tam also entered the fray and started to dispatch his trademark lusty blows in an attempt to push the scoreboard on as did Will and Mark S whose eyes clearly lit up and tried to smash the ball into Chichester but didn’t quite get hold of it (this time).

With the match coming to a close Dave B decided to see the game out for a draw by charging the Westbourne leg spinner shouting ‘I’ll show you’ and ‘you’re not bowling that to me’. A worthy battle cry to finish the game with a hard-earned draw (with Lavant 40 – 50 runs short).

It was a hard-fought game with a lot of positives and the draw (considering the total and the loss of early wickets) was a good result for Lavant.

Man of the match (MOTM) goes to Justin for a tidy spell of bowling (particularly at a set batsman looking to tee off) and a crucial batting performance which set up even a sniff of a run chase and then the option to bat out the draw.

Champagne moment goes to Will for showing an amazing amount of grace, control and team unity for not going ballistic from several drops off his bowling in quick succession! Well done everyone for the well-earned draw and onto the next game!

Findon v Lavant Match Report – Sun 12th May

The first away game of the season was met with clear blue skies and warm and sunny conditions which was a nice change of scenery from the cold and wet conditions. The mighty Lavant arrived and Findon with a patched up 11 with a mixture of injury and illness but spirits were good.

The Lavant captain was keen to prove that he was the best tosser in Findon and was able to keep his fine form going by winning the toss and choosing not to put the rag tag bowling attack into a position to have to bowl in the warm conditions. So Lavant were to bat first in their first 40 over game of the season.

After a solid start from Harry and Iain (and a decent platform created from the opening pair) things took a sharp turn for the worse. I’m getting the impression that either the team preferred to bask in the sunshine on the patio in front of the pavilion (like Lizards) rather than bat due to the speed they were returning from the middle. Either that or actually they are all vampires and couldn’t be in the sun for very long so got out ASAP so they could retreat to the safety of the darkness of the changing room….after all Tam and Dave both had plasters on the same arm in the same place….

Not much can be said about how the Lavant innings went….not without getting into trouble and the club having to deploy our diplomatic envoy (Steve B) to smooth things over.

Needless to say Lavant were bowled out for 123 off 27 overs. Notable mentions should go to Harry (20) and Chris, continuing his good form with the bat, (33).

After tea Lavant took to the field and, after a Churchillian speech from the captain, the team agreed not to go down without a fight.

And what a response! Chris manfully started proceedings at one end and bowled beautifully (considering he had decided it was a good idea to run a 10K in the morning before an important game). I guess he can just about be forgiven after being top scorer and bowling so well? Perhaps this is the start of a new pre-game routine??? Chris kept things tight and picked up 2 wickets from his 6 over spell for 27. A fine effort.

After Dave B had a tough start at the other end (perhaps he shouldn’t have changed those shoes after all) the captain turned to Tam who, I think it has been fair to say, had been a little off form recently but came roaring back into form just at the right moment. After his first over the high bar was set and suddenly things just clicked and Tam was getting the ball down at pace and on a nagging length that was foxing the batters time and time again. The amount of times he passed the edge was incredible and on another day could have picked up a haul of wickets but it turned out he was bowling too well for anyone to get near it (let alone edge one)! Thankfully he did get his reward for bowling so well by removing the set number 3 batsman, who was looking settled, clean bowling him. Tam finished with 1 wicket for 29 off his 8 over spell. Well done Tam ang great to see.

At the other end Richard was yet proving how valuable asset he has become to the side. He had obviously decided to channel his disappointment from his batting into his bowling. Richard started out in a contained way (bowling around the wicket firing ball after ball into the batsman’s legs and tying them down) and kept the scoring all but stationary. Then after looking settled and loose agreed with the captain to come over the wicket to attack and he caused havoc by tearing into the Findo middle order picking 3 wickets! Richard finished with 3 wickets for 11 off his over spell (2 of his 3 maidens were wicket maidens). A truly remarkable effort. Well done.

Unfortunately the danger man was the Findon number 6 and after trying everything he was to become the thorn in the side. As much as the team tried their best to frustrate and stifle could not make the breakthrough needed however the team should be proud of the ground field efforts and, to a man, working hard for the cause.

The only blemish was, yet again, the catching with crucial drops going down. As the ‘tossing the ball up to each other at the start of the game’ method clearly isn’t working I think we need to start looking at ‘alternative’ training methods.

In an attempt to improve the catching standards of the side I have been thinking of a radical improvement training drill which will be based on the Inspector Clouseau / Kato relationship where, at any point during the day / week, I will appear out of the blue and throw a cricket ball at one of the team and shout ‘CATCH’ at them. This could happen at any time…day or night…so beware of the shadows….If that doesn’t work then I’m out of ideas!

One special mention must go to John for taking the only outfield catch. It was fair to say our own ‘million-dollar man’ had not had the greatest of weeks (falling ill abroad and having to come home early) but didn’t want to let the side down by not playing. I think someone had said he was returning from the latest T20 franchise auction and had picked up Dehli belly?

I don’t know if the illness had inspired the wonderful gazelle skip and hop before catching the ball but I’ve not seen such grace since 1984 in Sarajevo.

As the game was moving to its climax the improbable win for Lavant’s bowling efforts were slipping away. The team turned to the double J’s (James and Justin) who had bravely agreed to come on for the final overs (with the still set #6 batsman and not many runs to defend). Both men stood up to the task and did everything they could and did not at all let the side down but alas the damage had already been done.

Special mention also has to go to Justin for holding his nerve (after being hit for 6 after his first ball) and after bowling a nagging line he was rewarded with picking up the prized wicket of the Findon batsman by getting a ball to just nip away and take the edge into the keepers’ gloves.

They say it’s the hope that kills you and after a heroic effect from Lavant in the field Findon had chased down the total and ended the match 126-8 off 30 overs. Obviously the first innings score was way below par (50 / 60s runs short). BUT what an amazing effort to not only get them 8 down but to take the game to the 30th over.

Man of the match (as I feel it was too hard to split them) goes to Chris and Richard. Chris for top scoring with the bat and bowling so well and Richard for bowling the best spell under pressure I’ve seen in a while.

Champagne moment has to go to John not only for the crucial and stylistic catch but also being able not to have an ‘accident’ when he caught it. I think he was last seen bouncing around in the woods with the rest of the baby deers….

I have to repeat what I said to the team at the end of the game that I was proud of everyone for the never say die attitude and the effort the whole group put into the fielding effort when (for a lot of the time) it looked unlikely we could get something from the game.

I’m too competitive to believe in such a thing as ‘a good loss’ but if I were I think this would be a good example of it.

Thanks to everyone and onto the next game!

West Ashling v Lavant Midweek Match Report – Wed 15th May

First T20 of the season. Lavant 165-4 off 20 overs.

Great batting performance with Iain, Joe, Chris and Will all having to retire at 25. Ashling 65 all out in 16.1 overs.

Top bowlers Tam (3 for 6) and Will (3 for 0).

Lavant won by 100 runs.

Ashling scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Lavant v St. James’ Casuals Match Report – Sun 19th May

A patched up Lavant team (welcoming 4 debutants) arrived on a glorious, warm and sun stoked Sunday afternoon to welcome St. James’ Casuals (who turned out to be anything but). There was a feeling that this could be yet again another David VS Goliath match….

With the park surrounded by a healthy Lavant crowd it was nice to see people had popped out to see how this ‘village’ cricket game was to unfold.

The skipper headed out to the middle and won the toss and elected to bat.

Once introductions were made, kit was distributed and the safeguarding was explained it was game on!

There was a very ‘experimental’ feel to the Lavant batting line up. One of the main challenges of being Lavant skipper is the team is mostly made up with people who want to only bat at 5 which makes it very hard to pick a 1 to 4! With the captain always happy to lead from the front at 1, the rest of the line up fell into place to take on the challenge of an endless supply of young, accurate quick bowlers.

Not much can be said of the innings apart from Lavant dug in and showed a lot of fight to not collapse and at least bat through the end. The captain at one end embraced his best inner Geoffrey Boycott trying to grind out a score and hold the innings together whilst the rest of the Lavant batting line up did their best to help support. But, alas, for all the hard effort and fight from the team Lavant could only manage 100 runs (for which there was a ripple of applause from the crowd for the home team reaching 3 figures)!

Tea was taken (interesting contrast of team chat from the opposition players comparing notes on how they got on in their match on Saturday to Lavant’s ‘I did a bit of gardening’ or ‘was playing with the kids’ or ‘I had a nice nap and read the paper’) which perhaps slightly highlighted the miss match…

One thing is for sure Lavant will not go down without a fight and took to the field determined to not allow the run chase to be an easy affair.

Tam and Dave started proceedings and did their very best to keep things in check and both missed the edge on several occasions but couldn’t find the breakthrough. With the scoreboard ticking over the skipper turned to Lee and Mark to turn their arms over. Considering the situation of the match and the lack of bowling time it was a big ask for both men (with not many runs left to defend) but they both stuck to the task as well as they could and didn’t let anyone down. Lee managed to pick up the only wicket of the game (removing the set batsman 2 runs before his 50).

Special mention should go to the 4 new players (Lloyd, Nathan, Rupert and Ylan) who all got stuck in and showed a lot of good effort and willingness in the field making some crucial stops and chasing down balls before they got to the boundary.

However…..even with the hard work and fight shown by the home side the inevitable loss came with the opposition number 3 coming in and smashing a 4 and two 6’s to finish the game early.

I’d just like to say even though most knew that we would probably lose not one head from Lavant dropped, there was no sulking or anger. I was pleased (and happy) that everyone just tried their very best, made the most of it and enjoyed it as best they could and it was great to see.

Even though it felt like Average Joe’s VS Globo Gym Purple Cobras (look up the movie dodgeball if you don’t get the reference) it certainly felt like Lavant had embraced the underdog spirit of Average Joe’s gym.

I’m starting to think Dave could definitely be ‘Steve the Pirate’ based on the way he seems to be happy when he can plunder people’s money now, he’s got that card reader working!!

And best of all…I’ve not even mentioned the dropped catches this week….

Men of the match got to Lloyd, Nathan, Rupert and Ylan for getting stuck in and showing willing and effort in the field (even in the face of it being a loss cause).

Champagne moment goes to Phil for a dynamic bit of fielding (swooping across the ground, scooping up the ball and hitting the stumps at the bowler’s end)!

Thanks to everyone, well done and onto the next game.

Lavant scoreboard

St. James’ Casuals scoreboard

Elsted v Lavant Match Report – Sun 26th May

After a nervous overnight wait to see how the weather looked in the morning the mighty Lavant travelled away to the picturesque ground in Elsted. After weeks of having to ask people in the street / people in the park / people walking their dog on the seafront the Lavant captain was in a strange position to be able to select a strong 11 to the away game (huge thank you for the people who kindly stood aside for the good of the team).

After losing the toss Elsted elected to bat first so Lavant took to the field looking to bowl tight and get stuck into the opposition batting unit. Game on!

And boy…did the team deliver! Starting the proceedings was Tam and Will who didn’t bowl skinny jeans tight….or ducks butt tight…but submarine tight! Sticking to the plan and making the most of conditions and offering nothing to the Elsted batting unit.

At one end Will kept tucking up the batters’ time and time again offering nothing allowing the captain to go with some attacking (and at times funky) field settings as was the sheer dominance of his bowling finishing with an amazing 1 wicket off 7 overs going for measly runs! Top work Will.

At the other end was the ever-dependable Tam. The Lavant ‘overseas’ had to travel miles from his home (in Chichester) to keep the other end shut down, frustrating the batting side. On other days Tam has beaten the edge so much without much reward but today was well rewarded with his bowling performance picking up 3 wickets from his 7 overs for only 5 runs! I heard a game of backyard cricket the day before helped sharpen his skills in readiness for this game!

The opening bowling partnership was so good and honestly a joy to watch from the best viewing position from behind the stumps and they both made setting a field incredibly easy. A very well done to both men.

It’s never an easy job for a first change bowler to follow that start but on this occasion the team were safe in the knowledge that it was able to deploy the other premier left-handed bowler Chris and the Wiley fox James C.

Chris must have had some sort of ‘local’ knowledge from his good mate (who was playing for Elsted) because he decides to serve up a half tracker to ‘allow’ the set batter to smash the ball into the field so it would get lost obviously knowing that the replacement ball would go round corners…and so it did because he was able to dispatch the batsman with a great in-swinging ball to clean them up! Chris finished with 1 wicket for 12 off his 5 overs. Top job.

At the other end James C (who had been keeping a keen eye on proceedings) was doing what we have all expected from him. Keeping it tight and frustrating the hell out of batmen with his flight and guile! After a sustained period, James was able to snare the important wicket of the dangerous looking set Elsted opener. He toiled away brilliantly and finished with 3 wickets off his 4 overs for 7.

HOWEVER

It must be mentioned that one of those wickets was a 11-year-old kid who just wanted to come out and have some fun. Chris kindly stood down to allow the young man a fair chance (who had dreams of playing cricket and had probably been looking forward to the game all week while at school) …James had different ideas. James clean bowled the young man’s first ball (that the team had decided was a ‘no ball’ and the Lavant captain had also retracted any form of appeal) …. but James was having NONE of that and decided he had seen enough and caught and bowled the young man the very next ball.

It was probably a little harsh giving him a send-off, nicking his lunch money and telling him to go and do his homework….;0)

Well done though James. Sort of. You big bully (lol). Finishing with 2 wickets (I’m not giving him the 3^rd wicket) for 7 runs off 4 overs.

With the young man coming and going the team switched back on and turned to the very dependable Richard to fire up his off spin and yet again bowled so well giving nothing away finishing with 1 wicket off his 4 over spell going for 7 runs.

After James had been removed and set to stand in the field and think about what had just done the captain threw the ball to Phil to come one first his first spell of the season. Considering the lack of bowling he did a good job with a mixture of delivery’s but overall, a decent run out. It was great to see the joy in the side for Phil (a much liked and respected member of the team) pick up his first wicket of the season!

The damage had been done before the side could even turn to Dave and Justin.

Normally I come to the part where I had to mention the dropped catches but not this week. The fielding performance was brilliant today not only keeping things solid in the field (stopping runs) but nearly all chances were taken! So, I’m going to list them.

Chris ‘can’t catch a cold’ Mac took a wonderful grab off James (a big straight skier that swirled around). Dave took a great catch after being moved into position and the batsmen fell into the tope edging it up to him to scoop it up with his safe as ever hands Steve had the job of poaching the catch for Phil’s first wicket by speeding in and catching at full stretch (even with hearing me thundering towards him going for the same ball). And the best of the lot was Justin pulling off a worldly one-handed catch when he was in a close cover position and the ball was nailed (and past him) to haul it in! It was great to see and all contributed to the amazing effort of bowling out Elsted for 62 off 30 overs!

Tea was taken. Muscles were stretched and the run chase was on.

After a little persuasion (and arm bending) the Lavant captain (with one eye on the rest of the season and keen to get him back into the flow of batting) managed to convince the club’s other ‘overseas’ player from Scotland Steve ‘Mc’Brooker to open the batting with him. After he scoffed down his haggis, washed it down with an iron bru and warmed up his arms tossing a caber walked out to the middle.

Both men set to their tasks well looking to set a platform for the small but tricky run chase and all was going well until the dopey captain decided to shoulder arms to the straight ball and get cleaned bowled.

Steve on the other hand continued in his normal way (like he hadn’t been away) by being solid and keeping the scoreboard moving. Some might say that he had already walked 500 miles so was happy to walk 500 more for the team.

Although I’m not sure every time he hit the ball he had to shout ‘Da-da da da (Da-da da da)’ and then ‘Da-da dum diddy dum diddy dum diddy da da da’ when he was running between the wickets …. a bit odd….

Super-gran Steve finished with a not out 16 and played an important role glueing the innings together.

Richard walked to the middle to steady the ship and so he did…for many overs until we hit the drinks break and after a little chat cut loose and everyone got to see the shot making skills of someone, we had all hoped would see. Suddenly he looked a different player and started to find the middle of the bat and hitting the boundary rope. Once the damage was done and the urn chase was under control Richard kindly decided to retire (getting 28 runs) to allow others to get some time in the middle.

Special note to Lloyd who is still finding his feet in cricket and had performed great in the field but was bowled facing his second delivery. I think we can all remember what it was like starting out but this is all good experience and I know the Lavant team will help support and assist him going forward.

After that Will entered the scene and steady the ship and took us home.

The mood after the game was joyful and buoyant and a much-deserved victory after a couple of tough fixtures. A big thanks to everyone for a great game and an even better result.

Man of the match (and I’m sorry but I’m going to be boring and pick two again) but I simply could not split Will or Tam. As per batting bowling also works in partnerships and the dove trailing between both men was amazing to watch and as good an opening spell I’ve seen in a long time.

Champagne movement has to go to our (still JUST 39-year-old) Justin for an incredible catch. I probably had the best view of it from behind the stumps and it was past him before he stuck out a bit paw and grabbed it (at a crucial time in the game).

A very very well done to everyone and onto the next game!

Elsted scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Lavant v Chidham Midweek Match Report – Thu 30th May

The dust has settled, all casualties have been accounted for and can now reflect on an interesting evening’s cricket.

Firstly, accidentally and rather bizarrely I laid a boundary more suited to an U9’s game of wind ball. “Off the square” generally meant 4 or 6, which meant we were always going to be in for a high scoring affair.

Richard Benaud once said: “The hallmark of a great captain is the ability to win the toss, at the right time. “With an unsettled weather radar this was certainly the toss to win. Some people call it chance, but as Richie suggests, it’s great skill. So…the Chidham captain lost the toss and I put us into bat! Scoring in excess of an over we finished the innings at 163/6. Iain, Joe, Chris and Will all make it past the milestone 25 marker. Special mention to the “sexiest six” which came from Joe, still rising as it cleared the boundary (unsurprisingly) and would have clattered into the back seats of the Compton Stand. A joy to watch.

We would have probably scored a lot more has we not had a mid-innings deluge. The wicket very quickly became a very different beast – credit to the guys who continued to battle through, especially James C who scored a quickfire 13 at the end.

Change of innings and there was hope on the horizon, blue sky was spotted, but it was dark overhead and very greasy. This was a damned if you do, damned if you don’t moment and I’m sure Mr Benaud would have some pearls of wisdom to say about the decision making, but in hindsight we probably should have gone to the pub at this stage. Instead, we donned our cajoles and headed out into the middle – keen to give the oppo a chance to bat. To be fair, they started extremely well, going at 9 an over I found myself nervously wishing I had a light meter. But then the two openers retired and it was all change. In quite a surreal 20-minute period, Will, who must have strategically parked his car with the full beam behind his arm, just picked them off like rabbits. Batsmen cam and went, without troubling the scorer; the middle stump was taking a bettering, 3 times in a row in fact. Will, off 2 paces, was enjoying one of the best spells I’ve seen, yet the whole thing was strangely muted, bizarre. My bowling choices were limited to anyone with spikes (which sadly was only about half the team), yet this bought a very reluctant James Allen to the fray who was sensational, as expected, after his African training camp. In the end we closed them out for 111 and another great victory for the T20 side.

Chidham scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Ferring v Lavant Match Report – Sun 2nd Jun

On a bright and sunny day, the mighty Lavant travelled to the lovely ground at Ferring CC. After many of the Lavant players were caught out by traffic there was a definite village feel to the start of proceedings. After a LOT of rain in the previous weeks the Ferring track looked like a beauty and gave the captains a headache at the toss as it could be a high scoring game.

After losing the toss the decision fell to the opposition captain who decided to ask Lavant to bat. GAME ON!!

Lavant knew they had to try and build a commanding total to give them every chance of defending during the run chase.

The two Lavant openers got stuck into their work quickly and were able to find the boundaries and rotate the strike passing 70 runs for no loss of wicket at a decent rate. The Lavant captain (carrying on his good Sunday and T20 form) picked up his first 50 of the seasons (even though the stand-in scores only clapped it when he reached 60).

At the other end Justin was keeping things steady selflessly trying score when possible and getting the skipper back on strike as much as possible and was able to contribute to building a commanding opening partnership with the captain being out with 62 off 49 balls (strike rate of 126) and Justin 36 off 33 (strike rate of 109) it was just what was needed.

Following the openers was Richard who was able to cash in on his rhythm and form from the previous week and didn’t take long to get into his stride by moving through the gears and looking to build on the solid foundation set up by the openers. Although he fell 2 short of his Lavant maiden 50 he scored quickly and made sure the scoring did not stagnate.

At the other end (after tragically Steve got out chasing a wide ball after smashing his first ball for 4) was Lloyd who, after being new to the club and cricket, was able to not only score his first run for the club but also his first boundary, his first 2-digit score and a not out! He maybe new to the game but has already got down the idea of batting for his average ;0).

I think the team took great pleasure in seeing Lloyd doing so well (as we all remember how hard it was starting out and having to learn how to play during games) and when he hit his first 4 it evoked the biggest cheer of the day!

With the score nearing 200…. well, we think it was as the Lavant captain had taken a 5 min crash course in scoring (come back soon please Sheila) …. Phil and Tam took to the middle looking to push hard for the final few overs with Tam finishing with a blazing 15 taking the Lavant total to 209 for 5 off 35 overs.

The Lavant players returned to the changing room pleased with their efforts but cautious that on such a good track and outfield that the chase couldn’t be taken lightly.

Tea was eaten, batting stories were exchanged, a massage gun was used and Lavant returned to the field looking to defend their total.

Looking to keep things tight for the start didn’t quite go to plan. I wouldn’t say Tam and Justin bowled that badly but it started to become clear quickly that pace on was playing right into the hands of the Ferring opening batters as any willow on leather was racing away to the boundary rope, which gave the opposition a solid start and a sinking feeling started to spread around the Lavant side.

After 6 overs Lavant quickly changed gears and started to look to their slower bowlers to take pace off the ball and wrestle back control of the game before the scoreboard and run rate started to get out of control.

As has been customary this season the team looked to ‘King’ Richard in their hour of need and yet again he delivered bowling dot ball after dot ball and frustrating the Ferring batsmen who suddenly found it much harder to score. After his crusade Richard ended his spell with figures of 1 for 20 runs off 7 overs.

At the other end the skipper turned to ‘Super’ Stevie Brooker who after getting his bowling eye in by playing in the pouring rain on Thursday night (an act of genius from the T20 skipper) took on the tough task of holding up the other end. Even though Stevie was nursing a debilitating dose of ‘gardener’s groin’ found a way of keeping his lines tight and ended with figures of 1 for 30 runs of his 7 overs.

With the game in the balance the Lavant skipper had to make a tough choice to continue the pace off plan and turned to Phil and Mark S. At such a crucial part of the game there was a feeling that this could be the turning point and it was not lost on the Lavant team the task ahead and pressure the two men would be under to try and continue the good work.

Phil and Mark both bowled beautifully. With plenty of boundary riders both men bowled to the plan with flight and guile hanging the ball outside the off stump and looking to frustrate the Ferring batters as much as possible. They say stats don’t lie but Phil bowled 4 overs for 18 runs and Mark 4 overs for 19 runs which, given the state of the game, was a brilliant effort. Well done both.

With the game coming to the close (and the run rate climbing) Lavant now turned back to Tam and Justin to see the tam home and both were able to capitalise on the hard efforts of the team and tear into the batting order.

With game nearly done the Ferring youth player came out to bat so the Lavant skipper stood down the opening bowlers and asked Phil to take the last over as the team this week was missing James ‘The Child Slayer’ Cartman.

With the final over bowled Lavant were able to restrict Ferring to 166 for 6 off their 35 overs and take a very hard-fought win!

Everyone in the field put in a real shift considering the changing of fielding positions to try and restrict the Ferring batsmen and keep the boundaries out. It was a real team effort in the field by everyone with bodies being put on the line to stop runs wherever possible!

A very special mention must go out to Damien, Rob and James A who were not able to bat or bowl due to the nature of how the game unfolded but all three put in very crucial yards in the field and were extremely important cogs in the Lavant machine to get the win over the line and kept up with the team spirit throughout the day. A big thank you.

Man of the match goes to ‘King’ Richard for his 48 runs (to build upon the solid start) and his tremendous bowling performance to wrestle back the initiative for the side.

Champagne moment goes to Lloyd when he got away his first boundary. After a couple of chats and bits of advice I felt like a proud father when it happened and hoping there is plenty more to come.

All in all, a great victory by the team. To get such a big first innings score was a great effort but the defence of the total from the team, when under pressure, was the most pleasing aspect. There were some tired and sore bodies in the changing room but a great atmosphere. Onto the next!

Lavant scores (35 overs)

Lavant scoreboard

Ferring scoreboard

West Meon v Lavant Match Report – Sun 9th Jun

The mighty Lavant headed out for a long trek to the beautiful ground at West Meon (which did feel like it was in the middle of nowhere with Sat Navs and directions testing the Lavant XI).

The Lavant skipper won the toss and, as it was a timed game, elected to bowl first to allow for both a win and draw to be on the table for Lavant in the second half of the game (more on that later) …

The team got ready and took to the field a man down as Rob was running late and taking his time to park in front of the only place in the car park which had big signs saying ‘Emergency Exit – Do not park here’.

With Tam injured Justin had to fill the large hole left by Lavant’s premier opening bowling and didn’t disappoint. Holding onto a great line and length he remained disciplined throughout his spell fizzing the ball down and keeping the runs down. He picked up a much-deserved wicket (clean bowling the opening bat). There was even a moment where he had the keeper up to the stumps which seemed to please the watching crowd. Justin finished with 1-10 off 8 overs.

At the other end Will was, as per normal, doing Will things. Putting the ball on a nagging line and length (and getting the occasional ball to lift) bamboozling the West Meon batsmen and not allowing them anything to hit. Will also picked up a much-deserved wicket ending with 1-12 off 8 overs.

As is now becoming customary ‘King’ Richard came on as first change (replacing Justin) and also got quickly into his work. As always he bowled balls consistently in challenging areas and extracting turn and bounce. With the West Meon #4 batsmen looking set and dangerous Richard was able to pick up his wicket at a crucial point of the game (plus also being able to hang on a caught and bowled which was hit back and hit him with venom). The King ended his reign for the day with 2-22 off 8 overs.

At the other end James C was having a mixed day. After being subjected to some serious tap from the dangerous #4 batmen (and the Lavant captain looking to take him out of the attack), James held his nerve to take a good catch from Richard to help dismiss the #4. After this he was able to settle back into his work and pick up wickets and regain control of the game. James finished with 2 wickets (albeit for an expensive 40 runs) from 7 overs.

John, after being missing in action for a few weeks doing his duty for king and country abroad, decided to holster his Walther PPK and return to the fray. After a solid start (and nursing sore palms) ensured the tough task of needing to contain the set batsmen who were looking to push the score on in the last half an hour. His first 4 overs returned a wicket for 9 runs but the last two overs got away from the team leaving with John on 1-33 off 6 overs.

At the other end was Lavant’s resident ‘John McClane’ who was looking to try and bring down the West Meon partnership. Like John B his opening overs started well but then found it hard to contain the set batters finishing with 29-0 off 5 overs.

With a slightly comical run out (or an act of genius from Jim tempting the batsmen to pinch another single) the first innings finished with West Meon getting a decent total of 153 for 8. There was a feeling that Lavant had allowed the good start to slip away. It felt like a good score on a wicket offering plenty for the bowlers and would be tough chase.

Tea was taken, food was eaten, dogs were cuddled and a foam roller was used. Time for the Lavant chase.

Buoyed by his recent good form in Sunday and T20 the Lavant skipper perhaps got a little carried away (wanting to get the team off to a quick and solid start). After crashing the opening bowler to the extra cover boundary for 4 was outfoxed and missed a straight one being clean bowled for 5.

Harry joined Justin in the middle and looked to build a solid foundation for the team against some very tight and tidy bowling by the West Meon bowlers. After the other opening bowler was brutally dispatched by Justin and removed from the attack after one over the first change bowler kept things tight and extremely challenging for the first hour’s play. Justin and Harry stuck to their task to keep Lavant in the game and it was an absorbing battle.

Both men should be very proud by doing their job of seeing off the tough bowling (and in gloomy conditions) to keep Lavant in the game but both fell to the West Meon leg spinner.

Will and Chris walked to the middle and knew they had to capitalise on the great work from Harry and Justin and both men got into their work quickly. Running singles and picking up boundaries where possible. Will showing the ‘Gower’ style and grace we have come to enjoy and Chris ‘Captain Boshington’ doing what Chris does (he’s like the Hulk smash of our Lavant Avengers team)!!

Due to the efforts of the top order Lavant were able to move into striking distance of a good win however once Chris and Will were out the tide turned with the Lavant middle order collapsing under the pressure of the West Meon captain / leg spinner. It came down to Rob to survive the last few balls of the penultimate over to perhaps leave a chance for John in the next over to snatch a famous win.

With everyone’s nerves shredded and the gloom of the day getting darker (reflecting the mood of the watching Lavant players) the game moved into the final over with all results still being possible!

The last over required 1 wicket for a West Meon win, 6 runs for an Lavant win or (with the last two Lavant batsmen at the crease) the option to try and hold out for the draw.

John was on strike. 1^st ball…dot! Second ball…DOT! Third ball…massive inside edge down to fine leg.

Rob scurrying through for a single. Fourth ball…. John calls Rob through for another single.

Two balls to go…4 for a win!

Fifth ball….DOT!

Last ball of the game… A WIDE! 3 to win. West Meon made sure all fielders who were patrolling the boundary were ready and switched on.

Last ball of the game (take 2) …. A DOT!!

An amazing end to the game with Lavant finishing with 151 for 9 with the game ending as a DRAW.

A big thank you to West Meon for hosting us. I hope I speak for everyone on the Lavant side that we were made to feel extremely welcomed by not only the West Meon team but all of their loyal followers who were watching from the pavilion. There was a lovely and engaging atmosphere the whole day and it was great to be part of it.

Special mention must go to Mark S for stepping in at the last minute. To travel that distance for the good of the club, work hard in the field and umpire is a credit to the man and someone who will selflessly do what is needed for the good of the club. A huge thank you.

Man of the match goes to Will for (yet another) amazing display with the ball and a solid effort with the bat to get the team into a winning position.

Champagne moment goes to James C for held on to a fingertip catch from the crucial #4 West Meon batsman who was starting to go through the gears.

Thank you to everyone.

West Meon scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Lavant scores (20 overs)

Lavant survival of fitness (last two batters) to get a draw result! Phew!!!

Lavant v Arundel Castle Match Report – Sun 16th Jun

On a warm (but windy) Sunday the mighty Lavant arrived at the ground feeling hopeful that the heavy rain and the stomping of many feet from the village fete had left the hallowed turf in a good enough condition for the game against Arundel Castle.

Thankfully the good folk kept off the square and Tam’s Tarps had done the crucial job of protecting the wicket and allowing it to be prepared and set up. With a quick mow of the wicket (thanks Justin) and some crowd control from the skipper to move back the enthusiastic crowd beyond the boundary line (who had obviously gathered to catch a glimpse of the fine Lavant cricketing specimens) it was time to get on with proceedings.

Against current form the Lavant skipper lost the toss and Arundel Castle elected to bowl first (looking to make the most of any moisture). GAME ON!!!

Justin and the Lavant captain walked to the crease with the skipper keen to continue his role of getting the team off to a good start and Justin remaining solid and building an innings. Things started great with the skipper taking no time getting into his work pouncing on anything short and driving anything full to move the scoring along quickly and not allowing the Arundel bowlers to settle. In a moment of overconfidence, the skipper was out (looking to smash a delivery into Singleton) but missed out and was bowled (via his foot).

With the platform set Justin continued his good work by remaining watchful and determined not to give his wicket away to be the glue to hold the innings together while the Arundel Castle bowlers got into their stride and bowled challenging lines and lengths (with nip and swing).

This allowed the middle order to come in and help build the innings and keep the scoreboard ticking over with solid contributions from Richard, Chris, Phil and Martin even while the ball continued to misbehave (Tam was caught after one popped off a length and caught the rubber at the top of his bat handle)!!

Another debut this year came from Martin (who kindly filled in at the last moment) and the team was very pleased to see him score his first run considering it wasn’t the easiest of games or conditions to play your first game!

With the score slightly stalling Dave B came to the middle and after picking a fight with a cricket ball in a recent T20 seemed to have a score to settle with all cricket balls in general because he looked like he wanted to punish the red thing at every opportunity (either that or he was just made thinking about how the card reader never seems to connect now-a-days). Who knows…. but Dave was able to help kick the score on with a rapid 28.

During this period Justin was still standing firm, holding the line like spartan and timed it perfectly when looking to move through the gears and cut loose and was a fine effort to record his first 50 of the seasons.

With the game coming to a close a special mention to Rob who has been finding batting tough going of late but it was great to see him get bat on ball and get a few runs under his belt (in quick fashion). Hopefully something to build on!

With the innings coming to an end Lavant posted a very competitive 174 and had given the bowlers something to defend.

Tea was taken, carrot cake was eaten and an extra banana was eaten (thanks James). Lavant returned to the field looking to defend their total against a decent looking batting line up.

After a lot of deliberation, the Lavant skipper threw the ball to Justin and Chris to open up proceedings hoping they could make the most of conditions and keep the batsmen contained.

Chris ‘Die hard’ Mac took no time at all knocking over one of the opening batsmen for a duck!

With the Arundel batters looking to walk down the wicket Justin and Chris (with the keeper up) stood up to the challenge and kept both batsmen stuck in their creases whilst bowling ball after ball with swing and nip passing the edge time and time again.

However, there was a moment of concern when John B heroically threw himself in an attempt to stop a boundary and landed awkwardly. Initial cheers from his teammates for such a great effort soon turned to worry as one of his fingers appeared to be pointing in the wrong direction. John was quickly taken off the field to get some ice on his hand / fingers and put his feet up for the rest of the game.

After plenty of dot balls and maidens the pressure finally brought wickets with both men ripping into the middle order and breaking the back of the Arundel innings. Once drinks were taken Chris finished with figures of 3 for 17 off overs (and was unfortunate not to get more considering how much he beat the edge)!!

Lucky for Lavant Mark H had popped down to say hello and catch up with everyone and kindly offered to come on as a replacement fielder. I can’t tell you how grateful we all were because in a tight run chase being a man down could have been the difference between winning and losing. Mark got stuck in and was soon stopping and chasing to help the team out. Big thank you to Mark.

With drinks taken Lavant were in a decent position but knew they couldn’t let up as suddenly a counter attack was deployed from Arundel in the form of their #7 batsmen.

King Richard came on and bowled well considering the onslaught that was coming his way from the Arundel Castle #7 who didn’t seem fazed and was looking to smash anything that came his way over the boundary (clearing carefully positioned fielders) whilst the opening batsmen at the other end was remaining solid and giving the strike over whenever possible. Although Richard had a mixed day, he was still able to remove one of the dangerous middle order players finishing the day with figures of 1 for 48 off 7 overs.

At the other end Tam was keeping things as tight as possible and contained the counter attack. With a touch of class, we have all come to expect from the Lavant premier strike bowler Tam held his nerve to clean bowl the dogged Arundel Castle opening batsmen and finished with figures of 1 for 31 off 5 overs.

With the game finely in the balance the Lavant skipper toyed with what to do next in the final overs of the game to try and wrestle back the momentum. He decided that pace off was the way to go (in the hope it would frustrate and slow the counter attack) and turned to James C…. and boy did he deliver.

I have to give a special mention to James. He stood near me most of the game and we chatted often about the game situation. Even after doing tea and batting 11 he was quite prepared (for the good of the team) not to bowl if the game situation meant it wasn’t plausible and for long periods it looked to be the case. I think the willingness to do what is required for what is best for the team and the game situation is something that should be applauded and admired.

However, the Lavant skipper did at this particular moment fell like James C was the way to go and boy did he deliver! Holding his nerve James was able to frustrate and clean bowl the dangerous #7 batsman! James C finished with 2 for 21 off his 5 overs and was able swing the game back into Lavant’s favour.

At the other end the Lavant skipper (again after much deliberation) threw the ball to Dave. After seeing his anger at cricket balls (after being assaulted by one) the feeling was that he might like the thought of throwing one into the ground to let it know not to take him on ever again.

Set with aggressive fields (and looking for the win) Dave not only held his nerve in the final overs of the game and delivered the two crucial wickets to get Lavant over the line for an amazing win (Dave finishing with 2 for 13 off 3 overs)!

With Arundel Castle 161 all out Lavant had held their nerve to hold out for an amazing victory against strong opponents.

It was another great game of cricket and was amazing to witness the Lavant team spirit in full force. Everyone stuck together and kept going and encouraged all the way throughout. It’s easy to do this when things are going well and the runs are being kept in check but to do it when the momentum had clearly shifted and a loss was looking more likely was even more special.

This means the man of the match and champagne moments are probably the hardest to decide this week as honestly there are so many stand out things that come to mind but …

Man of the match goes to Justin for standing up in the face of good bowling and playing an important role in glueing the innings together and building an important platform against tough bowling conditions whilst looking to go through the gear later. Then to come out and bowl so well and keep the opening batsmen contained.

Champagne moment Dave B for grabbing onto a low, hard catch from a ball that was travelling from the set #3 batsman at a critical point of the game. I had the best view of it and it was some catch (even though Dave didn’t seem too bothered about it …maybe he really doesn’t like cricket balls now).

Very well done everyone. On to the next!!

Lavant scoreboard

Arundel scoreboard

Walberton v Lavant Midweek Match Report – Wed 19th Jun

On a glorious sunny evening in West Sussex, the unbeaten Mid-week Warriors travelled to Walberton with hopes of continuing their great start to the summer. The team, which included some LCC T20 debutantes (Lloyd, Nathan and Martin) was a strong one and expectations were high. However, mentally (and literally) I was somewhere between a night out in Cardiff and my bed. And it showed, when I let my concentration slip and stupidly called heads instead of tails. I rue that error of judgement as I’m left wondering what could have been.

Walberton elected to bat first on a dry, bouncy wicket, with the sun high in the sky and a new ball that just flew off the bat, despite the dogged determination of Lavant’s 5 seam bowlers. We weren’t bowling badly, but they were good, and comfortably picking off 10/over. We mixed it up, spread the field, but they kept finding the gaps (or going over the top) and despite 3 of them retiring and Lavant picking up 2 wickets, their batting quality went deep into the line-up. A real treat for me was watching Martin David Ford (aged 45 & 191 days – as Cricinfo states), coming in off 2 paces and bowling twice as fast as me, (a spiritedly 42 yrs. old, galloping in off 18 paces fuelled by the previous night’s Aperol spritz’s). As mentioned, we got a brace of wickets, both fine catches from our other two T20 debutantes, Nathan and Lloyd, and towards the end we did manage to haul the run rate back in and Walberton ended their innings on 170/2, just 8.5 an over.

With a dose of Lavant optimism, Joe and Jim strode out to the middle to commence our reply. Jim, despite having as he claims “a solid stretching session”, pulled a hammy running a second and got run out. Fortunately, he made it back to the pavilion before the vet and screens were called on, but it does continue our terrible injury run of form we’re having at the moment. And I hope you make a swift recovery Jim!

Iain took his place and looked to score fast, but was picked off by a great catch.

Martin was the next to go lbw.

Then sadly Nathan was also caught before we enjoyed a moment of resilience and hope from Will (30).

All this time at the other end, Joe had been casually going about his business, picking off the bad balls and batting solidly to get to 25 and retire.

Rob stuck around and notched up a useful 9, guided entirely through the slip cauldron, before leaving me and Lloyd to finish the Lavant innings off with a few big heaves down to cow corner.

We got to 125 in the end, some distance off competing but not humiliating.

Tricky conditions as well as the Walberton ground is orientated to have the sun set right behind the bowler’s arm which at 8pm is no easy challenge! Well played though to all, against a very strong village T20 team. We just need to ‘shake it off’ and go again.

Walberton scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Walberton v Lavant Match Report – Sun 23rd Jun

On the 23^rd June something amazing happened… the English summer finally arrived!

After a change in fixture the mighty Lavant travelled to Walberton on a warm day to play a 35 over game knowing it could be a tough game against a Walberton side stocked with young and fit cricketers.

However, there can be no replacement for ‘experience’ and the Lavant side was bursting at the seams with ‘experience’ so the team remained calm and focused. The Lavant captain lost the toss and Walberton decided to have a bowl.

After waking up… I mean… breaking the news to the Lavant team the top order strapped on the batting pads and headed out to the middle looking to post a competitive total. GAME ON!

The innings started in the same fashion that the club has started to become accustomed to with Justin looking to stand firm and build an innings while the Lavant captain at the other end trying to take the attack to the opening bowlers and get the team off to a good start.

However, disaster struck when Justin blocked a ball then hit inside of his foot and rolled onto the stump with just enough of a nudge to displace a bail being bowled for 5.

After scoring a quick fire 19 the Lavant skipper was also removed getting carried away trying to smash a length ball into the pavilion and being cleaned up. Not the start the team was hoping for.

Harry took to the middle and was, as always, able to bring some calm and class to the innings and get things back on track.

At the other end ‘super’ Steve Brooker (back into the side after an intense recovery period) returned to the fold from the ever-growing Lavant injury list.

After steadying the ship (and playing some lovely shots) Harry fell to a good catch for 29 which brought Will to the middle.

Will and Steve both took on the task of moving the innings forward and both batted extremely well with a perfect balance of hitting gaps, running hard and pouncing anything loose to dispatch it to the boundary. With the Lavant team debating what would be a good score both batsmen did the critical thing of keeping the scoreboard ticking before upping the ante at the right stage to push the scoring along.

Both men picked up deserved first half centuries of the season (and Will’s first for the club) with Steve ending with 62 not out and Will with 64. There was one negative from the terrific partnership (and all the twos and singles they both ran) that Will pulled up sharply during a run. The team hoped it was just cramp but at tea it looked like the Lavant injury curse had struck again.

Barely being able to run, Will was inevitably run out which allowed Lloyd to come in for a brief cameo to push the Lavant total for 204 for 4 off their 35 overs.

Even though it appeared to be a good score the team knew the quality of the Walberton batting from 1 to 6 and that they were very capable of chasing any total.

Tea was taken, discussions about the euros/cricket world cup happened and wind was broken (it must be the bananas) … Lavant returned to the field looking to keep the run rate under control.

With Will struggling he decided to only bowl off a couple of steps and yes… he is one of those annoying types who can still put the ball where he wants without much of a run up. Not like anyone was complaining mind! Will certainly set the tone keeping the ball in areas that were hard to hit and tying up an end.

At the other end James C (with a change in role/responsibility) took the other opening bowling slot and for 3 overs continued the good work keeping the runs down and giving the Lavant captain control of the game.

However, once Will had removed one of the opening batsmen it was clear the directive from Walberton was to go on the attack and push the scoring on.

With the Lavant captain shuffling his bowling attack to get through the overs it came to the ‘King’ Richard, Phil ‘Safe hands’ Allen and Dave ‘The Shoes’ Burford to enter the attack and try to keep the Walberton batters contained. All three came on during a tough period of the game with the Walberton powerhouse batsmen up and running and looking to smash the ball to all parts. With the plan to try and take the game as deep as possible all three stuck to their tasks brilliantly and didn’t fold under the pressure of batsmen going hard at them.

With the game momentum in Walberton’s favour (being 105 for 1 with 16 overs left) Dave came up with a critical wicket to remove the set opening batsmen (with a very smart catch from Lloyd running in from the deep).

With the next Walberton batsmen coming in and getting up to speed quickly Lavant captain turned to Justin to try and make the breakthrough and wrestle the momentum back and was certainly rewarded!

Justin rose to the challenge and came steaming in hitting the pitch hard and started to ask questions of the batsmen. And then came the crucial breakthrough of taking the wicket of the set #3 (who has passed 50 and was looking comfortable) forcing him to hit a shot in the air straight to Richard who snaffled a great catch low down at extra cover.

With boundaries starting to be hard to find Will returned and was also able to pick up another crucial top order batsman being hit plumb in front of all three.

Suddenly the door was open and the Lavant team could sense it in the field. The encouragement and effort from everyone rose which appeared to spur Justin on who tore into the middle order. Finding his radar quickly Justin zoned in on the stumps and was able to dispatch 3 batsmen by bowling them all.

At the other end Dave had returned and also straight away got back into the action picking up two wickets in one over. With Walberton needing 25 off the last two overs Justin finished the game off taking the last wicket taking the edge through to the keeper (with the famous bowled Murray caught Blow going in the score book).

Lavant had managed to wrap up a brilliant win against a strong side and the post-match atmosphere/banter in the changing room and at the pub afterwards was great to be a part of.

The only negative was Lavant picking up YET ANOTHER injury. I guess this is what happens when you have such an ‘experienced’ side. With the current long Lavant injury list (and so many people on the treatment table right now) rumours that Phil has a new job… becoming the Lavant Chief Healer/Physio! Certainly, we could keep him busy right now.

And if payment is a concern the club could fund Phils salary by maybe selling a charity Lavant calendar (I’ll be Mr July). We could all wear our new club hats… if they ever arrive.

Has anyone seen Will… I think I saw him leaving in a new car wearing a Rolex.

Failing that I’m sure the club can find the money from somewhere… surely Dave’s got a lot of life left in those shoes…

After so many great performances across the board from batting to bowling to fielding the man of the match goes to Will for a brilliant knock of 64 and also being able to bowl practically on one leg and do his best in the field.

As much as I would like to give the champagne moment to myself for my snake hips gyrating to get a stumping off my box, I think everyone knows as captain I don’t agree with awarding these accolades to myself… So, this week’s champagne moment goes to Richard’s catch off Justin. Not only was it such a great grab from a ball that was seriously travelling but mainly in the context of the game it was a vital moment that swung the momentum back in our favour. Once again well done everyone and onto the next one!

Lavant scoreboard

Walberton scoreboard

Lavant v West Ashling Match Report – Sun 30th Jun

This week Lavant welcomed regular opponents Ashling however due to the England football team kicking off at 5pm. This week’s game took a rather funky approach with both sides agreeing a format (which most didn’t understand) that allowed for this Sunday’s game to be completed in good time to meet the England KO.

One of the agreements was to start at 12pm so with the Lavant players rushing to the ground clutching their teddy bears, morning newspapers and Weetabix all was left was for everyone to get changed out of their pyjamas and wait for the outcome of the toss. The Lavant captain looked tired from the late night repairing the torn webbing of his favourite keeping gloves in a patch up job even Dave ‘the shoes’ Burford would have been proud of. He would have seen it but apparently 12pm is too early for him to arise from a long night of clubbing in Bognor. Sorry I meant cobbling…

The Lavant skipper (continuing his fine tossing form this season) won the toss and (with a long Lavant batting line up) elected to bowl. Game on!

With an unusual lack of front-line bowlers for Lavant the duties fell to Justin and Richard to open for the home side (looking to try and protect the short boundary from the slow/spin bowlers).

Richard (finding it hard to get his radar right) was slow to get into his work but managed to find his rhythm but with very little reward and kept plugging away until the drinks break.

At the other end Justin continued his fine form with the ball finding zip and accuracy but also with little reward.

At drinks (after a few crucial drops) the Lavant side had a sinking feeling as the Ashling batsmen passed 100 and were looking to put on a big total.

Looking to change up the bowlers after their long spells the Lavant skipper turned to Mark S to replace Richard. A plan was hatched and the field was set and Mark ‘The Chairman’ stuck to this task very well keeping the ball in good areas and halting the charge from the Ashling team who were looking to push hard after drinks.

Mark was rewarded for his efforts clean bowling the #3 batsman…although I don’t think he knew about it at the time and seemed more surprised than anyone!

At the other end the team turned to the premier strike bowler Tam to see if he was able to find a breakthrough and it didn’t take long as in his 3^rd over, he was able to dispatch the in-form Ashling batter. After than Tam picked up 3 more wickets and stemmed the flow of runs.

Justin returned to the attack for the last 15 mins to try and keep the runs down and was finally rewarded for his efforts in his first spell picking up 2 wickets with Ashling finishing 2 hours of batting with 167. Lavant had done well in the period after drinks to keep the runs down.

It felt like a more than competitive total on a challenging pitch that had gone up and down all game. Lavant had to chase 167 from their 35 overs.

Due to the quick turn around no tea was taken, one banana was eaten and too much time was taken to change clothing to get out to bat!

The Lavant innings started well with the Lavant captain (in an attempt to get ahead of the run rate) getting off to a blistering start hitting the opening bowlers to all parts. At the other end Harry remained steady looking to work the ball into gaps. A nice partnership was forming when a ball got a bit too big on the Lavant captain and clothed the ball back to the bowler.

Tragically what came after was a collapse even the England test side would be proud of. Many Lavant batters returned to the changing room getting out without troubling the scorer too much with everything hit in the air seemingly being held onto with aplomb by the razor sharp Ashling fielders….Lloyd can feel particularly aggrieved after hitting a shot with such venom even Chris ‘John Maclean’ would have been proud of it to see it snaffled one handed by a fielder.

Harry continued to plug away at one end with partners coming and going but also fell LBW (with the top score of all the Lavant batters with 36) going back to a ball that didn’t get up being hit in front of all three.

With not much left in the Lavant batting tank and the run rate climbing Justing and Tam did their best to get the innings going again hitting some lusty blows but after trying to get the scoreboard moving both men got out on 12 with yet another great grab by the Ashling fielders in the deep.

With the final partnership in the middle Rob was able to remain calm and hit a couple of nice shots into gaps but Mark was clean bowled with Lavant all out for 115 off 28 overs and well beaten.

From the highs of the last game this felt like a leveller and reminder that Lavant have to work very hard to compete with the opposition they face each week and with the teams they put out do have to punch above their weight a lot of the time to complete so over the course of the season they will be results like this.

Without getting too much into the detail of where the game was won/lost the very simple age-old cricket adage of ‘catches win matches’ could not ring more true. Lavant just simply let key and dangerous batters off the hook with dropped catches which allowed a good score to be put on the board where Ashling caught nearly every chance that was presented to them.

Man of the match goes to Mark S. His continued support for me is not only appreciated but also for the club. Willing to step aside to allow others to play but also never complain if he does bowl/bat understanding what is best for the club. Today, after not bowling for a long while, came on during a tricky period of the game and stuck to the plan and bowled to his field very well when the Ashling batters were looking accelerate.

Champagne moment also goes to Mark for the look of utter surprises when he took his first wicket not even realising, he had cleaned bowled them!

You can’t win them all. So we reflect, learn and move onto the next game.

West Ashling scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Lavant v Bosham Midweek Match Report – Thu 4th Jul

Afternoon all, it was as you can see an evening where bodies were put on the line and we had to dig deep to overcome a strong adversary.

Bosham came into the contest on an unbeaten campaign with a good side that included one of our own fledglings Tom Cole. It would be fair to say that the polls had them as favourites.

Lavant’s clear T20 manifesto is to bat first and pile the pressure onto the oppo, so when the coin toss landed in our favour we stuck to our guns and I put the team in.

A fast start was crucial, there was no time to be conservative and boy did we deliver (yes, Justin, it happened again). Joe racing off the mark with 12 off the first over, supported at the other end by Fraser, our new debutant with a glorious technique that even Harry would be proud of. Mr Cole was their second bowler and he bowled well, stemming our run rate a bit with some accuracy and pace. But even so, after 4 overs we were on 32 and Joe was already back in the hut, carrying his bat (again) for an excellent 29. This brought Ben another debutant to the crease who picked up where Joe left off, carting the ball around the green with yet more delicious grace and style. Our top 3 batsmen all retired, confidence was high, we were 8+ per over and there was a great energy in the “pavilion”.

Inevitably, this is when we cam slightly unstuck, the boundaries dried up and wickets started to tumble. Bosham bought on a quality off-spinner who was pretty unplayable. One of the highlights of my evening was standing at the non-striking end watching Tam play and miss a whole over of balls that pitched outside off and missed leg stump! For reference, Tam then went on to make an excellent 18 and I only got 2, so whilst I gently mock, it was not to suggest I could have done better!

With the exception of couple of delightful moments (Phil’s smash over cover for 4) we laboured to 131.

6.5 an over…would that be enough?

The key again was to get off to a good start, I think Tam was having a wee when I mentioned this. His first went for 14. Will at the other end kicked things off with a no-ball beamer that went for 4 and I have to say the seeds of doubt kicked in. But then came the reform, it all started clicking and they couldn’t buy a boundary. Tam ended up bowling one of his best 3 overs of the season, full of deception, guile and accuracy ending up with 3 for 22 off 4.

The first wicket, removing their opener was a cunningly disguised slow ball, so slow in fact I wanted to run in from cover and help it on its way. The batsman played all round it and it managed (just) to dislodge the bail.

Will bowled well off his new 2 stride run up, unlucky not to get a wicket but frugal at 0 for 23 off 4. I also enjoyed a good 4 over spell (1-15) as did Mark and Phil (picking up a key wicket), but despite the good bowling they were ticking along at 5-6 an over and there was always a threat of accelerating.

As we moved into the final 3 overs, their opening batsman returned (having retired), they needed 30 with 2 wickets in hand.

The field was liberally spread around the boundary.

Will took the first over, 7 scored, I took the second , 6 scored.

They needed 17 off the last, the ball went to Ben who had already had a sensational spell, 2-11 off 3. First ball, smashed back at him like a bullet, hands went up and it stuck! Cheers and jubilation drowned out Ben’s cries of pain, but the job wasn’t done. The catch brought back Tom Cole, also previously retired, to be hero and slot 3 sixes to win the match.

Next ball, down the wicket he strode, the big heave ho, which in his head may have sailed over the village hall, but in reality Iain took car of the rest with a great stumping. Victory.

Champagne moment was Rob’s catch, mainly because it was off my bowling. It was a very good catch, but may need to work on the technique Rob?

The fielding was superb, so I’m going to give you all man of the match for being “on it” for the entire innings. 131 is a tough total to defend and I think we all played out of our skins to know them over for 114.

A plethora of sausages and beers enjoyed in the Royal Oak after.

Well done guys!!!

Lavant v Grayshott Match Report – Sat 20th Jul

After a two-week hiatus the mighty Lavant gathered at the home ground to welcome Grayshott on a very warm and muggy Saturday afternoon with the change of days completely flummoxing many of the Lavant players. If only we published the fixtures early so everyone could see them in advance…. or send out a PDF for people to refer to …. or have them all listed out in an app…. we should look into that….

Either way the players who were able to figure out a calendar assembled at the ground and the Lavant captain yet again won the toss and decided to have a bat to try and pile on a big score on what looked to be a tricky wicket.

GAME ON!

With many of the mighty Lavant top order players missing the Lavant captain had already asked (some might say bent the arm) of ‘Super’ Steve Brooker to join him out in the middle as, with a big boundary one side and a slow outfield, the key could lie in knocking the ball into gaps and running 1’s and 2’s…. with the occasional misunderstanding of trying to run each other out, colliding in the middle of the pitch and not calling due to panting heavily.

The opening partnership started in a solid and steady fashion with both men keeping out opposition young quick and also the very young leg spinner who seemed to be bowling way beyond his years with plenty of dip and spin.

Both openers did their jobs by keeping out the good balls and looking to score wherever possible to keep the score board moving and after the first hour had laid a solid platform of 70 odd runs with the Lavant skipper picking up his second 50 of the seasons.

With the foundation laid both men looked to push the scoring along however at drinks both were in dire need of a sponge down finding warm and humid conditions very taxing but continued to try and run as many 1’s and 2’s as possible (even with the Lavant captain struggling to keep up with the effervescent Steve).

With breathing becoming increasingly harder the Lavant skipper decided to change gears and cut out running by hitting boundaries and raced towards 72 before being caught trying to crash a seam bowler over deep mid-off.

With the skipper heading to a cold shower and a lie down the platform had been set to unleash the Lavant power-house middle order with 122 on the board and an hour left to bat.

With the Grayshott bowlers flagging, Young Zach (making his Lavant debut) took on the challenge and started launching anything in his arch (with proud dad Martin capturing everything on camera) and scored quickfire 39 before being bowled trying to smash another boundary.

With the Lavant captain out Steve started to look to get the run rate moving but fell short of his 50 and left the middle with 42 to great applause and appreciation from his team mates for his valuable contribution in the opening partnership.

Next entered Phil who didn’t take long at all getting into his work and getting stuck in and after a couple of sighters launched the first of the game…and then followed it up with another. It was great to see him batting with good rhythm and playing fluently and was just what the team need looking to get as many runs as possible.

With Chris, Martin, Rob and Tam all being selfless and playing for the team (by looking to score as soon as they got to the middle) they all contributed and Lavant ended with 208.

Once the Lavant skipper was let back into the changing room (after someone had locked him out whilst in the shower) ….no mentioned who that was but their name might rhyme with Bob…he was able to lay out tea for everyone (and families) to tuck into and enjoy. I must say it was lovely to see both teams’ families together during tea. This is what village cricket should be about.

Once tea was eaten, sweaty clothes were changed, a banana AND a Viennese whirl was eaten Lavant took to the field confident with over 200 on the board that they could bowl out the opposition.

The Lavant skipper turned to his two of his main opening bowlers (Chris and Tam) who had differing games. Chris came pounding in showing great rhythm putting the ball time and time again in the same place keeping it tight and picking the wicket of the opposition opening bat. Chris finished his 6 over spell with 1 wicket for 14).

Tam at the other end was having an uncharacteristic off day with the ball by not being able to quite find his rhythm however still managed to pick up a wicket of the other opening bat (with the help of a very smart catch from Matt H who was able to drop the ball, volley it back up off his thigh and catch the rebound).

After seeing out the opening spells the Grayshott batters were starting to build a partnership and get into the game. The Lavant skipper turned to ‘the better Ian’ and young Zach in an attempt to find a breakthrough.

Ian R (who had been taking a much-deserved break from cricket) returned to the fold like he had never been away. Bowling ball after ball in challenging areas and beating the edge on multiple occasions whilst not offering much in the way of balls to score from. It seemed like it could be one of those days but was finally rewarded by catching the edge/glove through the keeper for his first wicket of the season.

At the other end the dangerous looking Grayshott #4 batter seemed to be growing in confidence and putting decent innings together.

With the Lavant captain putting a plan in place with his bowler to frustrate Ian R yet again delivered the massive breakthrough moment by forcing an error with the #4 batter chipping up a ball to the very safe pair of hands of Matt. Ian R was key to opening the game up and finished his 7 over spell with 2 wickets for 22.

At the other end Zach ran in with purpose and was zipping the ball through causing issues and was able to pick up his first wicket (yup, caught by Matt AGAIN) and was very unfortunate not to have picked up another but was great in holding up the other end.

With Lavant on top the last 20 overs were called and the home side looked to go all out for the win. The Lavant skipper shuffled his bowlers again and brought on Matt who was able to outfox the #6 batter with a delivery that caused much confusion. After the delivery started in the clouds it was visible to see the batter first think it could be a no ball, to then considering it to be a wide to then leaving it…at which point the ball had dipped and hit the base of the leg stump!

At the other end Lavant turned to the ever dependable Dave B who was quickly into his work picking up a wicket in his first over and probing the defences of the lower order.

The Lavant captain (with runs not being an issue) was enjoying listening to his natural attacking instincts (having 3 slips, a gully and everyone else within close into the wicket).

With the game coming to the close it was fitting that Dave (who had bowled so well) was able to take the last wicket of the game and round off a great win (finishing his 7 over spell with 2 wickets for 4)!!

Man of the match is shared between Ian R and Dave B. Ian R, for holding his nerve, sticking to the plan and picking up the crucial wickets to break the game open. Dave B, after being held back ready for the time to smash through the lower order resistance and get Lavant over the line for the win.

Champagne moment goes to Matt for not only the multiple grabs but mainly for one which he was able to juggle it, then have the calmness and presence of mind to volley it back up off his thighs before confidently grabbing the rebound! Thanks to everyone for a good win and onto the next!

Lavant scoreboard

Grayshott scoreboard

Lavant v West Ashling Midweek Match Report – Wed 24th Jul

Before I start, a quick update on the format of a T20 as we approach the final game of the season. Both teams have 20 overs to score as many runs as possible, wickets don’t matter unless you run out of them, it’s all about the runs/run rate, there’s almost always a winner and loser, it’s an electrifying format with twists, turns, exhilaration and frustration.

So……… having delivered a demolition of West Ashling’s bowling attack in the first game of the season, a confident Lavant team turned out for the final T20 home game last night. The weather was overcast, a bit dark and lent itself to finally digging out the pink ball from the back of the cupboard that Derek had purchased back in the early 2000’s. Absolutely delighted to win my final toss of season, well I say toss, it was a hand pick as I’d forgotten a coin, along with the score book, my hat, jumper and as you’ll see later any knowledge of how to play a straight ball. As a change to the norm, I thought we could benefit from a chase (don’t think we’ve chased all season), so I put Ashling into bat.

Lacking two of our regular strike bowlers in Will and Tam, it was an opportunity to pass the ball around and bring some fresh blood to the bowling attack. Short, sharp spells and just when a bowler looks like getting into a rhythm, shepherd crook them and bring someone else on! T20 captaincy 101.

Obviously as captain, I opened the bowling, delivering pace, guile and unplayable deliveries that went for 5 off 2 overs.

At the other end James C was fairing even better, after his 2 over spell he was 4-2. With a run out as well, after 4 overs

Ashling was 11-3, we certainly got off to a good start (remember the importance of the run-rate).

After that, some of their big hitters came to the crease and with the benefit of a very short leg side boundary, the run rate started to climb.

As I said bowling opportunities were liberally passed around, we saw a spell from Steve, Phil and Miles (in his first game back at the club since 2019; a little rusty on line and length, but good pace and won’t be long before he’s causing our opposition all sorts of issues – the hair was on point too, which is crucial).

I also blooded Fraser with his first bowl for Lavant, as discussed merrily in the pub afterwards, his demon off spin was gripping, ripping and turning corners – or at least it would have done if it had pitched!

Once Ashling had had their fun, I brought on my General “The Chairman”, to cull the rate and close proceedings with his experienced head. Mark bowled superbly picking up 2 wickets for 18 off 17 balls. Sadly, he didn’t quite finish his spell due to the hammy giving out on him on the penultimate ball but James stepped up to close out with a wicket taking final ball of the innings. Ashling finished on 143.

Lavant went into bat needing 7/over, 10 wickets in hand.

Iain and Joe kicked us off. Iain was unlucky to get an edge behind in the first over, departing for 6, bringing Phil Wilson to the crease who batted well, supporting Joe and keeping the run rate ticking over.

After the same comparable 4 overs we were on 30 for 1. A strong start and above the rate. Phil sadly fell to a good catch which brought Fraser in.

Fraser picking up where he left off in the Bosham game with some lovely shots and Joe carting the ball all over the park. It was a lovely watch, but all good things come to an end and inevitably Joe had to retire, carrying his bat (again) for 26, opening the door for the rest of the hungry batting attack to have a knock.

Rob was first up with 14 overs to go, an opportunity to support Fraser and build a score of his own. He dug in hard, keeping out the straight balls with some good leaves outside off stump.

Fraser completed his 25 which brought Steve to the crease, but Rob was impenetrable, surviving some clear run-out opportunities, fumbled by the oppo, and an LBW shout which for all the world looked plumb and had the next batsmen on his feet thinking Rob’s luck must have run out, but John kept his hands in his pocket. 9 overs went by and now with just 5 overs to go the required run rate had crept up to 10/over so I made the tough call to bring Rob in as he reached double figures (with a glorious 4 on the leg side), so he could carry his bat in style and open the door for a late slogathon from the remaining batsmen.

I was the first of those remaining batsmen and as I strode to the crease with a match winning confidence, I knew it was going to go one of two ways. As I walked backed to the pavilion a ball later pondering why the ball wasn’t lodged in someone’s windscreen the other side of the village hall, I was met with a richly deserved round of applause and laughter from my team mates – I think it’s called karma.

The remaining batsmen actually did excellently, 4s, and 6s from Miles, Phil and James, but there was just too much to do and we fell short on 125, losing the game.

It was a good match, although I’m not sure cricket was the winner, I think the pink ball was we didn’t lose it in a whole T20 games played on the edge of a field!

As always, beers and sausages and team camaraderie dulled the pain and frustration of falling agonisingly short.

Well done James for some excellent bowling, Rob for amassing your highest score (13) of the season and of course Fraser and Joe for carrying your bats, again! There were also some great catches by the team (Fraser x2, Chris and Rob x1).

Well done, everyone and onto the next one!

With the sun shining and the village looking resplendent on a warm summer’s afternoon the mighty Lavant welcomed Walberton.

Lavant v Walberton Match Report – Sun 28th Jul

After a great win earlier in the season the home team were expecting a reaction from Walberton who undoubtedly were looking for revenge.

As both sides arrived it did feel like a David vs Goliath situation with many of the Lavant players arriving more interested in knowing when tea was so they could get stuck into the drizzle compared to the Walberton crack unit of fine young specimens who looked like they had just come from a Chichester training camp doing star jumps and drinking protein shakes.

However, one thing you can never underestimate with the mighty Lavant is experience!

At the toss the home skipper (once AGAIN) won the toss and elected to bat hoping the long batting line up could post a decent total.

GAME ON!

Disaster struck in the first over after the Lavant skipper (who didn’t go through with the shot) hit a low full toss which was smartly grabbed by a tall Walberton fielder at mid-off).

After this setback, Joe was joined by Fraser (both who was making their Sunday debut) got stuck into their work quickly pouncing on anything full and dispatching to the boundary. Unfortunately, both fell in a similar fashion as the Lavant skipper being guilty of not quite going through with the shot and holing out. Joe left the middle with 19 and Fraser with 8.

In came Will and Steve who steady the ship calmly looking to rebuild against the barrage of young fast bowlers. Both men had to work hard for their runs considering there weren’t many loose deliveries on offer and having to find a way through the youthful ring field who seemed able to stop anything hit within 2 metres of them.

When the change of pace came Will tried desperately to get the scoreboard moving but tragically missed timed his shot and holed out to a smart catch in the deep for 26.

Enter Bryan (who finally made his debut after having missed out twice with games called off) and was certainly not going to die wondering with some serious bat speed and finally was able to settle his nerves smacking away his first runs for six. There was certainly a lot of hockey’s ability in his batting but after dispatching another ball to the boundary fell for 11 but was willing to try and push on the scoreboard for the team.

Entering the final hour of the game Chris and Phil were outfoxed by the Walberton spinner and the Lavant innings was looking desperate.

Thankfully Lavant had a solid ‘insurance policy’ in the form for Richard who, like any good service man was happy to follow orders from the skipper, saluted and marched out to the middle (or in his mind the square).

At the other end was Steve who was going about his business in his normal fashion. We spoke before the game about how important I see Steve’s role in the batting line up with him being solid and going about his business to hold the innings together. I can’t stress how important Steve’s innings was in the context of the game and did exactly what was asked of him by rotating the strike and being the glue that held the batting line up together. Thankfully this week Steve was able to get a much deserved 50 to his name…. although there was a rumour that he just stayed out there so he didn’t have to put out his tea…

With both men able to steady the ship the scoreboard looked light of runs however in a fortuitous moment Walberton decided once again to unleash their young quicks in a hope of breaking through but this played into the hands of Richard and Steve who both showed their class being able to line up both seem bowlers and started to find the boundary. This final flurry helped nudge the Lavant score to 163 which did still feel short of being a par score but competitive enough that it could give the Lavant bowlers something to work with.

Many Lavant players were waiting (and salivating) at the thought of Steve’s tea and getting their mouths around his drizzle which I was told was just as good as ever!

Lavant took (well waddled) to the field looking to start strong with the ball and keep things tight and look to build pressure in the hope of securing another amazing win…

But….it didn’t quite go that way. Walberton took off in a blistering assault and were dispatching anything loose (and some good balls) to the boundary. With the team desperately looking for control nothing seemed to be able to stop the haemorrhaging of runs with poor Chris taking the brunt of the punishment. I blame the tea…

James C was able to stop the rot by bundling out two of the top order bats (who both seemed to be keen to finish the game in a hurry) clean bowling them both.

However, the runs kept flowing fast and the Lavant skipper quickly shuffled his bowling attack bringing Ian R into the attack who also tried desperately to keep things tight but the Walberton batters just found a way of picking up runs. Thankfully Ian did manage to find a breakthrough picking up a crucial wicket (with a solid catch taken by Bryan)!

With the game moving into the final 20 over stage the rapid scoring had allowed Walberton only needing around 40/50 runs for what seemed an inevitable win.

With the last throw of the dice the Lavant skipped turned to Will and Richard in the hope of making a crucial break through with the hope to then attack the Walberton tail.

And the turning point came. The ‘King’ picked up the first crucial wicket of the Walberton opener (who had done most of the damage) clean bowling him 1 short of his 50.

Next Richard manages to outfox #4 batter (who was equally set and looking to slog sweep everything) teasing him wider and wider to toe end/top edge the ball up in the air to be caught behind.

At the other end Will did what he normally does. Bowling tight lines and lengths and drying things up offering nothing easy to hit. Frustration started to creep into the batting and Will was able to enforce a mistake from one batter being caught by Fraser (another smart grab) and clean bowling another braking through the middle order!

Suddenly the sombre mood of Lavant was lifted and with the door open to attack the Walberton tail the Lavant skipper rallied the troops and asked everyone to work hard and give everything they had in a push for the final wickets.

And what a moment came…. in an act of frustration, the Walberton #8 looked to hammer Richard through the covers where Ian R threw himself smartly to his right and grab a low down, blinding one handed catch and celebrate wildly running around so much that no-one could keep up with him!!

With the team on a high the game was still finely in the balance.

With Walberton 9, 10 and 11 left, Lavant only needed 2 wickets for an amazing win. However, Walberton only needed 20 runs to get over the line.

The Lavant skipper put his trust in his bowers and fielding unit and went for the win. I think Richard would be the first to admit that having Will keeping things so tight at the other end was a crucial part of the bowling partnership and was able to capitalise on. Both men showed incredible control and bowling skill under pressure and dovetailed together so well to deliver when the team needed them the most.

The King was able to give the last remaining batters their matching orders – cleaning the bowling #9 and #10 which led to an amazing win.

Man of the match goes to Will/Richard for a bowling partnership that not only swung the game back into our favour but were able to get us over the line (but a special mention must go to Steve’s innings).

Champagne moment goes to Ian R for a truly special catch considering how close he was and how hard the ball was hit… the ball was behind him and if he had stopped it that would haven something but to stick out a paw and haul it in (given the context of the game) was amazing.

It was great to yet again see the ‘never say die’ attitude from the mighty Lavant. I don’t think anyone could quite believe it. Was great to see some tired but satisfied faces at the pub after the game.

On to the next!

Lavant scoreboard

Walberton scoreboard

Chidham v Lavant Midweek Match Report – Thu 1st Aug

As with all good things…. The climax had to come…. and it did not disappoint.

The rallying call had come from the captain for a stand in skipper and with the legendary Lavant silence in effect, there were no takers.

Stepping up with 2 players carded and a game ahead of us, I couldn’t wait to get involved. A big thanks to the weekend skip for having helped attract a growing number of players to the club. In the end we were turning players away. Healthy times.

On paper, a young and athletic looking team was assembled…. albeit potentially short on bowling options. The team turned up in fine fettle – even making use of the slip catching cradle – looking good and taking some exceptional catches.

The ground was resplendent; drenched in sun; a short cut on the outfield and a beautiful setting. Chidham were welcoming and we were set for a game. With potentially a shortage/a lot of unknowns in the bowling attack my logic was to bowl first and chase. They wanted to bat so it was sorted.

Miles was up first. Sporting the best mullet/tash combo I’ve ever played with in cricket! He lived up to his look with a fine spell of opening bowling. He bowled with good pace, improving lines and mixed his length to good effect. He bounced out their opener in his first over with a ball that zipped up to head height. Impressively, he also bounced out their prolific and reliable number 3…. a known good player with a smart catch from Stevie ‘Wacko Jacko’ Brooker. Finally, he removed another of their best players albeit with a little help from Matt.

To explain Matt’s catch requires you to imagine the moment where there is a collective team gasp as the ball is slashed to cover and he runs backwards, jumps falls backwards and looks like he is going to smash the back of his head open.  Only to stand up having taken an excellent catch with the ball grasped in his hand. A really solid effort. Well done Matt.

Miles had a hat trick ball and it was the best one I’ve seen in a while. Zipping past the edge and nestling into the comforting embrace of Iain’s grasp, it was very close. He finished with fine figures of 4 overs 3 wickets for 15.

Steve B was his opening partner. ‘A bit rusty’ was his WhatsApp message when I told him he was opening the bowling. 3 overs 0 for 12 with a dropped catch (a rare blemish and not easy) shows you the class of the player. While I have the floor, I want to say also what a class guy. We all love playing with you Steve. I want to make sure it is said.

To the change bowlers – it made no difference.

Fraser first. 4 overs 2 for 13…. Not bad for a wicketkeeper. I know our normal wicket keeper rates his own bowling but this was excellent. Again, control of line and length; a growing confidence and some subtle variations. Coupled with an energetic and lively fielding performance it was great to see a newish player showcasing his talent. 2 wickets bowled including their obdurate opener and a lot of control through the middle.

Fraser was dovetailing nicely with Sam’s leg spin. To say it was tantalising players is doing Sam a disservice. He controlled his length well and tempted players with some fantastic flight and guile. He induced a top edge for Iain to gobble up his second catch of the night and umpteenth of the season as well as securing an lbw to finish with 4 overs 2 for 16.

To finish off the innings, the captain turned to Matt and Steve D.

Matt, fresh from his catch, bowled well. His second over improved from his first. His 2 overs 0-11 were solid death bowling figures. He mixed up his pace and is controlling line and length better and better with each outing. He is energetic and athletic and a welcome addition.

Steve D, under-utilised as a bowler at an unnamed league side, was getting his first bowl of the year. The crying emoji back when I WhatsApp him today told me his level of confidence. I called him the ‘Lavant Shoaib Bashir’ and he bowled like it.

He came on and bowled with great control. Mixing slower spinning deliveries with pacy balls ripping past the edge (2.3 over 3 for 6 was fine reward). 2 batters castled and a catch at slip from the skipper. I repeat – a catch at slip.

I will take a paragraph (I threatened 3) to describe it. A pacy delivery sent down on or around off stump. A beleaguered batsmen with an unenviable task of trying to gain quick runs prods forward with little footwork. A healthy edge evades the keeper and zips to first slip where with great technique, impeccable placement and eyes shut the skipper grabbed the ball to much delirium (mainly from me). A truly unique moment!

Chidham finished on 75 all out. This was an impressive bowling and fielding performance. High standards from all helped us restrict a line up with some good players to an under par score.

Honourable mentions to Matt and Jim for excellent ground fielding and a special mention to Lloyd who fielded fantastically. He alone stopped the score being much closer to 100. He dived, grabbed and chased everything and set a high standard for the team to follow. Great catching was on show and Iain as always doing Iain things – grabbing catches, tidying up and also restricting the score with some excellent keeping – particularly down the leg side.

A quick turnaround – well as quick as it can be when Iain goes from keeping to batting  – and we were out to chase.

No messing with the powerhouse batting line up – I’ve been burnt too many times!

Iain up first and to set the tone he smashed the third ball of the innings for a huge six over the bowlers head. It took someone to jump a 6 foot barbed wire fence into stinging nettles to retrieve it! I love a bit of intent and this certainly stated ours. The boundary was big and this was the only 6 of the game…. an impressive hit.

Iain and Joe nudged and nurdled against some consistent seam from one end and some high-quality leg spin from the other. Mixing good technique with the odd risk to accumulate runs above the required rate.

Iain perished, after a good T20 season, to a fine caught and bowled. This brought Steve D to the crease.

Steve accelerated the score with a pleasing aesthetic. He drove crisply, played in the V, ran and called well upped the ante. He rode his luck against the leg spinner a couple of times but played well and looked in good order to retire on 30 no.

Jim came in and played fluidly. The highlight being a cut shot for 4.

Joe selflessly retired to allow Lloyd a bat and he came in and crushed a 4 over extra cover.

They both ended not out in a good winning partnership. Well played both.

Overall, a dominant performance. Moreover, a great team spirit and camaraderie. It was fun, played competitively and full of energy. We can only control what we can and we batted, bowled and fielded brilliantly against some good opposition players. We were celebrated by their team for our spirit, team work, support of one another and skill. Well done all.

Chidham hosted us well. They are friendly, welcoming and hospitable. The food was tasty at the White Swan and I could hear animated chat amongst the team and opposition.

I had a lovely evening in the sun. I will leave you to ponder your own experience. I hope you all got something out of it?

Man of the match:

Honourable mentions to Steve D for a great all round performance and Fraser for some fabulous bowling and fielding but I’m going to give it to Miles. He set the game up with pace and hostility, got better and better and grew in confidence. Also, it was a brilliant hat trick ball!

Champagne moment:

It could have been my exceptional slip catch, Iain’s massive six, Lloyd’s fielding in the 15^th over where he single handedly saved 6-8 runs but I am going to give it to Matt’s catch…. awesome effort.

We should be playing again next week but that is the end of our midweek season. Good effort all. A huge well done to Chris for running the show this year. An unenviable task and one we are all grateful for. Hopefully see lots of you on a Sunday. Up the Lavant!

Lavant v Droxford Match Report – Sun 4th Aug

With the mighty Lavant moving into the August fixtures another home game was in the making. This weekend Lavant welcomed a very youthful Droxford to the village who appeared very keen as they arrived a good 30 minutes before most of the home side and gathered around the wicket where (one can only assume) to discuss their tactics and game plan and do some cricket drills.

Lavant on the other hand decided to go with the more customary village cricket approach…show up in dribs and drabs, chat about anything but cricket and kick a football around with Eli.

The Lavant skipper (after crawling out of his bed from battling a terrible case of man flu and rocking a Barry White voice) decided to get things going and strode to the middle with the aura of a great tosser and (yes yet again) won the toss and decided to bat.

The Lavant innings started strongly with the Lavant skipper taking to the opening bowler, pouncing on anything short of a length and biffing it over the boundary. At the other Harry (considering he’s not played in some time) was ever watchful and solid looking to build a decent opening platform.

With 56 on the board and solid foundation being laid both openers (after looking comfortable) were guilty of getting out with the skipper chasing a wide ball and toe ending an edge to slip (for 32) and Harry missing out on a full toss and being clean bowled (for 22).

Joe and Justin walked to the middle looking to continue the good work. Joe got stuck in quickly and found a way of smashing good balls to the fence. Justin at the other end was playing in a solid manner and helping to build a partnership with Joe on tricky wicket with both men moving the score along and passing 100.

Droxford shuffled around their bowling attack looking to stem the flow of runs and picked up Joe’s wicket (falling for 39) and then Justin (falling for 15) in quick succession.

With an hour left the Lavant skipper asked Tam to join Lloyd in the middle to try and counter attack but unfortunately Lloyd was struck on the hand by a ball that lifted and blood started to appear through his glove from damaging the end of his finger.

Lloyd had to quickly retire hurt to get his finger seen to. At Lavant we pride ourselves on being ‘village’ about everything. Fielding …batting …bowling …even first aid kits…with many of the items inside the first aid kit being out of date by at least 10 years! I suppose we all can take heart in the fact that the badges were so old they had probably grown penicillin on them to help counter any infection.

It’s ok though…the word going around was Dave ‘the shoes’ Burford was going to (reluctantly) open the club coffers and look to purchase another first aid kit. It was noted it seemed odd that he was looking for local car boot sales to see if he could find a second hand one to save money…

Anyway…. back to the game…

With Lloyd getting ‘fully’ bandaged up (see the picture) Phil took his place in the middle with Tam and both men faced some tough bowling not offering much to hit. Both men held on to keep the innings together with one highlight – Phil out of the blue launching the Droxford captain for 6!

With Tam and Phil getting out looking to push the score on (and the innings entering the last 20/30 mins) Lloyd returned to the middle like a (WW1 veteran) with his good mate Nathan. It was going to be a difficult test for two rookies of the game to not only face down the good bowling attack on show from Droxford but also look to push the score along to get the team to a decent total.

Both men exceeded expectations and got stuck into the bowling looking to punish anything over/through the tight ring field and also running singles hard (Nathan this time remembering to keep his bat down when running in). It was an amazing partnership given their lack of experience, the context of the game and the bowling on show and both were able to carry their bats at the end of the innings and should be very proud of helping to push the Lavant innings score to a very competitive 175.

I would like to note that the team has recently been able to put solid batting totals on the board by looking to start well, build a solid batting totals on the board by looking to start well, build a solid foundation and bat in partnerships through the batting order. This weekend really highlights that. With not one ‘big score’ to note everyone who batted played their part and was a real team effort to get 175 on the board.

Tea was taken and (thanks to Sheila) looked resplendent with many baked goods on offer. I was told it was lovely. Anyway, cakes were eaten, drinks were drunk, strepsils were sucked and Lavant took to the field looking to keep things tight and make early inroads into the Droxford line up.

And what a start!

With Lavant welcoming back their ‘overseas’ from a much-deserved break ‘Jean Claude Van Tram’ got stuck into his work quickly. After bowling 4 quality balls in his first over Tam decided to ditch the disciplined line and length strategy and bowl a changeup delivery…a filthy leg side full toss which totally outfoxed the Droxford opener who planted the ball right round the corner into the safe hands of James C (stationed at on the 45) who snaffled the catch with aplomb!

At the other end Justin (who according to Joe was bowling the fast spell he had seen this season) was tearing in probing the defences of the Droxford top order and caused chaos with batters trying so hard to get off strike it caused a calamitous run out (with some great fielding in the deep). Justin was also able to smash out of the ground the off stump of the #3 batter. Is there no better sight in cricket than seeing off peg cartwheeling out of the ground from a seam bowler.

Once the team had retrieved the off stump from the river (Justin asked me to add that). Justing was also able to clean bowl the #batter (this time I made sure the stump was in the ground properly) and the home team felt well in the game.

At the other end the Droxford #4 (and captain) had come to the middle and looked assured in defence and not interested in playing anything too expansive. After 30/40 minutes of play (and plenty of batting and overs remaining) the general feeling was surely that the away side weren’t looking for a draw that early on and Droxford would make a move soon. Over after over came and went without much being scored and at the final 20 over stage the Lavant skipper decided to go on the attack to try and force a result.

Giving Tam and Justin a chance to get their energy back after long bowling spells the home captain turned to the ever dependable ‘King’ Richard. I can’t stress enough how much of a luxury it is to have someone of Richards quality to turn to and (yet again) he delivered by bowling the limpet like Droxford captain in his first over!

At the other end James C was bowling tempter after temper, forcing the batters to deploy a defensive shot or try and hit over the top of the close in field with the #6 batter not getting hold of a shot over mid off and skying the ball high for a very smart grab from Nathan.

With the #7 Droxford looked to be the only middle order player who wanted to score (mainly by heaving over deep mid-wicket) the field was adjusted to block off that scoring area (and forcing him to try and hit squarer of the wicket) and sure enough James was able to clean bowl him when attempting to hit another 4.

At this stage Droxford had gone from ‘defensive’ to ‘dropping anchor’ to ‘hold the line at all costs! With most of the Lavant team positioning in close (and the Lavant skipper running out of close in gaps to position fielders) the team went all out attack to try and force the win. The field set was something to behold!

Richard was working hard to try and extract anything from the pitch and was unlucky on one occasion catching the edge that fell short of the many waiting slip catchers. James equally could not find any way of getting the Droxford batters to come out of their bunkers.

The Lavant skipper turned to the ever-dependable Dave ‘the spinner’ Burford who tried his best to extract something from the wicket to find the breakthrough (even in an act of genius chucked in a moon ball leg spinner)! I think the chat of Dave being a spinner can probably end there…. Dave bowled extremely tight and, on another day, (if the objective was to keep the runs down) would have been a perfect spell.

After all the hard work and effort from Richard, James and Dave (and no real lateral movement on offer) the overs were ticked down. With one last throw of the dice the Lavant skipper turned back to Tam and Justin in the hope the change of bowler/pace would extract the Droxford batters out of their comfort zones.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. In fairness to the Droxford #8 and #9 both defended doggedly and was a clear example of how to bat out for a draw as both men saw off the final bursts from Justin and Tam and the game ended in a draw (with Droxford only managing to score 67 for 7). 15 maidens from the Lavant bowling told the story.

A lot of positives can be drawn from the game from a Lavant point of view. In my (albeit limited time) at Lavant it’s not been often when we are the team who are trying to break through a team batting for their lives to get a draw the match (it’s normally the other way around)! The batting from the whole batting unit was great positing a very competitive score. The fielding and catching were solid and the bowling were on point. Even though we didn’t get the win there was certainly a moral victory to be had from a dominant performance against a strong side who are used to playing league cricket….

But….it was a shame not be able to get the win over the line!

Man of the match goes to Nathan and Lloyd. After taking a blow Lloyd got patched up (although he might need a tetanus shot) and back out to the middle with Nathan put on a terrific batting partnership to add on another 50 runs to move the Lavant total to be very competitive. Both men stood up to tough conditions against a very good bowling attack, middling many deliveries to the boundary.

Hopefully a good sing of things to come from the pair of them!

Champagne moment would have gone to Joe’s shoes in a hilarious crocodile moment (with the bottom sole ripping clean off the bottom of his shoe BUT after saying Justin’s spell was the ‘fastest he’s seen all season’ I’m not sure I can.

So, the champagne moment goes to Nathan for a really good catch off James that hung up in the air for a long time.

It was nice to see after the game that the team were happy to take the positives and were not too downhearted with not being able to get the win over the line. Well done to everyone on a solid team performance. Onto the next…!!

Lavant scoreboard

Droxford scoreboard

Lynchmere v Lavant Match Report – Sat 10th Aug

This week the mighty Lavant travelled to beautiful ground at Lynchmere and after their run of recent results were feeling confident. With the continuation of the nice weather, it was looking to be a perfect day for cricket (unlike the previous fixture earlier in the season)!

The Lavant skipper lost the toss and was asked to bat. The Lavant team assembled to strap on their batting pads looking to post a good score.

GAME ON!

The Lavant skipper was joined in the middle by Harry with both men looking to deliver their customary good start for the team. It was clear from ball one that the pitch (particularly at one end) seemed to have a few demons in it and was very two paced with some balls leaping up from the Lynchmere opening quick. Both stuck to their guns and remained watchful and looked to put anything away that gave a scoring opportunity playing solid back and front foot shots. There were some glorious cover drives and cuts on display from both men.

With a good opening stand of 50 on the board Harry (looking to clip a ball into the leg side) was out chipping an easy catch (21) and then Justin fell looking to get on the front foot got a ball that leapt off a length and slowly looped into the graceful hands at first slip.

Next over the Lavant skipper also was out after getting a good ball that beat his defences and clean bowled him for 35. After a solid start the Lynchmere opening bowlers had the breakthrough they were looking for.

With the Lavant batting line-up wobbling it was left to Steve and Phil to rebuild. Both men stuck to their tasks and saw off the remaining overs from the opening bowlers. After which Phil leapt into action and started to get into his work biffing anything away that was in his arch. It’s a glorious sight to see when Phil gets into this kind of mood with some amazing clean hitting with ball after ball being dispatched to the fence (with one huge six over long on)!

At the other end Steve was doing his things in his normal fashion of class batting hitting the gaps and accumulating runs however I think he must have felt he needed to join the party by suddenly launching a massive 6 of his own.

However, with both men looking comfortable and looking to build a big partnership disaster struck with Steve holing out for 33 and Phil being bowled agonisingly short of 50 (43).

With an hour remaining Tam and Dave walked to the middle looking to continue the good work but both men hit 4 and then got out.

At this point the team turned to Fraser to go out and get the scoreboard moving and was given the title ‘Prince Boshington’ by the Lavant skipper (obviously that title will have to be made official when ‘King Richard’ next plays)!!

Fraser certainly lived up to the title walking to the middle and slapping his first ball for 4! He continued to look busy hitting the ball into gaps and running hard whilst also dispatching other balls to the fence with grace and power.

There were many cheers and applause from the crowd (particularly his family)!

Fraser was out for a very breezy 20 which allowed James C to walk to the middle and do what he’s done nearly every time he batted for Lavant. Hit a 6 first ball! …. he was out next ball LBW mind ….

With 15 mins remaining the Lavant innings seemed to be fizzling out.

Hattie and Ian R only remained to try and get the last few runs that they could to push the Lavant score on and both looked in good shape until Hattie was out stumped and the Lavant innings came to an end.

All out with 12 minutes remaining (which would be given back to Lynchmere for their run chase).

The final score of 185 (historically) felt like a competitive total on a tricky pitch.

Tea was called and many cakes were devoured (including a Victoria sponge)! There is always such a great spread put out for tea at Lynchmere. A BIG thank you to my beloved Carly who managed to save a piece of Victoria sponge (which is my favourite) for me to have after the game.

Anyway after tea being eaten, a Lucozade glugged down and a banana eaten the Lavant team took to the field feeling very hopeful that they could make some early inroads into the Lynchmere top order. It had been a good team performance up to this point and confidence was high….

…. BUT that soon changed….

The Lynchmere opening bats took a real fancy to the bowling and got off to a rapid start smashing everything they could throw their hands at to the boundary. After the early onslaught the Lavant opening bowlers were able to regain some control and put both put together 6 or 7 overs between them where it felt like ball after ball passed the edge. The general feeling in the air was that a wicket was surely coming! Finally, the pressure paid off however the Lavant fielding curse returned with catches being put down.

Heads went down and the Lynchmere openers looked to kick back into life capitalising on their good fortune.

The team turned to Ian R and Hattie to come on and try and force a breakthrough. Ian took a bit of tap but was able to finally remove one of the opening batters who was looking to go big downtown but skied his shot up high which was taken very smartly from Harry who had managed to get under it from mid-off.

At the other end Hattie (making her Lavant debut) was thrown into the deep end. After not playing (or bowling) for many years she understandably looked a little rusty in her first over and the new #3 Lynchmere batter was not going to miss out. It was a tough time to come back to cricket but there were a lot of promising signs from her bowling (with the pace and accuracy shown in a mixed spell) but it just wasn’t her day.

With the Lavant skipper shuffling his bowling and desperately trying to regain some sort of control he turned to James C and Dave who had to come into the attack with not many runs left to play with.

It was a tough gig for both men given the state of the game but both performed so well all things considered.

Dave bowled very well (even after telling the Lavant skipper he was going to bowl one way, have a field set and then bowl a completely different way)! It must be the shoes….

Even so he managed to keep things tight and also joined the ‘pass the outside edge loads without any reward’ club.

There were quite a few members today.

Like all the other bowlers James C took some tap but was able to finally prize out the other opening bat by enticing him to try to run down the track and smash a delivery into Guildford but missing a looping ball and being out stumped.

He then picked up the Lynchmere #3 in the same over having him out plumb LBW! He then followed this up in the following over by also wrapping the #4 on the pads plumb in front for LBW. Suddenly there was interest from Lavant. To throw out a famous quote from Dumb and Dumber ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance’….

…. but no.

I’m afraid not this time. The damage had already been done and with Dave and James best efforts Lynchmere reached the total of 186 with 10 overs remaining for a comfortable win.

After such a loss I must say I was pleased (as always) with the sportsmanship shown by the team being happy to offer congratulations to the opposition players and recognising when they have been beaten on the day by the better team.

Looking back at the game the team’s batting was solid (with good contributions all the way through the side) but was perhaps missing someone to get a big score and being bowled out and allowing 12 mins to go begging is regrettable however 185 is a good score.

Apart from the opening onslaught from Lynchmere the bowling was ok and on another day more chances could have been found but the rare chances that did come needed to be taken so that the Lynchmere middle order could be exposed.

We should take the positives and move onto the next.

Man of the match – Phil for a box office 43. Was so great to see Phil in full flow and seemingly enjoying himself!

Hopefully this form can continue to the end of the season and we can carry on seeing massive 6’s being dispatched! Champagne moment – Steve’s pull shot from the opening quick. Considering the pitches (and the weather) we’ve played on most the year back foot shots off short balls have been few and far between. A thing of utter beauty…. He obviously saw it early…. Into the shot nice and early and dispatched with aplomb.

Lynchmere scoreboard

Lavant scoreboard

Lavant v Clanfield Match Report – Sun 18th Aug

On another beautiful day in the village of Lavant the conditions seemed perfect for cricket. This week the mighty Lavant welcomed Clanfield and were looking to put behind the disappointing result of last weekend.

After being caught off guard from an out of the blue debrief from a visiting umpire and his adjudicator the Lavant captain seemed to have even more to deal with than normal but headed over to the opposition skipper for the toss.

In a shock moment the Lavant captain lost the toss… there were audible gasps from the crowd around the boundary. Sandwiches were dropped, drinks spat out and one man dropped his walking stick and kicked a leaf in disgust.

Anyway…. Clanfield elected to bat so the rush was on to organise the umpire, get changed, grab a hat (more on that later) and assemble the troops looking for an early breakthrough.

GAME ON!

At one end the team welcomed back Will from his two-week holiday in Ibiza. Supporting a slight tan he certainly looked refreshed and got into his work quickly rattling off over after over offering nothing to the Clanfield batters. It was a joy to watch and he must have been practising on the beaches (or in the night clubs) while away. It was just such a shame he insisted on wearing a load of glow sticks and blowing a whistle…. He kept going on about a big fish, a little fish and a cardboard box whilst demanding people ‘threw shapes’… but … he was bowling so well we just let him get on with it.

At the other end Lavant welcomed back Mark H from his Petworth travels and was able to continue the pressure being applied by Will at the other end. Mark was mixing up his deliveries testing the batter’s temperament.

After a quick change in the field from the Lavant skipper Mark was able to force a mistake with the opening bat chipping the ball up into the air towards the newly positioned fielder (Phil). Phil took off at speed and was making up the ground fast but did not look like he could quite get there but put in a big dive to grab the ball in the finger tips for a terrific low catch!

The next over (with another shift in the field settings) Mark had the other opener pinned to his crease and after several dot balls the pressure gave with the opening bat trying to unleash a shot. The ball was travelling at speed and looked to be past Zach but the tall young man took a couple of steps to his left and suddenly stuck out a long paw and snaffled an amazing one-handed catch!

Many people of a certain age likened it to ‘Go Go gadget arm’ …. I don’t think Zach had a clue what they were talking about. Maybe he can look it up on tiktok?

Mark finished his spell with 2 for 14.

After his great catch Zach came into the attack. His first few overs didn’t quite go according to plan as the young man struggled to get into his stride but once he found his rhythm suddenly, he was able to get the ball to talk. With Will keeping things tight (or as he’d like to say ‘massive’) at the other end a war of attrition had started with the Clanfield #3 holding firm but not scoring. Zach was able to make inroads at the other end, clean bowling one, taking a caught and bowled off another and then having a ball hit high into the air for a suburb catch to be taken from Nathan. The ball went up miles and was in the air a good while but Nathan was able to run around, get underneath it and take a brilliant catch (one of many similar catches he has taken this season when stationed at mid-off/mid-on)!

With the Clanfield #3 still holding firm the Lavant keeper (spotting he was trying to get down the ground to negate the swing and bounce) grabbed the helmet and stood up. This led to Sach forcing the batter back and catching the glove for the ball to balloon up for the keeper to dash forward and dive at full stretch to scoop up a smart grab.

Zach finished his spell with 4-43.

Will continued to lock up the other end kept going on about not wanting it to go ‘Pete Tong’ but his spell of bowling was simply brilliant. Passing the edge over and over, extracting bounce off the pitch (with the stood up keeper taking balls up by his ears several times) FINALLY got his reward breaking through the defences of the Clanfield #4 by clean bowling him.

Will finished his spell with 1-11 from 10 overs!

A Lavant match this season wouldn’t be the same without the mentioning of ‘The King’. So Richard came into the attack looking to capitalise on the good work set by the opening bowlers. He took a bit of tap in the first over as Clanfield looked to counter attack but as normal remained calm and started to get on top. In his 4^th over he struck, extracting the edge and a (yet another) smart catch was gobbled up but the very safe pair of hands of Phil in the slip cordon! After that Richard was able to break the defences of the last two Clanfield batters … clean bowling them both.

Clanfield were all out for 104 with about 17 mins remaining in the first innings.

A very special mention must go to Lewis (Mark’s son) who kindly did some fielding for us as Jim was late after having a sandwich nightmare making teas. Lewis seemed so happy to be out in the field and gave it his all, stood where he was asked to stand and chased down the ball whenever it came near him and threw it in as hard as he could. It was a fine example being set by the young man!

With all the great bowling and smart catching the only negative was the number of extras given up (31). Even though the Lavant keeper had a good day on a tough pitch I wouldn’t be allowed to get away with not mentioning the 5 penalty runs that hit his hat that was stationed behind. I’m sure Will will talk about it more int detail on the ‘hat chat’ WhatsApp group so please go there and ask him about it if you want to know more…

However, 104 all out was a commanding position to be in and even though the wicket seemed tricky to score on the home team were confident at the half way point.

Teas was taken.

Sandwiches and drinks were eaten and drunk, watches were sold (I have no idea what was going on there) and a Lucozade sport was chugged.

The Lavant skipper walked to the middle after ‘The King’ had requested he accompany him to the middle. The opening pair were looking to get a good start in the hope of making the run chase a formality.

Things started well with the Lavant skipper getting off to a fast start clubbing anything loose to the boundary and rotating the strike where possible. However, for the second time in a number of weeks the Lavant skipper got a ball that just moved off the surface enough to break through the forward defence and clip the top of off-stump being out for 20 with 30 on the scoreboard.

In next was Will who steadied the ship and continued the solid scoring to be able to push the scoreboard to 50 but with the wicket still showing a few demons top edged a ball (that bounced a bit more than expected) clipping the ball up to the square leg fielder being out for 12 with the 57 scoreboards.

Next was the ever-dependable Steve. With half the runs required scored it just needed a steady hand on the tiller to build a partnership with Richard and both did what was expected of them. Keeping out the bad balls and patiently waiting for anything they could score off the conveyor belt of Clanfield slow bowlers. Slowly but surely, they built a solid partnership to make sure the scoreboard edged close to the winning mark.

With the score around the 80 mark and the last 20 overs taken Clanfield (in a last throw of the dice) unleashed their quick bowler who powered in the zip. The game felt like it was entering a critical phase however the class of the two men shone through. Steve lining up the quick and throwing down black after solid block getting used to the pace after being fed a diet of slow bowlers up to this point.

Richard, who had being finding it hard going to hit boundaries, suddenly leapt into life against the seamer unleashing an array of classy back and front foot shots dispatching them to the boundary (well… just) ;O.

Steve also joined the party and was able to cut loose but with the scoreboard edging closer to the winning total disaster struck with both men were out bowled.

Richard was out for 36 and then Steve was out for 14.

Nathan had entered the scene and ran hard for one and then clubbed away a boundary and looked good but with the pitch still misbehaving he was also out bowled (going back to a ball that stayed low).

Lavant were 5 down and the scoreboard showing 101 only needed 4 runs for the win. With a few nerves going around the home team…  they could chase this down…. surely!!!???

In came Jim and after a long batting session in the nets at training looked to implement the things he had been working hard on. He took his guard and looked good, showing good shape and movement trusting himself to be solid in defence and then hit a solid shot for 1.

102…. Only 3 needed for the win …

At the other end Matt H had joined Jim in the middle and didn’t appear nervous at all. With no respect shown for the Clanfield bowlers Matt started to unleash some serious bat speed with a flashing blade looking to smash the ball into the covers. After a couple of ‘sighters’ he connected with one delivery and smashed the ball through extra cover for 4 to warp the win up in style!!

It was a pleasing win for many reasons. Lavant were well beaten in the reverse fixture last season so to put in such a dominant performance was great. The catching was exceptional and as we have found in the past those grabs against the standard of teams, we play are crucial and are the difference between wining and losing the game.

The thing I probably have enjoyed the most this season is Lavant have been able to put losses behind them quickly. After the last result it would have been fair for the team to be down and dreading this fixture but the ability to forget the last game/result and go again and continue the ‘team spirit’ that has been a hall mark all season is something to be proud of.

As Ian Dowie once said – “It’s our bouncebackability and spirit” that has been so impressive this year.

A small note to thank the umpire (Owen) who had come along for the day to be adjudicated.

It was a surprise but the team found him fair and decent and did make life easier having to only worry about trying to get someone to put their hand up to umpire at the other end (which I ended up doing). Captain, keeper, opening bat, writes match reports…. Rumour is I’m going to have a bowl next week…. But only if I have a broom placed in my derriere…

Man of the match goes to Will. Anyone who knows the game will understand the importance of what he did for the team in the first innings. Yes, others took wickets but that would not have happened without Will effectively shutting down one end and building constant pressure. On another day he could easily have picked up a hat full (#hatchat) but sometimes its’ not always bout wickets. Normally the opening bowlers and batters have the tough job of going tow to toe with the opposition’s best players and Will was too good for them.

Champagne moment goes to Phil and Zach for two equally amazing catches but, more importantly of all, taking the chances that probably mattered the most. The two Clanfield openers can do real damage once they get in. So to cling onto those catches was the chain reaction required to get stuck into the rest of the batting order.

Great work everyone.

After a loooong season we have a break over the bank holiday weekend. So, everyone enjoys their week off (I know I will)!!

Lavant scoreboard

Clanfield scoreboard

Lavant v Skulking Loafers Match Report – 1.9.24

After nervously being on ‘thunder and lightning’ watch all morning the mighty Lavant breathed a massive sigh of relief that the day had turned out to be warm and sunny and perfect conditions for the annual BBQ Day event.

With all the planning and effort put in by Chris ‘John Maclean’ the village green was looking picture perfect. It was a great sight to see the Lavant team members (plus friends and families) pull together to help Chris assemble his ‘vision’ with gazebos being assembled, chairs arranged, bowling machines set up and many cakes being baked and organised ready to be sold.

This year the opposition for this special day was the Loafers who were sporting a few familiar faces in their side keen to participate in this year’s special event.

In return to form the Lavant captain won the toss and elected to bat looking to rack up a big score and entertain the gathering crowd.

GAME ON!

The Lavant skipper (looking to set the tone for the innings) was given an early reprieve, heaving a ball right at Dave ‘the shoes’ Burford (who was playing for the Loafers) but the normal safe pair of hands spilled the chance. Perhaps the glue on his shoes hadn’t quite set yet?

Keen to cash in on this life line the Lavant skipper moved into top gear and started hammering the ball to the boundary but repeated the mistake of hitting the ball to Dave (after being off the field several times offering IT support for his infamous card reader) who this time clung on being out for a quickfire 19. (I blame his shoes).

At the other end Harry remained steady whilst picking up the runs and keeping the scoreboard moving at a decent run rate. At the other end Joe (sporting some fierce footwear) took over from where the Lavant skipper left off by punishing anything loose straight to the fence including a flat bullet 6 where he almost took out his mother-in-law. People can make their own minds up on that situation….

With the scoreboard now flying, the shot of the day came from Joe hitting a stunning 6 straight down the ground and smashing a window at the Lavant pavilion much to the delight of the children!

Suddenly both men lost their wickets in quick succession with Harry being bowled for 36 and Joe being caught for 41.

With the score racing past 100 Super Steve Brooker walked to the middle looking to continue his role in the side of being the glue that holds the Lavant innings together and looked in the mood getting up to speed quickly and playing at his fluent best dispatching some picture book shots that deserved a place in the Wisden this year (the pick of the bunch being a back foot cut through square leg for 4).

At the other end Fraser had joined Steve and had decided to lull the opposition into a false sense of security by giving the off proper ‘village’ vibes by arriving at the wicket without his helmet (which had been taken by his sister back to uni) and a pair of glasses that he had patched up with a plaster after stepping on them.

However, the team have seen this season that Fraser is anything but ‘village’ and started to show his class hitting some wonderful shots through the off-side before accelerating through the gears quickly including launching Dave (who seem to have card reader PTSD) over long off for 6. However, he was out shortly after being caught for a very fast 32.

Next in looking to keep the Lavant rapid scoring going was Phil who had been showing decent form in recent weeks and did not disappoint the paying public by heaving a massive 6 into the farmers field (almost taking out a spectator and losing the ball in the process). There would have been a massive cheer in the crowd…. But most seemed busy getting stuck into burgers and cakes.

This didn’t deter the Lavant VC who continued looking to score quickly but was clean bowled for a rapid 14.

At the other end Steve Brooker was still going well and had also joined in with the boundary hitting fun but still striking a decent balance of keeping good balls out whilst keeping the runs flowing. Steve hit 50 runs and retired a much-deserved applause for his hard work and efforts. A classy knock.

At the point of Steve’s retirement, the scoreboard had ticked over 200 runs. With 4 overs remaining Lavant deployed James C and Tam to enter the stage looking at a big finish to the end of the innings and boy did they deliver!

Both men certainly didn’t die wondering and looked to blitz every delivery as hard as possible finding boundary and also running at any given opportunity. James and Tam took the team home by adding another 34 runs to the total off the last 4 overs with James walking off with 15 and Tam 19 taking the Lavant first innings total to 243 from their 35 overs.

Tea was taken with both sides enjoying a slap-up feed at the BBQ and cake stand whilst washing it down with a nice cold beverage from the bar. After a change of whites and consuming a couple of bananas the Lavant skipper had to round up the troops (dragging them away from the hotdogs, beers and burgers) and take to the field looking to start strong in their defence.

Will and Justin opened the proceedings and both men started on point. With no signs of any looseners both picked up wickets in their first over. Will removing the Loafers opening bat (breaking through his forward defence to clean bowl him) and equally Justin (fired up for being no balled for not telling the umpire what he was bowling) did the same clean bowling the #2 and #4 and ripping the heart out of the Loafers run chase. Will ended with 1 for 8 runs and Justin 2 for 5.

The Lavant skipper quickly turned to the slower bowlers with Phil bowling tight lines and decent pack picked up deserved wicket finishing with 1 for 9 runs.

The ‘King’ Richard got stuck into his work and like all season delivered a quality 7 over spell of bowling that bamboozled the opposition batsmen finishing with 2 for 19 runs.

Young Lewis Hamilton had been asked to bat at 5 for the loafers and as the young man walked to the middle the home side only knew of one man who was perfect for this situation…. Of course it was James ‘the slayer’ Cartmell! After a generous moment of not appealing/withdrawing the appeal (clean bowling the young man) blood in the water was smelt and James clean bowled the youth man #5 for a second time and added his scalp to collection. James finished with 2 for 17 runs.

With the game drifting to a conclusion Fraser came into the attack and delivered a mixed bag of deliveries of mystery and picking up a wicket with the age-old deadly ball… a catch from filthy long hop! Fraser was able to take the 12^th wicket and finish the game finishing with 3 for 22 runs with the Loafers all out for 85.

With the game concluded the team celebrated by sharing a well-earned beer (and more BBQ meat and cakes) whilst enjoying being ‘pinned’ by Jim and John in the bowling machine net where it was delivering toe crushing in and out swinging yorker’s! A massive thanks to Jim, John and Lloyd for forgoing playing for the team to help run the bowling machine nets all day and for Phil W for helping out at the cake stall.

Of course, a HUGE thank you to all the family and friends who also contributed. This kind of an event would not be possible without the support from everyone.

It was a proud moment for the club to see so much of the team (including people who were not playing on the day) AND all the friends and family come together to deliver such a successful day where the actual game of cricket was secondary to the BBQ and fund-raising event.

Most of the team stayed behind to help pack and tidy up and once completed stayed late into the night at the pub afterwards.

Congratulations to everyone who was involved and helped the day become such a success. I fear it might be hard to top next year but knowing the people we have at the club if any group of people can do it they can.

Man of the match goes to Steve B for a classy innings and a much deserved 50 which was the backbone of the Lavant innings and perfect balance of hitting gaps, running 1’s and 2’s hard whilst also finding the boundary to help post a terrific first innings score.

Champagne moment goes to Joe for his 6 (no… not the one that almost took out his mother-in-law) but for the straight 6 down the ground which not only left a mark in people’s memories on the day but also on the pavilion window. It has been noted however he didn’t completely smash the glass so perhaps he could have hit it harder? Great hit Joe!

Onto the next!

Lavant scoreboard

Loafers scoreboard

Lavant team against Loafers

Lavant v DACD Report – 15.9.24

After the previous week’s game had been rained off the mighty Lavant arrived to the ground basked in September sunshine looking hopeful to get a full day’s play in.

The Lavant skipper lost the toss and DACD elected to bat, giving the opportunity for Lavant to try and make early breakthroughs and keep the total down to a chaseable amount.

GAME ON!

The team took the field with the skipper asking Justin and Chris to open the bowling and set the tone and both men did. Chris ‘John’ Maclean (getting past a bit of rustiness having not played for weeks) bowled a probing line and length asking several questions of the DACD batters’ techniques. At the other end Justin was building on the opening partnership bowling full and fast and made the early breakthrough in the second over and then continued onto remove #2 and #4 finishing with figures of 3 for 10 off his 6 over spell.

Chris continued to probe and was deeply unlucky on many occasions not to pick up a wicket but was finally rewarded for his hard efforts in his final over finishing with 1 for 13 off his 7 over spell.

With DACD reeling the Lavant captain turned to the Chairman (Mark S) and James A to continue the good work set by the opening bowlers. With cover set in the field both men stuck to their tasks well keeping the scoring down during the DACD rebuild. Mark S finished with 0 for 29 off his 6 over spell and James A finished with 0 for 29 off his 5 over spell.

DACD had steadied the ship and had set a platform for their batting unit ready to kick on. The Lavant captain changed his bowling attack to bring on ‘The King’ Richard and Dave ‘The Shoes’ Burford looking to contain the flow of runs and halt the DACD counterattack.

Richard got into his work fast and extracted plenty of turn and bounce from the wicket, bamboozling the batting unit and picking up wickets at a crucial point of the game finishing with 3 for 22 off his 7 over spell.

Dave at the other end was bowling a mixture of deliveries that also seemed to bamboozle the opposition in different ways but was equally as effective picking up 3 wickets for 13 off his 7 over spell.

With the flow of runs stifled Lavant were able to bowl out DACD for 119 with 10 minutes to spare.

Tea (after the 3^rd time of trying for poor Phil and Jackie) was taken.

The Lavant captain and Justin walked to middle looking to set a platform to allow them to chase down the required 120 runs but the Lavant skipper was out cheaply for 2 to a smart running catch at extra cover.

Joe was next in and looked to also get into his innings but managed to hit the ball up hight to be caught by a DACD’s fielder lying on his back on the floor in his chest (rumour is that he has a rubber rib cage)!

Harry was next in also looking to steady the ship but also fell cheaply LBW.

After 13 overs and the score 33 for 3 there was a nervous hush around the home side. Thankfully Justin had managed to stay in and grind himself back into a bit of form.

With Lloyd coming to the crease next suddenly there was a release in the pressure with Lloyd looking to smash anything that came into his arc. Justin similarly was also able to cut loose and both men started to find the runs with boundary hitting and hard running between the wickets picking up 1s and 2s putting the fielding team under pressure.

At the halfway point the score had passed the 50 mark and confidence started to return to the side. When Lloyd was out for 14, he (and Justin) had been able to gather some much-needed momentum.

Phil walked to the middle and selflessly looked to give the strike to Justin (who had not started to find some confidence). Justin was able to cut loose and unleased some big hits all-round the ground!

With the scoreboard now motoring Justin was able to pick up a much deserved 50!

Once Phil was out for 13 it was left for Chris to enter the stage and help Justin take Lavant home with 8 overs to spare for a solid win! Justing was able to carry his bat with a match winning 65 not out.

Man of the match goes to Justin for a tight opening spell (picking up 3 wickets) and a vital (and well timed) 65!

Champagne moments are shared between Justin and Richard.

Justin for a monster 6 over the trees into the farmer’s field and Richard for a ‘ball of the season’ which pitched on leg stump and turned a mile to take the top of off-stump and clean bowl the left-handed batter!

Well done everyone and onto the next!!

Lavant scoreboard

DACD scoreboard