🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 22 Sep 2018 🧢 2nd XIv Cudham Wyse CC · HomeformLWLLL

22 September 2018, and the visitors were Cudham Wyse CC — a cool, damp afternoon that felt like it might swallow the runs whole. I won the toss and, rather against the grey skies' advice, chose to bat. It was, if I say so myself, the right call.

Luke Welsman set the tone with an unbeaten, well-crafted 53, and he wasn't short of company — Jordan Austin chipped in with 30 and Charles Curteis added an unbeaten 30 of his own, the openers putting on a crucial 52 for the first wicket before either of them had so much as loosened their shoulders. We closed on 155 for 3 from our 22 overs, a total that felt substantial enough to defend even before a ball had been bowled in reply.

And defend it we did. Abishek Pushpavinothan was quite simply magnificent, ripping through their order for 4 for 18, with John Karassellos (1-17) and Tobey Castle (1-20) chipping away either side of him. Cudham Wyse slid from 23 for 1 to 37 for 4 in the blink of an eye, and though they steadied themselves to close on 91 for 6 from their 20 overs, the damage was long done.

In the end neither side could force it home, and honours were shared. A draw, then — but one where we did rather more of the winning than the drawing.

Sun 16 Sep 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv BC Benenden CC · HomeformWLLLW

Sunday 16 September 2018, and Benenden CC came to Linton Park on a warm, damp afternoon that suited nobody's swing bowling. I won the toss and, in a rare fit of decisiveness, stuck us in to bat. Archie Fairfax-Ross and Tobey Castle set about proving me right with half-centuries apiece — 65 not out and 63 — while Aaron Hughes chipped in a handy 36. The openers gave us the platform we needed, 64 for the first before anyone troubled the scorers with a dismissal, and the tail, not to be left out of the fun, wagged for a defiant 74 at the death. Thirty-seven extras arrived gratis, for which we offer Benenden our sincere and entirely insincere thanks. Two hundred and ninety-eight for six felt like a very good afternoon's work indeed.

Defending it, we let their bowlers drop short early on and rocked back to punish it square — a lesson, it turned out, we'd forgotten to teach ourselves with the ball, as our own too-short stuff got carted off the back foot all afternoon. Andrew Morrison threatened to make a match of it with 67, backed up by Rob Willetts' unbeaten 34, including a shot of the day that sailed clean over mid-on for six. But Abishek Pushpavinothan (2-26) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-33) kept chipping away, Toby Allsworth strangled the middle overs, and a horror 24th over — two wickets down in a flash — did for them. Poor Aaron had a torrid time behind the stumps, 14 byes going astray, but with the bat safely banked he could afford to laugh it off. A thoroughly earned 119-run win, and two points nobody can argue with.

Wed 12 Sep 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv Penshurst Park CC · AwayformLLDLW

Skipper's Log, Wednesday 12th September 2018: away to Penshurst Park CC, under skies that couldn't quite decide whether they were crying with us or for us. I lost the toss — again — and duly resigned us to a spell in the field, which, as it turned out, suited us rather better than the bat did later on.

Penshurst laboured to 39/7 from 16.5 overs, wobbling from 12-1 to 14-4 in the sort of collapse we normally reserve for ourselves. Ducks for Mark Alexander, Jake Cheesman and Steven Alexander did the damage, with Sam Boyns the pick of the attack — 2-10 with two miserly maidens — well supported by Ryan Boyns and Luke Welsman, one apiece.

Chasing 40 should have been a formality. It nearly wasn't. We slid from 17-1 to 24-4 in a rush, with Martin Harris and John Karassellos both doing the walk of shame for ducks, and one wretched fifth over costing us two wickets and any pretence of composure. As for your skipper, a golden blob — leading by example is all very well, but not, apparently, with the bat in hand. Credit where due: A McDonald's six through mid-wicket was the shot of the day and the only moment of genuine class either side mustered.

We scrambled home by four wickets, ragged but unbowed. A win's a win, and this club has never been too proud to take an ugly one.

Sun 09 Sep 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv CK Cobham CC, Kent · HomeformLWLLL

Cobham CC came to Linton Park on a warm, cloudy Sunday, and winning the toss I stuck the boys in the field — the right call, if I say so myself. It rather looked like inspired captaincy when Cobham crumbled to 159 all out from their forty overs, Luke Welsman steaming in for 2-11 with Tobey Castle (2-13) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-20) chipping away either end. Paul Nice's 40 and David Andrews' 37, with Nathan Smith's 26, were the only real resistance — poor Simon Murray marched back for a duck without so much as a wave to the scorers.

Chasing 160, we made rather harder work of it than the bowlers deserved. Tobey Castle's 33 and Toby Hughes' unbeaten 31 gave us the platform, Luke Welsman weighed in with 22, and a generous 31 extras did no harm whatsoever — though Trevor Back's golden duck reminded us cricket has a cruel sense of humour. When it mattered, it was the last pair who stole the show, conjuring 50 priceless runs from nowhere to drag us over the line at 161/7 in 36.1 overs.

Tobey Castle continues his fine season, now third in the run charts and fifth among the wickets — a proper all-round contribution when we needed one most. Three wickets, two points, and a match that tested the nerves rather more than the toss suggested it should. A scrappy, splendid win, and I'll take it.

Sat 08 Sep 2018 🧢 1st XIv LC Limpsfield Chart CC · HomeformWWWLW

Saturday last, 8 September, and the toss went against us — no great surprise, my luck with the coin this season having been roughly on a par with my batting technique. Limpsfield Chart CC elected to bat under agreeably cloudy skies, and made themselves quite at home, reaching 208/6 from their forty overs. Richard Hilson was the chief architect with 55, well supported by Nick Peters (38) and Asif Ali (36), the pair adding a hefty 77 for the second wicket while we toiled politely in the field. Small mercies: Luke Welsman bowled with real purpose for 2-35, Martin Harris and Archie Fairfax-Ross chipped in either side of him, and Joshua Knowler somehow found two maidens in among it all. James Holman, at least, departed for nought at our hands — every cloud, and all that.

Chasing 209, we were bowled out for 193 in 39.3 overs, which tells its own story of promise undone. Losing our first wicket for 4 hardly settled the nerves, but Luke Welsman, fresh from his bowling exertions, carried on in fine style for 51, ably assisted by Jordan Austin and Shehryar Gul (39 apiece) in a valuable third-wicket stand of 72. I contributed a workmanlike 33, though three of our number departed for ducks, and poor John Karassellos endured a torrid afternoon behind the stumps, 13 byes escaping his gloves like eels.

Beaten by 15 runs in the end — closer than it perhaps deserved to be, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 02 Sep 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv Chestfield CC · HomeformWWWWL

Cricket at Linton Park on a warm, sunny Sunday, and I can't lie – winning the toss and having a bat felt like the only sensible decision all afternoon. The lads made it look a good one too. Aaron Hughes batted right through for a magnificent 84 not out, with Sam Boyns (28) and Charles Curteis (27) lending sturdy support, and the pair of them put on 83 for the fifth wicket to really set the platform. Poor John Karassellos will want the scorebook redacted after his duck, but with a generous 55 in extras from Chestfield's bowlers, we closed on a handsome 223/7 from our 40.

Chasing that lot, Chestfield never quite got comfortable. An early wicket with the score on 6 had them rattled, and though Beckham Hulks played a lovely, defiant 57 – helped by Oliver Gallantree (32) and Josh Risby (22) and a stubborn 58-run stand for the sixth wicket – the writing was on the wall. Ben Burgess and Jacob Couzens both departed without scoring, and our attack squeezed the life out of the innings: Toby Hughes was superb with 2-6, Sam Boyns and Darrell Houghton-Judge chipped in with 2-15 and 2-30 respectively, while Toby Allsworth's two maidens kept the shackles firmly on. All out for 157.

A win by 66 runs, then, and a thoroughly satisfying one. Aaron Hughes continues to top the run charts and Darrell Houghton-Judge the wickets – long may that continue. Onwards.

Sun 02 Sep 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Egerton CC, Kent · AwayformLLWLL

Sunday 2 September saw us on the road to Egerton CC, and I called correctly at the toss for once, which felt like a good omen before it started raining wickets. I had no hesitation putting us in to bat, and 161 all out from 36.3 overs was a fair if unspectacular effort — Benjamin Austin's 33 the backbone, with Tobey Castle (30) and Joshua Knowler (26) chipping in nicely, and even the skipper managed a workmanlike 26 to keep the tail wagging.

With the ball, Egerton simply had the better of us. Steve Wellard played the innings of the day, an imperious 72, and found a willing partner in Luke Alexander (30) as the pair put on 84 for the second wicket and, frankly, took the game away from us. We did have our moments — Mardey Castle (2-12) and Max Butler (2-24) chiselled away, Harrison Fermor (1-16) joined the party, and Sam Jones departed for a comedy duck — but too many of our deliveries drifted short and square, and square is exactly where they helped themselves. Credit where due: R Butler's six over mid-on was the shot of the day, a genuine highlight in a grey afternoon.

We rallied briefly in the 34th over, prising out two wickets in a spell that promised more than it delivered, but Egerton closed on 162-5 with five wickets and the points in hand. Not our day, all told — heads up, chins out, and back to the nets.

Sat 01 Sep 2018 🧢 2nd XIv West Farleigh CC · AwayformLLWLL

We were away at West Farleigh CC on a warm, cloudy Saturday, and winning the toss I stuck my neck out and chose to bat first — call it captain's instinct, call it luck, but I still reckon it was the right shout. The lads compiled a steady 135/6 from our forty, built around a lovely unbeaten fifty from Abishek Pushpavinothan (59 not out) and a tidy 29 from James Watkins, the pair putting on 69 for the fifth wicket to give the innings some backbone. Not every man had his day, mind — poor Brian Piper trudged off for a golden duck, and no doubt he'll be buying the teas for that one.

With the ball, we simply couldn't apply the brakes. West Farleigh cantered to 139/4 in just 23.4 overs, Jack Prideaux (59 not out) playing the anchor role beautifully while Raveendran Rajeevan (33) and Jemsith Kirath (22) kept the scoreboard humming along nicely at the other end. Harrison Fermor was the pick of our attack with 2-16, and James Watkins (1-29) and Abishek Pushpavinothan (1-46) chipped in without ever quite putting the squeeze on.

In the wider season, Richard Piper continues to lead the 2nd XI run charts on 332, with Abishek now third in the wicket-takers on ten. As for Saturday — beaten by six wickets, fair and square, with the bowling lacking the bite to defend a modest total. We'll dust ourselves down and come back stronger next week.

Sat 01 Sep 2018 🧢 1st XIv SC Speldhurst CC · HomeformWWWWL

Speldhurst CC rolled up on a warm, grey Saturday afternoon in September, and my coin-tossing luck deserted me yet again — we were sent into the field. Batting first, we ground out 170/8 from our forty overs, with Craig Sands the undoubted architect of the innings, a fine 66 built on a rollicking opening stand of a hundred with Warren Jackson (23), who kept him honest at the other end. A hundred on the board before Speldhurst so much as troubled us — and then, as English batting so often insists on doing, the wheels came clean off: 100-1 became 105-4 in the time it takes to pour a tea. Special mention, as ever, for the Duck Club: Daniel Thirkell's nought, and, in the interests of full disclosure, my own golden blob. Leading by example remains a work in progress.

With the ball, we were altogether more disciplined. Speldhurst battled to 147 all out in 39.5 overs, James Waters (33) the chief obstacle, well supported by Ed Wesson (29) and Mike Jeffreys (20), while James Roche joined our own duck-hunt. Richard Knowler was superb, 4-35, backed handsomely by Martin Harris (4-38) and Stuart Cheesman (2-27), with Joshua Knowler tying things down with two maidens. Harris's four wickets nudge him past Tim Thirkell into 16th on the club's all-time list — quiet history in the making.

A 23-run win, then, earned the hard way after our middle-order wobble. Onwards, and gladly.

Sat 25 Aug 2018 🧢 2nd XIv PC Pembury CC · HomeformLLLWL

Saturday 25 August 2018, Pembury CC our visitors, and a damp, mild sort of afternoon greeted us. I won the toss and, with the grass looking green enough to tempt any captain, sent them in. In hindsight, perhaps I ought to have kept the coin in my pocket.

Pembury made themselves thoroughly at home, racking up 245/6 from their forty overs. Toby Forward (79) and Joshua Knight (79) both played fine, well-made innings, with James Moysey unbeaten on 26 to round things off nicely for them. Alex Keeler was our pick of the bowlers with 2-26, and honest support came from Tim Thirkell (2-54) and James Watkins (1-23), though the runs still flowed rather too freely for comfort — not helped by twelve byes going begging behind the stumps.

Our reply never got out of the blocks. Shehryar Gul's 23 was as good as it got, and with Trevor Back, Harrison Fermor and James Watkins all departing for ducks, we were bowled out for a threadbare 57 in 24 overs. A hefty 188-run defeat, no dressing it up.

Small mercies amid the wreckage: Tim Thirkell's brace nudged him past Martin Harris to 16th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, and in the 2nd XI's season charts Richard Piper still leads the runs with 319, Thirkell now second in the wickets with 12. Not our day, lads — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 25 Aug 2018 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · AwayformWWWWW

Beaten by 125 runs at Bidborough on Saturday, and if I'm honest, we never quite got out of second gear. Lost the toss, put in to field, and watched Daniel Page play the innings of the day — 65 handsomely made, with Rob Ackermann (27) and an unbeaten 27 from Anthony Bouffe stitching together a fifth-wicket stand of 78 that did for us. Matthew Carter was magnificent with the ball, 4-24 and three maidens, ably backed up by Joshua Knowler's 2-25 and a wicket for Richard Knowler too. Jonny Shepherdson and Robin Underwood both fell for ducks, small mercies in a total of 184/8.

Chasing 185, we simply never got going. Nought on the board before the first wicket fell set the tone, and a horror collapse from 50-4 to 54-7 in the blink of an eye did the rest — Warren Jackson, Stuart Cheesman and Martin Harris all walking back for nought, the Duck Club doing brisk business. Daniel Thirkell's battling 28 and my own 28 were the only real resistance, D Page's six over mid-off the one moment of pure theatre. Too short, too square, and 23 wides and no-balls gifted besides — we more or less bowled ourselves out of it before we'd started.

All out for 59 in 18 overs tells its own story. A word of cheer amid the wreckage: Matthew Carter's four wickets shunt him past Mark Christmas to 11th on the club's all-time list. We'll dust ourselves down and be better for it next week.

Wed 22 Aug 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv TC Tunbridge Wells Wednesday CC · HomeformWLLDL

Wednesday 22 August, a warm cloudy afternoon at Linton Park, and Tunbridge Wells Wednesday CC come calling. I won the toss and, in a fit of tactical daring that owed rather more to instinct than science, stuck us in the field. For once the gamble paid handsome dividends.

They posted a stiff 182/8 from their 45, built chiefly around N. Bodman's fine 75, with Rob Yardy (33) and Derek Smith (23) lending sturdy support and a third-wicket stand of 61 giving the innings its spine. But we had answers with the ball. Martin Harris was the pick of the attack with 2-22, backed superbly by John Karassellos (2-23) and Luke Welsman (1-12), while Tim Thirkell strangled the scoring with two tidy maidens. Two batsmen departed for ducks at our hands, which is always a fine sight for a fielding captain to behold.

With 183 to chase, Tobey Castle simply took the game away from them, cruising to 85, ably supported by Charles Curteis (28) and Luke Welsman (28). The openers set the tone with 70 for the first wicket, and we cantered home in just 28.4 overs, finishing 184/4.

A word too for Martin Harris, who with his two wickets climbed to 16th on the club's all-time list — and sits proudly atop the season's wicket charts, with Castle himself 2nd in the run-scoring stakes. A fine six-wicket win, thoroughly deserved. Onwards, indeed.

Sun 19 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv WC Withyham CC · AwayformLWWWW

Sunday 19 August found us on the road to Withyham, where the coin did its usual trick of landing the wrong way up and we were invited to field. Matthew Taylor and Michael Hodges evidently didn't think much of our bowling plans, both compiling fine half-centuries — 68 and 63 respectively — and putting on 98 for the third wicket while we toiled in the field like men digging their own graves. Steven Peerless finished unbeaten on 34 to help them to a commanding 233/6 from their forty overs. Some consolation came from Tim Thirkell, who bowled with real venom for 2-21 and had George Smith back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, while Toby Allsworth and Archie Fairfax-Ross chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Chasing 234, Archie Fairfax-Ross rolled his sleeves up again, this time with the bat, top-scoring with a fine 58, and found good company in Darrell Houghton-Judge (41) and Shehryar Gul (27). Poor Mardey Castle, though, contributed nothing but a golden duck to proceedings — these things happen to the best of us, usually at the worst moments. We closed on 192/8, forty runs light of the target and forty-one runs shy in the final reckoning.

Elsewhere there's cheer to be had: Shehryar Gul sits second in the season's run charts with 343, and Tim Thirkell second among the wicket-takers with 15. As for Sunday, we were beaten, fair and square, by better cricket. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 19 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Stowting CC · HomeformWLLWL

It was Stowting CC who came to Linton Park on Sunday 19 August 2018, under grey, drizzly skies that never quite cleared their throats to rain properly. I won the toss and, with barely a second thought, chose to bat — a decision I shall permit myself a small pat on the back for.

What followed was, if I do say so myself, rather splendid. I found my range early and kept finding it, eventually bringing up a hundred of my own — a personal milestone that felt every bit as satisfying as it sounds, with one particular blow over mid-on for six standing out as the shot of the day. Kevin Presneill gave sterling support with an unbeaten 39, our fourth-wicket stand worth a crucial 83, and we declared our efforts closed at 190/4 from the full 40 overs.

Defending it should have been the easy part. Matt Jay had other ideas, cracking a well-made 58, backed up by Jon Hill's 30 and Ken Gainsford's 29, and though Luke Welsman (2-33), Martin Harris (2-35) and Tobey Castle (1-16) all chipped away — and we did at least send Matt Day back for a golden duck — their last pair wagged infuriatingly for 36 we simply didn't need to concede. They crept home at 194/6 with just one over to spare.

A word for Martin Harris, whose two wickets nudged him past Tim Thirkell into 16th on the club's all-time list — a fine achievement rather buried in the gloom of the result.

Not our day, then. Beaten by four wickets, heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 18 Aug 2018 🧢 2nd XIv FC Fordcombe CC · AwayformWLLLW

Saturday 18 August 2018, and we rolled up to Fordcombe CC under skies that couldn't decide between sunshine and sulking. Lost the toss too — they had first say and, unsurprisingly, sent us in on a pitch that looked made for bowling. We battled to 156 all out in 40 overs, a total that owed almost everything to Benjamin Austin's fine 46, with Darrell Houghton-Judge (38) and Shehryar Gul (26) lending sturdy support. Elsewhere the top order rather fancied a communal soft landing — Will Thew, James Watkins and John Karassellos all contributed the same golden nothing, three ducks in convivial company. I myself managed a workmanlike 15, the sort of innings that troubles no scorebooks.

With ball in hand we scrapped hard. Houghton-Judge, clearly not content with his runs, took 1-31, ably backed by James Watkins (1-31) and Engarshal Sinnaraja (1-34), while Harrison Fermor bowled two miserly maidens that briefly had us dreaming. But Ashley Worcester (46 not out) and Richard Larkin (46) shared a stubborn third-wicket stand of 58, Max O'Collins chipped in 28, and Fordcombe eased home on 157/3 from 32 overs.

Elsewhere in the club, Richard Piper continues to lead our 2nd XI run charts on 315, and Engarshal Sinnaraja tops the wickets with 13 — small comforts on a long drive home.

Seven wickets the wrong way, then, and precious little to dress it up as. Heads up, chins slightly less so, and back to the nets we go.

Fri 17 Aug 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv The Dragons CC · HomeformLWLLD

Friday 17 August 2018, and we welcomed The Dragons CC to Linton Park under grey skies that promised more than they delivered — warm enough, at least, for excuses to run thin. I lost the toss, they inserted us into the field, and off we trudged without so much as a murmur of complaint. Josh Mihill made a thorough nuisance of himself with 89 not out, well supported by Gareth Davies (44) and Harrison Pack (35), the pair adding 103 for the fourth wicket while we stood around admiring the scenery. Martin Harris hauled us back into it with 3-28, Harrison Fermor chipping in with 3-42, but 207/6 from their 40 overs always felt a stretch too far — not helped by Tim Mihill's golden duck at the top of our reply.

With the bat, we lost an early one at 0-1 and never quite recovered our poise, though Riley Butler played a fine hand of 59, ably assisted by Tobey Castle's 24. I managed a workmanlike 15 and enjoyed rather more luck with the ball, taking three wickets for my troubles. Behind the stumps, poor Benjamin Austin endured a torrid time — nine byes and a duck with the bat — though he can console himself with a landmark 100th appearance in Linton colours, achieved in style if not in runs.

Beaten by 43 runs, then, and no disgrace in it. Plenty to work on, but plenty to be cheerful about too — onwards to next week.

Sun 12 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv SC Sturry CC · HomeformWLWWW

Toby Hughes' knock deserved a better stage than a soggy Sunday, but from the captain's chair it was a rare afternoon where everything I called went right. Sunday 12 August 2018, Sturry CC visited us under warm, showery skies, and I won the toss and didn't think twice about batting first — some decisions make themselves. We slipped to 4-1 early, the kind of start that has a captain reaching for the tea urn a little too soon, but Toby Hughes and Aaron Hughes put paid to any nerves with a stand of 138 for the second wicket that changed the whole complexion of the day. Toby went on to a fine 90, Aaron chipped in with 47 and Mardey Castle added a brisk 38, taking us to a handsome 256/7 from our 40 overs.

Defending that sort of total is meant to be the easy part, and so it proved. Sturry never got going, reduced to 106 all out in 27.4 overs, with poor Thomas Wood sent back without troubling the scorers. Harrison Fermor was superb with 2-20, backed up nicely by John Karassellos and Alastair Allsworth with a wicket apiece. Mark Reynolds' 49 and David Hards' 38 were the only real resistance, but it was never enough.

A win by 150 runs, then — the sort of margin that makes the drive home feel a good deal shorter. Onwards.

Sun 12 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Leeds & Broomfield CC · AwayformLWLLW

Skipper's Log, Sunday 12 August 2018 — away at Leeds & Broomfield, under skies that couldn't decide whether to drizzle or bake. I lost the toss, they had a look at the sky and inserted themselves in, and I dare say we were made to graft for every inch of it.

Two-hundred-and-seventy-six for eight was a proper score, and though we struck early — the first wicket falling for just a single run — the McCague family threatened to bat us out of the county, Monte compiling a fine 98 and Martin following with a well-made 64, with Fred Roberts chipping in 46 as an 89-run stand for the fifth wicket did the real damage. Credit to the lads for hauling it back: Joshua Knowler was superb with 4-49, backed up nobly by Martin Harris (3-41) and Tobey Castle (1-51), and we did at least send Max Aitken and George Davis packing for ducks apiece. Our lengths let us down rather — a fraction short all afternoon, and they cut and pulled us to ribbons for it.

With the bat, Jordan Austin's 56 was the innings' backbone, Kevin Presneill (25) and Joshua Knowler (23 not out) lending support after a promising 62-run opening stand, but 179/9 — undone by a horror 18th over that cost us two wickets — was never going to be enough. Poor Nat Presneill walked for nought, and twelve byes made for uncomfortable reading for Mark Christmas. I managed 23 with the bat and, happily, four wickets with the ball, plus M McCague's flat six over mid-on deserves its own line in the scorebook. Ninety-seven runs the wrong side of the ledger — not our day, lads. Back to the nets.

Sat 11 Aug 2018 🧢 2nd XIv Cudham Wyse CC · AwayformLWLLL

Saturday 11 August 2018, and the road took us to Cudham Wyse on a damp, pleasant sort of afternoon — the kind that smells of cut grass and quiet menace. We lost the toss, were duly sent out to field, and I confess my heart didn't sink too far; there are worse places to start a Saturday than in the deep with a jumper on.

With the bat, though, it was a different story. Will Thew played the innings of the day, 63 well past his fifty, and alongside Richard Piper's 25 he set us off with a flying 79 on the board before the first wicket fell — a stand that did all the heavy lifting. Harrison Fermor's unbeaten 20 shepherded us home to 161/8 from our forty. Less said the better about Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan and Abishek Pushpavinothan, both undertaking the walk of shame for a pair of noughts — the Duck Club gains two more members.

In the field, Harrison Fermor was magnificent, 3-20 with two maidens, hardly a run given away lightly, well backed by Engarshal Sinnaraja (2-23) and Abishek Pushpavinothan (2-33), making amends with the ball for his duck. Paul Fensom's 35 and Chris Barnes's 26 threatened to spoil our afternoon, but we held our nerve to close them out at 153/9. I chipped in with 25 myself, more useful than pretty.

Fine milestones too — Richard Piper to 15,000 career runs, and Tobey Castle's 100th appearance in Linton colours. An 8-run win, two points, thoroughly earned, and a day Linton Park will remember fondly.

Sat 11 Aug 2018 🧢 1st XIv WC Withyham CC · HomeformWWWWW

Saturday the eleventh of August found us at home to Withyham under a grey lid of a sky, warm enough for shirtsleeves and the sort of afternoon that asks a captain to make a decision. The coin obliged, and I sent them in — a call that looked cannier by the hour once our bowlers got going. Matthew Carter was superb, hooping out 4-27, with Richard Knowler chipping in for 2-39 and Stuart Cheesman for 1-16, while young Joshua Knowler bowled two miserly maidens that the batsmen simply couldn't get away. Withyham crawled to 150/7 off their forty, Josh Brunsdon unbeaten on 43 and Matthew Taylor adding 21, but it never quite felt enough — helped no end by their attack bowling a fraction short and gifting us a feast of cuts and pulls square of the wicket.

Chasing 151, James Piper batted with real class for 55, and Daniel Thirkell — yours truly, thank you very much — saw us home unbeaten on 32, with Warren Jackson's 25 building the platform via a fifty stand for the third wicket. We got there in 36.2 overs for the loss of five, the two wickets we shed in that decisive 37th-over spell of theirs never quite enough to derail us.

Five wickets, two points, and honestly earned rather than gifted. With Piper now top of the 1st XI run charts on 719 and Knowler third among the wicket-takers on 20, this feels less like a good day and more like a good season. More of the same, please.

Tue 07 Aug 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv BC Bexley CC · HomeformWLWLL

Bexley away and rain over Linton Park — a combination that usually spells nothing but tea and gossip in the pavilion, but Tuesday's lads had other ideas. Losing the toss and being asked to chase in scorching, sodden conditions is never the script we'd have written, but we buckled down with the ball first and made a decent fist of restricting Bexley to 194/8 from their 44 overs, despite David Hathrill's watchful unbeaten fifty and useful contributions from Lalit Mangalarapu and Ben Bleksley. Credit to Clarence Baird, whose 2-7 was the pick of the bowling, with Harrison Fermor (1-14, two miserly maidens) and Tobey Castle (1-16) squeezing hard around him. Losing a wicket with the board still reading nought gave us hope early, though a 68-run stand for the seventh wicket rather took the shine off it.

Chasing 195, we never quite got there, closing on 155/8 from our 31 overs — an early wicket at 2-1 setting the tone for a scrap rather than a stroll. Luke Welsman batted with real application for 48, well supported by George Taylor's 36 and a second useful knock from the ever-reliable Clarence Baird (20).

A tip of the cap, too, to Martin Harris, whose solitary wicket nudged him past Daniel Thirkell into 17th on the club's all-time list — quietly climbing the ladder while the rest of us were busy getting wet.

In the end, honours shared felt about right: neither side had the legs, nor the weather the mercy, to force a result. A draw, then — the great English compromise, and on a day like this, no bad way to leave the field.

Sun 05 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv PC Pett CC · AwayformTWLWW

From the captain's chair — Sunday 5 August 2018, and the road took us to Pett CC in fine spirits, if not fine form at the toss, which we duly lost. Put into the field, we watched Pett rack up 178/7 from their forty overs, Alex Jackson unbeaten on 42 the chief architect, well supported by Isaac Perrin's 28 and Paul Barnett's 25. Some small mercy came our way when Alex Clayton departed for a golden duck — the Duck Club welcomes another member 🦆 — while John Karassellos did the tidying with 2-28, Toby Hughes and Darrell Houghton-Judge chipping in a wicket apiece, and James Watkins bowled two overs so mean not a run could squeeze past, 2 maidens to his name.

Chasing 179, we got there with more than three overs to spare, at 179/5. Aaron Hughes was magnificent, 59 not out of pure, unhurried craftsmanship, with Shehryar Gul (24) and Charles Curteis (23) lending sturdy support. James Watkins, having bowled like a dream, rather spoiled the ledger with a duck of his own with the bat — the walk of shame twice in one afternoon is a rare and unwanted double 🦆 — though the extras column, generous as ever, weighed in with 31.

Aaron continues to top the Sunday 2nd XI run charts with 354 for the season, while Darrell Houghton-Judge leads the wickets with 27 — form both men carried nicely into this one. A fine win by 5 wickets, then, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards. 🏏

Sun 05 Aug 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Stone-in-Oxney CC · HomeformWLWLL

It was Stone-in-Oxney at home on a scorcher of a Sunday, and true to form the coin let us down before a ball was bowled — put in to field, we trooped out under a sun that had clearly been saving itself for the occasion.

Stone-in-Oxney made themselves comfortable to the tune of 189/6, George Jones the chief architect with a fine 51, Nick Maitland chipping in 46 and Stuart Earle 32, their fifth-wicket pair putting on a stand of 61 that threatened to get away from us. Credit where due, though: Angus Knowler kept plugging away for 3-49, Martin Harris backed him up nicely with 2-40, Tobey Castle grabbed one for 29, and young Joshua Knowler bowled two maidens as tight as his uncle's waistcoat. All told, a target we felt we could chase on a good batting deck.

And chase it we did, if not entirely without drama — Jordan Austin departed for a duck with the total on 0-1, which is not the send-off any of us dream of, and a horror fifth over cost us two wickets in a blink. But James Piper simply refused to be moved, compiling a magnificent unbeaten 90, with Tobey Castle matching him stride for stride on 82 not out, and together they saw us home to 190/3 with seven wickets in hand.

Two points, thoroughly earned, and Piper continues to top our Sunday run charts while Harris leads the wickets — a fitting reward for two players who simply keep turning up. A scorching afternoon, a wobbly start, and a resounding finish: that, in a nutshell, is village cricket.

Sat 04 Aug 2018 🧢 2nd XIv SC Sennocke CC · HomeformLLWLL

Beaten by nine wickets and made to look every one of my forty-something years, I put Sennocke in on winning the toss and, in hindsight, sent us on the sort of afternoon that reminds you why club cricket keeps you humble. Under scorching but obligingly overcast skies we crawled to 137/6 from our forty overs — Shehryar Gul the mainstay with a fine 47, and a handy first-wicket stand of 58 that promised rather more than we ultimately delivered. Darrell Houghton-Judge chipped in an unbeaten 21 and Richard Piper 20 to at least give the bowlers something to bowl at.

Something, it turned out, was not nearly enough. Sennocke strolled to 140/1 in just 23 overs, Arthur Sackville West playing the innings of the day with an imperious unbeaten 82, ably assisted by Dan Callingham's 39. Tim Thirkell was our one real bright spark with the ball, snaring 1-21 amid the carnage, and I did my bit with a watchful 20 with the bat — about the only thing that went entirely to plan all afternoon.

So, nine wickets the wrong way, and not much to dress it up as. Richard Piper continues to lead our 2nd XI run charts for the season with 275, and Tim Thirkell sits second in the wickets with 9 — small consolations on a day when Sackville West simply batted us out of the game. We'll dust ourselves down, have a stern word with the tea urn, and be better for it next week.

Sat 04 Aug 2018 🧢 1st XIv Sissinghurst CC · AwayformLWWWW

From the captain's chair — Saturday 4th August, and away to Sissinghurst, the coin did us a favour and I stuck us in.

We made a solid fist of it: 194/8 from our forty overs. James Piper played the innings of the day, 82 of the finest, with Daniel Thirkell chipping in a tidy 37 alongside him — the pair put on 89 for the second wicket after we'd raced to 66 without loss. Then, as is tradition at Linton Park, we contrived to make it interesting, tumbling from 182-5 to 192-8 as if the pavilion clock had struck panic o'clock. Mark Christmas, bless him, walked for nought and duly joins the Duck Club roll of shame. Thirty extras kept the total respectable, which is either generous bowling or generous umpiring — I couldn't possibly comment.

With ball in hand we were the better side. Sissinghurst got to 63 without loss and looked settled, but Richard Knowler had other ideas, tearing through for 4-27 and, in doing so, climbing to 24th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — a fine personal landmark on a good team day. Stuart Cheesman (4-37) and Martin Harris (2-38, two maidens and not a run given cheaply) did the rest, and their short bowling was duly cut and pulled to all corners by us in the field's counterpart innings. They folded for 165.

Twenty-nine runs the margin, two points banked, and thoroughly deserved.

Sat 28 Jul 2018 🧢 2nd XIv Sissinghurst CC · AwayformLLLWL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 28 July 2018. We rolled up at Sissinghurst on a fine afternoon, lost the toss, and were invited to bowl first, which around here usually means "go and stand in a field for three hours." Sissinghurst set about building a total with the sort of patience that suggests they'd read the forecast better than we had, reaching 217/5 from their forty overs. Neal Metcalf was the chief architect with a well-made 81, ably assisted by Andrew Knowler's 39 and an unbeaten 37 from Lee Bezuidenhout. Small mercies: Oscar Roberts trudged off for a duck at our hands. Abishek Pushpavinothan was excellent, 3-35, with Harrison Fermor and Tobey Castle chipping in a wicket apiece.

Chasing 218, we made a proper fist of it. Richard Piper batted beautifully for 55, Aaron Hughes matched him with an unbeaten 52, and Tobey Castle weighed in with 33 — 206/7 at the close, eleven runs shy. Darrell Houghton-Judge will not thank me for recording his nought for posterity, but the ledger must be kept. Aaron had a torrid time behind the stumps too, 19 byes going begging, which can't have helped his mood while compiling that fifty with the bat.

My own 55 was a pleasing afternoon's work, even in a losing cause. Richard continues to top the 2nd XI run charts with 255, and Abishek sits fifth among the wicket-takers. Not our day, in the end — beaten by eleven runs, heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 28 Jul 2018 🧢 1st XIv SC Shipbourne CC · HomeformWLWWW

We won the toss, and I had no hesitation whatsoever in sticking us in to bat — a decision that, remarkably, I would go on to look sensible about for the entire afternoon, warm, showery and blustery though it was.

Warren Jackson was the story of our innings, an unbeaten 82 built on watchfulness and timing, while James Piper (45) and Mark Christmas (22) played their parts either side of him. The openers gave us the platform any captain dreams of and hardly dares ask for, ninety-one on the board before the first wicket fell, and from there 191 for 4 off our forty overs felt like a total with a bit of everything in it.

Shipbourne made a fist of the chase, racing to 72 without loss, and for a few overs I confess I was doing sums I didn't much like the look of. But cricket has a way of turning, and turn it did: 72 for 1 became 83 for 4 in a hurry, with Osama Aslam, Mark Fenton and Michael Fenton all shipped back without so much as a run to show for it. Richard Knowler was the pick with 3 for 25, backed handsomely by Joshua Knowler (2 for 27) and Martin Harris, whose four maidens and 2 for 28 said everything about the discipline on show. Sam Spink's 44 was the best of Shipbourne's resistance, but 134 for 8 wasn't enough.

Add in Piper's 11,000 club runs, Christmas climbing the run charts and Harris the wicket charts, and it was, without argument, a very good day for the club — 57 runs to the good, and not a bad one among us.

Sun 22 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv WC Woodcoombe CC · HomeformLTWLW

Sunday 22 July, and Woodcoombe CC arrived at Linton Park to find us basking under a scorching, grey sort of sky — the kind only English summer can produce with a straight face. I won the toss, elected to bat, and for once nobody in the pavilion questioned my thinking. We rattled along to 165/8 from our 40, Richard Piper leading the charge with a stylish 48, Charles Curteis unbeaten on 35, and Shehryar Gul chipping in a handy 28. Not a total to frighten anyone on paper, but paper doesn't play cricket.

And so it proved. Woodcoombe's reply disintegrated in the most entertaining fashion — 45 all out in barely 20 overs. Only Paddy Collins showed any real resistance with 21; Richard Phillips, Joe Taylor and Robert Edge departed without so much as a scrambled single between them. The destruction was largely the work of Darrell Houghton-Judge, who turned his arm over to devastating effect, spinning his way to 6-19 and leaving the Woodcoombe order in knots. Toby Allsworth (2-3, two maidens, positively parsimonious) and Tim Thirkell (2-8) mopped up what little was left.

A word for the season so far: Aaron Hughes continues to top our run charts with 295, while Houghton-Judge's latest haul takes him to 26 wickets for the summer — frightening form for anyone still to face him.

A win by 120 runs, then, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work. Onwards.

Sun 22 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Wingham CC · AwayformWWLWL

Sunday 22nd July saw us venture to Wingham CC in good spirits, and having won the toss I had no hesitation in taking first strike — the pitch looked one for runs early, or so I convinced myself. As it turned out, 80 all out from 23.2 overs was a tale of one man against the rest of us: James Piper's 21 was the innings' backbone, while Archie Fairfax-Ross, Benjamin Austin and Martin Harris all trooped off for ducks, three sorry entries on a card that never quite recovered. I chipped in with 17, which felt like scant reward for the effort of watching wickets tumble at the other end.

Eighty was never going to frighten anyone, and Wingham chased it down with something to spare, closing on 81/5 from 19.5 overs. Daniel Pilbeam's unbeaten 23 and Chris Goulden's 21 did the damage, though we did make them work for it. Ian Hollingworth was superb with the ball, 2 for 5, and Archie Fairfax-Ross atoned handsomely for his duck with 2 for 20 and two miserly maidens; Martin Harris chipped in with a wicket too, and we did at least see off Harry Wells for nought.

James Piper continues to lead our Sunday run charts with 305 for the season, and Martin Harris tops the wicket pile with 16 — small consolations on a day that got away from us. Beaten by five wickets, and no arguing with it. Heads up, chins high, and back to the nets we go.

Sat 21 Jul 2018 🧢 2nd XIv SC St Lawrence CC · HomeformLLLLW

Beaten by 33 runs, and I'll admit the toss going against us on a scorching, overcast Saturday set the tone for the whole afternoon. St Lawrence made themselves at home with 161 all out, Nick Edwards top-scoring with 35 and Clint Olivier not far behind on 34, Corrie Thompson chipping in 24 more. We had them wobbling at 3-1 early doors — happy days — but a stubborn 67-run stand for the sixth wicket dragged them back into contention before Darrell Houghton-Judge mopped up with a fine 3-18, Engarshal Sinnaraja bustling in for 3-34, and Tim Thirkell miserly as ever with 1-22 and two maidens to his name. Allan Churchman, mercifully, fell for a duck at our hands — small mercies.

With the bat, 128 for 9 from our 40 overs tells its own sorry tale. Wickets went from 29-1 to 42-4 in the sort of collapse that makes a captain stare hard at his tea, and the Duck Club had a bumper day out — Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan, Thomas Beeney and Abishek Pushpavinothan all walking back for nought.

There was one bright note amid the wreckage: Thomas Beeney's solitary wicket nudged him past Martin Harris into 18th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — a small personal triumph to set against the collective gloom. Richard Piper and Engarshal Sinnaraja continue to lead the 2nd XI's run and wicket charts respectively, proof the season isn't entirely lost.

Beaten by 33 runs, fair and square. We'll dust ourselves down, have a word about batting collapses, and be better for it next week.

Sat 21 Jul 2018 🧢 1st XIv Penshurst Park CC · AwayformWWLWW

Saturday 21 July 2018, and off we trundled to Penshurst Park with the sun making a rare cameo through the cloud. Winning the toss, I did the traditional thing and stuck us in – a decision that looked rather clever once James Piper got going, batting through for a superb unbeaten 82. Luke Welsman (30) and Daniel Thirkell (25) chipped in nicely around him, while poor Warren Jackson contributed nothing at all to the total but at least did so with a certain style, departing for a golden duck. 175/5 from our forty overs felt like a competitive total, if not quite one to frighten the neighbours.

Penshurst had other ideas, James Beeny playing a lovely hand of 83 to keep them in the hunt, but our bowlers refused to be bullied. Joshua Knowler was the pick of them with 3-30, well supported by Martin Harris (3-36) and Matthew Carter (3-46), while Alex Keeler bowled two miserly maidens and Ben Watkins was sent packing for nought at our hands. I did my modest bit with 25 with the bat earlier, and Richard Knowler's solitary wicket quietly nudged him past Stuart Cheesman to 24th on the club's all-time list – a fine bit of furniture-rearranging in the record books.

They fell 19 runs short, all out for 156. Two points banked, thoroughly earned, and a timely reminder that even on a cloudy Saturday in Kent, this side knows how to get the job done.

Sun 15 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv LC Loose CC · AwayformLLTWL

Sunday 15 July found us on the road to Loose CC, and losing the toss meant an afternoon in the field beckoned first – or so we thought. Batting, as it turned out, and by the close I rather wished every toss went against us if this was the result. We racked up 271/4 from our 40 overs, the innings built around a stand of 229 for the third wicket between Mark Christmas, whose 116 was a genuinely magnificent century, and Aaron Hughes, who reached three figures himself with a fine 105. Not everyone's afternoon sparkled, mind – poor Richard Piper trudged back for a duck, and I shall say no more about that on grounds of kindness.

Defending 271 ought to be the easy part, and so it proved. Loose were bowled out for a paltry 107 in 22.3 overs, undone chiefly by Tim Thirkell, who ran through them with a superb 5-9 including three maidens – miserly barely covers it. Mark Christmas chipped in with the ball too (2-9, greedy fellow), Darrell Houghton-Judge took 2-31, and I managed to rediscover some rhythm of my own with five wickets.

A day for the record books besides: Christmas's century lifted him to 18th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while Thirkell's five-for pushed him to 16th among the wicket-takers. Aaron Hughes remains our leading Sunday 2nd XI run-scorer this season, Darrell our leading wicket-taker.

A 164-run win, milestones tumbling, and the tea presumably decent. Onwards indeed.

Sun 15 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv AC Ash CC · HomeformLWWLW

We slipped the coin toss our way and, on a proper scorcher of an afternoon, I did the traditional captain's thing and stuck us in. James Piper and Luke Welsman set the tone with an opening stand of 80 – the sort of platform that makes the rest of the order look better than perhaps we are – before both fell agonisingly on 49 apiece. Joshua Knowler saw us home unbeaten on 25, and I contributed a tidy if unspectacular 25 of my own, as we closed on a healthy 205/6 from our 40. Shot of the day undoubtedly belonged to Welsman, who launched one clean over mid-on for six – the kind of blow that gets replayed in the clubhouse long after the tea urn's gone cold.

With the ball, Ash CC gave us a proper fright. Jon Stevens compiled a fine 55, with Ed Laslett (47 not out) and Alex Spokes (31) chipping in around a solid 67-run opening stand, and their innings had real substance to it. Credit to the bowlers for hauling us back into it – Martin Harris the pick with 2-27, well supported by Angus Knowler (2-50) and Ian Hollingworth, whose 2-53 included two hard-earned maidens. We did at least have Richard Ewart's number, ducking him first ball, and a flurry of two wickets in the 17th over had us daring to dream. Fittingly, Harris's brace also nudged him up to 19th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, past John Thirkell.

In the end, though, Ash edged it by a single wicket – 209/9 to our 205/6. Desperately close, honestly earned, and precisely the sort of defeat that keeps you awake replaying that 17th over. Heads up, back to the nets, and on to the next one.

Sat 14 Jul 2018 🧢 2nd XIv KC Kilndown & Lamberhurst CC · AwayformLLLLL

Saturday 14 July 2018 saw us make the trip out to Kilndown & Lamberhurst, and I lost the toss on a warm, damp afternoon that felt made for bowling first — which, happily, is exactly what the coin gave us.

Our hosts made themselves at home, posting 183 all out in 39.5 overs, the bulk of it courtesy of James Johnston, who cantered to 74. Graham Bateup (40) and Andy Place (21) chipped in dutifully, while Nathan Hammond and Sam Place both trudged off for ducks at our hands — small mercies. With the ball, Abishek Pushpavinothan was the pick of us with 2-21, well backed up by Tim Thirkell (2-22) and Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-25), the three of them doing the unglamorous work of chipping away at what could have been a much larger total.

Chasing 184, we barely broke sweat, cantering home at 184/1 in just 20.1 overs. Shehryar Gul was the story of the day — 103 not out, a proper hundred, made to look almost easy — with Dave Charlton unbeaten on 41 in fine support. Only Luke Welsman failed to trouble the scorers, departing for a duck of his own.

Two points, and thoroughly deserved ones at that — an eight-wicket win, built on disciplined bowling and one magnificent innings. If Shehryar keeps batting like this, I may retire from opening altogether.

Sat 14 Jul 2018 🧢 1st XIv HC Horsmonden CC · HomeformWWWLW

James Piper hit an unbeaten 131 as Linton Park posted 276/5 against Horsmonden CC, then bowled them out for 199 to win by 77 runs — before writing the report, expand only on these given facts.

Winning the toss on a warm, showery Saturday, I had no hesitation putting us in to bat first — and for once the captain's hunch paid off handsomely. A wicket down for just 4 gave the tea urn a nervous rattle, but Mark Christmas and James Piper steadied the ship with a fine 77-run stand for the second wicket, and from there Piper simply refused to give it back. His unbeaten 131 was the innings of the day — three figures with real authority — and with Adam Jackson chipping in a tidy 28 and the umpires generously waving through 29 extras, we motored to a formidable 276/5 off our 40.

Horsmonden made a fair fist of the chase, Dave Rayment leading the way with 38, well supported by Ben Brandreth (37 not out) and Tom Beaumont (32 not out), and their last-wicket pair had the cheek to add an unwelcome 72 that made the closing overs rather more interesting than any of us fancied. Matthew Carter did the heavy lifting with the ball, 2-44, with Martin Harris (2-50) and Joshua Knowler (1-50) chipping in, while I contributed a workmanlike 25 with the bat to keep the scoreboard honest.

A word for the history books, too: Piper's 131 eased him past Mike Elworthy into 12th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, and he now sits proudly atop the 2018 first-team run charts with 455, with Knowler leading the wickets on 21.

All told, a proper afternoon's cricket — two points banked, 77 runs to spare, and Piper reminding us all why we keep him at the top of the order.

Wed 11 Jul 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv ? · HomeformWWLWL

Skipper's Log — Wednesday 11 July 2018. We hosted the visitors on a warm afternoon that couldn't decide whether it fancied sunshine or a soaking, and settled, English club cricket fashion, for both.

Batting first, we compiled 163/9 from our thirty overs — a total built rather than blazed. Clarence Baird led the way with a composed 30, with Archie Fairfax-Ross (28) and Simon Phipps (27) lending sturdy support down the order. Poor Tobey Castle will want this innings struck from the record, departing for a golden duck, though the extras column did its bit, chipping in a generous 32.

In the field we set about defending it, and for a long while looked the better side for our efforts. Their openers put on 93 for the first wicket before we finally prised one out, and we then ran through the middle order in a flurry — 109 for one collapsing to 119 for five, P Ogilvy-Wedburn among the fallen for a duck. Archie Fairfax-Ross was superb with the ball, 3-25, backed up nicely by Sam Boyns (2-11) and Tobey Castle (1-19) — Boyns notching his 300th career wicket along the way, a landmark worth raising a glass to. Clarence Baird's knock keeps him top of our 2018 Midweek XI run charts on 110, while Fairfax-Ross's efforts lift him to second in the wicket standings. But M Shales, unbeaten on 77, and A Newport (48) had other ideas, steering the visitors home on 155/6.

Beaten by 8 runs in the end. We'll be better for it next week.

Sun 08 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv FC Frittenden CC · HomeformWLLTW

Sunday 8th July, and the sun decided to grace Linton Park with a scorching, if cloud-flecked, afternoon — the sort of day that promises much and, as it turned out, delivered a fair few lessons. Frittenden CC came to visit, won the toss, and stuck us in without a second thought.

We stumbled early, 4-1 feeling like a rude awakening, but the lads dug in gamely. Shehryar Gul batted with real composure for 36, backed up nicely by Darrell Houghton-Judge's 31 and Aaron Hughes's 26, and a sturdy 56-run stand for the third wicket gave the innings some spine. Not everyone's day, mind — Glen Rawson and John Karassellos both trudged off for ducks — and we folded for 158 off 37.5 overs, a total that felt more like a starting point than a total.

So it proved. Frittenden's openers set about us with 72 for the first wicket before Glen Rawson prised one out for figures of 1-9, the pick of our attack, with John Karassellos and Darrell Houghton-Judge chipping in with one apiece. But Craig Smith's 48, well supported by Don Smith's 37 and an unbeaten 33 from Niclas Rodreigo, saw them home at 159-3.

As for your correspondent — a duck. We'll leave it there. Shehryar Gul continues to top the season's run charts and Darrell Houghton-Judge the wickets, small consolations on a day beaten by six wickets. Onwards, and no doubt upwards, next Sunday.

Sun 08 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv SC Selling CC · AwayformLLWWL

Sunday 8 July, and we rolled up at Selling CC under a sky that couldn't decide whether it was scorching or cloudy — much like my own form lately. I won the toss and elected to bat, which for once turned out to be the right call rather than the usual coin-assisted folly.

We made 160 all out in 39.2 overs, built on a fine opening stand of 74 for the first wicket. James Piper top-scored with 43, Jordan Austin chipped in a handy 36 and Luke Welsman 32 — the platform was there, even if Will Thew, Benjamin Austin and Joshua Knowler each contributed nothing more than a golden duck apiece. Shot of the day belonged to Piper, who dispatched one over extra cover for six with the disdain of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.

With the ball, Selling never got going, bowled out for 87 in 31 overs — Tom Simmonds and Duncan King both back in the hutch without scoring. Ian Hollingworth was magnificent, 4-25 with three maidens, well supported by Joshua Knowler's 3-31 and Martin Harris's 2-7. Their bowlers dropped short and we helped ourselves square of the wicket, though a wretched 23rd over cost us two wickets in a hurry.

Two points, won by 73 runs, and thoroughly earned. A cracking away day — the sort of result that makes the tea urn taste that little bit sweeter.

Sat 07 Jul 2018 🧢 2nd XIv BC Betsham CC · HomeformLLLLL

Saturday 7th July, and we welcomed Betsham CC to Linton Park under skies that couldn't decide between scorching and sulking. Won the toss, elected to bat — the right call, I still maintain, whatever the scorebook might suggest afterwards.

We were bowled out for 135 in 37.3 overs, which felt about twenty runs light on a good pitch. Abishek Pushpavinothan held things together nicely with an unbeaten 32, and Richard Piper chipped in handsomely with 31. Fair's fair, though — the Duck Club welcomed two new members, Shehryar Gul and Tobey Castle both departing for nought. The walk of shame was performed with admirable dignity.

Defending 135 always asks questions, and for a while we had Betsham rattled — an early wicket at just 4 gave us hope, and Ian Stickels joining the Duck Club himself was a small mercy. But Karl Harris had other ideas, ghosting to an unbeaten 55 with Peter Reardon's 38 alongside him, and a hundred-run stand for the fifth wicket rather took the wind out of our sails. Stuart Campbell was superb with the ball, 3 for 38, backed up by tidy support from Engarshal Sinnaraja and Tobey Castle, the latter bowling four miserly maidens to at least keep the arithmetic honest. I contributed 31 myself, for what it was worth.

Betsham got home by 5 wickets. Richard Piper and Engarshal Sinnaraja continue to lead our season's charts with bat and ball respectively — a bright spot on an otherwise chastening afternoon. We'll regroup, we'll learn, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 07 Jul 2018 🧢 1st XIv Meopham CC · AwayformWWWWL

From the captain's chair — Saturday 07 July 2018, away at Meopham CC.

Off we trotted down the A-roads with bat-bags and beach-chairs, and for once the toss gods smiled kindly enough on us to bat first. James Piper led the way with a handsome 48, and got sterling support from Mark Christmas (43) and Daniel Thirkell (38) — the sort of middle-order graft that keeps a captain's blood pressure within legal limits. Not everything gleamed, mind: Adam Jackson and Jordan Austin both trudged back for ducks, proof that Meopham's bowlers hadn't entirely lost their radar. The extras column, ever the unsung hero of village cricket, chipped in a generous 34, and we closed on a healthy 217/7 from our forty.

Defending it, Meopham gave us a fright through David Pollard, whose fine 73 threatened to walk the game away from us single-handedly, well supported by Adam Orridge's 33. But three of their number — Andrew Powney, Kevin Smith and Max Luckett — never troubled the scorers at all. Richard Knowler was the chief tormentor with 4-24, Matthew Carter chipped in 3-33 (two maidens, tight as a drum), and Joshua Knowler weighed in with 2-17. Meopham folded for 164 in the 35th over. I even had a modest dip myself, 38 to my name.

We got over the line by 53 runs — a proper day out, and one to file happily alongside James Piper's season-leading 324 runs and Joshua Knowler's 20 wickets. A good day for the club, and for once I mean that without gritted teeth.

Thu 05 Jul 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv ? · HomeformDWWLW

Beaten by 1 run – Skipper's Log, 5 July 2018

There are worse ways to spend a warm, damp Thursday than losing by the width of a single run, but it still stings when the coin does you the favour of a good toss and you can't quite cash it in. I put the visitors in, and for a while it looked the shrewder call: three of their top order departed for ducks, and Matthew Carter was in irresistible form, taking 3-7 to leave them wobbling. Martin Harris (2-15) and Tobey Castle (1-5) kept the squeeze on, though Darpan's unbeaten 31 and Haider's 28 dragged them to a defendable-looking 117/6.

Chasing 118, we never quite found the extra gear. Harrison Fermor (21 not out), Tobey Castle (20 not out) and Martin Harris (20 not out) all played sensibly, but too many of us were happy to let the not-outs do the talking rather than push on, and poor Benjamin Austin's golden duck didn't help the cause. We fell agonisingly short at 116/5.

Amid the disappointment, plenty to raise a glass to: Tobey Castle and Luke Welsman both brought up 2,000 career runs, Castle reached 100 career wickets, and Carter's three scalps eased him past Trevor Back into 12th on the all-time wicket-takers list. Pushpavinothan sits 4th in the midweek run charts, Harris top of the wickets pile.

A one-run defeat is cricket's cruellest arithmetic — no complaints, just a lesson in ruthlessness. We'll be better for it next week.

Wed 04 Jul 2018 🧢 Midweek XIv SC Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC · HomeformLDWWL

From the captain's chair, then, and a rare treat: sunshine of the damp variety as we welcomed Sevenoaks & District Wednesday CC on Wednesday 4th July. I won the toss and, in a fit of confidence I can only put down to the bacon roll at tea, stuck us in. The lads didn't let me down. Clarence Baird played the innings of the afternoon, 80 crafted with real class, and found the perfect foil in Aaron Hughes with a brisk 49; Trevor Back finished unbeaten on 35 as those two put on a match-defining 110 for the fifth wicket. We closed on a handsome 234/5 from 33.2 overs, and I allowed myself a small, private smile at the tea urn.

Sevenoaks had other ideas, and Oliver Barnes in particular, whose 87 kept us honest all afternoon, well supported by Clive Croft (35) and Dominic Ramjag (23). But this is where Martin Harris took over entirely — 8 for 62, a spell of real quality that ran through the middle and lower order, with Bob Fraser, Chris Evans and Miles Walker all back in the pavilion without so much as a run to their name. Joshua Knowler and Clarence Baird chipped in with a wicket apiece to tidy things up, and Sevenoaks fell 12 runs short, all out for 222 from 38 overs.

A word for Martin, too, whose eight-for nudges him up to 21st on the club's all-time wicket list — quietly historic stuff between the sandwiches. Two well-earned points, a captain's toss vindicated, and a very satisfactory drive home.

Sun 01 Jul 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv Sissinghurst CC · AwayformWWLLT

Skipper's Log — Sunday 1st July, away at Sissinghurst. The toss went against us, which these days feels less like fifty-fifty and more like a personal vendetta from the coin, so we were put into the field. Sissinghurst crawled to 4-1 early doors and we allowed ourselves a small, unbecoming smile, before Knowler and co. put on 94 for the second wicket and reminded us that cricket is, chiefly, a humbling game. Andrew Knowler's 49 was the innings' backbone, with Winner (31) and Lewis (27) filling in the gaps, and they closed on 159/7 from their 35. Credit where due: Joshua Knowler was superb with 2-12, Max Butler chipped in 2-29, Harrison Fermor 1-14, and Martin Harris bowled two maidens as if daring anyone to actually score off him. Poor Philip Buckingham and Ben Larkin were both sent off without troubling the scorers.

Chasing 160, we wobbled our way to 160/8 in 29.4 overs — Kevin Presneill's 44 the innings of substance, Darrell Houghton-Judge (38) and Angus Knowler (23 not out) doing the honest supporting work. The Duck Club welcomed three new members in Tobey Castle, Nat Presneill and Max Butler, and Nat's afternoon was compounded by eleven byes flying past him. A double blow in the 35th over threatened to derail us entirely, but somehow it didn't. I managed a watchful 15, more nudge than flourish.

A two-wicket win, then, achieved with the minimum of composure and the maximum of fuss — which, frankly, is how we like it. Onwards.

Sat 30 Jun 2018 🧢 2nd XIv West Farleigh CC · HomeformLLLLL

Skipper's Log, Saturday 30 June 2018. Overcast, warm, and West Farleigh CC in town — and the coin, as ever, sided with the visitors. They chose to bat, and by the close of their forty overs we'd been given a proper lesson in stroke play: 301 for 3, with Jack Prideaux serenely unbeaten on 122, Alex Beechey chipping in a well-made 74, and Raveendran Rajeevan a tidy 65. A flying start of 74 before we so much as looked at a wicket, and a 119-run third-wicket stand that put the game beyond reasonable doubt. Jacob West (1-24), Ian Hollingworth (1-30, with two miserly maidens to his name) and Engarshal Sinnaraja (1-67) all had their moments, but it was that sort of afternoon where wickets were earned in blood, sweat and very little reward.

Chasing 302 was always a tall order, and 129 all out in 37.4 overs tells its own tale. Richard Piper (41) and Trevor Back (40) gave us something to build on, with Jordan Austin (23) chipping in and a third-wicket stand of 50 the best we could muster — but 121 for 6 became 123 for 9 faster than you could say "tea's ready," and John Karassellos, Tom Osborne and Ian Hollingworth all took the walk of shame for the Duck Club ledger. I did my bit with 41, for what little comfort that offers.

Beaten by 172 runs, no arguments. Richard Piper still leads our 2018 run charts and Sinnaraja the wickets, so the talent is there — we simply met a side, and a Prideaux hundred, playing several leagues above us. Onwards, chins up, nets on Tuesday.

Sat 30 Jun 2018 🧢 1st XIv SC Speldhurst CC · AwayformLWWWW

Saturday last saw us make the trip to Speldhurst, and having called correctly, I had no hesitation in sticking us in — a decision I stand by, whatever the scorebook says.

We posted a respectable 162 for 6 from our forty overs, the innings really built around Glen Rawson's excellent unbeaten 57, calm and watchful throughout. James Piper chipped in nicely with 39 and Joshua Knowler with 20, the pair adding a vital 53 for the sixth wicket when things had threatened to stall. Elsewhere the card wasn't quite so flattering — Stuart Cheesman and Luke Welsman both departed for ducks, proof if any were needed that this remains a cruel game. I managed 20 myself, more workmanlike than watchable.

With the ball, alas, we ran into a innings we simply couldn't arrest. James Roche made hay with a superb unbeaten 64, ushered along by James Hughes's unbeaten 45 and Ben Spokes's 25, and Speldhurst cantered home on 165 for 1 with well over five overs unused. Martin Harris toiled honestly for his 1-25, and Matthew Carter kept things admirably tight with two maidens, but ten byes behind the stumps rather gave the game away — a testing day for the gloves, to put it kindly.

Elsewhere in the season, honours remain well held: James Piper still leads our 2018 run charts with 276, and Martin Harris sits second in the wickets with 15.

The verdict: beaten by nine wickets, no arguing with that. Heads up, chins out, and back to the nets.

Sun 24 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv HC Harbledown CC · HomeformWLLWW

Sunday the 24th of June brought Harbledown CC to Linton Park under a warm, grey sky that promised more than it delivered — rather like our batting, as it turned out. I won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat, and for eight balls I felt rather clever about it. Then the board read 8-1, and before anyone had settled their tea, 13-4. Richard Piper, Kevin Presneill and Joshua Knowler all fell for golden ducks 🦆 in a collapse so swift it barely troubled the scorers. Only Jordan Austin stood firm, compiling a fine, well-made fifty to drag us to 111 all out in 36.2 overs — a total that flattered us more than it should.

Defending it was always going to be a stretch, and so it proved. A wretched third over cost us two wickets' worth of momentum we never recovered, and Harbledown eased to 115 without loss in just 19.3 overs. Ed Solly made merciless work of us with 72 not out, well supported by Will Halliday's unbeaten 37, and by the finish our bowlers were merely spectators.

As for the skipper — a golden blob. A captain ought to lead by example; on this occasion I led only by cautionary tale. Some small consolation: Jordan Austin now sits second in the season's run charts with 156. Beaten by ten wickets, then, and soundly. We'll regroup, we'll laugh about the ducks eventually, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 23 Jun 2018 🧢 2nd XIv PC Pembury CC · AwayformLLLLL

Beaten by 5 wickets at Pembury on a warm, grey Saturday — but there was cricket to admire in there before the scoreline caught up with us.

Winning the toss, I had no hesitation putting us in, and for a while it looked the shrewdest of calls. Richard Piper (24) and Steve Puxty (24) did the honest work of the innings, ferreting out runs where they could, but wickets tumbled around them and we folded for 103 in 32 overs — Shehryar Gul and Charles Curteis both departed for golden ducks, the sort of dismissal that has a man studying his bootlaces rather intently on the walk back.

With the ball, we scrapped hard. Darren Styles was the pick of the attack, a tidy 2-9 that kept the innings honest, with Charles Curteis and Kian Lloyd chipping in a wicket apiece, and Charlie Johns, James Moysey and Harrison Coe all sent home without troubling the scorers. But Stuart McCloy had other ideas, cashing in with an unbeaten 65 that carried Pembury home, well supported by Richard Webster's 27, and they reached 105/5 in 24.4 overs with wickets — if not much else — to spare.

I added a workmanlike 24 of my own, for what it was worth in a losing cause. A five-wicket defeat, then, and a batting card that will want some stern words at nets. Still, no lasting damage — we'll regroup, dust off the ducks, and be better for it next week.

Sat 23 Jun 2018 🧢 1st XIv BC Bidborough CC · HomeformLLWWW

I'm a somewhat weary but well-satisfied 36 not out this weekend, and I'll say this straight away: chasing 180 with our lower order still to bat is not how I'd have scripted it, but the lads found a way, and that's cricket.

Bidborough won the toss, sent us out to field on a warm, overcast afternoon, and made themselves thoroughly at home with 179 for 9 off their forty. James Baldock was the chief architect, sailing past his fifty to 66, with Anthony Bouffe chipping in a handy 40 and the pair putting on 74 for the seventh wicket to give their innings a spine it otherwise lacked. Credit to Stuart Cheesman for leading our attack with 2 for 37, well supported by Martin Harris and Alex Keeler, both 2 for 41 and 2 for 45 respectively, while Joshua Knowler bowled two miserly maidens to keep the scoring honest. Dom Trett, at least, departed for a duck at our hands — small mercies.

Set 180, we made a proper meal of it before getting there, 180 for 7 off 39.5 overs, with a wretched fourteenth over costing us two wickets and rather a lot of momentum in one go. Daniel Thirkell held things together with 36, Joshua Knowler chipped in 30, Adam Jackson 22, and the extras column did its bit with a generous 27. I did my share with 36 of my own, mostly, I suspect, out of sheer stubbornness.

Two points, and thoroughly earned. A scruffy win is still a win, and I'll take it every time.

Sun 17 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv KK Kennington CC, Kent · HomeformDWWLL

Kennington CC, Kent, on Sunday 17th June — a damp old afternoon, the kind that makes you check the covers twice and the toss decision three times. I won it, and had no hesitation batting first. Turned out to be the right call, and how.

Shehryar Gul was simply magnificent, a wonderful 105 that set the tone for the innings, with Dave Charlton (59) offering fine support and Trevor Back chipping in 36. That second-wicket stand of 121 was the platform on which everything was built, and even our extras got in on the act with 36 to nudge us to a formidable 274/7 from our 40 overs. Walking off at the interval, I confess I fancied our chances.

Kennington, though, had other ideas. Jonah Diedrick made a fine 86, Neil Tegg motored to an unbeaten 79 and Liam Tegg made a stylish 57, their openers laying a platform worth 89 before the first wicket fell, and a second-wicket stand of 111 kept them right in the hunt throughout. Tim Thirkell toiled manfully for 2-28 and Dave Charlton weighed in again with 2-36, and we did at least send poor Toby Milloy back without troubling the scorers — small mercies. But 274 plays 274 from 40 overs apiece, and not a run separated us at the death.

A tie, then — honours even after a full day's cricket, which felt exactly right for an afternoon like this. Two sides giving everything and finishing dead level: you couldn't write it, and frankly, you couldn't separate us either.

Sun 17 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv EC Elham Valley CC · AwayformLWLLW

A drizzly afternoon at Elham Valley, and for once the coin actually liked me — down it came my way, and with the outfield holding a bit of damp I sent us out to field first. Adam English gave us a proper working over, 62 of the best, with Jan Willem Gray chipping in a tidy 24; the second wicket stand of 70 did most of the damage. Credit where it's due though — young Louis Gray was sent back for a duck, and Sam Boyns bowled beautifully for 3-22, backed up nicely by the Castle brothers, Mardey with 3-24 and Tobey with 1-31. All out for 152 off 38.4 overs felt like a score we could chase.

And chase it we did, though not without the customary Linton Park palpitations. James Piper played the innings of the day, 58 full of proper strokes, with Kevin Presneill's 26 and Richard Piper's unbeaten 21 keeping the engine room ticking over. Then, as is tradition, we did our level best to give it away — reduced to needing the last pair to see us home, who obliged with a splendidly defiant 42 to drag us over the line by four wickets.

James Piper continues to lead the season's run charts with 192, and Martin Harris the wickets with 11 — the old firm doing the heavy lifting again. A scratchy, rain-flecked, nerve-jangling win, but a win all the same, and on a soggy Sunday in Kent we'll take it gladly.

Sat 16 Jun 2018 🧢 2nd XIv FC Fordcombe CC · HomeformLLLLL

Skipper's Log, Saturday 16 June 2018. A pleasant, showery afternoon greeted Fordcombe CC to Linton Park, and having called correctly for once, I took the surprisingly bold step of putting us in — a decision I stand by, in spirit if not in outcome.

We laboured to 151 all out in 39.2 overs, a total that felt somewhere between respectable and hopeful depending on which end of the innings you were watching. Will Thew played the anchor role beautifully for 49, with Jordan Austin chipping in a tidy 29 to give the innings some shape. Elsewhere the shape was rather less flattering — Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan and Ian Hollingworth both departed for golden ducks, proof that this game retains its capacity for cruelty even on a warm June afternoon.

If 151 felt hopeful, it evaporated entirely once Fordcombe strode out. Keith Exton and Richard Shackleton simply refused to be parted, racing to 155 without loss inside 30.2 overs — Exton unbeaten on 69, Shackleton ominously serene on 59 not out. We threw what we had at them; they declined it politely and kept batting.

Beaten by nine wickets, then, and no amount of gazette prose can dress that up as anything but a thumping. Richard Piper continues to lead our 2nd XI run charts with 91 for the season — a small consolation amid the wreckage. We'll dust ourselves off, lick our wounds, and be better for it next week.

Sat 16 Jun 2018 🧢 1st XIv FC Four Elms CC · AwayformWLLWW

Lost the toss at Four Elms, was invited to have a bowl in the drizzle, and for a good while it looked a mixed blessing. Rob Smith made a fine 62, well supported by Benjamin Crowhurst's 41, and despite an early wicket falling with just 7 on the board, an 88-run third-wicket stand threatened to take the game away from us. Credit to the lads for hauling it back — 133-4 became 147-7 as the pressure told, Robert Richards departing for a golden duck. Stuart Cheesman was superb, 4-28, with Joshua Knowler (4-32) and Alex Keeler (1-17) squeezing hard to bowl them out for 169 in 39.5 overs.

Chasing that, James Piper produced an innings for the ages — 100 not out, quite magnificent — with Daniel Thirkell chipping in 21 and the openers setting the tone with 75 for the first wicket. I added a watchful 21 myself, and it was in the 33rd over that two wickets finally swung it decisively our way, sealing 172-4 with overs to spare. Poor Stuart Cheesman, hero with the ball, walked for nought with the bat — the Duck Club welcomes another member.

Piper's century also eases him past Clive Newman into 13th on the all-time run charts, while Cheesman's four-for lifts him past Richard Knowler into 24th among our wicket-takers. Six wickets, two points, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work.

Sun 10 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv KC Knockers CC · HomeformDLWLL

It was Knockers CC at home, a pleasant cloudy Sunday, and naturally the coin let us down — I've never won a toss that mattered less, mind, since we bowled first anyway. Knockers dug in for 33.5 overs and mustered 134 all out, Pullock's 22 the main obstacle. John Karassellos was magnificent, 4-26 and the pick of a genuinely tidy attack, with Martin Harris (2-10) and Clarence Baird (1-17) chipping away either side of him, while Riley Butler kept things honest with two maidens. Nothing given away lightly at all.

Chasing 135 is never quite the formality the scoreboard suggests, and so it proved — we scrambled home at 135/8 from 22.4 overs, which is the sort of finish that ages a captain prematurely. Kevin Presneill's 52 was the innings of the day, well supported by Clarence Baird's unbeaten fifty, the two of them doing the heavy lifting while the rest of us, myself very much included, did our best to undermine them. Sam Boyns, Ryan Silk and Riley Butler all took the walk of shame for nought, and I completed a rather sorry quartet with a duck of my own — the less said, truly, the better.

Still, plenty to raise a glass to: Martin Harris passed 400 career wickets, and Kevin Presneill's 52 lifted him past Stan Wratten to 21st on the all-time run charts. Two points, won by two wickets, and thoroughly earned despite our best efforts to make it interesting.

Sun 10 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv CK Cobham CC, Kent · AwayformLDWWL

As it stands from Cobham, mustering 104 all out from 31 overs against a warm, overcast Kentish sky was never going to have Cobham quaking, but Jordan Austin's battling 24 gave us something to bowl at, even if Toby Hughes and Alastair Allsworth both made that most familiar of walks back to the pavilion for nought.

With the ball, though, we made a proper fist of it. Tim Thirkell was in miserly, metronomic form — 2-11 with two maidens to boot — ably backed by Darrell Houghton-Judge's 2-19 and a wicket for Jordan Austin, who thus had a hand in both departments of the game. Poor Simon Murray joined the ranks of ducks laid on the day, though the runs Cobham needed came from Dominic Hart's watchful 41, with Sam Edwards's 25 keeping the scoreboard ticking as they eased to 105/5 from 28 overs.

There was, at least, one shaft of sunshine to take home: Tim Thirkell's brace nudged him past Thomas Beeney and into 17th on the club's all-time wicket-takers list, a small but pleasing footnote for the archives. Elsewhere in the 2018 Sunday 2nd XI story, Aaron Hughes continues to lead the run charts on 147, with Darrell Houghton-Judge out in front with the ball on 16 wickets — form that will need to rub off on the rest of us.

In the end, a five-wicket defeat that owed everything to a batting effort well short of the mark. Not our day, and no arguments there — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sat 09 Jun 2018 🧢 2nd XIv Cudham Wyse CC · HomeformLLLLL

Cudham Wyse CC came to Linton Park on a grey but genial Saturday, and having called correctly, I did what every self-respecting skipper does with an overcast sky and no earthly idea whether it would help us — I stuck us in. It very nearly backfired. We laboured to 150/7 from our forty overs, with Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan's 37 the backbone of the innings, Tobey Castle chipping in a tidy 27 and Thomas Beeney unbeaten on 24. Credit, too, to a defiant last pair who wagged for 37 and dragged us to something resembling respectability.

Whether 150 was ever going to trouble anyone is another matter. Sam Merron made sure it didn't, cruising to 82 not out, ushered along by Dilshan DeSilva's unbeaten 43. We did have our moments — Chris Vaughan back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, and Tim Thirkell bowling beautifully for 2-17 with two maidens to show for his discipline, well backed by Tobey Castle's 1-35 — but 151 arrived in just 30.5 overs and we were beaten by seven wickets.

Elsewhere, Richard Piper continues to top our 2nd XI run charts on 78 for the summer, and Tim Thirkell now leads the wickets column with five. Small consolations on a day the bat let us down more than the ball. We'll regroup, we'll bat with a bit more conviction, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 09 Jun 2018 🧢 1st XIv WC Withyham CC · AwayformLWLLW

Withyham CC hosted us on a fine Saturday, and for once the coin didn't fall our way — they put us in, which by mid-afternoon looked like a decision they rather regretted.

We posted 165/7 from our forty overs, built on a wonderful opening stand of 98 that set the tone before the first wicket fell. James Piper led the way with a fine 67, well backed up by Warren Jackson's 41 and Stuart Cheesman's 34 — though the scorebook wasn't universally kind, with both Adam Jackson and Mark Christmas departing for ducks. Still, 165 looked a defendable total on a good pitch, and so it proved.

With ball in hand we simply ran through them. Martin Harris was the chief destroyer with 3-18, and there was fine support from Joshua and Richard Knowler (3-26 and 2-28 respectively, the latter also sending down three miserly maidens for good measure). Withyham's innings folded for 107 in 34.4 overs, the middle order collapsing from 66-5 to 86-8 in the time it takes to pour a tea.

A pleasing personal footnote: those three wickets for Martin Harris nudged him past Dave Todd and up to 22nd on the club's all-time wicket-takers list — one for the mantelpiece, if not quite the Long Room honours board.

A 58-run victory, two points banked, and a thoroughly satisfying afternoon's work all round. If every Saturday went like this one, I'd never complain about losing a toss again.

Sun 03 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv NC Nurstead CC · HomeformWLDWW

A warm, showery Sunday saw Nurstead CC roll into Linton Park, and I'll confess I won the toss with rather more confidence than I felt about the clouds overhead — but field first we did, and field first we would again given the chance. Nurstead made a fine fist of it, the openers putting on a crucial 82 before we prised the first wicket loose, and from there Tom Dummer (49) and Joe Chapelhow (42) kept things ticking nicely, with Anuraj Nandal chipping in 30, to leave them a competitive 202/6 from their forty. Darrell Houghton-Judge did the heavy lifting with the ball, 3-69 for his troubles, well backed by Toby Allsworth (2-41) and Charles Curteis (1-29).

Chasing 203, we never quite got the platform we wanted, but Shehryar Gul batted beautifully for a fine 73, and a 74-run stand for the third wicket — Glen Rawson (28) and Aaron Hughes (22) doing the supporting work — kept hope alive longer than our over-rate deserved. Twenty-nine extras did their honest bit too. Spare a thought, as ever, for poor Richard Piper, who made his way back for a duck and takes his place in the club's ledger of shame.

We fell 22 runs short in the end. Aaron Hughes still tops the Sunday 2nd XI run charts and Darrell Houghton-Judge the wickets, so the season's in good hands even if Sunday wasn't quite ours — we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 03 Jun 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv SC Sheldwich CC · AwayformDDLWL

Skipper's Log — Sunday 3rd June 2018, away to Sheldwich CC

The toss went against us, they had first knock, and 248 all out from forty overs was rather more than we'd bargained for. Credit where it's due — James Creed's 86 and Kit Sims's 57 shared a stand of 122 that did the real damage, with Thomas Copestake chipping in 26 for good measure. Martin Harris kept plugging away for 4-72, well backed by Tobey Castle (2-53, two maidens and not a run given away lightly) and Ian Hollingworth (2-56), and to our credit we hauled them back from 236-7 to all out for 248. Small mercies.

Our reply never quite got out of the blocks — 4-1 early on told its own story — but James Piper played an innings that will live long in the memory: 100 not out, chanceless, immaculate, the sort of knock you dine out on for a season. Benjamin Austin's 20 and a gutsy 65-run eighth-wicket stand kept hope alive, and I managed to scratch together 19 of my own. Alas, two wickets in the fortieth over did for us, and we finished 163-8, beaten by 85 runs. Tobey Castle and Harrison Fermor both walked for ducks — the Linton ledger duly updated.

One moment above the scoreline, though: Kevin Presneill brought up his 300th appearance in Linton colours, a landmark that rather puts our afternoon's toil in perspective.

Outplayed, but not outfought. We'll be better for it next week.

Sat 02 Jun 2018 🧢 2nd XIv SC Sennocke CC · AwayformLLLLL

Saturday 02 June brought us to Sennocke CC on a warm, damp afternoon — the sort of day that makes winning the toss feel like the biggest decision you'll make all week. I called correctly and stuck us in the field, fancying it the right call. History, and Dan Callingham, would beg to differ.

Callingham simply didn't get the memo about damp afternoons, ghosting to a magnificent 143 while Julian Weekes purred along nicely for 55. Engarshal Sinnaraja toiled manfully for 3-61, with Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan chipping in at 1-14, but 247/4 from their 40 overs always had the look of a total we'd be chasing shadows on.

And so it proved. We subsided to 111 all out in 39.5 overs, Richard Piper's battling 24 the top score, matched — for what little comfort it offered — by my own 24 from the skipper's berth. Sinnaraja, so miserly with the ball, endured the walk of shame for a golden duck with the bat; the Duck Club ledger grows ever fatter. Piper leads our 2018 2nd XI run charts with 66, and Sinnaraja tops the wicket pile with 4 — small consolations on a chastening evening.

Down by 136 runs, then, and no amount of self-deprecating charm disguises a hiding. Heads up, chins forward, and back to the nets — Callingham won't always be bowling at us.

Sat 02 Jun 2018 🧢 1st XIv Sissinghurst CC · HomeformWLWLL

Saturday 2 June saw Sissinghurst CC roll into Linton Park under warm, showery skies, and true to form the coin let me down again — they had a look at the pitch and stuck us in. No matter: 177 for 8 off our forty was a tidy return, built around a lovely half-century from James Piper (60), with Daniel Thirkell (29) and Luke Welsman (21) chipping in nicely. Less nicely, Will Thew and Alex Keeler both took the long walk back for ducks — the ledger grows ever fatter — though the extras column, generous as ever at 39, did its bit to paper over the cracks.

Defending it, we had our work cut out as Trevor Wright (38), Jon Agar (29) and Gary Sargent (21) threatened to bat us out of it, with their fifth-wicket pair putting on a stubborn 63. But the bowling stood firm: Martin Harris led the charge with 2 for 21, backed superbly by Richard Knowler (2-31) and Stuart Cheesman (2-48), while Matthew Carter refused to give an inch, bowling three maidens. A shocking 34th over cost us two wickets and very nearly the match, and I did what I could with 29, but Sissinghurst finished 163 for 8.

Worth noting, too, that Cheesman's brace nudged him past Knowler to 24th on the club's all-time wicket list — quiet history in the making. We got home by 14 runs. A scratchy, showery, thoroughly satisfying win — exactly the sort club cricket is made for.

Sun 27 May 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv LC Littlebourne CC · HomeformLWLDW

Sunday 27 May, and Littlebourne CC arrived to find Linton Park under warm, slightly damp skies — the sort of afternoon that makes a captain's toss decision matter. I called correctly, felt unusually decisive, and stuck us in the field.

It paid off handsomely. Littlebourne never quite found their rhythm, losing an early wicket with just 4 on the board, and although Joe Coleman (38) and Sully Gould (31) threatened to rebuild around Freddie Harvey's 22, the innings folded from 103-5 to 108-8 in a hurry. Darrell Houghton-Judge was the chief architect of the collapse, ripping through with 5-22, while Dave Charlton and Leo Charlton chipped in with a wicket apiece — Leo particularly miserly, bowling two maidens and not gifting a run without a fight. Robbie Lawson, Lewis Todd and Ryan Townson all departed for ducks as the tail was mopped up, and 113/8 from their 30 overs always looked a modest ask on that surface.

So it proved. Aaron Hughes batted with real authority for his unbeaten 44, well supported by Shehryar Gul's 38 and Glen Rawson's composed 25 not out, and we cantered home for the loss of just one wicket, wrapping things up in 19.2 overs.

A thoroughly satisfying nine-wicket win, built on Houghton-Judge's continued wicket-taking form and Hughes's growing reputation with the bat — both now sitting proudly atop the season's charts. A good day for the club, and not a bad one for the captain's toss-calling arm either.

Sun 27 May 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv WC Wye CC · AwayformWDDLW

We were beaten by an odds-on side and no mistake, but here's how it read from the middle.

Losing the toss at Wye and being asked to field first is never the dream start to a Sunday, and so it proved. Max Campbell (81) and Matt Barnes (50) put on a magnificent 121 for the first wicket before we so much as sniffed a breakthrough, and by the time Tom Wroot had chipped in with 38 as well, 235/5 from their forty overs had a distinctly imposing look about it. Credit where due — Martin Harris (2-39), Angus Knowler (2-75) and Luke Welsman (1-19) at least kept the scoreboard honest, and there was some small consolation in seeing Joshua White depart for a golden duck.

Chasing 236 was always going to want a minor miracle, and what we got instead was 0-1 and a tone set before most of us had finished our tea. Tobey Castle's gutsy 38 was the one bright thread through an otherwise unravelling afternoon — 66-5 became 79-8 with alarming haste, James Piper and Jordan Austin both departing for ducks, and the 18th over alone accounted for two more wickets as the whole thing came apart at the seams. All out for 108, and not helped by 26 wides and 2 no-balls gifted in the field, which is not a habit we can afford to make permanent.

Beaten by 127 runs, then — a proper hiding, no dressing it up. Tobey Castle's runs and Angus Knowler's wickets keep them handily placed in the season's charts, which is about the only crumb of comfort going. Back to the nets, lads — we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 26 May 2018 🧢 2nd XIv Sissinghurst CC · HomeformLLLLL

Saturday 26 May 2018, and Sissinghurst CC rolled up on a warm, showery afternoon that felt more suited to a garden fête than a run-chase. I lost the toss — I usually do — and they had no hesitation putting us in the field. Their openers set about making that decision look very shrewd indeed, adding 74 before Tim Thirkell finally prised one out, and finished a handsome 199/4 with Andrew Knowler unbeaten on 56, Philip Buckingham 47 and Colin Jenkins 34 doing the damage. Thirkell was the pick of our attack, 1-28 with two tidy maidens, well supported by Stuart Campbell and Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan, both 1-39. Poor Steven Reader departed for a duck without so much as a look in.

Chasing 200 was always going to ask questions of us, and we answered most of them badly. From a steady-ish 52-3 we contrived to slump to 62-6, John Karassellos among the fallen without scoring, and for a while it looked like humiliation beckoned. Credit, then, to the last pair, who put on a defiant 48 to at least give the scorecard some dignity, with Trevor Back's unbeaten 39 the innings' one real substance. We closed on 121/8 and went down by 78 runs.

Elsewhere in the season, Richard Piper continues to top the 2nd XI run charts on 42, and Stuart Campbell leads the wickets with 3 — small crumbs of comfort on an otherwise chastening afternoon. The verdict: outplayed, out-batted, and thoroughly out-thought — but we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 26 May 2018 🧢 1st XIv SC Shipbourne CC · AwayformLWLWL

Down at Shipbourne on Saturday 26 May, we lost the toss, were put in, and set about the sort of innings that makes you grateful for the extras column. A gutsy 24 from Adam Jackson held things together, but 28 wides and no-balls doing more scoring than most of the top order told its own story, and 134/8 from our forty overs always felt a touch below par on a green Kent evening.

Still, cricket's a funny old game, and for a while it looked like we might defend it. Angus Willis went for a duck early doors and we had Shipbourne wobbling, before James McCulley decided enough was enough and played the innings of the day — a composed 58, well supported by Alistair Owen-Browne's 34, the pair adding 78 for the third wicket to bat us out of it. Martin Harris toiled away superbly for 3-30, with Stuart Cheesman and Richard Knowler chipping in a wicket apiece, Knowler tying an end down with three maidens. But that 17th over — twenty runs in one hit — was the moment the game slipped from our grasp, and Shipbourne closed out a four-wicket win with three overs unused.

Amid the defeat, plenty to raise a glass to: Joshua Knowler brought up 200 appearances in Linton colours, a magnificent innings in itself, while Stuart Cheesman's wicket edged him past Richard Knowler and up to 24th on the club's all-time list. Luke Welsman still leads our run charts, Martin Harris sits second among the wicket-takers. Not our day, then — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 20 May 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv BC Bobbing Court and Lower Halstow CC · AwayformWLWLD

From the captain's chair, Sunday 20 May took us out to Bobbing Court to face Lower Halstow CC, and the coin, as is so often its custom with me, landed the wrong way up. Put in, they ground their way to 142 for 9 off their forty, Dominic Reid's 37 the backbone of it, well supported by Philip Skillen's 34, the pair adding 82 for the second wicket before we finally got a foothold. From 113 for 5 to 120 for 8 they wobbled rather nicely for us, Geoff Allen and Martin Lord both departing without troubling the scorers. The afternoon belonged to Darrell Houghton-Judge, who ran riot to the tune of 5 for 38, with Toby Allsworth (2-18) and the ever-frugal Tim Thirkell (1-12, four maidens) tightening the screw either end.

With 143 needed, Richard Piper and Aaron Hughes simply took the game away from them, cantering to 112 before the first wicket fell — Piper eventually 64, Hughes a handsome 51, Darrell Houghton-Judge adding an unbeaten 22 for good measure. Only Alastair Allsworth, ducking for nought, spoiled an otherwise gleaming card. We reached 144 for 3 in 39.3 overs, home by seven wickets.

A word too for Tim Thirkell, whose solitary wicket nudged him past John Thirkell into 18th on the club's all-time list. A thoroughly good day at the office, and a timely reminder that this side, when it clicks, clicks rather beautifully.

Sun 20 May 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv LC Littlebourne CC · HomeformDWDDL

Sunday 20th May saw Littlebourne CC visit on a pleasant, grey afternoon — the kind of English summer's day that promises everything and commits to nothing. I won the toss and had no hesitation in putting them in; call it captain's instinct, call it luck, but I'll take the credit either way. Littlebourne battled to 178 all out in 35.4 overs, built largely around Ian Attenborough's fine 68 and Lewis Todd's supporting 21, with a stubborn sixth-wicket stand of 51 threatening to take the game away from us. Fortunately the Knowler brothers had other ideas — Joshua ran through the order with 4-33 and, in a rather lovely footnote to the afternoon, brought up 300 career wickets along the way, while Angus chipped in a miserly 3-38 with three maidens, and Luke Welsman took one for 21.

Chasing 179, Jordan Austin batted like a man with somewhere to be, striding to a magnificent 101 — the season's finest score so far in this fixture book — well supported by James Piper's 34, after the openers had put on 73 for the first wicket. A shocking 16th over cost us two wickets in a hurry and a fair bit of my composure in the process, and poor Benjamin Austin will want to forget his golden duck in a hurry. I found some form with the ball too, taking four, though nobody will remember that if I keep bowling like a man reading his own eulogy.

A five-wicket win, then, and a thoroughly satisfying one. Onwards.

Sat 19 May 2018 🧢 2nd XIv SC St Lawrence CC · AwayformLLLLL

Won the toss at St Lawrence on Saturday and, ever the optimist, had absolutely no hesitation in sticking us in to bat first. In hindsight, hesitation might have served us rather well. We were bowled out for 81 in 36 overs, a total that flattered nobody, rescued only by Richard Piper's gutsy 29 not out. Less gloriously, the Duck Club welcomed two new members to its books: Tim Thirkell and Engarshal Sinnaraja both made the long, silent walk back for nought. The quacking, I'm reliably informed, could be heard from the clubhouse.

Eighty-one was never going to trouble St Lawrence, and so it proved, though credit to the lads for making them work a little. James Porter batted us out of it with an unbeaten 59, ticking past his fifty with the minimum of fuss, and the home side cantered home to 82 for 2 in just 14 overs. Engarshal Sinnaraja, atoning nicely for his golden duck with the bat, was pick of our bowlers with 1 for 10, well supported by Luke Welsman's 1 for 26. I did my modest bit with 29 of my own, for what little comfort that provided.

Elsewhere, Richard Piper continues to make hay, sitting second in the 2nd XI run charts on 32 for the season, with Luke Welsman fifth in the wicket standings. But no amount of individual polish disguises the truth of this one: beaten by 8 wickets, heads bowed, and back to the nets we go.

Sat 19 May 2018 🧢 1st XIv Penshurst Park CC · HomeformWLWLW

Not the sort of afternoon you dream of when you lose the toss, but there we were on a pleasant, cloudy Saturday, ball in hand, as Penshurst Park elected to bat. We had them 2 for the loss of an early wicket and thought we'd sneak in, only for Stephen Lowe (62) and Martin Semmens (59) to put on a stand of 135 for the fourth wicket that rather took the shine off our afternoon. Credit where due to the lads with the ball, though: we clawed them back from 167-4 to 170-7, with three of their number — James Beeny, Alexander McDonald and Nicholas Scott — sent packing for ducks. Joshua Knowler was the chief tormentor with 3-52, Alex Keeler and Stuart Cheesman chipped in with two apiece, and Matthew Carter kept things tight with two maidens. They finished on 183/9.

Chasing 184, we again lost an early wicket with just 2 on the board — nerves clearly contagious — and never quite found the fluency required. Daniel Thirkell (37) and Craig Sands (24) did their best to steady things, and I managed 37 myself, but 153/8 left us 30 runs short.

Some cheer amid the gloom: Daniel Thirkell brought up 16,000 career runs for the club, and Stuart Cheesman's brace edged him past Richard Knowler to 24th on the all-time wicket-takers' list. Not our day, all told — heads up, and back to the nets.

Sun 13 May 2018 🧢 Sunday NVKCv OC Offham CC · HomeformWWWLW

Sunday 13th May dawned pleasant and drizzly, the sort of afternoon that makes an Englishman feel right at home, and with Offham CC our guests I won the toss and, in a fit of confidence I may since have regretted, stuck us in to bat. We crawled and cantered our way to 162 for 7 from the full 40 overs, Mark Christmas the rock at one end with an unbeaten 38, well backed up by James Piper's 32 and Luke Welsman's 26. Yours truly chipped in with 22, which felt like a decent contribution right up until the tea interval.

Then Offham took guard, and one man decided he simply wasn't interested in getting out. Ben Regan strode to a magnificent unbeaten 107 — three figures, no less, the sort of innings that makes a fielding captain reconsider his life choices — with Ben Gittings ticking along serenely to 42 not out beside him. Martin Harris was our pick of the bowlers with 1 for 32, but 166 for 1 in 36.2 overs told its own story, and we were beaten by 8 wickets.

There was a silver lining amid the wreckage: Daniel Thirkell's 22 runs eased him past Paul Gibson into 5th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, a nice bit of history on an otherwise chastening day. Mark Christmas continues to lead our 2018 Sunday NVKC run charts with 46, and Martin Harris sits 2nd in the wicket charts with 3. A hiding, then, but an instructive one — we'll be better for it next week.

Sun 13 May 2018 🧢 Sunday 2nd XIv LC Langton Green CC · AwayformWWLWL

Sunday, 13 May took us out to Langton Green, and a pleasanter, damper afternoon you couldn't have wished for club cricket. Lost the toss — of course we did — and were put into the field, which at least meant we had first go with the ball. Martin Hartland rather spoiled our afternoon with a chanceless hundred, and with Ben Allatt chipping in a fine 68 the two of them put on 121 for the second wicket while we stood about admiring the scenery. Haider Shah's 40 rubbed salt in, and Langton Green declared themselves happy at 267/5 off their 39. Credit where due: Charles Curteis dragged us back into it with 2-37, well supported by Toby Allsworth and Archie Fairfax-Ross with a wicket apiece.

Chasing 267 in failing light was always a tall order, and 166/8 from our 45 tells its own story, though not without pride. Archie Fairfax-Ross, clearly a man in form, followed his bowling with 36 of the best, and Darrell Houghton-Judge's 35 kept him honest, the openers laying a foundation of 52 before the middle order rather let the side down. Even our extras, a generous 42, batted better than some.

Amid the toil, a proper moment of club history: David T Lowen brought up 1,000 career runs for Linton Park — raise a glass to that one.

A draw, then, honours shared, neither side quite able to force the issue. We'll take it — just.

Sat 12 May 2018 🧢 2nd XIv HC Hollingbourne CC · HomeformWLLLL

Saturday 12 May 2018, and Hollingbourne CC rolled up on a cool, rain-sodden afternoon that never quite decided whether it wanted to be cricket weather at all. I called correctly at the toss and didn't so much as blink before sending them in — a decision that, with the benefit of hindsight, deserved rather better support from the bat than it eventually got.

The lads did their bit in the field. Hollingbourne posted a stiff 179/7 from their 25, built chiefly on a 115-run stand for the third wicket between Dave Latter (82) and Richard Raye (a fine 53), before some late discipline saw them subside from 173-4 to 179-7. Tim Thirkell led the attack beautifully with 2-24, with Darrell Houghton-Judge (2-42) and Stuart Campbell (1-25) chipping in, and there was even a duck for Dan Pritchard to remember us by.

Chasing it, though, was a different story entirely. From 1-1 we contrived to slide to 7-4 before most of us had found our guard, and the card makes for grim reading — ducks for Richard Piper, Darrell Houghton-Judge and John Karassellos, and, in the interests of full disclosure, one for your captain too, over which we shall draw a discreet veil. Stuart Campbell's 27 was the solitary bright spark as we limped to 80/7.

Beaten by 99 runs, then — no dressing that up. But there's early season still ahead of us, and we'll be better for it next week.

Mon 07 May 2018 🧢 1st XIv KC Kenley CC · HomeformWWLWL

Match won by 71 runs.

Captain's Log, Monday 7th May. Kenley CC visited us on a warm, bright afternoon — the sort of day that makes you glad you didn't take up bowls instead — and the coin did the decent thing and fell my way. Naturally I put us in, on the theory that runs on the board never hurt anyone.

And how the lads delivered. Luke Welsman batted with real authority for his unbeaten 68, finding an able partner in Jordan Austin, whose 51 not out was a thoroughly polished half-century, while Archie Fairfax-Ross chipped in a handsome 45 of his own. Extras got in on the act too, with 38 to their name — practically an all-rounder in its own right. Not everyone's name will be framed on the clubhouse wall this week, mind: Trevor Back and Harrison Fermor both took the walk of shame for ducks, and the Duck Club ledger grows ever fatter. All told, 268 for 7 from our forty overs was a total to be proud of.

Defending it, we asked plenty of Kenley, but Jack Dinning had other ideas, striking a magnificent unbeaten century, ably supported by David Shivmangal's own fifty. Tobey Castle was the pick of our attack with 1 for 12, tidy and miserly, with Mardey Castle also among the wickets. I contributed a modest 16 with the bat and rather less with the ball, but no matter — 197 for 2 wasn't enough, and we came home 71 runs to the good. A fine afternoon's work, and Welsman now sits proudly atop our season's run charts. Onwards.

Sun 06 May 2018 🧢 Sunday NVKCv High Halstow CC · HomeformLWWWL

Sunday 6th May, and High Halstow arrived to find us in generous mood, the sun out and the toss falling my way. I had no hesitation in batting — a decision that, with the benefit of hindsight and 30 extras on the board, may have flattered my judgement more than my captaincy deserved.

We were bowled out for 159 in 39.1 overs, a total that owed everything to Craig Sands, whose 42 was the innings' spine, with Ryan Boyns chipping in a tidy 20. Poor Luke Welsman will not want reminding of his duck, though he can console himself that the extras column outscored him by rather a distance.

With ball in hand we were a different proposition entirely. High Halstow were dismissed for 148 in 38.2 overs, Andrew Maurice (36) and Tyler Dockwray (34) threatening to bat us out of it alongside Oliver Wallace's 27, their sixth-wicket pair adding a stubborn 64. But we simply would not be shaken off — three ducks fell to us in short order as we tore through the middle order from 36-1 to 45-4. Joshua Knowler was magnificent with 4-28, Martin Harris (2-31) and Tobey Castle (1-11) offering fine support, while Richard Knowler bowled three miserly maidens and, in the process, one solitary wicket that quietly nudged him past Stuart Cheesman to 24th on the club's all-time list.

Eleven runs the margin, two points the reward, and thoroughly deserved both.

Sat 05 May 2018 🧢 2nd XIv BC Betsham CC · AwayformWWLLL

After a lovely sunny afternoon at Betsham, I have to admit the toss didn't do us any favours — they took one look at the sky and sent us in. What followed was, in the finest traditions of village cricket, a bit of a horror show: 38 all out in 26.5 overs, with Thomas Beeney and David T Lowen both taking that long, lonely walk back for ducks. Not our finest hour with the willow, and one suspects the tea urn was on before we'd even finished padding down.

Credit where it's due, though — the lads rallied splendidly with the ball. Ian Hollingworth was magnificent, snaring 1-2 off a spell that included three maidens, bowling with the kind of miserly discipline that makes batsmen question their life choices. Stuart Campbell chipped in nicely too with 1-5, and between them they dragged what should have been a canter into something resembling a contest, restricting Betsham to 39/2 from 19.4 overs.

Early season honours, for what they're worth, currently sit with the same pair — Campbell topping our 2nd XI run charts with 7, and Hollingworth leading the wickets with 1 — which tells you rather a lot about where we are in this campaign.

In the end we went down by 8 wickets, no great surprise given the total we set. Character-building stuff, and we'll take the bowling as a bright spot heading into next week.

Sat 05 May 2018 🧢 1st XIv Meopham CC · HomeformWWWLW

Meopham CC came to Linton Park under a fine, sunny sky, and I won the toss and, in the great tradition of never trusting a good pitch to stay that way, decided we should bat. It was, on reflection, a decision with mixed reviews from the scorecard: an early wicket with nothing on the board set nerves jangling, but Mark Christmas played beautifully for 82, finding a willing partner in Stuart Cheesman (20), and the pair put together an 84-run stand for the fifth wicket that dragged us into respectability. Then, as club cricket so often insists on doing, the innings fell apart in front of our eyes — 132 for 7 became 137 all out in what felt like the time it takes to put the kettle on, with Craig Sands, Will Thew and Joshua Knowler all departing without troubling the scorers.

138 looked gettable, and Meopham duly got them, Kevin Smith timing us into some discomfort with a fine 68. We did not go quietly — Joshua Knowler bowled beautifully for 2-21, well backed by Matthew Carter (2-21) and Stuart Cheesman (1-24) — but it wasn't quite enough, and we went down by 5 wickets.

There was, at least, a moment of history amid the disappointment: Mark Christmas's 82 eased him past Stan Wratten and into 20th on the club's all-time run-scoring list, and he now sits proudly atop our 2018 run charts with 89, with Joshua Knowler leading the wickets column on 7. As for me, leading from the front with 82 was some consolation, but a captain's runs don't win matches on their own. A defeat, then, honestly earned — we'll dust ourselves off and be better for it next week.

Sun 22 Apr 2018 🧢 Sunday 1st XIv Cowdrey CC · HomeformWDWDD

Sunday 22 April 2018, and I lost the toss against Cowdrey CC on a warm, showery afternoon — so into the field we trooped, boots squelching, dignity intact for now.

Cowdrey made themselves thoroughly at home, racking up 218 all out from 39.2 overs. Ashley Borella played the innings of the day, a well-made 62, with Jason Carver (39) and Robert Fenwick (30) chipping in handsomely, and a stand of 101 for the sixth wicket did the real damage. Credit to the lads, though — we hauled them back from 202-7 to bowl them out for 218, which felt like a minor triumph amid the drizzle. Joshua Knowler was superb, 3-31, backed up nicely by Luke Welsman (2-41) and Martin Harris (2-46). I even found some rhythm myself, three wickets to show for it.

Chasing 219, we made a fair fist of it — 171 for 5 from our 40 overs, Mark Christmas top-scoring with 46, Tobey Castle (42) and Luke Welsman (25) offering good support. Poor Liam McGroarly, though, departed without troubling the scorers — one to forget. A quiet word of pride, mind: Richard Knowler's solitary wicket nudged him past Stuart Cheesman into 24th on the club's all-time list, which is the sort of thing that keeps a captain smiling through defeat.

Beaten by 47 runs in the end, then — no disgrace against a Cowdrey side batting so deep, and we'll be better for it next week.

Sat 21 Apr 2018 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformLWWWL

It was Headcorn CC at home, a warm, overcast Saturday, and the sort of toss I'm becoming wearily accustomed to losing — so out into the field we trudged before we'd even loosened up properly.

The lads made handsome amends with the bat, though. Luke Welsman played the innings of the day, 56 not out, calm as you like while others came and went around him. Stuart Cheesman (33) and Daniel Thirkell (32) both chipped in nicely, and their second-wicket stand of 72 was really the platform the whole innings was built on. 198/6 from our 40 overs felt like a total with a bit of bite to it. Special mention, in the interests of full and shameful disclosure, to Thuraiappah Pushpavinothan, whose duck earns him this week's walk of shame past the Duck Club board.

With ball in hand we were rampant. Headcorn lost their first wicket for just 7, and though James Barker (55 not out) and Andrew Fisher (40) staged a spirited fightback worth 70 for the fifth wicket, they were always playing catch-up against a required rate that kept climbing. Joshua Knowler was simply magnificent — 5-19 with three maidens, bowling as if he owned the pitch — backed up admirably by Martin Harris (1-18) and Abishek Pushpavinothan (1-27). Kevin Richardson joined the Duck Club too. I even got among the runs myself with 32, for what little that's worth alongside Joshua's heroics.

133/7 all told, a 65-run win, and two thoroughly deserved points. Early season, but Welsman and Knowler are setting the pace at the top of both charts — and on this evidence, long may it continue.