BENFLEET CRICKET CLUB Benfleet 3rd XI v Leigh on Sea on Sat 25 Aug 2007 at 12:30pm
BENFLEET CRICKET CLUB Won by 1 wicket.
Benfleet v Leigh - 25th August 2007
Leigh won the toss and batted.
Leigh 163 for 7 dec. P.Hitchcock 5 for 34.
Benfleet 164 for 9 A.White 51. D.Nash 47.
Benfleet 18 points, Leigh 8.
An aspicious day in the calendar - Dave Nash's final league game for the club after 30 odd years and in excess of 22,000 runs scored.
To mark the occasion Nashy was asked skipper the side against several of his old adversaries who are now in the 3s at Leigh. As if to mark the occasion the sun finally came out after a pretty wet summer and we all hoped Nashy could win the toss and prevent a three hour slog around the field in the heat. Unfortunately he failed and we were asked to chase whatever Leigh could amass.
Bowling options looked limited, although we were blessed with P.Hitchcock getting off his sick bed to hopefully tie an end down, while a bevvy of the youngsters were rotated at the other end.
Leigh started ok, but Pete struck with a monster 'ct and bowled' tumbling full length through the crease to pick up the opener one handed, just above the turf.
Shortly after he picked the other one up who unlucky chopped on - 45 for 2 and we were right in the game. Capn Nash rang the changes with the bowlers and with some astute field placings we kept Leigh firmly on the leash.
We then got a stroke of luck with the runs starting to dry up, the ever dangerous Vic Hewitt of Leigh tried to cut loose against Chris Coldicott and Benny Ware reached up one handed in the gulley to take a superb catch.
Hewitt out for 1 !
Tony Russ then came in with a very nice spell of swing bowling and got a wicket with Coldicott holding the catch. A couple of missed catches, from a top edge to Benny again at gulley, and Pete H losing one in the sun at short backward square looked like it might let Leigh off the hook, but happily Benny made amends with another catch of 'the Peter Boat' who also nailed Kerner lbw for his fourth.
Leigh were not scoring freely thanks to some good spells from Caldicott, Russ and Hodgson who all bowled tidily on a pretty good batting strip.
The final act with the ball saw Benny holding his third catch at short cover to get Dennis Freeman first ball, and give Pete his fifth richly deserved wicket.
Pete's final analysis being 26.11.34.5 a fantastic spell in the heat !
Leigh declared on 163 for 7 after 52 overs.
With plenty of batting ourselves, Benfleet were confident of having a real go at the total, and a chance to give Nashy a winning send off.
Benny Ware opening with Andy White unfortunately holed out for 7 this week after some good recent knocks recently, but this brought Nashy out to the middle for his last knock.
With John Elliott wheeling away at one end for Leigh it was always going to be a tough ask, as the ex 1st teamer applied superb pressure.
Patience was going to have to be the order of the day if we were to succeed.
Nashy and Andy White settled in superbly and both picked up singles where appropriate and took the rare opportunities to get boundaries when they could. Andy reached his 50 shortly after drinks and we were well placed at 97 for 1 chasing 163. With twenty overs to go we hoped these two would see us home, but the heat told and Andy was out soon after taking his bow.
Nashy too had run himself into the ground and was feeling the heat now,and he too holed out with a great knock of 47 invaluable runs. A real shame he didn't get the landmark but a superb innings in the context of the game.
Jacko's wretched form continued and the big man didn't trouble the scorer falling to Elliott who now saw his chance to put his stamp on the game.
Dan Ware making a rare appearance had kept vigil with Nashy but he was caught for 6 and Tony Russ who is also struggling lately was bowled for 1.
All of a sudden the game's complexion had changed, 102 for 2 became 127 for 6 and Leigh smelled victory. Elliott and Luker were tweaking it from both ends and as the wickets fell the runs dried up, with the asking rate moving towards 6 an over. Willis who had been leisurely ticking off the runs in the scorers chair now had to come in and try to get us home.
Gav Blowes, Chris Coldicott and Jamie Hodgson all came in and scored a few runs each with Willis trying to keep the runs ticking along against the miserly bowling. As each youngster fell the total inched agonisingly nearer.
With nine wickets down Willis was joined in the middle by a weary but re-energised Pete Hitch. The sum was simple... 18 balls to go, 14 runs to win, or one wicket to lose !
There was now a reasonable crowd looking on as the 1st, and 2nd team games were over and the beer had started to flow. Three runs off the over had Leigh again on the front foot - a boundary was needed.
Willis slapped a four but also missed out on another but seven off the over tipped the balance again. Four runs required off the last over - the first ball
saw a dot, then Willis bludgeoned one to cow corner for two.
The crowd was getting vocal now and the nerves starting to tell.
Two off four - no mistakes was the order of the day... a single off the next
from a block by Willis...
Lots of field changing and conversations in between balls now..
Hitch then blocks for a dot........ then with two left a stop/start hurried single to a prod to square leg and we were home !!
A cracking finish, and a belated win against Leigh, who have had the upper hand over us for a few years at this level.
Nashy signs off with a win for his beloved Benfleet and we all take home
the memory of a great day's cricket. Cheers Dave.
Next up : Away to Ongar.
BENFLEET CRICKET CLUB Benfleet 3rd XI Batting
164 for 9
Leigh on Sea Bowling
Leigh on Sea Batting
163 for 7
BENFLEET CRICKET CLUB Benfleet 3rd XI Bowling