Apparently there's been some trouble in the 3s division @Leuth but nothing concerning us. Rest is some grapevine stuff that I don't think is appropriate to pass on, but no doubt I'll tell you over a pint tomorrow evening!
I saw that scorecard but didn't know why and now see Brian's message. Come on, spill the gossip?!?
In fairness, I have no idea as to why the above two were abandoned. But a couple of incidents I've heard this year (won't name clubs):
- Alleged 22-man brawl in a KCL fixture
- One KCL team had several players (including their skipper) banned for verbal abuse of an umpire
- Skipper turning up incredibly drunk to a game, being run out because he thought the ball had crossed the rope, then breaking an electronic scoreboard in a fit. He was then sent home after acting in an intimidating fashion (is from the same club as one of those in the brawl)
Completely separate but worth monitoring, too, are rumours of KRCL reorganisation so that 3rd/4th XIs play 3rd/4th XIs rather than 1st or 2nd XIs of smaller clubs. That would lead to something a bit stale though imo.
I can comment slightly on the first one, as I know what happened. There was a lot of (incorrect) rumour around this initially, but basically it seems that as the players all left the field at the end of the game (relatively happy with the game) a senior committee member of the home team abused the oppo and this led to lots of pushing and shoving and more, hence the police were called and the guy who started it may have been arrested? No players were reported.
If the second one is the one I think it is then that was swearing, but not at the umpire; the captain was banned for not controlling his players. It could be for another game though....
Haven't heard about the drunk one...and I'd be surprised if it was either captain of the teams I mentioned though?
There are lots of rumours about re-organisation of the lower leagues, merging KCL div 5 with the KRCL Prem and making it regional. Don't agree with cutting out teams that have one side though, or no 4th team...
It wasn't the same teams but it was the captain of the 4th X1 of one of the Clubs in question. The electronic scoreboard he decided to abuse was, by all accounts, brand new and it had just been installed on the Home Club's second ground/pitch.
This is near enough word for word what I heard, yeah.
Apparently there's been some trouble in the 3s division @Leuth but nothing concerning us. Rest is some grapevine stuff that I don't think is appropriate to pass on, but no doubt I'll tell you over a pint tomorrow evening!
I saw that scorecard but didn't know why and now see Brian's message. Come on, spill the gossip?!?
In fairness, I have no idea as to why the above two were abandoned. But a couple of incidents I've heard this year (won't name clubs):
- Alleged 22-man brawl in a KCL fixture
- One KCL team had several players (including their skipper) banned for verbal abuse of an umpire
- Skipper turning up incredibly drunk to a game, being run out because he thought the ball had crossed the rope, then breaking an electronic scoreboard in a fit. He was then sent home after acting in an intimidating fashion (is from the same club as one of those in the brawl)
Completely separate but worth monitoring, too, are rumours of KRCL reorganisation so that 3rd/4th XIs play 3rd/4th XIs rather than 1st or 2nd XIs of smaller clubs. That would lead to something a bit stale though imo.
I can comment slightly on the first one, as I know what happened. There was a lot of (incorrect) rumour around this initially, but basically it seems that as the players all left the field at the end of the game (relatively happy with the game) a senior committee member of the home team abused the oppo and this led to lots of pushing and shoving and more, hence the police were called and the guy who started it may have been arrested? No players were reported.
If the second one is the one I think it is then that was swearing, but not at the umpire; the captain was banned for not controlling his players. It could be for another game though....
Haven't heard about the drunk one...and I'd be surprised if it was either captain of the teams I mentioned though?
There are lots of rumours about re-organisation of the lower leagues, merging KCL div 5 with the KRCL Prem and making it regional. Don't agree with cutting out teams that have one side though, or no 4th team...
Ah, that clears it up. An actual brawl would have been much bigger news I'm sure - thought it was more fisticuffs. Wonder what was said for it to be so aggy though!
The second one is in the lower echelons of the KCL (and no I don't think he got drunk - not his usual vice of choice...!).
Regionalisation is something we're really against here at Colfes - it would bottleneck the pipeline to the KCL and only serve to ensure clubs in the top 3 divisions get stronger while the rest stagnate (certainly the bigger clubs anyway).
Just as an aside a former player of the home team had to take over as Umpire. I'd played against him over the years and knew that he was now a retired copper but had to chuckle when I heard him say that he thought his days of having to wear a stab vest were long behind him!
Apparently there's been some trouble in the 3s division @Leuth but nothing concerning us. Rest is some grapevine stuff that I don't think is appropriate to pass on, but no doubt I'll tell you over a pint tomorrow evening!
I saw that scorecard but didn't know why and now see Brian's message. Come on, spill the gossip?!?
In fairness, I have no idea as to why the above two were abandoned. But a couple of incidents I've heard this year (won't name clubs):
- Alleged 22-man brawl in a KCL fixture
- One KCL team had several players (including their skipper) banned for verbal abuse of an umpire
- Skipper turning up incredibly drunk to a game, being run out because he thought the ball had crossed the rope, then breaking an electronic scoreboard in a fit. He was then sent home after acting in an intimidating fashion (is from the same club as one of those in the brawl)
Completely separate but worth monitoring, too, are rumours of KRCL reorganisation so that 3rd/4th XIs play 3rd/4th XIs rather than 1st or 2nd XIs of smaller clubs. That would lead to something a bit stale though imo.
I can comment slightly on the first one, as I know what happened. There was a lot of (incorrect) rumour around this initially, but basically it seems that as the players all left the field at the end of the game (relatively happy with the game) a senior committee member of the home team abused the oppo and this led to lots of pushing and shoving and more, hence the police were called and the guy who started it may have been arrested? No players were reported.
If the second one is the one I think it is then that was swearing, but not at the umpire; the captain was banned for not controlling his players. It could be for another game though....
Haven't heard about the drunk one...and I'd be surprised if it was either captain of the teams I mentioned though?
There are lots of rumours about re-organisation of the lower leagues, merging KCL div 5 with the KRCL Prem and making it regional. Don't agree with cutting out teams that have one side though, or no 4th team...
Ah, that clears it up. An actual brawl would have been much bigger news I'm sure - thought it was more fisticuffs. Wonder what was said for it to be so aggy though!
The second one is in the lower echelons of the KCL (and no I don't think he got drunk - not his usual vice of choice...!).
Regionalisation is something we're really against here at Colfes - it would bottleneck the pipeline to the KCL and only serve to ensure clubs in the top 3 divisions get stronger while the rest stagnate (certainly the bigger clubs anyway).
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
I think the point about the incident is that I don't believe that many, including the Umpires, actually saw the bails come off - and Mehdi claimed that he knocked them off after the ball landed for six.
It did, by all accounts, get somewhat heated but whether the Umpires got the decision right or not is irrelevant as one cannot defend his behaviour. And had he accepted the decision then Blackheath would not have lost the match.
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
I think the point about the incident is that I don't believe that many, including the Umpires, actually saw the bails come off - and Mehdi claimed that he knocked them off after the ball landed for six.
It did, by all accounts, get somewhat heated but whether the Umpires got the decision right or not is irrelevant as one cannot defend his behaviour. And had he accepted the decision then Blackheath would not have lost the match.
Then that's quite bad umpiring to give it out if they weren't able to make a decision based on something definitive!!
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
He was reported. It is the first level 4 report in the country. Disgraceful what happened.
Double promotion - Old Colfeians will be playing Div 3 cricket next season, and the 2s will be playing Div 1 2nd XI!
Unfortunately, Ash's charges were relegated after failing to secure the nine points needed yesterday, while the 4s signed off their season with a defeat against New Ash Green on what can only be described as a minefield of a track. I did, however, take an absolute screamer at extra cover(!!!) and got a run out(!!!!!) - I haven't run someone out since 2009!
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
I think the point about the incident is that I don't believe that many, including the Umpires, actually saw the bails come off - and Mehdi claimed that he knocked them off after the ball landed for six.
It did, by all accounts, get somewhat heated but whether the Umpires got the decision right or not is irrelevant as one cannot defend his behaviour. And had he accepted the decision then Blackheath would not have lost the match.
Then that's quite bad umpiring to give it out if they weren't able to make a decision based on something definitive!!
Surely if they didn’t see it they can’t give it out without DRS !!
I'm surprised that nothing has been reported of the KCL PL match between Blackheath and Bexley two weekends ago.
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
I presume there was no report because it was all considered fair by - well, everyone (most importantly the umpires) except Mehdi?
I think the point about the incident is that I don't believe that many, including the Umpires, actually saw the bails come off - and Mehdi claimed that he knocked them off after the ball landed for six.
It did, by all accounts, get somewhat heated but whether the Umpires got the decision right or not is irrelevant as one cannot defend his behaviour. And had he accepted the decision then Blackheath would not have lost the match.
Then that's quite bad umpiring to give it out if they weren't able to make a decision based on something definitive!!
Surely if they didn’t see it they can’t give it out without DRS !!
They can if the bsstsman admitted knocking the bails off. Cowardly to threaten the umpire with violence. No apology from anyone at Blackheath.
Double promotion - Old Colfeians will be playing Div 3 cricket next season, and the 2s will be playing Div 1 2nd XI!
Unfortunately, Ash's charges were relegated after failing to secure the nine points needed yesterday, while the 4s signed off their season with a defeat against New Ash Green on what can only be described as a minefield of a track. I did, however, take an absolute screamer at extra cover(!!!) and got a run out(!!!!!) - I haven't run someone out since 2009!
...and an honorable mention for Ash junior, who scored his maiden 50 for the OCs on said minefield. 51 out of 98 all out, with no-one else making double figures.
Both Bexley 1s & 2s finished runners up in the respective PLs, the 3s ended up in mid table, 4s were 3rd bottom but comfortably staved off relegation but, unfortunately, the 5s and 6s failed to survive - both went down by 5 points.
Today Seb played for Bexley's winning side of the Kent U19s ECB comp for the third consecutive season and for the second year in a row was facing when victory was sealed off the penultimate ball. Two stumpings in the final plus a catch and a run out in the semi against Chestfield and Bromley respectively meant it was a good day all round. Especially satisfying was the fact that both our opposition imported players from other clubs for the comp whereas our boys were all bona fide Club Members.
Apart from Bexley as detailed by Addick Addict , how has everyone elses clubs done this year ? I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !! Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
Apart from Bexley as detailed by Addick Addict , how has everyone elses clubs done this year ? I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !! Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
I play for Dormansland in the Sussex league, the Sussex league was re-jigged and 3 or 4 leagues were merged and its now the biggest cricket league in the world (Add Clarkson Voice). The way the teams were distributed in the league we were put far too low (Division 7 Central) so we won our league at a canter this season http://sussexcricketleague.play-cricket.com/website/web_pages/233107 I think we are a division 4/5 team really so hoping for promotion again next season
Apart from Bexley as detailed by Addick Addict , how has everyone elses clubs done this year ? I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !! Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
I think Bexley 1s would have done were it not for the fact that the availability of the likes of Ollie Robinson (only played two games), Calum Macleod (missed nine) and Matt Cross (missed six) was so limited. Both the 1s and 2s finishing 2nd in those circumstances was quite respectable and a testament to the depths of the squads - a total of 28 current or former colts played for those two sides over the course of the season.
Apart from Bexley as detailed by Addick Addict , how has everyone elses clubs done this year ? I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !! Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
I play for Dormansland in the Sussex league, the Sussex league was re-jigged and 3 or 4 leagues were merged and its now the biggest cricket league in the world (Add Clarkson Voice). The way the teams were distributed in the league we were put far too low (Division 7 Central) so we won our league at a canter this season http://sussexcricketleague.play-cricket.com/website/web_pages/233107 I think we are a division 4/5 team really so hoping for promotion again next season
How have you been finding the re-org from a travelling point of view ? I like the idea of the Regionalised feeder leagues into the ECB Prem and Div 2 which operate county wide .....
Apart from Bexley as detailed by Addick Addict , how has everyone elses clubs done this year ? I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !! Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
I play for Dormansland in the Sussex league, the Sussex league was re-jigged and 3 or 4 leagues were merged and its now the biggest cricket league in the world (Add Clarkson Voice). The way the teams were distributed in the league we were put far too low (Division 7 Central) so we won our league at a canter this season http://sussexcricketleague.play-cricket.com/website/web_pages/233107 I think we are a division 4/5 team really so hoping for promotion again next season
How have you been finding the re-org from a travelling point of view ? I like the idea of the Regionalised feeder leagues into the ECB Prem and Div 2 which operate county wide .....
All the while we are in Div 5 and higher its great, the central leagues mean we play either on our doorstep or travel to Brighton (only about 30/40 mins), once you get into Divs 3 & 4 is where the trouble lies, you have to either pick East or West as the central league disappears. Both are a nightmare when you're based in the middle of the county as we are. The west has teams like Bognor and Chichester way which is well over an hour even on a good run. The Premier Division of the league is ludicrously strong at the moment. Mayfield have had Kushal Silva opening the batting for them.... (he's still Sri Lanka's test opener) and teams like Horsham have Jofra Archer, Garton, Beer, Haines etc. but they have been relegated mainly due to the success of these players meaning they haven't been around all season, I think they have to release all the county players as they're not eligible for Div 2
Hmm, writing a mini-summary will be good practice for what I want to say at the end of the season!
Let's start with the 1s, who won promotion to Div 3 of the KCL. This is no mean feat, given Staplehurst, Kings Hill, and Frindsbury all have some very good players at their disposal for the level, while at one point we had players like myself pressed into sub fielding.
Our availability on the whole was excellent, though, and the key efforts of Alex Lorimer (41 wickets at 9.98 and 232 runs at 17.85) and skipper Jonny Radhakrishnan (500 runs at 38.46), ably backed up by a demon bowling attack, ensured we came second - via a thriller on the last day vs Staplehurst, winning with 5 balls to spare!
Our 2nd XI were similarly strong throughout. Harshil Patel's 42 wickets at 11 apiece spearheaded a varied and dangerous bowling attack - there's a theme here! - that never allowed opponents to get going. Individual game of the season goes to Robin Singh, whose 161 in a total of 255 contributed nearly half his runs. Overall though our 2s had a great year with bat and ball, also finishing second to gain promotion to Div I 2nd XI.
Our 3s, unfortunately, went down into the Kent Regional Div 1B Met/West, after failing to secure the nine points necessary on the last day of the season. Their season was unfortunately typified by a lack of core availability - in stark contrast with the rest of the teams - with only (I think) four players managing over half the games. This is something we need to work on going forward.
The 4s were the only team on the last day of the season with nothing to play for, marooned in Division 1C Met/West (and thus only two divisions below the 3rd XI next year). However, it was great for us to finish fourth in the table, and be in with a promotion shout until only a couple of games from the end of the season. Ben Pritchard was the undoubted star - 18 wickets at 6.83 and 149 runs at 21.29 - while yours truly finished with his most wickets in a league season to date.
There are a couple of things club-wide that need remedying: a lack of consistent batting depth (across all teams); improvement to our facilities to aid this (and aid recruitment!); and particularly in the 3s, a good group of "core" players.
We've had a great season and now need to consolidate in the off season while continuing All Stars and other colt initiatives to rebuild.
And if anyone has any players they'd like to loan us for some Div 3 cricket next year (looking at Bexley @Addick Addict), that might go down a treat!
My club is OD Cuaco CC in Beckenham and we have enjoyed a stunning season:
1s finished 4th in Div 2 2s won Div 3 3s won 1B - Met/West 4s promoted from 1C - Met/West
Regularly turned out 5 Sat XIs (sometimes 6) and 2 Sun XIs.
I believe our current success is based on a 'one club' philosophy. There is genuine togetherness throughout the whole club. We also have a thriving colts section and always look to get the parents involved, whether it be playing in the senior teams, umpiring, scoring or simply spectating.
I've had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus and this is by far the most enjoyable I've been associated with. Come and join the success story!
My club is OD Cuaco CC in Beckenham and we have enjoyed a stunning season:
1s finished 4th in Div 2 2s won Div 3 3s won 1B - Met/West 4s promoted from 1C - Met/West
Regularly turned out 5 Sat XIs (sometimes 6) and 2 Sun XIs.
I believe our current success is based on a 'one club' philosophy. There is genuine togetherness throughout the whole club. We also have a thriving colts section and always look to get the parents involved, whether it be playing in the senior teams, umpiring, scoring or simply spectating.
I've have more clubs than Jack Nicklaus and this is by far the most enjoyable I've been associated with. Come and join the success story!
Congrats to your 4s, which I don't think I've had the chance to express since I last played Steve Sawko and the others! You looked strong throughout the season and your colts section is a credit to the club ethos as a whole.
Having played against you twice on Sundays, it's quite good seeing a few people pop down to the club whenever a game is on, regardless of whether they're playing or not. That's the sign of good health and hopefully we can get that sort of thing happening at OCCC.
My club is OD Cuaco CC in Beckenham and we have enjoyed a stunning season:
1s finished 4th in Div 2 2s won Div 3 3s won 1B - Met/West 4s promoted from 1C - Met/West
Regularly turned out 5 Sat XIs (sometimes 6) and 2 Sun XIs.
I believe our current success is based on a 'one club' philosophy. There is genuine togetherness throughout the whole club. We also have a thriving colts section and always look to get the parents involved, whether it be playing in the senior teams, umpiring, scoring or simply spectating.
I've have more clubs than Jack Nicklaus and this is by far the most enjoyable I've been associated with. Come and join the success story!
Congrats to your 4s, which I don't think I've had the chance to express since I last played Steve Sawko and the others! You looked strong throughout the season and your colts section is a credit to the club ethos as a whole.
Having played against you twice on Sundays, it's quite good seeing a few people pop down to the club whenever a game is on, regardless of whether they're playing or not. That's the sign of good health and hopefully we can get that sort of thing happening at OCCC.
Thanks for those kind words Paddy. I wish the same for you at OCs.
I surely must have played against you on a Sunday, going back a few years. Mr Burley, my old art teacher, played for you back then and I think your opening bowler had the same name as me, which was confusing for the scorers!
Comments
The second one is in the lower echelons of the KCL (and no I don't think he got drunk - not his usual vice of choice...!).
Regionalisation is something we're really against here at Colfes - it would bottleneck the pipeline to the KCL and only serve to ensure clubs in the top 3 divisions get stronger while the rest stagnate (certainly the bigger clubs anyway).
My understanding is that Blackheath needed 8 to win off the final over. First ball was a dot but the second resulted in a six. Well it would have been a maximum were it not for the fact that the batsman was given out, eventually, "hit wicket". The batsman, in protest, demolished the stumps with his bat so 5 penalty runs were awarded to Bexley.
Bexley won by 3 runs so those penalty runs were vital not just to the result of the game but, potentially, Blackheath's survival in the KCL PL.
It did, by all accounts, get somewhat heated but whether the Umpires got the decision right or not is irrelevant as one cannot defend his behaviour. And had he accepted the decision then Blackheath would not have lost the match.
https://andyclay7.wixsite.com/andysshots/blackheath-v-bexley-1-s?lightbox=dataItem-jzrb4hio1
Unfortunately, Ash's charges were relegated after failing to secure the nine points needed yesterday, while the 4s signed off their season with a defeat against New Ash Green on what can only be described as a minefield of a track. I did, however, take an absolute screamer at extra cover(!!!) and got a run out(!!!!!) - I haven't run someone out since 2009!
The less said about the 3s debacle the better!
Today Seb played for Bexley's winning side of the Kent U19s ECB comp for the third consecutive season and for the second year in a row was facing when victory was sealed off the penultimate ball. Two stumpings in the final plus a catch and a run out in the semi against Chestfield and Bromley respectively meant it was a good day all round. Especially satisfying was the fact that both our opposition imported players from other clubs for the comp whereas our boys were all bona fide Club Members.
I must admit i was surprised that Bexley didn't walk the 1st's league with the players at their disposal - just goes to show !!
Is club cricket alive and well or are some clubs struggling.
I like the idea of the Regionalised feeder leagues into the ECB Prem and Div 2 which operate county wide .....
Let's start with the 1s, who won promotion to Div 3 of the KCL. This is no mean feat, given Staplehurst, Kings Hill, and Frindsbury all have some very good players at their disposal for the level, while at one point we had players like myself pressed into sub fielding.
Our availability on the whole was excellent, though, and the key efforts of Alex Lorimer (41 wickets at 9.98 and 232 runs at 17.85) and skipper Jonny Radhakrishnan (500 runs at 38.46), ably backed up by a demon bowling attack, ensured we came second - via a thriller on the last day vs Staplehurst, winning with 5 balls to spare!
Our 2nd XI were similarly strong throughout. Harshil Patel's 42 wickets at 11 apiece spearheaded a varied and dangerous bowling attack - there's a theme here! - that never allowed opponents to get going. Individual game of the season goes to Robin Singh, whose 161 in a total of 255 contributed nearly half his runs. Overall though our 2s had a great year with bat and ball, also finishing second to gain promotion to Div I 2nd XI.
Our 3s, unfortunately, went down into the Kent Regional Div 1B Met/West, after failing to secure the nine points necessary on the last day of the season. Their season was unfortunately typified by a lack of core availability - in stark contrast with the rest of the teams - with only (I think) four players managing over half the games. This is something we need to work on going forward.
The 4s were the only team on the last day of the season with nothing to play for, marooned in Division 1C Met/West (and thus only two divisions below the 3rd XI next year). However, it was great for us to finish fourth in the table, and be in with a promotion shout until only a couple of games from the end of the season. Ben Pritchard was the undoubted star - 18 wickets at 6.83 and 149 runs at 21.29 - while yours truly finished with his most wickets in a league season to date.
There are a couple of things club-wide that need remedying: a lack of consistent batting depth (across all teams); improvement to our facilities to aid this (and aid recruitment!); and particularly in the 3s, a good group of "core" players.
We've had a great season and now need to consolidate in the off season while continuing All Stars and other colt initiatives to rebuild.
And if anyone has any players they'd like to loan us for some Div 3 cricket next year (looking at Bexley @Addick Addict), that might go down a treat!
Having played against you twice on Sundays, it's quite good seeing a few people pop down to the club whenever a game is on, regardless of whether they're playing or not. That's the sign of good health and hopefully we can get that sort of thing happening at OCCC.
I surely must have played against you on a Sunday, going back a few years.
Mr Burley, my old art teacher, played for you back then and I think your opening bowler had the same name as me, which was confusing for the scorers!