West Meon and Warnford CC: 2014 results
So the 2014 season ends and we have had a lot of fun. Played 17: won 6: lost 6; drawn 5.
September 21st (away): Hammer Bottoms 127; West Meon 131-3; won by 7 wickets
What a way to end a season. Lovely, lovely Lurgashall, such genial opposition, balmy sunshine. We
spent most of the match grinning at our luck to be playing in this perfect, quintessentially English
setting.
We put them in and bowled well, especially Rishi who ended with remarkable figures of 4.4-3-6-3.
Matt Smith (2-18) and Stanley (4-38) did a fine job. But what stunned everybody was our fielding.
Rory took a running catch from a mis-hit full toss; Rich Sturges, close in on the off-side, took two,
one an absolute blinder. Chris Waller, ironically referred to as our fielding coach, made no mistake
with one that popped up at him. Matt Clarke (keeper) and Stanley added to the catching fest. We
ran around and threw well too. Extraordinary!
All the top order got runs, Stanley (50*) and David Swain (29) putting on 64 for the third wicket. To
Chris Waller went the honour of finishing our season with the winning four.
September 14th (away): Newport Inn 161-9; West Meon 136-9; match drawn
We bowled 41 overs before tea as Newport Inn scored steadily, without ever building a major
partnership. Matt Smith (4-38) and Hugh Morris (2-16) got the figures, with the gentlemanly Hugh
deserving special mention for ‘a full-throated lbw appeal’ which was successful.
Ramish Kohli (33) and Chris Waller (29) with an opening partnership of 58 and Richard Tuck (28)
helped us to 128-5. But we couldn’t go that final mile, not helped overall by three run-outs. A
terrific, thoroughly enjoyable fixture this, a rural idyll to be savoured.
September 7th (away): Wimborne 212-3; West Meon 90; lost by 122
Wimborne might have got a lot more, had Rishi, Matt Smith and Nigel Johnson not bowled so well,
supported by some enthusiastic fielding. But then came a pacey stand as we tired in the field,
chasing the ball around this enormous ground.
We started well, thanks mainly to Alex Roe (37) and David Swain (21). But 70-2 became 76-8 as
three players quacked convincingly towards the 2014 duck trophy in the season’s most spectacular
collapse.
August 31st (home): Buriton 126; West Meon128-3; won by 7 wickets
At one point Buriton were 66-7, thanks to some tight, accurate bowling, with Nigel Johnson (3-20)
the pick of the bunch. Then their number eight blasted 48, including nine fours and a six, to hoist a
respectable total and dent some otherwise pristine bowling figures. Martyn Dodd bowled just four
balls, taking 1-12. Work that one out.
Inevitably Stuart Smith (63*) steered our innings in calm, untroubled fashion, with cheerful support
from Alex Roe (27) and Stanley (19). And we sailed serenely home.
August 24th (away): Elstead 200-5; West Meon 137-8; lost by 63 runs
Rishi and Matt Smith got an opener and the number-three bat out for ducks, raising exciting
thoughts about running through the opposition. But a massive partnership for the third wicket
dominated the Elstead innings to set a big target for our 35 overs.
Star of our show was the returning Alex Roe (60), who showed what an impressive batsman he has
become. But apart from Rishi (19*) and Matt Smith (14), there was no support and nobody else got
to double figures. It should be noted that Rich Sturges (4*) had a strike rate of 400.
August 17th (home): IBM South Hants 141-9; West Meon 132-5: match drawn
A jolly Vice-Presidents’s lunch in the pavilion meant that it was sensible to field first. We bowled
well, never allowing partnerships to develop. Rishi kept things tight with eight economical overs and
Mark Percival (3-22) turned in the most eye-catching figures.
Stuart Smith (61*) and Stanley (40) put on 82 for our second wicket and at one point we were 119-2
with not too difficult a chase. But then we lost three quick wickets and with them the momentum to
finish things off. So it was a bit of a tame draw, albeit played in the best of spirit.
The skipper’s birthday celebrations kept us, our friendly opposition and lots of others at the ground
well into the evening.
August 10 (home): West Meon 44; East Meon 45-2; lost by 8 wickets
So keen were they to play that East Meon kindly lent us their wicket cover for the stormy Sunday
morning. It worked a treat and play started on time, the sun prevailing all afternoon.
Sometimes village matches are one-sided, the balance of the teams out of kilter. This proved to be
the case for this local derby, best illustrated by the mighty Dave Greetham bowling downhill with the
wind at his back against our tail-enders. No contest. Stanley (19) shone briefly as five West Meon
players added to their chances of winning the end-of-season duck award.
In his last match for us Karthik (2-17) hit the stumps twice, as East Meon won on the stroke of tea.
Enjoyable? Yes, the tea certainly was.
August 3 (home): West Meon 189-7; Matt Smith’s XI 126; won by 63
Yes, we did win, but that wasn’t the point. The match was a fund-raiser for Whizz-Kidz, a charity
which helps provide mobility for children with disabilities. £280 was raised, to the satisfaction of
Matt Smith whose idea this match was.
Matt’s youngest player was Jamie Willson (10) and our oldest player was Peter Short (81), so this
was a match for all the generations. Nineteen players bowled and nineteen players batted on a
bright and cheerful afternoon. Highlights of the match included the bowling of Reece (1-17) who
dismissed Hugh Morris, thus launching a potentially long-running family saga. Jamie, the aforementioned youngest player, batted and bowled with a skill beyond his years. He was dismissed by
the afore-mentioned oldest player (Peter Short). Peter Short and Peter Moore – combined age 151
– put on a double-digit partnership, before both were stumped. David Swain retired on 50*, 46 of
which came in boundaries.
Finally big thanks are due to Matt’s mum who provided a sumptuous mountain of a tea, relished by
all.
July 27 (home): The Cordon 177; West Meon 84; lost by 93
We hit the stumps eight times to restrict this strong young side to 177, three of their batsmen failing
to trouble the scorer. Stars with the ball were Matt Smith (4-30) and Karthik (3-22).
We did struggle terribly with the bat, only David Swain (24), Karthik (19) and Hugh Morris (12)
getting to double figures. From 83-5 we subsided lamentably to 84 all out. On a positive note we
did get more ducks (five) than the opposition, ensuring that competition for the end-of-season duck
award will be keen.
After the match the opposition captain introduced me to his two oldest players, both aged 23.
July 20 (home): Emsworth 134; West Meon 135-2; won by 8 wickets
We used nine bowlers and dropped lots of catches (back to normal after last week) to help
Emsworth to their total. Mark Percival in his first match for us, DG and Karthik each got two wickets.
Stuart Smith (61*) once again anchored the innings, with help from Martyn Dodd (15), Hugh Morris
(10) and Andrew Willson (21*) also in his first match for us. We cruised home.
July 13 (home): The Authors’ XI 201-3; West Meon 194-7: match drawn
After an hour of sparkling wit to a crowded church as part of the Book Festival, Peter Baxter of Test
Match Special (TMS) fame stood on the West Meon pitch with the two captains to administer the
toss. What a happy conjunction: West Meon & Warnford CC and TMS. A sunny afternoon of
thoroughly enjoyable cricket followed.
The Authors decided to bat and put together three decent partnerships, with Mr J Hotton (you can
google him) top scoring with 72. Our eight bowlers acquitted themselves well against class batting
as we crammed in 43 overs before tea. Our fielding was superb (sic).
Stuart Smith (57) and Chris Waller (22) put on 70 for the first wicket and David Swain blasted a
cavalier 60 in 50 minutes, so that at one point we were 158-2. Such dizzy heights can affect even the
mature cricketing brain – witness Nigel Johnson who ran out Stuart and then himself in the space of
a couple of overs. Rishi and Karthik then found themselves at the same end, neither batsman
having called a run. Rishi (14*) did hold the end of the innings together as we got respectably close
to 200.
The match was played in great spirit and much appreciated by both sides, as a look at the Authors’
tweets revealed the Monday after.
July 6 (away): Wield 185-2; West Meon 146-5; match drawn
A lovely afternoon on the picturesque bowl of a ground that is Wield CC’s home. We put them in.
But on a low, slow wicket our six bowlers, try as they may, couldn’t find a way through Wield’s
openers who scored 169 of their total. Stuart Smith (76) once again provided the backbone of our
innings, helped by Chris Waller (13) and a frenetic, bat-swirling Karthik (11) who made occasional
contact with the ball. It was a big total to chase on this kind of wicket and we were happy to settle
for an honourable draw.
June 29 (home): West Meon 141-9; The Cricket Society 143-3; lost by 7 wickets
Put in, we made a slow start against some very accurate slow-medium bowling. Stuart Smith (30)
and Stanley (56) put on 98 for the first wicket. But under pressure to push for a decent total we lost
wickets too often to build a much-needed partnership in the middle order.
The Cricket Society’s opening bat was a level above the rest of us and duly took them to an easy win
with overs to spare.
A note: the team used the new catching cradle for the first time – a generous and appropriate gift
from Mary and Mac Edwards in memory of their mother Anne, fixture secretary of the cricket club
for many, many years and a vice-president of the Sports Club. And then on the field a finely-tuned
Hugh Morris took a diving catch at slip. What more need be said?
June 22 (away): Headley 242-5; West Meon 190-3; match drawn
Three weeks since our last match – worryingly neither Chawton nor St.James’s Casuals had been
able to raise a side. It was so good to be playing again on a pleasant ground under a bright sky. We
bowled 40 overs and did get rather pushed around by some talented youngsters. But we fielded
well, especially first-time keeper Hugh Morris. He took two stumpings, one off the skipper’s bowling
– a clever thing to do.
And then we batted well, slowly at first but then stepping up the pace towards an always too-distant
total. Stanley (94*) was a pleasure to watch as he hit his highest for us and Rishi (28*) showed he
can do it, as they put on 88* together. So, lots of runs on a classy wicket and it was all smiles at the
end of a genial afternoon.
June 1 (away): Compton & Chandlers Ford (CCF) 78; West Meon 79-1; won by 9 wickets
Messrs Johnson (3-23), Swain (3-9!) and Morris (2-13) blew away a weak CCF side who only got to 78
thanks to 18 extras (including 7 no-balls and 7 wides). Matt Clarke (48*) and Jim Ulph (16*) blasted
us home for an unusually easy win. Something of a non-event.
May 18 (home): The Catchiteers 186-8; West Meon 113: lost by 73 runs
What a spluttering start to the season, this being only our second match. Matt Smith (2-23) and
Cameron Hughes (3-13) reduced Catchiteers to 86-5 before a sixth-wicket stand of 88 pushed them
to a more than respectable total. Matt Clarke (28) and David Swain (34) gave us a fleeting gleam of
hope but we simply didn’t have the batters to get us there.
May 4: WM&WCC 129-4; Steep 109; won by 20 runs
Steep won the toss. Inserted, we made runs steadily (i.e. slowly) on a dampish wicket with the ball
keeping low and not coming on. Stuart Smith (40) and Stanley (20) put on 51 for the first wicket, an
omen, surely, for a bountiful season. Hugh Morris (26) and David Swain (22) both smacked some
cheery fours and we felt OK at tea, perhaps 20 or so short.
Nigel Johnson soothed our fears, taking out their top order with 3-10 in eight immaculate overs.
Karthik (2-16) then hit the stumps twice. It looked all over at 68-6. But Steep’s skipper pushed them
close with a belligerent 49, before unwisely taking on Stanley’s throw and being run out by several
yards. From 104-7, the tail then submitted tamely.
Peter Moore