West Meon & Warnford CC: 2015 results
April 26 (away): West Meon 174-8; Wimborne 178-2; lost by 8 wickets
Not as cold as some of the matches played on Wimborne’s vast, unsheltered ground, but still a twosweater day. We were pretty happy at tea, most of us having had some time in the middle. Stuart
Smith’s 100 and contributions from Chris Waller and David Swain took us to what we thought was a
competitive score.
Reality struck after tea, however. Some of our bowlers looked cold and stiff and certainly posed few
problems to an aggressive opening pair. We soon warmed up in the field, chasing the ball to all
corners as Wimborne cruised to a win with nine overs to spare.
May 3 (away): West Meon 159-9; Steep 160-6; lost by 4 wickets
Star of our batting was Alex Roe (60), with support from Chris Waller, Ramesh Kolli, David Swain and
Andrew Willson, all of whom got into double figures.
Once again, quiet optimism at tea, reinforced later when Steep stood at 80-4. Then their number six
blasted seven 6s in his 58*. Matt Smith (3-32) was the pick of our bowlers as we once again did a lot
of running around in the field. Our fitness levels surely surged and will no doubt pay dividends in the
matches to come.
May 10 (home): Stansted Park 215-8; West Meon 189-4; match drawn
Our visitors were 12-3 at one point, Matt Smith hitting the stumps twice and Nigel Johnson taking a
neat caught and bowled. But their middle order flourished, helped by geriatric fielding which had us
cringing on occasions. Stuart Smith (3-30) and Matt Smith (2-28) both shone and took the bowling
honours.
Their opening quick bowler had eleven overs in all, making it hard to chase down such a big total.
But Stuart Smith (90*) and Alex Roe (50) did put on 112 together and Andrew Willson bashed 17* as
we neared the unattainable. Very genial fixture this. And 400 runs in an afternoon kept the big
crowd not exactly on its feet but certainly entertained.
May 17h (away): Gentlemen of Bedale’s 140-8; West Meon 143-4; won by 6 wickets
First things first, we fielded superbly on a pleasantly warm afternoon. Yes, superbly, stopping
everything, throwing well, saving runs. Earlier matches had clearly served to tone our muscles;
comparisons were made this day with the lithe movement of gazelles.
Most importantly, Stanley warmed up in the May sunshine, as his bowling figures show (7 overs, 6
maidens, 2 runs, 3 wickets). Stuart Smith (4-26) was terrific too, as were all the bowlers, economical
and focussed. We took wickets regularly, never allowing a partnership to develop.
Stuart Smith (77) and Stanley put on 66 for the first wicket; but 111-1 quickly became `120-4. West
Meon veterans, their memories scarred by historic batting collapses, whispered nervously together,
their eyes averted from the action. But Skipper Swain is of stern stuff and was fearless, thumping a
couple of quick fours. Then Cameron Hughes, after prodding around and playing with our nerves,
opened his shoulders to cream the straight match-winning six.
May 24 (home):Clanfield 191; West Meon 138-9; lost by 53 runs
Usually it’s the home side which sets the rules of engagement and we like timed matches. But this
opposition insisted on a limited-overs match, so it was that or nothing. Mmmm. It turned out,
nonetheless, to be a friendly and enjoyable game of cricket.
We bowled them out, hitting the stumps nine times, the other dismissal being an LBW. Rishi was
our star with 3-18, including both openers. Stuart Smith (2-23) and Peter Moore (4-24) played their
part. Unfortunately batsman number five blasted a century, including four 6s and twelve 4s. Only
three others managed double figures.
191 to chase in 35 overs is a big ask. Stuart top-scored with 49 and there were useful contributions
from Rishi and Mark Percival, but we didn’t have the firepower to threaten their total.
May 31 (home): Compton & Chandlers Ford 164-8; West Meon 125-9; lost by 39 runs
We won this fixture by 9 wickets last year, so the opposition arrived with more substantial artillery
for this one. We made a strong start with the ball, 55-5 looking promising. How quickly things can
change. Batsman number six hit 53 - 48 of them in boundaries - and with some middle-order
support helped race to a decent total.
We simply didn’t have the heavy guns to match theirs. Stuart Smith, inevitably, top-scored with 33
and David Swain smacked a breezy 25. But we never looked likely to make a serious challenge.
June 7 (away): West Meon 178-9; St James’s Casuals 153-4; match drawn
A remarkable score for us in many ways, concealing all kinds of cricketing drama. Only Stuart Smith
(96) and David Swain (39) made double figures, their partnership of 84 forming the backbone of our
innings. Three batsmen added to their chances of winning the end-of-season duck award. And Jim
Ulph ran Stuart out four short of a century..... So, lots going on.
We donated 13 wides and 4 no-balls to assist the run chase, but tight bowling from Cameron Hughes
and Stuart helped keep our total out of reach.
June 28 (home): West Meon 153-9; Cricket Society 87-7; match drawn
At last some more cricket, the opposition having called off the previous two matches, unable to raise
an eleven. Four of our batsmen made double figures, the star being Alex Roe with an unbeaten 75
that included 10 fours and two 6s. He and David Swain (29) took us to a competitive score. Four
batsmen quacked their way closer to end-of-season ignominy.
And then we bowled – and fielded – exceptionally well. Matt bowled eight overs of sharp stuff,
conceding only eight runs. And the spinners had a lot of fun, Stuart Smith (4-26) and Peter Moore
(3-17) exploiting conditions to starve the opposition of run-making opportunities and taking all the
wickets. Stuart Smith also took his first-ever slip catch, his beaming smile showing just how
important it was. The Cricket Society defended stoutly for a draw and both sides went home happy.
We enjoy our cricket and welcome new players to our team.
pmoore723@gmail.com or on 07878187800 if you’d like to play.
Peter Moore
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