Saturday 20 August 2011

Match report for Camberley 2nd XI v Old Wimbledonians 13/8/2011.

Mac and Shaq get the job done.A superb partnership of 106 by Mac Sayed and Phil West was the difference as Camberley defeated Old Wimbledonians on Saturday.
Sayed's second knock of 60-odd in successive games was typically obdurate, while West combined good attacking intent with better judgement as he made 57 to see the hosts to the brink of victory.
There was a brief scare as both batsmen fell just four runs short of the target, but Chris Pike and Sam Holmes successfully managed to scramble over the line and secure the win.
The chase came after Camberley bowled well as a unit again, as the five who bottled up Trinity's batting the week before were further strengthened by the addition of Lloyd Morris, and all six bowled well to restrict the visitors to 172-9 from their 50.
A new-look batting order then limped to 30-4 and 63-5 before the Sayed/West combination took the game away from the Old Wimbledonians.
Despite losing the toss, Camberley made the perfect start as Morris, fresh from a month's holiday in the USA, produced an absolute ripper to bowl Grant Deg with the first ball of the day.
The visitors immediately fought back with two substantial partnerships but, after West and Holmes removed the only three batsmen to put up any resistance, they crumbled from 112-3 to 123-8.
The hosts' varied attack proved too much for the London-based team's middle order as the off-spin combination of West and Holmes returned figures of 10-2-24-3 and 8-1-37-2 respectively, while the pacemen also fared well.
Dan Wakeling went wicketless but bowled typically economically as he impressed with the new ball, going for just 21 off his seven overs, while Jon Cooles and Pike produced almost exactly the same figures, the former taking 7-1-25-1 and the latter 8-1-29-1.
But it was Morris who was the pick of the quicks, as he impressed once again, taking 10-3-26-2.
Having restricted the away side to a very achievable total, Camberley got off to a shaky start as, after Jordan Gibbs fell with the score on 26, they lost four wickets for four runs to crumble to 30-4.
Cooles steadied the ship with Sayed momentarily, but he was dismissed for 16 with the hosts still 110 runs short of the target.
West came in at seven off the back of a varied season with the bat, but chose a good time to stand up and be counted as he quickly turned the game in the home side's favour.
Both he and Sayed looked assured, playing an array of strokes, as Camberley got within touching distance of the win.
But with just four runs to get, Sayed's vigil came to an end, leaving Holmes to see out the game with West.
Then, some might say predictably, with the win just one shot away, West tried to blast the winning runs in style, but only succeeded in ballooning a catch to point, ending a superb return to form for the captain.
After Holmes then played out a maiden, Pike smited the winning runs to give Camberley their second win in a row.
With a relatively easy run in, Camberley will be hoping to end the season on a high, starting with Esher at home next week.

Friday 19 August 2011

Match report for Camberley 2nd XI v Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian 6/8/2011.

Strong bowling performance sees Camberley topple the table-toppers.
A superb showing from all five bowlers saw Camberley run out clear winners over a weakened Trinity side on Saturday.
Jon Cooles wrapped up the win with three late wickets as he returned 8.1-1-27-4, while Phil West provided strong support and was typically economical as he bowled 10-0-23-3.
They were ably supported by Dan Wakeling and Sam Holmes, who returned almost exactly the same figures, taking a wicket each and going at around three an over from their ten.
Chris Pike was the final component in the quintet and, even though he went wicketless, he bowled impressive away-swingers and conceded just 11 runs in eight overs.
Mac Sayed's gritty 64 was the base for which the visitors' total was built around, with Dom Peter adding a scratchy but effective 45 not out towards the end of the innings.
Both knocks were vital as Camberley struggled to score runs quickly on a tough track, posting 192-6 off their 50, before the suffocating nature of the bowling held the hosts to 140 all out from 46.1 overs.
After winning the toss, captain West decided to bat first, despite the weather being changeable.
Unfortunately his decision didn't immediately pay off the away side lost three wickets relatively quickly.
Firstly, George Crowdy missed a straight one, then James Reeves, who'd taken 14 off the previous over, missed a short ball that got stuck in the track, before Tim Hughes was bowled for three, leaving Camberley in trouble at 25-3.
There then followed a tortuous period of hard-fought play where Stuart Gilchriest and Mac Sayed battened down the hatches and ground out a partnership of 82 before the former fell for 32 off 90 deliveries.
Dom Peter, fresh from not batting in the first team every week, was the new man and his lack of form was apparent as he struggled to get into flow.
But the talented youngster eventually got going, making the most of some awful fielding and good running between the wickets to finish unbeaten on 45.
Sayed eventually fell for a well-made 64, trapped LBW by Charlie Filmer-Court after being dropped multiple times.
West came and went first ball as he attempted a hopeful heave but was left disappointed, before Cooles clubbed the last ball of the innings for four as the visitors posted a tough but achievable total.
Cooles took the new ball but struggled to find his rhythm early, while Wakeling took no time finding his range as he bowled Graham Cobbett with his fifth delivery.
This brought captain Robert Warne to the crease and he looked to stamp his authority early as he crunched Wakeling straight down the ground for four first ball. The shot offered a chance of a catch to Pike at mid off but his effort resembled more of a fall rather than a dive, and the chance was missed.
It quickly became apparent that the visitors hopes lay with Warne as he looked much the more assured of the batsmen, but he was superbly caught down the leg side by keeper Reeves off the bowling of West for 25.
Trinity's batsmen struggled from that point forth, with no player other than opener Nick Trend making it past seven. Trend did battle his way to 73, but the fact that it came from 137 balls meant the hosts were always struggling to keep up with the rate.
Wickets came at regular intervals for the away side as pressure was applied from all five bowlers, despite the fielding sometimes not reaching the same standards.
West picked the up the prize wicket of Trend but it was Cooles who profited from some dire batting as he mopped up the tail to close the game and earn Camberley the bonus point.
Camberley face an interesting task next week as they play Old Wimbledonians for the first time this season, as the reverse fixture was abandoned due to rain earlier in the year.

Saturday 6 August 2011

Match report for Camberley 2nd XI v East Molesey, 30/7/2011.

West gets five again, but again it isn't enough.
Phil West's fifth haul of five wickets or more this season was the highlight but Camberley couldn't bowl out the opposition for the second week in a row.
West took 5-73 from 20 overs against a tough East Molesey side who stayed second in the table.
George Crowdy was the stand-out performer with the bat, making 65 from 88 balls, as the home side amassed 220 all out from their 55 overs.
Stuart Gilchriest, James Parrott and Mac Sayed all got in but got out as no other batsman provided a substantial score.
Having lost the toss, Camberley were sent in to bat on a hot summer's day.
Jon Cooles departed for an early duck before a partnership of 98 between Crowdy and Gilchriest put the hosts back on track.
Both then fell in the space of 11 runs before Sayed and Parrott put on 47 for the fourth wicket.
But from 159-3, the hosts lost five wickets for 37 runs as the lower middle order failed to fire.
A late barrage from West helped the total past 200 as Camberley posted a competitive score.
In reply, both visitor openers got a start before the Phil West James Parrott combination removed both, the latter taking both catches at mid on.
A partnership of 99 then appeared to take the game away from Camberley, but Chris Pike then struck with possibly the worst ball of an otherwise strong bowling performance to remove Adam Potter for 58.
Chris Haynes was well caught by Gilchriest at long on to become West's third victim, before Pike bowled Neil Campbell as the home side threatened a comeback.
That cause was further helped by a Parrott run out, before West claimed two further wickets, completing his five-for and leaving Camberley just two short of victory.
Disappointingly from a hosts' perspective, the wickets came too late, and the East Molesey tail-enders comfortably played out the remaining over or so to finish the game in a draw.
Camberley battled hard for what was ultimately only one point, but they fought well to restrict the visitors from gaining the extra nine points for a win.
Another tough test follows next week as they travel to table-toppers Trinity Mid-Whitgiftian.