Knockers Vs Sissinghurst

Win :: Played on Sunday 2nd June 2019

Knockers
184-5

Sissinghurst
176-5

Match Report

A scorcher of a day at Sissinghurst with 25 degrees on the thermostat and barely a cloud in sight, these conditions coupled with a very green wicket may have led the untrained eye to bowl first. However, captain Ollie Marsh saw through these curveballs and wisely chose to have a bat.

A 30 overs format was asked for by the hosts and we went from there. What a deck it was, compliments to the groundsman as it was hard and true allowing knockers to put together a very well-balanced innings with some graft early on to lay a platform for some big hitting in the last 10 overs.
Opening was the new face Elliot Gooch whose presence in the game had brought many a badger to come and spectate on the first Sunday of Summer. His opening partner was none other than Knockers legend Scott Landers, who has taken on the mantle of No.2 in recent games and is rising to the challenge and building match winning partnerships.

A father son combo opened the bowling for the hosts as a strong breeze picked up, blowing across the wicket making it harder for the batsman but the true bounce allowed them to dig in against the accurate attack. At the fall of the first wicket we were 5 overs in and the new ball was weathered so Gooch thought his job was done and missed a straight one that 'nipped back' according to Scott.

Enter Callum McCulloch who, with Scott’s guidance, calmly put together a brilliant partnership of 61. Both bats knowing when to go big and when to defend and tick the run rate over. A sign of a level-headed batting to lay a solid base to build on. Some lofted straight hitting from Callum whilst the feild was in got him off to a flyer with a highlight of a towering 6 off the opener, clean as a whistle into the gazebo. Both fell in quick succession though and both were bowled, Callum falling just shy of the half century to match Ted's score for the season so far. Scott struck 13 and was unlucky not to kick on after the tough start

Guido was the self labelled danger man coming in at 4 on the ground he made his debut on all those years ago, unfortunately he snicked off early doors this time round but keen to see what he has to offer next game. Dave 'Ziggy' Bowen and Christain 'Kuts' Kutner begin what was the 2nd major partnership of the innings with a 100 run onslaught. Ziggy holding poses with the highest elbow on the feild as he smashed 6 fours in a chancless innings until the penultimate over where he holed out going on the charge to bring Ollie Marsh to the crease to join Kuts for the last over.

Kuts had spent the past 10 overs sweeping anything and everything on leg and dispatching anything on off stump to all corners of the field to reach an unbeaten 67 and Knockers career best total. Some of the best batting this season from the box bet winner of the 2018 season after the pressure was put on him by JT in the opening game of the season, long may the battle continue. Marsh hit a quick 9 off 4 and followed Kuts into the club house to an elated crowd who had been blown away by the sweeping master class they just witnessed. His missus couldn't understand where it came from and hoped she would see some more of these broom skills round the new pad. 184-5 off 30 overs.

Always a great feed in the tea room on the square boundary but the knockers were shocked to see Captain Marsh hand Gooch a bat and ask the lads to line up for some quick feilding practice. Rory decided to strech his hammys before the opening spell instead leaving Guido and Kuts warming up their vocal chords for some on feild chat.

Fortunetely the chaps who warmed up went in all guns blazing and had the hosts two down in the first 2 overs. Rory had the opener with his fourth ball caught behind by newly crowned keeper/batsman Callum, who then took a stunner off Akhil's first ball which was a dart and beat the bat for pace but glacned the wood on its way through to a reaction catch by Callum stood up to the sticks. Dream start, but the two men in got 50 & 51 and really took it to the spinners who had the hard task of bowling uphill into the breeze on a road that wasn't doing much for them. Marsh took over up the hill with some miserly seam bowling before Gooch stepped in to take a key wicket in a hostile spell of West Indian style bowling. Gooch then had their skipper too and exposed the tail.

Ziggy and Lee held the uphill end keeping the rate below what was required but keeping the crowd interested. The Captain turned to John 'Flintoff' Mitchell to bowl the final two overs from the top end and he got his just deserves for a hard day in the feild by taking a wicket by deceiving the batsman who lofted it straight up and into Gooch's pocket at cover. Marsh bowled the final uphill over with the hosts needing 12 to win, it went for 3 runs as he finsihed with no wickets but just 7 runs coming from his 6 overs. A nail biter but always looking in Knockers favour after such a strong batting display. Great start to the season with 2 from 2, bring on Ightham.

OM

 

Batting

Batsman  How Out  4s  6s  Runs
Elliot Gooch  bowled   0  0  4
Scott Landers  bowled   4  0  13
Callum McCulloch  bowled   7  1  46
Guy Howe  caught   0  0  0
David Bowen  caught   6  0  35
Christian Kutner  not out   11  6  67
Ollie Marsh  not out   2  0  9
John Mitchell  dnb   0  0  0
Akhil Anand  dnb   0  0  0
Lee Fermi  dnb   0  0  0
Rory Goodson  dnb   0  0  0

 

Bowling

Bowler    Overs    Mdns    Runs    Wkts
Rory Goodson    6.0    0    231
Akhil Anand    4.0    1    321
Ollie Marsh    5.0    2    70
Elliot Gooch    6.0    0    352
David Bowen    5.0    0    300
John Mitchell    2.0    0    181
Lee Fermi    2.0    0    190

 

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