Knockers Vs Beechwood

Lose :: Played on Sunday 7th September 2025

Knockers
176-9

Beechwood
177-4

Match Report

Knocker's penultimate game of the season came at Beechwood - old met new as the traditional timed game was to be played with a pink ball. The coin fell in our favour, and Knockers chose to bat.

Adil and Oli led the Knockers out, but after a crafty cut shot to the boundary off their young gun, Adil was undone by the classic full toss on middle stump. Prof was in at 3, and looked to have found his grove with a great shot down to the third-man boundary – it had 4 written all over it, only for a worldie grab to somehow deny him. Knockers sent an SMS (Seb's mate Sam) for number 4, his first cricket game in over a decade, but neither rustiness nor nerves showed as he got into his stride quickly, gloriously cover driving for 4 as if he'd never been away. From the other end, Oli was batting with typical Boreham panache, his swishing willow bringing boundary after boundary and keeping our run rate high.

Just as Knockers looked to press home their advantage, the wickets started to fall. Sam was bowled round his legs, Boreham chipped a full ball to mid off, and Matt went big against their leg spinner but was well caught. Seb's second ringer, Keevs, demonstrated all the highs and lows of a true Knockers cricketer in his innings - a tap and run almost running out JT, a shot-of-the-day straight drive that sailed all the way for six, and then picking out their only gun fielder in the deep. And Akhil could only look back in horror as a defensive shot agonisingky trickled back onto his stumps.

At 77 for 7, Oli's diagnosis of 'too much leaving' fell on deaf ears, as JT and Seb rebuild in a slow but necessary partnership. JT looked to have found his rhythm, a booming cover drive the highlight, before knicking off to slip. Neil joined the skip, and was the perfect partner in crime, playing some attractive shots of his own whilst resolute in defence. After a torturous start and many a missed sweep, Seb had finally found his rhythm and got to his first half-century of the season. With the tea break approaching, both upped the ante, crashing several boundaries and scurrying between the wickets like madmen, to bring Knockers to a defendable score.

And so, it was 176-9 at the 'tea' break - Keevs suitably irate that this literally meant a cup of tea only, with no food provided. JT took matters into his own hands and went to Sains for a meal deal - and was back just in the nick of time (for the 4th over).

Whispers of not declaring and going back out to bat had been quickly put to rest, and Keevs and Ziggy formed a formidable opening bowling partnership. Ziggy's new life as a seamer continued with aplomb - bounce and nip of the pitch posed plenty of questions, and after 2 maidens to start, a test-match line and length was rewarded with an edge snaffled by Boreham. Keevs got swing and pace that troubled both openers, bowling well enough to deserve a wicket without getting much luck. A collective sigh was heard when their gun bowler / bat in at 3 edged him through the vacant 3rd slip, the very ball after the skip had removed it.

They, and every bowler, were aided by a top class effort in the field - especially from Matt, prowling the outfield up the hill, Prof making slip and gully his own, and Sam 'the Wall' Westlake, who literally put his body on the line (throbing bruises on his cheek and left wrist attest) to keep the runs down.

Enter the spinners - Akhil and Seb both bowling their off spin from around the wicket, racing through the overs to try and build the pressure. Akhil drew several false shots, another edge through a vacant slip area a sadly familiar tale. Whilst he was unlucky from one end, Seb got the rub of the green with 3 wickets, the scorebook showing a 'caught Westlake, bowled Horner' like it was 2007 back at New Beacon, the other two smartly pouched by Ziggy close in at midwicket.

All the while, their no. 3 had been patiently building a solid innings, passing fifty and accounting for 2/3rds of the team score. But with the required run-rate climbing, he had to start taking more risks and swinging for the hills. His was the key wicket - and so a cunning plan was hatched. Adil was brought on, his flighted leg spin offering the bait to trap their batsman in a boundary catch. The first one fell tantalisingly short of our man in the deep – the next, snuck just over him. Fine margins indeed. Among his onslaught, Neil bowled a tidy spell, his 4 overs going for only 19 and keeping Knockers in the game. But the young man, now pulling out the reverse sweep, raced onwards to a deserved century, the first of his career, to see Beechwood over the line with 2 overs left.

Full credit to all the Knockers for an exciting game that went down to the penultimate over – but when a single batsman scores 120* in a 176-run chase, you have to tip your hat to him!

 

Batting

Batsman	How Out	4s	6s	Runs
Adil Omar	bowled	0	0	6
Oli Boreham	caught	8	0	39
John Mitchell	caught	0	0	2
Sam Westlake	bowled	1	0	11
Matt Landers	caught	0	0	2
Ed Keevil	caught	0	0	10
James Thompson	caught	3	0	19
Akhil Anand	bowled	0	0	2
Seb Horner	bowled	9	1	61
Neil Dave	not out	1	0	9
David Bowen	not out	0	0	3

 

Bowling

Bowler	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts
Ed Keevil	8.0	1	32	0
David Bowen	5.0	2	14	1
Seb Horner	11.0	1	40	3
Akhil Anand	7.0	0	31	0
Neil Dave	4.0	0	19	0
Adil Omar	2.0	0	36	0