Knockers Vs Vine Jazzers
Win :: Played on Sunday 20th August 2006Knockers
149-5
Vine Jazzers
127-10
Match Report
Knockers CC enjoyed only their second win of a draw-ridden summer against the Vine Jazzers at Otford. Electing to bat first, the Knockers found runs hard to come by on a very slow outfield combined with a green wicket in a match limited to 35 overs. John Bowden (2) was lost when he edged to first slip in an attacking field set by the home side. Geoff Smith (17) replaced him and attacked back while Paul Styles (52) settled. Styles shot selection was as varied as it was impressive, with many of his runs needing legwork where another ground would offer boundaries.
Alex Cooper (30) replaced Smith and bided his time learning the wicket while Styles picked his shots. Styles was eventually bowled and replaced by Scott Landers (8) whose partnership with Cooper saw some aggressive running, mostly off of the latter's bat. Stuart Seldon (5no) and Captain Guthrie Miller (5no) saw out the remaining overs after both Landers and Cooper fell. The Knockers' innings ended on 149, but with reason to believe that it might be defendable given the conditions.
The score proved more than defendable as the visitors took wickets with nearly every bowling change. Ken Cowan (7-1-16-4) was the pick of the bowlers as he made excellent use of the erratic surface to cause trouble and doubt in equal measure. He came close to bagging a hat-trick with his last three balls after clean bowling with the first and his second was assisted by one of Miller's two sure handed catches on the day. Only a last moment intervention with the bat saw his final ball beaten. Tim Shaw (5-1-11-1) opened the bowling with Cowan and but for two dropped chances would have equally impressive figures, a Cooper catch at mid-off being his only wicket. Tom Parsons (74) was one of those that got away and he went on to push a home result to within reach as the Jazzers required 24 from the last three overs in a last man partnership.
Dan Turner (7-1-23-1) capped a tight spell with an LBW after replacing Shaw and was joined by Edward Darry (5-0-27-1) who benefited from Miller's other catch. Alex Cooper (4-0-26-1) took a wicket with a Styles catch and added a sharp run-out to put the Knockers on the road to victory in his superb debut. Miller (3-0-15-0) who gave way to Bowden (0.4-0-3-1) and a returning Shaw pursued the final wicket. It was Parsons admirable intention to hit out and win the game that cost him his wicket when he pelted a Bowden delivery towards long-off only to see Turner take a diving catch to win the game with the home side all out on 127.
Batting
| Batsman | How Out | 4s | 6s | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bowden | caught | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Paul Styles | caught | 6 | 0 | 52 |
| Geoff Smith | lbw | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Alex Cooper | caught | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| Scott Landers | bowled | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Stuart Seldon | not out | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Guthrie Miller | not out | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Tim Shaw | dnb | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Turner | dnb | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Edward Darry | dnb | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ken Cowan | dnb | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Mdns | Runs | Wkts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Shaw | 5.0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Ken Cowan | 7.0 | 1 | 16 | 4 |
| Dan Turner | 7.0 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Edward Darry | 5.0 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| Alex Cooper | 4.0 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Guthrie Miller | 3.0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| John Bowden | 0.4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |