Picture of the Week:
End of Season Social - Stars in their Eyes - 8pm Saturday 2nd September
Following the conclusion of our final set of League games for the season, ODs will be hosting a "Stars in their Eyes" night.
This will consist of 8-10 solo or group acts on stage in front of our select panel of judges, singing their hearts out in order to win the big prize on the night. Following this, it will then be an open mic for other, non-scored Karaoke requests.
Performers (and all attendees!) are strongly encouraged to turn up in fancy dress as a famous music artist (and hopefully they sing as them!)
Pizzas will be available on the night. Use the form below to indicate any dietary requirements.
If you are interested in A) performing in the main show, or B) helping out on the evening, please get in contact through the form below:
Match Reports:
1st XI v Linden Park
Linden Park Clinches Victory by 66 Runs in Thrilling Championship Clash Against OD CUACO
Date: 19 August 2023 Venue: Home of cricket
In a pulsating clash within the championship, cricket enthusiasts were treated to a nail-biting encounter between OD CUACO and Linden Park. The spectators gathered at the home of cricket witnessed an intense battle that saw Linden Park emerge victorious by a commanding margin of 66 runs.
First Innings:
Linden Park, opting to bat first after winning the toss, set the stage for a high-stakes encounter. The opening pair of Linden Park showcased their batting prowess, steadily accumulating runs while negotiating the initial overs. Their controlled aggression and adept shot selection laid the foundation for a formidable total.
With exceptional contributions from the middle order, Linden Park managed to maintain a healthy run rate throughout their innings. The batsmen displayed a mix of classical strokes and innovative shots, consistently keeping the scoreboard ticking. Well-timed partnerships further bolstered their innings, allowing them to post a challenging total on the board.
However, the OD CUACO bowlers showcased their skills as well, chipping away at wickets at regular intervals. Their perseverance and precision in executing their bowling plans ensured that Linden Park didn't runaway with an insurmountable total. The crowd witnessed some gripping moments as the contest between bat and ball unfolded.
(It should be noted that Chat GPT failed to pick up Jamie was on a hat trick, had the batsman that went on to get 95 dead in front that ball and it wasn't given. You can see this below...)
Second Innings:
Chasing a target set by Linden Park, OD CUACO faced an uphill battle right from the start. The Linden Park bowlers came out with fire in their eyes, consistently hitting good lines and lengths to make scoring difficult for the opposition. The OD CUACO batsmen struggled to find their rhythm against a disciplined bowling attack.
Despite a few individual efforts to steady the ship, OD CUACO found it tough to build substantial partnerships. Linden Park's fielders were agile and alert, putting pressure on the batting side by cutting off boundaries and effecting sharp run-outs. The required run rate continued to climb, and OD CUACO was left with a mounting mountain to climb.
As the innings progressed, the pressure seemed to mount on the OD CUACO batsmen, leading to a series of dismissals. The Linden Park bowlers capitalized on this vulnerability and maintained their focus on maintaining a stranglehold on the opposition's scoring. The crowd witnessed a tense battle as OD CUACO fought to stay afloat.
Result:
In the end, OD CUACO's valiant effort fell short, and they were bowled out for a total that was 66 runs adrift of Linden Park's target. The spirited performance by Linden Park's bowlers proved to be the decisive factor in this championship clash. The match showcased the essence of cricket – a battle of skills, determination, and nerve-wracking moments that kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.
Linden Park emerged victorious, claiming a well-deserved win by 66 runs. The players and supporters of Linden Park celebrated their triumph, acknowledging the hard-fought battle that had taken place on the field. While OD CUACO faced disappointment, they could take pride in their resilience and commitment in the face of a tough challenge.
As the players left the field, both teams walked away with valuable lessons and memories from this enthralling encounter. Cricket enthusiasts in attendance and those following the match remotely were treated to a memorable contest that exemplified the unpredictable nature and excitement of the sport.
Match report by "Ben Webster"
2nd XI v Linden Park
Linden Park is a beautiful ground. With the famous rock in the background it’s one of my favourites. With everyone apart from Pooley arriving on time we indulged in an enthusiastic warm-up in bright sunshine with OJs sporting his now essential woolly hat and sunglasses. We had no umpire so unsurprisingly we were put in to field. Alex and Dan W got us off to a great start with Alex repeatedly beating the bat and Dan completely tying-down the batters. Alex accounted for both openers in his first spell. On came the Little and Large combination (or Slow and Fast) of East and Hammond. Kieran bowled 6 overs of pace that caused some real discomfort for the willow-wielders. He fully deserved his wicket, a clean bowled with the bail travelling 2/3 the way to the boundary.
At this point we wondered how much batting was left having dismissed them for 110 in the return fixture. The number 5 put paid to any thoughts of a quick win with an array of extravagant shots, reverse sweeping and scooping East for 4s and then following up with a lofted straight drive just short of 6. We should have had the game wrapped up when he got a leading edge to mid-on. The ball dollied up and landed 5 feet from Dan W who hadn’t moved. Apparently Isaac had “put him off” by moving. However we kept taking wickets. The number 3 had scratched around for a long time without any meaningful runs but East bowled him through the gate with an in-swinger. The umpire commented that “the bails didn’t go as far this time”. Rude! Richard snaffled another one for East at cover. Liam came on and tied down both batters, frustrating the number 5. He convinced his partner to come down the track to give Laurence an easy stumping and picked up a further victim, bowled. But it was Oscar who got the danger man for 48 after one too many reverse-sweeps courtesy of a full-length dive by Laurence. Alex and Dan returned to finish off the tail for 140 all out, with Dan taking a smart C and B proving that he can catch as long as he doesn’t have to move.
After tea Laurence gave us a speech about 30s not being enough and the importance of “being there at the end”. Well no-one was out for 30. As usual Laurence and Richard opened up and it was plain sailing for the first 7 reaching 36-0 including a bizarre spate of no-balls from the oppo skipper. However once Richard edged one behind things got interesting. Laurence (18) popped one up from a sweep. The run rate slowed but the 2 Dans looked comfortable until Dan M tried something too optimistic against the spinner and was given LBW. 2 balls later Isaac was on the wrong end of a more controversial LB. Dan and Oscar then looked in control until Dan tried the sweep once too often and departed for 18 - perhaps not realising that fielders do move to take catches. The slow grind continued with Oscar and Sam until Oscar (19) also obliged with some catching practice. Kieran (22) was his imperious best hitting one huge maximum and some thumping 4s before choosing to go rather too vertical. Sam (20) looked to be taking us safely home until they brought on the part-timer Davies who produced a couple of overs of slow-medium wizardry and nicked-off Sam. Pooley had a big swish and somehow the ball ricocheted backwards slowly on to the stumps and the bail dropped off.
This left Davison and East to get 9 runs from about 12 overs. The chat in the field reached epic proportions. East left as many balls as possible. Alex watchfully played out balls from Davies. A quick single and 2 wides from one that nicked my shoulder to cheers from the travelling support. Eventually bad balls arrived and Alex hit a glorious 4. Then another single to draw level and … overthrows. Winning on buzzers!!! The wicket keeper kicked over the stumps as Linden Park were formally consigned to the lower division. In truth they were a pretty good bunch of lads and shared some pints after the match before we had a photo op on The Rock. MoM was universally declared to be Alex for his 3 wickets and actually winning us the game. DoD was probably Mr Webster for the “catch that never was”, but Oscar was in with a good shout for an off-the-strip no-ball.
Match report by Robin East
3rd XI v Burgess Park
A carnival-like atmosphere in Camberwell provided the backdrop for the 3’s fixture against top-of-the-league Burgess Park CC. With an outside chance of promotion if the 3’s win all their remaining league fixtures, the pre-match group chat was a sea of strategies as everyone had their say on how we could overcome the best side in the league on their home turf.
The script however gave the 3’s a challenging start, with the skipper Chris Colby having lost the toss and being put in to bowl in unfamiliar late summer humidity, meanwhile, Sherry notified the group that his planned arrival of ‘just before kick-off’ was to be delayed by a further 30 minutes meaning the 3’s would start the bowling innings with only 10 men in the field against the best batting line up in the league, not an ideal start.
Though the worst was still to come as Billy Ansar ran in to bowl the opening ball of this tense fixture. Louis Boyden keeping wicket had made the decision to stand up to the stumps in order to stop the batsman leaving his crease to negate any swing the new ball may offer, though inadvertently this also lured Bilal Chowdhry standing at first slip closer than he may have usually been. And just as luck would have it the first ball found the edge of the bat and flew to an unconventionally short first slip, giving him no time to react and hitting him flush on the nose. A long delay followed as Bilal suffered a fractured nose and a slight concussion, eventually being escorted off the field by the opposition and a designated first aider.
The Injury to Bilal off the first ball of the game had now meant OD’s would be fielding with only 9 players with Sherry still missing despite the lengthy delay, making a difficult job all the more difficult. Though Billy (9-0-44-2) and Howard (9-3-29-2) opening the bowling had other ideas, bowling an extremely tight opening spell as they conceded just 6 runs in the opening 5 overs of the game. The early pressure proved fruitful as both openers picked up an early wicket each to leave Burgess Park on 34-2 after 12 overs as the combination finished their opening spell.
With the early wickets bringing the oppositions’ best two batsmen to the crease T. Moin (90*) & S. Islam (87), skipper C Colby turned to spin bringing himself (4-0-36-0) and Rakesh Possam (6-0-45-1) on to bowl, executing phase two of the well-discussed pre-match tactic of using spin against the powerhouse middle order to dislodge one of the batsmen early and expose the much weaker lower order.
Phase 2 however didn't quite go to plan, as the two Burgess Park brutes showed exactly why they have such a fearsome reputation, expertly navigating the spin as they rotated strike consistently and routinely sent the ball so far over the boundary that it often came back with tears streaming down it’s face as a consequence of the force it was struck with, Burgess Park reached drinks with the score at 120-2, as the now set two batsmen rarely offered a chance.
The middle overs saw the introduction of C Westmacott (6-0-50-2) as the skipper continued with the ‘Spin-to-win’ theory looking to get the breakthrough and turn the match in our favour, and eventually, the breakthrough did come as Saiful tried to hit the ball for 12 (as he had done 4 times prior) and top-edged, giving Olly Colby the opportunity to take a fantastic catch diving forward at short cover. The same combination would be in play the very next ball as an almost identical dismissal removed P. Khan (0) for a golden duck.
The remainder of the innings saw the regular fall of wickets as Ewan Laycock (6-0-35-1) took a wicket via a rank full toss and Billy and Howard came back on to close the innings and in the process picked up a wicket apiece, leaving the opposition skipper not out on 90 as Burgess Park closed on 244/9.
The half-time interval saw Sherry provide an explanation for his late-coming, claiming his journey time is usually 1hr 5mins and he had left home at 11.55 for a 1 pm start, raising a few eyebrows as the skipper had requested a 12:20 meet to ensure the 3’s athletes had ample time for a warm-up for this important fixture.
S. Gul (Sherry) & Louis Boyden fresh off his first hundred against the same opposition in a Dev. game just a few weeks ago went in to open the batting for OD’s. The first few overs saw them play conservatively to navigate the early nip the new ball offered. Though Sherry (4) soon fell as he nicked behind to a ball that induced extra bounce. This saw skipper C. Colby join L. Boyden at the crease who slowly built a steady partnership, rotating the strike and strictly dealing in 1’s.
With seam proving ineffective against the now comfortable OD’s batsmen, Burgess Park turned to spin to break the partnership. On came S. Gupta, infamous for bowling some of the most disgusting leg spin known to man, outside leg, outside off, short, full and then bam! He bowls skipper C. Colby (7) via a yorker to which Chris just couldn't get his bat down in time.
Olly Colby (0), quite possibly the most in-form batsman at the club lasted only 6 balls as he was deceived by the pitch with a ball keeping low and taking his middle stump. Deception was also in play for the wicket of Dan Brown (0) as he was run out after attempting a risky two despite a full-length dive to make his crease, DB10 aggrieved at the umpiring decision would later offer to sell his batting equipment at a cut price as he signalled an early retirement at the tender age of 31, though with no other left-handers in the team his offer was politely declined and so his retirement reversed.
An enterprising innings from L. Boyden (34), in which he set a new club record of consecutive 2’s, soon came to an end when he was bowled by S. Faisal, to leave C. Westmacott (16) and R. Possam at the crease at drinks.
With the resumption of play, both batsmen started quickly as Rakesh hit a flurry of boundaries to put the chase back on track, though this would prove to be a false dawn, as Rakesh was bowled for 36 of just 23 deliveries. The dismissal saw the re-introduction of Bilal Chowdhry, having sat out the entirety of the OD’s Bowling innings as he was seen to by a paramedic after his early blow to the face, with doubts lingering over his physical state and later confirmed concussion. However, the doubts were soon solidified as he attempted to play an offside shot for the first time in his adult career, off just his second ball, he was dismissed soon after for just 5.
Ewan Laycock not shy to self-indulge, in his own words “played a blinder of an innings” as he stood a yard outside his crease, claiming the quite nippy opening bowler was “sooo slow” was back on the sidelines after scoring 7 extremely confident runs.
And thus Billy (9*) and Howard (1) finished the day together where they had both started, out in the middle, albeit a little less confident of the victory amongst a now chirpy opposition. Billy hit a 6, Howard was bowled, everyone shook hands, the game ended.
Match report by Billy Ansar
4th XI v Old Colfeians
Having been more competitive in recent weeks, the 4s travelled to Old Colfeians hopeful of returning with maximum points.
Skipper Coles won the toss and elected to bat.
Colfeian’s slow left arm spinner opened the bowling and without bowling anything spectacular, bamboozled our top order. To say he was slow would be an understatement, and instead of using our feet, the top order poked away, and we were in disarray after a couple of overs, 3 wickets down for 1 run.
Ollie Bennett and Jack brought some normality back and were playing nicely until Ollie got over aggressive to their second leg spinner and holed out to mid-off. Jack followed shortly after (having dispatched the spinners a few times) and was unlucky to get one that kept a bit low. 57 for 5.
Dan Baylis meantime had been giving us a lesson on how to play the leggies off the back foot hitting some sublime 4s and 6s, and was joined in similar fashion by Colsey, but just 4s, no 6s ..BUT a 3 was run!! (Sadly, there is no video evidence) but will be imprinted in the mind of all those that witnessed it … think moon landing, Wilkinson’s drop goal!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and both were eventually caught going for another big one. Ben Westmacott and Steve Sawko batted well, using up the remaining 5 or 6 overs and the team had hobbled to 137 … 20 or 30 short for sure .. but with a pretty crappy up and down wicket, we were certainly in with a chance.
After a lovely tea we opened up with Sawko and Bennett… tough for the skipper setting fields with 2 short boundaries and a low score to defend. But we bowled pretty well without finding the right line and lengths, both bowlers going for 3 or less an over, but we couldn’t get the breakthrough.
Suddenly Steve got one to zip and nip and their better opener was gone. Tom fox came into the attack at the other end and the game starting to swing our way. A catch by Luke Colby for Tom fox saw off the number 3 after just a few balls then a slog, then a comical run out (both batsman at the same end). Then the other opener was well caught by Ben Westmacott at his first attempt to get it off the square. Immediately followed by Rahul cleaning up the number 5. 72 for 5, drinks and game on.
The remaining batsmen started to dig in with a bit more responsibility and punishing the meagre bad balls. Baylis bowled a beauty to get rid of one. A few more hits to the short boundary saw the game swing away from us again, until the newly introduced Ben saw a long hop hit straight to the grateful Tom Fox for a good catch in the deep. More boundaries swung it back, then another magical moment from Tom, with a clean pick up and direct hit saw off their dangerous no.9 . 8 down, another 20 needed.
Sadly, we couldn’t grab the next wicket we needed, and the 2 batsmen swung across the line and got away with it. Ben can think himself very unlucky having 2 or 3 4s hit of middle of middle as the batsman closed his eyes and hoped for the best and they won the game with 4 balls to go.
In the light of day, after a quick analysis, we were a little short on runs, conceded a few too many extras, didn’t have much luck on our side and Ollie Bennet can consider himself unlucky perhaps, to not have another spell at the end. Tom Fox bowled a wonderful spell, 9 overs for 20 … (of which 5 were wides)
A great game, we bowled well, fielded well and took our catches … most of all we were competitive, and our young players are improving each week, as they gain more experience.
Match report by Andy Rouse
5th XI v New Beckenham
Sunday Friendly XI v Chislehurst & West Kent
Having lost the toss and being asked to field the Senior Pro gave a brief Team talk and off they went.
In 65 years of adult cricket your scribe encountered something he had never seen on a cricket field. Before giving more details it must be reported that Bilal skippering for the first time was excellent giving encouragement all the time especially to the youngsters. However he made one small mistake having lost the toss, he set the field having been asked to bowl. He had First Slip, Gully, Square Cover, Deep Extra Cover, Extra Cover, Mid Off, Bowler, Mid On, Mid Wicket, Square Leg, Fine Leg. The Umpire called ‘Play’ but Foxy who has an eye for these things spotted eleven fielders and not one wearing Gloves or Wicket keeping pads leaving him somewhat exposed at First Slip! Ollie (the run machine Colby) volunteered and kept really well with one blemish allowing a ball to pass through his gloves then his legs and strike a redundant helmet thus giving away 5 penalty runs. Two balls later he nearly repeated the trick.
Zain and Max opened and bowled two lively 6 over spells with Zain snaffling two wickets and Max one. Zain was helped by an excellent catch by Felix Jones making his adult debut and it would be fair to say he was comfortably the best fielder early on. Zaid and Franco came on and slowed the run rate with Zaid taking three wickets in a miserly spell and Franco knicking one out. However their opening bat was going gayly along but it was then Bilal played his masterstroke or his Ace! On came Nick Jones with cleverly flighted deliveries, spitting and turning on an otherwise what had been a placid wicket. Unbeknown to their opener Nick has an even slower ball which hovered, drew the opener into a drive who was well caught by Bilal at Long On for a well deserved 57.
Then came ODCuaco’s secret weapon. Bowling in his first ever (thought debut twice in a Report was a bit high brow for you readers) adult match Felix Jones outperformed the old man who immediately stopped his pocket money for the week. Felix bowled beautifully with a spell of 3.1 Overs 9 runs 2 wickets. What an excellent start to his career and now has bragging rights as the best cricketer in the Jones family.
It must be reported that all catches were taken but two were absolutely outstanding. Firstly the Senior Pro, Foxy, ran and limped fully 25 yards to take a magnificent one handed catch. Not to be outdone Zain did exactly the same but had no need to limp in his 25 yard run. Two wonderful bits of fielding.
After tea Ollie opened with Majid. After a solid start Ollie was well caught at slip opening the door for the Senior Pro. He and Majid played some fine shots, including sixes from Majid and took the Team close to the winning line. They both sportingly retired, Majid 75 and Foxy 50. Majid’s 75 included a straight drive that crashed into Foxy’s inner thigh whilst he was backing up. For the second time in the match Foxy this time limped a single. It was left to Bilal and Max to see the Team home in 26.4 overs. Man of the Match to Felix Jones.
Thanks to Smith & Bennett, Ulez scrap dealers for Umpiring and Scoring.
Match report by Howard Smith
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