Wizzy News 2 September 2022

Welcome to this week’s Wizzy News – our weekly roundup of news and events at Wisborough Green Cricket Club. If you missed last week’s edition of Wizzy News, please click here

Junior cricket training

Just a quick reminder that Junior cricket training has officially finished for the season but there will be training for the under 10 – under 14 age groups from 6:30 pm on Friday (a slightly earlier start because of the fading light)

End of Season awards

Junior Ball and awards

Please see details of our Juniors End of Season Ball for all our junior players from under 5 to under 16. Please email or Whatsapp Sarah Meurer no later that Friday 2nd Sept to reserve your place.

Senior Dinner and awards

Tickets are selling fast for our end of Season Dinner and awards evening for both the Ladies and Men sections of the club – please see details below.

Honours Boards

Congratulations to all the players who made it onto the honours board this week :

Match reports

First X1 vs Worthing

Fresh off a convincing win against Rustington the week before, Wisborough hosted Worthing at stand in home ground Warnham. Keen for revenge after a defeat at Worthing early in the season it was nice to be able to select from a very strong 1XI side. Quite the opposite for Worthing who were fielding a mixed 3 / 4 XI due to the Worthing 1XI Captains wedding. Cheers skip!

Despite rain early in the week, a green top and a soft deck Newman (finally) won the toss and counterintuitively inserted the opposition. Laws and Newman started cautiously against full, accurate and military medium bowling from the Worthing openers Jacob and Abid. With the ball sticking into the wet surface Newman fell for 10 after chipping one softly to mid off, similar to Calder Smith the week before. Laws continued to buckle down and was joined by the in form Clarke. Ash started promisingly but again with the ball sticking in the pitch, he prematurely cut one down gulley’s throat. Will Dixon, fresh off a 106* the previous day at an intra club u15 v u16 Sussex game experienced the highs…and deep lows of the game we love, triggered LBW by the opposing umpire. Harsh given Will was a foot out his crease and the ball hit his knee roll? El Pres, Calder-Smith came and went in quick succession given LBW by Mattock for the 2nd time this season. Questions raised as to what Steve had done to our legendary umpire as Mattock had only given 4 LBW decisions all season?! Wisborough in trouble at 75-4.

Laws, sticking around like an Alabama tick at one end, was joined by young gun Rich Wilson. Wilson asserted his positive (Bazball) stroke making early taking it to Worthing – the best form of defence is attack as they say – and the pendulum started to swing Wisborough’s way. At the drinks break Wilson ushered his mother to hide away, superstitiously thinking her presence may cause his demise?! Refreshed from a heavy dose of isotonic liquid a very sweaty Laws found new vigour, his intelligent approach at the start of the game, in playing the ball late, starting to bear fruit. Law’s strike rate climbed aggressively and Wilson combined well to build a match defining 100 partnership. Worthing’s body language completely changed and one could sense some in the field had started to give up. Wilson finally fell for a well made 29 smashing six 4’s, Ran Dawson his replacement. Dawson hit a stunning four only to hole out shortly after, caught square leg playing a second risky sweep shot. Laws was then joined by all rounder Rainford. The two combined nicely to knock the air out of the Worthing attack, Laws bringing up his century and heartwarmingly being joined on the field by his two sons drowning him in hugs and high fives 🙂 Rainford finally got into his groove hitting a stunning 6 but Laws without question the class act of the day sticking around for the full 40 overs and playing some exquisite shots to finish 128* off a 112 balls made up of 21 four’s (SR 114.29). Wisborough ended their innings with an ominous 261/6.

Junior and Hugo opened up the attack again both picking up early wickets with some good catches by DJ, Ran and a well judged March caught and bowled. There was some slight resistance from the sizable Robin Jacob with a quick fire 29 but Newman’s slowest ball of the season caught “The Bear” by surprise. Dixon replaced Rainford to pick up 2 quick wickets, one of which arguably the catch of the season held by Warmington at deep cover. Rumbles of did he really need to run in that much and quickly back peddle to make the catch look sublime, maybe not, but what a catch it was. Yes better than yours Farmer at Chichester.

Coining a phrase from last week Worthing folded like a cheap suit with some very accurate bowling from Dawson and Warmington at the end. Wisborough picked up the full 30 points to Worthing’s 6. In the other game Barns Green thrashed East Preston so promotion is down to our Sat game against Findon and Barn’s Green game against Chichester. Any suggestions on how to encourage Chi to win welcome?! Will it rain at Chi and not at Findon (?), all manners of possibility as we go into the final game of the season but the Green’s focus is purely on securing another full 30…

James Newman

Click here for the scorecard

Second X1 vs Rudgwick

Depleted WGCC 2s battle it out for a fine victory against Rudgwick 1st XI

• The day starts precariously when we get word mid-morning that Harry Hunter has an ear infection and is not fit to play – we scrabble around to find another without success – so we arrive at Rudgwick with 10 men in time for a good fielding warm up
• Another hot, clear summer’s day welcomes a good game of cricket, the wicket looks patchy – perhaps something in there for the bowlers – the Green win the toss and elect to field.
• Matt Ritchie and Juan Vorster open the bowling and from the first ball neither batsman looks comfortable with the pace and unpredictable bounce – the wicket is slower than expected.
• Both Matt and Juan beat the bat, attract the odd edge with good line and length and are extremely unlucky not to take wickets. When the ball goes into the air it inevitably bisects fielders.
• It seems unbelievable that both openers survive the opening attack and well bowled both Matt and Juan. Rudgwick were on 93 for 0 off 20 overs.
• After what seemed far too long, and a change of pace Sam Williams stumped the No.2 batsman on 64 off Dan Vickery’s bowling and at this stage Rudgwick were upping the tempo
• The No 1 & No 3 continued to attack the bowling whilst strangely just avoiding the hands of fielders – not helped by having 10 men and a few dropped catches
• Chris Marshall earns the next breakthrough getting the No. 1 batsman out LBW on 89 – he rode his luck well
• Josh Dixon was lucky that his father finally caught the ball to dispatch No. 4 and the Rudgwick total continued to amount.
• At the end Matt and Juan came back on and stemmed the flow of runs and picked up some wickets along the way. Matt with 2 (one bowled off the helmet and the other C & B) and Juan with one clean bowled.
• Rudgwick ended up with 268 for 6 off 40 and it was teatime.
• The father-son Dixon duo (Jack and Tarni) open the batting and are gifted some short and slow deliveries from the opening bowlers to open the book – the partnership develops and after 10 we are on 58.
• Tarni then gets caught behind on 34 leaving Jack and Sam at the crease. The runs continue to flow with some great stroke play from both Jack and Sam and another partnership builds until Sam is given out LBW on 20.
• Dan is next in, and he starts to hit the ball around the park. Jack is then caught with an amazing diving catch from the bowler and is out after a fine innings of 73 – WGCC are 146 for 3 off 25 and still have much work to do.
• Ollie Stott strides in having scored 99 in his last home match against Rudgwick and hits any wayward ball hard to all parts of the ground. The fielders quickly disperse to the boundary. Dan unfortunately picks out the wrong fielder on the boundary to be caught on 15.
• In comes Matt to partner Ollie in full swing and the run rate continues to rise in the right direction. Sadly, Matt is out bowled for 9 and WGCC are 219 for 5 off 34.
• Chris Francis joins Ollie who has passed his half century in short order and the partnership thrives with some more mighty blows from Ollie who jumps the score to 242 for 5 off 36 – the end is in sight
• Finally, Ollie and Chris (12 no) win the match with 272 for 5 at the end of the penultimate over. Ollie finishes a magnificent innings on 90 not out – very well batted.
• Another great winning chase from the 2s – a solid fielding performance with 10 men and then an outstanding batting display with important partnerships anchored by Jack and Ollie. Well done all.

Tarnie Dixon

Click here for the scorecard

Thanks to Chis Marshall for these great pics

**Ollie Stott (pictured right) with Chris Francis**

Victorious 10 man team pictured back from left : Matt Ritchie, Tarnie Dixon, Chris Francis, Dan Vickery, Ollie Stott, Jack Dixon.
Front from left : Sam Williams, Josh Dixon, Chris Marshall, Juan Vorster

Team selections

Our First X1 and Second X1 are both in action for the last game of the season this weekend – please click here for the team selections. Because of the condition of the outfield on the Green, the Second X1 will be playing their ‘home’ game at Watersfield Cricket Club against Middleton.