Welcome to this week’s Wizzy news which includes match reports of all our games over the last week. We also provide a unique insight into some the techniques deployed by First X1 bowler Jack Sizzey-Carter after he bagged 4 wickets on Saturday. We’ve also included a great pic of the Milky way from the surface of Mars in our ‘Out and about’ section.
Friday evening training – 14 July
The weather is looking rather suspect on Friday evening with a high probability of rain. We are always very reluctant to cancel training but player safety is our number one priority. We will be updating the main page of our website http://www.wisboroughgreencc.co.uk/ regularly throughout the day to confirm if training is going ahead or not and will look to make the final call at around 4pm
Girls and Women’s cricket festival on the Green – Sunday 16 July
This Sunday we will be welcoming 8 other Under 11 teams and 4 Women’s teams to the Green for our annual Girls and Women’s cricket festival. The girls matches are from 9am to 1pm followed by Prize Giving and a BBQ. – our Ladies festival starts at 2pm , finishing at 6:30pm
It would be great to have some local support cheering our teams on in what is going to be a fabulous day of cricket for our girls and ladies teams.
Friday night training for the rest of the season
We are sadly nearing the end of the season for the juniors and the last official training session for the Under 5, 6 and 7 age group will be next Friday 21 July. The other age groups will continue as long as coaches are available and there is sufficient demand to continue. Some of our junior teams have Sussex festival games and will continue throughout August. Please check with your age group coach to confirm arrangements for the rest of the season.
Family Fun day – Sunday 23 July
Wisborough Green Sports have organised a fabulous Summer fun day on the Green on Sunday 23 July which will include an inflatable assault course, bouncy castle , croquet tournament and plenty of summer games. Our ladies have a cricket match in the afternoon so please do come along with the whole family for a great day out
President’s Day – Sunday 6th August
President’s Day is Sunday 6th August – only a few weeks away. This year a Presidents X1 will be taking on the visiting Kenya Kongonis team in our annual celebration of cricket. Further details to follow
Honours Boards
Congratulations to all those who made it onto the Boards this week
Match reports
First X1 vs Goring
For the first time in the season Wisborough Green had a surplus of 1st XI players.
The strong side welcomed High flying Goring.
After a brief downpour and the game shortened to 40 overs, Wisborough won the toss and decided to bowl.
The hope of the a bit of juice in the wicket after the rain was dashed early on as the skipper and Hugo got dispatched for multiple boundaries including a couple of big 6s by an agressive larger batsman. After just four overs the score was 40 without loss.
Fortunately, the other opening bat made the bowlers look like world beaters and struggled to put bat on ball until he got caught by Sizzy at Gully.
The aggressive bat rode a little luck edging through slips and watching the ball roll back passed the stumps but with Sizzy’s first ball, smacked a full toss straight down deep covers throat for 63 off just 26 balls.
After that frustrating start, the spinners got to work stemming the flow of runs well. Another large partnership would grow gradually but before they could take advantage of their wickets in hand, Sizz dismissed both batters.
In the last few overs, there were more bad balls struck to the boundary and 2 more wickets were to fall. One batsman, foolishly not wearing a helmet, top edging into his skull back to the bowler, who caught the rebound. Dazed and confused he was reminded multiple times that he was in fact out as he was escorted off the field.
The target to chase would be 274 a relatively low total given the start and 600+ runs scored in each of the last 2 weeks.
An equally bad start to the first innings would have Wisborough on the back foot, with the loss of Jimma, Hoppo and Will Dixon all out cheaply.
Another start of 30 from Steve, would help gain a foothold in the chase but he would get out soon after, followed quickly by Farmer.
With the top order batting like they had somewhere to be it was left to Chris Douglas and the lower order. Chris once again reaching 50. Oscar would add 35 before Kleiny came in to bat. The run rate was still a very plausible 8/9 an over. Kleiny launched a couple huge sixes, taking 20+ from one over. All of a sudden, the away side looked helpless as the remaining 90 runs appeared a lot more achievable.
Just after another sweetly struck boundary, the wind fallout of the Home side sails as Kleiny held out in the deep. Jnr added a few more runs, but multiple boundaries were needed. Hugo and Sizzy showed their destructive power but the side fell 40 runs short.
Disappointing result after finally producing a competitive side only to come up against a good Goring team, and underperformed at the start of both innings.
Please click here for the full scorecard
James Rainford
Many thanks to Chris Marshall for some great pics
Second X1 vs Chichester Priory
WG went to Chichester Priory with a strong team, swapping the stunning back drop of the Goodwood estate with an Astroturf wicket and new build housing estate.
Tarni skippering the team won the toss and elected to field, seemingly to make use of the dew on the Astroturf.
Ran and Juan opened and got about their work very nicely restricting the Priory opening pair, with Ran taking both their openers wickets, no. 1 lbw for 15 runs then no.2 for 12 runs caught by Juan.
Juan was next to strike taking their no.4 batsman caught by Tarni for 2 runs.
Priory’s no.3 played himself in very nicely 2finding his range to hit 88 off 66 balls with 11 fours and one 6 not out.
Pick of the bowlers Ran proceeded to test their batters with great line and length bowling adding another wicket to his bag with a fine diving catch from Alex Martin.
The opening bowlers were well backed up: William Andrews taking their dangerman caught again by Alex Martin for 29 runs.
Joshua’s figures again showed why he is such an asset to the team bowling 6 overs, 1 maiden for 17 runs.
Ash and Alex contributed well with good variation.
Priory’s inning finished with 229 on the board.
Priory took to the field with an air of confidence and know how on the astroturf surface.
Ran and Callum looked to play themselves in nicely and seemed set to build a good partnership, Ran was unlucky to get bowled for 18 runs, whilst Callum tried to be assertive to Priory’s very good spinner he unfortunately got caught.
Next in came DJ who played intelligently but again was caught trying to build a good innings.
The Priory’s spinner came into his own in the game and went onto claim the next 3 wickets of Ash, Matt and Alex for 29 runs.
6 wickets down and it was starting to look ominous and Priory knew it.
Unfortunately for Priory Tarni Dixon had a different view of the world, and came into bat with great gusto to hit 70 HUGE runs off 30 bowls gunning numerous 4’s and massive 6’s. It was a game changer and brought WG right back into the game, Priory were crumbling in the field.
Harry Hunter joined Tarni and both formed a great partnership with the overs running down.
With a couple of overs remaining and 15 runs left get to win the game WG seemed on track to deliver a victory, but a mix up between Tarni and Harry saw Tarni run out.. Was that to be it !
Juan joined Harry in the middle, Harry composed himself brilliantly to take strike and within the penultimate over of the innings scored beautifully and finished with two cracking fours to finish on 33 not out to take WG over the finishing line.
What an absolute cracking finish to the game!
Please click here for the full scorecard
Darren Hunter
Sunday Supplements X1 vs Nuthurst
A rare outing for the Sunday Supplements saw nearly 450 runs scored on the Green in a 35 over game. Getting a Sunday side together is a like a game of Snakes and Ladders. One minute we had 9 players, then 13, then 10 and finally 12. We stuck with that and rolled on and off.
Nuthurst turned up with a mature looking side. Whilst our average age would have been under 20 – theirs would be closer to 50.
WG won the toss and elected to bat. Opening pair DJ Dominique and Chris Marshall put on 40 for the first wicket. DJ did a Zac Crawley and carved the first ball of the day to the boundary. The wicket was lively but true, and the bowling accurate. The Nuthurst captain warned me they had a young bowler who chucked it, but they were coaching it out of him. “Not a problem” – I replied. “It’s Sunday”! I regretted that with the fancy green stumps splayed behind me, but it gave me chance to get the tea sorted.
The top 8 batsmen all made good starts and hit double figures. Raff Finn was in good nick, as was Oscar Warmington. His father Rupert showed where the family talent comes from and looked very comfortable in the middle. Harry Hunter, Taylor Moreton and Buddy Edwards all contributed. The innings was held together by Will Dixon who stroked and crashed the ball to all parts of the Green, for his second century of the season. A masterclass for some of his young team mates to aspire to in a few years. He retired on 100 to let a few of them have a bat.
Our total of 220 in 35 overs looked competitive. Especially when Oscar Warmington steamed in and cartwheeled the stumps of 3 of their top 4. Seb Scrace bowled his off spin beautifully clean bowled their number 5. He looks a real find for the future. Raff Finn bowled very tidily and picked up two wickets. Josh Dixon and Harry Hunter bowled well for no reward, while Jackson McCullagh came on late in the day and picked up a caught behind.
The one obstacle we couldn’t remove was Nuthurst’s captain and opening bat. His 145 not out was the difference. If we’d got him out, I’m sure we would have rattled the rest, but we didn’t. We’d have appreciated it if he’d retired like Will, but he would have come back in. Nuthurst reached the target with a couple of overs to spare.
It was great to be able to make use of the Green on a Sunday. A few spectating seniors were impressed enough to say they’re keen to play next time. Our youngest player was 12 and their oldest 75. An old fashioned tea, everyone got a bat or a bowl, and WG centurion. What’s not to love?
Please click here for the full scorecard
Chris Marshall
Thanks to Chris for some great pics
Under 16 vs Steyning
Steyning hosted us on a wet cloudy morning. Oscar won the toss and elected to bat first causing some debate however allowed for a full game of cricket. The Wiz only had 9 men so needed a big total to compete, so we thought.
Will Dixon and Harry Hunter opened the batting and were faced with an interesting field with everyone on the boundary. This was later understood due to the buffet bowling that was presented allowing Wisborough to get off to a flying start. Harry departed with the score 95 off 8 overs after getting bowled from the first straight delivery of the day for a very well played 31.
Dexter McCullen joined Will at the crease and played some lovely shots all over the ground, ticking the scoreboard over. Will retired and Dexter fell leading to the arrival of Oscar Warmington and Joe Reed. Both batted very well with boundaries being hit very frequently on a tricky surface. Luckily the steyning bowlers struggled to use the conditions and favourable wicket to their advantage. Oscar retired and Joe got 47, putting on a mammoth partnership.
Some handy runs at the end from Matt Ritchie put Wisborough in a good position to win the game. Steyning needed 259 to win off 25 overs.
Buddy Edwards (12 years of age) took the first over for Wisborough and immediately had their opening batsmen on ropes after the first delivery. All he needed was a straight one from Buddy and he was gone in the first over without scoring, a great start for the Wiz. Oscar took the second over and started in similar fashion taking a wicket. The tail was already exposed for Steyning. The opening 10 overs bowled by Buddy and Oscar was a masterclass off swing bowling that the Steyning middle order could not compete with. They were 42 for 3 after 10 overs.
Matt Ritchie and Will Reed continued the harsh attack on Steyning. A good mixture of spin and pace had the opposition bewildered. Will Reed picking up 3 wickets in his 5 overs which included a very impressive catch from Oscar. He stuck out his left hand and juggled for a bit eventually showing no mercy to the Steyning number 8.
Steyning throughout were hugely behind the rate and losing wickets frequently. This meant they ended up getting bowled out for 131 in the 25th over.
A huge win for the Wiz especially with only having 9 men allows for the winning streak to continue. Well played boys.
Please click here for the full scorecard
Will Dixon (under 16 player)
Under 14 vs West Chiltington
Please click here for the full scorecard
Under 12 vs Horsham
The U12 team travelled to the picturesque Horsham ground for the last league game of the season.
Skipper for the day Harry lost the toss and Wisborough were put into bat on a juicy green wicket, humid weather conditions and imminent rain meant this really was a day for the bowlers. Horsham are a well-respected team and their cohort of bowlers put in a good show hitting the right areas consistently and bowling very few wides. Wickets fell at regular intervals, the Wisborough batters needed to show a little more patience and technique, hats off to Henry F for top scoring with some powerful shots. There were some good partnerships towards the end of the innings with Buddy, Henry N, Lucas and Will T all batting well under difficult circumstances. In the end just 64 runs were scored.
Correctly deciding that the only path to victory was to bowl Horsham out in 10 overs the Wisborough team went for the victory. It was always unlikely but Hector, Harry and Freddie who spearheaded the attack should each be proud of their endeavours and congratulations to Freddie for his wicket. Horsham reached the total in the 14th over, a comprehensive victory.
The team was slightly deflated at the end but as we discussed in the debrief on the pitch afterwards there is much to be proud of this season resulting in a solid mid-table finish in a strong division. The squad have a lot of respect for each other on and off the field and work very well together on the field. Their awareness of match play situations is very good.
Thank you to Kirsty for scoring and to Peter for umpiring, without your efforts there would be no matches.
Please click here for the full scorecard
Phil Maggs
Under 11 girls vs Haywards Heath
The under 11’s welcomed Haywards Heath to the green for their very first outing to the hallowed turf. Hayward Heath’s parents and players commented on how beautiful our grounds are (despite the drainage channels … ). Who were we to argue – its a useful reminder how privileged and lucky we are to play on such a picturesque ground – something we all take for granted. The Green really sparkles in the sunshine – and Thursday evening was no exception. Who would want to play their cricket anywhere else ?
A couple of our players recalled playing againt Haywards Heath at their ground earlier in the season and remembered their superfast Sussex bowler bowling at over 100 miles an hour. Who could possibly forget her. Some of our players even had nightmares thinking that they would have to face her again. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when they informed us that she wasn’t playing. Phew !
Haywards Heath won the toss and elected to field first.
Harriett and Matilda batted first and it didn’t take us long to realise that the Haywards Heath speedster must have passed on all her bowing secrets to her teamates. The bowlers had very long runups and bowled at over 99 miles an hour – only a few miles an hour slower than the speedster. It was like watching Mark Wood bowling to the Australians in the Ashes at Headingly a few days ago – only faster.
All our batters looked very composed and confident at the crease but struggled to get the ball away. They stuck to the task admirably and did their best against a very good bowling attack. It was a big ask and it’s clear why Haywards Heath are top of the league – their bowling was fierce and very accurate.
Jo and Lola came into bat last and were up against particularly fast bowling. Jo however noticed that the wicketkeeper was standing quite far back and sensed an opportunity. She very cleverly came down the wicket as the bowler bowled to Lola and before you could say ‘England are going to win the Ashes’ she had already run to the other end and completed the run before the wicketkeeper realised what was going on. Lola also realised what she needed to do and quickly scurried to the bowlers end to complete the run. Smart stuff. Jo and Lola did this a number of times to great effect. It was like being given a lemon and making lemonade. Bowlers – you bowl fast – your wicketkeeper stands back – we take the runs – thank you very much. Fabulous. Jo has had a quiet season by her high standards but her overall game awareness to spot the opportunity was a delight to watch – we all need to learn from that.
A bit of rain fell but nobody seemed to notice – the girls from both teams were having fun playing cricket as they should be. What rain they asked ? Exactly ….
After a quick break for a drink and too many biscuits the teams were out in the middle again.
Our bowlers stuck to their task admirably – focussing on bowling the right line and length. It was good to see how our accurancy has improved – which just comes though practice. Our fielding was good generally and it was great to see Eva take a difficult catch and make it look so easy – it wasnt ! Eva has clearly been practicing her catching a lot (hint hint …)
Haywards Heath had a few really good batters and we had to move our fielders around a number of times to protect the boundaries.
As sharp as a button Lola noticed that one of the batters at the non strikers end was out of her crease when she was bowling and attempted a ‘Mankad’ which is when the bowler tries to runout the batter out just before she releases the ball. The umpires agreed that they wouldnt be giving players out for that in the game but it was really good and quick thinking – real cricketing intelligence right there.
The game finished with Haywards Heath exceeding our total by some margin. Congratulations to them – they were without doubt a very strong team and deserved to have won the game.
Well done to Lola who was nominated by Haywards Heath as the player of the match.
There were a lot of positives to take away from the game – our batting , bowling and fielding has improved a lot this season and the team spirit is second to none. The girls are clearly enjoying playing which is the most important thing.
As always there are areas to work on :
- Batting – we just need to ensure that we are watching the pitch of the ball closely so we are able to hit the ball cleanly. Lots of practice hitting the ball can only help
- Bowling is a very difficult skill to master and we need to keep practicing and focussing on bowling straight rather than fast – the speed can come later
- Fielding – we need to ensure that we field deeper to protect the boundaries and to walk in when the bowler bowls
Well done to the girls for another spirited performance – they continue to improve every game
Thanks to Eva’s mum for helping to sort out the refreshments and to all the girls who recognised that we all need to help pack away.
Looking forward to the tournament on Sunday. Fingers crossed for good weather.
Peter Klein
Under 10 vs Horsham Trinity
Wisborough Green v Southwater
Callum captained the team today and won the toss deciding to field first.
Our bowling attack was very good and accurate, but Southwater managed to take their opportunities finding the boundary with ease.
The fielding today was under our usual levels and showed, but credit to Brianna, Eva and Bobby A for good backing up and staying switched on.
William managed to claim a wicket, bowled, against a very good Southwater batter.
Wisborough were restricted with the bat against a very good Southwater attack, and unfortunately conceded a number of wickets bowled and run outs.
Ultimately it was a day to forget but we will learn from these types of games and especially from replicating Southwater in the field.
Darren Hunter
Upcoming Fixtures this week
All of our age group fixtures are available on the ECB’s Placycricket website – please click here for list of all of our fixtures. A hard copy of the fixture card is available at the Pavilion – please do grab a copy. Please click here for an electronic copy
A busy week of cricket ahead :
- Our First X1 are away at Felbridge at 12:30 on Saturday and our Second X1 are at home to Crawley Eagles at 1pm. Please click here for team selections
- The Under 10’s are at home to Horsham Trinity at 9:00 am on Saturday
- Our Under 16’s are away to West Chiltington on Sunday at 9am and the under 14’s are away to Loxwood at 9am
- Our under 11 Girls have their tournament on the green on Sunday at 9am and the Women’s tournament commences at 2pm.
Spotted out and about
That’s it for this week.
Have a great cricketing week 🏏😊
Cheers
Wizzy
