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» Listings for October 2008Posted on Friday Oct 3 0:00:00 BST 2008 New Skippers Blog!
Hi all I have set up this new page which will enable you to leave comments on the blog to the postings! So I am now prepared for the flack that will come!
The end!
Well the 300th game did not quite work out as we would of hoped. On the day Kempton were too strong for us, and we did not help ourselves by being off the mark with both bat and ball. But we gave it our best, and as always we enjoyed ourselves! After such a superb season it was a shame Windy could not maintain his 100+ average, but his average of 97.00 broke a long standing record belonging to Phil Murphy, who had previously held the record for the highest qualified batting average. Should also mention Hippo who had a great first season for us, and he has been a superb replacement for Cletus, who copped a lot of verbal against Kempton, but again showed great consistancy in getting into the 30's once again.
A real turn up for the book though was Space coming onto bowl and picking up two wickets in the process, his first wickets for Kings since 1995! One of his victims was Ellis so you can imagine how much that meant to him. Talking of wicket taking Pipey ended up as leading wicket taker for the third year in a row, this year with 32 beating the 29 he recorded in the previous two seasons. Coming back to the Kempton game there was two moments that are worthy of mention - firstly watching Deviant carve Alan Inwood over point for six...and 'cos it dont happen very often I thought I blow my own trumpet - nothing gave me greater pleasure than despatching Andy Ward back over his head and over the long on boundary!
All round its been a great season - 12 wins out of 18 games - and some great performances, shame we could not just turn it on one more time!
Kings 2 Nomads 0....and 300 coming up!
The boys made it two out of two over the Nomads with a 9 wicket win to follow on from the previous 10 wicket win the previous week
The final game of the season sees us play our 300th game as Kings! The match will be against landlords Kempton, a tough game is facing us, but we need to avoid a repeat of our previous game when a severely weakened Kings side lost by 8 wickets...but above all else its about finishing the season off with an enjoyable game!
Back to winning ways...and the sun shone!
At last, something like summer arrived and with it the boys put on a good performance against Rcihmond Nomads at NPL. In the first of what will be back to back games against Nomads we kept them to 174-6 in a time game, Chucky bowling a great spell of 12 overs, of which six were maidens, conceeding just 19 runs. Then a superbly paced response by Windy and Ming saw us victorious by 10 wickets, with Windy making 68 and Ming, on his 200th game for Kings, scoring 88 - an unbeaten stand of 176 in the process. Two games to go now so lets hope for some good weather to end the season with!
What a wash out!
Well, I have not now played since Sulhamstead back in July. Yet again August, and in fact the summer as a whole, has been a huge disappointment! The weather has once again failed to live up to expectation and we lost games to poor weather. In fact we played just a miserable ONE game in August and that was a hastly arranged match with Landlords Kempton which unfortunately led to a heavy defeat. But it was not just the weather that has let us down. A terrible lack of availability meant that we were down to five or at best six players!! This is unheard of in Kings history and not only calls into doubt our ability to schedule fixtures during the holiday period, let down opponents and take much needed cash from our coffers. If we can not maintain our commitment to our home games this also puts us at risk with our agreement with Kempton. They needs to be some serious talking at our AGM!! We have now not had 11 players from our own ranks since our away game at Teddington Town on 20th July! We have 3 games left now, and we need a big commitment from everyone (including the weather!) to support our commitments
For the record:
3rd August: vs TBA - Cancelled lack of availability
10th August: vs Lingfield - Cancelled - waterlogged pitch (actually had 10 players!!)
17th August: vs Kempton - lost by 8 wickets
24th August: vs Byfleet - Cancelled lack of availability
31st August: vs Pheonix - Cancelled - waterlogged pitch (had a full team, thanks to 5 players from Kempton!)
7th September: vs TBA - Cancelled lack of availability (although the weather was rubbish anyway)
What a week it has been!!
Sorry to not have been on line for a while. Its been quite a few weeks one way or another. As per the blog below the scheduled games set up versus Hayes never took place. This was due to a mix up on their part and we ended up playing Teddington Town, which resulted in an emphtaic victory with margin for us being nearly as large as the one Fancy Dans put over us. The following week we made the trip down the M4 to take on Sulhamstead & Ufton CC. On what was a very hot humid afternoon we were not helped by the late withdrawl from the side if Dave Miller, this left us with little alternative but to go into the game with 10 players. As it was some superb bowling and fielding meant that we were chasing a well under par score and despite a little hiccup midway through our innings we successfully chased down our target. Througout that game I had felt a little out of sorts and not quite myself, that night I developed terrible stomach pains and a had a temparture of 39.8 degrees. This resulted in me being admitted that night into East Surrey Hospital due to what eventually turned out to be an abcess on the bowel. Five days in hospital on an IV drip finally killed off the infection. In the meantime insufficient numbers meant the game on August 3rd was called off, as we had no opponents lined up it was not too much of an issue, but still disappointing that for the second season in a row we were unable to get a side out for that corresponding weekend. Then this week we have had the shock resignation of Michael Vaughan, and being replaced by KP....I am sure there will be plenty of thoughts as to if he is the right choice or not. Hopefully the weather will clear up in time fore this weekends game! Which as I write I think we are still waiting confirmation on an opposition for
Needless to say a week in hospital, followed by two days bed rest has meant things have fallen a bit behind on the site, and things I would have liked to have got done by now have fallen behind schedule. Averages have been update, but need to seriously get on with some match reports...so better crack on
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05.08.08
STOP PRESS!!!....No go at Hayes
So, no return to Hayes after all! Seems like their fixture sec got mixed up....shame ours did not last week!!! So, still in Middlesex its a trip to Teddington Town. Go get em boys! But not sure this will be an easy fixture BUT hopefully a lot more enjoyable than last weeks!!
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17.07.08
Just like old times......
So this coming sunday sees us revisit Hayes CC. Its some years since we were tennents at Hayes, and for some of the newer members they may not even be aware that Hayes was one of the bases the club had back in 1995/1996. We had some great times there and some memorable games. The front pitch (which we graced occassionally) was the setting of one of the worst toils of bowling you will ever see. Good old Mike Seex was plundered for 90 odd runs off his 14 overs that afternoon....and if I remember rightly I think our very own Garshman was dispacthed over the clubhouse roof in the same game for a huge maximum! But for most of us older members Hayes will be remembered for playing on the back pitch and what that entailed - who can possiby forget having to tow the scorebox/hut over with the oldest living tractor you have ever seen, and of course the time Oz was at the wheel and the box becoming un hitched and nose diving into the prestine outfield of the front square! Happy days! Shame I can't play this weekend, I would have loved to have returned to what was 'home' for those years. Good luck to the boys anyway!!
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16.07.08
 'Turkish' at the wheel of the infamous Hayes tractor with the scorebox/hut in tow. Getting it through the narrow gate between the front pitch (in the bacground) and the back pitch was always a challenge!!
It just aint cricket
Well, what a game! You have to admit it those guys at Fancy Dan certainly know how to hit a ball! Given a short boundary and a quick outfield a big score was always likely - and lets remember a par score would have been between 220-240. I will certainly take my hat off to a very talented side, with great batsmen, with a good eye and some lively accurate bowling, they certainly shaded on the 'strong' side of 'medium' strength. But lets be honest, it was one of the least enjoyable afternoons cricket I have experienced in close of 30 years of playing. Some might say I am only saying this in sour grapes after losing..but I think we all saw a side of cricket that we at Kings just find 'out of order'. I remember a guy who played for us who always had the best and newest kit, everything branded with the same makers name - he wasn't a very good player but at least he turned up dressed to play. Shame the JULC's at Fancy Dans could not be bothered to make the effort. Yeah, it was a warm day, but we expect our players and opponents to come dressed in the correct attire to play. It was unforgiveable that we had mixtures of shorts, blue track suit bottoms, blue tops, striped tops you name anything but a proper cricket kit. This was proper game not a knock around in a park - come to us, then dress the part - its just disrespectful.
But it did not stop there, add to it the fact they did not know they had to provide a ball and this was only made worse by the fact that they then introduced a new ball for the second innings without that being agreed to, or even advising the umpires (not that the first ball was much cop it was so cheap it was falling apart). But maybe the worse thing was the endless and unjustified appealing - not from just the bowler and slips, but fine leg, deep cover, square leg, in fact you name it where ever the fielders were anything that hit the pads raised frantic shouting trying to intimindate the umpires. When 'Hippo' was given not out after hitting the ground the visitors skipper then verbally abused the batsman accusing him of being a cheat. This is totally unacceptable! Any Kings umpire who dared turn down an appeal or cross them in anyway at all was ignored when arriving at the crease to bat - no applause - no respect - where is the game when there is no respect for the opposition?
I could add more - the leg side wides (after we agreed not to play this rule), Kings not being appluaded off at tea...of course the JULC's tried to leave without paying for tea (they had already made it clear they expected a banquet for their £40 and I guess not being impressed decided to try and do a runner! (by the way they brought their own anyway - a huge great cake). Finally, this is sunday cricket, not league, its about making the most of a sunny afternoon, having a good game, played in the right spirit and having a friendly beer afterwards. The JULC's made it very clear that they had one thing and one thing only on their minds - victory at all cost, there was no attempt to open up the game (despite defending such a large total), and certainly no intention of any friendly interaction with their opponents. If thats the way people want to play then thats fine...but dont come and play us..'cos that sort of game is not welcome at Kings...
Compare the JULC's of the Fancy Dans versus the fabulous bunch of guys at Portslade - the difference could not be wider! I only hope the reputation of the Fancy Dans spreads quickly and they dont expose some other good clubs to their total lack of respect for the game. They were a team of highly talented players, who played superbly, I would be the first to admit that and they would have gained my full respect had they not shattered it in so many other ways. Thankfully teams of the likes of the Fancy Dans are limited!
ps: and well bowled Pipey! 5 for 15 was a great return against some powerful hitting!
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14.7.08
Another tour to remember
Well, the rain on sunday was unwelcome and the cancellation of the Crowhurst game was a disappointment. But lets be honest I think some of the guys we hardly in a fit state to stand let alone play cricket! Certainly it is the worst I have ever seen 'Chucky' and 'Foggy' ever look! But all-in-all it was a tour to be held up against many of the great ones that have gone before. After the farce of the getting the clubhouse opened the game at Crawley was a pleasing victory and it was good to see how the oppo were struggling with coping with the pressure we put them under, but when the roles were reversed we held our nerve in the near darkness. I was just so glad their last man picked out 'Roy' in the darkness...another over from M'nig may have been interesting. Without doubt the game of tour was Portslade - what a great bunch and what a match. In fantastic weather the boys plundered runs on what had to be the quickest outfield I had seen in a long time. Shame 'Roy' and 'Hippo' decided on jug avoidance - but great knocks from them both, it would have been 'Hippos' maiden Kings century..oh well, next time. Of course the 'Wind' went on to carry his bat (again) making it 206 runs in two knocks and not being dismissed for 80 overs - and boy did I hear all about it on the drive home on Sunday afternoon. It was great to have 'Garsh' back in the fold again - we've missed the geek! - and even more pleasing that he should finally get those four wickets he has been after for so long to finally drag him to 300 career wickets, he has deserved it after all the years of toil he has put in. Back to Portslace, it was so refreshing to be made so welcome, and with an oppo who seemed to be on our wavelength completely. It was a nice touch getting a shield as a momento of our visit, and of course we left them with an honoury 'spitter' to grace their bar with! Another face it was good to see was that of 'Space' who of course lives that way, and it was great that he popped down to both Crawley and Portslade to watch part of the game...and then invite us back to his fav curry house Saturday night - great food and superb value! (thanks to M'nig for getting the club cash out!) At least the sun shone for part of the it (unlike 2007) and I think everyone had a great time, which is what it all about. All in all it was a great weekend, as always over far too soon, and plenty of credit must go to 'Foggy' and 'Turk' for their work in getting it sorted. Just need my tour shirt now to keep as a reminder...did the 'turk' ever pay the big fine he promised? In fact did we ever see the whip money again............................???
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8.7.08
 Garsh - 300 up! seen in action against Kings playing for Imber
 The 'tourists' watch on at Crawley
So near....and yet so far!
So another great game against the lads from Imber. This time no repeat of the last ball..last wicket loss we suffered earlier in the season, instead this time we experienced a run fest as Windy went on the rampage. Our Chairman successfully completed his 7th Kings century (just one behind his old rival Ming) as he carried his bat for a superb 121. It was a King p.b. for Windy beating the 113 he made against Hawley, and he was close to surpassing Ming's record score of 124 against Blagdon Hill. However with six needed off the last ball to pass the record Windy could manag just two, leaving him 3 runs short or equalling the record. Windy's knock was the 3rd highest score made by a Kings batsman, behind Mings record score and one run shy of Stuart 'Sticky' Edwards 122 against Pyestock. No matter, it was superb innings and one that set us up for victory! In the same game it was great to see Garsh again, he may have been playing for the oppo but it was good just to see him on the field again - even more so that he was bowling so well, even claiming two prized scalps in Ming and Hippo. Unfortunately he was snaffled at second slip by Windy off Chucky's bowling and we were deprived of a Garsh dazzling innings!!!!
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30.06.08
  Left: Windy celebrates his century - Right: Garsh is first to congratulate Windy and Chucky on their innings |
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