Western Telegraph Match Report, 12th July 2006.
Neyland Match Report
Neyland vs Cresselly. League fixture, Saturday 8th July 2006. Umpires: Trevor Evans & Hilliard Davies.Cresselly’s Lyn Richards won the toss and put Neyland in to bat. Lyn was extremely pleased to win what he claimed to be his first toss all year, and proceded to celebrate exhuberantly on the wicket. Neyland were intending to bat anyway.
Paul Murray and Gregg Miller opened the batting as usual for Neyland, and the scoreboard was soon ticking along quite nicely, despite some variable bounce. Gregg gloved a lifter down to third man for a single, and there were a few deliveries that kept fairly low, but he continued to play some nice strokes, in particular a straight drive over the bowler Huw Neale’s head, one bounce into the hedge for four. However, having dropped mid off back fifteen yards Gregg failed to clear the fielder and was caught by Lyn Richards off the bowling of Huw Neale for 20, with the score on 32 for 1 in the eighth over.
Andrew Miller then joined Paul Murray in what proved to be a valuable stand of 78. Sion Jenkins, bowling up the hill, began to bowl a shorter length which on the fast Neyland wicket initially proved a handful. However both A Miller and Murray play some nice pull shots for four and runs continued to come off Neal at the other end. The opening bowlers both finished their spells after 7 overs, with the score on 59 for 1 after 14 overs.
Richard Harris and Lyn Richards then took over for Cresselly, and then wily old bowlers immediately found their range conceding only 9 runs off the next six overs. Richard Harris, having taken over 40 wickets already this season, bowled a consistent line and length, with very little pace, but very straight, encouraging the batsmen to drive in the air. But having got through this tight period Richards then began to lose his accuracy a little, and began to concede a few more runs. Paul Murray took advantage with one particularly well struck six over long on, and a couple of well timed shots off the back foot through the off side. At the next bowling change, after 26 overs, Neyland stood at 100 for 1, and Ryan Lewis’ off spin replaced Lyn Richards’ medium pacers.
The Neyland batsmen took 6 off Lewis’ first over, with Harris continuing his fairly tight spell at the other end. But in his second over A Miller clipped a ball straight to the only fielder saving one in front of square on the leg side, having made 29, with the score on 110.
John Jones then joined Murray, but only three runs later Murray was adjudged lbw to Lewis for 52. Murray had batted excellently, being patient when required while capitalising one anything loose, striking 7 fours and one six in his 52 off 79 balls.
Jay Dunsford then joined Jones, having scored 28 and 33 in his previous two innings, and they advanced the score to 133 before Jay, having teased the Cresselly fielders with a couple of lofted shots, holed out to Simon Cole on the boundary, again of the bowling of Lewis.
From this point, at 133 for 4 in the 36th over, Neyland embarked on something of a collapse. Jeremy Charles top edged one back to Lewis for 1, and Phil Davies was bowled first ball trying to hit the ball to Honeyborough.
Phil Sutton played some nice shots in his 13 before he was caught on the boundary in the final run chase, and John Jones looked in similarly good form in his 19, before sportingly walking when caught behind following a fairly muted appeal from the bowling side. Scot John again struggled a little before falling lbw to Lewis for 5, leaving last pair Gary Lloyd and Sean Hannon to see Neyland through the 45 overs. Hannon made excellent use of the outside edge of his bat to drive the ball down to third man on a couple of occasions, and Lloyd again had one eye on the averages. Hannon finished on 8 not out and on Lloyd 6 not out, leaving Neyland 176 for 9 at tea. This looked a reasonable total but was a little disappointing given the position at 30 overs, when a score in the region of 200 looked on the cards.
Neyland opened extremely brightly after tea, with Jay Dunsford and John Jones both starting well. Jones soon removed Cresselly opener Andrew Harris for a duck, striking the off stump, leaving Cresselly 1 for 1. And the second opening bat, Julian Arthur soon followed Harris back to the pavilion, Jones again taking the wicket, clean bowling Arthur for 4.
Adam Chandler then joined Simon Cole and played the supporting role as Cole took the attack to the bowlers. Cole pulled fiercely off Dunsford, one ball striking A Miller’s forearm at midwicket and crossed the boudary at mid on. Dunsford was replaced at the far end by Gary Lloyd, having been a little unlucky in a spell of 4 overs for 24 runs. Cole continued to attack the bowling, but Neyland felt a little unlucky not to have him stumped when he had scored around 20. Cole charged down the wicket to Jones and failed to connect. Sean Hannon took the ball cleanly and quickly threw down the stumps and Cole was a little slow to return to his ground. Neyland appealed confidently but Cole was given not out.
Cole continued to drive and cut well to the boundary, but one lofted drive off Lloyd just evaded the hands of the diving Phil Sutton, running around to long on from long off.
Having progressed to 9 at the other end Chandler was then run out as the batsmen hesitated looking for a sharp single. Murray swept in and delivered over the top of the stumps to Hannon, who removed the bails leaving Chandler about a meter short.
By this time it was raining reasonably heavily. Play continued for a few overs with the ball deteriorating rapidly and becoming difficult to hold. Jones bowled fairly straight and had a couple of reasonable shouts against new batsman Phil Williams turned down.
At the end of the 15th over the umpires decided that the rain was now too heavy to continue, and play was brought to an end. Cresselly had scored fairly quickly and with a few dangerous batsmen still to come will have believed they just held the upper hand. But Neyland always looked like taking wickets, and also believed they were still in with a reasonable chance of victory.
As the rain continued to fall on the club house roof, Gareth ‘Harvo’ Phillips regailed the throng with tales of his conquering of Ibiza, but became progressively annoyed by the continued interest in his lack of a suntan. Patrick and Sean Hannon talked of their exploits on the previous evening and the older members of the team remarked how things were very different in their day.
Sean Hannon leaves the ground, reflecting that he wished he had been a smurf on the football carnival float.
League table following the abandoned match against Cresselly:
