BB V Free Foresters

B.B. 309-7d (46 overs)

F.F. 252 all out (40.4 overs)

Result – B.B. win by 57 runs

I don’t think anybody would be able to predict the events that life would bring between the Band of Brothers’ final game of 2019 against the Martlets in September and their first game of 2020 in August. And if they could, one would have thought they were mad. After quite some time without cricket, 10 months in fact, a strong B.B. team finally met once again to start what would be a shortened season against the Free Foresters. By now, everyone was familiar enough with the Covid-cricket policy, (such as sanitisation breaks and no use of the pavilion), or actually quite fed up of it. Nonetheless, Torry Hill was looking picturesque as ever, and the wicket similar to the M20. Alex Norwood-Hill was on the team sheet but at only 10:30 am that morning was discovered to be on holiday in Aix-en-Provence. Fortunately, a ringer was found at late notice thanks to Ben Regan and all was good to go. Pollington lost the toss, but the BB were put into bat.

Polly and Boucher, a familiar duo, opened up. The latter was subject to an interesting LBW decision in only the third over which was very much an ‘umpire’s call’ in terms of both line and height. New member Andy Pask came in at three and was clearly there for a good time, not a long time; the boundaries flowed, with some classy drives and a couple of opportune aerial shots. After just ten overs, thanks to Pask, B.B. were 98-1 (probably a record). He was eventually dismissed for 52 after having struck eleven fours and a six. Impressive stuff. The F.F. bowling, mainly consisting of gentle medium pace, did not seem to trouble any B.B. batsmen with Alastair Bird and Polly taking the side into lunch after some controlled and measured batting with the scoreboard reading 140-2, Pollington on 52.

The bad news of the day was that players would not venture over to the Kingsdown Estate stables for a decent lunch typically consisting of cold cut meats and a fine salad. Instead, picnics were the new thing and they certainly varied in calibre, ranging from bowls of coronation chicken to a Tesco meal deal.

The afternoon session began with the comic run out of Ali Bird after sending Polly back to his mark but forgetting that he had to get himself back to his crease too. He went for 20 but certainly demonstrated the ability of batting for long periods of time and scoring many runs – a strong new recruit to the club. Hugo Loxton-Barnard arrived in his unique style at no.5 and, like Pask but with a lot less flair, attempted to score quickly. Luck was on his side though, and with Pollington he contributed towards a partnership of 91, taking the score well over 200 after just 29 overs. Hugo fell on 47 after missing a straight one, but it’s fair to say some of the shots he did manage to execute were very fine. In the latter overs of the innings, runs continued to flow punctuated with the occasional wicket, including a cameo 33 from guest M. Collier. Pollington, meanwhile, bottled a hundred once again and was caught at long on for 90 runs.

Declaration came after 46 overs with the score reading a meaty 309-7. All to play for, with plenty of time left in the afternoon.

Finn Hulbert and Reuben Collingwood took the new rock, and the latter completely castled the F.F. opener for just one run in his first over. Some further tight bowling from both lads took the game into tea at 4:15 pm with the equation nicely poised at about 35-1. Perhaps a plus side to the covid-19 measures was that tea needed to last only 15 minutes and in no time at all, the players were back out with a good 2 hours ahead of them. Polly had opted to turn at this point towards spin bowling with the idea of giving the Foresters a sniff of victory and luring them into attacking shots. Regan settled nicely into a long spell and was constantly pushing and nurdling his offbreaks with returned success in wickets. At the other end, continued stints from Collingwood and Alastair Bird picked up a couple more wickets; each one of them catches. The game however was certainly not won by at this point. The Foresters’ number 7 bat was getting very comfortable on a deck which was still looking pristine and was happily spanking the slow bowlers around the park. He passed 50 very easily and once the F.F. skipper joined him at the crease batting at no.10, a draw was becoming increasingly likely.

After a mix-up between umpire and scorer, there were in fact two less overs left in the day than everyone thought. The two very comfortable looking batsmen had to only block out four overs. Regan’s persistence finally paid off, dismissing their no.7 for a commanding 99 runs, caught by Boucher in front of the pavilion. With two overs left, Polly took a risk and brought himself onto bowl. Very quickly it looked like a dreadful decision. Wide, four, no-ball, dot, followed by an LBW given to remove the Foresters skipper and bring the B.B. over the line with 10 balls to spare in the day. 252 all out from nearly 41 overs and it was job done at 6:15 pm.

A socially distanced team photo was followed by the routine visit to the Chequers. Business as usual once again on a glorious afternoon in Sittingbourne, and what I must say was a cracking game of cricket and a fine team victory.  

BB V Hampshire Hogs

Hampshire Hogs - 237 All out

BB - 238 for 5

BB win

Clear skies but a very chilly start; Brother Shales opting for double jumpers. greeted the Brethren as they arrived at the glorious Warneford Cricket Ground in Hampshire to conclude the 2019 season against the Hampshire Hogs. A green topped wicket meant it was agreed that the BB would bowl first if the stand in skipper, Regan, won the toss. He immediately failed to do only to be given a reprieve by his opposite number who elected to bat.

Indeed the local knowledge seemed to have benefitted the hosts as their openers shot along to 75-0 after 12 overs despite some excellent deliveries from both Middleton and Richardson, the latter in particular the unlucky bowler in a number of drops by both keeper and slips. A change of wicket keeper, with Middleton himself donning the gloves after his opening salvo with the ball, bought dividends as Richardson removed the dangerous opener caught behind the wicket. At this the scoring slowed significantly, Pollington bowling a tight spell but the dual medium pace of Norwood Hill up the hill (not over by any means!) and Henderson down it tightened the screw and the latter was rewarded; taking the second wicket to leave the hogs 136-2 at lunch. After an excellent feed our senior bowling pair continued in the same vein, although now cashing in on some looser batting, Norwood Hill returning 3-46 and Henderson 3-32 both from 10 overs although the BB’s fielding effort did leave plenty to be desired. The form in the slips continued; let no one say there is no consistency in the BB team as the culprits made up the vast majority of the team; Regan, Shales, Henderson, Middleton and Watt all to blame for dropped catches, mostly off Richardson. All told during his 14 over spell at least 5 catches were put down behind the wicket. Despite having to create around 17 chances to take 10 wickets, the brethren were pleased to dismiss the Hogs for 237, which Richardson returning 2-55 off 14 overs which with a more supportive team could easily have been 6 or 7 for.

Not many would have witnessed such a well-balanced chase as the one we were treated to by the opening pair of Deveson and Shales. They cruised through to tea unscathed, where the BB were treated to extraordinary treats in the team colours (photo below) and carried on. So secure were the pairing that the other 9 members of the BB’s attention drifted to England’s efforts at Old Trafford or in Richardson’s case, a post tea nap thus saving the team from any horrendous chat during the chase.  Deveson was eventually bowled for a well-crafted 51, including a perfect reverse sweep, to leave the score 126-1 after 29 overs and leaving the BB middle order needing 111 to win from 18 overs. Boucher played well a quickfire 13 before being dismissed to a good catch at midwicket before Pollington and Bryant were both dismissed lbw to a fine leg spin bowler. Regan offered some support but it was the undoubted man of the match, Matthew Shales who saw the brethren home. A performance for the ages despite running his captain out with 20 odd needed to win, citing having to run up the hill the ground is situated on as his excuse. Watt fell unselfishly chasing quick runs and Middleton steadied the ship to continue his unbeaten record batting for the BB but the applause was rightly reserved for Shales. His 122* off 133 balls was paced to perfection, full of cuts, flicks and brutal straight drives when necessary to win the game off the first ball of the last over.

A wonderful day to finish another fantastic BB summer, despite the rain it truly was the summer of cricket where the spirits of England’s World Cup win was replicated by the Brethren. Indeed, one which one can look back on 2019 and feel warm and affectionate about our club and our sport. Our thanks to the Hampshire Hogs for a truly exception day out and in particularly for the volunteers for a particularly memorable lunch and tea.

BB vs Sussex Martlets

BB 217-8 dec

Sussex Martlets 218 -6

Martlets Win

A hot summers day, 11 men and a wicket akin to the M25 were all but present in what can only be described as a winter warm down at Torry Hill. Following the usual midweek scramble for players in an ever-growing hostile business environment for the young working gent, the BB team emerged with 10 players - Manager Hulbert Jnr channelled his inner Solskjaer overseeing a deadline day to forget as more excuses were made than by the guards of Troy whom, I can imagine, had some explaining to do post-blunder.

I digressed.

The BB’s captain won a vital toss and, having told every man and their dogs how flat the deck always is, had a bat. From the side-line it was clear one of two things was happening – a) Brothers Boucher and Pollington had decided to try to learn the craft of batting left handed or b) it may have been a little more lively than previous outings would suggest. 

Despite the jury still being out, both Boucher (33 from 64) and Pollington (15 from 42) grafted hard and set a base for the middle order. Some choice shots and questionable attention spans couldn’t quite manage the impressive leg spin and seam combination of Nick Peters and Jordan Shaw and the BB quickly slumped to 65-5.  Despite Matt Deveson’s Noble 7 from 46 balls, Toby Russell-Vick’s valiant 0 from 10 balls and Esquire Norwood-Hill’s whirlwind 4 from 7 balls, all hope was not yet lost.

With Fred Hulbert, a relatively accomplished lower order plodder, having been asked by his slightly more dashing younger sibling to see out 20 minutes until lunch alongside specialist chatsman Matt Simpson, the skipper soon scrambled to get his pads on when Fred decided attack was the best form of defence. 

Much to the delight of the team, this tactic paid off as BB entered the break at 97-5 looking slightly more positive. The lunch break passed without drama but with the Martlets firmly in the driving seat with the BB looking like the tin cans on the back of the wedding car.

Hulbert Snr and Simpson came out aggressively after lunch, Fred sending the ball towards the model railway and Matt sending air particles in a similar direction as his tactic of play and miss until Fred is on strike paid dividends.  

Matt Simpson (18 off 45), having put on 91 with Fred, was finally undone by a ball he described as “Gatting-esque.” This brought the skipper to the crease, a brief spell of brotherly swatting was ended when Fred was removed for an innings saving 76 from 83 balls. I then proceeded to the clear the left leg at every opportunity and helpful partnerships with Jamie Henderson (2 from 6 balls) and Jack Hosgood (1* from 9), putting on 11 and 28 respectively, saw the BB finish with 217-8 declared from lots of overs.

After early movement and glimpses of a Broad-Trent Bridge style opening spell from Hosgood and Henderson, the Martlets opening pair of T Malcolm and H Loughton (100*) proved too strong as they survived until tea on 71 without loss.

Tea happened.

This fuelled a Mitchell Johnson style bumper-yorker spell from myself, which to any onlooker would probably have seemed more Mitchell and Webb as the ball seemed to end up anywhere other than the fielders trembling hands.

The pick of the bowlers was Toby Russell-Vick who hit his nagging length with Simpson up to the stumps and finished with 3-44 off 7 overs. Simpson, despite trying to do his best impression of a blind man with no hands for most of the afternoon, snaffled an impressive catch to leave the Martlets 136-4 and in danger of suffering a very English collapse. Wickets tumbled as Pollington took 2 for 26 from his 6 overs but the BB found it hard to catch the ball as the temperatures lowered to sub-arctic in the late afternoon.  A brief spell from Norwood-Hill was a last ditch attempt from the captain to prevent his early departure, but the seasoned DJ had seen enough and abandoned ship just as the game approached its final hour.

Despite slipping to 197-6, the Martlets held on to take victory by 4 wickets. Hands were shaken and emotions were stirred but the BB couldn’t quite produce the Champagne moment to get over the line.

I would like to thank the umpire Dick Ellis, scorer Mo Sher and Lady Kingsdown for their time and hospitality. The Martlets for providing another great cricket match. And finally the 10 the gave up their Tuesday to play for the BB, its much appreciated and always a pleasure!

Friendly Band of Brothers XI v Sussex Martlets XI

Tuesday, September 03 2019 (11:34) at Torry Hill

Sussex Martlets XI Won By 4 wickets

Band of Brothers XI won toss and decided to bat

 

Band of Brothers XI	Sussex Martlets XI
217 for 8 dec (57.0 overs)	218 for 6 (34.0 overs)
3 Hours, 2 Minutes.	2 Hours, 24 Minutes.

 

Band of Brothers XI

Batsman			Runs	Balls	Mins	4s	6s	Dots	S/r
T Pollington	c T Malcolm	b B Davies	15	42	44	2	0	35	35.71
T Boucher		b N Peters	33	64	72	7	0	52	51.56
M Deveson	c and b	N Peters	7	46	52	1	0	42	15.22
T Russell-Vick	lbw	b N Peters	0	10	12	0	0	10	0.00
A Norwood-Hill	lbw	b S Kojak	4	7	4	1	0	6	57.14
Fred Hulbert	c T Malcolm	b B Davies	76	83	74	11	1	51	91.57
M Simpson+		b N Peters	18	45	54	2	0	34	40.00
Finn Hulbert*	not out		47	30	31	5	2	11	156.67
J Henderson		b B Davies	2	6	7	0	0	4	33.33
J Hosgood	not out		1	9	10	0	0	8	11.11
Extras	5b 9lb 0w 0nb 0pen		14
Provisional Score For Innings			217
Penalties awarded following Innings			0
Total			217	for 8

 

Bowler	O	M	R	W	Wd	Nb	Dots	S/r	Econ	4s	6s
J Burrows	6.0	2	7	0	0 (0)	0 (0)	31	0.00	1.17	0	0
B Davies	15.0	2	70	3	0 (0)	0 (0)	64	30.00	4.67	11	2
J Shaw	7.0	3	15	0	0 (0)	0 (0)	36	0.00	2.14	3	0
N Peters	12.0	3	37	4	0 (0)	0 (0)	53	18.00	3.08	3	1
S Kojak	11.0	1	49	1	0 (0)	0 (0)	47	66.00	4.45	9	0
G Read	6.0	0	25	0	0 (0)	0 (0)	22	0.00	4.17	3	0

 

Batsman	Fall of Wicket	Partnership	Batsmen	Over
T Pollington	1-37	37	T Pollington (15) T Boucher (22)	13.3
T Boucher	2-58	21	T Boucher (11) M Deveson (6)	21.5
T Russell-Vick	3-58	0	T Russell-Vick (0) M Deveson (0)	25.3
A Norwood-Hill	4-63	5	A Norwood-Hill (4) M Deveson (0)	26.5
M Deveson	5-65	2	M Deveson (1) Fred Hulbert (1)	29.3
M Simpson	6-156	91	M Simpson (18) Fred Hulbert (68)	48.2
Fred Hulbert	7-178	22	Fred Hulbert (7) Finn Hulbert (15)	51.4
J Henderson	8-189	11	J Henderson (2) Finn Hulbert (9)	53.6

 

Sussex Martlets XI

Batsman			Runs	Balls	Mins	4s	6s	Dots	S/r
T Malcolm		b Finn Hulbert	23	27	44	5	0	20	85.19
H Loughton	not out		100	98	144	16	1	54	102.04
M Loveday	lbw	b T Pollington	0	7	7	0	0	7	0.00
P Roper		b T Pollington	26	26	30	4	1	18	100.00
M Reeve+	c M Simpson	b T Russell-Vick	3	16	17	0	0	14	18.75
J Shaw	c Fred Hulbert	b T Russell-Vick	5	7	8	1	0	5	71.43
G Read	c Fred Hulbert	b T Russell-Vick	21	15	22	2	0	3	140.00
B Davies	not out		9	10	12	2	0	7	90.00
N Peters
S Kojak
J Burrows*
Extras	14b 4lb 11w 2nb 0pen		31
Provisional Score For Innings			218
Penalties awarded following Innings			0
Total			218	for 6

 

Bowler	O	M	R	W	Wd	Nb	Dots	S/r	Econ	4s	6s
J Hosgood	4.0	0	31	0	3 (3)	1 (1)	16	0.00	7.75	6	0
J Henderson	4.0	0	30	0	2 (6)	0 (0)	16	0.00	7.50	5	0
T Pollington	6.0	0	26	2	0 (0)	0 (0)	25	18.00	4.33	3	1
Finn Hulbert	6.0	2	20	1	1 (1)	0 (0)	29	37.00	3.33	4	0
T Russell-Vick	7.0	0	44	3	1 (1)	1 (1)	23	14.67	6.29	6	0
A Norwood-Hill	2.0	0	10	0	0 (0)	0 (0)	6	0.00	5.00	1	0
Fred Hulbert	5.0	0	39	0	0 (0)	0 (0)	12	0.00	7.80	5	1

 

Batsman	Fall of Wicket	Partnership	Batsmen	Over
T Malcolm	1-71	71	T Malcolm (23) H Loughton (30)	9.1
M Loveday	2-73	2	M Loveday (0) H Loughton (1)	10.5
P Roper	3-113	40	P Roper (26) H Loughton (12)	18.3
M Reeve	4-136	23	M Reeve (3) H Loughton (14)	22.4
J Shaw	5-152	16	J Shaw (5) H Loughton (10)	24.6
G Read	6-197	45	G Read (21) H Loughton (21)	30.5

   

Match Report
Man of the Match:	Hector Loughton
Sussex Martlets win by 4 wickets. Umpires: Jim Lock and Barry Hulks Note: Band of Brothers only had 10 players.

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: J Lock & B Hulks

Scorers: M Sher

 

BB V Old Seagullians

BB 130 from 30 overs

Old Seagullians 112 from 27 overs

BB win by 18 runs

The day began with messages from those travelling from London asking if the game was on due to the torrential rain they had woken to and continued to drive through on various arterial roads leading out of the city. Further unnerved by reports of a delayed start at Lord’s in the Second Test but bolstered by sunshine in Kent and a dry forecast on the 10 O’clock News, reassurance was provided to energise the inbound convoy. This energy worked on all but poor Brother Booker’s VW Polo which shortly afterwards began flashing a fatal car warning light on its dashboard, ground to halt in the rain and was last seen being towed off the M25 with neither car nor owner ever making it to Torry Hill. Whilst deeply unfortunate for Brother Booker, it did solve the conundrum of how to provide a team sheet of 11 players to the scorer when the BB side had somehow gone from 10 on Friday morning to 12 on Saturday evening.

Right on queue the heavens opened at Torry Hill as the cars rolled up. After being deemed ‘more than a passing shower’, the tarpaulin was positioned on the square as soon as excavation from some surprisingly aggressive bramble growth was complete along with the requisite worm, snail and earth clod removal. The convoy was then mobilised to descend on the Chequers in Doddington for a pint of Shepherd Neame’s finest whilst lunch was brought forward with the hope of enabling a shortened afternoon match.

The weather finally reverted to the sunshine that had been forecast and the ensuing radiation began to do its work steaming off the small puddles on the square as fast as on the surrounding lanes. The umpires, who had been hesitant to allow any play before bowler safety could be guaranteed, finally deemed the pitch to have fulfilled their requirements at 2.15pm. A revised 30/30 over game with bowlers limited to a set of six was agreed whilst the Old Seagullians politely declined a re-toss having earlier elected to put BB in on a sticky wicket that had certainly become no less sticky in the subsequent three hours.

The strong South-Westerly wind that had helped to dry the ground now helped the Seagullian opening bowler generate some feisty pace and surprising bounce. Despite a spattering of decent boundary shots and a more than respectable run rate of 4-5, the BB top order failed to establish any real control on the game as wickets fell regularly and the score was soon 50-3 with Brothers Pyke, Baird and Regan departed. A faltering start then became a full collapse with the scoreboard rather too quickly showing seven wickets down with only a further 19 added to the total. However, a rally ensued after Brother Rice survived a hat-trick ball and established himself behind a solid forward defence. The initial steadying moved to all-out attack as BB’s ninth batsman, Henry Potter, a guest of Brother Regan brought in for his bowling, joined Brother Rice at the crease with a clear desire to go down fighting. The pair put on a much needed 46 to take the BB total to 130 hard fought runs from their 30 completed overs.

BB took to the field after tea to begin play on a continually drying wicket and outfield. There was more than a little concern that this hard-fought total could soon be chased down with frustrating ease by an Old Seagullian batting line-up that Brother Baird’s inside knowledge warned was more than capable of some destructive shot making.

The breeze had picked up though and with a fierce following wind H. Potter Esq., buoyed by his late innings batting heroics, began an electrifying spell that removed three Seagullian batsmen in his first two overs. This feat was more than equally backed up by Brother Meredith from the other end who not only removed a further member of the Old Seagullian top order but limited their runs in a similar way to his unique but effective two-step bowling run up. At the end of their combined eight over opening spell the score stood at a rather confidence building 17-4. 

Brothers Regan and Rice replaced the openers and continued the rout over the course of the next six overs by prizing out a further three Seagullian wickets for a poultry 11 runs added. With the score at 27-7 the Seagullians must at this point have been focused more on avoiding embarrassment than on reaching the BB total of 130. However, there were large cracks appearing in the BB bowling attack. Toby Lawes (a guest of Brother Meredith) who had been lined up as the fifth bowler managed to pull a muscle chasing a ball to fine leg. Brother Rice was also suffering from tender calves that were twinging sufficiently to reduce his normal cantering approach to a waddle. With sixth bowler options limited to a yip-prone Brother Baird’s slow left arm, the addition of a further 104 runs by the Old Seagullians was suddenly more achievable than an uninformed onlooker might have imagined from surveying the scoreboard.

Just as Brother Rice and H. Potter Esq. combined to great effect during BB’s innings, the surviving Seagullian fourth batsmen and their own destructive number nine combined to put on a rapid 50 runs and rocket the Seagullian total up to 81-7 from 22 overs. This total was helped tremendously by 18 runs coming from the 21st and 22nd overs sent down by an injured T. Lawes Esq. and a very slow left armed Brother Baird. Thankfully it was now time for H. Potter Esq. to return for his final two overs. His first contribution was to put an end to a relatively longstanding Seagullian partnership thanks to a sharp catch in the covers by Brother Meredith. However, the number nine batsman who had been causing most of the damage, remained at the crease on 40 and took a further seven from the remainder of Potter’s over to move the score to 88-8. With no options available other than for Brother Baird to continue into a strong wind, the batsmen continued to plunder runs at will with the score moving precariously to 100 from 25 overs.

The 26th over proved to be the turning point. It started with a single to bring their number nine on strike who then hit two meaty blows for six and four respectively and take the Seagullians to within 19 runs of the BB total. The fourth delivery was slow, short and seemingly also destined for the boundary. However, the contempt-laden square heave around the corner it provoked sent the ball hurtling towards a startled Brother Leathart who had been detailed there to save one on the 45. Brother Leathart bravely stood his ground and took a comfortably catch much to the audible dismay of the Old Seagullians as their forlorn fallen hero trudged back to the pavilion. After a scrabbled run to finish the over, Brother Meredith came on to finish proceedings by clean bowling the Seagullian number 11 with his first delivery and secure a highly satisfactory BB 18 run victory in a game that had left the bookmakers bewildered throughout.

BB V I Zingari

I Zinagri 263-6 of 49 overs

BB 166 of 38

I Zinagri win

A eclectic BB team took on a familiar IZ side at a wind beaten Torry Hill on Sunday the 11th of August.


A weekend of gales and horizontal rain made cricket look unlikely, but some skilful groundsmanship made sure that we had a wicket ready and waiting for a full day’s cricket.


Having won the toss and decided to bowl, Stand in Captain, Alex Cornwallis turned to Tom Pollington and Rory Boyd to take the new ball. Pollington, inconceivably the senior pro in this bowling pair, wisely opted to bowl with the wind behind him. A wind so ferocious that Howard the Groundsman suggested to the umpires that morning, that the sight screens be left lying flat all day, for fear of irreparable damage.


Running into the wind, Boyd bowled a tight off stump line, controlling his length well in very tricky conditions. The BB debutant was rewarded with an LBW decision after a bellowing appeal from Marcus Holden-Crawford behind the stumps. Pollington soon removed the other opener before IZ’s 3 and 4 got comfortable. Runs began to easily accumulate before lunch. Much toiling from Leggies Harry Sherwin and Tom Page, and some into the wind trudging from Tom Boucher as well and a promising spell of seam bowling from Sam Holden-Crawford, son of Keeper Marcus - none of which, yielded a break through. Lunch was taken with the BB scratching there heads looking for answers with both IZ batsman on 50 not out.


First over after lunch, a loose shot from the IZ no.4 gave S. Holden Crawford a comfortable, but composed caught and bowled. The wind felt a little less oppressive and sun shone a little brighter. At the other end Jamie Henderson was coming in of his long run up. With the wind in his sails Hendo bowled with real aggression, surely clocking speeds of 90mph plus. Throughout his spell, it felt like wickets were coming and they did, clean bowling the IZ number 3 for an otherwise chance-less 83. Another well deserved wicket fell and the game felt very much in the balance once more. Harry Sherwin picked up 2 wickets bowling leg spin, a prospect for the future for sure, but also a player who can clearly mix it with the BB senior team from, well….now.


Special mention to Rory Boyd who fielded like a maniac, Stopping some very heavily hit potential boundary balls on several occasions.


The IZ declared on 263-6 of 49 overs.


It was BB’s turn to reply.

I could go into gruesome detail, but I won’t. After 4 overs the mighty Band of Brother’s were quivering at 4 for 4. Thats 4 for 4 off 4. Ouch. The IZ opening bowlers quite simply bowled superbly and didn’t let up.


Boucher and Pollington at 3 and 6 respectively had some work to do to weather the storm (metaphorically) and weather the storm (meteorologically) if the game was to be saved, let alone give BB a sniff of getting close to the total they had been set.


Both batsman responded with gritty determination, building something of a total. Pollington hitting 3 classy drives for 4 in the final over before tea, showing that runs were possible and giving the IZ team something to ponder over tea and cake. This game was far from over.


After Tea, both batsman passed 50’s, before Pollington succame to a fantastic caught and bowled, one that just stuck in the wicket a bit. He had to go for a valiant 51. Boucher and Pollington had put on over 120.


Sam Holden Crawford soaked up the pressure well before being bowled but their brilliant off spinner. Rory Boyd took his place at the crease. His approach of attack as defence was effective for a while, carving 4 boundaries off the IZ attack, who increasingly smelt blood.


An epic battle was taking place at the other end between Boucher and Munroe, who was back on to close out the game. Eventually, Munroe got his man. Bowling Boucher with the best Yorker he has ever faced. (Think Strac vs Stokes CWC 2019) . And with that, 8 overs from the end of the game Boucher was gone for 83 off 91.



Harry Sherwin and Marcus Holden Crawford looked like they might survive the remaining danger, both resilient in defence until J Munroe struck again to remove Marcus. In came injured skipper Cornwallis. Limping from an ankle injury sustained in rugby preseason. He didn’t need to face a ball. Sherwin was caught behind with just 3 balls remaining of the game. BB just falling short of a famous attempt to save the day. From 4 for 4 of 4, BB finished with 166 of 38.


Thank you to everyone involved and congratulations on a fine bowling display from the IZ.


Until next year!


Tom Boucher

BB V Shepway Stragglers

301-7 off 47

played 244-9 off 43

Match Drawn

Whilst I will not follow Brother Boucher’s example and bulk this report out with a well suited but clearly googled Philip Larkin poem, Torry Hill really did look beautiful as the Band of Brothers lined up to play the Shepway Stragglers on the 30th of June. Some last minute changes had left the Brethren short a seamer but spirits were high despite losing the toss and being asked to field first. The start could not have been better as Hulbert immediately produce a beauty to remove Theo Allport with the very first ball of the match, well caught by Hereward Leathart who is proving an able recuit in the wicketkeeping department. The deck however was true and Jasper Smallwood and George Baker-White recovered well, both hitting a number of boundaries despite good opening spells from Hulbert and Sam Middleton (candidate). Hulbert was well rewarded by taking the outside edge of Smallwood, who was as ever looking dangerous, very well pouched by McLean at second slip. Middleton was less lucky and saw Baker-White dropped at Gully in the 30s.

After the Smallwood wicket it proved a difficult spell for the Brethren, McLean bowled well without reward and Collingwood eeked out an economical spell despite being offered no assistance from the pitch. He was rewarded as McLean took another catch on the boundary and Regan luckily picked up a wicket before lunch with yet another unspinning offbreak, at which the Stragglers were well set, 174-4 with Baker-White 89*.

An excellent feast was laid on as usual. A feature of which that is worth noting is how well mingled the two teams were at the interval, indeed most of us have been playing cricket with or against each other since our teens.  Many of the Brethren regretted double desserts when taking the field again after lunch and Baker-White moved to a well-made century in quick time. Despite wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end he was still undefeated on 150 when the Stragglers declared shortly after passing 300 despite an excellent fielding display from the Brethren, Loxbar and Radcliffe in particular throwing themselves around the surface with abandon. The mood was still confident in the BB dressing room at the changeover, the pitch was true and the outfield fast so a chase was entirely possible. Simpson and Boucher got off to a good aggressive start before the latter edged to the keeper and tea was taken with BB 53-1 after Pask had hit a couple of lusty blows into the trees. After a second wonderful meal of the day, the BB resumed, knowing only positive cricket would get them to their target. Simpson and Pask pushed ahead before the former top edged a pull to depart for a useful 33 sparked a middle order collapse as Radcliffe, Collingwood and Loxbar were all lured into false shots from the Stragglers leg spinner. Pask too eventually tried one arduous shot too many to fall for 78 and the lower order followed suit displaying a heroic, but arguably foolish refusal to play for the draw. Luckily for the BB the last man was candidate Middleton- who showed the skipper he was an least half the order too low at number 11 thus he saw off the last dozen overs with Hulbert with few dramas, finishing with the best 8 not out of the season to support Finn’s fine, match saving unbeaten 58.

BB V Sutton Valence School

BB - 252-5 (dec)

Sutton Valence School - 238-8

Match Drawn

A vibrant B.B. XI consisting of all ages arrived at Sutton Valence School on a relatively grey day, nonetheless hot and muggy. With the hopes of an unbeaten season dashed the day before up at the Hurlingham Club, a strong W was needed to be brought home.

Brother Tom Pollington on his first outing as a Match Manager typically lost the toss, however the B.B. were put into bat. Some early swing and movement off the pitch saw him bowled for no score after leaving a straight one on only the 5th ball of the innings. Anyway. In came James Bevan-Thomas who steadied the ship alongside Alastair Mavor and the two put on a steady partnership, helped by some half-volleys right in the slot and an outfield which was faster than a snooker table.

Mavor fell after around 10 overs on a tidy 17 to a good ball from the SV gap-student. Bevan-Thomas batted beautifully on his former school's wicket and drifted comfortably to 53 before being triggered LBW. He was helped along the way by some strong hitting from James Pollington (Junior BB) which included a six over square leg. Bevan-Thomas was replaced by candidate Mikey Law, also former SV, however was caught by a decent grab at short-extra cover. With one over to spare before lunch, Pollington Junior was joined by Brother Hugo Loxton-Barnard. Despite lunch looming, he kept the crowd on the edge of their seats by swinging and missing four consecutive deliveries. Lunch did finally arrive at 26 overs, with the scoreboard reading a satisfactory 113-4.

After the coronation chicken we returned to the crease and cracked on. Pollington Junior rotated the strike whilst Loxton-Barnard accelerated in his normal style, quickly passing Pollington and reaching a Chris Gayle-esque 50 in no time at all. Pollington was bowled for 31 after a big swing and was replaced at the crease by guest Jamie Drewe, the fourth and final BB member who was also a recent leaver of the school. Drewe and Loxton saw the innings through until declaration on 252-5 after 46 overs, leaving the game very evenly poised in every sense. Loxton-Barnard was left stranded on 84* and had been accompanied by a tidy 41* from Jamie.

With a short window to bowl with before tea, Skipper Polly opted to open with spin through George Wooldridge, who took two fine wickets in that time. The first was more thanks to his own father Mike keeping behind the stumps with a dexterous stumping, and the second saw George take a stunning catch himself. Tea at 4:15 pm with SV 48-2 off 12 overs; ideal scenario.

Returning for the final session, SV knew they had a shout at winning and thus went after it, which in turn brought chances for the BB. Brother Bryant snaffling a wicket and Skipper Polly with one also saw the BB with a strong chance of victory. George Wooldridge returned for another spell of off-spin and bought himself three more classy wickets to take the SV score to approximately 200-8 with 5 overs left to play. With some catches put down in the dying overs, and an SV batsman refusing to walk after a convincing edge to the keeper, the game was drawn with SV finishing on 238-8 off 47 overs.

A thoroughly enjoyable and well-contested match. Thanks to all for their contributions, until next year!

Tom Pollington

BB V Standard Athletic Club, Paris

SAC 185

BB 186 for 6

BB win by 5 wickets

---

"The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too,

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In fullgrown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh."

-  Philip Larkin,

May 2019. A fresh cricket season still just 3 games old. The nervous energy of a team reacquainting themselves with the sport and indeed with each other was palpable on Saturday when the BB hosted touring side, Standard Athletic Club from Paris.

Upon winning the toss, the splendidly blazered SAC skipper, thrown by the morning’s rain,  began snuffling and crawling around the wicket, flip-flopping between decisions before settling on having a bat.

In the field, Brother Boucher (doing the honours as Match Manager for the first time, having dodged the responsibility for years) quickly and shrewdly highlighted Brother Shales as a very capable “on field” captain, allowing Boucher to focus on a small off field issue in the catering department, collecting match fees and of course making sure the flag stays flying. 

It was Brother Booker, in his freshman year as a club member, who drew first blood. Firstly clean bowling their numéro deux, before The SAC captain, a century maker last year, skied one. Sam Middleton (more about him later) caught a blinder over the shoulder. Fans of sixth tier of English football will know that at key moments in the game, Dulwich Hamlet FC fans will shake their keys in the air (car, house or other) at key moments. I didn’t have my keys on me whilst fielding at 2nd slip, but if I had, I’d have shaken them at this; a key moment.

Booker & Pollington continued an impressive opening spell of bowling. As Bother Shales eloquently put it, “If you’ve only got two bowlers, you just keep bowling them”. 

They say catches win matches, I’d add that GREAT catches MAKE matches. The SAC top order, with the exceptions of Bookers’ clean bowled wickets, all fell to worldies. There was Middleton’s over the shoulder grab, Young Felix Connell holding his nerve to claim a ball that came down with icicles on it, and then there was Brother Bryant’s full stretch-one-handed-blink-and-you-miss-it catch in the covers. Moments like these make a day of cricket. Well held lads. 

Wickets fell steadily and the SAC where unable to gain any true momentum. Felix Connell bowled well, picking up a wicket, with Father, Brother Connell (Rupert) keeping superbly all morning. His name now firmly etched into the shortish list of Keepers in the club, whether he likes it or not. Brother Page joined in, bowling his stiflingly effective leggies to claim a scalp.

Looking around at his bowling options, Brother Shales turned to Alex Bryant, encouraged (read: thrown under the bus) by his Saturday veg mentor, Brother Brown. Bryant, a man who had a near terminal case of the yips last season, was a risk. A risk that only a captain might take if he knew his name was not officially associated with captaining this fixture. Bryant rewarded Shales with a complex spell of, what he calls “wobbly stuff”. All of it right on the money. 3 wickets later, Brother Shales could be called a Yips Healer. A soothsayer that puts his faith in those bowlers that need it most. 

Meanwhile, somewhere on the Kingsdown Estate Brother Berger was revelling in the etherial lushness of the English countryside in May. He of course made sure he fielded everything that came his way, faultlessly I might add.

The SAC we bowled out for 185 from 36.1 overs and it was BB’s turn to reply. 

Shales, Page, Pollington at 1,2,3 felt very, very strong, which is why when two of the elder statesman of the club fell cheaply, a hush of disbelief fell over Torry Hill. BB 6 for 2, in at 4, guest, Sam Middleton, fresh from a charity game he played in mid July 2018. He was focussed and determined to impress.

The next hour flew by as the “tons”, Polling & Middle, effortlessly carved the ball into the long, long grass, swiftly re-establishing the fixture as ours to loose. After playing superbly for 25, Pollington sadly fell to an absolutely plum LBW that he in no way can have any quibbles about. Brother Brown, came out to Middleton’s middle, cap on, pub in sight. Seeing it like chou de Milan de Pontoise (google it) Brown contributed quickly, all the while Middleton playing himself into a meeting with a BB candidate form. Brown fell for a swift 21 and Boucher finding himself in the unfamiliar middle order chipped in with a few, not before flattening Middleton, who failed to get out the way of an up-ish straight drive (soz sam). Falling to another absolutely stone dead LBW à la Pollington, Boucher made way for Booker, and then Connell snr. Although the SAC bowled well and took wickets, it was inevitable that Middleton would see the BB home with a quite spiritual 92 not out. 

The BB seal victory by 5 wickets. 

And so on to The Chequers, Doddington, where The SAC Kindly presented The BB with some Product De France. A large, large bottle of red for the Club’s wine cellar and a bottle of bubbly for the Champagne moment, nay, moments, Middleton’s 92. 

A huge thank you to the SAC for a game played in the true spirit. Long may this fixture continue. A Special mention to Brother Boucher’s Brother, Capt. W. Boucher and Ms R. Wells who stepped in last minute to whip a top notch Lunch and Tea out of the bag. 

A great day had by all, and confirmation that a day of cricket at Torry Hill in late May is quite unbeatable. 

Brother Boucher

BB VS Old Seagullians

B.B. headed to Torry Hill on an overcast and gusty August morning with much anticipation as to what this new fixture against a Scottish educated side would hold in store. In typical style, at 11.20am the opposition numbered 11 and B.B. had made it up to three. Whilst this was soon tripled to nine, the swell in numbers came too late for the toss and B.B. therefore elected to bat in seamer friendly conditions.

Page and Pollington started things off against a lively opening pair. Both were thankful that the more youthful and athletic bowler had bowed to seniority meaning some of his venom was removed by the strong headwind he had been asked to bowl into. Bowling of consistent high quality continued and the scoring pace remained far from modern as regular wickets fell. B.B. were thus left on a rather precarious 118-7 at lunch with Pollington having fallen shortly before the break after a top edge whilst poised on 49.

The only thing that stopped complete B.B. doom and gloom at lunch was the Côte du Pape (a good value Rhône just outside the famous official appellation), which Hilly kindly produced and the fact that a determined Regan and Richardson were now at the crease and had not been seen to touch a drop of the wine. Cornwallis and Whyte were also left to follow them, with the latter looking to be timing his arrival from Lewes perfectly for the no. 11 berth...if not the lasagne and profiteroles.

BB's hope, and the need to consider a declaration, increased after the break with Regan and Richardson looking comfortable and scoring more freely. By 40 overs they had admirably rescued the situation to a more respectable 200 and soon after completed a match turning and emphatic 100 partnership. However, whilst the hope returned, the need for a declaration did not. Richardson was bowled soon after for 46 before Cornwallis got himself out caught and stumped in the same ball and Whyte thought safest to leave a ball that cut back and took his middle stump. This left the indomitable Regan stranded on 62 and B.B. all out for 233 with no real idea of par.

The wind had by now died a little and conditions had become rather more humid. This produced some treacherous late swing for Richardson and Cornwallis who had taken the dark, new Readers ball. Both bowled superbly against the Seagull’s top order batsmen who had shown early indications of some class with a spattering of meaty cover drives and deft glances. Perhaps as a result of being a bit too expansive for such swinging conditions, the Seagulls were reduced to 43-4 at tea with the final wicket from Cornwallis a particularly aggressive in-swinger which skittled the off stump accompanied by a loud and unexpected roar from his Hon.

B.B. had the Seagulls firmly on the ropes as the game entered the final session and the Brethren returned from their tea well fed and ready to go for the jugular. Brother's Regan, Baird and Hill played a rotating and supporting role in achieving this as Cornwallis continued his energetic disruption of their batting line-up from the far end. As Cornwallis claimed his fifth wicket in ten overs, the Seagulls appeared to have entered an irreversible nose dive at 57-6, which was only confirmed further by a somewhat dubiously granted LBW appeal by brother Hill to dismiss their captain.

Having reached 100 with 7 wickets down, the Seagulls score looked to mirror that of the B.B. earlier in the day. Whilst the tail couldn't possibly boast the talent of B.B's and the game looked safe, overs were in shortening supply as the countdown from 5.30pm was now well under way with victory tantalisingly close. Brother T Page's languid leg spin was therefore called upon to try and break a partnership developing between Hadcock H, their last remaining top order batsman now on 42 and his brother, Hadcock L who had joined him at the crease. It took one ball...a half tracker which was hit high into the now brighter Torry Hill sky with a pumped up Cornwallis waiting underneath. Despite a running commentary as to the difficulty of the catch from the fielder in question as the ball towered above him, the ball was held. Two balls later and ball was back in Cornwallis's hands after an even more impressive catch diving forwards to remove the other brother. With this the drama all but ended with Regan claiming the last man LBW and B.B. claiming an emphatic 102 run victory in this inaugural and most enjoyable fixture.

Ale was taken after the game at the Chequers in Doddington in what had turned into a balmy and bright Summer's evening.

friendly Band of Brothers v Old Seagullians

Sunday, August 19 2018 (11:21) at Torry Hill

(In Play) Band of Brothers lead by 102 runs Old Seagullians 131 all out (32.0 overs)

Band of Brothers won toss and decided to bat

Band of Brothers

Pollington TA c Walters H b Walters F 49 Page TE c Loughton H b Boyd F 4 Henderson JM c Loughton H b Hadcock L 8 Baird AJI* c Loughton H b Boyd F 17 Page EM b Hadcock L 1 Loxton-Barnard H (+) b Walters H 29 Norwood Hill AG b Walters F 4 Regan BMH not out 62 Richardson PB b Codrington L 46 Cornwallis FAWM The Hon st Loughton H b Walters H 6 Whyte PJ+ b Walters H 1 Extras b2 lb2 w0 nb2 pen0 6 Total (46.0 overs) 233

 

1-12

2-27

3-47

4-52

5-110

6-116

7-118

8-220

9-227

10-233

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Boyd F 8.0 0 46 2 0 (0) 0 (0) Hadcock L 8.0 2 35 2 0 (0) 2 (2) Walters H 9.0 3 24 3 0 (0) 0 (0) Walters F 11.0 1 49 2 0 (0) 0 (0) Codrington L 7.0 0 50 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Don D 3.0 0 25 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Old Seagullians

Loughton H+ b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 13 Smith T c Whyte PJ b Richardson PB 4 Codrington L c Page TE b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 7 Hadcock H c Cornwallis FAWM The Hon b Page TE 42 Don D b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 2 Hadcock N c Whyte PJ b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 7 Baird J b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 1 Walters H* lbw b Norwood Hill AG 11 Hadcock L c Cornwallis FAWM The Hon b Page TE 14 Boyd F not out 16 Walters F lbw b Regan BMH 1 Extras b11 lb0 w2 nb0 pen0 13 Total (32.0 overs) 131

 

1-17

2-17

3-39

4-43

5-55

6-57

7-79

8-106

9-106

10-131

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Richardson PB 6.0 0 21 1 1 (1) 0 (0) Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 10.0 3 31 5 0 (0) 0 (0) Regan BMH 5.0 2 14 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Baird AJI 2.0 0 11 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Norwood Hill AG 4.0 0 21 1 1 (1) 0 (0) Pollington TA 3.0 1 5 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Page TE 2.0 0 17 2 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: B Hulks & I Fraser

Scorers: DJ Gittings & none provided

 

BB V I Zingari

After the summer heatwave, the Brethren arrived at Torry Hill to find an autumnal scene with overcast skies and strong winds, and were relieved to see the fruits of Howard’s efforts in the form of yet another excellent pitch, despite the ground having been under water earlier in the week.

It came as a surprise therefore when the IZ captain, on winning the toss, elected to bat, ignoring both local conditions and past form (BB having chased down a number of good totals in recent years).

With the forecast showers remaining at bay, it was with palpable relish and a spring in their step that the assembled battery of BB bowlers took to the field; such enthusiasm proved to be well-founded as Toby Pettman and Alex Cornwallis found good swing and seam movement in the early overs to go with some accurate bowling which was rewarded with one wicket apiece.  Hector Raw maintained the high standard of bowling with a very tidy spell of 1 for 25 off his 7 overs.  After a first hour in which the run rate remained low, IZ then consolidated well in the next hour before lunch, putting away the bad balls and riding their luck with a few dropped catches (Hugo Pettman with his spitting leg breaks the unluckiest of the bowlers).  Piers Richardson and Ben Regan also bowled well for little reward during the session.

Fortified by an excellent lunch, the B.B. then enjoyed an inspired session in the field including a spell in which 5 wickets fell for only 10 runs.  Golden Arm Marriott picked up a brace of wickets with some wily swing bowling into the wind and Toby Pettman returned at the pavilion end with a superb spell of fast bowling bringing about three further wickets including a very slick catch by Regan in the slips, snaffling  a drive that was travelling at high speed with nonchalant ease, marred only by a slightly bemused expression on registering what had just happened.  Thereafter the IZ demise was swift as the BB bowlers maintained the pressure, with Piers Richardson and Hugo Pettman rewarded for their pre-lunch toils.

The B.B. openers Jamie Henderson and Alistair Mavor then set about chasing the target of 191 in contrasting styles:  Mavor, in good nick, was all wristy punches through the off side as he raced along quickly to 23, whilst Henderson initially struggled to get bat on ball.  All of a sudden though, Hendo laced a ball through the covers with a resounding thwack that echoed around the otherwise serene Kentish countryside and never looked back, unfurling a succession of stylish boundaries to all corners in his compilation of a very  well-made 60no.  With Mavor’s innings brought to an end with a smart, low catch in the gulley, Regan then joined the fray, maintaining the run rate with his usual brand of swashbuckling batting so that at tea BB were well placed with only 91 needed and 9 wickets in hand.  Tea clearly did not agree with Regan as he lobbed an innocuous ball down mid on’s throat immediately on resumption, bringing Ed Solly to the crease.  Ed was obviously a man in a hurry as he proceeded in very calm fashion to a 23 ball fifty, timing the ball beautifully; this was a fitting way to seal victory, the highlight being an enormous straight six clattered into the tree at the pavilion end.

So a convincing win for B.B. in what was, as always, a very enjoyable day at Torry Hill.  Gracious in defeat, IZ vowed to come back stronger next year and so we look forward to the next instalment of this great fixture.

Marcus Pyke

friendly Band of Brothers v I Zingari

Sunday, August 12 2018 (11:26) at Torry Hill

Band of Brothers Won By 8 wickets

I Zingari won toss and decided to bat

I Zingari

Hardy J*+ b Pettman THS 2 Clarke T c Pyke MJA b Marriott TH 63 Troughton A lbw b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 2 Jackson J c Pettman HPN (B) b Raw HRF 6 Bristow G b Pettman THS 52 Hovey R b Pettman THS 0 Bidie A c Regan BMH b Pettman THS 0 Portal R c and b Marriott TH 0 Hall R c and b Pettman HPN (B) 22 North G not out 7 Bristowe O b Richardson PB 7 Extras b10 lb7 w7 nb4 pen0 28 Total (44.3 overs) 189

 

1-8

2-21

3-58

4-136

5-144

6-144

7-145

8-146

9-180

10-189

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Pettman THS 13.0 3 20 4 1 (1) 4 (4) Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 6.0 0 18 1 2 (2) 0 (0) Richardson PB 6.3 2 10 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Raw HRF 7.0 2 25 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Pettman HPN (B) 7.0 0 64 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Regan BMH 2.0 0 16 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Marriott TH 3.0 0 19 2 3 (4) 0 (0)

 

Band of Brothers

Mavor AJR c Hall R b Bidie A 23 Henderson JM not out 60 Regan BMH c Bidie A b Hall R 30 Solly ESC+ not out 66 Pyke MJA* Marriott TH Pettman THS Pettman HPN (B) Raw HRF Cornwallis FAWM The Hon Richardson PB Extras b8 lb0 w2 nb1 pen0 11 Total (25.1 overs) 190 -2

 

1-43

2-105

3-

4-

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Bristowe O 5.0 1 26 0 1 (1) 0 (0) Bidie A 6.0 0 45 1 0 (0) 1 (1) North G 7.0 1 45 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Hovey R 2.0 0 14 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Hall R 4.0 0 40 1 1 (1) 0 (0) Portal R 1.1 0 12 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Cloudy Pitch: not reported

Umpires: B Hulks & I Humphrey

Scorers: DJ Gittings

 

BB vs Junior BB

Chief’s XI 208-6 dec 

Junior B.B. 169-9

Match drawn

The annual match between the Chief’s XI and the Juniors could not have been played in more different weather to 2017, when the pitch was almost waterlogged. This year, it was so hot that the umpires asked for drinks every 45 minutes in the heat of the day. 

Mike Churchill, Captain of the Chief’s XI, won the toss and sensibly opted to bat. 

The Juniors opened the bowling with the all Tonbridge pairing of Ellis Winsper (2-45) and Rufus Pullen (1-28). They bowled an excellent spell, making Churchill and Shales play more than not. Ellis produced 2 cracking deliveries early on to clean bowl the Captain and Tom Pollington, returning to play against the Juniors that he captained last year. This left the Chief’s XI on 4-2. 

Cooper (31) and Shales consolidated well with a partnership of 66 before Sam Huggett (1-39) was rewarded for his accuracy and flight by picking up the left handed Cooper LBW. Things looked well set with Shales and McConnel (15) as lunch approached, when the Junior Captain Hugo Pettman (2-26) came on with his leg spin.

He mixed his variations well and snared McConnel and Davey in the over before lunch thanks to smart catches by Nicholls and Huggett. This left the game interestingly poised at 110-5. 

After a splendid lunch, generously provided by the Chief, the experience of Seb Pollington (12) showed as he and Shales took the score to 155, before the Colonel was bowled by Pullen. This brought Fred Hulbert (21*) to bat, and he guided Matt Shales to a tired and deserved century (105*) in a 7th wicket stand of 53*. This was a terrific innings in tough conditions, with barely a chance given. It set up the opportunity for the adults to declare on 208-8 off 50 overs. 

The Junior captain switched his bowlers deftly to avoid long spells in the sapping heat. All performed creditably, including miserly spells from Oli Healy (0-12) and Alex Moen (0-17).

In reply, the Junior BB lost George Skinner and Nico Bryan cheaply to a sharp opening spell by Josh Weller. Alex Moen (56) and Tom Nicholls (72) rebuilt sensibly, taking no risks especially against Fred Hulbert who bowled a continuous 12 over spell in the heat without reward. Their excellent partnership of 87 was a mix of positive drives and sharp singles. 

The asking rate was not high, but it was rising all the time. With 20 overs to go, they needed five per over. However after young Ed Springett removed Moen, caught behind down the leg side, the momentum stalled. 

Ed bowled a 9 over spell earning 5-24 and looks a good find for the Club. He removed the middle order as Tom Nicholls stood firm at the other end. 

Captain Churchill turned to last year’s unlikely bowling success to remove Tom, who had been in excellent form for the Juniors this year. There followed an epic battle of cat and mouse between the bowler’s ‘spin variations’ and the attacking instincts of the batsman. 

Twice Tom escaped a chance to deep mid wicket, before holing out at long on for 72 where Seb Pollington took the catch for his old school mate with aplomb. The combined age of catcher and bowler was 101, which might be some sort of record. This effectively ended the run chase. 

Despite a tense last few overs, the Juniors just held out for a draw and ended up only 38 runs short. It was a good game played in a strong spirit which leaves the club in an excellent position for the future. I hope that many of the Juniors will graduate to become full playing members. 

Many thanks to the Chief for his support and hospitality on the day, and also to all who played and came to watch.

Man of the match - Matt Shales for his 105*. 

Mark Pettman

Junior B.B. Organiser

BB V Belmont House Trustees XI

BB 214 for 4 dec 

Belmont House Trustees 179 for 9

Match drawn

On the day of the World Cup final, the Band of Brothers and Belmont House Trustees served up a match every bit as entertaining as France’s 4-2 win over Croatia. It ended in a winning draw for BB, who were unable to claim the final Trustees wicket in the last couple of overs.

BB had set the hosts 215, with Alastair Mavor scoring a classy 72 in extremely hot conditions. He had a reprieve when put down at mid-off early in his innings but after that he looked in complete control, adding 58 for the first wicket with Oscar Ratcliffe (15). Matthew Schilder struck the only six of the day in an entertaining knock before lunch, while skipper Alex Rice and Charlie Hamilton put on 50 to set up the declaration. Brother Rice was 46 not out at the time, so his declaration was either a commendable act of selflessness or blatant jug avoidance.

The Trustees’ reply, as often happens in this fixture, got off to a strong start, adding 85 for the opening wicket. But a run out provided the vital breakthrough and five wickets fell in the next ten overs. The pace of Charlie Hamilton and debutant Robin Pollok, assisted by the smart glovework of Fred Gregory, did much of the damage, while Brother Carl Reading chipped in with two valuable wickets. A special mention must also be given to James Schilder, 10-year-old son of Matthew, who bowled some seriously good leg spinners and was treated with great respect by the batsmen.

Guest spinner Justin Pressland bowled a good long spell without luck but that was nothing compared to Brother Ratcliffe, who saw three catches put down in three consecutive balls. BB didn’t let their heads drop and two late wickets gave them a scent of victory, but the last wicket pair held out comfortably against a tiring attack to finish on 179 for 9.

Special thanks to the Trustees for being such generous hosts and providing a wonderful lunch and tea, which was greatly appreciated by the teams and supporters.

BB V Sutton Valence

The day was set perfectly with clear skies, belting sunshine and, as always, an immaculate wicket. The toss was had and won by B.B., the perfect start. We elected to bat, not least because of the conditions and line up but a group match of Harrykaneland vs Panama was due to be on during the first innings as well.

A strong opening partnership between Pollington and Guest G Biggs gave B.B. a great platform to work with. Strong scores from the openers Tom and George, 70 and 43 respectively, with candidate James Bevan-Thomas contributing 40 at nunver 3, we were in a strong position. However a tight spell of bowling by S.V. left the B.B. 193-5 after being 175-1, so the pressure was on over lunch. With a couple of beers to calm the nerves B.B. declared 223-8 off of 46 overs thanks to some clinical batting by Reuben collingwood at number 10.

Getting through our overs quickly and keeping the run rate down was all too easy however the S.V. defence was resolute and saw them reach 170-4 with their opener scoring 78. All this said and to take no gloss away from an impressive defensive batting display; there were some chances that went begging in the field. With 3 drops and a missed run out our guest and wicket keeper for the day had a somewhat memorable day in the field, along with his duck with the bat. Despite all this, he carried on in true B.B. spirit with a grin on his face.

Fun was had by all and the young talent within the S.V. batting and bowling units will be a strong base from which to recruit from in the coming years. Thank you to all those that were involved in what I would chalk down as a winning draw. 

Very much looking forward to next years encounter.

BB V The Stragglers of Asia

BB vs Stragglers of Asia - Sunday 17th June 2018

After an immense struggle to gather a side on this Father’s Day, the Band of Brothers managed to find 9 willing members to take the field. It hadn’t rained in weeks, however Brother Regan led the rain cries early that morning after a single drop of rain had fallen on this beautiful Torry Hill pitch. The wicket was flat and the outfield quick. So on this gloomy looking day, the B.B won the toss and elected to bat first.

Brother Pollington and Guest J Bevan - Thomas took to the field to kick start our innings. Some solid and fine strokes were played by both, seeing off a tricky period where the ball appeared to moving considerably. Bevan - Thomas was unfortunately denied his maiden BB half century as he was caught on 49. Pollington also made a fluid 34 before being caught out. Guest Burnap looked in fantastic shape for his 4 until, like many great players before him, fell victim to the feared ‘long-hop’ and edged behind.

In strode the in-form Brother Boucher. His presence on the pitch was felt immediately, taking control of the situation and never letting the bowlers get on top of him or the run rate. The lunch at Torry Hill was once again fantastic. A delicious chilli con carne with all the trimmings went down very well with both sides, especially the batsmen.
As play resumed, Boucher was very ably supported by Brother Radcliffe, who made a steady 28 before being trapped in front. It was a real family affair at the crease with the score at 115 - 4, as Brother Regan entered the arena. Regan lived up to his name as a stroke maker, never been one for running quick singles or between the wickets at all. The boundaries were now flowing as Boucher neared that illusive maiden BB 100. As video evidence will show, Regan celebrated the single down the long on far more than Boucher, with ‘Yes, Yes, Yes Tom!’, as he reached that century. It was a fine knock, one that was very easy on the eye.
We waited for Regan to get to his 50, which came only two overs later, to declare. We finished on 295 - 4 declared, Boucher and Regan finishing on 119* and 51* respectively.

The BB then had a tough task to fit plenty of over in before tea, which we did well. Brother Cornwallis and Brother Meredith started well, keeping it tight. However The Stragglers of Asia made it through to tea unscathed. Again, another fantastic tea.
Burnap and Regan were brought on together to help up the overrate. However we never substituted quality for speed, and they both bowled brilliantly with Regan taking a vital wicket just after tea. Brother Richardson came into the attack and immediately got the treatment with some high class hockey strokes. Burnap and Regan continued to chip away in the middle overs, and once we had caught up the overrate it was time for the return of the Meredith. This was a scintillating and eye catching spell of bowling. He removed their man well set on 78 with a peach of a delivery, and was constantly asking questions of their batsmen. At the other end Burnap got the very valuable scalp of Brother Shales, another almost unplayable delivery. Richardson finally got the wicket he definitely didn’t deserve, and bowled alongside Pollington in attempt to remove the tail. But the Stragglers held strong, with Pollington managing one wicket from his spell, and Regan competing fiercely to try and take the last few wickets. The final pair batted very sensible to be able to see the game out.

All in all the draw was a fair reflection of the game. Fun was had by all and the game was played in wonderful spirit. Thank you to the opposition and moreover all the Brothers that played.
I very much look forward to next year’s fixture.

friendly Band of Brothers v Stragglers of Asia

Sunday, June 17 2018 (11:33) at Torry Hill

Drawn

Band of Brothers won toss and decided to bat

Band of Brothers

Pollington TA c Baxter T b McDuell J 34 Bevan-Thomas J (g)+ c Trapani N b McDuell P 49 Burnap T (g) c Trapani N b McDuell J 4 Boucher TRC not out 119 Ratcliffe OJK lbw b Asher A 28 Regan BMH not out 51 Richardson PB* Cornwallis FAWM The Hon Meredith WCO Extras b1 lb3 w3 nb3 pen0 10 Total (49.0 overs) 295 -4d

 

1-58

2-73

3-115

4-212

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb McDuell J 13.0 0 78 2 1 (1) 1 (1) Asher A 12.0 0 93 1 0 (0) 1 (1) Franks A 8.0 0 52 0 2 (2) 0 (0) McDuell P 12.0 1 39 1 0 (0) 1 (1) Shales Matt 4.0 0 29 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Stragglers of Asia

Russell W b Meredith WCO 78 Cavanagh M lbw b Regan BMH 16 Baxter T b Burnap T (g) 22 Pilcher H b Burnap T (g) 4 Shales Matt* b Meredith WCO 16 Franks A b Richardson PB 9 McDuell J not out 36 Asher A lbw b Pollington TA 3 McDuell P not out 22 Trapani N+ Extras b2 lb4 w8 nb0 pen0 14 Total (48.0 overs) 220 -7

 

1-59

2-102

3-106

4-134

5-150

6-172

7-177

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 8.0 0 35 0 6 (6) 0 (0) Meredith WCO 8.0 1 24 2 1 (1) 0 (0) Burnap T (g) 7.0 1 36 2 1 (1) 0 (0) Regan BMH 12.0 0 56 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Richardson PB 9.0 0 54 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Pollington TA 4.0 1 9 1 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: B Hulks

Scorers: DJ Gittings & D Meredith

 

BB V The Hurlingham CC

friendly Hurlingham Club v Band of Brothers

Saturday, June 16 2018 (10:55) at Hurlingham Club

Hurlingham Club Won By 4 wickets

Hurlingham Club won toss and decided to field

Band of Brothers

Streatfeild RB lbw b Kennedy S 1 Page TE b Kennedy S 18 Munton CF c Dabby G b Salt E 33 Regan BMH+ c Stirling H b Kennedy S 8 Lowe EJA (g) c Salt E b Kennedy J 36 Norwood Hill AG c Kennedy S b Kennedy J 0 Wilkes-Green JNL not out 73 Wilkes-Green JJ c and b Kennedy S 68 Calvocoressi CJ* run out (Kennedy S) 0 Harman P (g) c Maxwell A b Stanton J 8 Paget HAW lbw b Kennedy S 0 Extras b7 lb6 w6 nb1 pen0 20 Total (49.4 overs) 265

 

1-17

2-22

3-39

4-101

5-101

6-101

7-228

8-228

9-263

10-265

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Stanton J 10.0 3 50 1 2 (2) 1 (1) Kennedy S 10.4 2 67 5 4 (4) 0 (0) Kennedy J 10.0 1 54 2 0 (0) 0 (0) Salt E 12.0 1 58 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Maxwell A 7.0 1 23 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Hurlingham Club

Hatteea S b Calvocoressi CJ 102 Bowie J b Munton CF 83 Razvi S c Harman P (g) b Calvocoressi CJ 15 Stirling H+ c and b Wilkes-Green JNL 4 Dabby G c Munton CF b Harman P (g) 5 Salt E not out 28 Maxwell A c Wilkes-Green JJ b Calvocoressi CJ 4 Atkinson J* not out 4 Stanton J Kennedy J Kennedy S Extras b7 lb5 w3 nb6 pen0 21 Total (41.1 overs) 266 -6

 

1-130

2-208

3-213

4-227

5-243

6-256

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Harman P (g) 7.0 1 39 1 1 (1) 0 (0) Lowe EJA (g) 4.0 0 47 0 0 (0) 5 (5) Munton CF 7.0 1 42 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Wilkes-Green JJ 1.0 0 13 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Wilkes-Green JNL 13.0 0 63 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Paget HAW 2.0 0 18 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Calvocoressi CJ 7.1 1 32 3 2 (2) 1 (1)

 

Weather: Cloudy Pitch: not reported

Umpires: H McDonagh & S Glass

Scorers: DJ Gittings & P Readman

 

BB V The Royal Engineers

Royal Engineers Won By 7 wickets

Brother Marriott lost the toss and The Royal Engineers asked The Band of Brothers to bat first on a murky day in the medway. Rather ominously, the opposition then proceeded to complete an extensive warm-up. 

However, as Pollington Snr and Pollington Jnr strode to the crease we felt confident of posting a competitive total. Tricky conditions and excellent opening spells from The Royal Engineers dampened our spirits somewhat, as the BB immediately fell to 0-2. Tom Pollington (37) and Phillip McCormack (Guest, 40) fought back valiantly, patiently guiding us to 84-3 at lunch. Brother Boucher's excellent unbeaten 50 - ably supported by a swashbuckling 18 from Brother Hill - then lifted the BB to a respectful 198-8 declared. 

Superb spells from Pollington Jnr and McCormack put the Engineers under pressure, before Reuben Collingwood bowled a beautiful delivery to break the opening stand. Unfortunately for the BB, the sunshine arrived after tea, making it perfect batting conditions for the Royal Engineers. We were determined the make the run chase as difficult as possible, and I was proud of our fielding and bowling performance - highlighted by a wonderful catch from Brother Boucher as the game was nearing its end. Unfortunately for the BB, The Royal Engineers chased down the total with 10 overs to spare. 

As usual, the game was played in a wonderful spirit. We must thank The Royal Engineers for their hospitality, which included post-match beers and pizza to help heal our wounds. 

friendly Royal Engineers v Band of Brothers

Sunday, June 10 2018 (11:02) at The Nore Brompton

Royal Engineers Won By 7 wickets

Royal Engineers won toss and decided to field

Band of Brothers

Pollington TA c Parton M b Beal L 37 Pollington Col ST b McLennon N 0 Collingwood RC (+) b McLennon N 0 McCormack P(g) c Seton-Rogers C b McLennon N 40 Bryant A (g) c Seton-Rogers C b Apps P 1 Boucher TRC not out 50 Regan BMH+ lbw b Beal L 12 Mavor AJR run out (Green A) 1 Norwood Hill AG c Reed C b Apps P 18 Marriott TH* not out 24 Marriott Tim Extras b5 lb4 w3 nb3 pen0 15 Total (57.0 overs) 198 -8d

 

1-0

2-0

3-84

4-85

5-89

6-113

7-120

8-152

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Johnson J 14.0 4 34 0 1 (1) 0 (0) McLennon N 10.0 1 26 3 1 (1) 0 (0) Parton M 10.0 2 49 0 1 (1) 1 (1) Seton-Rogers C 4.0 0 12 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Beal L 11.0 3 23 2 0 (0) 0 (0) Apps P 8.0 1 45 2 0 (0) 2 (2)

 

Royal Engineers

Phillips A b Collingwood RC (+) 21 Claytor A lbw b Pollington TA 11 McLennon N retd, not out 50 Parton M c Boucher TRC b Marriott TH 55 Apps P not out 37 Seton-Rogers C not out 2 Reed C*+ Beal L Johnson J Green A Extras b8 lb0 w9 nb5 pen5 27 Total (36.1 overs) 203 -3

 

1-39

2-55

3-189

4-

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb McCormack P(g) 9.0 1 41 0 3 (3) 0 (0) Pollington TA 12.0 1 47 1 3 (3) 0 (0) Collingwood RC (+) 6.0 0 32 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Norwood Hill AG 6.0 0 49 0 2 (2) 1 (1) Bryant A (g) 2.0 0 14 0 1 (1) 4 (4) Marriott TH 1.1 0 7 1 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: C Stokes & G Horne

Scorers: DJ Gittings

 

BB v SAC

BB v SAC Sunday 27th May 2018

The Band of Brothers hosted Standard Athletic Club of Paris on a warm, pollen-filled Saturday at the end of May in what was a run-fuelled, but ultimately slightly one-sided encounter.

SAC’s captain won the toss, and having given his decision considerable thought, elected to bat first.  Following an impromptu and bizarre health & safety briefing from the umpire, the two sides took the field.  Nick Wright (guest) – probably the pick of the bowlers – bowled superbly, regularly beating the Parisians’ edges.  Ably supported by Brother Henderson at the other end, Wright made the early breakthrough, removing Kumar for just 1 with the score on 13.

Half an hour into the SAC innings, Alex Bryant (guest) arrived and took to the field, and was warmly welcomed by all – most of all the captain, who until that point hadn’t realised he was one fielder short.

The Brethren had to wait until the score was on 138 until the second wicket fell, this time to Brother Tom Pollington, who bowled an impressive and miserly twelve over spell.  With the score on 253-3, and the captain having been run out for a gritty 109, SAC declared, having batted for 44 overs.

Brother Tom Page and Harry McInley (guest) opened the batting and the pair rapidly reached a 50 partnership.  Page was arguably unfortunate to have been given out LBW playing a leg-glance.  His opening partner, McInley looked in fine touch, carrying his bat and ending up on 124*, having been ably supported along the way by Brother Regan (32) and Brother Smallwood (31), amongst others.  The Brethren passed the SAC’s score of 253 in just 33.1 overs – a comprehensive victory.

As ever, thanks must go to Lady Kingsdown and her team at Torry Hill for hosting the fixture, the caterers for a fantastic spread, and Diane for keeping score with typical precision.

Finally, our warmest thanks go to Standard Athletic Club for the match, and we congratulate their captain Alastair Thomas for his fine century against the Brethren.

Brother Charlie Munton

friendly Band of Brothers v Standard Athletic Club, Paris Standard Athletic Club Paris

Saturday, May 26 2018 (11:33) at Torry Hill

Band of Brothers Won By 5 wickets

Standard Athletic Club, Paris Standard Athletic Club Paris won toss and decided to bat

Standard Athletic Club, Paris Standard Athletic Club Paris

Thomas A* run out 109 Kumar S+ c Smallwood JJC b Wright NM (g) 1 Ayyavooraju A lbw b Pollington TA 52 Kidwell A not out 50 Riches J not out 15 Sadad S-A Earl E Groom R Shetty S Balane P Grant J Extras b1 lb2 w22 nb1 pen0 26 Total (44.0 overs) 253 -3d

1-13

2-138

3-223

4-

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Henderson JM 7.0 0 56 0 4 (4) 0 (0) Wright NM (g) 11.0 1 49 1 3 (7) 0 (0) Pollington TA 12.0 3 49 1 5 (5) 1 (1) Page TE 3.0 0 28 0 0 (0) 0 (0) McInley HPS (g) 6.0 0 28 0 1 (1) 0 (0) Regan BMH 2.0 0 20 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Pollington JS (B) 3.0 0 20 0 4 (5) 0 (0)

Band of Brothers

Page TE lbw b Sadad S-A 23 McInley HPS (g) not out 124 Bryant A (g) c Balane P b Sadad S-A 8 Regan BMH b Shetty S 32 Pollington TA c Kumar S b Ayyavooraju A 13 Smallwood JJC+ c Ayyavooraju A b Sadad S-A 31 Pollington Col ST not out 0 Munton CF* Henderson JM Pollington JS (B) Wright NM (g) Extras b4 lb1 w16 nb2 pen0 23 Total (33.1 overs) 254 -5

1-60

2-80

3-141

4-166

5-239

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Sadad S-A 9.0 0 76 3 5 (13) 0 (0) Earl E 8.0 0 59 0 1 (2) 2 (2) Ayyavooraju A 8.0 1 54 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Shetty S 7.0 0 38 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Kidwell A 1.0 0 16 0 1 (1) 0 (0) Balane P 0.1 0 6 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: D Collard

Scorers: DJ Gittings

BB V The Chief's XI

Once again we were blessed with sunny skies and good jazz for the annual inter club fixture. Cornwallis, captaining that BB-side, won the toss and elected to bowl first. A tactical choice oft deployed by the Brethren.

The Chief’s XI got off to a shaky start, an early clatter of wickets leaving the scoreboard at 26-3. However, young Tom Pollington and the veteran Matt Schilder steadied the ship, the former placing a high price on his wicket, the latter rolling back the years to flay the ball around a picture perfect Tory Hill oval. When Schilder (57) was out, tactically surrendering his wicket the last over before lunch, balance had been restored with the feast taken at 140-4. The afternoon session proved a fast paced affair; with regular wickets and a good run rate as Piers Richardson wagged the tail. Pollington fell on 90, just shy of a well deserved century but having ensured the Chief’s men had posted a par 250, with all batters back in the hutch. Captain Cornwallis was pick of the bowlers with the 5-26.

BB’s started watchfully, keen to navigate the tricky pre-tea session, Which they did for two down. Buoyed by cake and cucumber sandwiches the Chief’s men came out hard after the break picking up three quick wickets to leave the brethren on 100-5. Enter the classicist Shales (111*) to steady the ship with a mixture of doughty defence, swashbuckling counter attack and the occasional amo, amos, amat. Ably supported by Reynolds (77) , the B.B. side dragged themselves back into the hunt and with 3 overs to go faced the straight forward prospect of needing 8 runs with 3 wickets remaining. Time for some heroics from new ball pair Richardson and the baby faced assassin Pollington, who dealt a mixture of Yorkers and two wicket taking balls to leave the BB side needing 2 runs to win from the final over with one wicket standing. Cornwallis at the crease. The field set tight, Pollington roaring in, ice coursing through his veins. Ball by ball:

Ball 1- Shales on 110, squirts a single, bringing the scores level.
Ball 2 - Corny facing - dot
Ball 3 - Corny- dot; but still in control! 
Ball 4 - Corny - dot;  pressure building
Ball 5 - Corny - dot; crikey. The tie is on! Is Corny going to bottle it??!
Ball 6 - Polly delivers a sharp yorker. Corny nudges to mid on. Boucher swoops, collects and like a Phoenix hurls himself horizontal at the stumps, beating Corny by 12 inches, leaving BB 250-9 and securing a famous and unlikely scores level draw in the club match. 

A match of ebb and flow, played in the finest spirit of B.B. 

friendly Band of Brothers v Band of Brothers BB Chief's XI

Sunday, May 20 2018 (11:54) at Torry Hill

Drawn

Band of Brothers BB Chief's XI won toss and decided to bat

Band of Brothers BB Chief's XI

Pollington TA c Regan BMH b Berger EB 90 Pyke MJA b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 11 Boucher TRC b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 0 Mavor AJR c Regan BMH b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 0 Ratcliffe OJK lbw b Norwood Hill AG 6 Schilder MD c Reynolds OR b Baird AJI 57 Henderson JM c and b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 16 Bax WR* lbw b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 8 Richardson PB c Reynolds OR b Regan BMH 28 Calvocoressi CJ c Regan BMH b Norwood Hill AG 0 Holden Craufurd M+ not out 0 Extras b21 lb2 w9 nb2 pen0 34 Total (42.2 overs) 250

 

1-18

2-26

3-26

4-58

5-162

6-184

7-200

8-249

9-250

10-250

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Reynolds OR 6.0 2 23 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 8.0 3 29 5 0 (0) 0 (0) Norwood Hill AG 5.3 1 35 2 1 (1) 2 (2) Regan BMH 11.0 2 41 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Baird AJI 4.5 0 43 1 1 (2) 0 (0) Deveson MJ 5.0 0 32 0 1 (1) 0 (0) Berger EB 2.0 0 24 1 1 (5) 0 (0)

 

Band of Brothers

Deveson MJ lbw b Richardson PB 5 Baird AJI b Richardson PB 0 Regan BMH c Richardson PB b Pollington TA 43 Shales MJW not out 111 Berger EB b Bax WR 0 Gore T b Pollington TA 6 Norwood Hill AG b Pollington TA 0 Reynolds OR c Boucher TRC b Richardson PB 77 Brown NT b Richardson PB 0 Cornwallis FAWM The Hon* run out 0 Whyte PJ+ Extras b1 lb1 w5 nb1 pen0 8 Total (38.0 overs) 250 -9

 

1-5

2-20

3-84

4-85

5-100

6-100

7-249

8-249

9-250

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Calvocoressi CJ 5.0 1 37 0 1 (1) 0 (0) Richardson PB 9.0 0 42 4 0 (0) 0 (0) Bax WR 6.0 2 28 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Pollington TA 8.0 1 38 3 2 (2) 1 (1) Mavor AJR 4.0 0 40 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Henderson JM 6.0 0 63 0 2 (2) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: B Hulks & J Widgery

Scorers: DJ Gittings & DJ Gittings

 

BB V Old Amplefordians

BB V Old Amplefordians – Sunday 6th May at Torry Hill

A hopeful BB returned to Torry Hill for the first (playable) match of Season full of vim and vigour, the happy memories of an epic 2017 Season still fresh in the mind. Frustratingly, the swagger and bonhomie soon evaporated, as skipper Brother Norwood Hill, erring on the side of caution repeated the folly of the previous year by inserting the opposition on a wicket looking more than the M20 than a cricket pitch. Once again, it was not the lack of effort that did for this merry band as they toiled away in the field, but the catching - the ever present albatross around our necks in recent years.  7 catches were dropped in the first innings as Old Amplefordians applied themselves studiously with the bat, amassing another impressive total, declaring on 318-5.

Despite the horrendous drops, there were some commendable displays of bowling, most notably from young Sam Holden-Craufurd persisting with an efficient line and length, Brother Alex Rice who snaffled one precious wicket as did candidate Rupert Connell who impressed on debut.  It was Brother Alex Cornwallis however who shone brightest, demonstrating that even on a road, appetite and hunger for wickets does eventually pay dividends. A masterful display that decimated the OA’s top order, including a superb caught and bowled, Cornwallis left everything on the field, finishing with figures of 3-90 off 16 overs.

Alas, a poor show in the field was followed by an even poorer show with the bat as Brethren searched for some early Season form.   The excellent conditions for batting sadly did not transfer to BB’s innings, slumping to a meagre 103 all out – losing by a considerable margin. Notable innings from again, the imperious all-rounder Brother Alex Cornwallis (27) and Brother Marcus Holden-Craufurd (23) were the only highlights in what was surely not our finest hour. A forgettable result, yes, but as with all BB matches, an unforgettable day at our beloved and magical Torry Hill, with cloudless azure skies and a perfect wicket, catching up with great friends -  unbeatable. As for beating our foe…….bring on 2019!

Alex Norwood Hill – Hon Match Secretary  

friendly Band of Brothers v Old Amplefordians

Sunday, May 06 2018 (11:50) at Torry Hill

Old Amplefordians Won By 215 runs

Band of Brothers won toss and decided to field

Old Amplefordians

O Greaves+ c Boucher TRC b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 108 Douglas C b Connell R 144 Dalrymple H c Boucher TRC b Rice AEH 39 Barnard H c and b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 1 Marjason L b Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 7 H Ainscough not out 10 Ainscough J Pollock R D Walker Coysh O P Faulkner* Extras b2 lb1 w3 nb3 pen0 9 Total (45.4 overs) 318 -5d

 

1-250

2-268

3-271

4-302

5-318

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Cornwallis FAWM The Hon 16.0 1 90 3 3 (3) 0 (0) Rice AEH 10.4 2 50 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Norwood Hill AG 7.0 1 67 0 0 (0) 1 (2) Marriott TH 2.0 0 26 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Holden-Craufurd S (g) 5.0 0 50 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Connell R 5.0 0 32 1 0 (0) 1 (1)

 

Band of Brothers

Marriott TH c O Greaves b Coysh O 1 Boucher TRC b Marjason L 2 Ratcliffe OJK lbw b Marjason L 5 Connell R b Ainscough J 27 Cornwallis FAWM The Hon b Dalrymple H 0 Norwood Hill AG* b Dalrymple H 11 Gore T c Unknown b Ainscough J 8 Brown NT b Dalrymple H 4 Holden-Craufurd S (g) b P Faulkner 1 Holden-Craufurd M+ not out 23 Rice AEH b Barnard H 4 Extras b4 lb1 w11 nb1 pen0 17 Total (30.4 overs) 103

 

1-4

2-4

3-29

4-31

5-39

6-59

7-61

8-62

9-64

10-103

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Marjason L 6.0 1 22 2 2 (2) 0 (0) Coysh O 6.0 2 9 1 2 (2) 0 (0) Dalrymple H 6.0 2 8 3 0 (0) 0 (0) Ainscough J 4.0 0 24 2 0 (0) 0 (0) P Faulkner 2.0 1 1 1 0 (0) 1 (1) Pollock R 3.0 1 5 0 2 (2) 0 (0) D Walker 3.0 0 29 0 4 (5) 0 (0) Barnard H 0.4 0 0 1 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: Sunny Pitch: Hard

Umpires: B Hulks & J Widgery

Scorers: DJ Gittings

 

BB V Sussex Martlets

Sussex Martlets  - 237 - 6d of 48 overs

BB - 107 all out 

In the final match of an enthralling season, the BB came within a whisker of securing a creditable draw in what can only be described as a peculiar game of cricket against the Sussex Martlets at Belmont.

Continuing the season’s go to formula of opting to chase, on winning the toss the Brethren took to the field despite the heat of what was a scorching late August day. The temperature, combined with the lightning nature of the brown outfield was always going to present difficulties for the fielding side, however the pitch was offering plenty of encouragement for the bowlers. With some enforced changes to the XI in the hours before play, there was the unusual sight of Brother Regan sharing the new ball with his acclaimed off spin alongside the pace of Brother Finn Hulbert. The Martlets progressed steadily, well checked by consistent lines and lengths from the opening pair but somewhat aided along the way by lapses of concentration in the field. Regan made the first breakthrough and then proceeded to bowl no fewer than 23 consecutive dot balls to their number three, showing that maybe his future BB career will be as an opening bowler… Only one wicket was taken by lunch but the run rate was under control at around 80/1. 

Following the break, Junior Brother Tom Pollington removed the other opener, who had dominated the scoring, for his first senior BB wicket – a reward for a very tidy spell either side of the interval. By this stage, the end of season wicket was beginning to present a few challenges and the Martlets started swinging from the hip, perhaps aware that there would be a ball with their name on it sooner than later. The luxury of hindsight would later show that this was perhaps a tactic that the BB should have employed in their reply. Nevertheless, Brother Hill was thrown the ball and proving that there is no substitute for experience, snaffled a couple of quick wickets to stem the runs and see the Martlets declare at 237/6.

Perhaps perturbed by what they had seen in the first innings, the BB approached the new ball with caution and negotiated an excellent Martlets opening burst to see it through to tea for the loss of no wicket. After tea Brother Boucher playing notably fluently for an elegant 42, but wickets fell at the other end. By this stage, batting was no longer allowed without a helmet, and with the run rate escalating, the BB altered course and targeted an honourable draw. Unfortunately for the BB, Lady Luck’s attention was elsewhere which, coupled with some excellent bowling from the returning Martlets’ opening seamer, saw the BB’s resistance end just a few balls from the close. The dream was dead. Long live the dream. 

Brother Boris Streatfeild

Band of Brothers v Sussex Martlets

Tuesday, August 29 2017 (11:36) at Belmont House

Sussex Martlets Won By 130 runs

Band of Brothers won toss and decided to field

Sussex Martlets

Jones C b Regan BMH 16 Rollings H c Bryant A (g) b Pollington TA (B) 83 Loveday M c Davey TW b Hulbert FW 21 Cruickshank J not out 28 Gilligan J+ b Davey TW 28 Rollings J b Norwood Hill AG 22 Ritchie S c Hulbert FW b Norwood Hill AG 5 Shaw J not out 8 Shepperson T Jones L Burrows J* Extras b14 lb11 w1 nb0 pen0 26 Total (48.0 overs) 237 -6d

 

1-43

2-128

3-136

4-180

5-220

6-228

7-

8-

9-

10-

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Hulbert FW 17.0 3 65 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Regan BMH 15.0 5 67 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Davey TW 9.0 0 47 1 1 (1) 0 (0) Pollington TA (B) 5.0 0 27 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Norwood Hill AG 2.0 0 6 2 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Band of Brothers

Boucher TRC b Shepperson T 42 Bruce WU b Shaw J 13 Streatfeild RB* b Shaw J 0 Bryant A (g) st Gilligan J b Shepperson T 19 Wilkes-Green JNL+ c Rollings J b Shepperson T 2 Davey TW c Gilligan J b Ritchie S 4 Hulbert FW c and b Shaw J 11 Pollington TA (B) c Shaw J b Cruickshank J 5 Regan BMH not out 2 Brown NT b Shaw J 0 Norwood Hill AG b Shaw J 0 Extras b1 lb6 w2 nb0 pen0 9 Total (40.4 overs) 107

 

1-31

2-35

3-77

4-78

5-81

6-88

7-99

8-107

9-107

10-107

 

Bowler O M R W Wd Nb Shaw J 12.4 6 10 5 0 (0) 0 (0) Jones L 7.0 1 24 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Shepperson T 9.0 0 45 3 0 (0) 0 (0) Burrows J 4.0 0 12 0 0 (0) 0 (0) Ritchie S 4.0 1 9 1 2 (2) 0 (0) Cruickshank J 2.0 2 0 1 0 (0) 0 (0) Rollings J 2.0 2 0 0 0 (0) 0 (0)

 

Weather: sun and very hot Pitch: Green

Umpires: S Chilmaid & B Peay

Scorers: DJ Gittings & none provided