After winning the Doug Wood Cup in 2004 my one remaining ambition at
Bapchild Cricket Club was to win the Kent Village League Division 1
title. At the start of the 2005 season I was not highly optimistic of
realizing this ambition. The most obvious reason for this was the
knowledge that we would be without our captain, best batsman and
wicketkeeper, Ian Baldock, who was suffering with a serious back
problem. This, grouped with the fact that other key players like
Matthew Lincoln and Lee Taylor could only offer spasmodic availability,
led me to believe that winning the title would be a tall order. Taking
over as captain from Balders‚ was going to be a tough act to follow,
but I decided the best way to start was to have a players meeting
before the first game against Worth to let everyone have their say and
ensure we were all pulling in the same direction. This paid dividends
as we thrashed Worth by 9 wickets and, despite the odd hiccup, we never
looked back after this mightily impressive start.
Comprehensive six-point victories followed against Brookland and Higham
and Mockbeggar with Alan Hampton and myself finding form with the bat
and John Heatley settling at the top of the order, as he established
himself in the Sunday side. The bowling, although not spectacular, was
tight and patient with Matthew Lincoln and Matthew Roche contributing
disciplined spells. The first real test of the season came against
Littlebourne when we were inserted on a less than favourable pitch and
lost early wickets. The situation was rescued by an excellent
partnership between Alan Hampton (60) and Adam Larking (34), which
ultimately won the game as Littlebourne struggled on a pitch that got
slower and lower.
By this time we were clear at the top of the table but now faced the
prospect of three very tough games on successive Sundays ˆ Woodchurch,
Ash and Chislet. Our record against former champions Woodchurch has
always been good and this was to continue in emphatic style as we
enjoyed a ten-wicket victory, dismissing the visitors for just 98. What
impressed me most about this victory was the intensity of the fielding.
We were not always on top when the Woodchurch early order were in, but
crucial chances were taken at key times with Neil Ranger and Simon
Harrison claiming excellent catches. This exposed the Woodchurch lower
order, who offered little resistance. Having lost to Ash in 2004 I was
keen to avenge that defeat, but it was not to be as we suffered what
proved to be our only defeat of the season. I lost a crucial toss and
Ash had first use of an excellent batting wicket in the burning sun. It
is fair to say that their openers batted excellently, however I think
we lost our concentration in the field and bowled too many bad balls.
The target of 225 was always going to be a tough ask but at 100/2 with
20 overs left we were in with a decent chance. Unfortunately, Richard
Piesley and myself were dismissed in the same over and we never
recovered, collapsing to 147 all out. This was a very disappointing day
and resulted on us being on the same number of points as Ash, but with
a game in hand. With the game against Chislet rained off we held a 2
point advantage at the top of the league and knew that wins in our last
three games would secure us the title.
After thrashing a very weak Bethersden side by 7 wickets, bowling them
out for just 35, we moved on to the much sterner test of Brook. For me,
this was a game where we showed a great deal of character and
commitment. Inserted on a wet wicket, we ground our way to 154 with
Matthew Lincoln making an excellent 43 when we looked to be rocking at
60 for 3. A decent contribution from the lower order gave us a boost as
we went out to field. What followed was our best bowling and fielding
performance of the season as Matthew Lincoln and the talented James
White claimed 3 wickets apiece to leave Brook in deep trouble, trouble
that they would never recover from. It was fitting that Ian Baldock, on
his return from injury, affected a direct-hit run-out to secure the
victory and condemn Brook to a 58 run defeat.
The final hurdle of our season was a trip to Great Chart. We knew that
any sort of win would bring the title home. Again I lost the toss and
again we were inserted. After a very slow start, during which John
Heatley was run out, Alan Hampton and myself built a massive
partnership of over 200 as the pitch flattened out and the Great Chart
bowlers wilted in the heat. A cameo from Ian Baldock helped boost the
total to our biggest ever in the KVL, a massive 329/3. From here there
was no way we could lose and a disciplined bowling performance,
particularly from Roche and Steve Botting, dismissed Great Chart for
165. The title was ours at last!
And so Bapchild‚s journey from the bottom of Kent Village League
Division 5 to Division 1 Champions was complete. Everyone involved can
be very proud of what they achieved. Unlike in previous seasons we were
all committed to the cause and showed character and commitment in
difficult stages of games. I would like to especially thank the
backroom staff‚ who made my life a lot easier, namely the tea ladies
Laura Page and Sam Harraway, our ever-present scorer Nick Page and our
umpires Ian Baldock and Jarred Cunningham. I now hand the captaincy
back to Balders‚ hoping we can repeat this success in 2006.
My final word goes to Neil James who is entirely responsible for
Bapchild taking Sunday cricket seriously again, he should take a lot of
credit for our massive success since 1998.
Jim Lincoln, 2005 Sunday Captain
|
|
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
WEEK 15
Ben Fulton for his 124*
RESULTS
Saturday 1st XI beat Betteshanger
Saturday 2ndXI lost to Bobbing
|
COW CORNER
Have your say about the club, cricket and anything at out online forum
|
