MATCH REPORT 19 MAY 2007

LITTLE COMMON RAMBLERS 2 V ISFIELD ESCL DIV 8

ISFIELD WON THE TOSS AND INSERTED LCR WHO MADE 112 ALL OUT

ISFIELD 113-5.

SPINNERS TURN ON THE STYLE

Once agin it was one of those days where winning the toss, if not guaranteeing victory, then at least stacked the odds favourably in the direction of the correct caller. (You're sentences are getting longer again, have you been reading Osmans stuff?- Ed.) Thankfully a choice of heads gave Healey the chance to make amends for the previous week where being inserted on a still very damp wicket gave Denton the advantage. Today it was the turn of Little Common Ramblers to bat on the plasticene pitch first up.

Opening with Lawrie Richards with the wind behind him and poor old half crippled Eggy Saunders up the hill into the strong gusty breeze, Isfield soon had the home side struggling as they found it difficult to get the ball away while all the time losing wickets. Anderson at one end stood firm but his partners came and went as the visitors put the squeeze on. Richards picked up the first three wickets and was replaced after 9 overs by Woody Hawksworth bowling his off-spin . At the 'thankless task end', Martin Fellows managed 8 overs which included 4 maidens and a wicket before Huw Williams took over with his leg-breaks.

So it continued to the end as the new spin twins notched up 24 overs between them. (Old farmer Giles will be pleased - Ed) Woody finished with three wickets and Huw two, as LCR made it to 112 all out. Interestingly although almost 50 overs had been bowled, only two hours and twenty minutes had been used up so giving Isfield a long time to knock off the runs.

A splendid tea was partaken in the fine new pavilion as the FA Cup final rumbled on in the background but seeing that it was nil-nil, didn't seem so interesting as the cricket.

Healey and Knight opened for the visitors and cautiously played themselves in before Tim injudiciously played himself out with a swipe to a straight ball. The overseas star back from Barthelona for the upcoming tour of the Isle of Wight, scratched around for a bit before getting that old straight one again, which he missed.

A little wobble then occurred as Healey went for 31 and was quickly followed into the dressing room by star bat Emile Chasseaud, who had forgotten the state of the pitch and hadn't allowed for the ball just rolling and not bouncing. Huw Williams and Lawrie Richards then steadied the ship, with Huw especially playing beautifully timed pick-up shots over mid-on and glances to fine-leg.

Lawrie was out just before the end but Moose, who had earlier finished off the LCR innings with a wicket, now finished off the Isfield innings with the winning run. Even earlier, the same Moose had missed the start of the game by suddenly announcing, as the teams were about to take the field, that he had to go for some lunch because his stomach was rumbling.

Beers were partaken in the bar and relations between the teams were cordial.