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| Theale and Tilehurst 1 XI vs Henley 3 XI - 16/8/08
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Henley 3s travelled to top of the league Theale and Tilehurst 1st XI last Saturday. T&T won the toss and inserted the Henley batsmen on a green wicket. The T&T attack pinned down Henley openers Marc Ayres and Nick Johnson as runs were hard to come by. Ayres gave a couple of chances, being dropped at cover on 0 before registering his highest score of the season 41. After 20 overs Henley had struggled to 45-1 with Johnson the first casualty. Some quick runs in the middle order from Gurung, Thompson and Palmer saw Henley through to 188 all out in the 51st over. Henley’s batsmen too often gave away their wickets after getting a start. Coupled with some good catches being taken and the spin of Cooper 188 look to be 40 or 50 runs short. Henley would have to work hard in the second innings to salvage a positive result.
Theale & Tilehurst started shakily offering simple catches and on all three occasions being put down. The breakthrough came with 75 already on the board as Harris picked up his 21st wicket of the season with the new ball. T&T’s batsmen made the most of the chances offered to continue adding the runs. Henley captain Gould registering his 18th and 19th league wickets this season dismissed two batsmen LBW with subtle changes of pace but with more catches being put down, 5 in total during the innings, Henley’s heads started to drop as T&T closed in on their target. This was reached with 8 overs to spare and with 7 wickets in hand.
Henley now in 3rd place must improve and win all three remaining games this season to stand a chance of gaining promotion. Visitors to Stonor this week are Stoke Green 2s currently 7th and fighting for their survival in the division.
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| Match Report: Henley 3rd XI vs Falkland, 10th May 2008
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Henley 3rd XI have begun the new season’s league campaign where the old one left off with a comfortable victory over Falkland on Saturday.
Having arrived at the ground to find the wicket with more grass than would be expected, this year’s new skipper, Jon Gould, duly completed his first task successfully and won the toss and elected to field first. In what were unusually high temperatures for early May, the opening bowlers of Mitchell and Head began their spells looking to build on good pre-season form. With the wicket containing none of the expected demons and Gould starting the innings behind the stumps, the first wicket fell in the 3rd over with another well taken catch off the bowling of Head, preying on the impatience and indiscipline of the Falkland opener. Mitchell then followed this up in the next over, again preying on some errant batting to induce a false shot from the other Falkland opener who spooned a catch to Harrison at point. At this early stage the Falkland batsmen were looking like a team without a plan, with the runs total barely ahead of the overs. Henley sensed an opportunity and kept the pressure applied with some excellent ground fielding backing up the tight bowling to ensure that Falkland were kept well in check with Mitchell and Head both picking up a further wicket apiece to leave Falkland 4 down with a run rate barely exceeding one run per over. A slight injury to Gould’s left hand while stopping a rare leg side ball from Mitchell caused a change of man behind the stumps with Thompson his replacement but the pressure remained. Palmer and Paice were brought in to replace Mitchell and Head, both managing to keep the batsmen tied down and increase the pressure; both bowlers were unlucky not to be better rewarded for their spells. Gould then decided to replace Palmer in the attack and had an immediate effect, with Gurung taking an excellent catch to keep the wickets ticking over. With Falkland 5 down, Henley set about pushing on for the remaining wickets and Gurung replaced Paice, immediately causing the batsmen trouble with his spin. With the scoring rate still struggling to remain ahead of one per over, the batsmen started to throw caution, and their bats, to the wind and they were able to start putting a partnership together. Gurung and Gould both managed to make breakthroughs and Falkland were on 53 for 7 when Oldershaw was brought into the attack to replace Gurung. Again, Oldershaw’s spin was causing issues and with the batsmen starting to take ever more chances to try and set a target, Oldershaw was able to pick up the wicket of the Falkland captain. With Henley starting to feel the effects of the unexpected temperatures, the intensity dropped and the final pair were able to scramble the score to 94 before the last wickets fell to Head and Gould returning for second spells. Gould’s wicket the result of a sharp catch in the slips from Palmer to earn some extra brownie points from the captain and a story to tell in the bar afterwards. An excellent effort from Henley in the field with Gould and Head the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets each.
The Henley reply could not have been in more contrast to the rather lacklustre effort from Falkland. Opening with two spinners, Nick Harrison and Mark Ayres quickly put on 39 for the first wicket in 6 overs, before Ayres was dismissed for 1; LBW to an impressive looking left arm seamer Stephenson. The dismissal brought Gurung to the wicket and although the momentum slowed slightly, Henley were able to keep the runs ticking over unlike their Falkland counterparts. Some more excellent bowling from Falkland’s Stephenson resulted in the wicket of Harrison for a quick fire 38 which brought Stewart Thompson to the wicket for a gritty and typically aggressive knock. The fall of the second wicket resulted in a change of tactics from Falkland, with the new ball being taken and fast bowler Martin entering the attack. The extra pace and bounce from Martin with the new ball accounted for the wicket of Gurung for 24, followed by his replacement Jeremy Palmer for 1 bowled by a yorker from Stephenson. Having been struck on the head by a bouncer by Martin, Thompson pulled himself together to take the attack to the young quick struck some impressive shots before finishing the chase with a cover drive for 4 to bring the innings to an end in the 21st over.
This marked another impressive start to the league season for Henley, keeping up their own high standards against what ultimately proved to be an under par opposition.
Scorecards
Falkland Innings:
1. A. Bolanct Harrison b Mitchell 5
2. T. Furrct Gould b Head 1
3. P. Hyde Bowled Mitchell3
4. T. Rasman Bowled Head 2
5. B. Thomasct Gurung b Gould 14
6. D. Bloor LBW Gurung 12
7. A. Khan Bowled Gould 0
8. I. Whitect Harrison b Oldershaw 10
9. P. Stephensonct Palmer b Gould 1
10. J. Martinct Gurung b Head 8
11. H. Akram Not Out 18
Extras 20
Total 94
OversMaidensRunsWickets
Head 10.3 - 4 - 15 - 3
Mitchel 9 - 1 - 18 - 2
Paice 5 - 1 - 12 - 0
Palmer 4 - 1 - 7 - 0
Gould 8 - 3 - 12 - 3
Gurung 5 - 2 - 7 - 1
Oldershaw 4 - 0 - 16 - 1
Henley Innings:
1. N. Harrisonct Whiteb Stephenson 38
2. M. Ayres LBW Stephenson 1
3. P. Gurungct Khanb Martin 24
4. S. Thompson Not Out 18
5. J. Palmer Bowled Stephenson 1
6. T. Oldershaw Not Out 2
Extras 12
Total 97
Henley Team:
J. Gould (capt), N. Harrison, M. Ayres, P. Gurung, S. Thompson, J. Palmer, T, Oldershaw, T. Kendrick, J. Paice, B. Mitchell, P. Head
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| Henley 3rd XI vs Hillingdon Manor 2nd XI - 17th May 2008
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Henley arrived at Hillingdon, on a day that promised a very entertaining and tense match. With Henley claiming victory, and the league title against Hillingdon on the last day of the 2007 season, Hillingdon were out to prove a point.
Hillingdon won the toss and elected to bat on a very damp track with more holes in it than a lump of Swiss cheese…a brave decision to say the least. Ben Mitchell and Peter Head both provided very impressive opening spells, with Ben claiming Henley’s first victim with possibly ball of the day, moving a long way back into the left hander and taking off stump. Liam Dennison also impressed with the ball. After he stopped trying to bowl his shoulder out of its joint, he ended up with figures of 12-3-26-1, however after numerous balls that moved laterally far too much for any batsman at this level to edge, and after Palmer’s palming pirouette, He easily could have had a 5fer to his name. It was Peter Head who ended with 4 to his name taking his tally of victims for the season to 7. Hillingdon finally scraped to 134 all out, from 43.4 overs, which on this track could easily be defended.
Stew Thompson and Nick Harrison provided a solid foundation for Henley with an opening partnership of 36, before Thompson (22) snicked off, and very honourably walked from the field of play. Harrison (18) was the next victim to fall with the score on 71, when he missed a straight full toss and was trapped LBW. Hillingdon were convinced they had taken a 3rd with Prakesh Gurung caught behind, however both; batsmanand umpire remained un-moved, which resulted in an array of abuse hurled at Gurung (15), which showed its toll on the little grinder, who edged behind off of a drive soon after. Wicket keeper Stevie Horne and Jeremy Palmer provided a brief partnership before Palmer fell in the same manner of Gurung, caught behind off of an elaborate drive, with the score on 100-4 Henley looked set to take another good victory over Hillingdon, and even Jon Gould (14) missing a straight one from Hillingdon’s part time spinner, couldn’t set Henley back, with Horne (29*) and Tom Oldershaw (4*) knocking 17 off of the 23rd over, finishing the game just before the rain set in.
Overall Henley 3rd XI, put in a great performance, and never looked in any danger of losing the match. Henley now top of Thames Valley Division 5A travel to third place Newbury on Saturday.
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| Newbury 2 XI vs Henley 3 XI - 24th May 2008
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Innings of Henley 3th X1
No. Name How out Runs
1 S.Thompson Bowled Messer 27
2 N.Harrison Bowled Digweed 118
3 N.Johnson LBW Duncan 37
4 S.Horne Caught Bartlett bowled Digweed 1
5 P.Gurung Bowled Anirudh 24
6 A.Binks Not Out 26
7 T.Oldershaw LBW Anirudh 0
8 J.Gould Bowled Messer 4
9 J.Harris Not Out 1
10 S.Taylor DNB
11 R.Pratley DNB
Extras 18
Total FOR 7 wickets 262
Innings of Newbury 2nd X1
No. Name How out Runs
1 J.Duncan Caught Binks bowled Gould 6
2 T.Hughes Caught and bowled Harris 2
3 R.Bartlett Caught Binks bowled Harris 8
4 H.Messer Caught Binks bowled Gould 20
5 C.Seward Bowled Harris 2
6 Anirudh Caught Binks bowled Harris 0
7 J.O’Sullivan Bowled Gould 2
8 B.Alton Caught Gurung bowled Gould 3
9 R.Bartlett Not Out 20
10 A.Keep LBW Taylor 11
11 M.Digweed Caught Gould bowled Gurung 13
Extras 10
Total FOR 10 wickets 112
Key Bowling figures; J.Harris 4 – 11, J.Gould 4 – 42
Surrounded by scenery which could not be more different from the rolling hills of rural Oxfordshire Henley 3rd X1 opted for a change of strategy at Newbury 2nd X1 and after winning the toss captain Jon Gould opted to bat on a pitch which would offer some assistance to bowlers and batters alike.
His decision was justified as openers Stu Thompson and Nick Harrison went on the offensive and clattered the ball to all areas, bringing up the 50 partnership in just 7 overs. When Thompson was out going for one shot too many, Nick Johnson came to the crease. His measured nudge-and-nurdle approach allowed Harrison to gain as much strike as possible and bring up his 100 in style, with a maximum back over the bowlers head.
Both were out trying to increase the run rate towards the end but good shot selection from 3rd team debutant Adam Binks and Prakash Gurung enabled Henley to reach a commanding 262 off just 44 overs.
Henley’s openers immediately applied pressure on Newbury who looked as though they were trying to hit their way out of trouble. But wickets fell regularly and Newbury were soon in disarray as their innings disintegrated to a miserable 112 all out giving a maximum 25 points for Henley. Gould and Jack Harris collected 4 apiece and were smartly assisted by ‘keeper Binks who took 4 catches.
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| Henley 3XI vs Bracknell 1XI - 30st May 2008
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On a warm close Saturday on the banks of the Thames at Marlow. Henley’s 3rd XI entertained Bracknell 1st XI keen to keep their 100% record in tack. Henley were inserted to bat on a slow track losing the early wicket of Johnson but steady work from Thompson (66) and Gurang (19) saw Henley to 77 – 2 at 13 overs. Runs were coming easily but regular wickets from spinner Dewick saw Henley struggling to bat the allocated overs at 163 – 8 after 39 overs. A stunning rear guard action from Dennison (41no) and young Ollie Gould (44), a partnership of 86 in just 12 overs and 38 minutes, saw the hosts post an impressive 249 for 9 dec (51 overs).
After another fantastic tea, a lively Henley took to the field baying for Bracknell wickets and another 25 points. An aggressive start from opener Horne saw 2 early wickets fall to the new ball and soon forced the Bracknell batsman into their shells making 250 looking like an unlikely target for victory. In a dull reply wickets were hard to come by as Henley tried to force the victory with short spells from 7 different bowlers with Captain Gould trying a mixture of seam and spin to finish the game. However, after Gould, now behind the stumps took a smart stumping to dismiss Bracknell’s only hope Scaley. Despite a full 8 overs to bowl at Bracknell’s final pair the match meandered to a disappointing draw. Henley 3rd XI (15points) Bracknell 1st XI (7points).
Innings of Henley 3rd XI
No Name How Out Runs
1 S Thompson Ct Macfayden Bowled Crittenden 66
2 N Johnson LBW Bowled Macfayden 1
3 P Gurung Ct Macfayden Bowled Dewcik 19
4 S Horne Ct Davies Bowled Dewick 1
5 T Oldershaw Ct Davies Bowled Dewick 21
6 J C Satin LBW Bowled Henley 27
7 J Gould Ct Crittenden Bowled Dewick 5
8 T Hancock Ct Crittenden Bowled Dewick 6
9 O Gould Ct Ram Bowled Crittenden 44
10 L Dennison Not Out 41
11 P Head DNB
Extras 18
Total 249
Key Bowling Figures
Dewick 5 - 61
Innings of Bracknell 1st XI
No Name How Out Runs
1 A Crittenden LBW Bowled Dennison 48
2 I Caffell LBW Bowled Horne 0
3 W Richards Ct Oldershaw Bowled Horne 0
4 J Davies LBW Bowled Hancock 12
5 P Cleary Bowled Hancock 0
6 P Dewick Ct Bowled Gould 10
7 Scaley St Gould Bowled Oldershaw 36
8 Ran LBW Bowled Oldershaw 12
9 R.Macfayden Bowled Hancock 10
10 P Henley Not Out 5
11 P Marlow Not Out 4
Extras 35
Total 172
Key Bowling Figures
Horne 2 - 10 Hancock 3 23
J. Gould 1 - 16 Oldershaw 2 - 19
Dennison 1 - 46
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| Southgate 3rd XI vs Henley 3rd XI, 3rd May 2008
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Henley 3rd XI took the long journey to Southgate on Saturday to contest in what proved to be a comprehensive victory over their hosts. Having lost the toss Henley were asked to field first on a wicket that had a bowler friendly appearance.
The wicket proved to be challenging to the Southgate opening batsmen when the ball was pitched in their half of the wicket, with steep, but slow, bounce from the damp surface. Opening bowlers Liam Dennison and Ben Mitchell both began well and Dennison was particularly unlucky to have a gloved catch behind turned down. It was Mitchell however who struck the first blow for Henley as he got a ball to Hughes to rise sharply off a length and complete a comfortable return catch.
Peter Head then entered the attack and had immediate success in removing Jenner to give Henley skipper Jon Gould his first ever catch as wicketkeeper. Scoring continued to be very difficult on the soft wicket as the scoring rate struggled to get much above two per over, with Head at times appearing almost unplayable. This changed however once Mitchell had bowled Chambers, and the appearance of Marshall resulted in some lusty blows. He was particularly severe on James Paice who showed signs of early season rustiness.
Once Paice had found the correct length to bowl to remove the dangerous Marshall, the runs once again dried up with the Southgate batsmen unable to cope with the awkward surface. Overall, it was comprehensive performance from the Henley team as they bowled out Southgate for just 101. Tight bowling from Peter Head resulted in miserly figures of 3 for 11 from 11 overs. The Henley ground fielding was excellent throughout and was marred by the dropping of 5 catches that could have led to an early victory.
Henley in reply opened with two Nicks, Harrison and Johnson, who made the pitch look much more comfortable to bat on. This was also aided by the Southgate bowlers who struggled with their radar bowling repeated wides. Runs came relatively easily and with the score on 34, it was a rare straight one that accounted for Johnson, bowled by Allen for 14. This brought Jeremy Palmer to the wicket who played a supporting role as Nick Harrison caressed the ball to all parts of the ground, despite the unexpected rain. Harrison was particular savage on anything short, dispensing Chambers over the square leg boundary, and appearing to have little trouble. Henley made the most of the poor Southgate bowling, eventually overcoming the 102 target in less than half the number of overs that their hosts required. Harrison finished on 44 not out and Palmer 23 not out.
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