Mitchell Heroics as Henley Stutter at North Maidenhead
Henley 4th XI ‘s second half of the season began with a visit to North Maidenhead. Having been comprehensively beaten in the first game of the season and now placed 3rd from bottom of the division, Henley were determined to show improvement and gain some much needed points. Having won the toss, Henley elected to bat first with the first aim to build a challenging score and secure maximum batting points. Like good plans, this one went awry with a lack of notable partnerships, a series of injudicious shots that saw 7 of the 10 wickets fall to catches in the outfield and only 2 of the top 5 batsmen manage double figures. Some notable lower order application and resistance saw Henley move from 59 for 5 to post an eventual score of 131 all out from 40 overs. Whilst this score was probably 20 runs short of par, it provided something for the team to defend in the field and attempt to apply realistic pressure to the North Maidenhead batsmen,.
As they were ahead of the time schedule, both captains agreed to delay the tea break and immediately begin the second innings, giving Henley 15 overs to attack the North Maidenhead batsmen. The Henley opening pair took the opportunity with relish and Nathan Hopkins and Ben Mitchell bowled well as a pair, Hopkins proving both difficult to play and score from whilst Mitchell was the destructive force with pace and bounce causing all the batsmen trouble and resulting in 3 quick wickets for Henley before tea. The tea break arrested some of Henley’s momentum and North Maidenhead continued towards their target at a steady if unspectacular rate. Chris Johnson and Andy Chappell replaced the opening pair and both taking a key wicket apiece, although Chappell can again count himself unlucky not to have taken another couple as again lady luck was not with him. With North Maidenhead requiring another 25 runs for the win, Mitchell returned to the attack and duly took another 2 wickets to wrap up his five wicket haul and cause some serious jitters amongst the North Maidenhead lower order who managed to reach their target. Mitchell eventually finished with figures of 5-57 from 14.4 overs.
This loss now takes Henley to second from bottom in the division and it has now only been twice this season that they have reached 200 runs and they are yet to make a score of 150, which has proven to be a par score in most games this season. Saturday 16th July sees the team take on Datchet, the only side below them and the scene for a 25 point victory at the beginning of the season.
Henley 4th Vs Aldershot 3rd XI
Henley 4th XI played host to Aldershot 3rd XI at Nettlebed, hoping to put behind them the disappointments of Windsor against a side that had registered just one victory so far in the season. Having lost the toss, Henley were asked to bowl on a green wicket with overcast conditions and while opening bowlers Andy Chappell and Nathan Hopkins bowled well, a dropped catch and some devil may care batting meant that the Aldershot opening partnership were able to put on 50 within the first 15 overs. A change of bowling brought the first wicket, with a tight opening over from captain Peter Head inducing a well taken catch by Rob Kenworthy at mid off. A second almost followed a couple of balls later but again Aldershot were let off when a difficult running chance wasn’t held. Kenworthy was called upon to bowl some off spin, again a tight spell inducing a rash shot which resulted in a steep catch at mid wicket for Head, repaying the favour from earlier. Alex Johnson snatched another wicket with an LBW but with chances few and far between, the focus was on restricting the run rate which was running at close to 5 per over and a number of bowling options were explored to stem the runs. Andy Chappell returned for a second spell which reaped the reward that he deserved from his first spell, taking 2 wickets in another tight spell and Tim Kendrick tightened up one end, gaining himself a wicket in the process. Eventually Aldershot finished on 211 for 6 off their 52 overs, a score that appeared achievable on a pitch that played fair and enabled batsmen to punish wayward and short bowling.
The Henley reply got off to a positive start, with openers Tom Chappell and Mark Thomas, punishing some short bowling to kick the run rate above 5 for the first 3 overs. Tom Chappell was the first to go, bowled from an inside edge and was soon followed by Sam Ranger, misjudging the pace and bowled. This brought Tim Kendrick to the crease to join Mark Thomas, with a rebuilding job to be done. Mark Thomas kept on at the bowling with relish, hitting a large 6 over the bowler before being caught 2 balls later cutting at a ball that bounced more than he expected. With Henley stumbling like a punch drunk boxer at 40-4 and Aldershot’s tail well and truly up, John Neville joined Kendrick to try and steady the ship and build a platform. Some excellent stroke play from both batsmen looked like building a potentially match saving partnership but this was brought to a premature end when Neville managed to cut a wide delivery to the man at point. Kendrick was soon joining Neville back in the pavilion and there were no partnerships of note until the last wicket stand between Alex Johnson and Andy Chappell, which had the improbable task of seeing out the best part of 15 over to rescue a draw. In the end the task was a step too far and with just over 4 overs to go, Aldershot wrapped up the final wicket and the win. Henley’s innings finished on 112 all out.
Henley 4th XI has no game this week, 2nd July and so will be looking to bounce back when the season resumes with the return game against North Maidenhead. The team should be strengthened by the return of top order batsmen, Henry Oldershaw and Charlie Fisher while the bowling attack will be hoping for a change in luck.
Mark Thomas maiden century as Henley post big score
Henley 4th XI produced an assured batting display to bounce back from last week’s disappointment and register a dominant draw over Farnham Common 2nd XI at Nettlebed on Saturday.
Henley won the toss and elected to bat on a surface that seemed to have benefitted from the rain showers of the previous few days. The pitch was looking slightly green but could never be described as anything but slow and the Farnham Common opening bowlers made use of this for the first five overs, keeping the scoring rate down while Henley openers Mark Thomas and Charlie Fisher acclimatised. As soon as they got the pace of the pitch, the flood gates began to open with a full array of shots being produced by both batsmen in an opening stand of 75. Fisher was the man to fall, a change of bowling immediately bringing dividends as a gentle full toss was missed by Fisher, bowling him middle stump. The wicket brought leading scorer Henry Oldershaw to the crease to support the now charging Thomas, who registered his fifty shortly afterwards. Both batsmen maintained the high tempo, both scoring sixes with excellent pull shots and drilling bowlers back down the ground for further boundaries with great regularity. Oldershaw was eventually caught out with a ball that just held on the pitch, his 30 coming in double quick time and putting the Farnham Common bowlers to the sword. Tim Kendrick joined Thomas and took very little time to acquaint himself to the conditions, playing some classical cover drives and pulls to maintain the pressure that had been built by the previous batsmen. Thomas was soon celebrating his maiden league century, eventually falling to a catch at cover for 109. Peter Head came to the crease and worked with Kendrick to keep the run rate going, again finding the boundary with some ease before an attempt at a quick single off a miss-field resulted in confusion and a run out for the captain. Kendrick maintained his form and powered on to an unbeaten 69, ably assisted by Paul Lawson and Tom Chappell as Henley registered a team record 286-6 off of 52 overs.
The reply from Farnham Common never really showed anything like the ambition that their league place and previous victories would have suggested. Henley were expecting a more assured batting display and opted to take the old ball and open with spin from Tom Chappell and Chris Johnson. Farnham Common failed to take the bait and so the new ball was quickly taken with Andy Chappell replacing his brother while Jonhson remained to provide some variation and claimed the first breakthrough, Tim Kendrick taking a fine catch at first slip. Andy Chappell was soon in the action as well, another fine catch by Jon Gould at point claiming Henley’s second wicket. With their tails up, Henley changed the bowling around again, looking to keep the batsmen from getting settled, however some momentum was lost with a couple of catches dropped, letting Farnham Common gain some sort of foothold in the game. Despite some good disciplined bowling and attacking fields, Henley found it difficult to re-build the pressure and luck seemed to be with the Farnham Common batsmen as balls dropped short, between or just over the finger tips of fielders. Despite mounting frustration, the Henley bowlers and fielders still stuck to their tasks manfully but Farnham Common ended almost 100 runs shy of Henley’s score and secured a draw with a score of 194-7.
This was a good performance against a side who, relegated from division 6 last year, had managed to win of their last 4 games. The batting was excellent, although the fielding was slightly behind the admittedly high standards that have been set by the side over the last few weeks. Mark Thomas’s maiden league century was the highlight of the match and hopefully a springboard for the rest of his season.
ANDY CHAPPELL GETS FIRST FIVE WICKET HAUL IN VICTORY OVER WOOBURN
TVCL Division 7B, Henley 4th XI vs Wooburn Narkovians 2nd XI
An overcast day at Wooburn Narkovians saw Henley 4s bounce back from the disappointment of the previous week to put on a dominant display in a convincing 6 wicket victory. Following the troubles of the previous week where the general injury crisis across the club caused serious availability issues, the 4th team were able to field a side with a pleasing mix of promise and experience.
Wooburn Narkovians won the toss and, with dark overhead conditions more representative of early April than clear blue skies we have been used to, duly elected to bat first. With the pitch looking both grassy and slightly damp, the Henley opening bowlers Sam Brabham and Andy Chappell took their opportunity with relish and started applying pressure to the Narks openers. Some tight lines and excellent fielding kept the run rate to less than 2 an over before Chappell to the first of his wickets, the opener caught behind by ‘keeper Charlie Fisher with the same combination coming together again 2 balls later for Chappell’s second wicket. With the score still in the teens, the Wooburn batsmen decided discretion was the better form of valour and the scoring rate dried up. Brabham and Chappell were both replaced by Jon Gould and Jason Withers who, ably assisted by some excellent fielding, managed to strangle the run rate further before both getting a wicket that both richly deserved. A further change saw Chris Johnson replace Gould while Wither was replaced by Andy Chappell, sparking the liveliest part of the afternoon as a combination of Johnson’s guile and experience and Chappell’s well placed aggression saw Wooburn’s stern resistance crumble. Chris Johnson finished with 3 wickets while Andy Chappell completed his first league haul of 5 wickets with an excellent 5-18. Wooburn Narkovians ended with a snail like 93 all out from 46 overs.
Henley opened their reply with the batting combination of Charlie Fisher (34 not out) and Tim Kendrick (22) both showing what a good job the Henley bowlers did to maintain their discipline. Both openers punished some short and wayward bowling, moving the run rate along at over 6 an over before Kendrick miss timed a cut shot where a fine catch was taken at point. Fisher was joined by leading run scorer Henry Oldershaw (0) who, in an uncharacteristic short display at the crease, decided to take the game to the bowlers immediately and miss timed an on drive to be caught at mid on; his first failure of the season. With over 50 on the board and 2 wickets down, Paul Lawson (0) came and quickly departed, again not acclimatising to the pace of the pitch and chopping on. Sam Ranger (15) joined the fray and showed some exquisite timing, playing some excellent straight drives before being bowled by a ball that kept low. With the finishing line now in sight, captain Peter Head (4 not out) came to the crease and stayed with Fisher to quickly steer the team home. Henley will be disappointed to have lost 4 wickets and gifted the opposition 2 points but scored quickly to win inside of 20 over.
This was an excellent team performance, with everyone contributing in the field to reduce Wooburn to a sub 100 run score. Andy Chappell showed some fantastic control with career best figures of 5 for 18 and this hopefully sets up a platform for moving the season forwards. The win now takes Henley up to 4th in division 7B level on points with Saturday’s opponents Chenies and Latimer who make the trip to Nettlebed, where Henley will be hoping to break their hoodoo and finally achieve a home win.
Oldershaw Scores His First League Century
Henley Fourth’s secured their first win of the season in a high scoring game against Datchet Thirds on Saturday. Henley were asked to bat and soon lost opener Paul Lawson to a very good delivery. This bought in form Henry Oldershaw to the crease to partner Mark Thomas. On a small ground and in very windy conditions the Henley batsmen put Datchet’s bowlers to the sword with a record breaking second wicket partnership of 173. Oldershaw scored his first league century with some fantastic drives, pulls and cuts. Surely there are many more to come in the future from this 17 year old. Thomas batted very sensibly, hitting some great drives. Thomas was out LBW for 59. Oldershaw, now partnered by Captain Peter Head, continued to his century and was eventually well caught at slip on 109.
Henley should have gone on to score 300 but several batsmen gave their wickets away against more disciplined bowling from Datchet. Henley declared on 269 for 8 and Jawad took 5 for 76.
Henley kept the old ball and opened with father and son spin twins of the Johnsons. Tom Chappell soon replaced Chris Johnson. And, what was an inspired piece of captaincy Chappell took three quick wickets with some good spin bowling in to the wind. However, in what was to prove a topsy turvy game, Abdullah took the game to Henley with a rapid fire 54. He eventually fell to Andy Chappell and Lawson soon picked up another.
Datchet sixth wicket partnership turned the game Datchet’s way and they only needed around four an over off of the last 10 overs of the game with five wickets remaining. Another good piece of captaincy saw Andy Chappell brought back to bowl in to the wind so that the experienced Chris Johnson could bowl downwind. Chappell soon had the dangerous Anil caught for 72. The Datchet tail folded, with Johnson taking three wickets, and Andy Chappell one more. Mention should be made of Will Huggins who took three fine catches and bowled a good spell. Indeed Henley’s fine fielding that included eight catches definitely made the difference as they won by 23 runs.
HCC 268-8 decl. from 51 overs
Henry Oldershaw 109
Mark Thomas 59
Jawad 5-76
Datchet 245-10 from 44 overs
Abdullah 54
Anil 72
C Johnson 3-39
T Chappell 3-50
A Chappell 3-30
Special mention to Will Huggins for 3 catches in the deep.
Quote from captain Peter Head : "This was a fantastic result. Whilst there were a number of excellent individual performances, most notably from Henry Oldershaw, the most pleasing aspect of the game was the overall effort of each team member and the fact that everyone made a valuable contribution. The spirit shown by the team is excellent to see and I look forward to us playing in a similar vein for the rest of the season."
North Maidenhead Steal Victory
On a fine Saturday afternoon at Nettlebed C.C, Henley 4 XI opened their account with a tough first game against North Maidenhead C.C, new to the league this season. Nettlebed, which is a permanent home for the 3rd and 4th XI’s , looked a picture after the recent renovation work and with the new pavilion being used for the first time.
Henley won the toss and elected to bowl on a wicket that looked like it would cause trouble for the batsmen at the start of the innings with lively bounce and pace. Opening up Sam Brabham and Andrew Chappell created a number of clear openings in the first overs. Brabham finally got his deserved wicket with a good slip catch from Will Huggins. With muggy conditions overhead, the fast bowlers had to be chopped and changed to keep them fresh. Max Ring on his debut and Mark Thomas impressed but failed to take wickets. But when Ron Pratley and Chris Johnson came on to bowl it looked like Henley had the upper hand, Johnson taking 6 wickets for 67 runs off 18 overs wickets to Pratley’s three, both bowlers showed a fine example of intelligent slow bowling using the pitch to their advantage. North Maidenhead came off the pitch for 180 all out from 51 overs
This looked like a gettable target for Henley but when openers Thomas and Pete Neville fell early for few runs the total became a tough target for Henley to achieve. But Henry Oldershaw showed that runs were possible on a pitch that was showing real advantage to the bowler with varied bounce. The 17 year old posted his first league 50. With few partners staying around, Sam Ranger was the only other batsman of note. Oldershaw unfortunately ran out of partners with Henley ending up on 104 for 9. But a freak accident marred the game when Chris Johnson was struck in the head by a long distance throw. North Maidenhead won by 76 runs, they collected 25 points and Henley 6. Henley face Datchet away this Saturday (14th)
