EXNING I v ABBERTON 1

Back on home ground after their disappointing trip to Ipswich & East Suffolk 7 days earlier, Exning resumed their winning ways with a 44 run Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 victory over Abberton, but not after one or two stumbles along the way as the Park side did their best to throw away a sound start with three figures on the board for the loss of only two wickets, then when the Essex visitors batted, their skipper, Sean Callandine gave a one-man batting display which briefly threatened the Exning target.

Exning soon lost their 1st wicket in the opening over of the match but Richard Ford (19) and Tim Catley repaired the early damage with a stand of 41 which was then followed by a 3rd wicket worth 49 between Catley and Craig Estlea (23), taking the score to 101. Gary Saville whipped out the middle order taking 3 for 20 in 6 overs before Tim Zaman threw himself into a marathon spell of 16 overs in the strength sapping conditions. Catley became his first wicket having scored a patient 62 in an effort to hold the innings together and although Zaman finished with 3 for 46, supported at the close of the innings by Dave Stumbles with 2 for 28, the Exning tail wagged sufficiently to see the 200 up on the board. Mark Geeves (21) and Daniel Baigent (23) were the leaders of the ‘wagging’ while Andrew Longfield bludgeoned a 6 in the final over to take the score to 209 with 3 balls of the 50 overs to spare.

Abberton’s batting line up had already been dealt an unkind blow when opener, Rob Savill injured a finger in the pre-match warm-up and then did further damage to it while in the field. Unfortunately, the stand-in opener gave little support to Abberton’s skipper, Sean Callandine, as Baigent whipped out the first two wickets with only 11 on the board and when Keith Hammond was caught & bowled from change bowler, Kent Tomsett’s first ball, the score stood at 36 for 3.

Callandine continued to battle away to keep his ship afloat but assistance was very sporadic as Baigent returned to the fray to reduce the score to 93 for 5 before Martin Gilray held steady for his side to reach 142, until he became Christopher Lomas’s first success followed by two more wickets which caused a slump as the innings subsided from 161 for 6 to 165 all out in the space of 14 balls. Baigent wound up with 5 for 34 from 15 overs while Lomas claimed the final wicket to finish with 4 for 45; the final wicket being that of Callandine who had just completed a quite deserved 100 before offering a catch in the deep still attempting the chase for the runs in the final 5 overs.

This coming Saturday sees the start of the 2nd half of the League campaign as the opening fixtures are reversed and Copdock & Old Ipswichians are the visitors to the Park; the match commencing at 1pm. With Sudbury slumping, surprisingly, to an 8 wicket defeat at the hands of Elmstead Grasshoppers last weekend, Exning find themselves 2nd in the Division 1 table after slipping the previous weekend, and can be satisfied with their performances since promotion from Division 2, especially if they are able to gain recompense for the opening day defeat on Saturday.

MILDENHALL 1 v EXNING 1

The local West Suffolk rivals did battle last Sunday in the Quarter Final of the Greene King IPA Suffolk Cup, Exning winning the toss and choosing to bat first on Mildenhall’s Wamil Way ground. With Oli Fowlston unavailable for this fixture, Kent Tomsett was sent in to partner Richard Ford as the opening pairing with the somewhat unorthodox methods of Tomsett proving a perfect foil to Ford as a solid opening stand of 49 was built before the latter gave Mildenhall their first success. Tomsett was unlucky to be run out, backing up, as Tim Catley played a firm straight drive which just flicked the fingers of bowler, Lucky Phangabantu, before crashing into the stumps.

Catley and Craig Estlea saw the Park side into three figures by the halfway stage, but as usual, the introduction of slow bowling proved to be their nemesis as Steve Lankester wheeled through his 10 overs for just 29 runs with only Estlea keeping the board ticking over. Although Lankester only claimed one wicket, he was instrumental in keeping the run rate down to 4 an over during which time the array of Mildenhall bowlers claimed the wickets of the Exning middle order – the Catley brothers and Christopher Lomas.

Upon the resumption of the pace bowling, Estlea found a willing ally in Mark Geeves who provided 26 runs in a 6th wicket stand of 80, while Estlea marched on towards three figures. Franny Bester then bowled an incisive 48th over as he dismissed both batsmen just as they were building up for the final onslaught; Estlea for a well crafted 90 including 10 fours and one six, and then in his final over, he claimed Daniel Baigent’s wicket to finish with 3 for 42 as Exning hit the buffers on 224 for 4, probably 25 runs short of a ‘par’ score, with the remaining wickets being shared one apiece by the five other bowlers to go with Tomsett’s run out.

Mildenhall’s reply was soon on the back foot as Baigent grabbed Alan White’s wicket in the 1st over and Exning were cock-a-hoop when Tim Catley clung on to a flashing chance offered by the dangerous Franny Bester from Geeves bowling to leave the score at 31 for 2 in the 11th over. During this, the Park side were employing Mike Pursell’s slow ‘enigma variations’ which went unpunished by the home batsmen as he wheeled through his 10 over spell for just 35 runs with the bonus of the wicket of Richard Cross to take the score to 57 for 3.

Slow was replaced by slow when Lomas entered the attack to take 2 for 38 with a clatter of wickets as Mildenhall tumbled from 95 for 3 to 98 for 6 in the space of 2 overs including a stunning run out dismissal of Ben Shepperson by Tim Catley. The host’s chances of victory took a further dive when another slow bowler, Estlea, saw the dismissal of James Holmes, but Steve Lankester then played the Captain’s innings to perfection as he paced the run chase from 131 for 7 to the winning target with 3 balls to spare. He found a willing ally in Lucky Phangabantu (29) who gave the strike to his captain at every opportunity, and although it could be said that two sizeable showers left the fielding side with the difficulties of a dampish ball, Lancaster showed not one grain of panic as he finished on an unbeaten 79 to claim the Greene King IPA Man of the Match award for his all-round contribution of the bowling, the batting and the astute captaincy – a worthy winner of 24 cans of IPA!

And so victory by 3 wickets takes Mildenhall into a home semi-final clash against Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 2 August, while Exning will play host to Haverhill in the Plate semi-final on the same day.

ST MARGARET’S I v EXNING II

After losing to Sudbury II’s by just 12 runs the previous week, the Exning 2nd string travelled to Ransomes Sports Ground in Ipswich on Saturday with a determination to prove that the team could get runs – and the runs came with a vengeance! Having no hesitation in batting first upon winning the toss, Exning posted up 40 inside 8 overs before Simon Allen (21) fell to the bowling of Alan Shufflebotham. This only served to increase the onslaught to the St Margaret’s bowlers as Julian Barker (77) and David Monk powered to a 2nd wicket stand of 144 in just 23 overs with the mayhem continuing as Nigel Lomas added a quick fire 21 before the 3rd wicket fell at 252. Monk was finally dismissed by fatigue as much as anything else, for 109, leaving Peter Woods (32 not out) to see the score up to 301 for the loss of only 4 wickets.

The sizeable target for the hosts, soon took on monstrous proportions as Ian Starling (2 for 41) and Woods induced a collapse to 50 for 4 before Lawrence Wilmington (29) and Matthew Parker (27) proved capable foot soldiers to Roger White who fought back at the bowling in the most appropriate fashion. He clattered 16 fours in a score of 74 before he was dismissed at 166 for 6 as Woods was reintroduced to the attack to claim his best bowling figures of an injury hit season so far. 6 for 64 was just reward for his first workout in over 4 weeks and with the support of Starling, together with Mike Pursell (2 for 42) he saw the demolition of St Margaret’s for 220 to leave the Park side with victory by 81 runs.

The ‘return fixtures’ for the 2nd half of the Division 3 season commence this Saturday as the Exning 2nd XI travel the short distance to local rivals Worlington, who will be keen on gaining revenge for an unlikely opening day defeat at the Park. The match commences at 1pm.

EXNING SUNDAY XI

The Sunday XI were inactive last weekend with the day being set aside for the 2nd Round of the Greene King IPA Suffolk Cup but this coming Sunday they take up the challenge again of achieving a victory in Division 1 of the Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League, when Walsham le Willows are the visitors to the Park in a match commencing at 2pm. This is a change from the Fixture |Card with the games being swapped around to accommodate a Village Fete which is being held on the Walsham cricket field this weekend.

GIBSON CUP

An extremely entertaining and well-attended Gibson Cup semi final was played out between Weston Colville and Fordham at Exning Park last Thursday evening, with Fordham running out eventual winners by 5 wickets at the end of a high scoring affair. Batting first, Weston Colville put the Fordham bowlers to the sword as they amassed 169 for 3 with the great majority feeling that this would be a difficult score to chase as the light fell. The contrary was the case as, at first, Fordham scored well below the required run rate, but as the ball became rather more difficult for the fielders to pick up, rather than the batsmen, so the runs began to flow with ones being turned into twos. A fair sprinkling of fours and sixes saw the total move inexorably towards the winning post, and although Fordham did lose 5 wickets, the victory target was reached with 10 balls to spare.

The Final will now take place tonight (Thursday 2 July) between Fordham and Worlington, commencing at 6.15pm at Exning Park.

Posted on June 30th, 2009 by webmaster
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IPSWICH & EAST SUFFOLK I v EXNING I

Exning were not able to extend their run of 5 unbeaten matches last Saturday when they travelled to the East of the County and not unexpectedly, bearing in mind their historical fallibility on the wide expanses of Chantry Park, they returned home with a 20 run defeat at the hands of Ipswich & East Suffolk in a Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 match dominated by the fragile genius of the home team’s Mark Sproats.

Batting first, the home team were soon in trouble at 5 for 2 and then 37 for 4 after 20 overs due to the persistent seam trio of Mark Geeves, Daniel Baigent and Kent Tomsett. However, Karl Mildenhall (34) brought about the shoots of a recovery and although another wicket fell at 71, Sproats provided the ‘big-hitting’ innings which was needed to overcome the slow scoring outfield. Dealing only in sixes, he clubbed 8 ‘maximums’ in a destructive innings of 61 while scoring the majority of the 74 runs added while he was at the crease. With the slow bowlers somewhat hampered by a damp ball after a rain induced delay of 25 minutes, the seamers stuck to their task and although the tail wagged, the visitors were not dissatisfied when the hosts were dismissed for 183 in the 49th over, leaving Exning 51 overs for their innings. Geeves and Baigent caused the early trouble with 2 for 40 and 3 for 37 respectively, leaving Tomsett to get amongst the middle and lower order taking 3 for 51.

Exning’s reply was soon in trouble with the loss of their 1st wicket in the opening over but Richard Ford and Tim Catley put together a recovery of 47 for the 2nd wicket and then in partnership with Craig Estlea, Ford saw the score to 83 for 3. Unfortunately for the visitors, Sproats then showed his bowling prowess as he dismissed Ford for 41 from a smart caught and bowled chance and when Mildenhall grabbed two further wickets in the middle order, Exning were in trouble at 99 for 6. Despite this, Christopher Lomas repelled all that the bowlers could throw at him, but he received scant support until the tail enders, Andrew Longfield and Baigent struck some much needed boundaries to take the score tantalisingly close to the target.

Exning’s hopes were burst however, when the Sproats/Mildenhall attack finally cleared the tail for a total of 163 leaving their side with a 20 run victory. Lomas was left ‘high and dry’ on 33 while Sproats (5 for 50) and Mildenhall (4 for 26) basked in the glory of the adulation from their teammates.

This coming Saturday, Exning return to their own surroundings when they finish the first half of the season by welcoming Abberton to the Park in a match commencing at 1pm while on Sunday, they travel the short distance to Mildenhall to renew local rivalries in the 2nd Round of the Greene King IPA Suffolk Cup; the match commencing at 12 noon.

EXNING II v SUDBURY II

The Exning second string were also involved in a close finish when they played host to their Sudbury counterparts at the Park and ended up just 12 runs short of the target of 192 for 9 set by the visitors. Louis Brooks with 53 was the mainstay in the Sudbury innings and seven other double figure scores added substance to the total while the Readman brothers and Mike Pursell bowled to keep the score down to manageable proportions.

Ben Readman and Pursell finished with 4 for 56 and 2 for 32 respectively, and although Sam Readman managed 3 for 53, Exning’s cause was not helped when he had to be withdrawn from the attack with a pulled muscle less than halfway into the innings.

Exning’s reply centred largely around Matthew Catley, ‘guesting’ for the 2nd string having returned from a business trip to the USA only minutes before the start of the match. He figured in a 2nd wicket stand of 73 in partnership with Nigel Lomas but when he was dismissed for 86 with the score at 114 for 3, none of the middle order took the necessary responsibility to drive the innings to the winning post.

Five double figure scores gave an indication of what the middle order could achieve, but persistent bowling from Alan MacDiarmid (3 for 23) and Ben Reece (4 for 42) worked their way through the order to see Exning finally dismissed for 180 to grab a victory which seemed unlikely just 20 overs earlier.

On Saturday, Exning 2nd XI travel to Ipswich to take on St Margarets in a match commencing at 1pm. This will also mark the midway point of the Division 3 season.

EXNING SUNDAY IX v SUDBURY I

Exning’s woes continued in their latest Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League Division 1 clash when Sudbury completed a weekend double at the Park by walking away with an 8-wicket victory with over 10 overs to spare. There was a sprightly opening from the home side when Andrew Longfield’s somewhat unorthodox style of batting flummoxed Billy Moulton-Day especially, with 9 boundaries being hit in Longfield’s entertaining 39 before he was dismissed at 57 for 3.

The innings then centred around a more patient knock of 55 not out from Peter Woods, scoring his first half century in Exning colours, as he shepherded the 40 over score to 155 for 7 against the attack of Charlie Thomas (2 for 21), Moulton-Day (2 for 44) and for the 2nd day, Alan MacDiarmid with 2 for 26.

The target proved to be of little concern as Peter Siegert (44) was the main partner in an opening stand of 55 and when he was dismissed at 61, a 3rd wicket partnership of 87 between Adam Mansfield (50) and Jandre Coetzee (42 not out) saw their team to the cusp of victory. 15-year-old Ryan Shepherd claimed Mansfield’s wicket as soon as he had reached an entertaining half-century, but James Smith brought the game to a summary conclusion with a boundary to take victory for Sudbury by 7 wickets.

The Sunday XI take a break from their League miseries this weekend with the Suffolk Cup being played.

GIBSON CUP

Fulbourn and Worlington played out a closely fought and very entertaining match last Thursday with Worlington just prevailing by the close margin of 1 wicket with one ball to spare. Fulbourn batted first and scored 112 for 7 with the Worlington reply looking to be well on course at the halfway stage of their innings. However, the Fulbourn bowlers persisted and aided by some excellent catching, Worlington’s skipper, Paul Marston, was left to take his team over the line by the narrowest of margins.

Worlington will now figure in the final on 2nd July where they will meet the winners of tonight’s (Thursday 25 June) semi final to be played at Exning Park between Weston Colville and Fordham, the match commencing at 6.15pm.

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by webmaster
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EXNING I v MISTLEY I

In similar fashion to Exning’s Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 clash the previous week against Sudbury, the opposition batted first and seemed to be building a sizeable target until the intervention of the ‘spin twins’, Christopher Lomas and Craig Estlea, saw the demise of the Essex visitors, Mistley, for 181 with over 2 overs to spare, giving the Park side 52 overs to reach the winning score. In the event, the overs available proved to be quite academic as Oli Fowlston was at his belligerent best right from the off, blasting 104 in 82 balls and although he was dismissed with still 35 runs required, the victory was achieved inside 32 overs for the loss of only 4 wickets.

Earlier, Ted Moulton and Martin Griggs had set off with some panache for Mistley as they had 30 runs on the board in 6 overs, but the opening attack of Mark Geeves and Jamie Grove reined in the scoring rate, only conceding 2 runs an over for the next 6 overs, and when Richard Ford, acting skipper for the day in the absence of Matthew Catley, spectacularly caught Moulton for 21 with a full-length diving effort off the bowling of Geeves, the spring in the step of the Exning team became more pronounced. Geeves then gave Daniel Baigent some reward for a fiery spell of bowling by taking a sharp slip chance to dismiss Griggs and when Geeves induced the Mistley ‘overseas player’, Iduna Senarathne, into skying a catch to Grove on the deep long-on boundary for 22, Exning were happy with the score of 76 for 3 at the end of 21 overs; Geeves ‘retiring’ from the action with 2 for 43 from his 12 over spell.

Marlon Dias (27) and Simon Barlow (21) saw Mistley into three figures with a 4th wicket partnership of 43, but when Lomas snapped up a sharp ‘caught and bowled’ chance offered by Barlow, the middle order wickets began to tumble with only David Goff, hitting 5 fours and 1 six in an attacking score of 32, adding any substance to the total which slumped to 159 for 7 as Lomas claimed 4 for 40. Having partnered Lomas for 8 overs without any success, other than limiting the runs to just 20 from his spell, Estlea joined the party, taking the last 3 wickets in just 8 balls to finish with 3 for 25 in the final total of 181.

Having seen the positive input from the Exning spinners, Mistley opened with one slow bowler in the form of Senarathne and then soon introduced the second, Moulton, following a flurry of boundaries in Tony Barton’s 2nd over by Fowlston’s straight driving. However, this had little effect on Fowlston as he blasted an array of boundaries, being especially brutal on the Sri Lankan spinner, bringing up an opening partnership of 64 in just 10 overs. Tim Catley replaced Ford as Fowlston’s subservient partner while a further 83 runs were racked up in 15 overs before the opener was dismissed for 104 at 147 for 2; his score including 12 fours and 5 sixes.

There was a slight wobble from Exning as Mistley’s 4th choice spinner, Paul Garwood took 2 for 9 and John Manning claimed 2 for 37, but Catley batted sensibly for 32 leaving Eastlea and Geeves to bring up a 6 wicket victory with another flurry of boundaries. Exning now look to a journey to Ipswich & East Suffolk this Saturday to take on a team where they have had indifferent results over the years, but confidence should be high in the camp even though they will be without regulars, Matthew Catley and Jamie Grove.

BURY ST EDMUNDS II v EXNING II

The Exning 2nd string travelled the short distance to the Victory Ground at Bury St Edmunds last Saturday in a Division 3 clash, but sadly, the match was abandoned with the Park side on 35 for 1 when the appointed umpire felt unwell and after attention from local nursing staff, he was taken to the West Suffolk General Hospital to be kept under observation.

Happily, the umpire was released from hospital on Monday and the two teams will await any decision from the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Management Sub Committee with regard to the replaying of the game, but in the meantime, Exning 2nd XI take on the Sudbury 2nd string at the Park on Saturday commencing at 1pm.

MILDENHALL v EXNING SUNDAY XI

Exning’s difficult season in Division 1 of the Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League continued on Sunday when they travelled to Wamil Way and the hosts walked away with a 9 wicket victory, although at least, the Park side did bat for the full 40 overs and their young bowlers on display all gave a creditable performance.

Batting first, Exning were soon in trouble at 37 for 3 but the experience of Mike Pursell (31) and the application of Kent Tomsett saw them put together a 4th wicket partnership of 53 to take the score to 90 for4. Tomsett continued to hold the innings together sensibly and scored a deserved 57, but after Rene VanOvermeire was instrumental in reducing the score to 123 for 6, Aaron Bloomfield (4 for 47) and Mark Thurston (2 for 45) worked their way through the lower order to see the visitors dismissed for 166 from the final ball of the 40 overs.

In reply, Mildenhall’s Ziaf Kulasi and Franny Bester scored runs almost at will with Bester allowing his younger partner a free hand as Kulasi blasted his way towards a century. After 10 fours and 4 sixes, he only needed one further ‘maximum’ to achieve the three figures but he succumbed on 95 to the unusual bowling style of Andrew Longfield who claimed Exning’s only success as the ‘Bester-led’ home team moved on to a 9 wicket victory in the 22nd over with Bester on an unbeaten 54.

This Sunday, the Exning Sunday XI return to home territory where they take on Sudbury in a match commencing at 2pm.

GIBSON CUP

Last Thursday’s Gibson Cup semi-final between Fulbourn and Worlington fell foul to the weather and is due to take place this evening (Thursday 18/6) at Exning Park commencing at 6.15pm. The second semi-final between Weston Colville and Fordham is scheduled for the week after, 25th June, while the Final will be held on 2nd July.

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by webmaster
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Exning Captain, Matthew Catley is interviewed by the Newmarket Journal before Exning’s victory over Sudbury.

Click here to see the article

Click here to see the video

Posted on June 9th, 2009 by webmaster
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SUDBURY I v EXNING I

In a 2nd v 3rd Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 clash last Saturday, Exning emerged victorious by 5 wickets and overcoming their West Suffolk rivals with 13 overs to spare. The Park side bowled first and did well to restrict the Sudbury openers to around 3 runs an over, but for the first time this season, they were not able to break through and make inroads into the home team’s batting line-up.

The slow bowling of Christopher Lomas was soon introduced into the attack and although he took a short while to find the correct line and length, when he did, it was with devastating effect. First he bowled Jon Phillips, ‘neck and crop’, with his straight ball, had Dan Batch in at least two minds as he ‘played on’, while the highlight was the dismissal of the overseas player, Jandre Coetzee, who was completely undone by a spinning, bouncing delivery, which he could only edge to the keeper. When Lomas enticed Matt Pears into mishitting a catch to the safe hands of Mark Geeves and Daniel Baigent finally achieved success for the seamers by dislodging the ‘sheet-anchor’, Peter Siegert, for 44, the innings had slumped to 111 for 5.

This soon became 112 for 6 when Craig Estlea claimed a wicket in his 2nd over at which stage Kent Tomsett joined the attack, bowling his brand of sharp ‘seam-up’ rather than his spinners. Micky Skelton’s razor sharp reactions behind the stumps gave Tomsett his first wicket with a lightning leg side stumping and although Steve Witham (24) added some late lusty batting to the proceedings, Estlea (2 for 36) and Tomsett (3 for 16) saw the dismissal of the home side from the final ball of the 50th over with Andy Simmonds (19) managing to get the score to a competitive 180.

Exning’s reply began with just a wide from the opening two overs, but Estlea laid into Billy Moulton-Day’s second over with some panache to take three boundaries before his replacement, Dan Batch, induced Estlea into giving a catch from his very first ball and when Richard Ford edged Coetzee to the keeper, Exning were in some disarray at 26 for 2. This seemed to cause no bother at all to Lomas who caressed a series of shots to the boundary, scoring 41, including 8 fours, before he too, edged a ball to the keeper to end a 3rd wicket stand of 49 of which Tim Catley scored just 5.

Skipper, Matthew Catley came to the crease and after a period of watchful rebuilding from the two brothers, the skipper took a firm grip on the game when he launched into Simmonds slow bowling taking him for two 4’s and two 6’s in the space of two overs before Tim Catley (33) fell to the Mansfield/Coetzee combination by guiding a catch straight to the keeper. Matthew Catley ploughed on with no little assistance from Tomsett (15 not out), but with a comprehensive victory in sight, he played one extravagant shot too many to become Coetzee’s 3rd victim. However, Geeves ensured there were no slip-ups at this stage as he stroked two boundaries to take Exning to 181 for 5; Coetzee finishing with 3 for 74 from15 somewhat expensive overs.

This Saturday, Exning 1st XI return to the Park to take on Mistley in a Division 1 match commencing at 1pm.
EXNING II v KELVEDON & FEERING I

After claiming only their 2nd win of the season against bottom of the table, Stowmarket, the previous week, the Park 2nd XI took on their Essex visitors with some confidence, especially as Worlington had claimed Kelvedon & Feering’s first defeat of the season on the same day by a comprehensive 9 wickets. However, Exning were without their match-winning batsman, David Monk but they did welcome back the Readman brothers, Ben and Sam.

Batting first, the visitors showed no concerns following the previous week’s defeat as Mark Bridger (45) and John Baker (38) sent their team well on the way with an opening partnership of 78 in just 15 overs. However, David Atkinson dismissed both openers and when the 3rd wicket fell at 110 in the 24th over, the scoring rate had been reined in to more respectable proportions. Despite this, Fred Warner (26) and Andy Parsons (23) kept the score moving along while some lusty blows from Rob Burt (45) made sure that their team reached a more than challenging score of 235 for 9. Atkinson persevered to finish with 4 for 41 and Ben Readman provided assistance with 3 for 40 in the final ‘thrash’.

Facing a fairly inexperienced bowling attack, Julian Barker (27) and Simon Allen got Exning off to a solid start with 48 while Allen’s new-found confidence this season saw him stroke a deserved half century before he was dismissed at 117 for 3. Peter Allen took up the cudgels on his son’s exit until he was bowled for 38 leaving the stage clear for Atkinson to see his team to victory with a fine ‘all-round’ display. He scored a brutal 61 not out including five 4’s and six 6’s and with the support of a generous helping of 29 extras, Exning reached a 4 wicket victory at 236 for 4 with just 2 balls to spare.

This Saturday, the Exning 2nd XI travel the short distance eastwards along the A 14 to take on the Bury St Edmunds 2nd string at the Victory Ground in a Division 3 clash commencing at 1pm.

EXNING SUNDAY XI v LAKENHEATH II

The forecast heavy rain put paid to Exning’s Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League Division 1 clash at home to Lakenheath during the mid morning and they now travel the short distance to Mildenhall this coming Sunday; the match commencing at 2pm.

GIBSON CUP

Fordham won through to the semi-finals of the Gibson Cup after a closely fought high scoring affair against Exning last Thursday evening and will now meet Weston Colville in the second semi-final on 25 June. In the meantime, the first semi-final takes place this evening (11 June) with Fulbourn taking on Worlington at Exning Park; the match commencing at 6.15pm.

TONY CATLEY.

Posted on June 8th, 2009 by webmaster
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EXNING I v WIVENHOE I

Wivenhoe were the visitors to Exning Park last Saturday in a Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 clash and with a youthful and enthusiastic team, they pushed the hosts to the limit in the first half of the match, with a likely chance of victory at the tea interval. Batting first, Exning soon lost their 1st wicket in the 2nd over, but a steady partnership of 57 between Richard Ford (25) and Tim Catley seemed to give the Park side a firm base which was built upon by Craig Estlea (27). However, after Catley was adjudged lbw having constructed a confident 40, and with Estlea crucially losing his concentration, the innings hung in the balance at 105 for 4 which soon became 110 for 5 as Wivenhoe skipper, Will Morgan, began a very productive spell of bowling.

Christopher Lomas (30), added some bulk to the score, but the innings was then mortally wounded as he was dismissed on 147, whilst in the very next over Morgan captured an impressive hat trick of wickets, still on 147. A very brief flurry of runs from the 10th wicket just managed to push the score up to 154 as Morgan joyously claimed figures of 6 for 29 from 9.5 overs to leave the visitors much the happier at the tea break.

A solid opening reply of 26 in 10 overs from the Wivenhoe batsmen seemed to calm any nerves their young side may have had in chasing such a small total, but when the Exning bowling attack of Mark Geeves and Jamie Grove finally found their line and length in the 11th over, the inexperience of youth came to the fore with the two bowlers taking the score from 26 for 1 to 46 for 7 by the end of the 22nd over. Geeves with 5 for 32 in 16 overs, together with an equally frugal 2 for 21 in 11 overs from Grove, made it extremely unlikely that there would be a Wivenhoe victory, but to their credit, the tail ‘wagged’ as Richard Pulford (16), Ollie Morgan (19), Tom Durrell (11) and the highest score of the innings from No 11 Paul Tonkinson (21 not out) took the final score to 117, Lomas 2 for 16, as Exning claimed a 20 point victory by 37 runs.

So, Exning travel to Sudbury this coming Saturday, where they take on the team 2nd in the table in a match commencing at 1pm.

STOWMARKET I v EXNING II

The Exning 2nd XI travelled to Mid Suffolk last Saturday to take on Stowmarket in Division 3; the only team below them, having no wins to their name against the one win to Exning from the very first game of the season at home to Worlington. A run of five consecutive defeats left confidence at a low ebb for the Park side, but the bowling attack, weakened by the absence of the Readman brothers, strove manfully to restrict the run scoring as the hosts slumped to 75 for 6 by the 28th over. Only veteran opener, Dave Aldous, held the top order together with 30 but lower down, Neil Davies (33) and Andy Holding (20) did manage to bat out the overs to score 156 for 9, Ben Coupe returning 2 for 34, David Atkinson 3 for 26 and Mike Pursell 3 for 46.

A steady start of 38 from Julian Barker (19) and Simon Allen gave the Exning reply a firm foundation, allowing David Monk to continue with the run scoring. The total stuttered a little as the score reached 60 for 3, but Monk’s experience, supported by Ben Atkinson (18) and David Atkinson (22), ensured that a 5-wicket victory was reached at 157 for 5 with Monk having compiled a classy unbeaten 61 including 10 fours.

This Saturday, the Park 2nd XI are likely to receive a firmer challenge from Essex visitors, Kelvedon & Feering, but hopefully the confidence of a victory will enable them to perform to the best of their ability and claim a 3rd Division 3 victory to move the team further away from the basement of the Division. The match commences at 1pm.

EXNING SUNDAY XI v WORLINGTON III

Exning Sunday XI’s woes continued last weekend when Worlington III visited the Park in a Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League Division 1 clash, with the Park side succumbing to a 7-wicket defeat in a patently one-sided affair.

Exning chose to bat first, but they were under the cosh from the opening pair, Chris Baugh (2 for 22) and Alex Watson (4 for 28), as the score nose-dived to 50 for 6. David Atkinson (28 not out) managed to get the total to three figures, but the only support he received was from the bowlers with a copious number wides leading to 26 extras with the innings closing on 116 in the 30th over.

Exning opened up with an all-slow bowling attack and although Mike Pursell (2 for 47) and Kent Tomsett managed to reduce the visitors to 64 for 3, first Daren Hayward (24) and then Matthew Bacon (34 not out), saw to it that Exning would not claim an unlikely victory; their team reaching victory on 122 for 3 in 19 overs.

This Sunday, the Exning Sunday XI play host to Lakenheath at the Park in a Division 1 League match commencing at 2pm.

GIBSON CUP

Their was disappointment for spectators in the 1st round tie last Thursday as Balsham were unable to raise an XI and so conceded the match to their opponents, Weston Colville, who will now play in the semi final due to take place on 25 June.

Their semi final opponents will be known after tonight’s (Thurs 4 June) last 1st round tie when Exning take on Fordham at the Park commencing at 6.15pm.

TONY CATLEY

Posted on June 1st, 2009 by webmaster
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MILDENHALL I v EXNING I

For the first time in almost 10 seasons the two Forest Heath clubs, Mildenhall and Exning, clashed at Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 level and on a balmy, late Spring day, Mildenhall’s Wamil Way pitch looked a picture with the sun and blue sky bathing the ground and showing the new pavilion facilities in all its glory.

The cricket on offer matched the atmosphere as, after 99 overs and 3 balls of entertaining, ‘cut and thrust’ cricket, Exning claimed the local bragging rights – until the return fixture – with a hard fought 6 wicket victory from the third ball of the final over. The Wamil Way side had no hesitation in batting first upon winning the toss, but somewhat surprisingly on their usually batsman friendly track, the Exning opening attack of Daniel Baigent (3 for 55) and Jamie Grove (3 for 40) found a little life and movement with the new ball as Mildenhall slumped to 53 for 5 by the 12th over. Of the top order, only Ziaf Kulasi (21) and Stevie Lankester (13) reached double figures and with two lbw calls going the way of the visitors, the hosts were in some trouble.

However, Exning were not able to press home their advantage as Frannie Bester (58) and James Holmes (52) dug deep into their grit and determination to post up an entertaining 6th wicket stand of exactly 100 in just 19 overs to bring about the seeds of recovery for their side. Bester fell when he offered a difficult ‘caught and bowled’ chance to Christopher Lomas which he gratefully accepted and when Lomas claimed the wicket of the other 6th wicket partner just 13 runs later, the advantage appeared to have swung back to the visitors with Mildenhall on 166 for 7. Despite this, the tail ‘wagged’ with no little success as young Adam White (25 not out) shepherded the total up to 231 for 9 at the end of the 50 overs with help from skipper, Karl Holmes (19) and double figure scores from numbers 10 and 11.

Exning’s reply stumbled immediately as Lucky Phangabantu, in his first match of the season on his belated return to Wamil Way, shattered Oli Fowlston’s stumps with the 4th ball of the innings and then in partnership with James Holmes as the new ball pairing, they restricted the scoring to just 2 runs an over in the first 17 overs. Exning’s situation became somewhat more dire as Richard Ford fell to the wiles of Lankester’s slow bowling to leave the score at 38 for 2 in the 20th over.

At just the right moment for the Park side, Tim Catley (74) and Craig Estlea produced their best batting performances of the season to bring their side back into the game with a 3rd wicket stand of 77 before Catley played a tired looking shot to White to be caught on the deep mid wicket boundary, bringing the match back in the balance again at 115 for 3, and with only 15 overs remaining, it was probably ‘advantage Mildenhall’ at this stage. However, there was always hope for Exning while Estlea was batting with more aplomb and application than had been the case so far this season, and when skipper Matthew Catley took up the cudgels left by his brother, the scoring rate picked up appreciably as they pieced together a 4th wicket stand of 115 in just 14 overs to take Exning to the cusp of victory before Lankester claimed Catley for 49 from the 1st ball of the final over.

Their was a degree of ‘fortune favouring the brave’ in the Estlea/Catley partnership as the ball went into the air on many occasions but the wide expanses of the Wamil Way ground are difficult to defend, even for the home side, with the ball falling short of the deep fielders or just over the heads of the in-fielders. Lankester finished with 2 for 64, but Exning only required 2 runs from the rest of his last over and Estlea stroked the 3rd ball past the extra cover fielder to bring up the winning run for the loss of only 4 wickets with his contribution an unbeaten 81. It is often said that wickets in the bank are an important asset when chasing targets, and as excruciatingly painful as Ford’s 57-ball sojourn for just 9 runs might have been, there is no doubt that his effort was instrumental in Exning’s victory over his previous Club.

This Saturday, Exning 1st XI return to their home pastures as they take on Wivenhoe in another Division 1 clash commencing at 1pm.

EXNING II v CLACTON on SEA II

The Clacton on Sea 2nd string were the visitors to the Park last Saturday in a Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 3 clash which saw the Essex coast side bat first and post up a score of 226 for 8 in their 45 overs. The total revolved around three half-centuries from Chris Finney (55), Rob Grosvenor (53) and Gary Barnard (50) while a watchful, unbeaten 34 from skipper, Gary Kirk, ensured that the top order efforts were not wasted despite the bowling of Ben Readman (4 for 40) and David Atkinson (3 for 54) after the first two Clacton wickets had put on 129.

An opening response of 53 in just 11 overs from Julian Barker (24) and Simon Allen got the Exning innings well under way and then a stand of 81 between Allen and David Monk gave the Park side some confidence of achieving only their 2nd victory of the season. Unfortunately, the introduction of slow bowler, Mark Comber, brought panic to an innings where quiet application was needed as Allen was dismissed for a well-crafted 49 at 134 and when skipper, Nigel Lomas, went for the only other double figure score at 157 for 4, too much pressure was heaped on Monk. By this stage, Comber was wheeling away and when he was joined by the experience of Gary Kirk, wickets fell with gay abandon.

Monk finally succumbed for 61 with the score at 193 for 7 and the end soon came for 206 runs as the Park side fell 20 runs short against figures of 7 for 46 from Comber and 2 for 30 by Kirk. So this Saturday, the Exning 2nd XI travel to Stowmarket in a ‘must not lose clash’ as they take on one of the two teams below them in the League table.

EXNING SUNDAY XI v NEWMARKET RACING XI

With a rest from the chores of the Hunts County Bats Suffolk Cricket League fixtures last Sunday, Exning played host to Julian Wilson’s Newmarket Racing XI on an afternoon of sun, blue skies and good old-fashioned friendly cricket. Exning batted first with Simon Allen carrying on his confidence of the previous day scoring 20 in an opening partnership of 30 with the promising Nicholas Lomas. He also played some classy extra cover drives in his innings of 21 with more meat being put on the bones of the innings as 27 runs came from the unlikely bat of Ian Starling making his seasonal debut following reconstruction work on his bowling shoulder during the Winter months. Kent Tomsett, with a hard hit 67 added more bulk to the score and although George Lambton returned good figures of 2 for 13 from 6 overs, the Park side were able to rack up a teatime score of 197 for 5.

Ben Readman and Mark Ward (3 for 12) reduced the Racing XI’s reply to 33 for 4 and after a quick wicket from Starling, together with 2 for 18 from 15-year-old Ryan Shepherd, the innings was in some disarray at 60 for 7. However, Ben Jackson (46 not out) fought valiantly and with a little help from Simon Mockeridge (31), took the score up to 146 before Tomsett rounded off a solid all-round performance, taking 2 for 5 in just two overs to give Exning victory by 51 runs.

This Sunday, the Exning Sunday XI return to League duties, taking on Worlington at the Park; the match commencing at 2pm.

GIBSON CUP

The 2nd tie of the 2009 Gibson Cup Competition took place last Thursday evening where Worlington defeated Burrough Green and will now take on Fulbourn in the Semi Final due to be played at the Park on 11 June. The next tie takes place at the Park tonight (Thursday 28/5) commencing at 6.15pm between Weston Colville and Balsham.

TONY CATLEY.

Posted on May 26th, 2009 by webmaster
Filed under: Match Reports | Comments Off