Author: Al Rix

A Fractious Encounter

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Lodsworth CC v Walberton CC
August 26th2012 at Lodsworth
Lodsworth CC 173 for 5 (Will Salaman 47 not out, Dave Clark 42, Finn Campbell 23, Andy Long 21 not out; B Kemp 8 overs 3 for 34)
Walberton CC 156 for 5 (C Winter 46, J Bish 50; Matt Hall 9 overs 2 for 29, Andy Long 9 over 3 for 39)
Match drawn
One myth that should be reappraised is that Sunday cricket is by definition ‘friendly’. It can be, but frequently it is just as intense and fractious as its League counterpart. We want to win … not at all costs … but there is a residual glow after a successful encounter and a feeling of dismay when we loose particularly as a result of questionable umpiring decisions. Umpiring in village cricket is always going to be imperfect and in the ‘spirit of the game’ we should accept the officials’ decisions, but sometimes it takes a great effort not to retort. The two areas that cause the most friction are the LBW and the ‘caught behind’ and so it proved in the game against Walberton where a degree of acrimony crept into the game.
Lodsworth batted first and put up a gritty performance. Matt Hall was out LBW to a dubious decision but Dave Clark steadily compiled 42 runs and Will Salaman stroked some elegant boundary shots as he amassed 47 not out. Finn Campbell looked good and quickly put on 23 before being deceived by a ball that kicked up to head height ball and he was caught at slip. Andy Long showed some of his old fire with a quick 21 not out and Lodsworth went in for tea with 173 for 5. There were steady performances by Fergus Cruikshank and Rob Collins while B Kemp was the pick of the opposition bowlers with 8 overs 3 for 34.
After a feast from Jill King and Vikki Braithwaite and a special treat with magnificent cakes from Teggy Phillips, Walberton took the field. C Winter (46) and J Bish (50) showed some cultured batting but following successive confident appeals for LBW and a ‘bouncer’ by Finn Campbell, harsh words were exchanged between umpires, batsmen, bowler and fielders and one umpire left the field in high dudgeon.
Gradually Lodsworth gained the ascendency… Matt Hall bowled 9 overs 2 for 29 and Andy Long 9 overs 3 for 39. Will Salaman took two excellent catches and Andy Long also took two, while Lodsworth pressured the batsmen. By the close of play Walberton had scored 156 for 5, the match was declared a draw and differences of opinion were settled, as they should be, without malice, at the Holist Arms.
Man of the Match – Will Salaman
Scribe – Bob Powell

West Chiltington Blitz

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

West Chiltington CC v Lodsworth CC
August 19th2012 at West Chiltington
West Chiltington CC 225 all out in 40 overs (T Monday 111, J Tolson 34; Finn Campbell 8 overs 6 for 32, Andy Long 8 overs 2 for 50).
Lodsworth CC 96 all out (James Hickey 32, Graham Braithwaite 21; Wyatt 5 overs 2 for 31, Woodham 5 overs 2 for 19).
West Chiltington Won.
The West Chiltington skipper won the toss and elected to bat. Both openers Tolson (34) and Monday (111) scored freely with no real Lodsworth answer. Paul Phillips and James Hickey steadied the ship in the middle with the former making a breakthrough by bowling Tolson with the score on 152 for 1. R Laveryn (20) proved to be a stalwart by scoring in singles. Andy Long had the indestructible Monday caught on the boundary by Graham Braithwaite for 111. Finn Campbell’s mighty impressive final four overs for six wicket haul took the opposition’s innings from 206 for 4 to 225 all out.
After a splendid tea Lodsworth were quickly in disarray. West Chiltington have a couple of very good Australian expats. Will Salaman, Paul Phillips and Finn Campbell contributed a total of just 24 runs. Lodsworth wilted under sustained pressure from the oppositions fast bowling attack with Graham Braithwaite (21) and James Hickey (32) the only batsmen offering any resistance before Lodsworth were bowled out for 96 in a heavy defeat.
Man of the Match: Finn Campbell
Scribe Matt Hall

Lodsworth Sunk by Old Sailers

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Lodsworth CC v The Ancient Mariners CC
Sunday 12thAugust at Lodsworth
Ancient Mariners CC 126 for 7 wickets ( Andy Long 4 for 31)
Lodsworth CC 114 all out (Finn Campbell 48, James Hickey 30)
Lodsworth Lost
At long last a home match at the recreation ground not marred by rain. The sun shone and two evenly matched sides had a good contest. The Ancient Mariners (a touring team with naval connections and a 60 year history) batted first and scored 126 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.
Andy Long was the pick of the Lodsworth bowlers with 4 for 31 with other wickets taken by Finn Campbell (1 for 22), Dave Clarke (1 for 25) and Harry Dimond (1 for 13). The Ancient Mariners would have scored fewer runs had the Lodsworth fielders held their catches – all told some eight catches were put down.
In reply, Lodsworth were all out for a disappointing 114 runs. The best home batsman on the day was young Finn Campbell who batted extremely well for 48 runs. How he deserved a 50! The only other batsman to make a sizable score was James Hickey (making a welcome return to the team) with 30 runs.
Upon reflection it was a game that Lodsworth, who fielded a strong team, should have won comfortably but ended up loosing by 12 runs
Man of the Match Finn Campbell
Scribe John King

Where there’s a Will there’s a way!

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Lodsworth CC v Bury & West Burton CC
15thJuly 2012 at Lodsworth
Bury & West Burton CC 131 (Lewis 34, Hares 34: Matt Hall 3 wickets for 16 runs, Paul Phillips 2 wickets for 39 runs)
Lodsworth CC 133 for 8 (William Salaman 35,Henry Rydon 18: Rowsell 2 for 22, Hares 2 for 24)
Lodsworth Won
On a rare sunny day in Lodsworth, Bury & West Burton CC won the toss and decided to bat. Lodsworth CC fielded 3 debutants with Will Salaman, Henry Rydon and Ollie Hunter-Fox all playing their first games for Lodsworth.
Dave Clark and Tom Atkins opened the bowling, and Atkins made an early break through removing Rowsell caught behind by Lee Ayres. Clarke continued to toil without much luck, having beaten the bat and just missing the stumps. Lewis (34) regularly found the gaps and started to build a steady platform with Highlands for the visitors. A bowling change saw Paul Phillips and Matt Hall into the attack; though Phillips struggled with his line and length he soon had 2 wickets. Hall removed Lewis with a fabulous diving catch from Lee Coyne and bowled danger man Waller. Hares came to the crease and chanced his arm to make a quick 34 before he was caught behind by Ayres off Lee Coyne. Lodsworth managed to restrict the opposition to 131 all out.
After a fantastic tea, the Lodsworth openers Henry Rydon (18) and Dave Clarke (5) got off to a steady start before Clarke was bowled. Debutant Will Salaman (35) was next in, though he hadn’t played for several years he showed a lovely technique with some big hitting. Both Salaman and Rydon scored briskly to get the home team up to 74 for 2, before 3 quick wickets fell and this saw the introduction of young Ollie Hunter-Fox.
To the opposition’s consternation, Hunter-Fox showed he was no mug and scored 18 before he was bowled. With Lodsworth needing 20 runs, Rob Collins (8) and Lee Ayres (9) confidently reached the target with a lusty boundary shot each. Lodsworth triumphed with 6 overs to spare.
Man of the Match – Will Salaman.
Scribe Matt Hall

Coyne adds value on Lodsworth debut!

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Graffham v Lodsworth
Sunday 1stJuly 2012 at Graffham
Graffham 127 for 9 (40 Overs – Filby 27 & Atkinson 33: Paul Phillips 3 for 13, Andy Long 3 for 27, Matt Hall 2 for 7)
Lodsworth 128 for 3 (26 Overs- Andrew Wilson-Smith 63 not out & Lee Coyne 54; Barrett 2 for 16)
Lodsworth Won
On a damp wet track Lodsworth played local rivals Graffham. Lodsworth won the toss and placed the home team into bat. Dave Clark and Andy Long (3 wkts for 27 runs) opened with some tight bowling before Long removed the opposition captain for a duck. With the bowlers limited to a maximum of 8 overs, Paul Phillips (3 wkts for 13) replaced Long to bowl his off breaks. Phillips successfully struck in his first over, when Lodsworth debutant 16-year-old Lee Coyne took a brilliant catch to remove J Pink (2).
Lodsworth were able to keep Graffham on a tight reign with a brilliant fielding display especially from Robin Collins. James Hickey playing his first game of the year took a nice catch, before he duly followed up with the running out of Creed. It was only Filby (27) and Atkinson (33) who took the offence to Lodsworth with some lusty boundaries. It proved to be all too late as Hall (2 wkts for 7 runs) took the wicket of Atkinson and Graffham finished with 127 for 9 off 40 overs.
After tea, Lodsworth made the worse possible start, when both openers Matt Hall (2) and James Hickey (2) were bowled in the 3rdand 4thover respectively. It appeared things weren’t getting any better when Harry Dimond (1) was bowled by Pink taking Lodsworth to 20 for the loss of 3 wickets.
This brought together Andrew Wilson-Smith, playing his first game of the year and Lee Coyne the Lodsworth debutant. Wilson-Smith started by gifting an easy catch to a Graffham fielder who duly dropped it. This proved to be a costly error as Wilson-Smith (63 not out) demonstrated his eye for a ball by demolishing the Graffham bowling attack with some extra long sixes into the adjoining field. Coyne (54 not out) started off nervously but once settled, played some glorious cover drives and boundary shots. With a partnership of 108, both Wilson-Smith & Coyne made quick work of the required 127 and achieved it in 26 overs.
Man of the Match – Joint Award: Andrew Wilson-Smith & Lee Coyne
Scribe Matt Hall

Lodsworth tested

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Lodsworth CC v Tangmere CC
17thJune 2012 at Lodsworth
Tangmere CC 219 for 4 declared (J Bain 113, J Stannard 55; Dave Clarke 9.2 overs 2 for 54)
Lodsworth 97 for 9 (Dave Clarke 45, Fergus Cruikshank 33; M Short 10.4 overs 3 for 37, Parris 5 overs 2 for 12)
Lodsworth lost
Given the strength of the Lodsworth batting lineup that included Richard Gough and Graham Braithwaite, this was a frustrating result … Lodsworth was simply overwhelmed.
Tangmere CC batted first and were rarely troubled by the Lodsworth bowlers who relied mainly on aggressive medium pace. J Bain, one of the Tangmere openers, soon mastered this and scored a chanceless century before falling to a well taken caught and bowled by Dave Clarke. The outfield at the Recreation Ground was fast and Tangmere used it to advantage scoring 219 for 4 before declaring, to sample an excellent early tea, prepared by Jill King and Zena Davies.
The Lodsworth batsmen failed to achieve the same mastery of the bowling, indeed the lack of a spinner or leg-break bowler in the home team’s repertoire was soon highlighted as Tangmere threw in a variety of slow seam bowlers who moved the ball in an alarming fashion. Only Dave Clarke (45) and Fergus Cruikshank (33) managed to survive the onslaught (the latter with a number of delicate sweep shots) as the rest of the village team collapsed to a final score of 97 for 9 (the last Lodsworth batsman having left early to complete his GCSE homework)…
Man of the Match Dave Clark
Scribe Bob Powell

Another Wet Weekend

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Loxwood CC v Lodsworth CC
Sunday 10thJune 2012 at Loxwood
Loxwood CC 137 for 9 (Woodhouse 28 & Melcio 32, Tom Davis 4 wkts for 20 runs, Andy Long 2 for 24)
Lodsworth CC 61 for 5 (Harry Dimond 22, Tom Davis 16: Woodhouse 4 for 12)
Match Abandoned
Despite grey over cast clouds and rain showers due later in the afternoon a decision was made to start the match. Lodsworth won the toss and placed Loxwood into bat, Clark and Long opened the bowling on a very damp sodden pitch. Long (2 for 24) trapped the opener McDonald (11) lbw and both Clark & Dixon made superb run outs. Paul Phillips (1 for 21 runs) and Tom Davis (4 for 20 runs) bowled in tandem, getting unbelievable pace and lift off the pitch which proved difficult for the batsmen to handle. Melcio (32) and Woodhouse (28) had a quick flourish towards the end of the innings helping Loxwood finish up at 137 for 9.
With the weather not getting any better, Lodsworth took to the field batting in the drizzle. Openers Matt Hall (5) and Jack Dimond (2) failed to make inroads due to the accurate bowling of M Woodhouse (4 for 12 runs). Harry Dimond (22) and Tim Dixon (9) started to attack the Loxwood bowling before Dixon was bowled. Tom Davies came to the crease and quickly hit 16 not out before a downpour arrived and the match was abandoned. 

Lodsworth snatch Defeat from the jaws of Victory

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Bosham CC v Lodsworth CC

May 27that Chichester

Bosham CC 201 for 6 (P Peterson 52, D Mclean 50 A Knight 35; Matt Hall 11 overs 2 for 53, Charlie Dimond 4 overs 1 for 22)
Lodsworth CC 192 all out (Jack Dimond 56, Matt Hall 55, Dave Clark 14; D Miller 8 overs 5 for 22, Burry 9 overs 4 for 35)
Lodsworth Lost

A late change of venue saw the game against Bosham CC switched to the Chichester RUFC ground near the Festival Theatre, where the match was played in blazing sunshine.
There was understandable frustration in the pub after the game as Lodsworth CC contrived “to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”. Poised for their second win of the season, insipid batting by the middle and lower order negated the stirring efforts of their opening pair.
Bosham CC batted first and went off at a fine pace until reigned in by Matt Hall and Nick Bellion. The home team finally finished with 201 for 6 in two-and-a-half hours at the crease. Leading scorers for Bosham were P Peterson (52) and D Mclean (50) while Lodsworth’s best bowling figures came from skipper Matt Hall with 2 for 53. Other wickets were taken by Andy Long, Dave Clark and Charlie Dimond.
After tea Lodsworth CC started confidently with an opening partnership of 127 as Jack Dimond hit a superb 56 and Matt Hall an equally exuberant 55 against the quick bowlers. Dave Clark added 14 but thereafter it was all downhill. The middle order batsmen could not deal with the slower spin bowling of Burry (4 for 35) and D Miller (5 for 22) and the score crept along as wickets fell with alarming regularity. As expectations of passing the Bosham score receded there was brief hope that the tail enders would hold out for a draw but it was not to be and Lodsworth were all out for 192 with two overs remaining.

Man of the match Matt Hall

Scribe
Bob Powell

A bright start to the season

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports
A bright start to the season

Lodsworth CC v Kirdford CC
May 20th2012 at Lodsworth
Lodsworth CC 151 for 8 (Paul Phillips 31, Jack Dimond 34, Oliver King 15, Andy Long 28; Reynolds 13 overs 4 for 42, John Upton 8 overs 2 for 28)
Kirdford CC 83 all out (Plank 27, Hardy 16; Paul Phillips 5.2 overs 3 for 6, Matt Hall 11 overs 3 for 28, Andy Long 9 overs 3 for 40)
Lodsworth won
Three weeks of heavy rain saw the countryside transformed. The fields and hedgerows were suddenly resplendent in various tints of emerald, lime and bottle green and rapeseed burst into bloom in phsycadelic lemon yellow – a reminder of the changing seasons in David Hockney’s ’A Bigger Picture’ exhibition at the Royal Academy. The outfield at the Recreation Ground too had a lush carpet of newly mown grass – and bright sunshine created the perfect setting for the first game of the season, long delayed by April storms. Double-dip recession, Eurozone crisis, and even Chelsea’s Champion’s League victory all faded into insignificance, as the cricket season finally got under way. 
 
Lodsworth batted first and in spite of a rusty start gradually built up a decent total, closing on 151 for 8 after two and a half hours. Jack Dimond, Oliver King and Andy Long and Paul Phillips all contributed while the best of the visitor’s bowlers were Reynolds and Upton.
Tea was a veritable feast supplied by Jill King and Zena Davies.
After tea Kirdford started confidently but wickets fell regularly and the visitors were all out for 83 with top scorers Plank (27) and Hardy (16). The nine wickets were shared equally by Paul Phillips (3 for 6), Matt Hall (3 for 28), and Andy Long (3 for 45). Lodsworth’s fielding was outstanding with difficult catches taken by wicketkeeper Lee Ayres (2), Jack Dimond, Pete Long, Paul Phillips and Oliver King.
Although the sky clouded over in mid afternoon nothing could dampen the spirits of the Lodsworth team as they swept to their first victory of the 2012 season.

Thanks to Martin Dimond for sponsorship of the game and it was good to see a sprinkling of spectators.


Man of the match Paul Phillips

Spring is in the Air

Posted on by Al Rix in Match Reports

Spring is in the air with the intoxicating smell of newly mown grass, dappled sunshine and morning mists.  Daffodils, crocuses, snowdrops are in flower  – naturally the thoughts of all Outlook readers will turn to village cricket. A new season is upon us. Time to dust the mildew off cricket boots and whites and to do a few preparatory sit-ups and touch one’s toes … oowh – that hurt … well perhaps we can forego the exercises.

By the time readers receive this edition of Outlook we will have had a practice game on Sunday 22nd April and the first game of the season will have been played on Saturday 28th April at Ebernoe possibly followed by a team-building night at an Indian curry restaurant.

The first home game of 2012 is on Sunday 6th May against very tough opponents – Westbourne, and Paul Phillips has been hard at work getting the cricket square into first class condition with the assistance of Paul Lawson and Club Chairman Allan Thompson. In what is reportedly the worst drought since 1976, restrictions on the use of hosepipes will not help and we could find ourselves playing on bone hard tracks. But then the fickle English weather will kick in and we will probably find matches cancelled in June with heavy rain.

As mentioned in recent posts on Outlook we are probably going to struggle to raise eleven players in the early weeks of the season as several of our younger players have returned for the summer term at various universities. So if you are available to ‘hold the fort’ until the arrival of ‘the cavalry’ please contact John King.

The Cricket Club has a new President. Joe Clifford has accepted the invitation of the committee to take over this role. To readers of these notes Joe’s name will be well known. Although no longer a resident of the village he has been associated with the club for many years.  He was born in Lodsworth in 1944 and lived in the village until the late 1960’s. He played his first game for the village team at the age of 7 years old against West Dean & Singleton in 1951 and he took a catch at square leg.

Joe, now a fit 68, recalls playing cricket for the village team before the Recreation Field was donated to the village by the Barnes family – the freeholders of the Holist Arms.

The first time he watched a game in which his father was playing was in the early 1950s and it was played in a field adjacent to the triangle of grass known as Lickfold Green. Later Joe played for the village team on a flat stretch of land opposite the late Lady Fiennes’ house at St. Peter’s Well. There was no pavilion – just a shed and the teams simply changed at the side of the field.  But how did the players travel to adjoining villages in those days when there were fewer cars? Well,” recalls Joe,” we had bikes, and the skipper had a motorbike and sidecar so he brought the kit together with another player on the pillion.” Joe still plays the occasional game for the club. Joe’s nephew Matt Hall is the current captain of the village team.

While welcoming Joe we wish to thank the retiring President – George Bristow. George, as erstwhile landlord of The Hollist Arms and Chairman of the Parish Council has always been hugely supportive of the Cricket Club and hosted some memorable annual dinners at the pub – offering the club a special price. He entered a team in the now defunct annual six-a-side competition and frequently came by to watch on Sunday afternoons.

For readers of Outlook who are interested in tracing the recent history of cricket in Lodsworth the club website has been rebuilt. Type http://www.lodsworthcc.org into your browser and you will find details of matches from 2005 onwards and some recent photographs of the 2012 Awards Evening.