Category: Match Reports

Lodsworth CC v West Chiltington CC
At Lodsworth 15th August 2010

West Chiltington CC 246 for 6 B Llewelyn 51, J Denton 46; Andy Long 13 overs 2 for 31, Dave Clarke 15 overs 2 for 94)
Lodsworth CC 116 all out (Andy Long 46, Oliver King 16; J Tolman 5 overs 3 for 15))
Lodworth Lost

The Vice Presidents lunch is not the best preparation for a game against West Chiltington, who boast an Australian semi-professional among their ranks and who are arguably our strongest opponents of the year. The excellent VP’s curry lunch provided this year by The Hollist Arms, with accompanying wine and beer, left most players listless.

Put into bat West Chiltington made the most of some slack fielding and missed catches to amass 246 runs for the loss of six wickets off 41 overs. The Lodsworth bowlers toiled but only Andy Long and Dave Clark were able to claim two wickets apiece and that at a heavy cost in runs.

A state of lassitude settled upon the whole Lodsworth team after an excellent tea prepared by Vikki Braithwaite, Zena Davies and Jill King. The opponents included some extremely fast bowlers with three slips and a gully so that wickets fell with monotonous regularity to a succession of catches. The tail briefly wagged with Andy Long storming to 46 and Rob Collins and Bob Powell hanging around for a few overs. But the end was inevitable and Lodsworth finished on 116 all out. However it can be confirmed that the curry from the Hollist Arms does not produce the runs.

Man of the match Andy Long
Scribe Bob Powell

Lodsworth CC v Arundel Grasshoppers CC
At Lodsworth 8th August 2010.

Lodsworth CC 300 for 4 off 40 overs (Harry Dimond 91, James Hickey 54, Alfie Bunker 54 not out, Graham Braithwaite 43 not out, Matt Hall 38)
Arundel Castle Grasshoppers 152 for 2 off 41 overs (James Hickey 3 overs 1 for 17, Rob Collins 3 overs 1 for 12)
Match Drawn

Put in to bat against the visiting side of Arundel Grasshoppers, Lodsworth’s openers capitalized on some wayward bowling with 17 runs off the first over. Hall and Hickey raced to 42 off the first 4 overs before Matt Hall spooned a catch to second slip while James Hickey made the most of some bad fielding and dropped catches to reach 54 before being given out LBW. Harry Dimond looked at ease at the crease and with some huge 6’s increased the pressure before being caught on 91 just nine runs short of his second century of the season. Alfie Bunker piled on the agony with 54 not out while Rod Taylor, on vacation from Muscat Oman played his favourite 6 to cow-corner before being bowled. With Arundel on the ropes Graham Braithwaite delivered the knockout with 43 in 15 balls, at which point with the score 300 for 4 off 40 overs, Andy Long declared.

After a delightful tea prepared by Vikki Braithwaite and Zena Davies Lodsworth took to the field determined to storm the fortress Arundel. Andy Long gave all the outfielders an opportunity to bowl, including Rob Taylor’s son Jake, but the Castle Xl were intent on withstanding the siege and effectively pulled up the drawbridge. Only Rob Collins and James Hickey were able to penetrate the defences and Arundel finished on 152 for 2 off 41 overs to claim a draw.

Man of the Match – Harry Dimond
Scribe Andy Long


Fittleworth CC v Lodsworth CC
At Fittleworth August 1st 2010
Lodsworth CC 301 for 3 declared (Graham Braithwaite 101rtd, Alfie Bunker 96 not out, Matt Hall 35, Harry Dimond 33, Nick Bellion 25 not out; R Kitchener 6 overs 2 for 39).
Fittleworth CC 144 all out (M Hamilton 38 not out, L Kitchener 24: Finn Campbell 5 overs 2 for 9, Andy Long 7 overs 2 for 13, Matt Hall 4.2 overs 2 for 16)
Lodsworth Won

This was a decidedly uneven battle. Put in to bat Lodsworth gave notice of their intent with the No. 1 batsman Matt Hall (35) and the No. 3 Harry Dimond (33) pushing the score along at seven an over. The momentum was maintained when Graham Braithwaite came to the crease. After a brief period of ‘bedding in’ he proceeded to blitz the opposition with shots in all directions. He quickly made 101 before retiring whereupon the cudgels were taken up by Alfie Bunker who just missed out on a century with 96 not out, Andy Long having decided to retire at 5.00pm and coincidentally when Lodsworth passed 300. For Graham it was his maiden century for Lodsworth although he has recorded several others in his career. Nick Bellion weighed in with a steady contribution of 25 not out and Lodsworth finished with 301 for 3 in 2hrs 50 minutes, possibly their highest score ever in Sussex Rules cricket

Faced with the clearly impossible task of scoring 302 to win, Fittleworth’s strategy was immediately clear – put in the youngsters to soak up the bomarbdment and then play the battle-hardened Kitchener brothers at No. 10 and 11 to ‘shut up shop’ and settle for a draw. And it almost worked – Andy Long had for his part, decided to give all ten outfielders a chance with the ball. This was good player management on Andy’s part for it ensured everyone had a part in the victory. Finn Campbell bowled a particularly fast spell but Lodsworth almost came unstuck as the game went right down to the final over from Matt Hall. With just four balls to go Matt got an outside edge from the elder Kitchener, Harry Dimond dived full length grabbing a one handed catch and Lodsworth were home and dry. Mention must be made of some fine catches by Nick Bellion, Matt Hall, Rob Collins and Finn Campbell and of course that match winning dive by Harry.

Man of the match (again) Graham Braithwaite
Scribe Bob Powell

Lodsworth CC v The Matt Hall Invitation XI
Sunday 25th July at Lodsworth

Lodsworth CC 256 for 7 ( Harry Dimond 50 not out, James Hickey 45 not out, Nick Bellion 35, Martin Howard 21; Matt Hall 5 overs  2 for 35, John Clifford 4 overs 2 for 21)

The Matt Hall XI 222 for 10 (Matt Hall 73 not out, Tom Davis 35, Jack Dimond 35; Fergus Cruikshank 5 overs 2 for 13, Paul Phillips 5 overs 2 for 41, Andy Long 4 overs 2 for 24)
Losdworth Won

The annual game against the Matt Hall XI is serious fun. Both teams fielded 12 players in this 40-over game, with eight of the Matt Hall Xl current or former Lodsworth players, so that almost all of the 2011 playing squad had an opportunity to show their skills. We were pleased to welcome back Martin Howard now a Master at Millfield College, Tom Davis (down from Oxford Brookes University), Harry Dimond (home for Leeds University). Veterans Joe Clifford and Pete Long were also  ‘up for it’ and it was a chance to wish farewell to Nick Bellion who is off to New Zealand for the summer to ski.

Lodsworth, captained by the newly elected Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council Paul Phillips, started confidently in scorching hot conditions but lost Rob Collins in the second over to a brilliant catch by Jack Dimond. However solid batting by Jack’s younger brother Harry (52 not out), James Hickey (45 not out) and Nick Bellion (35) contributed to a good all-round performance. Martin Howard (henceforth referred to as The Master from Millfield) contributed 21 and extras (wides and no balls) 40. Matt Hall bowled 5 overs 2 for 35 and John Clifford 4 overs 2 for 21, but the village team went in for tea well satisfied with a total of 256 for 7.

The Matt Hall Xl were ambitious and chased the runs. Tom Davis (35) and Jack Dimond (35) pushed the pace along but the main contribution came from skipper Matt Hall with 73 not out. The best of the bowlers were Fergus Cruikshank with 5 overs 2 for 13, Paul Phillips with 5 overs 2 for 41 and Andy Long 4 overs 2 for 24 and there were smart catches from Jerry Keane and James Hickey. The ‘visitors’ finished on 222 for 10.

The game was followed by a brilliant barbecue arranged by James Hickey who displayed his culinary skills from his days as landlord of the Lickfold Inn assisted by commis chef Fergus Cruikshank. The barbecue and a raffle with excellent prizes donated by members raised £90 for club funds and celebrated a season where Lodsworth are so-far unbeaten with a record of Played 9, Won 7, Drawn 1 with one match abandoned as a result of rain.

Man-of the-Match Matt Hall
Scribe Bob Powell

Graffham and Smithbrook CC v Lodsworth CC
At Graffham and Smithbrook 24th July 2010
Lodsworth CC 224 for 8 off 37 overs (G Braithwaite 84, Matt Hall 48, Nick Bellion 33; Rees 3 for 20).
Graffham and Smithbrooke 117 all out (McQueen 27: Graham Braithwaite 2 for 1, Matt Hall 2 for 10, Andy Long 2 for 31, Paul Phillips 3 for 43)
Lodsworth won

On a muggy day, Lodsworth CC were visitors to Graffham & Smithbrook CC. Fresh from scoring buckets of runs this year, Oliver King took to the crease with Lee Ayres and lasted all of 10 seconds before being caught at first slip with the first delivery of the innings. Rees (3 for 20) continued to bowl well dismissing both Harry Dimond (0) & Ayres (9) leaving Lodsworth stranded at 14 for 3. Graham Braithwaite & Nick Bellion unfazed by the sharp bowling built a platform to steady the innings. Braithwaite (84) showed a whole range of glorious shots and moved quickly to his 50 whilst Bellion (33) playing the anchor role, helped move the partnership to 100. Bellion was then bowled and this brought Matt Hall to the crease. Out of sorts for most of the season, Hall (48) set about the G & S bowling line up. Braithwaite was bowled 16 short of his century and Hall LBW 2 short of his half century.  Both Johnno Thompson (10 Not Out) and Fergus Cruikshank (18 Not Out) added important runs to close the innings for a respectable 224 for 8 off 37 overs.

What followed next caused great despair to the Graffham and Smithbrooke batsmen. Swarms of Flying Ants descended in their thousands at each end of the wicket. This made it impossible for the batsman to concentrate whilst they were being bitten alive. Lodsworth gained two quick wickets, before the game was stopped and evasive action taken by the umpires turned pest controllers.  Long (2 for 31) took the key wicket of McQueen (27) whilst Phillips (3 for 43) finished with a flurry. At 76 for 5, G & S looked like they would play for the draw with 14 overs left. But Hall (2 for 10), Bellion (1 for 7) and Braithwaite (2 for 1) wrapped up the innings with 4 overs to go. Graffham & Smithbrook finished 117 all out.

This was a very good result with many of the Graffham & Smithbrook team playing league standard in the Village Cup where they stand second in Division 2.

Man of the Match Graham Braithwaite
Scribe Matt Hall

Lodsworth CC v Bury and West Burton CC
11th July at Lodsworth

Bury &West Burton 157 all out,
Lodsworth 160 for 9.
Lodsworth won

You couldn’t write the script!
After six overs the visitors had raced to 51 for 1. A score of 250 or even more was the gloomy prediction. But wickets fell and 8 runs came from the next five overs. Phillips, 10 overs 3 for 57 and Long, 11 overs 1 for 9, steadied the ship after the onslaught and young Finn Campbell showed a lively promise with 3 for 28 off 7 overs. Hall chipped in with 2 for 29 off 5 and Bury were out for 157 at tea.

The parched outfield ensured a certain boundary once the field was beaten. The target was within reach. It would need some luck and steady heads from the old hands. But after the first few overs the visitors had other ideas!  First change saw 22 years old Sussex star Bircson generating pace not seen before by Lodsworth’s worthies. Helmets were called for by the men as well as the boys! Great character was shown by 14 year old Campbell (19 runs) . Fearless Finn was paid the dubious compliment of the fast bowler extending his run and his pace, cranking up to his top speed. Finn saw him off and was unlucky to be caught off a slow bowler who appeared to achieve a double bounce! Hickey (32), having patiently held the innings together, scoring with firm ground strokes, was caught on the long on boundary with his first six attempt. King (22) held on whilst wickets tumbled on the fast bowler’s return.

With 14 overs left to bat out, just the last man to come and academically, another 56 to win, skipper Andy Long joined Gerry Keen. They stayed, against pace and spin. Long picked off the boundaries. Miraculously they gave no chance until brave Keen succumbed. Enter Collins, suffering from hay fever, 14 to win, 4 overs left and some fast bowling to resist. Heroic stuff! Collins held the fort. To ecstatic cheers from the boundary Andy Long carried the day and his bat for 45 runs to lead his side to a memorable victory.

Man of the match Finn Campbell and Andy Long
Scribe Hunter Graham

Tillington CC v Lodsworth CC
4th July at Tillington
Match drawn

Lodsworth CC 215 for 5 (Harry Dimond 108 not out, James Hickey 45, Alfie Bunker 25, Paul Phillips 20)
Tillington CC 116 for 5 (Andy Long 5 overs 2 for 4, Paul Phillips 7 overs 1 for 12)

Forget Liverpol v Everton, forget Madrid v Barca, forget England v Australia – this was the big one – Lodsworth CC v Tillington CC, the tense local Derby that the players talk about for weeks. “We can loose every game in a season but not versus Tilly” as one player (who prefers to remain anonymous) noted. It means a lot especially as former Lodsworth player Alistair Rix now figures in the Tillington batting line up.

Anyway, to the game itself. Lodsworth were put in to bat on a hard fast ground. Oliver King and Matt Hall were first out of the trenches and it wasn’t long before the Tillington bowler Hill gunned them both down for ducks. King played an awful shot to Mid Wicket and Hall was given out to a dubious LBW. With the score at 3 for 2 Lodsworth were in trouble but in came Harry Dimond and James Hickey. After a nervous start they both settled into playing delightful shots and the score looked respectable at 100 for 2 when Hickey departed with 48. Then we were treated to some adventurous cricket by Harry and Alfie Bunker that put the bowlers under pressure. Bunker was eventually bowled for 25 and it was left to Paul Phillips (20) to support Harry as he went on to make a fantastic century (108 not out) – his first for Lodsworth as the village team finished with 215 for 5.

After tea Lodsworth mounted their attack with Paul Phillips and Dave Clark opening the bowling and Long setting an aggressive field. Phillips quickly took a wicket with an LBW decision but Clark had no luck. As the score made snail-like progress to 40 off 15 overs it became evident Tillington were intent on batting out for a draw. Lodworth threw in fresh troops with pace from Alfie Bunker and spin from Fergus Cruikshank, Harry Dimond and Martin Howard. Good fielding from Lee Ayres and a couple of wickets for Howard and Long kept up the pressure but Tillington held on to finish on 116 for 5.

The highlight of the encounter was the scalp of Alistair Rix bowled first ball by a beauty from his good friend (off the field) Martin Howard that drew an exultant cry from Andy Long. The game was drawn but had this been a boxing match Lodsworth would have been declared the winner on points.

Man-of-the-Match Harry Dimond
Scribe Andy Long

Lodsworth CC v Goodwood CC
27th June at Lodsworth
Lodsworth lost

Lodsworth CC 102 all out (Jon Clifford 30, Paul Phillips 26)
Goodwood CC 103 for 6 (Andy Long 7 overs, 3 for 33)

Lodsworth were put in to bat in a 35-over game, arranged around an extended tea break to watch the England v Germany soccer World Cup quarterfinal. Goodwod are a successful League team and arguably the best opposition that Lodsworth encounter all year. The village team did not start well – Martin Howard was out LBW for 0, Alistair Rix was caught off his glove for 4 and Matt Hall smashed one down Mid-On’s throat for 8. Lodsworth then saw James Hickey clean bowled for 9 and Andy Long skied one to Mid-Off, also for 1. Oh dear – 30 for 5. But then came Jon Clifford with 30 and Paul Phillips with 26 to steady the ship. With cameos at the end from Fergus Cruikshank and Rob Collins Lodsworth ended with an adequate but probably insufficient total of 102 all out.

After an excellent tea, marred only by the highs and lows of the 4-1 drubbing of the England footballers by the Kaiser’s men, Lodsworth went out to field. Paul Phillips started brightly but had no luck (he maintains eight chances were put down) while Andy Long, bowling up the slope looked dangerous. Indeed Long took the opener’s off stump and a brilliant bit of fielding by young Banks left Goodwood on 20 for 2 and there was a glimmer of hope. Long then took two more wickets followed by a great run out by Matt Hall from the deep and the visitors were in trouble at 45 for 5.

Could Lodsworth perform a giant killing akin to the Slovakia win over Italy in South Africa. Eh…in a word … No. Poor fielding, dropped catches and general sloppiness allowed Goodwood to reach the target with 14 overs to spare. So it was a case of  “nearly but not quite enough”. If we had got 150 runs! If we had taken those catches Jim! If Jon Clifford hadn’t gifted then 15 runs! If we had a stronger team out! Ah well – it wasn’t a total debacle. Special thanks to two new youngsters in the team Alex Brazier and Christian Campbell.

Man of the Match – Difficult to pick one… shared by Paul Phillips, John Clifford and Andy Long.
Scribe Andy Long

The George Clifford Memorial Trophy Game
20th June at Lodsworth
Lodsworth won

Lodsworth CC 240 for 9 wickets (Oliver King 52 not out, James Hickey 46, Joe Clifford 20)
Matt Hall Invitation Xl 216 all out (Lee Ayres 41, Matt Hall 38, Richard Finch 30, John Clifford 20, Aaron Calder 17)

On one of the hottest days of the year so far, both teams contested the annual George Clifford Memorial Trophy. George Clifford started playing for Lodsworth in the 1940’s and was still playing well into his seventies. Not only has there been the legendary Joe Clifford who played for the team, but the family tradition continues with the 3rd generations of both John Clifford and Matt Hall grandsons of George.

Rob Collins & Fergus Cruickshank got Lodsworth off to a steady start, before being removed by David Mumford & John Clifford respectively. Oliver King (52 retired) was joined at the crease by James Hickey (46) who both scored freely before Hickey was dismissed four short of his half century. Joe Clifford scored the shot of the day with an effortless well-timed six. Paul Phillips and Andy Long soon pushed the innings on for a highly respectable 240 for 9. Lee Ayres (2 catches) showed a brilliant wicket keeping ability, backed up by wicket takers Aaron Calder, John Clifford, Cliff Hall, Matt Hall (2), Kev Bills, David Mumford (2) and Ian Finch.

After an excellent tea prepared by Vicki Braithwaite, the Matt Hall Invitation XI embarked on a seemingly hopeless chase. Paul Phillips was effective with the ball taking two early wickets before Ayres & R Finch started hitting rapidly at six an over. Finch was bowled bringing Hall to the crease who showed a quick array of big shots including 21 off one over, before being bowled by a slower Hickey delivery. The Invitation XI had Lodsworth’s score in sight but the introduction of Joe Clifford (2) & Andy Long (2) regained control of the innings and bowled the tail enders out.

A good day was had by all with over 450 runs being scored, a big thank you must go to James Hickey & Paul Phillips for doing the BBQ. Trophies were presented by the captains to Joe Clifford & Lee Ayres for their man of match displays.

Scribe Matt Hall

Tangmere cc v Lodsworth CC
13th June 2010 at Tangmere
Limited overs game
Lodsworth 181 all out in 39.3 overs (Tom Atkins 53, Oliver King 32, Andy Long 29; K Ola 8 overs 3 for 19, I Gledhill 8 overs 3 for 19)
Tangmere 181 for 7 in 40 overs (I Blow 66, K Ola 24, M Clyme 23; Paul Phillips 8 overs 2 for 28, Andy Long 8 overs 2 for 29, Jack Dimond 7 overs 2 for 35)

Game ended as a tie.  Both teams scored 181 from 40 overs

Lodsworth has a wonderful pool of talented young players and it is a bonus when they are able to turn out for the village team. For the game against Tangmere, Tom Atkins (down from his first year at Newcastle University) and Jack Dimond (in his gap year before going to University) were both available and contributed vital cameos.

Winning the toss skipper Andy Long elected to bat and 53 sparkling runs from Tom Atkins along with a sound innings of 32 from Ollie King established a firm base. The middle order struggled but another fine knock of 29 from Andy Long at number 8 sent Lodsworth in for tea with 181 runs on the board.

Tangmere replied with an ebullient innings from I Blow (66) while for Lodsworth there were two astonishing catches – one a diving one handed caught and bowled from Jack Dimond, the other a remarkable agile two handed effort at knee height by Paul Phillips. But the end of the game was extraordinary – with one ball to go Tangmere were tied with Lodsworth on 181. Could they score one run off the last ball? Lodsworth players crowded around the batsman – Andy Long ran into bowl – and a great shout went up as the centre stump cartwheeled away.  A tie.

Later the team downed a few ales in the Bader Arms – the pub adjoining the recreation field named after the heroic WWll pilot Douglas Bader.

Man of the Match Tom Atkins