Broadstairs Cricket Club
Broadstairs Cricket Club
This week Broadstairs 2 XI welcomed Beckenham 2 XI for what was always going to be a tough game as Beckenham 2 XI are currently the league leaders. Both teams looking for a win to continue their excellent season form, with the Broadstairs skipper Andy Marshall drawing first blood by winning the toss and deciding to bat first.
Lee and Lewis Hewitt, father and son opening pair, started solidly taking 11 from the first 2 overs before Civil, the Beckenham opening bowler, struck twice in the 3rd over to remove both Lewis Hewitt (Caught) and the incoming Nathan Fox (first ball LBW) and Broadstairs were 11 for 2. George Kidd was next in to face the hattrick ball. Nervous moments for both the bowler and the batsman. George survived and with, the ever-consistent Lee Hewitt, began to build a partnership. Both batsman looking good, rotating the strike and punishing the bad ball. Broadstairs confidence was building again after the early wobble, only to be knocked back down again when George Kidd was adjudged LBW off the bowling of Civil reducing Broadstairs to 34 for 3 in the 13th over. Civil finishing with figures of 3 for 17 off 7 overs. A good spell by the opening bowler. Enter Tom Marshall at number 5 for Broadstairs. (He has named himself the Young Sachin.) Together with Lee, both batsmen took on the bowling, both reaching respective half centuries and taking the overall score on to 153 before Tom was struck on the pad. LBW for Tom off the bowling of W Northwood for 61. Harry Carter coming in at 6 to join Lee and straight into his stride with his first 3 scoring shots 4,6,4. Lee was next to fall, caught off the bowling of Dayal for a very well-constructed 75. Harry was next to go caught, off the bowling of Dayal, on the boundary after hitting one of the biggest sixes of the season so far straight back over the bowler’s head 2 balls before. Callum McCormick came in at 7, but didn’t last long, caught for 3 off the bowling of Dayal. Andy Marshall came and went for 5, stumped off the bowling off Dayal. Dayal finished his spell with figures of 4 for 53 off 10. James Bond in at 9 was the not out batsman for 11, Oli Frewin was out LBW to Northwood for 0, Northwood ending with figures of 2 for 58 off 10. and Ash Ellison making 7 at the end. Broadstairs had gone from 153 for 4 in the 34th over to 216 all out in the 47th. Not a great end to the innings after a great partnership from Lee and Tom and Broadstairs feeling that they were 20 to 30 runs short.
Beckenham started well taking 10 from the first over from Harry Carter. Callum McCormick opening from the other end struck twice in his first over, getting Purwar caught behind and Grice LBW. 18 for 2 after 2 overs and it was game over. Barnes and Pillar started to get the better of the bowling, finding the gaps and the ball running away across the quick outfield, before Carter managed to find the edge of Barnes’s bat and he was on his way caught behind. 44 for 3 in the 9th over became 44 for 4 in the 10th when McCormick got Pillar caught behind. McCormick picked up the wicket of Shanks in the 16th over caught behind. McCormick ending with figures of 4 for 32 off 10. Carter finished with figures of 1 for 43 off 8 in 2 spells. Billimaria and Barnett dug deep to build a solid partnership before Oli Frewin picked up the wicket of Barnett LBW. Frewin ending his spell with figures of 1 for 41 off 10. George Kidd bowled a tidy 10 overs for 36 runs. Billimaria and Northwood continued to bat sensibly and, in the end, took the game away from Broadstairs, chasing down the total of 216 at the end of the 48th over. A Ellison 8 overs for 43 runs and N Fox 2 overs for 18 runs. Broadstairs losing by 4 wickets in the end.
Another good, competitive game and ultimately Broadstairs will feel that if they added another 20 to 30 runs and batted all 50 overs, then the result could have been different. A special mention to Lee Hewitt for not only a great batting performance, but also excellent glove work behind the stumps (4 catches). He will definitely need at least a 3-day recovery period after that performance.
