June 1, 2024
Chippenham 4th XI ( 162 for 2 ) beat Lacock II ( 159 all out ) by 2 wickets
On a visit to Lacock two years ago, these diaries reported on a Lacock 2nd XI match in Division 8 West of the Wiltshire League, which at the time was just about the lowest level of organised league cricket in England. Since then, the Wiltshire League has expanded to 10 divisions.
On this visit to the picturesque National Trust village the Lacock 1st XI were at home to Chippenham’s 4th XI, whose 1st XI play in the West of England Premier League 2 Glos/Wilts, which is 8 divisions higher.
This was a local derby, with Chippenham having a journey of around 5 miles to Lacock, which should normally take about 10 minutes by car.
At this level there is a match ball for each innings, with a fielding restriction of a maximum of 5 players outside of the circle. One point is awarded for providing a non-playing umpire and another point if a side has at least two players with Umpire forum training. Matches are 45 overs, with no draw, just win or lose, and there are a maximum of 9 overs per bowler.
10 points are awarded for a win. 6 batting points are available, one for 100 runs and then every 25 runs up to 225. The side batting second gets an extra bonus point for every wicket still standing if win by more than 4 wickets, up to a maximum of 6 batting bonus points ie for a 10 wicket win.
1 bowling point is awarded for every 2 wickets, with additional bonuses if bowling out the opposition for less than 175 ( 1 point ), 150 ( 2 points ), 125 ( 3points ) & 100 ( 4 points ).
According to the excellent WCCL website, both sides went into today’s game with one win and three losses from their opening four matches, and both recorded their first victory last week, when Lacock won by 24 runs at previously unbeaten Shrivenham, and Chippenham 4s thrashed bottom of the table Marlborough 3s by 151 runs.
Chippenham were in 7th place in the 10 team division, three points ahead of Lacock who were one place below them.
Chippenham had batted first in all four of their matches, scoring 85, 121 and 85 to lose heavily until rattling up 203 for 8 against Marlborough 3s, with opening bat Timothy Dunford making 102 not out, then Satish Kasireddy took 4 for 10 and Emily Smith 3 for 7 as Marlborough was dismissed for 52.
Kasireddy had taken 8 wickets so far this season at an average of 6.75. Apart from the century for Dunford, no batter had scored more than 30 in an innings for Chippenham 4s .
Lacock’s scores had been 141, 127, 69 and 118. Joe Foley’s 38 against Shrivenham was their only score over 30 and Alex Gifford had taken 8 wickets, including 4 for 23 against Shrivenham.
Chippenham’s twitter account gave the line-ups for all of their six sides playing today and they had four changes from their side that won at Marlborough last week. Centurion Timothy Dunford had been promoted to their 3rd XI, Chris Barrow had been dropped to the 5ths whilst Chris Brown and Emily Smith were not selected this weekend. Unlike Pink Floyd, we would not get to see Emily play !
Bruce Marques, Guy Thomas, Peter Lakeland came into the side, having all played in the 3rd XI earlier in the season, together with youngster Ben Galeozzie
The weather today was cloudy and around 18 degrees at the 13.00 start of play.
Lacock Innings
Chippenham won the toss and elected to field, and by the time we arrived Lacock were in a precarious position of 98 for 6 off 30 overs. There were approximately 20 people watching, in addition to the players.
Veteran Dave Hicks was coming on to bowl his first over at the far end, and after two balls of gentle away swing were left alone outside off-stump by number three Joe Swain, who had just reached his half century, the third ball was driven for a single. Tom Swain, presumably his brother, then mis-hooked a high full-toss no-ball over the wicket keeper for a single. The last ball of the over saw Joe Swain attempt a big slog down the ground, only to send the ball high in to the air for captain Nathan Dunford to make the ground to make a good catch running around from mid-off. Swain was out for 51 and the score was 101 for 7 off 31 overs.
Lacock captain Sam Thomas came in at number nine and immediately got off the mark by pushing a no-ball past point for a single. Unlike just about every other batsman, Thomas didn’t feel the need to wear a helmet. Tom Swain then drove over extra cover only to be denied a boundary when the ball stopped in the outfield but they ran two. The next ball was over pitched and driven but an out-stretched foot kept it to a single.
The Lacock batsmen were being circumspect, content to push singles and Thomas was conspicuously showing a straight bat, and the score reached 110 for 7 off 34 overs.
A waist high no ball from Hicks was hit to the long on boundary for a single, and a half-tracker was dug-out by Thomas. At the end of the 36 over Lacock had reached 114 for 7.
A bowling change was made for the 36th over, with leg-break bowler Olly Sandell coming on and he immediately hit Thomas on the pads, but with the ball drifting down the leg side the appeal was stifled. Thomas then failed to capitalise on a wide long-hop down the leg side, but a wide was given.
Runs were proving hard to come by, but Thomas pushed to point for a single off Sandell and Swain played and missed off the same bowler.
With overs running out Thomas decided it was time to attack Hicks and struck a lovely drive through extra cover for four and then rocked back to send the ball over the mid-wicket boundary for six.
The game’s controversial moment then arrived when Thomas missed a waist high full-toss and was bowled. Whereas all the previous high no-balls had been given by the square leg umpire, this time the no-ball decision was given by the standing umpire, and despite some queries from the fielding side, the decision stood and Thomas was allowed to continue batting. Predictably the next ball was smacked through the covers for four. At the end of the over it was now 131 for 7 off 37 overs.
Sandell then beat the outside edge of Swain with consecutive balls but then spoilt it with a horrible drag-down for a wide. Swain then pushed a scampered single after which Thomas pushed wide off mid-off for another single.
Thomas appeared to have a liking to the bowling of Hicks and despatched him for four more, but then having spoken too soon, he played too early, and a leading edge presented an easy caught and bowled for Hicks. Thomas was out for 23. 138 for 8 from 38.2 overs.
Number 10 Barnes then allowed a ball down leg side to go by to the wicket-keeper which was not signalled wide, indicating the more relaxed attitudes to wides at this level, but then mis-hit a low full-toss towards mid-wicket for a single.
Captain Nathan Dunsford then came on to bowl for Chippenham as Sandell had bowled out his 9 overs, and had an odd action, bowling off the wrong foot with a round arm action. Swain smacked a long hop to the cover boundary for four and then settled for an uppish drive through extra cover for a single, to take the score to 145 for 8 from 40 overs.
Swain initially played and missed twice to Hicks, but then sent him over long-on for four and into the bushes, leading to a delay whilst there was a search for the ball, and a replacement ball was eventually needed.
In the next over a long hop out-side off off-stump was smacked by number 10 Barnes four to take the score to 154 for 8 off 41 overs.
The ball was found, and Chippenham made a change of bowling with Galeozzie returning. Tom Swain greeted his return by swiping a full-toss through the leg-side for four before taking a single to mid-on. Barnes then played far too early to give a regulation caught and bowled for Galeozzie, who then cleaned up number 11 Cairns with a full ball. 159 all out off 41.5 overs.
Lacock’s Number 8 Tom Swain was stranded on 42 not-out whilst Galeozzie ended with figures of 7.5-0-21-3, with Hicks having 6-0-38-2, Sandell 9-0-40-0, and the opening bowlers who bowled throughout in their opening spell, Kasireddy 9-4-15-3 and Tidy 9-3-33-2. It was Lacock’s highest score of the season.
During the interval all the spectators were offered some honeycomb and crunch Lacock ice-cream, which was gratefully accepted. A Chippenham supporter also revealed that he had given up a ticket for the Bath vs Sale Rugby semi-final at The Rec to watch today’s cricket !
Chippenham Innings
Lacock opened the bowling with Matt and James Harding, presumably brothers, who kept it tight in the beginning. Chippenham opener Guy Thomas pushed a quick single which nearly ran out his opening partner, then Lakeland looked to be plumb LBW only for his umpire to rule not out. The bowler made a few choice comments to no-one in particular as he made his way to the long-leg boundary for the next over. Unfortunately for him there is no DRS in Division 6 of the WCCL !
At the other end, James Harding was providing some gentle away swing, but his direction outside of off-stump meant the batsmen were rarely forced to play. After three overs the score had progressed to only 6 for 0 before Lakeland got off the mark by hitting a full toss through mid-on for four. A potential turning point came later in the over when a long-hop was hit to mid-off by Lakeland, but captain Thomas spilt at fairly straight-forward catch at mid-off. Hardly leading by example, as the score moved to 11-0 from 4 overs.
Thomas then registered his first boundary with a clip off his legs and then spotted a slower ball which was clubbed to cow corner but plugged in the outfield resulting in only two runs. James Harding then bowled a maiden leaving the score 17 for 0 off 6 overs.
Thomas took advantage of a short ball from Matt Harding for another boundary, this time to long-on but played and missed at the next ball.
Lacock made a breakthrough at the start of the 8th over when Lakeland attempted to play a full toss on the leg-side but played far too early and only succeeded in sending the ball off a leading edge gently into the air, for gully to take the catch, sliding in on his knees. 21 for 1 off 7.1 overs
New batsman Daniel Flinn played all around his first ball, a full toss, but the ball was missing leg stump and there was no appeal.
When Matt Harding dropped short again, Thomas despatched it through the covers for 2 but then had a stroke of good fortune when a mis-hit looped in the air, but short of the fielders. A quick single finished the over, with the score now 25 for 1 off 9 overs.
Thomas then had a remarkable piece of luck to be dropped twice off the same ball ! Both the bowler and mid-off got a hand to a firm straight drive, but the chance was grounded. An attempted slower bowl was well read and put away to the square leg boundary for four. After 10 overs the score had moved to 32 for 1.
Matt Harding then bowled a maiden over, after which the first bowling change was made, with Tom Caine coming on. He had a windmill action but was much slower than you would have expected. Flinn play a paddle shot to a leg side ball for a single, after which Thomas punched in front of square for four more.
After a 6 over spell Matt Harding took a rest and was replaced by Tom Swain for some more medium pace. Flinn pushed another single and then there were two wides, before Thomas savagedly sent a long hop to the long-off boundary. Another long-hop was hit to deep mid-wicket for two more. Swain came back well and beat Thomas outside off-stump with the final delivery off the over. It was now 48 for 1 off 13 overs.
Flinn should have been run-out in the next over. After hitting a leg side wide ball into the air, a good piece of sliding fielding stopped the ball near the boundary. Thomas had already turned for the second run leaving Flinn stranded. However, the throw from the boundary to the wicket-keeper was poor and went well away from the keeper, and then the shy at the stumps missed enabling Flinn to scramble to safety.
Thomas then plundered 11 runs off Swain’s second over to move on to 43 not out and with the score 65 for 1 off 15 overs it was looking ominous for Lacock.
Thomas then reached his half-century with a 4 and a six of Caine, and with 4 byes the score had moved up to 80 for 1 off 16 overs. 48 runs had come in just 5 overs.
At this point we had to leave but it looked like Chippenham would canter to victory, which they did by 8 wickets. Guy Thomas was eventually dismissed for 73 as Chippenham won with just over 11 overs to spare. For Lacock, Matt Harding finished with figures of 9-2-21-1.
Chippenham took 24 points from the game, and Lacock took 5 as they slipped to the bottom of the table.
Finally, a big thank-you to Fiona Turnbull at Lacock Photography for providing the photos of today’s action !
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