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7th February - 2012 nets at Lord’s
It’s time to dig out the kit and reach for the Deep Heat. Pre-season nets are booked as usual at Lord’s indoor school.
The first is Tuesday 28th Feb and after that every Tuesday until 10th April. There's one Wednesday - 14th March - as Tuesday 13th was already booked out. All sessions are 7-8pm.
Exact dates are: 28 Feb, March 6, 14, 20 & 27, April 3 & 10.
The cost is £8.00 per person per session. And the usual rule applies: if you cancel and we are unable to find a replacement you will be charged. Contact Andrew Short to book your place.
30th November - AGM, Dinner and Annual Awards
The annual dinner was a great success with 41 Jesters and guests - the best turnout for a few years - convening at Chez Gerard Southbank.
The AGM produced no surprises. The club’s finances have returned to reasonable health after a recent blip - and all committee members were re-elected with the office holders unchanged.
The annual awards were presented at the dinner to:
Arnold Woods Trophy (best performance of the season) to Robbie Hudson for his century at Rickling Green. Despite numerous centuries for other clubs this was Robbie’s first for the Jesters.
Commended were Simon Butler’s 164* at Hurlingham, a new club record, and Adnan Mohammed and John Murphy’s match winning, 150+ partnership at Chobham when the game looked lost.
Jester of the Year: the award for “most Jester-like” performance went to James Douse for his uncharacteristic fit of temper - and subsequent effusive apologies - after his dismissal at Maidenhead & Bray. A bat, table and chairs were all involved.
Michael Meyer Award for big-hitting went to John Murphy for a particularly meaty six, also at Maidenhead & Bray, which traveled many a country mile.
The committee also presented Simon Butler with a framed copy of the scorecard from Hurlingham as a memento of this great innings there.
8th November - David Le Shirley
The sad news has just filtered through that David Le Shirley died on 27th September, aged 90.
As older Jesters will remember, David umpired for us for many years. First via David Smith’s umpiring bureau and then for a decade or so in a direct relationship that often saw him standing in as many as 14 or 15 games a season. He retired after the 2001 season but could still be seen spectating at the occasional Jesters game as recently as last year.
A rock solid umpire on the field of play and a genial character in the bar afterwards, he was a great servant of the club and leaves behind many fond memories.
10th October - AGM and Dinner
The 2011 AGM and Annual Dinner will take place at Chez Gerard Southbank - the same place as last year - on Friday 11 November. Full details and how to book your place are here. See you there.
18th September - Barnes Common
We lost this final game of the season by 26 runs. A match report will follow. The scores were:
Barnes Common: 162 all out (29 overs)
Gregori 7-1-27-3, Mohammed 7-2-25-2
Jesters: 136 all out (33.3 overs)
Murphy 55*, Harris 21
Our total was something of a recovery after being 79-8.
11th September - Ashtead
We were unable to raise a side for this long-standing fixture so the game was cancelled. Embarrassing.
1st September - Sawbridgeworth cancelled
Unfortunately Sawbridgeworth are unable to raise a side for the game on Sunday 4th September so the game has been cancelled.
31st August - Good win at Bray
We beat Maidenhead & Bray by 4 wickets in a close and exciting game. Scores and John Murphy’s match report are below.
Maidenhead and Bray: 158-8 (40 overs)
Berman 3 for 25, Chak 2 for 19, Murphy 1 for 21, Bridcut 1 for 25, Mumby 1 for 29
Jesters: 162-6 (38.2 overs)
Mohammed 36*, Harris 24, Hudson 23, Murphy 21
“With the track partially soaked by the heavy morning rain, the Jesters were pleased to take the field first at Bray. Maidenhead and Bray started confidently, but with a damp outfield boundaries were hard to come by initially. Jonny Bridcut and surprise opening bowler Nick Mumby bowled tightly, with each taking a wicket in the later parts of their spells. DJ Chak and John Murphy put the squeeze on the middle order, with DJ finishing with 2 for 19.
“Phil Berman entered the attack and then were a few worried faces when he conceded 16 runs in his first two overs. Something then clicked and Phil bowled the perfect line and length. His fourth over began with two wickets in two balls with the opposition batsman bamboozled by late swing. He finished with figures of 3 for 25 from his eight overs, leaving the opposition with a competitive 158-8 from their 40 overs.
“The Jesters batman knew it would not be easy chasing such a score on a slow track. Openers Robbie Hudson and George Shepherd batted well against the new ball, but George fell unluckily in the ninth over. Louis Harris “ returning from holiday“ entertained the crowd with some classy strokeplay, but was caught for a run-a-ball 24 ambitiously driving on-the-up. Hudson meanwhile was setting himself up to see the innings through, nurdling his way to 23 off 70 balls.
“Sadly the traditional Jesters middle-order collapse followed and, from a solid start, we were left needing six an over for the last ten overs against good bowling on a difficult pitch in the fading light.
“Adnan Mohammed was joined at the crease by John Murphy. Spurred on by their 150+ partnership at Chobham the previous week, Adnan dug in and top-scored with a gritty 36 not out. Adnan’s determination to see it through gave John licence to play some big shots, hitting the opening bowler way out of the ground. He was spectacularly bowled next ball, leaving Nick Mumby and Adnan to knock off the final runs with just ten balls to spare.
“It was a classic game of Jesters cricket, with everyone contributing to a really good team victory”.
22nd August - The Magnificent Nine beat Chobham
Those who’ve played at Chobham in recent years won’t appreciate what a good victory this was. Chobham turned out a much stronger side than usual and, at the peak of the holiday season, we only had nine players.
The skipper’s masterplan was to bat first, get runs on the board and hope scoreboard pressure worked in our favour. Losing the toss did for that bright idea and we contemplated a long afternoon in the field in the 40 over game traditional in this fixture.
Jonny Bridcut took two early wickets but then two good young batsmen settled into a mature partnership. Our bowling and fielding held up well, but on a slow wicket we weren’t able to make a breakthrough and there were always gaps in the field for runs.
Sean Oliver bowled a fiery spell, at one point uprooting their best batsman’s middle stump in spectacular fashion - but off a no ball. Adnan Mohammed was economical. And both Phil Berman - bowling his eight overs straight through - and Nick Gregori varied their bowling cleverly, preventing the Chobham batsmen from really cutting loose. But the total continued to mount.
Nick and Adnan made crucial breakthoughs, dismissing the two best bats, but it was only with the return of Jonny, bowling the last three of his allotted eight overs, that wickets tumbled. Four in total - and it was probably only Jonny’s humanity that denied him a hat-trick, bowling a loopy off-break at the youngster batting 11. He finished with splendid figures of 6-35.
Chobham were all out for 211 in the 40th over, a good effort by the Jesters in the circumstances. But, frankly, too many the skipper thought. Especially as our nine players included only one specialist batsman.
At 35 for 3 things didn’t look any better. But then John Murphy and Adnan Mohammed embarked on what turned out to be the match winning partnership.
Those who’ve only played with John in recent seasons may not be aware what a good batsman he is. He won the Arnold Woods trophy in, I think, 2002 for a masterly innings against a rapid attack on tour. And this innings was surely its equal. If not for shear physical courage - the Chobham bowling was useful but not life-threatening - then for temperament and technique. Somewhat riled by the fielders’ “league comments”, he was well and truly “in the zone”.
Adnan did much more than simply keep John company, matching him shot for shot as the partnership passed the 50, 100 and 150 milestones. He played some beautiful off-side strokes - cuts and drives - to complement the brutal crash through mid-wicket. John was particularly strong through mid-on and mid-wicket, with a truly crunching weight of shot, and was always alive to the deft deflection to third man.
What Chobham didn’t realise was how little batting we had after this pair - another wicket and the game could have been over very quickly. But of course John and Adnan did appreciate this point which made their partnership all the more special. Measured batting of the highest order.
At 199-3 we had the game in the bag. Or so we thought. Then John fell for 86 to a steepling boundary catch, Sean Oliver came and went, and Jonny Manners was dropped at slip first ball. Gulp! Could we possibly lose it from here?
There followed a couple of nail-biting overs - including a nervous maiden at Jonny - before Adnan took us home in style with a couple of boundaries, finishing on 85 not out.
A great win. Thank you the Magnificent Nine!
16th August - Middleton Stoney
Jesters 222 for 4
Middleton Stoney 130 for 7
Match drawn
Jesters just fell short on another lovely day at Middleton Stoney
“The combination of great hospitality, beautiful surroundings, a traditional timed game and a lovely summer's afternoon makes the visit to Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire one of the most pleasant fixtures of the year. It did not disappoint again this year.
“The home side won the toss and invited the Jesters to bat first. Skipper Cleobury renewed his partnership with Nick Mumby. The two got the Jesters innings off to a good start before Cleobury was out caught off a leading edge for 20. Mumby and Russell Ewings continued the good start, Mumby in particular looking to take the attack to the bowlers. Mumby ended up with another 35 (see Pink Elephants). Ewings made a stylish 21 before being undone by one that kept a little low. Then James Douse, showing good form with an early clip off his legs for four, sadly misdirected the next one back to the bowler.
“This brought Pooniah Vijendran and Jonny Bridcut together. Vijendran looked in top form as started tucking into the visitors attack (in particular some generous full tosses). They both settled into their innings well and the scoreboard rattled along - the most likely mode of dismissal being a run out given some interesting calling! The pair put on over a hundred for the fifth wicket and the Jesters reached tea at 222 for 4. Vijendran finished on 79* from 79 balls, Bridcut 49* off 53 balls.
“After the usual excellent tea, the Jesters took the field knowing that they would need to bowl well to take 10 wickets. They got the start they wanted with Bridcut striking in the first over. Sadly John Murphy was not at full fitness at the other end and had to leave proceedings early. This did allow for the long awaited come back of Matthew Berry, who after a few looseners soon found that nagging line that the Jesters have missed over the last season and a half.
“The home side consolidated after the early loss and the scoreboard was ticking over for them nicely, until their skipper blasted on to Berry in the covers off Bridcut. Mumby then replaced Bridcut and took a wicket immediately, by removing their in-form opener, caught by Bridcut at mid-on. The hosts were still going for it though and their keeper was unleashing some lusty blows. It was Berry who made the decisive blow inducing a top edged pull which was pouched by keeper Cleobury. With Mumby picking up two LBWs at the other end, the Jesters had reduced Middleton Stoney to 6 down.
“There then followed an exhibition by the seventh wicket pair, sporting a number of cricketing decades between them, who played every ball on its merit. Cleobury shuffled his bowlers introducing Phil Berman, Nick Gregori and Vijendran into the attack, but the partnership would not be broken. It was only at the end that the return of Bridcut brought the final wicket that the Jesters would take. Middleton Stoney ended up on 130 for 7, with Bridcut ending with 3 for 31, Mumby 3 for 8 and Berry 1 for 20.
“As is traditional, our hosts treated us to an excellent BBQ after the game. All in all a lovely day out.”
Many thanks to match manager Simon Cleobury for this account.
9th August - Hudson batters Rickling
Robbie Hudson scored a magnificent century as we won easily against Rickling Ramblers.
Jesters: 201-1 declared (35 overs)
Hudson 102*, Chak 82, Willliamson 7*
Rickling Ramblers: 74 all out (28.1 overs)
Murphy 9-3-17-5, Bridcut 8.1-0-26-3, Mohammed 6-1-20-2, B. Sareen 5-3-10-0
Match manager Ollie Doward explains:
“All good things come to those who wait. The big story of our thumping 127 run victory at Rickling Green was a first competitive Jesters ton for Robbie Hudson. By his own admission, Robbie's three figures at the Shenley Club Day last season didn't really count, so as his hundredth run was cut backward of point in trademark Hudson style, a hugely popular century was greeted with unbridled joy by team-mates.
“Batting first, Hudson (102*, 13 fours, 3 sixes) and DJ Chak (82) made light of a sporting wicket to post a brilliant first wicket partnership of 185. DJ mixed textbook defence with some pugnacious drives on both sides of the wicket while Hudson was all cuts, flicks and pulls, including three big sixes over square leg. After DJ holed out when seemingly set for a century of his own, Williamson, looking to atone for some wayward driving at nearby Great Hadham Golf Club in the morning, guided his partner through the nervous nineties before the declaration came at 201-1 off 35 overs.
“A one-sided affair was quickly concluded in just 28.1 overs as the home side subsided to 74 all out. John Murphy rolled back the years, ripping through the Rickling top order to take 5-17 off 9 overs. There was a period of alarm as storm clouds gathered and the last two men dug in to post the highest partnership of the innings (23) to delay our retreat to The Cricketers Arms, but the first ball of Jonny Bridcut's second spell duly ended proceedings before the heavens opened. Jonny finished with figures of 3-26 and Adnan Mohammed 2-20.”
4th August - Cuckfield rained-off
With standing water on the square and heavy rain forecast all day, we called off the game at 9.30, at least avoiding a wasted drive all the way to Sussex.
1st August - Deutsche Bank debacle?
Rumours reach Jesters HQ of a 110 run defeat (approximately). More when we know it.
28th July - Horsham cancelled
Sadly we were unable to raise a side for what is our oldest fixture. Next year is the 80th anniversary so it would be good if we could put out a decent XI.
25th July - Extraordinary scenes at Roehampton
Match manager Robbie Hudson reveals all:
“2.30, on a pitch offering something to the bowlers, the Jesters were 9-4, with DJ back in the trees after leaving a ball which knocked back his leg stump, Alex Smith and Adnan Mohammed lbw and Christian Judd clean bowled by one which jagged back. At this point, one of Roehampton's opening bowlers got a side-strain, thank God.
“Three careful partnerships took the Jesters to 98-7, and some lusty hitting off the last few overs brought us to a defensible 145. The scoring was pretty evenly spread around, with everyone getting between 0 and 12, and Matt Williamson scoring 73 before being out to a loopy full-toss.
“Bridcut and Mohammed tore through the top of the enemy order, there was a recovery which saw things look pretty even for a while, but then a couple of wickets fell to the twirling Mohammed and persistent Chak (or One Chak Mind as I have taken to calling him) and Roehampton shut up shop with 13 overs to go.
“In the end, they scored 18 off the last 20, or vice versa, with Mohammed, Chak, Bridcut and Hayes chipping away manfully. But their numbers nine (looked very decent, was not out at the end) and ten looked like they were seeing the home side home for a battling draw.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the Frenchman. King Louis came to bowl the eighteenth over and immediately drew number ten out of his ground. Allez, allez. After Bridcut was dead-batted for the nineteenth, Louis was replaced for the twentieth by Adnan, who speared a startler into the young batsman's ribs, which he gloved fizzingly to Williamson in the slips.”
Roehampton were all all for 81 giving us a 64 run victory.
18th July - Gemini rained off
A deluge during the morning meant the game was called off after lunch. Thanks to Gemini for their hospitality at lunch and looking forward to next year already.
13th July - More news from tour
The final two days provided a great conclusion to the tour. We beat Canford Cygnets by 5 wickets after bowling them out for 171 (they were 120-1 not long before lunch). And won by the same margin against Hampshire Hogs, chasing 202. Full match reports to follow.
11th July - Early news from tour
We managed a good start to the annual Dorset tour beating Milton Abbey Hornets by 4 wickets on the magnificent school ground. Milton Abbey were 125 all out not long after lunch (Craig Gourlay 4-7) but against tight bowling on a slow pitch our batsmen were never able to cut loose and we were grateful to crawl across the finishing line. A full report will follow after the tour.
News is just in of a draw against Bryanston Butterflies who scored 243. Ollie Doward blocked out the last over with us on 222-9 after 6 wickets had fallen for 29 runs in the chase. Jonny Bridcut scored 61.
27th June - Pink Elephants thriller
Pink Elephants 102 All Out
Jesters 105 for 7
There was great excitement amongst the 11 lucky Jesters who played in our first ever fixture against the Pink Elephants at the magnificent Westminster School ground in Vincent Square.
Not many get to play at this beautiful ground, an amazing 13 acres hidden away between Vauxhall Bridge Road and Wilton Road, so we were very honoured to be invited. We also could not have picked a nicer day for the game - warm, sunny and not a cloud in the sky.
The Pink Elephants batted first. The Pinks' skipper Joe Ireland eased Jonny Bridcut's first delivery through backward point and it raced away for 4. Fears of a long afternoon of chasing leather in high temperatures were soon allayed though as Bridcut, later in the same over, nipped one back to have Ireland plumb in front.
Soon after Bridcut struck again with two beautiful outswingers, both to left handers, the first taken smartly by Nick Mumby at first slip and the second a fantastic diving catch low to his left by Ollie Doward at second slip (made even better by the fact that he only had two hours sleep).
Bridcut ended with excellent figures of 6-0-23-3. He was ably supported at the other end by John Murphy, who bowled a very tight spell of 8-3-14-0, an excellent effort in such hot weather.
The Jesters continued to take wickets on a pitch that was offering plenty of assistance to the bowlers. Ben Sareen (6-0-19-1) bowled an excellent spell and deserved more than his one wicket. Tim Harty found some lift in the pitch inducing the batsman to glove one to keeper Simon Cleobury, then with one pitched right up squared another Pink's batsman right up offering a chance to Doward at short cover, which again he took magnificently. Harty took a third wicket to end with magnificent figures of 7-2-18-3.
The Jesters' spin twins Nick Mumby (2-0-6-0) and Adnan Mohammed came to finish things off, with Mohammed equalling Bridcut's tally of 3 wickets, ending with figures of 3.4-1-6-3. The Pinks were bowled out for 102 and the team when to enjoy hot scones for tea!
Skipper Cleobury promoted Mumby to open the batting with him. It was the skipper that fell first to one that popped and presented a simple catch to the waiting silly mid off. Mumby was joined by Harrison and they began to build a good partnership, Mumby in particular latching onto anything short.
However, both Harrison (10) and Mumby (35) then departed, and they were soon followed by Douse, Doward and Mohammed, who both fell to the excellent spell from the young Pinks fast bowler and Bridcut fell trying to sweep the left arm spin of Ireland. The Jesters were in danger of throwing away another run chase with a most Jester-like collapse!
However, it was Louis Harris (28*) who steered the Jesters to victory, courtesy of some typically lusty strikes. The Jesters won by 3 wickets and the teams retired to the Barley Mow to rehydrate.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Joe Ireland and the Pink Elephants for the opportunity to play on such a lovely ground. We very much hope we will be invited to play again.
20th June - Radley & the Dilscoop
Radley Rangers 247/5 dec (60 overs)
Jesters 166/8 (46 overs) (Harris 55)
Match drawn
A strong Jesters XI took on a young Rangers XI at the idyllic ground at Radley only to emerge with a frustrating draw.
After winning the toss on a rare rain-free morning, the Jesters invited the hosts to bat first. Despite the opening bowlers beating the bat regularly, wickets proved hard to come by as the Radley top order made the most of a flat surface to lay the foundations for a decent score. However, the Jesters' attack showed great discipline and ensured that the scoring rate remained around 3 an over for most of the innings, despite attacking fields and Nick Mumby's moon balls.
Perhaps aware of a certain old boy in the Jesters' ranks, the hosts batted on towards 4 o'clock with little sign of an acceleration in the scoring, though the game opened up slightly when the visiting captain called on the wiles of two underrated leg spinners; Louis Harris dusted off his right arm and claimed 2 wickets with his bamboozling combination of high yorkers, short good length balls and the occasional googly.
Andy Harris was the pick of the seamers with his probing outswing and deserved more than the one wicket. The Rangers eventually declared on an imposing 247/5 from 60 overs.
The Jesters' opening pair of Tony Crockert and Ponniah Vijendran built a solid platform before tea, though after the resumption the required rate soon reached more than 7 an over, and the much hyped Jesters' top 6 struggled to penetrate the defensive fields set.
An unfortunate run out brought Ponniah's stay at the crease to an end, and from there the loss of regular wickets meant that scaling 250 became impossible. Louis Harris carried his fine bowling form into the second half of the game with a commanding 55, though received little significant support.
Nevertheless, the Jesters continued to play their shots, with the pick of the bunch being a perfect "dilscoop" to the fine leg boundary by Andy Harris off the Rangers opening bowler; a leading contender for shot of the season!
After a couple of late wickets, Nick Mumby was called on to survive the last few balls to ensure that defeat was avoided, though our first victory in this fixture will have to wait until another year.
As ever, we would like to thank the Radley Rangers for their hospitality in what has become one of the stand-out fixtures in the Jesters diary.
12th June - Narrow defeat at Jesus
“Play got underway earlier than usual on a sunny Cambridge day to allow the Jesus students extra revision time ahead of their impending finals. Having been inserted, the Jesus top order faced a stern examination in the form of Jonny Bridcut (3-51), who found some fearsome swing with the new ball, which included the prize wicket of Jesus skipper (and Jester) Sam Grimshaw. Sadly, Matt Berry suffered a recurrence of his shoulder injury after bowling just one over. It did yield a wicket though, a stumping off a wide!
“With wickets falling at regular intervals and Adnan Mohammed (4-60) turning the screw at first change, the students needed something special to drag themselves from the mire. Enter Blues all-rounder Frankie Brown who smeared a rapid 72. Fielders were posted far and wide but to no avail. Ably supported by the dogged Graves (41), he enabled the home side to declare on 191-8.
“In reply, we were cruising at 104-2 after Hudson (29) and Harris (30) put on 62 and debutant Skid Marks hit a breezy 26. There followed a dramatic collapse instigated by left-arm tweaker Brown. Wicketless and out-bowled by Adnan last year, he gained revenge by wiping out our middle and lower order to finish with 16-5-28-5. Sean Oliver (25) offered late resistance with some hearty blows but the death knell sounded when last man Berry was pinned in front playing a shot hereafter known as 'The Curtsey'. All out 170 and defeat by 21 runs, only our second loss at Jesus in a decade. Although disappointed with our feeble demise, it was fantastic to see the relish with which the Jesus players greeted the final wicket.
“Cap'n Grimshaw missed the last knockings having been whisked off to Addenbrooke's Hospital for three stitches in his mouth after wearing a Hudson top edge at slip, but was happily back in time to toast victory through a straw. And Jesters pride was partially restored when a team of Berry, Harrison, Doward and Marks put the students in their place by romping to victory in the Jesus College Bar general knowledge quiz!”.
Thanks to match manager Ollie Doward for this account.
7th June - Heavy defeat at Amersham
Amersham 261/9 (40 overs)
Jesters 170/8 (40 overs)
The trip to Amersham CC and their wonderful ground is a highlight in every season for the Jesters. Sadly for the second year on the trot the conditions were grey, damp and cold It was decided that the competition would be limited overs with 40 per side The Jesters won the toss and elected to chase.
Tight bowling from the opening pair DJ Chak and Sean Oliver restricted Amersham to a shade under 100 for the first 20 overs. Though sadly a couple of dropped catches meant that the home team had plenty of wickets in hand The introduction of Adnan Mohammed had the desired effect and he set about demolishing their middle order.
As ever, Amersham put out a young and enthusiastic side with plenty of talent, and their batting continued deep into the lower order. Adnan continued to take wickets, but the other bowlers failed to stem the scoring from the other end - not helped by an increasingly wet ball - and the onslaught from the final ten overs brought the total to an imposing 261. Adnan finished with very impressive figures of 5 for 29 from his 8 overs.
The response got off to the worst possible start, with a mix-up between DJ Chak and Tony Crockert resulting in the latter being run out. Louis Harris soon followed, brilliantly caught in the slips by Amersham's South African pro.
DJ kicked on and played aggressively for his 30. James Williams (33) and Matt Williamson (30) rebuilt the innings and both played some terrific strokes on what was now a very sticky pitch. By this point, however, the Jesters were well behind the rate, and needed nearly 10 runs an over from the last 15.
The wickets now began to fall as steadily as the rain as we went in search of those elusive boundaries. Late cameos from Sean Oliver (26*) and James Douse (24) added a degree of respectability to the scoreline, but in the end we were well beaten by 91 runs, finishing on 170 for 8.
Another enjoyable afternoon, nonetheless, though hopefully next year we will get some better weather! That said, there was more play in Amersham than in the test match at Lord's.
13th May - NPL game cancelled
NPL have cancelled the game on Sunday because they are unable to raise a side. Sorry to disappointment everyone, especially as we were aiming for the third successive tie in this fixture.
We reconvene at Amersham on June 5th. See you there.
8th May - Victory at HAC
We beat the Honourable Artillery Company by 6 wickets to record our first win of the season.
The wickets were shared round as HAC were bowled out for just 113. Jonny Bridcut cleaned up the tail after Jesters debutants Sean Oliver and Dan Hayes had both picked up wickets. Louis Harris top scored with 46 as we won with more than ten overs to spare.
One peculiarity was that after two months with barely a drop of rain in London the start was delayed by an hour while we waited for puddles from overnight rain to clear.
Hopefully a fuller match report will appear here soon.
20th April - Close finish at Hurlingham
Jesters 329/5 declared (Butler 168*, C Smith 83)
Hurlingham 219/9 (Mohammed 4/42, Mumby 3/31)
Match manager Jonny Bridcut reveals all:
“The traditional season's curtain-raiser saw the Hurlingham Club left dangling by a thread to secure a draw against a Jesters XI seeking their first victory for many years in this leafy London oasis.
“After losing the toss, the Jesters were invited to bat first on a belter of a wicket more akin to mid-August than pre-Easter. It was not long before the two Simons, Butler and Cleobury, started piercing the field with abandon and the score quickly raced past 50. When Cleobury edged one behind and the feline Louis Harris ran out of his nine lives, the Jesters were tottering at 78/2, a middle-order wobble away from a grim lunch.
“However, Chris Smith, in his first innings for the club, joined his former university captain and the pair proceeded to plunder an astonishing 195 runs. Both took heavy toll on a weakened Hurlingham attack and made use of the shorter boundary towards the endangered iconic clubhouse. One of Simon's searing cover drives over the nearby fountain and onto the croquet lawns will live long in the memory and was one of the biggest hits since the Beatles.
“While the two were together, the only concern the visitors' captain had was that a monumental total of 400 appeared on the cards. Simon powered past his hundred with a six over the sightscreen and continued to crunch the ball to every part of the idyllic ground on his way to a majestic 168 not out (which had Ned scurrying around to check whether it was a club record). His hundred came off 114 balls, with the remaining 68 off only 34 balls! (Ed: Simon’s 168 is indeed the highest ever individual score by a Jester - congratulations Simon!)
“Chris's unfortunate dismissal for a fine 83, when a century seemed certain, meant that the middle order had an opportunity to wield the willow and help push the score past 300. The Jesters declared before 3pm, with a total of 329/5 off just 49 overs.
“Although the scoreboard cannot lie, the visitors knew that the job was under half done, as taking 10 wickets on this benign surface was sure to prove a stern challenge. Hurlingham got off to a solid start, picking off a few boundaries where possible, and eased through the opening overs.
“However, a customary inswinger soon nipped back through the gate to expose the middle order to the Arnold Woods-trophy-holder before tea. Unsurprisingly, Adnan immediately found his rhythm and started to chip away at the Hurlingham line up, helped by some magnificent aggression from Max Harris at the other end. Max was extraordinarily unlucky to only finish with one wicket, which was fended off the batsman's throat to a leaping Vijendran.
“However, as the final twenty overs approached, the easy-paced surface seemed to be getting the better of the strong Jesters' attack and Hurlingham were drifting towards an aimless draw.
“Nicholas Mumby had different ideas, as his wizardry sparked a final hour flourish. First, through cunning flight he lured their star batsman to lash one down the throat of long on; then, in one remarkable over in his second spell, he span one two feet past the textbook leave of the Club's young minister of defence before surprising the next man with a quicker one that knocked out all three. This meant that one wicket was needed with three overs remaining.
“Adnan, who had already snared 4 wickets, found the outside edge in the very next over, and the victory dance was one slip catch away! However, the statesman stood next to the wicketkeeper was reminiscing over his triumphs of the last 5 minutes and could not quite cling on to the chance. The captain rotated his bowlers to maximise the batsmen's discomfort, though the hosts' last pair dug in to ensure that another year would pass without defeat.
“As ever, the Jesters would like to thank the Hurlingham Club for being such fine hosts on what was a super day for good old-fashioned declaration cricket; the art of taking all 10 wickets to win a game will have to wait until later in 2011.”
1st February - New fixtures announced
We’re pleased two announce two new fixtures for the 2011 season. The first being against the Westminster School staff side The Pink Elephants at the school's ground in Vincent Square on Sunday 26 June. The other being against Milton Abbey in Dorset on Sunday 10 July, which will mark the start of the annual tour.
Both are wonderful grounds in lovely settings. You may well know Vincent Square, but if you’re unfamiliar with Milton Abbey it’s probably enough to say that many think it an even prettier place than Canford.
31st January - Nets at Lord’s 2011
Club nets begin at Lord’s on Tuesday 15th February and continue on the following dates: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 March; 5 & 12 April. All are Tuesdays and all sessions are 7-8pm.
To book places please contact Andrew Short. The cost is £8.00 per person per session. And the usual rule applies: if you book and subsequently cancel and we’re unable to find a replacement you will be charged. See you there!
13th November - Simon Cleobury is new Hon Sec
At the 2010 AGM Andrew Short stood down as Hon Sec and was succeeded by Simon Cleobury. Jonny Bridcut becomes Fixture Secretary. All other committee members were re-elected.
13th November - Annual Awards
The annual awards were presented at a very enjoyable annual dinner at Chez Gerard Southbank. This year’s winners are:
Arnold Woods Trophy (best individual performance) to Adnan Mohammed for taking 7-48 from 17 overs against a very strong Jesus College Cambridge side and comprehensively outbowling their Blues spinner. He narrowly pipped Louis Harris who scored an astonishing 144* off 82 balls against Barnes Common.
Most Jester-like performance - Ned Morrell for a scoring hiccup in the Lord Gnome game that might have denied us victory. The scores finished level but an extra run was discovered in the scorebook after the game. The committee also presented Ned with a print of Worcester County Cricket Ground, a ground dear to his heart, in appreciation of all the scoring he has done for us over the years.
Michael Meyer trophy for big hitting to Louis Harris for blasting seven sixes in his Barnes Common innings.
23rd September - Streatham & Marlborough off
Streatham & Marlborough have cancelled our game with them on Saturday. Disappointing to miss the last game of the season - but 9 wins outof the last 10 games isn’t a bad record to take into the winter!
21st September - Barnes Common centurians
Jesters 306/2 (35 overs) (Harris 144*, Butler 101)
Barnes Common 202/8 (35 overs) (Smith 4/17)
Match manager Jonny Bridcut describes the action:
“Upon arriving at the ground for a customary pre-match pitch inspection, it was only the stumps that gave away where the wicket lay as the entire square blended seamlessly into the yellowy-green late summer outfield. It was therefore with some trepidation that the Jesters accepted the opposition's skipper's kind pre-toss 'suggestion' to bat first, no doubt the result of him recalling our opening salvo last season that had reduced his top order to 8/4.
“Two hours later, after we had ruthlessly compiled a stunning 306/2 from our 35 overs, it was clear that we would not be receiving such a generous offer next year.
“The innings began steadily with the two Simons, Cleobury and Butler, reproducing their fine form from last summer's encounter to ensure that the new tangerine soon lost its shine. When Simon Cleobury was unfortunately defeated by one that jagged back and kept low, Louis Harris strolled purposively to the middle, eager to distance himself from Liverpool's impending struggle against their rivals from Manchester.
“Louis and Simon set about dismantling our opponents' attack with relish, and were soon breezing along at around 8 or 9 an over. The fact that Louis did not register a single until he was in his forties showed the brutal nature of his onslaught. Simon was the first to a very impressive three figures, in only his second Jesters innings, though fell shortly afterwards for 101 (in an almost coincidental fashion to last year), thereby ending a dominant 182 run stand between the pair.
“After a slightly nervous nineties, Louis went through to his first ever hundred, off just 67 balls. However, that did not signal the end to his fun as, in partnership with the commanding Alex Smith, he walloped a further 44 off his last 15 deliveries to finish with a lofty 144* from just 82 balls, with 7 sixes. This was surely an effort that would threaten Adnan Mohammed's bid for performance of the season.
“It would have been easy for Barnes to have crumbled when faced with such a total, but to their credit they played out all their allocated overs for a respectable 202/8. However, the required run rate was always beyond them, and given that we had the all-conquering Adnan in our ranks, victory had never appeared beyond doubt.
“Some expansive blows from the Barnes middle order ensured they both entered and exited the Coach & Horses in good spirits, although Alex Smith rekindled the all-round credentials of his heyday with a useful 4 wicket burst towards the end. It was a shame that we could not quite bowl them out, though a 104 run victory meant that the contests over the years were now level at 2 apiece.”
14th September - Excellent victory at Ashtead
We beat a good Ashtead side by 70-odd runs with one of our best performances of the season. Jesters who have played at Ashtead over the years may be interested to know the club is flourishing, now in the premier division of the Surrey Championship (finishing 5th this year) and with an attractive new pavilion just opened.
We played a 40 over game and arranged to bat first as several Jesters were caught in traffic. Simon Cleobury and Robbie Hudson batted with great composure against a good new ball attack who found plenty of late movement. Robbie went on to make 45, a vital innings that gave us a platform and protected our middle order stroke-players from the moving ball.
The stroke-players duly went to work. Chief among them was Louis Harris whose 72 was a well constructed innings, careful defence and good running between the wickets mixed with his usual scintillating shots. Ollie Doward and Matt Williamson lent good support against a bowling attack that never let us cut loose. Matt and James Douse finally did well to take us beyond 200.
We thought our 210 was defendable, but were mindful the Frogs had lost by 9 wickets to Ashtead the previous weekend with a similar total.
Our bowlers made an excellent start, Jonny Bridcut - playing his first game of the season after six months in Shanghai - persuading their star opening bat to edge one behind. But their other opener looked in good form, bashing a series of robust boundaries, and seemed quite capable of taking the game away from us.
The vital moment came at the end of Phil Berman’s opening spell, when he drew a big leading edge from the opener which looped up to the vacant mid-on area. We held our breath as James Douse ran round from mid-off to make a tricky catch look easy.
At this point our spinners came on and - as so often this season - kept quiet batsmen looking to accelerate. Adnan Mohammed (2-10), Louis Harris (2-39) and Andrew Short (3-19) all bowled well.
They were supported by good catching. James Douse judged a skyer perfectly on the long-on boundary, while “champagne moment” was Ollie’s catch on the mid-wicket boundary. The ball came to him flat and fast, and needed a sudden late adjustment as it dipped wickedly at the last moment.
We worked steadily through the middle and lower order and Ashtead were finally all out for 137 with half a dozen of their 40 over remaining. A good win.
Thanks especially to the several senior Jesters who made it along to watch. It’s always great to have support. It was particularly good to see former Jesters umpire David Le Shirley who is still going strong at 88 not out.
6th September - The Sawbridgeworth Seven
Our season of poor availability reached an embarrassing low point as we turned up at Sawbridgeworth - a strong club - with only seven players (despite a huge effort from match manager Alex Smith).
Sawbridgeworth kindly lent us two players, including a keeper, and we played nine-a-side. In the end it was a good game, Jesters (+ 2) winning by 22 runs, but it was all most unsatisfactory. Thanks to Sawbridgeworth for their hospitality and understanding.
In the game itself, we batted first with the 15 year old Sawbridgeworth keeper playing for us scoring a good half century. When we bowled, Adnan Mohammed wrapped up the game with another excellent 5 wicket spell (5-41).
1st September - Max’s Maidenhead marvel
Max Harris - Louis’s brother - led us to victory over Maidenhead and Bray with an unbeaten century, scoring exactly 100. Skipper Ponniah Vijendran was 65 not out at the other end as we won convincingly by 8 wickets.
Maidenhead and Bray had earlier been dismissed for 184. In a good all round bowling display, the star of our attack was 12 year old Sachin Rawson with 3-36 from 6 overs. Well done Sachin!
24th August - Chobham run us close
We beat Chobham by four wickets, but only after a dramatic late collapse had threatened to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Chobham won the toss and chose to bat in the traditional 40 over game. Their 124 all out was worth more than it seemed on a pitch used for a league game the day before and which gave a little help to all bowlers.
After tight opening spells from John Murphy and Phil Berman (who took the first two wickets), it was spin triplets Mohammed (3-15), Mumby (3-39) and Louis Harris (2-28) who did the serious damage, all taking wickets against a predominantly young side who would have preferred to knock around the seamers.
Louis in particular will bowl much worse for far better reward, his faster ball prompting several loud shouts for lbw. It was Adnan, though, who took the key wicket - and escaped serious injury - when he clung on to a tracer bullet drilled back at him by their hard-hitting no.3.
The fielding held up throughout, which was good to see after some poor performances this season. Adnan made a catch over his head in the covers look easy; James Douse hurtled round the boundary to good effect; Andrew Short emerged with a mouthful of dirt after a successful diving effort in the gully; and Charlie Wilson - making his only appearance of the season on a rare visit from France - nearly pulled off a spectacular one-handed diving catch, the ball unfortunately dislodging on impact. Matt Williamson did a very tidy job standing up to the spinners, which is never easy.
125 to win seemed well within range, and our openers took the field with the skipper’s pep talk uppermost in their minds (he hoped) - “make sure you win it by ten wickets”. Jesters are not the only side to have a let a low target get the better of them.
Louis Harris mixed his usual exuberant strokeplay with watchful defence and Ollie Doward’s late Saturday night had equipped him perfectly to play the anchor role. Ollie was bowled for a calm 24 with the score on 72 and Louis went for 60 with the total well into the nineties. Job done, we thought.
At 116-6 we thought again. Especially as our number 11 wasn’t on the ground and we would only bat ten. Their skipper’s slow spin - 3 for 16 from 8 overs - had done much of the damage.
At this point the redoubtable John Murphy - clearly bucked by his recent engagement - was joined at the wicket by Adnan. They took stock before Adnan unfurled a couple of delightful boundaries to see us home. Sighs of relief all round.
Many thanks once again to Chobham for their hospitality. Nice place. Nice people. It really is somewhere we look forward to playing each summer.
16th August - Final over thriller at Middleton Stoney
“The local crowd were kept well entertained by a nail-biting run chase and thrilling final over when the Jesters travelled to Middleton Stoney, deep into the Oxfordshire countryside.
“On a pitch that was damp from the previous day's rain, the home side won the toss and chose to bat first. Jesters debutants Andy Harris and Ryan O'Sullivan started proceedings. Left-armer O'Sullivan found some excellent swing back into the right handers and struck in his first over. The hosts then consolidated - Harris and O'Sullivan continued to bowl well but a few chances were missed and soon the hosts were up to 50.
“Finally there was reward too for an excellent spell from Harris to get the much needed breakthrough. With Harris' accurate pace bowling from one end and Nick Mumby's off spin at the other the home side's innings was checked for a while. They lifted the tempo again, though, and it needed the introduction of Adnan Mohammed to break the partnership, when he got one to turn and bite to give a sharp chance to skipper Cleobury at slip.
“Middleton Stoney's opener was compiling an excellent innings with some very big hits into the surrounding trees. He was eventually cleaned up by Mohammed 16 short of his century. The scoreboard continued to tick over, but Mohammed also continued to take wickets, including one with a brilliant catch by keeper Matt Williamson. Mumby was unlucky not to take a wicket at the other end as he found some turn and was flighting it nicely. His replacement Louis Harris got some turn as well and chipped in with a couple of late wickets. At tea the hosts had reached 171, leaving the Jesters an hour plus 20 overs to chase the runs down.
“The Jesters got off to a solid start through Cleobury and Harris, with Harris in particular playing some excellent attacking shots through mid wicket. He couldn't keep it going though and was out to a shot he would rather forget. Russell Ewings was up next but played round a straight one that kept low. Cleobury and Mohammed then started to build a platform, but always found the going tough. Acceleration was difficult due to some accurate bowling from Middleton's skipper at one end and good off spin at the other.
“Skipper Cleobury was out trying to force the off spinner for 41. Mohammed and Williamson then built a good partnership and were going well, albeit slightly behind the rate. The pressure told though, and they were both out soon after, Williamson for 20 and Mohammed for 38. Andy Harris and James Douse continued to go for it and through some aggressive running from Harris the Jesters were just about staying in touch.
“When Douse was out O'Sullivan continued the good running until he was run out going for a third. Harris struck some lusty blows and an excellent reverse sweep to keep the Jesters in the chase.
“The final over arrived with 13 still needed by Harris and Nick Gregori. A dot and a scrambled bye was not the start they wanted. However, Harris struck the next ball for four and then hit two twos off the next two deliveries. So it was 4 required off the last ball. There was no fairytale finish as Harris was unable to get the ball away so the game ended as a draw.
“As always, Middleton Stoney fired up the BBQ and we all enjoyed the beautiful early evening sunshine. We even participated in Middleton Stoney's fines court - Louis Harris continuing his earlier generosity by stumping up a fine for his dismissal!”
Many thanks to match manager Simon Cleobury for this report.
8th August - Rickling Ramblers
Another victory! We notched up 194 on a tricky, slow surface at Rickling Green. Louis Harris, Simon Cleobury, Matt Williamson and Mike Palmer all made good contributions (Mike smashing a tile on the pavilion roof). Tim Harty did the damage with the ball in a superb five wicket spell (5-28), ending the game - and claiming his fifth wicket - in the most satisfying fashion, knocking out middle stump. They were all out 120-odd.
The match manager is working on a full report which will appear here soon.
7th August - Two wins in a day at Cuckfield
It’s not often you wake up on the morning of a match to hear the place you’re playing singled out on the Radio 4 weather forecast for its record rainfall the day before. Haywards Heath, next door to Cuckfield, had had 48 millimeters of rain in just one hour!
Yet there was no call to say the game was off. So we made the long drive to Sussex wondering what we would find.
Fortunately Cuckfield is on chalk and the ground dries quickly. We arrived to find groundsman John Mole working on a very damp wicket but one that was just playable. The storm had hit at lunch the day before, a river of water running in front of the pavilion from the direction of the car park and flowing out through the nets. It was the worst deluge any of the Cuckfield members could remember at the ground.
The wicket may have been just playable but it would be a nightmare for the side batting first, and mean almost certain defeat. So to salvage better entertainment from a Cricket Week fixture the captains took the unusual decision to play two, back-to-back twenty-five over a side games under T20 rules. As it turned out this worked really well with both sides full of younger players.
To cut a long story short, we won both games! We chased 120-odd in the first game and set 150 or so in the second (which was reduced to a 20 over game). First up the strip really was a pig to bat on, fully justifying the novel arrangements.
Match details have already faded into the mists of time, especially as there were very few regular Jesters on display. But Louis Harris was the star of the first game, bowling his five over spell for just 15 runs and striking a calm 43 not out to see us home. Those who think Louis is a slow bowler should have seen the bouncer he bowled at Cuckfield’s Sri Lankan pro!
Another novel feature was the first example (I think) of the Dilshan scoop in a Jesters game, played by the pro (he was caught at fine leg). This provoked memories of the first time a Jester scored a boundary with a reverse sweep - Brian Pote-Hunt at Cuckfield almost 20 years ago. Brian won a bottle of champagne that day - put up as a prize for precisely this feat by Richard Johnson. This made us wonder if any modern-day Jester would be prepared to sponsor a similar prize for a boundary from the Dil-scoop?
Many thanks, once again, to Cuckfield for their splendid hospitality - and especial thanks to John Mole for getting the square playable. A really heroic effort.
On a final note, we were delighted to welcome veteran Jester Dick Nelson who came along to watch proceedings. Dick played his last last game for the Club so long ago that it was even before the Hon Sec’s time. Dick and his wife are flourishing and send their best wishes to all who remember them.
3rd August - Deutsche Bank succumb
Thanks to match manager Patrick Allen for the following match report.
“We agreed to play a 35 over a side game. Deutsche Bank won the toss and batted. But after two wickets in the first ten balls the Jesters were on track for what turned out to be a resounding 7 wicket win.
“With a partnership of 85 for the third wicket by Gold (53) and Fahad (32) the Jesters struggled until the advent of spinners on drying wicket enabled them to re-assert control. After a good opening spell from Adnan Mohammed supported by Manget Singh with his nagging medium pace and Simon Rawson’s bustling swing bowling, the Deutsche Bank side capitulated against some excellent spin bowling from the versatile Adnan who finished with 3-17 in his seven overs, leg spinner Louis Harris with 3-36 and Will Taylor 2-19. They were bowled out for 165 off the final ball of the 35th over.
“Some good catches were held in what was fine team effort. Eleven-year-old Sachin Rawson gave an excellent exhibition of ground fielding having come in as a late replacement.
“On a pitch still moving around, and after a watchful beginning by Tom Bodeker (22) and Ponniah Vijendran (44 not out), a couple of quick wickets were lost before Vijendran was joined by Louis Harris (41 not out). Their unbroken stand of 85 brought the Jesters home in style in only the 24th over - an excellent victory.”
3rd August - Victory at Roehampton
We beat Roehampton by 2 wickets in a thrilling finish after finding ourselves 78-7 chasing their 180 (Adnan Mohammed 4-19). Dave Hancock (48*) and new Jester Alex Brookes (53) rescued us with a century partnership.
Despite this epic ending, the game will go down in history as the first time a lady took the field for the Jesters - John Twigg’s daughter Sonia. What’s more, she took two wickets! Congratulations, Sonia.
22nd July - More injury woe at Gemini
Our injury hit and poor-availability season reached a new low against Gemini at Sunningdale School. With match manager Ollie Doward out of action with a broken hand, we did well to scrape together eleven players. However, one was 11 year old Sachin Rawson and another John Murphy, not his normal gazelle-like self after putting his back out the previous weekend.
We won the toss and put them in, only for calamity to strike less than half an hour into their innings. Wicket keeper Simon Cleobury put his back out and we had no one with any keeping experience to replace him.
Our response was innovative - if not a little foolhardy. Our best bowler, Adnan Mohammed, took the gloves and Ollie Doward - complete with two broken bones in his right hand - came on and fielded one handed for the rest of the innings. In the circumstances, their 130-odd for 2 at lunch was not a bad effort on our part. Adnan even pulled off a stumping!
Over lunch, skipper Simon Rawson revealed he had been a wicket-keeping prodigy until the age of 13 and so would take over from Adnan. His subsequent performance did nothing to dispel this claim as he put in a very tidy performance.
We fought hard after lunch but Sunningdale School is never the easiest place to bowl with short boundaries and aggressive batsmen keen to rekindle memories of school days by hitting the ball as far as possible. Their 279 was a big score but perhaps not that many more than we would have expected to concede with a full strength side.
Several Jesters batsmen got in but no one went on to play a match winning innings against a good attack. Their secret weapon proved to be a number of full tosses from their unusual 6’ 7” leg spinner. As so often in a really tight spell, it was these balls that took the wickets as we sought to break the shackles. Andrew Short was our top scorer with 48, poking around for what seemed like ages before unleashing a series of front foot drives against their fastest bowler and then holing out to the leggie off a full toss. We were eventually all out for 200 or so, Ollie making a brave, one-handed appearance at number 11.
So another defeat. But an eventful one - and one where we didn’t disgrace ourselves. Many thanks to Gemini for their first class hospitality during and after the game. This really is one of the highlights of the Jesters season.
20th July - Dorset Tour 2010
We nearly made it a clean sweep on tour, winning two games and having the opposition nine down in the third.
There were great deeds all round: we successfully chased Bryanston’s 304, Ollie Doward broke a hand in two places on day one yet played on through all three games, and there was a legendary batting performance from Matt Berry.
Many thanks to Ollie for this account of the action:
Bryanston Butterflies 304-7 dec (49 overs)
Jesters 305-8 (46.4 overs)
Jesters won by 2 wkts
On a beautiful Blandford morning, Richard Rostron (pro at Salesbury CC) and Joe Rawlinson both struck early, Rostron extracting considerable life from a bone dry Bryanston pitch. Marshall (51) led a mini Butterflies recovery but three quick wickets just before the interval, including the dangerous Jim Denning (this was the diving catch that broke my hand) meant the Butterflies lunched at 115-5.
After lunch, the other Denning brother (53) and Freddie Strange put on 134 for the sixth wicket. Strange launched an astonishing assault on the bowling, smashing 113* off 58 balls (16 fours, 3 sixes). The declaration was greeted with some relief by a bewildered Jesters - wickets were shared round evenly, two apiece for Rostron, off spinner Stephen Brown and tour skipper Simon 'Highlights' Rawson.
Disastrous start to our reply. 0-2 became 15-4. Any prospect of chasing down 300+ looked dead in the water. However, Ollie Doward and Richard Rostron led the fightback, putting on 165 for the fifth wicket. When Doward was run out for 60, Rawlinson (40) supported Rostron as he powered to a breathtaking century and a scarcely believable victory was suddenly a distinct possibility.
In a frantic finale the final equation was six runs to win off the final over with two wickets in hand. We got there with two balls to spare sparking wild celebrations on the pavilion balcony. A shattered Rostron finished unbeaten on a magnificent 159 (24 fours and a six).
A sensational game of cricket with over 600 runs scored. After we chased down 286 last season, their skipper joked afterwards that he would never declare against us again!
Jesters 133 all out (40 overs)
Canford Cygnets 77 all out (23.1 overs)
Jesters won by 56 runs
Something of a contrast to the previous day's run fest. Blazing sunshine was replaced by dank gloominess and it quickly became apparent that run scoring would be a real challenge. The top order inevitably succumbed to the powers of Canford's pantomime villain Ben 'Ironman' Pearce whose four early wickets helped reduce us to 57-5. Thereafter Rob Long (23), Ian Riley (27) and Rostron (36*) rallied to help us post a less than imposing 133 all out.
There then followed an extraordinary session of cricket. Rostron steamed in for the first over and had an enormous caught behind appeal turned down off his first delivery. Disappointment turned to delight three balls later as the same batsman had his stumps demolished. Wicket maiden. At the other end, in-form Adnan Mohammed pinned the other opener lbw first ball before grabbing a second wicket of the over by beating their number four all ends up with a quicker one to rattle the timbers once again.
With the score at 2-3, Canford's Tom Blackburn then played an extraordinary shot to the first ball of Rostron's second over, launching a fast good length ball into orbit for a mind-boggling garryowen of a six which went as high as it did far. We were later to find out that while we were gorging sandwiches and cakes at tea, gym bunny Blackburn was pumping iron in preparation for his innings!
Adnan followed up his first over with a wicket maiden and Rostron kept his cool to trap the young tyro lbw for 12. 14-5. Canford skipper and occasional Jester George Shepherd steadied the ship along with Marsh (27) but the introduction of Brown nipped any resistance in the bud. His 3-16 included Canford 'teawatchman' and BBC cricket commentator Mark Mitchener for a golden duck, the last of a remarkable eight ducks in the match. Fittingly it was Ironman, having cleared the ropes with his first scoring shot, who holed out to long on to seal a 56 run win and hand Adnan his fifth wicket (5-34).
As usual we enjoyed the Cygnets' generous and at times hilarious hospitality after the game, even managing to hold our own in the various traditional beer challenges.
Jesters 207-8 dec (56 overs)
Hampshire Hogs 168-9 (49 overs)
Match drawn
After a heavy night at Canford and back at base in Bournemouth, it was a ragged looking Jesters who turned up at Warnford on Wednesday morning. Much like last year, overnight rain had turned the wicket into a sticky dog. Not a toss you want to lose, so Simon duly did for the third day in a row.
Once again, we were quickly in a hole at 27-3. It needed someone to drop anchor and that man was Matthew 'Tavare' Berry (28), our injured opening bowler turned opening batsman. Matt's 95 ball epic spanned 35 overs before he was trapped in front attempting to sweep his first ball from wily old fox Chris Bazalgette. Momentum was provided by cameos from Doward and Rawlinson but once again it was left to Rostron to dig us out the mire. His rapid 81 and some classy hitting from Brown enabled us to declare on 207-8.
The Hogs were also in early trouble at 29-3 after early Rostron and Rawson wickets and a brilliant improvised run out by the latter. Relieved at being dropped at second slip, Hogs number three Foot neglected to plant his feet back in the crease and had his wicket thrown down by Simon's bullet throw from first slip. A stand of 84 between Tennant and Aldridge (47) ensured the game was finely poised going into the last hour with 112 needed and seven wickets in hand. However, once the partnership was broken by Rawson (17-2-46-2), wickets tumbled at regular intervals. When Tennant was seventh out, bowled by Brown (4-50) for 84, the Hogs decided to shut up shop. Two more tail-enders were eked out to set up the theatrical ending we'd all hoped for - Hogs legend 'The Gette' was required to block out the final over to save the game.
He did so with aplomb, thus bringing to an end a fantastic tour on and off the field. All three matches ebbed and flowed and we played some exhilarating backs-against-the-wall cricket. The games were played in great spirit and thanks must go to Bryanston, Canford and the Hogs for once again being perfect hosts. Thanks also to former Jesters stalwart Roger House for his unstinting support on all three days.
11th July - Second best against Captain Scott’s XI
Match manager John Murphy produced a near miracle getting eleven players on the pitch in the face of widespread unavailability (it was World Cup final day) and injury.
It wasn’t, however, our strongest ever eleven and we were hammered by a a powerful Captain Scott side. In a 35 over game they smashed 270 - not helped by a uniquely poor fielding performance - and our 180 owed much to late hitting from new Jester Nic Gregori (67 from 45 balls). Definitely a day to forget - although a fuller account may appear here in due course.
4th July - Exciting draw with the Gnomes
We had a cracking finish against Lord Gnome’s XI in Oxford on the lovely Queen’s College ground beside the river. Three were needed from the last ball with our last pair at the crease. But with men back on the boundary we could only manage a single finishing on 200 chasing their 201.
At one stage it looked as though we would be chasing many more as their top order laid into our seam attack. Runs flowed. But skipper Matt Williamson was up to the job, turning the tables with his decision to take pace off the ball. Slow men Adnan Mohammed (5-68) and Andrew Short (3-56) bowled through the rest of the innings.
Louis Harris gave us an electrifying start in response, a dazzling array of shots taking him to 63 off only 52 balls. A pretty much flat six pulled through mid-wicket sticks particularly in the memory. After Louis went the pressure of the chase told. Several Jesters got in but no one went on to play the match winning innings. As wickets tumbled we kept going for the runs, even with last pair John Murphy and Ben Sareen at the crease. But in the end victory lay just tantalisingly out of reach.
28th June - Radley Rangers
Radley Rangers: 232-8 declared (44 overs) F. Moynan 68, J. North 34, J. Stanton 34, M. Harris 3 for 60, Hamad-ul-Hasan 2 for 40
Jesters: 161 all out (39.2 overs) A. Mohammed 37, Hamad-ul-Hasan 32, J. Stanton 4 for 44, C. Stoop 2 for 20, J. North 2 for 20
Radley Rangers won by 71 runs
“On a stunning June day, the Jesters played the Radley Rangers on Smithson’s Field. Although this is effectively the College’s third pitch, it is almost certainly one of the best tracks the Jesters will play on this season. The wicket was a batsman’s paradise, with pace and bounce for the quicker bowlers, and the outfield was well-cropped and fast.
“Winning the toss, the Jesters took to the field. Max Harris and Adnan Mohammed bowled sharp opening spells, with the latter trapping the Rangers’ opener leg before. Jesters guest Hamad-ul-Hasan (who debuted for Peshawar over the winter) then commenced a fine spell of off-break bowling, which included two wickets in two balls. The Rangers’captain, Henry Bailey, had started confidently but he was unlucky to play-on against the bowling of John Murphy. A good early performance with the ball left the opposition struggling on 71 for 4.
“Hamad continued to wheel away (he conceded just 40 runs in his 14 overs), but the Rangers batsmen dug in well and after playing themselves in Messrs J. North and Stanton added 91 for the fifth wicket. Moynan went on to hit 68 and his innings included six straight sixes off our other slow bowlers. Harris claimed three quick wickets at the end of the innings and when the declaration came we thought we were in with a good chance.
“Unfortunately we did not bat to our full potential. Wickets fell at a steady rate and with the exception of Hamad (who made 32) our top order struggled, with the other top six batsman scoring just 29 runs between them. We collapsed to 81 for 7.
“Simon Rawson and Mohammed batted together and both were keen to preserve their wickets. Rawson unfortunately fell for 22 and we another quick wicket fell, leaving us 129 for 9 with 10 overs to go before the close. Last man Murphy and Mohammed then dug in to try to save a draw. Both men looked comfortable and the pitch remained an excellent surface on which to bat. Then, in the penultimate over, Mohammed was trapped plumb in front to the only ball of the day to keep low.
“Credit must go to the Radley Rangers for setting us a tempting target and bowling a side out on such a decent track.”
Thanks to match manager John Murphy for this report. And thanks also to John for his untiring efforts to get eleven players when so many regular Jesters were unavailable.
14th June - Victory at Jesus College, Cambridge
We finally recorded our first win of the season in Cambridge yesterday, beating a strong Jesus College side by 7 wickets. Jesus have recently won Cuppers - the inter-college tournament - so this really was a good result
Thanks to match manager Ollie Doward for this match report:
Jesus College: 191 all out (52.2 overs)
Jesters: 194-3 (37.3 overs)
“On paper, this game was one of our tougher assignments of the season. Jesus, fresh from winning Cuppers the previous day, fielded a full strength side including Blues and Nottinghamshire left arm spinner Frankie Brown. However, we had Adnan Mohammed, more of which later...
“After a heavy deluge overnight, Jesters won the toss and elected to field, hoping to make the most of a drying wicket on a hot Cambridge afternoon.
“Max Harris and Ben Sareen bowled exceptionally tight opening spells without luck but were up against the formidable pair of sometime Jester and Mallard Sam Grimshaw and James Waters, our nemesis from this fixture in 2006.
“The unusually subdued duo had reached 61-0 when spin twins Mumby and Mohammed were called upon. Mumbers made the crucial breakthrough, bowling Waters before A-Mo took a vice-like grip on the game. He frustrated and bamboozled a series of talented batsmen as Jesus collapsed to 99-6.
“There was late resistance from Brown (46) and skipper Duncan Allen (43) but the final total of 191 all out had spanned a hefty 52.2 overs. Adnan's fantastic final figures were 7-48 off 17 overs.
“With so few overs available to bat after tea, chasing down their total looked like too tall an order. But Robbie Hudson, having finally dispensed with his decrepit blade from university days, kept his w(h)its about him, thrilling the watching picnickers as he slashed and pulled his way to a swashbuckling 61 off 49 balls.
“He was supported by fluid knocks from Matt Williamson (28), Max Harris (49*) and Adnan (28*, including three sixes). Max finished the game off in some style, flaying a six over extra cover to seal a surprisingly comfortable seven wicket win with six overs of the last hour to spare. Brown finished with figures of 0-32 from 12 overs.”
14th June - Captain Scott’s venue announced
Our game with Captain Scott’s XI on Sunday 11th July will take place at the Christ Church sports ground in Oxford - just over Magdalen Bridge from the city centre. This is an opportunity to play on one of the best grounds in Oxford, one that has regularly hosted minor counties cricket.
John Murphy is our match manager so contact him direct if you’d like to play.
24th May - Carnival in the sun
Our club game at Shenley was played on the hottest day of the year so far. Far too hot for some.
Two Jesters sides faced each other, the “Rawsonites” batting first against the “Cleoburyites”. Highlights included Robbie Hudson’s century for the “Rawsonites”, 50s from Adnan Mohammed and Dave Hancock, tight spells of spin bowling from Adnan and Nick Mumby, and Russell Ewings’ spectacular direct hit from cover to run out Ponniah Vijendran. Simon Rawson’s team talk also deserves special mention - a blood-curdling piece of oratory in this “friendly” game.
The match ended in a draw, so still no Jesters victory this season!
12th May - NPL game cancelled
Unfortunately NPL are unable to raise a side so have called off the game on Sunday 16th. One of their players is getting married “up north” the day before with many of their side attending.
8th May - HAC game rained off
After heavy overnight rain in London our game with HAC was called off in mid-morning.
2nd May - Magdalene College, Cambridge
Rain descended on Cambridge not long after the St John’s game finished, continued all night and into Sunday morning. The game was called off first thing.
1st May - St John’s College, Cambridge
We made it three defeats from three games this season with a tight, one wicket loss to St. John’s. The college put out a slightly stronger side than in recent years while we resembled the Old Crocks XI with several players carrying injuries. Their captain made a point of asking if Jonny Bridcut - our Cambridge destroyer of recent seasons - was playing and was delighted to learn of his absence in Shanghai.
With the bowling attack mostly stuck behind an accident on the M11, we had no option but to bat on winning the toss. Unfortunately our top order then all fell to occasional subterranean bounce at the University Library end - the one that got Louis Harris literally rolling along the ground. Alex Smith led the fightback with a mixture of watchful defence and his usual silky boundaries.
The students bowled very straight and fielded athletically throughout the innings. And with defensive fields scoring was never easy. Nor did a funereal over rate of only 37 overs in more than two and half hours help our cause - and at 168-5 we had little option but to declare to make a game of it. Alex finished on 66 not out and had been well supported by Ollie Doward and Matt Williamson.
Their innings was a curious affair - and probably shows just what you can sometimes achieve if you actually go for the runs. We learned that most of their side were due to attend the Benefactors Dinner in Hall and so were keen to get away early if at all possible, batting much more positively than they might otherwise.
At 105-7 we felt we had the game won. But down the order they had a number of players who clearly weren’t regular cricketers, but were very good sportsmen. They hit cleanly and straight - and under pressure we dropped a number of crucial catches (I think five in all). Their number ten - a hockey player - played a delightful cameo, hitting his first ball over mid on for four, then taking two steps down the wicket and driving through extra cover (possibly the shot of the day), before flicking one off his legs for another four. Number eleven came to the crease with 14 needed - and he looked a genuine cricketer. Under his guidance the approach became a little more conservative, singles and sensible placement taking them to victory with one over remaining.
Our bowling attack held up pretty well under pressure, but we lacked a cutting edge. Ben Sareen was the pick with 3-41 and Adnan Mohammed bowled a long spell of slow left arm, also taking three.
It’s always disappointing to lose. But what more do you want than a really tight game in beautiful Cambridge surroundings? The skipper also realised it was almost exactly 30 years to the day since he first encountered the Jesters, playing for the college. Taking none for plenty and blocking out for a draw - so little change there then.
28th April - Amersham
It can be tricky playing good league sides in April. At that stage of the season they tend to be lean, mean, fighting machines in preparation for the new league campaign. Whereas we, to be frank, aren’t.
And so it proved against Amersham where we came unstuck in a 40 over game, losing by 91 runs. Amersham 202-7. Jesters 111.
We began well with tight opening spells from Tony Duckett and Matt Berry - and after nine overs they were 24 without loss. But after that they eased up smoothly through the gears, culminating in a final over that went for 19. Matt went for only 20 from his eight overs, and Tony took 3-23 from his.
After nine overs we were well placed at 30-1. But we just couldn’t accelerate after that, and although the second wicket didn’t fall until the score had reached 69 we were now in the 20th over. Against a strong bowling attack, our attempts to step up the scoring rate then produced a clatter of wickets, and with one of our players unable to bat with conjunctivitis we fell a long way short.
We’ve had a series of tight, high-scoring games with Amersham in recent years, so perhaps we should look to play the game in September once again.
22nd April - Catchee watchee winee matchee
We began the 2010 season by coming second at Hurlingham. But it could perhaps all have been so very different. Match Manager Simon Cleobury takes up the story:
“It was glorious weather and the magnificent setting of the Hurlingham Club that welcomed in the new Jesters season. The Jesters welcomed back Robbie Hudson from injury and gave debuts to Max Harris and Eddie Binns. Unfortunately the Jesters performance was not as glorious or magnificent as the weather or the setting.
“Hurlingham won the toss and elected to bat. There was still some early morning dew around and the pitch was green although very hard and dry. Tony Duckett bowled beautifully from the top end and was unlucky not to take a couple of early wickets. Hurlingham's left handed opener was dropped off the other opener Max Harris and he gave a very hard chance which was put down behind the wicket off Tony Duckett. Those misses were to prove very costly.
“There was a deserved wicket for Tony Duckett and with the introduction of Eddie Binns some control was exerted. Another chance went begging when a good piece of fielding in the covers from Simon Cleobury should have led to the opener being run out. The two Hurlingham left handers were soon seeing it very well indeed, and began to cash in on the excellent wicket and short leg side boundary, particularly with the introduction of the spinners. Hurlingham's left handed opener marched to a stylish century well before lunch and at lunch the Jesters were on the rack with the score at 181 for 1.
“The skipper switched Adnan Mohammed to the far end following lunch, which bore fruit when he removed both left handers in quick succession. Their opener had scored 50 off 57 balls, 100 off 83 and ended on 140 of 110 balls. There followed a period of consolidation where the run rate was checked. Not for long though as some hefty hitting kept the scoreboard ticking and Hurlingham moving towards the 300 mark. Mention must go to Tony Duckett who bowled for over an hour in the first session and returned for another long spell after lunch - his figures of [1 for 91] did not reflect how well he bowled. Adnan Mohammed also did well to come back after a bad start to end with [4 for 80]. There was also a wicket for Max Harris, who was restricted to only 6 overs due to a dodgy toe, in his second spell. Simon Rawson's five overs were tight in the context of the game. Hurlingham declared their innings on 291 for 6.
“The Jesters' reply was started by Ponniah Vijendran and Louis Harris. Ponniah looked in good touch and it was a big blow when he was run out attempting a second off a misfield. The Jesters were unlucky to lose Eddie Binns soon after. When Paul Durban went soon after that things were not looking good. Louis and Ollie Doward were able to steady things until tea. Hurlingham's opening bowlers were Ben Thompson (ex Warwickshire and Gloucestershire 2nd XI) and George Brooksbank (ex Hertfordshire). They continued after tea as they had done before and scoring was very difficult. Harris and Doward looked to be digging themselves in for a decent partnership before Doward was run out and Harris fell to the off spinner. Simon Cleobury and Robbie Hudson briefly promised a partnership of old, but it was not to be. Adnan Mohammed, Simon Rawson, Max Harris and Tony Duckett had a hit at the end. However, the Jesters ended up on 142 and were well beaten by 149 runs.
“So a lovely day was had, as always, at Hurlingham, but as Confucius would surely have said if he played cricket, "catchee watchee winee matchee". The Jesters were really made to rue those early misses. Early season fielding practice needed next year.”
15th April - Mallards game cancelled
Unfortunately the Mallards have had to cancel their game with us planned for 6th June. We are trying to find an alternative. Please let Simon Cleobury know if you have any ideas.
19th January - Increase in annual subs & match fees
At the 2009 AGM we voted to increase the annual subscription to £20 and match fees to £7.00 per game. Life membership increases to £110. This is the first increase for many years and is necessary to cover the cost of our cricket. We have lost money for the last two seasons.
Would all playing members please alter their standing orders to £20. It would also be a great help if those who haven’t paid by standing order in the past do so now. John Murphy can give you our bank account details.
17th January - Nets at Lord’s
Pre-season nets are booked at Lord’s from early February to mid-April. All sessions are on Tuesdays, 7-8pm, except for the first session on 3rd February, and that on 31st March which are on Wednesdays (again 7-8pm).
Dates are: 3rd & 16th Feb, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 31st March, 6th & 13th April.
Contact Andrew Short to book your place. The cost is £7.00 per person per net. And the usual rule applies: if you drop out too late for us to find a replacement you will be charged.
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