Scorecard

Thatcham Town Cricket Club Thatcham XI- Wednesday v Steventon on Wed 27 Jun 2012 at 6.10
Thatcham Town Cricket Club Won by 9 wickets

Match report Thatcham Mighty Trouts’ Youngsters show Steventon How it’s Done

The colts-led Weds Trouts continue their impressive run in Div 3 of the Downs League, this time with a comfortable 9 wicket triumph against Vale of White Horse village side Steventon. The south Oxfordshire side made the slow journey over the Ridgeway and the Berkshire Downs into the Kennet Valley, only 7 initially making it whilst 4 others were missing in action. 1,000 years ago we would have blamed pesky, cannibalistic local hill tribes ambushing travellers on the Ridgeway, today we blame it on the A34. An ingenious league rule I think, to make the travelling team always bat first.
Taking to the field, the young Trout-fry were handed the red bait responsibilities aiming to reel in the opposition, hook, line and sinker. Consistent campaigners Aaron Voller (3-0-17-1) and Will Rowsell (3-0-23-0) started up and again delivered a tight opening spell for the Trouts.
13 year-old Ben Denton-Powell (BDP) took first change at the pavilion end and bowled so well that John Williams, who was due to bowl 2 overs at the death, was only asked to bowl 1. Good work Ben, keeping these first team bowlers in check. One controversial moment saw BDP clean bowl a batsman, only for the umpires to claim that it had first ricocheted off keeper Rochy onto the stumps. The batsman even had the cheek to claim that “if it was on off-stump I wouldn’t have played that shot.” Comical statement, coming from a thoroughly average village cricketer who was wearing his pads on the wrong legs.

Leg spinner Tom “Tommy Torres” Owen has barely played cricket since starring in the Thatcham Winter Trouts indoor cricket promotion success earlier this year and with his exams out of the way and uni beckoning he is back and ready to wear the trout-about-to-take-bait-in-the-Kennet badge with pride. His first over at the northern end was predictably rusty with Cannon (23) lighting the fuse with some big bangs but his 2nd and 3rd overs featured more and more of those unplayable Fernando Torres deliveries. That didn’t stop the batsmen trying to smack the £50m Man (2-0-23-2) to the leg side, which worked initially with Azza Voller (good arm, son) kept busy at deep square leg but with the 2 foot 4” frame of BDP put in at mid wicket to make things more intimidating for the batsmen, eventually resulted in a Felix Hartley-Russell (aka Whiskers) catch on the long-on boundary.

When club captain Dan Stone took a simple catch off BDP’s slower ball (which was in fact a rubbish full toss) BDP (3-0-21-1) promptly and unexpectedly hugged Stoney, who then started hyperventilating realising he does not have Criminal Records Bureau clearance to be intimate with 13-year olds.
At this point the Mighty Trouts were firmly in charge and last week’s batting hero Whiskers was asked to bowl his off-spinners and produced 2 fine overs of line and length – but no turn. After a game of cat and mouse, whiskers pounced and no. 4 Panting was clean bowled playing for spin that wasn’t there.
Willo (1-0-3-1) and the retuning Aaron Voller finished off with Steventon 93/8 in their 15 and Simon Rider pick of the fielders.

Dan Stone and 15 year-old Jamie Shields took responsibility for chasing the target and went about this in entertaining fashion, with Shields looking remarkably more comfortable than the first team skipper. Stoney was dropped 3 times (2 of them absolute sitters, 1 was followed by a cry of “come on lads, we’re making him look good”). At one stage Stoney was dropped miscuing a pull shot and very next ball Shields played the same shot emphatically to the boundary. Improving as he went Stone Cold accelerated to reach 53, before being called in to retire by captain Rochy and out strolled an impatient Peter Spriggs. Shortly after Shields (26) was dismissed to an excellent catch by the keeper. No. 4 daydreamer Rochy was setting an excellent example to the kids and had no batting kit on at this point. After a mad-dash to the changing room he hurriedly waddled out to the middle with most of his pad straps not yet done up and not wearing any thigh pads. But he may as well have walked out in his dressing gown as Spriggsy (7*) calmly saw Town home.

Their bowlers were spanked unmercifully to all corners and the Mighty Trouts Army marches on (should it be the Mighty Trouts Navy sails on?). Town remain second but with 2 games in hand, and back-to-back fixtures on 4 and 5 July in the Didcot area (Steventon again and Harwell). Win both of those and we will be top with a game in hand. COYT!! (Come on you Trouts!!)
Thanks to everyone for mucking in before and after the game, I’m sure you’ll agree the dinner is well worth it.


Thatcham Town Cricket Club Thatcham XI- Wednesday Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
2nb 8w  
for 1 wickets
10
96		        
Jamie Shields ct Thompson 26 3 1
Dan Stone not out Retired 53 4 3 1
Peter Spriggs Not Out  7 1
Chris Rochfort Not Out  0
Simon Rider  
Felix Hartley Russell   2 1
John Williams  
Will Rowsell  
Tom Owen  
Ben Denton-Powell  
Aaron Voller  

Steventon Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Jag2.00700.003.50
Cannon2.001500.007.50
Bennett2.003100.0015.50
Thompson2.003800.0019.00
Boag0.20600.0018.00

Steventon Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
4nb 19w  
for 8 wickets
23
93 (15.0 overs)		     
Jayasanka b T. Owen 11
Hawkes ct A. Voller 4
Cannon ct F. Hartley Russell 23
Panting b F. Hartley Russell 5
Whitehead Run out  4
Jag ct B. Denton-Powell 0
Patange Run out  8
Bennett ct J. Williams 6
Thompson Not Out  7
Dowling Not Out  1
Boag  

Thatcham Town Cricket Club Thatcham XI- Wednesday Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Aaron Voller3.0017117.005.67
Will Rowsell3.002300.007.67
Tom Owen3.0023211.507.67
Ben Denton-Powell3.0021121.007.00
Felix Hartley Russell2.00414.002.00
John Williams1.00313.003.00