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Shoot-Out with Phoenix West Indians at Horse Race Lane
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Extraordinary efforts...

5th Test v Australia The Oval 27th August 1968

...can bring extraordinary results!

All hands to the pumps Friday night!

Big strides forward
The Failand & Portbury promotion challenge took big strides forward as a substantial win over Frampton Cotterell (25 points) at Horse Race Lane (built on an excellent 119 by Alastair McArthur ) was followed by news of promotion rivals' Phoenix West Indians' defeat (skittled for 116 all out) at home against St George to take only 5 points.

With 5 remaining league games (3 at home) to play, this leaves F & P just 7 net points behind Phoenix, with their head to head to come at Horse Race Lane.

Scorecard: 1st XI v Frampton Cotterell (home) 26th July 2008

Match report: Phoenix West Indians v St George 26th July 2008

Hopes dashed in Meeting House mow-down
Skipper Alastair McArthur won the toss and boldly took first use of a pitch which had been covered against overnight rain and an outfield that looked well mown but wet. 5 of the first 7 overs were maidens as opening bowler John Hance exerted a stranglehold on the scoreboard. 15 only were scored off the first 10 overs.

But then the batsmen opened out, particularly Simon Bachelor before he fell LBW after some fine on-driving had pushed the score on to 74 off the first 20, with McArthur playing the holding role before falling for a valuable 33. Ed Humphreys then departed LBW swearing blind that he had inside edged it but 79 for 0 had suddenly become 95 for 3.

Hugo Hanchet though looked in prime form taking the initiative with the bat and in running between the wickets. He and Will Humphreys (25) put on 59 before Hoffeldt took his 3rd wicket at 154 for 4.

But again, a promising position deteriorated as Hanchet looked on at the non-striker's end while Jeff Astle and Duncan Singh came and went, neither troubling the scorers.

George Humphreys, coming in at 164 in the 39th over, upped the rate bludgeoning 44*. Hanchet finally left just missing a fine half-century. Matt Bowes and Tony Lippe entered into the spirit with some good hitting and 65 runs were added in the last 6 overs to post a final tally of 229 for 8 before the curtain came down.

Hopes were high at the break, fuelled by an excellent tea, but in the warming up catching routine Jeff Astle suffered a very nasty blow to the face, leaving him bleeding badly and needing to be driven to the BRI by spectator Darryl McArthur. Your correspondent has received no further news of Jeff but hopes are that the injury was not as bad as first thought.

At this point scorer Robert Humphreys was asked to get his kit off and take the field as substitute. Phil Gay, who lives nearby, had been considered as an alternative but, since he is suffering from a recent double hernia operation and removal of a blood clot, this option was not pursued or if pursued received a blunt answer.

Tony Lippe began steaming in from the pavilion end as Cleeve sent out Mike Haswell, averaging over 100 in 2008, to open the innings. He was not allowed to settle though and his uncomfortable start ended in Lippe's 2nd over when an inspired piece of captaincy saw top outfielder Ed Humphreys moved to slip. Lippe steamed, Haswell fenced, Humphreys juggled but the catch was taken and Haswell took the long march back to the pavilion.

You could have heard a pin drop amongst the Cleeve brethren spectating.

In Lippe's 4th over another batsman went, taken low by Bachelor at mid-off. 29 for 3. And when Burrell played-on to give the still steaming Lippe his 3rd wicket, 58 for 3 in the 15th over looked good for the visitors. At the other end George Humphreys had been giving good support and when he came off after 10 overs for 44 up the hill the Cleeve score stood at 76 for 3 after the first 20.

The introduction of spin in the shape of Matt Bowes saw early success as a smart stumping from Will Humphreys reduced Cleeve to 85 for 4. Hopes were at their highest.

But Rob Hoffeldt for Cleeve batted on and on and on, supported well by C James. The ball travelled over the shorn outfield. Despite Lippe's excellent 15 overs 3 for 51, the change bowlers began to be flayed. Paul Nice was hit out of the attack with his 2 overs going for 19. McArthur brought George Humphreys back at the other end, perhaps planning for him to bowl his remaining 5 overs out. But a first disastrous over which went for 24 forced an immediate further change.

Bowes bowled on at the far end but his overs were becoming increasingly expensive. Who could bowl next down the hill? McArthur turned to Duncan Singh. And Singh rewarded his captain with 3 good overs at pace. Had he been turned to too late?

By now Hoffeldt was into his stride, past his century and steaming as Lippe had once steamed. The batsmen scored at will. The fieding began to fall away, except for the substitute who ran down countless balls to the boundary, firing them in to the keeper in relays. 127 off 30 overs had become 214 off 40.

Hoffeldt powered on, punishing all bowling to all parts to finish on an outstanding 121* with C James 45*.

The target was reached in the 41st over.

Clobbered.

And then there was the long trudge back to the pavilion.

Scorecard at: 1st XI v Cleeve (away at Meeting House Lane) 19th July 2008

But 7 points had been taken. If the weather holds for the Phoenix game and a win can be gained against these other promotion rivals, Failand & Portbury will still be in the hunt, with promotion (or lack of it) coming down to bonus points won and lost.

The 2008 season looks to be coming down again to the wire - the age-old question which has no answer: "Wire we here?".

Cleeve whistle in the wind as their nemesis is nigh!











Cleeve 1st XI Team News
Opponents: Failand & Portbury CC
Date: 19th July 2008
Venue: Home

1.Andy Burrell
2. Mike Haswell
3. Robbie Hoffeldt (c)
4. Chris James
5. Bill Mather
6. Ian Mitchell
7. Mike Carpenter (wk)
8. John Parsons
9. John Hance
10. James Haswell
11. Mitchell Want

Meet: 12:00

Long Ashton (H) : Failand won

1350 - Won toss
1355 - Put LA in to bat
1400 - Started bowling
1400-1445 - Bowled well
1455 - 1525 - Got a bit tired and let a few runs leak
1525 - 1600 - Took some good wickets and perked up a bit
1600 - Close of innings - fielded poorly, caught poorly and bowled only OK.
1600 - Close of innings - Mr. A C. Clements batted well but he was dropped a number of times.

Tea - Was had by all. Many comments made about the sandwiches and the gulf in quality between Ali's and this one.

Failand began chasing 224 on a damp pitch. Failand have had things all their way so far and decided to make things tricky by sending numbers 10 and 11 in to open. The experiment failed and they were both dismissed for 0.

Hugo and Ed batted well and reached 60 each taking Failand to 150 still needing another 74.
They both got out to let others have a go and in came Charlie and Dad. Then Dad went out.
Then in came William. Then out William went. Then in came Dave.
Charlie and Dave finished the game. Charlie finished on 40* and everyone cheered. Hooray.
Dave sang late into the night of his 19* and his ever increasing average.

Failand did not play as well as they could have done but they still won. Bring on Cleeve and Haswell!

Full scorecard at: 1st XI v Long Ashton (home) 12th July 2008

1st XI v St George (away) 5th July 2008

Good contibutions from a number of batsmen (especially Charlie Walker looking in good touch with a rapid knock) as a defendable total was accumulated against the bottom team.

Then it rained.

HALF WAY THROUGH THE SEASON - THE BATTLE BEGINS NOW
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!

Current league table

From Hero To Zero

Maximum points against Sri Lankans
Good bowling and a green wicket made runs hard to come by, for both sides, in this tense encounter at the blustery Barrow Gurney ground.

Following early breakthoughs by Tony Lippe (2/32) and George Humphreys (2/48), W Fernando (52) and D Alwis (55) put on a 100 partnership. Tom Isom (3/52) was supported by outstanding catches in the deep by Hugo (The Jugger) Hanchet (2) and Simon (Wot Telegraph Pole?) Bachelor. Mark Walker (3/19) then mopped up the tail.

With batting conditions still difficult Ed Humphreys (59), Simon Bachelor (26), Hugo Hanchet (25) all did well to get F&P into a winning position. Will Humphreys (19* including 2 very timely 6s) and Dave (The Sherwinator) Sherwin (17*) then dealt with the increasing pressure positively to see F&P home with 4 overs to spare and 26 points in the kitbag.

Full scorecard (including fall of wickets) at: 1st XI v Bristol Sri Lanksns (away) 28th June 2008

Mark Walker Smashes Himself Into The Record Books
Mark hits 123* including 15 x 6s as Failand amass 319 after being put into bat on a wet one at Horse Race Lane.

Simon Bachelor and Hugo Hanchet also pass 50 as Failand get their promotion chase back on track against Carsons.

George Humphreys (4-24) and Tom Isom (3-11) did the damage with the ball and early wickets meant that Carsons were never in with a shout.

Power, large, super, amazing, slogger, brigand and champion were just some of the words used when describing Mark’s innings.

Meaty, tasty and delightful were some of the words used to describe Ali’s tea.

Full scorecard at 1st XI v Carsons/Mangotsfield (home) 21st June 2008

Good start turns to ashes as 1st XI crashes
Put in on a hot afternoon, the visitors lost The Sherwinator (who had done so much during the week to motivate the squad) in the first over but Nick Hillyard, on his debut, and Hugo Hanchet, recovering from an early morning departure from the casino, put on 96 for no further loss by the halfway stage of the innings and hopes of a big total against the odds began to rise.

When Hugo inside edged on for 33, George Humphreys came in to add a bright 23 but Mark Walker went for 6, Will Humphreys for 16 and the lower middle order could not push on.

All the while, Nick Hillyard batted on at one end, combining watchful defence with attractive strokemaking. This was an excellent debut innings for the club.

When he went with 2 overs to go for 66, some last minute scrambles pushed the score on to 190 for 9 at the break but fears grew that this would be 30 runs short of where F & P had hoped and needed to be.

In reply, the Phoenix openers Parish Harper 34 and Zane Bowen 94* put bat to ball, hammering boundaries off a succession of F & P bowlers at one end, while Tony Lippe put in 15 excellent overs for just 33 runs at the other end. A hard shower (the weather not the fielding side) did nothing to interrupt Phoenix's progress and they reached the total to win the game with 25 points in the 37th over, despite a good late spell from Tom Isom (making his 1st XI debut) and despite losing 3 late wickets allowing F & P to pick up bowling points.

Overall, with F & P missing 5 of their normal top 7 batsmen, the result proved to be not unexpected. Heavyweight runs were missing from the top order batsmen (Nick Hillyard apart), the bowlers (Tony Lippe apart) could neither break through nor stem the tide and the fielding was substantially below the normal electric standard.

It was because hopes were so high after such a good start with the bat that the margin of this defeat was disappointing. Nonetheless, despite losing, F & P came away with 7 valuable points which may at the end of the season turn out to be vital.

Full scorecard will be posted later at 1st XI v Phoenix West Indies (away) 14th June 2008 .

Next week it's Carsons Mangotsfield at home and Glen Cambridge. A lot of hunting for balls in the fields may be in prospect but a home win would put F & P's title push back on track as the halfway point of the season approaches.

Saturday : The Peacocks travel to fight the Phoenix
The Phoenix does not die, but is consumed by fire only to arise reborn from the ashes three days later. It is a symbol of high virtue and grace, of power and prosperity. The Chinese Phoenix is a bird of balance representing the union of the yin and yang.

The Phoenix bird builds its nest which at the same time is its funeral pyre, and then setting it alight cremates itself. But it arises anew from the ashes transformed. Here we have captured the alchemist's experience of spiritualisation. He has integrated his being so much that he is no longer dependent upon his physical body as a foundation for his being.

The Peacock is a symbol of renewal, because its tail is replenished each year. Buddhism states that it has the ability to neutralize and absorb the negativity around it without harm. It is commonly a symbol of pride of appearances (although, this is not frowned upon since without the world of appearances, we could not be born in the precious human body that allows the opportunity to discern our own self-awareness).

3 of the last 4 scheduled meetings between the Peacocks and the Phoenix in the League have been cancelled on the day, with the only game played being an away win for Phoenix in the 2005 season.

Heavyweight win over Blagdon
A substantial victory over Blagdon this afternoon at Horse Race Lane saw the home side keep their 2008 challenge for promotion on track with 5 wins out of 6 games so far.

Imaginative captaincy from Alastair McArthur put the visitors in on what looked like another good batting strip supplied by Ground Officer Paul Bachelor. But Blagdon struggled to 98 for 6 off the first 30 overs against a hostile opening from Tony Lippe (3 for 27) and George Humphreys (3 for 52) both bowling their 15 overs out.

Back-up bowling from Paul Nice and Mark Walker assisted by a committed fielding display resticted the visitors to a finish on 161 for 9.

(left) Another Blagdon batsman bites the dust.

In reply openers Alastair McArthur and Simon Bachelor were met with hostile spells at both ends from the Blagdon attack and when Alastair was removed caught behind off a lifter George Fellows at number 3 had to add his back to the wall.

Gradually, the score crept up though and as Simon Bachelor and George Fellowes both gained in confidence the runs started to flow. With each reaching a half century, the total came closer but Blagdon could still not make a further breakthrough.

With the score at 163 for 1 the game was won and 24 points were in the bag against the team in 4th position in the table. Depending on other results, by tonight F & P could be in 2nd spot with a game next week against the leaders.

Full scorecard will appear at 1st XI v Blagdon (home) 7th June 2008 .

The force is very much with this 2008 Failand & Portbury side but next week they travel to Phoenix West Indies knowing that they will need to dig deep.

Shot selection

Maximum points against Frampton Cotterell
On what was never an easy pitch, F & P posted 209 for 8 and the home side could only muster 97 all out, with Tony Lippe taking 5 and George Humphreys taking 4.

more to follow, surely?]

Full scorecard at 1st XI v Frampton Cotterell (away) 24th May 2008

And maximum points to skipper Alastair McArthur for getting the scorecard up so quickly including:

- catchers
- who did run outs
- details of extras (wides, no balls, leg byes, byes - yes, those are known as extras)

and (most importantly):

- number of sixes and fours hit per batsman!

So the whole world from Australia to Zimbabwe can now know that in the F & P innings no sixes were hit by anyone!

Catastrophe against Cleeve
1st XI are put in at Horse Race Lane and post 288 for 5 (Ed Humphreys 99, Hugo Hanchet 80 and Alastair McArthur 38) - looking good at the break.

But Cleeve's Mike Haswell flays F & P attack to win game in penultimate over with 166*.

Under-bowled George Humphreys and Paul Nice (in his second spell) hold firm through the carnage with an old, wet ball but the rest of the bowlers have been dismissed into the fields around with gut-wrenching regularity as the score (like the ball) goes up and up and up.

2 vital skiers dropped in the last 4 overs would if taken have turned the game even then but it is the bowling attack during the first 25 overs that must come under most scrutiny.

Only 7 points gained for F & P.

But worse is to follow. The umpires declare F & P are 4 overs behind the time limit (8 minutes over time) and dock the home side 4 points [despite vast time having been spent retrieving balls from the field].

So we come away with just 3 points.

The crowd trudge off into the gloom disconsolately.

[further report to follow]

Full scorecard (well done Cleeve for entering it!) is at 1st XI v Cleeve (home) 17th May 2008 .

1sts defend 133 to dismiss Long Ashton for 84
A legendary fightback by the F & P bowlers (yes, you heard that right!) clawed the game back to see the visitors leave Yanley Lane with 24 points

A sweltering day in downtown LA provided a fantastic game of cricket.

Failand batted first and began with caution on a pitch that still held a little water. After 15 overs Failand were looking good and a challenging score was on the cards. Some poor shot selection from the middle order and accurate bowling from Long Ashton restricted Failand and when A. McArthur was dismissed for a battling 33 it looked like the batting side would be defending a very low score.

A lower order partnership from D. Sherwin and G. Humphreys moved the score along past the 100 mark and Failand finished 133 all out with 5 overs to go.

The tea interval was though the opportunity for a brainstorming session (Paul Nice, Hugo Hanchet, Dave Sherwin, Jeff Astle, back of Ed Humphreys' head).



Defending a low score requires accurate and disciplined bowling and that is exactly what Failand produced. LA’s batsman no. 1 showed a positive intent smashing an early 6 over the covers. However he fell cheaply to a mixture of tight bowling from M. Day and his own temper. T. Lippe bowled his best spell for some years and took the 2 key wickets of the LA dangermen. Some tight fielding and excellent bowling meant that LA fell behind the rate and lost wickets at crucial times.

An excellent team mentality held the team together to produce a first class win skittling Long Ashton for 84.

A marvellous effort by the bowlers and a wonderful fielding performance by the whole team.

Scorecard is at 1st XI v Long Ashton (away) 10th May 2008

1st XI 10th May
Following a very successful weekend with 2 wins (1 league & 1 cup), combining great team performances with inspired individual ones (Simon Bachelor - Saturday, Charlie Walker - Sunday), we visit Long Ashton hoping to play with the same intensity of last week, and less of the complacency and 'emotional' fragility of Sunday.

Full scorecard for St George/Roman Glass game is at: 1st XI v St George/Roman Glass (home) 3rd May 2008 .

Unfortunately it was felt that changes had to be made by the Selection Committee to bring a greater balance to the side for Saturday. It was a very hard decision to release Mark Day (above left in heart to heart with skipper Alastair McArthur) to the 2nd's but we hope that he will bowl many more overs and re-find that terrific form and consistency he showed last summer, subsequently returning to the 1sts ASAP.

Otherwise the team is unchanged.

It was great to see so many of you up at nets yesterday evening - top effort!

1st XI v Long Ashton (away):
(be at ground for 1.00 pm with the possibility of a net earlier in the day at Failand!)

[see Selection page for details]

Any problems please contact me asap: 07950 262131

Ali

2008 CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE is at
http://bdca.play-cricket.com/leaguetables/divisionTable.asp?id=4823&seasonID=9

St George put to the sword in opening win

Home victory against St George/Mangotspield gets F & P off to an encouraging 2008 start. Simon Bachelor (left with Will Humphreys, Dave Sherwin and Jeff Astle) chalks up a ton to get the ball rolling.




Full scorecard at 1st XI v St George/Mangotsfield (home) 3rd May 2008