Copford Cricket Club

TC7 MELTON ST AUDRY’S II vs COPFORD II (16 August 2008)

M Grubb won the toss and invited Copford to bat on a wicket that had more than a tinge of green to it .... but it was not the strip that was responsible for the abject surrender that followed.

Graham Fletcher and Ian Catley initially looked comfortable. Fletcher played a couple of nice shots down the ground off A Barker while Catley slashed R Parry for two fours square of the wicket. However, when Catley tried to take a cheeky bye after a small fumble by M Rose, he was hopelessly short as the home keeper scored a direct hit. 16-1 soon became 24-2 when Danny Vipond played a square-cut to a delivery that bounced slightly more than expected and the ball looped out to L Moss in the covers.

It was essential that the visiting batsmen applied themselves. George Northover joined Fletcher and showed good maturity as the pair added 20. Fletcher’s innings was just starting to blossom when he was strangled out by M Grubb. The opener had reached 25 when he timed a flick off his legs to perfection but unfortunately hit it straight at square-leg where N Shrubshall held a low catch.

Meanwhile R Chamberlain had established a stranglehold at the other end. The veteran showed vast amounts of accuracy and absolutely no pace which on this pitch was a devastating combination. Grubb had set a clever field which the Copford batsmen failed to penetrate and virtually every time the visitors tried to hit over the top, they holed out.

Only Mike Seagrove and Alex Bailey were able to put on a stand of any note. Seagrove’s 29 was a combination of elegance (two extra cover drives off C Wright) and gratuitous violence (4 fours off the same bowler’s 5th over). Bailey defended stoutly and on a faster wicket and facing quicker bowling might have been able to penetrate the field. The youngster played straight enough and long enough to add 28 with his captain but when he was finally bowled by Chamberlain, the end followed quickly. Seagrove was the last to perish when a mis-timed square-cut off Chamberlain squirted limply to S Lord at point – a suitably tame end to a very limp batting display.

If the Copford players were to redeem themselves then early wickets were required. Although Catley and Seagrove bowled tidily, they seemed to be the wrong pace for the wicket and posed little threat to Rose and Lord. It was Bailey that provided the visitors with their only moments of joy. Although three short balls were savagely dispatched, the young leg-spinner soon settled into a rhythm and induced both Lord and Shrubshall into giving Bradley Price catching practice at square-leg and mid-wicket.

At 62-2, there was still an outside chance of a surprise. Bailey kept the batsman thinking on his way to a well-deserved 2-33 while Ben Westall bowled with pace and heart. However, Rose and Grubb were in no mood to let anything silly happen and the seasoned campaigners showed great patience and application while dealing efficiently with anything loose. It was fitting that Rose, who had offered little hope to the bowlers on his way to an unbeaten 47 should score the run that clinched a well-deserved 8 wicket win.

Skipper’s Comments: “We can have no complaints. We have been thoroughly turned over by a team who played to their strengths - Bob Chamberlain’s spell was an absolute master-class in nagging accuracy and their batsmen did not give us a sniff.”

“Although our batting display was poor, I was impressed with the bowling and fielding. Alex has shown that he has great potential, Ben showed that he has something that can be developed and everybody gave 100% to the end. I was much happier at 6.30pm than I had been at 4.00pm!”

Scores: Copford II 107 off 37.3 overs (M Seagrove 29, G Fletcher 25; R Chamberlain 6-12); Melton St Audry’s II 108-2 (M Rose 47no; A Bailey 2-33). Melton St Audry’s (20 pts) beat Copford II (2 pts) by 8 wickets.

TC7 COPFORD II vs EAST BERGHOLT II (9 August 2008)

East Bergholt won the toss and invited their hosts to have first use of a damp wicket. With the match starting in drizzly conditions, this was hardly likely to improve and in fact, the rain continued to become heavier until the inevitable abandonment after 27 overs.

Don Curtis and Peter Gould initially made light of the conditions. Gould played two delightful extra-cover drives and looked quite secure until on 9, he smashed a wider delivery from Henry Foster straight into the hands of father Neil. Simon Wood met a similar fate off the bowling off Dawson but not before he had struck 2 fours and a clubbing six over mid-on. However, when Danny Vipond was bowled by a J Barran delivery that seamed considerably, the innings seemed to be stalling at 46-3.

The fact that the innings didn’t float away was largely due to a very high quality 43 from Curtis. In addition to providing a solid foundation to the innings, the chairman punctuated his stay at the crease with a number of beautifully-timed cover drives as well as some trademark lofted straight-drives. It was ironic that the best of these – which struck the sightscreen on the full – should be Curtis’ final scoring shot. A late change of mind later in the over led to him dragging on to give H Foster his second wicket.

Rob Tuckwell again showed maturity with a patient and well-crafted 18no while Chris Allen demonstrated what a good eye he has with a brutal 26no, most of it at the expense of the leg-spinner Niraj who went for 3 large sixes in his short spell. The pair had added a rapid 39 before the heavy rain forced a premature end to the proceedings.

Skipper’s Comments: “With hindsight, the game should not really have started although despite the thoroughly miserable conditions, there were some good performances. Had the weather not intervened, this might have been a very interesting encounter.”

Scores: Copford II 113-4 off 27 overs (D Curtis 42, C Allen 30no; H Foster 2-25). Match abandoned - rain.

TC7 FELIXSTOWE II vs COPFORD II (2 August 2008)

Facing a ‘wedding-weakened side’ and a real likelihood of a rain-interrupted day, Mike Seagrove won the toss and had little hesitation in asking the hosts to bat on a damp-looking wicket.

Ian Catley and Calum Reid struggled a little with their radar but both bowled well enough to destroy the Felixstowe top-order. Catley bowled M Rivers and then induced A Hopkins to nick one to the keeper. Had a loopy cover-drive and a snick over the slips gone to hand rather than the boundary, Catley’s figures would have been considerably better than his eventual 2-19. Reid’s pace was impressive and he posed considerable problems before bowling the stubborn S Rivers for 9 to reduce the hosts to 27-3.

Seagrove and Ben Westall made little impression as J Green and D Bareham added 37 and the skipper decided to unleash his ‘spin-triplets’.

Duncan Owen was a revelation, his subtle variations of pace and flight completely bamboozled the home batsman and his final figures of 4-9 were not at all flattering. The awkward Green was finally dismissed for 26 as Owen lured him down the wicket, Rob Tuckwell completing one of two sharp stumpings.

Peter Gould with his usual guile provided the other stumping, enticing Bareham down the track – the batsman’s second life as an earlier even more obvious stumping had not been given in the bowler’s first over. Gould’s 2-9 and Johnny Williams with a very tidy 1-3 off 4 overs completed the Felixstowe demise.

Although A Hopkins bowled very tidily for the hosts, it was P Heffer who provided the one breakthrough, Gould punching his drive into M Rivers’ mid-riff in the covers. It was the last joy that the hosts were to have.

Simon Woods cut and drove an elegant way to an unbeaten 30 while Danny Vipond was brutality personified. Anything off-line or length was smashed to the boundary as was quite a lot that was on the spot. Leg-spinner J Green saw his solitary over plundered for 15. It was Vipond who completed the victory in 13 overs, smashing Hopkins for a very large six over mid-wicket that completed a very rapid 50.

Skipper’s Comments: “This was a very good team performance. Although Felixstowe were a much-weakened side, it was pleasing to see 11 guys fully committed to getting the job done as efficiently as possible. Duncan’s figures were particularly gratifying as the stats haven’t really reflected his considerable value to the side while Mr Vipond tells me that they have just fished his last shot (the six) out of the sea!”

Scores: Felixstowe II 81 (J Green 26; D Owen 4-9, P Gould 2-9, I Catley 2-19) Copford II 86-1 (D Vipond 50no, S Wood 30no). Copford II (20 pts) beat Felixstowe II (0 pts) by 9 wickets.

TC7 COPFORD II vs ST MARGARETS II (26 July 2008)
‘The Original Game of Two Halves!’

St Margarets won the toss and opted to bat first and with both (an injured) Mike Tracey and (a just-back-from-holiday) Ben Westall struggling for consistency got off to a flier. Although Ben Westall dismissed A Ubbi for 14, the visitors reached 72-1 from the first ten overs and forced Mike Seagrove to make a double change.

Prashant Arora dismissed P Allen for 51 but I Frazer smashed him out of the attack and even though Seagrove initially bowled tightly, the run-rate remained more than 6 per over. It was only when Peter Gould and Johnny Williams combined to take the pace off the ball that Copford began to make progress.

Gould (3-52) quickly caught and bowled Frazer for 56 and with his clever variations proceeded to work his way through the middle-order. The wily Williams worked his magic from the Hall End and finished with an equally impressive 3-36.
With Gould dismissing N Schofield for 24, 163-3 had become 202-8 and there was every chance of a very chase-able total. However, M Hillis (18) and A McDonald (23) added a very violent 48 in 5 overs and the visitors finished on 255-9.

It was important that the early batsmen put some quick runs on the board and they did just that – 28 from 5 overs. Unfortunately, three wickets were also lost and it looked as though an afternoon of misery would be complete.

Meanwhile Williams had been promoted to No.3 in the order with a view to getting a quick 20 or 30 and giving the innings some impetus. Few could have envisaged what a brilliant innings he was going to play. Although there was the usual improvisation, Williams provided a fair degree of gratuitous violence and with Chris Allen smashing his way to a one-legged 40, the required run-rate started to fall. When Allen lofted K Burt to I Brader at long-off, the score was still only 91-4 .... enter Rob Tuckwell.

The young wicketkeeper had been really struggling for form with the bat but he battled through that and added 59 with Williams. When he lost his partner on 150, Tuckwell took the initiative and treated the crowd to a wide range of good shots. Marshalling the rest of the batting order onto a series of useful partnerships, Tuckwell advanced into the 70s and at 248-8, the game was virtually won.

However, with only 8 runs required, Tuckwell smashed a Hillis full-toss over mid-off only to see Frazer pull off a brilliant diving one-handed catch. Could Copford throw another game away?

The fact that Copford didn’t was down to the cool-heads of Westall and Seagrove. The youngster smashed his first ball over the bowler’s head for 4 and with his skipper scampered a quick single and overthrow to complete a thrilling 1 wicket win.

Skipper’s Comments: “When I said last week that I’d like my team to play badly and win, I was only joking – we did not really do ourselves justice until about 6.00pm! Fortunately, a lot of guys showed a lot of bottle in the second innings and we got away with it. Johnny was immense, Chris demonstrated what talent he has got and as for Rob .... what maturity under pressure and good of him to leave the finishing off to the skipper!”

“This was a big win, given that the teams at the bottom are starting to show some form. Once again, I am proud of my team although it would be nice if we could cruise to a few straight-forward wins without turning a drama into a crisis!”

Scores: St Margarets II 255-9 (I Frazer 56, P Allen 51; J Williams 3-36, P Gould 3-52) Copford II 256-9 (J Williams 80, R Tuckwell 74, c Allen 40; Schofield 2-45, K Burt 2-51, A McDonald 2-58). Copford II (19 pts) beat St Margarets II (9 pts) by 1 wicket.

TC7 NACTON vs COPFORD II (19 July 2008)
‘Another One That Got Away!’

Mike Seagrove on the toss and with little hesitation invited the hosts to bat on a damp wicket. The decision was thoroughly justified as both opening bowlers produced testing early spells. Ian Catley swung the ball prodigiously but without luck while Mike Tracey’s extra pace was rewarded by the wickets of Gladding (caught behind) and Blowers (bowled).

Alex Bailey, making his debut at this level, then produced one of the most exciting spells of spin-bowling seen in the 2nd XI for years. The young leggie showed immaculately control, spun the ball appreciably and deserved far more than ‘8 overs for 16’.

However, with the batsman getting nothing to hit at one end, John Dinnes at the other was able to exert pressure. The medium-pacer won an lbw decision against the patient Fenn (24) and then bowled Hogarty for 11, to leave the hosts wobbling at 77-4. The host’s position deteriorated further when Seagrove ripped an off-cutter through Warner’s defence and at 77-5, hopes of a quick finish to the innings rose.

The fact that Nacton were able to post any sort of target was entirely due to a quickfire partnership of 39 between Brunt (26 no) and Headley (12). The pair ran well between the wickets while employing shots that ranged from the very elegant to the extremely unattractive (though most of them were effective). Tracey removed Headley while Seagrove dispatched Tipping and Bafico in the closing overs to ensure that Nacton finished on 140-8.

Don Curtis and Simon Wood provided a very sound start, adding 43 off 15 overs. Curtis providing the solidity while Wood’s innings was a little more violent. Even when Wood was caught and bowled by Adams for 22, there was little sign of the dramas to come particularly given the potential fire-power of the middle order.

It was the pace of Tipping (5-16) at one end and the flight and guile of Baker (3-34) at the other that ripped the heart out of the Copford middle-order. 77-2 soon became 94-7 as none of numbers 3-9 made double figures and it looked very unlikely that Copford would get anything out of the game .... that is, until the ‘two Mikes’ decided that they were going to have some fun.

Tracey smashed Baker for 2 fours and flicked the decidedly sharp Brunt down to the third-man boundary while Seagrove nudged and nurdled. The target had been reduced to 9 off 3 when Tipping returned to replace Baker. His first ball was short and wide but Seagrove nicked it to the keeper and later in the over, a Tipping yorker comprehensively bowled Tracey to complete a 7 run home victory.

Skipper’s Comments: “Once again we were good for 75% of a game and managed to mess it up! The bowling and fielding was good but apart from the two openers and a top effort from Mike (Tracey), none of the batsmen were able to make the (quick) 20 or 30 that would have taken us home. Maybe 140 was a better score than it looked! Either way, it would be nice one week to play badly and win!”

Scores: Nacton 140-8 (Brunt 26 no, Fenn 24; M Seagrove 3-23, M Tracey 3-52, Dinnes 2-29), Copford 133 (D Curtis 30, S Wood 22; Tipping 5-16, Baker 3-34). Nacton (20 pts) beat Copford II (6 pts) by 7 runs.

TC7 COPFORD II vs IPSWICH III (12 July 2008)
‘The One That Got Away!’

Having been inserted on a very green wicket, it was vital that the Copford openers prevented the league leaders from inflicting early and possibly irretrievable damage. Peter Gould and Graham Fletcher did an admirable job, adding 32 before Fletcher was caught and bowled by D Martin for 8.

Gould was in an imperious mood – punishing anything loose – and the question was, ‘could the other batsman stay with him and help fashion a competitive total?’ The answers were ‘no’ (could they stay) and ‘yes’ (a competitive total was eventually achieved). Simon Wood looked comfortable until he got out for 17 while Calum Reid played a number of brutal and breath-taking shots before missing a straight one when on 28.

While the rest of the middle-order played small cameo roles, Copford kept losing wickets at the wrong time. When Gould perished to an ugly cross-batted slog – completely at odds with the rest of a brilliant 73 – Copford had staggered to an unconvincing 171-8 off 37 overs and there was a real danger that the hosts would give away overs. The fact that they didn’t was down to some common-sense application from Duncan Owen (15 no) and Mike Seagrove (13 no) who nudged and nurdled their risk-free way to 45 overs and a psychologically important 201-8.

John Dinnes then provided Copford with the desired early breakthrough, removing both openers. First S Porter was athletically caught by Wood after a top-edge thudded into his face and looped up in the air and then Dinnes trapped S Appathurai lbw for 25.

Meanwhile Ivan Humm had been bowling at a brisk pace from the Pavilion End. Just as it looked as though he would not get any reward for his accuracy, Humm struck twice in his 7th over. C Oxborrow was caught behind and two balls later, N Parmenter was comprehensively bowled. Mike Seagrove, aided and abetted by Reid and Bobby Gough, then grabbed 2 wickets in his first over to leave the visitors’ innings in tatters at 52-6. Seagrove’s third wicket and an acrobatic catch by Bobby Gough off of the bowling of Johnny Williams left the leaders on 90-8 and surely their first defeat of the season ….

What followed next was extraordinary!

R Manning (71 no) and J Howe (59 no) combined to add an unbroken 112 for the 9th wicket. Certainly both batsmen were dropped off the bowling of Seagrove and both were beaten on numerous occasions but it would be churlish to decry the positive qualities of their efforts. Manning and Howe rode their luck and played themselves in. They then looked to pick out the gaps in the field and dispatched anything loose. Even though the required-rate had climbed well above 6 runs-per-over, the visitors refused to panic and by the time Manning smashed the winning 4 through square-leg, there was a certain inevitability about the result – a 2 wicket Ipswich win.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘’What can I say? For 75% of that game, we were very good. Getting 200 after being inserted on that pitch was pleasing and the bowlers did really well in reducing the leaders to 90-8. We can moan about bad luck and dropped catches – both hurt us badly – but there is a lot to be said for working hard, recognising that it’s your day and taking full advantage. Both of those guys displayed the sort of resilience I’d hope to see my players show in such circumstances.”

Scores: Copford II 201-8 (P Gould 73, C Reid 28; M Porter 4-75), Ipswich III 202-8 (R Manning 71 no, J Howe 59 no; M Seagrove 3-50, J Dinnes 2-28, I Humm 2-48). Ipswich III (19 pts) beat Copford II (9 pts) by 2 wickets.

TC7 HARWICH & DOVERCOURT II vs COPFORD II (5 July 2008)
‘Age and Treachery usually overcomes Youth and Skill!’

A chronic lack of availability meant that Mike Seagrove pitted the Copford Dad’s Army (10 men and a lady, average age 41+) against a Harwich side boosted by the return of its university students. P Brown, the home skipper, won the toss and opted to bat.

With only four bowlers at his disposal, Seagrove hoped for an early breakthrough and his openers duly obliged. Chris Smith Jnr, bowling at a brisk pace from the Sea End, induced J Newell into chipping the ball to an acrobatic Bobby Gough at mid-wicket for 0 while Prashant Arora bowled the potentially dangerous J Lawrence for 9.

However, these early successes did not come without cost. Before his dismissal, Lawrence had smashed a caught-and-bowled back at Arora which had not only been dropped but had caused extensive bruising to the bowler’s right thumb. This meant that Arora could not grip the ball properly and A Eaton cashed in on the bowler’s misfortune with some elegant drives.

With Arora out of commission and the bowling equation becoming 41 overs divided by 3 bowlers, Seagrove was forced to bring himself on from the Pavilion End. A strong cross-wind straightened up a low full-toss that Brown (15) missed to reduce Harwich to 46-3.

Having established that Johnny Williams would prefer to bowl his subtle variations from the Pavilion End, the Copford skipper decided to change ends. It was a decision that suited everyone brilliantly! Flighting the ball into the wind, Williams bamboozled the Harwich middle-order and but for a spate of dropped catches might have more than the solitary wicket of C Page – ironically a caught-and-bowled! Meanwhile Seagrove picked up a career-best 6-20 ….

The wind was blowing from off to leg and while Seagrove’s normal deliveries went straight on, the (even) slower ball swung in sharply. Although Eaton was dismissed for 28 by a genuine off-cutter, three of his colleagues were beaten by deliveries that started outside off-stump and drifted inside expansive drives. Simon Wood added to the carnage with a smart stumping as D Potter danced down the wicket while J Neale’s needless run out simply put the lid on a disastrous batting performance.

Keen to avoid early dramas, Copford’s openers applied themselves well. Wood smashed the ball to all parts of the ground although some of his driving through extra cover was elegance personified while Don Curtis showed immaculate shot selection. Indeed, the vastly experienced opener looked so comfortable that it was something of a shock when he was bowled for 22 by the left-arm spinner T Armstrong. Wood promptly smashed his next two balls for 4 and 6 to bring up a well-deserved 50 and complete a comprehensive victory.

Skipper’s Comments: “While it is difficult to ignore a career-best, I am genuinely happier with the 20 points – besides I think I owed this team a bowling performance or two. Getting a full side onto the field has been a nightmare this week and my heartfelt thanks go out my players – particularly the five that chased round the field and then didn’t really get to bat or bowl! The team spirit in the field was again excellent against a side that in recent weeks has regularly been topping 200. The only trouble is, only five of these players are available next week so it’s back to the drawing board!’

Scores: Harwich & D II 87 (A Eaton 28; M Seagrove 6-20, C Smith Jnr 1-16, J Williams 1-23, P Arora 1-28), Copford II 90-1 (S Wood 55 no, D Curtis 22). Copford II (20 pts) beat Harwich & D II (0 pts) by 9 wickets.

TC7: IPSWICH III vs COPFORD II (10 May 2008)

Lack of availability meant that Copford took to the field with an extremely inexperienced team. As a result, Mike Seagrove won the toss and had little hesitation in asking the hosts to bat.

John Dinnes bowled a tight opening spell and gained early reward when he had Gunson caught at first slip for 13. However, Porter and N Elford were soon enjoying the opportunity to drive and although Seagrove removed N Elford with a sharp caught and bowled to reduce Ipswich to 46-2, the Ipswich batsman then progressed with few alarms at just over 4 runs per over.

At 124-2 in the 29th over, things were starting to look ominous and it was Johnny Williams and his subtle variations who provided the breakthrough. First Fairbank holed out to mid-off for 27 and then Porter was bowled for 66 as the wily Williams grabbed 2-28 from 8 overs. Peter Gould then enticed Parminter down the wicket and Steve Harris’ sharp stumping saw Ipswich tottering at 156-5 with Copford harbouring hopes of restricting their hosts to less than 200.

However, T Elford (32) added 61 with Hamblin (31) and this propelled Ipswich to a final total of 224-8 and enabled them to set a 5-an-over target. Dinnes grabbed two wickets in the final over and Ben Westall, making his Two Counties debut, bowled Elford to gain some reward for an impressively hostile 8 overs.

If Copford were to pull off an unlikely victory, a solid start was vital. Gould and Harris provided it, posting 61 for the first wicket in 15 overs. Gould’s innings was punctuated by some majestic driving while Harris provided a solid foil at the other end. Unfortunately for Copford, both perished in short succession and the required run-rate soon began to climb as S Porter and M Porter applied pressure with accurate spells of medium pace.

Chris Curtis provided an enterprising 40 including one huge six and 4 fours but, just as it looked as though he might go on to a big score, he was bowled by M Porter. Williams (18) and Dinnes (11) flourished briefly but their departure spelled the end of Copford’s hopes and it was the left-armer Southall who removed the tail to ensure a 56-run victory for the home side.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘I am thoroughly proud of all of my players. I took to the field with an extremely inexperienced side – two guys were playing their first senior game of cricket and two others have not played at this level before. It was a very gutsy display of bowling and fielding on a hot day and a flat wicket while the batsman made Ipswich work hard for their 20 points. I could not have asked for anything more!’

Scores: Ipswich III 224-8 (S Porter 66, T Elford 32, P Hamblin 31no; Dinnes 3-52, Williams 2-28), Copford II 168 (C Curtis 40, P Gould 34; S Porter 4-48, M Porter 3-55). Ipswich III (20 pts) beat Copford II (7 pts) by 56 runs).

TC7: ST MARGARETS II vs COPFORD II (24 May 2008)

The visitors were invited to bat on a wicket that looked flat but showed tinges of green and most of the batsmen were soon struggling to impose themselves on an accurate home attack. Peter Gould was the exception. Ruthlessly cutting and driving anything wide or over-pitched, the opener’s 51 single-handedly kept the scoreboard moving. However, when he edged a Gardner outswinger to Ubbi, Copford looked vulnerable at 67-4.

James Dixey and Prashant Arora then repaired some of the damage with an entertaining stand of 39. Arora’s 18 on debut was centred entirely on the pull-shot while Dixey’s innings was a mixture of common-sense and gratuitous violence. Meanwhile, a fine spell of slow left-arm from Booth kept Copford under pressure and with wickets falling at regular intervals, a really competitive total seemed an unlikely prospect.

When the seamer Burt returned to bowl Dixey for 54, reducing the visitors to 133-8, St Margarets must have sensed their chance to grab a first victory of the season. The fact that they didn’t was largely down to an excellent 40-run partnership in five overs between Johnny Williams (24) and Ben Westall (15 no). The veteran Williams showed all of his experience with a combination of aggression and clever running while the youngster Westall played straight and demonstrated the ability to drive.

With four frontline seamers at his disposal, Copford skipper Seagrove was quietly confident that 186 represented a winning score. However, with all four out-of-sorts, Booth (42) and Ubbi (21) proceeded to add 69 for the first wicket in less than 11 overs. Seagrove and Westall grabbed a wicket each but runs continued to flow and at 129-3 in the 22nd over, Copford looked to have completely lost the initiative.

Only Dixey’s off-spin looked likely to provide the visitors with any respite. His subtle variations and a devastating quicker ball (which claimed 2 victims) were causing all of the batsman problems and as St Margarets edged nervously towards the target, Dixey proceeded to work his way through the middle-order.

Williams was brought on in an attempt to take the pace off the ball and it was one of his not-so-subtle variations that snared the dangerous Oakley for 39. Dixey then took an amazing one-handed catch to get rid of Wray and give Williams an impressive 2-21 from 6 overs. With tension mounting and nerves started to fray, it was left to a cool James Dixey to complete the victory with a smart caught and bowled to finish with 5-36 from 12 overs.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘There were several very good performances today – Dix, Gouldy and Wilbur (Johnny Williams) to name but three – and one can’t complain about 20 points. My one concern was that we were lacklustre for long periods after tea and my seamers (myself included) may need to invest in sat-navs in order to locate the stumps at the other end! Dix and Wilbur really got us out of jail on both fronts and it would have been a tragedy if their efforts had not been rewarded with a win!’

Scores: Copford II 186 (J Dixey, P Gould 51, Williams 24; K Burt 3-60, I Booth 2-31, L Gardner 2-50), St Margarets II 170 (I Booth 42, N Oakley 39; J Dixey 5-36, J Williams 2-21). Copford II (20 pts) beat St Margarets II (8 pts) by 16 runs.

TC7: COPFORD II vs FELIXSTOWE II (31 May 2008)

Having won the toss and invited Felixstowe to bat on a damp-looking wicket, Mike Seagrove was clearly hoping to inflict early and major damage on the visitors. Despite the early accuracy of Ian Catley and Ivan Humm, Felixstowe lost just one wicket, Syed holing out to Curtis in the covers for 7 off Catley. Felixstowe then proceeded to reach 83-1 from 20 overs with D Bennett (39) and R Cresswell (34) offering few chances while ruthlessly punishing anything loose.

Wickets for Ben Westall, Seagrove and Johnny Williams changed the whole complexion of the innings and reduced Felixstowe to 103-4 and things might have got worse for the visitors but for an outrageous piece of luck.

J Sadisivan top-edged Seagrove towards Duncan Owen on the long-leg boundary – which due to the pitch being on the edge of the square was no more than 35 yards – and to the Copford fielder’s frustration dropped vertically no more than 2 yards over the boundary. Seagrove was less than impressed, particularly as Sadisivan then proceeded to hit him for three consecutive sixes on his way to a very violent 47.

Williams trapped Sadisivan lbw but with P Hurry compiling a patient 50 and P Van Der Linde smashing his way to 33, Felixstowe looked to be heading for a total in excess of 250. The fact that Copford restricted the visitors to 237-9 was largely due to the impressive returns of Catley and Humm. Both seamers grabbed two late and well-deserved wickets as the merits of tight length-and-line were fully demonstrated.

Given that it had been well over a season since Copford II had posted a total exceeding 200, the hosts might have been forgiven for feeling despondent. However, the pitch had played far better than it looked and the short boundary on the far-side had been difficult to defend. If Copford could get off to a good start, then there was every cause for optimism.

Even though Ian Catley had been making runs in university cricket and was brimming with confidence, there were few who could have predicted what would happen next. Having been asked by the skipper to provide some ‘gratuitous violence’, Catley proceeded to pepper both the leg-side and off-side boundaries. Most of his 7 sixes would have been maximums on most grounds and with Terry Soteriou compiling a sensible 22 at the other end, the pair put on 108 in 21 overs.

Danny Vipond, making his debut, provided a masterful 60 that included 4 sixes and no risks while Calum Reid’s 27 seemed to suggest that the young batsman regarded dot-balls as something of a crime. Even when Felixstowe grabbed a couple of wickets, Williams provided a calculated 22 not out to help Vipond complete an excellent victory with 5 overs to spare.

Spare a thought for P Cade whose 2-54 did not do him justice. The young left-arm spinner gave a beautiful display of flight and control and was as big a victim of the short boundary as anyone. On another day, Cade might have taken a hatful of wickets.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘This was an excellent win! We bowled and fielded well and thanks to the short boundary still conceded the sort of score that mentally takes a lot of chasing. Obviously, everyone will see the excellent knocks played by Messrs Catley and Vipond in the scorebook but this was a case of eleven blokes putting in a top display. Everyone should be thoroughly proud of what they have done this afternoon!’

Scores: Felixstowe II 237-9 (P Hurry 50, J Sadisivan 47; I Catley 3-26, I Humm 2-55, J Williams 2-56), Copford II 238-5 (I Catley 80, D Vipond 60; P Cade 2-54). Copford II (19 pts) beat Felixstowe II (7 pts) by 5 wickets.

TC7: COPFORD II vs MELTON ST AUDRY’S II (14 June 2008)

Having won the toss (again) and inserted the opposition on another damp wicket, there was every reason to suppose that Chris Smith Jnr and Ian Catley would inflict early damage on a Melton side that had been short of runs all year.

Both seamers bowled well although it was Smith who struck twice, bowling D Andrews and S Marks for 10 and 9 respectively. Mike Seagrove yorked M Rose for 25 just as he was starting to look dangerous and then Johnny Williams had K Hillmann caught by Danny Vipond for a patient 30.

At 139-4, the game was finely balanced when M Grubb (the Melton skipper) joined D Wash who was on his way to a steady 51. These two had added 45 in 10 overs to give Melton a platform for a large total when Catley produced a 3 wickets in 4 balls burst which should have completely destroyed the visitors’ momentum. However, Grubb (32 no) and A Jackson (14 no) took the total to 226-7 in 6 overs without any undue alarms to end what had been quite a frustrating session for Copford.

The chances of a repeat of the Felixstowe heroics were effectively gone after 5 overs as Copford stumbled to 19-2. Catley holed out in the covers for a first baller and Vipond was bowled for 14 to leave the home side desperately short of strokemakers.

If Melton’s opening attack of R Parry and A Barker had been accurate then that was nothing compared to their replacements, Grubb and Rose. The medium-pacers gave little away as the innings stalled and wickets fell. Terry Soteriou finally perished for a very patient 29 and only Mark Tonge (13) provided any ability to keep him company.

Seagrove (16 no) enjoyed a brief cameo and with his fellow bowlers, dug in to extract a solitary batting point. This was scant consolation to a team thoroughly outplayed by a Melton side whose focus and application were a credit to them.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘This was just a case of too many players having a bad day at the office – our bowlers couldn’t quite press home the advantages when Melton were threatening to stumble while the batsmen suffered both ‘death by maidens’ and got out cheaply. There was nothing terrifying about the opposition today, they just worked to their strengths and applied themselves brilliantly.’

Scores: Melton St Audry’s II 226-7 (D Wash 51, M Grubb 32 no, K Hillmann 30; I Catley 3-53, C Smith Jnr 2-49), Copford II 108 (T Soteriou 29; M Grubb 3-20, M Rose 3-24). Melton St Audry’s II (20 pts) beat Copford II (4 pts) by 118 runs.

TC7: COPFORD II vs ABBERTON II (21 June 2008)

Mike Seagrove won the toss and, as early rain had moistened up proceedings, invited Abberton to bat. Chris Smith Junior bowled another fiery spell without luck but the decision still paid early dividends as Stuart Chilvers dismissed J Gallant and M Abrey, both edging outswingers to the wicketkeeper. When Prashant Arora induced P Johnson into offering a sharp catch to Don Curtis in the gulley, the visitors were reeling at 58-3.

D Stumbles (55) and K Savill (38) then proceeded to change the whole complexion of the game with a violent partnership of 56. Stumbles was particularly severe on Seagrove’s medium pace, 2 sixes to the long midwicket boundary forcing the Copford skipper to quickly remove himself from the attack and bring on Peter Gould.

The decision paid off almost immediately. Stumbles top-edged the second ball and Gould gleefully completed the caught-and-bowled. Savill met the same fate as Abberton proceeded to self-destruct. 139-4 became 165 all out as the visitors struggled to deal with the lack-of-pace and subtle variations.

With every batsman arriving and immediately trying to smash the cover off of the ball, Abberton managed committed the cardinal sin of giving Copford 9 extra overs. Gould finished with 5-21, including three caught-and-bowleds while Arora’s 2-54 did not really reflect how good his long spell had been.

Facing a relatively modest total, it was essential that there were no early dramas. Unfortunately, both openers were backed in the pavilion as Copford lurched to 13-2 in the 5th over. Calum Reid’s frenetic 29 and Chris Curtis’ more patient 21 looked to have repaired the damage but both fell to D Booker in quick succession as the fragility of the Copford middle-order was ruthlessly exposed. 66-3 soon became 68-8 as the home side crumbled to Booker’s accuracy and Stumbles’ sharply turning leg-spin.

Seagrove and Smith defended stoutly against the seamers as the quest for a batting point began. Seagrove chanced his arm against Stumbles and attacked the spinners that replaced Booker. Cutting or sweeping anything off-line, the skipper made 46 while Smith showed immaculate shot selection, blocking the straight balls and hitting anything loose. With the run-rate not being a problem, the arrival of a 2nd batting point raised an unlikely question – could Copford actually win the game?

The pair had added 65 when Booker returned to destroy hopes of an incredible victory. The seamer trapped Smith lbw for 22 and then bowled Seagrove to finish with 6-28 and ensure that Abberton completed their well-deserved win.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘This was a classic game of two halves. We fielded and bowled well and Gouldy was magnificent …. It was like watching Wilbur (Johnny Williams) but without the pace!!! The quality of Prashy’s spell may not be reflected in the scorebook but he has certainly given me another major option by doing the job that I should be doing myself. The shortcomings in our batting were ruthlessly exposed again although Smithy showed great maturity in hanging around and helping us restore some pride. Abberton are a good side and will probably be in the promotion shake-up, so to bowl them out in 36 overs was some achievement.’

Scores: Abberton II 165 (D Stumbles 55, K Savill 38; P Gould 5-21, S Chilvers 2-25, Arora 2-54), Copford II 136 (M Seagrove 46; D Booker 6-28, D Stumbles 3-50). Abberton II (20 pts) beat Copford II (7 pts) by 29 runs.

TC7: LONG MELFORD II vs COPFORD II (28 June 2008)
COPFORD TURN UP LATE TO BLACK-TIE DO!

Copford old-boy Ray Black won the toss and inserted the visitors and it was a decision that he must have been regretting at the first drinks break. Copford were 98-1 off 17 overs with Peter Gould on an imperious 50 and Danny Vipond on a brutal 29 and there was every likelihood of a very large first innings total.

However, the introduction of R Powell changed everything. The veteran spinner induced a top-edge from Vipond with his first ball and bowled both Gould and Robert Tuckwell to leave the Copford innings stalling at 115-4. Although Don Curtis added a useful 24 before becoming the 4th of Powell’s 5 victims, the rest of the middle-order succumbed to seamer M Bigg who eventually finished with 4-43.

Only Johnny Williams provided any late resistance with an enterprising 28. The experienced campaigner mixed aggression, improvisation and good running and his stand of 26 for the last wicket with Stuart Chilvers did eventually turn out to be crucial.

While runs were important, the pair were also keen to use all of the 45 overs but, to his disgust, Williams holed out to T Bigg at wide mid-wicket to end the innings 5 overs early. Both skippers admitted that this was not a situation that they had anticipated 90 minutes earlier!

If Copford were going to rectify the earlier failings, it was vital that the bowling and fielding were tight while an early breakthrough and some luck would also be welcome. Chris Moon bowled Black for 4, all of the bowlers found an appropriate line-and length and the fielding was excellent. However, the early batting was very disciplined and the visitors were given very few chances to make further inroads.

A Howlett (31) provided the aggression while K Sepai (57) looked set to play the anchor role and it took a complete mix-up and Howlett’s run out on 59 to give Copford any cause for optimism. T Bigg and J Lane both got starts as they supported Sepai and at 138-3, it looked as though Melford were home and dry. But the hosts had reckoned without Gould ….

Taking every last vestige of pace off the ball and using a lot of flight, Gould proceeded to strangle the Melford middle-order. T Bigg had already been lured down the wicket to give Tuckwell an easy stumping when Gould struck a double blow. The veteran tempted Lane into giving Moon a steepling catch at mid-on and then lured Sepai into smashing the ball to Seagrove at mid-wicket. 139-5 suddenly represented an even game and when the promising Ben Westall yorked J Ribirosa 1 run later, the visitors sensed a real opportunity to grab the victory.

M Maxim (14) added 20 with M Bigg (18 no) before being the victim of a needless run-out and then Moon, returning from ‘the other end’, bowled M Wood. Melford were 170-8, needing 10 from 3 overs, when Seagrove made a major decision.

Even though he had bowled brilliantly, the short off-side boundary for Gould had been difficult to defend and the Copford skipper brought himself on with a view to bowling straight and very full. The decision looked to have been disastrous as the 2nd ball was snicked for 4 and a long-hop was disdainfully dispatched to the square-leg boundary by Bigg. Moon then bowled a wicket-maiden to finish with 3-34 and leave Melford needing 2 from the final over with the last pair at the crease.

With men crowding the bat, Seagrove proceeded to bowl a maiden over to Bigg. The last delivery brushed Bigg’s pad and dribbled down the leg-side to Tuckwell’s left. The batsmen set off and in the ensuing mayhem completed the single to ensure that for the second successive game, Melford had tied the game.

Skipper’s Comments: ‘On reflection, both sides will view the result with a mixture of emotions. While the second half of our innings was a disaster (giving away overs is nothing short of criminal!), our bowling and fielding was brilliant and we eventually snatched something out of nothing. Ray will probably be proud of his side for getting back into the game but disappointed that Melford didn’t quite finish it off.

‘Given the fabulous spirit in which the game was played and the links between the clubs, the result is one that the ‘cricketing romantic’ would find immensely pleasing and I would hope that there are 22 blokes that think the same.’

‘While Gouldy was immense (again), I am very pleased with the character and contributions of all of my players. I suspect that many of us will think that had we done something differently, we would have won but on the other hand, we all did things that stopped us losing!’

Scores: Copford II 179 (P Gould 50, D Vipond 29, J Williams 28, D Curtis 24; R Powell 5-42, M Bigg 4-43), Long Melford II 179-9 (K Sepai 57, A Howlett 31; P Gould 3-32, C Moon 3-34). Long Melford II (14 pts) tied with Copford II (13 pts).