2008 Third Team Results
26 July 2008
108* FOR BESPECTACLED NAPIER MAN
Revenge as Fen Ditton are belted on a belter
Camden (20pts) 206-3, Fen Ditton (3pts) 102
Camden lost
the toss yet again and were surprised to be invited to bat on a hard and true
Emmanuel College wicket whose cracks suggested the possibility of peril on the
fifth day. David Mitchell square cut the first ball meatily for four. Having
watched his partner hit two more fours and himself essayed two
partially-successful hooks, John Sutton (3) rapidly sized up the situation and
at 26 missed a straight one for the good of the team. Richard Hadley joined the
burly Marlburian and the pair put on an untroubled 81 before Mitchell top-edged
high to backward point for a stout 45. Nursing a powerful hangover and sporting
a dashing new hat, Andrew Redfern made his way to the wicket, clubbed three
fours, was made to run more often than he would have liked by Hadley (who
reached fifty at about this time) and then dropped off successive balls before
being stumped two balls later with the score a healthy 140-ish (the scorebook
is uncharacteristically imprecise). Steve Robinson began with a hearty three
down the ground and, scampering a lot of twos and threes, remained undefeated
on 17 as Hadley reached a fine century (eleven fours and a six) and sixty-odd
came in the last six overs –17 of them from the last as the visitors posted
silly mid-off and silly mid-on but left the third-man, long-on and sweeper
zones mystifyingly untenanted.
The visitors’
reply got off to the worst possible start as David Warren bowled the opener
with the first ball. His partner, the big-hitting Clarke, fared better,
however, but at 37 Robinson took a straightforward catch at mid-wicket to give
Callum Wilkinson (1-22) what proved to be his only wicket of the game. Warren
and Martin Baker then bowled in tandem before Hadley replaced the veteran
seamer at the Madingley Road End. Clarke and Wilson had taken the score to 74,
but the bespectacled Napier man put the brakes on. Clarke clipped a bump-ball
catch to Wilkinson at mid-wicket and the teenager quickly returned to Mitchell,
who effected a smart run-out with a direct hit. Baker then took three wickets
in successive overs, thanks to good catches by Hadley and Wilkinson and a
stumping by Mitchell, as the bottom-of-the-table side slumped to 88-6. Baker
(3-21 was ruthlessly removed from the attack: it was time for Richard Shannon
and Alec Armstrong. The left-armer was, as so often, far too mysterious for
tail-enders, bowling one, trapping another lbw and providing rampant
wicketkeeper-batsman Mitchell with a second stumping to claim 3-1. The Fen
Ditton keeper walloped Shannon for six over square leg before patting a gentle
catch to Dave Mackie at slip next ball – the Greybeard Legend’s only
contribution to an emphatic victory which took Camden above St Giles in the
table.
Out-of-work Countdown mental-arithmetic specialist
Carole Vodafone, who covets the Camden III archivist role currently held by
novelist A S Byatt, rapidly revealed that Hadley’s 2008 Thirds batting average
now stands at a dizzying 136 and the captain’s doesn’t. Sutton received the
news with equanimity: “All that matters is that St Giles lost. Despite being
unable to do vowels, Hadley is a Notts fan, so that makes him even more of a
top bloke.”
Min of the
Mitch: Richard Hadley
19 July 2008
NOT PARADISE: LOST AT MILTON
Coruscating Perkins; rest not very good
Milton II (20pts) 224-8, Camden (8pts) 162-9
Unfortunately
Milton won the toss and decided to bat on a hard, dry wicket. David Warren and
Callum Wilkinson began economically, and a few balls kept very low, but no
breakthrough came. Alec Armstrong replaced Wilkinson and bowled four
undistinguished overs, and Martin Baker took over from Warren. The score
mounted, but Robinson was eventually placed in exactly the right place at wide
long off and took a confident catch off Baker. The skipper had seen enough of
Armstrong. Two overs of Richard Shannon saw more runs, but a wicket as the
off-spinner induced Stoehr (53) to loft and Andrew Redfern took a tricky
running catch nonchalantly. For the home side Scotter and Nayar Jnr put bat to ball: Richard Hadley was heaved
high over long on, and Wilkinson’s second spell was expensive – but he finished
by bowling Nayar for 53. A score of 240 looked on the cards, but Hadley
(9-0-50-2) bowled Scotter for 63, Warren returned to bowl two tight overs and
in the last three overs the hosts contrived three absurd run outs (by John
Perkins, John Sutton and Hadley) and slumped from 218-3 to 224‑8.
A good start
was called for, but after two confident clips to leg Sutton gloved a lifter to
the keeper; Redfern was emphatically bowled next ball and Robinson entered on a
hat trick at 8-2. The score had risen gently to 24 against accurate bowling
when the former all-rounder poked gently to gulley for 5. Hadley and Perkins
proceeded circumspectly, then hit some boundaries, and while they were together
a rate of seven or more an over seemed achievable. Perkins hammered two cover
drives which registered 9.9 on the Awesomometer and Hadley hit two sixes, but after
the Milton captain’s first over and a half had gone for 30, the Kiwi was caught
off the back of the bat at slip for 35 with the score 97. Bearded Camden Legend
Dave Mackie (who, after keeping wicket, had declined to be part of what would
have been a record-breaking 118-year-old opening partnership with the captain)
entered at No 6 and lapped his first ball behind square for 4. Perkins
continued in fine form, but having scored 38 the crowd-pleasing cover-drive
specialist was caught and bowled. It was now a question of securing a fourth
batting point. Warren and Mackie added thirty before Mackie pirouetted,
attempting a species of grovelling shot peculiar to himself, was hit in the
genitals and adjudged lbw for 14. Shortly afterwards Baker ran Warren out for
13, saw Wilkinson bowled for 1, and as the sun set low over the A14 was himself
bowled for 11 in the penultimate over. Five were needed – and acquired in style
thanks to a confident Armstrong pull, a wide and a wallop down the ground by
Shannon.
Troubled
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, a lifelong Camden fan, told www.camdencc.com that the Thirds’
Division 2B relegation struggle was “right up there with women bishops and
homosexualists at the top of my worry list.” Next week’s home clash with basement
side Fen Ditton – for which David Mitchell returns – would, the hairy prelate thought,
be “crucial”. Former Camden President Brian Odell had no hesitation in blaming
Sutton for losing the toss for a fifth time this season. Buxom Look East newsreader Janine Machin
thought the team “pretty ordinary”.
Man of the
Match: John Perkins
5 July 2008
FULBOURN SUPREMACY
Rice admits “arrogance” caused fatuous duck
Camden (5pts) 147-6, Fulbourn II 150-5
Fulbourn
invited Camden to bat on what looked a good Emmanuel College wicket. Against
accurate bowling Richard Hadley and John Sutton crawled to 22 in the ninth
over, when the captain attempted to up the pace and was caught at mid-on for 6.
Andrew Redfern hit two fine boundaries before scooping limply to mid-off for 10
with the score 43. Although Hadley was batting well, Robinson was bowled for 3
to initiate a middle-order collapse as Chris Rice skied his second ball and
David Warren avoided a third successive duck before being run out to leave
Camden reeling on the ropes at 65-5. Hadley and John Perkins would need to
rectify matters. The Kiwi completed a gritty 50, while the
intermittently-successful Oggsford man unveiled a series of elegant
cover-drives. He had reached 25 when another drive held up in the strong wind
and he was well caught at deep mid-off by a leaping villager. The last four
overs saw a bit of a flourish at last and 39 added to set the visitors a
disappointingly low target, Hadley finishing on 76* and Martin Baker 12*.
Wilkinson and
Baker began well, and when the left-arm spinner, who was bowling exceptionally
well, had an lbw appeal upheld Fulbourn were 22-1 after ten overs. The
visitors’ No 3, Toby White, then took a liking to Redfern (who had replaced
Wilkinson) and Baker and the score quickly rose to 56. Richard Shannon took a
wicket in his first over and Hadley replaced Redfern. Although Hadley took a
wicket, Perkins a catch at square leg off Armstrong and the returning Wilkinson
deservedly hit the stumps, the powerful White had matters firmly in hand and
victory came easily in the 36th over when he reached 69*. As so often, Camden
had no answer to a confident big-hitter.
Meanwhile,
following a lightning raid by Ofsticket, the Office for Standards in Cricket,
Camden chiefs have been given three weeks to implement a tough action plan
designed to improve the “seriously under-performing” Third XI or see it offered
to private-sector providers or faith groups. Problems to be addressed include
“patchy” batting, much of which “barely reaches Level 3” (the standard expected
of spotty youths), Warren’s lifestyle, Hodsdon’s sporadic attendance record and
Redfern’s hat. Robinson’s piranha shot, by contrast, was judged “exemplary”,
Mitchell’s waistline “appropriate for a portly man” and Rachel Baker “jolly”,
while inspectors saw website match reports as “to some extent truthful”. The Thirds’
skipper condemned “lickspittle here-today-gone-tomorrow bottom inspectors in
thrall to their political masters and the Editor of the Daily Mail”, but undertook to try to hit the ball in front of the
wicket on the off side again before the season ended.
Asked for her
thoughts on another poor Camden performance, alluring actress Romola Garai (26)
said, “Will you please stop calling this number.”
Min of the
Mitch: Richard Hadley
28
June 2008
RUN-FEAST
FOR HUNGRY MITCHELL
Skip forms opinions, then Wilkinson grabs 4-26
St Giles (7pts) 145, Camden (20pts) 189-9
It was tails.
The skipper steadfastly ignored his vice-captain’s advice and decided to bat at
the University Press ground. The pair then took the score comfortably to fifty
and beyond, David Mitchell cutting and driving powerfully and John Sutton
producing Camden’s shot of the day, a lofted drive straight down the ground. In
the 19th over Mitchell reached his first fifty of the season thanks to four
overthrows, but the veteran captain was caught at the wicket for 25 with the
score a useful 88. The looked-for acceleration did not happen: Andrew Redfern
was undone by unexpected movement and caught at slip for 4 and Matt Merry spooned
high to mid off for 3. The initially suspicious Steve Robinson took 16 balls to
get off the mark and Mitchell’s scoring rate slowed, but Robinson eventually
unfurled some signature lofted drives and the pair had added 53 when, trying to
force the pace in the last six overs, Mitchell was stumped for a well-earned 81
with the score 164. In the last five overs Josh Gaw hit a sumptuous 4 before
being caught, Robinson was stumped for a handy 32, John Perkins hit a sumptuous
4 and was stumped, Martin Baker made a sumptuous 3 and was caught, David Warren
did nothing sumptuous and was stumped for a duck and Callum Wilkinson (3*) and
stylish Richard Shannon (3*) scampered the score to a season’s best 189-9.
Redfern (0‑27)
and Wilkinson kept it tight, and when the teenager finished his first stint the
score was only 22 from the first 10 overs. Warren replaced Wilkinson and Baker
Redfern, and runs remained hard to come by to the drinks interval and beyond.
Then Baker took the Thirds’ 600th and 601st wickets (and his own 50th) thanks
to a juggling catch by Merry and a spectacular Robinson dive to take a
steepler. Enter, alas, a combative left-hander who hoisted Baker (2-35) far
into the tennis courts and out of the attack. Mysteriously, after an over had
gone for 12, the scoreboard soared by 20. The Camden captain testily inquired
of the scorers, received no very sensible reply, and summoned Wilkinson and
Shannon. Almost immediately the youthful seamer bowled the dangerous
left-hander. The score was again queried. Sutton offered some opinions. The
score was recalibrated. Thereafter, with no answer to Wilkinson (10-2-26-4) and
Shannon (3-27), St Giles rapidly subsided from roughly 119-4 to 145 all out
when a jubilant Gaw threw down the wicket to end the game with a run-out.
Redfern had taken a fine catch in the deep and Mitchell a nifty stumping, while
the wily Shannon’s off-spin meant conference-goer Alec Armstrong had not been
greatly missed; Wilkinson – poor lad – could become the Warren of his
generation. A powerful team performance saw Camden pocket the 20 points. Luis
Aragonés, it seems, showed the video to his team ahead of the Euro 2008 final.
ROBINSON
PROLONGE
Nous vous
annonçons que, selon nos confères de
www.allez-camden.fr, le CC Camdenois et Steeve Robinson
sont tombés d’accord verbalement pour continuer l’aventure ensemble pendant la
saison prochaine. Steeve fera donc sa 24ème saison sous les couleurs camdenois.
Le contrat, pour une année (+1 supplémentaire en cas de montée en L1), sera
officiellement signé prochainement. Auteur d’une saison 2003 magnifique avec le
club doyen de Cambridge, le joueur polyvalent (37 ans) était convoité par
plusieurs équipes. «C’est la normale. C’était le même chose pour Denis Bergkamp
chez les Gunners» a précisé le joueur. «Il a à nouveau montré durant les matchs
de 2008 ce dont il était capable et il doit pouvoir s’exprimer l’année
prochaine. Au Camden, il aurait cette opportunité», a declaré le président
O’Grady. C’est une excellente nouvelle pour les supporters.
Man of the
Match: David Mitchell
7 June 2008
FIFTIETH WIN’S A BIG ONE
Dip in Form
Camden (20pts) 188-8, Granta IV (5pts) 53
On a grey day at their new home ground, Emmanuel College, the Thirds recorded their fiftieth League win (of 76 games played in six-and-a-bit seasons), by the impressive margin of 135 runs – the biggest win since 2003. It was, old hands reflected, like Division 4 revisited: “It’s more fun when we batter the oppo out of sight,” observed mysterious spinner Alec Armstrong amiably.
Camden won the toss and chose to bat on a flat but greenish wicket. Nudging deftly into the gaps, John Sutton and David Mitchell took the score comfortably to 30 in the ninth over before the captain played a horrible shot and yorked himself for 10. Classy-looking debutant Dip Basu immediately took a liking to Granta’s young left-arm spinner with three boundaries, but at 53 the becalmed Mitchell top-edged to mid-wicket for 10. More or less runless in the season so far, Matt Merry began confidently, driving powerfully in his trademark style. The pair had put on 40 when, in the 24th over, Basu surprisingly chipped to mid-wicket for a silky 38. If you play cricket long enough, you will eventually see everything – but even seasoned Camden-watchers were astonished to see Steve Robinson cover-drive his first ball for an elegant three. Trying to repeat the feat a few balls later, though, the former all-rounder tapped tamely to cover. Back from a fortnight’s dolmen-spotting in Finisterre, Chris Rice joined Merry and put bat to ball adventurously, a ten-over partnership adding 62 before Merry edged to the keeper for 43. Shortly afterwards a puzzled Rice was bowled for 34 and David Warren (soon to visit the Baltic Coast for secret trials with Bundesliga giants Werder Bremen) for a still more puzzled duck. Martin Baker (9*), Callum Wilkinson (2), Richard Shannon (1*) and a flurry of extras took the score to a season’s best 188-8.
Sutton chose to begin with Wilkinson and Baker. The teenager soon had visiting captain Chris Wilson caught off the leading edge by a diving Basu at cover. Granta’s elegant left-handed No 3 clipped two leg-side boundaries before being mystified by a succession of intricate field changes and comprehensively bowled by Wilkinson, who ended his spell with 2-14. At the other end the miserly Baker began with four maidens in five, flummoxed the other opener and eventually trapped him lbw. No 4 tried to smack his way out of trouble, but Warren (4-3-1-1) was summoned, the fielders put in the right places and Rice took the catch at cover. Rice’s second catch, this time at mid on, followed and Baker finished on an impressive 9-6-8-2 with Granta reeling at 30-5 and Shannon and Armstrong champing at the bit. The left-armer struck twice in his first over thanks to a Mitchell stumping and a smart Robinson gulley catch, and when off-spinner Shannon got in on the act with a yorker the score was 33-8. Two overs later it was 40-9 as, with a look of terror, Shannon took a powerfully-struck return catch, wisely not using the hands. The visitors’ No 11 then made their highest score, 12, before charging Armstrong to give Mitchell his second stumping and leave Granta veteran Ian Reid – the only man on the field older than the Camden captain – three not out. Armstrong finished with 3-13 and Shannon 2-9.
“That’s Warren’s 70th victim,” burbled novelist-statistician A S Byatt, “an eleventh win by more than 100 runs and lots of fantasy points for Alec. Let’s hope the boys have turned the corner after a three-match winless run.” “Buy her a pint and shut her up,” snarled Robinson coarsely.
Man of the Match: Matt Merry
31 May 2008
ANOTHER DIFFICULT WICKET
Good Bowling Makes Batting Hard for Both Sides
NCI III 110-5, Camden 109-7
The Parker’s Piece wicket was green and soft, the uncut outfield lush and wet. Just for once, Camden wanted to bowl, but the home side won the toss and their accurate seamers made the best of conditions which were bound to get better as the afternoon unfolded. David Mitchell edged to the keeper for 4 before John Sutton and Andrew Redfern took the score, with some difficulty, to 34, when the captain was lbw for 2, followed immediately Steve Robinson, lbw first ball. Trying to hit out, Redfern was caught for 17, then Matt Merry (9) was needlessly run out. Josh Gaw worked hard for 10 before becoming the third lbw victim. As the long grass dried out, David Warren and Martin Baker produced the best batting of the innings, Warren hitting the first boundary – to tumultuous applause in the 32nd over. After he was well caught at mid wicket for 20, Callum Wilkinson (3*) unveiled some adventurous footwork in support of Baker, who pulled violently to end on 23* as the innings closed on a disappointing 109-7. NCI had bowled well. Camden would need to bowl better.
Sutton chose to start with Redfern and Wilkinson, and the first five overs were maidens. Baker replaced the youngster and Redfern, bowling really well, took 3-19 from his ten overs as the home side stuttered to 43-3 at the half-way point. Neither Baker nor Shannon could made the break-through, and NCI’s No 4, Isles, could afford to block the good ones and whack the occasional bad one. Reaching the boundary was easier in the evening sunshine. Wilkinson (8-3-19-0) returned to partner Karthik Bhargavan, who yorked Isles the ball after being hit for a big six over mid wicket. There was time for Robinson to run the NCI skipper out after a comical mix-up, but Platten guided his unbeaten side home, not without difficulty, in the 37th over. Camden had done their best, but it went with the toss. The batting will have to produce the goods against winless Granta next week at Emmanuel.
Man of the Match: Andrew Redfern
24 May 2008
A SMACK IN THE MOUTH
Batting first on crumbly wicket “not a good decision”
Fen Ditton (20pts) 86-0, Camden (2pts) 83
Camden have a lot of success batting first, whatever the wicket, but after the fourth ball of the innings spat off a length, hit the shoulder of the bat and cut his lip, John Sutton retired temporarily, regretting his decision to take first use of the uneven Fen Ditton wicket. David Mitchell (9) hit two violent boundaries before he and Matt Merry were bowled by balls that kept low. The captain returned at 13-2 and, with Steve Robinson, took the score to 34 before driving and being well caught low down at mid off for 9. Robinson was next to go, at 40, for what proved to be his side’s top score, a hard-earned 17. Josh Gaw (6), Dave Warren (11), Martin Baker (6), Callum Wilkinson (4) and James Austin (5) were all victims of variable bounce before Richard Shannon (1) and Alec Armstrong (1*) ensured that at least no one got a duck in a worst-ever Thirds total, 83 all out.
Callum Wilkinson (5-2-7-0) bowled exceptionally well as the wicket eased, but no one else did. The spinners were savaged and the home side won with a flurry of big boundaries in 17 overs.
Man of the Match: No award
10 May 2008
MORE RUNS REQUIRED
Locals Overhaul Modest Target
Histon III (20pts) 154-7, Camden (7pts) 153-7
In front of a large crowd including Camden and Histon legend Mark Clymow, Camden were invited to bat, and thanks to a lot of extras David Mitchell (39) and John Sutton (6) took the score to 59 before the captain was bowled. Andrew Redfern (13) hit some meaty blows, but at 88 he, Mitchell and Stephen Hodsdon (no meaty blows) were out. Steve Robinson and Andrew Matthews took the score to 115, at which point the former all-rounder chose to run the veteran Ofsted inspector out for a lusty 16. David Warren was largely a spectator in a stand of 31 as Robinson made amends by booming the off-spinner down the ground before being bowled for 32. Warren was then run out before Martin Baker and Callum Wilkinson sneaked the score to a disappointing 153-7.
Although Warren took an early wicket, he was not on song (1-19) and gave way to Wilkinson, whose first spell was tidy. At the other end Redfern was bowling extremely well (3-29). Neither Baker (0-24) nor Alec Armstrong (1-25) bowled as well as they can, and the next wicket would not come as a good sixth-wicket stand developed. Returning after a year’s absence off-spinner Richard Shannon bowled tidily and took two late wickets, but the home side eased home with a couple of overs to spare.
Man of the Match: No award
3 May 2008
SMALL SCORE PROVES ENOUGH
Hadley 50, Wilkinson Sound on Debut
Fulbourn Institute II (5pts) 94, Camden (20pts) 144-9
Camden were invited to bat on the first day of the Division 2B Season. After a powerful drive for four, David Mitchell was caught attempting to repeat the feat and Matt Merry was quickly lbw to the home side’s naggingly accurate Skead. Richard Hadley and Andrew Redfern then added 56 comfortably before the smoker-philosopher was caught-and-bowled for 39. Steve Robinson prodded 10 before being bowled. Sadly Hadley was caught shortly after reaching a good fifty, but apart from Chris Rice (9) and Martin Baker (10*) the rest of the batting added very little and Camden closed on 144-9.
Warren and Baker began tightly, and Fulbourn had only a few big heaves to show as the score rose slowly and Warren took the first wicket before making way for Hadley. Baker took a wicket in his penultimate over and finished with 10-1-24-1. The home side’s middle order fell apart as Hadley took 2-19 and 14-year-old Callum Wilkinson, on debut, 2-10. Both of the accurate young seamer’s wickets came as the result of catches at mid off by Warren, the veteran seamer breaking the habits of a lifetime to take catches off bowling other than his own. Alec Armstrong was summoned to hoover up the tail (3-12) and the returning Warren (2-25) hit the stumps to bring the game to an end with the villagers 50 short.
Man of the Match: Richard Hadley
