Bristol Venturers Cricket Club
Longney Longhorns vs Vs 22 May 2022
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Our first sunday game of the season saw blue sky and white clouds as we travelled up the M5 to play Longney Longhorns in Frampton-on-Severn.
The pitch was dry, the outfield a bit slow and boundaries quite long so the batsmen would have to work for their runs today.
Ben was skipper again and won his second toss of the season. This time he decided we should field first.
It was a Venturers side packed with bowlers and allrounders, so it seemed a good decision.
It was good to see Mike back in the team after a three year absence and very soon he was running in to bowl the first ball and a very accurate first over.
Mike & Lol bowled an excellent new ball spell at the Longney openers. Swift and accurate and maybe a little unlucky that neither of them got a breakthrough. The openers were careful(despite a couple of miscalls which almost caused runouts) and they appeared to be settling in although only a shade over 2-an-over.
Ben handled the bowling changes very well as he had 8 bowlers to juggle around with. Next up was John Hirst who found his length almost immediately and kept a good line throughout his spell. At the other end, DaveM had a bit of good fortune and made the breakthrough with the opener lunging forward and playing on to his own stumps. 24 for 1.
The Vs were very alert in the field and not much was getting through to the boundary. John & Dave managed to keep a lid on the batsmen and by the drinks break they were only 46 for 1 off 17.
Straight after drinks Dave struck again removing the other opener LBW. 48 for 2.
Ben rang the bowling changes again with Avneet and Ajay bowling in tandem. We were giving very little away in the field. Lol, in particular, was hurling himself around in the covers and almost pulled off a dramatic diving catch from Ajay. It was Ajay who made the next breakthrough, bowling their No 3. 85 for 3.
Gradually the Longney batters picked up the scoring rate, but they were never really on top. Ben & Jon Price bowled a few overs and then Mike & Lol returned for the last few overs.
In an eventful final over Mike took two in two, both cleaned bowled, the first removing their best batsman who was unlucky to fall for 49(first innings after a hip op, apparently). The hat trick was avoided but there was a chaotic run out and a couple more singles and Longney were left with 144 for 6 from their 35 overs.
Mike 6-0-19-2, Lol 5-1-19-0, JohnH 5-0-17-0, DaveM 5-1-12-2, Avneet 4-2-17-0, Ajay 5-0-16-1, Ben 3-0-22-0, JonP 2-0-16-0.
A good tight bowling performance from the Vs to keep them down to just over 4-an-over.
We all enjoyed a break for tea and Ben mulled over his batting options. Again, quite a solid line-up and we felt a good start would see us through.
Of course, we didn't get a good start. In fact it was quite disastrous and all down to one bowler. Rosie Grist, who we guessed might have played for Gloucestershire women, bowled a phenomenal opening spell of swing bowling. She quickly had Robin caught behind with an unplayable away swinger. Then Rich came and went in the bat of an eyelid, clean bowled by another corker. 4 for 2.
Then Patrick was was the unfortunate recipient of a 'diamond duck' when Jon called him for a 'quick' single only to get a direct hit from deep mid off and he was run out by a mile. 7 for 3.
Jon himself was LBW to Rosie after two previous LBW appeals were turned down.....he couldn't get away with it a third time!
9 for 4.....and we were in the 8th over.....Carnage.
It needed calm heads and straight bats for a few overs to steady the ship. Ben & Ajay were just the right blokes for the job.
Fortunately, the opening bowlers were rested and our batters found themselves in calmer waters. Both of them found the boundary a few times and were rotating the strike nicely. By the drinks break we had hauled ourselves above 50 for 4.
Ben dropped anchor and Ajay unfurled some sublime pull shots which seemed effortless, whipping them away to the mid wicket boundary time after time. Ben was dropped in the covers and the Vs spectators started to think in terms of a win.
Ajay reached a brilliant half century in the 24th over and the Vs 100 came up in the next over.
With 8 overs to go, only 31 runs were required and we all wore big smiles.
BUT then Rosie returned for her last two overs.
She struck immediately with Ajay pushing forward and getting a leading edge to mid off. 114 for 5. The end of a marvellous 105 stand and Ajay's 60 included 9 boundaries, all beautifully timed.
Then, with her final ball of her spell, Rosie removed Ben, clean bowled for 36. 119 for 6. A fine captains innings with just 3 boundaries, but he had almost got us over the line.
Then the jitters set in. Avneet ran himself out for 3. 124 for7.
Lol was bowled by a well-flighted slower ball for 7. 128 for 8.
It seemed like we had got so close but were managing to lose it.
Suddenly 17 were needed from the final 3 overs with Mike and John at the wicket and only DaveM left quaking in his pads on the boundary.
Then it was 15 from the last 2. Both batsmen were alert to all running opportunities and ran some risky singles, then Mike relieved the pressure with a much needed boundary and so we needed 7 off the final over.
Again Mike found the boundary off the first ball, then they scrambled an impossible bye, then there was a wide to bring the scores level and then John casually glanced one through the point region and we were home by a whisker with three balls remaining. It wouldn't be a proper Venturers victory without all the drama!!!
Mike & John made a crucial stand of 17 in the last 3 overs. Nerves of steel....
So, a great days cricket from both sides. Rosie Grist picked up amazing figures 7-2-6-5 but was still on the losing side.
We all had a drink with the Longhorns afterwards and then a few of us returned to the Welly to celebrate further.
Well played Venturers. Bring on Hillesley!!
Dave.
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We were: Rich, Dave M.,Barry, Jon, Ivor, Avneet, Ben, Geoff, Harley, Dave J., Rohan (capt). And it was played at Frampton-on-Severn. 30 overs.
The village green in Frampton is gem of a venue which on a sunny seekend is notable for the odd horse-drawn carriage, passing agricultural vehicles, pints clinking at the pub just beyond the startlingly short boundary, and thankfully protective netting. It looked like an opportunity for batsmen to fill their boots.
The Venturers batted first with what looked like an experimental top order. You might wonder why the skipper put himself in at no. 11 (see above batting order) but he'd earlier had an argument with a dustbin and fractured his left foot, so it was Rich and Dave M. (a first-time opener) who had first look at the wicket. It wasn't an encouraging start - the Longhorns' bowling was straight, and both openers having got off the mark were soon trudging off, Rich bowled and Dave offering a catch to mid-on. Barry, keen to get on the scoreboard didn't, as he lobbed one to cover in the 6th over, 12 for 3, but Jon and Ivor slowly began a rescue mission, and in 12 overs put on 85 until Ivor, over-eager for once, was easily stumped for 37. Avneet got off the mark with a nice cut for one, but then middled one to mid-wicket. This was a pity, but it was the last wicket to fall as Ben and Jon, who was again using the Perry bat, got the hang of the small boundaries. Ben assumed the role of supporting Jon who, almost chancelessly ( just one snick over the keeper) sailed past his 50... and, with the occasional help of innaccurate bowling, through to the nervous nineties (not for him but for us watching) to his glorious maiden hundred. There were 16 fours and 3 sixes, one damaging the roof near the pub. The Venturers total after 30 overs was 214, with Jon on 114 Not Out, and Ben on 23, who'd hit 3 fours and was clearly enjoying himself. The extras amounted to 37(!) and the welcome tea was a real contender.
The Longhorns' opening batsmen began smoothly against the bowling of Geoff and Avneet, and then Barry and Rich, but without getting near the required 7 an over rate (80 off 16) so we were reasonably happy at drinks. Wickets started to clatter from then on, however, with spinning-guile from DJ and DM, who achieved a caught and bowled in his second over, and DJ. hitting the middle stump twice in his first over. Another one came in his third over (middle stump), another in his fifth, and to complete a five-for , an LBW in his sixth, though he was glad to get off as his bowling rhythm had oddly disintegrated.(5-13). Ivor bowled three tidy overs in his now familiar style in tandem with DM at the end, and picked up two wickets for 7 - the Longhorns finished on145-9 , so we'd won by 69 runs.
It's sometimes the case that opening seamers bust a gut early on with no reward only to see slower bowlers, seemingly not breaking- sweat, later cash in, and so it was today....but the V's looked like a team, fielded well on an unusual pitch and featured a century and a five-for. Thanks are due to Rohan who trotted around manfully without complaint in the field...get well soon....and I think that Chris Perry's bat is starting to look like Jon's bat. Up the V'S. For the record : Geoff 5-1-16-0: Avneet 4-1-19-0: Barry 4-0-15-0: Rich 3-0-23-0: DM 5-0-49-1: DJ 6-2-13-5: Ivor 3-1-7-2. DJ.
We were: Rich, Dave M.,Barry, Jon, Ivor, Avneet, Ben, Geoff, Harley, Dave J., Rohan (capt). And it was played at Frampton-on-Severn. 30 overs.
The village green in Frampton is gem of a venue which on a sunny seekend is notable for the odd horse-drawn carriage, passing agricultural vehicles, pints clinking at the pub just beyond the startlingly short boundary, and thankfully protective netting. It looked like an opportunity for batsmen to fill their boots.
The Venturers batted first with what looked like an experimental top order. You might wonder why the skipper put himself in at no. 11 (see above batting order) but he'd earlier had an argument with a dustbin and fractured his left foot, so it was Rich and Dave M. (a first-time opener) who had first look at the wicket. It wasn't an encouraging start - the Longhorns' bowling was straight, and both openers having got off the mark were soon trudging off, Rich bowled and Dave offering a catch to mid-on. Barry, keen to get on the scoreboard didn't, as he lobbed one to cover in the 6th over, 12 for 3, but Jon and Ivor slowly began a rescue mission, and in 12 overs put on 85 until Ivor, over-eager for once, was easily stumped for 37. Avneet got off the mark with a nice cut for one, but then middled one to mid-wicket. This was a pity, but it was the last wicket to fall as Ben and Jon, who was again using the Perry bat, got the hang of the small boundaries. Ben assumed the role of supporting Jon who, almost chancelessly ( just one snick over the keeper) sailed past his 50... and, with the occasional help of innaccurate bowling, through to the nervous nineties (not for him but for us watching) to his glorious maiden hundred. There were 16 fours and 3 sixes, one damaging the roof near the pub. The Venturers total after 30 overs was 214, with Jon on 114 Not Out, and Ben on 23, who'd hit 3 fours and was clearly enjoying himself. The extras amounted to 37(!) and the welcome tea was a real contender.
The Longhorns' opening batsmen began smoothly against the bowling of Geoff and Avneet, and then Barry and Rich, but without getting near the required 7 an over rate (80 off 16) so we were reasonably happy at drinks. Wickets started to clatter from then on, however, with spinning-guile from DJ and DM, who achieved a caught and bowled in his second over, and DJ. hitting the middle stump twice in his first over. Another one came in his third over (middle stump), another in his fifth, and to complete a five-for , an LBW in his sixth, though he was glad to get off as his bowling rhythm had oddly disintegrated.(5-13). Ivor bowled three tidy overs in his now familiar style in tandem with DM at the end, and picked up two wickets for 7 - the Longhorns finished on145-9 , so we'd won by 69 runs.
It's sometimes the case that opening seamers bust a gut early on with no reward only to see slower bowlers, seemingly not breaking- sweat, later cash in, and so it was today....but the V's looked like a team, fielded well on an unusual pitch and featured a century and a five-for. Thanks are due to Rohan who trotted around manfully without complaint in the field...get well soon....and I think that Chris Perry's bat is starting to look like Jon's bat. Up the V'S. For the record : Geoff 5-1-16-0: Avneet 4-1-19-0: Barry 4-0-15-0: Rich 3-0-23-0: DM 5-0-49-1: DJ 6-2-13-5: Ivor 3-1-7-2. DJ.