Chris

So with summer in full flight, Ives made the shortish (for some) journey to the lovely town of Hertingfordbury. In a surrounding that really lends itself to being the quintessential English cricket ground, Ives were met with a rock hard pitch and one of the fastest outfields in many a year.
So with the suntan lotion on, Ivanhoe began in the field. Despite some handy bowling spells by Ciaran and Andrew, only one wicket between them from the opening 9 overs led to the introduction of AD. After a first over where he attempted to full toss the opponent out in a Graeme Swann to Rogers fashion, however he soon settled into his rhythm, bowling one of the best spells of spin bowling I have seen. In fact it was too good, as countless times he just missed the edge of the bat or the stumps! Den followed toiling away in the heat, and can count himself very unlucky not to have at least two wickets to his name by the end of the spell!
Then it was time for the man of the hour, Golden arm himself. Earle showed the rest of the bowlers how its done. With his unorthodox technique cramping the batsmen for room and some accurate bowling, he disrupted the flow of the Hertingfordbury, finishing with 5 wickets for43! Meanwhile Adrian ”stamina” Dancer was still bowling a 17 over spell! So when the time limit eventually arrived, Ives had bowled 49 overs for only 231, pretty good going on a solid pitch and at tea Ives felt that the chase was on.
With Den and Richard opening the batting, and getting off to a good start Ives looked in a good position. When Richard departed Phil P took over the batting. An exhausted looking Den made 45, in good time before finally the heat of the day took its toll on him. Phil P, arguably the most improved batsman of this season began to take control and despite an increasing required run rate, Phil was smashing the ball about. Despite AD and Matt P’s assistance the score to chase and the overs to do it in were proving a hard task, and when Phil P eventually departed for a well earned 54, it was left to the Malcolm and Andrew to round off the innings, and settle for a draw.
Despite falling short Ives can take a lot of credit from their batting display. If the overs had been equal, or even 2 more to Ivanhoe they would have made the total. Still in order to win games like this Ives must also look at the areas in which they can improve, runs can be saved by a change in the manner in which they field, and this may in the coming weeks prove to be the difference between wins, draws and losses. Still a good display from Ives in which the majority of the game can leave Ivanhoe with plenty of positives!

Mentally wrung out after watching England just pull off a last gasp Ashes victory so nothing left to write a match report of any length.

Suffice to say on another hot sunny afternoon, in a time game, Arkley scored 208 for 7 with a century for their opener Candy (118no) assisted by a couple or more missed chances to remove him. Andy H took 3 for 80 in 14 overs, and their was one wicket for Richard and 2 for Earle in an excellent spell of 2 for 32 in 7 overs, with one run out.

In reply promoted to open, Richard (36) with Den (58) put on 103 for the 1st wicket in 19 overs but when both were dismissed in successive overs followed quickly by Bob and Phil P and the momentum was lost despite Adrian (24) and Matt P having a brief flurry. In the end the match petered out as Ives shut up shop with 5 overs to go to close on 162 for 7 and a drawn game.

Two match reports in one as despite being played on completely different pitches both matches were similar in many respects.
Played on the hottest weekend for some seasons Ives batted first on both days and whilst on an unpredictable pitch against Chaseville with the ball regularly keeping low or lifting unpredictably throughout the innings there was some excuse for only registering 72 with no one making double figures against some good bowling particularly from the Chaseville skippers excellent leg spin, to register only 146 against North Mymms on a perfect batting strip on Sunday was well under par with 200+ always going to be needed to have any chance of a win. Den, Earle & Richard all got into their 20’s and were going well but couldn’t go on to make the big score needed and & it was only with the aid of Andy H’s 22 towards the end of the innings aided by Ciarans 15no that the score of 146 was achieved.

So defending low totals in both matches, only Ciaran on Saturday with 2 early wickets and Adrian on Sunday dismissing the North Mymms opener made any inroads as inevitable defeats followed as, particularly on Sunday, the North Mymms batsmen showed how it should be done and a lesson to all to try and stick in there longer and the runs will come.

Finally, the last day of June approached “blazing”, and as summer arrived so did Xmas, with skipper Adrian electing to bat after winning the toss, and allowing his team to remain in the shade during the hottest part of the day.
With the team at 9 for 2, he must have been regretting this decision and whilst things had stabilised (whilst Ciaran fell asleep) after 10 overs the score was still only 19-2 , so defeat was clearly the likely option! The opening bowlers bowled well and gave little away , but eventually occupation of the crease led to boundaries and first Bob moved the score along , and then latterly Phil P spectacularly attacked the bowling so they both reached 60 around the same time. Having put on 132 , the score of 141 was looking promising and 200 was on the cards. Games can turn in a moment and this was the case when a tired Phil raised his head and tried to pull a ball that kept low… cue scattered stumps and Bamville celebrations. The young spinner then removed Phil K and Richard, with neither troubling the scorers and Ives became becalmed in the crucial last overs. Bob (71) left soon after to the same young spinner and it was left to Adrian (16 not out) and Matt P (10 not out) to add 25 runs and set a score that after 10 overs had looked beyond us, but after 30 overs was certainly less than expected and hoped for.

After the usual Bamville hospitality with a sumptuous tea ( up there for tea of the season?) Ivanhoe took the field with the beginnings of a breeze. 1st over Ciaran bowled his best ball of the season to remove one opener and a few overs later Richard took a spectacular catch to leave Bamville in some disarray. The fielding of Ivanhoe was much improved as we sensed victory but hardly a chance was offered and Bamville skipper John Smith, always the batting danger man, again proved a thorn in Ives side. He played the initial overs cautiously with a solid and textbook defence but when the bad ball came it was dispatched violently to the boundary. As the overs progressed his scoring rate increased so that Ives were unable to increase the run rate required. His supporting partner played a vital role and also punished the bad ball. Many bowlers were tried but the next wicket did not fall until too late .. and Bamville finished with just 4 wickets down and 11 balls to spare.

Despite the defeat this match (as usual) was a highlight of the season – venue/hospitality/attitude and sportsmanship of Bamville and Ives performance was a creditable one, recovering from a bad start whilst batting and sticking to the fielding task with determination throughout.

On the positive side another lovely ground, excellent tea, friendly opposition and most importantly a welcome back to the skipper for his first game of the season. Unfortunately after taking 3 quick wickets after a good Aspenden opening first wicket stand to reduce them to 75 for 3 a quick fire 66 from the their No 5 took the game away from Ives, not helped by the fielding and catching on the day not being up to scratch, thus allowing Aspenden to close on 243 for 7. Wickets were evenly spread with 2 for Lawrence and Earle and 1 each for Ciaran, Richard and Dan, with 1 looping caught behind for Bob. Overall maybe our worst fielding display of the season.

In reply apart from Den (25), Bob (30), and Richard (36), the latter two putting together a 40 run 4th wicket stand, the scorers were not particularly troubled as Ives fell well short of the target, bowled out for 121.

Batting first Phil P (15) and Den (37) with a 2nd wicket stand of 50 took the score to 62 for 2 after 14 overs and a 200+ score looked on the cards. However with 3 wickets then falling in quick succession it was a 6th wicket stand of 69 between Phil K (38) and Andy H (26) that rescued the innings albeit that following their departure the final 3 wickets fell in an over as Ives closed on 168 all out with 4 overs still left to bowl.

In reply Den bowled an excellent 8 over spell deserving of more than his 3 for 26 and Ciaran bowled tightly without any luck, taking 1 for 27. With Hatch End on 65 for 6 an easy victory seemed assured but as with the Ives innings a stand of 72 took Hatch End to within sniffing distance of victory before Lawrence (2 for 30) struck with Hatch End needing 37 for victory. Aided by 2 run outs in a tense finish Richard, having gone for 6 the ball before, and with only 6 needed for victory, bowled the Hatch End No 7 for 50 to win the game for the Ives.

Well it wasn’t quite blazing June, but the sun came out and the wind dropped .. and this brought out some of the Ivanhoe walking wounded (good to see Andy and his carer Adrian.. or is it the other way round).

Congratulations to Andy H for managing to get a fixture with all the changes mid week.. and what a lovely venue it is , with the best tea of the year so far, and friendly opponents who play the game in exactly the right spirit. This included lending us young Ben Drane to ensure we have had 11 players for all 11 aside games this year!

And so to the cricket.. following a narrow loss here last year, we again took on the 40 over format, and after winning the toss, conservatively put Hawridge in to bat.

Early success came with Ciaran knocking the stumps over to remove one opener. The next pair consolidated and whilst they did not get away they had a healthy 4+ an over after 10 overs. Ciaran bowled his 8 overs straight though, and bowling just short of a length, on a slow uneven track, proved to be an excellent tactic. Certainly Drane senior played too early and lofted a catch to no one, but it also prompted an unwise run and the chance for Drane Jr to calmly run his father out! Something for the Drane family to discuss for years to come. Bass and then Den at the other end also had the batsmen thinking. Along with the economical Den , Richard and Andy H (both 8 overs, 2 for 22), then strangled the middle order and run rate fell. After they completed their spells Earle bowled a maiden and Bass bowled 2 balls to finish their innings, a few overs short of 40 with 139 all out posted. Some excellent fielding supported the bowlers.. not least from Ben Drane and Joe with Earle, Chris P and Bass defending the boundaries effectively.

Tea could have been responsible for a slower paced game after the break.. best of the season so far.. next Ives tea person take note!

Ben opened with 3 hard hit boundaries but then perished at 16-1. Earle stayed a little while but also fell to swing bowling leaving Bob to join Den and consolidate and try to accumulate. Initially the accumulation was left to Den! After 20 overs Ives reached 72-2 , over half way and firmly on top. Unfortunately Den departed immediately afterwards – which could have been a crucial breakthrough for Hawridge. Luckily the in form Malcolm arrived determined to maintain momentum. He did this effectively and ensured that the gradually mounting run rate was reduced, so that when he was run out little more than 3 an over was required. Finally Bob was scoring more freely and with Ciaran they saw the game home with a few overs to spare.. a classic jug avoidance with the winning run taking Bob to exactly 49 (are you sure the scorers triple checked?????).

So a 6wkt win with everyone contributing in a friendly enjoyable match. All looks good for the skipper to take over in 2 weeks time!

After last week’s fine batting performance old frailties returned as Ives attempted to chase down a challenging score set by Battersea Badgers.

Bowling first Andy H bowled 2 excellent spells to finish with 3 for 17 in 9 overs and with Bass also bowling well for his 5 overs for 22 runs the early scoring was held in check. Wickets from Den, Ciaran and Earle and two from Richard with catches also from Matt, Den, Earle(2) and Richard plus an excellent run out from Phil P held what looked at one time being a 220/230 score to 202 for 9 at tea.

Unfortunately early wickets fell to the Battersea bowling attack to leave the Ives innings in disarray at 38 for 7 with only Andy H making double figures. Then Ciaran playing a resolute stone wall defence albeit for only 4 before he was out and then Earle and Malcolm 29no took the innings towards an unlikely draw with 6 overs remaining, but with the fall of Earle for 17 the last 2 wickets quickly fell to leave Ives 76 all out and an emphatic loss.

On another overcast day Ives were put into bat in a time game and made steady progress against nagging bowling from the Mathews openers. Helped by some missed catches Den (30) & Bob (26) put on 51 for the opening stand which was the starter before the main course as first Raj Shah in his debut game for the club and then Richard upped the pace putting on 70 for the 3rd wicket in quick time before Raj was bowled for a fine 52. Richard carried on to score an excellent 59 helped first by Matthew (21) and then Malcolm (22) as the runs piled up and Ives declared on 228 – 7 with 1 ball remaining.

In reply Tim took the first early wicket to a fine catch by Ciaran but Mathews accumulated runs at a quick rate as wickets failed to come. Andy H and Raj plugged away and Raj took the 2nd wicket but this failed to stem the flow entirely and 109 were required off the last 20 overs with 8 wickets in hand. Eventually Richard removed the dangerous Mathews No 3 for 91 to a catch by Tim and with Den, and then at the end of the innings, Andy H joining Richard the last over came with Mathews requiring 7 to win. Thanks to excellent fielding by Ciaran turning what looked like being a 4 into 2 and a run out by Malcolm only 5 were conceded by Richard for the tightest of draws as the game finished with Mathews on 227 for 5 and a memo to Bob not to declare with 1 ball remaining next time!

Whilst persistent heavy showers eventually caused the match to be abandoned, at that point with 10 overs to go in a time match all 3 results were still possible.

Having won the toss Bob elected to bat and against a good opening spell from the Arkley openers runs were hard to come by averaging only 2 an over in the first 12 overs. Den quickly departed and it was Phil P coming in at No 3 who was to hold the innings together firstly with a partnership with Bob (24) and then as wickets fell, leaving Ives on 68 for 5 and in danger of not posting a competitive score, with Malcolm (15). Phil finally departed for 58 and Earle then took up the challenge with a quick 21 not out at the end for the rain interrupted innings to close on 151 for 8.

Heavy rain showers continued after tea forcing the teams off on a number of occasions. Throughout this Ciaran bowled an excellent spell in difficult conditions taking 3 for 47 in 13 overs. Similarly Den with 0 for 47 in 11. Excellent fielding and two brilliant catches by Matt P and Den helped keep the scoring in check and with Richard taking 1 for 3 in 1.5 overs before the rain finally won the day the match was abandoned with Arkley 88 for 4 and 10 overs remaining.