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HomeCRICKETKemsing defend 143 run total in KCVL Division 3 tussle

Kemsing defend 143 run total in KCVL Division 3 tussle

On the day that the Kemsing opening bowler, Stuart Barnes, was enjoying the triumphant Somerset team’s success in the One Day Cup as their bowling coach, his team was showing some resolve in a slightly less salubrious setting at the Sir Mark Collet Pavilion, Kemsing. However, the slope is the same and the celebrations similar.

Kemsing welcomed Flimwell on a glorious spring afternoon, with the wicket hard and the daisies on the outfield recovered from their trim on Wednesday. Skipper Grahame Wood lost the toss and they were asked to bat. The Flimwell bowlers were top-notch, with barely a delivery off-line, as you can tell by the fact that the first wicket of Jake Wood, fell in the 13th over with the score on 27. Wood senior following a few overs later, Kemsing were fairly stagnant at the halfway stage on 66-2.

However, a renaissance led by James Walkling (49) and ably assisted by Damien Saville (22) and Will Rippon (15) gave the innings more impetus against the still impressive bowling by the away team. Unfortunately, the innings fell away once these three had departed, thanks mainly to the bowling of the now retired, but still very wily, John Bates, who made the mistake of advising the skipper that he was coming to watch. 3-11 in 5 overs!

Unbeknown to the the visiting team, the Kemsing players were girding their loins with some intent, as they had successfully defended a lot less than 143 only three years ago! The score was perfectly defendable with the right mindset and appropriate execution of skills.

And so it was. After Nizam’s second over was a bit wayward, also accounting for a serious finger injury to keeper Paul Bean, who bravely carried on, the experienced Roger Shaddock was invited to bowl and did not disappoint, as he pinned Stuart Woodroofe against middle stump in his second over.

In the next over, Wood senior, with his tail up, took two wickets, to have Flimwell teetering on 26-3. Shaddock (2-21) was relentless from one end, bowling a succession of yorkers and slower balls and to the surprise of everyone, actually uprooting the off stump for his 2nd wicket, while the other bowlers operated at the opposite end.

Ian Wise bowled well, without luck, but Saville (2-17)  turned the ball sufficiently to cause some consternation. Wood (3-12)  had one more over after Shaddock’s spell ended, taking another wicket, after which the infrequent bowling skills of the man with a broken shoulder, Walkling, were utilised. His cheeky spell of 2-9, including the wicket of the best batsman, Theo Rimmer (32), who was trying to win the game on his own, will often be mentioned over the coming weeks.

91 all out in 33.2 overs. A cracking win for Kemsing, the result of a lot of focus and some superb bowling and fielding, which puts them at the top end of the table after just three matches.

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