Scorecard

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Saturday League Team v Stansted on Sat 24 Apr 2010 at 1.30pm
Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Lost 5 wickets

Match report A perfect sun soaked day for the opening home game of the season, with the pitch looking like something off the front cover of a Wisden journal, thanks to Alec and Michael Strange for the hard work and prepartion in delivering our stage for us to perform.
Our opponents, a full strength Stansted side, freshly promoted! It was obvious from the start they wanted to prove thier metal against a weakened Asp's side. Missing several key players this early into the season,so much so that no fewer than four players were loaned to us from Stansted. All of varying quality and all of which played their part in this David vs Goliath contest.
Clifton winning the toss put the Asp's into bat and it was clear from the start that Stansted were going to give no quater. A very strong and young bowling attack peppered the opening pair of Strange and Devonshire senior, but a solid start was required and delivered with fifty ticking onto the board for no loss.
Unfortunately Devonshire did eventually fall to a great catch for 12,bringing Clifton to the Crease. Strange followed Devonshire back to the Pavillion for 42 after throwing his bat at a ball that looked tree bound, only to hit middle stump.
However a return for an old face to The Green in the form of Potter, words that will be all too familiar during his winter fasting such as slimline, wafer thin, diet and Low Calorie! These words would also apptly describe his four ball Duck!
A plucky and mature cameo from young Fitzgerald...certainly a player for the future, could not stop the rot and wickets continued to tumble with both Lindsay and Fitzgerald taking the long walk back to the pavillion for 7.
Some Mongoose fun from Leggy (a loan player) pushed the scoreboard along, but Clifton was running out of partners like a desperate Katie Price!
Albon came to face the last remaining balls but was not going to damage his early season averages and both Clifton 44 and Albon 0 finished the innings not out.
With 177 on the board an early breakthrough was going to be essential, however the opening pair of Potter and Lindsay although reasonbly tight, lacked real bite and the Stansted pair were able to settle and comfortably tick the board over. Clifton and Albon paired again, with the ball this time, but like the batting proved dissapointing.
It was left to Strange and Fitzgerald from two opposite ends of the Aspenden Accademy to make the Breakthrough. Strange finishing with a respectable 3 for 19 and Fitzgerald should have been rewarded for his efforts had it not been for some Casper like missed catches from both Clifton and Lindsay. Clifton's being far harder than Lindsay's!
Unfortunately it was a case of "If only's",if chances had been taken and if earlier. Then just may be things would have been a little different.
All said and done it was a good performance from the team and everyone performed one way or the other to make this an entertaining game against a cracking bunch of lads from Stansted.
I'm sure we will build on this performance and I'm sure we will have our share of victories this year, but this day belonged to Goliath!

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Saturday League Team Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
177		        
John Albon Not Out  0
A.N. Other  
Luke Clifton Not Out  44
A.N. Other  
Reece Fitzgerald Caught  7
Simon Lindsay Caught  7
Michael Strange Bowled  42
Gordon Devonshire Bowled  12
A.N. Other  
Mark Potter Bowled  0
A.N. Other  

Stansted Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Stansted Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 5 wickets
0
178 (0.0 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Saturday League Team Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Michael Strange9.021936.332.11
Luke Clifton4.002200.005.50
John Albon6.112500.004.05
Reece Fitzgerald5.003800.007.60
Simon Lindsay7.0026126.003.71
Mark Potter5.012300.004.60