Scorecard

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Sunday XI v Pirton on Sun 23 Apr 2017 at 1.30pm
Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Won

Match report Car troubles was the first talking point of the day when Asps skipper Albon couldn't make it after car problems.

Stand in skipper Baxter and Pirton's captain decided it was ASPCC to bat first. A strong looking line up started with Strange opening with Clifton. From the off you could see it was going to be tough to score runs. The wicket stayed low and slow, unsurprisingly this early in the season. Both batsmen were really having to grind out runs. Strange played a couple of delightful cover drives for 4 and a couple straight to the fielder. Clifton hit some nice flicks of his own to the boundary, but the scoreboard standing at 39-0 off 14 was proving hard it was out in the middle to score runs. Strange played a great looking cut out of the middle but found gully who took a great reaction catch for Pirton, Strange out for a solid 24. Green joined Clifton but couldn't last long when he was yorked by the pacey Pirton bowler. N. Curtis was next in and sadly also fell soon after when trapped LBW off the persistent left arm spinner for 1. Grace returned for his first game of the season and looked good, building a partnership with Clifton and holding up and end. Clifton found the boundary with some top clips through the leg side boundary. Grace joined the fun with a pre-emptive slog sweep for 4. Grace then launched another 4 before being bowled (arguably for a second time) for 9. Jabar strode in at 6 looking to put a competitive total together. Clifton was trapped on the crease LBW for 30 quickly after though. Asps were struggling at 75-5 with only 10 batsmen, it got worse when I. Curtis got a straight one that stayed low giving the umpire no choice but to put his finger up. Baxter joined Jabar, and the pair was looking to get Asps to something around 120 mark. Pirton bought on a leggy to Jabar who took him for 16 in his over. Unfortunately soon after Jabar was the victim of another one staying low and crept through to bowl him for 22. Blocker Ward was the penultimate batsmen, and did a great job keeping the Pirton spinners out. Baxter at the other end was starting to find his range and smashed the spinner through the leg side a couple of times to keep the runs ticking. Ward done a good job staying in but was Pirton's 4th LBW victim of the day for 2. At 122-8 and 1 wicket left, Surrey came to the crease and looked like a top order batsmen. Surrey drove a beautiful 4 past mid off early on and Both batsmen were pushing the singles. Baxter then freed his arms with 3 overs to go, finding the midwicket, straight and cover boundary in the same over. The returning opening bowler was back with two overs to go and Baxter got stuck into him, charging down the wicket and hitting him for 3 big 6's straight back over his head in 4 balls, the third almost hitting the players in the field searching for the ball. It also bought up Baxters 50. Surrey joined the fun when he hit another fantastic drive for 4. Baxter hit 2 nice 4's back down the ground in the final over before being bowled on the penultimate ball of the innings. Baxter was out for 58 and Surrey 20*. A brilliant 50+ last wicket partnership between the pair, giving Aspenden a real good chance by posting 184 A/O.

After the Curtis Tea was demolished it was Asps turn to field. Surrey opened the bowling down the hill and bowled the left handers off stump on his 3rd ball. Ward started up the hill. Pirtons number 3 looked to hit everything, and he did for 8 overs. Ward taking the brunt of his power hitting. Ward got his revenge when he had him trapped LBW for 45. Pirton had got off to an absolute flyer thanks to the number 3, they were sitting nicely at 70-2 off 10. By the end of Surrey & Ward's 8 overs each, the game had a totally different complex. Ward's final 4 overs went for 1 wicket and 5 runs, a great recovery from the opening bowler. Surrey transferred his form with the bat to the ball as he picked up another 2 wickets in his spell leaving Pirton in the middle of a collapse. Surrey with top figures off 3-34. Strange came on for Ward to turn his arm, it worked as Strange bowled a wicket maiden giving N. Curtis his 2nd stumping in 2 games. That was Strange done for the day and Green replaced him. Down the hill was the ever improving I. Curtis, bowling with pace and accuracy. He had the batsmen playing and missing. Curtis banged in a short one and the Pirton bat absolutely nailed it to Surrey at square leg, who couldn't get out the way quick enough and plucked a fantastic catch. Green was bowling well up the hill and was unlucky when the batsmen chipped one in the air and just beat the back peddling Bear at mid on. Curtis was chipping away the other end and was rewarded with a caught and bowled which had him diving forward to catch it just center-meters from the ground. It was Curtis who finished off the innings when the Pirton bat played all around a very full straight one. Green was very economical with 5-2-4-0 and Curtis the same 6.4-2-13-3 leaving him & Surrey top of the wickets after 3 games. Top effort by all.

Special mention for Baxter & Surrey's 50+ last wicket partnership, Surrey's blinder of a catch and all of the bowlers performances. Albon for turning up 10 overs into the Pirton innings and fielding.

Fines
Bear 50p (was told it had to be put on)

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Sunday XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 9 wickets
0
184		        
Michael Strange Caught  24 39 5 61.54
Luke Clifton Lbw  30 72 41.67
Nick Green Bowled  0 4 0
Neil Curtis Lbw  1 8 12.50 1
Jaimie Grace Bowled  9 27 2 33.33
Akbar Jabar Bowled  22 19 4 1 115.79
Ian Curtis Lbw  1 4 25.00 1
Clark Baxter Bowled  58 38 7 3 152.63
Paul Ward Lbw  2 14 14.29
Benjamin Surrey Not Out  20 12 3 166.67 1
John Albon  

Pirton Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
No records to display.

Pirton Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
 
for 10 wickets
0
99 (29.4 overs)		     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Aspenden Standon & Puckeridge Sunday XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Benjamin Surrey8.0234311.334.25
Paul Ward8.0146223.005.75
Ian Curtis6.421334.331.95
Michael Strange1.01010.000.00
Nick Green5.02400.000.80