[Cricket] Northants v Sussex County Championship 23-09-14 10.30 start

:J) said:

Just missed out:

End of over 110 (4 runs) Sussex 349/7

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Brighton Lines said:

Looks very similar to Street and Westmeston's ground (at the foot of the Downs), although I see you are in Hampshire, which doubtless has some equally attractive venues. I could easily spend an afternoon watching in a deck chair in one of those pictures.

I only played friendly village cricket on the Sussex circuit. My best bowling was 9/16 in 1992. Punctured by one of their best batsman having a huff and going home at tea. That said, when I had reached eight wickets, a young lad bowling at the other end had a caught behind turned down when the batsman was clearly out. I was rather annoyed with the umpire as I would rather have swept the lot without anyone else helping.

I've made many friends over the years, Cricket at that level is a wonderfully social game. Looks like you have played at a higher level. I did play some league stuff, with varied success (for the now defunct Peacehaven) but prefered friendlies.

I did pass fifty twice with the bat, but such were my inadequacies, at one stage it was looking likely that I would finish my playing days with more wickets than runs....

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Brighton Lines said:

Looks very similar to Street and Westmeston's ground (at the foot of the Downs), although I see you are in Hampshire, which doubtless has some equally attractive venues. I could easily spend an afternoon watching in a deck chair in one of those pictures.

I only played friendly village cricket on the Sussex circuit. My best bowling was 9/16 in 1992. Punctured by one of their best batsman having a huff and going home at tea. That said, when I had reached eight wickets, a young lad bowling at the other end had a caught behind turned down when the batsman was clearly out. I was rather annoyed with the umpire as I would rather have swept the lot without anyone else helping.

I've made many friends over the years, Cricket at that level is a wonderfully social game. Looks like you have played at a higher level. I did play some league stuff, with varied success (for the now defunct Peacehaven) but prefered friendlies.

I did pass fifty twice with the bat, but such were my inadequacies, at one stage it was looking likely that I would finish my playing days with more wickets than runs....

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mlg57 said:

AO 368 that should do.

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Guinness Boy said:

You can mention the Wiltshire batsman you got out if you want. I still count the three runs I got against Trowbridge as my best three ever - and two were off the edge.....

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mlg57 said:

Magoffin strikes 8/1

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hans kraay fan club said:

It is actually Sussex - it's Parham Park, near Storrington. It's an hour's drive from where I now live, but I don't mind - I've played there since I was 12, and spent Sundays there all my life. I don't get to play that much nowadays - 5 matches this year. The 3 generations playing together is magic.

I can identify with your batting - 2 fifties in 30 years for me, and NONE for Parham! It's clearly not an inherited thing though - my Dad has 61 tons to his name. He never chose to play serious cricket, but was a very fine cricketer. A few people on here would know an Albion fan called Jon Knight - Jon and my Dad once put on 300 for the first wicket in a (40 over) Brighton League match!

10 wickets is the holy grail. I've never done it, and never played in a match when anybody has. When I took 9, the one I didn't get was the 5th to fall, so it was never on. First game this year I actually took the first 6 to fall, and then had the next 2 dropped, before I got massive cramp! 15 overs in the first game at this age was a terrible idea, but I didn't want to come off, when the chance was there! I suffered for over a week afterwards, and my wife told me I was 'very silly'...

I once took the 10th wicket when another lad had all 9, but it was a league match with a 15 over bowler limit, and I was bowling wide of the stumps for the last 3 overs, until his quota was spent. He actually had his final over at a really young kid (12 maybe) and beat him literally every ball, but did everything but hit the stumps. Gutted!

Village cricket is in a bit of a lull right now. We regularly struggled for 11 this season, and a few opposition side arrived short, or even had to cancel through not being able to field a team. It's a worry.

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Brighton Lines said:

I haven’t played at Parham Park, although we did meet them in a home game many, many years ago.

Ironically there was a nine wicket haul by one of our chaps that day, myself being the single wicket spoiler.

The original village Bradman, Brian Huffer, was playing for Parham Park. As doubtless you know, the man was something quite special. He had averaged over 100 the previous year. We won the match, having restricted him to just 30. He got himself out (as no-one ever seemed to be able to remove him without an assisted error), otherwise we would have stood little chance.

Brian was like a throw back to a bygone age. His batting had none of the modern day perfection of technique, he just had a hawkeye that meant his front foot and his neatly angled bat moved in perfect tandem. I remember bowling him a slightly over-pitched wicket to wicket delivery and watching him gently despatch it to the mid-on boundary without a care in the world.

Brian was probably the most respected village cricketer in Sussex at that time, and for good reason.

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Brighton Lines said:

I haven’t played at Parham Park, although we did meet them in a home game many, many years ago.

Ironically there was a nine wicket haul by one of our chaps that day, myself being the single wicket spoiler.

The original village Bradman, Brian Huffer, was playing for Parham Park. As doubtless you know, the man was something quite special. He had averaged over 100 the previous year. We won the match, having restricted him to just 30. He got himself out (as no-one ever seemed to be able to remove him without an assisted error), otherwise we would have stood little chance.

Brian was like a throw back to a bygone age. His batting had none of the modern day perfection of technique, he just had a hawkeye that meant his front foot and his neatly angled bat moved in perfect tandem. I remember bowling him a slightly over-pitched wicket to wicket delivery and watching him gently despatch it to the mid-on boundary without a care in the world.

Brian was probably the most respected village cricketer in Sussex at that time, and for good reason.

As regards your concerns about village cricket, they are mirrored here. It all seems to be about league nowadays, which is a shame, as it’s one of those games people often play past retirement. The oldest player I came up against was in my first adult match, an 80 odd year old keeper called Bill Bleach. He stumped me first ball (no lie) and let very little through. I’ll never forget that evening.

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