Amersham CC Saturday 1st X1 v North Maidenhead I on Sat 18 Aug 2007 at
Match was Abandoned
Amersham maintained their third place in the Morrant Thames Valley League division 1 on Saturday as yet another round of games was severely affected by the weather. 23 games have been abandoned in the division this year, the equivalent of more than a month's worth of fixtures across the division. Consequently the points spread is much tighter than usual, with the exception of leaders Thatcham who could win the division next weekend. Issues of relegation are much less clear, however. The structure of the league pyramid means that the number of teams relegated from the division is dependent on the geographical location of the clubs finishing in the relegation places in higher divisions. At present it seems probable that three teams will be relegated from the Thames Valley League division 1, and possible that four will fall into the next level. Although lying third Amersham are only 22 points ahead of the fourth bottom club, so it is important to finish the season strongly.
North Maidenhead visited Shardeloes on Saturday and were greeted by a green looking wicket, the inevitable product of another damp week in the Chilterns. Chris Owen, standing in for Luke Jackson as captain, won the toss and chose to bat first. However, the visitors worked hard to make the most of the bowler friendly conditions and runs were hard to come by to begin with. Andy and Rob Viney batted diligently and blunted the early attack, but the scoreboard did not begin to turn quickly until Dan Colquhoun replaced the older Viney. He hit his first two balls for four before being undone by one which, perhaps, did not bounce as he expected. However, the main event of the day was just beginning at this point. Matt Crawley has played a number of significant innings this season, including a match winning performance at Marlow. Few, if any, have exceeded the severity of his 107 on Saturday and it was a pity that the weather denied Amersham the chance to seek victory based on his innings. His intentions were clear when he hit his first ball for four past the bowler. 23 balls later he had reached fifty and his century came from 52 balls, including 10 fours and 8 sixes. Statistics of this nature indicate the prolonged quality of Crawley's destructive hitting, and were recorded by Amersham's excellent and much valued scorer, Robert Edwards. Several of the sixes carried the rope by 20 or 30 yards and the North Maidenhead bowlers had no answer to his onslaught. Almost unnoticed Ollie Haddock cruised to an unbeaten 60, helping Crawley keep the strike rotating with deft deflections and the occasional dismissive extra cover drive. Haddock continued where Crawley left off, allowing Amersham to declare after 47 overs. However, the darkening clouds rolled in and yet more rain began to fall in this apology for a summer. It soon became apparent that no further play would be possible and the umpires called play off at 4.45pm. Next week Amersham travel to play Tring Park 2nd XI and would appreciate the chance to play cricket without constantly looking out for the weather!
David Atkinson
Amersham CC Saturday 1st X1 Batting
254 for 8
North Maidenhead I Bowling
North Maidenhead I Batting
0 for 0
Amersham CC Saturday 1st X1 Bowling