Match Reports 2002
Click here if you would like to view the final1stX1 league averages as prepared by Chris Vagg (inc 07/09/02). Click here for the Second X1 league averages for 2002.
28/09/02
Neil Park's X1 156
Paul Benson's X1 156 for 7
Neil Park's X1 : Ray Turner, Mickey Joyce, Bob Conquest, Neil Park, Greg Crawley, Malcolm Wood, Chris Vagg, Tom Wortley, Ken Wright, Dave Brazier, Alistair Gordon
Paul Benson's X1 : Andy Conway, Delroy Gordon, Tony Phillips, Ross Jacobs, Peter Aldous, Steve Freeman, Bill Bessant, Keith Rodgers, Ian Park, Paul Benson, Ted Giles
The opposition for both the firsts' and seconds' matches cried off, so this inter-club match was hastily arranged in their place. It was a perfect late summer's day and fittingly the game finished in a tie, with no hint of contrivance from the players, or loyal umpires Dave Harris and Mike Pratt or indeed ace scorers Irene Harris (hello Irene!!) and Frank Butler.
Once the names had been drawn out of a hat, Neil Park's side batted first while the Paul Benson X1 took the field. The Park X1 found runs difficult to come by against Peter Aldous and Harry Potter look-alike Bill Bessant, who conjured up a magic spell (geddit?). After a couple of boundaries from Mickey Joyce, Aldous proved to be a lively proposition and claimed three wickets in his first spell including skipper Park to a sharp catch by lissom slip fielder Andy Conway.
Greg Crawley offered some solid resistance and Malcolm Wood played a couple of nice drives, to retrieve the position a little for the Park team. Chris Vagg finally emerged from his hiding place in the pavilion to play a typically fluent innings of 53, in the company of Tom Wortley (17). Steve Freeman had no trouble getting rid of Vagg when he was introduced into the attack however, thanks to a nicely held catch on the mid-wicket boundary by Tony 'Golden Hands' Phillips. Ken Wright (28 not out) helped to take the score to 156 when a returning Peter Aldous picked up his 4th wicket by removing last man Alistair Gordon for 4.
The Benson X1 reply got underway with Andy Conway (15) and Delroy Gordon (19) thrashing opening bowlers Vagg and Wright to all parts of the square. Tony Phillips (27) and Ross Jacobs (56) picked up the run-rate, leaving Bessant (18) to guide the innings home, which he managed not to do when Vagg bowled him with 3 left to win off 3 balls. Keith Rodgers and Ian Park kept their heads to run singles off the last 2 balls to bring the scores level, and leave both sides claiming a moral victory. But do you know (as the vicar said), at the end of the day it was cricket that was the winner.
The beer flowed in the pavilion, with jugs galore, including one from Ross Jacobs who was delighted to celebrate a first 50 for the club. Many stayed on into the evening despite the sight of Ian Park's shirt, which has now been issued with a government health warning.
21/09/02
Worcester Park 1stX1 178 for 7
Woodmansterne 1stX1 167 for 7
This was a forty over friendly match, played in good spirit by both sides. Worcester Park batted first, against the Woods new ball attack of Thompson (1 for 17 in 8) and Wright (2 for 20 in 8). They both bowled well and kept the runs in check, with Wright taking the first two wickets to fall. A little later when the Worcester Park skipper was looking dangerous he was bowled by Rob Hicks. Tony Phillips picked up a couple of wickets, Woods catching being improved by Dominic Fell who guested for them and held two skiers confidently. Mickey Joyce also held a sharp slip catch off Thompson when he returned to the attack. Left hander Hill played a sheet anchor role for 39, while Ball (59 not out) played some good attacking strokes towards the end of the innings.
Woods lost opener Neil Park for 18 after he had tried to repeat a pull for 6 and was caught on the boundary. Mickey Joyce and Bill Bessant then added 93 for the second wicket, largely against the spinners. With round about 5 an over required it really needed one of them to stay there to see the job through, but Bessant was stumped for 50 and Joyce followed 17 runs later for 47.
The incoming batsmen had to deal with pace at one end and tempting spin at the other, which, as the pressure grew, led to a total 4 Woods batsmen being stumped. Only Phillips (12) of the remaining batsmen managed double figures, and with the run rate ever increasing Woods fell just short of their target. Worcester Park spinner Stemp picked up 4 for 45.
Dave Pryor, though not playing turned up to support the team, though he was distracted for most of the time by the display from the local wildlife.
Over on 'The Street' ground the Seconds were taking on Croydon Spinners. In a high scoring match Croydon Spinners knocked up 270 for 5 (Jotty 100, Gobi 75), and Woods made a brave reply with 251 for 8 (Tim Scott 55, Greg Crawley 38, Malcolm Wood 42).
14/09/02
Beddington 216 for 5 declared
Woodmansterne 118
Woods skipper Chris Vagg lost the toss in this traditional friendly fixture with Beddington, and was asked to field first. Bessant and Selby opened the bowling for Woods and kept things fairly tight. Bessant was particularly accurate and took the first wicket thanks to an alert stumping by keeper Pryor. The second wicket fell when Pryor held a leg side catch off the same bowler to leave the home side reeling (!?) at 54 for 2.
Selby was replaced by Glen Thompson, who bowled well without much luck, and Ross Jacobs took over from Bessant. Jacobs took a wicket with his first ball thanks to a catch by Dave Brazier and followed this up with another wicket when Chris Vagg held a skier, much to the distress of Pryor who could see Vagg overtaking him in the catches department.
Lester (71) and Cummins (63 not out) then began to dominate the bowling and put together an attractive partnership of 131. Vagg rotated his bowlers, trying Paul Benson and Tom Stoker, and gave Selby a second spell which lasted about 8 deliveries before Selby collapsed in a heap on the pitch in a desperate attempt to gain sympathy.
After a good tea (special catering correspondent Jason Hiscox would have been impressed) Tom Stoker and Ray Turner opened the batting for Woods. They put on 28 for the first wicket before Turner departed for 6, and then Stoker and Brazier (who made an attractive 37) added 30 for the second wicket before Stoker was out for a determined 13. Vagg (14) and Brazier looked in command until Vagg gave a snick to the keeper, which could be heard all around the ground. Jacobs and Bessant both disappointed with their shot selection (if you can call it that) and apart from Pryor (22) the rest of the batting fell away. Jim Selby hobbled to the crease with Pryor as his runner, and the latter did his best to get Selby run out, his plan being foiled when Selby holed out. Spinners Baker and (3 for 40) and Lewis (4 for 15) did the damage for the home side. Woods were in fine form in the bar, and enjoyed a delicious drop of Young's bitter before returning to the Club to complete the inebriation process.
The Thirds drew against Cheam. Cheam made 249 (Ted Giles 5 for 17 and Ken Wright 3 for 34) and Woods replied with 193 for 6, Mickey Joyce continuing his great season with 117 not out.
Englefield Green 1st X1 210 for 7 declared (8 points)
Woodmansterne 1st X1 126 for 7 (3 points)
Woods skipper Neil park won then toss and inserted the opposition, as you do, and looked to his pace attack of James Selby and Peter Aldous to make inroads into the Englefield batting. Aldous took 2 for 50 and Selby 2 for 92 in a marathon 22 over spell, but Englefield Green were indebted to Wright's fine 124 not out (well played Ken!). Glen Thompson bowled well for his 1 for 20 in 7 overs, and Dave Clisby was delighted when the skipper finally buckled under the weight of his nagging and was put on to bowl. Clisby was even more delighted when Hiscox picked up a catch from one his flighted specials. The other highlight for Woods in the field was Dave Pryor's fine achievement in conceding a mere 100 byes for the season.
In reply a rather depleted Woods batting line up managed 126 for 7, Hiscox top-scoring with 26 and Park making 21.
Englefield Green 2nd X1 143 (2 points)
Woodmansterne 2nd X1 147 for 3 (20 points)
Woods had to win this match to make certain of their continued 1st division status, and this they duly achieved with an emphatic 7 wicket win. Englefield started brightly but Vagg soon struck, clean bowling the number 2 bat. Bessant bowled steadily at the other end and picked up 4 wickets in all, mainly due to the batsmen going for their shots on a rather sluggish surface. Good catches were held off his bowling by Jacobs and Vagg. The innings was held together by Dixon (68) but when Ian Park came on to bowl he dismissed Ahmed for 13 and then claimed the prize wicket of Dixon, both in his first over. Englefield only had 9 men so when Tony Phillips picked up the number 9 caught and bowled their innings came to a close.
Woods needed a solid start and this was provided for them by Ray Turner (35) and Mickey Joyce (45) who put on a very solid 70 for the first wicket, which included an all-run 3, a breathtaking event for batsmen and spectators alike. When Turner was out, James Yerbury (51) soon took command and launched a blistering assault on the Englefield bowling. With 21 needed to win he struck 6,4,4,6 and then was bowled with the scores level. Chris Vagg duly knocked off the winning runs, to bring Woods a welcome victory.
The Thirds drew their friendly with Beddington. Woods knocked up 205 for 5 with Trevor Meadowcroft scoring 61, Greg Crawley 50 (his first fifty and clearly a champagne moment) and Jamie Worsfold 37 not out. Beddington replied with 128 for 6, with Ted Giles taking 3 for 23.
31/08/02
Woodmansterne 2nd X1 164 (4 points)
Blackheath 2nd X1 165 for 4 (20 points)
With the First X1 without a fixture, attention turned to the 2nd X1 who were in desperate need of a victory to ensure their continued First Division status, They were at home to Blackheath, who won the toss and opted to bowl first on what proved to be a lively wicket.
Some pretty sharp bowling by Henderson ((3 for 33) and Dean ( 4 for 30) acounted for the first three wickets and Woods were in serious trouble at 10 for 3. Bill Bessant and Ross Jacobs dug in and with a little luck and a lot of application put together a partnership of 93. Bessant went for exactly 50 and Jacobs (34) departed 12 runs later, after being run out by a very sharp piece of fielding. Tony Phillips (12), Dave Pryor (13) and Butler (13) all made contributions and the final Woods score of 164 represented a recovery, but was still a little short of a challenging total.
In the Blackheath reply, Peter Aldous made the breakthrough with a trademark yorker when there were only 2 runs on the board. Thereafter Hughes (29) and Barratt (52) batted sensibly for a 97 run partnership, broken when Aldous held a good catch off Tony Phillips. Ken Wright (2 for 29), bowling as accurately as ever then bowled Barratt and had the number 4 stumped by an alert Pryor. At 114 for 4 Woods had some hope, but Card (26 not out) and Moolmann (30 not out) applied themselves and took Blackheath to victory. Woods' cause wasn't helped by the number of catches they dropped and will be looking for an improved performance in the field for their crucial final fixture.
The Third X1 had an excellent win over Ashtead. Ashtead scored 200 for 8 (Jamie Worsfold 3 for 35, Rob Hicks 3 for 41 and Guy Burbedge 2 for 32) and Woods knocked off the runs for the loss of only 2 wickets (Rob Hicks 32, Ryan Polley 60 not out and Andy Conway 55 not out).
25/08/02
Valley End 1st X1 153 (20 points)
Woodmansterne 1st X1 139 (5 points)
Woodmansterne didn't have the best of weekends, with all three sides losing. Availability over the Bank holiday weekend was a problem for the club, and the first eleven played with only 10 men, a factor which may have cost them the match.
Skipper Neil Park won the toss and put the opposition in. Peter Aldous and Bill Bessant opened the bowling,with Aldous in particularly confident mood after his 6 wicket haul in the League Cup final during the week.
Bessant bowled steadily and picked up two wickets thanks to catches by Dave Clisby and Tom Wortley, but it was Aldous with 7 for 28 in 15.2 overs who impressed, especially in his second spell when he blew away the Valley End Middle order. He bowled with pace, accuracy and aggression, and his seven wickets included two good catches by Clisby (slip) and Saunders (gulley) and all the rest clean bowled.
Henry, with 45 prevented Valley End from capitulating completely, but they found themselves eight wickets down with only just over a hundred on the board. The tail enders now dug in and skipper Park tried Ben Anderson and Tom Wortley, before Neil Saunders made the breakthrough, thanks to yet another good Clisby catch at slip. Pearce at number 10 frustrated Woods with a solid 29 and helped the visitors to reach 153, before he became another Aldous victim.
Woods opening pair of Park (21) and Pryor put on 27 for the first wicket, but the middle order batsmen didn't make the most of reasonable starts. Tom Wortley (35) and Bill Bessant (30) began to take the initiative back, putting on 49 for the 6th wicket, but when they were out it fell to the last pair of Greg Crawley and Peter Aldous (14) to threaten the Valley End total. They put together a brave partnership of 20, but Aldous was out leaving Woods just 14 runs short.
The Second X1, in desperate need of a victory went down to Valley End in the corresponding fixture. Woods scored 191 for 8 (Smith 30, Turner 32, Butler 27 and Jacobs 29) and the home side knocked off the runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
The Thirds lost to Alleyn Old Boys who knocked up 366 off 40 overs in a rather pointless act of bravado and won the match off the last ball of the game. This didn't stop them complaining about umpiring decisions at the end of the match, which only goes to show that some people are never happy.
Fuller's Surrey County League Cup Final
21/08/02 Kingstonian CC: S.Mahmood,M.Butt,M.Hassan,S.Zaib,N.Malik,H.Ullah,H.Wheatcroft,K.Chaudary,A.Nazir,I.Piper,M.Bennett
Before reviewing this match, credit should be paid to Neil Park and his team for making it to the final of the cup. This was a great effort for a second division side, and although denied a semi-final against Wallington by the latter's 'irregularities' they had up to that point proved themselves to be a keen, competitive side.
There was great support for the club on the day with several dozen members and friends turning up to watch the occasion at Esher's picturesque ground. The match itself was a one sided affair it has to be said, where Woods found themselves up against a fine player at the height of his powers. Maz Hassan's terrific all round display dominated the match, and with Esher's promotion from the Surrey County League now assured, his prodigious talent will be more appropriately tested in the higher leagues of the Surrey Championship.
Woods won the toss and made an early breakthrough thanks to a great catch by Tom Wortley, which brought Hassan to the wicket. After a comparatively cautious start he dominated proceedings, hitting 13 fours and 12 sixes (into the millionaire's dwellings lining the road and nearly killing a window cleaner in the process) in an innings of 156 off only 127 balls. The second highest score was in the thirties, which shows the extent of Hassan's domination. If one of the chances he gave had stuck things might have turned out differently but it was not be Woods' day. The pick of the Woods bowlers was Peter Aldous with a remarkable 6 for 50, a fine effort in such a high scoring innings.
Woods prided themselves in having a twelfth man, Paul Benson, all ready, changed and eager for action. On the only occasion when he was called upon he was engaged in deep conversation with Margaret Pratt and it took the combined efforts of the team to stir him into action!
After tea (only 2.5 on the Hiscox scale according to JH himself) Neil Park and James Yebury started well for Woods. Yerbury hit one of the biggest sixes of the match but perished shortly afterwards for 27, Thereafter it was a bit of a procession, Dave Pryor and Jason Hiscox finding unfortunate ways to be run out and the end was not long delayed, Maz Hassan completing an amazing all-round performance with 4 for 7.
After the match the awards were made, and the team had time to reflect on a final lost, but also on the great achievement in reaching it. Special thanks should go to Fuller's for supporting the League so generously, Esher CC for providing a first class venue, Sandra Edwards for scoring, Dave and Irene Harris and Margaret Pratt for their contributions in the earlier rounds, Dave Brazier and Bob Conquest for preparing the wickets in the earlier rounds and any body else I've left out. A mention should also go to Tony Phillips for arriving at the final half an hour after it had finished, and to Dave Pryor for taking his car to the match when there was free beer on offer. Schoolboy error DP!
Kingstonian 285 for 9
Woodmansterne 75
Woodmansterne CC: N.Park,D.Pryor,J.Yerbury,C.Vagg,B.Higgs,J.Bull,C.Smith,R.Jacobs,J.Hiscox,T.Wortley,P.Aldous
17/08/02
Worplesdon & Burpham 1st X1 145 (7 points)
Woodmansterne 1st X1 135 for 9 (5 points)
This was a particularly inept display by Woodmansterne, and skipper George Miller left his team in no doubt about their lacklustre performance. A third of the way into the game the visitors were in severe trouble at 70 for 6 but Woodmansterne failed to press home their advantage and ultimately had to play out the last three balls of the game with 9 men down for a draw.
Worplesdon won the toss and preferred to bat first on the hottest day of the year. Chris Vagg (4 for 38) and Peter Aldous opened the bowling for Woods, and Vagg was soon into his stride, picking up four of the first five wickets. He was helped by good catches from George Miller and Ben Anderson and also took a confident caught and bowled off a skier. Aldous was not at his best and was replaced by Bill Bessant (3 for 25), who took two wickets and the visitors found themselves struggling at 70 for 6.
The Worpledon tail dug in and skipper Miller rang the changes, trying Anderson, Bull and Wortley. Bull (2 for 9 in 7 overs) took a great caught and bowled to make the breakthrough and then induced an edge behind to 'keeper Pryor. Bessant returned to dismiss the number 10 and Vagg was denied a probable 5th wicket when the number 11 was run out by a brilliant piece of fielding from Bull.
Woods' umpteenth opening pairing of the season was provided by David Brazier (16) and Tom Wortley (27). Both batted well, Brazier being unlucky to be caught down the leg side. The start was on the steady side given some fairly tight bowling by Worplesdon, but with 20 overs to go and 80 needed, and with Vagg (19) and Bessant seemingly comfortable the win should have been a formality. They both went in the same over, which also included 3 wides, which just about summed up the strange nature of the game. Bull (21) and Hiscox (17) tried hard and perished in the run chase as did Dave Pryor and Peter Aldous. Skipper Miller had to bat out for the draw, a bizarre turn around if ever there was one.
The seconds put in a better performance in their Fuller's first division match. They scored 209 for 9, Mickey Joyce carrying his bat for 73, Ray Turner made 28, Conrad Smith 27 and Ross Jacobs 26. Cobham could only muster 102 for 6 in reply, special mention for Tom Stoker who took an outstanding slip catch.
The third X1, playing a man short, lost to Old Hamptonians. Woods scored 134 (Steve Edwards 41, James Lander 25, Malcolm Wood 23) and Hamptonians got the runs for the loss of 5 wickets (Steve Edwards 3 for 26).
10/08/02
Woodmansterne 192 for 8 dec (4 points)
Westfield Saints 48 for 6 (4 points)
Woodmansterne were frustrated by the weather in their mid-table clash with Westfield Saints. Skipper Neil Park lost the toss and inevitably Woods were asked to bat first. Park tried a new opening partner in Dave Pryor whose promotion was well deserved after consistent performances down the order. Pryor was confident in his new role and was severe on any short delivery, pulling one over mid wicket for 6. Park was not at his best, but the two of them put together a fine partnership of 85 before Park was caught for 35.
This brought in James Yerbury (29) who was in good form, driving well and sweeping one ball for a huge six. Vagg for once failed to trouble the scorer and Clisby came in with the score at 125. After his quick start Pryor was slowing up against steadier bowling from the home side, and was unfortunately run out one short of his 50.
Bessant and Bull didn't stay for long, but Braden Higgs (21 not out) batted well with Clisby who made 29. The final score of 192 for 8 in 55 overs looked to be a good one on a wicket offering some help to the bowlers
At tea Pryor, as usual, helped himself to a supply of food to hide in his kitbag. The restart was slightly delayed by a shower, but once Woods took the field they were soon making inroads into the Westfield batting. Braden Higgs was once again the main threat, picking up the first four wickets in no time, including one to a fine catch by Peter Aldous at point. Another wicket came from Bull and an excellent piece of work in the field by him led to a run-out. At this stage, with top scorer Watson already dismissed for 31 Westfield suddenly became very concerned about the state of the wicket and the safety of the fielding side who they thought might have got struck by lightning, and play was suspended. With no time for the wicket to dry out the game was abandoned as a draw.
With the game over Dave Pryor looked forward to tucking into his stash of food, only to find James Yerbury had got there first. 'He's taken my jaffa cake!' exclaimed the aggrieved Pryor.
The Second X1 were disappointed with their performance against Marlborough 1870. Marlborough scored 137 for 9, Ralph Patel picking up 3 for 32, and Woods replied with 94 all out (Ryan Polley 34).
The Third X1 had an excellent win against Ashford. Ashford scored 169 (Ross Jacobs 4 for 27, and 3 catches for Andy Conway) and Woods replied with 171 for 5 (Steve Edwards 31, Mike Lockton 37 not out, Graham Polley 47 not out).
03/08/02
Woodmansterne 2nd X1 174 for 8 dec (2 points)
Sinjuns 2nd X1 130 for 7 (6 points)
The village of Woodmansterne awakens quietly on the morning of an important second X1 fixture. Chris Vagg is erecting marquees in his garden, bought on special offer, 3 for the price of 2 by his wife Trish. Wicketkeeper Dave Pryor opens his larder and finds it bare but knows that Margaret's teas will provide him with a supply of food throughout the day (and much of the week depending on how many sandwiches he can smuggle into his kitbag). And all the while opening bat Ray Turner is a sleeping....sleeping....zzzzzz
And so as toss-uptime arrived skipper Butler conceived a fiendish plan to bat first against the opposition, who were top of the league. Neil Park was down to open the batting with Ray Turner but Ray as we know was nowhere to be seen. A trip to the Turner household awakened the comatose opener, and he arrived at the ground 3 minutes before start time hardly aware of who he was or what he was supposed to be doing. Bill Bessant took his place and he and Park strode out to the middle.
Bessant played a trademark cover drive and in repeating the shot found the ball not in the vicinity of his bat, but on a direct collision course with his off stump. Conrad Smith played some entertaining shots in his 14 and when he was out Chris Vagg put down his mallet and tent pegs and took his place at the crease.
Like most of the Woods batsmen Vagg found that the visitors were bowling a good line and length under the overcast skies. He was well caught for 2 and was followed a little while later by the patient Park for 14. Ray 'Sleeping Beauty' Turner and Tony Phillips put on 40 for the 4th wicket but when they and Bennet were out the score stood at 88 for 7.
It was then that Woods major partnership of the day began. Wortley (36) and Pryor (31 not out) played with a lot of common sense to take the score to 114 after 55 overs. This was clearly not enough to defend and so skipper Butler decided to bat on. Wortley was unluckily run-out but Pryor stayed on to add another 19 runs with Butler (16 not out). Olsen (2 for 69), Callard (2 for 44) and Watkins (3 for 34) shared the wickets.
The players then took tea, or what remained of it after Dave Pryor's SAS-style under cover raids. The visitors required about 6 an over to win the match and needed a good start. They were denied this by Wortley who induced an edge from opener Williams. Conrad Smith caught and bowled Ramjag at number three and Sinjuns were 5 for 2.
Phillips (57) and Bailey (24) added 61 at a good rate but then Ken Wright struck a double blow thanks to an lbw and another Pryor catch. Wright was in the frame again when he held a skier off Tony Phillips' bowling. The loss of wickets meant the visitors were falling behind the required rate. Phillips reached a good 50, but was run-out by a brilliant piece of fielding by the Woods deep cover man. As the fielder was a blur of action it was impossible to see who it was, although Neil Park claimed the credit. In the end Sinjuns finished 7 wickets down 44 short of the target.
Back in the changing rooms Pryor once again tucked into the stash of food hidden in his kitbag, and later on some of the side teamed up with Jason Hiscox to face a barrage of hot deliveries in the curry house.
The third X1 had a great win against Oxshott-Maori. They posted 152 (Graham Polley 38, Andy Conway 31 and Jason Hiscox 26) and routed the home side for a comfortable victory with Andy Conway asking all the right questions with 7 for 39, backed up by an outstanding team performance in the field.
30/07/02
Carshalton & Croygas 121 for 8 (15 8 ball overs)
Woodmansterne 125 for 6 (14.7 overs )
Woods remained unbeaten in evening matches for the 2nd consecutive season, albeit they only played 2 matches in that time.
Confusion reigned at the start as not only were Woods missing several players, but also stand in skipper Chris Vagg won the toss, after much deliberation he invited the visitors to bat. Taking the field with 10 players including a sub fielder Vipesh Patel, Leg spinner Tom Wortley 3-15 and Swing bowler Rob Hicks 2-9 soon had Carshalton & Croygas reeling at 25 for 5.
Wortley was thankful to catches in the deep by Vipesh Patel and Jason Hiscox who eventually decided to join his teammates on the field. He would have joined them a couple of overs earlier had he bothered to get changed instead of wandering along the veranda waving to his teammates and chatting to several spectators. When Hiscox did eventually join his fellow players his first contribution was his refusal to attempt a catch, although his inept effort led the batsman to attempt the same shot two balls later and mindful of the stick he would receive from his teammates, Hiscox clung on.
Thiderman (23) and Lister 47 not out rebuilt the innings for the visitors putting on 51 for the 6th wicket in 5 overs before Woods new overseas acquisition Ross Jacobs was denied his first wicket on English soil, when Wortley spilled a catch at point, but he recovered quickly enough to run Thiderman out with a direct throw (well it would have been if Pryor hadn't stopped it).
Lister continued to ride his luck when Glen Thompson beat his bat and clipped the bail, but failed to dislodge it. Several mighty blows led to Thompson (who was still worrying about the hat trick ball catch, he dropped off Rob Hicks on Sunday) being replaced by Jamie Worsfold who enticed Lister to snick his first ball to wicket keeper Dave Pryor, unfortunately it came at that difficult height and Pryor was unsure whether to go for it 'palms up' or 'palms down'. Pryor chose neither instead opted to watch it sail past him for 4 runs.
Good fielding and tight bowling at the end by Worsfold and James Bull 1-17 closed the Carshalton & Croygas innings at 121 for 8.
The Woods reply didn't get off to the greatest start as openers Jamie Goodwin and Rob Hicks were dismissed with only 11 on the board.
But skipper Vagg's decision to utilise Jason Hiscox as a pinch hitter at three was truly inspirational, as Hiscox smashed the visitors bowling to all parts for a rapid fire 35, when he was eventually out with the score on 55. Chris Vagg & James Bull carried on the good work as the light deteriorated, but when Bull was stumped at the end of the 10th over Woods still required 46 runs from the remaining 5 overs.
"Cometh the hour, Cometh the man" enters Dave Pryor whose quick running between the wicket-helped push the total to 110 when Vagg was caught at cover for 37. Woods still required 12 runs to win off 14 deliveries, when South African Ross Jacobs made his way to the wicket, unfortunately Dave Pryor's reputation as an average protector had not made it as far as Johannesburg and his call for a quick single was greeted by a stubborn "NO" from Pryor and so a disconsolate Jacobs made his way back to the pavilion.
Woods still required 7 from the final over; two singles & a well-timed duck by Pryor that led to 4 byes left Woods requiring 1 to win off 5 deliveries. Dave Pryor then decided to pad up to the next three deliveries before a great Selby like drive (over the wicket keepers head) for 4 saw Woods home with 1 ball to spare. Tom Wortley 2 not out & Dave Pryor 13 not out marched off to great applause from the assembled crowd.