Woodmansterne's dream start to the season came to an end when they were comprehensively beaten by Old Tenisonians. Woods' skipper Tom Wortley (the lads want to know if you enjoyed a great afternoon of sport on the telly, Tom) was indisposed so Chris Vagg took over the captaincy. Vagg won the toss and asked Tenisonians to bat.

They started steadily on a good looking wicket and gradually increased the tempo against the Woods attack of Aldous and Besssant. Bessant took the first wicket with the score at 28 when keeper Pryor held a good catch behind. Aldous accounted for the number 3 when Hicks took a catch at short leg, but then G Butcher and Perkins put on 59 for the third wicket. Butcher played with increasing authority and after being dropped on 40 went on to an accomplished century featuring a range of fine drives all round the wicket.

Vagg switched the bowling around and Jon Lucas picked up a couple of wickets thanks to catches by Hiscox and Gibbs, but Woods could do little to curb the run-rate. The leg spin of Polley accounted for Robertson for 19 when Vagg held a fine boundary catch. Rob Hicks bowled a promising spell in difficult circumstances and picked up a couple of wickets, but Butcher kept the scoreboard rattling along until the returning Aldous finally picked up his wicket when he mistimed a drive to Lucas. Tenisonians declared with the score at 248 for 8 off 50 overs.

Woods needed a good start and got it thanks to some fluent strokeplay by Lucas (38) and Conway (41). They put on 55 for the first wicket at a good rate, but after Lucas was caught and bowled by Hubbard the Tenisonians bowlers began to exercise a measure of control.

Miller fell lbw for 9 and after Vagg went cheaply Woods were in trouble. Rob Hicks played some bright strokes in his 20, but with the last 6 wickets contributing only 19 runs between them Woods were swept away. Hubbard (5 for 36) bowled particularly well and found a number of Woods men on the back foot when they should have been forward.

At the end of the day Jason Hiscox was able to give Rob Hicks a masterclass in juggling and we look forward to seeing how he's getting on next week.

Better news came from the second and thirds. James Lander starred for the Third X1 with the amazing analysis of 9 for 15 as they dismissed Dorking for 38. Woods knocked off the runs for the loss of two wickets. The 2nd X1 had a winning draw against Old Hamptonians, scoring 160 for 7 in reply to Hamptonians 225 for 9.

Woodmansterne 3rd XI travelled to Dorking for their Castle Lager League clash full of expectation but nothing could have prepared the team for the style of victory to follow. Cricket is a team game but James 'Lunar' Lander destroyed the Dorking batting line up to earn his place in the record books.

George Miller won the toss and asked Dorking to make first use of a track that was well grassed. After changing in 'the chicken sheds' Woods raced out for the fielding warm up. James Lander got choice of ends and has a decision ever been more crucial in a game of cricket ? .

The opening few deliveries from James moved back in prodigiously and soon Woods had 3 slips and only 2 on the leg side ! Dorking Captain M Burt spent 26 overs for 5 runs just proving how difficult it was to score of Giles and Lander. M Shenton top scored (along with extras) for the home team with 8*. .

Lander's remarkable game saw him finish with amazing figures of 16.1 overs 8 maidens 9 (yes nine) for 15. Not only was James clocking up the fantasy league points with his wickets he also got into the act with a caught and bowled.... (Dave Brazier's smiling face after picking the right Lander for his fantasy team could be seen all the way from Woodmansterne). With a chance of a hat trick as well were the 3rd XI dreaming ? The appeal was long and loud as the ball cannoned off the batsman's pads..... A shake of the head and a loud 'Not Out' thwarted the hat-trick.... oh well maybe that would have just been pure fantasy cricket. .

James was denied his 10 wicket haul when Neal Patel and George Miller combined to run out A. Elliott.... Dorking were finally dismissed for 38... 7 runs higher than skipper Miller's demand (sorry skip !) .

Woods reply faltered early on a A Patel (1) went bowled by C Burns. M Wood then joined R. Peareth (19*) and both started hitting with a sense of reckless abandon. Peareth hit the first boundary of the game with a fierce pull to leg followed by a six. Wood (7) then succumbed to Elliot caught and bowled. Nic Patel (10*) then joined Peareth to see Woods home with 8 wickets in hand. .

Cricket is a team game but all in Woods 3rd XI will happily state that James Lander's bowling won the game. The movement was superb and the Dorking batsman had difficulty all innings with his movement pace and accuracy.... .

From all at Woods I would like to say Congratulations to James.... an absolutely superb effort.... .

Woodmansterne continued their rich vein of form with this convincing 44 run victory over Wandgas in a top of the table league clash. Woods this year expect to win games and maybe this is the difference over previous years. The experienced players in the side have provided the runs and the bowlers have shown themselves capable of bowling sides out, When the talented middle order of younger players find their form Woods really will be a side to be reckoned with.

Woods were asked to bat first on a sound batting track and after losing a couple of early wickets, Andy Conway and Chris Vagg put on 49 for the third wicket. After Vagg was dismissed for 30 another flurry of wickets left Woods at 97 for 7 and looking in real trouble.

It was now that Conway (71) and skipper Wortley (42) put together a partnership of 73 that was to prove to be a turning point in the match. Conway played a superb innings of elegant, effortless stokes and combined with the aggressive Wortley they proved to be an ideal partnership.

When Wortley was out with the score at 170 James Selby continued the good work with a rapid 23 not out. Conway was finally out with the score on 184 and with Pryor and Aldous chipping in at the end Woods were able to post a score of 206.

The real highlight of the match was the fantastic tea, courtesy of Trish and Caroline, which registered 9.6 on the international Hiscox scale*, but which hard to please gourmet guru Dave Pryor described as 'modest'. The only area for improvement would be to freeze the kitkats so that when Rob Hicks takes one out of his pocket after an hour in the field it isn't a sticky mess.

Wandgas got off to a rapid start against the opening attack of Aldous and Wortley and passed the fifty mark in only the seventh over. Aldous however began to find his line and length and coupled with his pace, started to cause problems for the Wandgas batsmen. A good slip catch by Vagg off his bowling accounted for the first wicket and when Bessant had the quick scoring Dolby caught by Wortley for an excellent 53 Woods started to believe that they could win the match.

Hicks took a sharp catch at short leg off Aldous, Dave Pryor showed great reactions with a superb stumping and Wandgas were suddenly reeling at 73 for 4.

Aldous, who finished with 5 for 74, now ripped through the middle order with Dave Pryor picking up two catches off his bowling. Jim 'Monica' Selby played his part when he bowled number 8 Craig who had played well for 17. At 116 for 8 Wandgas were down and out but Hellman (26) and Waller (31) took heavy toll of some wayward bowling and added an entertaining 46 for the last wicket. Selby's attempt to break the partnership by throwing the ball at the batsman proved unsuccesful and Wortley finally finished off the innings when he bowled Waller.

Thanks as ever to Dave and Irene Harris for their contributions as umpire and scorer

The Seconds, who are also enjoying a great start to the season defeated Blackheath by 87 runs. Woods scored 223 (Joyce 61) and Blackheath were bowled out for 136 (Anderson 4 for 38 and Phillips 4 for 33). The Thirds came a way with a losing draw against Sanderstead, with Woods scoring 123 for 8 (Nic Patel 77) in reply to Sanderstead's 176 for 9.

*Readers may be interested to know that to register a perfect 10 on the Hiscox scale the tea must include an homemade chocolate cake (ref. 'The English Cricket Tea 1753-2004' by Wortley & Lucas, Oxford University Press £99.99)

Table-topping Woodmansterne continued their winning ways with a nail-biting one wicket victory over Merrow. Such is the expectation at Woods this year that after the game skipper Wortley was able to call upon his batsmen for greater efforts if they are to maintain their league position.

Merrow batted first and Aldous (4 for 39) and Bessant bowled with great accuracy to the extent that Merrow were 33 for 3 after 20 overs. Aldous regained his form of last year and claimed two early wickets, both clean bowled, in the same over. Woods' stranglehold was broken when Jamieson was dropped by Bessant and he went on to score a solid 45.

Jim Selby was once again on top form, and varying his pace intelligently, picked up 4 for 36. Good catches were taken off his slower ball by Wortley and Lucas, and Bessant finally made amends when when he caught Jamieson, again off Selby. Skipper Wortley entered the action when he bowled Giddings round his legs for a duck. Mead (27 not out) and Locke added 38 for the 8th wicket, but a returning Aldous finished things in style when he cleaned bowled the last two Merrow men.

In Woods' reply Miller and Hicks both started well then got out so it was left to Lucas (22) and Vagg (28) to steady the side. Gibbs chipped in with 16, but the wickets kept falling and at 87 for 7 Merrow looked favourites to win the game.

Wortley (24) and Pryor (20 not out) now showed the necessary application and commitment found wanting in the earlier batsmen when they put on 48 for the eighth wicket and it was only when the scores were level that Mead made the breakthrough when he bowled Wortley. Under some pressure number 11 Aldous calmly pushed his first ball for a single and Woods were home. Dave Pryor revealed the secret of success ie drink red wine, gin and cointreau and a large amount of bitter the night before the match.

The Second X1 (151) had a losing draw in the corresponding seconds fixture against Merrow (137 for 8), but the Third X1 (90 for 6) completed a 4 wicket victory over East Molesey (89).

Woodmansterne 2nd X 151ao
Merrow 2nd X 1 138-8

Woods twos came to the game looking to cement their position at the top of the table with another win, but in the end were thankful not to lose after a mediocre performance.

With a side packed full of batting (five recognised openers and three no 3's) the stand-in skipper duly lost the toss (so what changes?) and was asked to make first use of a green seamer. Stoker (1) didn't hang about long and it was left to Turner and Conway to try to remove the shine from the ball. With the score on 32 Turnips (6) was also undone to bring Dave Walker to the wicket. He started to push, prod and nurdle the ball into the holes to up the rate, scoring the singles that had been declined by the previous batters.

With Conway looking well set at the other end the drinks interval had its usual effect, snaring Russ LBW for 45 and then Delroy (1) as he chipped a low full toss to mid-off. With Walker (26) adjudged LBW shortly thereafter the innings was going pear-shaped against some disciplined (if not exactly threatening) Merrow bowling.

Tony Phillips and Micky Joyce steadied the ship for a period, until Tony tried to cut a yorker and was cleaned up for 17. Clisby (2 - clearly unaccustomed to the number 8 batting slot) perished soon after to let in young Rob Anderson.

The flight and guile of leg-spinner Perry finally accounted for Joyce (stumped for 19) and with overs running out both Anderson (5) and Hiscox (4) died on their swords trying to get Woods to 160 and the third bonus point. Still, 151 would be a competitive score provided we backed up the bowlers with a good fielding performance.

After tea Merrow found the youth and experience combination of Rob Anderson and Ken Wright hard to handle - bowling straight on a low-ish wicket resulted in an LBW each for the opener. With Rob bowling the number three Brooker and Ken picking up Watts (courtesy of a smart catch by Hiscox at short leg) and Groyer (bowled) Merrow were all at sea at 41-5. Anderson would also have had Wigg apart from keeper Joyce spilling the chance, and bowled to five slips (yes - five!!) and a short leg with experience beyond his years.

Joyce[s drop turned out to be an important miss, as after Hurst was sent back to be pavilion hy the Delroy/Ken combination Wigg found a valuable ally in Johnson. Together they played correctly and watchfully and knocked off the runs as they were presented. Joyce turned to Tony Phillips to try to spin them out, but the ball turned too slowly to help him be effective.

With over running out and Merrow now on track to win the game Delroy (doing his Garry Sobers impression) finally made the breakthrough to remove Wigg for a patient 28 with the score on 130. Johnson (48*) could still have won the game for Merrow given enough of the ball, but canny bowling by Ken and Delroy restricted his opportunities whilst picking up Cook (6) in the meantime so that at the end Merrow were 137-8, with Johnson finishing up just short of his fifty.

Returning skipper Wells will no doubt want to return to winning ways next week, based on a better batting performance and more incisive bowling.

There's a real buzz in Woodmansterne Cricket Club this year as both the Firsts and Seconds enjoy great starts to the season. The Firsts comprehensively beat Whiteley Village by 8 wickets in a fine all round display.

Whiteley Village batted first and Peter Aldous again had trouble finding his rhythm, but he is undoubtedly a fine bowler and when he did get it right he showed what a potent force he can be. Bessant struck early to remove opener Davies and brilliant work in the field by Ross Jacobs accounted for the dangerous looking Harris.

Best played well for his 42 and in partnership with Twitchen (10) added 50 for the third wicket, but then Selby (5 for 29) struck twice in the same over. These were the first of 5 wickets for him, and remarkably all his victims were clean bowled. He bowled with great control and his tight line and length allied to a little bit of movement (or a lot of movement according to him) made him too much of a handful for the Whiteley Village batsmen.

Skipper Tom Wortley chipped in with 2 wickets and a smart run-out, but it was Selby who wrapped up the innings when he ended Hobkinson's resistance for 29.

124 looked to be well short of a good score and Ross Jacobs (14) and John Lucas (46 not out) looked in little trouble as they added 29 for the first wicket.

Ian Miller played a couple of lovely shots before falling LBW. This brought the prolific Vagg to the crease and he and Lucas matched each other stroke for stroke. Lucas looks a player of some quality and should get plenty of runs this year (but I don't want anybody else picking him for their fantasy team). Vagg (46 not out) continued his prolific run of form and he and Lucas crashed huge sixes as Woods romped home in 30 overs.

In the corresponding Seconds match Woods scored 218 for 5 (Tony Phillips 75) and dismissed Whiteley Village for 150 ('evergreen' Tony Phillips 3 for 21 and Delroy Gordon 3 for 0)

The Thirds came very closed to an exciting win against Carshalton and Croygas . Chasing 209 they finished on 202 for 8 (Nik Patel 95, Jason Hiscox 34). Paul Benson was taken ill in the tea interval and we all wish him well for a speedy recovery.

Croygas 3rd X1 209-5
Woodmansterne 3rdX1 202-8

With the previous weekend's fixture washed out, Woods threes were keen to emulate the early season successes of the other league sides and notch up a win.

For once skipper Benson called correctly and as is traditional in these matters inserted the opposition on a bare Street wicket. Croygas's opening pair of Tuffnail (15) and Duckett (54) made steady if unspectacular progress again the accurate bowling from Benson and Nikhil Patel, and it took the introduction of Giles to prise out Tuffnail for the first wicket. Bishop (17) joined Duckett and made steady progress against Benson's replacement bowlers Burbedge and Park, until Park managed to slip one through to bowl Bishop with the score on 79.

Hiscox was introduced to the attack shortly after and managed to snare both Duckett (54) and Goodall (6) in his brief but expensive spell. With batsmen in hand Croygas accelerated in the latter stages to finish on 209-5 off 50 overs (Lister 29*, Noblett 33*), thus denying Woods any chance of a winning draw - a win it would have to be then.

During tea skipper Benson collapsed and briefly passed out and was removed to hospital after a suspected (and later confirmed) heart incident - our best wishes go to him for a speedy and complete recovery.

Woods reply started poorly with openers Ankar Patel and Dave Brazier bogged down against the accurate bowling of Jones and Loveridge. Braz (4) eventually succumbed to a Loveridge yorker and shortly after Malcolm Wood (2) did too - clearly the time spent in Australia last year had not been to his cricketing benefit! Noblett replaced Jones and soon did for Ankar (11) and Bob Conquest (1) to leave Woods' run chase in tatters at 37-4.

George Miller and Nik Patel then steadied the ship with a fifty partnership comprised of sensible no-risk shot making, and it was somewhat of a surprise to see George dismissed for 20 off the returning Jones. This brought Hiscox to the wicket and he and Nik Patel continued in the same vein against the Croygas bowlers.

To their credit once initial wicket taking attempts had failed Croygas refused to let the game peter off into a bore draw and introduced the dolly-droppers in an attempt to buy wickets, which almost resulted in success when Hiscox made a mess of a sweep and was nearly stumped. Meanwhile Nik Patel's inning was growing in stature as he passed 50 and as he and Hiscox continued to rotate the strike and take the runs offered winning the game changed from being virtually impossible to highly unlikely to definitely possible.

With the score on 185 and with 25 needed off 4 overs Croygas finally got the chink in the armour they needed when Hiscox was run out for 34. With Nik Patel still at the crease a win was still possible provided he farmed the strike well, but once he was adjudged LBW for a magnificent 95 the odds now favoured Croygas, with Woods requiring ten off ten balls but with only two wickets in hand. Giles (0) was also castled in the penultimate over to leave the last remaining pair (Burbedge and Park) to see off the remaining balls for a draw.

The disappointment in not securing the win after such a comeback was tempered with relief at not throwing the game away at the end, and performances like this bode well for future game(s) this year.

Woodmansterne came away from Worplesdon and Burpham with a winning draw when really they should have pressed home their early advantage and collected the full 20 points. Conditions were decidedly damp, but with both teams eager to play, the game got underway on time, with the home side being asked to bat. Woods started one man short as Ross Jacobs had naturally assumed that as no-one had rung him to say the game was still on that it must therefore be off. He did eventually arrive although he lost a further ten minutes consulting the map as to the whereabouts of the ground whilst parked the other side of a hedge which bordered it.

Bessant and Aldous opened the bowling for Woods, and Aldous had some difficulty in controlling the slippery ball. Bessant struck in his first over thanks to a good leg side catch by Pryor, the first of four victims for him. Hicks replaced Aldous, and the Worplesdon batsmen struggled to get the ball away. Pryor made another good low catch standing up to Hicks, and when John Lucas (2 for 25) and local hero Jim Selby (3 for 22) took up the attack things really turned in Woods favour.

A rain shower delayed play for 25 minutes but on the resumption Vagg took a fine running catch off Lucas and Jim Selby, fresh from his encounter with the surgeon's knife, struck twice to leave the home side on 70 for 6. This soon became 89 for 9 thanks to wickets from Tom Wortley and another for Selby courtesy of an excellent catch at mid off by Dave Clisby from a fierce drive. Woods were looking to wrap things up but Black, who made an accomplished 55 not out and Simpson (9) put on a crucial 42 for the last wicket. Skipper Wortley tried a variety of bowling options and a vital catch was dropped, but it was only when Vagg was introduced to the attack that the innings was wrapped up.

Woods got off to a poor start with Conway, Jacobs and Clisby all departing by the time the score had reached 20. Rob Hicks looked quite solid until he got bowled, so it was left to the ever dependable Vagg (39 not out) and newcomer John Lucas (19) to look for the winning target. They picked up the scoring rate and began to play very well, until Lucas was bowled with the score on 69. Bessant was run out backing up, much to the amusement of Selby, but Wortley and Vagg saw Woods past the winning draw target of 88 without further loss.

With the home pitches still saturated from the weeks' rain, the Seconds and Thirds fixtures were called off.

Woodmansterne 2ndX1 153 for 7
Frimley 2nd X1 91

Well, what can you say ... after one week Woodmansterne One's and Two's are top of their respective leagues!!!!. Surely a first. Admittedly the firsts are joint top with every other side in the division but the twos got off to a tremendous start by defeating Frimley. Well done Phil Wells, obviously the right man for the job. Six matches were played in the Second Division compared with none in the First.. does this tell us something about the attitude of the players ?!? Here now at no extra cost is a match report from the Seconds game by man on the spot Jason Hiscox

So finally the league season was here and welcomed by the rain. Against a backdrop of cancellations throughout Surrey, Frimley CC are to be commended for remaining positive and somehow getting the game underway. Inserted after losing the toss Woodies attempted to create a platform on which to build a decent total, which looked like 120 or so on a very damp green wicket that would clearly deteriorate.

Conway (22) and Turner (3) opened the batting in very difficult conditions and the going was slow but steady as we notched away at 2 per over with the Frimley openers struggling to keep their feet. At the fall of the first wicket Vagg (40) (a late replacement for Walker - much to the chagrin of the Mrs) started a partnership with Conway which created the platform we were looking for.

After a slow and steady period of playing in, the runs and boundaries started to flow, as both looked in reasonably nick. Phillips (6) & Joyce (10) battled away and then a significant partnership with Gordon (14) and Wells (38) helped push things along. This gave us momentum and Bull J (11*) showed some of his old form and together with Hiscox (1*) ( sounds like the best innings in the match to me Jason - BB) attempted to get us the extra batting point as we strived for 160 only to fall short by 7.

From Frimley's point of view it was tough going, however they fielded well and the bowlers, 4 in the main maintained respectable figures. The pick was Ilias who bowled an excellent line and returned figures of 18 overs 4 for 40. Make no mistake conditions were not conducive to batting and 153 for 7 in 55 overs was a very competitive score and one that we felt would allow the bowling options to create a rare opening win.

The skipper felt it was all about attitude from here and that if we applied ourselves in the field the bowlers would bring home the bacon. The evergreen Wright (1/27) opened the attack and shouldered the responsibility with Anderson R (2/9) who again looked impressive and had it not been for the under 18 rule would certainly have deserved an extended quota. The line and length were excellent and with outstanding backing in the field, (catches from Turner, Wells, Vagg Wkt (2), Anderson (2) & Conway) this partnership had exerted enough pressure on the top order to allow the spinners to dominate from here.

A brief spell from Wells accounted for another wicket as Phillips weaved the old voodoo earning an impressive 3/30 once again claiming of aches and pains and that the ball was in fact not turning? Far from seeking the draw the Frimley tail gave it their all in a final bid but Bull J was soon amongst the wickets also and for the second week in succession found himself on a hat trick. Unfortunately the chance was not converted (a much better third ball effort than last week) however he returned excellent figures of 3/30.

The opportunity to go straight to the top of the league with a full 20 was taken in style. This was a remarkable team effort with everyone contributing, which now sets the tone for future performances. Dave Pryor after a long day in the smallholdings and from the relative comfort of the bar was reported as saying, 'one more of those and you're safe'. Interesting how his experience on the silver screen has blighted his optimism. Well Dave we have news for you!
Jason.Hiscox - 03/05/2004

Woodmansterne began their 2004 campaign with this friendly against Englefield Green. There were no less than 6 first team debuts for this match, which provided plenty of food for thought for skipper Tom Wortley.

Englefield batted first on a typically sluggish April pitch, which offered more help to the bowlers than batsmen. Bill Bessant claimed the first wicket thanks to an alert catch in the slips by John Lucas. Stout (25) and Satchell steadied things for the home team, but when Aldous forced Satchell into a misjudgement and was caught by Roger Gibbs things really began to fall apart for Englefield.

Change bowlers Nick Patel (2 for 13) and John Lucas, with a remarkable 5 for 10 from 3 overs proceeded to run through the Englefield side. A good catch running by Wortley gave Patel his first wicket and then Lucas started a procession by removing opener Stout, who was starting to time the ball well. Lucas ran through the middle order, enjoying the odd moment of good fortune, especially when keeper Chris Vagg held a good catch from a top-edged sweep. There was no luck however in the dismissal of Freestone, bowled by an excellent off-cutter. Vikesh Patel replaced Lucas and he became the third bowler to take a wicket in his first over, thanks to a catch by Peter Aldous. Nick Patel wrapped things up for Woods when he bowled the Engelfield Number 10 and the home side was dismissed for 69.

In the Woods reply opener Jacobs threw caution to the wind and soon found himself on the way back to the pavilion, caught off an edged drive. Gibbs didn't last long so it was left to Ankar Patel and Chris Vagg to consolidate things for Woods. Runs weren't easy to come by but both enjoyed valuable time at the crease. Patel went for 10 and although Kunal Thakkar went quickly, Vagg (47 not out), played with increasing authority and saw Woods home in the company of Vikesh Patel (5 not out).

A ten over beer match was won by Englefield and then both teams enjoyed an excellent barbecue in the pleasant spring evening. Many thanks to Englefield for being such good hosts.