1stXI Match Report - Sandwich Town v. Beckenham

Having enjoyed an excellent week weatherwise in Sandwich, the Beckenham scorer was filled with dismay at Saturday’s forecast, a feeling compounded by tales of biblical downpours over much of Kent.  The burning question arose, could the legendary micro climate for which this remote part of Kent prevail for the match?  Early signs were that it could well do although a couple of blustery showers on arrival at the ground cast a few doubts.  They soon cleared up and the umpires decided a prompt start was in order.  After the toss (which Beckenham won), a minute’s silence was held to remember dear Fred White, the former Bexley scorer, who had recently passed away.

Having won the toss, Sandwich Town were asked to bat first and the two scorers settled themselves in their eyrie and awaited the start.  And what a start it was as Jahid Ahmed, steaming in from the Delf Stream end and finding a little movement, had Zack Fagg edging a smart catch to Johan Malcolm at slip.  As Shojib Ali kept an admirable line at the railway end, Ahmed struck again as he bowled the prolific Robbie Goatham in his next over and then struck yet again with Malcolm, like the proverbial leaping salmon, snaffling a magnificent catch having covered much ground.  At 13-3in the 7th over, things were not looking good for Sandwich Town and, after a very brief revival, Ahmed struck twice more to complete a superb ‘fivefer’ and leaving the home batting in tatters.  Help was at hand in the form of two of the myriad Smiths, Rory and Kai, and both batsmen dug in and batted sensibly to try and salvage the innings.  Meanwhile, Ali, having completed a miserly spell, was replaced but the subsequent changes brought no further breakthroughs.  As the score approached the hundred, Rob Clements struck twice in two overs to bowl Kai Smith for a dogged 27 and then trapped Frewin in front to make the score 100-7.  Beckenham skipper Alex Senn then brought on Johan Malcolm’s off-spin and he obliged by ending Rory Smith’s plucky innings when just short of what would have been a well-deserved fifty and the rest of the innings was smartly wrapped up by Malcolm who ended with fine figures of 3-7 to back up Ahmed’s superb 5-23.

The weather, meanwhile, was holding as clouds scudded across followed by blue sky as the visitors began their innings.  Disaster struck immediately as Senn was trapped in front by a back-of-a-length delivery from Alex Smith that kept low.  Finn Bryan and Rithik Hari combined well to compile a useful stand of 32 before home skipper Matt Van Poppel brought himself on and his left-arm spin struck gold as Hari was caught by Tom Chapman and then James Fear was trapped in front next ball.  Johan Malcolm entered the fray and immediately showed his composure in merely keeping the scoreboard moving by taking singles.  Bryan and Harry Jones then also became victims of Van Poppel and the situation was dire at 49-5.  Jahid Ahmed, who has batted well in partnership with Malcolm this season, then started to dig in and a useful stand developed before Ben Smith’s off spin removed him and Ali in the same over to leave Beckenham almost down and out at 69-7 which swiftly became 70-8 in the 29th over.  Almost down and out but not quite as Malcolm was batting serenely and never looked in any trouble and he was joined by the doughty keeper ‘Barney’ Balmforth who is always determined to show that he can bat.  And show it he did as, together with Malcolm, the target was approached in singles with the occasional burst of strokeplay and an unlikely scenario began to take shape with a fifty partnership painstakingly put together.  With four of his bowlers bowled out, Van Poppel brought back Rory Smith who ended Balmforth’s plucky vigil at 124 but not before Malcolm had completed a magnificent, patient fifty in 80 deliveries.  A quick discussion with the incoming Mudit Dayal resulted in Smith’s last two deliveries being dots and keeping Malcolm on strike.  From Matt Frewin’s next over, doubts must have been cast at Malcolm’s decision to take a single from the first ball but these doubts were cast aside as Dayal confidently took a single to level the scores allowing Malcolm to squeeze the winning run from the next ball.  This had been a magnificent game of cricket played in a superb spirit with a joyous Beckenham team celebrating before, laden with consignments of alcohol, they set off home in their minibus leaving their loyal scorer to enjoy Sandwich Town’s matchless hospitality before beating a decidedly wobbly path back to his home for the week, a delightfully cosy Georgian almshouse!

Scorecard: https://kcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/4146964 (External site)