1st XI match report: Bromley Common CC V Beckenham CC (pre-season)

The Grove, home of Bromley Common, looked an absolute picture on the last day of the month as Beckenham arrived to do battle in their final pre-League friendly with newly-arrived David Moody along to view the proceedings.

With the Beckenham scorer comfortably seated in the magnificent new home-built scorebox with old friend Andy Lynch, the question had to be asked as to why so many clubs treat their scorers with absolute disdain by giving them dreadful facilities in which to work.

Beckenham skipper Alex Senn won the toss and elected to bat on what looked like an excellent pitch.  The innings started in most promising fashion with both the skipper and Rithik Hari looking in good early-season form and scoring steadily against the home attack.  The fifty partnership came up in decent time before Hari became the first casualty when he holed out for 28.  With Gethin Roberts departing soon after, Harri Aravinthan gave a glimpse of his batting prowess before nicking behind to keeper Tyrell to make the score 95-3.  Now came the best partnership of the match with the arrival of Alex Shanks, returning after a couple of years studying.  He immediately got the measure of the bowling and the run rate went up several notches.  At the other end, Senn completed a fine fifty in 66 deliveries.  As Shanks continued to play some excellent shots all around the wicket, the fifty stand came up and then Common skipper Leigh Walker brought himself on.  In his first over he struck gold when Senn was caught by Sam Clarkson for a splendid 73.  Harry Jones then got himself in a muddle and was run out without facing a ball to leave the visitors on 162-5 and then Walker struck again to end Shanks’ very promising knock on 39.  The home captain now had his tail up and, observing the rules of line and length allied with a little drift, worked his way through the Beckenham lower order to record a ‘fivefer’ with only Junaid Nadir (17) playing some nice shots as Beckenham closed on 202-9.

The Common reply got off to a bright start with Walker depositing the first ball over the ropes and he dominated the early exchanges as the Beckenham seamers seemed to be guilty of trying to bowl too quickly and too full a length.  It was Junaid Nadir who made the first breakthrough when he bowled Logan for 2.  With Walker in commanding form, skipper Senn was forced to ring the changes and it was Jason Bilimoria’s trusty off-spin that removed the Common captain with one that turned and he was held behind by keeper Shanks.  That was the last visiting success for quite some time as the classy Kiwi Greenwood joined forces with Rajat Sharma.  Both players settled in quickly and played quite beautifully with Beckenham unable to part them.  Greenwood raced to a superb fifty in 38 balls with Sharma no less dominant at the other end.  But it was Harry Jones who ended the partnership by trapping Sharma in front just shy of a well-deserved fifty to make the score 149-3.  As Greenwood continued to attack the Beckenham bowlers, Sam Clarkson lent solid support as Common cruised to victory in the 27th over.  With a cup game the next day, Senn will obviously be looking for more control from his quicker bowlers.