Following two consecutive 3rd place finishes in Division 3, many expected the 2nd team to go one better in 2010 and clinch promotion. This was certainly looking likely after 6 games with the team sitting in 2nd place having just beaten the top side Stony Stratford.

However, we visited Kempston the following week full of confidence only to suffer a dramatic batting collapse and a heavy defeat.

Two days later we effectively lost our Captain Andy Luck for the remainder of the season after he broke his wrist working on the Chairman’s new extension!

Another batting collapse at the Old Grammarians the following week saw all confidence disappear and the team went through a spell of 9 games without a win. Our promotion charge was well and truly over and at one stage relegation was becoming a worry but four wins in the final few weeks of the season saw us finishing just below half way in the table.

A disappointing season in many ways but considering the loss of our skipper, losing Simon Parsons to injury early in the season, the retirement of Harmit Bahra and the number of games missed by first team players maybe our position was about right.

There are lots of positives to take from the season however. The bowling of Jamie Perry was for me the highlight of the season. In the games I captained the side I knew that if I had Jamie opening the bowling at one end I could rely on him to keep things tight, create pressure and as a consequence take wickets. His bowling to left handed players was always threatening and his hat trick at home to the Old Grammarians was a terrific moment for both Jamie and the team. I know work commitments are a problem for Jamie but hopefully he will be available every week in 2011.

The emergence of Marcus Gross and Kieran Furniss as 2nd team regulars was another major plus. Both played an important role within the team and produced excellent performances. With other youngsters pushing for 2nd team places the clubs future looks secure.

Mention must be made of the back-to-back match winning centuries by Lewis Bates. Not only did they come at a vital time for the team they were also innings of great skill and maturity. A bright cricketing future is in front of him.

Thanks go to all those who did anything to help with the running of our club and to all those who helped Andy and myself on and off the field during the season.

Here’s to a successful 2011 for our wonderful club.                                                                                             Brett Hanson

With the First team in the Premier, new players joining us and a thriving junior section it was only a matter of time before a third team would be a prerequisite for a club of this size. Wollaston Cricket Club has grown!

So after speaking to one or two people within the club it was decided that we should investigate the possibly of fielding three Saturday League teams.

After further discussions it became clear that we would have sufficient numbers to make it work, but it meant that we needed to hire a ground that was up to the required NCL ground standards, and available throughout the season.

After contacting to a couple of clubs in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, we eventually made contact with Emberton who fortunately were seeking another team to share the ground with Wellingborough Old Grammarian lll’s on Saturdays. (Emberton only play on Sundays.) Following a meeting with them and a look at their facilities, it was agreed that we would play our home games there.

Obviously it’s not the same as playing at HQ but it is very pleasant with a good pitch and it is well looked after. It also has a clubhouse to match most clubs in the league.

The League duly accepted our application and we were up and running!

We had a pre-season friendly against Emberton CC which helped us acclimatise to the surroundings and started our league program at home to the eventual champions Oundle lll.

We hadn’t a clue what to expect and adding further to the uncertainty was the fact that the games could be only “won” or “lost” – a draw was not in the equation. We won the toss and, decided to bowl, and opened up with Jamie Perry and Marcus Gross. The former went on to produce a fine spell of 12 overs - taking 3 wickets for just 34 runs, helping to bowl the opposition out for 160 in 43 overs. Paul Jones and Scott Bailey did the business with the bat and we duly knocked the runs off with nine overs to spare with just 6 wickets down.

A great start – made even better when we heard that both the First and Second’s had also won. Three wins on a Saturday - it hadn’t happened before!

The next week we were brought down to earth at a cold, damp Old Wellingburians ground at Wellingborough Embankment.

We were keen to play despite the drizzle but the conditions were far from ideal. In the event we collected full bowling points for bowling them out, and were set 152 to win. We were all out for 116. But at least we finished with more points for playing and losing than abandoning the game. So it was probably worth getting wet and cold. Or not?

We won fairly comfortably at Brixworth where Rex Boddington and Haydn James put on 92 for the first wicket and Alex Melia took a hat trick and finished with 5 for 35 – a real “Champagne Moment”.

The next week we travelled a couple of miles and hammered Grendon with Kieran Furniss making his one and only appearance and scoring 52, and following that we watched at Mawsley as Marcus Gross scored a glorious 75 not out to take us on our way to our biggest score of the season.

Unfortunately we lost three games in July – all in the last over. The Weekly & Warkton and Geddington encounters were still enjoyable but at Old Northamptonians, except for Rex Boddington (88) and James Pegg who took 4 for 41 in 10 overs, we were poor in all three disciplines, and got what we deserved.

However, we “bounced” back against Irthlingborough on a “sporting” pitch at Redwell Sports Centre, progressed with a win at home to Mears Ashby and finished the season on a high in sixth place out of 16 teams after beating Bold Dragoon ll at Emberton.

Everyone played their part. We rarely had the luxury of the same team two weeks running – and wouldn’t expect it. That is the nature of having three teams.

As you would expect Rex and Paul Jones scored a lot of the runs but Scott Bailey was not far behind. They were ably assisted by a fluid middle order with players moving up and down the batting order depending on who was available.

Alex Melia, James Pegg and Marcus Gross added youth to our bowling attack and all three made an impact over the course of the season

Rex did most of the keeping but when necessary David Pegg and David Clarkson worked the gloves and we still had the chairman on standby should the need arise.

I said at the AGM that I would be happy to take on the job of Third Team captain as long as we competed on a week to week basis. And this is what we did. In every match, with the possible exception of O.Ws, we were always in the game to the final overs and put the opposition under

This was one of the reasons that made the season so enjoyable.

We were one of the few teams to have an umpire and scorer and thanks are due to Dave Ekins and Liam Yeo for officiating every week, also our tea ladies who were not daunted by catering outside the Parish and the various supporters who watched us at home and away.

I would also like to thank all the players for their support. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, and individually everyone was competitive and gave 100% in every game. No strops, monks, moods or dummies - just a group of players giving their best every week.

There is a change of format regarding the fixture list next season. With the Northamptonshire Cricket League adding a new division (Div 14) it means that possibly the standard of division 13 will be stronger in 2011 due to the bottom four teams dropping down to supplement the new section.

Unless there are late drop-outs, there will be ten teams, playing each other on a home and away basis—giving a total of 18 fixtures starting on May 7th with a game away at West Haddon.

Let’s hope for another successful season!

David Ward - Third Eleven captain

Our Under Fifteens had an improved season—winning six of the thirteen fixtures and finishing in 7th place in a division of fourteen.

Kieran Furniss led the batting with four fifties - including a majestic 92 not out and finished the season with 292 runs at a near Bradmanesque average of 98. He was well supported by Joey Jones ( top score 48* and 84 runs) and Luke Shanks (top score 38* average 22)

Liam Yeo led the bowling with six wickets but M Humphries and Kieran followed up with five each with Nathan Richards, Harry Matthews and Charlie Elderton taking three each.

It was a good effort from all the squad and hopefully the progress can continue in 2011.

The Under 13’s had a very good season finishing 5^th in the league and winning 8 of their 12 games, which is the best performance for some years. The team was very competitive and even when we lost games we pushed the opposition all the way.

Charlie Elderton lead the batting with 314 runs with an average of 52.33, whilst Nathan Richards scored the team’s highest score of the season with a near perfect 61 not out against Oundle. Will Holley won the team’s most improved player award based on his performances as one of our opening batsmen - scoring over 150 runs.

Our bowling was lead by Patrick Bright with 14 wickets and he was ably supported his U11 team mate Harry Broome who took 11 wickets. These two lads opened the bowling every week and never seemed phased by the responsibility and could always be relied upon to perform with the ball and the bat when needed.

George Roach and Cameron Wiseman shared the wicket keeping duties and both did a pretty good job and byes were kept to a minimum. The rest of the squad all played their part as did the parents who were all very supportive.

I would finally like to say a big thank you to Graham Richards for all his enthusiasm and help during the practice sessions and matches.

The U11 squad has had a great season in more ways than one. Having finished joint winners of the B league last season, we had mixed feelings about playing in the much stronger A and B league although with hindsight the team had nothing to fear! From 13 games played they won 10 and secured 3rd place which was higher than we had thought was possible. Everybody played their part in what was an enjoyable season with some great games played by a competitive, friendly and talented squad!

As a Club we are proud of all our players and it is pleasing to see so many playing representative cricket. Within the squad we have seen a number of players represent the County and District squads - Harry Broome (Northants U11), Nathan Healey (Northants U10), Beth Healey (Northants Girls U13), Patrick Bright (East Northants District U11,Captain), Chris Manktelow (East Northants District U11) and Cameron Pike (East Northants District U11).  Pat and Harry also opened the bowling for the U13 squad and had a great season taking 14 and 11 wickets, respectively.

Throughout the season we have seen all players emerge with stronger performances and development of their understanding and enjoyment of cricket.

Training was always undertaken with fun, enthusiasm and commitment and this has paid off with the amount of games won which has been achieved through great team work. Just a few words of praise for all concerned.

Patrick Bright - 173 runs, average 86.5, 8 wickets at 2.90 economy. Starred for the District and leading wicket taker for U13's. Vice-Captain.

Harry Broome - Leading run scorer with 41% of the teams runs with 192 at an average of 192! 11 wickets and winner of Batting award. Captain.

Max Halliday - Winner of the Most Improved Player award. Great team member whose bowling has improved significantly over the season.

Jack Harrison - Bowled well with 9 wickets at a strike rate of 16. Top score of 13 no in the game against Rushden A. Mad as a box of frogs!

Beth Healey - Emerging talent and the 1st Girl to play for Wollaston U11's for many years! Played for Northants U13's as an all-rounder.

Liam Healey - No bigger than the wickets but boy does he have potential! A star of the future and bowled well during the season.

Nathan Healey - 8 wickets in only 7 games and bowled well for the County. Natural bowling action which will cause many problems for batters.

Robert Machin - Did well in his 1st season. Good hand-eye co-ordination and a natural sportsman. Great game at Oundle on his debut.

Chris Manktelow - The "king of spin" - winner of the bowling award for his 10 wickets at 4.50 economy. Batting average 53. Leg-spin is a difficult art!

Lewis North-Row - A star in his 1st ever game against Rushden A - 12 no, a wicket with his 4th ball and fielded well. Watch him go in 2011.

Jamie Parker - Great fielder and top score of 12 no against Oundle. 8% of the teams runs and a steady bowler.

Cameron Pike - Kept wicket very well all season for both club and District. 3rd leading run scorer with 130 at an average of 43.33.

Harry Tobin - Confidence grew as the season went on and ended up bowling well. Improvements seen throughout his game.

Special thanks to Jason for his coaching assistance and umpiring, Graham for scoring, Sally for the bacon rolls and all the parents for their continued support throughout the season.

Thanks team for a memorable season and looking forward to working with you as part of the U13 squad next season. Nick Broome - manager

Statement ; Our aim with the Nine’s is to provide a safe, fun environment for the children to earn new cricket skills, learn a basic understanding of the game and to be prepared and confident when they move up to the Under Elevens’

The 2010 season saw our whole youth section take significant steps forward in numbers, and the abilities of players. The Under Nine’s won the Thrapston tournament - a big achievement for them and the club.  The fact that we now have over 10 coaches at the club qualified, or about to qualify at level one or two, shows Wollaston Cricket Club’s commitment to our young players and the future.

I am personally involved in the U9’s section, taking children as young as 4 years old for Friday night coaching throughout the summer, which whilst having it's obvious challenges, does prove rewarding when their progress can be clearly seen, thanks to the skills and training of our coaching.

As I write Winter Nets has just started at Wollaston Secondary School, all three age groups , under 9, under 11 and under 13 are fully subscribed, we have been building up the coaching numbers to support and ensure safety.

2010 saw WCC take on the challenge of hosting a Kwik Cricket tournament for under 9 teams around the county. A warm sunny day in August saw 15 teams enter the competition with Loddington being the deserving winners. The event would not have been possible without the help of the under 9 parents and club members who made themselves available and took charge of much of the tasks that were needed to make the day such a success.

Throughout the summer the parents have been proactive and supportive to everything we have tried to do, I am very lucky to have such a good bunch who appreciate the efforts we make with their children on the cricket pitch.

Finally, I would like to sat a big thank you to Ian Geddes for his help last season and wish him well for his coaching exam coming up. Here's to 2011.

                                                                                                                                                                             Darren King

September 18th

FIRST ELEVEN BATTLE HARD BUT LOSE WITH ONE OVER TO SPARE  Final  league table  scorecard 

Wollaston 224 all out in 55 overs     Peterborough 226 for 8 in 53.2 overs.   Lost   8 points

Jimmy Hart 58                        

An absorbing and exciting final encounter of the season saw Peterborough come out on top with one over and four balls to spare. Although they took maximum points from the game the visitors could still only manage the runners up spot in the premier division despite finishing on the same number of points as the champions Finedon. Finedon's one extra win was the vital difference.

Number three Jimmy Hart made 58, Mark Ralph 34 and captain Steve Musgrave 34, and a score of 224 meant that if the visitors won they would take maximum batting points to add to their full crop of bowling points.

After the interval the game ebbed and flowed, but with opener Asim Butt making a resolute 80, wickets had to be worked for and to Wollaston's credit that is what they did. The result could have gone either way but eventually Peterborough prevailed and victory was completed in the 54th over.

Chris Perry took 4 wickets with John Pike and Steve Musgrave picking up two each.

Wollaston, with five wins over the season came a creditable fifth in the premier division.

SECOND ELEVEN ARE SWEPT ASIDE AT PETERBOROUGH ll     Final league table     

Wollaston ll 125 all out in 44 overs    Peterborough ll  128 for 1  in 26 overs  Lost   1 point

The Seconds were never in this game and on a good pitch a miserly total of 125 was at least 150 short for a side with a depleted bowling attack.  Number six David Clarkson top scored for Wollaston with 43, and out of the rest of the order only Darren Laughton and Marcus Shelton briefly looked like upsetting Peterborough's plans.

In reply the opposition openers were in a positive frame of mind and straight from the first ball pushed Wollaston in the field and never looked in any trouble.  It took all-rounder Marcus Shelton to extract the only wicket from the hosts - albeit with only 5 needed to win after 26 overs.

Wollaston finished in seventh place in division three with 8 wins - only two less than Stony Stratford ll who were promoted along with Towcestrians.

September 11th

FIRST ELEVEN SLIDE TO A DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT AT BRIXWORTH   Lost

Brixworth 133 all out in 35 overs   Wollaston 99 all out in 30 overs    Lost  5 points

 league table  scorecard   

After bowling out Brixworth for a modest 133 in 35 overs (Siphe and Steve Musgrave 3 wickets each) Wollston disapointingly capitulated to just 99 all out in 30 overs. Simon Driver top scored with 17 and for Brixworth ex-County man Steven Crook took 4 wickets.

 SECOND ELEVEN EVENTUALLY REACH VICTORY AGAINST OLD GRAMMARIANS

Old Grammarians 104 all out      Wollaston ll 108 for 7      Won  25 points

Six wickets and a hat-trick for Jamie Perry    league table      scorecard

On a beautiful sunny afternoon which defied the BBC Weather Forecasters, Wollaston won the toss and put OG’s into bat.  OG’s got off to a steady start batting cautiously but not looking in any trouble until Jamie Perry blasted out the top order,  taking a hat-trick in his first over.  Wickets continued to tumble with OG’s reduced to 46 for 8.  A late fight back saw the batting team through to 104 for 9 when Jamie Perry dramatically dropped a return catch but deflected the ball onto the stumps to run out the last OG’s batsman.  Jamie Perry was the standout bowler taking 6 for 31. 

 Chasing a small total Wollaston got off to a poor start, reduced to 15 for 3 after 9 overs.  A spirited fight back by Darren King and Darren Laughton brought Wollaston within 20 runs of the total before 3 more wickets fell cheaply.  However, John Pike eventually hit the winning runs in the 31^st over seeing Wollaston home at 108 for 7.  The standout performance was Darren Laughton with 41 with excellent support from Darren King 28 and John Pike (20).  A good win which pushes the home team up to the middle of the table.

September 4th

FIRST ELEVEN JUST NINE RUNS FROM VICTORY AGAINST ACADEMY

NCCC Academy  197 for 9 in 55 overs     Wollaston 189 for 6 in 55 overs   Draw  9 points

scorecard  league table

SECOND ELEVEN WIN BY FIVE WICKETS AGAINST KEMPSTON

Kempston 187 all out in 49.4 overs   Wollaston ll 195 for 5 in 44.4 overs    Won  28 points

Aatish Singh  63 scorecard    league table

Wollaston won the toss and elected to field on this warm and pleasant afternoon.  John Pike extracted pace and bounce causing problems for the Kempston openers, and together with Darren King kept a tight rein on scoring.  Kempston did look like they may dominate at times but the steady fall of wickets kept them down to a relatively small total of 187 All out from 49.4 overs.  Standout performances with the ball were John Pike (4 for 42), Darren King, who’s figures of 2 for 51 were small consolation for some excellent bowling and Adrian Ward with 4 for 44.

 In reply Wollaston got offer to a solid start before Brett Hanson survived a controversial caught behind decision.   Making the most of his good fortune he then got into his stride finally falling caught behind for 42.  Aatish Singh batted very well, growing in confidence as his innings progressed and playing some excellent attacking shots at the right time.  He finally fell for 63, caught behind with a faint edge down the leg side.  By this point the home side were well on top with Darren Laughton (35) and Darren King (18 NO) seeing Wollaston home for a valuable 28 points.  An excellent all round performance which surely secures a place in Division 3 for next year.        

August 28th

FIRST ELEVEN DRAW WITH NORTHAMPTON SAINTS AS RAIN INTERVENES.

Saints 204 for 9 in 55 overs    Wollaston 73 for 7 in 31 overs    Draw   6 points

scorecard   league table  

Wollaston won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Siphe bowled a fine opening spell of ten overs for 18.  Meanwhile, at the other end Simon driver picked up the wicket of Zak Harvey.
The spinners then came on and kept taking regular wickets. Saints finished on 204. Perry 3 - 59 off 17. Bates 3 - 50 off 8 and Musgrave 2 - 56 off 11.

After the rain Wollaston needed 200 off 25 so decided to have a go at collecting batting points.

However good bowling from Mark Wolstenholme and Richard Stemp reduced Wollaston to 14 - 5  but Wollaston eventually finished on 70 - 7 with  Chris Perry (38 not ou) and Mark Ralph (14)  batting for 15 overs - stoping Saints winning the game.

THE RAIN ALSO CURTAILS THE SECOND ELEVEN GAME AT TOWCESTER

Towcester 215 for 5 in 50 overs    Wollaston ll  56 for 5              Draw   4 points

league table 

On a cool, overcast afternoon with rain and disruption never far away, Towcester began their innings.  Sloppy fielding in the first few overs denied Mark Gibbs early wickets and allowed the opening pair to get set.  The breakthrough finally came close to drinks with Gibbs finally rewarded for some tight bowling.  Bowling continued to be a tough job with Towcester eventually posting 215 for 5 from their 50 overs.  The stand out performances were Andrew Keys with the bat, scoring a fine 119 and Mark Gibbs for Wollaston with 4 for 38.

 Unfortunately rain fell during the tea interval and although no time was lost initially, leaky covers caused some concern.  However, when the Wollaston innings finally started wickets quickly fell leaving the visitors 56 for 5 from 25 overs when rain interrupted the game again.  On this occasion the leak from the covers caused more damage to the pitch and after a length delay the pitch was finally deemed unfit for play.  This was a disappointing performance from Wollaston who were eventually rescued by poor covers and Towcester’s unwillingness to declare earlier with the threat of rain never far away.  

August 21st

RAIN BRINGS A DRAW AT RUSHTON FOR THE FIRST ELEVEN

league table                           5 WICKETS FOR LIAM BATES

SECOND ELEVEN LOSE TO HEYFORD IN RUN FEAST   league table  report

Wollaston batted first and got off to a solid start with the new opening partnership of Brett Hanson (33) and Aatish Singh (33) scoring steadily.   Scoring seemed easy as the innings progressed with Darren King (46NO) and John Pike (45) pushing Wollaston up to 233 for 6 from their 50 overs.  

 In reply Heyford never looked like faltering with the opener Shaun Boyson scoring 110 without giving a chance.  Wollaston’s bowlers toiled tirelessly through the afternoon to no avail, the visitors finally passing the required total in 46.3 overs with the loss of 4 wickets.  A solid performance from the home team which suggests that the dark days of mid-season are finally over.

THIRD ELEVEN FINISH THE SEASON IN STYLE BY BEATING BOLD DRAGOON ll

Wollaston lll 193 for 5 in 45 overs      Bold Dragoon ll 160 all out in 43

Andrew Silsby 58  Scott Bailey 57   scorecard    league table

Wollaston Third eleven completed their first season in Division Thirteen by beating Bold Dragoon seconds on a slowish track at Emberton.

David Pegg and Andrew Silsby both found that initially runs were a sparse commodity on  pitch that was well prepared but drying as the game progressed.

However, Silsby's innings gained momentum and when Pegg departed he was accompanied by Scott Bailey and together they put on an excellent stand of 90 for the second wicket. When Silsby was eventually bowled for 58 and Bailey was caught for 57 (including 2 out-of-the-ground sixes) Paul Jones (34 not out) and Brian Bartlett (9 not out) took the score up to a healthy 193 for 5 off 45 overs.

In reply Dragoon lost Mike Chew in the 4th over when he was well caught behind by David Pegg off the nagging accuracy of Alex Melia and Martin Barnard lbw to Nick Dawson.

At the other end James Pegg clean bowled Martin Pettit before Craig Johnson (47 and Mark Halliday (22) put on 50 for the 3rd wicket. When Adrian Ward bowled the latter Wollaston looked on top but with number seven Steve Bennett clubbing 52 in quick time the game looked like is was drifting towards the Northampton outfit.

However when David Ward had Johnson well caught by Paul Jones at square leg and Bennett was excellently caught one-handed on the boundary by Adrian Wollaston were once again in the ascendancy and this time forced their advantage home and bowled out the visitors for 160 in the 43rd over.

 David ward finished with 4 31 off 7 overs, James Pegg 2 for 30 off 10, Adrian Ward 2 for 39 off 11, Alex Melia 1 for 26 off 7 and Nick Dawson 1 for 29 off 8.

A good end to the season, which gave us win number eight and sixth position in division thirteen.

August 14th

FIRST ELEVEN LOSE AT HOME TO FINEDON

Wollaston 147 for 8 in 45 overs    Finedon 149 for 3 in 29.3 overs   scorecard    league table     

On a arrival at the ground and pulling the covers off the prepared deck, it was obvious we needed to win the toss and ask our table topping opposition to bat first.

After a prolonged shower which delayed the start of play by 1 hour 15 minutes, the toss was finally done  - and we had lost it! Batting!

The game was a 45 overs each unless any more rain arrived. Sure enough we were on and off all afternoon - not allowing Wollaston batters to find any concentration. Sam Kumar and Simon Driver were stand-out performers for Wollaston with the bat, scoring  45 and 47 respectively. Will Sneath was  the stand-out bowler for Finedon on a deck which was made for him! Wollaston posted 147 off 45.

Finedon had 37 overs to bat and the very attacking Andy Daniels played his natural game and got to 50 before the next rain break. We were off for rain and bad light for 35 minutes and by this time Finedon needed 20 off 8.3 overs after  further over reductions. They got the required total  with 4 overs to spare, 3 wickets down. Steve Musgrave picking up 2 wickets.

Wollaston will be looking forward to playing at Rushton next week to try and jump ahead of them in the league and mount a challenge to finish 5th for a second consecutive year.

CP

STONY STRATFORD ll 'S SCRAPE HOME AGAINST SECOND ELEVEN    

Wollaston ll  80 all out in 34.4 overs   Stony Stratford ll 82 for 8 in 28.1 overs

scorecard      league table    

Wollaston lost the toss and were put into bat on a damp afternoon which threatened to disrupt play.  A pretty poor performance followed with Aatish Singh and Kieran Furniss the stand out performances with 19 and 24 respectively.  Finally dismissed for 80 from 33.4 overs Wollaston went into tea with a lot of work to do to salvage a result.

 Stony lost a quick wicket but got to 38 after 8 overs before some great bowling by Andy Luck (4 for 19) and John Pike (4 for 35) made it a close contest.  Stony finally limped over the winning line with 8 wickets down in the 29^th over.  A disappointing loss but Wollaston should take pride in being able to make the contest a close one. 

PC

WASH OUT FOR THIRDS AGAINST THRAPSTON 

Game called off without a ball bowled.

August 7th

FIRST ELEVEN CRASH AT STONY STRATFORD

Wollaston 152 all out in 49.5 overs      Stony Stratford 154 for 3 in 27.4 overs

Chris Perry 50      scorecard        league table   All Wollaston's results 2010

On a green deck Stony won the toss and elected to bowl first.

 Wollaston had a slow start and lost wickets along the way and at the second rain break were 49 - 5.

 A partnership of 52 between Mark Ralph and Chris Perry got Wollaston into three figures, Perry then batted with the tail - departing for 50, leaving Siphe and Adam Tee to get Wollaston up to 152 and a second batting point.

Three quick wickets from skipper Steve Musgrave (2) and Perry (1) gave Wollaston hope but an excellent 87 not out from Garth Davson and a well-struck  40 in quick time from Nick Allen got Stony across the line.

CP

SECONDS WIN AT HOME TO NORTHAMPTONIANS lll

Old Northamptonians lll 180 for 9 in 50 overs       Wollaston ll 181 for 6     39.1 overs

Lewis Bates makes it two hundreds in two weeks!  101 not out  ! scorecard  league table  

Wollaston won the toss and elected to field under overcast skies which threatened to produce frequent showers throughout the afternoon.  The bowlers got Wollaston off to a solid start with John Pike and Jamie Perry containing the ON batsman on a flat wicket which offered a consistent bounce.  However, things changed in the 17^th over when game was interrupted for 30 minutes by heavy rain.  When play resumed with 5 overs lost from the game the pitch began to offer some movement for the bowlers and the extra moisture produced some inconsistent bounce.  Using the conditions well Wollaston reduced the opposition to 180 for 8 from their 50 overs.  John Pike (2 for 46), Jamie Perry (2 for 40) and Andy Luck (1 for 29) were the pick of the bowlers. 

 Further rain during the interval led to a delayed start and the loss of a further 5 overs making Wollaston’s run chase a much stiffer task.   The innings got off to a solid start with the batsmen accumulating runs through some watchful batting until the drinks break at 21 overs.  Lewis Bates, building on his success of the previous week, looked solid throughout and supported by some excellent aggressive play by the middle order, brought Wollaston to the brink of victory with 4 overs to go.  With 30 runs needed for victory the attacking shots began with Lewis scoring 16 runs in the 39th over to tie the scores and bring up his second successive 100. The winning runs came quickly in the next over to ensure an excellent victory which after a difficult year should see Wollaston remain in Division 3 for next year.   

PC

WOLLASTON THIRDS HANG ON TO BEAT MEARS ASHBY ll  league table   All Wollaston's results 2010

Wollaston managed to win this nail biter with just one wicket to spare.

July 31st

FIRST ELEVEN WIN A TENSE TUSSLE WITH WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN

Wellingborough Town 156 all out in 45 overs  Wollaston 157 for 8 in 44 overs    27 points

Four wickets each for Chris Perry and Steve Musgrave    scorecard      

Wollaston won the toss and elected to bowl first. Yet another quick spell from Siphe removed one of the openers that triggered a collapse from Wellingborough.

On a spinning wicket Chris Perry and Steve Musgrave picked up 4 wickets each with Perry's wickets costing 46 runs off 14.1 overs, and  Musgrave's 52 runs off 12 overs.

Opening spells from Davis and Roach left Wollaston struggling and when Sam Owen removed Simon Driver with Wollaston needing 60 runs for victory with 4 wickets remaining, the game was in the balance.

However, 47 from Musgrave in a partnership with Perry left Wollaston needing 20 to win when Perry was out.

Mark Carter then made 12 in a  partnership worth 16 with the skipper but when Carter departed  with 4 still needed for victory a nervy finish was the order of the day, but a well timed pull from skipper Musgrave  gave Wollaston the win and 27 points.

CP

SECOND ELEVEN GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS AT HORTON ll

Horton ll 228 for 7 dec in 49 overs     Wollaston ll 229 for 2 in 47  overs   win 28 points

Lewis Bates 110 not out  Marcus Shelton 69 not out   scorecard     league table    All Wollaston's results 2010

Wollaston won the toss and elected to field on this warm but overcast afternoon.  Mike Duddle and Jamie Perry made the most of the bowler friendly conditions and with some tight bowling reduced Horton to 73 for 2 after 20 overs.  Runs looked hard to come by until the Father and Son combination of Elliot and Paul Ruff came together, the later smashing 51 from 29 balls to push the home side to 228 for 7 when the declaration came after 49 overs.  Jamie Perry (3 for 41 from his 15) and Adrian Ward (3 for 63 from 10) were the stand out bowlers for Wollaston.

Lewis Bates and Aatish Singh opened for Wollaston in bright sunshine and made their intentions to bat for a lengthy spell clear from the off.  After an excellent start which saw Wollaston undefeated to drinks, Aatish eventually fell for 30 from 85 balls in the 28^th over.  Brett Hanson made his attacking intentions clear from the start before falling for 8.  Batting down the order for the first time this year Marcus Shelton then joined Lewis Bates, and together they formed a formidable partnership, putting on a speedy 117 to see Wollaston home in the 48^th over.  Congratulations to Lewis Bates who ended with 110 Not Out – a fine innings in which he gave no chances, batting with skill, patience and a maturity well beyond his years.  The supporting role from Marcus Shelton (69 Not Out) was a great mixture of careful defence and aggressive hitting; a great advert for the value of experience.

PC

THIRD ELEVEN WIN DECISIVELY AGAINST IRTHLINGBOROUGH lll

Wollaston lll 184 for 6 in 45 overs    Irthlingborough lll    61 all out in 27 overs    29 points

David Ward 5 for 21   scorecard   league table      All Wollaston's results 2010  

The losing run came to an end for the Thirds on a difficult track at Redwell Sports Centre. With ball both leaping off a length and taking lumps out of the surface, run scoring was difficult.

The lost toss meant Wollaston would bat first on this "competitive pitch" and openers Rex Boddington (30) and Haydn James (28) both batted sensibly to put on a commendable 59 for the first wicket.

Andrew Silsby added 23, Marcus Gross 26 and Scott Bailey 29 to take Wollaston to 184 for 6 in 45 overs.

In reply Wollaston's duo of James Pegg and Marcus Gross took the new ball and after a couple of overs Pegg struck twice - first clean bowling J. Perkins followed up by having P Bains caught behind by Rex Boddington.

David Ward replaced Pegg and immediately had T Ames caught round the corner by Marcus Gross for 4 and Gross stayed with the action to have N Westley caught behind.

Ward went on to claim 5 for 21 off 5 overs and Pegg finished with 3 for 9 of 9 overs

Irthlingborough were all out for 61 in 27 overs

DW

July 24th

FIRST ELEVEN LOSE AT RUSHDEN  scorecard    league table    

Wollaston 171 all out in 44 overs     Rushden 173 for 5 in 28 overs        Lost    4 points

Steve Musgrave 71 not out

Wollaston won the toss and elected to bat, and with a quick 30 off the first four overs confidence was high in the camp - that was until the carnage that saw Wollaston lose 7 wickets for 30 runs! The Rushden opening attack ran right through the top and middle order.

Only skipper Steve Musgrave - with 71 not out, went on to post a significant score although Siphe Mzayidume showed considerable resistance and together with his skipper compiled a face saving 55 for the last wicket.

And Siphe once again showed how quick he was and picked up four quick wickets although apart from that the Wollaston attack offered very little, and Rushden passed the target score of 172 with plenty of overs to spare. But credit must go to Siphe who really tried to change course of the game with his fiery spell.

SECOND ELEVEN HALT LOSING RUN AGAINST RUSHDEN ll scorecard   league table     

Rushden ll 285 for 3 off 49    Wollaston ll 149 for 6 in 51 overs      Draw 4 points

Darren Laughton 54     

Chasing Rushden’s impressive 285 for 3 from 49 overs, Wollaston got off to solid start before Marcus Shelton fell on 17 in the 9^th over.   Although Brett Hanson and David Clarkson failed to score many between them, they both occupied the crease for valuable overs and looked solid before getting out to good balls.   This determined  team approach was continued by Darren Laughton and Jamie Perry who batted for 17 overs to ensure that Wollaston earned a hard fought draw.  The standout performances with the bat were Darren Laughton (53), Jamie Perry (22 Not Out) and Lewis Bates (23).  A much better performance from Wollaston who showed a determination that has often been missing in the earlier games.

          THIRD ELEVEN LOSE HEAVILY AGAINST GEDDINGTON lll  scorecard     league table

Wollaston lll 143 for 8 in 45 overs     Geddington lll 145 for 4 in 29 overs   Lost 4 points

Although Wollaston got off to a decent start after losing the toss, the failure to push on to a post a competitive total meant that Geddington could  bat steadily without too much pressure with regard to run rate.   

Against some accurate Geddington bowling - interspersed with several head-high full tosses, Alex Melia and Paul Jones registered a healthy 78 for the first wicket.

However, when both openers departed within six runs of each other (Jones 42, Melia 27) the visitors held the upper hand and no one else could stamp their authority on proceedings and accelerate the scoring.

Wollaston closed on a disappointing 143 for 8 after 45 overs.

In reply, Geddington were always in control and went past the victory target in the 29th over with six wickets in hand.

July 17th

FIRST ELEVEN BEAT BURTON LATIMER BY 132 RUNS   scorecard    league table 

Wollaston 250 for 8 in 55 overs   Burton 118 all out in 42.3 overs  Won  -  30 points

Wollaston won the toss and elected to bat on a deck that looked flat and full of runs but after losing two quick wickets the innings had to be rebuilt between light rain showers.

The rebuilding was done by opener Nick Shelton who made 58 before being smartly run out and Matt Jones who made a patient 78. Some improvised hitting at the end by Steve Musgrave and Mark Gibbs got Wollaston up to 250.

Wollaston came out to bowl on a track that had been juiced up by the rain showers and an excellent spell from Mark Gibbs got Wollaston 4 quick wickets. Steve Musgrave picked up 3 from the middle order and South African Siphe bowled very quickly for 2 at the end to wrap up the innings, and with it the much deserved win.

CP

SECOND ELEVEN LOSE AT ST CRISPIN'S     scorecard    league table

St Crispin's 208 for 8 in 50 overs   Wollaston 146 all out in 42 overs     Lost -  5 points

A late heavy shower forced water under the covers and allowed small areas of standing water to form in the middle of the pitch.  This caused the start of the game to be delayed by 15 minutes although no overs were lost.  Wollaston won the all important toss and put Crispin's into bat.  With an attack weakened by absence and injury Wollaston put in a good performance, reducing Crispin's down to 208 for 8 from their 50 overs.  Stand out performances with the ball were John Pike with 2 for 50 and Jamie Perry with 3 for 48.   Youngsters Kieran Furnace (2 for 22) and Marcus Gross (1 for 20) made a significant contribution in the middle overs, keeping the scoring down and nipping out some key wickets.

 In reply Wollaston got off to a good start and at 100 for 3 after 24 overs looked odds on to successfully chase down the target and reverse their recent form.  However, consistent with a team struggling for confidence, wickets quickly began to tumble and in the end Wollaston were dismissed for 144 in the 42^nd over.  Brett Hanson was the best with the bat making a steady 43.  David Clarkson remained unbeaten on 9 after batting out 15 overs in an effort to save the game.   Another disappointing result  which places Wollaston in real danger of relegation.

PC

THIRD ELEVEN LOSE ON THE LAST BALL      scorecard      league table     

Wollaston 189 all out in 44     Old Northamptonians    190 for 7 in 46 overs   Lost - 7 points

 Wollaston lost another game in the last over after once again looking favourites to take the victory honours.

The home side won the toss and decided to bat on a pitch that favoured the bowlers slightly more than the batters.

With Haydn James departing in the fourth over and Paul Jones going cheaply opener Rex Boddington uncharacteristically  took on the role of anchor-man to steer the batting through to a competitive total.

He batted through to the 39th over before finally being bowled for his excellent 89. Tom Hodson and Haydn James tied for second highest scorers with 15 each.

James Pegg took the new ball for Wollaston and he soon made an impact. He cleaned bowled M Forward in the 4th over, had D Sweenie caught for a duck, followed by R Green for 17. At 51 for 4 O.N's looked in trouble but number five David Heathfield gradually steadied the Old Boys' ship and from that point wickets were hard to come by - despite Pegg coming back and grabbing another his fourth

Nick Dawson helped out with a couple and Paul Jones bowled A Smith but going in to the last over O.N's needed 17 to win and with the help of two sixes, scraped home on the last ball. David Heathfield finished with 93 not out and James Pegg 4 for 42 off 10 excellent overs.

DW

July 10th

FIRST ELEVEN LOSE AT OLD NORTHAMPTONIANS

Old Northamptonians 313 for 6 off 55 overs Wollaston 237 all out off 46 overs

Wollaston elected to bowl first on a pitch where, if Wollaston had two spinners on duty, a different decision may have been taken.

After a quick start by ON's, Simon Driver snatched three quick wickets including the prized scalp of Northant's  David Willey for a third ball duck.

Richard Kauffman and Richard Afford then batted very well together and used the quick outfield to their advantage. Wollaston bowlers struggled to really tie them down, both going on to score hundreds. Kauffman making 147 and Afford 115.

Simon Driver came back to collect two further wickets picking himself up his first ever premier division five wicket haul.

Wollaston came out to bat and lost Liam Bates early to David Willey's left arm fast medium and Jimmy Hart to Zed Babbar's right arm seamers.

Then a few batters made positive starts including Matt Jones unluckily given out on 38 and Rob Newton - quick fire 34 before getting caught at mid on.

However, all-rounder Simon Driver batted excellently for his 40 and Chris Perry back in the side as captain, made 73 not out off 59 balls at number 7, which helped get Wollaston to maximum batting points despite the defeat.
scorecard   league table     

SECOND ELEVEN LOSE AT HOME TO GREAT OAKLEY

Wollaston 163 all out   Great Oakley 164 for 4

Wollaston batted first got off to a solid start reaching 61 for 1 after 16 overs.  Brett Hanson (23) and Adam Tee (25) pushed the score on quickly before the inevitable collapse followed reducing the score to 119 for 6 after 35.  David Clarkson, batting at 8,  played a solid innings mixing stout defence with the odd attacking shot in an effort to keep Oakley at bay.   At 133 in the 41^st over Adrian Ward joined David at the crease and together they put on 30 runs before Adrian was run out in the 48^th over.  Stand out performances were Marcus Shelton with 34 and David Clarkson 20 Not Out from 43 balls.

 In reply Great Oakley struggled in response to some outstanding bowling from Ali Fox and Adrian Ward.  However, with inexperienced bowling to follow Great Oakley quickly made progress finally getting the totally in the 40^th over.  Another loss but a much better performance overall which provides hope for future games.

  league table                        

THIRD ELEVEN GET SO CLOSE BUT LOSE TO WEEKLEY & WARKTON lll

Wollaston 156 for 8 in 45 overs Weekley & Warkton 157 for 9 in 45 overs

A fantastic game of cricket saw the visitors cross the victory line with 3 balls and one wicket to spare.

Wollaston won the toss and decided to bat on a glorious sunny day.

Rex Boddington was out in the second over when he was caught at slip at the second attempt but fellow opener Alex melia  dug in and made a useful 31. Scott Bailey boosted the middle order with 36 and Tom Hodson helped out with 19. Brian Bartlett's 14 helped the total to a competitive 156 for 8 in the allotted 45 overs.

In reply Weekley lost 4 quick wickets early on but opener C Lynch batted well  and made an accomplished 53 to keep the visitors up with the scoring rate.

 Number six M Lee  made 34 and despite three wickets each from David Ward and Mike Duddle,with 2 from Nick Dawson and 1 from Alex Melia, Weekley scrapped over the victory line with 3 balls and one wicket remaining.

scorecard      league table      

July 3rd

FANTASTIC WIN FOR FIRST ELEVEN AT HIGH FLYING PETERBOROUGH

Peterborough 208 all out in 53 overs   Wollaston 209 for 9 in 56.2 overs   Win 29 points

Wollaston went into this clash having taken a winning draw and a last ball victory from the city side last season. Despite reason to be confident, Peterborough had recruited well for the new season and just a couple of weeks ago were sitting top of the pile.

 Muzzy’s luck with the toss, and Peterborough it was who were asked to take first use of what looked like an excellent batting wicket and scorched outfield.

Having started with a maiden from each end a flurry of boundaries followed until Simon Driver took a neat caught and bowled then rather bizarrely had two batsman taken at leg slip. A tidy spell from John Pike (1-37) kept the pressure on and Muzzy (4-45) then took over and as usual began to sweep up the tail. Gift took a couple of wickets but at 150 for 8 it could have been a lot better had their 9^th wicket partnership not taken the score to 208.

 The Wollaston reply started poorly with Matt Jones taken at slip but Liam Bates (36) and Jimmy Hart (27) counter attacked and took the score to 70 before both fell in quick succession. Having made an excellent 60 odd in the week Muzzy went in at 5 and set about seeing us home but Mark Ralph, Driver and Bates Jnr all came and went. Carts looked in excellent order and his 26 ball 26 included a couple of lusty blows but him, Pikey and Muz all fell at a crucial time and with 30 still needed we were down to our last pair. 

All was not lost and big Bedford left armer Gibbo and South African Gift belied the situation, and distinct from their team-mates,  a couple of shaky moments came and went and fortunately they saw us home in the last over.

scorecard   league table                          All Wollaston's results 2010    All Wollaston scorecards   

SECONDS LOSE BY 18 RUNS AS DISMAL RUN CONTINUES

Peterborough ll 156 all out     Wollaston ll 138 all out           6 points

Wollaston produced an excellent performance with the ball bowling Peterborough out for 156 in the 50^th over.  Chris Perry, excelled with final figures of 15-8-5-32 with Harmit Bahra providing solid support with 3 for 43. 

 In reply Wollaston got off to a blistering start thanks to an explosive 90 from 66 balls by Chris Perry.  When Perry was eventually caught on the boundary with 37 to win Wollaston looked certain to win. 

Unfortunately, the wickets continued to tumble as the pressure mounted and with every passing minute, Wollaston look less like making the target.  Following the most serious batting collapse witnessed for many years, Wollaston eventually finished 18 runs short, effectively snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. 

 scorecard   league table                     All Wollaston's results 2010    All Wollaston scorecards

THIRDS PILE ON THE RUNS TO WIN AT LODDINGTON & MAWSLEY

Wollaston lll 228 for 8 in 45 overs   Loddington and Mawsley 171 all out in 41  Win 30 points

A fantastic batting display by Wollaston saw veteran Rex Boddington and youngster Marcus Gross  (43 years between them!) both put the home side's bowling attack to the sword with the former making 76 and the latter a maiden 50 on his way to 80 not out.

Opener Boddington was well supported by his partner Haydn James (34) and together they put on 72 for the first wicket  - laying a firm foundation before Marcus, batting at number six stroked 14 x fours and 2 x sixes in his unbeaten innings.

In reply, L & G were in a good position at 85 for 3 but with Gross and Alex Melia getting early breakthroughs Wollaston kept chipping away and kept run scoring down to a manageable level. James Pegg was introduced into the attack and immediately had an impact - taking 2 for 26 off his 5 overs and David Ward wrapped up the innings with 4 for 25 off 6 overs.

 scorecard     league table                            All Wollaston's results 2010     All Wollaston scorecards

June 26th

WOLLASTON HOLD ON FOR A DRAW AT NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Saints 276 for 2 in 55 overs     Wollaston 224 for 8 in 55 overs  Draw 7 points

scorecard   league table                             All Wollaston's results 2010    All Wollaston scorecards   

SECONDS DRAW AT HOME TO TOWCESTRIANS 

Towcestrians 286 for 8 in 50  overs Wollaston ll 118 for 2 in 50 overs  Draw    6 points

Wollaston, under the leadership of Marcus Shelton, won the toss and took the brave decision field on this very hot and sunny afternoon.  Towcester got off to a steady start before powering on to 286 for 8 from their 50 overs.  Their total was helped by an impressive 90 from Ben Laycock aided by a lightening fast outfield that probably accounted for an additional 60 runs to the innings score.  The pick of the bowlers for Wollaston were Ali Fox with 3 for 68 and Adrian Ward with 3 for 83.

 In reply Wollaston started poorly with 3 wickets falling quickly.  Wickets continued to tumble leaving the home side at 54 for 6 after 28 overs.  With the loss of Adam Tee in the 31^st over David Clarkson and Harmit Bhara came together and began a spirited fight back.  Harmit was eventually dismissed for 24 in the 42^nd over unluckily bowled by a short delivery which kept very low.  However, Ali Fox continued the rear guard action and together with David saw Wollaston through to a hard fought draw.  David Clarkson finished with 15 Not Out from 59 balls with Ali Fox 19 Not Out from 26 balls.

     league table                         All Wollaston's results 2010    All Wollaston scorecards

THIRDS WIN THRILLER AT HOME TO KISLINGBURY ll    scorecard

Kislingbury 167 all out in 45 overs  Wollaston lll  169 for 9 in 49 overs  Win  28  points

Wollaston scrapped home with 9 wickets down and one over to spare in this excellent game of cricket played in glorious sunshine.

Kislingbury won the toss and opted to bat on this hot June Saturday. Despite accurate bowling from Alex Melia and Marcus Gross Wollaston could not find a breakthrough until David Ward came into the attack and finally bowled opener J Rose for 52.

Ward was ably supported by Pall Jones whose prodigious swing reaped him a fair reward of of 4 for 38 off 10 overs. Ward finished with 4 for 58 off 13.

In reply Wollaston lost early wickets, and at 23 for 3 it seemed a lost cause. However, number five Paul Jones and number six Scott Bailey dug in and put on 68 for the 5th wicket and Wollaston looked on track for a comfortable victory. But when Bailey went - run out for 35, and both Alex Melia and Nick Dawson went first ball, James Pegg joined Jones and they took Wollaston to within 4 runs of victory before Pegg was caught behind and Jones (72)miscued a sweep  -  which left the last pair of David Ward and Liam Yeo at the crease.

Yeo calmly played out the 43rd over and after playing and missing Ward hit the winning four of the 3rd ball of the 44th over to secure the win and 28 points.

 scorecard     league table                            All Wollaston's results 2010     All Wollaston scorecards

June 19th

FIRST ELEVEN DRAW AT HOME TO RUSHTON     league table     scorecard

Rushton 246 for 6 in 55 overs  Wollaston 190 for 8 in 55 overs  Draw  8 points

Wollaston fielded first on a day that need total concentration - Wollaston carnival was here for the day!

Rushton were reduced to 70 - 4 thanks to wickets from Gibbs (first ball of the match) Pike, Newton and Gift, and  things were looking fairly good for us. Then some excellent middle order batting helped Rushton up to 246 - 6. Dean joy 51 not out.

Wollaston then batted and opener Matt Jones continued his excellent form, scoring 63 - taking him to over 300 runs for the season.

 Then a collapse of the middle order meant Wollaston were playing for a draw, but one positive however was Lewis Bates' 41 not out - showing great maturity batting in a tense situation at the end.

CP

SECOND ELEVEN HOLD ON FOR A DRAW AT HEYFORD   scorecard      league table

Heyford 200 for 5 in 50 overs     Wollaston ll 129 for 9 in 55  overs   Draw  5 points

Wollaston won the toss and elected to field on this cold and breezy day more suited to early April.  Heyford got off to a slow start being reduced to 100 for 3 from 37 overs.  Unfortunately some excellent batting late in the innings enabled them to finally post a competitive score of 200 for 5 from their 50 over allocation.  The pick of the bowlers for Wollaston were Darren King with 2 for 31 and Adrian Ward with 2 for 58.

 In reply Wollaston were quickly under pressure at 8 for 1 from 5 overs.  Marcus Shelton (21) and Simon Driver (42) staged a come back, batting steadily to take the score onto 71 before Marcus was dismissed in the 27^th over.  Unfortunately a succession of quick wickets reduced Wollaston 110 for 7 after 40 overs and meant that the fight was on to save the game.  Some solid batting from Darren King and Andy Silsby kept Wollaston’s hopes alive before they both fell, leaving Ali Fox and Adrian Ward to hold out for two overs for the draw.  Stout defence from Ali saved the day and ensured the valuable batting point was also obtained.  Overall this was a much better performance from Wollaston who showed their fighting spirit to hang on  for a valuable draw and some useful points.

PC

THIRD ELEVEN WIN AT GRENDON    29 points        scorecard     league table

Wollaston lll 181 for 8 in 45 overs          Grendon 66 all out in 35 overs     29 points

Wollaston lost the toss for the first time this season and were inserted by a high flying Grendon ll who in the morning were sitting on top of division 13.

Paul Jones (16) was promoted to open and along with Haydn James (19) gave the visitors a steady and circumspect start against some steady bowling from youngsters Perry Moore and and Matt Virgin.

When both openers departed the score was standing at 44 and it brought together 15 year old debutant Kieran Furnace and number four David Clarkson. Together they put on 60 for the third wicket with Clarkson making 19 and Furnace  an excellent 52.

Jamie Perry added 16, Marcus Gross 13, Mike Duddle 15 not out and Nick Dawson 17 not out.

In reply Grendon were kept under tight control by Mike Duddle (2 for 26) and Nick Dawson (2 for 14) before Jamie Perry (2 for 2 off 8), Marcus Gross ( 1 for 2) and Kieran Furnace (2 for 6) ran through the middle order, and along with a sharp run-out from Alex Melia, reduced Grendon to 66 all out.

David Clarkson, making his debut behind the stumps kept excellently to support up his bowlers and ensured the pressure was maintained throughout the innings

DW

June 12th

WOLLASTON BEAT BRIXWORTH BY 8 WICKETS TO RECORD WIN NUMBER TWO

 30 points

Brixworth 106 all out in 42 overs     Wollaston 110 for 2 in 24 overs  scorecard   league table

Wollaston won the toss and elected to field first in conditions made slightly more interesting due to the 11am start.

Knowing they had to bowl well at the Brixworth top order - which contained current and former first class cricketers, Simon Driver, on his return to first team action, was handed the new ball and made a telling impact by removing the two visiting "big guns", and finishing with the excellent figures of 2 - 10 off 8 overs.

With Howgego and Crook gone, Wollaston chipped away at the Brixworth middle order and captain Steve Musgrave bowled brilliantly to  pick up 6 wickets during his spell of  12 overs - finishing with 6 -23 , resulting in Brixworth only managing to post 106 off 44.1 overs.

Wollaston came out to bat knowing the job was far from done and Brixworth would be keen to make up for their poor batting display.

However the confident opening pair of Matt Jones and Liam Bates made sure no early wickets were lost and kept the momentum in Wollaston's favour.  When Liam fell for 19, Jimmy Hart came in and increased the scoring rate until he was dismissed for 29 with just 10 to win. However, Jones made sure of the winning points by completing the job with a boundary and finishing 50 not out in the twenty-fourth over.

CP


SECOND ELEVEN COLLAPSE AT OLD GRAMMARIANS      Lost  4 points

Old Grammarians 135 for 9 in 50 overs  Wollaston ll   70 all out in 37 overs league table    scorecard 

Wollaston won the toss and elected bowl in an effort to take advantage of a damp green wicket. Ali Fox got Wollaston off to an impressive start, and together with Darren King bowling a tight spell kept the O.G's down to 48 for 1 after 22 overs.  This excellent start was maintained by the rest of the bowlers reducing the O.G's to 135 for 9 after 50 overs.  The pick of the performances were Darren King (2 for 29 from 15), Harmit Bahra (2 for 24) and David Ward (3 for 18 from 5).

 In reply Wollaston made slow progress before losing Rex Boddington in the eighth over and Darren King and Harmit Bhara in the 18^th with the score on 36.  Martin Gilbey then blasted out the middle order with some amazing swing bowling leaving Wollaston’s tail exposed with 29 overs to go.  Despite some resolute defence the challenge was too great and the innings closed at 70 All Out in the 37^th over.  The best of the batting was Marcus Shelton with 32 from 73 balls and Ali Fox at 15 Not Out.  A disappointing result but the all credit should to the OG’s bowling attack who would have been a challenge for anyone on such a bowling friendly pitch.

PC 

June 5th

FIRST ELEVEN v NORTHANTS ACADEMY at home   Lost     scorecard

WOLLASTON LOSE OFF PENULTIMATE BALL

Wollaston 230 for 6 in 55 overs  Northants Academy 231 for 7 in 54.5  overs  8 points 

In a game overshadowed by an injury to Chris Perry, Wollaston tasted defeat for the first time in 2010.

When Wollaston lost the toss, David Ripley's men took the new ball and immediately grabbed the upper hand when both openers (Matthew Jones and Liam Bates) were sent packing with single figures still on the board.

However, number three Jimmy Hart (24) and number four Rob Newton (42) dug in and turned things around before Mark Ralph  and Chris Perry  took Wollaston over the 200 mark. When Perry was eventually caught by Robert Keogh off the bowling off Primesh Patel he was replaced at the crease by  skipper Steve Musgrave  (20) who,  along with Ralph, helped the push to maximum batting points and a defendable score. Mark Ralph remained unbeaten with a cultured 74 off 102 balls.

When Academy opener Nicholas Castleman was caught by Liam Bates off the bowling off Mark Gibbs Wollaston looked in a good position. But fellow opener Robert Keogh had other ideas and batted right through the second half of the game.

Wollaston's bowling options were unfortunately reduced when Chris Perry dislocated his shoulder while fielding and was unable to bowl.

Along with George Thurston (30) and Christian Davis (41) Keogh's 136 not out off 162 balls put the game on a knife edge and with Steve Musgrave grabbing 3 wickets the game could have gone either way, but the Academy reached their target with one ball and 3 wickets to spare.

DW

SECOND ELEVEN v KEMPSTON  away  Lost    scorecard

SECOND ELEVEN BEATEN AT  KEMPSTON

Kempston 202 for 9 in 50 overs  Wollaston ll 118 all out in 41 overs    4   points

Kempston batted first on this very hot and humid afternoon.  Helped at times by some ragged fielding, they made steady progress posting 202 for 9 from 50 overs. The standout performances for Wollaston with the ball were Simon Driver (2 for 29), Adrian Ward (2 for 56) and Adam Tee with 3 for 25.

 In reply, Wollaston were quickly under pressure with Marcus Shelton dismissed in the first over with a loose shot.  Andy Luck (34) and Lewis Bates (31) steadied the ship putting on a partnership of 71 before Andy was bowled by the spinner Chris Collings.  Unfortunately the flood gates then opened with the final 8 wickets tumbling for 46 runs on a deteriorating pitch leaving Harmit Bhara on 15 not out.  

PC

THIRD ELEVEN v BRIXWORTH lll  away Won   scorecard

THIRDS ELEVEN COAST TO VICTORY AT BRIXWORTH lll    

Brixworth lll 112 all out in 44 overs    Wollaston lll 113 for 3 in 21 overs   30 points

Alex Melia set up this second win of the season when his suburb bowling ripped through the heart of the Brixworth batting to reduce them to 112 all out

Taking the new ball, his two spells were rewarded with figures of 5 for 35 off 11.4 overs and he became the first Wollaston Thirds player to take 5 wickets in an innings. He was backed up by Nick Dawson (2 for 11 off 9 overs), David Ward (2 for 29 off 10), Jamie Perry ( 1 for 27 off 11) and James Pegg  - making his debut (0 for 6 off 2).

In reply Wollaston were always on top and and opening stand of 92 in 19 overs between Rex Boddington (56) and Haydn James (20) took Wollaston to the brink before Tom Hodson hit the winning runs.

DW

May 29th

FIRST ELEVEN v FINEDON

GAME EVENTUALLY ABANDONED AFTER FINEDON RUN BLITZ

Finedon 232 for 4 in 30 overs     Wollaston 56 for 2 in 56 overs    scorecard

Even weather forecasters get it right sometimes, but why did it have to be on a Saturday? Rain throughout the morning made play look unlikely, but the Dolben's investment in cover sheets paid dividends when the umpires announced that a start could be made at five past four, each side having 32 overs. To their credit, both teams were keen to play.

In Andy Daniels, the Dolben had the ideal man for a run race, and his belligerence rubbed off on Greg Evans who also kept the scoreboard ticking over.

The Wollaston opening bowlers, Mark Gibbs and John Pike, were made to suffer as the Dolben duo took advantage of the damp conditions and the bowlers' difficulty in controlling the wet ball.

Fifty runs came off the first nine overs, by which time Steve Musgrave and Chris Perry had taken over in an attempt to slow down the run-rate. Even so, there were 71 on the board by the time Daniels was adjudged lbw to Musgrave in the eleventh over. He made 38 from the same number of deliveries.

In the next over, Greg smacked a ball from Perry high over mid-on. It looked a certain six until John Pike, making some ground round the boundary, jumped up to take a fine catch. Evans had made 32 off 32 deliveries and the home side had been given a flying start.

A partnership between Dan Bendon and Clint Tomlinson can hardly have been what Wollaston wanted to see. The Finedon pair took an over or two to get going, Tomlinson in particular not timing the ball too well at first, but then the scoring rate was stepped up in no uncertain fashion.

Both players laid into the visitors' attack, and despite defensive field placings found gaps. Bendon was fortunate in that an attempted six-hit fell just inside the mid-wicket boundary with the fielder seemingly convinced that it had sailed over it. The next ball was smashed on to the pavilion roof.

One replacement bat later, Bendon smacked the ball over the lime trees into Avenue Road. Not to be outdone, Tomlinson also clobbered three sixes and a couple of fours.

The partnership added 101 in 14 overs before Bendon was caught by Matthew Jones when attempting another big hit off Chris Perry. Jones stayed calm for a seeming eternity until the ball succumbed to gravitational forces and plunged back towards Earth where the Wollaston man made no mistake.

Bendon's 63 was made from a mere 44 balls and he had seen the Dolben to three batting points.

Jon Dunne and Tomlinson kept the telegraph ticking over with 27 runs off 16 deliveries. Then Mzayidume, who was saved until late on in the innings, replaced Musgrave at the Station Road end. In his first over, he induced the Aussie to attempt a hit into the next parish and clean bowled him with the score on 203.

Jack Chopping has been known to indulge in a spot of big hitting and he and Dunne ensured maximum batting points in the thirtieth over, at which point, Chris Goode made the declaration.

The rain then returned. A further 15 overs were lost and Wollaston, understandably, were less enthusiastic about resuming than were the Dolben: batting points would be harder to come by than bowling points.

Eventually, the covers having been taken off and replaced a couple of times in a reprise of the game with Rushden last season, it was agreed to make a re-start.

Will Sneath made an early breakthrough when Liam Bates didn't get to the pitch of the ball and hit it to mid-off where Chris Goode made no mistake with the catch.

Any thoughts of a collapse, however, were soon demonstrably optimistic as Matt Jones and Jimmy Hart - the latter punishing any loose deliveries severely - added 42 for the second wicket.

Tom Brett replaced Will Sneath and with fielders in close attendance on the batsmen, lured Jones into tucking the ball round the corner where Andy Daniels snapped up a fine reaction catch at backward short-leg.

With only four overs to go, Goode, who had replaced Chopping at the Station Road end, handed over to Danny Bendon.

No sooner had he done so than the rain recommenced and play ended with the Dolben taking eight points from a 'no result' game.

SECOND ELEVEN v STONY STRATFORD ll   scorecard

 Seconds beat the rain to win against Stony Stratford ll   

Stony Stratford ll 128 for 8 in 28 overs - Wollaston ll 132 for 4 in 21 overs

Due to persistent rain the match did not get under way until 15.52 reducing the contest to 28 overs aside.  Stony Stratford batted first getting off to a solid start before Simon Driver and then Ali Fox removed the openers.  The batting team then rallied to post a final score of 128 for 8.  Notable performances for Wollaston with the ball were Ali Fox (3 for 24), Simon Driver (2 for 26) and Darren King 2 for 49) with Marcus Shelton taking an excellent catch at an important time.  

 Wollaston’s innings was stunted by the onset of heavy rain in the first over of their reply.  After a break of 25 minutes they resumed with the challenge of getting the runs in 22 overs.  An outstanding performance by Marcus Shelton, who scored 60 from 50 balls and Simon Driver (35 from 28) set up an exciting run chase.  Andy Luck finally hit the winning runs taking Wollaston to 132 from 21 overs.  Overall this was an excellent game played in good spirit and sets up a competitive return later in the season. 

P.C.

THIRD ELEVEN v BADBY ll

No start due to rain

May 22nd

FIRST ELEVEN DRAW AGAIN  - THIS TIME IT'S STONY 9 DOWN scorecard  league table 

Wollaston 255 for 7 in 55 overs - Wellingborough 155 for 9 in 55 overs

Wollaston lost the toss and was asked to bat first, which everyone thought was not the worst toss to lose considering how good our top order currently looked.

 We had a opening stand of over 50 for first wicket Nick Shelton first to go on 30. His opening partner kicked on with Jimmy Hart to take the score to the 150 mark when Jimmy fell for 33.

Liam Bates was looking good on 87, and  he brought his 100 up in the 46th over and was dismissed for 105 including 9 fours and a six. Some positive stroke play from Steve Musgrave lower down the order pushed Wollaston past the 250 mark.


When Stony batted some early wickets from Mark Gibbs and the crucial wicket of Dion Ebrahim taken by John Pike put Wollaston in a  potentially winning position.

Spinners Chris Perry and Steve Musgrave picked two wickets up along with overseas Gift, who looked very threatening taking 2 - 8 off 6. Wollaston just couldn't quite get the last wicket and finished with another winning draw.

Stony closed on 155 - 9 off 55      Wollaston - 15 Points Stony - 7 points

C.P.
SECOND ELEVEN WIN AT O.N'S lll       league table   scorecard

Second Eleven v O.N's  lll                              Away

 O.N's lll 219 for 7  in  50 overs   -  Wollaston ll 225  for  7  in 47 overs     Win  Pts:28

Lethargic and missed opportunity were the best way to describe the Wollaston fielding performance.

Andy Luck won the toss and chose to bowl on a good surface at St Andrews.
ON's made a good start putting 50 on in the first 10 overs before Jamie Perry and Ali Fox pegged them back with two quick wickets.
Then the "wheels came off" with a succession of dropped catches and ON's finished on top at the end of 50 overs at 219 -7.

The highlight of the bowling was Adrian Ward 13-1-38-3 with useful support from Ali Fox 15-3-61-2.
Zac Khanwaja (67) and Dave White (48) top scored for the Northampton side.

In reply  Wollaston lost two early wickets before Andy Silsby (30) and Marcus Shelton (24) steadied the ship.
Brett Hanson and Darren Laughton came together at 91-5 at the mid point of the innings with ON's looking most likely to push on for the victory.
After some very assured cricket these two tipped the balance in favour of Wollaston, adding 81 for the sixth wicket  as Laughton was dismissed (37).

Ali Fox and Brett Hanson then saw Wollaston home with three overs to spare. A cameo from Fox ( 24no) hitting successive sixes enabling Wollaston to reach maximum batting points and victory at 225-7.

Hanson ending up with 51no having controlled the second half of innings to set up the victory.

S.P.

THIRDS FALL SHORT AT WEST HADDON  scorecard  league table

West Haddon 202 all out in 44 overs Wollaston lll  175 for 7 in 46 overs 8 points

At 75 for 5 West Haddon looked unlikely to reach maximum batting points despite the good wicket and lightening outfield in amongst the rolling hills of west Northamptonshire.

But they recovered well and picked up the full quota despite good bowling displays from Marcus Gross (2 for 35 off 7) and Alex Melia

In reply Wollaston also struggled early on and it took 48 from Tom Hodson and 49 from Paul Jones to pull the inning around. But when both were run out, the reply slowed and Wollaston's brave attempt fell short.

D.W.

MAY 15th  

FIRST ELEVEN v WELLINGBOROUGH TOWN  Away        Wellingborough won toss

Wollaston 249 for 6 in 55 overs - Wellingborough 183 for 9 in 55  overs: Result: Draw 15 pts

This game was always going to be tough,  Wellingborough have had a poor start and we knew they would lift their game against us, and after losing the toss we were put into bat.

 The openers batted quickly but both  had departed by the 5th over with Karl Tapp bowling with good control and swinging the ball.

However, a partnership by number four Matt Jones and Jimmy Hart (32) built a base for the innings and with Matt remaining unbeaten with the help of Chris Perry (32) and Lewis Bates (38).

When  the innings closed Matt finished on 103 not out off 165 balls which was a perfect inning as far as  Wollaston were concerned.

Wellingborough made a quick start thanks to Marcus Andrew who came out and put bat to ball, but it was only a matter of time before dismissing him.

 Wellingborough had put themselves in with a chance at 100 - 1 in the 20th over, but spin twins Steve Musgrave and Chris Perry chipped away at the Wellingborough order to reduce them to 176 for eight in the 46th.

Although the ninth wicket fell with 3 overs of the innings remaining, the last pair played out for the draw.

A result that should have had "Wollaston Win" all over it was ended in anti climax with a stalemate

Perry picked up 4 wickets with captain Musgrave picking up 5.

Wollaston 15 points     Wellingborough 9 points   

C.P.  

SECOND ELEVEN v HORTON ll      Home    Wollaston won toss

 Wollaston 194 all out in 49.3  in  overs- Horton ll 196 for 8  in 49.2 overs Result: Lost 7 Pts

Wollaston batted first on a green wicket and got off to a slow start after some very tight bowling from Horton.

 Artish opening the innings made 48  and supported by Harmit (32) and Darren Laughton (50) helped the home team to a total of 195 all out from 48.2 overs. 

Wollaston bowlers fought back with a good display from Simon Driver (4 wickets) and Harmit Bahra (3 wickets) containing Horton to 51 for 6  until Ruff and Dadge put on a partnership of over 100. 

 Although the breakthrough came with 8 overs to spare the Wollaston bowlers could not contain Horton who notched up a win in the 50^th over of this very close contest.

P.C.

MAY 8th

FIRST ELEVEN v RUSHDEN CALLED OF WITHOUT A BALL BOWLED:  No result scorecard

SECOND ELEVEN START LATE BUT GAME ABANDONED AT RUSHDEN ll: No result scorecard

THIRD ELEVEN LOSE AT OLD WELLINGBURIANS II: Lost    scorecard

Old Wellingburians ll 151 all out in 41 overs - Wollaston lll 112 all out in 37.3 overs  6 points

Despite and opening salvo of 29 from Rex Boddington and a dogged 42 from number five Andrew Silsby, the visitors failed to get close to O.W's handy 151 all out in 41 overs.

Paul Jones helped out with 20 but no one else made double figures as P. Raikumjau ( 5 for 25) and Vipul Patel ( 4 for 20) worked their way through the batting order to leave Wollaston 40 runs short.

Earlier, the hosts were struggling, but despite 3 wickets each for David Ward and Jamie Perry and 2 each for Nick Dawson and Mike Duddle a target was set which proved too high for the villagers.

May 1st  

A HAT-TRICK OF WINS ON SUPER SATURDAY!

First, Second and Third Team all win

FIRST ELEVEN WIN AT BURTON

First Eleven v Burton Latimer:            Away    Scorecard

Burton 239  for 7 off 55 overs. -    Wollaston 240  for 5 off 54.1      Result: WIN    Points: 28

On a sunny but chilly day at Burton, Wollaston won the toss and elected to field.

 After an early break-through by Gift and followed shortly afterwards by Simon Parsons, the hosts applied themselves well with the bulk of the runs scored by opener Matthew Bell (118).

However, Wollaston stuck to the task and picked up vital wickets near the end of the innings to ensure Burton's innings didn't amount to a step too far.

Additional wickets came from  Steve Musgrave, Chris Perry and  Matthew Jones who all picked up one wicket each and the cause was helped by  two smart pieces of fielding - leading to two run outs.

Final score - Burton 239 - 7 off 55 overs.

Wollaston went into bat knowing that two or three good partnerships would win them the game on what was a good batting deck with short boundaries.

An opening stand of just over 50 was brought up in quick time mainly through Rob Newton (33) who 'put bat to ball' with great assurance.

After he  was dismissed Liam Bates continued the assault  and found a willing batting partner in Jimmy Hart. Liam made a well constructed 63 and Jimmy who couldn't quite see us over the finishing line was dismissed with 20 still needed - although he went home with a brilliant 86 under his belt.

 So Wollaston found themselves needing 11 from 18 balls and found calmness personified in Mark Carter and Lewis Bates, who saw  the visitors home with 5 balls to spare. Final score - Wollaston 240 - 5 off 54.1

Wollaston points - 28  Burton points - 7  scorecard

SECOND ELEVEN WIN AT HOME AGAINST ST. CRISPIN'S  

Second Eleven v St. Crispin's        Home  Scorecard

 St. Crispin's 122 ao - 40 overs  - Wollaston ll 126 for 5 - 34.3 overs    Result: WIN  Points: 26

When Ali Fox took a wicket with the first ball of the match and Simon Driver struck 7 runs later, St Crispin's had their backs against the wall.

And although number three Tom Goodman made 45, once he had been bowled by Adrian Ward the writing was on the wall for the visitors.

Ward finished with 4 for for 27, Fox 3 for 10 and Driver 2 for 27 off eight overs. Harmit Bahra picked up the remaining wicket.

St Crispin's all out for 122 in 40 overs.

In reply Marcus Shelton (18) and Aatish Singh got Wollaston off to a decent start but the job was finished by an in-form Simon Driver who made a majestic 40 not out to ensure the hosts reached victory without too much trouble. Adam Tee helped out with 21.   scorecard

 THIRD TEAM BEAT OUNDLE lll BY 4 WICKETS

Third Eleven v Oundle lll         at   Emberton

Oundle lll 160 ao in 43  overs - Wollaston lll 163 for 6  in 37.3  overs Result: Win. Points: 29

scorecard

Wollaston won their first ever Third team encounter but had to fight hard against a young Oundle side.

Wollaston won the toss and bowled first on the well prepared Emberton wicket.

After an initial breakthrough by Jamie Perry when he trapped opposing captain Nick Groome plumb in front, number two  George Davies and Bradley Bergh turned the game around in the visitors favour.

However, when Marcus Gross took a stunning catch at deep square leg to remove Davies for 32 off the bowling of David Ward - and the same bowler clean bowled Bergh for 61, things started to improve for the villagers.

With the help of further catches from James Gross and Tom Hodson, the Wollaston attack worked through the batting order  and Perry took another two wickets to finish with 3 for 34 off 12, left armer Nick Dawson 3 for 39 off 13 and Ward bagged 4 for 33 off 12.

In reply Wollaston lost openers Perry (12) and Rex Boddington (18) but number four Paul Jones (42 not out) was resolute and with the aid of Marcus Gross (13) Tom Hodson (7 not out), and Scott Bailey (24) saw Wollaston safely home to record Wollaston Third team's first win in division 13 with 7 overs to spare. scorecard

April 24th

FIRST ELEVEN START WITH A DRAW AGAINST O.N'S

With nine wickets down Wollaston hang on. Matt Jones 61  Mark Gibbs  3 for 64  

SECOND ELEVEN WIN EASILY AT GREAT OAKLEY

Simon Driver with 77 runs and 7 wickets  puts paid to Oakley

First Eleven v Old Northamptonians: Home

O.N's 237 all out             Wollaston 202 - 9   Scorecard

Result: Draw           Points: 11

On a sunny day at Wollaston and everyone excited for the first game, the home side bowled first and had O.N's in some trouble after a good spell from Mark Gibbs - realising 3 - 65 off 13.

 Siphe the overseas player from East London South Africa bowled somewhat nervously but was rewarded with two wickets in his opening spell.

Matt Jones showed some great "death" bowling picking up 2 -11.

 Matt's day got even better scoring a dogged 61 trying set up a victory with Chris Perry (42)  before both batsmen were removed  by a rejuvenated  O.N's.

The main destroyer of Wollaston victory aspirations was Richard Kauffman who claimed 5 - 41 with his off spin which  complemented his 61 earlier in the day.

This collapse left  last two batters - Mark Carter (21) and Siphe the 'gift', to bat out the final 6 overs to earn a commendable draw.  Points - O.N's 15 and Wollaston 11. 

                                                                        C.P
Second Eleven v Great Oakley:   Away

Gt Oakley 149 all out in 36.1 overs - Wollaston ll 150 for 4 in  overs   Result: Win  Points: 27

Scorecard