Cirencester Cricket Club > News > January 2004 > Cirencester learning their trade at indoor cricket

Cirencester learning their trade at indoor cricket
Wednesday 7 January 2004

To build on the improvement in its senior cricket over the past year, Cirencester Cricket Club has entered two teams in indoor cricket competitions over the winter months. At the halfway mark of the season, thirteen players have represented the club successfully.

The club's first season in the Cheltenham Indoor Cricket Association was very much geared towards providing an opportunity for the club's younger players to gain more experience from the intense environment provided by the indoor version of the game. Although the team finished in sixth place in Division 4, the excellent leadership of captain Iain Butler ensured that all the players were able to learn a lot from the encounters.

Opening batsman Rich Hudson, all-rounder Tom Burgess and bowler Butler were the team's standout performers along with wicket-keeper Alex Harris whose glovework was reliably good.

The highlights in the Cheltenham competition were the 48 run victory over the Gloucester Citizen, thanks in no small part to Andy Lobo's 31 not out, another player whose performances were consistently high when he was available from university commitments and giving Winchcombe, the winners of Division 3, a very tight match in the first round of the cup.

In the club's second season in the Swindon Indoor Cricket Association, the team is flying high at the top of Division 4. An excellent record of 'Played 5, Won 5' is evidence of both the ability of the players involved and more superb leadership, this time from batsman Andy Cooper.

The team's success has been hinged upon dependable run-scoring, especially Rich Hudson (117 runs at an average of 39) and captain Cooper (85 runs at an average of 43). This has been backed up in the field by a high percentage of successful run-outs (the main mode of dismissal in indoor cricket) and the bowling of Dan Hudson (6 wickets at an average of 19) and Tom Burgess (4 wickets at an average of 29). Two players who have also played an important role are wicket-keeper Matt Carter, who has impressed behind the stumps, and batsman Dan Robbins, who only made his indoor cricket debut this year but has been a very welcome addition to the squad.

Highlights have been a 4 wicket win over Nationwide in a fiery match and a meeting with Swindon Civil Service that produced a victory for Cirencester on fewer wickets lost after the game resulted in a tie!

However, arguably Cirencester's best performance of the season thus far actually resulted in a rare defeat in their last match before Christmas. Drawn against Division 2 side NALGO in the first round of the knockout cup, Cirencester came close to causing an upset. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat first, Cirencester struck their highest ever total in indoor cricket of 133 in their alloted 10 overs (Dan Hudson 43 not out, Rich Hudson 29 not out, Andy Lobo 20). Although their rattled opponents crept home with just one wicket to spare, it was proof to Cirencester how much their performances, both individually and collectively, have improved this winter.