Cirencester Cricket Club > News > June 2006 > Weekend bulletin

Weekend bulletin
Thursday 29 June 2006

Long standing members and supporters of Cirencester Cricket Club are racking their brains, and scouring the record books, trying to remember the last time that the Club’s batsmen hit three hundreds on the same afternoon.    

At Fairford, First XI opener John Beard produced a chanceless 116 but, although Nick Rutter also hit a fine 79, it was still insufficient to secure victory.  

Hosting Upton St Leonards at the Park, 2nd XI opening batsman Andy Cooper scored a Cirencester career best 136 not out. Cooper shared a second wicket stand of 190 at a rate of 6 runs per over with Dan Hudson whose 101 was his maiden century. At the end of the allotted 45 overs, the score had reached a very formidable 275 for nine.  When the visitors took to the crease, Cirencester re-adopted the tactic of opening the bowling with the seam of veteran Jon Turner at one end and the leg-spin of 16 year old Toby Burgess-Smith at the other. Both bowlers, aided by two superb slip catches by Dominic Jeffcott, achieved considerable success. Turner produced excellent figures of 6 for 23 and Burgess- Smith notched two wickets. Andy Barnes (2-7) then produced a pacy spell to wrap up the innings and deliver victory by 170 runs.  

On Sunday the Friendly XI travelled to Lechlade for a match that provided both more entertainment and enjoyment that the competing attraction in Stuttgart and also a victory by 15 runs. In their total of 190, the Cirencester batting highlights were Kiwi Nick Calvert’s 61 (a maiden half century in England) and Dan Hudson adding to his Saturday exploits with 41. With the ball, Cash Sheikh and Ed Alderman both produced tidy opening spells, 16 year old Tom added 3 for 26 to his 26 runs with the bat and young Brian Stoker took 3 for 16 in 5 overs. 

Earlier in the week, stand-in skipper Dan Robbins maintained the Evening XI’s 100% league record at Oaksey. A magnificent spell of 5 overs, 1 wicket for 3 runs from left arm paceman Iain Moore was a critical element in restricting the hosts to 114 for 3 from their 20 overs. Beard (53 from 40 balls), Simon Rowe (24) and Dan Robbins (16) then led the way to victory by 7 wickets with 26 balls to spare, Andy Reynolds hitting the winning runs with a six.