Sat 29th August - WSICL - Storrington (175 all out) lost to Eastergate (176 for 7)(11 pts)
The Swans failed to end their league campaign on a high as they went down by 3 wickets at Eastergate but a match with the pressure of both sides followed by an enjoyable end of season get together with the 2nd XI meant that an up and down season finished with team spirit very much on a high. Given that Storrington were without Dan Le Roux and Russ Harding, the line up was pretty strong with Mike Duddy and Andy Cunningham coming back in and Alex Barritt and Dan Pickard also available to bolster the bowling attack. So it was with some confidence that Rob Norris won the toss and chose to bat first, believing that he had the batting strength to post a big target and the bowling options to dismiss the hosts. As it turned out, the pitch wasn't quite the batsmans paradise that the Swans thought it might be and the innings summed up the whole season as six of the top eight got themselves in and looking comfortable at the crease but all failed to go on to make a half century. With this seasons two top batsmen, Martin Fisher and Chris Hurst managing just 5 runs between them it was a chance for somebody else to make the significant contribution but Dan Pickard with 42 and Mike Groves with 30 was as good as it got as Norris, Matt Talbot, Mike Duddy and Paul Woolley all did the hard work before getting out. From 82 for 5 at the half way mark, 175 all out represented a reasonable come back but even with a strong bowling line up there was the feeling that it was perhaps a little short of really giving the bowlers something to have a go at.
An excellent opening spell from Alex Barritt and some suicidal running from the home side left them 23 for 3 and with Chris Hurst bowling an aggressive spell and battering the home sides opening batsman Josh Cole, the Swans had their tails up but a partnership of 72 between Cole and skipper Mark Robson steadied the ship for Eastergate. Robson edged Duddy behind and Ellis went first ball, also caught behind off Woolley. When Jamie Webber found some sharp turn to bamboozle Pete Smith and hit the top of his off stump, Eastergate were 7 down with 26 still needed and Storrington had a sniff. Andy Cunningham had a very close lbw shout turned down but no further wickets fell as Cole finished unbeaten on 72 to ensure that his side remained in fifth place and Storrington finished the season in sixth.
Every member of the team plus a couple of regulars who hadn't played on Saturday made their way back to the club for end of season drinks with the 2nd XI which suggests that team spirit remains strong and that there is plenty to look forward to next season. Although any aspirations of promotion had largely disappeared before the half way point of the season, sixth place is a respectable finish in a season where the side lost their vice captain and key all rounder after just 3 matches and their captain with 3 matches remaining. Big positives from the season are the addition of Martin Fisher to the team who finished as the top run scorer despite only playing 9 matches, and the all round performances of Chris Hurst who scored 360 runs and took 10 wickets as well as showing himself to be a capable wicket keeper. Only one other batsmen, Rob Norris, went past 200 runs but his runs were scored at a disappointing average and other than Fisher and Hurst, the batsmen will be looking to pile on the runs more heavily in 2010. In the bowling department, the statistics support the theory that whilst there are a number of very good mid and end of innings bowlers in the side, there is currently a lack of a strike bowler to lead the attach and rip out two or three early wickets every week. Paul Woolley, Mike Groves, Alex Barritt, Dan Le Roux, Chris Hurst, Dan Pickard and Paul Smith all took 10 or more wickets but nobody took 20 or more.
Man of the match
Dan Pickard made a useful 42 on his return to the side but for his opening spell of bowling and initially reducing the home side to 12 for 2, the man of the match was ALEX BARRITT
Storrington ended a turbulent week with a much needed win to raise spirits and take a huge step towards guaranteeing their place in Division 2 of the Invitation league next season. They now require just 3 points to guarantee safety. With this win taking them to within 3 points of 5th placed Eastergate, there is even a chance now of a respectable mid table finish. The week had begun with captain Paul Smith calling time on his reign as skipper and the list of unavailable players growing longer by the day as the peak of the holiday season kicked in. With vice captain Gavin Clark also having left the club earlier in the season, former captain Rob Norris stepped in. He was not short of support with two other former occupants of the captaincy role in Matt Talbot and Dan Le Roux regulars in the team and another, Luke Talbot, reversing his premature retirement to turn out for this match. Mike Duddy also made his first appearance of the season, Andy Cunnigham just his second and with four of the clubs wicket keepers unavailable, Norris pulled on the gloves himself as the team took on a new look for what had become an important match against struggling opponents after the Swans had failed to beat either of relegation threatened St Andrews or Worthing Chippingdale in recent weeks.
Norris won his first toss of the season and despite Scaynes Hill being something of a batsman's paradise he was happy to put the opposition in. In reality, there was probably a degree of negativity behind the decision as batting second gave Storrington the fall back option of playing for a draw to maintain the gap between themselves and their opponents if things didn't go to plan. Initially it looked as though a draw wouldn't be such a bad result as the hosts captain Nick Wright went away like a steam train. His knock was cavalier bordering on wreckless though and certainly not chanceless. At least four tough half chances presented themselves and weren't taken as Wright went after everything. He raced to his half century with just 10 overs bowled before he mis-timed another slash outside off stump and Duddy ran round from cover to take a good catch on the run. Duddy himself then came on to bowl in place of Russ Harding and with a little less pace on the ball and his usual metronomic accuracy he immediately tied one end down as well as picking up an early wicket to follow on from the breakthrough Hurst had made. The same combination of fielder and bowler sent Parker back to the pavilion and the Swans had clawed their way back into the match. From this point on Scaynes Hill were never in the ascendancy again and credit is due to the Storrington bowlers for bouncing back from the first 10 overs. Hurst and Harding stuck at it with the new ball despite going for 7 an over. Hurst got his reward with Harding perhaps slightly unfortunate to remain wicketless. Duddy bowled the crucial spell of the match, delivering 13 consecutive overs of consistently straight bowling to gradually reel in the run rate as well as picking up four important middle order wickets. Hurst got through 10 overs before being replaced by Dan Le Roux who appeared to ease back the throttle a little in exchange for greater accuracy. It was a good move as he sent down 9 overs at a little over 3 runs an over and despite not claiming a wicket he beat the edge a number of times. Norris charged Paul Woolley and Cunnigham with bowling at the end of the innings. Woolley carried on where Duddy had left off bowling with real accuracy on or around off stump to finish with an impressive analysis of 2 for 7 form 5 overs and Cunningham wrapped things up taking the final wicket in his fifth over and going for less than three an over. The bowling was backed up by one of the best ground fielding performances of the season which was vital on a ground where the ball generally goes for four if it beats the ring of fielders. Martin Fisher was sharp at backward square all afternoon, nothing looked like getting passed Duddy at cover and Chris Hurst pulled off a sensational diving stop running round from long off to long on to field the ball one handed at full stretch and fire it back in over the stumps. The highlight though was Le Roux crashing to the ground at short fine leg and then throwing down the stumps from on his knees to run out the batsman.
Two hundred, whilst being a respectable score, has to be taken in the context of the conditions and at Scaynes Hill it is often an insufficient total. So requiring 4.5 an over and with a strong batting line up there was no reason for Storrington not to be confident of a successful chase. Harding survived three lbw shouts before he was given out to another one that struck him in line but had possibly pitched outside leg stump. Norris settled well though and was joined by Fisher who has made the number three slot his own this season. The pair were quite simply not troubled as they put on a century partnership for the second wicket at almost exactly the required run rate. Fisher was the more free flowing as Norris appeared determined to snap out of his habit of getting in and then falling in the twenties or thirties. He moved out of the thirties with a six over mid wicket but went for 48 when looking for another big hit straight down the ground. By this point it was going to take a monumental collapse to deny the Swans. Fisher was flying and moved effortlessly to and outstanding century, his first for the 1st XI to follow a couple of half centuries and the unbeaten 144 that he made for the 2nd XI in his first match for the club. Dan Le Roux got off the mark with a maximum and helped Fisher see the Swans cruise over the line with 7 overs and 5 balls to spare.
The win means that the relegation battle now appears to be down to just three teams. Storrington need just 3 points from their remaining two matches to guarantee safety and having leap-frogged Eastergate to move into fifth place they are now looking up the table again instead of down.
Man of the Match
Mike Duddy was the first to put himself in contention with an excellent spell of 4 for 39 from 13 overs to swing the match in the Swans' favour in the field. He backed up his fine work with the ball by taking two good catches at extra cover. Skipper Rob Norris also made the short list, conceding no byes behind the stumps and making a seasons best 48 with the bat. Ultimately though, Martin Fisher's innings of 125 not out was the stand out performance of the day and this weeks man of the match is, therefore, MARTIN FISHER
Sat 8th August - WSICL - Storrington (180 for 7) drew with Worthing Chippingdale (236 for 6)(10 pts)
The Swans had to settle for a draw at home to Worthing Chippingdale as they missed the opportunity to ease themselves further away from the threat of relegation. Their opponents are still below them, as are next weeks opposition , Scaynes Hill but with Chipps having struggled all season, Storrington will be disappointed to have recorded a defeat and a draw in the two matches against them this season. Chipps won the toss and opted to bat first. Russell Harding hadn’t bowled all season but Paul Smith tossed him the new ball to throw him in at the deep end. He bowled a tidy opening spell of six overs, going for less than four an over and was unlucky to have a chance put down at point. Chris Hurst also bowled well, with great economy in his opening spell and made the early break through with a ball that stayed low and hit Graham Avinou on the pad plum in front. The Swans struggled to find the next wicket and for a while it looked as though Andy Baumann would be the thorn in their side again. A piece of brilliance in the field from Matt Talbot brought an end to Baumann’s innings though as he swooped, gathered the ball and threw down the stumps with a direct hit, and a tight spell of bowling from Groves and McKilligin swung things back in Storrington’s favour. As has been the case on more than one occasion this season, the Swans were unable to sustain the good work throughout the innings and after Lee Parsons and former Swan, Ben Stone had knuckled down for a period they started to dominate the Storrington bowling. They were offered too many short pitched deliveries which both batsmen punished and Parsons was also strong on the drive when the bowling was of a fuller length. Having bowled his opening six overs for 13 runs, Hurst’s seventh went for 16. From 82 for 4, Storrington were once again disappointed that their opponents managed to recover and accelerate to eventually declare on 236 for 6. Groves and McKilligin were the pick of the bowlers as the former took 3 for 55 and the latter, whilst remaining wicketless, bowled his 10 overs for just 23 runs.
The Swans reply got off to a familiar start as both openers seemed untroubled before getting out in familiar ways. Harding was caught behind and Norris was out playing the pull shot for the third time this season. Martin Fisher and Dan Le Roux were left to repair but the slow start followed by the loss of a couple of quick wickets combined with the priority not to gift the opposition the win that would drag Storrington into the relegation zone meant that it was a cautious approach for a large part of the innings. Le Roux went on to make his first half century of the season in a welcome return to form. Fisher was watchful in his innings of 30 before leaving a delivery from off spinner Tim Hall that came back and bowled him. The pair had largely steered the ship to safety and although Matt Talbot, Smith and Paul Woolley all went cheaply, Chris Hurst was in rampant form from the start of his innings and a quick fire unbeaten 52 ensured that the Swans were never in real danger of a second defeat to Chippingdale this season.
It was a fairly quiet end to July and start of August for the Swans as far as league action was concerned. A very disappointing home defeat to bottom side St Andrews on a wet afternoon on 18th July is probably a case of the less said the better although Martin Fisher's 87 is worth a mention as he remains in pursuit of Chris Hurst for the top run scorer in his first season with the club.
The following weekend was the clubs second fixture free weekend of the league season and on 1st August the entire league programme fell victim to the weather. The upshot of all of that is that Paul Smith's team go into the final month of the season with just about anything still possible. The Swans are just two wins off a promotion place with a game in hand over all of the top three. Equally, St Andrews resurgence has tightened up the bottom of the table with just 37 points separating Storrington and the Burgess Hill outfit.
Sat 11th July - WSICL - Storrington (207 for 8) drew with Selsey (231 for 7)(9 pts)
An excellent unbeaten 70 from former captain Matt Talbot ensured that the Swans returned from the far west of the county with a commendable draw. Whilst initially a draw away from home against the league leaders in a match where Storrington got the worst of the conditions in the field appears to be a result that Paul Smith should probably be happy with, further reflection leads to the conclusion that this was a match the Swans should have won. Talbot's innings and valuable contributions from Chris Hurst, Martin Fisher and Russ Harding ensured that Storrington went past the 200 mark and Paul Smith joined Talbot at the crease to see out the last couple of overs and secure the draw. It should have been enough for victory. In the field they had leaked in excess of 20 extras and put down four chances of varying degrees of difficulty, 3 of them from the Selsey opener Tim Fewster who went on to make 62. Add to that some occasionally shocking ground fielding and Selsey probably scored at least 30 runs more than they should have done. The intermittent drizzle throughout the innings and a ball that was wet and slippery from as early as the 10th over didn’t help but nonetheless it was a disappointing fielding performance.
Storrington have proven this season that they are no pushovers when faced with a big total to chase and with 8, 9 and 10 for this match being Mike Groves, Dan Le Roux and Smith himself there was no reason to believe that they couldn’t have a crack at chasing down the 232 that was required to win. Russ Harding took a couple of blows early on as Selsey skipper Pete Horner bowled a brisk opening couple of overs, mainly pitching the ball in the middle of the track. At the other end Rob Norris was looking rather out of sorts. He got one life when a fairly straight forward chance was spilt by Wickham at slip but he went when he played a shot that bore little relation to the ball that had been bowled and lost his off stump to Horner for just 6. Wickham blew his chance to redeem himself when he downed an even easier chance when Martin Fisher edged his first ball. From that point on Fisher looked like he would make the fielding side pay for there profligacy as he played shots all around the wicket and his partnership with Harding took the Swans past 50. Harding went for 25 and when Fisher was bowled for 27 looking for another on drive, and was followed in quick succession by Will Whitehead and Dan Pickard the innings was floundering. Chris Hurst, the teams leading run scorer this season, and Matt Talbot came together with 5 wickets down and gradually swung the momentum back in Storrington’s favour. Indeed, if they had stayed together the visitors would have been favourites for victory. Talbot scored heavily through the covers and backward point and in one memorable over he smashed three boundaries through the covers off Wickham. The left armer will be keen to forget this match. His four overs went for 30 runs and he added a third dropped catch at slip before the day was over. Hurst was strong as usual on the leg side as the partnership went past the half century but when he holed out on the mid wicket boundary for 45, the Swans best chance of victory seemed to have passed. Mike Groves joined Talbot at the crease with a clear instruction from his skipper that they were still going for victory but having despatched a four to the cover boundary he was bowled. Talbot meanwhile had gone to what was, surprisingly, his first half century for the 1st XI but when Le Roux popped a simple catch to short leg for a rare duck the alarm bells were starting to ring in the Swans changing room. Smith was calm and assured in batting out the remaining overs with Talbot who was so in the zone by this point that he continued to pick off boundaries with ease, including two in the final over to finish on 70 not out.
The Swans would probably have come away the happier side despite the fact that Selsey took more points from the draw. Selsey will continue to push for the Division two title and whilst the table remains very tight Paul Smith’s men aren’t out of the promotion hunt just yet but a mid table finish looks more likely at the current time. Smith will be looking to complete the double over St Andrews at home next Saturday and will be looking for more of his batsmen to start turning the starts into big scores.
Sat 4th July - WSICL - Storrington (186 for 8) drew with Wisborough Green (249 for 8)(10 pts)
It was another good day for the batsmen at The Recreation Ground with over four hundred runs scored for the second match running and neither team’s bowlers unable to take more than 8 wickets as Wisborough Green failed to take revenge for the defeat that the Swans inflicted on them on the opening day of the season. Paul Smith won the toss and decided to field first, buoyed by his team’s successful pursuit of 204 to win their previous match and confident that arguably his strongest line up of the season could restrict the visitors' batsmen and then pick off the required runs. Liam Le Roux, a former Storrington regular but now living in Hong Kong joined the bowling attack, Martin Fisher returned from four Saturdays away and Will Whitehead came in for his first appearance of the season, taking over wicket keeping duties and also bolstering the batting.
The Swans started well, Liam Le Roux bowling briskly down the hill and Barritt his usual economical self from the car park end. Le Roux got a short ball to climb and an attempted pull shot was skied for Whitehead to run round and take the catch. After seven overs the score was 8 for 1 and Smith’s men were all over their opponents. The second wicket didn’t come immediately though and not until Chris Hurst came into the attack from the car park end. Bowling with aggression, he got some genuine bounce out of the pitch which isn’t always easy at The Rec. The first ball of his spell, however, was a good length ball which evaded the batsman’s defence and bowled him middle stump. When a shorter delivery got big on the visitors' number four and he could only loop a gloved catch to gully, Wisborough Green were in trouble and the steady chipping away of the batting order continued as they lost 6 wickets before reaching 130. In an echo of the Swans previous match against Eastergate, it was the visiting sides tail that piled on the runs towards the end of the innings. Although the top score of the innings was only 39, most of the middle and lower order contributed and some powerful hitting, particularly to the mid wicket boundary in the final overs took the total to 249 for 8 from 49 overs. Le Roux took 2 wickets on his return, as did Barritt and Hurst and there was one for Dan Pickard but again, Storrington were left to reflect that the innings had got away from them a little in the latter stages.
Having chased down 204 to win with 10 overs to spare the previous weekend, 250 to win with a strong batting line up was gettable. Smith stuck with Norris and Harding at the top of the order, opting to pack the middle order with stroke makers. Both openers went for 9, Norris caught hooking on the boundary and Harding again caught behind. When Dan Le Roux joined the 9 club, popping a catch to short mid wicket and Pickard went for a duck, Storrington were in a spot of bother and the Wisborough Green skipper had licence to really attack with his field settings. Fisher was looking good though and found support from Hurst as the pair put together the first significant partnership of the innings. The early procession of wickets had taken it’s toll on the run rate and despite Fisher and Hurst’s rebuilding job Storrington reached the 10 overs to go mark needing 10 an over to win. With 6 wickets in hand and batsmen all the way down to 11 who were capable of shutting up shop if required, Smith sent out the message to go for an unlikely 100 from the last 10 overs and the visitors dangled the carrot by bowling their slow left arm bowler from the short boundary duck pond end. Hurst who would have been a key man in any run chase was the first to fall victim, caught in the deep for 36 and when Smith skied a short ball and Fisher was stumped for an excellent 74, the assault on the victory target was over before it had really begun. The home side sensibly drew down the hatches and although Matt Talbot was bowled by one that stayed low, Liam Le Roux and Whitehead never looked troubled in batting out for the draw. Whitehead even managed to break free of the shackles to pull an enormous six into one of the gardens in the appropriately named Swan Close and with the draw secured, Le Roux shimmied down the track to smash the last ball of the innings straight back past the bowler for four.
Smith will be slightly concerned at the trend of sides recovering from difficult positions to eventually post decent scores but will be encouraged by what was a good performance in the field, despite conceding 249 runs, and that his team were able to shut up shop for a comfortable draw where others might have capitulated. Next Saturday sees the Swans travelling to the extreme west of the county as they take on Selsey who inflicted Storringtons heaviest defeat of the season on them back in May.
The 2nd XI drew with the same opposition, passing 200 but not getting close to the hosts slightly over cautious 265 for 7. The highlight of Storrington's 209 for 8 was an unbeaten 84 from Adam Smith.
Sat 27th June - WSICL - Storrington (208 for 5) beat Eastergate (204 for 9) by 5 wickets (28 pts)
Storrington made it an exact 50:50 win loss ratio at the half way point of the season as they chased down 204 for the loss of just 5 wickets with a massive 10 overs to spare at home to Eastergate. The league table is looking like one of the tightest in years with Selsey having failed to run away with it as their early season form suggested they would. Just 30 points cover the gap between Selsey in first place and the Swans in 5th. It’s similarly tight at the other end with only St Andrews cut adrift from the rest. The win over Eastergate enabled Storrington to leapfrog their opponents and give themselves a points tally which if replicated in the second half of the season will leave them just shy of an impressive 300 points.
Paul Smith won the toss and elected to field with what looked like a stronger bowling line up than he’s had at his disposal of late. Dan Pickard and Alex Barritt returned to the attack with Matt Pickard taking a day off as 2nd XI captain to provide some support with his left armers. Together they more than compensated for the loss of Mike Groves who has been one of the more reliable bowlers in recent weeks but is unavailable for a fortnight. Smith also had a slight reshuffle elsewhere, asking Chris Hurst to take over wicket keeping duties. The home side got off to a good start with Alex Barritt picking up three wickets with his usual consistent straight, accurate bowling. Woolley replaced Barritt from the car park end and settled into his groove bowling with no great pace but admirable control of line and length and induced an edge to allow Hurst to mark a tidy display with a sharp catch standing up to the wicket. Smith tried both Matt Pickard and Adam Smith from the duck pond end before bringing Dan Pickard back into the attack in what turned out to be an inspired move as he started to chip away at the middle order. With Eastergate floundering at 127 for 7 Storrington were looking at chasing less than 150 but the visitors captain, Grant, lead an excellent rearguard action, ably supported by the tail who batted with discipline to hold up one end whilst Grant played some big shots over the top to take himself to 73 and his team to 204. Pickard finished with four wickets, Barritt three and there was one a piece for Woolley and Paul Smith as the skipper eventually brought his opposite number's innings to an end.
A few Storrington heads appeared to be down as they left the field for tea having let their opponents off the hook but despite the psychologically significant 200 having been passed by Eastergate, the requirement was only 4.5 an over in the best batting conditions at The Recreation Ground this season. Russell Harding became Rob Norris’s 4th opening partner of the season and the pair set the tone for the successful chase, seeing off the first 10 overs and scoring at almost exactly the 4.5 runs an over that were required. Harding was first to go, edging behind for 21. Newly appointed vice captain Norris went shortly after to continue a worrying trend of moving into the thirties without too much bother before getting out to an innocuous delivery. The passage of play that followed threatened to derail the Swans chase as Woolley and Pickard were sent back with little over half of the required runs on the board. There was no need for panic though as the next partnership was the one that secured victory. Paul Smith joined Hurst at the crease and having initially consolidated, the pair went on the attack with Hurst particularly punishing as he dispatched a couple of his trade mark sixes in the area between long on and mid wicket. Smith didn’t make it through to the end but his 28, including a straight six to the duck pond end, was the ideal back up to Hurst’s knock and despite a late scare when Hurst was caught off a no ball, victory was secured by a cameo of 16 from 13 balls from former captain Matt Talbot including two crunching cover drives for four to take the Swans past the post. Hurst finished unbeaten on 70 to cement his place as the teams leading runscorer so far this season.
The 2nd XI also recorded a victory in a high scoring match at East Preston. Batting first, the Swans second string put together a marvellous team effort to post 251 for 5 from 49 overs. The highlight of the innings was an unbeaten 45 from 16 year old Iain Haggart. A maiden half century for the club is surely just a matter of time and the feeling is that he’ll be following in his Dad and Uncles footsteps in being a key member of the 1st XI in years to come. East Preston put a great fight in reply, finally being dismissed just 18 runs short. Steve Wheatley picked up 5 wickets and there were 4 for Ian Homewood, dropping down from the 1st XI.
Storrington’s yo-yo season continued as they followed last weeks defeat of Scaynes Hill with a disappointing performance in their first ever encounter with Serendib. The Crawley based outfit whose team consists entirely of players of Sri Lankan descent were in buoyant mood having watched their national team win their T20 world cup semi final the night before but they wouldn’t have been expecting quite such an easy ride against the Swans. Captain Paul Smith, himself once a tourist to Sri Lanka with Sussex young cricketers, won the toss and elected to bat with the pitch looking flat and the outfield quick. Rob Norris and Dan Le Roux started well, putting on 50 for the first wicket at over 4 an over. At this stage there were few signs of the problems that would follow but this would be the only stage of the match where the Swans were in the ascendancy. Le Roux was bowled for 27 trying to repeat the on drive for four he had played the ball before. Paul Wooley joined Norris at the crease, promoted up the order by Smith and settled nicely. Norris had moved to 30 before he pat padded a return catch to the bowler whilst Wooley was playing the short ball well by giving himself room to cut through, over and behind point. At this stage, Anas, the Serendib opening bowler was bowling sharply and aggressively but was not causing undue alarm. However, when Wooley joined Le Roux and Norris back in the pavilion for 31 the pace-man smelt blood and having been largely nullified in his opening spell he came back with renewed vigour. Word is that he has been clocked at over 80 mph although he didn’t appear that quick either at the crease or from the boundary. However, he was as quick as anything in Division 2 this season and quicker than most of the Swans batsmen would have faced in recent seasons and given that this was only his third match, it would not be surprising to see Serendib climb the league if he plays the rest of the season for them.
Anas ripped through the Swans line up, including two wickets in two balls when he knocked back Ian Homewood’s off stump first ball and it was only a gutsy cameo from Adam Smith that lifted the visitors total past 150. Smith’s biggest problem at the moment is his lack of strike bowlers but the struggling batsmen aren’t far behind and when you’re short of bowling and playing on a good batting ground, you need more than 151 to defend. Smiths lack of options is best demonstrated by the fact that last seasons bowling attack consisted of Smith himself, James Peake, Gavin Clark, Dan Pickard and Martin McKilligan. This season the other four have played just four times between them. Peake left the club at the end of last season, Clark lost interest 3 matches into this season, Pickard has been unavailable due to work commitments and McKilligan has only been available for 2nd XI duty so far this season. In their place, Chris Hurst, Mike Groves and Wooley are all more than capable bowlers but the balance of last season isn’t there and there is a lack of a genuine leader of the bowling attack. On this occasion Smith opened with himself and Hurst. Hurst ran in gamely and had the batsmen hopping around once or twice but luck was against him as one edge bisected wicketkeeper Si Furlonger and Le Roux at first slip. Smith couldn’t complain about luck so much as Serendib’s opening batsman played a horrendous shot by any standards, let alone those of an opening batsman, and completely miss hit a cut shot to Russell Harding at cover off a short, wide Smith loosener in his first over. After that early breakthrough it was all too easy for the hosts to pick the runs off. A couple of half chances came and went as the ball flashed through the slip cordon and a steepler was put down at long off as two fielders got in each others way. As was the case two weeks before at Chippingdale a couple of late wickets prevented a humiliation for Storrington. Smith bagged another wicket, Chris Hurst showed Ian Homewood how to do it when he held a skier at deep mid wicket of Wooleys bowling and Adam Smith capped an impressive individual performance with a well executed run out from mid wicket but it was too little too late and Serendib got home without any great concern.
Eastergate are the opponents at home next week and the recent sequence of results would suggest a Swans win is due. Smith is having a tough season in terms of player availability and is still waiting for key men to hit top form. The important thing at the moment is that the team all pull in the same direction, accept that it’s quite possibly going to be and up and down season and keep getting behind the captain. The return to the line up of Martin Fisher for July will help and Pickard should also be available much more in the second half of the season so both the batting and bowling will be bolstered for the return fixtures.
Sat 13th June - WSICL - Storrington (188 for 6) beat Scaynes Hill (187 a/o) by 4 wickets (30 pts)
Paul Smith’s men got back to winning ways after two disappointing defeats as they beat Scaynes Hill by four wickets. Storrington looked like they would be chasing in excess of 200 as the visitors moved to 170 for the loss of four wickets but in a stunning collapse they lost their last 6 wickets for less than 20 runs to end up 187 all out. Smith bagged himself four wickets for 31 runs to follow up the three he took at Worthing Chippingdale last week and Dan Pickard, in his first appearance for the 1st XI this season also took four.
In reply, Pickard also made a key contribution with the bat scoring 40 to help push the Swans towards victory. However, the chase was not without alarm and it took a calm and controlled half century from Mike Groves to see the hosts home. Groves was the one bowler to emerge with much credit from the previous weeks disappointment at Chippingdale and this time out he showed he can also deliver with the bat, making 54 as Storrington won by 4 wickets and picked up maximum points.
There was frustration for the 2nd XI at Horsham Trinity as they strive to maintain their early season form. They posted 211 for 8 with Graham Humphreys (40) and Simon Haggart (38) being the pick of a number of useful contributions. They took 9 Trinity wickets but couldn’t quite kick the door down as the last pair saw out the final three overs.
Sat 6th June - WSICL - Worthing Chippingdale (190 for 5) beat Storrington (187 a/o) by 5 wkts (10 points).
The Swans suffered a resounding defeat at early season strugglers Worthing Chippingdale and were only spared a humiliation by a dazzling unbeaten 81 off 65 balls from Ian Homewood, five dropped catches by their opponents and a late mini-collapse in the hosts batting. Paul Smith won the toss for the first time this season and opted to bat first. Dan Le Roux returned to the top of the order after batting at 3 and 4 in the previous two innings as Smith asked for a solid platform for the middle order to build on. Le Roux and Norris both appeared to be up and running with a couple of boundaries each early on but Le Roux played a ball from Baumann onto his stumps and Norris was caught behind off the same bowler meaning that Russ Harding and Chris Hurst were both at the crease earlier than they would have liked. Hurst didn’t last long, driving his second ball into the hands of mid off but Harding looked capable of picking up where he left off with a half century at St Andrews. However, having cracked a couple of boundaries he somewhat uncharacteristically shimmied down the track and attempted a lofted drive over mid on. Given what followed from the Chippingdale fielders, the catch wasn’t a formality but was taken to leave the Swans four down having not even passed fifty, with the seemingly innocuous Russell Baumann taking all four wickets. He later completed his five for in an over that he shouldn’t have been bowling due to the restrictions on the number of overs in a spell for under 18’s, not that this influenced the outcome of the match in any way. It's a ridiculous rule anyway.
Captain Paul Smith and Matt Talbot started the rebuilding job, occupying the crease for a while as Smith made his way to 23 but when both were bowled, the writing appeared to be on the wall at 79 for 7. Ian Homewood had other ideas and with Mike Groves (17) and Simon Furlonger placing a greater price on their wicket than some of those that went before them, Homewood got the support he needed to make the score respectable. Furlonger eventually lofted a drive to mid on to leave Homewood unbeaten on 81, including a straight six at each end, but a total of 187 was considerably more than the visitors would have hoped for after their top order had crumbled. As they took to the field after tea Smith’s side were hoping that the huge swing in momentum that took their innings from 79 for 7 to 187 all out would have deflated their opponents. Chippingdale’s opening batsmen hadnt read the script although they were helped by some slightly loose bowling early in the innings. Andy Baumann took full advantage racing to his half century in the same time that it took his opening partner to accumulate three runs. The Swans didn’t get any element of control over the batsmen until Groves and Paul Wooley were bowling in tandem but by this point the score was already racing towards 100 and the momentum was firmly back with Chippingdale. Groves deservedly picked up the wickets of both openers but by the time Baumann was dismissed, only 30 more runs were needed. Once the top three were dismissed, the middle order were less than convincing which left Storrington wondering what might have been had they got through the top order quicker.
This was a disappointing result for the Swans and leaves them with three defeats from five matches. Smith will be looking for a reaction from his team at home to Scaynes Hill next weekend.
Sat 16th May - WSICL - Storrington (284/6) beat St Andrews (140 a/o) by 144 runs (30 points).
The Swans bounced back from last weeks drubbing at the hands of Selsey in emphatic style, scoring their highest ever league score (we think, we're checking the records)and hammering St Andrews by 144 runs. Paul Smith continued his abysmal form with the coin to make it three lost tosses out of three and Storrington were asked to bat first for the third consecutive time this season. Martin Fisher came into the side after his 144 on debut for the 2nd XI the previous weekend and he was straight in to open the innings with Rob Norris. The pair got off to a flying start, putting on 78 for the first wicket at just a shade shy of six runs an over. They both went in quick succession though, both caught trying to move the score along further. A mini collapse followed as Dan Le Roux and Gav Clark were also dismissed, meaning four wickets had fallen for 30 runs after the impressive start. This would be the only time that the hosts looked like getting into the match though as Chris Hurst and Russell Harding initially steadied the ship and then went on the attack. First, Harding dropped anchor as Hurst unleashed some trade mark drives in the arc between mid wicket and mid on. He hit a number of sixes as he smashed 74 at a strike rate of close to 200, including 24 from one over and when he was dismissed, Harding picked up the baton with some lusty blows of his own to move past fifty and take the score well beyond 200. Ian Homewood added a destructive 34 not out, including two big sixes over mid wicket before Smith eventually declared on 284 for 6 to give his side an extra five overs to try to bowl out their opponents.
There were a few showers in the air as the hosts started their reply but, surprisingly, this was the only time that rain threatened to affect the outcome of the match. Clark opened down the hill as Smith juggled his bowlers coming up the hill and into the wind at the other end. Clark dismissed both openers with firstly Matt Talbot taking a sharp chance at second slip and then Norris taking a one handed diving catch at cover. Clark got into a battle with St Andrews captain Stuart Murray as the Swans looked to turn the screw but it was the introduction of Dan Le Roux up the hill that was significant. Continuing his bowling come back and coming off just a couple of paces, Le Roux was the bowler least impacted by the slope and the wind and although it was not one of his better deliveries that took the wicket, he removed Murray with Homewood running back to take a good catch at mid off. Le Roux bowled with good control to take out the middle order and finish with impressive figures of 4 for 19. Smith will hope that the former opening bowler can continue to rediscover his form with the ball.
It was clear that St Andrews weren't going to get anywhere near the target so Smith went on the attack and the ultra aggressive field placings allowed the tail to chance their arm and hit a few boundaries to take the score past 100 but Hurst came on to bowl down the hill and mopped up the tail with three wickets, all clean bowled, to ensure he was the stand out candidate for man of the match and to secure a thumping victory for the Swans which, with Serendib not in action, moved them to second in the league.
Back at The Recreation Ground, the 2nd XI made it three wins out of three for the season as they came out on top in a low scoring encounter. Ian Massbury to 4-21 as St Andrews were bowled out for just 61 but then the vistors made a match of it by picking up six Storrington wickets before the hosts got over the finish line.
Sat 9th May - WSICL - Selsey (93 for 2) beat Storrington (92 a/o) by 8 wickets (2 pts).
After last weeks impressive winning start away to Wisborough Green, Paul Smiths men were brought crashing back down to earth with one of their heaviest defeats in recent seasons. There are not too many positives to report from a match where the Swans were asked to bat first for the second week running. Chris Hurst and Gavin Clark were back in the pavilion very early as the vistors' opening bowlers bowled with more zip and aggression than Storrington have been used to in the last couple of seasons. The pitch was also offering plenty to the bowlers with some inconsistent bounce especially for the bowlers from the car park end. Rob Norris and Dan Le Roux steadied the ship somewhat and took the score up to 50 for 2 but Le Roux was caught slightly fortuitously at square leg and when Russ Harding followed 2 balls later, Storrington were right back in trouble. Norris meanwhile had moved into the 40's but when he was caught and bowled of bat and pad the writing was on the wall and apart from a defiant cameo from Alex Barritt who struck two fours and a 6 in making an unbeaten 18, so becoming one of only two players to make double figures, there was little further resistance as the innings was wrapped up for just 92.
Smith had no choice but to go on the attack from the off and with two men under helmets in close fielding positions, Barritt got the early breakthrough they needed if there was to be any chance of making a fight of it. Clark also picked up a wicket but there were few further alarms for the visitors as they combined determination with a bit of luck to avoid falling victim to the vagaries of the pitch in the same way their hosts had.
There was better news for the 2nd XI who made it two wins out of two thanks in no small part to debutant Martin Fisher who made a stunning 144 in his first innings for the club. Chasing 200 to win against Findon 3rd XI, Fisher made almost three quarters of the total himself as Storrington won by 5 wickets. It could well be a swift promotion to the 1st XI for the new man.
Sat 2nd May - WSICL - Storrington (219/9) beat Wisborough Green (199 a/o) by 20 runs (30 points).
A 75 run partnership for Wisborough Green's last wicket was not enough to prevent the Swans from getting the season off to a winning start. Deprived of five of last seasons first choice XI for a variety of reasons, captain Paul Smith had a tough week putting his side together but in the end came up with a good balance and there were key contributions right through the team. Wisborough Green won the toss and gave Storrington first use of a pitch that was probably in as good a shape as most at this level of cricket in the first week of May. With Dan Le Roux unavailable due to work commitments, Chris Hurst joined Rob Norris at the top of the order. Norris settled quicker with Hurst taking a little time to find his feet but it was Hurst who went on to make the more significant contribution before being bowled for 38. Gavin Clark initially took a patient approach at the crease, probably mindful of the fact that injury had prevented him from taking part in any pre-season nets. Once he was up and running though the score board began to fly along at five an over and the visitors appeared on track for a score in the region of 240. However, the loss of several wickets in quick succession and a sequence of four or five overs where Clark struggled to get on strike before being dismissed for 89, took some momemtum out of the innings but a total of 219 for 9 would almost certainly have been taken by Smith at the outset with a depleted line up.
In reply, the host faltered early on. Chris Hurst drew the short straw of opening the bowling up the slope and did an admirable job but it was at the other end where the damage was being done as Smith picked up three early wickets, including two in successive balls. Ian Homewood also bowled a useful spell on debut taking 2 for 18 from his 6 overs and Clark also picked up two in two balls. The Storrington fielding was also of a high standard with Iain Haggart leading the way with two catches and a run out.
At 82 for 7 and 124 for 9 the writing appeared to be on the wall but then the home sides tail began to wag. The final pair appeared untroubled as they picked off the runs at a rate of four an over. With the first signs of panic setting in amongst the Storrington players, Andy Cunningham found a way through and bowled the number 11 to give the Swans 30 points and a perfect start to the season.
The news got even better with the 2nd XI also getting off to a winning start against the same opposition. Skipper Matt Pickard was the hero with 7 for 25 as his team managed to defend a modest total of 101.
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