2009 SUMMER EDITION

NEWSLETTER 2019 NO 9 - AUG 16

Date for the Diary Sept 8 8 for 57 for End of Season Awards Dom Reed as 1st XI As we approach the summer holidays please put in the lead the way.... diary the big End of Season ..... it’s been another great weekend for the annual awards day which will club, take place on Sunday September 1st XI win by 15 runs v Sutton, 8th from 1pm onwards for our 2nd XI win by 172 runs v Sutton boys and girls U5 to U17. 3rd XI win by 5 runs v SM Club 4th XI win (Weybridge concede)

5th XI win by 6 vs Addiscombe The Sunday minis (U5-U9) will U21s win by 5 wickets v Sutton take place first with the U10+ awards taking place later in the afternoon after a break.

As ever there will be plenty of food and drink for you all to reminisce over a wonderful World Cup Winning Summer

(we won’t talk about the Ashes.....)

Thank

Thanks to EMCC Sponsors: 1st XI Continue Title Charge

Sunbury (h) 3rd August: Sunbury were the latest visitors to Graburn Way, and they returned home across Hampton Court Bridge empty handed. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, it was to prove a good toss to lose for Moles skipper Dominic Reed. The Captain proved irresistible, returning exceptional career best figures of 8-57, from 18.3 imperious overs, demonstrating his skill set with the swinging Dukes ball. The Suns’ target was quickly buried, with a welcome return to form for Simon Barrett, who churned 46 eye-catching runs. The Moles romped home to a nine- victory, earning the rare luxury of afternoon suds to accompany their hard-earnt afternoon tea.

Sutton (a) 10th August: Namesake Chris Sutton once formed a famous forward pairing with Alan Shearer, nicknamed SAS. It was the Sutton CC bowling attack, however, who were calling for emergency assistance after a strong start from Nick Stevens (52) and Sam Burge, with a tempo-changing, cavalier innings of 33, which propelled the Moles to 119-2. A solid 31 from Yoot Cole Campbell, carried the visitors to an above-par 204-8 from their rain-reduced allocation of 42 overs. The hosts came out swinging, attempting to take the attack to the Moler bowlers. However, the Moles quickly burrowed in to the middle order, reducing Sutton to 129-6. Despite some strong resistance from the hosts’ lower order, impressive death bowling aided by safe catching under pressure, afforded the Moles a hard-fought 14 run victory. High tower Jake Kings picked up three wickets, with another impressive display of Tweak.

The equation for Reed’s men is a simple one – Four victories from their remaining four games will guarantee the ECB Premier League Surrey Championship trophy will be travelling down the river Thames, from last year’s champs Weybridge, to East Molesey. However, they will be under no illusions that any slip ups will be pounced upon by second placed Reigate Priory, who are seeking to pip the Moles to the post.

Next Game: Weybridge (h) 17th August: Defending champions Weybridge CC visit Graburn Way on Saturday, looking to rain on the Moles’ parade, and the game is set to be the defining moment so far, in this extraordinary 2019 season. 2nd XI win vs Sutton

Following a controversial defeat at Sutton earlier in the season, the 2nd XI were looking forward to exacting our revenge in the return fixture at home on Saturday. After losing the toss and being put in to bat, Niall Solomon (40) and Jason Moore (29) got the Moles off to a quick start.

Paul Lawford (80) then set about anchoring the innings and steering us to a very competitive 263 all out from our 50 overs with a notable contribution from Jack Miller (32).

Our bowlers then proceeded to make light work of the Sutton batting with Jason Moore (7-1-14-3) taking out their top order leaving the middle order to debutant Mark Cattermull (6-3-8-3) and Toby Porter (7-2-18-3). Sutton all out for 91 resulting in a comprehensive 172 run win.

3rd XI earn hard fought win by Edward Craig

One would imagine that Old Whits are elated that there are no more matches against the mighty 3s this season. Having been demolished by 373 runs earlier in the season, the mood was grim amongst the opposition as skipper Dan Wakely won the toss and decided to bat first. What followed could only be described as an utterly dominant opening partnership of 270 between Marky Collins (145 off 102) and Jez Downer (108 off 99). Both batsmen appeared unfazed against a fiery opening bowling spell and – once settled – comprehensively tore apart the Old Whits attack with poise alongside moments of sublime timing and placement. Once Collins and Downer had nicked off, an uncharacteristically brisk knock from Tiam Afshar carried the Moles to 339-4, at which point the skipper declared after 44.3 overs. This left the Moles’ young bowling attack 55 overs to dismiss their foes and at 46-4, it appeared as if an early return to the club was on the cards. However, Old Whits did not roll over easily and doggedly made their way to 154-5 in rather rapid time. At this point, the prospect of an unlikely defeat had begun to be considered as the Moles started to rue the dropped catches that rather epitomized the first half of the bowling performance. When it was needed the most, Olly Mills provided the guile and control required to steady the ship, picking 3-20 up in a fabulous 8 over spell. This paired with a fairly accurate Elliot Hanson impression from Dan Wakely at the other end (who managed to burgle 2 wickets in his first bowling performance ever for Molesey), ensured that the result was no longer in doubt. The final wicket fell off the first ball of Toby Porter’s (4-37) returning spell, indicating that he must have had better places to be on a Saturday evening. The final result, a 129-run victory for the now Championship leading 3rd XI. Fair play to Old Whits who gave it a good crack, but they must be glad that the final stretch contains no more games against the Moles, especially Marky who averages 132 against them in 2 matches this season! 5thXI An Ode To Defeat by Mugan the Mole

The man, forlorn of working week As skipper looked around for one Tis Saturday that brings delight, To call his opening batter As dew collects on the Graburn square To chase the glory, we pursued He greets the sun and packs his whites The target not to high, Until that was the umpire To Wimbledon, the olde to slay Points his finger to the sky His brethren young and old abound, The skip walks out with fellow skip And now a pause for a limerick To chatter and survey the ground There once was a Captain of Moles, The coin goes up, the toss is made Whose defensive shots were full of holes And wishes too for chance to bowl, He went back to one straight As Heads gleams out in summer sun And was bowled through the gate A wry smile shows that was his call Now all that he counts for is poles

To field! To field! He calls his kin Now, where was I… The groans of men beyond the rope, Moles bowling first, will have a go Again a mole would come and go In Andrew Hewitt is our hope Their figures all a blip, Dave mystry tried a hefty sweep Right arm over, six to come And played onto his lip Moles walking in, in search of first, The ball, it seams and tweaks about Blood cleaned up, the field repaired The opener bowled, shot not the worst And ice on mystrys head, The final moles would take their place Three soon to follow, starting well The game was all but dead The fives excitement hard to hide, Yet opener two stood in revolt But battle often offers hope And added good runs for his side When all about are done, And on came Andy Hewitt, The toil of moles, in bitter heat Who it turns out, is a gun The strength began to stall and stutter, When in the game came Fawcett, C. Twenty needed, 15 now To give the ball some flight and flutter One wicket left to seize the day, The ball are hit around the park Grenade was launched, the leather twirled Yet one more man would have his say Charge! Bat’s bravery did grow, His swing was true, but out of line And so it came to pass for moles That’s lad, off you go. With one over left to play, A cherry placed on Finns off stump A catch, one more, but tails wag All done was cricket day The ball was flayed about, Til Finn Macarthy lined one up The man, forlorn from Gods own sport Them, 159, all out He trudges home to Graburn way Though heavy in such sad defeat A meal devoured in great haste Again, he cannot wait to play Twas cakes that made moles fatter, Mugan The Mole cont....

If you’re still reading, you’re an excellent sport, and thank you for sticking with me. As a reward, I’ll make the second match report a little more digestable. Firstly, because, spoiler alert, we won. Secondly, because the only prose where will be James Huxtable, James Kotze, and Bilal Malik, and none of those rhyming couplets. On Saturday we travelled far, very far actually, the other side of Croydon, for our longest away trip of the season. Addiscombe would be our hosts, and the rather idyllic Addington CC our venue. The quintessential village cricket ground. Picturesque, quirky, and classically English. Also classically English, was the weather. The start of August welcomes, as I am sure you all noticed, 40 mph winds, which didn’t offer much hope for those fancying a bat first day. A good toss to win, and the skipper obliged. Into bat went the home team, and Mugan sharpened the many arrows he had in the quiver of his bowling attack. The weather would play a significant part in the first wicket. Overs were tight from Louis Simmons- Gooding, and Josh Huxtable, and it was the latter who struck. The wind must have picked up, and blown open the gate of the opening bat, who played such an extravagant leave to a full, straight , that one was left to wonder if he thought the idea of the game was to see how far middle stump could cartwheel along the ground. 2 for 1. And then came a beautiful combination of tight bowling and poor running. Over the course of the proceeding 18 overs, Addiscombe remaining opener, and number 3, amassed a grand total of 34 runs. As we wandered up the slope to the pavilion for drinks, everything was looking rather good, albeit, almost stationary. Not much to say in the team talk. One of those times where you almost want to have no wickets being taken, because the opposition are doing their best to lose the game. Maybe they thought it was the first day of a test. On our return to the field, it became clear that they were going to ‘go for it’. And by that I mean, they were going to get out quickly so someone with more urgency might have a bash. Two runs outs in quick successions, and the game was back on. The Addiscombe skipper, and his son, put on a display of hurrying the field, running singles to every single ball, and putting distinct pressure on the moles. It all went a bit flat footed for a while, as 3 catches were dropped and run outs missed. A strong performance from Chand Dodhia with the bowl went unrewarded in comparison to its quality, only one wicket, and Addiscombe were clawing their way back into the match. But cometh the hour, cometh the Huxtable. Back into the attack, Josh carried on where he left off, rushing the batsmen, and clattering stumps. He reduced the Addiscombe attack to nothingness over the next 2 overs, taking 5 wickets for only 18 runs, with just enough time to send down a slow ball so slow that the wind stopped it, sent it back, and in the voice of Geoffrey Boycott, told him to stop it with that nonsense and just bowl properly. Addiscombe 138 all out. Now it isn’t a secret that the Moles 5th, or the Moles 1s through 4s, are not known for their chasing. But today there was something in the air, and it was flying past us across the field, and it was both the wind, and the ball. Opening were Darius Burge, and Louis SG, and the young Simmons-Goodings experience settled Burge. Maybe that’s the wrong way around, but its what I saw. They accumulated beautifully, taking the edge off the opening attack, and bringing the required total below 100 before SG departed. There were fewer sweet moments this weekend than the look on Darius’s face when the skipper told him that he would be coming in at 3. But I had a cunning plan. Partly, I would settle the situation down, without bringing in our young guns too early, and partly I wanted to get in and out in time to stop Ben Simmons Gooding triggering D LBW again. 7 runs, perfect. Out I went, and we were half way to victory. Quickly out of whites and I could swap with Ben and watch James Kotze and Darius bring it home. But before I could get out there, the finger of doom did point to the sky. Burge, LBW, furious and time for a quick switch. Let this be a lesson to you colts. Learn to unpad faster than you pad up. It might matter one day. While this might normally start a collapse, this was not the week for collapsing, except if you were a sight screen. Kotze and Malik played some of the finest colts innings I have seen this season. It was a genuine pleasure, Malik, not to be outdone, hit a 6 over the pavilion and out of the ground. New balls please. At drinks, needing only 40 runs, the young moles were told to bring it home, and they almost did. Needing 8, Kotze was undone by a dibbly dobbler that had no place in such a game, and was bowled. There wasn’t any time for Addiscombe to smell blood, as Alfie SG came in, and smashed 2 fours in 4 balls to end proceedings and reignite the John Smiths assault on promotion. A really wonderful day for the moles, who took 8 colts to a game and won with ease. A wonderful victory, and a very proud skipper. for both sides, to watch. The balance of fluid shots and powerful hitting was joy to see, and when Kotze got on the front foot to smash a 6 towards his dad in the scorebox (Martin, you are my hero), the game was all but won. Next week, Cheam, and the chance to beat an undefeated side. Motivation if we ever needed it. Hold onto your hats, it could be a blustery run in. Mooooooooogs out.

4th XI earn hard fought win by Edward Craig

The fours have had a very stop start August so far. Games have been abandoned due to the weather or opposition have conceded which has meant teams bellow us have made up ground on our league position. The one game we did play vs Sunbury had a ‘Super Over’ finish! The opposition won the toss and elected to bat and were eight down after 30 overs for a score of 124. Adam Taylor was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets. Frustratingly the last three batsmen managed to extend the score to 177 off their 40 overs, at least 25 runs more than they should’ve got. With batting throughout the team it was still very much our game to win. Jon Akhurst once again posted a score of 60+ who was supported well initially by Matt Moffat and Dom Millard. Once they had been dismissed it was young James Kotze’s turn yo take up the challenge and when he was joined by skipper Paul Gladstone with four overs to go, the moles still required nine an over to win the game. At the death it was Joe Akhurst and Gladstone needing 18 off the last over. Despite two huge sixes from Gladstone and some scrambled singles the team were still three runs short at the end. The run in will now be very exciting as we are in a 3 way fight for the final promotion spot. https://east- molesey.fantasyclubcricket.co.uk

Barman Mick Whelan's has Josh Huxtable to thank for his aptly named "Teetotalers" impressive 601 points which gives him the chicken this week!

Week 14's results were as follows; 1st - Mick Whelan - 601 points 2nd - Dominic Millard - 565 points 3rd - Jeremy Downer - 549 points

Position Team Name Manager Total

1 Mu-Guns Matt Mugan 6423 2 Colonel's Moles Sam Burge 6245 3 DRRK Dominic Reed 5869 4 GGCC Gemma Walker 5580 5 Indian Mystique Darius Burge 5527

50 King Coli Cole Campbell 4222

Top fantasy scorer this week was Josh Huxtable (Bowler 121).

Player Standings: Batter value points this week points overall Jeremy Downer £5.3m 0 652 Bowler Jack Miller £6.5m 47 561 All-Rounder Dom Reed £7.4m 66 908 Keeper Nick Stevens £5.6m 72 408

Thanks to EMCC Sponsors: East Molesey vs St Patrick’s OB, Sri Lanka

IEMCC XI 131 All Out (35 Overs) St Patricks College Old Boys 132-5 (34.3 Overs)

Manor Park New Malden was the venue for a friendly match between an East Molesey CC XI and the touring Old Boys team originally of St Patricks College in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The old boys team contained our very own ‘Deeno’ and his colleagues travelled from the near continent, Canada and Sir Lanka for this latest gathering and a match against EMCC. The scene was set on arrival with a carnival atmosphere and plenty of food and drink on offer to all. The touring group was about 50 strong and they were all in a party mood !

When the cricket started it was EMCC who batted first in a 30 Over per side game, Dom Millard and Matt Moffat showing the way on a wicket that was modestly described as ‘testing’. Whilst they got us steadily to 15, a communications mix up left them both at the same end and it was Dom who had to walk. Matt followed soon after caught behind, and Dave Mistry coming in at three did not last too much longer. When you’re 20-3 you need a bit of experience at the crease, and this came in the shape of Kev Ingram (39 no) and Trevor Pearce (7), Trevor (with Lynn watching very closely) making his first appearance for the club for many a year. And they did steady the ship pinching ones and twos (even with Trev’s knees!) and pushed us towards 50 before Trev popped one up to Mid-On and was caught. Talking of knees, Elliot Hanson brought his dodgy ones to the crease for a seasonal debut only a couple of weeks after surgery. A few big hits and all was looking fine until he turned on a greener patch and was retired out. Good job there was a few cool beers available to numb any pain! Jez Downer (31) joined Kev to push the EMCC total on to 131 all out, including a special moment in the last 3 balls when the St Patrick’s bowler, Douglas completed a Hat Trick and a well deserved 5-fer.

Some steady bowling from Kev Lawler and Matt Moffat kept the St Patrick’s openers tied down but it was ‘first changers’ Keith Garman and Kev Ingram who sent them back to the ‘pavilion’ and at 32-2 off 11 overs the target looked a long way off. The 3rd wicket partnership though became decisive and took the touring team to three figures with still 9 overs left before Keith Tomlinson struck, clean bowling Kingsley for 34. And despite ‘King’ Trevor Pearce showing a bit of magic and taking out middle stump and a late wicket for Jai Goraya, it was ‘Hat Trick man’ Douglas who bagged a 50 and set up Deeno to hit the winning runs with 3 balls to go.

A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon was made even better with the spicy Sri Lankan street food provided to all after the match. We look forward to seeing the St Patrick’s College Old Boys back in the UK, and hopefully playing at Graburn Way, sometime soon. U21s qualify for the Wasim Raja shield knockout stages by Joe Lynch

On August 4th the Under 21’s took on Walton CC at Graburn Way, seeking our first win in this years competition. Despite, losing the toss and being put in to field we made a good start, reducing the opposition to 37 for 4. The bowlers kept the pressure on and Walton were bowled out for 132, with Toby Porter picking up 3 wickets, whilst Keiran Downer and Joe Lynch took two.

Our chase of this below par score never looked in doubt, Tiam Afshar and captain Niall Solomon, played watchful knocks of 43* and 36 respectively to guide us to a 4 wicket win!

On August11th the Under 21’s played Sutton CC, knowing victory would send us through to the Wasim Raja shield knockout stages. Skipper Niall Solomon won the toss and elected to field first. Sutton made a flying start with the bat, scoring a hundred within 12 overs. However a youthful Moles side showed superb resilience to fight our way back into the game by restricting Sutton to 254 for 8 off 40 overs, Joe Lynch took 4 wickets and Max Tomlinson bowled very economically whilst picking up two wickets.

Between innings we knew we faced a difficult chase but one that was by no means unachievable, the message from captain Niall was to bat the forty overs and take the game deep. We failed to do this; as we chased the total with 33 balls to spare!! Niall Solomon lead the chase playing a true captain’s innings scoring an outstanding 107*. Solomon was well supported by his apprentice, the young Tiam Afshar who was motivated by the incentive of qualifying and playing even more cricket, he showed wisdom and composure beyond his years to craft a delightful 65. This startling five wicket win granted Tiam his wish of at least one more trust league game as we have qualified for the Wasim Raja shield knockout stages. Details of our next eagerly anticipated fixture will be released shortly, please come and show your support to the Under 21’s in our quest to get our hands on that prestigious shield. U9 Jets enjoy close victory in their debut hardball match

Very exciting times for the U9’s as we transition into hardball. Nothing more entertaining than watching our mini warriors run like penguins between the wickets as they don the pads for the first time. Almost as funny as watching them assess what do with a box for the first time. Our first ever hardball fixture v Stoke D’Abernon on the evening of 1st August was a special occasion. Fixtures Secretary extraordinaire Sarah Lynch has sorted several home fixtures for us on the main square this August. The pitch was perfect. Special. Captain Billy Craigen, happy to be back amongst his mates after his Surrey exploits opted to bowl first. George Eggleton steaming in, I suspect his run up is longer than Dom Reed’s, soon had the Stoke D’Abernoners hopping about and gave his fellow Jets lots of confidence. Tight bowling from Billy Craigen and Ben Snowball in particular, soon put the squeeze on the run count. The inevitable catching opportunities arose. So, were we ready to snaffle that rock-hard ball? Thankfully we were, with a stunning diving catch by Magnus Wright leading the way. The committed fielding performance of these young cricketers was a credit to the club. Restricting Stoke D’Abernon to 98 for 12 a commendable effort. After an unusually long innings break (note the clueless box wearing I mentioned earlier) we strode to the wicket with purpose. Yet again George Eggleton leading the charge with an intelligent 28 against some pacy bowling. Isaac Chapman and Bailey Dean built on George’s foundations and hit enough boundaries to keep us in the hunt. The final pair, Danny Prichard and Billy Craigen ran to the crease to beat the fading light knowing they needed 26 runs to seal a first hardball victory for the Jets. Brave batting and slick running between the wickets ensured these two speedsters took us home with ease. We eventually won by 21 runs and were able to enjoy Billy charging down the wicket in the dark to put their quickie away. He missed completely but we love the joie de vivre Billy! A hugely entertaining watch. The boys loved it. With games versus Weybridge, Sunbury and Kingstonian still to come this August there’s lots to look forward to for the excitable U9’s. This Weekend’s Home Fixtures If the rain stays away we have some big matches at home. The 1st XI are up against Weybridge at noon on Saturday as they try to secure the title. Also on Saturdaythe 3rd XI are up against Old Ruts, they too are top of the table and don’t want to slip up! Then on Sunday at 1pm our 1st XIs are back in the Conference Cup against Sandwich Town. The bar will be open so come down as enjoy the final weekends of the summer at the club?

Photo of the Week

players from 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th XIs with supporters go for a post- bar curry to celebrate the club's 5 wins on Saturday!

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