Lilley today suffered their first defeat in eight games since the end of the Hammond era against one of the toughest oppositions they have faced all season. Missing from the team before the match, was their leader and captain James Ashby who was instead enjoying the festivities at the Notting Hill carnival (apparently working) and also un-available was Pete Rogers, Neil Hanley and also were let down at the last minute by Tim Perry who was stuck in Bristol to leave Lilley with ten men. So off ten man Lilley went to Bourne End with the return of Phil Horner and Gareth and Bradley Tomkins. Mik Carmen was behind the stumps to replace Rogers and also Steve Eyres who was captain for the day due to the absence of captain Ashby.
Arrived at Bourne End’s ground, which was strangely located below the A41, next to a roundabout, a McDonalds and also an industrial estate. Lilley lost the toss and were put in to field.
Opening bowlers for Lilley was Gareth Tomkins and Phil Clarke who both generated a lot of swing early on. Soon the reward was paying off as Tomkins took the early wicket of the opener Proctor for a duck caught at deep mid-off by Taz and Clarke bowling his replacement Hill for 4 leaving Bourne End at 22-2. The new batsman Escuder then put Lilley to the sword with the other opener Goodinson, for a partnership of around forty before Clarke had the latter caught at first slip by Steve Eyres. His replacement was Ashbu, who made a quick fire 25 before being bowled by Eyres on to replace the bowling of Tomkins. Enter next Akhtar for Bourne End who apparently, so we were told before the match, that he has never played. Together with Escuder, they put on a partnership of about 60 which unfortunately included a dropped chance by Eyres off of Escuder, which was a shot, wellied back at him off of his bowling. Escuder went on to make his fifty by a Taz overthrow as Lilley’s heads went down and fielding became more sloppy as the match wore on. Meanwhile at the other end, Akhtar was playing some streaky shots on his way to his fifty in which Mik Carmen told him “you have more edges than a Pizza Hut pizza!” Finally Escuder went, run out on 86 with a good throw by Taz at deep point for Mik Carmen to knock off the bails with the batsman nowhere near his crease. When tea finally arrived, Bourne End had amassed a total of 243-4 for Lilley to chase.
The two openers out to the middle for Lilley were Mik Carmen and Bradley Tomkins. Sillitoe (more like silly surname) the opening bowler for Bourne End, bowled a lot of straight balls at Mik Carmen in his opening over only for Mik to belt a wideish delivery through the covers for 4. Meanwhile, Bradley at the other end had the other opening bowler the medium pacer Hill who bowled him for 0 after only facing his third ball and was then replaced by his brother Gareth. Sillitoe came back and got his revenge though on Mik with the fifth ball of his next over by bowling him with another straight one for him to be replaced by Steve Eyres. Gareth was then run out trying to chase a quick single for only 4 leaving Lilley 8-3 off of 4 overs! Phil Clarke was next out to the middle to join Steve and both hit towering 6’s into cow corner whilst putting on a partnership of 15 before Eyres was caught at deep mid-off by the bowling of Hill leaving Lilley on 23-4. Out to the middle next was Phil Horner who had to endure with Phil Clarke some short pitched bowling by Sparrow brought on to replace Sillitoe. Both batsmen were hit in the process and Philo luckily managed to duck a high full toss/beamer which he didn’t see coming out of the trees behind the bowlers arm. Next to go was Philo(13) caught at short leg off the bowling of Sparrow. Next out to middle was Joel Mellor (0) who went second ball caught at silly mid-off by Escuder, also off of Sparrow’s bowling. Taz replacing Mellor at the crease. At the other end bowling was Akhtar who came steaming in off a 25 yard run up only for him not to be that fast. Certainly wasn’t Shoaib at any costs. Next wicket fell to Phil Horner (12) caught also at short leg off the bowling of Sparrow to send in Stuart Collinson who is of course one of the sides of the triangle of doom. Taz (5) next went bowled by Akhtar to send in Craig Paddington another side of the triangle of doom. Now with Lilley at 56-8 and with these two giants at the crease you would have thought we would be happy if we manage to reach 60 all out. Not these two though! As if you haven’t heard in recent weeks, Craig and Stuart have been attending mid-season net coaching sessions to work on their batting technique. Last week there was promising signs that this was paying off due to Stuart hitting his first 4 for Lilley and also Craig showing some good stubborn defence with the bat in helping Lilley gain a more respectable total. Proctor the spinner was bought on to replace the short pitcher Sparrow to which Stuart hit him for four 4’s, pulling three of them. Craig at the other end however, faced Akhtar coming at a so-called fast pace to which he drove him for four straight back past him. Stuart and Craig, then topped up the Lilley total with a few singles here and there before Craig was bowled for 10 by one of the opening bowlers Hill who, was brought back on to replace Akhtar who they had both put to the sword earlier to leave Lilley 88 all out, and to lose by 155 runs. Stuart and Craig getting a partnership of 32 for the last wicket.
All in all Lilley’s fantastic undefeated run had to come to end after the Hammond era but I will quote as what was said in a previous match report from the Whitwell game before we last played Markyate, “expect Markyate to feel the wrath of the Lilley return!!”
Report by Joel ‘Uri’ Mellor
