Saturday 1st May 2010
Old Hill 203 - 6 (24 points) beat Dorridge 188 (4 points) by 15 runs.
The First XI got off to a cracking start to the season with a hard fought win at Grange Road, Dorridge. Old Hill were invited to bat first by the hosts on a far from ideal wicket and having lost two early wickets the innings were rebuilt by Richard Jones (30) and Captain Nathan Round before the fall of another three wickets cheaply left Old Hill on 125 – 5. However, the Captain was then joined by Carl Whyte (30) in another useful partnership and the visitors ended on 203 – 6 off their 55 overs with Nathan Round unbeaten on 85 runs. In reply, Zafran Ali struck early to have Dorridge reeling on 1 run for 2 wickets before star batsman Barker, got going for the home side to hit 112 out of a total of 143 – 5 off 36 overs before being bowled by Nigel Davenport. The match was still in the balance as tension mounted until off the penultimate ball wicket keeper Mark Fisher made a fantastic catch off the bowling of Nathan Round to dismiss Stevenson and give Old Hill a 15 run victory and a maximum 24 points.
Saturday 8th May 2010
Old Hill (5 points) v Bromsgrovc (5 points) Match Abandoned.
Heavy overnight rain and then continuous steady rain all day meant that the First XI game at Haden Hill was abandoned without a ball being bowled for the visit of Bromsgrove.
Saturday 15th May 2010
Old Hill 134 - 8 (20 points) beat Wombourne 131 (4 points) by 2 wickets.
The First XI’s first ever visit to Church Road got off to a good start. Having won the toss, Old Hill chose to field and immediately they had Wombourne in trouble at 7 – 3 wickets on a difficult batting strip. Excellent bowling by all of Old Hill’s attack restricted the home side to 131 all out off 44.1 overs with Elliot Wilson best with 4 – 34 and Dan Such on his debut returning figures of 7 – 2 – 7 -2. In reply, the visitors also made a disastrous start to their innings losing their first 3 wickets for only 10 runs. However, a determined innings of 51 runs by Chris Bending and 19 not out by Nigel Davenport at the end, saw Old Hill home by 2 wickets with 34 overs to spare and propel themselves to the top of the League.
Sunday 16 May 2010
ECB National Club Championship – Round 1
Old Hill 161 – 8 beat Spondon 158 by 2 wickets
Old Hill went into the game at Spondon (Derby) without Captain Nathan Round and Vice Captain Elliot Wilson but came away with a magnificent win off the last ball of the match. Batting first, Spondon were bowled out for 158 runs off their allotted overs with Nigel Davenport taking 2 – 17. In reply, Old Hill got off to the worst possible start losing their first two wickets with only 2 runs on the board, but a fine performance by Dan Wood (58) and Mark Fisher (38 not out) who cracked the last ball of the game to the boundary to win the game for Old Hill. He was ably assisted at the death by Dan Such. This was an excellent performance by everyone but particularly by the young players drafted into the team at the last minute. Old Hill will be at home to Kenilworth Wardens in the next round on 6 June 2010.
Saturday 22nd May 2010
Coventry & NW (3pts) 175 – 8 lost to Old Hill (20 pts) 179 – 4
by 6 wickets
Coventry & NW (3pts) 175 – 8 lost to Old Hill (20 pts) 179 – 4
by 6 wickets
On a gloriously warm and sunny day at Haden Hill, Old Hill First XI accomplished a very good victory over Coventry & NW without the services of captain, Nathan Round, who was struck down by a virus. Having won the toss stand in skipper, Cameron Fox decided to insert the opposition and the home sides’ bowlers quickly got to work and reduced the visitors to 103 – 6 wickets, with Elliot Wilson taking 2 – 17 before limping out of the action. Then some stubborn resistance from Coventry’s lower middle order helped them to a score of 175 – 8 wickets from their 55 overs. In reply Old Hill quickly lost Cameron Fox, but 16 year old Mike Hingley (29) was in sparkling form with 5 fours and a six before a miss hit off a full toss from Mark Lilley ended a promising knock. After reaching 65 – 3 wickets Old Hill knuckled down to post an excellent 4th wicket stand of 72 between Nitesh Patel and Chris Bending (30). The game was then finished off with a cameo innings of 21 not out by Carl Whyte while Nitesh Patel remained unbeaten on 62 as they saw Old Hill home with 6 wickets and 15 overs remaining. The hosts remain top of the League table with 69 points.
Saturday 29th May 2010
Saturday 29th May 2010
W.B. Dartmouth (20pts) 135 – 5 beat Old Hill (3pts) 134 by 5 wickets
In a rain affected match at Dartmouth Park, Old Hill’s First XI made a disastrous start to their innings with the top four batsmen back in the pavilion with only 7 runs on the board. Having lost the toss the visitors were invited to bat first in a match reduced to 30 overs per side and found the going very difficult but a magnificent batting display by Carl Whyte (68 not out) guided Old Hill to a total of 134 all out off 30 overs, ably assisted by Dan Such (20). Five of the visitors batsmen failed to trouble the scorers. The total was never going to be a daunting task for the home side on an improving wicket and they coasted to victory in 24.2 overs with Dan Such taking 2 for 24 and Nigel Davenport 3 for 28 as W.B. Dartmouth took over top spot from Old Hill.
Bank Holiday Monday 31 May 2010
Old Hill 181 - 5 (20 points) beat Shifnal 180 (4 points) by 5 wickets.
The First XI got back to winning ways at Haden Hill in their game against Shifnal. Having won the toss, the home side invited the visitors to bat first and Zafran Ali soon had them in trouble taking the first three wickets with only 16 runs on the board. Only a partnership of 48 between Parker (57) and Blount (39 n.o.) held Old Hill’s bowlers at bay. They were eventually bowled out for 180 in the 51st over. In reply, Old Hill lost an early wicket before young opener Mike Hingley (51) was joined by Nitesh Patel (67) to compile a second wicket partnership of 116 before Mike Hingley’s cultured maiden 50 which belied his tender age, was brought to an end. It was then left to Mo Shoaib (20 n.o.) and Chris Bending (10 n.o.) to see Old Hill home by 5 wickets with 10 overs remaining to take the 20 point victory. Nitesh Patel was named Man of the Match.
Saturday 5th June 2010
Attock 219 (3 points) lost to Old Hill 223 – 2 (20 points) by 8 wickets
Old Hill First XI won the toss at Wake Green Road and asked Attock to bat first but unfortunately both teams lost a key player each with only the opening overs completed. In spite of this, the home side had 50 runs on the board before losing their first wicket. However, the visitors then steadily took wickets although Sangir Khan put up some solid resistance scoring 101 not out in a total of 219 runs from 50 overs. Best bowling for Old Hill was Nitesh Patel with 4 wickets for 45 runs. Old Hill set about their task in a determined mood with a very good opening stand of 93 between Captain Nathan Round and young Mike Hingley (33). Nitesh Patel (35) then arrived at the crease and helped his Captain in another excellent partnership of 92 before Nathan carried his bat for an unbeaten 123 to see his team home by 8 wickets with 10 overs still remaining to secure victory.
Sunday 6th June 2010
Old Hill 274 – 6 beat Kenilworth Wardens 183 – 5 by 37 runs (F.R.R.)
Having been put into bat by Kenilworth Wardens at Haden Hill in the Second Round of the ECB National Knockout Cup, Old Hill set about building a large total until the match was interrupted by a thunderstorm. Having reached 228 – 3 off 36 overs at this point with Nitesh Patel (75) and Dan Wood (77), the home side’s task became a little more difficult after the 1½ hours delay. On the resumption, Old Hill managed to post a total of 274 – 6 wickets off their 45 overs. Chris Bending remained unbeaten on 50. The visitors target was then re-calculated to 220 off 36 overs but tight bowling by the hosts steadily built up the run rate. Even a late flurry by the visitors of 42 runs off 3 overs was not enough as Old Hill progressed to the next round with a 37 run victory.
Saturday 12th June 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 237-1 beat Halesowen (3 points) 234 – 4 by 9 wickets.
On a lovely summer’s afternoon at Haden Hill, the First XI won the toss and put local rivals Halesowen in to bat first. Bowling very tightly initially, Old Hill’s bowlers restricted the visitors to 73 runs only at the half way stage of their innings. However, some poor fielding by the hosts allowed Halesowen to reach 237 for the loss of only 4 wickets off their 55 overs with 52 runs coming off the last 5 overs. Halesowen Captain, Ishtiaq, scoring 101. In reply, young Mike Hingley and Captain Nathan Round (90) got off to a good start for the hosts putting together an opening partnership of 193 runs. Nitesh Patel (24 n.o.) joined Mike Hingley to see Old Hill home by 9 wickets off 39.4 overs. In the process, teenager Mike Hingley carried his bat for his maiden First XI century finishing unbeaten on 109, a very mature innings for one so young, reaching three figures in the glorious manner.
Saturday 26th June 2010
Leamington Spa (9 points) 257 – 8 drew with Old Hill (15 points) 267 - 7.
The First XI lost the toss at Arlington Avenue and were asked to bat first and Old Hill posted a challenging total of 267 – 7 wickets with good scores from Dan Wood (81), Nathan Round (64), well supported by Nitesh Patel (32), Chris Bending (26) and Nigel Davenport (24 not out). In reply the hosts made a steady but slow start due to some good tight bowling from the visitors attack. However, having reached the century mark with only 2 wickets down, the Leamington batsmen began to up the scoring rate and at 248 – 5 wickets the momentum appeared to be with the home side. But back came Old Hill’s bowlers and with the score standing at 257 – 8 wickets with one over remaining, Leamington decided to settle for a losing draw having lost two wickets in the penultimate over which meant that Old Hill were unable to force a victory, Nathan Round bagging 3 wickets to add to his half century.
Sunday 27th June 2010 – ECB National Club Championship Round 3
Barnt Green 241 – 9 beat Old Hill 212 by 29 runs.
Batting first at Cherry Hill Road, a very strong Barnt Green XI scored 241 for 9 wickets off their allotted 45 overs with Nigel Davenport (3 – 35) and Carl Whyte (3 – 57) the pick of the Old Hill bowlers. The visitors lost an early wicket but good batting by Nitesh Patel (78) and Mark Fisher (54) got Old Hill to 154 – 3 off 34 overs. However, the reply began to falter as Old Hill lost wickets in rapid succession to end on 212 all out. They were not helped by an injury to Captain Nathan Round when bowling and although he did score 18 not out batting with a runner at No. 7, it was too late to influence the result, as Barnt Green ran out winners by 29 runs. This was a good performance by Old Hill considering that they had four regular first teamers missing.
Saturday 3rd July 2010
Old Hill (15 points) 292 – 4 drew with Stratford-upon-Avon (6 points) 235 - 8.
In the dry conditions which have prevailed over the last few weeks, it is essential to win the toss to have the best chance of victory, so having lost the toss for the third consecutive week, the First XI were put in to bat at Haden Hill. At the start of their innings, they found runs hard to come by due to some good bowling by Stratford seamers on a slow wicket. Captain Nathan Round (30), County player Richard Jones (18) and Dan Wood (33) did their best to build a good total together with Nitesh Patel but with the score at 192 – 4 wickets in the 46th over and with the departure of Dan Wood, a large score did not seem possible. However, with the effect of the sunshine helping to flatten out the wicket, Nitesh was joined by Carl Whyte (41 not out) and they took the visitors attack apart with Nitesh Patel finishing unbeaten on 140, a magnificent knock. Their partnership yielding 100 runs in just over 8 overs to set an imposing target of 292 – 4 wickets off their 55 overs. In fact Old Hill scored 114 runs off the last 10 overs. In reply, Stratford lost a wicket with only 6 runs on the board as the hosts’ bowlers tore into the opposition and at 149 – 6 wickets a home victory looked very likely. At this point, the visitors decided that caution should be the name of the game and although Old Hill set attacking fields, they batted out the remaining 29 overs to earn a losing draw with the home side taking 15 points from the game, Richard Jones finishing with 3 – 67 off his 17 overs.
Saturday 10th July 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 210 – 4 beat Dorridge (4 points) by 6 wickets.
The First XI got back to winning ways at Haden Hill against Dorridge after three matches without a win. Overseas recruit, Mussavir Khoote, made a promising debut less than 24 hours after arriving in England and produced excellent figures with his seam bowling of
14 – 6 – 10 – 2 as the home side chose to field first after winning the toss. The visitors looked to be in trouble at 122 – 8 wickets off 40 overs but a regulation dropped catch in the following over allowed Dorridge to get “off the hook” and get to 206 – 9 wickets off their 55 overs with a ninth wicket partnership of 84 runs. In reply, Old Hill quickly lost Captain Nathan Round but some superb batting by young Mike Hingley (47), Nitesh Patel (59) and Dan Wood (65 not out) who shared partnerships of 70 and 94 respectively, saw Old Hill home by 6 wickets with just under 10 overs to spare.
Saturday 17th July 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 103 - 1 beat Bromsgrove (0 points) 101 by 9 wickets.
Old Hill had an excellent weekend’s cricket with all of their four teams being victorious in their individual League games. The First XI had a magnificent victory at fellow promotion hopefuls Bromsgrove. In the absence of Nathan Round, Mark Fisher took over the captaincy of the team, won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat first on a rain affected pitch. Zafran Ali and Richard Jones opened the bowling and wickets started to tumble straight away with Jones striking first with two early dismissals. He was then joined in the attack by Elliot Wilson. They both bowled superbly with Wilson taking 5 – 20 and Jones 5 – 36. Richard Jones’ dismissal of fellow County player Alexie Kervezee was with a totally unplayable ball without the batsman troubling the scorers. In fact the Bromsgrove total of 101 all out was made up mainly of Jayden Lavitt’s 47 and 33 extras – which was 80% of the score made off 30 – 3 overs. Following his achievements with the ball, Richard Jones opened the Old Hill innings with young Mike Hingley and at the tea interval they had taken the visitors reply to 71 – 0 wickets off 15 overs. With the opening partnership approaching the century mark, Richard Jones was out for 45 runs. Having been joined by Nitesh Patel (4 not out), Mike Hingley carried his bat for the second time this season with 45 not out after 21 – 4 overs to complete a thoroughly professional performance taking Old Hill back into second place in the table.
Saturday 24th July 2010
Old Hill (6 points) 187 lost to Wombourne (24 points) 215 by 28 runs.
After the euphoria of last weekend’s triumph, the First XI was brought back down to earth with a narrow home defeat to Wombourne. Without the services of Captain Nathan Round and Worcestershire’s Richard Jones, the bowling attack struggled to finish off the visitors after reducing them to 83 – 5 wickets at the halfway stage. A partnership of 99 for the sixth wicket by Holmes (66) and A Quiney (33) took Wombourne to 215 all out with Nigel Davenport 4 – 60 and Elliot Wilson 2 – 32 being Old Hill’s most successful bowlers. As stand-in skipper Mark Fisher and Mike Hingley began the home side’s reply, they were confronted by a very noisy and at times over enthusiastic appealing from the visitors. They succeeded in getting the early wicket of young Mike Hingley as the clouds gathered over the ground. The heavy atmosphere and persistent drizzle appeared to liven up the wicket and Wombourne bowlers took full advantage of the situation to get amongst the Old Hill top order. Mark Fisher (21), Nitesh Patel (29), Dan Wood (26), Nigel Davenport (26) all got starts but were unable to build a big score and overseas player Mussavir Khote also compiled a classic innings of 37 before being caught behind. Then some poor shot selection by the lower order handed victory to the visitors and a maximum 24 points with just 24 balls remaining: only 2 points behind Old Hill in the Table.
Saturday 31st July 2010
Coventry & N.W. (5 points) 161 lost to Old Hill (20 points) 162 – 7 by 3 wickets.
The First XI won the toss at Binley Road and elected to field first against Coventry & North Warks on a cloudy afternoon following heavy overnight rain and after 21 overs the home side were 69 – 4 wickets with Elliot Wilson claiming 3 early victims. Then some resolute batting by the Coventry middle order batsmen doubled the score before Wilson (5 – 36) returned to claim two further wickets, ably assisted by Nigel Davenport (3 – 47) as the hosts were bowled out for 161 in 54.2 overs. When Old Hill began their reply, the wicket looked far from ideal and some hostile bowling by Coventry’s opening attack soon had the visitors reeling on 11 – 2 wickets off 8 overs and then 46 – 4 wickets after 17 overs. This brought together Dan Wood (55) and overseas player Mussavir Khote (44) who put together a stand of 87 runs before being parted with the score on 133. Old Hill then had another “wobble” losing 3 wickets for 4 runs before Carl Whyte (16 not out) and Nigel Davenport (9 not out) saw the visitors home to victory by 3 wickets with 5.2 overs remaining.
Saturday 7th August 2010
Old Hill (16 points) 269 – 6 drew with West Bromwich Dartmouth (6 points) 160.
In a rain affected top of the table clash at Haden Hill, the First XI produced an excellent all round performance against West Bromwich Dartmouth to leapfrog them into top spot in the League Table. Dartmouth won the toss and decided to field in a game reduced to 49 overs per side due to a downpour just before the scheduled start. In the heavy atmosphere, openers Mike Hingley and Mark Fisher got off to a steady start and put on 46 before being parted in the 18th over. Captain Nathan Round then joined Fisher and they put together a wonderful stand of 153 runs in spite of a further disruptive downpour in the middle of their time together with Fisher (65) finally being stumped with the score at 199 in the 38th over. Nathan Round went on to complete his second century of the season before being out for 108 – a magnificent effort in the prevailing conditions. Old Hill then attempted to score some quick runs but lost wickets in the process and finished on 269 – 6 wickets off their 49 overs, with a lovely little cameo innings of 4 runs off 3 balls at the end by youngster James Hunt (4 not out) on his First XI debut. Dartmouth were then set a reduced target of 204 runs off 37 overs in which to obtain a winning draw. However, opening bowler Zafran Ali struck straight away by clean bowling Dhoolab (0) in the first over and although the home side continued to take wickets on a regular basis, Dartmouth hung on for a losing draw. Old Hill did manage to obtain 2 extra bonus points in their winning draw as the visitors were unable to reach 80% of the revised total of 204. This game was a credit to both sides as it was played in a very competitive and sporting manner.
Saturday 14th August 2010
Shifnal (7 points) 177 v Old Hill (9 points) Match Abandoned.
The First XI game away at Priorlee Road against Shifnal surprisingly got off on time following the overnight rain with Old Hill winning the toss and electing to field. Opening bowlers Zafran Ali and Worcestershire County player Richard Jones, soon got amongst the wickets with Ali taking 3 of the first 4 wickets to fall with the score on 34 including 2 wickets with consecutive balls. Then, with the home side’s score having moved on to 43 – 4, there was a short rain break which seemed to galvanise the batsmen into action as they took the score past 100 before losing their 5th wicket to Nigel Davenport with Parker (24) and Davies (78) leading the fight back with a stand of 66 runs. Old Hill bowlers then got “back on song” to finish off the job by bowling Shifnal out for 177 runs in 41.4 overs. Richard Jones finished with 2 – 28, Nigel Davenport 3 – 31 and Zafran Ali an excellent return of 5 – 45 with the help of 3 catches from wicketkeeper Mark Fisher. Tea was then taken under threatening skies which culminated in some heavy rain. However, this soon cleared and the sun came out but due to a combination of the lack of basic mopping up facilities and a reluctance to clear any damp patches around the area of the square, the game was controversially abandoned as Old Hill slightly increased their lead at the top of the Table.
Saturday 21st August 2010
Old Hill (7 points) 196 – 4 v Attock (6 points) 33 -1 Match Abandoned.
Yet again, the wet weather caused the First XI game against Attock at Haden Hill to be abandoned. The match did not start until 3.30 p.m., a delay of 3½ hours and having lost the toss in a game reduced to 29 overs per side, the home side began steadily with a half century opening partnership from Mike Hingley and Mark Fisher (24). When Fisher was out, Hingley was joined by Nitesh Patel and together they took the total to 94 before Mike Hingley was out for 47 runs. On his return to the side after missing two games through injury, Patel batted brilliantly to finish on 77 not out helped by a late flurry by Dan Wood (23 not out) to take the total to 196 – 4 wickets although they just missed out on the extra batting bonus point by 4 runs. With rain threatening yet again, the visitors immediately lost a wicket as Jahangir Khan was bowled by Elliot Wilson. At this point, the rain clouds opened although both sides tried to continue the game in the drizzle but it was not to be as the rain became heavier. By the time the weather relented there was not enough time remaining to complete the statutory 25 overs to constitute a game and the match was abandoned. As news filtered in from the other top of the table games, it became evident that Old Hill had maintained their slender lead at the top of the table with four games remaining.
Saturday 28th August 2010
Halesowen (2 points) 90 lost to Old Hill (20 points) 91 – 5 by 5 wickets.
Following the previous 48 hours of almost continuous heavy rain, it was amazing that the First XI game at Seth Somers Park against local rivals Halesowen, started on time although the pitch was far from ideal. Old Hill won the toss and chose to field and Elliot Wilson and County player Richard Jones, were soon amongst the wickets with the home side reeling on 28 – 3 after 8 overs. The total was then taken to 51 before another 4 wickets fell for the addition of only 4 runs – all to Wilson. The Halesowen innings was then finished off by Elliot Wilson with the help of Nigel Davenport (1 – 8) as he bowled Tempro for 2 to record magnificent figures of 15.1 – 3 – 40 – 8 with a “Man of the Match” performance. Before Old Hill could begin their reply, the rain returned with heavy showers sweeping across the ground. When they did get back on to the field, Mike Hingley (18) and Mark Fisher (6) put on 32 before being parted which triggered a mini collapse before Mussavir Khote (18), Captain Nathan Round (24 not out) and Richard Jones (13 not out) including one magnificent six off Mo Ishtiaq, saw Old Hill to victory by 5 wickets to maintain top spot in the Table by a narrow margin from West Bromwich Dartmouth. This was Old Hill’s first win at Halesowen since 2001.
Monday 30 August 2010
Old Hill (8 points) 172 – 9 drew with Brockhampton (14 points) 182 - 9.
The First XI Bank Holiday Monday fixture between Table topping Old Hill and fourth placed Brockhampton was a closely fought encounter in front of a large crowd. Batting first, the visitors started well scoring 41 runs before the openers were parted by, on form, opening bowler Elliot Wilson who went on to claim the first 4 wickets to fall with only 64 runs on the board. Captain Nathan Round and overseas player, Mussavir Khote, then chipped in with the next 2 wickets as Brockhampton were reeling at 74 – 6 after 25 overs. However, the visitors then put up some stubborn resistance as Hewlett (37) and Walleer (44) put together a partnership of 47 before being parted and, coupled with Powell’s 24 not out, they managed to reach a respectable 182 – 9 wickets off 55 overs. The home side’s best bowlers being Elliot Wilson 4 – 26, Nathan Round 2 – 27 and Mussavir Khote 2 – 27. In reply, Old Hill had the worst possible start losing a wicket off the second ball of their innings as they also found runs hard to come by against some very accurate Brockhampton bowling to be 84 – 5 wickets after 30 overs. Home batsman, Nitesh Patel, stood firm as wickets fell around him to post a magnificent 91 before being eighth out. It was left to Carl Whyte (9 not out) and Elliot Wilson (2 not out) to bat out the last 7 overs and hold out for a draw as Old Hill fell 10 runs short of their target. They drop to second place in the Table, one point behind West Bromwich Dartmouth with everything still to play for.
The First XI got back to winning ways at Haden Hill in their game against Shifnal. Having won the toss, the home side invited the visitors to bat first and Zafran Ali soon had them in trouble taking the first three wickets with only 16 runs on the board. Only a partnership of 48 between Parker (57) and Blount (39 n.o.) held Old Hill’s bowlers at bay. They were eventually bowled out for 180 in the 51st over. In reply, Old Hill lost an early wicket before young opener Mike Hingley (51) was joined by Nitesh Patel (67) to compile a second wicket partnership of 116 before Mike Hingley’s cultured maiden 50 which belied his tender age, was brought to an end. It was then left to Mo Shoaib (20 n.o.) and Chris Bending (10 n.o.) to see Old Hill home by 5 wickets with 10 overs remaining to take the 20 point victory. Nitesh Patel was named Man of the Match.
Saturday 5th June 2010
Attock 219 (3 points) lost to Old Hill 223 – 2 (20 points) by 8 wickets
Old Hill First XI won the toss at Wake Green Road and asked Attock to bat first but unfortunately both teams lost a key player each with only the opening overs completed. In spite of this, the home side had 50 runs on the board before losing their first wicket. However, the visitors then steadily took wickets although Sangir Khan put up some solid resistance scoring 101 not out in a total of 219 runs from 50 overs. Best bowling for Old Hill was Nitesh Patel with 4 wickets for 45 runs. Old Hill set about their task in a determined mood with a very good opening stand of 93 between Captain Nathan Round and young Mike Hingley (33). Nitesh Patel (35) then arrived at the crease and helped his Captain in another excellent partnership of 92 before Nathan carried his bat for an unbeaten 123 to see his team home by 8 wickets with 10 overs still remaining to secure victory.
Sunday 6th June 2010
Old Hill 274 – 6 beat Kenilworth Wardens 183 – 5 by 37 runs (F.R.R.)
Having been put into bat by Kenilworth Wardens at Haden Hill in the Second Round of the ECB National Knockout Cup, Old Hill set about building a large total until the match was interrupted by a thunderstorm. Having reached 228 – 3 off 36 overs at this point with Nitesh Patel (75) and Dan Wood (77), the home side’s task became a little more difficult after the 1½ hours delay. On the resumption, Old Hill managed to post a total of 274 – 6 wickets off their 45 overs. Chris Bending remained unbeaten on 50. The visitors target was then re-calculated to 220 off 36 overs but tight bowling by the hosts steadily built up the run rate. Even a late flurry by the visitors of 42 runs off 3 overs was not enough as Old Hill progressed to the next round with a 37 run victory.
Saturday 12th June 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 237-1 beat Halesowen (3 points) 234 – 4 by 9 wickets.
On a lovely summer’s afternoon at Haden Hill, the First XI won the toss and put local rivals Halesowen in to bat first. Bowling very tightly initially, Old Hill’s bowlers restricted the visitors to 73 runs only at the half way stage of their innings. However, some poor fielding by the hosts allowed Halesowen to reach 237 for the loss of only 4 wickets off their 55 overs with 52 runs coming off the last 5 overs. Halesowen Captain, Ishtiaq, scoring 101. In reply, young Mike Hingley and Captain Nathan Round (90) got off to a good start for the hosts putting together an opening partnership of 193 runs. Nitesh Patel (24 n.o.) joined Mike Hingley to see Old Hill home by 9 wickets off 39.4 overs. In the process, teenager Mike Hingley carried his bat for his maiden First XI century finishing unbeaten on 109, a very mature innings for one so young, reaching three figures in the glorious manner.
Saturday 26th June 2010
Leamington Spa (9 points) 257 – 8 drew with Old Hill (15 points) 267 - 7.
The First XI lost the toss at Arlington Avenue and were asked to bat first and Old Hill posted a challenging total of 267 – 7 wickets with good scores from Dan Wood (81), Nathan Round (64), well supported by Nitesh Patel (32), Chris Bending (26) and Nigel Davenport (24 not out). In reply the hosts made a steady but slow start due to some good tight bowling from the visitors attack. However, having reached the century mark with only 2 wickets down, the Leamington batsmen began to up the scoring rate and at 248 – 5 wickets the momentum appeared to be with the home side. But back came Old Hill’s bowlers and with the score standing at 257 – 8 wickets with one over remaining, Leamington decided to settle for a losing draw having lost two wickets in the penultimate over which meant that Old Hill were unable to force a victory, Nathan Round bagging 3 wickets to add to his half century.
Sunday 27th June 2010 – ECB National Club Championship Round 3
Barnt Green 241 – 9 beat Old Hill 212 by 29 runs.
Batting first at Cherry Hill Road, a very strong Barnt Green XI scored 241 for 9 wickets off their allotted 45 overs with Nigel Davenport (3 – 35) and Carl Whyte (3 – 57) the pick of the Old Hill bowlers. The visitors lost an early wicket but good batting by Nitesh Patel (78) and Mark Fisher (54) got Old Hill to 154 – 3 off 34 overs. However, the reply began to falter as Old Hill lost wickets in rapid succession to end on 212 all out. They were not helped by an injury to Captain Nathan Round when bowling and although he did score 18 not out batting with a runner at No. 7, it was too late to influence the result, as Barnt Green ran out winners by 29 runs. This was a good performance by Old Hill considering that they had four regular first teamers missing.
Saturday 3rd July 2010
Old Hill (15 points) 292 – 4 drew with Stratford-upon-Avon (6 points) 235 - 8.
In the dry conditions which have prevailed over the last few weeks, it is essential to win the toss to have the best chance of victory, so having lost the toss for the third consecutive week, the First XI were put in to bat at Haden Hill. At the start of their innings, they found runs hard to come by due to some good bowling by Stratford seamers on a slow wicket. Captain Nathan Round (30), County player Richard Jones (18) and Dan Wood (33) did their best to build a good total together with Nitesh Patel but with the score at 192 – 4 wickets in the 46th over and with the departure of Dan Wood, a large score did not seem possible. However, with the effect of the sunshine helping to flatten out the wicket, Nitesh was joined by Carl Whyte (41 not out) and they took the visitors attack apart with Nitesh Patel finishing unbeaten on 140, a magnificent knock. Their partnership yielding 100 runs in just over 8 overs to set an imposing target of 292 – 4 wickets off their 55 overs. In fact Old Hill scored 114 runs off the last 10 overs. In reply, Stratford lost a wicket with only 6 runs on the board as the hosts’ bowlers tore into the opposition and at 149 – 6 wickets a home victory looked very likely. At this point, the visitors decided that caution should be the name of the game and although Old Hill set attacking fields, they batted out the remaining 29 overs to earn a losing draw with the home side taking 15 points from the game, Richard Jones finishing with 3 – 67 off his 17 overs.
Saturday 10th July 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 210 – 4 beat Dorridge (4 points) by 6 wickets.
The First XI got back to winning ways at Haden Hill against Dorridge after three matches without a win. Overseas recruit, Mussavir Khoote, made a promising debut less than 24 hours after arriving in England and produced excellent figures with his seam bowling of
14 – 6 – 10 – 2 as the home side chose to field first after winning the toss. The visitors looked to be in trouble at 122 – 8 wickets off 40 overs but a regulation dropped catch in the following over allowed Dorridge to get “off the hook” and get to 206 – 9 wickets off their 55 overs with a ninth wicket partnership of 84 runs. In reply, Old Hill quickly lost Captain Nathan Round but some superb batting by young Mike Hingley (47), Nitesh Patel (59) and Dan Wood (65 not out) who shared partnerships of 70 and 94 respectively, saw Old Hill home by 6 wickets with just under 10 overs to spare.
Saturday 17th July 2010
Old Hill (20 points) 103 - 1 beat Bromsgrove (0 points) 101 by 9 wickets.
Old Hill had an excellent weekend’s cricket with all of their four teams being victorious in their individual League games. The First XI had a magnificent victory at fellow promotion hopefuls Bromsgrove. In the absence of Nathan Round, Mark Fisher took over the captaincy of the team, won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the home side to bat first on a rain affected pitch. Zafran Ali and Richard Jones opened the bowling and wickets started to tumble straight away with Jones striking first with two early dismissals. He was then joined in the attack by Elliot Wilson. They both bowled superbly with Wilson taking 5 – 20 and Jones 5 – 36. Richard Jones’ dismissal of fellow County player Alexie Kervezee was with a totally unplayable ball without the batsman troubling the scorers. In fact the Bromsgrove total of 101 all out was made up mainly of Jayden Lavitt’s 47 and 33 extras – which was 80% of the score made off 30 – 3 overs. Following his achievements with the ball, Richard Jones opened the Old Hill innings with young Mike Hingley and at the tea interval they had taken the visitors reply to 71 – 0 wickets off 15 overs. With the opening partnership approaching the century mark, Richard Jones was out for 45 runs. Having been joined by Nitesh Patel (4 not out), Mike Hingley carried his bat for the second time this season with 45 not out after 21 – 4 overs to complete a thoroughly professional performance taking Old Hill back into second place in the table.
Saturday 24th July 2010
Old Hill (6 points) 187 lost to Wombourne (24 points) 215 by 28 runs.
After the euphoria of last weekend’s triumph, the First XI was brought back down to earth with a narrow home defeat to Wombourne. Without the services of Captain Nathan Round and Worcestershire’s Richard Jones, the bowling attack struggled to finish off the visitors after reducing them to 83 – 5 wickets at the halfway stage. A partnership of 99 for the sixth wicket by Holmes (66) and A Quiney (33) took Wombourne to 215 all out with Nigel Davenport 4 – 60 and Elliot Wilson 2 – 32 being Old Hill’s most successful bowlers. As stand-in skipper Mark Fisher and Mike Hingley began the home side’s reply, they were confronted by a very noisy and at times over enthusiastic appealing from the visitors. They succeeded in getting the early wicket of young Mike Hingley as the clouds gathered over the ground. The heavy atmosphere and persistent drizzle appeared to liven up the wicket and Wombourne bowlers took full advantage of the situation to get amongst the Old Hill top order. Mark Fisher (21), Nitesh Patel (29), Dan Wood (26), Nigel Davenport (26) all got starts but were unable to build a big score and overseas player Mussavir Khote also compiled a classic innings of 37 before being caught behind. Then some poor shot selection by the lower order handed victory to the visitors and a maximum 24 points with just 24 balls remaining: only 2 points behind Old Hill in the Table.
Saturday 31st July 2010
Coventry & N.W. (5 points) 161 lost to Old Hill (20 points) 162 – 7 by 3 wickets.
The First XI won the toss at Binley Road and elected to field first against Coventry & North Warks on a cloudy afternoon following heavy overnight rain and after 21 overs the home side were 69 – 4 wickets with Elliot Wilson claiming 3 early victims. Then some resolute batting by the Coventry middle order batsmen doubled the score before Wilson (5 – 36) returned to claim two further wickets, ably assisted by Nigel Davenport (3 – 47) as the hosts were bowled out for 161 in 54.2 overs. When Old Hill began their reply, the wicket looked far from ideal and some hostile bowling by Coventry’s opening attack soon had the visitors reeling on 11 – 2 wickets off 8 overs and then 46 – 4 wickets after 17 overs. This brought together Dan Wood (55) and overseas player Mussavir Khote (44) who put together a stand of 87 runs before being parted with the score on 133. Old Hill then had another “wobble” losing 3 wickets for 4 runs before Carl Whyte (16 not out) and Nigel Davenport (9 not out) saw the visitors home to victory by 3 wickets with 5.2 overs remaining.
Saturday 7th August 2010
Old Hill (16 points) 269 – 6 drew with West Bromwich Dartmouth (6 points) 160.
In a rain affected top of the table clash at Haden Hill, the First XI produced an excellent all round performance against West Bromwich Dartmouth to leapfrog them into top spot in the League Table. Dartmouth won the toss and decided to field in a game reduced to 49 overs per side due to a downpour just before the scheduled start. In the heavy atmosphere, openers Mike Hingley and Mark Fisher got off to a steady start and put on 46 before being parted in the 18th over. Captain Nathan Round then joined Fisher and they put together a wonderful stand of 153 runs in spite of a further disruptive downpour in the middle of their time together with Fisher (65) finally being stumped with the score at 199 in the 38th over. Nathan Round went on to complete his second century of the season before being out for 108 – a magnificent effort in the prevailing conditions. Old Hill then attempted to score some quick runs but lost wickets in the process and finished on 269 – 6 wickets off their 49 overs, with a lovely little cameo innings of 4 runs off 3 balls at the end by youngster James Hunt (4 not out) on his First XI debut. Dartmouth were then set a reduced target of 204 runs off 37 overs in which to obtain a winning draw. However, opening bowler Zafran Ali struck straight away by clean bowling Dhoolab (0) in the first over and although the home side continued to take wickets on a regular basis, Dartmouth hung on for a losing draw. Old Hill did manage to obtain 2 extra bonus points in their winning draw as the visitors were unable to reach 80% of the revised total of 204. This game was a credit to both sides as it was played in a very competitive and sporting manner.
Saturday 14th August 2010
Shifnal (7 points) 177 v Old Hill (9 points) Match Abandoned.
The First XI game away at Priorlee Road against Shifnal surprisingly got off on time following the overnight rain with Old Hill winning the toss and electing to field. Opening bowlers Zafran Ali and Worcestershire County player Richard Jones, soon got amongst the wickets with Ali taking 3 of the first 4 wickets to fall with the score on 34 including 2 wickets with consecutive balls. Then, with the home side’s score having moved on to 43 – 4, there was a short rain break which seemed to galvanise the batsmen into action as they took the score past 100 before losing their 5th wicket to Nigel Davenport with Parker (24) and Davies (78) leading the fight back with a stand of 66 runs. Old Hill bowlers then got “back on song” to finish off the job by bowling Shifnal out for 177 runs in 41.4 overs. Richard Jones finished with 2 – 28, Nigel Davenport 3 – 31 and Zafran Ali an excellent return of 5 – 45 with the help of 3 catches from wicketkeeper Mark Fisher. Tea was then taken under threatening skies which culminated in some heavy rain. However, this soon cleared and the sun came out but due to a combination of the lack of basic mopping up facilities and a reluctance to clear any damp patches around the area of the square, the game was controversially abandoned as Old Hill slightly increased their lead at the top of the Table.
Saturday 21st August 2010
Old Hill (7 points) 196 – 4 v Attock (6 points) 33 -1 Match Abandoned.
Yet again, the wet weather caused the First XI game against Attock at Haden Hill to be abandoned. The match did not start until 3.30 p.m., a delay of 3½ hours and having lost the toss in a game reduced to 29 overs per side, the home side began steadily with a half century opening partnership from Mike Hingley and Mark Fisher (24). When Fisher was out, Hingley was joined by Nitesh Patel and together they took the total to 94 before Mike Hingley was out for 47 runs. On his return to the side after missing two games through injury, Patel batted brilliantly to finish on 77 not out helped by a late flurry by Dan Wood (23 not out) to take the total to 196 – 4 wickets although they just missed out on the extra batting bonus point by 4 runs. With rain threatening yet again, the visitors immediately lost a wicket as Jahangir Khan was bowled by Elliot Wilson. At this point, the rain clouds opened although both sides tried to continue the game in the drizzle but it was not to be as the rain became heavier. By the time the weather relented there was not enough time remaining to complete the statutory 25 overs to constitute a game and the match was abandoned. As news filtered in from the other top of the table games, it became evident that Old Hill had maintained their slender lead at the top of the table with four games remaining.
Saturday 28th August 2010
Halesowen (2 points) 90 lost to Old Hill (20 points) 91 – 5 by 5 wickets.
Following the previous 48 hours of almost continuous heavy rain, it was amazing that the First XI game at Seth Somers Park against local rivals Halesowen, started on time although the pitch was far from ideal. Old Hill won the toss and chose to field and Elliot Wilson and County player Richard Jones, were soon amongst the wickets with the home side reeling on 28 – 3 after 8 overs. The total was then taken to 51 before another 4 wickets fell for the addition of only 4 runs – all to Wilson. The Halesowen innings was then finished off by Elliot Wilson with the help of Nigel Davenport (1 – 8) as he bowled Tempro for 2 to record magnificent figures of 15.1 – 3 – 40 – 8 with a “Man of the Match” performance. Before Old Hill could begin their reply, the rain returned with heavy showers sweeping across the ground. When they did get back on to the field, Mike Hingley (18) and Mark Fisher (6) put on 32 before being parted which triggered a mini collapse before Mussavir Khote (18), Captain Nathan Round (24 not out) and Richard Jones (13 not out) including one magnificent six off Mo Ishtiaq, saw Old Hill to victory by 5 wickets to maintain top spot in the Table by a narrow margin from West Bromwich Dartmouth. This was Old Hill’s first win at Halesowen since 2001.
Monday 30 August 2010
Old Hill (8 points) 172 – 9 drew with Brockhampton (14 points) 182 - 9.
The First XI Bank Holiday Monday fixture between Table topping Old Hill and fourth placed Brockhampton was a closely fought encounter in front of a large crowd. Batting first, the visitors started well scoring 41 runs before the openers were parted by, on form, opening bowler Elliot Wilson who went on to claim the first 4 wickets to fall with only 64 runs on the board. Captain Nathan Round and overseas player, Mussavir Khote, then chipped in with the next 2 wickets as Brockhampton were reeling at 74 – 6 after 25 overs. However, the visitors then put up some stubborn resistance as Hewlett (37) and Walleer (44) put together a partnership of 47 before being parted and, coupled with Powell’s 24 not out, they managed to reach a respectable 182 – 9 wickets off 55 overs. The home side’s best bowlers being Elliot Wilson 4 – 26, Nathan Round 2 – 27 and Mussavir Khote 2 – 27. In reply, Old Hill had the worst possible start losing a wicket off the second ball of their innings as they also found runs hard to come by against some very accurate Brockhampton bowling to be 84 – 5 wickets after 30 overs. Home batsman, Nitesh Patel, stood firm as wickets fell around him to post a magnificent 91 before being eighth out. It was left to Carl Whyte (9 not out) and Elliot Wilson (2 not out) to bat out the last 7 overs and hold out for a draw as Old Hill fell 10 runs short of their target. They drop to second place in the Table, one point behind West Bromwich Dartmouth with everything still to play for.
