Wednesday 14th July
Keymer and Hassocks U14s completed their second win of the season, beating Henfield at home by 3 wickets. Batting first, Henfield got off to a flyer thanks to Dan Stokes who retired for 27 off just 11 balls and were going at 10 an over before he left the field. Ed Firth, who went for 16 in his first over, came back strongly to concede only 8 more runs off his next three overs, and clean bowled the other opener. There was some resistance from Dan Hodkin (22 off 22 balls) but Keymer continued to take wickets, with Micheal Firth picking up 2-21 off 4 very good overs. However, the star of Keymer’s bowling show was Ed Hollingdale, who had impressed us at nets on Saturday bowling legspin. He finished with 4-12 off 2.2 overs, including two Ben Greenfield stumpings, and at one stage found himself on a hat trick bowling to Stokes, who had come back in at 9 down. Alas, Stokes flicked him for a boundary, but Ed had the last word as he caught and bowled him very next ball. Henfield were bowled out for 106 in the 17th over, with Stokes eventually ending with 33.
Keymer’s innings began, and took on a strangely similar pattern to the game we played against them last year. Ben and Ed opened, with Ben taking no time, hitting his first legal ball for four with a square drive through point. But good bowling from Michael Moss (2-9 off 4 overs, with 2 maidens) accounted for both Ed and Michael Firth, the two retirees from last weeks match, and when Ben departed for a breezy 13, a partnership was needed desperately to get things back on track. Bertie and Alex came together to put on 61 for the third wicket, hitting the loose balls and defending or leaving the good ones, with Bertie being particularly ruthless on anything short. That they only scored 15 and 17 respectively is down to the fact that, as with last year, Henfield gave away so many extras. A slight lower order collapse left us needing 7 off 3 overs, but we managed to get over the line with an over to spare, despite the best efforts of Tom Paine, who took 2-11. This also brought up one of the more comedic moments of the season, with Matt Porter out 4 times in 2 no-balls, though the run out did count! Top scorer was the extras, which accounted for over half of our score: 57, with no less than 20 no-balls and 30 wides.
Man of the match was clearly Ed Hollingdale, who flighted the ball nicely and turned it sharply, and shows that hard work brings rewards. A mention also for Ben, who continues to show why he’s kept in the senior team this year with 3 stumpings and just a single bye. The kids have now won more games than their coach this year, and I’ll be taking a lot of stick for it no doubt!
Monday 12th July
KHCC U11's gave a mixed performance in their home defeat to Ansty. After winning the toss they bowled well as a unit, led as always by skipper Ed Fairfax who bowled beautifully to take 2 -14 from his 3 overs. Joe Mellor chipped in with 2 caught and bowleds. There were also excellent outfield catches from Peter De, Owen Eastwood and Fairfax. Ansty posted a challenging but gettable 287.
The Keymer innings started badly with a flurry of early wickets and wickets fell steadily throughout, eventually being dismissed 11 times. The shining light was Adam Heap who mixed solid defence with controlled pull shots to score 12. Ansty evetually secured a 56 run win as Keymer finished on 231.
Man of the Match - Adam Heap. Amongst the falling wickets Adam found the right balance between defence and attack. Also bowled steadily and gave his usual solid fielding performance.
Wednesday 7th July
St Andrews batting first got off to a good start helped along with a constant flow of wides and no balls. The breakthrough came with a smart catch by the lively Sam Mason , their middle order collapsed under pressure from Dylan and Rex. A good throw from the deep took care of another wicket. St Andrews making 98 for 4 off of their 20 overs.
Out to bat Hassocks went but two wickets in two balls looked like trouble , Jake McGratten took them on scoring 26 not out playing some handsome shots. Enter Dylan Broe punching above his weight with 25 glorious runs the fielders could not retreat far enough.As if that was not enough in to battle came Rex Cleaver with a crafty mix of quick singles and big hits to make 21 not out. A fantastic win and my man of the match goes to the very impressive Dylan Broe.
Wednesday 7th July
Another month of fine KHCC performances made for a difficult choice for the June performance of the month but I have settled on someone who set up a win for the U14's against Ditchling. The player of the month goes to Ben Greenfield for his explosive start to the innings scoring 28 off 22 balls to give his side the momentum in posting a decent score
Other notable efforts this month come from 2 very consistent performers. Jake McGratten in the U12's and Joe Mellor from the U11's have both rattled up the runs during June and seem to get mentioned in virtually every report on their respective sides. A sure sign they are doing the righ things!
Keep up the good performances. I look forward to writing about more achievements from July
Monday 21st June
Keymer U11's secured their third win of the season with a nailbiting win over St Peters, scraping home by just 10 runs.
After inviting the vistors to bat, Keymer skipper Ed Fairfax led the way with ball taking 3 for 4 off his 3 overs including 2 crucial wickets in the last over. Both Harvey Garrod and Adam Heap also bowled very tightly and picked up wickets. St Peters finished their 20 overs on 262.
A much improved batting display from Keymer saw contribuitions from all the team but it was the partnership between Peter De and Ronan Pithie that ensured a win was acheived. 23 runs from their 4 overs without losing any wickets put Keymer ahead and it was left to the final pair of Tariq Hlali-Painter and Tom Andrews-Faulkner to bat sensibly to secure the win.
Man of the Match - Ronan Pithie. The best batting we've seen from Ronan including a glorious drive down the ground and a decisive pull for 4. This weeks nomination could have gone to any member of the team but the shot selection and commitment in the field for Ronan was the key.
Thursday 17th June
I must admit I am guilty of underestimating the opposition so I think that rubbed off on our batsmen who threw their wickets away, heads up and wild swings at straight balls .That trait was reversed by the late middle order , well done Chris Curnock Jake Mcgratten and Rex Cleaver.
Defending a small total can be the best feeling but try as we did it was not to be, 61 all out was not enough but a good effort by Jack Eastwood raised expectations . MU12 man of the match for a positive effort with the bat, a run out with a direct hit and a wicket ,Mr Jake Mcgratten
Adrian Horne
Wednesday 16th June
On a ‘warm’ sunny afternoon, Keymer and Hassocks took on Ditchling in a tight game at Adastra. Keymer’s skipper Bertie Lumsden won the toss and chose to bat, and his decision looked to be justified as openers Ed Firth and Ben Greenfield put on 28 in just 4 overs. Ben retired, cracking a 22-ball 28, with six boundaries, whilst there were notable early innings contributions from Ed (10) and Douglas Brion (11). However, good bowling in the middle part of the innings from Ben Ackland (2-15 off 4) and Tom Lock (2-16 off 4) seemed to have taken the momentum away from Keymer, when skipper Bertie (23 not out off 23), coupled with some wayward bowling, saw KHCC pass 100 and end with a below-par, but still competitive, 118 for 6 off their 20 overs.
Keymer took to the field knowing that disciplined bowling and fielding would see them home, and good opening spells from Deaglan Bartlett and Ed saw Ditchling at 24-1 off 6 overs. The key wicket was the run out of Doug Porter, who looked dangerous with a run a ball 23. John Lear kept Ditchling in the hunt, hitting four boundaries in his 26, but when he retired, Keymer capitalized and tight bowling from Conall Bartlett, Bertie and Douglas saw the run rate soar out of reach. With 28 required from the final over, Douglas conceded only 10 to allow the boys to celebrate their first ‘win’, by 17 runs. The pick of the bowlers was Connall Bartlett, fresh from his hat-trick in adult cricket at the weekend, who took 2-21 off 4 overs.
The main reason the game was won was due to the brilliant discipline whilst bowling, with no bowler conceding more than 5.5 an over. Only 3 wide deliveries were bowled, and in total we gave only 11 extras, compared to the opponents’ 38.
Man of the Match: Several of the boys had good games, so its tough to pick an individual, but my man of the match is Ben Greenfield. His batting at the top of the innings really gave us some impetus; he only conceded a single bye and made a smart stumping off Bertie. He also stood fairly close when keeping to fast man Ed Firth, and coped fantastically.
Monday 14th June
Keymer U11's were again undone by surrendering too many wickets in their game against Preston Nomads. On a small pitch Keymer did really well to restrict Nomads to 320 from their 20 overs. The ground fielding was excellent throughout and Adam Heap produced a direct hit run out for the second week on the trot. Pick of the bowling was Peter De who bowled his left arm spin well to take 2-10 from 3 overs. He was well supported by Joe Mellor and Sam Pearce.
Every time the Keymer innings made progress a couple of wickets would be lost and it was only towards the end of the innings through Ed Fairfax and Joe Mellor that we managed to make forward progress, closing on 242.
Man of the Match - Sam Pearce. Bowled his 2 overs for 3 runs and then batted with a straight bat, nudging the ball into gaps for runs rather than sacrificing his wicket with big extravagant strokes. An intelligent performance from someone relatively new to the game.
Wednesday 9th June
KHCC fell short by 12 runs against Ditchling who batted first after a late start. The top five were all strong shot players, but fantastic Hassocks fielding kept the score manageable at 133.
The run chase began as earnestly as the rain, and George Owen, promoted to open, played an excellent innings, striking two excellent fours. He was supported by Sam Mason who kept the score moving very well until he was run out by some smart fielding. Jack Eastwood tried to force the run rate but was caught before Ed Fairfax tried his hardest and made a worthy 12 not out and Jake McGratten flung his bat but it was not enough, despite a great effort against the odds. Man of the match goes to George Owen for a catch, a stumping and 19 very good runs.
Tuesday 8th June
Keymer U11's secured their second win of the season in a closely fought match at Hurstpierpoint. The result could have gone either way up until the last two balls when Keymer got their noses in front. Hurst chose to bat first and posted a final total of 254. Keymer’s bowling was led by Joe Mellor who posted his best figures of 3-9 off his 3 overs, and he was helped in keeping the scoring down by Tom Andrews-Faulkner, who picked up two wickets and bowled a maiden in his spell. The Keymer ground fielding was generally excellent and two fantastic run outs from Owen Eastwood and Adam Heap were in the end the difference between the sides.
The reply started slowly with a mixture of poor running and good bowling providing Hurst with a few wickets but Mellor again came up trumps, smashing a quick 20 to turn the tide Keymer’s way. The final pair of Tariq Hlali-Painter and Tom Andrews-Faulkner batted very maturely to edge past the Hurst score and then ensure they kept their wickets intact to seal the win in an exciting finish.
Man of The Match - An excellent all round display from Tom Andrews-Faulkner but nomination for this week could only go to Joe Mellor who was the star performer with bat and ball.
Tuesday 8th June
As we did last year we look to highlight match winning performances across the Colts teams and nominate a player of the month. For the month of May the winner is Rex Cleaver of the U12's. In the cup game against St Andrews Rex scored a brisk 22 to lead the team into the next round with a comprehensive win after earlier picking 3-6 off 3 overs.
Other notable performances came from Jack Eastwood with a solid 26 in an U12 win against Portslade, Jamie Purtell a 9 ball 25 against Rottingdean in the U16's and Ed Fairfax producing an excellent all round captain’s performance in the U11s’ defeat of Newhaven.
Well done to all four! Keep up the good work.
Friday 28th May
Keymer put in a performance of two halves in defeat against Portslade. After deciding to field first the Keymer bowling did well to restrict a strong Portslade side to 291 from their overs. Pick of the bowling was Ed Fairfax who included a double-wicket maiden in his three-over spell as Portslade lost only four wickets.
After a decent first half of the game, Keymer shot themselves in the foot when batting by losing 12 wickets and only reaching 217. Eight of the 10 batsmen were dismissed at least once, as only Sam Pearce and Dan Staff remained undefeated. Tariq Hlali-Painter continued his record of making double figures in every game so far with some strong shots at the end of the innings.
Man of the Match - Dan Staff - Batted sensibly, defending his stumps as a priority and working the ball away when possible for runs. Bowled accurately with no wides or no balls in his spell.
Thursday 20th May
KHCC beat Portslade comfortably after batting first and getting off to another flyer before amassing 111 in their 16 overs. Jack Eastwood led from the front with a solid 26 retired, and was supported all the way with all the batters chipping in and taking quick singles - something Portslade failed to do in their reply.
Two crucial wickets from captain Ed Reed hampered Portslade's chances before a couple of tight overs including a wicket from young Ed Fairfax saw off their challenge and KHCC's victory was there for the taking as Portslade fell short on 93. Man of the match - Jack Eastwood.
Monday 17th May
KHCC U11's put out an inexperienced side to face Portslade in the first round of the cup and came off second best. After winning the toss KHCC asked Portslade to bat first and they posted an imposing 322 from their 20 overs. Skipper Ed Fairfax and Peter De both picked up two wickets and bowled accurately as did Owen Eastwood and newcomer Mark Boardman.
Keymer battled well with the bat but were always behind the scoring rate as Portslade bowled with pace and accuarcy, finishing on 245. Only Tariq Halali-Painter made double figures, but there was a promising league debut from Matt Tapner.
Man of the Match - Owen Eastwood - As always a highly committed display in everything he did. Bowled well, chased everything in the field and made some important stops and showed positive intent when batting.
Tuesday 11th May
Keymer U11's got their season off to a record start with a convincing 97 run victory at Newhaven. In very cold and blustery conditions Keymer won the toss and opted to bowl first. All the bowlers responded to the task taking 11 wickets in the 20 overs. Leading the way were skipper Ed Fairfax with the excellent figures of 3-2-1-2 and Harvey Garrod who picked up one wicket and conceded no runs from his two overs spell. Wicket keeper Tariq Hlali-Painter made two smart stumpings during the innings as Newhaven made 225, thanks to a rally from their final pair
Captain Fairfax again set an example to his team opening the batting, scoring a crisp 13 and was backed up with scores of 14 by Peter De, Joe Mellor and Hlali-Painter, with Mellor in particular playing some crisp drives. The whole team can take credit for supporting those scoring the bulk of the runs by ensuring only one dismissal in the 20 overs, enabling Keymer to finish on a club record 322.
Man of the Match - The whole team! Couldn't possibly separate anyone from what was a high class team performance
Thursday 29th April
KHCC under 12s lost a cracking game with St Peter's to start the season. New captain Jack Eastwood lead from the front with an assured knock of 12 and was well supported by Dylan Broe and later Ed Reed, scoring 13 and 14 respectively. KHCC will feel more runs could have been scored with some harder running between the wickets, however 92 off 16 overs was a respectable score.
KHCC then took to the field brimming with confidence, and when Eastwood clean bowled the opener with his first ball it looked like game on. However, a second wicket stand of some skill by numbers two and three put the pressure back on KHCC, and ultimately laid the foundation for victory.
Wednesday 14th April
Dear all,
the news we wanted has come in, with the Parish Council confirming Monday 6 September as the start date for demolition of our existing pavilion for a six-month build of a new structure - our new home from the 2011 season.
We can now concentrate on club matters without the worry of being homeless for the season, and look forward to the long-awaited new building next year. Should we celebrate with another promotion?
Our journey towards Clubmark continues, with the committee working hard on your behalf to ensure the club meets the required off-field and coaching standards in order to maintain our County League status.
Aaron Smillie, our overseas player from Australia, is now in the country, staying at the Hewisons' house. I look forward to meeting him and seeing what he brings on and off the pitch to our club. I'm sure you will make him welcome.
The latest 100 Club winner is Oli Jones. Not you? better luck next time. Not in it? Why not? Current prize pot is £51 for £2 a month - Direct Debit available. See Andy Westgate to join.
Only a few days to go before actual cricket starts. Can't wait.
H.
Thursday 11th March
As nets have begun and the season is on the horizon at last, here is my latest update for all members:
Pavilion project:
I believe we have achieved all we can in terms of negotiating a start date, and the project sub-committee will recommend that Hassocks Parish Council instruct the preferred contractor to demolish the existing building on the Monday following our last league game of this season - Saturday 4 September.
I know this is almost a year later than we had hoped, but it does three things: it preserves our current facilities in our maiden season in Division Two, ensures that the new building should be ready for the start of the 2011 season after a six month build, and gives us another opportunity for a party on 4 September!
Overseas player:
We are in the final stages of signing a young Australian, Aaron Smillie, to join us this season. He will add depth to our playing strength, bring some fresh impetus to the club on and off the field and assist with the junior development programme while he is with us. We look forward to welcoming him in April assuming all the contract negotiations fall into place.
Fundraising:
Many of our members have requested that we purchase items such as a bowling machine. We as a committee will consider any such request which we feel will benefit the club, but there are financial implications, especially as the cost of our overseas player is not inconsiderable and we have committed £30,000 to the new pavilion. Please do your bit to help raise funds - you know the options: subs, bar takings, 100 Club, asking people to donate or become sponsors or advertisers and joining in social events.
The bottom line is that we can only afford to invest in the club if funds are available, and at the moment that means more input from all members. Please help your club move forward.
Clubmark:
We continue along this road with advice from the Sussex Cricket Board. This is not an optional undertaking - it is mandatory as part of our membership of the Sussex League - so we cannot afford not to complete this process this season. If you are asked to contribute information related to this process, please do let us have it as soon as possible. Thanks for your co-operation.
Latest 100 Club winners (£46):
Dave Westgate (twice!)
David Campion
Howard Collins
You need to be in it to win it.
I look forward to a successful season on and off the field.
See you all soon.
H.
Wednesday 10th February
Ed Firth of our U12 squad has made it through all the selection processes to be part of this year's Sussex age group squad.
Colts manager Ross Watkins said: "It is relatively unusual that clubs such as ourselves have players make the final county squads so I know I speak for everyone when I say - Well done Ed, we are all very proud of what you have achieved!
As a club we look forward to hearing about the fifties and five-wicket hauls that I am sure you will deliver for the county."
Monday 24th August
As another junior season draws swiftly to a close I am pleased to announce our final player of the month. With only the festivals to take into consideration for August it was still a difficult choice. However, due to his major contribution to a Keymer win, Freddie Newmarch is this month's nomination. Freddie scored a brisk 66 not out against St Andrews to ensure a nine-wicket win. His innings was a mix of crisp boundary hitting and neatly working the ball around to keep the scoreboard ticking, ensuring that we were always ahead of the game after the bowlers had done a good job to dismiss St Andrews. He followed this up with 80 against Scaynes Hill in the final festival game.
Two special mentions this month: Firstly, Jake Brown for his determination and patience in building an innings of nearly two hours in the Under 16's opening festival game. Secondly, to Bertie Lumsden for his bowling in U14 week. Bowling against lads generally a year older, Bertie bowled consistently well all week, picking up eight wickets in four games, including a spell of 3 for 0 against St Peters.
Friday 14th August
Keymer & Hassocks hosted their annual 10/10 day on Sunday where Under 11's played a shortened version of the 20/20 game.
Competing alongside the hosts were Portslade, Henfield and an All Stars team made up of Portslade and Keymer players. Each team played each other once and after a number of close games and probably the tightest tournament seen for a few years Henfield emerged as champions, winning all their three matches, edging out Keymer in the final game with an excellent bowling and fielding display.
Credit must go to all the teams involved as all the cricket was played in a wonderful spirit.
Wednesday 5th August
It doesn't seem five minutes ago that I was writing about June's player of the month but a whole lot of cricket has taken place in that time. We have seen wins for all sides during the month but pride of place must go to the U13s for achieving their first victory. This month's nominated player comes from the win against Henfield. I understand from Dave and Jamie that lots of people made important contributions to the game but a hat trick is a special event at any time, so the Player of lthe Month for July is James Porter who took three wickets with his first three balls of the match, assisted by two catches from Bertie Lumsden, putting Henfield on the back foot at an important time in the game.
Special mention this month goes to Jack Eastwood who helped secure the U11s' league win over St Matthias. Bowling with his usual accuracy, Jack picked up an early wicket, then returned later in the innings to keep the runs to a minimum. However, it was his ever-improving batting that gave KHCC the flying start that we needed to get ahead of the run rate and reduce the pressure on his team mates batting later. He produced two classical boundaries with textbook extra cover and on drives, and ran particularly well between the wickets.
Ross Watkins
Thursday 23rd July
Keymer U11 were handed a bit of a cricketing lesson from an experienced Brighton & Hove side. After being asked to bat first Keymer struggled against accurate bowlers who gave little width. Captain and vice captain Rex Cleaver and Jack Eastwood did their best to ensure a reasonable score, hitting 18 and 10 respectively, however wickets fell too regularly and a total of only 213 was posted.
Brighton's batters showed their experience, mixing boundary hits with tight defence and losing only one wicket throughout their 20 overs, which Graham Webb picked up with a direct hit run out from extra cover. Pick of the Keymer bowling was Dan Staff who bowled good lines and lengths in his 2 overs
Man of the Match - Dan Staff - Remained undefeated with the bat and bowled neatly in the face of good quality batting.
Monday 13th July
Keymer & Hassocks Under 13s won by six wickets at Henfield, after inviting the hosts to bat. Tom Mellor opened the bowling and for the fourth time this year took a wicket in his first over. Tight bowling at the other end from Ed Firth (3 overs for 5 runs) restricted Henfield to 20 runs from 6 overs for 2 wickets, while the next seven overs went for 45 runs with two wickets for Declan Bartlett, before James Porter bagged a hat trick with his first three balls – including 2 catches for Bertie Lumsden. The last six overs yielded 32 runs and Henfield ended their 20 overs with 101.
Keymer started their innings in the deepening gloom. Runs were hard to come by, but helped by some wayward bowling, skipper Michael Firth and Matthew Porter added 28 runs. Michael was next to go before Ed Firth and Alex Austin added 28 for the third wicket. 28 nail biting runs were required from six overs, when out strode Ben Greenfield to hit 14 from four balls and it was left to Ed to hit the winning runs and bring up his 25 with 3.5 overs remaining to seal the first win of the season against a team which included three ‘Area’ players.
A great team performance won the day - especially in the field, where six of our seven wickets were catches
Monday 13th July
KHCC produced a creditable performance against Ditchling and for most part of the game matched their opponents before succumbing. After being asked to bat first Keymer batted very watchfully for the first 16 overs losing only one wicket in the process. Dylan Broe and Graham Webb produced an excellent partnership in their four overs, playing some nice shots and running particularly well. Tariq Halai-Painter continued his good form of late finishing the innings with consecutive boundaries and 14 runs. A total of 235 was probably a little short of competitive but a decent effort on a sporty track.
Ditchling started their innings in similar watchful mode. Jack Eastwood and Ed Fairfax kicked off their spells with maidens and then wickets for Simon Edwards, Graham Webb, Dylan Broe and Joe Mellor put Ditchling behind the required rate. However their final pair proved to be strong batsmen, who took toll of the short boundary on one side of the ground, quickly passing and going beyond the Keymer total, finishing on 274.
Men of the Match - Simon Edwards and Graham Webb simply couldn't be separated. Simon batted through eight overs without dismissal, picked up the first wicket and fielded neatly. Graham was a bundle of energy, hitting some nice shots on both sides of the wicket, bowling intelligently and showing utmost commitment in his fielding
Friday 10th July
KHCC U11's secured their first win of the season in a thrilling encounter at home to St Matthias, edging it by just two runs in a game that swung one way and then the other. Saints' batting got off to a slow start against disciplined bowling from the home side and, helped by some committed fielding, only 12 runs came off the bat in the first 10 overs. The fourth and fifth pairs for Matthias then staged a fightback, scoring a number of boundaries and running particularly well between the wickets to post a total of 259.
Keymer started well with openers Ed Fairfax and Jack Eastwood putting on an unbeaten 26 in their four overs. Others built upon their good work and at the halfway stage only 20 were needed, but again St Matthias fought back, picking up three quick wickets. Skipper Rex Cleaver then played a captain's knock at just the right time, scoring 13, leaving final pair Joe Mellor and Tariq Hlali-Painter to simply remain unbeaten to secure a win. However, another dismissal followed, leaving work still to be done. Some neat running and some very calm batting particularly from Tariq ensured that the elusive win was finally achieved.
Man of the Match - Jack Eastwood. Gave the innings a flying start with two glorious boundaries and bowled very tidily as usual, picking up a crucial early wicket.
Friday 10th July
After deliberations among the coaches the junior player of the month for June is Kit Tregear for his all round debut performance against local rivals Burgess Hill. U16 coach Joe Isted describes the performance below:
KHCC chose to bowl and Kit was the pick of the attack, claiming 3/18 from his four overs, restricting Burgess Hill to 105/4
In reply Hassocks lost an early wicket which brought Kit to the crease. He notched up 26 and batted through most of the innings, scoring four boundaries, and playing a sensible and responsible innings. He finished as top scorer, and more importantly laid the platform for a Keymer victory on his first appearance for ths club.
An honorable mention must go to Tom Mellor for his efforts in the U14 game against Brighton & Hove. Despite playing a year above himself and against a side packed with county players, Tom excelled, top scoring for Keymer, bowling with accuracy and picking up a caught and bowled.
Wednesday 1st July
KHCC U11's gave a creditable performance at Lewes Priory on Sunday morning. After being asked to bat first they put together a well structured innings of 269, losing only four wickets in the process - a season's best. Leading the way was Ed Firth with 24 and he was supported by Tariq Hlali-Painter and skipper Rex Cleaver.
Lewes Priory proved to be a hard-hitting side and regularly cleared the infield with powerful aerial shots. Pick of the bowling was Adam Heap who picked up three of the four wickets to fall, finishing with the impressive figures of three for eight. Adam would have had a hat trick had a difficult chance not been dropped on his third ball, having taken wickets with the first two. Some of the ground fielding from KHCC was excellent, particularly Ed Reed and Simon Edwards.
Man of the Match - Tariq Hlali-Painter - Scored useful runs and curbed his tendency to hit in the air. Picked up a catch and stumping and generally kept tidily.
Wednesday 17th June
KHCC continue to find their first win of the season elusive but put up a strong performance against unbeaten table topiing St Andrews. After being asked to bat first Keymer posted a par score of 229, thanks mainly to Ed Firth who played a glorious knock of 29 with six boundaries all around the wicket. Good contributions also came from Rex Cleaver and Tariq Hlali-Painter.
St Andrews started badly, losing three early wickets but their second pair put them back on track and despite good bowling from KHCC they stayed ahead of the run rate to record a 28 run victory. Pick of the Keymer bowling were the Eastwood brothers - Jack & Owen. Jack bowled consistently well as always picking up two wickets, and Owen , an under 9 in his first start for the league team, conceded only one run from his two overs.
Man of the Match - Could have easily gone to Ed Firth or Jack Eastwood but thanks to his excellent bowling, playing with a straight bat, a good catch and his committed efforts in the outfield, Owen Eastwood secures this week's nomination on his debut.
Wednesday 17th June
Keymer and Hassocks took part in a 6 a side tournament and were unfortunate to lose in a bowl out. Hassocks were joined by Portslade and Henfield in group B, and were to play each team twice in 10-over matches with the top two teams progressing to the semi finals.
Against hosts Portslade, skipper Jamie Purtell won the toss and not really knowing what a good score would be asked Portslade to bat first. Off their 5 overs Portslade reached 43 for 5 with Jack Pettet taking 2 for 3. Hassocks then made light work of that score by scoring the runs of just 17 balls with Pettett making 29 and Tom Fairfax 12 in an unbroken opening partnership. Next up were Henfield, and Jamie again won the toss (and went on to win all four in the group games) and inserted Henfield. They did slightly better making 52 for 1 off their 5 overs. Once again Pettett and Fairfax opened the batting and once again got us off to a good start, putting on 35 with Jack scoring 21. Matt Greenfield came to the crease and scored a quick 9 to see us home with the loss of just one wicket and 4 balls to spare, with Fairfax ending up with 17 not out.
We then took on Portslade and suffered our only defeat. Portslade scored a mammoth 74 off their 5 overs. That was always going to be a big ask and we fell 20 short with Jamie scoring a fluent 22. We then played our last game knowing we were virtually through to the semis. Henfield also set us a tough score by scoring 67 but with Jack and Jamie, in outstanding form, both making decent scores again to set up victory, good contributions by Luke Panico and Ben Roberts saw Hassocks win with three balls to spare.
In the semis we took on a Lewes Priory side that had promising Sussex player Tim Moses in their ranks who previously in the day had hit 14 sixes in making over 150 runs.
Jamie lost the toss on this occasion and for the first time in the day we had to bat first. Once again Jamie (29) and Jack (29) excelled, with Jamie even managing a straight six off a virtual pea roller. We amassed 74 which was the joint second highest score of the day.
Moses and his partner started strongly for Lewes, taking 15 of fthe first over, and steadily worked their way to the total. Marcus Miller swung the game slightly in our favour by conceding just 10 runs from his over, and it came down to the final over in which Lewes had to score 19 to win. A straight six by Moses, breaking several tiles as it crashed into the pavilion roof, followed by six leg side wides meant Lewes need just five off three balls. Enter Alex Vannan, who, I'm sure a lot of the 150 people watching would agree, took one of the best catches they are likely to see. With Moses on 48 not out and hitting the ball where he liked, he smashed a hard and flat ball which was heading for six and game over, Alex ran about 10 yards round the boundary and threw himself in the air and held onto a one handed catch, much to the delight of his team mates. Watching all the spectators stand up and applaud made the moment for Alex even better.
With two balls to go and five still needed, Jack bowled their other opener leaving five to win off one ball. As both sides had lost just two wickets, a four for Lewes would meant a tie, so cricket's version of a penalty shoot out took place, with bowlers trying to hit the stumps.
The first four for both sides missed. Lewes then hit, leaving Jamie the task of hitting the stumps to keep his side in the tournament. He did so and it went to sudden death. A couple of misses were then followed by a hit for Lewes. Unfortunately, we missed and were out in a cruel way.
It was a fantastic day for all involved, including the parents, and the boys did very well to reach the semis. Players of the day were all eight in the squad. Special mention though must go to Jamie and Jack for scoring over 100 runs each, Jack for being on hat trick twice in the day, as well as Alex Vannan for his outstanding catch.
Wednesday 10th June
KHCC under 11s came so close to their first victory of the season in an exciting game at Portslade. Batting first Keymer started strongly through Jack Eastwood and Ed Fairfax but lost their way a little in the middle of the innings as too many wickets fell. Credit must be given to Portslade for the excellent fielding and catching display. Final pair, Rex Cleaver and Harvey Garrod, batted strongly to ensure a competitive total of 244.
The Portslade batsman gave little away but were also struggled to get the ball away due to excellent Keymer bowling and ground fielding. At the start of the final over the result could have gone either way but the POrtslade batsmen kept out everything that bowler Jack Eastwood could through at them, securing a narrow victory for their side
All the Keymer bowlers gave it everything they had, but special mention to Adam Heap who took a wicket on debut and Harvey Garrod who finished with the figures of 2 overs 1 maiden 1 run, 0 wkts.
Man of the Match - In only his second game Harvey Garrod produced an excellent all round display. Batting well in the last pair, hitting the shot of the day - a glorious pull through mid wicket, and then bowling economically.
Friday 5th June
As something new this season I will be nominating a Colts player of the month from May through to August. This is to recognise an outstanding performance in any of the Colts age groups - not necessarily the highest score or the most wickets, but where I believe someone has made a significant effort to work toward a Keymer victory.
The winner for May is Alex Vannan for his contribution to the victory at St Andrews in the Under 14's. Batting at the bottom of the order Alex contributed to a crucial last wicket partnership of 21 with Ben Greenfield and then produced a devastating spell of four wickets for five runs to wreck the St Andrews innings. Taking the last two wickets in consecutive balls Alex left himself on a hat trick which he duly completed in the next game at Lewes Priory.
An honourable mention must also go to Ed Firth for his efforts for the Under 11's at Henfield. Despite being primarily a bowler Ed took on the wicket keeping duties alongside captaincy responsibility, all at the last minute. He led the side well, picked up a neat stumping and then went on to hit the highest individual score of the match (28 from his four overs) albeit in a losing cause.
Congratulations to Ed and particularly Alex on their performances. I look forward to hearing more stories of your performances in Keymer victories over the coming months.
Ross Watkins.
Tuesday 2nd June
U11's v Preston Nomads
Top of the table Nomads proved too strong for Keymer U11's as they secured a 105 run victory at Fulking. Batting first Nomads muscled their way to 331 from their 20 overs despite some excellent ground fielding from the Keymer boys, who maintained a great spirit in the face of a huge total.
In reply Keymer produced a fighting effort, led by skipper Rex Cleaver who attacked the Nomads bowling and scored a number of boundaries in his 4 overs at the crease. A couple of late wickets brought the score down to 226 but it was still a pleasing effort from the away side.
Man of the Match - Rex Cleaver. Bowled steadily, batted aggressively and kept the teams spirits up with a well balanced captaincy display
U11's v Ansty
Missing many of their regular team due to a school trip Keymer were defeated by Ansty U11's on Sunday morning. After winning the toss and batting first Ansty were generally watchful in their approach losing only 3 wickets in their 20 overs. Stand in skipper Jack Eastwood led the side well on his first outing as captain, bowling with accuracy, fielding with enthusiasm and encouraging his side throughout the 20 overs. He was well supported by Ed Fairfax, Harvey Garrod & Simon Edwards who all bowled with control to keep the scoring down to 282 and Ed Reed who was excellent in the outfield securing a run out on the last ball of the innings.
Despite a few early wickets Keymer recovered well to post 232. Joe Mellor produced some nice legside shots and Tariq Hlali-Painter followed up his good wicket keeping display with some hard hitting at the end of the innings
Man of the Match - Ed Fairfax. Despite coming up against Ansty's star performer when both batting and bowling Ed stuck to his task with determination, picking up a wicket, volunteering to open the innings and refusing to be dismissed despite some very quick deliveries.
Wednesday 13th May
An inexperienced Keymer U11's suffered a heavy defeat against Henfield at the Common on Sunday morning. Stand in skipper Ed Firth won the toss and asked the home side to bat first. They proved to be a hard hitting side, taking advantage of the short boundary at every opportunity, and despite some good bowling from Ed Fairfax (2 wickets in 2 balls) and debutants Daniel Staff, Brendan Miller and Graham Webb, Henfield posted 296 from their allocation.
Henfield's opening attack proved too pacy for the early Keymer batsman and the score fell into the 170's before the late order pairs restored some respectability to bring the score back to 217 at the close. Skipper Firth led the way with the highest score of the day (28) and put on an impressive 39 in his four overs with his partner Staff.
Man of the Match - Despite some pleasing performances from the new boys, this week's star performer was definitely Ed Firth, for scoring a boundary-filled 28, keeping very tidily with a smart stumping and taking on the captaincy at the last minute. Well done Ed!
Friday 8th May
An enthusiatic performance from Keymer U11's was not enough to secure a victory in their season opener at home to St Peters after being asked to bat first. Keymer struggled against good accurate bowling from the visitors, and although Joe Mellor, Peter De, Ed Firth and Rex Cleaver all played nice shots, wickets fell too regularly to ensure a competitive score, as Keymer totalled only 205 from their 20 overs.
St Peters batted consistently throughout their innings, steadily accumulating but defending the good bowling stoutly. Jack Eastwood finished with excellent figures of 4-2-4-1, and Keymer’s fielding was good, highlighted by an excellent catch from De at square leg off a full blooded pull shot, but the lack of runs in the first innings was always going to make a victory unlikely, with St Peters closing on 243 to secure a 38-run win
Man of the Match - Debutant Peter De batted sensibly, including a glorious leg glance, bowled well in his solitary over and fielded with commitment, topped off with a great catch
Friday 8th May
After a cancelation of fixture against Ansty the previous week Hassocks eventually took to the field against St Andrews at Sidney West. After losing the toss Hassocks were put in, and Matt Greenfield got them off to a reasonable start scoring a rapid 18. Although the run rate was at eight an over, wickets were constantly falling to the big shot, losing six wickets to catches on the boundary.
At 78 for 8 and struggling to bat out the last six overs, Alex Vannan and 12 year old Ben Greenfield put on a valuable 20 to steer KHCC to 99 all out.
Hassocks started very well with the ball, with Vannan and Will Upton taking a wicket each and restricting the hosts to 8 for 2 from 4 overs. KHCC remained on top apart from a couple of sloppy overs, and eventually won by 26 runs.
Both Tom Fairfax (2 for 8) and MOM Vannan (4 for 5)will be be on hat tricks next time they bowl.
Wednesday 11th February
As Chairman of the cricket club it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2009 season.
Whether you are joining us for the first time or returning, we sincerely hope you enjoy belonging to what we hope is a friendly, welcoming club both on and off the field. If we do not reach this aim, please contact our Welfare Officer (Esther Upton), any of our coaches, or adult members, including me.
Our junior section is very much a part of the whole club, and we may also be able to offer some games at an appropriate adult level should you wish to make yourself available.
Enjoy the season, enjoy this great game of ours and do your best. We don’t ask anything more.
I look forward to meeting, watching and, perhaps, playing some cricket with you.
Good luck.
Howard Collins, Chairman, KHCC
Wednesday 11th February
The date has been set for Saturday 28th February 2009 between 10am -12 noon at the pavilion.
The registration form is here for you to print out complete and bring with you on the day or send to the address below. If you are unable to attend on 28th February, please complete the form (including shirt details) and send to:
Ross Watkins
10 Priory Road
Burgess Hill
West Sussex
RH15 9HB
Tel 01444 253265
Mobile: 07748967314
e-mail ross.tad(at)Sky.com
Subscriptions
The annual youth subscription will be £55.00 with a £10.00 reduction for second and subsequent members of the same family. This amount can be reduced to £45.00 per member (£35.00 for second and subsequent members) if the completed registration and full payment is received on or before the registration day of 28th February 2009.