MATCH 47 NOMADS CC v Hampshire Hogs CC at Wheeley Down Road Warnford Hants SO32 3LG Sunday July 27 2014 11.30am 

Toss:    Hogs won the toss
Result:  Hogs won by 33 runs
Umpires: Brian Wilson & Others
Scorer:  Mrs Wilson
Debut(s):None

HAMPSHIRE HOGS Innings                  R  B  M 4s 6s
N Smith (+)  bowled        Blackburn    2  9 12  0 0
T. Tennant   bowled        Plant        6  8  9  1 0
M. Love      c Wilson    b Plant        8 13 22  1 0
M. Howarth   c Budgen    b Plant        0  5  8  0 0
J. Fox       bowled        Blackburn    1  5  6  0 0
H. Wakefield lbw         b Wooliscroft 22 79 94  2 0
W. Gabb      bowled        Blackburn    0  9  6  0 0
H. Deacon    c Blackburn b Shawl       14 65 81  2 0
J. Parker (*)c Dixon     b Smith       82 73 94 14 0
C. Browne    bowled        Brockton     0  5  9  0 0
T. Durston   not out                   29 64 80  5 0
Extras                                 25
TOTAL       (All out,56 overs)        189

Fow:1-12,2-17,3-24,4-28,5-32, 6-34, 7-73, 8-73, 9-79, 10-189.

Bowling–Plant13 3 34 3, Blackburn 13 2 61 3, Woolliscroft 10 3 18 1, Shawl 14 2 40 1, Brockton4 1 13 1, Smith 2 0 10 1.

NOMADS CC Innings                      R  B   M  4s 6s
V. Kandampully  c Smith     b Gabb    17  22  33  4 0
M. Budgen (+)   lbw         b Howarth 17  27  27  3 0
T. Brockton (*) c Wakefield b Deacon  58 106 129 13 0
R. Ormistonlbw  bowled        Howarth  0  13  11  0 0
M. Plant        st Smith    b Durston 19  39  58  3 0
A. Smith        bowled        Howarth  1   7   7  0 0
J. Dixon        bowled        Howarth 10  25  20  2 0
C. Wilson       bowled        Gabb     0  16  19  0 0
R. Blackburn    not out               20  12  28  4 0
S. Shawl        bowled        Gabb     5   4   8  1 0
S. Woolliscroft bowled        Gabb     4   5   4  1 0
Extras                                 5
TOTAL          (ALL OUT,47 overs)    156

Fow– 1-30, 2-34, 3-43, 4-90, 5-91, 6-126, 7-126, 8-136, 9-152, 10-156

Bowling–Browne 5 0 21 0, Howarth 13 4 37 4, Gabb 13 4 44 4, Deacon 12 3 39 1,Durston 4 1 12 1.

 Nomads snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at Warnford

Nomads travelled to Hampshire Hogs on Sunday and played out an match of fluctuating fortunes where ultimately the visitors narrowly came out 2nd best. Hogs skipper Parker won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat. The wicket looked docile and his side was made up of athletic under 30’s with the exception of stalwart keeper Smith and veteran off-spinner Durston.

Plant and Blackburn took the new ball for the Nomads and both were in fine form. Plant nipping the ball back off the seam and Blackburn swinging the ball away at good pace. The new ball pair accounted for Smith and Tennant in the first 5 overs and then star player Love picked out Chris Wilson at backward square leg who pouched the catch. Nomads were cock-a-hoop and the procession of wickets continued with Plant nicking off Howarth (taken by reluctant keeper Marcus Budgen) and Blackburn taking the scalp of Fox with an destructive yorker. The home side were on the rack at 32-5 and things only got worse as the burly Gabb was bowled neck and crop by another unplayable Blackburn delivery.

Woolliscroft was his usual miserly self bowling accurate leg-spin and going for only 18 runs in his 10 overs. The Hogs batsmen were happy to consolidate so until lunch the game stagnated with Woolliscroft and Sajjad Shawl bowling a number of maidens. 1pm, lunch break Hogs 62-6 after 27 overs.

The post lunch session began brightly for the Nomads Wakefield’s battle was ended with a Woolliscroft top spinner and he was adjudged LBW for a grafting 22 and then Deacon’s watchfulness was undone by possibly the worst delivery Shawl will ever bowl. A slower ball, half way down the track and wide outside off stump, the bemused batsman swung and a thick edge was snaffled by Blackburn. Brockton then replaced Shawl and knocked back the off stump of Browne for a 5th ball duck. Hogs in all sorts of trouble at 79-9. Nomads looking to bowl out the home side for under 100.

Plant and Blackburn returned to mop up the tail. However skipper Parker had other ideas and in an outstanding partnership with old stager Durston slowly began to rebuild the Hogs innings. Parker looked in fine touch and punished anything that was too straight with a whip through the on-side. Plant and Blackburn were no where near as effective in their 2nd spells and Shawl was reinstated to the attack. He too was not successful and Parker targeted the less mobile Nomads fielders to keep the strike.

Eventually Brockton turned to Andy Smith and he did not disappoint dismissing Parker for 84 with a delivery that the batsmen could only balloon to Jamie Dixon at mid-off. However no9 and 11 had put on over a hundred for the last wicket and The Hogs closed on 189 all out. Nomads would have just shy of 50 overs to chase this total. Plant 3-34 was the pick of the Nomads bowlers.

Vic Kandampully and Marcus Budgen opened up for the Nomads and got the side off to a positive start, but alas, both were dismissed for 17. Budgen LBW and Kandampully caught behind of the bustling Gabb with a delivery that he looked to cut but only under-edged to keeper. Ross Ormiston was then victim of a very dubious LBW on the stroke of tea leaving Nomads precariously placed at 43-3.

After the tea break Brockton and Plant forged a partnership worth almost 50 to get Nomads back in the game and back on track for a famous win. However, Plant was caught behind (not given) and stumped (given) off the same ball from veteran Durston and Smith had his stumps re-arranged by young speedster Howarth who was roaring in.

Brockton had now passed 50 with yet another cut shot for 4 and together with the much improved Jamie Dixon added a further 35 runs. Dixon was then also castled by a cracking delivery from Howarth and with overs running out Brockton was well caught by Wakefield at long-off as he tried to up the run rate as Chris Wison soaked up 16 balls for a duck during which he neither ran nor scored as if playing in a different match!

Although Robbie Blackburn was striking the ball crisply at the other end Shawl was dismissed attempting to launch the ball out of the ground. Woolliscroft had gone in the hamstring but bravely agreed to bat assisted by Brockton who acted as his runner. 37 needed off 4 overs. Gabb was recalled to the attack and Woolliscroft nonchalantly late cut him for 4 past the despairing dive of Love. However Gabb was to have the last laugh as he nipped one back and clean bowled Woolliscroft to end the game. Blackburn left stranded at the other end 20 not out and Nomads dismissed 33 shy of overhauling the Hogs total.

 Nomads had truly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with another substandard batting performance on a largely docile and placid wicket with an outfield that offered value for strokes. In retrospect was unfortunate that Blackburn and Shawl followed Wilson rather than preceding him.

Our thanks to Anne Wilson for scoring, Brian Wilson for his umpiring duties and the Hogs team / Christopher Bazelgette for their warm welcome as always. We look forward to returning to Warnford next season.

The side stayed late at The Thomas Lord pub enjoying some live music and a few stories from Ross Ormiston (including Jeremy Coney locking himself in the toilet so he didn’t have to bat no 3 against a rampaging Rodney Hogg).