Sunday 1st June 2008

Saturday 31st May 2008

Saturday 24th May 2008

Sunday 18th May 2008

PDQ Division 3 - Real Oddies 119 (Crane 41, Turner 5-26) lost to Gt Braxted & Tiptree 156 for 8 (S Hummerstone 64) by 37 runs

Sunday 10th May 2008

PDQ Division 3 - Great Braxted & Tiptree 134 lost to Little Bardfield Village 136-9 by 1 wicket

The first home match of the season at Braxted gave Tiptree the chance to make best use of their local knowledge and give high flying Bardfield a tough game on a very hot and sultry afternoon. And remarkably, after the previous days meek efforts at Horkesley, that is precisely what Bardfield got.Opening the batting on greenish but very flat track, Tiptree suffered a now familiar early innings collapse with Cookson (1), skipper Hummerstone (3) and Hale (3) all going cheaply. But Gennings (19) and then Hummerstone (16) stemmed the tide somewhat before falling to M Graham and Bray respectively. Hill (9) got himself in then out in sharp fashion by holing out to Owen off Bass swiftly followed by Yates (duck) then in came Rees who blasted a highly entertaining 19 before getting a bit too brave for his own good and got bowled by Bray.With all the hallmarks of yet another mediocre score on the cards, in came Turner (26) after a year off through injury and along with tail end specialist, Buchheister (13), put on 48 for the 9th wicket before each went within an over of each other with the score on 134 and just Philips (1 n.o.) unbeaten at the close. Finally, Tiptree had some batting points and had something for their bowlers to have a real go at.In exceptionally warm weather for the time of year, Bardfield manfully stuck to their task with Slemmings (3 for 20) and M Graham (2 for 7) the pick of the bunch. Bray (2 for 27), Bass (2 for 24), and T Graham (1 for 21) picked up the remaining wickets and Bardfield were in a chipper mood heading into the tea break. Tea was duly dispatched with the usual fervour and the highlights this week included the water melon slices, an array of exceptionally neat sandwiches and two flavours of pizza. However, there was no sign of the infamous Nana Hummerstone hash cake which was sorely missed. A special request has now been lodged with the appropriate parties to ensure that a couple of examples of this exquisite sweet delicacy will appear at the next home match.The main business now recommenced and, much to Bardfield's horror, the Tiptree opening bowling combo of Hill and Turner rolled back the years to tear out the first three wickets. Sheridan (duck) went first over to a smart catch by keeper Cookson off Hill, Hitchcock (5) was bowled by the returning Turner in the second, and then Bass (5) got bowled with a snorter from Hill in the third. At 11 for 3, things were looking much better for Tiptree.But it proved to be a false dawn as Owen and Stone both weathered the opening salvo and the first bowling change to put on 52 for the fourth wicket. After Hale was replaced, Owen (18) edged a Buchheister to Cookson making it 62-4 and then Tiptree had to endure another barren spell before Buchheister tempted Stone (36) into a rash shot to Turner to make the score 108-5.Things were now a little tense. Bardfield could see the finishing line but wickets had started to fall and nerves began to fray. Slemmings (23) hit out at the wrong time and skied a slow ball from Buchheister to Cookson and then Philips finally got some reward for his efforts with a C&B of T Graham (10). With the score now at 125-7, it became squeaky bum' time with neither side wanting to make any mistakes and throwing the game away after such a close run thing.First blood went to Tiptree with Turner bowling M Graham (7) - 125-8. Then, the balance swung back to Bardfield thanks to a smart little cameo from Ruffle (7) before going C&B to Philips (again!!) with the scores tied - 134-9.But cometh the hour, cometh the young man as Holmes glanced the games final ball between gulley and slip to get Bardfield home by the one wicket. Cue huge cheers of relief from the Bardfield bench and groans of despair from the home side.The Tiptree attack was led by the fit again Steve Turner returning figures of 2 for 19 with Hill (2-27), Philips (2-27) and Buchheister (3-30) all doing the business but ultimately Tiptree were probably 20 runs shy of a match winning position on this showing. At last, that might be a silver lining up on that there cloud.... 
Result: Lt Bardfield, 136 (20 pts) beat Gt Braxted & Tiptree 1's, 134 all out, (6 pts) by 1 wickets.

Tiptree Match facts: Catches - 5; Ducks - 1; Teeth - Less; Prospects - Improved.

PDQ Division 5 - Great Braxted & Tiptree 63 lost to Stebbing 66-0 by 10 wickets

Tiptree needed to put in a decent performance after the previous game at Cressing and all hope of getting one was blown away by the Stebbing bowling attack within the opening few overs.Seamen (5), Smith (duck) and Reeves (2) all received lbw decisions which had Tiptree slumped at 15 for 3. Skipper Bloomfield (8) and Lamming (10) tried to stabilize matters before Bloomers was bowled by Meakin. Basquill came the crease for his first game in over a year and was putting a decent partnership together with Lamming before the Tached Terrier went to another lbw decision. Gardner (10) then joined the fray and put another double figure score on the board before both he and Basquill (11) both went in fairly rapid succession only to be followed by Bulgin (duck) to an incredible fifth lbw decision of the innings.Stebbing smelt blood with Tiptree on 52 for 8 and went for the kill. Jackson (3) and Jennings (1) soon passed through the mincer leaving Tiptree all out for 63 with Hale stranded on 7 n.o.. For the second consecutive match, a rather poor score in the low sixties earning no batting points for Tiptree.Stebbing's bowlers must have thought Christmas and all their birthdays had all come together with the bevy of Tiptree gifts, in particular, Law (3 for 9) and Meakin (2 for 13) would be the happiest of the bunch. Also chipping in were Crow (2 for 20), Winter (1 for 11), Cobb (1 for 7) and Hills (1 for 2).Not surprisingly, Stebbing made very short work of the total with skipper Winter (37 n.o.) and Crow (17 n.o.) doing the business and winning without any major dramas within 9 overs.A very poor performance all round with no real positives to take from the game. It already looks like a very long seasons slog for the Tiptree boys... Result: Stebbing, 66 (20 pts) beat Gt Braxted & Tiptree 2's, 63 all out, (0 pts) by 10 wickets.

Tiptree Match facts: Catches - 0; Ducks - 2; LBW's - 5 (!!); Positions to fill - Many.

Saturday 9th May 2008

PDQ Division 3 - Great Braxted & Tiptree 88 lost to Great Horkesley 89-2 by 8 wickets

After the Mersea match, the Braxted boys were keen to get on the winning trail at a ground where, traditionally, they had not performed well in recent years. Unfortunately, history was to repeat itself as Lady Luck decided to take yet another day off, whip out the Factor 15, and enjoy the blazing sunshine at one of the more picturesque grounds in the PDQ league.Electing to bat on a firm but spongy surface having won the toss, skipper Hummerstone's continued bad fortune kicked in with a duck from the first over. A lifting ball on the leg side deserving of 'the full treatment', was instead diverted to the Horkesley skipper, Conybeare, at first slip who gratefully accepted the gift. Having seen that the ball was coming through rather slowly even from the pacey Sayed and Hart, the Braxted batsmen did not learn from Hummerstone's misfortune and proceeded to get themselves out playing good shots to the right balls on the wrong day. Cookson (5) and Gennings (15) both went going for their shots straight to fielders when seemingly set and comfortable before Sully (7) went to a magnificent catch at extra cover by Thomas with a genuine 'one for the cameras' one handed full length dive. In between all the catches, Bloomfield (9) got trapped lbw by Conybeare when flouncing about in his crease and a frustrated Hill got bowled for a duck by the wily Laitt. So at 45 for 6, things were looking bad but Hale managed to steady the ship somewhat with a decent knock of 25 supported by Buchheister (4) and Sewell (13 n.o.) before falling victim to Sayed. With the score now at 83 for 8 and one wicket remaining, Horkesley pressed home their advantage against a 10 man Braxted team and had Lamming (3) caught by Wallis to close the innings at 88 all out.Pick of the Horkesley bowlers were Laitt (3 for 16) and Sayed (2 for 10) but Hart (2 for 18) and Conybeare (2 for 24) will feel very pleased with their contributions. Tea was taken and Horkesley offered up a sumptuous buffet of sandwiches and assorted savoury snacks but a special mention must be made for the cakes. Three large boxes of delightfully rich chocolate brownies, wonderfully moist flapjacks and a an iced sponge to have all you cake fans quivering in delight. Highly commended !!Back to the match. The Braxted total of 88 was unlikely to be enough to cause Horkesley too much trouble and so it proved with a couple of minor scares along the way. Jayasuria (48 n.o.) fairly went at Braxted swotting at anything a little short or offline but Conybeare (4) got bowled by Sully to give Braxted a little hope before Long-Price (16) moved the score onto 57 before getting run out by a sharp throw from Braxted's skipper, Hummerstone. It was last respite for Braxted as Thomas flayed the Braxted attack round the park although he should have been caught by Buchheister in the deep of Hale just before the total was reached. As the Horkesley openers showed, it is so much easier to play with out inhibition when chasing a modest total and the wickets are not tumbling at the other end. Braxted must take note for the next match.Result: Gt Horkesley, 89 (20 pts) beat Gt Braxted & Tiptree 1's, 88 all out, (1 pts) by 10 wickets.

Tiptree Match facts: Catches - 0; Ducks - 2; Drops - 1; Talent - little.

Saturday 2nd May 2008

PDQ Division 5 - Great Braxted & Tiptree 62 (Niyas 4-7) lost to Cressing 63-0 by 10 wickets

This game nearly didn't get played and skipper Bloomfield ruefully remarked afterwards that he wished it probably hadn't. Cressing had manfully prepared a pitch in spite of a horrific amount of rain which had left their square "wetter than a dripping barmaid !!" The Cressing groundwork team had not been able to cut the strip anywhere near as well as they wanted and they had also suffered a roller fatigue crisis. This made the strip playable but very, very soft giving rise to a rather variable bounce.

But the pitch was not the problem on a very balmy afternoon. The Tiptree 2's first game of the season quickly became an uphill struggle against the accurate bowling of Cressing's Niyas who used the 'put the ball in the right areas' adage to its full potential and let the Tiptree batsman play themselves out. Openers Seaman and Smith both went for ducks then, after a very brief respite, Will Hale unaccountably ran himself out on 9 by performing the infamous "Sooty's waving his wand" move during a desperate dive for the line. Bloomers (1) and Clark (duck) quickly followed putting GB&T on a desperate 13-5.

Some form of stability was introduced to matters by Sewell and Buchheister who managed to see off the deadly Niyas and partner Smith then pushed the score on to 44 before Sewell (6), bowled off Leamey, and Buchheister (13), bowled off Mohammed, went in consecutive overs both by playing over the top of balls that kept low. Gloveman Lamming went for a duck to Leamey before tail enders John Hale (2) and Baker (6) managed to snaffle another 16 runs closing the innings at woeful 62 all out after 27.1 overs with Extra's top scoring with 25. The Cressing bowlers were pleased with their lot finishing with figures; Niyas 4 for 7, Mohammed 2 for 14, Leamey 2 for 20 and Smith 1 for 12. 

It was agreed that the teams would go straight round and Cressing set about the total in fairly aggressive fashion. Openers Saffer (22 n.o.) and Leamey (35 n.o.) took the Tiptree bowling apart and got the required total in 10.3 overs for an easy win. With such a frugal total, it was always going to be tough going but with the first batting point coming at 100 runs, Tiptree needed a couple of wickets to get at least a point from the game but, in reality, it never looked likely to happen.

Speaking of frugal, we have an early contender for a "3/10 - See Me" tea. The expression 'less is more' does not apply to the feeding of cricketers even if they are fairly hopeless and it is hoped this was a one off oversight on Cressing's part.

Result: Cressing, 63 (20 pts) beat Gt Braxted & Tiptree 2's, 62 all out, (0 pts) by 10 wickets.

Tiptree Match facts: Catches - 0; Ducks - 5; Gimps - 1; Bags of crisps - 5.

Sponsorship deal for club

PDQ Division 3 - West Mersea 100 (Phillips 4-18) beat Great Braxted & Tipree 98 (Tilsley 6-24) by 2 runs

After the previous weekends fixture for the GB&TCC 2's team was postponed due to the delightful April weather, it fell to the 1st team to kick start the new season at West Mersea. In nigh on ideal conditions for a touch of swing, GB&TCC skipper, Sean Hummerstone, won the toss and put the Mersea boys into bat.

Mersea openers Tilsley and Lambert got off to a steady start making 23 before Lambert (4) was done a snorter from Robbie Hill. Number 3 Fuller (6) followed with the score at 36, after a spectacular one handed, top corner, one for the camera's catch from Hill, off the bowling of 'The Swinging Fist' Buchheister. Tilsley almost followed two balls later to an identical bowler-fielder combo and shot before finally falling for 29 caught off the bowling of 'Fingers' Hale by Skipper 'Hawkins' Hummerstone at mid-off.

Then without warning, the Mersea conveyer belt switched itself on with 4 wickets falling for 3 runs thanks to the efforts of the roaring Jamie Phillips and Fingers - both narrowly missing out on hattricks incidentally - before Mersea crept up to 63-8 when Fuller came striding purposefully to the crease. With good support from Goodridge (16 n.o.), Fuller put his indoor cricket skills to good effect by smashing a quick fire 28 runs before succumbing to The Fist.

Mersea just about made it to the first batting point milestone of 100 before their tail finally gave up the ghost and handing GB&TCC an extra 12 overs in the process. Pick of the Tiptree bowlers were Hill (1-11) and Phillips (4-18) with a sterling contribution from both Buchheister (3-33) and Hale (2-35). Of particularly delight to the skipper was the fielding performance which was taught and surprisingly mistake free so early in the season.

So at the half time interval, advantage seemed to be with the Tiptree.

Now, those of you of the Tribune readership who were fond of the "Tea and Cake Fortnightly" articles in those heady days of 2004 will be pleased to learn that the GB&TCC match reports will once again feature a run down of not just the match highlights, but also of the catering performances of both Tiptree and their opponents. And the Mersea tea proved to be a sumptuous affair with several sandwich filling options on brown and white bread, two pizza's, hot cocktail sausages, a host of other snacky bits, a delightful Victoria sponge and a Jamie Oliver-inspired chocolate and raspberry cake which was simply divine.
This was a first rate tea and has really set the standard for the season.

Maybe the whole chocolate cake vs. Victoria sponge debate was still playing on the mind of Skipper Hummerstone as the Tiptree innings began as he went very early with the score at 6 by snicking Storrar to gloveman Hughes for 2. However, this early set back did not appear to cause the Tiptree top order any undue concern as Tiptree's keeper Cookson and a svelte looking 'Penfold' Bloomfield took the score up to 43 when Cooky made a rash decision to come out of his crease, miss the pitch of the ball and got smartly stumped for 21 by Hughes off Vince (1-18). 'Tugboat' Gennings (14) came in only to watch, 12 runs later, Bloomers (13) get done by a shooter from Tilsley followed next ball by Fingers Hale for a golden.
At this stage, Tiptree were still in the driving seat but, as a shower hit the Island, they decided to borrow the Mersea conveyor belt and slumped from 55-4 to 77-9. Mersea and the deadly Tilsley were smelling blood and only The Fist and 'Rumpole' Lamming stood in their way to an improbable-turned-comfortable victory.

Yet, there were more twists and turns to come. Fist and Lammo not only stopped the Mersea rollercoaster in it's tracks but they started to pick up runs and, suddenly, it all got very tense. As the sun tried to break through the clouds, Tiptree's hearts filled with hope and the Mersea fielders began to despair.
The final pair saw off the lively Storrar (3-15) and then began to frustrate Mersea as they inched ever closer to the target of 101.
With 3 runs required, you could have heard a pin drop on the Strood as Tilsley began his final over. After surviving the first two balls, the third bounced just that little bit higher more catching Lammo's bat edge, then clipping his pads before catching the off stump.
Cue roars of relief from the Mersea faithful and groans of anguish from the Tiptree boundary hoggers. The final pair had managed to put on 21 runs on for the final wicket snaffling 10 runs a piece but the plaudits must go to Tilsley who hit not only the highest score of the day but took an impressive 6-24 from 9.3 overs. A man of the match performance and no
mistaking.

IPL cricket it wasn't but a good match played in excellent spirit and
both teams will look forward to the return match in July.

Tiptree Match facts: Byes 3; Catches 4; Ducks 2; Pillocks 6.

FINAL 2006 LEAGUE TABLES