Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Old Pilotonians CC

In a new fixture to the calendar, we played the first of two games against Old Pilotonians at their picturesque home at the North West Kent College near Dartford. Although Eltham fielded a strong and experienced line up against the unknown opposition, they handed a debut to the promising Gary Bill, and almost began the game with ten men, Phil Thompson arriving at the eleventh hour no thanks to his technological wizardry with what looked like a GPS system...

Eltham started in the field, on what looked a very green and spongy pitch. Although the opening pair of Peter Swain and Matt Bulpitt made few early breakthroughs, a tight performance in the field meant the early scoring rate was very low. Swain did make the first scalp, capturing the opener leg before after an excellent spell. The other opener followed shortly, run out in spectacular fashion from a direct hit from the energetic Richard Page. As Eltham started to turn the screw, disaster struck - Peter Swain managed to find himself between Phil Thompson and the stumps, and Thompson's thunderbolt throw struck Swain's elbow, banishing him to an early exit and a hospital visit.

The fielding side slowed a little, and Old Piltonians started to build a partnership. Captain Bulpitt turned to Alan Horne, adept at breaking such partnerships, and the tactical move paid off shortly afterwards, as the more dangerous batsman holed out to Jon Killingley at long off - another step back and it might have been six! The wickets then started to tumble, and with the early slow run rate, Eltham felt in control of the game. Richard Page bowled the next man to bag a deserved wicket, Bulpitt took a great return catch off his own bowling to deny his opposite number a fifty, and then Colin Wouldham played his usual trick, picking up two quick wickets down the order.

We then lost another fielder, Horne taking a blow to the ankle off his own bowling to reduce us to nine. As the score crept past 100, we saw a late cameo from a big-hitting batsman, Bulpitt going for a six and two fours in three balls; he then sent another Bulpitt long-hop into orbit - this time Richard Page was on the mid wicket boundary to snare the missile on its way back to earth. Shortly afterwards came the tea break, with Eltham proud of their fielding performance to restrict the opposition to 145-8.

Wouldham and Killingley opened up for Eltham, and the energy we had shown in the field appeared to move, as if by osmosis, across to Old Pilotonians. The early bowling was tight and offered little for the batsmen, Killingley struggling to find the pitch's pace and spooning a leading edge to the slips for just 1. Bulpitt followed soon after for 3, mistiming to send the ball straight up in the air to be caught behind. At 14-2, Eltham had thrown away the advantage, especially with just nine players available to bat. The woe continued, as further disciplined bowling saw Wouldham edge a loose shot to the keeper for 5, and then Bill following suit for 3. With an embarrassing defeat on the cards, Derek Seeds and Richard Page also succumbed, caught behind and bowled respectively, leaving us on 28-6 and with only three men to come.

Thompson's resistance lasted for a short while until he was trapped leg before, and Eltham's last two men, John Fisher and Mick Cohen, arrived at the crease with 19 overs to survive. The pair then taught the seven who had gone before them a thing about how to bat, mixing solid defensive strokes with some great attacking play. As the score reached 50-7, with 10 overs to come, a glimmer of hope rose in the Eltham players, realising a draw could be saved.

The opposition's bowling attack softened, although you might have thought an archaeologist had been working on the pitch at tea with some of the spin the younger bowlers seemed to generate. As the game ambled towards its conclusion, the opposition's spirits dropped as they realised the resilience of Fisher and Cohen. The scene descended into a deafening silence (an oxymoron, I believe, Colin), interrupted only by Fisher's crashing drives and Cohen's reverse sledging, which continued to frustrate the opposition.

As Swain returned from hospital and donned his batting pads, Fisher (30) and Cohen (10) completed their great escape, Eltham finishing on 78-7. A match drawn, but plenty to work on for the return fixture later in the season.