"Moseley in title hunt after six wicket win"

extract from article in the Birmingham Mail by Nick Pullen :

"Moseley Ashfield kept in touch with the leaders with a six wicket victory over Atherstone Town who were bowled out for 139. The home side reached the target with the loss of four wickets thanks to 57 from Zaheer Suliman following up from his 72 last week."

Zaheer is star of show for Moseley

Extract from Birmingham Mail by Nick Pullen :

" Moseley Ashfield are expected to make a major impression in the Warwickshire league this season.

They had opponents Nuneaton on the ropes after compilimg 210 for nine, new-boy Zaheer Suliman scoring 72 in the face of accurate bowling by Jason Dean who claimed eight for 90.

Another new recruit Amjad Ali Khan then captured five for 48 as Nuneaton were reduced to 136 for eight at the close "

1st XI Warwickshire Premier League campaign begins today

Good luck to all the Ashfield sides playing today - the 1st XI kick off at Nuneaton today - best of luck to the team from all at the club.

7th July 2007 vs Atherstone

Atherstone (20pts) beat Ashfield (2pts) by5 wickets



Toss won by Atherstone who elected to field



1st Innings - Ashfield 114 - 10



Batting

T.Bartlett - Caught Hall, Bowled Wintersgill - 14

A.Warner - LBW, Bowled Uchit - 0

M.Tucker - Bowled Pickering - 5

P.Jeffries - Bowled Wintersgill - 9

Z.Khan - Caught Hennesey, Bowled Wintersgill - 13

M.Azam - Caught Grayson, Bowled Wintersgill - 2

I.Carey - Caught Healey, bowled Clements - 16

A.Mahmood - Caught Healey, Bowled Boal - 41

K.Zaisi - Not Out - 1*

T.Smith - Caught Grayson, Bowled Clements - 2

A.Hussain - Caught Healey, Bowled Boal - 0



Extras - 11



Total - 114 - 10



Bowling

M.Pickering - 4, 4, 10, 1

V.Uchit - 8, 3, 18, 1

C.Wintersgill - 12, 2, 27, 4

S.Healey - 8, 1, 31, 0

V.Clements - 7, 2, 18, 2

R.Boal - 3.5, 1, 4, 2



2nd Innings - Atherstone 117 - 5



Batting

M.Pickering - Not Out - 38*

G.Hall - Bowled Mahmood - 0

R.Boal - Bowled Mahmood - 4

L.Reeves - Bowled Mahmood - 36

M.Hennesey - LBW, Bowled Mahmood - 0

S.Grayson - Bowled Mahmood - 0

S.Wordsworth - Not Out*



Extras - 35



Total - 117 - 5



Bowling

A.Mahmood - 6, 0, 37, 5

I.Carey - 2, 0, 19, 0

Z.Khan - 4, 0, 30, 0

A.Hussain - 2.1, 0, 17, 0

P.Jeffries - 2, 0, 7, 0



Man of the Match - A.Mahmood - 41 and 5-37



Result - Atherstone (20pts) beat Ashfield (2pts) by 5 wickets

30th June 2007 vs Bedworth

Match Abandoned due to rain. No play. 4 points each.

23rd June 2007 vs Kings Heath

Kings Heath (20pts) beat Moseley Ashfield (3pts) by 4 wickets




Toss won by Kings Heath who elected to field


1st Innings - Ashfield 128 - 10


Batting

M.Tucker - Caught Townsend, Bowled C.Monk - 0

A.Warner - Caught S.Hunt, Bowled P.Monk - 6

P.Jeffries - Caught P.Monk, Bowled C.Monk - 16

A.Azam - Caught C.Hunt, Bowled S.Hunt - 38

A.Mahmood - LBW, Bowled C.Monk - 24

I.Carey - Bowled S.Hunt - 0

G.Shears - Caught Davis, Bowled S.Hunt - 2

M.Chisholm - Bowled Davis - 8

J.Hussain - Caught Davis, Bowled C.Hunt - 8

K.Zaidi - Caught P.Monk, Bowled Davis - 18

A.Hussain - Not Out - 2*




Extras - 6


Total - 128 - 10




Bowling

C.Monk - 10, 1, 49, 3

P.Monk - 6, 2, 21, 1

S.Hunt - 6, 0 , 33, 3

A.Davis - 7.4, 2, 9, 2

C.Hunt - 5, 1, 13, 1


2nd Innings - Kings Heath 132 - 6


Batting

A.Davis - Bowled Carey - 18

J.Patel - Caught Chisholm, Bowled Carey - 4

P.Monk - Caught Tucker, Bowled J.Hussain - 1

R.Blythe - Bowled Carey - 0

D.Joyce - Not Out - 69*

C.Monk - LBW Bowled Jeffries - 7

M.Townsend - Caught Warner - 1

D.Monk - Not Out 0 21*


Extras - 11


Total - 132 - 6


Bowling


A.Mahmood - 6, 1, 31, 0


I.Carey - 12, 3, 29, 3


J.Hussain - 16, 5, 27, 2


A.Hussain - 5.4, 2, 21, 0


P.Jeffries - 5, 0, 21, 1


Man of the Match - D.Joyce - 69 not out


Result - Kings Heath (20pts) beat Ashfield (3pts)

16th June 2007 vs North Warwickshire

Match Abandoned (4pts each)

Toss won by Ashfield who elected to field

1st Innings - North Warwicks 61 -1

Batting
R.Adams - Caught and Bowled Khan - 25
T.Khan - Not Out - 29*
R.Qayyum - Not Out - 0*

Extras - 7

Total - 61 - 1

Bowling
Z.Khan - 6, 0, 29, 1
I.Carey - 5.5, 0, 32, 0

Match Abandoned - Moseley Ashfield (4pts) North Warwicks (4pts)

9th June 2007 vs Bablake Old Boys

Bablake (20pts) beat Ashfield (4pts) by 6 wickets.

Toss won by Bablake who elected to field.

1st Innings - Ashfield 190 - 10

Batting
P.Tompkins - Bowled Barker - 23
M.Tucker - Caught Bush, Bowled Morris - 1
Z.Khan - Bowled McAllistair - 5
P.Jeffries - Caught Bush, Bowled McAllistair - 3
M.Azam - Bowled Swaffield - 32
I.Carey - Not Out - 48*
A.Warner - Stumped, Bowled BArker - 0
M.Chisholm - Ct Pyott, Bowled Swaffield - 9
J.Hussain - LBW, Bowled Cowley - 4
A.Mahmood - Caught Bush, Bowled Morris - 2
A.Hussain - Stumped, Bowled Morris - 2

Extras - 20

Total - 190 - 10

Bowling
A.Macalister - 7, 0, 24, 2
A.Morris - 10, 1, 42, 2
L.Barker - 8, 2, 24, 1
S.Swaffield - 13, 1, 56, 2
T.Cowley - 8.3, 1, 40, 1

2nd Innings - Bablake 193 - 4

Batting
R.Bush - Caught Chisholm, Bowled Carey - 33
T.Cowley - Caught Azam, Bowled A.Hussain - 9
J.Pyott - Bowled A.Mahmood - 84
R.Swaffield - Caught Chisholm - Bowled Khan - 9
J.Paxton - Not Out - 8*
A.McAllistair - Not Out - 10*

Extras - 40

Total - 193 - 4

Bowling
I.Carey - 7, 0, 32, 1
A.Hussain - 10, 1, 54, 1
J.Hussain - 5, 1, 12, 0
P.Jeffries - 2, 0, 24, 0
Z.Khan - 3, 0, 43, 1
A.Mahmood - 2, 0, 19, 0

Result - Bablake (20pts) beat Ashfield (4pts) by 6 wickets

2nd June vs Old Edwardians

Ashfield (20 pts) beat Old Ed's (2 pts) by 7 wickets

Toss won by Old Ed's who elected to bat

1st Innings - Old Ed's 147 - 8

Batting
S. Reeve - Bowled A. Hussain - 12
A. Shazad - Caught Tucker, Bowled Mahmood - 12
Q. Hussain - Bowled A. Hussain - 13
R. Mohammed - LBW, Bowled A. Hussain - 13
R. Lucas - LBW, Bowled J. Hussain - 1
J. Winspear - LBW, Bowled A. Hussain - 0
P. Clarke - Not Out - 18*
J. Evans - Caught Jeffries, Bowled A. Hussain - 21
S. Khan - LBW, Bowled J. Hussain - 0
J. Nicholls - Not Out - 8*
T. Ingram - Did Not Bat

Extras - 49

Total - 147-8

2nd Innings - Ashfield 149-3

Batting
O. Thomas - Bowled Nicholls - 40
P. Tompkins - Caught Q. Hussain, Bowled s. Khan - 2
Z. Khan - Not Out - 42*
P. Jeffries - Caught Q. Hussain, Bowled Mohammed - 51
M. Azam - Not Out - 8*

Extras - 6

Total - 149 - 3

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs, wickets)
T. Ingram - 6.4, 0, 54, 0
J. Nicholls - 6, 1, 48, 1
S. Khan - 7, 0, 25, 1
R. Mohammed - 2, 0, 20, 1

Result - Ashfield (20 pts) beat Old Edwardians (2 pts) by 7 wickets

Man of the match - Amir Hussain 5 - 50

Report

What to say?! - Well played Ashfields extras!

Steph

28th May vs Fillongley

Fillongley (4 pts) , Ashfield (5 pts) - Match Abandoned

Toss won by Ashfield who elected to field

1st innings - Fillongley 39 - 4 (22.3 overs)

Batting
C. Moore - Bowled Khan - 21
M. Ward - Bowled Mahmood - 2
A. Carty - Bowled J. Hussain - 6
A. Blackmore - Not Out - 3*
D. Smith - LBW, Bowled Khan - 0
J. Dillan - Not Out - 2*

Extras -5

Total - 39-4

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs, wickets)
Z.Khan - 11.3, 3, 21, 2
A. Mahmood - 6, 3, 7, 1
J. Hussain - 5, 0, 10, 1

Result - Match Abandoned

26th May 2007 vs Kenilworth

Ashfield (24 pts) beat Kenilworth (5pts) by 62 runs

Toss won by Kenilworth who elected to field

1st Innings - Ashfield 233 - 8

Batting
O.Thomas - Stumped Watts, Bowled Peebles - 23
P.Tompkins - Ct Watts, Bowled G.Edmunds - 39
Z.Khan - Bowled Lowe - 12
M.Azam - Ct Watts, Bowled Kane - 39
A.Pervaiz - Run Out - 13
J.Hussain - Ct G.Edmunds, Bowled Peebles - 29
A.Warner - Ct Watts, Bowled Lowe - 16
T.Bartlett - LBW, Bowled Lowe - 19
A.Mahmood - Not Out - 10*
H.Law - Not Out - 0*
A.Hussain - Did Not Bat

Extras - 33

Total - 233 - 8

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs, wickets)
G.Peebles - 13, 1, 74, 2
M.Lowe - 11, 1, 44, 3
P.Braithwaite - 3, 0, 26, 0
G.Edmunds - 14, 3, 42, 1
T.Kane - 9, 0, 36, 1

2nd Innings - Kenilworth - 171 - 10

Batting
D.Edmumds - Ct Thomas, Bowled Khan - 0
M.Deeley - Bowled Khan - 21
J.Nason - Bowled Mahmood - 3
A.Sellar - Ct A.Hussain, Bowled Mahmood - 17
M.Lowe - Stumped Bartlett, Bowled J.Hussain - 12
M.Watts - Bowled A.Hussain - 3
G.Peebles - Bowled A.Hussain - 13
P.Braithwaite - Ct A.Hussain, Bowled J.Hussain - 45
T.Kane - LBW, Bowled Khan - 2
L.Phillips - Bowled Khan - 0
G.Edmunds - Not Out - 12*

Extras - 43

Total - 171 All Out

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs, wickets)
Z.Khan - 10, 1, 53,4
A.Mahmood - 9, 1, 32, 2
J.Hussain - 11.1, 3, 19, 2
A.Hussain - 13, 4, 37, 2
A.Pervaiz - 2, 0, 9, 0

Result - Ashfield (24 pts) beat Kenilworth (5pts) by 62 runs

Man of the match - Zubir Khan 4- 53

Report

The Ashfield side that travelled to Kenilworth was a mixture of youth and experience with 4 under 18's replacing the missing Carey, Tucker, Jeffries and Chiz, who thought holidays, weddings and a certain football match in Athens were more important.
The start was very nearly a disaster, as Mo's usual attempt to miss the warm up resulted in him missing the start of the match, along with his car full of players which included the opening bowler and the wicket keeper. Luckily Kenilworth won the toss and put Ashfield into bat. Ollie and Tompkins took to the crease, Ollie doing his usual 'get in and get out', and was stumped by Watts for 23, chasing the Kenilworth openers. Zubir then joined Tompkins, made a quick 12 but was shortly bowled by Lowe. Mo then came in and played some lovely shots punishing Kenilworth's first bowling change, Braithwaite, by hitting 26 off his 3 overs. Unfortunately Braithwaite's replacement, Kane, forced Mo to go after a wide delivery which saw him caught behind, for a deserved 39. Captain for the day Tompkins played a steady innings supporting his top order, producing a stand of 39 from 2 hours, until left arm spinner G.Edmunds had him caught behind. Javed now came to meet Abu, and in his first batting spell of the season proved that he is more than just a bowler. A lack of backing up from Abu resulted in a disappointing run out, with him making an obviously unlucky 13. The next of the Ashfield youths, Warner supported Jav to a commendable 29 until he was caught by G.Edmunds at shortish extra cover, off the opening bowler, Peebles. Warner and Bartlett now had 6 overs left to increase the Ashfield tally. Warner was soon caught behind for 16, leaving Bartlett and Arsey to see out the innings. With 2 balls remaining Bartlett was given LBW off Lowe, having achieved a quick fire 19 on his debut for the firsts. Harry Law came in to face one ball, which he played and missed, leaving Ashfield's total at 223 for 8. Good batting performances all round, no one failing to disappoint.
Ashfield and Zubir struck, only the second ball after tea. D.Edmunds spooned the ball to Ollie fielding at mid wicket, who took a simple catch. New man Nason was sent back to the pavilion soon after, Arsey taking his poles for 3. Sellar came in to join Deeley and put on a slightly more respectable performance, however Arsey struck again and a solid catch from Amo saw Kenilworth 3 down for 39. A bit of wild or rather wide bowling from Zu, and Arsey being restricted to 6 overs because of age, meant that the 2 Hussians joined the bowling attack. There aren't words to describe Tom Bartlett’s style of wicket keeping and I'm sure Kenilworth’s Lowe will agree that his wicket was taken in the strangest way. Jav was bowling to Lowe, who nicked the ball to Bartlett for a simple catch behind, but as he couldn't catch a cold it was dropped ... onto the stumps, and as Lowe wasn't in his ground he was given out stumped! No need to be proud of that one Tom! Familiar face Mickey Watts now took to the crease but only managed 3 until he was bowled by Amo. Amo also bowled Kenilworth’s number 7, Peebles a few overs later, for 13. Things were looking great for Ashfield, only requiring 4 wickets and well into the tail order. Zubir then returned to the attack and bowled Kenilworth's opener Deeley, who put even Tompkins test match approach to batting to shame by making only 21 off 102 balls in nearly 2 and a half hours. Zu took a further 2 wickets in this the 37th over, dismissing Kane for 2 and Phillips for a golden duck. Only one more wicket was required with 13 over to go. Braithwaite put on an excellent show at number 8, supported by last man in G.Edmunds, which made the possibility of an Ashfield win appear slimmer and slimmer. Zubir's wild bowling returned and he lost the ball in the neighbouring field having bowled 5 wides. He believes this is why he won man of the match, as the older replacement ball worked wonders for Jav spin a couple of balls later, who had Amo take a good catch to dismiss Braithwaite for a very well deserved 45. A brilliant display from a mixed Ashfield team gave Ashfield 24 points and has seen them return to the top of the table. Let's hope we stay there on bank holiday Monday away to Fillongley.

Steph

19th May 2007 vs Bronze

Unfortunatly the match was abandoned due to a water logged pitch. This means each side only picked up 4 points. Lets hope for better weather over bank holiday weekend next week where we are away to both Kenilworth and Fillongley.

Steph

12th May 2007 vs Highway

Ashfield (20pts) beat Highway (3pts) by 6 wickets

Toss won by Ashfield who elected to field

1st innings - Highway 161 - 9

Batting
J.Marsh - Ct Khan, Bowled A.Hussain - 20
M. McDermott - Ct Mahmood, Bowled Carey - 10
S. Vaughan - Bowled Mahmood - 0
L. Bennett - Ct Chisholm, Bowled A.Hussain - 10
J. Butler - LBW, Bowled A.Hussain - 4
A. Butler - Ct Chisholm, Bowled A.Hussain - 5
D. Marsh - Ct Tompkins, Bowled Carey - 37
R. Woollacott - Ct Carey, Bowled Khan - 10
D. Wattison - Bowled Carey - 13
D. Bates - not out - 14*
S. Marsh - not out - 15*

Extras - 23

Total - 161 - 9

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs wickets)
I. Carey - 17, 3, 38, 3
A. Mahmood - 6, 2, 17, 1
A. Hussain - 14, 3, 44, 4
Z. Khan - 7, 0, 20, 1
J. Hussain - 6, 0, 32, 0

2nd Innings - Ashfield 162 - 4

Batting
O.Thomas - Ct Vaughan, Bowled J.Marsh - 39
P. Tompkins - Ct J.Marsh, Bowled Bates - 3
Z. Khan - Ct Vaughan, Bowled S.Marsh - 31
M. Azam - LBW, Bowled S.Marsh - 26
I. Carey - not out - 22*
M. Chisholm - not out - 33*
A. Warner - did not bat
A. Mahmood - did not bat
A. Cross - did not bat
A. Hussain - did not bat
J. Hussain - did not bat

Extras - 8

Total - 162 - 4

Bowling (overs, maidens, runs, wickets)
S. Vaughan - 11, 2, 36, 0
D. Bates - 8, 0, 50, 1
J. Marsh - 8, 1, 28, 1
S. Marsh - 9, 2, 26, 2
J. Butler - 2, 0, 14, 0

Result - Ashfield (20pts) beat Highway (3pts) by 6 wickets

Man of the match - Amir Hussain 44-4

Report

The good start to Ashfield’s season continued with a convincing win over Highway. Ashfield won the toss and put Highway into bat. What with Tucker and Jeffries seeming to have forgotten the cricket season was upon us, Arsalan join Carey to open the bowling. Highway's opening pair, J. Marsh and McDermott, put on a convincing yet slow start, until a lofty shot from McDermott saw Arsalan take an outstanding catch to break the partnership. The following ball was the first of Arsalan's 5th over, where newcomer Vaughan was sent straight back to the pavilion having been bowled for a duck. The introduction of Amo to the attack saw him take 4 wickets, dismissing the opener J. Marsh and the Highway middle order, L. Bennett, J. Butler and A. Butler. He was aided by some solid catches from Zubir and Chiz behind the stumps. Highway were looking pretty poor being 5 down for only 60, when their 'senior' player Mr D. Marsh put together a solid stand of 37, including a couple of 6's, in order to salvage something from the home teams innings. R. Woollacott made a steady 10 to help him along until Carey took a difficult catch off Zubir to dismiss him. Carey then came back on to bowl off a shorter run, with support from Javed, which ended D. Marsh's innings with a simple take from Tompkins in the field. The Highway tail of D. Wattison, D. Bates and S. Marsh, fought well with scores of 13, 14 and 15, to see out the innings. Wattison's poles were taken by Carey to leave the home side 161 for 9 after the 50 overs.
After the interval, Ollie and Tompkins made their way to the crease. Ollie showed a more sedate approach this week but still maintained his 100% plus strike rate with his attempt to tee off from the first ball. Tompkins didn't last long and was caught at mid-on by J. Marsh, off Bates, for 3. Zubir now joined Ollie and the pair looked solid, causing a change to Highway's bowling. The introduction of J. Marsh worked well with a poorly struck shot from Ollie, caught at deep mid-wicket by Vaughan. Ollie made 39 from only 30 balls. Zubir and his 'lift', Mo, put a little composure to Ashfield's rapid start, with some sensible, and some not so sensible batting, building up a deserved partnership of 50. Mo was then given LBW off Highway's second, well timed change in bowling, S. Marsh. The new man to the crease Carey, only managed a 3 run partnership with Zubir, until S. Marsh struck again, having Zubir caught by Vaughan, for a well played 31. Wicket keeper, Chiz, now joined Carey and hoped to put last week’s poor display to rest. The pair put on a sound performance, fending off Vaughan, J. and S. Marsh and J. Butler to close out the innings. Well executed shots from both ensured their 50 partnership, and the second 20 points of Ashfield's season. Top of the table after 2 weeks, lets stay there fellas!

Steph

5th May 2007 vs Nuneaton

The 2007 season began very will with Ashfield winning their first match over Nuneaton. Strong bowling performances from the 2 openers, Carey and Jeffries, appeared that the first innings would be over pretty quick as the top of Nun's batting order were sharpely dismissed. However the middle order batsmen put on a pretty good show leaving Ashfield in want of more wickets. With back up from Amo and Javed, and a change of ends and pace from Carey, Ashfield slowly rattled though the mid and lower order bowling Nun's out for 174 with only 3 balls remaining in the innings. Carey taking 6 wickets.

Ollie and Tucker took to the crease after tea, and Ollie made his intent pretty clear, making 16 from the first over with no defensive shot in sight. A stupid attempt at a single soon saw Tucker run out for 3. Ollie continued to rattle up a quick 32 but was then caught in the slips and Ashfield's apparent downfall began. The mid order collapse began with Filo being bowled cheaply, Zubir given LBW for a relatively slow 15, Mo Azam and Chiz, caught and bowled respectively, for single figure scores. It wasn't looking good. Carey and Warner were now trying to salvage something from the poor performances prior to their arrival. Carey took it upon himself to steady the ship and intelligent support from Warner saw a strong partnership of over 70 develop. It looked like the 2 were nearly home and dry when Carey was given out LBW for a very well deserved 61. Law now joined Warner to see out the innings with only 15 runs required. A quick 11 from Law and a final 4 from Warner saw the first 20 points of Ashfield's season.

Apologies that there is not too much detail from the Nuns perspective but somebody has run away with scorebook.

These are the match stats that I have available. Look here next week for the whole scorecard and next weeks, more detailed report.

STATS

Toss won by Ashfield who puts Nun's into bat.

Bowling (overs - maidens - runs - wickets)

I.Carey 19.3 - 6 - 56 - 6
P.Jeffries 6 - 3 - 19 - 1
A.Hussain 12 - 4 - 35 - 1
J.Hussain 12 - 1 - 46 - 2

Catches *Wicket Keeper

M.Tucker 2
M.Chisholm 1*
Z.Khan 1
P.Jeffries 1
O.Thomas 1

End of Innings - Nuneaton bowled out for 174 (49.3 overs)

Batting (how out - runs - (mins/balls) ) *Not Out

O.Thomas Caught - 32 - (23/18)
M.Tucker Run Out - 3 - (6/7)
Z.Khan LBW - 15 - (45/26)
P.Jeffries Bowled - 5 - (10/5)
M.Azam Caught - 4 - (22/12)
I.Carey LBW - 61 - (97/72)
M.Chisholm Bowled - 5 - (16/13)
A.Warner Not Out - 32* - (89/102)
H.Law Not Out - 11* - (12/12)
A.Hussain Did Not Bat
J.Hussain Did Not Bat

End of Innings - Moseley Ashfield made 178 - 7 (39.5 overs)

Result

Moseley Ashfield (20 points) beat Nuneaton (6 points) by 3 wickets.

Man of the Match

Ian Carey - 6-56 and 61 runs

See you next week - Steph

Rain FrustratesEverone....................

With Ashfield taking on the Green at home and missing several of their key players such as Bromhall who was taking the weekend off to go Train spotting down in Hampshire with his pal Carts!!!!

On a very green pitch with rain around Ashfield won the toss and bowled. Jimmy "Rapid" Reyburn and Zubair Khan bowled very well and the Green were in trouble at 96-6 some good batting by Chris osboune who hit 50 took them up to a total of 178 a fair bit more than expected and we have to be disapointed at not getting rid of them more cheaply.

Ashfield started their reply and with the Skipper standing in for Ollie T whilst he is back on rugby duty for Moseley unable to hit the ball off the square for 9 overs it looked like it might be a bit of a struggle, as soon as he got out the runs began to flow with PJ getting 30 Chisa hitting 47 and Zu Zu batting well to get to 40 not out. Ashfield resumed after a break for rain needing 90 runs off 17 over's and all looked well, but with 20 odd runs required and 18 balls with 5 wickets in hand to get the runs Ashfield looked well on course to win, but after a long discussion the umpires, decided that it was too dark to continue and Ashfield ended up with a winning draw in a season full of winning draws it was more frustration with 5 games left now there is still a fair bit of time. A good bank holiday weekend is paramount to sustaining any sort of challenge on the top position. Five games is a very long time and to see how the table changed over the first 5 weeks of the season should be encouraging to any of the top 6 sides all I am sure are looking at the top spot currently occupied by Olton & WW who despite a very healthy lead will have to keep performing all the way to the end of the season.

6 Weeks to go ............................................

Whilst it feels as if the season has not been going that long we are into the final third and they days are starting to feel more and more Autumnal. Last Saturday we went over to Bronze an interesting trip that didn't really have the feel of a league game to it and this was supported by some of the shot selection that was on display !!! We batted first and made 242 with Zu Zu hitting 54 and Kazim Zaidi falling just 3 short of what would have been a very deserved maiden Half Century, with other contribution of 20's and 30's it was a competitive total but a lot short of what we would have wanted having been 94-1 off 14 overs, with 4 first choice batsmen missing though it was still pleasing enough and every one in the side was very pleased for Kazim to bat they way he did.

Ashfield bowled and whilst Zubair bowled very well for the second week running we were more than guilty of expecting it just happen and one of the bowlers to do it for us. We grafted through a few wickets and were in danger of making a big mess of the game. Amir taking 3 wickets and philo switching ends and taking a couple of poles, zubair battling the hill and wind to bowl very well with attacking fields being set to chase the win Bronze got a lot closer to the score than they could have. Fair play to bronze for continuing to chase the Total the game finished with Ashfield on the better side of a draw unable to claim the last few poles, despite some very near misses, to win outright.

For the second time in a few weeks Phil "the hit-man" Tompkins was in his element getting stuck into the batsman for taking his time between deliveries, confusing the poor Bronze batsmen with his extensive vocabulary using words such as prerogative ! It culminated in the batsman pulling away and shrieking "if yooouuurrr goooonnnaaa keep talking I ll tek me fooking time" which was so funny as the batsman then waved his arms to the umpire in some sort of protest at being told to hurry up by one of the fielders. Tommos getting into the habit of dishing it out he might be on the verge of a call up to the Ashmead school of sledging although "one out one in away you go" will never be an utterance heard coming from Tompkins because he wouldn't get a bowl in a Chinese restaurant!

Zubair was rightly given Man of match for his effort but Kaz Zaidi not far behind, next week we entertain Marston Green at home everyone welcome to come along and support the ones at home with what will hopefully be a succesfull afternoon.

A Few Weeks away.......Wins, Draws and a Loss!

Once again muchos apologies for the delay in posting. In all fairness Philo was meant to do this but since hes fallen in love everything has gone to pot!!

Few weeks back now we played Pickwick with Mo Azam and Olly Thomas scoring runs in an eventful afternoon that saw One of Picwick's batsmen kick off with Tommo for encouraging his own bowlers in the closing stages of the game!! The chat from tommo at short leg of "I don't know if you've played much cricket before in your life but this is what happens in this situation" was very amusing for all who heard as Pickwick were trying to hold out for a draw with 2 wicket's remaining. Lord Zu Zu stepped up and took 2 wickets in 3 balls to end the contest and give ashfield a full points win.

The skipper then took himself off to Aus for Glen Ashmeads wedding which was a great time given 2 round the world flights and food poisoning in the space of ten days! In all seriousness congratulations to Ash and Katie they had a great time and am sure all at Ashfield wish them all the best in their future life together. It didn't stop Ashman from getting hammered through the week and thrown out of every bar in Port Douglas, on only his second night of being there, which shows he hasn't changed at all since being Ashfield's star overseas player in 2000. The boys took on North Warwks on the 15th July and came out with 24 points, The skipper should stay permanently away and they may well have a chance!. Philo took over the reins and turned in a true captains performance of 60 odd and 4 wickets, Mo "run machine" Azam scored another 80 and Amer Hussain with his superb bowling form took another 4 wickets, great win lads.

Saturday before last we travelled to Kenilworth and Crowd was spotted on Kenilworths high street but not at the game, It looks as if crowd may have abandoned us and who can blame him over the years he's had to put up with watching several clowns play for the club, thankfully the majority have left us now! and the news that Wynn Evans was not actually playing for the opposition was welcome relief to all. However not much play was possible due to a freak storm that ended the day with AshfIeld 39-0 after 9 overs. Another of the Ashfield ex players who have moved over to Kenilworth (but is far more likeable) was keen for us to stay over there and play out for bonus points maybe he wanted us to copy the Kenilworth 2nd teams captain example who in a rain affected game batted the whole way through without giving Ashfield a chance to bat!

Last week we entertained Bedworth and in a good evenly contested game had the better of a draw. Bedworth Looked a good side probably one of the strongest we have come up against this year. Olly "20/20" Thomas went at his usual rate of 3 a ball for 10 overs and then holed out, In all fairness and Obviously I am biased I don't think there is a more naturally talented batsman in the league, the joker needs to learn that you don't have to get out after getting to 35 every week, maybe if he spent more time in the nets or concentrating at the crease as he does in front of the mirror with his hair straighteners he'd have a chance. Lord Zu Zu and Mo Azam (again) hitting 70 each got ashfield a great score of 276. Bedworth in reply were always behind the rate and keeping a close field enabled them to get nearer than they probably would have, that's not to takeaway from some good hitting form Mark Spacey at the end of the game who enjoyed himself in the last 2 overs. Game finished with Ashfield getting a winning draw.

Saturday saw us go over to Olton confident of taking victory. A seaming pitch and extremely poor fielding and bowling display let us down and we missed out. Olton fielded exceptionally well and we could do well to follow their example in a year in which poor fielding has cost us 2 wins and a winning draw. Hugely frustrating for everyone but no-one else to blame except ourselves with 7 games to go a concerted effort needs to be made to stay in contention this year something which everybody has to be confident of doing.

On a Brighter note the end of season party this year has been handed over to two of the local party organisers Caroline and Anna who surnames shall not be revealed but are more than accustomed with the bright lights of Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and many other cities worldwide, shall be organising this years party on the 16th September.

PRESENTATION NIGHT, BBQ THIS WEEKEND & SHIRTS ARE HERE

This weekend sees Ashfield 1st team entertain Pickwick at home, from 1:30 on-wards. Come up and support the boys, all support is more than welcome. If you cant make it up earlier then come up and enjoy the end of the game in the sun with a cold drink as...........................................................................................

Following the game there is the first ALL CLUB PRESENTATION NIGHT. Which starts at 8:30, It sees all Junior and Senior sides being given presentations for players of the month. The bar will be open and BBQ is on also. All parents and family members are extremley welcome. It is paramount to the clubs success on the pitch that we all attend these nights. So come along and show your support for the club, team mates and loved ones.

After much waiting Ashfield Shirts are finally here!!!! All first eleven players are expected to get a shirt. Ian Carey has the senior shirts which are priced at £20.00 and are availiable in 40", 42",44", 46" for Senior sizes.

Angela Brown has Junior shirts which are priced at £16.00 and are availiable in 30" and 34" . All proceeds go to the club so buy your shirt and support the club.

The last few weeks

Apoligies for the delay in getting posts on here, blame it on Ashmeads wedding preparations!!!A few weeks of good weather has seen ashfield come up a bit short in the last 3 games. Three weeks ago we travelled up to atherstone on a hot day. Matt Pickering had a great knock of 193 to help Atherstone get a score of 333 in 49 overs, PJ bowled well,as did Zubair but the fielding let us down badly for the second week running. Olly "Im a pro rugby player" Thomas shelling Pickering when in the 70's (only cost us 120 runs!!!!) Pickering after passing his 150 knowing he was due to have a bowl even resorted to trying to help us out and when PJ didn't even get a hand to a caught and bowled miscue even the batsman was getting annoyed!!. Seriously though Pickering batted extremely well, but from our point of view It was felt that poor fielding cost us the week before against Nuneaton and whilst Atherstone and Pickering batted well, things may have turned out differently if we had taken our chances against Atherstone on this day. Ashfield totalled 160 all out after some good work repairing the innings by Guy Shears who scored fifty. The job looked to be nearly done and Ashfield were 12 balls away from safety with 4 wickets in hand, 3 lbws were given in the last 2 overs, these decisions left ashfield players surprised. Especially guys decision as it left him with a nice red mark some where near the middle of his stomach !!!!!!!!

One of the highlights of the day was two young lads stopping on the boundary with an autograph book asking Olly Thomas to sign it, thinking it was due to his sterling efforts for Moseley RFC during the winter months he duly signed little did he know the kids actually thought they were getting Tim Henmans autograph!

Ashfield then entertained Old Eds at home last weekend and after a poor start recovered to post 238 thanks to Mr Azam the master blaster who fell just short of his hundred and together with some wristy stroke play from Bromhall getting the reverse sweep out just like his idol Pietersen, saw us post a decent score. Very tidy bowling saw Old Eds always behind the rate and Ashfield held onto a winning draw. Once again though small fielding errors cost us, after two fielders clashing (gillespie/waugh) style when going for a catch not once but twice during the game. The second chance seeing Zubair momentarily forget the English language when Olly had called for the ball 3 times he barged him out of the way Johnny Wilkinson style, the end result being the ball on the floor and a couple of red faces and a wobbler thrown by the skipper!!. A good day and nice for the boys to catch up with some old mates in the form of Johnny Nicholls and Spear afterwards.

Then this weekend as the nation was gearing up for a day of high drama we travelled over to Highway, I don't think we've ever played a game at highway without it being hot. A very un-highway wicket saw Highway bat first and some very good bowling by Zubair, Philo and an excellent spell by Amer Hussain who all bowled well on wicket with no pace and hot conditions was a good effort. The only down side was the clanger dropped by the skipper in the gully, luckily tommo (or should I say the batsman) saved my blushes the very next ball when he spooned it up to tomski at cover! Ashfield missing Guy, Olly Thomas and Mo Azam 3 of our top 6 left a big hole and after a confident start on his debut Abu Purvaiz fell to a ball that kept slightly low and Ashfield found themselves 34-4. Tommo played well as did Kazim Zaidi who played some lovely shots, closing down on the highway total ashfield lost a couple of wicket and with 20 odd runs required and 1 remaining ashfield were settling for the draw Mr Bromhall aka "British bulldog" was given out to a very dubious decision to leave ashfield very frustrated for the third time this season throwing a game away that was ours for the taking.

We entertain Pickwick at home next week good news being with the league so open we are still very much in touching distance of top spot. With the bowling department looking strong and all the batters looking very positive and hungry after a couple of lean weeks am sure it will be a good day for the Ashfield.

World Cup Fever

On the day England's World Cup Campaign started Ashfield played host to Nuneaton. With the sun shining Bromhall turned up complaining of pains in his neck and Mo Azam turning up at 1:00pm with the words "come on skip I,ve made an effort I,m early" the ashfield players looked in good condition.

After a great deal of agonizing over the toss and what to do, given the pitch looked as if it would crack up in the second half of the game. The decision was taken out of our hands as Nuneaton won the toss and and chose to field. The boys in the majority (Tompkins apart) ignoring the football and choosing to support their teammates whilst batting, which was good to see. We got off to a very solid start with Olly Thomas timing the ball all around the wicket and looking as if he was going to register the fastest 50 of the year, he unfortunately fell to a inside edge onto his stumps with his score on 44.

This brought Zubair and Tommo together, with Tommo playing steadily, ZuZu took his time to play himself in but it wasn't before long that Zu was looking too good for the Nuneaton attack that rarely threatened the batsmans stay at the crease. Tommo dismissal brought to the game Ashfields answer to Don Bradman !!!! PJ, who together with Lord Zu took us through the overs scoring at an excellent rate, both made half centuries and both looked set for 100's, Zu fell just 22 runs short with 78, whilst PJ registered his maiden league hundred in typical fashion with a boundary. He can now answer back when tormented by Thomas and Carey about number of league hundreds scored!!! It was a great knock and is further evidence of how PJ has improved his game since his time in Perth. He now sits on 350 runs for the year, which given the state of the weather this year is excellent. That's the last mention PJ getting for a while seeing as he has had his fair share!!! Lord Zu Zu is not far behind in the run totals with another 70 to add to the 2 he has already. Some good batting and running between the wickets from Guy Shears and Mo Azam !!! (cant believe that) saw us to an excellent total of 287-4.

The Nuneaton innings began and some slightly wayward bowling in the first few overs saw Nuneaton get off to a solid start. Their opening Batsman Johnny Allen played well and being rewarded for his positive attitude. Sooty came into the attack in the 6th over and Ashfield regained control and were restricting Nuneaton well. Several balls fell just out of reach of our fielders and a fair bit of playing and missing and a loud shout for caught behind. Sooty got the break through and Ashfield continued to restrict and Nuneaton needed just under 200 runs from the final 30 overs. It seemed as though Nuneaton were settling for a draw, it was at this same point Ashfields fielding took a breather, despite continued good bowling by Kazim Zaidi who replaced the skipper in the 21st over, Phil Jeffries who claimed 3 wickets and Zubair Khan the rest of the boys let them down badly, with misfields and dropped catches including opener Allen who had batted well for his hundred at this stage.

It proved to be Nuneatons day as the game went away from us due to our poor show in the field. All of the boys were under no illusion's as to why we lost the game which makes it easier to rectify but no easier to stomach. Nuneaton especially Johnny Allen, 157, batted well but we are bitterly disappointed to loose control of a game which we had control of for all but 20/25 overs.

After a chat on Saturday after the game to get result out of system we now go to Atherstone on Saturday determined to get a result and continue with our challenge after only a minor blip that we can all learn from and take great heart from our batting and bowling efforts.

Good weather

The weekend sunshine saw us all travel to Marston Green, A combination of Bromhall and Zubairs directions eventually saw PJ get us to Marston Green, We won the toss and chose to field turning in a good bowling and fielding display on a very slow low track to knock the "green" over for 104.

In our innings the only batsman failing to take note of Skipper carey's advice of "we,ve all seen how the wicket has played, be positive but stay on the front foot" Was the skipper himself who was dismissed playing back to a short ball that kept low!!!! The only other wickets we lost were Tompkins, needing only 10 runs to win he tried to end the game quickly by hitting in out over cover only to spoon the ball to cover and Zubair who fell to a dubious decision with only 6 runs needed. Both wickets that probably would not have fallen had the game situation been different. Batting second no one in top 4 failed with good performances from, Zubair khan with 35, who showed a lot of restraint and paitence on a difficult wicket to bat on, Phil tompkins with 32 and Phil Jeffries who scored an unbeaten 17 hitting the winning runs. In the bowling department the whole team was delighted for Arslan Mahmood who claimed his first 1st XI League wicket, of which I am sure there will be many more to come and Zubair who bowled well with little luck , PJ Picked up two wickets to keep his points tally on the players ladder ticking over.

It has been the introduction of the players ladder that caused some interesting discussions amongst the boys, with wicket keepers being well rewarded for their efforts with the gloves, which sees two of the leading players on the ladder being the two main keepers at the club(dunno how long we can let bromhall stay near the top for)! Points are rewarded for performance thoughout all three senior sides at the club and the leading 3 players will win prizes at the end of the season. With points being awarded double for points earned in a winnning game all boys were happy at the weekends results.

The evening saw quite a few people attend the world cup sweep stake and first presentation night. Phil Jeffries collected the first award for his excellent perfomances with Bat and Ball and just shading out Zubair Khan. The partnership that these two have formed in the heart of the batting order is excellent and both have deservedly been nominated for one man of the match award each so far this season by league umpries. Buphinder Chana and Richard Buttle collected their awards for 2nd and 3rd team respectivley. No junior awards were possible this month due to the poor weather but next month we look forward to Juniors being awarded too.

Nigel Udoh and Lizzie Haynes look in strong positions with their picks out of the world cup sweepstake with Nigel picking holders Brazil and Lizzie taking England, outside chance includes Phil Jeffries who took France among the bad picks were an un-named Captain who managed to pull out Angola, Ecaudour and USA !!! Better get down to william Hill.

On another note well done to Ashfield Batsman Ollie Thomas who completed his second appearance for England Counties XV this season, turning in a solid perfomance converting all of his sides tries.

Presentation Night & World Cup Sweepstake

This Saturday 3rd June the 1st team away at Marston Green and the 2nd team are at home. If you are having a lazy afternoon off then come over to Marston Green Cricket club and throw your support behind the first team or if you are a bit closer to home go up and have a watch of the second team.

However if you are tied up in the afternoon then please try and come up on Saturday evening for the first of the year’s presentation nights. The evening will begin at 8:30 p.m. and awards will be handed out for player of the month for all teams. The bar will be open and It is a good way for the club to come together to have a drink or two and celebrate those who have done well.

In addition to this Ashfield are holding their very own World Cup Sweepstake draw taking place on the same evening. It is open to all members and family and costs £2 to enter and could give you something else to cheer about during the world cup.

These presentation evenings will be running throughout the season at the end of every month, for future dates please see notice board at the club or here on the website.

2006 Playing Shirts

The 2006 club playing shirts will be available over next 10 days. Good news for those who have already ordered. For those who haven’t our aim is to have full playing membership wearing these shirts within the next few weeks. It projects the right image for the club, so don’t miss out get your order in. To order you can contact Ian Carey on 07836557061 or Carey91@hotmail.com or see me at the club over the weekend.

The new shirts are made by the same company that make the England cricket teams shirts and are being offered at a reduced rate of £20.00. They are of very good quality and bear sponsors logos on sleeve and chest.

Juniors sizes are available please see Angela Brown or Ian Carey.

The sun is shinning

After great efforts by the groundstaff and some members of the team, we managed to get some play in against Olton & West Warwks. After loosing the toss in a rain-reduced game with only 25 overs per side possible, we were realistically looking at best, the result being a winning draw. Faced with this position for the second match in succession, Ashfield performed very well. This is the second time in succession that we have had to bowl when opposition are chasing a low total with full wickets in hand and the second time we have managed to secure the lions share of points.

Batting first we recovered well with excellent batting given the situations from P.Jeffries and Zubair. Both handled conditions very well to provide the bulk of the runs with Mo Azam and Guy Shears making important contributions also. Ashfield fielded and bowled very well for the second game in succession and this handling of pressure and good work in the field should hopefully arguer well for the rest of the season.

The performance of Zubair Khan and Phil Jeffries with bat and ball this year have been excellent….top stuff boys keep it going.

On Monday we entertained Bronze but once again despite the efforts of groundstaff Alan Thomas/Chris Bourne the elements defeated us after 10 overs of play with Ashfield placed on 41-1.

We now turn attention to this weekend which promises to be a dry and the visit to Marston Green should result in a full days play. Which will no doubt please all sides especially our hosts who have had the misfortune to have all 5 of their games called off so far this year.
Given the promise of a prompt start time it is very important we are on time for our meet and able to prepare properly for the game on Saturday so we are focused to build on our unbeaten start this year.

Rain, Rain and more Rain

Further frustration saw us travel to Bedworth only to be called off despite a great effort from Bedworth CC to get the game played, they should be commended for their efforts in trying to get a game in. However this doesent help us, as we are yet to play in a full league game this year, Following the frustration last week where Ashfield would have been confident of taking full points from Kenilworth if a full match had been played. Hopefully next weekend with us being at Home both days will see us have the oppurtunity to get two full games in.