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HOME
A blog of all sections with no images
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Written by Will Peake
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| President |
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R Walker |
| Club Captain |
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N Weston |
| Vice Captain |
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S Baalham |
| Secretary |
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N Alldread |
| Treasurer |
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N Weston |
| Team Secretary |
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D Baalham |
| Fixture Secretary |
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J Salmon |
| Club Welfare |
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J Philpot |
| Youth Welfare |
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S Gray |
| Communication |
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W Peake |
| Academy Manager |
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J Skilton |
Life Members
Mr.A.M.Fowles, Mr.M.J.Friend, Mr.K Hood, Mr R.H.Jackson, Mr.G.J.Kitson, Mr.R.Long, Dr.W.Marshall, Mr.R.G.Moss, Mr.M.Sharp, Mr A.R.Thomas, Mr.R.Walker
Vice Presidents
A.Potter, E.Baker, Mrs S.Baalham, J.R.K.Bowdidge, D.W.Bower, W.Bulbeck, D.A.V.Carter, C.G.Canning, N.Challis, Mrs.V.Chapman, J.Chalmers, P.Debenham, D.Druitt, P.J.Fenn, M.C.Fowles, S.Gallup, A.Gould, Mrs.A.Hammond, S.Harvey, C.J.Jackson, C.Jones, D.I.Kent, J.Lancaster, Sir.T.Lucas, D.March, Mrs.C.Merrick, Rev.J.T.Mitson, Rev.G.Moate, A.Muir, M.J.Nicoll, P.Osbourne, R.J.Porter, A.W.Regan, A.E.Renshaw, J.Stuttle, J.Symons, C.F.Thomas, N.A.D.Thomas, Maj.A.C.G.Thomas, C.W.Welch, J.C.Weston, C.Wickstead, P.Wilson. |
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Written by Will Peake
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Dedham Cricket Festival 2007
Dedham Cricket clubs festival of 2007 was its first in its 122 year history. It was the result of 2 years of planning, numerous meetings, and a great deal of hard work by many of its members and friends.
Three glorious days of cricket commenced on July25th with a fixture against ‘ Gents of Essex ’who were celebrating 100 years of playing cricket in 2007, followed by a game against Archway Graces on the Thursday and finally our traditional match against the clubs Vice Presidents Xl on Saturday July 28th. During the morning of our final day a junior Kwik Cricket tournament was run followed by BBQ and presentations by Essex County Cricket clubs Mr. David East.
The events grand marquee was decked and dressed lavishly together with traditional picket fencing, and superb catering provided by both Le Talbooth and The Sun of Dedham on alternate days.
The club was delighted to be able to welcome former England captain Mr. Graham Gooch to make a speech and offer his support to the event, Mr Ray East joined the festival on day 2 and they were both able to recount stories and anecdotes about cricket and there experiences from within the game.
A highly successful raffle raised much need funds for the club with some superb prizes, and a Cricket auction of a Signed score card by Shane Warne from the 5th Ashes Test at the Oval, a Dedicated signed cricket bat from Graham Gooch and a signed scorecard by Graham Gooch England V India at Lords 333 runs and 125 runs. This collection of unique items helped to launch the festival and set the tone for 3 exciting days.
The club was delighted that both its members and the local community enjoyed the festival and we are proud of what we were able to achieve. I hope that at some point in the not too distant future Dedham Cricket Club will host a similar event with just as much enthusiasm and with similar successful consequences for both the club and the village.
Club President |
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Written by Will Peake
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Match report
Dedham v West Mersea
12th June 2008 at West Mersea
Dedham (83 - 5) beat West Mersea (36 all out) by 47 runs
In what is now becoming a bit of a clear trend, an excellent bowling and fielding performance by the Dedham team compensated for not scoring as many runs as we might have done on what was a good wicket, notwithstanding all the rain we have seen recently. Both the West Mersea coaches commentated on how well we bowled, with the match ball being presented to Anjay for the outstanding figures of 4 overs, 4 maidens, 3 wickets for 0 runs!
Batting first the big guns of Angus and Jamie immediately set about the West Mersea bowling attack, despite the absence of both the coach, who was detained by a derailed freight train at Witham, and Dimple who was static on the M25. Anna Mortimer kindly agreed to organise the team, with the help of Kevin Wilsher and Martin Williams who once again (another trend?) took over the scorebook.
Both batsmen started well but got out when seemingly set, with Angus bowled for 6, and Jamie (12) caught once again. Archie came in at number three and scored 12 followed by Ieuan (11) at number 4. Once Archie had been unfortunately run out, Ieuan and Joe (10) continued to score freely, but when both were bowled hitting across the line the scoring rate dried up, and it took some sensible batting and good running, from Oliver and Harry Wilsher to see us to a reasonable total, but not as high as might have been expected following the start Dedham had got off to. Dedham were a little guilty of impatience in their batting, and need to learn the value of keeping the scoreboard ticking over with singles, especially when the wicket is damp, and the field set fairly deep, rather than trying to go for the big shots.
At the change of innings the Dedham team were keen to make up for any batting shortcomings by putting on an excellent display in the field. From the first over to the final wicket the energy shown was absolutely brilliant even in the face of a frustrating opening partnership which was only broken by Archie’s last ball where the disappointed batsman hit a full toss to Bertie, who somehow managed to juggle the ball and hold on at the third attempt! With Ed Mortimer keeping things very tight from the pavilion end, (despite his over long run up!) the scoring rate rose quickly. After a quiet period, Harry Wilsher was unfortunately injured when bravely intercepting a fierce drive from the Mersea opener, but that was entirely due to the cold biting wind, rather than any weakness on his part. Even the coach admitted that he would have waved the ball past, rather than try to catch it! It was with the dramatic introduction of Anjay that wickets began to fall regularly. A classic leg break completely fooled the number three, who looked a very capable bat, and the very next ball Mersea were 3 down as Anjay celebrated another victim bowled. The hat-trick ball was lofted back to the bowler but fell agonisingly short with Anjay showing excellent sportsmanship by stating that he thought it had not quite carried to him.
After Ieuan had taken a cheap wicket, Bertie took over from the pavilion end and proceeded to bowl fast and straight, beating the Mersea opener with a beautiful leg cutter which sailed over the top of the stumps and then bowling the same batsman 2 balls later. With Anjay taking another two wickets, both bowled, the game was effectively over and the final nail in Mersea’s coffin was applied by Sean Gregory taking two wickets in his only over, including one with his first ball. Sean, as 12th man had been graciously allowed to bowl by the Mersea umpire, and showed enormous promise in his only over with a lovely upright seam position. A mention must also be made of Harry Spalding behind the stumps who kept very tidily once he got his feet moving in line with the ball.
So, another victory for the Dedham team, and another good performance especially in the field. Whilst we have recognised the need to perform well as a unit in the field, the way the players have kept the energy levels high is of special note, and Angus’ captaincy has been excellent, with innovative fielding positions ad good use of his bowlers. Well done to everyone who played and thanks to Martin for scoring, Kevin for his umpiring stint and Anna for stepping in as an organiser. If Dedham can improve their batting to the level of the fielding and bowling, then we will have a great legacy for the future of the cricket club.
Felix Fitch
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Written by Will Peake
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Match report
Dedham v Witham
17th July 2008 at Witham
Dedham (105-7) beat Witham (104-8) by 3 Wickets
Commeth the hour, commeth the man. With Dedham struggling in their pursuit of 104 runs to exact revenge on Witham, who had beaten us by 1 run earlier in the season, Angus Lockhart strode to the crease to dominate Witham’s bowlers as completely as he had dominated their batsmen. The captain had earlier taken 5 for 11, albeit from 5 overs, as we had recovered from a shaky start due to some very aggressive batting from Witham’s captain Hodges and the atrocious weather in early July. Angus scored 32 unbeaten runs to cap a fantastic all round performance resulting in Dedham only needing to beat Elmstead in their final match to win the division.
Witham’s innings had started with a flurry of boundaries from the bat of Hodges (43), off the bowling of Archie Runacres and Joe Walters. Joe (0-11) bowled well in sharing the new ball, and with another year in the U13 league he could well become a strike bowler as he has a strong physique and a good bowling technique to match. Confidence in his undoubted ability will be the key for him. The captain quickly turned to the spinners after the rain forced a break in play, and Jamie De Cosimo (1-23) broke through with the important wicket of Witham’s best batsman.
It was then that Captain Lockhart came to the rescue and tore the heart out of Witham, with 3 quick wickets. Angus has not bowled as well as he can for the U13 team this year, mainly because he has recognised the depth in our bowling, but by pitching the ball up at a good pace, he was too good for the Witham middle order. Angus has also played a few games for the senior team as a bowler, and helped win the game against Halsted with an excellent spell where he was rewarded with the wicket of their key batsman. Ieuan Davies (1-17) then joined in with a tight spell, including a wicket, while Angus took his 5th wicket thanks to a fantastic catch by Harry Spalding who was deputising for a very tired looking Angus Campbell (long nights camping in Aldeburgh according to his mother!). The other wicket was courtesy of a run out affected as a result of a wonderful piece of fielding by Archie.
With a total of 104 runs to get Dedham were happy with their work, and with Cameron Rule opening the batting it was not expected to be too much of a difficult chase. As ever with Dedham we dug ourselves into a hole with some tentative shots, with Angus Campbell (2), Ed Mortimer (1), Ieuan Davies (5) and Ed Greenwood 1) all falling cheaply. The exception was the batting of Jamie who scored 33, and played some wonderful attacking shots, especially after Cam was caught for 11. Jamie has batted and fielded really well all season long, and this has made up for a relatively poor return from his bowling. As a left arm spinner Jamie has learnt to fox batsmen when playing for the senior team, with excellent variations of pace and length, but at U13 level he rather tends to fire the ball in at the pads. He is much better bowler when he varies his deliveries and needs to recognise that as a spinner patience is the key. He is one of the first names down on any Dedham team list, and will develop into a brilliant cricketer who could, in my opinion, go far within the game.
It was only with the arrival of the Captain that we looked certain to reach our target, despite the loss of Jamie and Bertie Mortimer in quick succession, and it took Anjay to score the winning runs. Anjay is another who will develop into a good cricketer with more confidence. His bowling has always been very intelligent and I suspect he will take a lot of wickets at school level, as he is a spinner who does mix things up –although perhaps he needs to work on a quicker delivery against good batsmen. His batting will be very important next year, along with Ed Greenwood, Oliver Williams, Harry Spalding, and the Mortimers.
So Dedham gained revenge from Witham, who were disappointed in not scoring more runs and having come up against Dedham’s own Freddie Flintoff! My thanks to those parents who made it to the game for their support in the drizzle!
Felix Fitch |
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Written by Will Peake
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Match report
Dedham v Elmstead Grasshoppers
20th July 2008 at Elmstead
Dedham (89) lost to Elmstead (141-2) by 52 runs
The final game of the season was always destined to be the decider, and Dedham turned up at Elmstead with high hopes, having beaten the opposition on a wet evening on the drift. However the result reflected Elmstead dominance in a game where Dedham was weaker in all 3 disciplines of cricket.
The sun shone down brightly on the Elmstead opening pair who proceeded to put the game out of Dedham’s reach with an excellent opening partnership of over 100. Both batsmen were ruthless in dispatching the bad ball on a very good pitch, and with Michael Wright losing his usually reliable radar the score was helped with plenty of extras. Michael has not bowled as well as he can this season, as he has a fantastic bowling action which encourages swing with the new ball. He is another, along with Jamie, Archie, Ieuan, and Angus Lockhart who has played senior cricket this year and his spell at Elmstead in the final league game was exemplary.
With Archie and Angus also struggling to contain Elmstead, the captain turned to spin and Ieuan, Anjay and Jamie eventually put the skids on the scoring rate which had risen inexorably. It was Anjay who broke through with a fine leg break that bowled Lobb for a well made 50, and he was quickly followed to the pavilion by his opening partner Elliot bowled for 41 by Jamie. However some lusty hitting off the final few overs set Dedham the huge target of 142 to win from 20 overs. Whilst the fielding in this game was below par, I have been very proud of how the team has performed all season, and it was a pity that the last game of the season was not one of their best performances in front of lots of eager parents and relations.
Jamie and Oliver strode out to the middle to begin the reply for Dedham and both started positively with some crisp hitting through square leg, however it was not long before Jamie was dismissed for 7 and Oliver (9) was joined by Ieuan (10). Again the batsmen looked ready to set out in pursuit of the total until both were back in the pavilion, followed quickly by Ed Greenwood and Harry, who was yorked for his third first ball of the season. Harry has struggled for runs this year and this has knocked his confidence especially as he has been able to score lots of runs at school. Harry tends to play off the back foot, when he should look to get forward to play off the front foot. He is keen to work on this in the winter and I am sure he will come back a better batsman for the new season in 2009.
Archie (16) and Angus (18) tried to rebuild the innings, but despite some great shots neither was able to really get going against some tight bowling, and when they were dismissed, followed quickly by Sean and Michael, the writing was well and truly on the wall. Anjay (6) and Angus delayed the inevitable until the final over when Angus Campbell was run out comfortably. Defeat by 52 runs was nothing to be ashamed of, as we were completely outplayed by a strong Elmstead team.
So the season drew to an end with a whimper, and with Dedham second in the league, having lost twice (to Elmstead and Witham) and having won 6 games (Bromley twice, West Mersea twice, Elmstead and Witham once). Two batsmen, Angus and Cam scored over 100 runs, and Archie and Anjay took 10 and 9 wickets respectively. In the award ceremony, Ieuan was voted Player of the Year, for his all round contribution. He has been brilliant in the field this year, and has scored some valuable runs including 41* against West Mersea. His bowling has also been useful with some important wickets, most notably against Elmstead at Dedham when he took 2 for 7. The other award, for Most Improved Player, was won by Ed Greenwood for his excellent wicket keeping this year, showing the benefit of hard work in the off season at Chelmsford. I have high hopes for Ed’s batting next year as well and we will need a lot of runs from him to compete in the league. All of the players deserve a mention for their wonderful play this year, and all have contributed in some way or another to a great season. My thanks go out to each and every one of them, but especially Angus Lockhart for his mature captaincy and cool head over the season.
Finally the support of the parents has been wonderful, none more so than Dimple who has held things together whilst organising her wedding to Jason. The club would be lost without her help. My thanks also to all the parents who have umpired, scored, made teas, and supported throughout the season despite the awful weather! It has been hard work for the coaches too, so thanks to Neil Weston, Russell, and Steve Balaam for their help, and Roger Moss for all he has done to enable us to play in monsoon like conditions. Whilst it has been a long season, I am sure my excitement will be renewed as we approach April 2009. Just don’t tell my wife.
Felix Fitch
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Written by Will Peake
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Match report
Dedham v West Mersea
26th June 2008 at Dedham
Dedham (143-3) beat West Mersea (53) by 90 runs
An excellent 99 run partnership for the 3rd wicket between Angus Lockhart (54) and Ieuan Davies (41 no) set the foundation for a total that was beyond West Mersea, and ensured a 5th successive victory for the Dedham academy. This was backed up by yet another excellent fielding and bowling display, led by Angus Campbell with 3 wickets for only one run, and Ed Mortimer who finished with 2-17.
The day started auspiciously for the Captain who requested that he be dropped down the order to try and find some batting form. Angus has looked comfortable at the crease all season but has managed to get himself out (that run out against Elmstead) or has been cleaned up by some excellent bowling. However after a chat it was decided that he should continue to lead from the front, and that he did with his debut 50 for Dedham, which included some excellent back foot shots and together with Ieuan the best running between the wickets we have seen this season.
Angus and Ieuan came together with the score on 30-2 with Harry Spalding and Michael Wright back in the pavilion. Harry received a magnificent leg stump yorker first ball that even KP would have struggled to keep out. In his first season of hard ball cricket Harry has settled in well but just needs to believe that he is good enough –which he is. Michael has no such feelings of self doubt and strikes the ball well; although his mother’s question as to how to stop him sticking his backside out when batting has led to the scratching of heads among the coaching staff! Angus and Ieuan set about the Mersea bowling for the start with a wonderful mixture of aggressive hitting and sensible placement once the field had been spread far and wide. Ieuan lost nothing in comparison with his captain and they matched each other run for run, turning singles into twos, and twos into threes at will. The highlight of the innings was a leg glance by Ieuan that the Club captain, who was umpiring at the time, said was to “die for”. Aided by 32 extras, and notwithstanding Angus being caught and bowled in the final over, the total of 143 looked to be formidable on the Dedham wicket.
This was proved to be the case from the first over as Archie, once again, bowled the opener cheaply. Ed Mortimer, sharing the new ball, also struck immediately, bowling the other opener with an excellent full delivery and having the best batsman caught by Michael. Both of the twins have had a good season with the ball this year and the club have high hopes of them next year when they will be among the senior players. Their enthusiasm has been great to see this year but they will need to maintain slightly better levels of concentration with their batting and fielding to take their game up to the next level. I know they can do it!
After this excellent start, helped by a direct hit from Mid-Off by Ieuan to run out the number three bat, the support bowlers took over with Angus Campbell to the fore. As with his performance at Bromley, Angus was a revelation. He bowled full and fast, and did not give any of the batsmen room to swing their arms. He was rewarded with three wickets (including another catch for Ed behind the timbers) for the cost of only a wide and he ripped the heart out of the Mersea batting. Angus has developed very well this year, and has benefitted from playing lots of cricket at school. From 32-4, Mersea subsided to be all out for 53 with the final wickets being taken by Bertie Mortimer, Anjay, and Michael Wright in his only over, although Kye also bowled well for no reward. All of the bowlers did an excellent job, and the fielding in support was also first class.
So the Dedham unbeaten run continues, although an air of complacency may well be creeping in! However it is hard to be critical in any way of the entire squad after such a dominating performance in what has been a brilliant season so far. Again the boys owe a debt of thanks to Dimple for the organisation and to Anna Mortimer and Mrs Lockhart for providing such a wonderful tea, and for leaving the pavilion kitchen in such a clean state not seen for many a year. Without the help of the parents the enjoyment of the players (and the coaching staff) would be severely diminished so thank you all!
Felix Fitch |
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