U13s vs Sutton Coldfield (CUP), 25/06/10

Cup Match

Sutton Coldfield 124 for 4 in 20 overs
(Pardeep 3-0-21-2, Chad Atkinson 3-0-12-1)

Kings Heath 128 for 3 in 19.1 overs
(Adil Saeed 30 retired, Callum Bird 30 retired, Hassan Farooq 22)

KINGS HEATH WON BY 7 WICKETS (WITH 5 BALLS REMAINING)

U14s vs Sheldon Marlborough (away), 27/06/10

League match at Foliot Fields, Stoney Lane (Sheldon won the toss and elected to bat)

Sheldon Marlborough 58 for 6 in 20 overs
(Naweed 3-0-7-1, Umar 3-1-7-2, Rashurd 3-0-16-0, Adil Saeed 2-0-7-0, Luke Baker 2-1-1-2, Omar 3-0-10-0, Jei 3-2-1-1, Ben 1-0-7-0)
FOW: 8 9 9 39 58 58

Kings Heath 62 for 0 in 7.3 overs
Josh Baker 42 not out (9 x 4s)
Luke Baker 12 not out (1 x 4)
Did not bat: Ben Rattley, Umar Rehman, Arjan Gihar, Naweed Uddin, Adil Saeed, Rashurd Ali, Omar Dawood, Louis Langham-Walsh, Jei Diwakar

KINGS HEATH WON BY 10 WICKETS

Bonus points: Win 4, Bat 4, Bowl 3

Kings Heath cruised comfortably in their chase of 59, during which Luke Baker was given the opportunity to open the batting for the first time, having failed to make it to the crease during the Blossomfield victory the previous match, and Josh Baker also had the chance to boost his confidence having failed to make a notable score since the first match against Kings Norton. However Sheldon bowled their first two overs very accurately and several minds briefly wondered if there could be an upset and Sheldon successfully defend their total. The wonderings were soon silenced at the start of the third over when Josh opened his shoulders and starting hitting boundaries though the offside with ease. Luke soon joined in the fun, hitting a sublime four to the left of mid on and the pair surged past the total in only 45 deliveries, scoring the required runs at over 8 an over to secure the win by 10 wickets.
Earlier Sheldon had won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat; Kings Heath would also have batted on a hot day and a flat pitch. Eight bowlers were used, not out of necessity but in order to ensure that most players were given an opportunity to bowl some overs and collect wickets. The opening bowlers Naweed and Umar soon reduced Sheldon to 9 for 3 and despite two rallying partnerships of 30 and 19 respectively Sheldon were kept to only 58 from their full 20 overs. Under 12 Adil Saeed made an encouraging debut, bowling two overs before being rotated. Under 13 Jei Diwakar bowled three overs for only a single run (which was a front foot no-ball) and collected a wicket in the process – an exceptional reaction catch by Luke Baker at close midwicket. Ben Rattley also bowled his first over of the year, demonstrating his full repertoire of off spin deliveries and varied his pace well. The joint captaincy of Ben Rattley and Umar Rehman has worked well in the absence of regular captain Louie Turpie. Although victory is pleasing it is more satisfying to win a close contest which either team could have won. The result of this match was effectively decided once the first three Sheldon Marlborough wickets had fallen.

Saturday 3rds vs Southam (home), 26/06/10

1st inns Southam 155 all out in 30 overs (Nabeel 5-0-31-0, Aman 9-0-40-2, Abbas 5-0-22-1, Saleem 6-1-33-5, Crocker 5-0-16-2) FOW: 10-1 52-2 72-3 129-4 129-5 133-6 136-7 151-8 155-9 155-10

2nd inns Kings Heath 156 for 5 in 32 overs Jag Patel ct keeper 19 (4 x 4s) Saleem Haider ct midwicket 16 (3 x 4s) Bernard O'Connor ct gully 52 (8 x 4s) Aman Khan ct keeper 11 (2 x 4s) Sam Crocker ct mid off 17 (3 x 4s) Adam Badger 8 not out (1 x 4s) Gregg Arrand 2 not out Did not bat: Masood Khan, Graham Arrand, Mohammed-Abbas Bhanji, Nabeel Ahmed FOW: 41-1 41-2 57-3 132-4 152-5

KINGS HEATH WON BY 5 WICKETS

U12s vs Handsworth, 23/06/10

At Holders Lane Playing Fields

Handsworth 100 for 5 in 20 overs
(Luke Frain 3 overs for 3 runs & 1 wicket

Kings Heath 103 for 5 in 15 overs
(Adil Saeed 30 runs, retired)

KINGS HEATH WON BY 5 WICKETS

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U11s vs Kings Norton & Weoley Hill (home), 21/06/10

Kings Heath 299
Kings Norton & Weoley Hill 262

KINGS HEATH WON BY 37 RUNS

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U13s vs Attock (away), 20/06/10

Attock 75 all out
Kings Heath 76 for 1
(Jei Diwakar 39 not out, Adil Saeed 26)

KINGS HEATH WON BY 9 WICKETS

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U15s vs Highway (away), 20/06/10

U15 Championship

Kings Heath 149 for 6 in 25 overs
(Josh Baker 53, Naweed Uddin 33*)

Highway 150 for 3 in 23 overs

HIGHWAY WON BY 7 WICKETS WITH 2 OVERS REMAINING

Points: Batting 3, Bowling 1

Sunday 1s vs Aldridge (home), 20/06/10

Aldridge 262 for 9 in 40 overs (Armstrong 7-0-42-0, Adnan 4-0-18-0, Rizwan 6-0-34-2, Wahid 7-0-50-0, Josh 8-0-66-1, Malik 6-0-46-4, Jattin 2-0-11-1) [Aldridge opening batters scored 51 and 97, the no. 4 scored 55] FOW: 88-1 95-2 187-3 195-4 225-5 242-6 253-7 260-8 260-9

Kings Heath 207 for 9 in 40 overs Sam Crocker bowled 9 (2x4) Rizwan ct mid on 68 (12x4) Bernard O'Connor ct cover 24 (1x4) Jattin Patel stumped 25 (1x4) Adnan Ali bowled 33 (5x4) Dan Armstrong bowled 21 (4x4) Amit Patel ct mid off 2 Wahid Chishti bowled 1 (2 balls) Malik stumped 5 (1x4) Josh Williams 0 not out Gregg Arrand 0 not out FOW: 37-1 93-2 131-3 148-4 188-5 199-6 201-7 207-8 207-9

MATCH DRAWN

Saturday 3rds vs Bournville (home), 19/06/10

League match

1st inns Bournville 213 for 8 in 45 overs (Crocker 13-0-75-3, Nabeel 5-1-28-1, Brown 11-0-45-2, Aman 10-1-39-2, Abbas 6-1-36-0)

2nd inns Kings Heath 204 all out in 42.0 overs Adam Badger ct&b 4 (1 x 4) Jag Patel ct slip 11 (2 x 4s) Bernard O'Connor ct keeper 15 (3 x 4s) Aman Khan bowled 8 (2 x 4s) Sam Crocker bowled 34 (7 x 4s) Gregg Arrand ct long on 64 (8 x 4s, 1 x 6) Masood Khan ct long on 14 (2 x 4s) Sean Brown ct keeper 16 (3 x 4s) Graham Arrand ct keeper 0 (2 balls) Mohammed-Abbas Bhanji lbw 0 (2 balls) Nabeel Ahmed 1 not out FOW: 6-1 (Badger) 34-2 (Jag) 53-3 (Aman) 75-4 (Bernard) 114-5 (Crocker) 143-6 (Masood) 191-7 (Gregg) 191-8 (Graham) 191-9 (Abbas) 204-10 (Sean)

BOURNVILLE WON BY 9 RUNS WITH 18 BALLS REMAINING

U14s vs Solihull Blossomfield (home), 17/06/10

League match

Solihull Blossomfield 113 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rashurd 4-1-12-0, Naweed 4-0-21-1, Omar 3-0-18-1, Jei 2-0-21-0, Umar 4-1-16-0, Callum 3-0-18-1 & two run outs.)

Kings Heath 116 for 1 in 17 overs
Callum Bird 50 retired out
Umar Rehman lbw 13
Naweed Uddin 27 not out
Ben Rattley 0 not out
Did not bat: Luke Baker, Hassan Farooq, Louis Langham-Walsh, Aquib Khan, Rashurd Ali, Omar Dawood, Jei Diwakar

KINGS HEATH WON BY 9 WICKETS

Bonus points: Win 4, Bat 4, Bowl 2

The bowling was economical but not penetrative; the fielders contributing with two run outs as Solihull Blossomfield were restricted to only 115 on a good batting track. Kings Heath charged past the Blossomfield score with seven batsmen unused. Under 13 Callum Bird was on debut for the 14s and agreed to open the innings in what could have been a tricky chase of 114. However he managed to compile a very composed fifty, adding exactly 50 for the first wicket with Umar Rehman as they coupled aggressive running between the wickets with clinical stroke play until Umar was deemed lbw for 13. There was a danger when Naweed came to the crease and scored freely all around the wicket, that Callum would be stranded short of his fifty, as the target score was fast approaching. Callum was in his late forties as Naweed kept most of the strike, until eventually Callum scored the run to take him to exactly fifty and was able to retire with victory all but complete. Ben Rattley came to the crease but did not face a ball as Naweed hit the next delivery for four, finishing unbeaten on 27. Kings Heath had three overs to spare in what turned out to be a very comprehensive win.

U10s vs Harbourne (home), 16/06/10

Kings Heath 310 for 2 in 16 overs
(George McKeever 18, Daniel Bird 18, Felix Abbot-Black 16)

Harbourne 251 for 6 in 16 overs
(James Salliss 3-0-14-2, Daniel Bird 2-0-5-1, Felix Abbot-Black 3-0-8-1, Waleed Farooq 2-0-12-1 & 1 run out by Bird and McKeever)

KINGS HEATH WON BY 59 RUNS

Midweek vs Moseley (away), 16/06/10

Kings Heath 113 for 8 in 15 overs
(Aaron Oliver 28, Wahid Chishti 22 not out)
Moseley 114 for 1 in 13.6 overs

MOSELEY WON BY 9 WICKETS

U11s vs Attock (away), 14/06/10

Grizzlies U11 South Birmingham

Kings Heath 317
Attock 202

KINGS HEATH WON

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Under 13s vs Moseley Ashfield (home), 13/06/10

Cup match

1st inns
Kings Heath 127 for 3 in 20 overs
(Call Bird 30 retired, Louis Langham-Walsh 30 retired)

2nd inns
Moseley Ashfield 55 all out
(Mo Uwais 3 wickets for 12 runs)

KINGS HEATH WON BY 72 RUNS (& progress to semi-final)

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Sunday 1s vs Weoley Hill (away), 13/06/10

1st inns Kings Heath 210 for 4 in 32.1 overs Jattin Patel bowled 14 (3 x 4s) Rizwan run out 58 (9 x 4s, 2 x 6s) Rob Adams ct mid on 79 (10 x 4s) Joe Hawkins ct mid on 42 (6 x 4s) Adnan Ali 1 not out Aman Khan 1 not out Did not bat: Shak Syed, Wahid Chishti, Bernard O'Connor, Gregg Arrand, Stuart Millard FOW: 32-1 (4 overs) 106-2 (14 overs) 208-3 (32 overs) 208-4 (32 overs)

2nd inns Weoley Hill 0-0 (Innings did not commence)

MATCH ABANDONED - RAIN, UNFIT PITCH & OUTFIELD

The Weoley Hill captain put Kings Heath into bat on a sunny afternoon, and accidentally let slip that his team preferred the option of blocking for a draw in the second innings. Kings Heath immediately smelt weakness and set about their task of dismantling the Weoley Hill bowlers with great aplomb and confidence, and a seemingly disinterested Weoley Hill were soon regretting their choice. Jattin Patel was clinical, punishing any deliveries that strayed onto his legs or offered too much width, hitting three boundaries in his quick 14. The second wicket partnership between Rob Adams and Rizwan was worth 74 in only 10 overs. Rizwan was in a particularly bloodthirsty mood, he was expecting a personal telephone call which might bring distressing news, and decided to take his anger and frustration out on the Weoley Hill bowlers. He was particularly dismissive of anything pitched up, lofting the ball over infielders, hitting nine fours and two sixes in his 58. He was eventually run out by several yards attempting a distracted second run after the gully fielder misfielded.

Joe Hawkins was the next player in with the score reading 106 for 2 after only 14 overs, and at the halfway stage of 20 overs, the score read an improbable 154 for 2 and 300 was on the cards. Rob Adams showed his class, hitting ten fours in his 79 and adding 102 with Hawkins in 18 overs, the partnership characterised by punishing the bad deliveries but also failing to pressure the boundary riders, content to settle for singles when twos and threes could have been readily available. Hawkins scored 42 before both players were out in the same over, caught by the same fielder at mid on in identical dismissals, as rain started to fall and Kings Heath began to show some real urgency. The power hitters in the Kings Heath middle and lower order were preparing themselves for some big hitting in the final eight overs before a torrential downpour brought a premature end to proceedings.

Saturday 3rds vs Kenilworth (away), 12/06/10

Victoria Park, Leamington Spa 1st inns Kenilworth 122 all out in 40.5 overs (Nabeel Ahmed 8-0-29-0, Sean Brown 12-6-19-5, Bernard O'Connor 13-3-38-4, Mohammed Abbas-Bhanji 8-2-29-0) FOW: 26-1 36-2 107-3 109-4 112-5 112-6 112-7 121-8 122-9 2nd inns Kings Heath 123 for 5 in 33.5 overs Jag Patel bowled 8 (1 x 4) Masood Khan ct mid on 8 (1 x 4) Bernard O'Connor ct keeper 4 Aaron Oliver lbw 24 (3 x 4s) Adam Badger lbw 39 (4 x 4s) Gregg Arrand 16 not out (1 x 4) Amit Patel 4 not out Did not bat: Sean Brown , Graham Arrand, Mohammed Abbas-Bhanji, Nabeel Ahmed FOW: 17-1 23-2 26-3 80-4 118-5 KINGS HEATH WON BY 5 WICKETS

U9s vs Weoley Hill (away), 07/06/10

Weoley Hill 214
Kings Heath 226

KINGS HEATH WON BY 12 RUNS

U11s vs Harbourne (home), 07/06/10

1st inns
Kings Heath 250

2nd inns
Harbourne 282

HARBOURNE WON BY 32 RUNS

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Sunday 1s vs Pickwick (home), 06/06/10

Arden Sunday League, Division Three

1st inns Pickwick 158 for 6 in 30.0 overs (Syed 7-0-23-1, Millard 8-0-36-0, Rizwan 3-0-18-0, Williams 2-0-13-0, Naseri 2-0-23-0, Adnan 5-0-21-3, Malik 3-0-16-0)

2nd inns Kings Heath 162 for 3 in 21.5 overs Rizwan bowled 46 (5 x 4s, 1 x 6) Altaf Ur-Rehman ct mid off 13 Saba Naseri 26 not out (1 x 4, 1 x 6) Adnan Ali caught 7 (1 x 4) Shak Syed 61 not out (5 x 4s, 3 x 6s) Did not bat: Mike Barlow, Malik, Bernard O'Connor, Josh Williams, Gregg Arrand, Stuart Millard

KINGS HEATH WON BY 7 WICKETS

U14s vs Dorridge (away), 06/06/10

League match

Dorridge 178 for 6 in 20 overs (Ollie Hayley 50 retired, Chris Beaumont-Dark 38)
(Naweed Uddin 4-0-34-0, Rashid Ali 3-0-28-0, Omar Dawood 3-0-17-1, Umar Rehman 4-0-44-1, Luke Baker 3-0-26-2, Jei Diwakar 3-0-23-2)

Kings Heath 124 for 8 in 20 overs (Beaumont-Dark 4-1-17-6)

Hassan Farooq stumped 0 (3 balls)

Naweed Uddin bowled 5 (1 x 4)

Umar Rehman bowled 0 (2 balls)

Ben Rattley bowled 17 (4 x 4)

Luke Baker c&b 36 (7 x 4)
Tom Boyce bowled 0 (1 ball)

Joe Jennings bowled 0 (1 ball)

Rashid Ali run out 0 (0 balls)

Omar Dawood 39 not out (7 x 4)

Jei Diwakar 15 not out (1 x 4)

FOW: 0 0 5 30 30 30 35 75

DORRIDGE WON BY 54 RUNS

Bonus points: Loss 1, Bat 4, Bowl 3

This match, scheduled away at Dorridge with a meet time of 9.30am on a Sunday morning, had all the signs of imminent disaster even before the first ball was bowled. This was the third league match in four days, all in the same week as the district festival. The two Warwickshire boys were unavailable as they were on a coach to Yorkshire, driving through the rain for a county game. The loss of Louie, the captain and opening bowler would be difficult to recover from, but the loss of opening batsman Josh Baker could be disastrous. Thankfully two Under 13s were drafted in as replacements; Jei Diwakar to bowl and Hassan as a batsman, Umar Rehman and Ben Rattley were selected as captain and vice captain. Kings Heath was asked to field first but at the start time only had eight players and no wicket keeper. The absence of manager Jonnie, a calming influence on the side, was keenly felt as the coach had no contact numbers for the missing players. Hassan reluctantly agreed to step in as keeper until Joe Jennings’ arrival after revealing that he kept for his school. The more pressing issue was the absence of the three late fielders. Joe and Omar Dawood eventually turned up at the halfway stage of 10 overs, but Aquib failed to attend at all due to his mother not feeling well. This put pressure on the stand in captain Umar, who had no chance of plugging the gaps with the Dorridge County ‘A’ boys at the crease. Eventually their captain Ollie Hayley had to retire after a rapid fifty one ball after the 10 over mark and Kings Heath managed to sneak a few more wickets. U13 Jei Diwakar bowled superbly in adversity and collected two scalps and effectively secured his place in the Under 14 side until the end of the season. The field placements were reactive, particularly when the spinners were on, and Dorridge closed on an intimidating 178 after scoring at all but nine runs per over.
Dorridge opened the bowling with their County ‘A’ boy who had also opened the batting and had been in the County system since he was 10. The surprising thing was that he was a left arm spinner who bowled round the wicket ‘through the gate’. Umar expressed a strong desire to bat at three so Hassan was the reluctant opening batsman who advanced down the pitch to his third delivery and tried to smite the ball back to Birmingham with his head in the air. He was promptly stumped by their captain and keeper for a duck. Umar took guard and was soon bowled second ball for a duck. The bowler Chris Beaumont-Dark was getting prodigious turn and proving exceptionally difficult to play; however when left hander Ben came to the crease the threat was nullified due to the angle of delivery. Naweed, opening for the first time and batting hero of the previous two matches, was also bowled by the left arm spinner for only five. Thanks to a good partnership from Luke Baker and Ben, Kings Heath had moved from 5 for 3 to 30 for 3. Ben played exceptionally well, using the pace of the ball to manipulate gaps behind square before he was bowled by the quick bowler for 17. At this stage quick recalculations were taking place and 120 was set as the new target which would mean maximum batting points. Tom Boyce was batting at six after not bowling an over with the ball and promptly missed his first delivery and was bowled for a golden duck, Joe Jennings also followed first ball leaving the bowler on a hat-trick. When Rashid was carelessly run out without facing a ball he became Kings Heaths’ fifth duck of the innings, all of those batsmen facing a combined total of seven deliveries. The score was now 35 for 7 and Luke Baker and Omar Dawood continued on to the drinks break at 10 overs with Luke unbeaten on 32. However in the first over after drinks, Luke hit another boundary, his seventh of the innings but then offered two consecutive hard hit caught and bowled chances, the second of which was taken. The bowler in question had hurt his hand in taking the catch but the dismissal still stood and Luke was out a career best 36. With the total on 75 for 8, 10 men Kings Heath were a solitary wicket away from losing the match. However Jei Diwakar and Omar put on a superb unbeaten 49 for the ninth wicket, Omar was given his first opportunity to have a long innings for the U14s, demonstrated impeccable defence and unfurled exceptional drives down the ground. Jei gave commendable support and superb tactical awareness, managing the run chase so that the required total of 120 (maximum batting points) was reached in the 19th over. Omar finished unbeaten on 39 and Jei on 15 not out. Their partnership gradually silenced the crowing Dorridge parents and supporters, along with the over confident Dorridge players. Despite the loss, Kings Heath had rallied from a potentially embarrassing score of 35 for 7 to a respectable 124 for 8; there was no shame in losing to such a strong Dorridge side.

Saturday 3s vs Redditch (away), 05/06/10

1st inns Redditch 143 all out in 37.4 overs (Nabeel 8.4-1-33-5, Aman 7-1-21-0, Sean Brown 5-0-18-3, Abbas 4-0-20-0, George Greaves 6-1-30-1, Saleem Haider 7-1-22-1) FOW: 6-1 8-2 38-3 64-4 83-5 83-6 88-7 119-8 143-9 143-10

2nd inns Kings Heath 144 for 9 in 48.2 overs Jag Patel bowled 0 (3 balls) Saleem Haider lbw 0 (2 balls) Aman Khan bowled 5 (1 x 4) Masood Khan ct mid off 0 Gregg Arrand ct slip 12 (2 x 4s) Adam Badger ct cover 16 (2 x 4s) Sean Brown 45 not out (7 x 4s) Graham Arrand ct keeper 25 (4 x 4s) Mohammed Abbas-Bhanji ct keeper 1 Nabeel Ahmed ct keeper 2 George Greaves 2 not out FOW: 0-1 0-2 5-3 6-4 40-5 59-6 125-7 129-8 141-9

KINGS HEATH WON BY 1 WICKET

U14s vs Harbourne (home), 03/06/10

League match

Harborne 134 for 5 in 20 overs
(Naweed Uddin 4-0-15-1, Louie Turpie 4-0-25-0, Omar Dawood 4-0-25-0, Josh Baker 2-0-16-2, Luke Baker 3-0-30-0, Umar Rehman 3-0-25-1)

Kings Heath 128 for 6 in 20 overs
Josh Baker 0
Umar Rehman 0
Ben Rattley 0
Naweed Uddin 50 retired
Louie Turpie 42
Luke Baker 7
Louis Langham-Walsh 6
Aquib Khan 3 not out
Omar Dawood 1 not out
Did not bat: Arjan Gihar, George Franklin

HARBOURNE WON BY 6 RUNS

Bonus points: Loss 1, Bat 4, Bowl 3

This was the first of three fixtures arranged during district festival week: the boys involved had already spent the previous three days fielding in long matches in warm weather. Harborne batted first and were not put under pressure at any stage. The bowling offered at least one bad ball per over which was usually clinically dispatched to the boundary and for the second game in a row the fielders dropped numerous catches and continual misfields ensured Harborne reached a commanding total of 134 for 5. Josh Baker had the best bowling analysis, collecting two wickets from hideous slog across the line, but this was from continually bowling low full tosses which the batters repeatedly smeared to the boundary. The lack of pressure and terrible fielding display left the home side feeling disappointed and were reflecting on their first innings rather than concentrating on batting well in the second.
The chase started badly. The top three batsmen were removed for a combined total score of zero. Josh Baker started the collapse by walking across to the off side and trying to flick the ball off his pads to fine leg. However he missed the ball, which then hit leg stump. Umar and Ben were also bowled and the Kings Heath players rattled. Naweed and skipper Louie put on 99 for the fourth wicket, Louie was on 42 when he hit a pull shot straight to midwicket. Naweed retired once he reached fifty which left two new batsmen at the crease, however the pair had succeeded in deflating Harbornes’ buoyant mood in particular by exceptional running between the wickets. The remaining batsmen found it difficult to score as the best Harborne bowlers returned for the dying overs of the game. Despite valiant efforts by the lower order Kings Heath eventually finished six runs adrift. It should be noted that they did not deserve to win the match after such a poor fielding display and the careless nature from which the first three batters were dismissed – all bowled. However the coach made a point of reminding the players that although they had performed badly as a team the positive was that they had still come within six runs of victory.

U14s vs Knowle & Dorridge (away), 04/06/10

League match

Knowle and Dorridge 133 for 3 in 20 overs
(Louie Turpie 3-0-27-0, Rashid Ali 4-0-18-1, Naweed Uddin 4-0-18-1, Omar Dawood 4-0-32-1, Umar Rehman 4-0-21-0, Luke Baker 1-0-15-0)

Kings Heath 136 for 6 in 18.4 overs
Louie Turpie run out 0 (2 balls)
Josh Baker 9
Umar Rehman 31
Ben Rattley 14
Naweed Uddin 39 not out
Luke Baker 4
Joe Jennings 14
Rashid Ali 5 not out
Did not bat: Omar Dawood, Aquib Khan, Arjan Gihar

KINGS HEATH WON BY 4 WICKETS

Bonus points: Win 4, Bat 4, Bowl 1

This was the second league match in two days, following an exhausting week at the district festival. Knowle & Dorridge batted first, and their openers proved exceptionally well coached in their judgement of quick singles. They were able to keep the scoreboard moving whilst playing technically correct shots. Kings Heath were not able to create many wicket taking chances. Only two Knowle & Dorridge wickets fell until their captain was dismissed on the final ball of the innings – caught at midwicket by Josh Baker. It was particularly interesting that Knowle & Dorridge had only lost three wickets but their score was fairly low with so many batting resources left unused. This was partly down to the fact the batsmen appeared over coached and were reluctant to play an ugly shot in pursuit of quick runs. They refused to play any other way than technically correct and their scoring areas could be predicted. The Kings Heath bowlers should be commended for showing great ability to adapt to this situation. Knowle & Dorridge had only one ‘big’ over, when Luke Baker was brought on to bowl with a short leg side boundary and only one fielder on the boundary. 15 runs were conceded from the over and pushed their eventual score up to 133.
Skipper Louie Turpie and Josh Baker: both newly appointed Warwickshire U15 ‘B’ players strolled to the crease to open the batting. 24 hours earlier Louie had scored 42 runs during the defeat to Harborne and had the confidence to lead from the front again. However on the second ball of the innings disaster struck, Louie hitting the ball directly at square leg and calling for a single, both batters stranded helplessly in the centre of the pitch as the stumps were broken. After a short debate over which batter should be dismissed, Louie was correctly given out as he was closer to the stumps as they were broken. Kings Heath was 4 for 1 after the first over and with the required rate 6.84 there was significant pressure on both sides. However the second over changed the mentality of the match and flipped it in its head. To the delight of the watching Kings Heath team and supporters the second over conceded 26 runs, primarily from extras; namely no-balls and wides that the keeper missed and went for more runs. The scorers were having a nightmare keeping up, but it should be noted that the umpire calling the wides and no-balls was the Knowle & Dorridge coach. Amongst the chaos Josh Baker hit two balls that were within reach to the cover boundary for four before hitting a simple catch to the cover point fielder to conclude a hectic over. Josh was obviously gutted especially with the knowledge that a fifty was possible especially given the ease which he scored his nine runs. However Ben and Umar were at the crease and the run rate, although still steep, had been reduced to under a run per ball. A solid partnership took place before Ben fell for a useful 14. This brought Naweed to the crease, fresh from his unbeaten 50 the previous day. The subsequent partnership kept Kings Heath up with the required run rate until Umar fell for a well constructed 31. During the partnership Umar had slashed at a wide ball outside off which flew at catchable height through the area where second slip would normally stand and collected a single to deep third man. This was a 20 over game so there were no slips as most fielders were in front of square protecting the boundaries, as Umar reached the non strikers’ end he apologised to the Kings Heath coach who was the standing umpire. When asked why he was apologising he replied that it was a bad shot; the surprised coach made it clear that the Kings Heath batters should learn from Knowle & Dorridge; their reluctance to improvise or play anything other than technically perfect shots cost them lots of several runs during their innings, which in turn could cost them the match. The brief discussion made it clear that scoring runs through gaps in the opposition field is a legitimate tactic, and if the shot has brought a run then nobody will complain; batman improvisation will frustrate bowler and captain alike. Luke Baker made four and seemingly disinterested keeper Joe Jennings scored a quick 14 from bottom handed slogs before his dismissal. Rashid joined Naweed and was commendably restrained – normally he just slogs – and had the ability to recognise that Naweed was the set batsman and therefore gave him most of the strike. The 17th over was when Naweed decided to go ‘big’; Knowle & Dorridge had taken 15 off an over during their innings and now was the time for Kings Heath to take theirs. Naweed hit a perfectly timed six over midwicket into the tennis courts which brought personal pleasure and enjoyment to the whole Kings Heath team. The shot effectively secured the match and the opposition heads dropped. However it wasn’t until the fourth ball of the 19th over that Naweed clipped a full ball off middle stump to the midwicket boundary to complete victory and finish unbeaten on 39. The Kings Heath innings was not technically perfect by any means but the players demonstrated an effective method for scoring runs.

Midweek XI vs Shirley (home), 02/06/10

Shirley 115 for 9 in 15 overs
(Saba Naseri 3 wickets for 29)
Kings Heath 113 for 8 in 15 overs
(Rizwan 36 runs)

SHIRLEY WON BY 2 RUNS

Saturday 2s vs Pickwick (away), 31/05/10

1st inns Kings Heath 123 all out in 42.4 overs (Dan Armstrong 28, Gregg Arrand 19, Aaron Oliver 13, Jag Patel 10)

2nd inns Pickwick 124 for 6 in 40.3 overs (Rizwan 15-4-44-3, Josh Williams 15-2-38-2)

PICKWICK WON BY 4 WICKETS

Pickwick elected to field and were soon rewarded when Kings Heath stuttered to 128 all out. Rizwan was caught at short midwicket without scoring, Bernard O’Connor, opening the batting for the first time in the absence of a second opening batsman, resisted for a short while before edging a low catch to first slip. The ball appeared to have bounced before reaching the fielder but Bernard dutifully took his word and departed the crease. Aaron Oliver accrued 13 runs but was bowled by a straight delivery that kept low, undone by a lack of footwork. Later in the season Aaron would change to a wider batting stance in order to compensate for the lack of foot movement. Tom Salliss was out lbw, the ball hitting on the back leg but probably going on to clip the top of the stumps. There was resistance from the lower order: Gregg Arrand and Dan Armstrong put on the biggest partnership of the innings; Armstrong was in his usual mood of trying to smite every delivery received for four, while Arrand showed more restraint. Some aggressive strokeplay from the lower order dragged the Kings Heath total up to 123. The Kings Heath skipper decided that when defending such a low total, he wanted to Pickwick batters to face as most deliveries from the best bowlers, in order to make the run chase as difficult as possible. Rizwan and Josh Williams opened the bowling: Josh kept the scoring down to around two runs per over from his end, the pressure allowing Rizwan to make three breakthroughs with Josh collecting two wickets. At the 25 over stage Pickwick were 60 for 5 and the pressure was on. However soon both bowlers had completed their 15 over allocation and the change bowlers were unable to exert any pressure, allowing the Pickwick batters to score freely all round the wicket. Armstrong delivered several wides and was generally erratic. Wahid bowled relatively accurate medium pace, however bowled several front foot no-balls, which is criminal in a tight run chase. Jag Patel was introduced to ‘purchase’ a wicket with flighted leg spin, midwicket is a crucial fielding position for spinner and Salliss was placed precisely by the skipper. This bowling change soon proved fruitful as a full toss was hit firmly straight at the fielder and subsequently caught. There were elements of luck to the dismissal but Kings Heath claimed careful planning had gone into the wicket. By this time, Pickwick had creeped up very close to the target and Adam Badger was introduced into the attack. Unfortunately he bowled several leg side wides (a la Harmison) and the winning run came from a front foot no-ball.