Your Cricket JPKD's 2010 Season

[JackPKDennison]

I've been looking for something to do recently and thought about a story on a computer game which brought me to PC and it was then I realized that I should follow my season for the next few months. I hope you enjoy it and I hope I do well.

Firstly a bit of background. Standing at 6ft 5in I'm a rather tall off spin bowler but after a failed attempt at becoming a batsmen two years ago I chose to work hard at my off spin. In 2007 my club's 3rd XI was promoted and I chipped in with 9 wickets @ 20.33 apiece in 8 games. With the bat I averaged 10 in 5 innings but at 16 being the youngest member of the regular squad it was get to get promotion and win the league.

2008 I saw as a testing year oppositions were stronger and the 3rd XI was broken up as players moved around the club. This time I produced 13 wickets at 26.54 in my 12 appearances. More wickets but they took more balls to come across and cost more runs but still I felt an improvement. The tougher season gave me more opportunity to spend time at the crease. A league average of 24 with the bat perhaps helped by 4 not outs in 7 innings but I felt 31 not out in a total of 149, making me top scorer, was a sign of what I could do with the bat. Although I was still waiting for my first 5 wicket haul on Saturday or Sunday.

Last year was my breakthrough year I took my first 5 wicket haul and forced my way in to the 2nd XI for the first time. 34 games across the summer allowed me to bowl over 200 overs and take 41 wickets in all forms of the game. The 3rd XI once again dominated the league and I bowled tight early n the season and when the sunshine came I shone taking 4 for 21 in 9 overs not the 5 for I had been searching for but enough to bring me in to a faltering 2nd XI.

Off the back of a couple of consecutive losses it was not ideal time to come in to a side. I was also a second spinner but one of the better fielders in an ageing squad. Bowling in the second innings my start was good a wicket in my second over having just been hit for six but. This seemed to justify my selection and coming on to bowl before my older spin partner. A maiden followed but I was taken off following a slightly expensive over. The game then drifted and I wasn't called upon until the game was seemingly over and a tired over almost certainly finished the game. A duck and figures of 5-1-33-1 not great but a start.

My selection the next week was justified but under a caretaker captain who had seen little of my bowling on a day of near constant drizzle it was not a day for two spinners. Defending 247 I was given 5 overs at the end of the match going for 25. A strange decision but I didn't complain when picked for the 3rd XI when I returned from holiday. A slump for both myself and the team followed and in August I had taken just 1 wicket in 4 games not good for a spinner late in the summer. Finally in the last game of the season with the 3rd captain of the season for the 3rd XI I finally made my 5 for 43. Not bad considering I had 2 dropped catches off my bowling. This allowed me to finish with 21 league wickets @ 22.14.

Unfortunately until September I had a top score of 14 and only 1 other score over 10. My 4 final innings of the year yielded 74 including 21 off 21 balls in a 50 partnership and 27 off just 22 including my first ever 6 and a final over of the innings that I took for 10 despite being out 4th ball. This meant a league average of 7 but over 100 runs for the first time in my 3 year career.

I will be coming in to this season cold effectively as I have been at University and through a combination of lack of effort, Wednesday lectures and a dislike of the cricket team not been to many net sessions. Saturday will hopefully be my only friendly before I play league cricket later this Summer for my club. My goal this year is not a personal one like playing for the 2nd team or taking a certain number of wickets but to win promotion with the 3rd team. We have the captain from our previous promotion and a strong squad. I will miss the first 2 games during exams then play 2 and miss 1 more but hopefully I can influence the side and help us secure promotion.

Take a look at my stats for yourself http://oxtedlimpsfield.play-cricket.com/profile/statistics.asp?id=10817671

 

[JackPKDennison]

Notable matches an performances:

2007
vs Weybridge Vandals 3rd XI 16 runs and 6.1-1-29-3.
My first big contribution with the ball in a men's game.
vs Camberley 3rd XI 1 run and 9-0-23-3.
In front of England and Middlesex spinner Shaun Udal who was watching after the Camberley 1st XI had finished
vs Thames Ditton 3rd XI DNB and 11-2-24-0.
Some very economical figures that helped secure the league and promotion on the last day of the season

2008
vs East Molesey 3rd XI DNB and 9-1-34-3.
Some tidy bowling early season.
vs Epsom 3rd XI 17* and 5-0-15-0.
A last wicket partnership of 30 with me batting at 11.
vs Old Paulines 3rd XI DNB and 11-2-35-3.
3 late wickets not enough to secure victory in a draw.
vs Dorking 3rd XI DNB and 10-1-26-4.
7 wickets in two weeks as I came close to a 5 for but failing to get number 11.
vs Ashtead 3rd XI 31* and 5-0-59-0.
Terrible bowling with a wet ball in a poor game for the team but that 31 is still my highest league score.
vs Old Whitgiftians 3rd XI 22 and 2-0-12-0.
Runs at the top of the order but not much of an opportunity to bowl.

2009
vs Westfield Saints 1st XI DNB and 6-0-21-3.
Wickets in an outing for the 1st XI in a cup game.
vs Mitcham 3rd XI DNB and 9-1-24-4.
The performance that pushed me in to the 2nd XI.
vs Stoke D'Abernon 2nd XI 0 and 5-1-33-1.
My first games for the 2's and not a bad start despite one expensive over.
vs Streatham and Marlborough 3rd XI DNB and 10-0-43-5.
At last a 5 for.
vs Woodmansterne Sunday XI 27 and 8-1-37-2.
Top score for the season including a 6 in a tied game.

2010
vs Romany Sunday XI 1* and 5-26.
My first 5 wicket haul of the season in just my third game.
vs Merstham 3rd XI 2, 5-21 and 3 catches.
Failure with the bat but a man of the match performance with the ball.

 

[pcfan123]

6ft 5 and a spinner! Sounds really interesting, sort of a Suleman Benn element to it. Good luck this season, will be following closely. Sounds like your batting is underrated too, hope you get a few opportunities down the order.

 

[JackPKDennison]

With my bowling I get a lot of bounce and when I get some rip on a dry pitch its quite fun. I have a tendency to drop a bit short and get cut a lot by good batsmen. My batting is on a good day Graeme Swann and the rest of the time Monty Panesar I might of over hyped it.

 

[Jakester1288]

Good luck, looking forward to you keeping this going.

 

[JackPKDennison]

2nd XI vs Chipstead Coulsdon and Walcontonians 2nd XI.
DNB and 7-0-65-0
Lies, damned lies, and statistics rarely do I believe this but I fell quite justified to write this. Playing in a 2nd XI with three other spinners on a damp pitch with a wet ball I thought I did a lot better than figures suggest. I found myself bowling at their left handed captain who has just stepped down from the 1st team not ideal when looking for early season rhythm. Before he dispatched me for 4 sixes to a short leg side boundary I had him dropped by the 3rd XI captain at deep mid-wicket. He was a brutal batsman who seemed to punish me if I bowled two similar balls in one over. I could quite easily have had him LBW later on when bowling over the wicket tight to the stumps he missed a straight one but the umpire saw it differently.

I had sympathy after the game from a number of people but I have already been selected for the 3rd team next week after being persuaded once again to return from University and have my first away trip of the year. I don't suppose I will play anyone quite as good as Alan Clark for some while. On the bright side no dropped catches by myself to speak of just yet.

 

[pcfan123]

Ah sounds brutal, especially considering he was dropped. How was the drop? Skier on the boundary ropes?

 

[JackPKDennison]

Running around someone quicker would have got there 1 50/50 one in my book. The next ball he top edged me over the keeper sweeping also.

 

[JackPKDennison]

Today's pre-emptive report. It rained. I got drunk. I wasted revision time.

 

[pcfan123]

Today's pre-emptive report. It rained. I got drunk. I wasted revision time.

I was going to say "its a shame" but sounds like a good time.

 

[JackPKDennison]

3rd XI vs East Molesey 3rd XI

All three of my predictions were correct although I did manage to play cricket in between. Unfortunately it was not great for me or my team. Skittled for 83 in the second innings after a hard session in the field. Things started well for me and the team I managed to get myself in the gully after a good warm up and took an easy catch 3rd ball of the game as it was lobbed of the edge from a rising delivery. As we made early inroads I took another catch making me the clubs leading league catcher of the season. This was a bit more difficult again an edge to a short ball fended in the air. I had a few yards to make up and ended up going full length forwards to take the ball just of the ground the only thing I was worried about was the ball popping out as my elbows hit the ground.

With the exception of 1 batsmen they were similarly bad all the way down as the scorecard shows. I finally got to bowl when they were about 100 for 6 not a bad time to come on. My first three balls were shockers all long hops that went for several runs but I finished the over strongly. Bowling to a left hander I turned the ball sharply past the edge then on to the edge through gully and finally in the air to my skipper at cover. I bowled too many 4 balls but on a wet day I was just getting some rhythm when I came off 5-0-22-1 not great but better than it looked like it would be early on.

Our batting was abysmal. One score of 30 and three people in double figures. I umpired first and got a glimpse of the future giving our number 3 out LBW to a short ball that rolled. Later I got a similar fate LBW for 3 should have been more but I nailed a cut shot in to a strangely placed old man at silly point. Finally to make my day worse I watched our number 10 leave a straight one after hitting 3 consecutive 4'. My response was to laugh as we went to 82-9. My captain was not impressed and gave me a severe ticking off.

Playing today but not next week.

 

[JackPKDennison]

Sunday XI vs Romany

After only a few overs on Saturday I was a bit gutted not to get more so when I found out the Sunday side were short of players I was happy to play knowing I would bowl 10 overs. It may only have been a friendly but I returned to form with the ball taking 5-26. We batted first and badly but I was undefeated with 1 not out from 1 ball batting at 11. After moaning about this throughout the whole of tea I was allowed to open the bowling as we were only using 1 ball for the whole game.

The ball was 33 overs old and still offered some good bounce and I bowled with nice flight. I took my first wicket in my first over a stumping as the batsman walked past the ball attempting a drive. In my second over I took my second wicket again a stumping as the batsmen lost his balance and ell out of the crease. My third over was a disappointment going for nearly half my runs but I struck twice in the next over. First a fine slip catch from the overseas pro at slip. The ball before had been a drop at mid on and so I bowled a quick flat one that looked to have passed him until he went one handed to his left to pluck it out of the air. Later in that over I got some luck as long hop was hit straight at short cover who took another sharp catch.

My fifth wicket was in the 12th over of the innings bowled off another quicker ball as the batsman looked to cut. I also dismissed all the top 5 batsman not sure I'll ever do that again. I later had another catch dropped by the same man at mid on but I was happy to have taken 5.

Finally some gripes in the scorebook the opposition put byes down against the bowler so I'm pretty sure my figures should read 10-5-22-5. Also the scorecard shows them only having 10 men and misses my second stumping but I do have 5 wickets in the bowling section.

 

[darthlewis1]

I play for streatham and marlborough lol

 

[JackPKDennison]

I play for streatham and marlborough lol

Might see you on July 10th then?

 

[darthlewis1]

Might see you on July 10th then?

probably not though I play at under 15 level but maybe when I go up to the Seniors next year