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Ashling v Magpies

28th August 2006

Magpies 109 all out; Ashling 113-6 (Ashling won by 4 wickets)

Stone 4-18, Loubser 3-35; Jones 58

For the second consecutive year the name of Ashling Cricket Club will be engraved on the Ashlings cup. A fine day's cricket was crowned with Nick Jones finishing his matchwinning innings of 58 with a cracking drive for four through the off side. As ever the game was played in a tremendous spirit of sportsmanship and cameraderie.

It was a day in which every Ashling player can be said to have played their part. Magpies batted first as Ashling felt that with a strong batting line-up they would always be better chasing a score. As it happened, Ashling's bowling and fielding were top-notch throughout and Magpies low total of 109 was due in no small part to the effort of the fielding side.James Ford (4-1-9-1) and Craig Mason (8-3-20-1) pinned down the batsmen and were unlucky not to take further wickets. 14 year-old Matt Stone, appearing in his final game before returning to Millfield School bamboozled successive batsmen with his line and length and ended up with the remarkable figures of 6.4-2-18-4 including the valuable wicket of Adrian McCarty who made 39. At the other end Nick Jones was giving nothing away conceding only 11 runs in his 8 overs. Matt Sleep (5-2-9-1) got rid of the stubborn Styles for 20, before Nic Loubser (5-0-35-3) mopped up a flailing tail who were by now swinging at everything as the overs ran out.

After the early departure of Simmonds, Steve Harvey and Loubser set about seeing off the threat of the wily veteran Craigwell (8-4-6-3); the job appeared to be done before Craigwell took the priceless wickets of Loubser (16) and Sleep (0) in successive balls, the last two of his final over, to leave him on a hat-trick next season! It was Nick Jones who took the game to Magpies and started steering Ashling towards victory. Harvey stuck around for 25 overs for his 15, and when he was finally out Ashling still had plenty of batting to support Jones to the end. Paul Colley contributed a steady 8 and Matt Stone remained unbeaten on 3 at the end before the dancing began on the streets of East and West Ashling.