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Result - The Turks

Sun Sep 13th The Grannies win by 97 runs

Match report

The final fixture of the Grannies 2020 season was played out on a sun baked pitch in Horsmonden. The whole occasion felt more West Indian than West Kent(ian) with the smell of BBQs, the questionable herb growing out of the south end of the pavilion, the sun beating down and the calypso cricket on display.

Sadly, James Caldwell had to withdraw due to a clash with another fielder whilst playing the day before. Sean Keaton answered the 11th hour call and was a more than able stunt double for James.

The skipper got the Grannies off to a flyer, losing the toss, being inserted and then being run out without facing a ball.

Billy Maisey was joined at the wicket by Josh Lawrence, new to the Grannies this season, and together they set about the Turks attack with real intent, hitting all bowlers to all corners of the field. Clean hitting and smart running were constant throughout the Grannies innings.

Josh departed for a well-made 25 off just 16 balls. Peter S-W kept up the momentum with a run a ball 11. Sean Keaton upped the ante with 59 of 45 balls. Toby Sykes weighed in with 16 off 20 balls. Richard Williams sadly came and went without troubling the scorers, whilst Darren Almeida was the last Granny in and enjoyed a run a ball 4.

Billy Maisey was the mainstay of the Grannies innings. He faced both the first and the last ball of the innings and muscled his way to a chanceless 192* off only 113 balls. As ludicrous as it may sound, given the 169% strike rate, Billy’s innings was well paced and packed with proper cricket shots. It was a joy to watch, sending the Grannies to tea with a spring in their step and 332 runs on the board off just 35 overs.

Will Dunn and Tom Bell opened the bowling for the Grannies. Both were in the wickets early; Tom in his first over, removing their number 2 for a duck, Will in his second over with a wicket maiden.

The teenage Turk, who had changed to keep wicket after aggravating a shoulder injury part way through the first innings, hit his first ball for four but in the process of doing so aggravated his injury further and had to retire hurt.

This all meant that wickets were falling at regular intervals and with a mountain of runs on the board the Grannies were sitting pretty.

The Turks had their own would-be Billy Maisey in the shape of the young Beaumont who had bowled 7 overs of spin with great skill and was aggressive from the outset. He dealt almost exclusively in boundaries reaching 69 off just 24 balls before Will Dunn combined with Toby ‘gun fielder’ Sykes to remove him.

The remainder of the Turks’ innings was a tale of feast or famine with scores of 1, 32, 0, 81, 8, 30. Richard Williams got into the match by bowling one of the batsmen who was feasting, Darren Almeida chipped in with a wicket to add to his run a ball batting display.

Toby Sykes and Billy Maisey combined as spin twins, extinguishing the Turks’ hopes of forcing a result as they ended up on 235 for 11, (the 12-year-old son of their match manager having come in to have a dash at the end.)

The final bowling figures were:

W Dunn 7 overs 1 maiden 41 runs, 2 wickets
T Bell 7 overs, 0 maidens, 55 runs, 2 wickets
R Williams 7 overs, 0 maidens 45 runs, 1 wicket
D Almeida 7 overs, 0 maidens, 64 runs, 1 wicket
T Sykes 2.5 overs, 1 maiden, 15 runs, 3 wickets
B Maisey 2 overs, 0 maidens, 9 runs, 0 wickets

It was a classic Grannies match with everyone either batting or bowling or both. Ant Dunn was heavily involved in the field, with the ball seemingly following him around – he threw himself around the outfield (in the skipper’s whites) with great gusto and to great effect.

Thanks go to The Turks who were jovial hosts as ever, as well as to the Chairman who came to spectate before umpiring at square leg.

It was a hugely enjoyable fixture to bring an end to a truly unforgettable season.

Match info

Also playing, in addition to the named players:

Anthony Dunn

Location
Horsmonden CC,
Horsmonden,
TN12 8NH

How to get there
Horsmonden lies between the A228 and A229.

The ground is on the east side of the Maidstone Road as you head north out of Horsmonden.