Clean Sweep!

Women’s Success Bookend Stunning Weekend for the Nomads 10^th and 11^th June 2023

 

In a nod to the Spring newsletter, I have been very keen to correct a wrong and that was not featuring our Women’s section during 2022.  As we all bask in the glow of something very special last weekend our Ladies were very much part of that and as you will agree are an important and integral part of the Nomad family.

The Nomads are doing something right in 2023 in fact they are doing a lot of things right! It seems that our winter recruitment programme is bearing fruit and we now have the personal at all levels to field four very strong sides. Indeed, our skippers and selection party are having pleasant ‘headaches’ each week with a bounty of players to choose from.  As alluded to in the previous round up a Clean Sweep seemed just around the corner and on Saturday it duly arrived as the Nomad juggernaut gathered pace!!!

Settle back and enjoy a good read!

Ninja’s Win on Saturday Morning at Southwick.

Nomads 329, Southwick 242
Southwick Green was lit up this morning and the Sheila’s were in a spin…
Both teams were keen to field first and avoid the heat but having lost the toss (again 😞) Nomads proved cool under pressure with the bat.
Crowds gathered as the Nomads ladies reached the boundaries time and time again.
We were boosted by a mid-innings visit by superstar Cobo and his encouragement helped us reach a healthy 329.

Half time watermelon from our generous hosts helped to reenergise the ninjas ready for the heat in the field.
The ninjas turned up the pressure and did not stop…
Wickets kept falling with the brilliant bowling from all of the ladies especially our ‘junior senior ladies crew’. Catches stuck and wicket keeper Nicola was on fire with 2 catches in a row.
The fielding was slick and extras kept to a minimum…we are listening and learning each game from coach Mal.

Southwick kept plugging away but were unable to get close and finished their innings on 242. A convincing win for Nomads played in the best of spirits against a friendly opposition…

‘One of the best games I have played in’ said one of our junior girls…nothing more to add!

Report from the Skipper Mrs Hutchingson

Bowman said ‘it was a hugely entertaining batting performance from the team with lots of runs scored. Ninja’s, huge congrats on the W.  Women’s cricket is in rude health here in Sussex, keep playing well, training hard and the world is your oyster!’

Women’s Hard Ball Team Won in the Slam on Sunday. Away at St Peters CC

After a nice 27 not out from skipper Malorie Short Nomads settled on 117 for 4 after 16 overs.  D Hall and K Bradshaw looked to be taking the hosts over the line, but Nomads dug in well and it all came down to the last ball of the match.

Nomads joyously held on to take themselves into third place in the league!

1^st Team Get Back on Track at the SCMG. Great win against East Grinstead.

Our 1^st team were in powerful form at the SCMG with both Ball and Bat against an ultra-competitive and top of the Sussex Prem EG squad.  Nav, Nathan,Zach, AOB and Jonty all had brilliant days out there on the North Square.

Nav Talks us Through It!

Was an outstanding weekend to be a Nomad!
1st team faced the tough ask of hosting top of the league East Grinstead who are a very polished and skilful side.
I won the toss and bowled. Despite the heat the energy from the lads was fantastic and relentless. This led to pressure and eventually wickets. Despite a 10th wicket resistance, the boys stuck at it and kept focus. To end up bowling Grinstead out for 175 was a monumental effort. AOB with 4 wickets, myself 3, Biz 1 and jonty got 2 run outs.
Batting wise we’ve always talked about application and that’s exactly what our two openers in Nathan and Zach showed.
They were clinical in the way they went about the chase. Punished loose balls for boundaries and hit the good balls for singles. It was shame Zach fell with only 9 runs to win but their two innings were quite brilliant to watch.
A 9 wicket win against Grinstead was very pleasing and should give the lads a lot of confidence and belief.
We are now focussed on probably the toughest assignment of the season to date when we take on Horsham at their fortress on Saturday.

Bowman said ‘Nathan and Zach you read the morning memo. I was crying out for our top order to get greedy and stick around for as long as possible (you know you enjoyed that !!!). Hopefully this will be the blueprint going forward and you guys in the middle order might not be getting much a bat on a Saturday afternoon. In addition, I understand that Nav was ‘unplayable!’.  We go again on Saturday, see you there!’

Twos Win at Seaford Div 3.

We were all over that yesterday.  Please see the website and socials for more!

Threes Go Back to Back at Hassocks.  Motoring up Division 6

After a couple of bumps in the road our Threes seem to be getting their Division 6 promotion tilt back on track after taking out back to back wins.  After electing to field Ombaashi fired out three for 28. In reply the skipper himself took responsibility with a well crafted undefeated half century.  The performance was complete!!!

Fas explains all!

On a hot Saturday afternoon we turned up at keymer & Hassocks with a very decent team and of course with high confidence from  a very dominating victory over rottingdean the previous week.
When I looked at the wicked it looked very hard but green so I was very unsure how it would play. With the batting depth we had in the squad and the records we have with chasing totals it was very clear in my mind that if we won the toss I would definitely put the opposition into bat first. And of course i won the toss and didn’t hesitate at all and asked the oppo skipper to bat first.
We opened up with ombaashi and our American overseas shishir who both bowled with a lot of aggression and discipline. Ombaashi removed their opener in the 3rd over with a quality slow ball after a few fiery fast balls and bamboozled their opener. Shishir also picked up a sensational wicked from a quality catch at point from sam mastu. After the first 10 overs the home team were 30 odd for 3 and a perfect start for us. Charlie Davies then replaced ombaashi from one end and Jamie Patrick from the other end replacing shishir. Again we bowled with good wicket to wicket deliveries and kept the hosts very quite and didn’t let them go over 4 an over. Jamie was very unlucky not to get wickets as it seemed he was bowling to good for the opposition. Charlie also bowled well picking up a wicket. After 20 overs keymer were about 70 odd and needed to put the paddle down if they were going to get any decent score. Jonah (legend) then took over Charlie and bowled out his quota of 8 in one spell and was as professional as he always is and also picking up a crucial wicket. Jonah should have had 2 if I didn’t drop one ( sorry jonah).
Their skipper who was bowled by ombashi in the 48th over scored a vital 87 for them and with regular wickets falling for them keymer ended up with 179/7.
Aur second innings saw aur openers Chris Baker and Micheal English got us off to a flying start as we were 35 after the first 4 overs. Micheal English was bowled in the 5th over by a delivery that didn’t  bounce even 6 inches off the floor. GCB then joined Chris and played like a pro along side Chris, who were both punishing any bad balls bowled. Chris was later dismissed for 30 and looked very annoyed as he was looking for another big one. Jamie then went in and was soon dismissd by a very thin edge to the keeper. Sam then joined gcb and was looking very sharp and eager to score runs. Unfortunately soon Sam creamed one to point and was utterly disappointed as he was looking very good. Then I went in and looking at the score we needed 99 of 23 overs. Run rate was not the issue we just need to bat through and take advantage of the bad balls. A few overs later GCB was also bowled while making a very handy 30. Waqar then joined me and was aggressive from the very first ball. The 3rd ball he faced was sent for a 6 over the bowlers head. It was a very big out field and 2s and 3s very easly taken. I just told waqar to count down 10 runs at a time and just look for bad balls. We briskly chased the target down in the 32nd over.

 

Bowman says ‘I am just loving the Threes vibe again this season. Fas’s infectious enthusiasm and also telling it straight is having a galvanising effect on the players. I am sure the boys are really enjoying their cricket.  For me Fas’s determined 2023 tilt on double promotion might be a little over ambitious but I will be extremely happy for him to prove me wrong. Go Threes!!!!’

Fours on the Charge  Div 9  Home win against Staplefield

Bowman says ‘I think, as a club, we can all be very proud of how the Fours are turning things around this season. They had been the whipping boys over the past two season’s but Stephen has quality and now experienced youngsters and a wealth of old hands to call upon. Plus, Mike Burney seems to be finding batting quite easy at this time and ‘cool hand’ Luke is taking wickets, long may it all continue!’

The Skipper ‘Enjoying being the Captain of an Improving Team!

Staplefield – 10 June 20232 – Fulking
It was a hot one at Fulking. All the advice to the skipper was “win the toss and bat”…I  lost the toss and we took to the field!
Continuing where we had left off last week, the opening bowlers kept tight lines. So tight that Darren had 2 LBW’s and Mal must have been very close. Great effort by both to do a 9 over opening spell in the heat and at about 75-2 we were feeling good. The batters then changed tempo, taking risks and the heat began to wear us down. The middle third was firmly against us, although a great catch by Gary saw the batting partnership change just before the second drinks break.
Fortunately we were able to call upon Luke Owen, supported by Gary to ease us back into the game over the last third. Luke was tremendous, bowling a very tight line and as a consequence, the batters took the ariel route. Great catches from Mike and the Skipper (you know when it goes high in the air, with bright sunshine and no-one calls for the catch…) together with 2 direct hits meant Luke had a 5fer: 7 overs; 5 wickets; 26 runs.  We took tea with 211 required.
Graham and Tate opened confidently and fuelled by some “width” in the bowling from the opposition, we were soon approaching 50 off 6 overs before the opening bowler surprised Graham with a straight ball! There were 18 extras on the board (and come the end of the game 45 runs in the extras column). Mike Burney and Tate then proceeded to play with great confidence and take the runs required as the bowling allowed. Then as the heat took its toll on the opposition, the score began to accumulate more quickly. Tate got 50; Mike 90* and Adam Rowland was rewarded with a couple of balls at the end having spent the whole innings with his pads on waiting! We finished the game in 26 overs.
For the second week running, the bowlers had set the foundations for a solid win. All gave focus to bowling tight lines, Luke was brilliantly straight and caused wickets to happen. Our fielding and catching was superb which demonstrates the benefits of practice (although Danny using his chin was probably a little beyond the call of duty). It is great to skipper a team who are playing well together, winning and improving.

 

To sum up the weekend.

Wow, you guys are on the charge and winning makes my job a whole lot easier!   And as alluded to last week there are a whole plethora of people working tirelessly behind the scenes making this whole club tick. You guys winning will make them feel 100% better about their work and consequently Preston Nomads Cricket Club can only get stronger and stronger as a unit and a Family. But obviously the 10^th and 11^th June is just the start of a hectic schedule. We will all have to work even harder on our game’s and at training to maintain this momentum. Remember do the boring simple things well and consistently the big stuff will take care of itself. Have a great week and finally its Extra’s Watch!

Extras Watch (League Only)

1^st Team  week 1 19 week 2 18 week 3  26  week 4 30 week 5 14

2^nd Team week 1  23 week 2 18 week 3  15  week 4 32 week 5 19

3^rd Team  week 1  39 week 2 35 week 3  19  week 4 47!! week 5 32

4^th Team week 1   12 week 2  26 week 3  34 week 4 24  week 5 25

Guys a huge improvement but there is still a lot ‘tidying up’ to be done. Let’s get that 90 down to 60 ASAP.

Cobo 12^th June 2023