Match Reports 2000

Match Reports 

Tamworth Herald 21st April 2000

Elford Cricket Club is once again gearing up to the start of the new season. The club is embarking on a promising season with teams at all levels competing in local leagues and tournaments. The juniors will be hoping to build on last season's hugely impressive form with sides ranging from Under 11s, U13s, U15s and the reformation of the U17 side. At a senior level the 1 st team, led by Ben Hughes, will be pushing for promotion in the highly competitive Burton & District League Division 2, while the seconds under the captaincy of Dave Riley will be hoping to build on last seasons highs and lows in division 3. The Sunday side under the new captaincy of Danny Haines are aiming their expectations high after last seasons performances in the Lichfield League Division 3. The club this year will also be fielding a side in the Tamworth Midweek League Division 2 with fixtures starting in early May. New faces are always welcome, and anyone interested in joining this local and friendly team at any level can contact either Ben Hughes on 01827 383279 or Danny Haines on 01827 873471.

Tamworth Herald 5th May 2000

ELFORD 2nds VS MARCHINGTON 2nds

Elford CC 2nds got their league campaign under way with a home fixture against last season's relegation victims Marchington 2nds. Not only was this Elfords first game of the year it was also the only fixture to be completed in the whole of the Burton & District League.

Marchington won the toss and won the game on the decision to put Elford into bat on a very sodden early season pitch. Despite fielding a strong side Elford crashed, losing wickets from the onset. Only the stubborn resistance of the old boy due of John Ross (20) and Skipper Dave Riley (16) managed to tame the early Marchington attack. Tim Whitehouse went on to score the highest tally of the day reaching 22 before being bowled. Elfords innings finally finished on 95 ao, a score that was helped by 4 ducks!

In reply Elford got off to a good start as last seasons injury victim Mick Hodgekinson stormed back to form taking 3 for 24 off 11 overs. Meanwhile last terms leading 1 st team wicket taker, Rob Drabble, demoted into the 2nds sent a warning to the Firsts as he claimed 2 wickets for 9 runs off 11 overs, (8 of which were maidens!). Despite this Marchington took control of the lose Elford bowling especially from James Found who handed them 8 no balls in 1 over alone as well as an ever drying wicket. Marchington finally finished on 96 –7 taking home 9 points.

ELFORD Vs LULLINGTON PARK

The Sunday side also got their first fixture of the season as they entertained local rivals Lullington in a friendly. To the surprise of Skipper Danny Haines Lullington decided to bat first on a dubious looking early season track. However the opening Lullington batsman (D Greene 42 & W Chapman 15) batted very steadily and built on solid foundation for the rest of the team to build on. However Elford managed to swing the game back in their favour as they dismissed Lullington for a mere 110. Ant Wright 3 for 12 and Danny Haines 3 for 16 did the damage for Elford. However despite watching the mistakes of the teams that have played on the pitch this year Elford did nothing to improve them as they crashed heavily to a dismal 48 ao, with not even 1 player reaching double figures. Steady batting was the lesson of the day, which Lullington put to better use than Elford on a very low scoring track.

Tamworth Herald 12th May 2000

Elford Vs Tutbury 2nds

Elford Crashed to an 8 wicket home defeat at the hands of Tutbury 2nds in the Burton and District Division 2. Once again the pitch played a huge role in the outcome of the game as Elford soon found out. Stand in skipper Brian Found fell victim to a golden duck with the first ball of the game. However the partnership of John Ross and Malcolm Prince steadied the ship as the pair guided Elford past the early swing bowling from Tutbury. However a middle order collapsed ensues as Elfords innings nose-dived as the batsman couldn't get to grips with the tight bowling on a low bouncing pitch. Elfords innings finally faltered at 75 ao. In reply Tutbury made steadily reached the target of 75 with the loss of only 2 wickets, although it took them the best part of 35 overs to reach it. Rob Drabble picked up his third wicket of the year with creditable figures of 1 –12 off 12 overs. Gaz Allen and Danny Haines also bowled tightly but in vain.

Woodville 2 nd Vs Elford 2nds

There was little to cheer about with the Second XI as they were thumped 12 points to nil by Derbyshire outfit Woodville. Batting first Woodville made 106 – 7, with only seem bowler Tony Allen making any real in roads into the Woodville batsman. He finished with senior career best figures of 4 –40 off 9 overs. Earlier Jamie Woodall had bowled well taking 2 – 36 off 11 0vers.

However the Elford top order crashed to 34 –7, with only opener Eric Dodd reaching double figures with 13. It wasn't until Skipper Dave "granddad" Riley (28*) steadied the ship with youngster Rob Vickers that Elford started to climb the runs tally. The pair put on 34 before Vickers was caught on 20. The father & son due of Dave and Tom Riley continued Elford chase for a solitary point before the pair ran out of overs reaching 101 – 9, 5 runs short of a point. A hefty fine for Riley family for "point" evasion!

Elford Vs Acton Trussell

The clubs spirit was some what lifted with a creditable performance against Acton Trussell in the opening game in the Lichfield league.

Batting first Acton had an early scare as Gaz Allen took his first wicket of the year in only the third over. From 6 –1 Acton marched to 148 –2 before skipper Danny Haines finally made a break through literally as he broke a stump in the process of bowling the Acton opener McGee. The eventual introduction of the dubiously injured Ant Wright helped hold Acton to 208 –6 as he claimed 20 – 3. Earlier Tony Allen and Jamie Woodall had bowled well to contain the Acton attack.

Elford found themselves in a familiar situation as they slipped to 29 – 2 before Ben Hughes 42 and Gaz Allen 35 smashed their way to 85 – 3. A middle order collapse ensued as Elford slumped to 140 – 9 until Ant Wright and James Tooze came to the rescue. Wright hit his first half-century and Tooze remained unbeaten on 13 while the pair put a partnership of 64 on. However needing 7 off the final over Wright was caught leaving Acton with a 4 run win. An encouraging display for an ever-improving young Elford side.

Tamworth Herald 19th May 2000

Elford Vs Belvedere Park 2nds

Elford notched up their first win of the season with a 3 wicket win over Burton outfit Belvedere Park.

On a glorious sunny May afternoon it came to no surprise that after winning the toss Belvedere elected to bat. However tight bowling from the opening bowlers, especially Ant Wright (2 for 10 off 7) restricted the Belvedere top order from racing away with the game. A wicket a piece from Drabble, Allen, Haines and Found all helped to peg down the opposition from getting into a dominant position. Ben Hughes second spell brought a flurry of wickets and conclusion to the innings as he finished with figures of 3 for 29 off 7.

Chasing 164 to win, Elford lost early wickets as M Prince and J Ross fell in quick secession leaving Elford at 26 – 2. However the combination of G Allen and Skipper Ben Hughes proved yet another success as they smashed their way to 93 –4. At that point the game could have gone either way but sensible batting from Steve Found and youngster Stu Mcnish led Elford to a deserved victory and 9 well earned points.

Coppice Unity Vs Elford 2nds

The seconds also clinched a victory in a tight affair with local rivals Coppice Unity. Batting first E Dodd (46) and R Wright (22) made a solid foundation for the rest of the Elford batsman to build upon. Newcomer Alex Burt made an early impression as he hit 34 in only his second game for the club, while youngster James Found was lucky to score his record total of 49 not out, as he forgot to carry his bat to the wicket!

In reply Coppice made 199 – 6 led by Mick Burdetts 107. Fellow newcomer Brian Rogerson claimed 2 for 36 while Tim Whitehouse took the other wickets supported by good bowling from the increasingly improving Tony Allen. A tight 3 run win and 8 valuable points for the seconds.

Armitage 2nds Vs Elford Sunday XI

The Sunday side also picked up their first win of the year making it 3 out of 3 for the club this weekend. Batting first Elford made 171 – 9 after 45 overs. Brian Found was the leading run scorer as he hit 47. He was well supported by the Woodall brothers (Jamie and Ben) who hit 19 a piece. Dave Riley 18* helped ease the score to 171 with the help of Riley Jnr.

In reply Armitage threatened to take the points before Ben Hughes rounded off a good personal weekend taking 4 – 13 off 9. Armitage subsequently crashed from 82 –2 to 122 ao leaving a jubilant Sunday side with a 49 run win and 9 points.

Tamworth Herald 26th May 2000

Barton 2nds Vs Elford

Elford continued their winning streak with a compressive 99 run victory in a rain soaked affair at Barton. After last weeks win over 1 st placed Belvedere Elford travelled to lowly Barton in Division 2. Batting first Elford contrived to get themselves into trouble slipping to 17 – 3 before Brian Found and Ben Woodall (in his first Saturday appearance of the season) scored 134 for the 5 th wicket partnership. Found finished on 81 while Woodall scored 63. It was left to the lower order to chip pushing the score to 211 – 8 helped by John Ross 16 in an unusual short amount of time!

In reply Barton never got to grips with the tight Elford bowling attack as well as the rain which seemed to fall relentlessly throughout the second innings. Ants Wright 2 – 8 off 7 and Brian Found 4 – 21 off 8 were the chief destroyers. Ben Woodall and Danny Haines also bowled tightly picking up a wicket a piece. Barton finally claimed a solitary point in the final over reaching 112 – 9. 11 points for Elford, which leaves them 8th in the league but only 5, points a drift of 1 st place.

Elford 2nds Vs Kings Bromley

The seconds were also looking to build on last weeks win with a division 3 game with lasts seasons relegation victims Kings Bromley. Batting first Elford reached 173 ao with top scores of 24 from Eric Dodd and newcomer Brian Rogerson. Skipper Dave Riley also chipped in with 19. In reply Kings Bromley looked dangerous as they raced to 130 –2 before the rain came down leaving each team with 3 points. Rogerson was the pick of the bowlers taking 2 –25 off 8.

Elford VS Great Wyrley

The Sunday side was also in a buoyant mood after last weeks win at Armitage. Entertaining Great Wyrley, the Elford side was comprised of a team with an average age of 16, (the oldest playing being 20!) However the youthful Elford team demolished Wyrley 11 – 1 on points claiming a well deserved 7 wicket win. Wyrley batting fist made 144 – 7 off their 45 overs with 16 year old Alex Gray taking 4 – 20 off 9. He was backed up well by G Allen, D Haines and T Riley. It was left to Gray to then knock off the Wyrley total scoring unbeaten 86 in 77 balls. Sensible batting from Boden and Wright helped claim the extra points for Elford as they reached the total in ease with 17 overs still remaining. 24 points out of 3 games compared to 8 points at the same point last year. A very encouraging weekend all round for the club.

Tamworth Herald June 16th 2000

Elford Vs Cannock & Rugeley 2nds

he Sunday side extended their winning streak with a 4 wicket win over league rivals Cannock and Rugeley. Elford haven't lost since the opening game of the season in the league and are now pushing for promotion.

The visitors were sent in to bat and worked hard against some tight and accurate bowling from Ant Wright and Tony Allen. However it was the superb fielding that saved Elford so many runs as every player including the stand in wicket keeper Gaz Allen did their bit to ensure the Cannock batsman were frustrated. The introduction of veteran Brian Found helped bog the batsman down he consistently put the ball on the spot to return very economical figures of 1for 22 off 9. Ant Wright also bowled well picking up 2 wickets while skipper Danny Haines battled his way through for 3 wickets. Cannock eventually finished on 153 –9.

In reply Cannock got off to a flyer as Rob Wright was stunningly caught off the 2 nd ball. However Elford settled down as Brian Found and Gaz Allen took control putting 75 on for the 4 th wicket. Allen was eventually caught on 55, (an innings that included only5 singles!). The final irony came as the scores went level with Elford only needing 1 run to win Brian Found was bowled 1 short of his half century as well as losing Elford a point. To the amusement of the rest of the team skipper Danny Haines went in to face 1 ball and score the winning run. Another very pleasing and encouraging result for a very young side.

Saturday 1sts

Elford Vs Trentside 2nds

Out of action for two weeks due to the weather, Elford finally extended their winning streak with a comfortable 61 run win over Burton side Trentside.

Batting first Elford started steadily with the experienced partnership of Malcolm Prince and John Ross. The pair saw off the opening bowlers before Prince was bowled for 7. Sensible batting in the middle order eased Elford to 110 – 4 off 35 overs before Steve Found (19) and Matt Perry (18) pushed the score on to 161 ao. Skipper Ben Hughes had earlier top scored on 29 followed by Ben Woodall on 22. A reasonable score due to the uncertain bounce encountered early on.

In reply Trentside never quite got to grips to the tight Elford seem attack as Rob Drabble and Ben Woodall destroyed the Trentside batsman as the pair both took 4 wickets a piece. Trentside were eventually skittled for 100 runs in the 33 rd over. Another very encouraging result for Elford who now move in to the top 5 for the first time in 2 years.

Saturday 2nds

Packington Vs Elford 2nds

The 2nds didn't suffer such good fortune as they travelled to 1 st placed Packington in Division 3. Despite boasting a strong Elford 2 nd XI on paper the "dream team" slipped to a disappointing 70 run defeat. Batting first Packington scored 189 – 7 in their 45 overs. Harcombe playing in his first game for Elford in 2 years, (bowled 1 over of blistering pace before steadying off to gentle left arm over), finished with reasonable figures of 2 – 39 off 10, while Haines (dropped in to the 2nds) proved he could still bowl taking 3 – 50 off 11. Tim Whitehouse also bowled well for his 2 wickets.

In reply the strong batting line up was living up to expectations as Dodd (24) and Whitehouse (19) coped well with the Packington attack. However from 59 – 2 Elford slumped in true tradition to 85 – 7 despite some dubious and unlucky decisions. In the end it was left to Harcombe and Riley to salvage some club pride claiming 2 points before the side was bowled out for 119. Skipper Dave Riley took the lime light as his innings of 27 came off 81 balls and was scored in 1 hour 15 mins! He had earlier taken two fine catches to surprise of the 10 Elford players and the batsman!

Tamworth Herald 23rd June 2000

Tamworth Herald 30th June 2000

Sunday 25 th June

Elford Sunday XI Vs Walton

Elford continued their push for promotion in the Lichfield & District Division 3 with an 83 run victory over first placed Walton. In a game that would decide the two top spots at the half way mark of the season Elford came out eventually much the stronger of the two sides.

Batting first Elford found themselves in early difficulties as Ant Wright was caught behind early on, shortly followed by older brother Rob who was comically run out on 6. Opener James Boden (23) and Ben Hughes pushed the score on, as Elford raced to the half century mark with in only 11 overs gone. However a quick middle collapse which saw the score topple to 86 – 5. It was left to the lower order batsman to steady the innings and take the game back to Elfords advantage. Matt Perry (12) and Danny Haines (4) hung around to see the opening bowlers off before a superb display from last minute call up James Found (42), Tony Allen (11) and last weeks opener Stu Mcnish (12 not out) pushed the game on to 183 all out.

In reply Elford reverted to the bowling due of Gaz Allen and skipper Danny Haines, and it wasn't long before the pair started to take wickets. At one point Walton had been reduced to 27 –4 before a middle order slog, smashed their way to 68 – 5. By this point Allen was bowling so well that a 4 th slip was brought around and still leaving the solitary leg side fielder with nothing to do! Allen eventually finished with figures of 4 – 35 off 9 while Haines was slightly more economically (especially compared to Saturday!) with 2 – 29 off 9. In the end it was left to Ant Wright and Tony Allen to polish off the Walton tail demolishing them for only 100 runs. Elfords 5 th win in a row on a Sunday leaving them with 58 points from 7 games.

Saturday 24 th June

Elford Vs Robirch Phoenix

Elford maintained their push on a top two spot in the Burton League division 2 with a 15 run win over lowly Robirch. Batting first, Elfords innings was led by veteran Brian Found (54) and Skipper Ben Hughes (44), as the pair put on 80 runs for the 3 rd wicket partnership. Gaz Allen (40) and "pinch hitter" Craig Harcombe (41) also helped Elford reach 218 – 9 off 45 overs. Rob Drabble managed to entertain the crowd as he placed the ball into orbit before injuring the poor fielder trying to catch the ball. The irony being that the fielder was Robirch's main strike bowler. In reply Elford struggled to contain Robirch early on and despite a dubious run out that was not given Elford did well to Keep Robirch down. However with wickets falling Robirch could never properly get into their stride and eventually Elford were able to bowl them out for 203, only 15 runs short of the home teams total. The pick of the Elford bowling attack were Gaz Allen 3-20 off 3.4 overs and Ben Hughes 3 – 62 off 11 overs, while Ant Wright was economical with 1 for 25 off 8. Elford now move up to 7th bouncing back from last weeks defeat.

Birch Coppice Vs Elford 2nds

Elford 2nds threatened the league record books for all the wrong reasons as Birch Coppice scored 313 – 0! Openers Barry Barnes 137 not out and Carl Ford 136 not out set the highest opening partnership in the league as the highest ever partnership in the league.This reporter can describe how bad the performance was but can say that in Elfords defence, Coppice batted superbly and very correctly on their pitch, using to their advantage the short boundaries. Birch Coppice only gave one chance away, which was dropped early on. It also should be added that Elfords fielding was abysmal and gave them 30 to 40 runs. In reply 10 men Elford were bowled out for little over a 100 runs. Only the injured Eric Dodd (32) and (the comically run out) Danny Haines (22) managed to put up any resistance. Shot of the day though went to youngster James Tooze who put two consecutive 6s back over the bowler's head.

Tamworth Herald 7th July 2000

Acton Trussell Vs Elford Sunday XI

Elfords chances of a 6 th consecutive win were dashed by the weather after another dazzling performance by Elford in the field. After putting the home side into bat, Acton Trussell were quickly frustrated and it wasn't long before Tony Allen made an early breakthrough. Meanwhile older brother Gary bowled superbly from the other end to hold back the Acton openers. In the end he finally took the wicket he deserved in his last over with only 1 ball to go of his spell. He finally finished with the economical figures of 1 for 8 off 9. Tony Allen finished with 2 for 14 off 7. Ant Wright had a rare off day before Danny Haines came on, pegging the middle order and eventually taking a wicket. It was then left to Ben Hughes 2 for 34 and James Found 2 for 14 to rattle through the lower order in reduce Acton to 132 for 9. A very small score for a ground, which normally sees at least 250, runs an innings. However the rain eventually reached Acton Trussell at Tea and play was abandoned in the middle of a thunderstorm leaving a very frustrated Elford to settle with 3 points.

Hartshorne Vs Elford

The first slipped to a 45 run defeat at Derbyshire outfit Hartshorne. Ten men Elford had done much of the hard work in reducing Hartshorne to only 205 –6 off their 45 overs with creditable bowling performances by Skipper Ben Hughes And Craig Harcombe. However after a flying start from Brian Found and John Ross Elford let their attack slip and let the middle order collapse. Only Ben Hughes 33 and youngster Ant Wright 35 managed to take the game back at Hartshorne. An unlucky run out and a rash shot later, Elford finally found themselves all out for only 166 settling for 3 points.

Elford 2nds Vs Hartshorne 2nds

The seconds also suffered defeat in a good-humoured affair with bottom outfit Hartshorne in Division 3. Batting first any doubts over a wet pitch were extinguished when Danny Haines's first ball went flying over the batsman's head! A fine bit of tandem bowling between Danny Haines and Tony Allen managed to hold back Hartshorne, but failed to make a brake through and allowed the openers to settle in. However youngster Rob Vickers found the stumps and bowled well claiming 2 for 17 off 6, while Whitehouse took 1 for 38 off 8. In the end it was left to Haines to polish off the middle order taking 4 for 40 off 11.