Marsh Gibbon Cricket Club

Marsh Gibbon Originals travelled to Fringford on Saturday looking for their second win in as many games. With the weather set fair and a strong team on the park, Stu won the toss and decided to make first use with the bat on what turned out to be a very good batting surface. Welcoming back Tom Leonard from his recent disease and youngster Cameron Wakelin into the team, the average age of the line-up decreased considerably, as Gibbon started watchfully with the opening pair of Sat and Joe making steady progress. When Joe went, Gibbon succombed to the recent trend of losing a wicket in quick succession to leave things looking a little shaky at 40-odd for 2. When Sam went for 4, it was down to Stu and Will to steady the ship, mindful of the fact that a good score was needed. The ‘quiet asassin’ Will batted superbly, nudging the ball around to manipulate the field, whilst hitting some lovely boundaries to show further his potential, while Stu looked to consolidate and hit at the right time, looking to give the hitters something to go at towards the last 10 overs of the innings. With plenty of encouragement from the travelling band, Will (35) batted with style to reach his top score for Marsh, which brought Steve to the wicket for a perfect cameo of power hitting with a quickfire 29, including one lovely maximum. Stu reached his 50, by no means his most fluid, as the consensus was that the old piece of willow was finally giving up the ghost…….Crouchy……get that bat for me boy! Gibbon punished the bad balls and scampered hard in the last 10 overs to reach a decent score of 198-8, much to the delight of the Gibboners who took full advantage of the convenient positioning of the pub!

After a nice tea, the cream horn a particular favourite, Gibbon smothered on the lotion and took to the field, knowing they had a decent total, but wary of the quality of the batting surface and of the oppositions top order. Fringford were well in control in the first 15 overs as anything off line was punished and chances were shelled! After the opener Reid reached 60 Gibbon finally got on the board as Joe took a superb catch off Crouchy, who came on and gave the innings some control. This really got the ball rolling as with 100 on the board with ten wickets remaining it looked ominous, however, Gibbon knew if they could break the top order and apply pressure, rewards might well come along…….and that they did! Satty was whirling away at one end, keeping it tight to build pressure and both Steve and Carl came on for second spells which turned the match back in their favour. With the ground fielding much improved and lines more in keeping with the captains field places, Gibbon regularly took wickets, but the second highlight (after Willo’s knock) of the day was yet to come. Cameron Wakelin produced a fantastic catch on the boundary off Steve to all but seal victory, sparking joyous scenes of celebration, as the team enjoyed the youngsters stunning effort…..another promising youngster from the youth development scheme! Sam dropped one and then took one in consecutive balls that sealed the victory for the Originals, with Fringford dismissed for 171. A great effort by the boys given the first 15 overs of the innings where the game looked to be slipping away anybodies.

With the supporters taking advantage of the refreshments, the boys had some catching up to do as they enjoyed a welcome pint at the Butchers Arms. No fines were administered sadly, as Sat had to leave, but there will be double next week for sure!! As the evening progressed and as Needham proceeded to sweat and attempt to devour 5 main courses at the Dog, the boys and wags steadily waded through a few well-deserved beers, before retiring to the chairmans for more fun and frolics! When it was suggested that table football and greygoose vodka would be a good combination for a drinking game, it was always going to be downhill from there……….as Tommy was last seen faceplanted on the bathroom floor as poor Mrs N was awoken by the sound of the youngster redecorating her lounge and sofa! Not hen! Perhaps it was a hangover from his recent condition or just the fact that he’s a massive lightweight, but it certainly didn’t work out too well for the boy who will be paying for that for the rest of the season!

A good win, against a good bunch of lads and a decent day for cricket, with the pub within stumbling distance!! What more can you ask more………..two wins this weekend would be nice!

Home on Saturday in the league against Chesterton and a big quarterfinal on Sunday in the Telegraph cup against Westcott…….rumour has it ‘the Oakapplers’ are already warming up their vocals for a comeback gig!

Well done boys!

Stu

The Originals enjoyed a fantastic league win on Saturday defeating unbeaten league leaders Wantage at Marsh on Saturday. The league table suggested this was a top v bottom clash, however, Gibbon didn’t read the script as they produced some excellent cricket against a strong outfit to ease to victory by 5 wickets…….a fitting tribute a true ‘Marsh legend’ Grant ‘new bloke’ Cross, who celebrated his 300th game for the Originals.

After a very disappointing showing at Cairns Fudge the previous week, Marsh were without Tom Leonard, who was still struggling with his disease and fellow inbetweeners Sammy and Shippers, so the youthful look to our outfit was kept afloat by Will, who brought the average age down considerably, along with the returning Crouch and Stevie.

After a big downpour on Friday night, Stu won the toss and duly inserted the opposition, hoping to take advantage of the bowling conditions. With the ball seaming around nicely, Needham, despite a niggly hip, got the ball rolling as the opener nicked off behind. Stevie was beating the bat at will from the other end, and was unlucky not to end up with more than two wickets from a fantastic spell of bowling. Gibbon backed up their bowlers with some superb catching and ground fielding, as runs were hard to come by. Most notably, Jules, who took two excellent catches to muster 100 fantasy points, Matty, who produced a superb run out after a suicide run and Willo, who produced the biggest cheer of the day as the ball was nailed to him at square leg, taking a billiant catch which was greeted by the youngster being bundled by his delighted teammates. Satty again brought control and Crouchy and Timmo picked up handy wickets to restrict the visitors to 82 all out. A fantastic effort with the ball and in the field, which was particularly pleasing after a very lacklustre effort the previous week in all departments.

Gibbon faced a tough half hour before tea with the bat, as Wantage looked to attack, bowling well from the farm end in particular. Satty and Joe stood strong and really set the platform for victory as despite the small total, with Gibbon’s league position at the time, meaning there was still some nervousness around. Joe and Sat really battled hard to get the team to 28-0 at tea.

We retired for a fantastic tea by Amy….the homemade sausage rolls a particular savoury favourite, along with some very fine cakes! Joe and Satty again faced tough challenges after the break, before both were removed in quick succession……there efforts not to be underestimated. Jules continued their good work, using all his experience to push runs into the gaps to bring Gibbon closer to victory, but when both Matt and Will went without troubling the scorers, the boys were looking over their shoulders a little. Stu and Jules steadied the ship to guide Gibbon within 8 of victory, before Jules was caught for a very important 17, which was huge given the circumstances. Stu and Carlos got Gibbon over the line with Carlos smashing the winning runs through point to the boundary, to rapturous celebrations from a big crowd of our ever supportive band of followers.

Satty cranked up the music and the boys enjoyed a few celebratory changing room beers before retiring for fines. With both Satty and Granty on the case, there was going to be no escaping a full house of maximums for all, notably, Jules ‘adonis’ Chambers, who was spotted on Facebook doing Tom Daley impressions, Joe, for excessive PDA on matchday and new bloke, for a massive TFC!

The boys retired to the dog and then onto the Needy’s to sample a few more, whilst watching the England boys offer up their usual showing, accompanied by some delightful snap served up by Satty and Mrs V, which the boys were very grateful for.

All round a top effort and a great day, setting up a big few weeks for the team with important league games, including a local derby against Fringford on Saturday and a big cup quarter final the following week.

Great stuff boys.

Stu

The Originals are delighted to announce the return to the club of opening batsmen Joe Leonard, following a successful spell at Cherwell League Division 2 outfit Cublington. Joe returns to the fold off the back of an excellent season, scoring over 600 runs in the season.

This is a major boost for the club, in particular the Originals batting line-up, where Joes undoubted quality will shine through and he will be looking to build on scooping the ‘Batsmen of the year’ award in the 2012 season at Marsh. Welcome back ‘the mouth’…….the changing rooms certainly won’t be quiet if it ever was!

This is just another exciting development in what promises to be another enjoyable season, where the club have invested heavily in its development, with the purchase of a new bowling machine for net sessions, professional coaching for it’s players and the wider community and a new sponsorship deal with the ever supportive Sadika Vale, who have kindly donated new kit to each player, received free when signing for the club…….an extra incentive if any was needed! Coupled with a very positive start to the campaign on the field, where despite losing out to Witney Swifts, the Originals put in a very impressive bowling and fielding display, with outstanding performances from the ever growing crop of impressive youngsters on display. Also, really great to see so many supporters at the ground watching and enjoying the day.

No game this week as the players will be undergoing an intensive day of preparation for the coming weeks, mainly concentrating on hydration and nutrition levels………in the form of ale and burgers (club day!!). Various members of the club will be available for signed photographs (aka selfies) during the day, mainly comprising of them seen laid in hedges dotted around the village or with people on their shoulders (part of the strength and conditioning programme!).

We go again on Saturday 24th May against Wolvercote at Cutteslowe Park in Oxford, where we renew acquaintances with former players Stuart Tofts and ex-captain Ben ‘Banger’ Proctor, who play for the newly-promoted side. If you don’t know the area, this is a lovely park for kids and adults alike, so extra incentive for the ever growing band of supporters and families to come and cheer the boys on.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Stu
#mgcc…….trending 24/7!

After a gruelling pre-season, the big kick-off is nearly upon us. We begin our campaign with a home game against Witney Swifts on Saturday 3rd May.

The team/squad is shaping up nicely, with good attendances at nets and with many youngsters involved, which is very pleasing to see. We have retained the same squad from last year, aside from Will (Screeno) Harper, who has sadly moved away, with a few new additions looking promising from our net sessions. This season promises to be another tough, yet enjoyable test for us all, but the ‘Originals’ are looking forward to new challenges against fresh opposition in OCA Division 3. The return of both youngsters Sam Richardson and Charlie Shipperley after long-term injury is particularly pleasing to see and both should be looking forward to successful campaigns. With many local derbies this season, this also gives a good chance for our travelling fans to join us on the road and venture to some new grounds……..and hostelries! Mikey Timms is also looking forward to another successful campaign on Wednesday evenings in the midweek league, where Marsh will be looking to defend their league champions crown. Good luck to Mikey in his first season in charge. The ground staff have been hard at work, which has included a day at Wormsley Cricket Ground on a professional groundsmans course, which was attended by Baz and Carlos………so if you’re ever short of conversation, I’m sure Needham will enlighten you with his new found knowledge of soil composition and worm casts!

Off the field, things are looking healthy also. The committee have worked hard in the off-season, with new ‘social co-ordinator’ Paul West looking at some very exciting fund-raisers, whilst the bonus ball competition is thriving as always, ably organised by Carlos ‘Titchmarsh’ Needham. We have purchased a new bowling machine, which will be available in the next week or so for members to use at their leisure for some additional practice. One of our sponsors Sadika Vale have very kindly purchased the club new warm-up and training kit for players, which is available to all as part of their annual subscriptions……many thanks to the ever supportive Vadivale family. All the lads will be pleased to hear that Debs has yet again done wonderful work in securing the services of our splendid band of lovely ladies who provide such great teas each week….thanks goes to Debs and all the girls in advance of what I’m sure will be another excellent season of teatime feasts……we just need to live up to it on the field lads! We have also secured professional cricket coaching for members and non-members alike, which starts in May on Thursday evenings, so all is moving positively.

We have our last indoor net session tomorrow night at Cooper School in Bicester, 7.30-9pm. During the season we will be having outdoor nets each week on Thursdays at 6.30pm, for anyone who can make it.

I hope you enjoy the season and look forward to seeing you all for another fun-filled summer.

Stu