Walmley Cricket and Sports Club

Match Summaries from the weekend!

1s beat Aston Manor
2s abandoned vs Coventry West Indian Wanderers
3s lose to Four Oaks Saints
4s lose to Castle Bromwich Cricket & Sports Club
5s lose to Weoley Hill
Sunday 1s lose to Solihull United

WE’RE BACK TONIGHT 😍

🏏First Gameweek of the Month, Rainy Days, and more to come in this week’s teamsheet!🏏

Jonathan Newis’s 1s take on table toppers Aston Manor at Eldon Drive. Kaash Patel, Max Southgate, Yohance McKenzie, Kiefer Woods all return to the side!

Louis Chaundy’s 2s travel to Coventry to face the Coventry West Indian Wanderers. Louis will welcome back Lewis Hoffman, Alex Buckley, and Nicolas Maas. Haroon Irshad gets called up as well for his second team debut, good luck Haroon!

Michael Shackleford’s 3s are away at Four Oaks Saints, and will have Jabbran Hussain, Usman Zia and Nathan Varghese back in the side. Dylan Ingley and Charlie Yeates also return.

Amaan Nasar’s Sunday 1s host Solihull United at Eldon Drive after their last over victory over the Solihull Super Kings. David Hatherley, Kiefer Woods, Calum Shackleford, Imran Jabarkhel and Nicolas Maas return to the side - with Sebby Armstrong making his Sunday 1s debut! Go well Sebby!

The 4s and 5s will arrive soon 👀

Let’s hope the weather stays away, and as always… UP THE WAMMERS!

🏏🧤Wicketkeepers Union Unite!🧤🏏

It looks like we’ll be seeing Simran Chandi on here for a while, as she makes her second hundred in as many games against Leamington!

Meanwhile, George Wyatt spun his way to a 7fer against the Solihull Super Kings - and hit 83* in a great run chase!

A massive shout out to Perry Henderson as well for his 5-7 against Alvechurch & Hopwood!

Walmley Sunday 2s vs Weoley Hill - Written by captain Julian Dexter

Walmley Sunday 2’s returned to action this weekend, facing old frenemies Weoley Hill at Spring Lane and hoping to bounce back after defeat by an unexpectedly strong Harborne side a fortnight ago, despite Yash Parik’s masterful 130 not out. Walmley put out a much changed side due to a combination of call-ups to the 1’s, County games, exam “revision” and a spate of injuries sustained in Saturday’s games (and one on Sunday morning). Indeed, the side that eventually took the field bore little resemblance to that slated in only 24 hours earlier. Many thanks to those who stepped in very late in the day and/or should have been doing something more important, especially Michael Shackleford, John Pigott, Qamar Zaman and James Bristow, who put in a shift with the gloves for the first 15 overs of Weoley’s innings and brought his inimitable (some might say relentless) on-field energy and enthusiasm.



Weoley won the toss in breezy conditions, and elected to bat first. 11 year old Sai Sirpal, in his first senior game, confidently stepped up to open the bowling for Walmley, immediately hitting an immaculate line and length reminiscent of the great Rob “Doc” Ellis. Michael Shackleford, clearly shocked at being asked to open from the other end, kept it similarly tight, with Weoley’s openers visibly frustrated at being unable to break the shackles in the first 10 overs. Sirpal’s initial 5-over burst gave the batters nothing and he was unlucky not to secure what would have been a deserved wicket.



Walmley persisted with seam with Qamar Zaman and newcomer Sibby Raza coming into the attack, and the former made the breakthrough, bowling left-hander Ross Crathorn with a leg stump yorker. Raza, meanwhile, was able to keep the usually expansive Lee Gargan quiet (in terms of shot-making, at least – the chat was still omnipresent, but all in good humour). Weoley continued to accumulate steadily without ever really cutting loose, looking to set themselves up for a charge over the last 10 overs with plenty of wickets in hand. The introduction of the spinners Tahseen Nawab and Ali Hashmi changed the game, however, with the former looking particularly dangerous and drawing a number of nicks and mish*ts from the batters which somehow failed to go to hand. Weoley struggled to up the run rate and eventually Nawab tempted number 3 Jack Moysey, who was hitting his straps after a shaky start, into a big hit which he could only send steepling into the leg side sky. The look of panic on Walmley captain Julian Dexter’s face as the ball threatened to head his way shifted to one of relief at hearing Raza’s clear call of “mine” followed by his safe take of what was no easy catch. Phew!



This triggered something of a collapse from Weoley, with Nawab picking up three further wickets as the batters tried to force the pace, and a chaotic final over which saw three wickets for Ali Hashmi and the run out of Weoley skipper Jason Brookes. Only Garghan had stood firm, and had been starting to pick up regular boundaries with some clean hitting before seeing his woodwork rearranged by Nawab’s clever quicker ball on seeing him advance down the track.



Weoley finished on 177-9, with bowling honours going to Nawab with 4-36, Ali 3-43 and Sirpal a miserly 0-17 off 7 overs – the heir apparent to the legendary Doctor has announced his arrival. You’ve got 50-odd years to get to Doc’s 800 Walmley wickets, Sai!



After the break Walmley openers Anand Patel and John Pigott strode out to face what seemed an eminently chaseable total. Patel immediately began by despatching some loose deliveries with his trademark elegance, reaching 27 (with 6 fours) before feathering behind off wily spinner Brookes. Pigott meanwhile struggled to find his timing early on and managed unerringly to hit the fielders when he did, finally getting off the mark in the 8th over. No such joy for Walmley skipper Dexter, in at number 3, whose 15-ball duck was scratchier than a sandpaper factory with a flea infestation. Get back in the nets, skip!



That left Walmley at a precarious 48-2 after 14 overs, with the required rate having climbed to exactly 5 an over. Enter Imran Jabarkhel, hitherto seen pacing on the boundary like a chained tiger, clearly confused by the brand of cricket he was observing from Pigott and Dexter which did not involve actually scoring any runs. What felt like about 10 minutes later Jabarkhel departed with 61 to his name having showed the old-timers what the bat is for, striking 4 fours and 7 sixes. One particularly huge six over cow led to a delay in play whilst the ball was located in the next postcode and players and spectators alike scurried to move their cars.



Following Jabarkhel’s departure, compatriot and supersub Ulfat, clearly inspired by the name Bristow on the back of his borrowed shirt, struck some l***y blows of his own, seemingly breaking the back of the run chase. However, this was Walmley so it was never going to be straightforward, and Ulfat’s departure, bowled for 20 attempting another big hit, brought Michael Shackleford to the crease alongside Pigott (yes, he was still there!). Normal service (well-judged leaves, solid defence and the occasional sauntered single) was duly resumed before Pigott’s patient vigil came to an end with him having reached 20 off 24 (overs, not balls). Boycott would have been proud.



Weoley, however, were by now forced to turn to their back-up bowlers, and Shackleford started to get his eye in, finding the boundary twice before his truly bizarre dismissal. Weoley introduced left-armer Ronnie Clayton into the attack, his approach to the wicket resembling Peter Crouch doing the robot before delivering the ball off the wrong foot. Shackleford’s eyes lit up at the juicy full toss headed his way, but clearly befuddled by Clayton’s idiosyncratic action he was through the shot early and the ball ricocheted off the back of his bat. Weoley’s Will Davis, thus far enjoying a casual daydream at slip, reflexively thrust out his left hand and miraculously the ball stuck. Jaws dropped all around, apart from Davis himself whose expression suggested he did that every day.



That dismissal left Walmley teetering slightly with 6 down and still 32 needed. Up stepped Qamar Zaman and Sibby Raza, however, to calmly knock off the remaining runs with no further alarms, to seal a pleasing victory. 24 points for Walmley having successfully chased down Weoley’s total after losing the toss.



Next up, after another week off, the 2’s welcome Sheldon Marlborough to fortress Spring Lane on 14 June. Will all their decent performers be nicked by the 1’s? Will Sai Sirpal be outed, Scooby-Doo style, as Doc in disguise? Will Dexter finally work out which end of the bat is which? For answers to these questions and more, watch this space.

Saturday saw the 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s suffer defeats in the league, but the 5s marched on to victory in their game against Alvechurch & Hopwood CC, Perry Henderson’s 5-7 making the biggest impact there. Well bowled Pez!

As previously posted, the Women’s team notched up their first win of the season against Leamington. The Sunday 1s and 2s ensured that it was a Super Sunday as all Sunday teams made a clean sweep of wins!

T20 action is back! Walmley look to start their journey to Finals Day once again, as we take on Moseley Ashfield at The Graveyard.

Let’s hope the weather stays away!

We're back at Walmley Cricket and Sports Club tonight.

19:30 - 21:00

All welcome 💚🤍