Kentish Express Ashford & District
Wye seek new faces
Tenterden
Heavy rain on Saturday denied Tenterden the chance to go top of the Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier League for the first time.
They were on course for victory over Tunbridge Wells, chasing 122, but a flooded pitch meant they were left stranded on 73-2 off 16 overs.
A win would have taken them top above Hartley Country Club.
While the early finish left skipper Tevis Knight frustrated, his at least his side remained second in the table with the 10 points gained.
Knight said: “It was very frustrating and 99 times out of 100 we would have probably gone on and won it but these things happen.
“It was completely flooded, the whole pitch was like a lake, the outfield, the square, the lot.
“We could have gone top but to be second and just six points behind Hartley is certainly better than we had been expecting.”
Survival was the aim this season but Tenterden have only been beaten once in their opening six games.
The skipper said: “Everyone in the team did their bit and everyone has been enjoying it. We have got a great team spirit and we are finding ourselves having some success so far. It is still early days though, with just a third of the season gone.”
Knight was keen to praise the performance of his bowlers as they dismissed Tunbridge Wells for just 122.
Sam Weller (4-25) claimed the wickets of the opening pair, including Tim Luckhurst for a second-ball duck.
Tim Curteis picked up 3-42, while Christopher Vernon (2-24) also played his part.
Knight said: “They played really well. Sam took some early wickets and came back in to help finish the innings off. Tim and Vernon really impressed.”
This Saturday Tenterden are away to Bexley and Knight will be hoping for more of the same, performance-wise.
He said: “We’ll go with the same game-plan and enjoy it. We will look to hit them early and start the game as we mean to finish it, playing with high intensity and doing the basics well.”
Unbeaten knocks from Felix Dewe (40) and Paddy Collins (20) guided Tenterden 2nds to a seven-wicket win at Gravesend in 2nd XI Division 2.
Earlier, Reuben Collingwood took 4-27 to help dismiss hosts Gravesend for 94. Wye batsman Matt Barnes against Deal Vics on Saturday Wye Cricket Club chairman Alan Clark is hoping all the hard work will pay off when the club open the doors to host their annual ECB Club Open Day later this month. The open day initiative, supported by Waitrose, is a nationwide programme that aims to help boost grassroots cricket participation by encouraging cricket clubs to open their pavilion doors and welcome guests from their local community for a day of cricket taster sessions. This summer more than a 1,000 cricket clubs will host a club open day nationwide, with Wye one of them on Sunday, June 26. Close to 250 guests will attend the celebrations between 12 and 7pm as the club advertises itself to perspective new members. A barbecue will be run all day, while adult, junior and ladies’ games will be staged all afternoon and Clark is excited ahead of an important date in the club’s season. “We are hoping to bring in more people to the club and this is a key day of the year for us,” he said. “We used to have an annual barbecue, but that has now turned into this event, which is our biggest social event of the year. It’s all about advertising ourselves because our ground is sometimes quite hard to find as it is hidden among a load of houses. “We have been very aggressive with our advertising, and it’s all about getting new faces and new players through the door.” Entering its third year, the ECB Club Open Day scheme has proved to be a successful initiative, with 900 clubs holding events in 2014 – a 300 per cent increase from 2013 – welcoming 116,820 guests, with 9,000 becoming new players, volunteers and social members. Clubs taking part will enjoy £100 food and drink offer from Waitrose to help deliver their event, and Clark is hoping to get many new faces through the door. “Our junior section is a priority,” he added. “Our attitude is that if we can get them early, then they are likely to stick with us through their teens and into adulthood.”
For more information about Club Open Days, supported by Waitrose, including a full list of clubs registered, visit ecb.co.uk/ clubopendays