Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Kent Village League
Conner Hicklin hit an unbeaten 83 as Sheldwich made a winning start to their Division 1 campaign against Ash.
Max Blythin added 43 and Matt Hammond 37 as Sheldwich totalled 227-6 and the home side then restricted Ash to 196-7 (David Mathews 71).
Buzz Gould fell seven runs short of a century as Littlebourne scored 213-6 (Tony Beer 40) against Wye.
The Ashford villagers were all out for 73 in reply, Shaun Loomer returning figures of 4-29 off seven overs. Robbie Loomer took 2-5 in five and Jack Parr 2-2 in just eight deliveries.
Harbledown were also opening-day winners, Gavin Dixon (79) and Jago Pearson (40) helping them to 224-9 against Elham Valley.
Dixon (3-27 in eight) then impressed with the ball as Elham closed on 163-9.
Street End’s home game with Wingham was abandoned due to rain.
Newly-promoted Selling were on the wrong end of a 164-run drubbing against Leeds & Broomfield who scored 303, led by opener Max Aitken (94).
Ben Carter took 3-42 from five overs and Duncan King 2-39 from six.
Selling were 139 all out in reply, the main contributions coming from opener Ollie Lane (30), Gabriel Hamyln (26) and Mark Latham (25).
Tyler Hill’s Division 2 campaign began with an eight-wicket defeat to Selsted, who passed their total of 134 inside 22 overs.
Adam Arnold’s unbeaten 59 dominated the Hill innings, with Richard Keir (24) and opener Dan Savage (20) the only other players in double figures.
Norton’s bowlers helped them on the way to the perfect start to the league season as they skittled Borden for 62 in Division 4.
Batting was hard going at the Playstool and it proved to be a vital toss, which Norton won and inserted their hosts.
John Rivers led the attack superbly, finishing with 3-12 from seven overs, including having top scorer Sandip Patel caught behind for 20.
Sam Arnold – whose six overs went for just two runs – picked up another wicket before drinks, at which point the hosts were 55-4.
But they soon unravelled – Jon Phipps was introduced after the break and took two wickets with his first two balls and then, with the fourth ball of that over, Samir Shah was run out at the nonstriker’s end by a brilliant direct hit from James Robinson.
Dan Marshall then mopped up the tail, finishing with 3-27, and Norton were chasing just 63 to claim the spoils.
Accurate bowling from the Borden openers made it tough going for the visitors and they lost skipper Bert Thomas (5) in the five overs before tea was taken.
Barry Hopper made 15 but he and opener Paul Kennard – who made an attritional four from 43 balls – both fell with the score on 24.
Arnold took the attack to the home side and made 21, leaving Ben Hogan to win it with a six from the second ball of the 22nd over.
Wingham 2nds dismissed Kingsnorth 2nds for 94, with Mike Caruana (3-24 from seven), Russel Stewart (2-5 in five) and Chris Goulden (2-26 in five) doing most of the damage.
Opener Brandon Tanton’s 52 then helped see Wingham home by seven wickets in 21.2 overs.
Tom Hulks ( 72) provided the cornerstone of Boughton-under-blean’s 141 against Rolvenden in Division 5. However, the Ashford side then raced to their target, for the loss of four wickets, in 20.2 overs.
Half-centuries from Tom Barton (54) and Joseph Whittington (55) helped Chestfield chase down St Nicholas & Sarre’s total of 203-9 in Division 6.
Jamie Dowkes (4-36 from nine overs) did best with the ball for Chestfield whose victory margin was two wickets.
Harbledown 2nds ( 115- 4) beat Holborough Anchorians (114) by six wickets but there were defeats for Littlebourne 2nds (172-8), by 60 runs, to Hythe Green (232-4) and for Exiles at Stelling Minnis (103) by four wickets, to Little Chart (104-6).
A remarkabl e 42- ball knock of 80 by No. 9 Khan Marufkhail helped Stur ry r e cove r f r om 152-8 to make 239 against Bobbing Court & Lower Halstow in Division 6.
Tom Jessop ( 43), Mark Reynolds (42) and Dominic Modley ( 38) had all earlier made contributions before Marufkhail ( five fours, seven sixes) dominated a ninth-wicket stand of 87 with Tom Clifton (11). Bobbing were 126 all out in reply, David Hards chipping in with 4-16 from 4.4 overs.