Indoor nets start Monday 12th March at 8.15pm

It doesn't feel that long ago that the season came to an end and the awards were handed out, but it will soon be time to check your kit, wash those smelly whites and start limbering up for the new season.

Indoor nets start on 12th March and will be at the usual place, Bradfield Sports Centre. Nets will run every Monday 8.15pm to 10.15pm until after Easter when we will try and move to outdoors.

All are welcome and I look forward to seeing you. 

Pangbourne won by 9 wickets - View full scorecard

Pangbourne end the season in style!

With most of the team still recovering from the night before, Jack took the helm for the final game of the 2011 season, as Pangbourne played their second tour game at Stoke Bruene. Pangbourne welcomed back Lucky for a cameo appearance.

Pangbourne fielded first and were soon amongst the wickets as Dan's slower ball struck again, resulted in an easy catch being lobbed to cover point. Despite the hangovers the fielding was generally very sharp, backing up some tight bowling. Dan was managing to get the ball moving a bit and took another couple of quick wickets to leave Stoke Bruene reeling. Jack rung the changes and Pangbourne continued to take wickets, Lucky picking up 4, showing that his enforced break from the game hadn't diminished his bowling. All of this resulted in Stoke Bruene being bowled out for 75.

Memories of early season failures against seemingly easy targets ensured that Pangbourne looked determined not to take anything for granted. Pangbourne did lose Lucky earlier on, but from then on it was a pleasure to watch Dave and Tim knock the ball around with ease as they calmly scored the runs needed to win the match, which they did within 20 overs and for the loss of only one wicket.

So Pangbourne won both tour games for the first time, which also meant that they have had their best season ever. It will take quite a performance next year to beat this season.  

Pangbourne won by 18 runs (D/L) - View full scorecard

Another win for Pangbourne

Pangbourne travelled to Bugbrooke for game one of the end of season tour. As is customary, Neil doesn't skipper the tour games and so it was Dan's turn to be in charge.

Against a brackdrop of a slightly dodgy forecast Dan won the toss and elected to bat first. Hoping that Neil could recapture some of his early season form he was sent out to open along with Dave. Unfortunately it wasn't to be Neil's day and he was out cheaply. Dave and Tim didn't seem to be in too much trouble until a shocking bit of calling by Dave resulted in Tim being run out. From this point wickets started to fall a bit too regularly, with first Mo and then Jack getting out in quick succession (Jack was a little unlucky). As rain swept in forcing and early tea Pangbourne were teetering on 66 for 5.

After the resumption Paul was bowled trying to launch the spinner for a massive six. Pangbourne were no in danger of posting an uncompetitive score and it was up to Dan and Amit to try and put together a partnership of note. Thankfully the managed to do this with some fine hits and agressive running, though Dan was nearly lapped running five on an over-throw and perhaps needs to work on his fitness. Nevertheless they pushed the score up to a respectable 148 off their 40 overs, with both players finishing not out.

After a qucik turnaround Bugbrooke came out guns blazing looking to knock off the score quickly and Dan got som tap. A breakthrough was made, but shortly after the rain set in. With rain hanging around and the covers going on and off there was a distinct possibility that the match would be abandoned, but for the first time in the club's history and thanks to a handy Duckworth-Lewis app, the captains agreed on reducing the overs and taget to 108 off 25 overs to try and finish the game.

This seemed to further spur Bugbrooke on to go for their shots and some excellent bowling (backed up in the field) started to made significant inroads into the Bugbrooke lineup. Paul Smith was the pick of the bowlers as he made light work of the Bugbrooke batsmen, picking up four wickets. As darkenss descended Ahamded and Tim took advantage to make things difficult for Bugbrooke. Tim delivered an excellent yorker to remove the last major Bugbrooke threat. This left if for Ahamed to take the final wicket and wrap up a memorable win as Bugbrooke were bowled out for 90.

So another win for Pangbourne setting them up nicely for the traditional tour curry later in the evening (of which there will be no match report....).   

Pangbourne won by 35 runs - View full scorecard

Another Pangbourne win!

Pangbourne welcomed Englefield up to their temporary home on the Bowden playing fields. The pitch had a good covering of grass on it and the ever present threat of rain Pangbourne batted first.

Pangbourne struggled initially, with Neil being bowled early on attempting a drive. Tim soon followed him back to the pavilion after mistiming a drive and chipping a catch to cover. The pitch was playing pretty slowly and with a lush outfield it meant that scoring was going to be slow. At this point Pangbourne were really struggling to put runs on the board, no batsman was really settled and Englefield were taking wickets regularly. Thankfully Jim came to the rescue in a much needed partnership with Steve, as they started to go the aerial route as well as nudging the singles. Steve managed to hit a flat six over square leg and Jim hit two mighty sixes. This pushed the scoring rate up significantly and where Pangbourne had threatened not to get 100 runs, they pushed the total through this and on towards 122 off 35 overs.

Such a score could possibly be considered a touch on the low side, but the Englefiled batting line up didn't seem too deep and so Pangbourne knew that if they took a few early wickets the game should be won. Dan did strike early bowling one of the openers through the gate, but that led to a period of frustration as Englefield put together a good partnership which was threatening to take the game away from Pangbourne. Tim finally made the breakthrough and this opened the gates for Pangbourne to run through the rest of the line up, with Tim taking three wickets, Jack and Steve taking a couple each. This was despite of Steve's first ball which pitched a metre in front of him on the wicket next to the one we were playing on! The game was wrapped up when Tim took an outrageous full length diving catch at long on to seal Englefield's fate, bowled out for 87.

Another game, another good win, in what has been one of the best Pangbourne seasons ever. The last game of the regular season beckons, the challenge of Bucklebury and the hope that what has been a tough game in the past can also be turned into another Pangbourne triumph. 

Pangbourne won by 4 wickets - View full scorecard

Mo launches Pangbourne to another victory

Pangbourne were due to host Purley up at the college, their withdrawal (not being able to get a team together) could have resulted in a cricket free weekend, but thankfully Dave (fixture sec) managed to find alternative opposition in West Reading CC. 

It was a little bit of a voyage into the unknown as Pangbourne have never played West Reading before, but there was a hope that it would be a good close game. So it was with a little trepidation that Pangbourne took to the field, looking to make use of the traditional inconsistencies in the wicket and take some early wickets. West Reading started very aggressively, throwing the bat at almost everything and got off to a bit of a flyer. Ahamed took a bit of stick, being clubbed for a pretty massive 6 in one over. In the third over Dan managed to nip one back through the gate to get the initial breakthrough, but this didn't seem to stop West Reading from attacking.

The danger man appeared to be West Reading's Ahmed who was racing along, but in the 5th over his attacking style brought his downfall as he skied a drive to mid-on where Mully took an excellent, if somewhat theatrical, catch. From this point on Pangbourne continued to take regular wickets, Paul Smith picked up two, bowling his now customary tight lines, and Jack bowled some filth which still managed to take four wickets. It should be noted that Pangbourne were excellent in the field, there were no dropped catches and the ground fielding on an uneven surface was good. All of this combined to bowl West Reading out for 127 with a number of overs to spare.

Such a target wouldn't normally be difficult to achieve, but with a deteriorating pitch and a big, slow outfield, Pangbourne knew they would have to be careful. The openers went fairly cheaply followed soon after by Neil, but by that time Mo was at the crease and was starting find the boundary with ease. Mo seems to only know one way to play, but when it comes off it can be explosive and runs come very quickly. Jack provided some support until he was out LBW. It should be noted that if this was a professional game he would probably have had some explaining to do to the match referee and be handing over some of his match fee for his reaction to the decision.

Nevertheless, Mo continued on and he was ably supported by Mully, despite a number of attempts to run himself out. Mo finally ended up being bowled for 56, but by that time only a few more runs were needed for the win. These were calmly knocked off and Pangbourne registered another win.

Next up another first encounter, this time with Wallingford Hockey Club, but hopefully the result will be the same.        

Pangbourne lost by 52 runs - View full scorecard

Pangbourne crash to heavy defeat, and it's not all down to the weather.

A disappointing day for Pangbourne as they succumbed to West Ilsley by 52 runs due to a combination of sloppy fielding, inclement weather and a very unpredictable wicket.  So much for home advantage, I think the Pangbourne batsmen will rejoice when the square is dug up later this month even more than the opposition do.

Neil started the day by winning the toss and opting to bowl, which we all agreed looked like the right thing to do.  As it turned out, batting first while the lush outfield was drier turned out to be the better option.

West Ilsley started briskly and while Ahamed bagged a brace they kept up the pressure on the bowlers.  The first change brought about a slight reduction in the run rate and if not for some missed catching opportunities Pangbourne could have turned the screw a little.  The second change saw Mo pick up 3 good wickets with a ball getting wetter by the minute.  An early tea was taken in monsoon conditions, after which the final couple of West Ilsley overs passed with little drama.  One highlight in the otherwise average fielding display was a great run-out by Mikey with just one stump to aim at.

Pangbourne, set a pretty steep task of scoring 143 in 30 overs, got off to the worst possible start as Neil was bowled with the 4th ball of the innings.  The pitch, despite being soaking wet, seemed to come alive and balls were skidding through with the usual completely unpredictable bounce.  Smith struggled to get going and was just trying to survive a peppering from Simmons, but once Amit was dismissed he looked to put a decent partnership together with big hitting Mo.  A measure of how the outfield was playing is that Mo struggled to find the boundary, and we all know how easily he manages that on a dry sunny day (in fact we only managed 6 between us, and 3 were down to Mo!)

Mo went on to top score the whole match with 32, finally finding the boundary after resorting to some enormous lofted shots.  Unfortunately, trying hard to push on, he holed out to a well taken catch.

We were treated to a sublime shot late on from Tom who creamed one off his pads to the square leg boundary.  It wasn't enough and West Ilsley wrapped up the tail and Pangbourne were all out for 90.

Big thanks to Nick for a lovely tea, although the fruit bowl seemed to confuse most of us...

Pangbourne won by 42 runs - View full scorecard

Pangbourne make sure this time

Pangbourne welcomed Aldermaston to the college, hoping that the lessons had been learnt from the previous fixture earlier on in the season, where a great opportunity for victory had been squandered. 

Pangbourne were asked to bat, with Neil and Dan opening. Batting proved difficult, as it always does up at the college, and neither batsmen found much fluency, though there was the odd nice boundary. It proved to be a good, if unspectacular opening stand of 50 runs, with a comedy moment as Neil was hit in the unmentionables. He then proceeded to bore the team for the rest of the game about the amount of swelling... Anyway, Dan fell to a rushed shot soon after drinks, soon followed by Steve. Mo came in and made batting look very easy with some great pick-ups before being undone by a turning ball. The innings stuttered a bit and wasn't helped by some suicidal running, with Pangbourne ending up on 133 for 9 off their 35 overs.

It was felt the score was a little under par, but if Pangbourne bowled and fielded well then this could be defended. Jim and Dan opened up with a miserly spell of bowling, beating the outside edge on regular occasions and collectively conceding 18 runs off 12 overs, but neither managed to get the first breakthrough. With scoreboard pressure beginning to bite the change bowlers of Ahamed and Connor managed to keep their heads in the face of Aldermaston trying to up the scoring rate and both picked up a couple of wickets. Pangbourne were now picking up regular wickets, meaning that Aldermaston really weren't in a position to have a realistic chance of winning. Steve and Jack also picked up a couple of wickets, with Steve's only costing him 4 runs (he bowled 3 wides in that...). Pangbourne's fielding was generally great, with the exception of an absolute sitter that Dan put down and they held on to win by 42 runs.

So another win for Pangbourne and perhaps this performance goes some way to exorcise the demons from the last time they played Aldermaston. Next up Woolhampton and fingers crossed another win.    

Pangbourne won by 5 wickets - View full scorecard

Pangourne return to winning ways

On seemingly the hottest day of the year Pangbourne (and their new gazebo) travelled to Highmoor in the hope of putting the Purley defeat well behind them. 

In the searing heat Pangboure fielded first with Ahamed and Dan opening the bowling. Both bowled extremely well, but with little luck, managing to beat the bat regularly, but never quite finding the edge. Nevertheless, Highmoor's scoring was being restricted. Neil started to mix things up a bit, searching for a wicket. Pangbourne finally broke through thanks to Tim, who went on to get three wickets, but the real star was Lucky. In what was to be his last regular season game for the club (he is due on tour) he managed to extract some turn, coupled with some lovely flight to beguile the Highmoor batsmen and in the process picked up a hat-trick.  With wickets tumbling Highmoor's scoring rate was severely restricted meaning they were finally bowled out for 108.

Set 109 to win in a timed game meant that Pangbourne didn't need to open up too much, but Neil and Amit couldn't quite reach the heights they set at Aldworth and both were out fairly cheaply. Mo hit a huge six before being dismissed for 17, before Jack and Tim effortlessly guided Pangbourne towards the finish line. Jack did get out right near the end and it was left, somewhat fittingly, to Lucky to hit the winning runs. 

Pangbourne lost by 4 wickets - View full scorecard

Pangbourne slump to defeat

Pangbourne travelled to Purley hoping to continue their good form. Neil lost the toss and was asked to bat. The last few innings have generated over 200 runs and the Pangbourne batsmen were hoping to emulate this, but things didn't get off to the greatest of starts as Neil was out early on, getting through a shot far too quickly and the ball ballooning off the back of the bat to slip. Paul and Dan scratched around for a bit, neither managing to find any fluency both in terms of shots and calling (which was woeful early on). Paul was soon put out of his misery and then Mo quickly followed him as he hit the ball straight to backward square leg.

No Pangbourne batsman was finding the going easy, with players getting in, but not really kicking on. Both Dan and Jack were guilty of getting a start, but not converting it. With overs beginning to run out it was left to Lucky and Ahamed to try and bring some respectability to the score and proceeded to throw the bat, clearing the rope with some fine sixes. Ahamed was particularly impressive, given this was his debut innings for the club and he was finally run out for 23, with Lucky ending unbeaten on 33 as Pangbourne closed their innings on 130 for 8 off their 40 overs. This was one of the few innings this season where no batsman has made a telling score and as a result the total was probably 40-50 runs short of a par score.

A target of 130 off 40 overs shouldn't strike fear into the majority of batting lineups and so Pangbourne really needed to take early wickets to put Purley under some form of pressure. Ahamed obliged by getting his first wicket for the club as he enticed an edge from Rackley. Dan then started to pick up wickets as well, ending with three, all of which were bowled, as he found a consistent full length and a little bit of seam movement. Paul Smith, now understood to have been bowling with an injury, also picked up a couple of wickets. All of which put Pangbourne in a strong position, but still needing the other change bowlers to keep the pressure on and continue to take wickets. Unfortunately, things started to slip, Jack put down a sharp chance off his own bowling and from then on Pangbourne struggled to create chances and the Purley batsmen played well, moving inexorably in on their target. With no more wickets falling, Purley cruised to a victory leaving Pangbourne to wonder what might have been.

This could probably be described as Pangbourne's first "official" loss of the season, after the batting order debacle at Aldermaston. Whilst the bowlers couldn't finish the job off, it was really the batsmen who let the side down, not getting enough runs, so pressure couldn't really be built. So Pangbourne move on and face Highmoor this weekend, hoping to get things back on track.

Match Drawn - View full scorecard

Pangbourne denied win at Aldworth

Pangbourne travelled to Aldworth hoping to continue their good form and overturn last year's loss. In a timed game on a grey, damp day Pangbourne batted first looking to build a competitive innings. Pangbourne's middle order is becoming quite congested at the moment and as a result Neil has had to keep shuffling things around to ensure everyone gets a chance and so it was that Amit got his chance at the top of the order with Neil.

The partnership started fairly slowly with the odd ball flying from a length and others keeping low it was a little like playing at home (but not that much). Crucially neither of them were unsettled by this and as confidence grew so did the scoring rate. Neil was quick to latch onto any bad ball and Amit was efficiently guiding the ball into gaps. In the end Amit fell agonisingly three runs short of his maiden half century, but nevertheless had been a part of a great 127 run opening partnership.

With such a platform it was now up to the other Pangbourne batsman to push the score over 200 and into a position where they couldn't lose the game. After his century last time out Mo fell second ball, playing the only way he appears to know how, trying to hit every ball to the boundary. Lucky was next in and hit a quick fire 27, whilst Neil continued on to another 50, finally being bowled for 77 trying to guide a ball that was too straight. It was left to Jim and Mikey to push the score over 200 which they duly did with a few lusty blows, with Pangbourne on 235 at tea.

With such a score on the board in a timed game there is always the danger that the team batting second will retreat into their shell and play for the draw. Neil tried to find the balance between allowing Aldworth the chance to go for the total and take wickets. Dan and Connor opened the bowling, with by now what was a very wet ball. Aldworth didn't get off to a great start as Dan managed to take a wicket in the first over, bowling the Aldworth opener through the gate with a ball that seamed into the right hander. The second wicket to fall left the Aldworth batsman grumbling all the way back to the pavilion as Dan did him with a slower ball full toss which was lobbed to square leg for an easy catch.

Aldworth were still attempting to go for their shots, but their hopes were tempered when their no. 4 batsman was run out with a direct hit by Dan from wide fine leg. Chances were put down as the ball became like a bar of soap and after the initial burst Pangbourne began to struggle to take wickets at regular enough intervals to ensure the victory. Lucky, Paul and Mikey all took a wicket each, but by this time Aldworth were playing for the draw. Neil had been forced to change tactics and was now setting extremely aggressive fields trying to take the last few wickets. Pangbourne bowlers stood at the top of their runs were presented with the pleasing and rare sight of multiple slips and gullies, but Aldworth were resolutely holding on. A wicket did fall at the start of the final over, but it was simply too late to change the outcome of the game. 

So the match was drawn, though Pangbourne could claim a moral victory, and everyone retired to the Bell for a pint of something from the West Berkshire Brewery. Pangbourne have only lost one game this season, arguably that should have been won, but with a good number of people available, batsmen and bowlers in form, Pangbourne should be relishing the rest of their season.