Ardingly College | Sussex Martlets

Match Report

The Sussex Martlets and Ardingly College is always one of the earlier games of the season. With the weather set fair albeit with white clouds, little sunshine and blustery, the Martlets gathered on the 1st XI pitch to admire a bone-dry ground and a good-looking strip. Over the winter, the college had invested in new magnificent nets aptly named “The Jofra Archer Institute of Cricket” following Ardingly becoming the new senior school partner of Sussex County Cricket Club.

The toss duly lost, the Martlets were inserted to bat, as is custom. Opening up were Harsharan Mudhar, better known as Harsh, and the forever young Sam Carter. The fifty came up with Harsh on 47 and Sam increasingly predictably on 3, pictures were taken of the scoreboard with the unkind threat of being posted on the Newick 1st XI WhatsApp group. Harsh was the first to perish on 53 to be replaced by Ryan Trotter, that well known number 3 who normally masquerades at 11, with some justification some would say. Against the grain, Trotter went onto score 63 out of 120 with four batting partners, notably with Matt Ritchie scoring 42, before falling. Will Wingfield-Digby and Nick Beechey did not trouble the scorers until Mark Trubshaw and Dilshan De Silva made the tail wag taking the Martlets to 237 for 9 from 49.5 overs, saving the Match Manager Stuart Ritchie the trouble of changing into his whites.

With that theme continuing, Carter took to the field as captain and an Ardingly boy substituting for Ritchie Senior. The Martlets opened up with Dilshan De Silva and Matt Ritchie, the later notably getting Enzo Packham Scamardella (Ardingly’s last man hero from the drawn match last year at Arundel Castle) playing on bowled for 4. Hugo Tanous and Shai Thorne moved the score on nicely with 71 and 38 respectively. Then came to the crease Josiah Wood with his coach’s words ringing in his ears “just stand there and hit it”. The Martlets were then treated to a masterclass of batting, with Josiah securing his maiden century of 101 off 31 balls with 5 fours, 12 sixes and a strike rate of no less than 325.81.

The innings of Josiah Wood was a privilege to see, Carter wryly commenting after the match that he bowled what resources he had. Chanuka Dilshan, who bowled interchangeably fast, then slow, with a high arm and then a low arm, all to no avail was the unlucky bowler of the day. Dilshan De Silva took 2 wickets, Mark Trubshaw 3 wickets and Ritchie Junior a single wicket notably taking the outside edge and slicing the keeper and first slip in two with a four conceded and his tally limited.

Grateful thanks go to Ardingly College for providing the most fantastic of grounds to play cricket at with a very generous lunch and tea, and also to the officials of the day both out in the middle and in the score box (although we were sad not to see Nigel Beesley scoring, whose attendance was torpedoed by Network Rail).