Goodwood CC

Goodwood v Sussex Martlets – 4
th June 2023
Amidst the settings of the glorious and onlooking Goodwood House, this year with added industrial machinery, the Sussex Martlets enjoyed a superb day out at one of England’s most picturesque grounds.
Preparations were mostly to plan with a late change in Charlie Futcher for Paul Walker, after Peter Lamb’s unfortunate experience at a Spanish restaurant. X of the XI arrived relatively promptly, with Hector Loughton being beaten to the ground by Derek Horsham as MM Ed McCarthy broke the news that he had lost the toss and had been asked to field in a 40 over match. On a beautiful day and a wicket that wasn’t offering much, Michael Murray and the aforementioned Horsham were given the new ball and Rob Carver and Toby Toft opened their accounts aggressively, Murray unlucky not to
bowl the latter with a peach that shaved the off stump. Horsham mirrored the misfortune from a ball bludgeoned back to him in follow-through, an excellent effort for a caught and bowled which went down.
One third of Martlets’ dictionary corner, John Ashworth, was booked in for a cocktail party pre-match and his appearance into the mid-opening overs was a welcome one, particularly for Horsham, who was subsequently able to position himself in a highly conversational deep-square area. Shortly after Ashworth’s arrival, he was in to the attack as McCarthy turned to spin, with Omkar Khot on from the other end in an attempt to nullify the scoring.
Following a tight first over, Khot snuck through the defences of Carver for 23 and in the very next over Toft fell to Ashworth, smartly caught by keeper Laurie Cadle off the under-edge, for 42 (or 40/45 in Harley Street terms) – a huge blow for the hosts. With two new batsmen at the crease, the Martlets were on top with Ashworth providing good control and a beauty from Khot accounted for Heyworth to leave Goodwood 73-3. Jordan Shaw decided that now would be the correct time to experiment with
new methods of fielding the ball and his, quite literal, field-testing allowed the batsmen to rebuild with a few runs through the covers. As bowlers were limited to a maximum of 8 overs, Ashworth and Khot were replaced by Shaw and Loughton, with the former continuing the spinning theme from the Racecourse End.
Mike Smith was batting fluently, thumping a Shaw off-break into mid-wicket and in a move that combined the technical ability of Bobby Charlton with the grit of Paolo Maldini, Sam Carter expertly trapped the cricket ball with a solid right boot. Carter cited that he was a left back in his playing days (but didn’t share whether this was on the football or hockey field)

Both bowlers continued to display excellent skills, Shaw out-foxing Whitby for 22 and picking up a further wicket through the gate of Dudman. Loughton was turning up the heat from the other end and his 3 overs cost only 7 runs with one of his two wickets being the dangerous Smith, caught smartly by Shaw at long-on. It was therefore down to the youth to get the home side up to a defendable total and negate Arran Aris, who had set a good Bodyline field, with a deep square and fine leg in catching positions. Lewis Hawes’ 22 not out was a useful cameo and left Goodwood on 180 from their 40
overs, a good recovery and only 6 throws away from a 9-darter.
With “Just Stop Oil” a regular feature at sporting events in 2023, “Just Stop Tea” have become the staple of cricket in Sussex so it was excellent to see a first-class spread enjoyed by both sides in the ever-increasing sunshine, with a fine selection of sandwiches, sausages and Swiss rolls complemented by English Breakfast served in classic cups.
So to the run chase and Carter and Loughton made a good start with some attacking shots and quick singles to get our score to 33 when Carter was LBW to Mayne. As Loughton continued to punish the slower bowlers with some exquisite shots down the ground, including a big six, Cadle was patient and worked the ball through the gaps well before he was dismissed to a sharp piece of keeping from his
opposite number, Carver.
Step up Aris, who rebuilt from 74-2 with Loughton in a positive manner, hitting the ball cleanly down the ground and sweeping the spin with great effect. Loughton was now in his element and having passed fifty, was tracking all bowlers and swiftly pushing towards the promised land. He brought up his century in style, with a huge 6 in the 27th over, having faced only 75 balls. Having punched the very next ball for 4, he was then bowled by Mayne for a high-class 104. Futcher was the new man at
the crease and within seconds was causing chaos in the previously-relaxed Martlets dressing room. A smart delivery from Mayne trapped the Chichester player LBW first ball, leaving Michael Murray scampering for batting equipment as the number 7. Thankfully Shaw (who finished on 2 not out with a strike rate of 200) and Aris (somewhat pedestrian compared to Shaw with 39 off 38 balls) saw us
home for a 6 wicket victory, a fitting end to what had been a marvellous day.
Goodwood holds an important place in cricket, with the House being the site of the first drafting of the sport’s laws, which are still kept there today. With features such as the Cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1756, it’s one of the most unique grounds in the country and simply a privilege to be able to play Martlets cricket there. A huge thanks to Ed for managing excellently throughout and to our umpires, scorers and all who supported both sides. Looking forward to 2024’s edition already!

Om Khot