Seaford College

9th Wicket pair save Martlet Blushes!

On arriving at Seaford in a continuation of this glorious spring weather, you are not aware of any teaching blocks, more a continual flow of pupils in sports kit heading for cricket, tennis or golf. However, exams had deprived the latest incarnation of the Chris Adams conveyor belt of cricketing talent of their Skipper and also fils de Past Chairman, Harry Walker. Three Junior Martlets were however included in Fergus Kenyon, Tom Baily and captain for the day Shams Suddahazai. On the Martlets side, an injury had forced match manager Derek Horsham into the role of social representative and bon viveur for the day with on-field responsibilities assumed by Dom Heater.

The format was a 45-over match with Seaford batting first as a concession to academic pressures. With an apparently experimental batting order, Seaford made good progress reaching 67 before Connolly was caught behind off the spin of Old Seafordian, Hugo Gillespie. Heyns lbw for 49 in his next over swiftly followed as did Kenyon to Harry Wingfield-Digby (the latest Martlet from that family) with the score on 74. A period of consolidation followed before N.Oosthuizen fell lbw to the experienced Neil Billing at 120. This rapidly became 128-6 as Heater took two wickets in an over. Another consolidation period followed as R.Ooosthuizen (38) on debut and Mikhail (20) put on 42 for the 7th wicket. Horsham-Holt became the second Martlet to take 2 wickets in an over as he, and Karan Banker (the East Grinstead overseas) completed the remaining overs, 15 off the last over took the score to 206-9 at halfway.

In reply, Shams Suddahazai led from the front bowling the first over, a scorers nightmare with 2 wides, a no-ball, a six and a wicket leaving the score at 13-1. Naish and Banker then took the score to 47 including one of the most effortless sixes you will ever see from the overseas before he departed caught behind for 23. Tayyub Mahmood never really settled and his departure brought the newly appointed Notts CCC analyst, Hugo Gillespie to the crease. With Naish the score progressed to 107 before Naish departed for a solid 42. The Martlets were comfortably ahead of the rate at drinks with the score at 131-4 off 22 overs. The danger was therefore in losing wickets!

One of the first areas for Hugo to analyse may well be the wickets lost in the over after drinks and in his case specifically the ball after drinks as he gave a comfortable catch to Shams at mid-off. 131-5 was now looking potentially precarious. 136-6 more so as Kieran Finnegan departed lbw to debutant Oosthuizen. Felix Horsham-Holt was next to go , well caught just inside the boundary by Bissett, off Connolly for a capable 27 – a definite case of six or out. 154-7 then became 162-8 as another lbw victim, Healy Williams, the Hertmonceaux overseas went for 11.

45 runs required , two wickets remaining, 15 overs to go. Odds were on the home side now but they reckoned without Dom Heater and Harry Wingfield-Digby who chose their shots well in attack and defence, reaching the target with 3.3 overs to spare for a first win at Seaford since 2019.

Thanks go to the umpires, Robin Lush and Andrew Goddard for their professionalism, to fellow scorer Archie Trevethan for his online skill and keeping me on track and to Chris Adams for organising the day so well.

Martlet blazer count: 1, the core supporter Brian O’Gorman regaling us with tales of great Middleton & Martlet players of the past. He made his Junior Martlets debut in 1951, there’s a challenge for today’s Juniors, to be supporting Martlet cricket in 75 seasons’ time!!

Alan Newman

Scorer

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