Date: Tue 9th Sep 2008 @ 11:00                                                                                                           Match Report

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Type:  Cup : ECB Cockspur Cup - Final                                                                                                 KCC Match Programme

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Toss:  1st XI won the toss and decided to bowl

 

Malden Wanderers CC - 1st XI

			R	B	4s	6s
Jonathan Hess	ct Charlie Morgan	b Aamir Mahmood	21	22	2	1
Dan Euston +	ct Tim Mason	b Aamir Mahmood	0	5	0	0
Jon Albert		b Simon Renshaw	1	7	0	0
Laurie Evans		b Aamir Mahmood	0	6	0	0
Alan Cope		b Daniel Broughton	47	82	5	0
David Gorrod	ct Simon Renshaw	b Russell Spiers	16	39	2	0
James Bond	ro richard jackson		27	46	3	0
Giles Puckle *	LBW	b richard jackson	2	10	0	0
Neil Mander	Not Out		16	36	1	0
Simon Crampton	ct richard jackson	b Aamir Mahmood	0	3	0	0
Michael Cottrell		b Aamir Mahmood	0	1	0	0
Extras	( 1b  7lb  6w  )		14
Total	( all out , 42.5 overs)		144

 

Fall Of Wickets

4-1 Dan Euston (Jonathan Hess-2*); 5-2 Jon Albert (Jonathan Hess-2*);
18-3 Laurie Evans (Jonathan Hess-15*); 25-4 Jonathan Hess (Alan Cope-0*);
92-5 Alan Cope (David Gorrod-15*); 101-6 David Gorrod (James Bond-8*);
109-7 Giles Puckle (James Bond-10*); 139-8 James Bond (Neil Mander-12*);
144-9 Simon Crampton (Neil Mander-16*); 144-10 Michael Cottrell (Neil Mander-16*);

Bowling

	O	M	R	W	Nb	Wd
Aamir Mahmood	7.5	1	25	5	0	1
Simon Renshaw	6	1	24	1	0	1
nicholas ferraby	6	2	16	0	0	0
Daniel Broughton	9	2	22	1	0	0
Tim Mason	4	1	26	0	0	3
Russell Spiers	6	3	6	1	0	0
richard jackson	4	1	17	1	0	1

 

Kibworth 1st XI

			R	B	4s	6s
John Hanger	ro Alan Cope		2	9	0	0
Sundeep Patel		b Michael Cottrell	0	3	0	0
nicholas ferraby	Not Out		7	3	1	0
Andrew Smith *	Not Out		0	4	0	0
Charlie Morgan +	Did Not Bat
Tim Mason	Did Not Bat
Simon Renshaw	Did Not Bat
Aamir Mahmood	Did Not Bat
richard jackson	Did Not Bat
Russell Spiers	Did Not Bat
Daniel Broughton	Did Not Bat
Extras	( )		0
Total	(2 wickets, 3.1 overs)		9

 

Fall Of Wickets

1-1 Sundeep Patel (JOHN HANGER-1*); 8-2 JOHN HANGER (nicholas ferraby-6*);
-3 ; -4 ;
-5 ; -6 ;
-7 ; -8 ;
-9 ; -10 ;

Bowling

	O	M	R	W	Nb	Wd
Michael Cottrel      l	2	1	7	1	0	0
Neil Mander	1.1	0	2	0	0	0

 

Umpires

Peter Jones

Jonathon Cousins

Scorers

Judi Gardener

Maurice Henderson

Match Report

Kibworth and Malden Wanderers will have to replay the Cockspur Cup final after rain wrecked a potentially fascinating climax at Lord's.

After being dismissed for a modest 144, Malden Wanderers came out firing after lunch and reduced Kibworth to 9 for two when the grey clouds that circled menacingly above the Home of Cricket finally gave way.

Following a delay of two and a half hours, during which time the umpires made a number of inspections, the game was finally abandoned.

The two sides will now meet again on Sunday 21 September at a venue to be decided.

After winning the toss earlier in the day and electing to bowl, Kibworth soon had their Surrey opponents on the rack at 25 for four as the final threatened to turn into a one-sided affair.

The Leicestershire side, spurred on by losing off the final delivery last year, were indebted to the impressive Aamir Mahmood for their dream start.

The former Pakistan Under-19 bowler induced Daniel Euston to edge to slip before fellow new-ball bowler Simon Renshaw, formerly of Hampshire, spectacularly uprooted two of Jonathan Albert's stumps.

Mahmood then assumed centre stage, cleaning up the dangerous Laurie Evans before tempting Jonathan Hess to nick behind where Charlie Morgan took a stunning catch. The left-handed batsman had launched Mahmood into the Mound Stand for six the ball before.

Alan Cope and David Gorrod staged a recovery with the former, skipper of the Loughborough UCCE and a member of the British Universities side, taking the lead role in the partnership.

Strong off his legs, he regularly pierced the gap between mid-on and midwicket as Malden began to claw their way towards respectability.

But three runs short of a deserved half-century and after a 67-run stand, Cope dragged an attempted drive off the slippery Dan Broughton back onto his own stumps.

In came James Bond - a man for a crisis.

Deciding he did not need a helmet, despite three Kibworth bowlers hurtling the ball down at decent pace, Bond survived a huge appeal for LBW first ball before cracking former Leicestershire and Essex off-spinner Tim Mason for consecutive boundaries to see his side past the 100-mark.

Kibworth's Russell Spiers knows all about playing at Lord's - today was the former Staffordshire left-arm spinner's sixth final appearance the Home of Cricket - and it took the experienced bowler less than an over to make his mark. Coming on at the Pavilion End, he terminated David Gorrod's gritty knock when the batsman edged a loose drive to the sprawling Renshaw at slip.

Kibworth's fans, the majority of whom were decked out in pink shirts, were celebrating again moments later when Richard Jackson deceived Malden Wanderers captain Giles Puckle, deliberately staggering his run-up before trapping him leg before.

Bond continued to play his shots, even with Malden in the mire, but his downfall, expertly run out by Jackson's direct hit after an entertaining 27, effectively signalled the end.

It was left to the returning Mahmood to do the rest, dismissing Simon Crampton and Neil Mander in successive deliveries to wrap up the Malden innings and finish with 5-25.

Malden Wanderers captain Puckle would have drummed into his players during the lunch interval the importance of early wickets if they were to emerge victorious.

His troops were certainly listening as first Michael Cottrell castled Kibworth's England Under-19 international Sunny Patel then Cope followed up his earlier heroics with the bat to run out John Hanger who was sent back by his partner attempting a suicidal single to mid-on.

A buoyant Malden would have fancied an upset but the rain that had threatened all afternoon decided to make an unwelcome appearance.

Leicester Mercury Preview Article

Kibworth captain Andy Smith will be mentally and physically drained whatever the outcome of tomorrow's Cockspur Cup final at Lord's.

He is not a man who finds it easy to switch off.

Smith is passionate, intense and, by his own admission, lives every ball of every game.

Because of his approach to captaincy, Smith should look much older than his 29 years given what he and his team have been through over the past two seasons chasing amateur cricket's biggest prize, the national club championship.

Beaten finalists against Bromley in a thriller last season, Smith and his team have come through more scrapes to reach this year's final

But the club captain believes those experiences have only added to the character of a team that cannot wait to get back out on to the hallowed turf of a ground which has seen so many dreams made and shattered in equal measures.

"We won the first two games by the skin of our teeth this year and we have chased some big scores and won in the last over too," said Smith.

"We had a tied match in the second round against Godmanchester and won by losing fewer wickets. We had lots of players missing, got stuck in on a wet wicket and ended up winning after posting just 144.

"The semi-final win (at Sandiacre) looks comfortable on paper but it wasn't. It was a good toss to win and we got their best players out early on but it was all a bit nervy."

Smith still has a full head of hair - for the time being.

Returning to Lords for the second time in 12 months tomorrow to play Malden Wanderers of Surrey is an achievement for him, his team and the club to be proud of.

Having won it at the first time of asking in 2004, they are facing a third appearance in five years - a record that is unlikely to be beaten by anybody.

"Nobody wanted to admit it incase it brought us bad luck but, because of what was happening to us with all of the close finishes in the early rounds, there was the odd nod and wink between the senior players as we got further and further this season," said Smith.

"Nobody wanted to mention Lord's again but we sensed something was happening."

The affable Smith is known as "Pedro" by friends, colleagues and team-mates.

A perceived likeness to a tanned Spaniard after a couple of hours in the sun was all it took for the name to stick. His mates have lapped it up.

When your surname is Smith, it is sometimes hard to stand out in the crowd.

But that is what the Kibworth skipper has done since taking over the role in 2007 with some astute decision-making and an ability to remain calm under intense pressure.

A leader for two years, Smith is now in his sixth season in the green and gold - a stay he thought might have been much shorter after a disappointing first year at the club.

"Pete Folley (former Kibworth chairman of cricket) approached me in 2002 but I said I would stay at Bitteswell," he said.

"After another good season, I said 'Yes' the following year.

"But I didn't do very well in my first season at Kibworth and, when they signed Mike Sutliff (former Leicestershire and Gloucestershire batsman) as skipper that year, there were doubts in my mind about whether I would keep my place.

"Because of that, I worked on my bowling because I thought my batting spot might be in danger."

It proved to be a good decision and Smith's leg-spin was influential in getting Sutliff's side to a Lord's debut in 2004.

"In the National Knock-Out, I bowled out of my skin and did well in the final, getting a couple of vital wickets and returning 2-35 off nine overs," said Smith.

He then added 47 not out as Kibworth beat Ockbrook & Borrowash by five wickets on a day to remember.

Tim Mason (vice-captain), John Hanger, Aamir Mahmood, Simon Renshaw and Russell Spiers were also involved that day and are likely to form a select group of those having played in all three of Kibworth's visits to Lords.

If they lose tomorrow, it will not be through a lack of experience. And there will be none of the Kibworth contingent treating it like just another game.

Smith says any visit to the home of cricket is something that really gets the juices flowing throughout the team.

"The day just flies by when you are there," he said.

"There's the Long Room, the brilliant changing rooms and the food at the interval is as good as a top-notch restaurant. It's just a shame that some of the boys are too nervous to enjoy it.

"You even get an attendant in the changing room who will get you whatever you want.

"Then you stand on the balcony and look down at all of the supporters from Kibworth who are at the ground cheering us on and chanting our names and it gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.

"You tend to remember more after the game because there's too much to think about while you are there."

For the moment, Smith is too engrossed in the job at hand to take full stock of what he and his team are achieving - the envy of not only other clubs in the county, but country as well.

In a few years time, he will sit down and look back on it all, with a sense of affection and maybe, a sense of amazement.

But for now, Pedro has a trophy to win - and there is no chance of him getting distracted