Anston maintain their great start
by Paul Barker, 3rd May 2005

For as long as one can remember, Anston have always been a capable Division 2 side but now after three matches into this season they sit proudly perched at the top after two winning draws and a Bank Holiday win over the fancied Blidworth side.

With the grounds still being on the wet side, Anston batted first and made a reasonable all out total of 153 with Jonathan Geary batting superbly to reach 44 and good support coming from Michael Norbury with 31. The Blidworth attack bowled very well with Dave Willcock (3 for 39) and Richard Smith (6 for 32) never letting the score get out of control.

Blidworth may well have fancied this task but they had bargained without the incredible Anston team spirit and only Darren Norwood who made a good 30 ever looked settled as they were bundled out for 144. Ian Barley in particular bowled magnificently to take 5 for 44 and great support came from Graham Tweed (3 for 23).

Barley who is captain of the side shows a terrific example to his team mates and is without question one of the most accurate bowlers in the league. No side is ever safe with a bowler of his ability firing at them and his team mates back him 100%. Will Anston keep it going? It’s a difficult question but the way they are performing it will take a cracking good side to beat them.

Considering the match was rain affected the Division 3 encounter between West Indian Cavaliers 2 nd and Harthill turned out to be a very tense affair with the latter just holding on in a time match. The Cavaliers batted first and made a quickfire 233 for 5 before declaring with the elegant Monty Douglas contributing 87, Nish Waduge an unbeaten 51 and Karl Thomas 49.

Harthill never looked likely to trouble this total and at the close mainly thanks to an unbeaten 46 from Ian Green they held out desperately on 115 for 9. Nish Waduge with 4 for 9 laid claim to be ‘Man of the match’, but it was a good all round game with both sides playing their part.

When Ashover were bundled out for just 94 they must have feared the worse. John Hill (3 for 41) and Steve Askew (3 for 14) both bowled superbly and nobody in the Ashover batting line up could cope with them and their opponents Thurcroft must have thought it was their day at the half way stage.

However what one side could do surely it was possible for the other to copy and Ashover certainly did that. Only Thurcroft’s last pair thwarted them from completing an amazing victory as they held out on 89 for 8 as the overs ran out. Roger Bolstridge (4 for 30) and Ina Broome (3 for 25) emulated everything Hill and Askew had done before and although runs were at a premium, this was a battling tense struggle which was thoroughly enjoyable.