12th September 5th XI v Rugeley (away)
Rugeley won the toss and surprisingly opted to bat. It turned out to be a
good decision as some indifferent bowling and at times poor fielding from
Penn helped them reach a total of 197 off their 45 overs. David Potts (3 for
33) and Ravi Singh (2 for 28) were the main wicket takers.
Penn's batting response was very poor on a helpful artificial track. At one
stage they were 31 for 6 and all seemed lost. Thankfully, Harry Lal with an
unbeaten 59 and Barrie Greatrex who again frustrated the opposition bowlers,
managed to bat through in another tense finish. Penn finished on 142 for 9
off the 45 overs. The losing draw was enough to avoid relegation and a good
result after such a poor start.
Sunday 6th September 2009 - Twenty/Twenty Competition
Himley Knockout Final v Brewood
This was the first time that Penn's 1st team was competing in the final of a
cup competition for 4 years and the team was desperate for success. We were
allocated the away changing room and given our one day kit for the day (an
all black number) and proceeded to undertake a warm-up usually only
performed for the rigours of Saturday cricket.
Alas the toss was lost, but we were asked to bat, a decision that was
favourable to us as we were more confident setting a total rather than
chasing one in the final. Sandeep Dhillon and Richard Bradford opened the
innings and got us off to a good start. A few drives later against a new
orange ball and Bradford fell to a good delivery off Dave Wedge after
compiling 13 from 17 balls. This brought 'in form' Nick Hudson to the wicket
and he justified being given the responsibility of the number three berth.
His shots were at times truly outstanding and he combined aggressive shot
selection with intense running. Sandeep was also in a good groove and a
partnership of 82 was forged.
Sandeep eventually fell to the bowling of Marsh for 38 off 32 balls. Hudson
continued his rampage until he fell to a good deep catch of Chris Pearce for
66 off 49 balls. All the other batsmen contributed and a final flourish of
14 off 8 balls from Arjinder Bhogal meant that an imposing 165 for 7 off our
20 overs was set.
We started our fielding off in miserly fashion, with Danny Smith being the
most economical and bowling his 4 overs for only 18 runs. The Brewood
batsman seemed to get themselves bogged sown and neither attacked or put
pressure on our fielders which left themselves a lot to do in the final 10
overs. They did try to give themselves every chance however which some
determined play from Chris Pearce (45 off 49 balls) and A Heslop (50 off 40
balls). However Bradford brought about the demise of both these players
(finishing with figures of 2 for 35) and the game appeared over.
There was to be one more twist however. In the penultimate over Brewood
required 39 a feet we thought far to great for them. Whether it was through
luck or judgement W Marsh of Brewood took a liking to Richard Brooker and
took 22 off the over. The final over then became a very tense affair and it
fell on the shoulders of, young gun, Richard Kimberlin. He bowled a near
perfect over removing the dangerous Marsh in the process and the trophy was
ours. On the bowling front a word of praise must go to Rich Kimberlin whose
figures of 3 for 30 were very influential.
Good celebration took place and we must now take this result into our must
win final Birmingham league game this Saturday. A great win, lets try and
defend our trophy next year.
5th September 5th XI v Whitmore Reans (home)
Whitmore Reans are an excellent side who are challenging for the divisional
title. Penn were still not safe from relegation at the start of play and so
knew it would be a tough game. After being asked to bat, Whitmore Reans
began to steadily build a large total. Waqar hit an excellent 50 in a total
of 218 for 9 declared. The standout Penn bowlers were Danny Bargota (2 for
22) and Dave Williams (2 for 11) with Girresh Thakral and Ravi Singh
providing good support.
Penn began really well with Kam Grewal and Tom Kimberlin building a great
foundation. Whitmore Reans too helped the Penn cause with some wayward
bowling and a heavy dose of wide deliveries. After 19 overs, Penn were 99
for 2. After that, wickets began to steadily tumble. Kam Grewal (38) and
Ravi Singh (23) were the main contributors as Penn crept towards the total.
A late flurry of wickets saw Penn at an awkward 195 for 9 as Barrie Greatrex
strode to the wicket to join Dave Williams. Very tense moments ensued as
Dave and Barrie chipped away at the target sometimes going at just one an
over. The two stood firm. A couple of consecutive late cuts from Barrie
reached the third man boundary and some belligerent hitting from Dave saw
Penn home as dusk began to settle, and the winning run was met with huge
cheers from their celebrating team mates. A wonderful victory against the
odds.
29th August 3rd XI v Pelsall (home)
A sunny day and a dampish pitch contributed to one of the most exciting
games of the season. Skipper David Potts lost the toss and Penn were invited
to bat. The ball often leapt up from a good length and occasionally kept low
as Penn lost both openers in the first two overs. Wickets fell at regular
intervals but the innings was held together by 14 year old Josh Heath with a
magnificent innings of 49. Josh's dismissal was via a feathered edge to the
keeper that the umpire did not see and the fact that Josh walked on 49
demonstrates that he is not only a fine prospect as a batsman, but a high
class young man to boot. His team mates only gave him sporadic support with
Dev Penn (17 n.o.) and Bav Patel (14) the next highest contributors in a
total of 128.
The Pelsall response was bullish and swift. Within six overs they had
amassed 42 runs and the victory looked straightforward. However, 15 year old
Danny Bargota seized the newish ball and began to bowl old fashioned line
and length at a fairly decent pace. He dispatched three batsmen back to the
pavilion for only 17 runs and Pelsall became nervous. At the other end,
veteran David Potts somehow managed to bowl up the hill and bag four more
wickets for 32. Pelsall skipper Alan Lett strode to the crease with 60 runs
still needed for victory. He launched a devastating attack on David Potts
and Glyn Martin with a succession of sixes until Martin finally bowled him.
After a series of tense overs Pelsall scraped up to 125 for 9, just four
short of victory, but only one error from defeat. The penultimate delivery
of the match saw spinner Glyn Martin beat the batsman only to see his slower
ball leap millimetres over middle stump off the springy pitch. His next ball
was thumped high to cow corner where Chris Asbury made a brave attempt to
catch it but could only help it to the boundary. A super effort from Chris
and from the whole Penn team, even in defeat.
15th August 1st XI v Sutton Coldfield (home)
This game saw the return of an old Penn favourite in the form of Richard
Norgrove. It was a pleasure to have him back at the club I'm sure he calls
home.
This however did not negate the fact that it was a 'must win' match for us.
The first part went well when we won the toss and decided to have a bowl.
Depesh Patel bowled with pace, accuracy and guile which gave him his best
ever figures in Penn colours. He was a constant threat and finished the
innings after bowling 14.4 Overs and claiming 7 for 36. The other bowlers
all performed well without luck and Sutton finished on 200 all out.
In order to chase such a large target it was imperative not to lose early
wickets. Unfortunately this is what happened when Vic Lal was un-luckily
given out caught and Bradford was snared by their wicket keeper, who has
'made the position his own'!!
However out strode Richard Hewit and put the Sutton bowling to all parts.
He scored a very quick 56 which put us in control. He was well supported by
Sandeep Dhillon (45) and Ben Maddox (41) and it was left to Nick Hudson
(16*) and Jimmy Grosvenor (7*) to see us home.
Another much needed victory - Penn 20pts
15th August 5th XI vs Bloxwich (home)
Bloxwich won the toss and invited Penn to bat first. A dogged innings of 71
from Tom Kimberlin saw Penn amass 214 runs with Harry Lal contributing a
quick 24.
The Bloxwich innings never really got going and wickets tumbled at fairly
regular intervals until the the 30th over. A determined stand by the seventh
wicket partnership saw Bloxwich avoid defeat. There were two wickets apiece
for David Potts, Bavesh Patel and David Williams as Bloxwich finished on 121
for 8. A winning draw and 13 points for Penn.
4th July 1st XI vs Tamworth
Once again Bradders lost the toss and we were put into bat, whilst we lost
a few early wickets again Rich Hewitt got of to a good start smashing 38 in
quick time. We then got going again with inform Ben Maddox getting another
half century. Nick Hudson chipped in with 20 odd along with afew others also
making way to 20. At 174 for 5 we looked in good shape to hit out in the
last five overs, but alas the famous penn collapse saw us bowled out for 177
in 54 overs....
Having Dip back in the bowling attack aswell as Rich Brooker we were quietly
confident with some of their main batters missing. Dips opening spell was
good and they struggled to play...But all through their innings the body
language wasnt good and it was very quite...Having dropped to simple catches
and miss fields all over the place it wasn't a good sign..The team have some
massive improving to do if we harbour any hopes of getting a good finish in
the league. As i was only watching you could see that their was no intensity
in the field and other comments from the crowd that they showed no fight was
extremely disappointing..Lets hope it all changes next week against Water
Orton at home who are in the same form as us, I think it is one of our
biggest games of the season so far
20th June 1st XI vs Cannock (Home)
The day started well with Bradders winning the toss for once. They got off
to a great start being 70 without loss after 10 overs. Not due to bad
bowling just some aggressive hitting from one of their openers that ended up
on 50 after about 8 overs. Then it all changed with fantastic bowling from
Bo and Hiren, these to both bowled very good lines and they struggled to
score. Hiren ending with 4 wickets and Bo with 2 these pair along with
Brooky pulled us back into the game eventually bowling them out for 177 in
53 overs. This mant we had 57 overs to bat which would be very crucial.
Our innings started ok with Amit looking good but unfortunately he was
dismissed for 16. Sanders went for 15, then Maddox and captain marvel
Bradders put on a very good partnership. Maddox getting bowled on 30, then
Nick 'Rudi' Hudson looked set on 20 only for a dodgy decision to go against
us. Bradders was still there though and we always had hope. Wickets fell
along with some boundaries and when Brooky got a stinker of a decision we
were 9 wickets down still needing 12 to win in 4 overs. Should we got for it
or block out for losing draw???? Bradders and Hiren at the crease worked it
around for 3 overs and we looked good needing 4 of the last over to win.
First ball a well ran 2 pulled us closer, next ball bradders pinched a
single, scores tied. Three balls left, Hiren on strike, short ball hits
Hiren on the thigh, Bradders scrammbled through for a single PENN WIN.
Bradders unbeaten on 70 was a true captains innings leading us to a victory
and pushing us further up the table. Spirit is high, teams playing well,
things are looking up despite there being injuries. COME ON PENN!!
30th May 5th XI v. Bloxwich (Away)
After calling the toss correctly, skipper David Potts asked Bloxwich to bat.
Penn got off to a fine start with Jordan Nixon removing an opener in his
first over. After that, Penn bowled steadily but unspectacularly and with
not much luck. The side's younger bowlers were excellent with 14 year olds
Aaron Patel and Danny Bergota taking a wicket each in their spells. 15 year
old Ed Potts spun his way to figures of 2 for 15 on his debut bowl for the
seniors. Bloxwich eventually declared on 201 after 43 overs. This gave Penn
a gettable target and 47 overs in which to do it.
Penn's response started well with Harry Lal and Tom Kimberlin ticking the
scoreboard round at 4 an over. However, after Tom's demise no-one really
stayed with Harry. Eventually Harry Lal perished for a fine 31 on a grassy
unpredictable pitch. With just one wicket left and eleven overs to
negotiate, Bloxwich appeared confident that the final barrier partnership of
Jordan Nixon and Barrie Greatrex would not keep them from victory for too
long. How wrong they were! A superb rearguard action from the pair saw Penn
through to the losing draw and they departed the square finishing on 90 for
9 with the applause of their team mates ringing in their ears.
23rd May 5th XI v. Brewood (Home)
Penn Fifths hosted Brewood Thirds at the Royal School with Brewood having
won all of their fixtures so far this season. Brewood called the toss
correctly and asked Penn to bat first. The Penn innings was good but could
have been better with several players making it into the twenties without
pushing on for more. Oli Zaki top scored with a fine 33 not out in a total
of 187 for 7.
Brewood's opening batsmen were unsurprisingly of high quality and showed why
Brewood have been so strong this season. Penn's bowlers toiled well but were
unable to make the breakthrough enough times. Barrie Greatrex picked up two
of only three wickets to fall as Brewood made the 198 target with five overs
to spare.
16th May 1st XI vs Ombersley (away)
It was a late start at Ombersley due to rain but we lost the toss and were
put into bat. Sanders and Snakey got off to a great start but momentum was
halted by another rain break which would be the same throughout our innings.
Once Sanders had fallen for 24 Snakey soon followed and a Penn collapse was
on the way. Amun went caught behind, Dipesh caught behind, Brooker thought
it was a good idea to run to the bowler...run out, 'Rudi' Hudson caught
gully off one that popped a bit, we were in big trouble. This collapse
brought Bo and Bradders to the crease and they steadied the ship putting on
a partnership of around 40, then Bo fell trying to hit over the top just not
getting hold of it. Rich Kimberlin then came to the crease and played with
the skipper brilliantly and they put on a partnership of 90 taking us to a
respectable total. Bradders then fell for 70 caught on the boundary, the
very next ball Kimberlin fell stumped. So Smudger and Zaki were at the
crease for the last over trying to get the score up to 200, but wild swings
from Smudger left the team on 194 for 9.
An early tea was taken due to rain again. Ombersley had 35 overs to get 124
for the winning draw, we were in with a bid shout of winning the game if we
could take early wickets, but after 1.1 overs of their innings rain halted
us again and there was to be no more play for the day. Disappointing end as
we felt we were in with a big chance of a positive result.
Bank holiday weekend next week with two home fixtures if we win both we
would be back in the mix big time!!!
10th May 1st XI vs Longton (Staffs cup)
After a disappointing Saturday the whole team were determined to prove they
had what it takes against a good Longton team with Staffs minor county
players and an ex Worcester player. Penn won the toss and chose to bowl and
good early spell from Danny Smith saw an early wicket fall, had catches been
held it could have been more. Then Roger Sillence came to the crease and
with the help of poor fielding, more dropped catches and a shocking decision
by the umpire not to give him out caught behind, he smashed his way to 101.
This left Longton’s total at 191 for 7.
Penn had a decent start with Rich Hewitt scoring 45 looking very impressive,
and then a famous old Penn collapse brought Rich Bradford and Nick Hudson to
the crease at 80 for 5. These pair batted and applied themselves extremely
well and put on a partnership of around 110 to win the game 5 wickets down,
Rich (Bradley Branning) Bradford finished with 53 not out and Nick (Rudi)
Hudson finished with 51 not out.
A great batting display showing that this Penn team has the capabilities to
chase big totals and beat teams of quality, we just need to put that into a
Saturday starting with Ombersley away Saturday
9th May 1st XI vs Wombourne
Penn lost the toss and were put into bat by the opposition. Failing to apply
ourselves again with the bat along with some good bowling from Wombourne we
were bowled out for 67. Again another disappointing batting display by all
involved. However we felt that if we took a few early wickets then anything
could happen. Unfortunately this didn’t happen bowling inconsistent lines n
lengths Wombourne knocked the total off for the loss of only one wicket.
Drastic changes need to happen or it will be a long hard season for Penn 1st
XI.
9th May - Fifth XI v. Beacon (Away)
A cold gusting wind negated the sunshine and Penn found it difficult to
adjust to the conditions. Bowling first, they were unable to consistently
hit line and length on a batsman friendly pitch. Beacon took advantage well
and finished their innings on 230 for 5. David Potts took 3 for 37.
The Penn response never really got going and in the end limped to a poor
total of 85 all out. The only bright spot was another promising innings from
14 year old Josh Heath who compiled a defiant 21. A very bad day at the
office.
2nd May - Fifth XI v. West Bromwich Dartmouth (Home)
Penn Fifths versus West Bromwich Dartmouth Thirds was always going to be a
difficult fixture. WBD had won both of their previous matches and were
looking ominously strong. The away side won the toss and elected to bat.
After 35 overs they were 320 for no wicket and declared their innings
closed. A brief return to the crease ensued for their two openers after the
scorers revealed that one of them was on 199. His attempt at the double
century was foiled by wily Penn skipper Brian Lester.
The only option for Penn was always going to be bat out for the draw which
they did in surprising comfort finishing on 111 for only 3 wickets. Star of
the show was 14 year old opener Tom Kimberlin who hit a very elegant 43.
25th April - Fifth XI v.
Cannock (Home)
Heavy rain in the morning meant that the artificial Royal School strip was a
little slippery, but the match started in bright sunshine.
Skipper David Potts won the toss and invited the opposition to bat. Penn's
bowling was pretty tight and the fielding excellent. Tim Smith particularly
stood out in the field with great athleticism and enthusiasm. There was a
promising debut too for 14 year old leg spinner Amrit Singh. This fine
performance restricted Cannock to 129 for 8. Bharat Patel returned excellent
figures by taking 2 wickets for 1 run off six overs that included five
maidens. David Potts and Girrish Tharkal also bagged a couple of wickets
each.
Penn's batting response got off to an excellent start with a fine opening
partnership of 48 between Harry Lal and Tom Kimberlin. Another 14 year old
debutante Josh Heath came in at No. 3 and produced a very classy display
before finally getting stumped on 26. David Potts (46 no) and Tim Smith
finally saw Penn through to the 130 target with 13 overs to spare.
25th April - First XI v
Fordhouses (Home)
Penn hosted Fordhouses in a friendly match as a warm up for the league game
the following week. Due to overnight rain the wicket was wet, however
playable. The skipper lost the toss and we were put in.
A debut was handed to Amun Samra who opened up with Amit (Snakey) Sharma.
Amit got the season away with some tremendous straight drives but was
dismissed for 12 from a rising delivery from their opening bowler.
Amun was joined at the crease by Sanders and the partnership became the
platform for our innings. Amun contributed a gutsy 25 and Sandeep bludgeoned
his way to 94. The other innings of note was from another debutant, Ben
Maddox who compiled an elegant 35. We reached 211 from our allocated 45
overs.
Following a decent batting display we wanted to put in a good shift on the
bowling front. Depesh and Danny Smith opened up and Dip was very
threatening. He removed their two openers and was a constant threat. Bo was
a constant threat but it was the day for Richard Kimberlin to shine. He went
through a weak Fordhouses middle order and finished with figures of 4 for 17
from 9 overs.
Fordhouses were dismissed for 90 meaning a good start to the season.
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