Test Series in the Balance

The Second Test in Mumbai was a must win after their struggle in Ahmedabad, and England duly delivered thanks to the outstanding Monty Panesar.

After their mauling by India- losing the First Test by nine wickets-  along with their series defeat to South Africa in England and subsequent loss their number one Test status, Coach Andy Flower and his troops were under pressure to perform.

It was clear that the introduction of Monty Panesar was a huge lift for the England camp. On an Indian pitch that turned square and in humid conditions which favoured spin bowlers, the Three Lions again faced conditions which were evidently used wisely by MS Dhoni in the First Test. Alastair Cook had only four recognised bowlers at his disposal in Ahmedabad with James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan all being seamers alongside the one spinner in Graeme Swann. Samit Patel and Kevin Pietersen had to be used to make up for the team failing to pick Panesar-Patel bowling 31 overs with figures of 1-96 and Pietersen at 1-25 from his eight overs. It is hard to understand why they did not choose Panesar over Patel.

However, Flower and captain Cook did not make the same mistake second time round and Panesar showed why they should have picked him in the First Test. Bowling in tandem with off-spinner Swann, Panesar helped restrict the hosts to 327 all out. Monty’s 5-129 from 47 overs had given the visitors a chance, not to mention an incredible 4-70 from Swann in his 34.1 overs.

Cheteshwar Pujara showed his class yet again for the home side- the 24-year old right handed batsman hit 135 from 350 balls. It was an innings which did not just show classic stroke-making, but valuable time and patience. To be able to bat for such a long time shows incredible courage to maintain such a high standard, and pundits have witnessed a mix between Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in the number 3.

Cook, leading by example in England’s reply, continued his impressive form by scoring a century of his own along with the highly-profiled Pietersen, who silenced his critics after months of criticism pre and post the South Africa test series.

Cook and Pietersen racked up a 206 run partnership for the third wicket, a fine response to the first Test’s shambles-Pietersen must now pick up from where he left off in the third Test. England have lacked a free-flowing run-scorer in Pietersen, and his valuable runs were sorely missed.

How much of a statement did Panesar and Swann make in India’s second innings response? Together, the spin twins’ figures of 10-124 showed a remarkable effort to bowl out India for just 142. Many congratulations go to Panesar for finishing with match figures of 11-210- An 11 wicket haul is hard to collect in any type of format, especially in India, with their backs against the wall to win a Test and stay in the series Panesar can be so proud of such an achievement.

A fine ten wicket victory for the tourists was sealed by an aggressive partnership between Cook and the impressive Nick Compton to tie the series at 1-1 going in to the third Test in Kolkata.

The penultimate Test could see ‘fit-again’ Steven Finn return to replace Vice-captain Stuart Broad, who has now failed to take a single wicket in the first two Tests. Finn has been unavailable due to a thigh injury, but he pulled through a thorough net session at Eden Gardens on Monday having bowled well in a practice match in midweek. Despite Broad picking up 40 Test wickets this calendar year, he has struggled for form in India.

England cannot afford to rest easy as they look to regain their number one status from rivals South Africa as soon as possible. The South Africans made a statement of their own by demolishing Australia in Perth this week and will not be giving up top spot without a fight.

Superb Sileby hammer hapless Harborough as Second's slowly secure survival

Sileby Town claimed just their third victory of the season on Saturday winning by 7 wickets against Market Harborough 2nd XI at Mill Lane.

It was an all-round accomplished performance by the Division 2 outfit, lead by stand-in skipper Micky Ruddle for the second week running, despite the side’s heavy defeat to Loughborough Town last weekend.

Ruddle won the toss, and with a bit of cloud cover, he elected to field first, and Sileby got off to a fantastic start with seamer Fred Notman dismissing captain Chris Gordon, edging behind to Ruddle at second slip for a fifth ball duck.

Just four overs later, Notman picked up his second victim, dismissing George Bott for 5 bowling the opener with the score on 13-2.

A tidy partnership of 28 between M Collins and M Pozarskis gave the visitors a little bit of stability in the top order, but it was Adam Hackett with the breakthrough for the third wicket, with the latter having his leg stump bail removed as he departed for 12.

M Collins found himself back in the hutch just two overs later falling to Hackett for his second of the day. The young right hander looked in good form for his patient 26 before the seamer’s short and wide delivery had the number three cutting straight to Charity at second gully.

With the score now on 44-4, Harborough’s collapse seemed comparably similar to Sileby’s last week, but the boot was on the other foot, fortunately for the home side and within the space of just over an over, R Collins (0) and Clarke (2) fell to medium pacers Ruddle and Dawson respectively as Harborough were now six down for just 48 runs.

Ramdeen and Williams offered some resistance for the seventh wicket. For 43 deliveries, Williams resistance assisted Ramdeen as he was allowed to score relatively freely in a partnership of 32.

But after much pressure, Ramdeen succumbed to Ruddle as he picked out Notman at mid-off for 19.

Notman’s re-introduction was rewarded with the wicket of Williams’ who tried his best to dig his side out of the hole they were in, but the stubborn lower order batsman edged behind to Sean Dudley for his 4.

The tailend offered a lot of resistance with Kirk and Sadd both biding their time, hoping to make it to 45 overs. The left handed Kirk had played elegantly as he looked to salvage the top order damage that Notman and Hackett had caused early on.

Sadd was rewarded with two lifelines as Charity had spilled two fairly easy chances that could have put the first innings to bed, but the number ten ably supported Kirk as he crashed his way to 28 with five fours to his name.

But Kirk became Ruddle’s third wicket before off-break bowler Charity removed Moss for a golden duck with his first delivery, leaving the away side to defend just 129 in 45 overs.

Notman ended up with fine figures of 10-2-26-3, whilst Hackett’s 2-48, Ruddle 3-29 and Dawson’s 1-21 displayed a pleasing bowling performance overall.

Kindleysides and Dudley shared a fine stand of 55 for the first wicket, before Kindleysides was dismissed by Kirk for 27.

Dudley’s patient 32 from 64 balls soon came to an end when Pozarskis trapped the opener in front of the stumps leaving the score on 106-2.

Gethin King did not mess about as he made 32 from just 21 balls but he gifted Harborough a bowling point as he was caught off the bowling of R Collins, with just nine to win.

Ford and Charity eventually reached the target, inevitably, as Sileby recorded their first 24 points of the season boosting their chances of survival.

Sileby’s win means they go above Leicester Ivanhoe (151) by just three points, but leaves them 16 points clear of second bottom Quorn 138, as they now head to lowly Lutterworth  2nds (118), full of confidence.

Sileby suffer setback as Town trounce two’s

Loughborough Town 2nd XI capitalised on Hinckley Town’s shock defeat to Ibstock Town on Saturday afternoon after they defeated Sileby Town 2nd XI by 9 wickets at Park Road.

The hosts started the day in second place, five points behind promotion chasing Hinckley Town before their demolition job of Sileby Town allowed them to regain top spot with just six games left of the Everards Division 2 season.

Sileby were light on their bowlers this week, with Ryan Dawson promoted to the 1st XI.

And it was Micky Ruddle who took over the captaincy from Mo Khan, who joined Ryan Dawson in the 1st XI, and it was a day to forget.

After losing the toss, the visitors got off to a bad start, with Gethin King (0) being bowled with the first ball of the game by Kyle Saddington, to a wonderful inswinging delivery putting Sileby on the back foot almost immediately.

Saddington picked up his second wicket, dismissing Joe Charity (1) caught in the slips with the score 1-2.

Charles Kindleysides and Jack Ford had the task of recovering Sileby’s top order collapse, but the off-spin of experienced Martin Gidley had tempted Kindleysides to go over the in-field, but his drive did not have the legs to beat mid-on departing for 19.

Ford (20) followed falling to Gidley sweeping, and despite a brief partnership of 23 with Ruddle, Dan Tompkins fell to Sagar Patel for 8.

The returning Nigel Kinch shared a partnership of 59 for the sixth wicket, elevating Sileby’s weak score from 73-5 to 132-6, until Ruddle (34) was caught at long-on, looking for the maximum from Nil Patel.

Kinch (36) was stumped and Adam Hackett along with Fred Notman helped post 147 in their 45 overs.

Loughborough’s response lead by Joe Purvis and Gidley, and followed up by Saddington, took just over 27 overs to seal their victory.

Purvis took apart Sileby’s attack, crashing nine four’s and two sixes in the process for his 65 before youngster Kieron Chance took his first second team wicket with Kindleysides snapping up the opener at square leg.

But that was the only highlight of Sileby’s bowling attack. Loughborough claim 24 points, enhancing their chances of gaining promotion to Division 1 and Sileby have six games to find a winning formula to make sure they stay in Division two for another year.

Sileby set to face Rothley after demolishing Woodhouse in Semi-Final

A ruthless Sileby Town Thursday XI demolished Woodhouse Eaves by 111 runs in the Loughborough Cricket Association Premier League Semi-Final play off at King George V Playing fields.

Luke Gale, Dave Torr and Liam Kinch all smashed half-centuries as the visitors posted a colossal 185-5 from just 14 overs.

After torrential downpour in recent weeks, both sides agreed to play the semi-final at Woodhouse after Sileby Town’s Mill Lane ground had been under water for some time, despite recent scorching temperatures.

With captain Micky Ruddle winning the toss and electing the bat first, Gale had set about his intentions very early on, after crashing the first ball over the boundary for four from the bowling of Stewart.

Ben Cavey’s stay at the crease however, was short lived after he departed for the just four, falling to Cartwright with the score on 25-1 in just the second over.

Gale continued his destruction of the home side’s bowlers, and he was joined by Dave Torr, as their second wicket partnership had elevated the score to 118 in just six overs.

Prior to being bowled, Gale smashed three consecutive sixes behind the bowlers’ head before coming down the track looking for the fourth, and having his bails removed for a rapid 57 from just 29 balls.

Torr soon departed not so long after he reached his half century in just under 40 deliveries falling to A Stovell for 51.

A middle order collapse saw Gethin King and Joe Charity follow Torr back in the hutch with A Stovell bowling King for a second ball duck and Charity ran out by a direct hit for just 3.

Just three overs remained when Kinch and Mo Khan were at the crease and the final remaining overs had given Kinch the license to free hit the bowling attack, sharing a stand of 48 in just 2.3 overs.

Kinch’s 51* from just 21 deliveries had given the away side a highly competitive target for the home side to chase.

And it took just the seventh ball of the first over for seamer Matt Ellis to pick up the wicket of Simpson as he was caught behind for just a single.

Adam Hackett followed Ellis up with a wicket of his own dismissing Greaseley for five.

Woodhouse could never get going with the two seamers bowling very tight lines and A Stovell’s (4) stumps were removed by Hackett as he picked up his second wicket of the evening with the score on 17-3 in the fourth over.

Ellis also enjoyed two wickets on the night as he comprehensively bowled captain Nick Collins for three and at 21-4, it was always going to be a tough target for Woodhouse to get.

Hill and Stephens had slowly began to pick up the pieces as they made a partnership of 28 for the fifth wicket before Hackett ran out Stephens for 18.

Sam Gale’s slow left arm had invited Hill (12) to come down the track only for Joe Charity to pick up a rare stumping.

N Stovell (2) fell to Gale as he was bowled with the score on 53-7.

Ruddle picked up the final three wickets of Evans (20), Stewart (0) and Cartwright (0) all succumbing to the slow-medium pace.

Woodhouse Eaves’ unsuccessful chase has given Sileby the opportunity to face rivals Rothley Park CC in the play-off final, which is due to be played at Rothley this Thursday evening.

Sileby will go in to the final with great confidence after posting a score with such a challenge but Rothley will be another test for the league leaders, as they look to avenge their early season defeat at Mill Lane, last month.

Sileby struggle to seize opportunity as Bank’s claim winning draw.

Leicester Banks came away with a winning draw versus Sileby Town 2nd XI at Banks Road on Saturday, after the away side failed to reach their target of 157 from 56 overs.

Micky Ruddle picked up 4-25 as the visitors made a remarkable recovery dismissing the home side cheaply.

But it was Janak Valland’s 4-19 that had restricted Sileby to 130-9 as they fell 27 runs short of Bank’s total.

Former Leicester Bank’s batsman Mo Khan was appointed captain ahead of the game with Ben Cavey keeping his place in the first team, he elected to field on a fairly green and patchy deck.

Asim Khan, also a former Bank’s player, opened the bowling with Adam Hackett and they both struggled to get their lines right early on as Sandip Sologotra and Valland made a steady start, punishing any bad deliveries that was in their half.

The opening partnership was broken with Jacob Smith, as Sologotra (13) had slapped a full toss straight back at the bowler as Sileby picked up their first wicket with the score on 35-1 in the seventh over.

Rahul Sharma’s huge hitting was well supported by Valland as he continued to rotate the strike, unsettling Sileby’s bowlers.

But it was the introduction of Ruddle who was able to dismiss Valland. Wicket-keeper Sean Dudley’s quick thinking and sharp hands had caught Valland off-guard out of his crease, as he stumped the young right hander for a useful 26, with the score at 90-2 in the 15th over.

Avinesh Patel did not last long as the left-hander picked out Joe Charity at short mid-wicket for a second ball duck.

Sharma was given a lifeline in the same over when he top edged Ruddle to Jacob Smith at long off who was unable to hold on to the ball. But his destructive 66 was ended when he was trapped leg before wicket off the bowling of Ryan Dawson.

Dawson then bowled Vikash Tailor for three and the Bank’s soon found themselves at 113-5 in the 20th over. Sileby’s poor start had made a significant recovery after the loss of Sharma, losing their last 6 wickets for just 47 runs.

Asim Khan returned for his second spell and he instantly made an impact removing Prakash Patel (8) and Ashwin Patel (11) before Ruddle picked up his third dismissing Jaydeep Naik (13).

Khan’s third wicket of the afternoon was the dismissal of Vishal Somaya (1) and Ruddle closed the innings as Bharat Taylor’s loft to long off found Mo Khan as Bank’s were bowled out for 157 in just 32.2 overs, to what will have been a phenomenal batting collapse after their explosive start.

Sileby had 57 overs in total before the clouds began to open up and both sides were able to get one over in before tea.

Umpire Neil Palmer had decided two overs would be lost due to the rain and it was Gareth King and Sean Dudley’s task to ensure there would be a good start to the chase, with the visitors needing to go at only 2.8 runs per over.

Somaya picked up the wickets of Sean Dudley (11) and Charles Kindleysides (8) in the ninth and 13th over respectively with the score at 30-2. King batted patiently as he looked to assist Mo Khan but very slowly, the run rate had started to climb but there never seemed to have been any danger.

King had faced 99 balls for his 27 before Valland had his first of four wickets. Khan then become Valland’s second victim bowling the captain for 18.

At 79-4, Sileby had 22 overs to pick up another 78 runs, but they soon became five down now as Tompkins (2)  fell to the flight and guile of Valland as he went for just two.

Asim Khan looked to resurrect their innings at 93-5, but it was from the bowling of Ashwin Patel that had all members of the playing field in a puzzle when it had looked like Khan’s bails had been removed but there was a question of doubt when Umpire Palmer had failed to see what had happened.

Eventually, Khan (1) was given the finger and with the score at 94-6, Bank’s started to believe they may be able to get something from the game.

Joe Charity had been stranded at the other end as he was witnessing a typical Sileby Town collapse and all of a sudden, Charity and Ruddle had a job on their hands, with the required rate going up to six an over.

Ruddle (2) did not last long either and followed suit to the bowling of Valland for his fourth wicket of the day. Charity (25) fell to Gandhi but it was Dawson and Hackett  who had halted the home side’s charge for victory.

With an over to spare, Palmer declared the game a draw in bizarre scenes. After being put right with lengthy discussions, Palmer restarted the game and both sides were able to bowl the final over as Sileby ended up on 130-8.

Khan and Sileby will be very disappointed they were not ruthless enough to bring home 24 points and so would Bank’s after they had Sileby at eight wickets down.

Weather permitting, Sileby will welcome second placed Hinckley Town to Mill Lane on Saturday and it will be a tough test as Anshuman Bhagawati will look to keep up to the pace with leaders Loughborough Town in Division 2.

Last ball thriller gives Sileby their first win as Daniel’s late charge defeats Kegworth.

Sileby Town left it until the last ball to seal their first victory of the season against Kegworth Town by five wickets on Saturday in the Everards Premier League.

The visitors required just one from the last ball when Gethin King pulled away Ed Bird in an enthralling game as Sileby chased Kegworth’s 169 from the reduced 44 overs.

But it was Ryan Daniels’ late smash and grab raid at the end of the innings when his 33 from just 22 deliveries gave Sileby Town their first 24 points of the season.

With the rest of the county suffering from the torrential downpours, both sides were very lucky to get a game in at King George 5th Playing Fields, and captain Liam Kinch asked Kegworth to bat first.

The toss proved decisive for Kinch’s men, and it was Ellis who made the early breakthrough removing Craig Ashcroft for just two in the fourth over.

Clint Baker was the next man to be walking back the following over, when Sam Gale managed to find the edge of Baker to brother Luke at second slip.

Rob Moorhouse had the task of stabilising the innings along with opener Adam Meads from the fifth over with the scores at 8-2. But the third wicket partnership was only worth 13 runs before Gale picked up his second wicket of the afternoon, dismissing Meads for just six.

Kegworth were soon floundering on 21-3 in the 11th over, and Sileby’s bowlers were getting their just rewards for their tight lines in conditions which would favour any bowler.

Josh Hodge and Moorhouse had started to repair the early damages done by Sileby’s strike bowlers and Hodge looked to have settled with the senior of the two when they put on a partnership of 32 for the fourth.

Aleem Mahmood and Ryan Dawson, making his first team debut in the Everards Premier League replaced Ellis and Sam Gale respectively but they failed to make a breakthrough until it was Liam Kinch with his off-break that had trapped Hodge in front of his stumps for 14.

Returning overseas Tom Bevan came to the crease with the score on 53-4 in the 19th over, and he managed to put on a partnership of 58 with Moorhouse. Both Bevan and Moorhouse were beginning to test the fielders, picking up singles and putting Sileby under pressure.

Moorhouse departed for a fine knock of 43, picking out Ryan Dawson in the deep from the bowling of Kinch for his second of the game. With just under 12 overs remaining, Kegworth were on 111-5 by the time Doug Savige came in at seven, but Bevan was able to reach his half-century, in a knock which was urgently required by Kegworth.

However, Bevan eventually departed hitting it straight to Luke Gale down at long-on for a superb knock of 53 off the bowling of Ben Cavey, elevating Kegworth to 159-6 before a flurry of  late wickets had given the home side a set back they did not need.

Savige was bowled by Matt Ellis for 21, and just three balls later, Cavey removed captain Jordan Holmes for 0 with the score now 159-8.

Gareth Isaac huge six off Cavey had pushed Kegworth over 166, but Ian Dade had got bowled by the off-spinner to gift him his third wicket of the afternoon.

Isaac was the last man to go, with Ellis bowling him for nine leaving Sileby to chase 169 from their 44 overs.

Cavey, the club’s second team captain who was called up in aid of Jordan King’s absence had been given the role of opening up with Dave Torr, and with Cavey being in fine form in recent weeks, he was able to forward his form to Kegworth’s bowlers.

Cavey and Torr made exactly 50 before Torr became Dade’s first victim with his slow right arm, finding Gareth Isaac in the in-field for 27 in the 15th over. Savige then picked up his only wicket of the game dismissing Cavey for 21 to which it brought Luke Gale and Mahmood together in the middle.

Gale played very patiently, valuing his wicket, applying himself carefully throughout the Sileby innings. Mahmood departed to Bevan for just eight.

Kinch and Gale enjoyed a stubborn partnership together in the middle order, frustrating the bowlers during periods of the game. Boundaries were limited in the second innings, and Kegworth, defending a relatively low total, were bowling tighter as the game went on.

Baker, pre-season signing for Kegworth from Countesthorpe who had trained with Sileby in the winter briefly, had made a breakthrough removing Kinch, caught by Moorhouse for 26, having Sileby had 128-4, who required 42 from the last seven overs.

It wasn’t until the 41st over when Luke Gale was finally out, trapped leg before wicket, much to his anger to Baker for his second for 36 off 82 deliveries.

At 140-5, the run rate required increased when the unbeaten Ryan Daniels and Gethin King were at the crease, needing 30 from  just 24 balls. But Daniel’s two huge maximums off Ed Bird had reduced the deficit.

Sileby then headed in to a last ball thriller once again, just like Kibworth away, but were able to avenge their demons when it was King who’s boundary had gifted his side the full 24 points.

Maximum points were more than welcome as Sileby languish towards the wrong end of the table, and weather permitting, Kinch’s charges can now look forward in confidence to Saturday’s tie versus newly promoted Ashby Hastings at Mill Lane.

MATCH SCORECARD

Sileby Suffer Defeat to Local Rivals in Cup

Sileby Town suffered a two wicket defeat to local rivals Barrow & Burton CC at Mill Lane last night, in the quarter-finals of the Joe Orton Cup.

With Barrow chasing Sileby’s 118 off just 14 eight ball overs, the visitors knocked out the home side with just one ball to spare after Aktar’s quick fire 39.

Micky Ruddle won the toss and had elected to bat, despite the wicket looking slow.

Luke Gale and Dave Torr got off to a relatively slow start and it was Tom Shipman who picked up the first wicket removing Gale (10), after he top edged it to Rishi Patel at long off.

Liam Kinch joined Torr at the crease before the young right arm bowler removed Torr’s bails, playing all round a straight one as he departed for 15.

Clarke remained wicketless throughout his three over spell, but just went for 11 runs in his 24 deliveries.

Left arm spinner Ryan Dew replaced Clarke,  but it wasn’t until his second over where he picked up the wicket of Richard Preston, as he tried to sweep Dew to deep square but was trapped leg before wicket for just 12.

Kinch played lovely for his 43, until he was caught, falling to Dew, before he picked up the wickets of both Mo Khan (5) and Joe Charity (5) to complete his four wickets.

Micky Ruddle (18*), along with Sam Gale (2) helped Sileby to their target of 118-6, as they look set to defend their total.

In reply, Rishi Patel hit a useful 20, after Dawson had removed both Kara and Mo Bobat for eight and three respectively. Aktar joined Patel but it was Sam Gale’s left arm spin that deceived the opener and bowled him.

Grew’s exploits, which included a couple of maximums had Barrow well within sight of Sileby’s target.

Ruddle picked his his first wicket having Grew caught at long-on for 25 before a late flurry of wickets.

Jack Williamson (6) was soon run out after poor communication and Gareth Williamson (1) soon followed him back to the clubhouse after Kinch had him caught and bowled, which appeared to be a very soft dismissal.

Aktar was eventually dismissed for 39 when Ruddle had him caught behind to Richard Preston for his second wicket of the night.

The late collapse in wickets had the game back in the balance, and it was Kinch again bowling Clarke (2), but it was young Tom Shipman (8*) who held his nerve to see Barrow over the line.

Sileby’s impressive run in the Joe Orton Cup has come to an end but the runner’s up of this competition will look to maintain their position at the top of the LCA Thursday Evening Premier League for the rest of the season.

Sileby continue good form with win over Rothley

Sileby Town Thursday XI win yet again in the Loughborough Cricket Association Premier League as they overcame Rothley Park CC by 5 wickets.

The home side capped off a terrific bowling performance by knocking off Rothley’s score of 104-8 in 14 overs with just two balls to spare.

In blustery conditions, the visiting captain chose to bat first as they look to set a target for the home side.

Sam Ward was able to pick up plenty of singles in the opening overs of the game, from the bowling of Ryan Dawson and Adam Hackett, but  he was only able to secure a 20 run partnership with opening batsman H Barr playing all round Ryan Dawson’s delivery, as he was bowled for just six.

Richard Mear joined Ward at the crease with the score at 20-1 and both batsman were keeping the run rate up to at least eight an over. Ward was able to manipulate the in-field, hitting the gaps where he had consistently found from the opening bowlers, down to the third man region and in front of square leg  and between mid-wicket.

Kinch replaced Hackett with his off-break but was unable to make a breakthrough for the second wicket before Dawson finished his spell of 4-0-28-1.

Kinch then changed ends with Ruddle coming on with his slow-medium pace and he was able to pick up the wicket of Mear after he played nicely for his 26 runs from just 23 balls. But he will have felt he had missed out as he was caught by Dawson on the deep square boundary, pulling a full toss that should have gone for a maximum.

Just three balls later, Ward went back to a full ball and was bowled for 37 to the bowling of Kinch, as it stayed slow and low. He could have had two wickets in successive deliveries after wicket-keeper Joe Charity had fumbled a stumping that gave Chris Bulmer another lifeline. But Kinch had  Bulmer playing all round which removed his bails, and Rothley were now 72-4 after they were in a solid position just overs before.

Ruddle picked up his second wicket of the night after Williams miss-hit had found Sam Gale at long-on which set off Rothley’s middle order collapse.

Former Sileby Town men Nick Mason and Phil Hackett had the chance to free their arms with just under two overs remaining of Rothley’s innings, but tight bowling at the end from Ruddle and Kinch had halted their push to set a respectable score after their collapse.

Mason soon departed to the hands of Kinch after he lofted his shot to Ruddle at mid-wicket for just eight and Kinch finished his spell with figures of 4-0-25-3.

Hackett didn’t stick around for much longer as he was bowled for 13 from Ruddle which then he was on a hat-trick, instantly removing jack Richardson for a golden duck after he played on.

Josh Simpson managed to pick up a single on the hat trick ball and Rothley ended their innings on 104-8, but with a collapse of just 25-5, they may have just fell 20 runs short of what would have been a respectable total.

Dave Torr and the returning Charles Kindleysides, who re-joined Sileby Town from newly-promoted Premier League Broom Leys, opened for the home side.

Ward had opened up with spin, and not pace with Mason and Simpson. Torr and Kindleysides played with patience and hitting the bad balls for four. Simpson got the wicket of Torr at 41-1, picking out Bulmer at long-off. Asim Khan’s near run-a-ball 10 came to a brief end falling to Simpson for his second of the evening.

After two clean sixes straight over the bowler’s head, Kindleysides soon followed suit, this time stumped off the bowling of Richardson for 32. Mo Khan was then trapped in front for just three and Sileby were now 64-4.

But Sam Gale stuck around with Kinch, and it was his mainstay that enabled Kinch to show his ability and his experience in this kind of situation.

With just four required, Gale was caught by Bulmer for 13, cruelly after his partnership with Kinch had near enough sent Sileby over the finishing line.

Rothley bowled tight and had taken the game in to the last over and it was Kinch who’s crashing four had given Sileby another victory in the midweek league.

Sileby looked set to face Barrow & Burton in Joe Orton cup fixture at home but with the torrential downpour, the game was postponed and will be played next week, weather permitting.

For now, Sileby are at home again and will face Loughborough Carillon in the league as they look to continue their fine run in the Premier Division.

Thursday side through to next round of Cup

Sileby Town Thursday XI were given a pass through to the next stage of the Joe Orton Cup as Walton CC were unable to fulfil the fixture.

Therefore, Micky Ruddle’s side now face Barrow & Burton at home with the fixture to be arranged for next week.

Two’s record first victory of the season

Sileby Town 2nd XI picked up their first win of the 2012 over Lutterworth 2nd XI by seven wickets at Mill Lane.

The in-form Rob Moore scored 67 not out as he helped the home side with just over eight overs to spare.

Ben Cavey had made changes to his side that got the winning draw at Market Harborough last week, with teenage pace bowler Fred Notman coming in to replace Adam Hackett and Phil Chamberlain went in to the First team replacing Moore in a surprise tactical change.

But it was to  the second team’s advantage as the hosts had to thank Moore for his contribution with the bat.

Notman, making his Second team debut, did himself no harm for next week’s fixture with a superb bowling display, as he dismissed opening batsman Baxter for just 14, picking out Moore to take his only wicket of the match.

Captain J Pickering’s constant flashing soon came to an end as he made 24, edging behind to Cavey at first slip, to the bowling of Micky Ruddle.

At 43-2, Rayner was joined at the crease by Hack (3), the latter’s stay at the crease was short-lived as Charity, who had the wicket-keeping duties instead of Sean Dudley, had his first caught behind of the season, from Ryan Dawson.

Ruddle and Dawson halted the visitors charge as their middle-over spell had prevented Lutterworth from scoring freely from the medium pacers.

Ruddle was rewarded for his tight bowling with a second wicket, bowling Farmer for just a solitary run and the away side soon found themselves at 62-4 just before the drinks break.

Rayner surpassed 50, batting with patience and punishing the bad ball for four on more than one occasion and he was able to anchor the innings along with A Pickering, as they forged a 86 run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Cavey’s off-break had finally dismissed Pickering for a respectable 27 and instantly Mo Khan had Salter caught and bowled for a golden duck before Lutterworth finished their 45 overs on 163-6.

For the second week running, Sileby’s bowling performance was disciplined along with their fielding which was enough to stop their opponents from posting what could have been a good score.

On the back of last week’s opening partnership, Dudley was not able to reproduce his innings against Market Harborough as he fell to Salter, caught and bowled for 12.

However, as each over went by, Sileby batted with more confidence. With Cavey batting around Moore, the stocky batsman smashed eight fours and two sixes in his 73 ball 63 not out.

Cavey fell three shy of his half century to the bowling of Cader and Mo Khan followed suit for 12. But it was Moore and Charity who sent Sileby past Lutterworth’s target and Sileby picked up their first victory of the season.

The two’s look to forward their promising form as they prepare for Egerton Park away on Saturday, which could be another test for Cavey’s men.

Sileby Defeat Gotham With Just One Ball To Spare

Dave Torr’s 69 from just 50 deliveries helped Sileby Town Thursday XI overcome Gotham CC by nine wickets in the Midweek Premier League on Thursday.

Gotham reached 140 from 14 overs in cloudy conditions and it was R Adam’s (55) big hitting who helped the visitors reach a respectable score after they were inserted to bat by captain Micky Ruddle.

He was ably assisted by Moore (20) and D Safi (15*), but it was Adam’s big hitting that gave Gotham a chance after they were 30-3 from just five overs.

Smith, Chance, Hackett and Dawson all chipped in with wickets at important stages that halted the away side’s charge.

In reply, Torr and Ash Burnip (43*) enjoyed a match winning partnership that helped seal a win for the home side

Despite being behind the run rate, it was Torr who changed gears and it was he who took the game away from Gotham as he scored 27 runs, including two maximums, in the tenth over and Sileby required 40 from the final four overs.

Torr was eventually bowled by Howarth on 69, but Burnip and Richard Preston (16*) saw the home side home with just one ball to spare, giving Sileby their second league victory this season.

Sileby face Rothley Park at home next week in the league, but they must now look to Walton CC in the Joe Orton Cup on Tuesday night.

Sileby Town U17’s Regain Bragging Rights After Destroying Rivals Barrow.

Sileby Town Under 17’s continued their onslaught from last week with a demolition job of local rivals Barrow Town.

The North West League Group B fixture lasted just an hour which saw Sileby Town’s pace bowlers dismiss the home team for a miserly 14 all out from just 10.5 overs.

It took just under two overs for the away side to chase their target.

Captain James Preston installed Barrow Town to bat and it was the second over of the game when Adam Hackett had McParland caught behind for just one, which was the start of Barrow’s heavy collapse.

Fred Notman picked up two quick wickets in his second over bowling both Foster (0) and Wright (0) in three balls.

Breen’s (8) stubborn resistance at number two soon came to end, edging behind to Preston as Hackett picked up his second wicket of the evening.

Notman finished his spell with superb figures of 4-1-4-2 but it was Hackett who made Hurst (1) and Shelton (0) victims number three and four which resulted with outstanding figures of 4-2-6-4.

Preston introduced Patrick Dudley and Jacob Smith in to the attack with the score at 11-6 and with eight overs gone, he too got in on the act having McKew (0) caught at backward point.

Dudley saw off Barrow’s tailend with a double wicket blow, although the hosts had only ten players to use on the night.

With just 10.5 overs bowled, Sileby’s task could not have been easier with just 14 to win.

Godhania (2*) was ably assisted by Rob Scullion (13*) as his three fours off Breen’s over including a single, was enough to seal a quick and simple victory for Sileby Town.

Threesy win for Sileby as they shoot down the Messengers

 

Young bowler Charlie Banks’ picked up a hat-trick as Sileby Town Under defeated Shepshed Messengers by six wickets in the  U17’s North West League Group B Division.

The 15 year-old comprehensively removed Shepshed’s tailend batsman in fashionable style, removing the bails in all three dismissals as Shepshed finished up on just 54 in the 17th over.

After winning the toss, James Preston stuck the opposition in to bat and the decision paid dividends with Fred Notman and Jacob Smith opening the bowling and conceding very little runs in their opening spell between them.

However, with Notman and Smith going wicketless despite their tidy start, it was Patrick Dudley who made the breakthrough, removing Goy (9) after he picked out George Smith at mid-on.

Adam Hackett then picked up Booth (1), clean bowling the number three, leaving Shepshed on 22-2 in the ninth over.

Dudley was at it again, this time clearing up the opener Thacker (7), putting the visitors in bit of turmoil with just ten overs remaining. He eventually went on to complete his four overs, conceding just ten runs in a pleasing bowling spell.

Hat-trick hero Banks’ first over will be one to forget though as he went for 13 as Messenger’s look to add runs on to the board. However, it was halted when George Smith dismissed Evans (10) and Parker (11) in his first over.

But it was Bank’s second over that was the highlight of the game. Spencer (3), Laver (0) and McKenzie (0) all succumbed to the junior’s full pitch delivery as he bowled all three in spectacular style, much to the jubilation of his team mates who congratulated him on his efforts.

He picked up the final wicket of Newton (0) as Messengers finished on 54 all out after Barson (0) found Notman at short extra cover off the bowling of Nathan Preston with his first delivery.

Banks’ finished up with the figures of 2.3-0-15-4, and he as well as the team can be proud of their bowling performances today (Monday).

Sileby’s chase was lead by M Godhania (4) and Rob Scullion, but a mix up in communications and Godhania’s slip allowed Messengers to pick up their first wicket as the opener failed to return home, gifting the away side a run out.

Cameron Gilchrist was given the opportunity at three to build a partnership with Scullion (2) before he too was run out coming back for a second.

Sileby found themselves at 16-2 in the sixth over when Fred Notman came in at number four. Notman got off to a comfortable start along with Gilchrist (7), but left arm seamer Booth dismissed the latter, removing his bails for just seven. Notman (7) fell victim to Booth with the same delivery and with just nine overs remaining, the home side still required 21 as they were 34-4 when Hackett and James Preston came to the crease.

But ill-discipline bowling and 21 extras by Messengers was enough to see Sileby over the finishing line. Hackett finished up on 11* and Preston 3* as the hosts won with six overs remaining.

Charlie Banks’ has now two hat-tricks to his name, following up from last season and he will be looking to do the same next week as Sileby face local rivals Barrow, away.

Sileby suffer setback at Ivanhoe

 

Sileby Town’s slow start to the Division 2 campaign continued as they suffered their first defeat of the season at Leicester Ivanhoe losing by four wickets.

 

Despite the morning torrential downpour  in Leicester Forest East, the game got underway on time and captain Ben Cavey’s decision to bat first in overcast conditions had favoured the Ivanhoe bowlers early on, much to the visitors disadvantage.

Just four balls gone in to the first over, Cavey (0) was dismissed by umpire Clark, as he was judged to have been leg before wicket to the bowling of Mark Shortland.

Rob Moore followed at three as he signalled his intent with some crashing boundaries early on in a partnership of 18 with Adam Hackett, before he was bowled by Amir Sultan for just 2 off 23 deliveries.

Sileby soon found themselves in a spot of bother at 45-4 and 67-5 with Mo Khan (2) caught behind and Joe Charity (1) trapped in front of the stumps, as Rob Moore stood helpless at the other end, who continued to strike impressively against Ivanhoe’s bowlers.

Moore was joined by the eventual unbeaten Dan Tompkins and with Moore freeing his arms in a brief partnership of 22, Tompkins began to play with great confidence, the longer he was at the crease.

Moore (49) was eventually dismissed, falling one short of his half-century as he was bowled by Dyer.

With Moore’s departure, the incoming Sean Dudley engineered a fight back worth 63 with Tompkins as they were to stop the rot. Both men had grafted in the relatively tough batting conditions, ensuring Sileby had reached their first batting point.

Dudley’s stubborn resistance finally ended as his top edge off Hunt fell to cover for a vital 30. Ruddle (5*) and Tompkins (50*) saw out the end of Sileby’s innings as they ended up on 144-6 with the latter reaching his half century in 89 balls.

After tea, a returning Phil Chamberlain opened the bowling with Lila Godhania as they looked to defend a modest total. Opening pair Yeow and Jon Beaumont had gone about the chase in heavy fashion, with Yeow punishing Godhania with two early boundaries in just the second over.

Chamberlain’s breakthrough saw Yeow and Beaumont both dismissed in the seventh and ninth over respectively, with Yeow (9) caught behind to Dudley and Beaumont trapped in front his stumps for 14.

However, Newberry and Crowley had managed to anchor the innings and the partnership of 75 proved to be a match winning one.

Godhania’s spell of 7-2-22-0 and medium pacer Ryan Dawson’s tight figures of 7-2-13-0 were unrewarded despite their fine bowling efforts.

Hackett managed to remove Crowley (42) at 99-3 after the left handed and lofted it straight to Ruddle at mid-on which brought Jake Beaumont to the crease in an important situation. The young right hander however failed to help carry on where Crowley had finished, and Cavey picked up his first wicket as Beaumont (1) picked out Charity at point.

With the score at 102-4 with just over nine overs remaining, the game was tightly poised for a good finish.

Geary (12) lasted just 15 balls before Ruddle bowled him, after he tried to sweep the medium pacer over mid wicket.

At 127-5, it had seemed Sileby were close to getting something from the game as Ivanhoe entered their 43rd over. Cavey then picked up his second wicket dismissing Shortland for 5.

But it was R Newbery who ended up unbeaten on 45 along with A Newbery (4*) as they sent Ivanhoe over the finish line in the 44th over.

Ivanhoe pick up 22 points for their deserved victory, and Sileby came away with just 6 despite their defeat.

The Leicester Forest East side move in to third now, eight points behind leaders Loughborough Town and three behind Hinckley Town as they sit in second.

Sileby will look to overturn the loss as quickly as possible as they welcome Loughborough Town at home next Saturday as the Mill Lane outfit sit in ninth place with just 18 points to their name.

The state of Rangers Football Club.

 

So where did it all go wrong for Rangers Football Club?

Since venture capitalist Craig Whyte acquired Sir David Murray’s 85.3% shares in the Scottish champions in May 2011, the club were doomed before they knew it when he took over the club for just £1.

This is the story of Rangers downfall.

Predecessor Murray was owner of Rangers from 1988 - 2011, after a £6,000,000 takeover from Nevada-based Lawrence Marlborough. During his time at the Glasgow club, Murray oversaw Rangers win nine consecutive league championships from 1989-1997, during the period of when Graeme Souness (1986-1991) was in charge.

Walter Smith took charge (1991-1998) and a new training complex was built, an idea that Murray thought that the club would see Rangers’ mount a serious challenge in European glory. The club went on to win two more League titles and three cups. Despite their glory, the costs soon started to build up.

“For every five pounds Celtic spend, we will spend ten.” This was the statement Murray made that would soon become the avalanche of Rangers’ debt problems.

Manager Dick Advocaat replaced Walter Smith after Celtic won the SPL and he went crazy with big name signings joining the Ibrox club such as Paul Gascoigne (reported fee of £4.3m), Ronald de Boer (£4.5m) and Tore Andre Flo (£12m) during the 2000/2001 season.

Advocaat’s reign ended when Celtic won the title back in 2001, and Rangers’ were soon reaching debts of up to £50,000,000. Murray sanctioned the Employee Benefit Trusts (EBT). This was to minimise the club’s tax liabilities for employment.

The problem was with the this tax strategy was that it was meant to be used for non-contractual payments to employees.

In 2002, with doubts totalling up to £80,000,000, Murray stood down as Chairman and handed over to John McClelland.

Murray returned just two years later looking to clear off the debts that were owed, looking to pump in £57,000,000 to reduce any outstanding debts. Only £51,000,000 were raised, but underwritten however and it was transferred off Rangers’ books and into his company, Murray International Holdings (MIH).

Murray revealed in 2006 that he was considering in cutting ties with the Scottish club and was quoted saying: “It's not a 'For Sale' sign per se, but obviously I don't want to do this forever.”

Fast forward amidst the crisis the club themselves in and in 2011, Murray sold his shares to Wavetower Limited, owned by the company Liberty Capital, ultimately owned by Craig Whyte.

Who is Craig Whyte? In a nutshell, Whyte is a Scottish businessman brought up in a business orientated family, and at just 15, after taking an interest in financial markets, it is reported that the teenager made more than £20,000 buying and selling shares before he left school.

He went on to own his plant-hire company called Whyte Hire. But in the early 1990’s the business went bankrupt with debts reported to be around £300,000.

At just 26, he was Scotland’s youngest self-made millionaire. After selling off most of his businesses, he moved to Monaco. He soon returned back to the United Kingdom, returning to London as a venture capitalist.

He become the head of London based company Liberty Capital, a business that specialises in turning around distressed businesses and eventually selling them on, despite it being dangerous, he made it a successful business.

His purchase of Rangers Football Club for £1 was not taken lightly, despite then manager Walter Smith welcoming Whyte’s takeover saying that it would “bring stability to the club.”

Whyte said he would clear off the overdraft of £18,000,000 owed to Lloyds TSB but there were immediate doubts. The uncertainties of the businessman’s ability to provide funds for the football club were soon echoed by former board members Alistair Johnston and Paul Murray. The history of the Scot is misty and far from bright and his murky past was exposed by BBC Scotland’s documentary Rangers: The Inside Story, which was aired in October 2011.

The documentary claimed that Whyte had illegally been a ‘de facto’ director of a company called Re-Tax during a seven year period in which he was banned from doing so.

Convicted fraudster and a well known associate of Whyte, Kevin Sykes was the ‘fake auditor’, who looked to sell off the company before it was wound up in 2003.

The allegations were supported from a member of Insolvency Service and was revealed that he was banned after his previous company, Vital Holdings Ltd, failed to produce satisfactory accounts.

This was followed by various other acts that lead to his ban such as claiming he had made a payment to Inland Revenue, to which they say they still have not yet received the £100,000 that was owed.

Back to the takeover of Rangers FC, Whyte waltzed in to Ibrox, with his past thought to be rosy, and considered to be a saviour to the Scottish giants.

On his purchase, Whyte said at the time: “Obviously I'm a massive Rangers fan and have been since I was a boy. I'm here first and foremost because I'm a Rangers supporter. I also see a great opportunity and think that Rangers can be a great worldwide brand. I believe there are many commercial activities that can be expanded on.”

Whyte planned to clear off Rangers’ £18,000,000 overdraft to Lloyds TSB and provide a working capital, which seemed to have convinced everyone involved with the club.

Former Chairman Alistair Johnston, along with former Chief Executive Paul Murray who were booted out by Whyte, expressed their concerns soon after they were removed from the board.

Bitter? You can see where Johnston and Murray were coming from. The £33,000,000 that Whyte pledged to put in to the club to help clear the overdraft  apparently went and sold the future rights for Rangers’ season tickets to a company called Ticketus. 

Where was the money? The greater chances were that he never had the funds to pump in to the football club and no overdraft was cleared, plunging the club into greater financial crisis.

The growing problem had only just begun, and as we fast forward to today, and today the overall debt is monumental.

HM Revenue and Customs are owed £93,000,000. This relates to the big and small tax cases, unpaid VAT and PAYE.

Other football clubs are owed money it seems, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Celtic and Dundee United being a select group of teams that are waiting to be owed.

Reports from the BBC state that Ticketus are now owed £26,700,000, debenture owners (fans who loaned money to the club) are totalled up to £7,700,000.

Other funded bodies are also owed, such as the Strathclyde Police, Scottish Ambulance Service and Glasgow City Council being amongst just three of many that are in line to be paid back by the football club.

This shocking report has jeopardised many members of Rangers’ staff, including players, coaches and club staff and losses have been made since the club entered administration some six weeks ago, reports suggest the club have lost more than £2,500,000.

On the field, the ten point deduction has hampered the club’s hopes for a second successive League title, with Celtic running away in pole position. But the results on the field now do not seem to matter any more with the club in such a crisis and in a shambolic state, Rangers are in a very dark hole.

Administrators Duff and Phelps are doing their best to help the club out of the mess that arguably Whyte has got the club in to, but you could look further back to when Murray started spending millions and millions when Advocaat was in charge.

Whyte had not helped the cause, and the fact that he did not even take the fit and proper persons test is an outrage. How he managed to be considered a businessman is highly questionable.

The Scottish FA have slapped a 12 month transfer ban on the Ibrox outfit and the imminent lifetime ban on Craig Whyte in any future involvement in Scottish football.

As a result of this, Rangers’ woes continued as the Scottish FA fined the club £160,000. In regards to the transfer ban, the club can now only sign under 18 players in the next year. The embargo was hit after the club brought the game in to disrepute.

Whatever happens next for Rangers Football Club is vital. For a club as big as them to be in so much trouble is colossal. The club must get out of this as soon as possible or Scottish football would be in grave danger as a result of their demise.

As for Craig Whyte, it’s about time he was banned from any involvement, but for Rangers Football Club to have suffered just as much as Whyte is unjustified. Let’s just hope there is light at the end of the very, very dark tunnel the Glasgow club find themselves in.

 

Leicestershire make promising start with win over Glamorgan thanks to Joseph.

 

Twelve months ago, Leicestershire CCC defeated Glamorgan in the Liverpool Victoria County Championship Division Two fixture, which would turn out to be the Foxes only victory in the 2011 season.

The league’s basement boys from last season look to have turned the corner this season with a convincing win in the same fixture as last year thanks to new acquisition Robbie Joseph’s demolition of the Welsh side with match figures of 12-111.

Leicestershire’s season look to have got off to a faulty start with Greg Smith and Jacques du Toit  departing with the first two balls of the new season thanks to Huw Waters, caught behind and leg before wicket respectively.

With overseas star and former West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan making his debut at Grace Road, he watched at the other end as Matt Boyce was removed, gifting Waters his third wicket in just his second over.

Josh Cobb joined Sarwan as they were able to stop the rot after finding themselves at 1-3.

Cobb enjoyed a terrific season in 2011 despite the club struggling in both the four day format and one-day games but the top-order batsman was one of the club’s stars as he helped Leicestershire win another T20 medal.

Sarwan made his mark on his first game for the club with a stubborn 41 off 110 balls but was soon back in the pavilion after Wagg had the West Indies’ batsman trapped for leg before.

The middle order all made starts but failed to push on, however, veteran Claude Henderson’s efforts supported by Wayne White and Robbie Joseph helped Leicestershire past the 200 runs mark giving the Foxes their first batting points of the season.

Henderson soon reached his first half-century of the season and his 57 runs helped Leicestershire up to a respectable score of 249, despite falling agonisingly short of the second batting point, score of 250.

Enter Robbie Joseph. The new addition comes with fire since his departure from Kent CCC, and he immediately made his mark on the club as he opened up with captain Matthew Hoggard

With two wickets apiece from Hoggard and Nadeem Malik, Joseph was the star of the show removing Glamorgan’s bottom order as well as dismissing top-order batsmen Walters and Bragg.

Former Fox James Allenby became Joseph’s third victim followed by Wallace, Wagg and Croft all falling to the seamer’s attack.

Leicestershire collected their full quota of bowling points and it was their turn to add runs to the scoreboard which would set Glamorgan a score they would have to chase going in to the final day.

The home side’s second innings total was the Leicestershire of old, a score that failed to see Leicestershire win any more games in the previous games.

Albeit, the Foxes revived their efforts with thanks again to Robbie Joseph in the visitor’s second innings.

With figures of 6-64 in the second innings, Joseph helped Leicestershire record their first victory of the new season and the club have got the ball rolling.

Both sides were docked points due to slow over rates, with Leicestershire losing five points and Glamorgan one, as the hosts collected 15 points and the visitors only two.

There’s a new fire of optimism at Grace Road. Lead by Hoggard, his leadership will be invaluable to the young players once again this season. The former Yorkshire man will have a controlled front-line bowling attack followed by the experience of Nadeem Malik and young seamer Wayne White.

Sarwan brings tonnes of experience to the Leicestershire camp following his international career with the West Indies for many years. The younger batsmen around Sarwan will learn greatly from the overseas as he looks to help the club improve from last season.

Cobb will look to follow up his form from last season in to the new season in all formats. There is no doubt there is a lot of talent in his locker, he used that to great use, especially in the club’s triumphant T20 season with his off-spin and his slogging mentality.

Lloyd Tenant and Phil Whitticase can take positives from the result over Glamorgan. It was always vital Leicestershire pick up their first win as early as possible. The two coaches can continue the club’s fine start to the season as they now prepare to face local rivals Derbyshire away from home.

Match Scorecard