Tonbridge CC Round-U p 2016

Congratulations to both the 1 st XI and the 2 nd XI 1 st XI  : Champions of the Kent Cricket League Division 5 and therefore

promoted to Division 4 2 nd XI  : Champions of the Kent Regional Cricket League Division 2A West

and promoted to Kent Cricket League Division 5 2nd XI

1 st XI

2 nd XI

Kent League Presentation Evening

Tonbridge CC 1st XI: Champions of Kent Cricket League Division V 1st XI

Nadeem being receiving his award as the top British bowler in the whole League (Faisal Naveed being an overseas player)

Match Reports 2016

3 rd September Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Faversham CC 1st XI 153 all out (40.3 overs) vs Tonbridge CC 1st XI 156 for 2 (17.4 overs)Tonbridge 1 st   XI wins Kent Division 5 at the first time of asking - with three points needed to secure league victory, Tonbridge made the long journey down to Faversham on a warm but overcast day. The hosts failed to provide an umpire, giving Tonbridge skipper Julius Marshall an automatic win of the toss and, despite TCC’s strength in defending totals, Marshall took the tactical decision to bowl first to provide the best opportunity of securing the vital three points.TCC started well, opening bowler Martin Batley continuing his fine form from the previous week, taking two early wickets, both of Faversham’s openers. But this was a good pitch with a lightning fast outfield, and runs were leaked in the field, especially when Lee Rigden (42) hit his stride, pouncing on any loose deliveries. The introduction of the league’s leading wicket taker Nadeem Shehzad meant Faversham's total never got away from Tonbridge and the game was always in their hands. Matt Smiles took his 20th wicket of the season with a smart caught and bowled, a fine achievement, but was slightly over shadowed by N Shehzad who took figures of 4 for 43 on the day, bringing his total wickets for the season to a staggering 50, a career best. N Shehzad's 50th was also the innings 7th, and this meant TCC had secured enough points to ensure the league was won, regardless of what happened beyond that point. Khurram Shehzad bowled tightly, and was unfortunate not to get any wickets on the day, but finished with 30 for the season, also an incredible achievement, reflecting once again TCC's strength in its bowling attack. Some late hitting from Andy Perkin (29) and Benedict Croft (26*) meant Faversham had a fairly respectable total to defend, and after the last couple of wickets were picked up by Ben Peters, Tonbridge had been set the target of 154 to go out on a high.With the league won, TCC could bat with an element of freedom, and this certainly showed as opener Chirag Patel blasted two huge sixes on his way to a blistering 31 off just 13 balls. With Faversham already on the back foot, Zach Rossiter (27) and overseas Michael Waldren tightened the screw and shared a brisk 71 partnership putting the game beyond Faversham. A couple of late wickets, and explosives from Ben Morgan and Chait Kurusala meant TCC won by 7 wickets and reached the total in just 17.4 overs. Waldren scored an unbeaten 64 taking his seasons runs total well above 500 and sending his batting average soaring above 40. Adding this to his 4 league wickets and 11 sharp catches he's taken behind the stumps, this ended a great first season in England for him. A strong finish to the season in the end meant TCC won the league at a cantor, by 13 points, despite a couple of hiccups a month ago. Rainham will join TCC in Division 4 next year after securing second place by a solitary point. This result for TCC means a third successive promotion for the first XI, and topped an incredible season full of success for the club at both senior and junior level.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 210 for 6 (40 overs)  vs  Dartfordians CC 2nd XI 212 for 7 (36.4 overs)

27 th August Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 150 (42 overs)  vs  Walmer CC 1st XI 103 (43.3 overs)As has been a familiar story this season, Tonbridge’s bowlers secured victory at home to Walmer on Saturday, a result that takes the 1st XI to the brink of the KCL Divison 5 title. Winning the toss and electing to bat, Tonbridge’s captain Julius Marshall would have hoped to post an intimidating score on what looked an excellent wicket. Unfortunately a mixture of good bowling and some poor batting saw Tonbridge post a less than impressive 150 all out. Marshall went in the first over, strangled down the leg side and despite good starts from Chirag Patel (28) and David Blain (23), Tonbridge found themselves in trouble at 81-6. The returning Ben Morgan (37) stood firm, picking the right moment to play some attacking shots. He was supported well by Ben Peters (22) and their partnership of 49 ensured Tonbridge had something to bowl at. Most of Walmer’s bowlers bowled well with Alex Butler the pick as he finished with figures of 3-7. Tonbridge knew a good start would be paramount to the defence of their total and made early breakthroughs. Openers Matt Smiles and Martin Batley picked up two quick wickets each leaving the visitors struggling at 11-4. From then on Walmer never looked like troubling the total. Khurram Shehzad’s left arm spin was gripping in the surface and Walmer decided to simply defend against him. 12 maidens in 15 overs from Shehzad added pressure to Walmer’s batsmen and his two wickets paved the way for older brother Nadeem Shehzad to roll through Walmer’s tail. With his consistent line and length with a bit of movement both ways, N Shehzad finished with 4-19 to bring his wicket count this year to an incredible 46 making it his best year in a Tonbridge shirt with a game to spare. Tonbridge’s bowlers were well backed up by their fielders with a few contenders for catch of the season taken. Only Paul Holiday reached double figures for the visitors and looked as if he was batting on a different track to most as he made 63 not out. Tonbridge travel to 3rd from bottom Faversham for their last league match of the season where they hope to secure the titleTonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Blackheath CC 6th XI 141 (42.1 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 165 (41.2 overs)Champions Tonbridge extended their unbeaten run in a competitive, hard fought victory at Greenwich Park, Blackheath after a dramatic spell of 3 wickets in 4 balls by Nilesh Patel saw them run out winners by 24 runs. On a bowler friendly surface all the Tonbridge batsmen made starts with John Simmons (25) & Nilseh Patel (25) top scoring in a fitful batting display as Town reached 165. Tony Shepherd immediately picked up an early wicket caught behind by John Smiles before resistance from Wipat with 67 held Tonbridge up. Steve Allen, making a rare bowling foray, broke the spell helped by a good catch in the

outfield by skipper Paul Smiles. Patel then ripped out the middle order in a match winning display of accurate seam bowling as he bowled three batsmen in four balls to leave Blackheath reeling. Nigel Johnstone came on to encourage some rash shots against his leg breaks and was unlucky to go wicketless. The obdurate Wipat was then brilliantly run out from the boundary by Patel to end his long innings before Patel again caught the belligerent Gafa off Simmons. Shepherd (2-18) returned and induced an edge to keeper Smiles before MoM Patel fittingly bowled the last man to end with a superb 4-15. Tonbridge can celebrate at home in style with the final match of the league season next week as Champions by a large margin.

20 th August Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – R A C S CC 1st XI 150 (48.3 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 164 (49.1 overs)Tonbridge extended their lead at the top of the KCL Division 5 with a fourteen run victory over bottom placed RACS last weekend, although the performance was less than convincing.After winning the toss, Tonbridge skipper Julius Marshall elected to bat, hoping to gain the maximum points possible from the match. He and Chirag Patel got off to a strong start, but the pitch was not easy to play on at all, and the outfield was incredibly slow. With 28 on the board, the visitors lost their first wicket with Patel falling for 19 off the bowling of Steven Lawrence. David Blain joined Marshall at the crease, and the two worked well to take the score over 50. The conditions, coupled with good bowling by RACS, meant that progress was slow. The introduction of Sagar Patel made a huge difference as he first removed Blain for 18, followed by Marshall for 23. Two more quick wickets fell, both to Patel (4 for 17), reducing Tonbridge to 83 for 6. It was Ben Peters who once again came to the rescue and together with Nadeem Shahzad put on an invaluable eighth wicket partnership of 53. Peters made the difficult track look easy, and was unlucky not to hit his second consecutive 50, falling on 45 to David Weatherhead (4 for 43). Shahzad was the last man out, falling for 21, and leaving RACS with 165 to chase.The blustery conditions really helped to dry out the whole ground, and the pitch RACS were now batting on was very different to the one at the beginning of the game. Robert Donnelly and Harry Purbrick were able to find the boundaries regularly at the beginning of the innings, and propelled the home side into a great position. At 46 without loss, Tonbridge turned to Nadeem Shahzad, and as normal he began the fightback for the league leaders. He first removed Purbrick for 18, followed by Weatherhead for a duck. Donnelly was holding the innings together well, and was working well with each partner to squeeze out as many runs as possible. Ben Peters, Chirag Patel, and Matt Smiles all picked up wickets, but at 141 for 5 RACS were the favourites to win the game. Khurram Shehzad (3 for 41) was the man to make the big breakthrough, accounting for Donnelly initially for a well-played 50, then Steven Lawrence soon after. A wicket for Nadeem Shahzad (3 for 25), followed by a superb run out by Julius Marshall made the difference. The final wicket fell courtesy of a great diving catch from Chirag Patel, and giving the team a valuable 20 points.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 220 for 5 (36 overs)  vs  R A C S CC 2nd XI 69 for 8 (21.5 overs)Tonbridge 2nd XI have been crowned champions of Div 2A Kent Regional League and gain promotion for the first time in their history to the Kent League. After painfully losing out last year by a single point to bad weather a dominating display saw them beat RACS 2nd XI in style by 151 runs on Saturday to be crowned Champions with two matches to go. Tony Shepherd continued his fine form with 18 not out and dismissing the first five batsmen for only 23 in RACS reply to Town's 220-5 from 36 overs. In a reduced overs game due to heavy rain at the start, Tonbridge were given a positive opening by skipper for the day Paul Smiles, who top scored with 44, and Ben Morgan with a hard hit 42. Morgan looked in great form before holing out in the deep and Smiles was then joined by John Simmons the leading run scorer this season. Their running between the wickets belied their veteran status and these two quickly took the score to 140 before Smiles was run out and Simmons bowled for 40. Nick Helyar and Steve Allen continued their good form with the bat adding 23 apiece with well struck boundaries all-round the ground as RACS kept at it throughout the innings. With Helyar and Shepherd unbeaten Town closed on 220-5.Immediately in response RACS were in trouble as Shepherd destroyed the top order. He blew away the first five batsmen for single figures, the first dismissal courtesy of a smart low diving catch at slip by Chait Kurusala. At the other end Helyar bowled superbly without luck but the advent of Nilesh Patel did the trick as he collected 3-19. Only Coyne with a well struck 40 reached double figures and offered any resistance. Tonbridge have lost only one match in this campaign (a high scoring game by 4 runs) and still have two matches remaining. Patel, Helyar and Shepherd are the league’s leading wicket takers in a brilliant season.

14 th August Tonbridge Exiles CC – Penshurst Park CC 194 for 8 vs Tonbridge Exiles CC 229 for 7 dec 13 th August Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Rodmersham CC 1st XI 171 (40.1 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 182 (47.2 overs)Tonbridge went back to the top of Division 5 following a hard fought 11 run victory at Rodmersham on Saturday. After two back to back losses, their first since the opening game of the season, it really was a must win game and in classic Tonbridge style they did not make it easy for themselves. On what appeared to be an excellent batting wicket, Tonbridge won the toss and unsurprisingly chose to bat first. Unfortunately their innings did not get off to the best start as Chirag Patel was run out for 0. Tonbridge’s innings struggled to get going and despite Julius Marshall’s 32, Tonbridge found themselves 70-6 after 23 overs. Tonbridge’s bowlers held their own with the bat however to give themselves something to bowl out. Khurram Shehzad (28) and

Matt Smiles (20) contributed, but the innings belonged to Ben Peter who scored his maiden league 50 for the 1st XI. Peters was in fact the last wicket to fall. Rodmersham would have been satisfied with their efforts despite the late runs, reducing Tonbridge to 182 all out. Singhasain was the pick of the bowlers with 4-37. Rodmersham’s reply started badly as opener Quealey was bowled for 9 but D Nokes and J Horne steadied the ship. They were both dismissed by Nadeem Shehzad for 24 and 42 respectively but at 85-3 they had built a platform for their teammates. The platform was then built upon by M Henry and S Rana who scored quickly, taking the score to 140-3. It was not until the reintroduction of openers Martin Batley and Smiles that the game turned in favour of the visitors. Batley dismissed Rana for 25 and Smiles dismissed Henry for 32 and this led to a quick flurry of wickets. In a Tonbridge style collapse, Rodmersham lost their last 7 wickets for just 31 runs. Smiles finished with a double wicket maiden for figures of 4-47 from his 15 overs. The Shehzad brothers picked up a wicket each to quickly mop the tail up. Tonbridge often make games difficult for themselves but skipper Marshall will hope this changes over the following two weeks knowing that two wins could well be enough to see them promoted. Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 114 for 7 (44.5 overs)  vs Bromley Common CC 4th XI 111 (35 overs)Tonbridge 2nd XI are very close to sealing the 2nd XI championship after a 3 wicket win at Poplar Meadow on Saturday. Deciding to bat first, Bromley Common skipper Dave Williams was soon regretting his decision as Tonbridge speedster Tony Shepherd left the visitors in tatters at 18-4 picking up the top order in quick time. Only young Oscar Hussey (29) stood firm and he found an ally briefly in Austin (23) before Nilesh Patel (2-24) removed him. Patel and Nick Helyar (1-18), who also bowled with skill but no luck, are the league’s leading wicket takers with 32 apiece but it was part timer John Simmons (2-13) who removed top scorer Oscar and then skipper Williams for a duck in quick succession courtesy of two very smart catches by keeper John Smiles standing up to the stumps.Shepherd, having been rested earlier, returned afresh to claim a deserved fifth victim courtesy of Smiles’ third catch. 30 extras however ensured Common reached 111 at the close. Shepherd, whose recent form has seen him at his best, bowled 8 overs, 5-14, leaving Tonbridge only a meagre run chase on a glorious batting surface.Openers Mark Stokes and captain for the day Paul Smiles however soon found that Bromley Common's opening bowler Dean Trendler (1-26) was in top form and his lively left arm proved testing. His first 11 overs went for 11 runs as he beat the bat in an excellent spell. Stokes it became apparent had broken his foot and after a painful innings was soon on his way to hospital. Smiles was bowled by Trendler for 11 whilst at the other end some dogged defence from Nigel Johnstone kept a fired up Common at bay. A breezy 16 from Simmons was ended by Pursey (2-30) straight after the drinks break and Steve Allen looked good for 13 before clubbing to deep mid-on. Helyar then looked to be rapping up the game with several well struck boundaries as he top scored with 25 before he was stumped off the flighted spin of Williams (3-30). Johnstone's stoic defence was then ended for 18 as he went for the victory and Ben Hoey followed him immediately. It was left to the experience of Shepherd (15*) who fittingly smashed a glorious drive to the mid-off boundary to seal a comfortable win. Tonbridge are now 44 points clear of their nearest challengers with 3 matches left. 

6 th August Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 158 for 10 (41.3 overs)  vs  Frindsbury CC 1st XI 190 for 7 (50 overs)Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Dartford CC 4th XI 155 (45.5 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC  2nd XI 156 for 6 (43.3 overs)

31 st July Tonbridge Exiles CC – Tonbridge Exiles CC 232 for 2 dec vs Beechwood CC 1st XI 168 for 5

30 th July Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Chislehurst & West Kent CC 1st XI 217 for 8 (50 overs) vs Tonbridge CC 1st XI 142 for 10 (39.1 overs)Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI vs Hayes (Kent) CC 4th XIMatch conceded to Tonbridge CC

23 rd July Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 287 for 9 (50 overs)  vs  Blackheath CC 3rd XI 102 (32.5 overs)Tonbridge took their unbeaten run to eleven last weekend, defeating lowly placed Blackheath by 185 runs. On a gorgeous day at Poplar Meadow, Tonbridge skipper Julius Marshall won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat. With a nice firm deck underfoot, and a lightning quick outfield, it was obvious from the first well struck four that this was going to be a good day for runs. For the first time this season the home side opened with Marshall and Zach Rossiter, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Both players were a bit streaky to begin with, but once they climbed into double figures they displayed an array of excellent boundaries, and good running between the wicket. Marshall in particular was hitting boundaries at an increasing rate, forcing the visitors to change their bowling attack regularly. One such charge brought about the breakthrough, with Edwin Samuel dismissing Rossiter for a well-played 32. The 96 run opening partnership set a great platform for Tonbridge, and Michael Waldren simply helped in upping the run rate in scoring a brisk 34. He was dismissed by Disal Wijerathne (4 for 43) who was by far the pick of the bowlers. Ben Morgan hit a lovely 23, and Khurram Shehzad scored 26, but the innings belonged to the Tonbridge captain as he struck a two through mid-wicket to complete his maiden league ton for the club. Some good hitting at the end took the score to 287 for 9.

Needing to get off to a good start, Blackheath lost early wickets, and were never given any rest bite by the relentless Tonbridge bowling unit. Six of the visiting batsmen got into double figures, but their scores were limited to between ten and twelves runs, with the other five batsman falling for single figures. It was Nadeem Shehzad who again caused most of the damage, picked up his third 5 fer of the season, finishing with 5 for 21. He was aided well by brother Khurram who ended with 3 for 13. There were two or three excellent catches in the outfield which helped the bowlers, and restricted Blackheath to only 102 runs, with the innings ending in the 33rd over.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Bromley CC 4th XI 191 (45 overs) vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 201 for 8 (46 overs)Tonbridge had school master Chris Martin and all-rounder Nilesh Patel to thank for a late batting recovery which saw them scramble from 74-5 to finish with 201-8 at Bromley on Saturday.Earlier, with the top order falling to a series of poor shots against an indifferent attack including leading run scorer Jake Rossiter (17), it was stalwart Paul Smiles following his fifty last week who looked solid as he compiled a watchful 44 to help rescue the innings. Martin then slowly grew in confidence as with excellent shot selection and perfect tempo he helped add 40 with Smiles. The advent of Patel then saw some belligerent shot making as these two found the boundary all-round the ground in a match winning partnership of 76 to guide Town to 201-8. Martin ended with a superb 74, caught in the final over and Patel a well struck and vital 31.Tonbridge then had strike bowler Nick Helyar unable to bowl due to a pulled hamstring and opener Perera (35) blasted boundaries around the ground to give Bromley a scorching start. Left-armer Martin (2-8) then came to the rescue again as he bowled Perera and soon collected a second victim. Patel also found reward and picked up two wickets as the middle order were removed and Bromley appeared to be out of the game. Two very good spells by 15 year olds Jack Innes and Tom Farmer then ensured Bromley fell further behind the run rate as Innes (2-13) picked up two crucial wickets with his in-swingers. Skipper Wilson (24) and Carruthers (35*) however had other ideas and runs started to flow freely but the occasional spin of Smiles made the breakthrough as deceived and yorked Wilson before John Simmons picked up a wicket and deflected a return onto the stumps to run out the non-striker leaving Bromley 160-9. The last pair however picked up 31 for the last wicket before Patel (3-43) returned to bowl the No.11 in the penultimate over to give Tonbridge their 8th consecutive win and extend their lead at the top of the table.

16 th July Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Bapchild CC 1st XI 62 (28.2 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 132 (39.4 overs) Tonbridge’s four man bowling attack rescued the day as the team top of Division V escaped with victory from Bapchild on Saturday. On a glorious summer’s day, Tonbridge would have been confident of maintaining their top of the league status when skipper Marshall won the toss and duly elected to bat. The wicket looked true, the outfield looked quick and by everyone’s estimations, this was going to be a high scoring game. Unfortunately it did not pan out like that as Tonbridge were skittled for just 132. The innings got off to a less than ideal start as C Patel was caught in the covers off his first ball, a ball in which he would ideally love to have the chance to face again. From this point on the innings never really got going as Tonbridge lost regular wickets just as batsmen appeared to be settled. Newly promoted opener Z Rossiter (19) and D Blain (20) were the pick of the top order but a mixture of bad decisions and terrible shots saw Tonbridge do nothing more than limp along. Some late runs by B Peters (23*) did at least give Tonbridge something to bowl at. R Dale was the pick of the Bapchild bowlers as he removed the last 3 wickets while conceding just 15 runs.Tonbridge knew two things at the break: (1) a fast start was definitely needed and (2) their bowling attack is one of, if not the most impressive in the league. With this in their mind there was some confidence among the team that they could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Openers Larking (24) and Taylor (12) gave Bapchild some impetuous but once they were dismissed Tonbridge never looked back. The batsmen’s scores that followed showed the impressive nature of the bowling attack on what was clearly a very good wicket: 4-0-0-0-8-0-0-1-0. Tonbridge’s bowlers were also backed up by some excellent catching including two held by D Blain at gully. It was a ruthless team effort but N Shehzad was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 wickets for 3 runs from 10 overs. Tonbridge know that their overall performance did not deserve the 20 points that they escaped with and know that their batting will need to improve if they want to consolidate their position at the top.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 208 for 8 (47 overs)  vs  Horton Kirby CC 2nd XI 125 for 8 (31.1 overs)Tonbridge 2nd XI completed their 9th win out of 10 matches played to extend their lead at the top of the table by 28 points as they beat Horton Kirby by 68 runs at Poplar Meadow on Saturday.Choosing to bat first on a hard wicket Tonbridge had a 101 run partnership between opener Paul Smiles, making a welcome return to form, and skipper Jake Rossiter to set them on their way. Horton Kirby bowled well throughout and were unlucky not to pick up more wickets as all the bowlers made Town work hard for their runs on a beautiful day. Smiles hit a very good, workmanlike 52 and Rossiter a more fluid 51 with two sixes but both were dismissed in quick succession followed by ducks for Shepherd and an unlucky run out of debutant David Hackett. Nigel Johnstone and Richard Oldroyd, making his first league appearance of the season, steadied the ship and soon Oldroyd was finding the boundary with a series of extra cover drives. He went for a crucial, well made 39 but Johnstone remained 10 not out, John Smiles 9 not out however two more ducks saw Tonbridge reach a slightly below par 208-8 after 46 overs with the aid of 41 extras. Boon 3-37 and Wootten 2-28 were the pick of the Horton bowling.Earlier in the season Tonbridge routed their opponents for 31 and two early wickets from the ever dependable Tony Shepherd and Nilesh Patel accounted for both openers in quick time and rang alarm bells. Wooten (19) and Lindars (41) however were determined not to waste a great batting track and saw off the initial threat before prospering as Rossiter rang the changes. Jack Innes (2-24) then picked up two wickets with his steady medium pace courtesy of

catches by Ben Hoey and Rossiter in the outfield as Horton Kirby attempted to hit him out of the attack. It was then Hoey's turn and his rarely seen medium pace removed the dangerous Lindars who was batting well caught by Patel. This brought together the experienced Bull (21) and ex-Tonbridge player Gordon Watts (24) who both looked comfortable as they stroked boundaries around the ground. These two batting well added fifty in quick time before Rossiter returned to remove Watts to another catch by Hoey to complete a good afternoon for him. Further catches by Hackett and John Smiles at first slip finished off the innings as Horton were dismissed for 140 in 31 overs. Shepherd returning 2-36, Patel 2-25 and Innes 2-24 being the pick of the Tonbridge bowlers.

9 th July Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 195 for 9 (48.5 overs)  vs  Rainham CC 1st XI 191 for 8 (50 overs)Tonbridge 1st XI remain top of Division V following a nail-biting one wicket victory on Saturday thanks to some late heroics from the Shehzad brothers.On a rare, dry summer’s day at Poplar Meadow, Rainham won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat. On what appeared to be an excellent deck to bat on, Tonbridge’s bowlers soon had Rainham in trouble. Some quick bowling at the start from openers Matt Smiles and Martin Batley, followed by the accuracy of Khurram and Nadeem Shehzad had Rainham in trouble at 105-6. S Chipperfield (36) and J Ward (41*) rebuilt Rainham’s innings and some late hitting took them to 191-8 from their 50 overs. N Shehzad was the pick of the Tonbridge bowlers with 3-43 from 14 overs.At the interval, the 192 target did not seem as if it would be enough, however this was quickly re-thought as I Pal removed both of Tonbridge’s openers for zero. Michael Waldren and Michael Topham set about Tonbridge’s chase with a third wicket partnership of 67. This was ended when Topham (26) was judged to be LBW off the bowling of R Ward and a mini collapse followed - Tonbridge lost 5 wickets for just 40 runs. Waldren was dismissed for a well-made 53 but was unfortunately had little support as R Ward (4-60) ripped through Tonbridge’s middle order. The tail end of the home side had not been in the best of form with the bat this year but Saturday saw them come in to their own to squeeze Tonbridge over the line. The Shehzad brothers were the backbone of this making 69 between them. K Shehzad (33) and N Shehzad (36*) showed most others playing how good and true the wicket actually was. With Tonbridge making their way to victory there was still time for some more tension after K Shehzad held out to deep square leg with the score at 182. This brought Batley to the crease who kept out some excellent yorkers from the bowling of Chris Small. As a result, N Shehzad was able to hit the winning runs which helped maintain Tonbridge’s push for three promotions in as many years.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Sidcup CC 3rd XI 176 for 9 (46 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 176 for 9 (46 overs)The clash between the league leaders and second place Sidcup proved a tough battle that went to the final over but saw Tonbridge extend their lead at the top of the table. An injury-affected Tonbridge side knew it would require a team effort on a hard dry wicket at Sidcup and openers David Blain and John Simmons gave them a solid platform adding 60 before Simmons fell for 29. Skipper Jake Rossiter immediately looked to attack the accurate bowling and soon had his trade mark driving and clip over midwicket working with two big sixes well supported by the solid Blain. Rossiter looked in dominating form until he holed out in the deep for a rapid and well struck 43 before a flurry of middle order wickets and the loss of the obdurate Blain for a patient 33 saw the pendulum swing back in favour of the home side. The veteran Nigel Johnstone however used all his experience to keep the scoreboard ticking with quick singles and he was joined by Nilesh Patel who immediately looked in good form. A flurry of boundaries at critical moments from both batsmen kept Tonbridge heading towards a competitive total until Patel unfurled two big sixes into the pavilion and saw the total through to an excellent 184-7 after 46 overs. Patel ended on an excellent 38 not out which gave Tonbridge a competitive total to work with. Sidcup however got off to a flying start as both openers flailed at anything pitched up and got full reward on the hard outfield. Tony Shepherd (2-39) was his usual persistent self and had several chances dropped as 50 came up in short time for no loss. Shepherd plugged away inducing the edge once again for Simmons to snare at gulley and John Smiles to safely pick up behind the stumps and both dangerous openers were gone. Patel (2-33 from 12 overs) then ran through the middle order with three consecutive ducks assisted by the young Jack Innes and Tom Barnes making their bowling debuts. Barnes (2-28) troubled Sidcup with his pace and Innes (2-22) with his accuracy and excellent fielding both bowled telling spells. Catches by Paul Smiles and a smart rising catch at extra cover by Johnstone saw Tonbridge into a dominant position.At 80-7 Sidcup looked out of the game before the experienced Bastin & Begg weathered the storm and slowly built a threatening partnership. Soon boundaries came from some poor bowling and skipper Rossiter called on Barnes to break the deadlock. This he did by critically holding onto a steepling catch from a skied drive to remove the dangerous Bastin for 33. Rossiter then bowled McCawley to leave the last pair together wanting 20 runs. Simmons and Barnes bowled some tight overs at the death with the game going to the last over before Tonbridge ran out winners in a hard fought match by 8 runs.

2 nd July Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 83 for 2 (21.1 overs) vs  Faversham CC 1st XI

Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Dartfordians CC 2nd XI 115 for 9 (40 overs) vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 126 for 10 (39.2 overs)A tense game that survived the weather went down to the final over and saw Tonbridge 2nd XI come out on top by 11 runs at Dartfordians on Saturday to consolidate their lead as league leaders.

A low wet wicket aiding the seamers left Tonbridge 58-6 but the advent of some clean hitting by Steve Allen who has been in good form this season aided by Chait Kurusala (15), Mark Stokes (12) ensured Tonbridge would post a competitive total in difficult conditions. Allen was then assisted by some vital blows and sensible batting from Chris Sargeant who pushed the total up to 126 before they fell in the final overs. Sargeant batting well for a top score of 28 and Allen 27 gave Tonbridge confidence at tea as they reached 126. Further rain delayed Dartfordians response in a game reduced to 40 overs and Tonbridge also lost the services of their leading wicket taker Nick Helyar with a pulled hamstring whilst batting earlier in the day. Tonbridge made their usual good start however with both Tony Shepherd and Nilseh Patel, who have been equally impressive all season, soon having the opposition 8-3. The batsmen struggled against their off stump accuracy with pace and seam movement. Skipper Jake Rossiter brought himself on with Sargeant but neither had any luck as sharp chances went begging. Shepherd plugged on relentlessly and his superb 10 over spell saw him finish with 4-15 with several chances spilled. Rossiter then picked up a sharp reflex catch at second slip to a ball that flew off the edge and Patel was recalled as he finished with equally impressive figures of 2-14 from his 10 overs. Dartfordians were reeling at 38-6 but slowly with the help of 26 extras  and some stoic batting by skipper Curtis (31) and O'keefe (26) they edged towards the required total. It was the advent of the medium pace in swingers of Kurusala that tipped the balance. With his first ball he bowled the dangerous Curtis and then took an athletic caught & bowled. Simmons bowled tightly at the other end and Shepherd held on to an outfield catch to pick up a third vital wicket for Kurusala who ended up with 5 overs, 3-10 at a crucial stage just as the match looked to ebb back to Dartfordians who fell 11 runs short at the close in a hard fought victory for Tonbridge.  

25 th June Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Walmer CC 1st XI 166 for 9 (50 overs  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 185 for 10 (41.5 overs)A mixture of bad weather, bad luck and once again missed chances saw Tonbridge walk away from Walmer with only 12 points, after rain delays mean the game eventually finished as an incomplete result.After a long drive down to the Kent coast, skipper Julius Marshall once again won the toss and duly elected to bat. Tonbridge started slowly, but after a few scratchy overs openers Marshall (15) and Chirag Patel began to find their feet. Patel getting a blistering 33 from 23 balls to continue his rich vein of form, before falling to the naggingly accurate Ally Milroy. Unlike in previous weeks, all of Tonbridge’s top order contributed well to the total. The consistent Michael Waldren scoring an assured 28, supported well by a welcome return to form for Michael Topham (31) and some hard hit runs from Ben Morgan (38). This left Tonbridge with the solid platform of 144-4, potentially allowing the lower order to play freely and extend the total beyond 200. Unfortunately the introduction of Paul Holiday into the bowling attack quelled any hope of a large total, as the tail seemed unable to cope with the extra injection of pace. Tonbridge managed to reach 162-8 before a hail storm forced a break in play and an early tea. After this disruption Tonbridge managed to pass 175 ensuring another batting point, but were all out for 185 within 42 overs, leaving Ben Peters stranded on 16 not out. Holiday eventually finishing with the impressive figures of 5-22 off only 4.5 overs. With 58 overs to chase down 186 for victory, Walmer CC started shakily, finding the edge regularly, but often finding gaps in the field, or half chances going to ground. Their task was made easier by opener Martin Batley pulling up with an injured hamstring only 11 balls into his spell. This pattern of unconvincing shots and edges flying into gaps seemed to continue throughout Walmer’s innings, and Tonbridge began to think luck was not on their side. By the time the first breakthrough eventually came, but Walmer had already surpassed 100 for the loss of only one wicket. About this time the Shehzad brothers (Nadeem and Khurrum) began to bowl in tangent, and began to strangle the Walmer batsman for runs, building pressure which resulted in wickets beginning to fall at regular intervals. The game swung in Tonbridge’s favour, who now looked favourites to snatch a win. Realising this, the last few Walmer batsmen were determined not to give the extra points to the league leaders, doggedly defending their way to 166-9. The Shehzad brothers had the incredible combined figures of 30 overs for 8 wickets and only 62 runs.Unfortunately due to time lost earlier in the game, Walmer were only able to bat for 50 out of their allotted 58 overs. As Tonbridge failed to take all 10 wickets, the game’s result was incomplete; eventually meaning Tonbridge took 12 points, and Walmer 11, keeping it tight at the top of the table, but Tonbridge remaining top of the pile.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 137 for 3 dec (28.3 overs)  vs  Blackheath CC 6th XI 56 for 8 (31 overs)In a soaking finale, Tonbridge skipper Jake Rossiter's brave hopes were washed away on the brink of victory by torrential thunderstorms as visitors Blackheath clung on desperately in the hope of an abandoned game. Earlier Rossiter, with one eye on the weather, had dramatically declared the Tonbridge innings after only 28 overs with Town 137-3 much to the surprise of the opposition. Opener David Blain and No.4 Nick Helyar, following several rain interruptions, took advantage of anything wide or full from the Blackheath attack to plunder an impressive 110 run partnership in quick time around a wet outfield. Blain made a welcome return to consistent form with his first half century of the league season hitting an impressive well timed 65 before sacrificing his wicket for the early declaration. His partner Helyar hit the ball over the top and all around the wicket whenever possible and the two combined excellent running and boundaries to pressurise then bully Blackheath. Helyar, batting strongly and gaining confidence with every run, hit powerfully to finish unbeaten on 45 at the enterprising declaration.The opposition, perhaps remembering a humiliating all out total of only 14 on their last visit to Poplar Meadow were determined to make Tonbridge work for any reward. A fired-up Rossiter however decided to take the new ball which paid immediate dividends as he bowled skipper Ward for 0. Nilseh Patel, who has again been amongst the wickets this season, immediately accounted for the No.3 and his accuracy rarely wavered as he bowled 8 overs, 1-12. Rossiter rang the changes and up stepped Helyar fresh from his batting exploits. He immediately looked dangerous with a nagging line and a seaming ball reaped reward as he ran through the batting inducing an outside edge from

Eager, the only man to reach double figures with 14, for an excellent catch by keeper John Smiles. He then bowled three victims in two overs and snared his fifth victim to an excellent juggling catch by Steve Allen over his head at mid-off. This was Helyar's third five wicket or better haul of the league season as he finished with an impressive 12 overs, 5-16 bringing his tally to 26 victims for the season. Rossiter then changed ends and looked to wrap up the game as he induced the edges but 2 crucial catches went down in the slip cordon as the storm clouds gathered. He eventually got a wicket courtesy of a smart catch by Jack Innes at cover but unluckily finished with 2-17 from 9 overs. Agonisingly Blackheath were 56-8 from 31 overs as batsmen 9 & 10 dourly prodded with no effort to score runs but the rains cruelly denied a heroic Tonbridge effort as they remain top of the league.

19 th June Tonbridge Exiles CC – Newington CC 170 for 6 (40 overs)  vs  Tonbridge Exiles CC 216 for 6 (40 overs)

18 th June Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 183 (49.2 overs)  vs  RACS CC 1st XI 124 for 7 (50 overs)On a muggy, over-cast day, Tonbridge 1st XI looked to extend their lead at the top of the table with a good performance and a victory against struggling RACS CC. After winning the toss, captain Julius Marshall chose to bat first to ensure maximum points was a possibility.Openers Marshall and Chirag Patel started off scratchily. Early signs showed this would be a difficult pitch to amass a large total. But following on from recent form both stuck to the task in hand and once again completing a 50 run opening partnership. Marshall (21) fell first, followed shortly after by Patel (39), both dismissed by opener Abdul Khan (2 for 34). Tonbridge’s overseas player, Michael Waldren, looked to rebuild the innings, but the change in bowling for RACS reaped rewards, leaving him with little support from the middle order, resulting in Tonbridge being left in the precarious position of 81 for 5. Ben Peters came in at 7, and managed to survive a few scares early on to complete a streaky 28 before getting caught. Useful contributions and good running from the lower order enabled Waldren (56) to complete his first league half century, and Tonbridge managing to reach a very competitive 183 all out, despite David Weatherhead’s five wicket haul (5 for 54).Tonbridge started strongly with the ball; regular opener Martin Batley striking first, clean bowling the RACS captain Robert Donnelly. Khurram Shehzad (1 for 35) was thrown the new ball with others absent, and worked well with Batley (2 for 17). He also struck early, leaving RACS two wickets down without a run scored, and then soon after 11 for 3. Following on from his good bowling display, Weatherhead looked to do the same with the bat and scored a counter-attacking 23 before being dismissed by leading wicket taker Nadeem Shehzad. From this point on Tonbridge toiled in the field, struggling to take regular wickets against a defensive RACs middle order, and failing to make the most of chances when they came. Billy Senington (26) and James Mansfield (36) added solid, but albeit slow, contributions to the total. This left RACS with too much to do in the dying overs, leading to Tonbridge taking a few late wickets. N Shehzad was once again the pick of the bowlers (3 for 17), with RACs eventually making 124-7 in their 50 overs, falling one run short of a batting point. As Tonbridge failed to bowl out their opposition, the result was a winning draw, resulting in 12 points. Though disappointing not to get the full 20, due to results elsewhere in the league, Tonbridge cemented their position at the top of the tableTonbridge CC 2 nd XI – RACS CC 2nd XI 78 all out (35.1 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 165 for 6 (46 overs) On a damp seamer friendly pitch at RACS on Saturday, Tonbridge 2nd XI consolidated their position as league leaders with a comfortable 87 run win. Tonbridge were inserted on a green wet wicket and with the ball taking divots, openers David Blain and John Simmons gritted out a 75 run partnership in 23 overs to provide a solid platform for the Tonbridge innings. Quick singles and plenty of running saw the total accumulate with a long outfield meaning boundaries were a rare commodity against impressive seam bowling from Patel & Webb. Simmons went for 24 and Blain an excellent hard-fought 39 after the advent of Pointer (4-58). The dismissal of Smiles brought the Rossiter brothers together; skipper Jake continued his good form with a well struck 22 and Zach with hard hit 30 picked up the run rate and eventually boundaries swelled the total to a useful 165-6.Tonbridge didn't have their usual depth of bowling available so extra responsibility fell on openers Nilesh Patel and Nick Helyar with the new ball. Neither however were going to let the perfect conditions pass them by and they bowled superbly from ball one. Beating the bat repeatedly, they both got their reward with the first three batsmen in the pavilion with only 2 on the board. Patel bowled opener O'Neill and the seaming Helyar taking the edge for catches by keeper John Smiles and Simmons. Further catches in the outfield by Joe Williams (2), Paul Smiles & Steve Allen saw Helyar finish an excellent spell down the hill with 4-12 from his 12 overs including 7 maidens and Patel unluckily finished with 1-17 from his 12 overs. Patel then scored a superb direct-hit run out with a powerful throw to leave RACS reeling at 35-6. It was only Webb with a plucky 28 who resisted at any stage before Allen and the veteran Simmons made rare bowling forays and he picked up 2-3, with Patel completing his second run out and finishing off the innings in style as RACS were dismissed for 78 in 35 overs. Tonbridge now have a 13 point margin in Division 2A over second place Sidcup who have played an extra game.

11 th June Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 154 for 7 (39 overs)  vs  Rodmersham CC 1st XI - abandoned

Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Bromley Common CC 4th XI 100 (44 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 103 for 4 (23 overs)

Tonbridge 2nd XI extended their lead at the top of Div 2A West between the overhead distractions of summer showers and the Red Arrows aerial display as they proved far too strong for Bromley Common with a 6 wicket win. On a helpful bouncy wicket, Bromley Common surprisingly elected to bat and were soon struggling against the seam accuracy of Nilesh Patel & Nick Helyar - the league's leading wicket takers. Opener Walker fell early to a catch by John Simmons in the gulley off Helyar whilst Patel (1-34) bowled Young leaving the opposition 2-3. Helyar in particular was relentlessly accurate and his 11 overs collected him a miserly 2-12. Bowling changes saw Chris Sargeant with his teasing gentle seam (6 overs for 12) and skipper Jake Rossiter with his fiery downhill pace provide no let-up in the pressure that saw Bromley Common crawling along at less than 2 an over. A reaction run out by Sargeant collected another wicket but Moir (32) stood firm before the introduction of Tony Shepherd changed the game. From his first ball moving off a good length, he looked dangerous and ready for wickets and he found an ally in keeper John Smiles who capped a great display with four smart catches behind the stumps. Shepherd bowled his full complement of 12 overs and repeatedly looked like getting wickets with his persistence richly rewarded collecting an excellent six wickets for 22 with 5 maidens as Common were dismissed for a very hard worked 100 in 44 overs.Tonbridge lost Simmons (18) and Blain with 21 on the board to the prolific spinner Dave Williams but Paul Smiles found some welcome form with a patient 24 not out. Tonbridge's run chase was hastened by some great blows by skipper Rossiter and his quickfire 43 saw him despatch the experienced Williams for three cleanly struck sixes and soon saw Town to victory despite the loss of brother Zac for 0. Smiles stood firm and Helyar saw them home with two well struck boundaries to ensure the comfortable win for the league leaders was completed inside 23 overs. 

4 th June Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Frindsbury CC 1st XI 83 (43.4 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 84 for 3 (24.3 overs)Tonbridge 1st XI maintained their excellent recent form with a comprehensive 7 wicket win at league leaders Frindsbury. Due to the bonus points structure in the KCL it was definitely a weekend to lose the toss on a damp wicket at Frog Island. Tonbridge skipper Julius Marshall duly obliged putting the pressure on Frindsbury skipper Sam Dudgeon to make the decision. Dudgeon decided to bat first and Tonbridge never looked back. As they have done in the last few weeks, Tonbridge’s opening bowlers, Matthew Smiles and Martin Batley (both 2-15) immediately exerted pressure on the home side by dismissing the top three batsmen for just 11 runs. From there Frindsbury batsmen never recovered. It may not have been the best wicket either side will play on this year, but all of Tonbridge’s bowlers performed with great control ensuring Frindsbury could not gain any momentum. Scoring slowly and consistency losing wickets through the innings, Frindsbury they never looked like setting Tonbridge a sizeable total. Ben Peters was the pick of the Tonbridge bowlers with 4 for 20 but truth be told all of those that bowled gave the batsmen no loose balls. Frindsbury were eventually dismissed in the 44th over for a painstaking 83.Having seen the wicket in the first innings, Tonbridge’s batsmen went out with a far more positive attitude than their hosts. Despite losing skipper Marshall early on, opening partner Patel scored at an excellent rate to take Tonbridge to the brink of their win. Patel was well supported by M Waldren (19) but it was Patel’s 45 (including 5 fours) that was the main catalyst for Tonbridge’s excellent victory.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 165 for 7 (46 overs)  vs Dartford CC 4th XI 40 (27.2 overs)To complete an excellent weekend, this top of the table clash saw Tonbridge 2nd's put in an impressively dominating performance at Poplar Meadow on Saturday to beat league leaders Dartford 4th by 125 runs. On a damp pitch aiding the bowlers, Tonbridge lost the toss and began watchfully with the first boundary not coming until the 19th over. David Blain made a welcome return and compiled a watchful 18 but Gamage (2-29) & Steel (2-30) were the early wicket takers. The advent of skipper Jake Rossiter (30) moved the run rate along with some sweetly struck leg side boundaries excellently assisted by Mark Stokes who played a mature, well-judged innings with singles and boundaries all-round the ground. Rossiter went to a top edge to the keeper but Steve Allen and Tony Shepherd (25 not out) then kept the runs flowing as they used all their combined experience to support Stokes who departed in the final over for a well compiled 45. Tonbridge reached a commendable 165-7 from 46 overs.With the wicket and outfield having dried out Tonbridge's bowlers had to be on top form and they didn't disappoint. The openers played watchfully against the accurate Shepherd and Nilesh Patel and soon the run rate was under 2 an over. It was Patel who struck the first blow to remove leading run-maker Freeman courtesy of a diving gulley catch by John Simmons and bowling his fellow opener with a superb in-swinger. Rossiter and Nick Helyar were then introduced with no let up for the visiting batsmen as further seam movement and deadly accuracy soon got wickets tumbling. The star of the bowling show however was Helyar who nearly bowled the only man to reach double figures, Williamson (12) with his first ball. In an astonishing 5th over he roared in, egged on by noisy support, to rip out the opposition taking three wickets in four balls and narrowly missing out on his hat trick. He was aided by catches from keeper John Smiles, Patel, two more from Simmons and a sharp flyer to Rossiter at wide gulley. Rossiter himself took 2-5 from 3 overs but was replaced by Patel following an injury and he finished with an excellent 3-15 from 10 overs as Dartford initially struggled to 33-5. Helyar and Patel then finished them off with the last five wickets falling for no runs as they were routed for 40. Helyar ended with top figures of 6 overs, 5 wickets for 3 runs leaving the club buoyant and determined to continue their good run of form. 

TCC Sussex Tour 201629 th May

Rustington CC 311 for 9 (40 overs) vs Tonbridge CC 330 (39.1 overs)A two match tour and golf day to West Sussex saw Tonbridge pile on the runs at Rustington as they hit a massive 330 in 40 overs led by a superbly hit 80 from Ben Peters including five sixes. Opening partner Martin Batley hit a quick time 41 with some glorious pulls well assisted by John Simmons 58, Jake Rossiter 42, Matt Smiles 30 including one colossal maximum out of the ground. In response Rustington found themselves 115-5 before Mishal Patel with 110* (16 4's and 5 sixes) nearly opened the way for a close finish before the home side gamely fell just 19 runs short on 311-9. Tonbridge used all 11 players to bowl and only Chirag Patel 2-19 would care to remember their figures. A great match with 641 runs scored in 80 overs on a hot day.30 th May Worthing CC 178 (40 overs) vs Tonbridge CC 179 for 4 (39.1 overs)Day Two saw a trip to Sussex Premier side Worthing and some serious quality cricket with Tonbridge winning by 6 wickets chasing 179. The memorable highlight of the day was Aussie Michael Waldren's first ton for the club made off 79 balls after Tonbridge found themselves 18-2. Earlier Matt Smiles, Waldren & Chait Kurusala all bowled well with pace and Worthing struggled to make headway but it was the spin of Paul French 3-25 and Ben Peters 2-30 that restricted Worthing to 178. In reply Waldren (105*) looked in great form as he pulled his first ball for four and he unveiled a series of drives and pounced on anything slightly short to get effect before reaching his personal milestone with an imperious cover drive to the great delight of his team mates. He was well supported in the chase by Kurusala (25), French and Ben Hoey 12 not out.

28 th May Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 74 (24.3 overs)  vs  Chislehurst & West Kent CC 1st XI 69 (32.3 overs)Tonbridge celebrated an amazing victory last weekend with a stunning five run victory at Poplar Meadow.With cloud overhead, and a wicket with a bit of moisture, the visitors elected to field, and soon had Tonbridge skipper Julius Marshall caught in the slips. Harry Stafford and Andy Robinson bowled very well for Chislehurst, hitting a good length, and not giving the home side much to work with. Michael Waldren was able to reach 17 before being caught at mid-wicket off the bowling of Robinson (4 for 37). As good as the bowling was, the Tonbridge batsmen shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions, falling to multiple full tosses, and then later on a poor runout. Only three batsmen were able to reach double figures, including Khurram Shehzad (18 not out). The tenth wicket partnership of 20 was the largest of the innings, but surely not enough to give Tonbridge the opportunity to win the game! Stafford took to final wicket of the innings to finish with excellent figures of 5 for 31.The captains agreed to begin the second innings and commence tea at 3pm. After the Tonbridge openers tried in vain to make early inroads, it was down the Shehzad brothers to bring the home side back into the game. With the score at 23 for 0, Khurram struck first, and Nadeem took two more soon after. At tea time, Chislehurst & West Kent sat on 32 for 3.Adrian Monk and Mark Philpot were tasked with taking the visitors towards the total, and both batted very well, seeing off the good balls and punishing the bad ones. With the score on 63 for 3, Marshall turned to Chirag Patel. Bowling with deceptive pace awkward pace, Patel picked up two quick wickets, including Monk for 22. Nadeem was brought back into the attack and also picked up a wicket, leaving the score on 64 for 6. While skipper Mark Philpot was still at the crease, the visitors still perhaps had the upper hand. But the game completely flipped when he fell for 19 courtesy of an excellent catch by Patel. With four runs scored and the score on 69 for 7, the game could be settled by a single blow of the bat. Tonbridge continued to fight, with Patel picking up his third wicket, and soon after Nadeem grabbing his fifth thanks to a superb diving catch by Marshall. Two balls later the game was finished, with Andy Robinson gloving to keeper Michael Waldren, thus completing an unbelievable turnaround. From 63 for 3, Tonbridge removed seven batsmen for only six runs. Nadeem Shehzad finished with 6 for 10, and Chirag Patel with 3 for 6.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Hayes CC 4th XI 215 for 9 (46 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI  210 for 9 (46 overs)Tonbridge 2nd XI lost their first of the season in a close fought match that went to the last over at Hayes on Saturday. The match featured a powerful knock of 92 by woman player Caitlin Gurrey from New Zealand with cleanly timed cuts and straight lofted drives to defy the Tonbridge bowlers. Despite a moment when Tonbridge were sure of an edge behind to the keeper when she was on 60, Gurrey was a class act and should have a strong future in the game. Browne with 29 supported her well and 130 was on the board without loss after 20 overs. After her dismissal by Nick Helyar (3-40 from 12 overs) Nilesh Patel (5-53) returned and proved too good for the middle & lower order picking up yet another 5 wicket haul. Chris Martin (1-38 from 9) and Chris Sargeant both helped stem the runs on a lightening outfield. Tonbridge started their chase for 215 with the loss of 3 early wickets but John Simmons (47) and Steve Allen with some clean hitting (21) steadied the ship and looked comfortable before both got themselves out. The Town bat all the way down the order and useful contributions from Martin (20), Mayank Chandla who played well for 21 and Sargeant with a hard hit 28 not out took Tonbridge towards the total. A big straight six by Patel (16 not out) in the final over looked as if the win would be achieved but the last two dot balls ensured Hayes won by 5 runs in a tense finish.

26 th May Kent League 20/20 - 2016 - Round 1Tonbridge CC 143 for 9 (20 overs) vs Linden Park CC 117 for 4 (20 overs)Tonbridge advanced to the second round of the Kent Cricket League Twenty20 competition with an excellent 26 run victory over Linden Park.

Tonbridge batted first, and got off to a good start. Julius Marshall (26) and Chirag Patel (19) both timed the ball well, and made things tough for the bowlers. A couple of quick wickets from Cameron MacGregor (2 for 22) and the clever bowling of John Harvey (2 for 29) stopped Tonbridge in their tracks, and made runs harder to come by. Ben Morgan looked scratchy to begin with at the crease, but following a huge straight six he looked in complete control. Hitting regular boundaries and running well with batting partner Matt Smiles (16), Morgan finished was finally dismissed for an excellent 43, and with Tonbridge already well past 100. Some late heroics from Ben Cobb (3 for 23) helped to keep the total down, but with 143 on the board, the home side felt confident.The opening bowlers started off brilliantly, giving absolutely no opportunity for boundaries in the first eight overs. Both Khurram Shehzad (0 for 12) and Martin Batley (1 for 19) bowled their four overs straight away, and kept the run rate to only four an over. Skipper Stuart Clarke did struggle at first, but picked up well at the end of his innings, but fell for 25 off the bowling of Matt Smiles (1 for 17). Both he and Nadeem Shehzad (2 for 26) followed the opening bowlers’ example, leaking hardly any boundaries, and keeping it very tight. Ben Brandt (32) and Ryan Addison (28 not out) did try hard to bring Linden Park back into the game, but the fielding from the home side supported the bowlers well, and the run rate was already too high. Tonbridge ended up winners by 26 runs, and will now go on to play Sevenoaks Vine in round 2. 

21 st May Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Blackheath CC 3rd XI 71 (24.2 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 76 for 1 (16.5 overs)Tonbridge followed up a strong showing against Bapchild with a convincing victory over Blackheath last weekend. Skipper Julius Marshall elected to bowl, and his openers were soon in the wickets. Matt Smiles (2 for 22) and Martin Batley (1 for 13) both bowled with good pace on a hard deck, and were perhaps a bit unlucky not to get more. The Blackheath batsmen never looked comfortable, and boundaries were hard to come by. The strength in depth of the bowling has always been a key feature of the club, and Nadeem Shahzad showed exactly why he has top the wickets for a number of years. Accuracy and zip were in abundance, as were wickets. Two in his first over, together with two more later on left him with excellent figures of 4 for 11. Not to be outdone, Michael Waldren also returned club best figures of 3 for 12. Only Davis Varghese batted with any poise, finishing with 21. He was one of only three to reach double figures.Needing a very modest total, Tonbridge set about their task very well, scoring regular boundaries, and eliminating any hope of an upset. Chirag Patel and Julius Marshall easily took the score past 50, with a combination of powerful hitting and good running between the wickets. Once Patel became comfortable at the crease, he let loose a maraud of different shots, including a huge straight six. Marshall was dismissed for 13, meaning that Michael Topham could finish the game off with Patel. Sitting on 42, with just eight runs required, Chirag first hit a straight four, followed by a clipped six over square leg to finish unbeaten on 52, and give the visitors a 9 wicket victory.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 117 for 3 (21.1 overs)  vs  Bromley CC 4th XI 116 (40.4 overs)Following their emphatic win the previous week, Tonbridge skipper Jake Rossiter had no hesitation inserting Bromley into bat at Poplar Meadow on Saturday. League debutant Chris Martin was given the new ball in tandem with last week’s hero Nick Helyar and the left arm, right arm combination soon tested the opening batsmen as runs proved hard to come by. With Bromley making no headway against the relentless accuracy in particular from the frugal Martin it was only a matter of time before the breakthrough was achieved after some stonewall defence. Martin it was who reaped the reward with an lbw quickly followed by bowling the Bromley No.3. He was to pick up two more wickets and after 11 overs had figures of 4-7 before his final two deliveries were smeared for boundaries finishing with an excellent debut of 12 overs 7 maidens 4 for 15. Skipper Rossiter rang the changes and picked up two wickets himself (2-23), Nilesh Patel 2-29, the returning Helyar 1-28. Tony Shepherd then bowled tightly for no reward. Bromley were languishing at 68-8 before a sterling rear-guard action from veteran Kevin Carruthers with 34 frustrated Tonbridge and took the visitors to an unlikely final total of 116. A smart run out by Martin and two outfield catches by Mark Stokes hastened the Bromley demise.On a good batting wicket Tonbridge's response initially faltered as Paul Smiles snicked a bouncy delivery to the keeper first ball. Rossiter and John Simmons soon pushed the score along with good running and boundaries before Rossiter departed walking across his stumps for 21. This brought in his younger brother Zac Rossiter who carried on in similar vein with some big hits into the outfield before he was caught behind for 22. It was left to Helyar (10*) and Simmons to take advantage of some loose bowling to hit the winning boundary to be unbeaten on 59 as Town won easily by 7 wickets inside 21 overs reaching 117-3. Before the game the club held a minutes silence in memory of their longest serving honorary life member David Hamilton who passed away on Wednesday 18th May, aged 93. Affectionately known as 'Hammers', David was a fearless left hand opening bat representing the Tonbridge Cricket Club from the 1960's for over 5 decades and well known in local cricketing circles. He was at various times the Captain, Secretary, fixture secretary, groundsman and Tonbridge's 'Mr Cricket' who encouraged many generations of younger players to become as absorbed and as enthusiastic in the game as he was. A true gentleman from the old school who will long be remembered and sadly missed by all associated with Tonbridge Cricket Club.

14 th May Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Tonbridge CC 1st XI 195 for 7 (47.5 overs)  vs  Bapchild CC 1st XI 194 for 9 (50 overs)Tonbridge bounced back from the previous week’s opening day defeat to pick up their first win of the season against Bapchild at Poplar Meadow. Electing to bat first, Bapchild were soon pegged back by a good opening spell by M Batley (2-45) and M Smiles (2-32). Bowling with both pace and discipline, both bowlers offered little to relieve pressure and after the opening 17

overs Bapchild had a rebuild ahead of them at 38-3. Bapchild went about their task and slowly did so successfully. Tonbridge’s bowlers maintained their discipline to ensure that the run rate never drifted above 4.5 per over before some late hitting by L Taylor (52) and M Willis (36) took Bapchild to a competitive 194. K Shehzad (3-43) did pick up wickets at the death to take Bapchild’s wicket count to 9 giving Tonbridge maximum bowling points. Needing a sizeable total for their first victory of the year, C Patel got Tonbridge’s innings off to a blistering start. Some clean striking all around the ground meant Tonbridge got ahead of the rate early on and quickly surpassed 50 for no loss. When Patel was dismissed for 33, skipper J Marshall (47) and overseas M Waldren (41) continued Tonbridge’s momentum and at the half way stage it appeared that Tonbridge would chase down their target with relative ease. However, J Hunt’s 5-52 threatened to ruin Tonbridge’s day. Hunt’s plugging line and length built pressure and soon Tonbridge went from 111-2 to 144 for 7. Fortunately for Tonbridge, C Kurusala (23) and B Peters’ (28) unbeaten 51 run partnership saw Tonbridge home with 13 balls to spare.Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Horton Kirby CC 2nd XI 29 (16.2 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 32 for 1 (4.4 overs)From time to time there are games that throw up an outstanding performance that will stay in the memory and Tonbridge 2nd XI's game at the delightful Horton Kirby ground last Saturday was just one of those occasions. Horton Kirby elected to make first use of the pitch but Tonbridge's strength lies in their formidable range of bowlers and the opening pair of Nilesh Patel and Nick Helyar are bristling with confidence at the moment. With unwavering accuracy and making full use of the pitch these two steamed in and soon had their reward. Horton Kirby usually provide a stern test however their first five front line batsman soon found themselves back in the pavilion all bowled leg stump by the Patel (2-4 from 6 overs) and Helyar onslaught. Patel then added to the home sides misery as an attempted scampered single to square leg saw him pull off a sharp stop, a quick recovery and brilliant throw to hit the stumps with a direct hit to leave the score 10-6. Only Ritchie Wootten (13 not out) showed any resilience as he tried to counter attack with a couple of boundaries off first change bowler Chris Sargeant (1-8). Helyar however continued his excellent line and skilful probing as he reaped a final haul of six victims, all bowled, from 8 overs conceding 17 runs. With no extras Tonbridge showed their ruthless streak and dismissed the hosts for a meagre total of 29.Mayank Chandla was given the chance to open but was quickly bowled by Taylor for 2 whilst regular opener David Blain unfortunately had to retire hurt with a bad calf tear for 4. John Simmons despatched a 6 and 4 over square leg and skipper Jake Rossiter with 2 classy fours quickly applied the coup de grace reaching 33-1 from 4 overs. Tonbridge however thanked Nick Helyar for an outstanding bowling display that saw Tonbridge run out winners by 9 wickets with maximum points from their two games so far.

7 th May Tonbridge CC 1 st XI – Rainham CC 1st XI 251 for 8 (50 overs)  vs  Tonbridge CC 1st XI 187 (38.2 overs)Tonbridge’s first game in the Kent Cricket League Division 5 came with a reality check as they suffered a heavy defeat on the opening day of the 2016 season.Due to the uncontested toss, Rainham, who finished 3rd in the league last year, decided to bat first on a scorching day in North Kent on what appeared to be a flat track. Looks did not deceive and barring a little movement in the air it became clear early on that a high score was on the cards. Despite the lack of assistance for the seamers from the wicket, Tonbridge did create some chances but were unable to hold on to them. This coupled with some sloppy ground fielding meant Tonbridge were unable to build any real pressure. Openers M Tyler (75) and A Parkinson (64) took advantage of some bad balls, a good deck and a quick outfield and in double quick time brought up their 100 partnership. The introduction of spin at both ends did however start to reduce the run rate in turn building some pressure that allowed Tonbridge back into the game. This pressure eventually told as K Shehzad picked up A Parkinson and N McCue (0) in two balls. This brought J Austin (43) to the crease who soon got settled. Some large hits down the ground threatened to take Rainham to a monster score. Fortunately, some tight bowling by K Shehzad in tandem with B Peters dragged Tonbridge back into the game. The bowling was backed up by some improved fielding and Rainham soon lost all momentum. K Shehzad (15-1-62-3) and B Peters (15-0-74-5) bowled excellently throughout their spell and gave Tonbridge some much needed hope. Rainham finished on 251-8 from their 50 overs, which from 175-2 represented an excellent fightback from Tonbridge.Whatever momentum Tonbridge had from the back end of their bowling effort was unfortunately lost early on in their reply and they were quickly 17-3. Tonbridge went about rebuilding and M Waldren (46) and Z Rossiter (24) set about the task. Their 66 run partnership threatened to bring Tonbridge back into the contest but once R Ward dismissed Rossiter, Tonbridge never looked to be in a position to win the game. Rossiter was the first victim for Ward who tore through the Tonbridge middle order. Finishing with figures of 8.2-1-24-4, Tonbridge as a unit could not handle his leg breaks. Some late blows by B Peters (16) and M Batley (28) did take the Tonbridge total beyond the 175 mark meaning they received 3 points for their batting effort. In reality Tonbridge’s batting and fielding needs to improve over the next couple of weeks if they want to pick up their first win. An innings where only four batsmen score above 10 is not the start to the season that the club were hoping for. Tonbridge host Bapchild next weekend who will provide another stern test for the team after having been relegated from Division 4 last year. Tonbridge CC 2 nd XI – Tonbridge CC 2nd XI 196 (45.5 overs)  vs  Sidcup CC 3rd XI 141 (34.3 overs)Under a baking sun on a flat hard pitch Tonbridge started their league campaign with a comfortable 55 run win over visitors Sidcup on Saturday.Tonbridge began falteringly with the loss of the openers but Nick Helyar and new skipper Jake Rossiter (both with a crisp 22) soon got into their stride including a big six from Rossiter into the trees. This laid the path for a match winning partnership of 88 with a high boundary count between promoted Tony Shepherd (44) and top scorer Steve

Allen with an excellent 46 all around the wicket as the Sidcup bowlers began to wilt. John Simmons (21 not out) helped guide the total to 196 in the final over. Ragg (3-37) was the pick of the bowlers well supported by Pattnayak with his deceptive flight and fired in quicker balls that claimed 4 victims.In response opener Paul Jenkins took a liking to anything pitched up and smashed a quick fire 56 out of 75 with a degree of fortune but was unsupported by his team mates. Wickets began to fall regularly following his departure and the rotation of the strong Tonbridge bowling attack by skipper Rossiter proved decisive. Shepherd provided a steadying spell (1-22) but once again the star bowler was Nilesh Patel who in two spells claimed another 5 wicket haul finishing with 5-29 from his 12 overs. He was strongly supported by the pace & bounce of Rossiter who removed the dangerous Jenkins before ripping out the middle order to record a great start to his season with 4-29 from 8 overs. The bowlers were well supported in the field with Mayank Chandla marking his league debut for the club with a catch to cap a solid all round team performance.

TONBRIDGE ARE FOUR TIMES LEAGUE CHAMPIONS & CUP WINNERS IN AN HISTORIC SEASON

Tonbridge Cricket Club swept the honours board in all age groups in their finest season since their formation in 1801.

The senior sides have ended as double league champions with both the Junior teams winning silverware. The 1st XI under the captaincy of Julius Marshall smashed 156-3 in just 17 overs on Saturday against Faversham

to win the Kent League Division 5 at their first attempt (shown below - and read about it here).

The 2nd XI under the captaincy of Jake Rossiter won KRCL Division 2A by a record margin and gained promotion to the Kent Cricket League for the first time in their

history.The Junior section of the club has also gone from strength to strength; the U13's ended up as League Champions in their first ever season and the U11's won the MKYL Cup on Sunday with a 10 wicket victory over Addington. This meant that all four sides have

carried of silverware in a unique and memorable season for the town's club.

President's Putter 2016Another excellent golf day on Friday 14th October.

Only a small attendance of 10 this time due to a number of reasons, but a good time was had by all. John Simmons won yet again but Matt Smiles was only a couple of points behind, so look out next year. Well organised by Colin Jenner again but after 11 years he wants to stand down for a well-earned rest. Thank you to Colin for all your efforts over those years. 

Fathers v Sons T20 match 11th September

Sunday fun and end of season BBQ - the Sons won by 1 run !

more photos

Probably the saddest news during the season for the Club:

David Lihou Hamilton(1922-2016)

It was with great sadness that we were notified that David Hamilton passed away in his sleep on the 18th May 2016. He was 93. Many of our new and younger members will not know of David, one of our vice-Presidents. Affectionately known as 'Hammers', David was a fearless left hand opening bat representing the Tonbridge Cricket Club from the 1960's for over 5 decades and well known in local cricketing circles. He was at various times the Captain, Secretary, fixture secretary, groundsman and Tonbridge's 'Mr Cricket' who encouraged many generations of younger players to become as absorbed and as enthusiastic in the game as he was. A true gentleman from the old school who will long be remembered and sadly missed by all associated with Tonbridge Cricket Club.

Hammers DayAs a family we would all like to express our thanks to those who were able to attend on the day, and others who were there in thought. Dad would have appreciated the understated but very real sense of occasion in celebrating his long and fulfilled life.It was lovely to see his adopted cricket family rallying around with a “can do” attitude, very much as Dad has done over the years for the Club. Dad always thought everything was achievable, just the ‘how’ needed working out.We would also like to thank you all for your generous donations to the bench fund and hope you will find time to use the seat to pause and watch the game.We will be dropping in to the ground over the upcoming cricket seasons, and hope to retain the close association with Tonbridge Cricket Club that Dad valued so much.Best wishes for a successful season.David’s family.

David's funeral took place on Fri 17th June at Tonbridge Cemetery with a farewell at Tonbridge CC's ground. Below are two photos of the event - all may be

viewed here

David's family decided to dedicate a memorial bench to him at Tonbridge Cricket Ground. Cricket was a life-long passion of David's and they thought this would be a fitting tribute to him, allowing him to continue his association with the club. Donations towards this were also made via the JustGiving website

Tonbridge CC Tour 2016

Michael Waldren (TCC’s overseas player for 2016) hit his maiden centuryTour report

U13s First Match Winners 3rd May 2016

Juniors Saturday Morning Coaching 14th May 2016

over 90 youngsters participated that day