3rdXI Saturday

Theale and Tilehurst 2 v Windsor 3

2010-05-24T13:08:00.002Z

Saturday 15th May
TVL 6B
Theale and Tilehurst 2 v Windsor 3

Windsor 192-9 beat Theale and Tilehurst 104 by 88 runs

A superb new ball burst by Dean Bean saw Windsor go to the top of division 6B, as Windsor blew newly promoted Theale and Tilehurst away by an eventually emphatic 88 runs.

It hadn't always been plain sailing for Windsor who managed a moderate 192-9 off their allotted 52 overs. Put in on a bouncy surface, Windsor's openers Sam Jordan and Robert Noble produced a carbon copy of the week before, Jordan batted eye catchingly for 47, and Robert Noble had worked his way to 23, when both were dismissed with Windsor score on 71 off 14 overs. As 71-0 became 71-2, Theale tightend up their game and Paul Huggins and Kevin Condon both batted sensibly to avoid any further alarm.

Just when they seemed to have got into their grove, and on 19 and 18 respectively, both fell with Windsor on 115, and when Dawson was dismissed soon after, Windsor were sitting somewhat umcomfortably on 116-5. Windsor lower order dug in. Wayne Lloyd chisiled out 22, Charles McInnerey 19, and together with the tail, Windsor dragged themselves up to 192-9. Ryan Lewin provided an encouraging sign of things to come with 15 not out.

Windsor knew they would have to make early inroads, and Dean Bean provided the perfect start for Windsor, cartwheeling Theale's opener's off stump out of the ground in the first over. A fired up Bean, enjoying the bouncy wicket then cut through the hosts top order, and before Theale knew it, they were reeling at 30-5. From here there was no way back, Bean finally took a break with figures of 6-44. Rashid Awan produced a good foil, going for just 1-15 off 10 overs. A breif period of resistance was ended when Edge used his experience to bowl Theale's no 7, and with the score on 100-8, Lewin nabbed the penultimate wicket. With Theale 9 down, and needing 17 overs to survive, a Chris Edge slower ball was hit into the statasphere by Theale's No.10 and Robert Noble had seemingly an age to judge it. When the ball eventually came earthbound Noble made no mistake and Windsor had blown Theale away for 104, and thus claimed the 25 points to send them top.

Windsor 3 vs Farnham Common 2

2010-05-24T13:08:00.001Z

Saturday 8th May 2010
TVL 6B Windsor 3 vs Farnham Common 2

Farnham Common 2 135 all out, lost to Windsor 138-3 by 7 wickets

On the coldest day cricket has been played at Home Park for as long as anyone could remember, Windsor started their league campaign well with a chill induced 20 points against near neighbours Farnham Common 2's.

On a bleak day, made worse by an arctic wind, Windsor won the toss and bowled first and were quickly rewarded when Dean Bean trapped Common's opener in the 3rd over. Windsor had to wait until the halfway point however for the next wicket, as the visitors played cautious cricket against a disciplined attack. After 27 overs, with the score having crept up to 72-1, Sam Condon finally broke the shutters and the innings rapidly declined for Farnham Common. Bowling with genuine zip, Condon never let the batsmen settle, and with Rashid Awan swinging the ball at the other end, wickets started to fall. Condon finished with 4 good wickets while Rashid Awan was rewarded for his testing length to pick up 5-50, showing what a useful aquisition he could be. Farnham Common's 135 all out looked well short of par, but Windsor still had to get the runs.

Robert Noble and Sam Jordan opened up for Windsor, and quickly vindicated skipper Paul Huggin's decision for having openers with contrasting styles, as Jordan quickly latched on to anything loose, while Noble worked the ball around in his typically unflustered style. Windsor had moved the score on to 74 in good time before a burst from seamer Brown accounted for Noble (26) and Jordan ( 43). Brown also then removed Huggins caught at slip for 11, but any potential threat was calmly dealt with by Kevin Condon who looked assured at no.4. With victory in sight, Condon and Richard Noble eased Windsor home. Condon had moved to 30 not out, and with Windsor requiring just 1 run, Richard Noble swept to the square leg boundary to give give Windsor a winning start

Windsor 3 vs Richmond 3's

2010-05-24T13:06:00.000Z

Saturday 17th April 2010

Windsor 3 vs Richmond 3's

Richmond 114 all out. Windsor 115-1.

Windsor won by 9 wickets

Windsor 3's got their season off to an excellent start with an assured nine wicket victory against Richmond, in a game where Windsor impressed in all departments. New captain Paul Huggins could not have wished for a better start ,as Dean Bean knocked back Richmonds opening batsman's leg stump first ball of the match, with a superb off cutter. It got even better as Bean then struck 4th ball with another superb swinging delivery to leave Richmond shell shocked on 0-2 off the first over.

Windsor never really lost their grip from this point and young seamers Ryan Lewin and Rhys Bryant both bowled well to pick up 2 wickets each. Oliver Jordan and Rashid Awan also impressed and Richmonds 114 all out seemed well short of a competitive total.

In reply, Ben Lickley opened with seasoned campaigner Robert Noble, and Lickley, showing a tighter technique than in previous seasons,got Wiondsor going with some fine drives. Noble at the other end was content to play the anchor role, and when Lickley was bowled by Richmonds young leg spinner for 24, Windsor were 46-1. That was the visitors sole success, as skipper Paul Huggins and Noble then knocked off the 115 needed without alarm. Huggins was quick to latch on to anything loose to finish 41 not out, while Noble looked as though he hadn't had a winter break with a typically stoical 35 not out, as Windsor completed a fine first game.

Hot Sauce proves too much for Chenies

2009-05-12T17:41:00.003Z

Chenies & Latimer CC 85 All Out (34.2 overs) Jones 4-39, Bean 2-25, Caldow 2-12
Windsor CC 86-1 (26.4 overs) Haynes 51*, Dawson 21*

Windsor 3rd XI started their TVL campaign in style on Saturday with an emphatic 9 wicket win over Chenies & Latimer 2nd XI.

Having lost the toss, Windsor were asked to field on a sunny but breezy day at the Home Park and it wasn't long before new ball pairing of Griff Jones and Dean Bean began moving the ball through the air. In the 6th over, after being struck for a couple of delightful boundaries, Jones produced the perfect comeback with a superb inswinger that took the top of off to leave Chenies 10-1. Worse was to follow for the visitors as a couple of run outs in quick succession, the first following a tidy peice of work from Alex Haynes and the second after Jones managed to deflect a full blooded drive back onto the stumps, left Chenies reeling at 13-3. After Jones had picked up his second wicket with another unplayable inswinger, Dean Bean soon got into the act to bag himself a couple of wickets. With Chenies struggling at 31-6 after 20 overs Windsor continued to apply the pressure and were indebted to some high quality swing bowling from the Welsh-Bermudan pairing. Despite a mini recovery from Chenies, they were to find themselves in deep trouble at 64-8 as Jones added 2 more wickets to his tally thanks to an LBW and a smart steepling catch from new boy Ross Caldow. A break for Bean after 15 superb overs off the reel saw Caldow, a fine aquisition both on and off the field, intoduced into the attack and it wasn't long before he got in on the act to knock over the tail as Chenies finally subsided for 85 All Out.

Windsor faced a tricky 15 overs before the tea interval and openers Kev Condon and fiery red head Alex Haynes showed that they were in no hurry to knock off the runs, both very watchful in the opening few overs. Condon fell attempting one big shot too many but at tea, with Windsor 41-1, they were well placed for victory. After the break Haynes, fresh from a superb century the week before, began to find his feet with some nice strokeplay. At the other end , Rob Dawson continued to be watchful as he looked to play himself back into touch. The partnership continued to develop and it wasn't long before Windsor were on course to wrap up a win. There was just enough time for Haynes to bring up a deserved 50 and ensure that Windsor got home with time, and 9 wickets, to spare.

Skipper Richard Noble was understandably delighted after the game. "It was pretty much the ideal start from our point of view, all the boys were up for it today and I think that showed in our attitude in the field. The new ball pair were superb and if we can apply that same pressure every week we should do ok in this league".

The next test will come at Yateley on Saturday as Windsor look to build on their impressive start to the season.

WINDSOR RISE TO UP-HILL CHALLENGE

2008-08-26T15:47:00.000Z

Maidenhead & Bray 3rd XI 296-8dec. (S Bukhari 102, J Alam 81, A Hill 5-40)
Windsor 3rd XI 300-8 (B Davis 95, RW Noble 41, R Dawson 31)

A patched-up Windsor 3rd XI pulled off a remarkable performance with the bat to win this vital promotion battle in Bray.

After losing wicketkeeper Care to promotion and in-form opener Condon to illness during the week as well as the unavailability of certain other players including Charters who hit 92no in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season, the Windsor team who took to the field still had the confidence and experience to be able to pull off a result in tricky circumstances.

Noble lost the toss and M&B chose to bat first. The Windsor openers Hill and Davies probed away and bowled a very tight opening spell with very few runs coming off the bat in the first 8 overs and Hill picked up the first wicket by bowling the opener which brought No.3 Alam to the crease, the batsmen Windsor knew well after his 118 in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. Alam started hitting a few boundaries, cutting Hill to the point boundary and pulling Davies for two fours in his final over as the run rate steadily started to climb. Rob Hodgson was introduced to the attack and the change of pace initially slowed the batsmen’s scoring and he took the second wicket. The other opener caught at gully by Dawson. This brought Bukhari to the crease and after an initial uneasy period, these two batsmen gradually got set and really took the attack to the Windsor bowling. Bukhari hitting 22 off one over including two massive sixes which resulted in a lost ball. Noble rotated his bowling as much as possible to try to restrict the batsmen but this didn’t affect them as they were in full flow and they continued to hammer boundaries and the total looked as if it was going to be insurmountable.

Windsor didn’t help themselves with some pretty poor fielding at times. Runs were given away through misfields and four catches went down, and with these batsmen in form this was something that Windsor could have done without. Stand-in keeper Davis had to take extra care as balls were bouncing awkwardly in front of him and Windsor had conceded 20 runs in byes. By this time, Windsor heads were firmly on the floor. As a last throw of the dice, Noble asked wicketkeeper Davis to take off the pads as Tom Bullock took over behind the stumps and Davis came on to bowl at the tennis court end while Hill returned to the attack for his second spell.

With 42 overs gone M&B were 240-2 and looked to be heading for a mammoth score with 10 overs to go but Alam was bowled by Davis and Bukhari was well caught by Gould at long-on also off Davis to bring new batsmen to the crease and temper the scoring rates a little, but M&B had wickets in hand and continued to attack. Hill soon was among the wickets with some fine swing bowling and despite still scoring freely M&B lost wickets at regular intervals until they declared their innings at the fall of the 8th wicket, Hill’s 5th, at the end of the 50th over with the score on 296. Windsor knew they had to score at 6 an over for the whole 50 overs to win this match.

Such is the attitude of Windsor Cricket Club, thoughts of batting out for a draw as other teams may have done were banished to the back of our minds as we thought of ways to win this match from this unlikely position. It was decided to promote Bryn Davies to number 4 and go all out for victory.

Robert Noble had obviously sensed the need for a positive start and gave Windsor the perfect start by hitting the first ball of the innings off centurian Bukhari for 4. J Alam opened the bowling at the other end but Noble continued with some impressive strokeplay and at this stage Davis was happy to play round Noble and after the first 10 overs Windsor were up with the required run rate without the loss of a wicket. Exactly the start Windsor needed.

Unfortunately Noble was bowled for 41 soon after attempting one big shot too many but Davis continued to score freely and after the quick loss of Gould, big-hitting Davies came in to join Davis in the middle and this was the partnership that Windsor were relying on if they were to get near the M&B total.

Bryn Davies soon got into the scoring habit by hitting some boundaries including one big six and together they continued to score at the 6-an-over needed by cleverly hitting one boundary per over and taking the odd singles. Their 50 partnership passed and at drinks at the halfway mark Windsor were halfway to their total with only two wickets down.

However, the old saying of “one wicket brings two” could not be better illustrated as after looking so solid a fluke wicket broke the partnership with the score on 160. Bryn leathered a ball straight back at the bowler Alam and he stuck out his hand and deflected the ball onto the wickets at the non-strikers end and Davis was run out five short of a well-deserved century. In the next over skipper Noble called for a quick single to get him off the mark abut Davies was well short of his ground and out for a quick 21 and in the space of no time two run-outs had resulted in Windsor being 4 down. Tom Bullock joined Noble at the crease and they steadied the ship and put a partnership together to take Windsor past the 200 mark but after hitting a big six Noble was out for 24 and then Haynes was adjudged LBW soon after. Windsor yet again showing our sporting side. If there was a sportsmanship award for this division we would certainly be one of the favourites as we have given so many of our own batsmen out LBW this year despite being on the rough end of some decisions ourselves. Dawson came to the crease and immediately found the middle of the bat with some exquisite off-side shots for 4. He was joined at the crease by Hill after Bullock was well caught in the deep for 28 and M&B were taking wickets at regular intervals as they searched for the 25 points they wanted to overtake Windsor in the table.

The experienced pair of Hill and Dawson continued to score at the required rate and while the Windsor team watched on nervously they continued to calmly chip away at the runs required. A couple of boundaries off one over brought the run rate down and Windsor needed 21 runs off four overs with 3 wickets remaining to complete a famous victory. This was whittled down to 5 off 2 overs and after Hill punched one through the covers for four to take his score to 18 the scores were level with eight balls remaining. Hill then left the last two balls of the 49th over leaving Dawson on strike to face the final over with one run needed. However Dawson walked off the first ball after gloving behind for an excellent 31 which sent No.10 Edge to the crease with five balls left. Edge swung and missed at the first two balls and just as the Windsor team were getting anxious, Edge hit the 4th ball over the bowlers head for 4 and Windsor had completed one of the most remarkable run chases in the club’s history. A thrilling victory and doubly important as it opens up the gap between the teams to 9 points with two matches of the season remaining.

BLADES UNITE TO CUT DOWN ROYAL

2008-08-05T18:22:00.000Z

Farnham Royal 3rd XI 228 (A Watson 100)
Windsor 3rd XI 231-9 (T Bullock 53, C Edge 33no, A Akram 6-91)

A nerve-wracking last wicket partnership of 36 saw Windsor home after looking dead and buried at one stage of the game after a largely uninspiring performance against bottom of the table Farnham Royal at Burnham.

The game started on time and Chris Edge got Windsor off to a flying start with a wicket with only the third ball after getting the opener caught behind by Care for a duck without a run on the board. However, at the end of the first over with Royal on 6-1, the heavens opened and a lengthy delay ensued which resulted in the match being reduced to 90 overs.

However, despite the wet outfield, the covers that Burnham have ensured the wicket was still dry and the match was able to re-commence soon after the rain stopped. The Royal were intent on attacking the Windsor bowling and hit a few boundaries despite both Edge and Davies beating the bat on many occasions. Two quick wickets, one each for Edge and Davies pegged Royal back at 40-3 but a good 4th wicket partnership, full of unorthodox hitting by opener Watson took Royal past the 100 mark and it was proving difficult for Windsor to remove the batsmen despite some near misses, dropped catches and very close LBW shouts, or to stem the steady flow of runs. After the drinks break to take the pace off the ball Noble turned to the part-time spin of George Gould and this did the trick immediately as it made it much more difficult to score and the wicket came in Gould’s 1st over, the batsman bottom edging one onto his stumps. Gould picked up another two wickets as Windsor kept chipping away but Watson was still blasting away at the other end. He was eventually removed by Sam Jordan as Richie Noble took the catch at long on and from then on Royal’s scoring slowed and wickets fell regularly until a run out saw the innings close with one ball to spare.

Due to the earlier rain Windsor needed 229 to win off just 43 overs at a rate of over 5.3 an over so it was imperative that we got off to a positive start. However that was not to be. Credit must go to the Royal’s opening pair who not only restricted the flow of runs to frustrate the batsmen but also bowled good wicket balls to remove the top 4 of Dawson, Gould, Noble and Doye with only 33 on the board at the 15 over mark. The task of winning the match looked highly unlikely as Windsor needed a further 196 off the remaining 28 overs at a rate of 7 an over and the talk in the Windsor camp was centred around just ensuring we get some batting bonus points. However, no-one had told Tom Bullock this. His partnership with Sam Jordan (18) breathed life into the Windsor innings and at one point Tom hit 8 successive scoring shots for 4. Alex Haynes joined Tom at the crease but having just passed his half century Bullock was out for 53 just when it looked like Windsor could perhaps get back into the game. However, his replacement at the crease Bryn Davies wasted no time in getting stuck into the Royal’s bowling and obviously had the straight boundaries in his sights as he scored heavily and quickly as Haynes was just happy to keep him company. However when Davies departed for his rapid 31, soon followed by Haynes, it appeared that Windsor’s last chance of victory had gone. Edge was promoted to the No.9 spot with the instructions to just “go for it” and Martin Care hit a couple of nice boundaries before being 9th man out with the score on 195-9. Hodgson came to the crease with 6 overs to go to join fellow Sheffielder Edge with the instruction to ensure Windsor get the 200 needed for maximum batting points but once that had been achieved the pair showed their steel by scampering singles and hitting the bad balls for four when they came along as they steadily chipped off the runs required for victory. They judged the partnership to perfection and when 2 runs were needed off the final over Hodgson flicked the 3rd ball off his legs to the square leg boundary and Windsor could celebrate a really important 20 points.

It later transpired that both Harefield and Maidenhead & Bray had their matches rained off so the win proved doubly vital as Windsor returned to the top of the table as we prepare for the visit of Slough next Saturday, another important match on the day when Windsor’s two promotion rivals face each other so Noble will again be looking for maximum points.

DOGGED WINDSOR CHASE THE HARE

2008-07-29T20:53:00.000Z

Windsor 3rd XI 297-7dec (R.E Noble 82, C George 60)
Harefield 3rd XI 204-7 (M Petley 61no, D Bean 5-47)

Windsor 3rd XI closed the gap on league leaders Harefield to just 4 points after this bore draw at Home Park on Saturday.

As the week before at Chesham, Windsor won the toss and Noble decided to bat first and go for maximum points in the searing heat. Rob Noble and Kev Condon got Windsor off to a free scoring start but a few quick wickets in the middle order saw Windsor slip to 80-4 at the 20 over mark. However, from the moment Chris George strode to the crease in the 21st over Windsor’s innings took a sudden upturn with George hitting a plethora of boundaries. Captain Noble was quite content to play the anchor role at the other end. George eventually fell for a rapid 60 in the 36th over with the partnership just shy of the 100 mark. Alex Haynes joined Noble at the crease and was happy to knock the singles as Noble came out of his shell and soon passed the 50 mark. It was then that he exploded with some fine boundaries including one big 6 over long on. Haynes then joined in with the hitting as Windsor sped along as Noble ignored the temptation to declare, preferring to ensure that victory was beyond the means of Harefield which would mean at least Windsor would gain points over their rivals. Noble eventually fell for a fine 82 attempting one hit too many and after Andrew Doree had hit his first two balls for four Noble finally declared in the 51st over when Alex Haynes was out for an impressive 44 with Windsor finishing on 297-7.

Windsor came out looking for quick wickets and despite the first few overs passing without a chance, the Dean machine got the Windsor train moving soon enough as the opening batsmen picked out George Gould at cover. He then picked up another wicket quickly after that and Windsor were motoring. Kevin Condon was introduced to the attack as first change bowler at the pavilion end and was getting a lot of turn, unfortunately too much for the batsmen and for wicketkeeper George as the ‘byes’ column hit double figures but Condon did manage to snare a wicket when he turned one between the gate of the batsmen.

Dean Bean continued to chip away at the wickets from the Datchet end and when he picked up his 5th and Windsor’s 6th of the innings with the score yet to hit 100 Windsor set their eyes on victory. However a combination of an old worn ball offering little assistance to the bowlers and a superb innings of 61 not out from the Harefield left hander M. Petley combined the patience of Boycott with the odd boundary to dry up the wickets and to take his side past the 200 mark. Windsor managed to get one more wicket as Noble turned to the spin of Alex Haynes but yet again Windsor could not prise the last few wickets from the opposition and had to settle for 13 points. That is three weeks without victory for Windsor 3rd XI as they slip to 3rd place in the table, only four points off the top of the table however. Windsor tackle Farnham Royal away on Saturday looking to get back to winning ways and hope to get back to the top of the table as we enter the business end of the season.

YOUNG CHESHAM THWART WOBBLING WINDSOR

2008-07-21T21:44:00.000Z

Windsor 3rd XI 222 (RW Noble 50, C George 39)
Chesham 3rd XI 156-8 (T Helm 71, R Gregory 4-49)

Windsor’s promotion campaign continues to stutter after one of the strongest Windsor 3rd XI line-ups the club has known failed to finish off a young Chesham side at Chartridge CC.

The team was 50/50 as to whether we should bat or bowl first so it was left to skipper Noble to make the decision if the coin came down in his favour. It was the archetypal “good toss to lose” scenario so there was no doubt we would win it, which duly happened and Noble took the impulse decision to gamble and go for the maximum points by batting first on a damp wicket.

That decision looked even less inspired as Kev Condon fell in the second over without a run on the board and George Gould (2) also fell quickly in the face of some very good and tight Chesham bowling which gave nothing away and after 10 overs Windsor were struggling at 16-2.

Skipper Noble joined opener Brian Davis (34) at the crease and together they began to repair the innings and put together a good, solid partnership until Noble was unluckily run out when a hard straight drive from Davis was deflected onto the stumps by the bowler. The Windsor batsmen continued to get themselves out after promising starts as Murray and Davis both skied catches and Chris George played a nice cameo innings full of impressive drives before falling for a 39 which really moved the total along. Charters fell quickly and Richard Gregory, batting at No.9 chipped in with some lusty blows including two big sixes to push the total over 200 and Rob Hodgson carried this on by hitting a massive six into the adjoining field before being last man out in the final over.

However, the glue which held the Windsor innings together was provided by veteran Robert Noble. Content to let the other batsmen take the limelight, he moved effortlessly into the forties with good solid batting by nudging and nurdling the ones and twos and keeping the scoreboard ticking before hitting a very impressive slog-sweep six over the longest boundary on the pitch before being run out after completing his 50th run in the penultimate over of the innings.

The sun had dried out the pitch by the time the Chesham innings got underway yet Windsor started the innings in the best possible way by taking three quick wickets to leave Chesham at 12-3 as young batsmen Helm came to the crease. Brian Davis took a wicket in his first over but the fifth wicket was proving a problem for Windsor as the two Chesham youngsters took the attack to Windsor and the game was back in the balance at 100-4 before an excellent piece of fielding between Gregory and young Steve Day contributed to a run out to break the partnership and Davis picked up his second wicket in the next over and Windsor were once again smelling victory. Yet again though, two Chesham youngsters came together to form a solid barrier to any progress Windsor were trying to make. Skipper Noble threw everything at the pair, rotating the bowlers and asking Charters and Condon to bowl some spin to try and tempt the Chesham youngsters into hitting out but they did not succumb and in a final throw of the dice brought opener Gregory back into the attack and he finally managed to get Helm out LBW and followed that up with another quick wicket, his 4th, and Windsor now required two wickets from the last three overs but they did not come as the Chesham colts held out for the draw.

Windsor have now been overtaken at the top of the league by Harefield who are the visitors to Home Park next Saturday in what promises to be a very tight and keenly contested match.

DATCHET PUT THE HATCHET INTO WINDSORS UNBEATEN SEASON

2008-07-15T13:05:00.000Z

Windsor 3rd XI 224 (Gould 59)
Datchet 3rd XI 226-7 (Agawal 64, White 54)

Winsdor 3rd XI’s unbeaten run came to an end on Saturday after a poor performance in variable conditions at Home Park.

Batting first after skipper Noble had won the toss, Windsor got off to a flying start as Sam Jordan and Kev Clifford set about the Datchet openers in a positive manner and even after the loss of a couple of quick wickets George Gould carried on his form of last week with some excellent boundaries as Windsor scored at over 7 an over for the first 15 overs. However, due to a mixture of good bowling, a largely dead pitch and poor shot selection Windsor continued to lose wickets at regular intervals throughout the innings even though the runs were being scored at a good rate, helped largely to some big hitting from Kemp who made 31 and 28 from Alex Haynes in the middle order but after both these went in quick succession wickets continued to fall. Only Wigley made any real indent in the scorebook with a few boundaries in his 20no. as Windsor were eventually bowled out for 224 in the 42nd over, a scorecard containing no less than 5 LBW decisions (given by the Windsor players incidentally!) leaving Datchet with 58 overs to get to their target of 225 at a rate of under 4 an over. There was clearly going to be a winner in this match.

As the Windsor innings finished early it was decided to have 10 overs of the Datchet innings before Tea and Kemp got Windsor off to a perfect start by bowling the Datchet opener in his first over without a run on the board. The pace of Kemp was causing problems but Datchet continued to be positive and really went after the Windsor bowling, hitting many boundaries to pass the 50 mark inside 9 overs. Unfortunately for Windsor, in the last over before the Tea break Windsor put down a regulation catch to get rid of Datchet’s dangerous batsman Agawal which proved to be costly as after the tea break he continued where he left off (with a large slice of luck on more than one occasion) and in partnership with White, they hammered the Windsor bowling to all parts. Needing a wicket, Noble turned to the spin of Haynes and he brought an instant impact by getting rid of the free-scoring Agawal and in the next over Hodgson got rid of the new batsman and the two wickets in as many overs were exactly what was needed as Windsor tried to claw their way back into the game. Noble turned to Kemp in an attempt to get the next breakthrough but the Datchet batsmen White and Shepherd looked set to guide Datchet home as they passed the 200 mark with only 4 wickets down until the inspired change of bringing Haynes back into the attack did the trick with two wickets in an over getting rid of both White, with a high full toss which the batsman lost in the sun, and a wide turner which the batsman edged behind. Jordan also claimed a wicket as Windsor now sniffed a chance of victory and that nearly became closer in the next Haynes over but unfortunately another regulation chance was spilled at point and that was Windsor’s last chance as Datchet sealed a three wicket win with 13 overs to spare. Noble will be looking for a better all round performance next week to get the promotion bandwagon back on track as Windsor travel to Chesham.

IF YOU WANNA BE THE BEST, YOU GOTTA BEAT THE REST….

2008-06-30T16:25:00.000Z

Windsor 3rd XI 321-2dec (V Nair 121no, K Condon 117)
Chiswick & Latymer 4th XI 64 (R Hodgson 6-34)

The Windsor 3rd XI promotion bandwagon rolls on after a record-breaking victory over Chiswick & Latymer at Chiswick House.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat first on a good track with short boundaries and a lightning outfield, Windsor’s start could not have been better as Kev Condon and Vishal Nair both got their eye in and scored runs at a fair rate as the sun shone brightly.
In fact so regularly were they hitting the boundary that it seemed like most of the innings was spent searching for lost balls. The first 5 overs took 35 minutes to bowl and it seemed that we were in for a very long afternoon.

However the two openers didn’t let the regular breaks in play stop their concentration and Condon was the first to bring up his 50, and then immediately pulled the bowler into the trees for six. Nair’s 50 soon followed and a good Windsor score was on the cards. Condon hit three successive fours as he raced towards his first century of the season, which duly followed. After a few more quick boundaries, the opening partnership was eventually broken when Condon edged to slip for an excellent 117 with the score on 223. Captain Richard Noble came in to accompany Nair who reached his first senior century for Windsor and carried on to punish the Chiswick bowling. Noble hit a few boundaries with flicks off his legs before being bowled for 20 and Richard Charters hit a few lusty blows off only a few balls for his 17no before captain Noble declared the innings after the completion of the 42nd over leaving Chiswick a victory target of 322 in 58 overs at a rate of just over 5.5 an over.

Windsor knew that a couple of early wickets would set them on the way to victory and after a testing first over from Bryn Davies who beat the edge of the bat numerous times, the first wicket came in the second over as the opening batsman edged one to George Gould at gully off the bowling of Rob Hodgson. Windsor kept up the pressure as the bowling was accurate and probing on a nice line & length and with the ball swinging both bowlers regularly beat the edge of the bat. The second wicket came after Davies frustrated the batman into trying to hit one over the top and only succeeding in picking out Charters at extra cover who took a fine catch above his head.
After a regulation slip catch went down, a rare blemish on an otherwise first class fielding performance, the third and fourth wickets came in the same over as first Sam Jordan took an excellent catch at point and then Charters, now fielding at 3rd slip hung onto a catch at the second attempt, both off the bowling of Hodgson.

Davies then knocked over the stumps with a full delivery to take the 5th wicket and the 6th soon followed. The 7th wicket partnership frustrated Windsor for a while and Noble turned to the spin of Jordan in place of Davies who finished an impressive spell of 2-31, but still the batsmen refused to play any shots. However, sharp fielding by Sam Jordan and wicketkeeper Martin Care got the batsmen confused and with both batsmen at the same end, Care threw to Hodgson at the bowlers end who whipped off the bails. That was the wicket Windsor needed. The lower order offered little resistance as Charters took another catch, this one was hit straight up in the air and Charters ran round from gully to take the catch and then Vishal Nair took a good catch at deep mid-off before another bit of good fielding and return from Nair in the outfield contributed to the run out of the last man as the batsmen attempted a suicidal second run and Windsor had wrapped up another convincing victory in their pursuit of promotion, this time by a club record margin of 257 runs.

CHARTERS TOPPLES CHART TOPPERS

2008-06-23T19:46:00.000Z

Maidenhead & Bray 235-6 (J Alam 118)
Windsor 236-3 (R Charters 92*, S Ward 53)

A superb unbeaten knock of 92 by Richard Charters alongside other valuable contributions from the Windsor batsmen saw Windsor 3rd XI chase down an unlikely 236 for victory in this table-topping clash under grey clouds at Home Park.

Starting the day 10 points behind leaders Maidenhead & Bray it was important Windsor put in a good performance. The day didn’t start too brightly when the M&B skipper won the toss and chose to bat but the Windsor openers bowled very tight lines and restricted the scoring as M&B only scored around 2 an over for the first 15 overs as well as getting the early wicket of Malhotra caught at gully. However the other M&B opener Alam soon got into his stride and, aided by poor fielding as he offered three catches which all went down, brought up his 50 with the score on only 56. The M&B No.3 spent a long time on 0 and after surviving a very strong appeal for a caught behind without scoring, also started to see the ball very well and hit a flurry of boundaries as the two batsmen built a good strong base to the innings, taking M&B past the 100 mark without further loss before he was out one run short of his half century. However at the other end J Alam showed no signs of letting up as he continued his free scoring on the way to a very impressive century, eventually falling for 118 as Windsor picked up a few late wickets courtesy of Andy Wigley and a tight late comeback by Dean Bean which helped slow M&B’s scoring rate towards the end of the innings as they finished on 235-6 off their 52 overs, having looked set for a score in excess of 260 at one point.

It was imperative that Windsor started their reply brightly and Kevin Condon (30) set the tone for the innings with some stylish shots in an opening partnership of 70 with Steve Ward who himself hit some fine boundaries after a slow start. Windsor were around 90-1 at the halfway mark still needing a further 146 to win with only 24 overs remaining. Losing 2 quick wickets soon after the drinks break including Ward for a fine 53 was a real setback to Windsor as the run rate required escalated to over 8 an over at one stage. However George Gould joined Richard Charters at the crease and provided a great foil for the big-hitting Charters. Their partnership picked up the pace just when Windsor needed it most and Charters hit a couple of big sixes in a 5-over spell which brought 47 runs and lowered the required rate and from then on they never looked back as Gould also hit some impressive boundaries and despite a nerve-wracking final few overs Richard Charters fittingly sealed the win off the penultimate ball to give Windsor a thoroughly merited victory to close the gap at the top of the table to just one point going into the next round of matches.

WYCOMBE DRAGONS CONNED & MUGGED!!

2008-06-19T17:55:00.000Z

Wycombe Dragons 2nd XI 214-8 (T. Russell 55*)
Windsor 3rd XI 215-2 (Huggins 104*, Condon 83)

A superb 2nd wicket stand of 160 between Kevin Condon and Mark Huggins led Windsor to a fine victory at Wycombe Dragons on Saturday.

After losing the toss and being asked to field in the hot sunshine at Flackwell Heath CC, Windsor made the best possible start as George Gould found the edge of the Dragons openers’ bat in the first over of the innings without a run on the board. However some lusty blows from numbers 2 & 3 kept the scoreboard ticking along at approximately 5 an over. Sam Jordan was introduced to the attack in the 11th over and the move immediately paid dividends when he, following in Gould’s footsteps, also took a wicket in the first over, also caught behind by wicketkeeper Martin Care.

Jordan continued to bowl a nice tight line and length while at the other end Rob Hodgson took two wickets in successive overs to put Windsor firmly on the front foot. Firstly the dangerous opener N. Martin was well caught by Mohammed Alam in the deep and then the young Dragons wicketkeeper attempted a wild slog off a slower ball and was bowled. Brian Davis regularly passed the edge of the bat for no reward but it was the introduction of Andy Wigley that really tightened the screw on the Dragons. The Dragons’ batsmen found it very difficult to score runs off him and he also chipped in with a four valuable wickets. His first 12 overs cost just 24, but unfortunately for Windsor some late hitting by the Dragons lower order (including 14 off the final over) plus the valuable innings of 54 from Russell, guided their total to 214-8. Still a very respectable score from Windsor’s point of view, on a good batting surface, with a quick outfield.

The Windsor reply started well enough, but after Rob Dawson was bowled for 10 with the score on 27, Mark Huggins joined Kev Condon in the middle and the pair would bat superbly after early scares. They both passed 50 within an over of each other, with Huggins in particular hitting some big boundaries. Once the score went past the 100 mark, the Dragons players visibly wilted and the batmen showed no mercy taking Windsor past 150 and close to victory. Condon was eventually out for an excellent 83, but Huggins stayed to complete his century, finishing unbeaten on 104. Windsor completed a comfortable and fully deserved victory to cement 2nd place in the league.

SLOUGH 5’s B-LEW AWAY

2008-06-10T11:37:00.001Z

Slough 5th XI 132 (Lewis 5-43)
Windsor 3rd XI 133-5 (Khan 46*)

After losing the toss and being asked to field on a bright hot & sunny day at Boyne Hill CC, the onus was on Windsor to put the hosts under pressure early on and the aim was to get a couple of wickets inside the first 10 overs.

They duly arrived courtesy of Ben Lewis having both opening batsmen caught behind by Martin Care, but only after some blistering hitting by the Slough number 2 including two big sixes which had carried Slough to 43-2 after 10 overs.

Windsor maintained this pressure all the way through the innings. Lewis and Hodgson bowled good tight first spells of 12 overs each, then George Gould and Sam Jordan carried this on through the middle overs, taking one wicket each. Jordan bowled particularly tightly to finish with 1-9 off his 7 overs. Windsor kept plugging away and took wickets at regular intervals, including a couple of run outs after sharp fielding by Andy Wigley and Ben Lewis. Lewis himself then came back at the end to claim the final 3 wickets and finish with well deserved figures of 5-43 off his 16 overs.

It was mutually agreed to play 15 overs before the tea break, and this proved to be a particularly difficult spell for the Windsor openers as the Slough opening bowlers gave little to hit and maintained a probing line and length. Kev Condon nicked one behind after a couple of good shots and makeshift opener Andy Wigley fell to the last ball before the tea interval. This left Windsor two down at tea and needing a good partnership after tea to avoid any unnecessary scares.

This came with some fine hitting and positive stroke-play from Mo Raiz Khan and Mohammed Alam as they took the attack to the Slough bowlers. Alam fell for a lively 28, and despite a wobble by the middle order, Khan (46no.) and Wayne Lloyd saw Windsor home with 5 wickets and lots of overs to spare. This earned Windsor a well deserved 20 points to cement our 2nd place position placing in the league.

2008-05-12T14:21:00.002Z

Windsor 3's matched it against Datchet

Windsor 3's 257-6
vs.
Datchet 83 all out

Windsor 3's got their league campaign off to the best possible start on Saturday, with a thumping 174 run win over neighbours Datchet.

Under clear blue skies captain Richie Noble won the toss and decided to have first use of what looked like a decent batting track. Usual opener Rob Dawson was partnered by Kev Condon, in good touch following a pre-season 50 a couple of weeks before, and both batsmen were watchful in the opening overs. Solid defence mixed with a couple of impressive boundaries from both openers meant Windsor had progressed to a steady 41-0 after 13 overs, with both batsman looking set. It was therefore a surprise when Dawson missed a straight one from the impressive Luke Shepherd and worse was to follow for Windsor as firstly Kev Condon and then George Gould were bowled in consecutive overs to leave Windsor in trouble at 44-3. This flurry of wickets had brought Noble and new overseas boy Johnny de Villiers to the crease, and together they began rebuilding the Windsor innings. Both were very watchful but equally quick to latch onto anything loose from the Datchet bowlers and the runs soon began to flow again, with de Villiers particularly severe on anything over-pitched. At drinks Windsor were well placed at 112-3, knowing that they had wickets in hand to push for a big score. As the Datchet bowlers wilted in the heat de Villiers and Noble began to open their shoulders, and shots all around the wicket followed. Both batsmen passed 50 and when de Villiers was finally bowled for an impressive 68 Windsor had reached 189-4 with 15 overs remaining. Noble soon followed for 65, brilliantly run out by Chris Edwards, however the onslaught continued as Sam Jordan and Mohammed Alam continued to flay the ball to all parts. Alam departed for a bright and breezy 28 but by this time Windsor were within touching distance of 250 and a couple more lusty blows for Jordan (26no) allowed Windsor to declare 5 overs early, having posted a very impressive 257-6.

With such a big target to defend, Windsor were confident and the northern new ball pairing of Chris Edge and Rob Hodgson quickly found their lines. However, the Datchet opening batsmen were in circumspect mood and it looked as though Windsor would have to work hard for their wickets. It was Hodgson who did eventually get the break through in the 10th over, with Sam Jordan taking a smart catch at cover to leave Datchet on 24-1. Hodgson continued to probe away and both Chris Edwards and Andy Harris were having their share of luck, with a number of aerial shots evading the Windsor infield. One felt that it was only a matter of time before another breakthrough would come and it was Edge who swung the game massively in Windsor's favour, removing Edwards and White in a double wicket maiden, which left Datchet in trouble at 51-3 after 15 overs. Windsor sensed the game was there for the taking and both Edge and Hodgson continued to chip away, backed up by some fine fielding. Firstly, keeper Marvin Care took a fine catch standing up to remove the dangerous Shepherd and then George Gould took a very sharp chance at third slip off Edge, to get rid of Datchet captain Nick Bellman. With Datchet reeling at 70-7 it was only a matter of time before Windsor wrapped up victory; a good diving catch from Alam and another fine piece of fielding from Gould meant Windsor did not have to wait long, wrapping up the Datchet innings for just 83 in 23 overs, with Edge and Hodgson each claiming 4 wickets.

This was a well deserved and comprehensive victory for Windsor, with every man playing their part in the victory. Windsor captain Richard Noble was understandably delighted. "Its nice to get that first league win and to do it with such a great performance is even more pleasing. I felt that we had a good enough side to go for 25 points and I hope this victory will show the lads what they are capable of. Everyone in the team contributed in one way or another and to bowl a side like Datchet out for just 83 is a top effort. We knew that they have some dangerous players but our boys were magnificent in the field and the challenge now is to maintain that sort of effort and intensity for the rest of the season"

Windsor will now be looking to build on this win next week when they entertain Chesham, no doubt keen to maintain the exceptionally high standards they set for themselves with this performance.

2007-05-16T13:13:00.000Z

Cutting Edge Fires Windsor to Victory

Slough 5th XI - 151 All Out (Edge 6-81) - 40.1 overs
Windsor 3rd XI - 153 - 2 (Bullock 62*) - 20.4 overs

An fine all round display, capped by superb individual performances by Chris Edge and Tommy Bullock, enabled Windsor to cruise to victory against Slough, in the opening game of their league campaign.

Once play finally got underway an hour after the scheduled start time,
Windsor were asked to field first and immediately Edge and Kiwi Jordan
Thompson found their rhythm. Both bowlers were moving the ball in the air and off the seam and it was a surprise that it took 13 overs for the initial
breakthrough to come, Edge removing the Slough number 2's off stump with the score on 27. Thompson was quickly in on the act and followed up with a two wicket maiden to leave Slough reeling at 31-3 from 14 overs. A counter attack from Slough saw runs come quickly in the next four overs, Pete Jones in particular suffering at the hands of aggressive stroke play. However, the introduction of the ever-dependable Andy Wigley saw the runs dry up once more, and he soon got amongst the wickets leaving Slough 65-4 after 20 overs. The bespectacled Edge continued his marathon spell at the other end and, after missing out on a couple of wickets due to some very dubious lbw decisions, he finally got his rewards with a two wicket maiden to leave Slough in deep trouble at 86-6. Windsor were firmly turning the screw and when Edge picked up his 5th and 6th wickets in quick succession to leave Slough 9 down, it looked as though it was job well done. However, a savage attack by Slough's number 10 on the tiring Edge saw the ball disappear to all parts and suddenly Windsor were chasing 150. The re-introduction of Thompson saw the Slough innings come to an end as he picked up his 3rd wicket of the innings and, despite needing to chase 40 more than they were expecting, Windsor were still satisfied with their efforts.

After a delightful tea, Windsor were back out and openers Bullock and Dawson set about their target in fine style. A mixture of brutal stroke play and excellent running between the wickets saw the pair bring up their 50
partnership in just 7 overs. Dawson in particular appeared to be in a hurry
and, after a couple of huge blows, he eventually holed out to deep mid
wicket with the score on 77. That brought the talented Simon Rodwell to the crease and he soon made his intentions clear, launching the Slough bowler out of the park. Bullock continued to accumulate the runs at a fair rate and, once he brought up a deserved 50, Windsor were all but home and dry.

With the weather closing in, Rodwell decided it was time to finish things
off. After looking physically sick following an all run six, he smashed two
more maximums to leave Windsor with just three runs to win. One shot too many saw him fall for an entertaining 39 and it was simply left to Bullock to finish things off and remain unbeaten on 62, with Windsor cruising past their target in just 20 overs to seal an 8 wicket win.

Windsor can be very pleased with the efforts in their opening game and,
despite the merry-go-round that is selection, the remaining five players
from Saturday's fixture can take a great deal of confidence into this weeks
game

2007-05-01T12:59:00.000Z

Windsor 3’s season starts strongly.

Fulmer 105 All Out (34 Overs)
Windsor 106 for 2 (27 Overs)

Windsor 3’s opened their account on Saturday with a solid performance against under-strength Fulmer side. After losing the toss, Windsor were asked to field and new ball pairing of Rudi January and Jordan Thompson, a new recruit from New Zealand, immediately set into a rhythm with some accurate bowling. Thompson was particularly impressive swinging the ball both ways and should have picked up a couple of wickets but for some poor catching attempts by Windsor's outfielders. Despite the tight bowling from Windsor, Fulmer's openers stood firm and it was only the introduction of old war-horse Andy Wigley that brought the breakthrough, Dawson taking a smart catch at gully to leave them 38-1 after 13 overs. A change at the other end saw young prospect Kabir Bhuller introduced to the attack and he immediately gained the second breakthrough, clean bowling Fulmer's number 3 with a full swinging delivery. From that point onwards, Windsor were in complete control and a steady procession of wickets saw Bhuller end his spell with 4 and Wigley with 2. Windsor's fielding continued to improve in the second half of the innings and the tight bowling was backed up by good catches from Lickley and Noble, and an impressive run out from Haywood. With Fulmer at 88-7 after 30 overs, Thompson was re-introduced to the attack and soon mopped up the tail to collect his first wickets for Windsor, leaving Fulmer all out for 105 from 34 overs.

With Windsor's strong batting line up it always looked like a target of 106 would not pose too many problems and so it proved as openers Huggins and Dawson got the innings off to an aggressive start, moving along at 6 an over for the first 8 overs. Both were looking in good touch and it was something of a surprise when, on 20, Huggins had his off stump removed. That brought Noble to the crease and the run rate slowed as he took time to play himself in. Dawson continued where he had left off from last season and had made a flowing 32 until he chased a wide one and was caught behind. With run rate never an issue Noble and Lickley, batting at number 4, pushed the ball around with ease. With only 30 needed both men opened their shoulders and a flurry of boundaries took Windsor to within touching distance of victory. It was left for Noble to hit the winning runs with Windsor coasting to an 8-wicket win with more than 13 overs remaining.

All in all a very good start for Windsor, who will look to build on this victory with the league season fast approaching.

2006-08-31T12:15:00.000Z

Three’s come back from brink
Saturday 26th August

Windsor 3’s 139 all out; 39.3 Overs (Dawson 57)
Wooburn Narkovians 136 all out; 43.3 Overs (Wigley 6 for 25)

With the top of the table exceptionally closed, Windsor 3’s played second placed Wooburn last Saturday in an important promotion clash.

On a sticky, green quagmire, Windsor batted first and were in immediate difficulties losing Ashraf, Murray and Noble cheaply in the early overs, leaving veteran Dawson stranded at the non-strikers end. Whilst the score did tick along, so the wickets mounted up and only a large partnership by Hartridge and Dawson saw Windsor past 100. Hartridge, an aggressive young batsman lived and eventually died by the sword, particularly aggressive on the back foot through the leg-side. When Dawson was finally dismissed for 57, the Windsor tail fold meekly and the tame caught and bowled of the final wicket signified a below par batting performance.

Wooburn in reply looked to be aggressive from the word go and despite some good bowling from Hartridge, who picked up some early wickets, they were seemingly cruising to the target with relative ease. Windsor skipper Noble rummaged through his bag of tricks, striving to find the right formula, using Lines, Endacott and Hodgson on the way.

When defeat loomed large, it would prove though to be the veteran swing of Andy Wigley who would change things around as bowling from the river end, he began to make breakthroughs. Wooburn went from 110 for 3 to 120 for 8 in next to no time and coupled with Hodgson, the Wigley tore through the batting line-up. Wooburn lost their 9th wicket as the score hit 130 and tension began to mount. Near missed run-outs, close lbw’s all acted as a precursor to the final dismissal by Wigley to win the game. The raucous scenes after such a huge win were enough to stop the game on the 1st team pitch for a moment, as Windsor 3’s re-opened the promotion race.

With the fourth team already promoted, the incentive for the third team is now clear at Windsor. Gain promotion or play in parallel leagues next season. A final push over the next two games will see success or failure and the six point gap to Wooburn is now a reasonable target to push for.

2006-08-02T08:31:00.000Z

Hodgson: The King of the Swingers

Saturday 29th July 2006

Hurst 2’s 188 all out; 51.2 Overs (Murphy 64; Hodgson 6-86)
Windsor 3’s 191 for 6; 37 Overs (Ashraf 66)

A very impressive all-round performance saw Windsor 2nd XI gain a valuable 20 point victory on Saturday at Hurst.

Having lost the toss Windsor were forced to bowl in high temperatures but started well and backed up by tight fielding managed to keep Hurst’s openers to only 8 runs off the first seven overs and that pressure brought the first wicket when Wigley made a difficult catch at 2nd slip look easy off the bowling of Hodgson.

Hodgson’s tight bowling was well supported by Endacott and Wigley as Windsor continued to frustrate the Hurst batsmen. Hurst managed a slow 3rd wicket partnership but two wickets in two overs turned the screw even further. First a good catch at gully by Murray gave Wigley a wicket who then snaffled another good slip catch off the bowling of Hodgson to get rid of the Hurst opener and dangerman Murphy for 68.

After Lloyd had taken his 2nd catch of the innings behind the stumps, Windsor continued to fight for every run and the bowling was being backed up by some excellent fielding including good run saving work by Ashraf and Doys, who then took a magnificent catch in the deep to get rid of one of the main dangermen and keep Windsor on top.

Following a tight spell from Wigley, Malik’s leg spin entered the attack and despite conceding a few runs in his first over soon settled into a nice rhythm which yielded a deserved wicket as Windsor kept chipping away at the Hurst batsmen.

Hodgson picked up his 6th wicket in his 26th and final over after deceiving the Hurst tail-ender with a slower ball in between two run outs which ended the Hurst innings 4 balls early as they were dismissed for 188, a total Windsor could be proud of in the circumstances. A magnificent fielding effort kept the score below 200 and Windsor were confident of getting the 189 runs needed to win.

Despite losing Doye for a duck Rodwell and Ashraf settled the innings with a positive 70+ partnership until Rodwell was out for 44 after some impressive boundaries, but Ashraf continued his form and survived a strong appeal for a bat-pad catch to score an impressive 66 including one big straight six until he was bowled by a ball which kept very low. Following his dismissal Max Murray kept the Windsor innings together with a composed 48no and despite losing a few late wickets Windsor crossed the finishing line with over 15 overs to spare. A very pleasing win to which everyone can say they contributed.

2006-07-19T12:36:00.000Z

Windsor 3’s have a Royal time at Ascot

Royal Ascot 2’s 175 all out; 47 overs
Windsor 3’s 176 for 4; 31 overs

Royal Ascot 2’s found themselves up against a fired up Windsor 3rd team on Saturday and we soon in trouble as the Endacott and Kemp partnership made early inroads in the Ascot batting line-up. Ably supported by Wigley and Ashraf, Windsor continued to tak ewickets and Ascot never really got going. It was left to Kemp bowling like a steam train to mop up the tail and see the home side bowled out for 175.

In reply, Windsor lost early wickets as they looked to chase down the target. It was Ashraf with the bat, in partnership with Malik, who both stroked the ball effortlessly around the picturesque Ascot outfield to notch up an impressive win.

2006-07-11T22:52:00.000Z

Kemp stars in Windsor victory

Boyne Hill 2’s 180 all out, 48.3 Overs (Rogers 63, Kemp hat-trick)
Windsor 3’s 181 for 7, 46.4 Overs (Lloyd 51)

A hat trick from overseas star Brendon Kemp and a fine match winning half century from wicket keeper Wayne Lloyd, were the highlights as Windsor 3's managed to overcome promotion-chasing rivals Boyne Hill in a tense match.

After winning the toss Windsor stuck to their usual game plan of bowling first on a wicket that appeared to offer plenty of assistance. This decision looked justified as Kemp took a smart caught and bowled chance to leave Boyne Hill 14-1. The situation could have been even better for Windsor if Sam Condon had not been no-balled when he clean bowled Boyne Hill's other opener two overs later. Boyne Hill consolidated their position and at drinks found themselves nicely placed on 82-1 after 26 overs. However, Windsor continued to keep things tight and the pressure began mounting on Boyne Hill, with the ageless Andy Wigley and left arm spinner Mark Lines bowling particularly well. As Boyne Hill's batsmen attempted to push the scoring on wickets began to fall at regular intervals and with 10 overs remaining Windsor had managed to restrict them to 144-7, with Wigley taking four wickets and Lines picking up two. A few lusty blows from Boyne Hill's tail enders prompted skipper Noble to bring back strike bowler Kemp and the big South African did not disappoint as he literally blew the tail away. Two wickets with the first two balls of his comeback over saw a nervous looking Boyne Hill number 11 come to the crease on a hat-trick ball. The field was immediately brought in with all nine men crowded round the bat. Kemp however, did not need them as a full and straight delivery saw the batsman's middle stump uprooted for Kemp to claim his hat-trick and leave Windsor very happy to have bowled their opponents out for just 180.

Windsor's chased started cautiously with both Ashraf and Dawson very watchful early on. Both began to play with more confidence once they got their eye in and it with therefore a surprise when both fell in quick succession to leave Windsor 41-2 after 14 overs. Once Noble had fallen cheaply the big hitting duo of Simon Rodwell and Kemp began to blast Windsor into a match winning position. However, both fell playing big shots and after 25 overs Windsor were 95-5 leaving the game very evenly poised. A couple more quick wickets after drinks left Windsor still need 65 at four an over with just 3 wickets remaining. Enter Wayne Lloyd who, partnered by the experienced Wigley, built a partnership to pull the game back into Windsor's favour. As Wigley ensured the run rate ticked over, Lloyd opened his shoulders and played some fine shots all around the wicket. After he had reached a deserved half century it was left for Wigley to hit the winning runs as Windsor reached their target with 4 overs to spare and pick up a deserved and very hard fought victory.

2006-06-13T22:32:00.000Z

Windsor seamers can stand the heat

Maidenhead and Bray III 109 all out, 32 overs
Windsor III 110 for 1, 18.1 overs

While England’s footballers were struggling in the heat on Saturday, Windsor 3s showed no signs of wilting and powered to an impressive victory over a young Maidenhead and Bray side. After struggling to bowl sides out recently Windsor elected to bowl first after winning the toss. What might have seemed a strange decision on such a hot day and a flat wicket proved to be the right one. Paceman Kemp blew away Maidenheads top order with some fiery and accurate bowling. Supported well at the other end by veteran seamer Endacott and the wily Rob Hodgson, Maidenhead were dismissed for just 109 despite some resistance from a stubborn tail.

Feeling refreshed after tea Windsor got off to a good start until the captain Dawson was bamboozled by a big turning off break. That bought Andrew Chorley to the crease who finished the game off with some lusty blows. Windsor eventually cruised to victory in just 18 overs with Ashraf the other unbeaten batsmen. They will be looking to build on this impressive victory against bottom side Hampton Hill this weekend.

2006-05-23T12:16:00.000Z

Windsor 3’s hit another stone wall

Windsor 3’s 221 for 8; 51 overs
Odiham & Greywell 2’s 136 for 6; 49 overs (C. Aprish 54*; B. Kemp 5 for 31)

For the second week in a row a strong Windsor 3rd team failed to convert their dominance into victory against Odiham and Greywell 2nd XI. Windsor were put in to bat and stand in skipper Dawson led from the front putting on a good opening partnership with Ashraf on what was a very sticky wicket. Both fell just short of 50 and ably supported in the middle order by Hartridge and Wigley, Windsor declared on a competitive 223.

Despite 3 early breakthroughs from the imposing figure of overseas player Brendan Kemp the total proved far too many for Odiham to chase. Kemp finished with a five wicket haul and was well supported by the guile of young spinner Mark Lines but ultimately the game petered out into another disappointing draw for Windsor.
This week Windsor 3’s are back at home to Hurst and hope for more ambitious opponents and better fortunes.

2005-10-06T12:43:00.000Z

Windsor 3's: End of Season review

Not much to say apart from we came, we saw, we errr perished......nevermind....Lots of nominations for the 3rd XI end of season alternative awards......

The Captain Bligh Award for dereliction of duty
Err that'll be me then, missing 6 of the 18 games, not exactly leading from the front

The David James award for calamitous catching
Waqas Mohammed dropped more balls than your average teenager

The Peter Stringfellow award for most obvious sharking
Damien Bradbury and the failed attempts at pulling his TENNIS coach

The Danny of the Champion of the World award for poaching
Alfie at Caversham & Redingensians tapping up all of the players on show

The Posh Spice award for poncing around
Andy Towse and his personalised number plates and Damien Bradbury for lots of things

The most fresh air breathed in a season
Alex 'Audley' Harrison

The Ian Bell award for selection in the face of adversity
Ben Lickley

The Silly little boy award for being a silly Little boy
The Silly Little Boy

The George Best drinking award, for initiation to drinking
Tom Hartridge and his "I want my dad routine", he won't do it again in a hurry

The 50 cent award for club Gangsta
Umar Malik and Waqas "ask me a question" Mohammed

The Glenn McGrath award for top sledging
Ollie Sabberton, on numerous occasions

The Boscastle award for drowning on a cricket field
Wooburn Narks away

The handiest team in Div 5a
Farnham Royal 3s, Jacko, Psycho, Miggy et al

The biggest cheats in div 5a
Barnes Wild Geese, I could still thump their Keeper....

The best send offs
Maidenhead and Bray when their number 2 bat, who'd been giving it large in the 1st innings was run out 3rd ball in the 2nd

The Tom Hartridge award for serious drinking after a game
Shared between Caversham on the last day and Farnham Royal

Good season folks, e i e i e i o, back to Wooburn we do go....when we beat the Narks this is what we'll sing, we are the Windsor we are the Windsor ............. is our king!

2005-09-04T18:26:00.000Z

18 games later and Windsor fall on their sword

Caversham and Redingensians 2nds 206 all out
Windor 3rds - 207/3
A. Towse 94* D. Riches 47*

So thats it relegation for the 3rds.....A sad end to a promising season. However, the careers of youngsters Waqas Mohammed, Umar Malik, Abdul Ashraf, Dave Riches, Rob Woodward, Ryan Doye, Harmeet Chana, Vignesh Venkataramen, Mark Lines, Tom Hartridge and Ricky Saunders have flourished in this developmental year.

Relegation maybe, but the future of the club is safe in the hands of this fine band of men...

Relegation places - what are we playing for?
Relegation places - I guess we know the score..
On and on!Does anybody know how we met the trap door?
Another zero - another mindless shot .
Behind the door, of the changing hut.
Hold the line!
Does anybody want to bat on anymore?

The show must go on!
The show must go on!
Inside my heart is breaking,
My cricket bat may be flaking,
But the thirds, still, plays on!

Whatever happens,
I'll leave it all to reason.
Another heartache - a sad failed season.
On and on!
Does anybody know what we are playing for?
I guess I'm learning.I must be warmer now..
I'll soon be turning round the corner now.
Outside the colts are playing,
And the future of the club is there for all to see!

The show must go on!
The show must go on!
Yeah!Ooh!
Inside my heart is breaking!
My cricket bat may be flaking!
But the thirds still play on!
Yeah! oh oh oh

The colts futures is painted like the wings of butterflies,
Fairy tales of yesterday, will grow but never die,
I can fly, my friends!

The show must go on!
Yeah!
The show must go on!
We'll face it with a grin!
I'm never giving in!
On with the show!

Next year we'll top the league!
we won't deceive!
we have to find the will to carry on!
On with the,
On with the show!

Apologies to Freddie Mercury

2005-08-14T20:19:00.000Z

Windsor 3s Singing in the Rain

Wooburn Narkovians 182/5

Windsor 3s 183/2
Chana 60*, Chorley 63

Last Saturday, with most of the Thames Valley league washed out,
Windsor 3s
were "singin´ in the rain
Just singin´ in the rain,
What a glorious feeling,
And we're happy again.
set 183 to winFrom a reduced 40 overs,
We had plenty of heart
And we're ready for the next survival match against OMT on Saturday.

Let the runs be chased.
Chorley and Chana set the pace,
Come on with the rain
Dave Riches takes on the chase.
As we watched from the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin', singin' in the rain".
(apologies to Frank Sinatra)

2005-08-03T12:45:00.000Z

A Tempest awaits as Windsor lie shipwrecked

Windsor 3's 112
Farnham Royal 3's 113/4

Act I.
A huge storm batters a ship carrying Endacott, (the Captain of Windsor), Bradbury, (Vice Captain), Dawson, Ashraf, Wigley and others. They are likely to see their team relegated due to shipwreck...

On the island near the storm, Jackson and the Farnham Royal team are introduced. We learn that Jackson has created the storm battling Endacott and company's ship. We also learn that Jackson, bizarrely was once the Duke of Farnham Royal but was banished to the Home Park with the other, for this weeks encounters.

We are introduced to Psycho, Jackson's magic fairy who tells us that the men onboard the ship have all made it ashore, but have scored only 112 runs between them. Junior, a misformed beast is introduced, midway through the first act to devastating effect. Jackson decides to be rude to Endacott, fearful of the rain endng the contest early.

Act II.
The rest of the shipwreck survivors wake up on the island, they are bowling. They are surprised that their clothes smell and feel as fresh as if they had just been bought at a market, the light rain is rinsing their whites...

The Farnham Royal batting puts the home team to bed, only Malik and Wigley stay awake, picking up two wickets each. The Farnham Royal team are about to kill the Windsor team in their sleep but the rain awakens everyone and they make an excuse to take tea.

Smith, a jester on the ship, discovers the lying down sweep shot and quickly realizes that such a shot would earn a fortune for him as a novelty in England. Junior, Smith's friend eventually finds him, but it is too late, he is out LBW, shoulder first!. Nevertheless Farnham Royal reach the total with ease. Jackson gives Endacott alcohol, causing Endacott to think Farnham Royal are more powerful than the other teams in the league. Both teams set off together later deciding to work together to ensure safety for both.

Apologies to William Shakespeare

2005-07-19T12:25:00.000Z

Windsor 3s march into the valley of death

Windsor 3s 134 all out
Maidenhead & Bray 135/4

Half a league, half a Thames Valley league, half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the 11 fine cricketers. "Forward the Light Brigade! . Charge for opening bowler!" Bradbury said. Into the valley of Death Rode the 11.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!" Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs set to make a total, Theirs not to reason why the total was sooo low, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the 11 to a score of 134.

Impudent Berkshire colt to right of them, Hard hitting batsman to left of them, cultural left hander behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While bowler after bowler fell, They that had fielded soooo well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them, Left of 11.

When can their glory fade? the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Richie Noble and the other 10!

2005-07-05T14:26:00.000Z

Genshians find track is clear.

Caversham & Redingensians 190/9
Windsor 3s 152 all out.

Ricky Saunders 62Windsor 3s slide continued on Saturday with a 38 run defeat against a strong Caversham and Redingensians side on Saturday.

The circus was certainly in town, with Windsor bowlers tending to throw custard pies rather than cricket balls, as Caversham laughed their way to 192. Resistance came from Mark Lines and Umar Malik, both of whom appeared to have the ball on a string, to rein in the Caversham Inninigs. A good trick if you can do it, but the Windsor performance had already fallen off the wire once too often. Windsor proving they had hands like a digital watch, as chance after chance went begging.

The Windsor reply was less French, but more Saunders as Ricky Saunders on his 3rd XI debut, carved an outstanding 62 from a rather comical Windsor Innings. Unfortunately Ricky found himself up against the great Soprendo, as batsmen continued their great disappearing act, soon after arriving at the crease. The Windsor team certainly resembled something from Monty Python, dismissed for 150 odd in consecutive weeks, but they will look to add a bit more bite for next weeks encounter at Chenies & Latymer.

2005-07-01T13:20:00.000Z

Battling Windsor take Wokingham to the brink

Windsor 154 (S. Eggenhuizen 57)
Wokingham 155/9

Wokingham won by 1 wicket

Windsor's herculean efforts eventually fell in vain as Wokingham scraped to a one wicket victory, with an over to spare at the Home Park last Saturday.

An overcast day, looked like heavy storm clouds to the Windsor batsmen as lightning struck more than once, Wokingham making light work of snowballing the Windsor innings. The glimmer of light was Steve Eggenhuizens fine 57 and debutant 15 year old Tom Hartridge (32), whose scores shone through the scorebook, like a sunbeam.

Windsor's response rained down like a hailstorm, as Endacott and Mohammed thundered in. The skipper in particular caused clouds to gather over the Wokingham batsman, claiming 3 wickets and also 3 catches to leave the game poised. Another 15 year old new boy Mark Lines, bowled with maturity and incisiveness, claiming 3 wickets as Wokingham teetered on the brink. However a monsoon soon engulfed the Windsor team, as the visiting tailenders struck out confidently to win the game.

Maximum points for whirlwind entertainment, but sadly for Windsor not for league points. The future looks bright, but this team desperately needs to start winning games regularly, to avoid being blown away.

2005-06-21T12:48:00.000Z

Ashraf puts Windsor's season back on track

OMT 237/9 - Endacott 4-33
Windsor 238/5 - Chorley 59, Ashraf 102

Windsor 3s gripped tightly to the coat tails of the sides above them in division 5, with a victory over OMT, which was more straightforward than the scoreline suggests.

Bowling first on a roasting hot day, Windsor restricted the hosts to 20/3 from the first 14 overs, Waqas Mohammed and Richie Endacott, showing thats it's not only their wallets they keep tight. However, left handed Winkle took the attack to the visitors and despite a couple of missed chances, raced to a well deserved century. Helping the home side reach 237 from their 49 overs.

The reply was emphatic, with Chorley and centurion Ashraf building a partnership with all but destroyed OMT's chances. Ashraf's ton was a mixture of the cultural and sheer brutality, as he took Windsor to within sight of the golden egg. Despite a typical Windsor stutter near the end, Kev Condon saw Windsor home, to keep them in touch with the others.

2005-06-14T12:34:00.000Z

Windsor 3s refuse to panic.

Wooburn Narkovians 234/8
Windsor 204/9 - Ashraf 63

An epic relegation battle at the Home Park on Saturday, ended with honours even, as Windsor 3s held on for a well-earned draw, against bottom of the table Wooburn Narkovians.
Wooburn, began at a blistering rate, scoring at 8 runs per over in the opening exchanges, only the inspirational Wigley could find the consistency to resist the attack. Windsor soon managed to reel in the free flowing Wooburn and with Skipper Endacott removing the danger men; the game took on a more familiar guise. A game of cat and mouse ensued, with Sangha bowling 8 tight overs, only for the Wooburn batsmen to take the attack again to the pacemen Eggenhuizen and Mohammed. The visitors managed to reach a challenging 234/8 from their 52 overs.

Windsor's reply stuttered initially, but the fight back started, with Abdul Ashraf and Richie Noble, forming an effective partnership. The run rate troubled Windsor, but with Lickley and Wigley pushing the score on, the improbable seemed possible. However wickets regularly fell and priorities changed, firstly reach 200; secondly the message was clear "Do Not Lose". Lloyd pushed Windsor closer to their target, but it was the last wicket partnership of Sangha and Endacott, which really shone. Sangha struck the blow, which took Windsor over 200 and Endacott, was coolness personified as he batted out the last over for a creditable draw.

Windsor needs to find that winning formula soon, if they are to escape trouble at the bottom.

2003-09-08T16:49:00.000Z

THAMES VALLEY LEAGUE

DIVISION 5A

BARNES WILD GEESE

VS

WINDSOR CC 3RDXI

Windsor cc 3rdXI 199 - 7
Kevin Clifford 93
Andy Wigley 45

Barnes Wild Geese 178 all out
Andy Shields 5 - 42

Windsor won by 21 runs.

The Windsor swans tamed the Barnes wild geese in an enthralling
encounter on Saturday.
Windsor elected to bat first on a damp track, in the knowledge that scoring
200 runs would ensure their safety, whilst Barnes, needed a victory to keep
them in the promotion hunt.
The scene was set for a gripping encounter. Windsor's captain Andy Wigley
and Vice-Captain Kevin Clifford decided to lead from the front and open the
batting. On a wicket of uneven bounce, they both initially struggled to
survive against the new ball. Clifford then unfurled his pull shot and the
runs started to flow. Wigley on-drove a couple of glorious drives and the
chains were broken. The two experienced batsmen continued to move the score
along steadily, as Barnes cannily rotated their bowlers. They posted a
partnership of 133, before Wigley departed for a well constructed 45. A
couple of wickets fell in quick succession and Clifford decided to anchor
the innings. He was joined at the crease by an emerging talent, namely 16
year old Ollie Smith. Smith played a mature innings as Windsor tried to
reach their safety target of 200. With the target in reach, Clifford fell
for 93. Smith hit an exquisite straight six before Windsor fell just short
on 199 - 7, off their alloted overs.

In reply, Barnes started off in search of their target with a
flourish. Collier, in particular was particularly severe on any poor
deliveries. However, 4 wickets fell for just one run, as Barnes fell from
45 - 0 to 46 - 4. A fifth wicket partnership of 70, seemed to tip the
balance into the lap of Barnes. However, Van Der Zyk was then caught by
Clifford off the bowling of Wigley, as the dynamic duo broke the Barnes
promotion bid. Windsor's fielding was exceptional under pressure as
Baumgartner, Smith and Akbar all held important catches. Shields picked up
an impressive 5 - 42 as Barnes were eventually all out for 178, as they
fell short by 21 runs and Windsor celebrated their survival long into the
night.

2003-08-26T09:33:00.000Z

THAMES VALLEY DIVISION 5A

WINDSOR CC 3RDXI

VS

SLOUGH 3RDXI

'Slough Sail to Victory'

Windsor 3rdXI 159 all out

Slough 3rdXI 160 - 5

Slough took their lead from the flotilla of boats sailing along the
River Thames that supplied a glorious back-drop to this TVL clash on
Saturday. They cruised to victory with 5 wickets to spare after thorougly
dominating their neighbours.
Batting first, Windsor struggled to a below par - 159 all out, in the face
of accurate bowling from Sattar. He took 6 - 57 by bowling straight and
full - a combination that was unfortunately too good for Windsor's top
order. Windsor's batting this year has been their strength but only
Richard Noble (32) showed the application required as he managed to push
Windsor over 150 mark.
Windsor welcomed Kenny Lawrence back from playing with the electrics in
Toronto and he duly made early in-roads into Slough's top order. Just as
Kenny was ready to switch off the lights on Slough's promotion charge, a
giant surge of power was released by Mohsin Khan who struck a lightning 57,
including 18 off one Lawrence over.
Anil Kakaria ensured that Slough reached their target with ease by
remaining unbeaten on 61, as Slough won to remain at the top of the
division, with two games to go.
Windsor travel to Barnes Wild Geese on Saturday, hoping to secure the
victory that will ensure their safety.

2003-07-22T15:47:00.000Z

Windsor fail at final furlong

Windsor 194
OMT 162/8

Match Drawn

A dogged last wicket stand ultimately prevented Windsor 3rds from grabbing a well deserved 25 point victory over OMT on Saturday at the Home Park.

A typical Wigley decision saw Windsor batting first and once again Akbar and Ashraf were asked to provide a solid platform. This they did with consumate ease, with the two youngsters gaining confidence each week. However, in relatively easy batting conditions Windsor made difficult work of some very accurate bowling. Only 1 batsman failed to get into double figures, but alas only 2 passed the 20 mark. Batsmen have to take more responsibility for staying in and pushing the score along, eventually Windsor were bowled out for 194.

OMT's reply was slow to say the least, accurate and aggressive bowling from openers Lawrence and Endacott, kept the score in single figures until well into the 16th over. Lawrence continued to hold one end down whilst skipper Wigley rotated the other end, using Bradbury, Malik and Ashraf, keen to mix the attack up and claim easy wickets. Each bowler did their job, but despite OMT's number 11 leaving early, Windsor couldn't claim the 9th and final wicket to ensure 25 points.

Whilst Windsor cannot even buy a victory at the moment, the team are playing well and success will inevitably follow.

2003-07-15T10:32:00.000Z

Windsor lose bottle

Windsor 211, Clifford 82

Maidenhead & Bray 212/7, Lawrence 5/50

On a blsitering hot summers day, Windsor 3rds arrived at the picturesque Bray ground keen to improve on their lowly standing in division 5a.

Batting first on a flat, slow track, Windsor made a solid start with Ashraf and Akbar quietly pushing the score along. However, with Akbars dismissal in the 32nd over, Windsor realised that the score was a low one and that some powerful hitting was needed to register points on the board. Enter skipper Wigley and Clifford, both of whom mixed majestic shots with lustful blows to hurry the score along. Clifford in particular rolled back the years with some powerful shots, to race to 82 as the Windsor score crossed the 200 mark.

In reply, Windsor had Maidenhead & Bray in all sorts of trouble. Lawrence and Endacott ripped through the top order, leaving the home side on 37/4. However a fightback of gigantum proportions saw the Bray side bat themselves in with a shout. Confidence was still high in the Windsor camp, however, until the final few overs, when Endacott, brought on for a second spell, forgot how to bowl and the Bray side decided to take advantage. Scoring 60 in the last 6 overs, Bray won at a canter and Windsor are left to wonder what went wrong?

2003-07-08T10:00:00.000Z

Like a Christmas Turkey……Stuffed

Windsor 3rd XI 115
Endacott 29

Haste Hill 1st XI 115/2

Haste Hill won by 8 wickets

A makeshift Windsor 3rd XI side, decided against a week off cricket, opting to take on Haste Hill, at their compact ground in Eastcote.

Making their debuts for Windsor were, Aussie overseas star Tristan O’Shannassey’s Father Pat and Brother Aiden, drafted in to make up the numbers, plus Windsor Boys’ School hockey master Richard Cardigan.

Captained for the first time by Rick Baumgartner, Windsor were put into bat and immediately on the defensive. The Haste Hill attack made little work in removing both openers, Baumgartner and O’Shannassey jnr. Windsor soon rallied with Cardigan and the impressive Colt Sam Condon easing Windsor through the gears, they were followed by usual number 11 Endacott, who blasted a quickfire 29, including the only 6 of the game. However, Haste Hill wrapped up the Windsor innings cheaply, with some tight bowling. The highlight of the afternoon came when Pat O’Shannassey scored his seventh run, one more than his 20 year old Son.

Haste Hill soon got off to a flyer, desperately swinging the bat at anything that moved and remarkably connecting, unfair on Wahab Mohammed, who was bowling with genuine pace. Endacott picked up the first wicket with a Kenny Lawrence-esque delivery, a tribute to the great man, who had taken the week off. Haste Hill soon accelerated and despite some great fielding by Adrian Lillywhite and Sunil Suriya, passed the total with ease.

Windsor now face a derby against local rivals Maidenhead & Bray, in a return to league action, desperate to increase their precarious points total to date.

2003-06-24T07:59:00.000Z

SLOUGH 3RDXI

VS

WINDSOR 3RDXI

SATURDAY JUNE 21ST

SLOUGH 3RD XI 272 - 5 DECLARED

WINDSOR 3RDXI 155 ALL OUT

SLOUGH WON BY 117 RUNS

MATCH REPORT

Windsor travelled the short distance to close neighbours Slough on
Saturday and were put to the sword by a swashbuckling display of batting.
Opting to bat first, Slough accumulated a colossal 272 off only 48 overs as
Windsor's bowlers suffered a severe case of meltdown in the summer heat.
Windsor made a couple of initial breakthroughs as young debutant Ollie
Smith took a fine low catch behind the stumps and Kevin Clifford pulled off
a stunning one handed slip catch. Things were looking promising for the
Royalists as Slough were 15-2. Thereafter, the runs flowed like champagne
at Royal Ascot. Despite numerous attempts to cork the flow, it soon turned
into a torrent and Windsor made their weary way to tea facing a formidable
272 - 5.
Despite a positive response, Windsor lost wickets on a regular basis
and were never in the race. Rob Dawson (30), Damian Bradbury (42) and Andy
Wigley (29) all attempted to push Windsor to a respectable total, but they
were ultimately soundly beaten by a superior Slough team.
The performances of the youngsters, Ollie Smith & Umer Malik, were huge
bonuses on a day when Windsor's shortcomings were cruelly exposed by a
ruthless Slough XI.

2003-06-17T08:11:00.000Z

WINDSOR CC 3RDXL 204 - 6
ZEESHAN AKBAR 104

HURST 2NDXL 152 - 8
ANDY WIGLEY 5 - 35

MATCH DRAWN

'Akbar the main attraction'

The Queen recently visited Legoland to promote tourism, however
she missed another attraction right on her doorstep - Windsor Cricket Club.
If she had taken a stroll to the Home Park on Saturday, she would have seen
tourists being regally entertained by a local 17 year old - Zeeshan Akbar.
Batting first on a day made for stokeplay, Zeeshan made the most of a Baize
batting strip, coupled with a Ferrari outfield.
He has an impressive all round game which he exhibited on Saturday. His
gallery of strokes included a towering straight six ; a beguiling back foot
cover drive ; a cheeky sweep and several mid wicket flicks. Zeeshan
stroked a masterpiece of an innings in accumulating 104 out of a total of
206 - 6.
Hurst 2's were stifled in their quest to overhaul Windsor's
total, as the wiggle ball was launched with devastating accuracy by Andy
Wigley. Wigley picked up a wicket with his first delivery and captured
five victims, all clean bowled. Hurst were indebted to the durability of
opener Terry Hall who hit a responsible 52 whilst the wickets tumbled at
the other end. Long after the tourists had departed, the game reached an
unsatisfactory conclusion as Hurst finished on 152 - 8.
The game finished at 8.35 pm, 7 hours after it commenced. This is
something that the league needs to consider as the lifeblood of the game -
the youngsters - are going to turn their back on playing a game that lasts
7 hours without a winner.

2003-06-09T13:48:00.000Z

I'll keep this brief !!!

SATURDAY JUNE 7TH

ICI PAINTS 2NDXI

VS

WINDSOR CC 3RDXI

THAMES VALLEY LEAGUE

WINDSOR CC 3RDXI 78 ALL OUT

TOM BULLOCK 38

ICI 2NDXI 79 - 2

ICI WON BY 8 WICKETS

MATCH REPORT

We were licked.

2003-06-02T15:31:00.000Z

WINDSOR CC 3RDXI

VS

HILLINGDON 2NDXI

THAMES VALLEY LEAGUE

DIVISION 5A

HILLINGDON 2NDXI 272 - 4

WINDSOR 3RD XL 144 ALL OUT

T BULLOCK 2
K CLIFFORD 39
K CONDON 0
R EVANS 34
Z AKBAR 25
D BROWN 11
A WIGLEY 11
W LLOYD 4
T HOUGHTON 3 NOT OUT
R HUGHES 3
K LAWRENCE 0

MATCH RESULT - HILLINGDON WON BY 128 RUNS

Windsor 3rdXl suffered a 'Jemini experience' on Saturday as
they were seriously outpointed by Hillingdon, in a Thames Valley League at
a sun kissed Home Park. Thankfully, given the physique of the Hillingdon
players, they did not expose their midriffs during their dance of delight
as they enjoyed their comprehensive victory.
Batting first, Burger smashed a sizzling 44 off the first 8 overs of the
innings. The pattern was well and truly set for the next 3 hours.
Hillingdon adopted a policy of pure aggression as they sought to build a
substantial total. As the runs continued to flow, two of Windsor's
experienced bowlers tried to stem the tide. Ken Lawrence bowled his
special brew of cunning away swing and picked up a couple of well deserved
wickets and skipper Andy Wigley returned admirable figures of 10 overs, 24
runs, 1 wicket. Considering the flood of runs emanating from the river
end, this was an immense achievement.
Hillingdon used up all of their allocated overs and finished on a colossal
272 - 4.
Windsor's response was weary as they slumped to 8-2. On such a
gorgeous day, it was rather ironic that a huge black raincloud hovered over
Windsor 3rdxI's reply. Kevin Clifford & Roger Evans decided that the best
form of defence was attack and they initiated a vigorous riposte. A
rainbow was suddenly visible amidst the gloom of the Windsor performance.
The score rattled along to 78 - 2 at the drinks break and Windsor were
looking well placed to post a respectable reply. However, immediately
after drinks, Evans fell for 34 & Clifford went for 39, the black cloud
returned and Windsor folded limply for 144.
After an encouraging start to the season, this was a set-back to the
aspirations of Windsor CC 3rdXI and they will be looking to bounce back
against local rivals ICI 2ndXI.

2003-05-26T21:20:00.000Z

Baumgartner in the Groove

Windsor CC 3rd XI Vs

Harefield 3rd Xi - 186/6

Confusion reigned on Saturday as Windsor 3rds headed to Amersham to play Harefield in their latest quest for Thames Valley league points.

Having won the toss, skipper Wigley elected to bowl on a wicket greener than a QPR supporter following the play offs. Veterans Lawrence and Wigley opened the attack with a mixture of seam and outswing that intitially bamboozled the home sides batsmen. However, freak injuries to Rob Dawson and Richie Noble let Harefield back into the game as Windsor went into defensive mode with 9 fielders. Tight bowling by Lawrence and Hodgson kept the ship afloat and despite a superb 90 by Gandon, Windsor kept the score to an achievable 186.

Aggressive batting by Bullock swung the pedulum back in Windsor's direction, playing some beautifully timed shots. A collapse at the top of the order saw two openers fall, followed swiftly by Evans, however, this only brought in form Aussie Baumgartner to the crease. Powerful hitting saw the total come into view and partnered with the clinical Akbar, Baumgartner saw the side home with wickets to spare.

T.Bullock ct Prentice 28
K. Clifford ct Hall 3
R Evans ct Hall 7
R. Baumgartner Not out 79
Z. Akbar Retired Hurt 54
D. Brown B. Chiswell 1
A. Wigley Not Out 7

Windsor Bowling

Lawrence 26 5 81 3
Wigley 11 4 34 0
Akbar 7 0 32 1
Hodgson 8 0 37 3

2003-05-20T08:43:00.000Z

THAMES VALLEY LEAGUE DIVISION 5A

OMT 3RDXI
VS
WINDSOR 3RDXI

SATURDAY MAY 17TH

WINDSOR 3RDXL: 123 - 3
KEVIN CLIFFORD 57 NOT OUT

MATCH ABANDONED AS A DRAW.

'A QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISH DAY'

On a dank, dark day in the medieval setting of Durants, OMT &
Windsor underlined the optimistic nature of cricketers in England. Despite
persistent rain all day on Friday and the forecast of a torrential downpour
on Saturday afternoon, 22 cricketers arrived at the ground, donned their
whites and prepared to compete in the full knowledge that a positive result
was as remote as Donald Rumsfeld converting to Islam. It would appear that
mad dogs & Englishmen do not only go out in the mid-day sun.
The skippers looked at the wicket..."mmmm, a bit wet.", they tossed the
coin...'Splat', we'll bowl first rejoiced the OMT skipper as Windsor were
duly inserted onto a wicket that resembled Stamford Bridge in February.
Windsor made a slippery start, slithering to 15 - 2. Kevin Clifford
& Tom Bullock set about inserting some foundations to the Windsor innings
and the score progressed to 43 before Bullock (17) was dismissed by a
stunning catch at slip. Robert Dawson joined Clifford at the wicket and
they started to build upon the foundations, run by run, flick by flick,
boundary upon boundary.

OMT rotated their bowlers cleverly, but the two batsmen were firmly set and
they continued to accumulate runs without any further subsidence. As the
storm clouds circled the ground, Clifford swept Taylor to the square led
boundary, Dawson drove Taylor to the square leg boundary as Windsor
attempted to finish their innings with a flourish.
Unfortunately the only flood came from above, as the heavens opened and the
match was declared a wash-out and abandoned as a draw, with Windsor
interestingly poised on 123 -3. Clifford (57*) hit a second consecutive
half century and Dawson was unbeaten on 30.

2003-04-16T06:50:00.000Z

just to remind everyone about the working party for this friday 18th starting at 10.00am,
we're hoping to demolish the old sightscreen outside the clubhouse,get out all the
existing screens and check them over,maybe a lick of paint,and also tosh on some
wood preservative on the other pavilions,bring some old clothes to wear,stepladders
brushes etc
strength and honour
wigman

2003-03-31T20:59:00.000Z

Welcome to Windsor Cricket Club 3rd XI Saturday. The latest news will appear here shortly.