Sessay CC First Team Match Reports
Versus Dunnington (A) (06/08/11)
On Saturday, Sessay's Premier division fixture at Dunnington was washed out after just three balls play, with Sessay on 0 for 0.
http://sessay.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11116662
Versus Goole Town (H) 30/07/11
In Sessay's latest Premier Division fixture, visitors Goole Town batted first and were given a steady start by openers Anthony Gibbins and Neil Foster. Gibbins was the aggressor in the early stages, lifting Richard Till over cover for 6, and he had made 40 out of 64 when he was bowled in the 22nd over for 40, heaving mightily at Matthew Till. Neil Foster soon followed, bowled by Mark Wilkie for 31 and Goole's progress was sedate in the face of some accurate bowling by Till and Wilkie. Matthew Till claimed 3 more wickets, including that of Jake Mahoney to a fine low return catch for 29 and Goole slipped to 132 for 5 by the 41st over with boundaries still hard to come by. It was left to Oscar Sugden and Lee Hayward to work hard through the closing overs to take their side to 172 for 7, with Matthew Till claiming a deserved fifth wicket off the final ball of the innings to finish with 5 for 50.
With Mark Wilkie unable to take up his familiar opener's role due to a finger injury, Sessay's innings was opened by Matthew Till and Joe Watson. With the pitch offering some turn, Goole opened up with spinner Ben Lamb, and Sessay got off to a solid start with Till doing the bulk of the scoring. Watson was just beginning to find his touch when he was lbw to James Kerr for 13 with the score on 50 in the 14th over, but Nick Thorne soon got into his stride with boundaries off Kerr, forcing Goole skipper Kevin Murphy to come into the attack to form an all spin attack. Thorne continued to score freely with Matthew Till now content to pick up singles as Sessay remained in control. Thorne was bowled by Lamb for 35 (7 fours) in the 24th over with the score on 98, leaving Mark Wilkie to rejoin the fray in the unfamiliar no 4 role. It took him a while to find his touch and with Till still becalmed the next 9 overs saw Sessay add only another 15 runs against the accurate Goole spinners. Wilkie was just beginning to score more freely when he was bowled by Murphy for 16 with 44 needed in 13 overs. Matthew Till's massive straight six onto the bowling green off Ben Lamb kept Sessay in the ascendancy and it seemed he and Chris Till would see Sessay home when Chris Till was spectacularly caught, goalkeeper style, on the midwicket boundary by Neil Foster for 12 with 23 needed. Matthew Till carried on in determined mode and was deservedly unbeaten on 76 (6 fours and 2 sixes) when he smashed the wining boundary off Brendan Lewis with almost 4 overs in hand.
This was a workmanlike performance by Sessay as they seek to consolidate a top half position in the table, the highlight being a real man of the match performance by Matthew Till.
http://sessay.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11116661
Versus Clifton Alliance (H) 23/07/11
On Saturday, Sessay batted first by invitation when they entertained Clifton Alliance in their latest Premier Division fixture. The early overs saw them move steadily past 30, but they suffered a double blow when Joel Hughes removed Matthew Till for 16 and Nick Thorne for a duck in successive overs. Mark Wilkie once again looked to be in good form and he and Nick Harrison took the score to 72 before Harrison fell to Alex Renton for 6 in the 22nd over with the score on 72. Wilkie looked set to complete another half century when he was bowled by the accurate Alex Renton for 46 ( 7 fours) to leave Sessay on 95 for 4 after 30 overs, which became 123 for 6 after 40 overs following the loss of Jacob Spencer and Joseph Watson. Chris Till, by now well set and working the ball into the gaps in typical fashion, was joined by Chris Cowton and the pair put together an enterprising partnership as Sessay moved towards a competitive score on a slowish pitch. Till reached a deserved half century before he was bowled for 55 (8 fours), and Cowton made an enterprising 25 not out as Sessay closed on 187 for 9.
Clifton's reply began promisingly, but Richard Till, recovering well from a wayward opening, put Sessay on top with three wickets in five overs as Clifton slipped to 31 for 3 in the 14th over. Stuart Peirse got some reward for his toils when he claimed the valuable wicket of Joel Hughes, caught at the wicket for 10, and when Richard Till claimed his fourth scalp by bowling opener Adam Slater for 32, Clifton were struggling on 63 for 5 with almost half the overs gone. They were kept in the hunt by a battling partnership between Jason Gatus and Tim Weaver, and Clifton still had hopes of victory when the pair were still together with 73 needed from the final 10 overs. The game swung back in Sessay's favour when Gatus miscued Stephen Langstaff to Nick Thorne at short extra cover for 44, and 3 overs later Matthew Till's nagging accuracy induced a return catch to account for Tim Weaver for 23. Alex Renton was well caught at deep mid on by Thorne for 6, and Matthew Till claimed as third victim when Paul Walton, ever positive, was neatly stumped by Nick Harrison for 6. The returning Stuart Peirse wrapped up the victory with 9 balls to spare when Harrison bagged his fifth victim to account for Jonathan Stevens as Clifton were all out for 144.
This was another fine team performance by Sessay, their victory set up by Richard Till's fine 17 over spell and sending them off to Scotland in good heart.
http://sessay.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11116655
Versus Heworth (A) 16/07/11
Sessay's Premier Division fixture at Heworth got underway on time despite a wet Saturday morning which put paid to much of the York Senior League schedule. Heworth included in their side new signing Andrew Simpson as well as Yorkshire Academy player Jack Leaning, who became available at the eleventh hour when the Academy game was called off. Stephen Langstaff won the toss and had no hesitation in asking Heworth to bat first, even in the knowledge that at some stage or other his bowlers might be handicapped by a wet ball. Simpson and Ian Lynch opened the Heworth innings and had progressed to 22 without loss in 8 overs against Stuart Peirse and Richard Till when rain caused a delay which reduced the game to a 42 overs per side contest. In the second over after the resumption, Richard Till made the breakthrough by bowling Simpson for 13, but Lynch and Jack Leaning moved the score along with Lynch looking to be the aggressor. He took successive fours at the start of Till's 9th over, but Till had his revenge when he bowled the opener for 36 with the last ball of the over, and with the first ball of his 10th over he had Richard Bowling lbw for 1 as Heworth slipped to 69 for 3. Leaning and Waseem Akram consolidated until Akram, looking to push the score along, became Till's fourth victim was well caught low down at long off by Stuart Peirse for 12. The rains returned shortly afterwards and tea was taken early with Heworth on 120 for 4 in the 30th over. Immediately upon the restart, Mark Wilkie had Richard Walton caught for 16, and Richard Till claimed a deserved fifth scalp when he bowled Oliver Sherwood for a duck. Heworth's hopes of a big score now rested with Leaning, and he did not let them down as he began to score freely with some fine stroke play. He eventually fell to the returning Stuart Peirse, caught at the wicket for an excellent 82, and after Tom Callard had fallen second ball to Peirse, Heworth closed on 191 for 9 after their 42 overs, all bowled by the Sessay seamers with skipper Langstaff unable to use his spinners in the damp conditions.
Sessay's reply began brightly through in form openers Mark Wilkie and Matthew Till, and it came as a surprise when Wilkie miscued a pull and was caught at midwicket off Richard Walton for 12 with the score on 25. Nick Thorne and Till scored steadily for the next few overs, but Heworth threatened to take a hold of the game as the pair found scoring difficult for a while against Richard Bowling and Dan Walton. They failed to make a further breakthrough however and mid innings drinks were taken with Sessay still well placed on 75 for 1. The runs began to flow again as Till took a liking to Andrew Simpson, as he had done a week earlier when the youngster was in York's colours, and Thorne progressed steadily with some pleasant drives. Till reached his 50 in the 24th over as the score went past the hundred mark and the partnership blossomed as Heworth tried in vain to check Sessay's gathering momentum. Both batsmen had odd moments of fortune, Till being missed at mid off and Thorne was missed at least once behind the wicket, but the pair made the most of their good luck as they closed in on their target. Thorne reached a fine 50 with a six over mid wicket off Simpson, and Till's typical booming drives meant the asking rate was never an issue. Just as it looked as if the pair would complete the job, Thorne slipped attempting to regain his ground and was run out for a mature 66 with 16 needed from 5 overs. There was still time for Matthew Till to complete a second successive, and 18th league century with another four off Simpson, although the youngster did have a modicum of revenge when he had the centurion neatly caught low down at mid wicket by Richard Walton for 102 (12 fours and 1 six) with 3 needed, leaving Chris Till to seal victory with a four through mid wicket with 16 balls to spare.
Sessay will be very pleased to have taken maximum points from a fixture which could easily have become a weather victim. In truth, the performance in the field was not of the highest quality, albeit in difficult conditions at times, but with a target to chase on a good batting surface, another fine partnership set up the victory with time to spare.
http://sessay.play-cricket.com/scoreboard/scorecard.asp?id=11116649