Indoor Cricket - Regional Round - Run outs cost Neyland dearly

Indoor Cricket – Regional Round:

Waterlooville (96 for 4) beat Neyland by 6 runs

 

Neyland’s brave attempt at gaining another place in the National Indoor Cricket Finals at Lords foundered in Cheltenham against Waterlooville, the Hampshire champions, as they looked in with a chance against the eventual winners of this four-team  regional round where the winners booked their place for a trip to London. (Writes Bill Carne)
 
Neyland made the long journey to Cheltenham and included a stop for breakfast at their traditional road-side café just outside Carmarthen, with skipper Sean Hannon as the bust driver and with scorers Sarah and Kacey Arran joining recently-installed County Club chairman Martin Jones, very much a Neyland man, in the minibus since Nick Koomen was able to join them from his work at Hinkley Point.
 
Cheltenham had already beaten Vennor, from the Isle of Wight in the first semi-final and Neyland knew they had a challenge on their hands from Waterlooville, a town of almost 70,000 quite close to Portsmouth, who play in the Southern Premier League and the top division of the Hampshire League.
 
The actual hall in which the games were played, because the usual place for the regional semi-final at Taunton County Cricket Club is being refurbished,  and a measure of how small the facility is can be gauged from the fact that with such a low ceiling and easily defendable back walls it made boundaries almost impossible.
 
So quickly-run threes (awarded for the ball hitting the side or back walls and completing a single), were the main source of runs, without a single four or six in this entire match!

Waterloo tally boosted by late runs

 
Waterlooville  made a steady start, with 27 on the board before they lost Ray Reynolds, from a rocket of a ball to square leg, well caught by Paul Murray off Ross Hardy, before reaching the half way mark of their allotted 12 overs with 40 runs, perhaps short of their hoped-for tally, and  soon afterwards Charlie Wakefield departed, caught at mid-off by Nick Koomen off Dai Davies.
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When skipper Dan Birch, who later scored a half century in the final, was run out by a bit of sharp fielding by Dai Davies, it looked as if Neyland were in the ascendancy but with opener Archie Reynolds retiring, some very quick runs by Jon Hudson, eventually stumped neatly by Sen Hannon, and last man Joseph Mitchell (six threes in his lightning-quick 19) really raised the tempo.
 
In such a small hall, where local onlookers felt that a score in the mid-80s was about par, it meant that Neyland needed to adapt their batting from the wide open spaces they were used to at their local community hub.

Five run outs as Neyland forced to take chances

 
Neyland also made a solid start via Paul Murray and Dai Davies but the former batsman  was run out from a direct hit – and the latter also risked a quick single too many as even with his speed between the wickets a direct hit sent him packing, with four threes and a high number of  seven singles to his name.
 
But skipper Hannon had got into his stride before retiring and with good consolidation work by Koomen the result was very much in the balance before he tried for a rare boundary and only succeeded in lofting the ball to Archie Reynolds at mid-off, who gratefully accepted the chance.
 
Sean Hannon was soon back at the crease but with Hardy and Jack John both run out very cheaply in the penultimate over, the skipper’s late rescue attempt failed and he was the fifth batsman to be run out, like the others from a direct hit, and Neyland found themselves an agonising seven runs short.
 
So Neyland’s attempt at yet another Lord’s final was to end in a disappointing defeat but they deserve every credit for the way that they stuck to their task and carried the Pembroke Cricket Flag with typical style.
 
They sensibly broke the long journey home at Chepstow, where they all enjoyed a Sunday dinner together, and will aim to be continuing their quest for another visit to Lords when the new indoor season starts near the end of 2026!
 
 
 
 

SCORECARDS:

 
Waterlooville Innings:
Archie Reynolds not out 31
Ray Reynolds ct Paul Murray b Ross Hardy 8
Charlie Whitfield ct Nick Kinver b Dai Davies 7
Dan Birch run out 3
Jon Hudson st Sean Hannon b Ross Hardy 17
Joseph Mitchell not out 19
Extras 11
Total (4 wickets) 96
 
Neyland Bowling:
Jack John 3-0-27-0; Ross Hardy 3-0-26-2; Dai Davies 3-0-31-1; Nick Koomen 3-0-17-0
 

Neyland Innings:
Paul Murray run out 12
Dai Davies run out 19
Sean Hannon run out 34
Nick Koomen ct Archie Reynolds b Jon Hudson 12
Ross Hardy run out 9
Jack John run out 2
Extras 11
Total (all out) 90