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May 10th/1th 2003

Start Of The League Season:

Cookham Cooked 'Em

On Saturday May 10th Denham lost both League fixtures to Cookham Dean.

A fluent opening partnership of 98 between Paul Hazell (57) and Flash Tobin (31) got the 1st XI off to an excellent start. Thereafter Denham were pegged back and it took a quickfire 22 from Matt Seagull to propel them to a respectable 183/7.

Cookham's pugnacious wicket-keeper captain Slater was missed off a skier early on. He then went on to dominate the Denham bowling, notching up his own century just before the visitors overhauled Denham's total with 8 wickets and 11 overs to spare. Ron Lewis, Joe O'Hara and Jeff Simpson all strived manfully but with little success, but it was Bobby Rai (wicket with first ball) who impressed the neutrals.

A Damned Close Run Thing

Meanwhile the 2nd XI were involved in a close but ultimately unsuccessful encounter with Cookham Dean 2nds. We had a dreadful start, being 50/5 at one time before Pete Schembri (43) and Steve Bull (20) steadied the ship and got us to 160/9.

Denham were so short of bowlers that Andy Leach had to take his pads off halfway and turn his arm over, while the opposition were featuring celebrities (sports commentor Jim Rosenthal and his son). Phil Ashworth produced a lovely spell of bowling (a three-for), and Simon Johnson again acquitted himself well, but a young Cookham side nervously edged their way to the finishing line, getting there with just 3 overs and 3 wickets to spare

Pelicans Prevail In Icy Cold

The Sunday XI met one of their strongest opponents, Great Missenden Pelicans, and lost to them in freezing weather by almost the same scores as last year. Pictures

The Pelicans soared to 212/5, mainly due to opener Broadley (74) and some aggressive late hitting by Taylor (38 not out). Pete Schembri bowled a fine spell (1/36 off 9) while Harish Bhatt slipped in for some late wickets (3/19). Belying his elders' feeble attempts, young Gerald O'Hara took a fine running catch - his second in as many games.

Denham could not find the accelerator against a brisk and hostile Pelicans attack matched with excellent fielding. (Bailey, opening for Pelicans, gave away a miserly 15 runs off his 10 overs). Only when the nimble Richie Brathwaite (34) joined evergreen Stuart Payne (35) in a partnership of clubbed fours and singles snatched from under fielders' noses, did the home crowd have something to shout about.

But they found a straight one for Mr Payne, and Richie was run out in the strangest circumstances directly afterwards (buy him a pint to get the full story). Martin Kinneally had a very promising cameo, while Phil Dickson opened his shoulders at the end to some effect, but Denham were well short (153/6).

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