Portsmouth Cricket Club - 2024

Dear Friends and Members of Portsmouth Cricket Club

This week we would like to thank all those volunteers that make the club live and breathe. Portsmouth CC relies on the good will of many people to undertake a wide range of jobs. For instance, our wonderful ground is not simply a once a week cut, it involves days and days of rolling, brushing, feeding, protecting the grass from disease and watering the wicket and ground to reduce cracking. Of course, the grass does require cutting but even this is not straightforward, as it is cut to different heights from the wicket to the square to the outfield.

The managers who give up their time to arrange matches home and away, select players, seek help with scoring and umpiring, sometimes organising transport and kit, providing teas, submitting results and being involved in training and coaching when possible.

The coaching assistants who help mangers during games and working with the senior coaches not only developing player skills but also recognising the importance of safety.

The club requires machines, tools, materials and equipment to maintain the grounds, coach players and host matches, much of the funding comes through the bar and associated activities such as the BBQ. We thank all those that volunteer on Friday nights and throughout the week flipping burgers and pouring a beer or three!

Our plea is to ask for more volunteers, especially on Fridays (Thank Cricket It’s Friday). You can either fill out the documents under the bell next to the bar or ask a committee member, if you are uncertain who the members are the coaches will point you in the right direction. If you are unable to commit to the bar or BBQ, there are other ways you can help, such as putting rubbish in the bins, returning glasses to the bar, using the numerous recycling bins for plastics and the separate bins for glass bottles all of these little acts are appreciated.

To all of our volunteers -Thank you!

News Letter is Edited by PKE

Portsmouth hit with disciplinary action ahead of New Milton trip

KEVIN RICKETTS

Read more at: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/other-sport/portsmouth-hit-with-disciplinary-action-ahead-of-new-milton-trip-1-8985438

Portsmouth have been hit with disciplinary action by the Southern League after being found guilty of unacceptable behaviour in their defeat at Sparsholt last month.

Opener Ben Duggan has been given a one-match ban, all-rounder Fraser Hay a one-match ban, which is suspended, and captain Jack Marston has received a formal warning.

Portsmouth lost the game against their division-one promotion rivals by four wickets.

Marston admitted the St Helen’s side had been frustrated by their own performance but stressed it was totally out of character.

‘What happened was very disappointing and it was a game in which we didn't play well,’ the skipper said.

‘It was a big game and we were fired up for it.

‘Ben was guilty of showing dissent towards one of the umpire's decisions.

‘When Fraser missed a ball he ended up kicking a stump out of the ground.

‘There was no malice and it was totally out of character. Fraser knew it wasn't right and apologised immediately afterwards.

‘We think it is fair that his one-game ban has been suspended.

‘Neither player has been in any disciplinary trouble before. I received a formal warning because I was captain.

‘We are a very family-orientated club and know we have a great responsibility both as individuals and a team.

‘We are determined to put it behind us and focus on what we need to do to try to win promotion.’

Marston is keen to see Portsmouth stay behaved and maintain their winning momentum in Saturday’s visit to New Milton.

Duggan is ruled out because of his ban.

The visitors are gunning for a league double having beaten the New Forest side by 46 runs in the opening game of the season at St Helen’s.

After their problems at Sparsholt, Portsmouth bounced back in the best possible fashion last weekend by defeating Sarisbury Athletic twice in as many days.

First they triumphed by 51 runs in their division one encounter on Saturday, before storming to a nine-wicket win in the T20 Cup 24 hours later.

Marston added: ‘We responded in the best possible way.

‘Not only did we get our discipline back but we played really well in a game played in the right spirit.’

Unicorns - 2nd XI

HELLO, McFLY?!

View From Silly Point by Jamie (Mitch) Mitchell

Just like the 'Berk' rhyming slang's existence should Jeremy Hunt become the country's next Prime Minister, Pompey 2s' unbeaten run always had a shelf life. While Conservative Party members then the hoi polloi will seal the former's fate, a streetwise Sarisbury 2s outfit saw to ending the latter's winning streak.

A baking hot afternoon meant the pitch was barely worth a second glance, as Pompey skipper Nicky Wyatt called correctly, and chose to bat first.

Pompey had been progressing with the serenity of a sleeping baby (something this blindly optimistic soon-to-be dad hopes to experience), until form horse Jamie Mitchell (62) managed to slap one straight to mid wicket - a brain fade that ignited the dynamite in the innings' foundations. In the next over, Matt Shaw inexplicably chopped one onto his stumps for 33, as did James Holder two balls later (for 33 runs fewer than Shaw) - when Dave Henderson was cleaned up, the visitors had collapsed from 109 for 1 to 118 for 5 in the space of 3 overs.

It was left to Ishy Ahmad to sift through the rubble, while more batting partners made visits to the middle as brief as Jess Glynne at a festival site, until tailender Oscar Davis kept Ishy company, and offered a useful batting demo to the misfiring middle order. Ishy and Davis combined for an unbroken 99 partnership, as the visitors finished with a flourish, in tallying an unlikely 250 for 7 from their 45 overs - Ishy, having successfully shaken off the Ramadan-induced rust last week, top scored with 68 not out, while Davis red inked 21.

Within two overs of Sarisbury's reply, the momentum had wildly shifted back in the home team's direction like a heavyweight slugfest, as Pompey's fatigued seamers could do little to keep a lid on the home side's free scoring.

Although the spinners - Holder (0 for 22 from 9 overs), Ethan Randall (1 for 30 off 9), Paul Hungerford (2 for 35 from 9) - bowled exceptionally well to stem the gushing of runs, this was despite contending with an Edgbaston-esque short boundary on one side, it wasn't enough to prevent Sarisbury from chasing down 251 for the loss of 5 wickets, with an over to spare.

The setback has prompted Pompey to slip down to 3rd in Hampshire League Div 2, with a home game vs 4th placed Bournemouth 2s to come this Saturday.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LFFZ2QX

Fixtures

You can access all upcoming fixtures on the website at

https://portsmouth.hitscricket.com/

If you would like more detailed fixture information - for a particular team for instance, these are also available on the website at

https://portsmouth.hitscricket.com/fixtures/default.aspx

On Saturday and other selectedhome fixtures

The Clubhouse at St Helen's will be open

You can order your Portsmouth Cricket Club Kit

at

https://teamwear.nxt-sports.com/shop/portsmouth-cricket-club

Volunteers  Required

Like many clubs we rely on the goodwill of members in helping out with the running various aspects. If you can spare time on Friday evening by helping out behind the bar or the BBQ please add your name down on the sheet that can be found in the bar area in the plastic wallet underneath the bell.

Training for U9's and younger takes place on Friday evening, and includes the  '#TCIF Social' with BBQ

All members and guests are welcome