Carlshalton 17Sep06

Kings return match against Carshalton Athletic was surrounded in confusion when the players arrived at the ground. Players stood around bemused as they witnessed a full blown football match being played on the outfield. Despite attempts by the home side to convince the footballers to move to an adjacent pitch one team manager was not willing to do so and thus delaying the start of the game further still. With the football not finishing until 2:45pm the schedule start time of 1:30 was effectively pushed backed to 3:00pm the result of which saw the game reduced to a 30 over a side match.

The home side batted first and made a bad start when Simon Pipe struck early when removing Foster without scoring. Despite the loss of Joel Miah's from the attack due to injury Kings remained on top and the hosts soon lost a second wicket when Gates also became one of Pipe's victims. Carshalton then lost Goldfinch in bizarre fashion. His dismissal came about when Wright, playing on the up off Pipe, managed only to offer a half chance to Mears at mid on. Mears in attempting to take the catch, which ultimately fell just short of him; had gone to ground and this led Wright to believe he could take a risky single. However Goldfinch was not expecting the run and was on his heels when he was called through. Mears, still on the ground, reacted immediately when he sensed the batsmen running and his throw from his prostrate position was deftly accurate and Goldfinch was run out by the direct hit.

Wright meanwhile continued to lead a charmed life as he flirted with danger on both sides of the wicket, twice slashing Pipe over the top of slips, whilst also just evading fielders on the legside. However he should have departed when a perfectly position Melligan at third man had the chance to take a high catch off Mears but the chance was spilled. Tighe, who had replaced the injured Miah, should have had a wicket when he induced an edge but the chance went down behind the wicket. The bowler then had the injustice of being hit for six and four off consecutive balls before the perfect response was delivered when Curtis was bowled. Wright continued to enjoy fortune while Bird was somewhat 'hustled' out. Having taken a hit on the hand from a full toss from Mears, he was then far too late on a full length ball from the bowler and lost his middle stump. Melligan then finally removed Wright, who was tempted into a rash pull shot off a short ball which skied to Evans at square leg.

The introduction of Gordon Young brought an immediate success as he had Jones caught at deep mid wicket by Miah and then Melligan snapped up a catch off his own bowling to dismiss Parry. Young then brought a swift end to the innings with the dismissal of Gates and Satchwell, the former getting a thick outside edge to be caught at point by Pipe and Satchwell comprehensively bowled. Carshalton 103 all out

Kings response was a professional canter to the victory line as both Dave Perry and Joel Miah set about the run chase. With some well taken singles and well executed boundaries the two easily took the score to 55-0 in just the 8th over. There was some luck for Miah who was fortunate with a couple of edges that raced through slips and he also seemed to have gloved a ball behind but there was quite inexplicably no appeal from the home side. The only set back was the loss of Perry who was bowled following a 'bored' looking shot (75-1) but this was the only set back as Kings started to race toward the winning target, helped by some woeful Carshalton bowling that yielded 21 bowling extras, which added to 12 byes made up nearly a third of Kings score.

With the scores level there was an appeal for a stumping against Miah, which appeared to have a sound basis, but this day the luck belonged to Joel Miah, who finished 43 not out, to go with his 57* in the previous match against Carshalton.