Saturday May 3rd Purley CC

Balham 143-9 (40 overs) Purley 3rd X1 144-3 (36 overs). Lost by 7 wkts.
So we began the season full of hope and expectation only to lose quite easily to a fairly good Purley side. Paul won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that was still quite damp from all the recent rain, not only this but the outfield was also stupidly slow as well and would only dry out during the match. Yorke and Sharp opened the batting but Sharp didn't last long edging behind.Luckily we had O'Keeffe in next(with his lovely new bat) and we made steady progress against quite an accurate opening attack-in fact O'Keeffe took about 5 overs to get off the mark,he's obviously been watching Sharp's batting manual! However with the score on 50 Yorke was caught off his top edge for a patient 25. Jim started to find the middle of the bat and top scored with 28, before he gave his wicket away. Ross and Sample nurdled a few runs before also losing their wickets. Khorshid blazed away for a solid 19 before he was bowled. That left the lower middle order to try and salvage a respectable total. Craven and Fenwick did this, with the former managing to run out Rutter for nought with a f*cking dreadful call. The final total was probably 20-30 runs short of what it should of been but the slow outfield put paid to this. We opened the bowling with Richardson & Khorshid, who bowled tidily however one of the openers was intent on attack and added a few quick runs. 2nd change bowlers Rutter and Craven pegged the score back with Craven taking a wicket. Rutter bowled with hostility but got no luck, he eventually got the other opener with a good caught and bowled. Craven got his 2nd wicket with the score on about 130 however the game was up by then. Honourable mentions as well go to O'Keeffe & Green who also bowled accurately and Richardson's 2nd spell where lady luck deserted him. It wouldn't be the Roamers if there weren't the obligatory dropped catches, take a bow Green and Richardson. Ross also had one but gravity got the better of him! Also Yorke kept tidily behind the stumps. So all and all it was a bit disappointing however the opposition provided a top tea with plenty of Penguins to go around.
Man of the match : Paul Craven
Report by Matt Sharp.

Balham 110 all out Old Manhattans 112-6. Lost by 4 wkts.
Good to see most people arrive on time. Sharp tossed up as your captain was unavoidably detained by gridlock in the Wandsworth area. Toss won, and we decided to bat on a sticky summer's day. And even though their two opening bowlers were also late, Old Manhattans made some early inroads in this timed game as first new boy Adam, then Kerry, and second new boy Mark all fell before the score was 30. However, gnarled veteran Matt Sharp was still at the crease, and together with first myself and then Toby, we ate up a few overs and got to about 70-odd for 5. But when grizzled old hand Sharp was out for a hard-fought (though not exactly chanceless) 48, it was a slippery slope down to a low total of 110 all out. Second comedy dismissal in a row for Mr Rutter, by the way, as he fetched a ball with his pads from well outside leg stump, onto his middle stump. A Penguin-free tea followed, and then Luke and Toby opened the bowling, the latter taking a wicket with his first ball, caught behind well by Adam. Their batsmen alternated between stubborn, shot-free blocking, and care-free thrashing, but a couple more wickets fell before they were 30, and they wobbled a bit. Toby picked up another couple (one an excellent catch at slip by dogged journeyman, Matt Sharp), and I got a couple, one of them an equally top catch from Kerry in the gully. Jon also bowled at his best this season, despite wanting three fine legs. But it wasn't to be, and runs trickled on until they overtook our total with 7 wickets down. Nevertheless, a fine fielding and bowling performance almost snatched it - much improved from last week.
Man of the match: Matt Sharp
Report by Paul Craven.

Saturday May 17th Old Grumblers

Balham 143-9 (40 overs) Old Grumblers 144-3 (36 overs) Lost by 7 wkts.
On a truly miserable Saturday we all made our way down to Battersea Park fully anticipating sense to prevail and the game to be called off. But as the steady trickle of rain didn’t get any heavier we decided to make a start. The old grumbler lost the toss against the Old Grumblers and they decided to bat first on a soft wicket. Economical bowling by Toby and debutant Samir restricted the openers in difficult bowling and fielding conditions. The first change of bowling attack saw Sherief come on and take wicket helped by a smart catch from Paul and then Jon R bowled the other opener. The next man in looked like he could carry a bat and hit a few early boundaries. On came Captain Craven for his customary wicket and had another chance missed as Andy R had his customary drop. The next bowler was Louie who with a combination of accuracy and pace rarely seen in a roamers shirt dispatched the middle order. The wet conditions proved difficult as sharp put down a tricky chance at first slip and fine leg was kept busy. The debutant finished with figures of 4-11 from 4, with most of the 11 runs coming from edges. Finishing off the job were Sharp and Sample who got 3 wickets between them as the Grumbers scored 138 all out. After some recent poor batting performances it was important for Roamers not to lose wickets early. Matt and Rich opened and after carefully seeing off the opening bowlers raised the run rate with some powerful boundaries and bought the target within reach. Eventually Rich was out for 56 and Matt for 46. Next men in Kerry and Andy guided us safely to Victory. A good game and a first win of the seaon in difficult conditions, well done to all who made the effort to venture out in the rain.
Man of the Match - Debutant Louie bucking the trend of the batsmen getting all the glory.
Report by Jon Rutter.

Saturday May 31st Extreme Information

Balham 236-7 (40 overs) Extreme Information 80 all out (24 overs).
A crushingly effective performance by Balham CC yesterday on a soft and dead Battersea park wicket.
We batted first and made steady progress for the first 15 overs, before gradually upping the pace. The 3 significant scores were Matt Sharp with a robust 56, Debutant Clive Kirk with a authoritative 79 (including one 6 that was I think still rising as it hit the tree tops) and Adam Khanbhai with some late hitting for a frisky 38 not out. A total of 236 off 40 overs was a good score.
The oppo came in to bat and never looked like giving it a shot. Mainly due to the devastating opening spell of 5 for 12 off 6 overs by Rupert. Not bad for someone who normally bats rather than bowls. Sherief, Rob Stevens and Jon pipped in with a wicket each whilst Ash snaffled a couple. There was some good catching by Jon as well who took 3 chances, two of them being very sharp indeed. Only some late hitting by their number 8 batsmen got them up to a total of 80. Giving us victory by 156 runs.
To complete an almost flawless performance the teas that Jon and I made were very nice as well.
Man of the Match - Rupert Paul - for the second best bowling performance ever in the 6 years history of Balham CC
Report by Richard Yorke

Sunday June 8th A few good men

Balham 95-7 (32 overs) A few good men 98 (18 overs).
We were greeted by a stunning day in the park which would test the focus of even the most committed cricketer. Having won the toss, studied the pitch, observed the opposition, surveyed the atmospheric conditions and then seen how few of us were there Paul decided that we should bat first. The generally slow and fairly accurate bowling with some occasional movement that was then presented to us seemed to suit the dead pitch but unfortunately not us.
Our innings was fairly forgettable although the skipper did his best to hold things together with a gritty 32. Unfortunately he was undone by the sort of running that has been perfected in a Roamers shirt. Boycott would have been appalled, Inzy would have understood. Can any of us do a quick single to a misfield? Actually can any of us do a quick single? After that there was little else worth noting – although Extras again put in a fine performance as second highest scorer. The four lbws in our innings must be a Roamers record although Mr Harold Bird would have been proud to see that in this age of technology human judgement is still as infallible as ever. We totalled 95 in 30-odd overs.
Shouldn’t forget to note that in the depths of batting despair we were brought some cheer by Matt and Ash’s fine tea. The Milky Way Magic Stars were a particularly welcome addition.
So 96 to win. Myself and Sherief quickly dismissed an opener and their number 3 to catches behind the wicket but then it was hard going against a couple of decent bats. Unfortunately we tried everything but nothing came off. As the runs were whittled down we began to wilt in the sunshine and A Few Good Men reached their target with some 20 overs left to win by eight wickets. So not too many positives apart from the obvious that we can and will play a whole lot better.
Man of the Match - Paul Craven- for saving us from complete ignominy
Report by Toby Richardson

Sunday June 15th Grenfell CC

Grenfell CC 145(26 overs) Balham 104 all out (34 overs).
It was a beautiful summer's morning, the birds were tweeting and the air was perfect for some medium (to slow) pace left arm bowling !!! Matt lost the toss(er) so we were made to bowl first and made a decent start with some speedy bowling from Louis, Luke and Rupert. Andy R then arrived on the scene ....... to shore up the fielding ? Wickets begin to tumble with Louis taking 1, Rupert 2, and later Paul taking 3 for 17.
They were batting very well and steadily increasing the runs - making us bowl and field hard. THINGS HAD TO CHANGE - so Captain Marvel played a master stroke & brought on MR A J GREEN to demolish the remaining 5 wickets for 16. They reached 145 for 26 overs. 2 classic catches from Mr Sharp.
Interval for tea ........... where we were rationed to 1 roll each (they were v nice so more next time please !!), a few crisps, chocolates, and a classic tomota in vinaigrette sauce. But no plates.
We then went into bat with Sharp and Yorke opening ....... their bowling was very fast and furious and again they made us work hard, Yorke tumbled and Matt did has usual 2 hours at the wicket (tapping & teasing !! like he does with the ladies) and got a memorable 19, the rest did well but their bowling was too strong for us. Matt was looking for a partner (aren't we all) to help him and Rupert did just that with a sturdy 21. After this is was sadly all down hill. We ended up with 104 for 34 overs.
Man of the Match - Ashley Green for his 5 wicket haul
Report by Mark E Smith

Sunday June 29th Kingfisher CC

Kingfisher CC 214 (35 overs) Balham 52 all out (19 overs).
So the game on Sunday started off well for us. Good bowling from Toby, Louis, Luke and Rupert had them struggling early on. I don't have the scorebook but I think they were about 90 - 7 at one point. Unfortunately a couple of their lower order batsmen could hit the ball quite cleanly and although we did get them all out in the 35th and last over the score had moved onto 214. Luke took 3 wickets, Kerry got a couple. We fielded well. Some good catches in the outfield. We dropped a couple close in. But, hey, no ones perfect.
Kerry and Toby provided an excellent tea. With plates.
Chasing 214 off 35 overs was going to be a challenge and, fortunately for those who wanted to get away to watch the football, we didn't rise to it. I believe that Rupert was the only one who got into double figures. We were all out for 50ish and all felt quite dispirited at the end.
To be fair they were a decent side. Everyone bowled and fielded well but they still got 200+. They had four bowlers who were all very accurate and did a bit off the pitch. All bowling at a pace that whilst not worrying was quick enough to make you concentrate. Good in the field as well. Annoyingly they were also a nice bunch.
Man of the Match - Luke Henry for 3 for 35
Report by Richard Yorke

Saturday July 5th Spelthorne Melrose CC

Balham 192 for 8 (35 overs) Spelthorne Melrose CC 103 (18 overs) .
A good toss to win for me, given that the combined technological might of Ross's Tom-Tom and Mitchell's BlackBerry meant that their car was near Sandown racecourse instead of Kempton, five minutes before play was due to start, with half the team on board.
But a surprisingly steady start to the innings was made nevertheless, in a gorgeous setting between the A308 dual carriageway and the water treatment works. Even more surprisingly, the middle order did what middle orders are supposed to do and added some more runs. Even the tail wagged. Pick of the batsmen was Adam with 42 (ish), with Ross getting 33, and John 30-odd (I think). We ended up on 192 for 8 after 35 overs, with just about everyone chipping in - a proper innings finally.
After a filling tea, and an enthusiastic round of catching practice, we took the field and Louis and Luke quickly steamed in to have them about 24 for 5 after 6 overs. Game over at that point really. The rest of their wickets trickled away over the next 12 overs or so and they were all out for 103, giving us a win by 89 runs. The last wicket was taken by Mr Ross, who demonstrated a hitherto unknown ability to hold onto a rapidly-moving cricket ball - probably because it was off his own bowling and would have embedded itself in his nasal cavity if he hadn't took it.
Man of the Match - Luke Henry for 4 for 'not many'
Report by Paul Craven