Fri Ibiza v Mallorca
Sat Mallorca v Menorca
Sun Menorca v Ibiza

Good luck to all the teams!

Once again, we had some brilliant and exciting matches with some excellent touring teams – one, in particular that stands out for me were the Fiddlers Team from Berkshire where, in  two very close games we won both, including, in the first game, with them needing 6 runs to win off the last ball, their skipper was bowled going for the winning runs. Another great game followed in the second match as we were bowled out for 133, our lowest total of the season but  then came back with a superlative fielding performance and against all the odds and expectations, won by 14 runs to keep our winning run going. Apart from that, we won all our remaining games at home and also by some seriously big margins – 3 by 150 runs plus and another three by more than 5 wickets, a testament to the belief, competitiveness and talent in our squad.

We ended our season, as always, in Alfas, and just to cap the season off, won both games, the first time in 17 years that that has happened and have now, incredibly, beaten Alfas three times in succession.

So, in summary, we’ve had some incredible performances this season, both individual and as a team. On the batting side, we scored a total of 2759 runs from 14 innings with our best scores being 293 for 7 and 272 for 3 – that gives us an average innings score of 197 which is amazing. And in the field, again, some great individual bowling performances, backed up by excellent fielding and some of the catches I have witnessed have been of the highest calibre including Shaggy’s brace against Highgate, Bob’s brace against Hearsall and Dan’s caught and bowled against 1-in-12. They say “catches win matches” and this has certainly been the case for us this season with a total of 46 safely pouched!

We are now on a roll, having won our last 12 games since Mallorca back in May and we finished the season with a record of winning 12 out of 14, possibly the most successful season that we have ever had. Interestingly, 30 guys have played for us this year and, for the first time, again in my memory, we have used 19 different bowlers, including 10 in one match – testament not only to the size of our squad but also to all the players commitment.

Highs of the season – quite a few, but in particular, on the batting side, Adam Johnston’s incredible belligerence and consistency and who could forget his wonderful 123 not out against 1-in-12 including 21 boundaries – or indeed, his 5 sixes in one over against Fiddlers; Bob’s serene and some would say, God-given, talent and application and Graham Cooper’s wonderful match-winning 85 out of a total of 166 against West Hallam. On the bowling side, Jim Harvey’s 3 for 7, all 3 in an over against Hearsall, Sam Feazey’s 3 for 8 and  Shahid’s 4 for 12 against West Hallam and finally, Robin’s 4 for 21 against Highgate.

The funniest moment of the season – this has to be an incident that occurred during the Sunday match in Alfaz – with the scores level,  and our opening batsman John sportingly retiring after a good 50, stand-in skipper Graham had engineered it, so that Paul, promoted from No 11, was sent in to bat so that he could have the honour of scoring the winning run; facing his first ball he delicately played a defensive shot behind him and called “no” not realising that Sam Gooda at the other end, enthusiastic to the end, had backed up halfway down the pitch and as he ran, he screamed at Paul to run, but Pabs, now over 40 and not being as mobile as he used to be, scrambled towards the other end but, unfortunately and much to everyone’s mirth, was run out by a direct hit and had to leave the field, swearing at Sam and all and sundry, but still with the  scores tied and it was left to the next batsman to score the winning run. Oh, the joys of this wonderful game!

And so to our annual awards:

Batsman of the Year– as already mentioned, we have had some exceptional performances this year, with great contributions from Bob Short – scoring a total of 376 runs and Graham Cooper with 203 but the award this year goes to a player who has shown consistency, maturity, aggression and great application, as he not only scored a grand total of 551 runs in only 8 innings, with an average of 92 but has also hit two centuries and narrowly missed a third by only 2 runs – our Batsman of the Year is Adam Johnston

Bowler of the Year and again we have had some great contributions – Sam Feasey  taking 13 wickets, Robin with his customary 12, Dan for his 10, Jim and yours truly for our 9 apiece, but this year’s award goes to a bowler who not only took 16 wickets over the season but also had the best average of 12 runs per wicket, consistently bowling great line and length and I am delighted to declare that our Bowler of the Year is Graeme Cooper

Players Player of the Year,  voted by the players themselves and as usual the task fell to me to collate the private votes, and  I will also add that this award has again been sponsored by Stewart and we thank him for his contribution. The voting was very close but the award goes, by a short head, to a player who has not only played in every game this season but has also contributed in an all-round way; with a total of 203 runs scored, 16 wickets taken and 8 well-taken catches, as well as handling with great dedication and enthusiasm, the extra burden of stand-in captaincy when I have been either injured or on holiday – it therefore gives me great pleasure in announcing that our Players Player of the Year is Graeme Cooper.

Our final award is the Adrian Ireland Memorial Trophy for the Captains Player of the Year . Again and as last year, this was always going to be a very difficult decision for me, as there have been so many great contributions this year but, in my wisdom, I have decided that this award should go to a player who has played in every game, attended every training session, performed admirably and consistently throughout the season with an all-round contribution of over a hundred runs, some important wickets and some athletic fielding, coupled with his boundless enthusiasm and commitment to the club and I am delighted to announce that  the Adrian Ireland Memorial Trophy as my Player of the Year, goes to Sam Gooda.

To conclude, I have thoroughly enjoyed this successful season as skipper and I am incredibly proud of all of you who have contributed in no uncertain way to this success and I personally feel that we, as a Club, are heading in the right direction. Not only would I like to thank all our players for a great season but also my fellow committee members, Martin, as Chairman, Lyn as Treasurer, Paul as Social Secretary and Robin as Press Secretary, and last but not least, Mike as our Scorer, for  their sterling work throughout the season. Long may that continue!

IBIZA C.C. WINS the ANDREW BOND CUP vs SPORTING ALFAS C.C.!

As mentioned in skipper “Silver Jez” Parmenter’s UK sports report last week, Ibiza C.C. has just returned from a very successful and unprecedented trip to Benidorm to play the annual fixtures against Sporting Alfas C.C., the 2011 Spanish league champions for both the 1st and 2nd XI teams. The matches went as follows:

Saturday 12th November. 30 overs match Ibiza vs Alfas 1st XI

It was agreed between skippers Kevin “BigMe” Laundon and Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper (replacing the injured Jeremy  Parmenter) that Ibiza would bat first, and openers Adam “BigMan” Johnston with guest player Johnnie “Flash” Gordon started confidently enough with a steady 45 run stand, but then several wickets were lost in quick succession. At 66/3 after 14 overs, anything was possible with the Ibiza touring batting line-up, but Adam Johnston had other ideas and started to gain confidence by hitting regular boundaries, combining well in a 119 run partnership with Robin “Robiño” Parmenter, who managed to bat patiently for once with an unbeaten 35, thanks to regular encouragement from his abler partner. “BigMan” Johnston passed his fifty and went on to score his second century of the season with a well struck 107 (including two huge sixes), before falling to a ripper in the 29th over, with the score on 185/4. Ibiza finished on 194/5 off their 30 overs, setting Alfas a target of over a run a ball to win. All the Sporting Alfas bowlers contributed, namely Spencer “Longpod” Dawes (1/19), Kevin “BigMe” Laundon (1/24), Phil “Tupenny”Pennick (1/26), Kieron “KPeanut”Herman (1/34) and brother Jack “Crackerjack” Herman (1/9).

Sporting Alfas then batted and showed why they are the best league team in Spain, in spite of losing a couple of 1st XI players to the 20/20 tournament at La Manga on the same weekend. Opener Geoff “The Wall” Evans showed his usual patience and batting style with a steady 24, and was ably supported by Phil “Tupenny” Pennick with 28, but when their wickets fell, Alfas still needed 100 runs to win at around 9 runs per over. Spencer “Longpod” Dawes with 73 not out and skipper Kevin Laundon (22) then combined in an aggressive 59 run partnership which threatened to take the game away from Ibiza, but once the latter went with the score on 154/4, the asking rate climbed, and Alfas still needed 32 off the last two overs. Spencer Dawes did his best with 3 boundaries in the penultimate over, including a massive six, to bring the target down to 15 off the final over, to be bowled by Stuart “White Rose” Browne. He kept his calm and bowled several dot balls, allowing only 5 runs off the over, thus helping Ibiza to get home by 9 runs, and win the Andrew Bond Cup for the first time since it was created 17 years ago. All Ibiza bowlers did their best to keep the pressure on the Alfas batsmen, and  Johnnie “Flash”Gordon (1/31), Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper (1/33), Robin “Robiño” Parmenter (1/31) and Sam “Buddha” Gooda (2/49) contributed to the wickets.
Needless to say, a few beers were shared afterwards, and Sporting Alfas Chairman and Skipper Kevin Laundon was gracious in defeat, promising to win the trophy back next year. Ibiza Chairman Martin “Shaggy” Makepeace was understandably happy, praising the sporting spirit in which the game was played, and the introduction of several younger Alfas players to the Saturday match, which evened up the odds given that Ibiza was also missing 4/5 regular players, including their injured skipper Jeremy “Silver Jez” Parmenter, who alternatively scored and umpired over the two days.

Sunday 13th November 25 overs match Ibiza vs Alfas 2nd XI

After the traditional night of “fasting” and “abstinence” following the Saturday game, in order to maintain enough energy for the Sunday game (!), one always wonders which Ibiza team will turn up, and in this case, which Sporting Alfas team as well. A minute’s silence was observed for Remembrance Sunday before play got underway, and this time Alfas batted first. As usual Geoff “The Wall” Evans was there to thwart the Ibiza bowlers’ efforts with a determined 54, but he was not supported as well by his team-mates this time, plus it must be said that the Ibiza players were unusually alert in the field and bowled economically too, so that there was constant pressure on the batsmen and wickets fell regularly. Thus, after 25 overs, Sporting Alfas were restricted to 115/9, thanks to contributions from Johnnie “Flash” Gordon (1/10), “Robiño” Parmenter (2/18), Sam “Buddha” Gooda (1/11), Stuart “White Rose” Browne (2/24) and Shahid “Dr Airhead”Hanan (2/27).
Ibiza then batted with openers Adam Johnston (33 not out) and Johnnie Gordon (50 not out) scoring at a steady 5 runs per over in a 55 run partnership, before Adam retired hurt after going for a big drive. Johnnie continued to score runs regularly to reach his fifty, well supported by Sam Gooda (17 not out), before the former was retired by skipper “Bagpipes” Cooper with the scores level, to allow well known Ibiza socialite and playboy Paul “Pabs” Ambrose to score the winning run. However, Pabs managed to get himself run out immediately, to the amusement of the Ibiza team and supporters, and it was left to the next batsman to hit the required run, Ibiza winning by 9 wickets with 8 overs remaining.

Ibiza therefore won both weekend matches against Sporting Alfas for the the first time in the club’s history of visiting Benidorm at the end of the season, thus continuing their extraordinary run of 12 consecutive victories in the 2011 season, after the initial disappointing losses to Mallorca and Menorca in May 2011, the club finishing with the match figures of played 14, won 12, lost 2. Long may this continue, and congratulations to all the players over the season who have contributed to make this a team effort overall, which would not have been possible however, without the unwavering support of Ibiza’s own “Barmy Army” from the island and the UK (we all know who you are-just have a look on facebook!), and the organisation of tours by Chairman Martin Makepeace, the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of skipper Jeremy Parmenter, the financial control of treasurer Lyn Carpenter, the rest of the committee Pabs Ambrose and “Robiño” Parmenter, not forgetting scorer Mike Lynch’s regular presence. And last, but not least, many thanks to those players making the effort to come over from the UK to join the team in Benidorm, namely, Steve “Bigbigman”Balmforth, Stuart “White Rose” Browne, Shahid “Dr Airhead” Hanan, Cocoa Fowler, Johnnie “Flash”Gordon, Stephen “Kronk” Wilson (who even played for the opposition!) and umpire Bob “Howzat” Cairns.
Look forward to seeing you all next year, all the best till then!
RP Hood.

11th October 30 overs per side.

Ibiza lost the toss and were put in to bat first by Fiddlers skipper Mike “Silver Fox” Salmon. Ibiza openers Adam “Big man” Johnston (86) and Sam “Easyjet” Feasey (24) got off to a solid start with a 60 run partnership, which was then followed up by an even better one of 127 runs by Bob “The vicar” Short with 105 not out and Andy “Kiwi” Davies with 36 not out. This set up a very challenging total of 272/3 off 30 overs, over 9 runs per over, which was above the average score on the San José pitch and a target that Ibiza expected to defend. Fiddlers bowlers Mike Salmon (2/63) and Simon “Milky bar kid” Larter (1/40) took the only wickets.
So Ibiza took to the field in confident mood, but forgot to take into account the aggressive batsmen in the visiting side. Thus several Fiddlers batsmen got good scores, thanks to Chris “Smurf” Smith (58), Luke “Shrek” Woodland (57 not out), Chris “Iceman” Mason (50), John “Hurricane”Hewitt (35), and skipper Mike “Silver Fox” Salmon (30), and Ibiza had their worst day in the field and bowling this season, letting through half a dozen boundaries that would have been stopped on another day. In fact Fiddlers still needed 73 runs off 5 overs, and managed to keep hitting boundaries until the last over, thanks in particular to Chris Smith, Luke Woodland and Mike Salmon, and could have won the match with a six off the last ball of the innings, bowled by Ibiza skipper Jeremy “Silver Jez” Parmenter. The latter kept calm however and bowled his opposite number in an exciting and very tense finish, with Ibiza scraping to a win by 5 runs, Fiddlers finishing on 267/7. Ibiza bowlers Sam Feasey,Robin Parmenter, Bob Short and Sam Gooda contributed a wicket each, while Jeremy Parmenter (2/55) and Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper (2/31) stood out.

13th October 30 overs per side.

Ibiza were once again put into bat first, and, with several key batsmen missing this time, needed to play sensibly and score regularly. However, as can so often happen in this strange English game of cricket, Ibiza were soon down to 38 for 4, and wondering if they would get to 100 runs. However, middle order batsmen Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper with 46 and Tom “Builder” Hoddle with 29 combined to keep their heads down, adding 79 runs together which brought the score up to 117 for 5. Unfortunately, once they were out, Ibiza quickly lost wickets to finish on 133 all out off 27 overs, less than half their score in the earlier game. Fiddlers bowlers Luke Woodland (2/16), Simon Larter (2/24), and Nigel “Jointy” Haines (3/19) all stood out, while Chris Mason and David “Woody” Woodworth contributed a wicket each.

Then it was Fiddlers turn to bat, and, compared to the huge target of the match before, felt confident that 134 runs at 4.6 runs per over was quite achievable, in spite of losing one of their all rounders to alcohol poisoning. However, Ibiza were determined to do their best to defend their modest score, and had more bowlers to use this time around. In addition their fielding was more alert than before, and pressure was applied from the beginning. Thus, in spite of a typically aggressive 36 from Fiddlers opener John “Hurricane” Hewitt, the scoring rate was restricted by tight bowling, and the visitors reached the halfway point on 60/3. But then several wickets fell quickly, putting more pressure on the lower order batsmen to maintain the run rate. Despite this, with their two batsmen who had scored so quickly in the first game, Luke Woodland (16) and Mike Salmon (20) batting together, a Fiddlers win was still the most likely outcome, until the former was bowled gojng for a big hit, with the score on 104/7. This swung the match Ibiza’s way, and Fiddlers then lost their remaining wickets for 15 runs, ending on 119 all out in 28 overs, with Ibiza coming out the winners by 14 runs in another enthralling contest. Ibiza bowlers all performed well, with Jeremy Parmenter (4/24), Tom Hoddle (3/26) standing out, and Graham Cooper, Robin “Hood” Parmenter taking a wicket each and bowling some maiden overs to keep the pressure on the visitors’ batsmen.

The matches were both played in the friendly and sporting way that epitomizes Ibiza cricket, and were both very closely contested, with both teams able to win right to the end, and Ibiza just pipping the visitors. It was Fiddlers first visit to Ibiza  and many thanks to their organiser David “Woody” Woodworth and skipper Mike “Silver Fox” Salmon (another silver haired veteran!) for managing to get a team to the island for over a week’s stay. We look forward to welcoming them all back in the near future.

All the best, RP Hood.

Ibiza skipper “Jezza” Parmenter won the toss taken with Kennington captain David “Jagger” Finch and decided to bat first.  As in the T20 match played the previous weekend, Ibiza got off to a rapid start, with openers Martin “Coops” Cooper (29) and Sam “Easyjet” Feasey scoring freely. When they fell, the run rate was maintained at around 8 per over with 24 from Bob “the Vicar” Short and 41 from Andy “Harvey” Nicholls, before they also went with some alert fielding/bowling from Kennington, so that Ibiza finally closed on 161 for 6 off 20 overs. Kennington bowlers C.”Watto” Watts with 3/15 and G. “Ali G” Langford (2/33) stood out with their contributions. Other members (who shall be nameless!) of the touring side also stood out with their costumes, one being dressed as a banana, another wearing a nappy, and several dying their hair with orange spots!

Kennington then batted and were put under pressure immediately by some tight bowling and fielding from Ibiza, so that they were always behind the required run rate, scoring at 6 per over, and losing regular wickets. However, an aggressive and well struck 52 from Rob “Rhino” Isles upped the run rate and gave some hope to the visiting side, until he was well caught at deep mid-wicket, going for another boundary and leaving Kennington on 77/7. After this, the remaining batsmen went rapidly, with Kennington finishing on 92 all out and Ibiza winning by 69 runs. All Ibiza bowlers participated, with Sam Feasey obtaining 3/22, Andy Nicholls 3/17, Graham Cooper 2/24, and Jeremy Parmenter 2/2.

This was the first T20 match of two in the same day for Ibiza, and it was good to see the hosts continue in the same way as the previous weekend. The Ibiza team needed to maintain their focus as the second T20 match was scheduled to start only 45 minutes later.

IBIZA vs HIGHGATE TAVERNERS C.C. (N.LONDON)

1st October second T20 match

Ibiza again batted first, but did not get off to the rapid starts of the previous T20 matches, even falling to 59 for 5 after 9 overs, before recovering thanks to solid batting from Andy “Harvey” Nicholls (33), Shahid “Live wire” Hanan (38), and Sam “Buddha” Gooda (23 not out) and managing to get to 130 all out off 19 overs. This target was somewhat short of what Ibiza would have liked to get, thanks to some tight bowling from Highgate, notably Richard “Crip” Owen with 3/25, Graham “Faux chef” Collingridge 2/7, and Adam “Cardinal Nons” Pervoe with 2/27.

Then it was Highgate’s turn to bat, and Ibiza maintained their earlier intensity in the field, restricting the run rate to well below the required one of 6.5 per over. While this can change quickly in T20 cricket, 3 Highgate wickets then fell in the seventh over, including their two best batsmen, and at 26 for 5 after 9 overs, it was always going to be an uphill task, with 100 runs still needed off 10 overs. Ibiza bowlers Jim “Jimbo” Harvey with 2/14 and Robin “Hood” Parmenter  with 4/21 stood out, while Andy Nicholls, Sam Feasey and Graham Cooper all contributed a wicket each, and Ibiza ran out winners by 67 runs.

KENNINGTON C.C. vs HIGHGATE TAVERNERS C.C.

2nd October 3rd match 30 overs per side.

The next day the two touring sides, having played Ibiza, then played each other. Kennington captain David “Jagger” Finch won the toss against Highgate captain Chris “Twiggy” Hill and chose to field first. Highgate began well, thanks to an aggressive 70 from opener David “Putters” Danos, but lost wickets regularly, so that, despite useful knocks from Jeremy “Doggy” Smith with 36 and 19 from skipper Chris Hill, alert fielding from Kennington restricted their final score to 165/5. Kennington bowler Graham “Ali G” Langfield (2/16) was the most economical, while C.Watts and R.Isles contributed a wicket each.

Kennington then batted, and although they did not allow the run rate to climb too much, slumped to 101 for 7 after 21 overs. They therefore needed another 65 runs off 9 overs, with only 3 wickets in hand, and few spectators thought that they would achieve this target. However, a determined innings of 37 not out from Steve “Hamster” Elliott, following on from 33 from Chris “Watto” Watts, and supported by two lower order batsmen who did not panic, allowed Kennington to finish on 169 for 8 in the 29th over, winning  a tight contest by 2 wickets.  Highgate bowlers B.”Golden crab” Milligan (3/13) and J. “Bivouac” Beckett (3/57) stood out, while D.Danos and J.Smith contributed a wicket apiece.

This was a busy and entertaining weekend of cricket, and it was a real pleasure for Ibiza to host two touring sides at the same time. Many thanks from Ibiza C.C., Chairman Martin Makepeace, and Skipper Jeremy Parmenter go to both visiting teams’ organisers and captains for managing to get here during a busy month of September, and we hope you enjoyed the cricket, as well as the organised dinner together at La Casita and the other Ibiza attractions on offer!
We look forward to welcoming you back very soon!

All the best,
RP Hood.

24th September T20 match

Stand-in skipper Martin “Shaggy” Makepeace won the toss and decided to bat first against West Hallam, a long standing cricket club founded in 1880 near Derby and coming to Ibiza for the first time. This was to be a 20/20 match so the runs needed to keep flowing, and the necessary impetus was once again given by Adam “Big man” Johnston with a boundary filled 98, following on from his unbeaten century earlier in the week. He was ably supported by Sam “Reggae” Feasey with 44 and  several late boundaries from Sam “Homer” Gooda (17 not out). This enabled Ibiza to set an imposing 175 for 5 after 20 overs. West Hallam skipper and sprightly retiree Roy “Lingy” Ling led their bowling with 2 for 41, and brothers Tom “Tusker” and Junior “Longpod”Lockhart contributed with one wicket each. The West Hallam team was notable today with the Lockhart family, father Jeff and 2 sons playing, which is a rare event, and worth a mention, plus the fact that they are probably the largest touring side to visit Ibiza, with nearly 40 members/players coming to play or watch the matches, as well as support the bar!

Now it was West Hallam’s turn to bat, and while the target was a challenging one, Ibiza also responded with tight bowling and  alert fielding from the start, which has not always been the case. Apart from a few early boundaries, therefore, pressure was applied throughout, and, apart from contributions from J.Porter with 22 and Junior Lockhart (17), West Hallam were not able to maintain the required run rate, and eventually finished on 74 for 9 after 20 overs, Ibiza coming out the winners by 101 runs. All Ibiza bowlers contributed, with Sam Feasey(3/8) and Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper (2/23) standing out, while Robin “Hood” Parmenter, “Desperate” Dan Brennan and Shahid “Take off”Hanan all got a wicket each.

25th September 30 overs per side

Third stand-in Ibiza skipper Graham Cooper and West Hallam’s Tom Lockhart decided that the visitors would bat first. Both teams had changed several players this time round, and with Ibiza missing at least one regular batsman/bowler, the hosts knew that the fielding had to be as sharp as the previous day. So, with West Hallam on 36/4, then 55/4 after 15 overs, Ibiza felt that they were controlling the score well. However, as is often the case with cricket, the second half can change things round, and, thanks to a well built and patient 115 run partnership between Craig “Croggy” Johnstone (67) and Junior “Longpod” Lockhart (61), they looked capable of reaching 180/200. Ibiza fought back with 3 quick wickets at the end though, and managed to restrict the final score to 164/7, despite a couple of dropped catches (including a steepler by yours truly!). New bowlers Will “Horse” Penn with 2/24 (inc a great reflex catch) and Sam Gooda with 2/44 supported the more regular bowlers well, of whom Dan Brennan stood out with 3/22 and Shahid Hanan contributed 1/20.

Ibiza’s batting order was necessarily changed round, and despite a confident start by openers Martin “Coops”Cooper and Steve “Big man” Balmforth, Ibiza were soon 30/3, and 66/3 after 15 overs, so the target of 165 seemed a long way off. But then skipper Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper took control of one end and began to score freely in a spectacular and unexpected innings of 85 not out, supported at the other end by low scoring but steady batting from Robin Parmenter and Shahid Hanan in two partnerships with the skipper that effectively swung the game Ibiza’s way. When the fifth wicket fell on 150, 15 runs were needed off 3 overs, so bowler Dan Brennan helped Graham Cooper to finish the match off in the 29th over, Ibiza winning by 5 wickets. Some West Hallam bowlers appeared to be suffering from the attractions of San Antonio by night, however Paul “Bungalow” Hort (2/19) bowled well and P.Tingle, M.Hill and Jr Lockhart got a wicket each.

This match was very competitive and both great fun to play in and to watch, whatever the result, as it swung one way and the other and the eventual winner was only decided in the last 5 overs. So well done to all for providing an exciting spectacle. Thanks should go to the 4 Ibiza twelth men Neil, Will, Patrick and Robbie for turning out for Ibiza, and for showing so much energy in the field(!), to scorer Mike “Silver pen” Lynch and Lynn “Nightingale” Carpenter for organising sandwiches, drinks and everything else!
And huge thanks to West Hallam and their own “Barmy Army” for choosing Ibiza this time over La Manga or Benidorm, and for supporting the bars so well! We look forward to welcoming you back very soon!

Thats all for now.
Yours RPHood

Ibiza welcomed back with pleasure last year’s friendly (and very social!) touring side from Bradford, the 1 in 12 cricket club, in another 2 match series at almost the same time as in 2010. Stand-in Skipper Bob “the Vicar” Short lost the toss and Ibiza were asked to field first. The 1 in 12 opener Mohammed “Ibby” Ibrar once again showed his form with a classy 61, and, together with their all rounder “Kas” kasim, who scored an aggressive and rapid 88, kept the runs flowing and the rate above 6 per over. “Illy” Ilyas also contributed with a patient 25 to enable 1 in 12 to post a competitive 201 for 7 after 30 overs, thus significantly more than last year’s total of 150 odd. 1 in 12 also introduced a female member Paula Sutcliffe in their team, which is a first for touring teams as far as this writer knows, and she showed a lot of courage when facing the Ibiza bowlers.
Ibiza bowlers generally bowled well, particularly in the last overs when the scoring rate was greatly reduced, and those getting wickets were Jim “Jimbo” Harvey (2/12), “Desperate” Dan Brennan (2/9), Sam “Reggae” Feasey (2/72) and Graham “Bagpipes” Cooper (1/23).

Ibiza then batted, requiring just under 7 runs per over, and, thanks to a spectacular and rapid partnership of 149 runs between Adam “Big Man” Johnston with 123 not out, and 55 from Sam Feasey, broke the back of the target with plenty of overs in hand, scoring at over 9 runs per over. When the first wicket fell, only 53 runs were needed, which Adam Johnston and Martin “Coops” Cooper (22) knocked off by the 21st over, Ibiza winning by 9 wickets, which given the closely competitive matches of last year, was not expected at the start. There was all to play for in the second match therefore.

22nd September 30 overs per side.

This time Ibiza batted first, and while giving some other players a chance up the order, kept up a similar scoring rate as in the previous match. Andy “Kiwi” Davies joined in with a fluent 65, along with Bob Short (63), and both Martin Cooper (37) and Adam Johnston (46) contributed as well.  The 1 in 12 fielders and bowlers  tried hard to stem the flow of runs, with a couple of great catches being held (including a tough chance taken by Paula Sutcliffe), but Ibiza still managed to set a very challenging 293 for 7. The 1 in 12 bowlers and brothers Rob “Kito” Hallows with 3 for 61, and Richard “Cowboy” Hallows with 2 for 65 stood out, Kas Kasim also contributing with 1 for 15.

I in 12 also changed around their batting order for the final round, and did not manage to maintain the required run rate. Their highest scorer from the previous match, Kas Kasim, was not able to bat, and although “Ibby” Ibrahim once again showed his strokeplay with a rapid 37, Richard Hallows supporting him with 23, it was never going to be enough and they were finally all out for 97, with Ibiza winning by 196 runs. The Ibiza bowlers who contributed to the fall of wickets were Shahid “Take off” Hanan with an unusual 4 for 12, along with Dan Brennan (2/32) and Tom “Builder” Hoddle (2/5).

Once again, it was great to welcome 1 in 12 C.C. back to Ibiza in consecutive years, and the cricket was played in the same, friendly sporting way as last year. This time round, Ibiza were too strong overall, but the first match was especially competitive and could have had a different result, but for outstanding batting from the Ibiza openers.
We look forward to welcoming skipper/organiser Craig Williams,  and the 1 in 12 team back next year, and thank them for making the effort to return so soon to Ibiza this year.

Thats it for now,
Yours RP Hood.