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Second half of the season set to be a cracker for Sevenoaks Vine

Sevenoaks Vine 1st XI travelled to HSBC full of confidence, and hoping to record their fourth win on the bounce.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Vine started steadily with Harry Houillon and Oli Durell looking comfortable at the crease. Durell would fall for 12 off the bowling of Nick Wheddon (3-37) who would also pick up the prized wickets of Mike Barber and Luke Schlemmer for 17 and 10 respectively. With Houillon falling for 31, the Vine had not got off to the start they had originally hoped for. The middle order managed to take away the game from the HSBC bowling attack, and along with some lusty blows from the tail, the Vine managed a total of 235-8 from their 50 overs.

The Vine opened up their defence with the experienced seam attack of Miles Richardson and Tom Parsons. Parsons would make the early breakthrough, running out opener Richard Goulbourn for 0, as Parsons got a touch onto the stumps from a well struck drive from Sam Perks. Miles Richardson would take the second wicket, putting the Vine well on top with the score at 38-2. Alan Slater and Perks would provide some resistance, with Slater passing 50 having faced 80 deliveries. The reintroduction of Parsons would see Slater caught by Durell, whilst James Carslaw took the wicket of Perks. With the score 136-4, Karl Pearson entered the attack and produced a hat-trick of the highest quality. HSBC slumped to 136-7 and the game was all but done. Pearson would pick up another wicket, finishing with figures of 4-17 from his six overs. HSBC would eventually be bowled out for 175.

Still sitting in third place, the Vine host league leaders Bexley, who haven’t lost since the Vine empathetically won at Manor Way in week one, knowing a win will certainly place them in good stead to challenge for the Premier League title.

Kent T20 Cup Quarter Final: Sevenoaks Vine (160-2) beat OD CUACO (156-6)
In the Kent T20 Quarter Final, the Vine faced off against OD CUACO on Sunday night, knowing a win would take them to Finals Day for the first time in recent history.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, OD CUACO got off to a flying start, scoring 18 in the first over, who enjoyed the pace of youngster Henry Procter. Taking pace off the ball early on proved vital to the Vine, as the introduction of Chris Vernon saw the dismissal of Jack Abrahams for 14. OD CUACO continued their fine start until Luke Schlemmer got danger man Andrew Ainger stumped for 45, thanks to a tidy piece of glove work from Harry Houillon. The spin of Schlemmer (2-33), Tom Coldman (1-15) and Andrew Reid Dick (0-18) helped pegged back the early OD CUACO onslaught. With some big hitting towards the end of the innings, OD CUACO managed a respectable and defendable 156-6 from their 20 overs.

The Vine chase began in the worst possible fashion, as John Bowden hauled out to mid-off first ball. From then on, it was all the Vine as Luke Schlemmer and Chris Vernon pounced on any loose deliveries from the OD CUACO attack. A partnership worth 119 between the two took the Vine into a winning position, before Vernon fell for 54 from 38. Luke Schlemmer would continue his illustrious strokeplay, surpassing 50 and ultimately finishing on 82*.

The Vine completed their run chase in the penultimate over, only two wickets down, and will now look forward to Finals Day on Sunday 21st July which will be held at The County Ground in Beckenham.

Kent Cricket League Premier 2nd Division: Sevenoaks Vine 2nd (202-4) beat Bromley Common 2nd (201-9)
Sevenoaks Vine 2nd XI moved up to second place in the league at the weekend with a win over Bromley Common.

The Vine lost the toss on a good-looking surface and were asked to bowl first by the opposition captain. Bromley Common started well with the bat and put away some loose deliveries from the Vine openers, reaching 80 before Henry Procter broke the opening stand. Joe Banks tied up one end beautifully and contained a free scoring Bromley side, taking 2 wickets for 22 runs off his ten overs. The Vine continued to win the middle overs, limiting the boundary options and building pressure throughout the innings. With wickets still in hand, it was Evert Bekker who turned it around for the Vine taking 5 for 33 off his 9 overs in a man of the match spell of bowling which restricted Bromley Common to 201 after 50 overs.

In response the Vine lost two wickets early on and found themselves at 21-2 in only the 5th over. Nonetheless, Michael Thompson took the attack to the bowlers and played a well-constructed knock, eventually falling for 77. With Cyrus White falling in quick succession for 41, it was up to Joe Banks (47 not out) and Chad Quinney (15 not out) to knock off the remaining runs in the 36th over. This 6-wicket win takes the Vine to within 12 points of leaders Bexley, who will face each other in a top of the table clash this coming weekend. 

Kent Regional Cricket League 2A Central: Snodland Community (131 all out) lost to Sevenoaks Vine 3rd (208 all out)
Sevenoaks Vine 3rd XI added another win to their tally moving clear at the top of their league.

Batting first, openers Dan Martin and Andy Akerman were both out early on as Snodland’s bowlers started well. The introduction of John Bowden at 4, post school speech day, steadied the ship and made a rapid 76. With Bowden at the crease, the Vine were racing as the Vine’s star man found the boundary at will. it seemed that the Vine were set for a big score. The loss of Bowden attempting to reverse sweep a full toss, led to the steady loss of wickets with the lower order with work to do with the score at 153-7. It was the job of Harry Robinson to ensure the Vine reached a defendable total. Robinson batted time, looking to rotate the strike often and punish the bad deliveries. With the help of Will Ansell and Jon Coleman, the Vine added 55 for the last two wickets, with Robinson falling in the penultimate over for 39. The Vine posted 208, which was believed to be more than enough runs to defend.

Robinson would remain in the action early on, as he removed the Snodland opener in the first over. However, Snodland then raced to 60-1 after 11 overs, as Snodland’s captain Adam Flynn seized on any loose delivery. Yet again, the introduction of Byron Cooper-Fogarty changed the game as he picked up three quick wickets, as well as, Johnny Coleman who finally got his first wicket of the season. Adam Flynn, continued to attack but he eventually ran out of partners as John Bowden also picked up three wickets and Dan Martin wrapped up the innings taking the last two wickets in his only over leaving Flynn on 85 not out in a total of 131 all out.

Now sitting 30 points clear of second place, the Vine host Gravesend RF at Orchard Field next week.

Sevenoaks Vine 4th XI defeat Orpington in second match of the season
The newly reformed 4th XI played host to Orpington on Saturday in their second fixture of the season.

The Vine elected to field first having won the toss, and were rewarded with wickets from youngsters Freddie Smith (three wickets), Henry Smith and Charles Taylor. With a few decent partnerships, Orpington reached 214 from their 35 overs, with Sridhar Javagal starring with the bat with 61.

In return, The Vine started well with Nigel Taylor (75) looking particularly impressive. The experience of the Orpington bowlers proved too much for the young Vine side; despite this, the Vine were always up with the run rate. The introduction of Will House (45*) and his son Harry helped the Vine over the line, and the Vine completed the run chase two overs to spare. The 4th XI have two wins from two, in their first games since 2007.

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