ãpdtta 2002

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

JUNIORS - DIVISION 1B

 Dorset 7-3 Somerset

Match report submitted by Mike Smith

Before Saturday 22^nd March, the Dorset county junior team of Neil Cartwright, James Whitehorn, Thomas Andrews, Joy Whitehorn and Ellen Turner were lying second in division 2b of the county championships, one point behind the leaders Buckinghamshire, and with two matches in hand. 

Dorset had to win one of their last two matches to win the division and secure the only promotion place to division 1.

On the 15^th March Dorset was due to play Kent, and we were counting on a fairly comfortable victory. However, Kent could not field a team so it caused me a few problems. I did not feel right in claiming the points because that would give us automatic promotion. On the other hand, we could not offer Kent another date before the deadline set by Les Smith, the County Championship Administrator. So to avoid any controversy, we had to beat a pretty strong Somerset team.

I felt reasonable confident at the beginning of the week. Then I discovered that James Whitehorn had had an argument with a football, or his brother, or both, and had a very badly bruised playing hand. The hand was so bad that on Wednesday, he could not hold a bat. On Thursday I checked with Neil Cartwright to see if he was OK for the match. His father, Malcolm, told me that he was suffering from ‘flu, and while I was on the phone Neil managed to drop a television on his foot. Don’t ask. I don’t want to know.

Anyway, I asked Charlie Joyce to stand by in case he was needed. My personal thanks to Charlie. Although he has not played for the county this year he has always been ready to stand by in case he is needed, and he is a pretty good player to boot.

So what about the match? We won!

The swelling of James’s hand had gone down by Saturday and Neil was OK to play, even though he was puffing and wheezing and looking a bit like a boiled lobster. The team pulled out all the stops and gave their all. I have to give them all credit. It was a tremendous match and they deserve to be champions of division 2 of the county championships.

Whether we will get round to playing Kent, I don’t know.

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