The Grove started the 2010 season where they left off in 2009 with an emphatic victory. Gateway were the opposition and they decided to bat after winning the toss on a cold and grey spring afternoon. 

Kiln opened the bowling with a fiery opening spell. Unluckily he  saw three catches go to ground. At the other end Mark Fiore was straight amongst the wickets picking up 2 for 19. Wickets fell regularly and only a fifty run partnership for the 10th wicket saw Gateway through to 151 all out. Liam Hammond picked up 2 for 19, Shane Carroll 2 for 20 and 14 year old debutant Billy Martins bagged 2 for10 from 4 tight overs.

Martins and Hammond opened The Grove reply in a makeshift opening partnership. Martins made a fine 30 only to be piped for man of the match by Hammond who batted sublimely for 68 with 10 fours. Wicketkeeper Chris Beard followed up his three catches with a quick fire 33 as The Grove ran out comfortable winners by 6 wickets with 7 overs to spare.

The Grove went down by 4 wickets away at Petts Wood on Sunday. Winning the toss and batting first The Grove put on a well compiled 197 for 5. At 19-3 things were not so rosy but a steadying partnership of 83 by Chris Beard (48) and Mark Fiore (27) put The Grove back on track. Then a hastily struck 85 run partnership between Shane Carroll (58 not out) and Kiln (32 not out) saw The Grove through to 197-5.

A good batting track, 3 no balls that took wickets and a couple of heavy downpours all helped Petts Wood to their win with 4 overs to spare, with Paul Hartley picking up 2-17 and Kiln 2-37.

On a shocking pitch at Bexleyheath CC Irving beat The Grove by 28 runs. Carroll took 2-10, Kiln 2-13 & Winterman 2-22. Chairman Sticky top scored with 13. Mark Fiore's contribution to the match was

The Grove v Bexley - June 6 2010

The Grove returned to action this week away at Bexley CC. 

Winning the toss and electing to bat The Grove were quickly in trouble at 7 - 2, but unbeknown at the time something special was brewing. After coming tantalisingly close to a first Grove ton last year with 99, Chris Beard single handedly turned things around with a truly magnificent 123.

21 boundaries were plundered to all parts of the ground as Bexley bowler after Bexley bowler came, saw and was conquered. Jon Steel (19) and Mark Fiore (23) were the main support acts but the day belonged to Beard.

The Grove were all out for 196, leaving Bexley to score at 5 an over for the win. Bexley looked comfortable for most of their innings but very tidy spells from Ty Meaney (1-24), Kiln (0-24) and Paul Hartley (2-37) meant 21 were required from the last 4 overs. 21 turned into 2 from 1 ball and a last ball single meant the rare result of a tie.

Beard also picked up a sharp caught behind and a stumping to complete a man of the match performance.

Things also hotted up in the duck cup with the following;

Mark Hammond     Paul Hartley     Mark Payne

The Grove lost a closely fought match at Nuxley on Sunday, going down by two wickets with just 9 balls left.

Nuxley asked The Grove to bat on a difficult wicket after 20 overs only 44 were on the board. Things improved in the latter part of the innings with Mark Fiore top scoring with 39, supported mainly by Ty Meaney with 19. Some quick runs by the tail including 26 not out from Kiln & 19 not out from Paul Hartley saw The Grove through to sound score of 157-7.

A good fielding effort and a regular fall of wickets kept The Grove in the match as Nuxley closed in on their target. Kiln took 2-20, T Meaney 2-31 and Carroll 2-28, but ultimately too many extras cost us dear and Nuxley hit the winning runs in the 39th over. 

The Grove v Hayes - June 20 2010

The Grove lost again on Sunday going down by 25 runs to Hayes. In a first fixture at a picturesque ground The Grove won the toss and inserted the opposition. Hayes got off to a flyer but were pegged back by The Groves 4 bowlers who battled hard for their 10 overs a piece. Hayes finished their 40 overs on 192 with Jon Steel taking 3-38, Shane Carroll 2-36, Liam Hammond 2-38 and Kiln 2-49.

The Grove reply was slow and never really gathered momentum. 44 from Steel being the highlight. As the overs ticked away and the run rate rose The Grove finished on 167-9

The Grove v Gravesham - July 4 2010

The Grove returned to winning ways with a 72 run destruction of Gravesham. The Grove chose to bat first on a dry grassless wicket and some stunning stroke play from Mohendra (29) and Chris Beard (31) got the run rate off to a good start. With 100 from the first 20 overs things looked good but a middle order collapse had The Grove in a little trouble before a drug induced 36 from Paul Hartley who belied his 50+ years and a career best 11 from Daniel Gray saw The Grove through to 172 all out.

The Gravesham reply never got started as a fired up Kiln ripped into the top order with a hostile spell of fast bowling as wicket after wicket tumbled. Man of the Match Kiln ended up with his best figures of 6-15 from 5 overs and clearly riled the opposition who just couldn't handle is pace. Liam Hammond picked up three catches and a wicket while new comer Ben Markey picked up 2-41 on debut. The result was never in doubt after Kiln's opening spell and when Carroll picked up the last wicket a 72 run win was secured.

The Grove were destroyed by 97 runs by Oakhill on a humid Sunday afternoon. The highlights were 3 wickets a piece for Shane Carroll & Liam Hammond and a Grove best score of 42 by Gary Ash, in an innings of pure magnificence. Shots all around the ground had both sides in awe of this truly wondrous event. Gary was poetry in motion, a sight to behold and a coaching manual for every shot in the book. Chairman Sticky also chipped in with 29 as did Kiln with 36 but all to no avail as a very mediocre bowling and fielding performance let The Grove down.

The Grove v Eden Park - July 18 2010

The Grove chalked up a good win against Eden Park in a high scoring game with the bat most definitely ruling the ball. Winning the toss and batting first The Grove were in early trouble as both openers departed without scoring. Then in walked Mark Payne who promptly set about plundering the opposition bowling all around the wicket. A procession of fours and sixes prevailed as Mark's superb strokeplay saw him chalk up 74 magnificent runs. Mark Fiore batted with class and great timing for a quick fire 58 not out and with 36 not out from Kiln and 20 from Shane Carroll The Grove got through to a massive 230-6 from 35 overs at 6.5 an over.

The Eden Park reply was good on a batsmens wicket and they kept up with the run rate although wickets did fall regularly. New comer Ben Markey picked up 2-42, Kiln 2-23 and old timer Paul Hartley a respectable 3-22 as Eden Park's innings closed on 201-9 marking a 29 run win for The Grove.

The Grove v Roan Lambethians - July 25 2010

The Grove had an impressive win against Roan Lambethians in the final July fixture of the season. Winning the toss and batting first saw Mark Fiore hit a 2nd consecutive 50 and the returning Lee Meaney a classy 57. Along with a quick fire 27 from Jon Steel the Grove were all out for 204. Jon Steel completed an all rounder performance with 3-31 but it was paceman Kiln who once again stepped up and took 5-29 including a catch of the season caught and bowled. The Grove ran out comfortable winners by 79 runs.

The Grove v Horton Kirby - August 01 2010

The Grove struck up a third consecutive victory with a 44 run win at Horton Kirby. The Grove were inserted on what looked a decent bowling track but the Horton Kirby bowlers came up against the rocks of Colin Bruin (40), Lee Meaney (73 not out) and Mark Fiore (79) as The Grove top order, with a superb display, set a total of 224 for the hosts.  The run chase had momentum but regular wickets fell and only two batsmen troubled the scorers. Liam Hammond picked up 3-29, Kiln 2-28 and Shane Carroll 2-28 as The Grove completed a comfortable victory. 

Special mention to Kiln who was out first ball to the bowling of a 15 year old girl. Well done Kiln!!!!!!!

The Grove v Farningham - August 8 2010

The Grove slugged it out with Farningham on Sunday with all three results a possibility right down to the last over. The Grove won the toss and batted first with Liam Hammond hitting an impressive 37. Then in form batsmen Mark Fiore and Lee Meaney with their 4th and 3rd consecutive half centuries respectively and steered The Grove through to an impressive 180-5 from 36 overs.

Very tight opening spells from Kiln & Shane Carroll restricted the Farningham run chase early on with only 22 coming from the first 10 overs. Farningham did pick up the pace though and with 4 overs left 28 were needed. Kiln bowled well at the death and managed to restrict the run chase to 170 to give The Grove a 10 run, 4th consecutive win and only the 2nd against this opposition.

Mohendra  

The Grove v Sherwood - August 22 2010

The Grove kept up there perfect August with a 35 run win against Sherwood. Lee Meaney & Mark Fiore were again the top scorers as The Grove made 142 all out batting first. Fiore and Paul Hartley bowled superbly for four wickets a piece as Sherwood were bowled out for 107.

Golden ducks for Paul Harltley   and Daniel Gray

The Grove v Eynsford - August 29 2010

Lost by 8 wickets, L Hammond 21, S Carroll 18.

Chris Beard     Mark Fiore      Ben Markey

 The Grove v Luddesdown - September 5 2010

The Grove had an impressive win away at Luddesdown on Sunday. After losing the toss and fielding first The Grove had the opposition in immediate trouble as Kiln clean bowled one of their openers. A great fielding effort saw wickets fall regularly with Liam Hammond picking up 3-22, Kiln 2-9 and Shane Carroll 2-21. Luddesdown were all out for 92 after 34 overs including 13 maidens.

The Grove batted well on a tricky surface with opener Sticky providing the early glue to the innings despite being dropped 4 times. Lee Meaney hit another impressive knock of 34 not out supported by Carroll (17) who hit the only six of the match. A 5 wicket win was wrapped up in plenty of time for several beers before night fell on another Grove triumph.

Another Grove colt made his 1st team debut with James Meaney providing some important run saving stops in the outfield.

Mark Fiore

 The Grove v Wilmington - September 12 2010

The Grove went down to Wilmington by 5 wickets in a fractious affair. Wilmington batted first and a strong batting line up put on 185-7 in their 40 overs. Kiln bowled well for 2-32 and told one or two batsmen exactly what he thought. A few handbags were exchanged by the time tea was taken.

The Grove reply was at warp speed as Colin Briun (36) and Liam Hammond (25) plundered 60 for the first wicket in 10 overs. A comfortable victory seemed on the cards when the wheels came off in a few overs of madness. Both openers were out having done their job when the middle order of Payne, Meaney, Beard and Fiore imploded for just 10 runs between them. With momentum lost The Grove stumbled through to 134 all out.

 The Grove v Locksbottom - September 26 2010

The Grove had a closely fought encounter with Locksbottom in the final match of the season. Having lost the toss and been asked to bat The Grove started strongly with Chris Beard (40) and Colin Bruin (20) putting on 62 for the 1st wicket. Mark Fiore (25) was the other score of note as The Grove got through to 126-9 in 35 overs.

Kiln again bowled well for 2-26, backed up by Carroll 2-28 and a superb 3-11 from Ty Meaney who ousted the big hitting Locksbottom guest player but not before he hit 39 off of 13 balls including 24 off of one unfortunate Grove over. At 9 down with one run needed and 1.5 overs left the winning runs were hit and the season was over. Just the one duck this week and a golden one at that. Take a bow Paul Hartley