HCCC light up a dull day at Mellis

Mellis 139 all out

A Williamson 79, Farrent 22, Arnold 10,

Richards 4 for 24, Hodge 3 for 35

HCCC 140 For 5 32 overs

Hodge 57, Bryant 32, M Atkinson 20.




In the last league game of the season HCCC were away to third placed Mellis and in a game of probably winner takes all to secure second place and promotion the stakes were high but in typical HCCC fashion the team played in the spirit and friendship they always do for each game and with quite a bit of confidence too.

On a cloudy windy but warm day Captain Roberts lost the toss and Mellis decided to bat first. P Richards Nemesis C Farrent opened the batting and with the man averaging over a hundred Hodge and Gwatkin opened the bowling.

Farrent had a quiet start but then hit two big sixes in the usual place when B Atkinson wicket keeper went up behind the stumps and two balls later another attempted big hit went towards the boundary but rushing in was Captain Roberts who took a great catch to dismiss the ever dangerous Farrent for 22.

This brought A Williamson to the crease who has done damage before to HCCC and in a way he did again as he was the lynch pin of the Mellis innings and Skipper Roberts starved him of the bowling where he could with super field placing and tactics.

Gwatkin, Hodge, then Moriarty, and Richards bowled magnificently with the undeniable help of the rest of the team in the fielding department, all season the HCCC ground fielding has been nothing less than superb with people diving and getting there bodies in the way to save runs and put pressure on the opponents. N Rutter had two or three great stops in the field and not a single catch was dropped but Moriarty tried hard to with one of his.

Wickets fell regularly with Richards getting four, Hodge three, Gwatkin one and Moriarty two, and when G Walton took a catch in the deep to dismiss Williamson for a great 79 Mellis were all out for 139 and on a small ground it is no wonder they congratulated HCCC at the break on the superb fielding which saved probably 30 to 40 runs.

After tea in poor light HCCC started there innings and Richards was soon to fall with a excellent caught and bowled for 4. Captain Roberts joined Hodge and began to find a few gaps and start to build those ever so important partnerships. They moved the total to 33 before Roberts was caught behind for 12.

Hodge was joined by W Bryant and played his most important innings of the season with so much at stake his 32 in a partnership of 48 with Hodge took the total to 81 well over half way there and with overs to spare, the next batsman in was M Atkinson who was aware that a HCCC collapse is always just around the corner and with Hodge another partnership was formed one that took the game close to the finishing post.

Hodge got a very deserved fifty and on a pitch where quite a few kept very low in poor light he kept superb concentration and undoubted talent to which credit to him he never gets to big for his boots either, we are lucky to have him in the team.

Sadly the partnership could see HCCC home as Hodge was dismissed for a great 57 with the score on 121 and his final partnership of 41 with M Atkinson.
J Gwatkin entered the fray and M Atkinson tried to take over the roll of getting to the winning line but he to was caught in the slips for 20.

With only 10 runs needed and plenty of overs left B Atkinson joined Gwatkin and quite promptly hit a very fast 11 not out to see HCCC win the game and promotion.

Promtion is not confirmed but the final HCCC average is 14.83, the team below which was Mellis there best average they can make is now 13.83 including they win at Nowton next Sunday away which is not an easy fixture. However news that Nowton had beaten Edwardstone filtered through and they are top of the table now depending on how many points they accrued during the game may have a bearing on the final table.

In the event of them getting 8 points only which is a generous amount there average comes down to 14.72 below HCCC s on the board figure with one game to play to which they must win to take the title of Champions. If they were to lose they would need to acquire somewhere in the region of 10 – 12 points to win the league .If they only got 4 points from there game against Nowton we would have the same average if they win there last game. Game on and watch this space.