Titanic Game as H&CHCC Sinks at Exning

H&CHCC  192 ALL OUT

B Atkinson 59, D Hodge 54, M Roberts 38, D Armstrong 23 Not Out

Exning   196 for 3

Baigent 112 Not Out, D Haywood 51 Not Out


   On a very Chilly early season Sunday afternoon the opening friendly fixture against Exning CC was for the third time staged at the beautiful Exning Cricket Club and for the first time in three attempts the hosts took the honour's in a good game for so early in the new season.

   H&CHCC won the toss and decided to bat expecting a late arrival so the gallant men of Hodge & Roberts donned their thick jumpers to enter the fray and very successful they were seeing off the new ball and knocking the ball around like they had not stopped since last season.

  Both players were dropped during there innings and the first to go was Roberts a top edge caught by a fleet of foot Connor Gibson but had scored a very creditable 38 runs which included  three sixes.

   Hodge was joined by Ben Atkinson who was well known to the home team and after a shaky start went on to some fine shots around the park in swashbuckling style as Hodge went through his well deserved fifty he was soon to be out bowled by Lawson for 54 and the score on a healthy 113 for two.

   The wheels wobbled after a shower break of only ten minutes the only one of the day which was good without amount of rain about and forecast but Ben Atkinson was still dominate force and three ducks appeared sadly not on the pond but in the middle although Matt Hoadley had supported Atkinson well he was bedazzled but the high looping spin of M Gibson then quickly followed Captain Bryant and Mark Atkinson leaving the score on 130 for 5.

   Dave Armstrong supported Ben Atkinson very well scoring quite freely and his recent batting form has been super as the pair racked up some invaluable runs when a superb catch deep on the boundary by Nick Lomas drew cheers and massive adulation in taking the catch getting rid of the danger man Ben Atkinson with 59.

   Armstrong was still there batting with the short tail with only ten men it was a tall order he was ably supported by Dan Tatum before he dragged one onto his stumps then  Dan Thorp was bowled and finally the 9th wicket Nick Rutter was run out leaving H&CHCC 192 for 9 which included five ducks so a super effort by the batsmen with Dave Armstrong left not out with 23.


   After the H&CHCC Tea done by Judith Atkinson on behalf of Exning a tradition going back since the start of the fixture Exning took to the task of chasing down a good target but well short of past games by some distance.

   Matt Hoadley & Dan Tatum opened the bowling and super stuff it was however a couple of drop catches was going to prove to be the undoing of H&CHCC but in the early overs Dave Monk was LBW to Tatum who then got shortly after Simon Lawson with Hoadley getting Nick Lomas LBW with the score on 68 for three however the Exning Captain Daniel Baigent was joined by Darren Haywood would prove to be a major factor in the result of the game.

   After both openers had used there maximum eight overs Hodge and Roberts came on it was clear to see that on a very good wicket it was going to be difficult to dislodge a good batsman so it turned out to be the case as those early dropped chances came back to haunt H&CHCC.

   The ball was being pounded all over the ground and the writing was on the wall with only ten fielders we probably needed another ten and Captain Baigent got his century just after Haywood got his fifty when finally the winning runs were scored it was no surprise and Baigent was not out 112 with Haywood not out 51.

   Food for thought as in two weeks H&CHCC go to Nowton for their first competitive game of the season and will have to improve in many areas fast including a net session this Thursday which hopefully will be well attended as it is the last practise before the real business begins.

   H&CHCC would also like to thank Exning for their superb hospitality and super ground they play on we do love playing starting the season there hopefully long may it continue, thank you.

The Webmaster