Earl Stonham CC         206 for 5

C Macrow 93

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC       66 All Out

Ben Atkinson 22


   Finally Hartest and Coldham Hall have lost a league game this season and fair play to Earl Stonham they did a good job but with no front line bowlers and three people dropping out on the Saturday the club were again lucky to have people who filled in to give the team eleven players.

   Wicket keeper Ben Atkinson opened the bowling which indicates the trouble Hartest were in after losing the toss and being probably the hottest cricket day we have had batted the full 40 overs baking most of the fielders who had a lot of work to do with two players making a debut.

   With all that said the Hall did a good job in some respects the ball didn't go to hand and Earl Stonham rode there luck after stand in Keeper took a sharp one handed catch to dismiss Eade early on.

   Macrow came in hurried the singles and ran well almost on a few occasions running out his partner a numerous times but was the main stay of the innings.

   The bowlers Ben Atkinson & Dave Armstrong had restricted Earl Stonham quite well on the run front but had not got many wickets so with Ben Atkinson getting S Martin bowled for 15, Earl Stonham had 77 for two wickets.

   However no first team bowlers and with wickets in hand the next set tried there best on a super wicket [credit to lots of people and the Captain especially plus Peter Richards not about today harvesting along with others from the club] Shaun Faires kept them at bay as did the spin king Nick Rutter but wickets were not coming and so the base for a big total was on and when Captain Bryant came onto bowl with Mark Roberts from the field end was a tough ask for them both.

   Bryant let out a roar when he bowled Edgar for 36 first wicket in 7 years and Roberts a bit angry over a slip in the filed bowled Wray out for 13 it was hard graft in heat and a lot of chasing the ball.

   Also 31 extras was another big hurdle the worst for a while as both teams suffered with wides a lot and all this played well into Earl Stonham hands as finally Macrow run himself out for as it turned out to be a match winning 93 in a total of 206 for 5.

   The classic leave a team out in the heat plus a lovely tea from Donna Faires was not the reason most of the Hartest and Coldham side got themselves out chasing a big target Mark Roberts and Dave Armstrong went into bat with a trap already laid for Roberts to be caught very well deep near cow corner by Fenning the wheels had fallen off very early.

   Dave Armstrong was well on his way to a 50 he promised and came up a bit short when he was bowled for two with the score on eight a tough asked as Earl Stonham tails were well and truly up.

   Ben Atkinson showed some resistance the bowling was not formidable at all but they bowled well and we gave them catching practise or cross batting to be bowled, besides Ben Atkinson 22 only Niall Hannon got into double figures 11 in a dismal total of 66 [including 6 extras 666 ???] the game ended in the 17th over.

   On reflection the team with the experience it had and late call ups performed admirably to the best they could and that was all the skipper Captain Bryant could ask, of course weather has interfered with this season but to be middle of August for a first defeat is a record which will stand for a very long time.

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