Captain Leads Team Effort

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC  283 All Out


B Atkinson 65, J Armstrong 53, D Armstrong 36 Not Out,
W Bryant 33, S Holder 31


Risby CC  228 For 5


R Chamal 66 Not Out, S Frost 52, D Edwards 41 Not Out.




Where to begin, runs, terrific fielding, bowling, catching [yes catching] and a Hartest and Coldham Hall victory.


Captain Ben Atkinson won the toss and without a few farmers sent out two sacrificial openers in the guise of Richard Carter and Mark Atkinson.


First ball Carter gloved a short delivery to the slip who was wearing a duck hat [don't ask I don't know] but was surprised and dropped it which was good luck for Richard but not for Mark Atkinson who then faced said fielder bowling in the style of legend Peter Richards two step hurl down where Atkinson creamed it straight back to him and after a bit of juggling held on to dismiss Atkinson.


This brought out the Captain very early and after last week scoring 139 then yesterday scoring 84 for out good friends Exning including a 19 ball 50 then continued his superb form of his life with a 50 in 18 balls including 5 sixes, and six fours, absolutely destroying the Risby attack, within five overs the fielders were scattered high and wide.


Maybe the bowler Samuels wished he had not got his Dad out, going from 2 over, 2 maidens,0 runs for 2 wickets, until Ben Atkinson got 30 in one over, oh dear! 3-2-30-2.


This was not a one man show but he led the way that there was no fear and Richard Carter was getting runs in boundaries, five fours in his 22 with a generous LBW decision went against him but the partnership was 68 in only the 9th over.


William Bryant appeared with his mongoose bat and carried on similar vein to the skipper in a more supportive roll, but it was noticeable the skipper was tiring and was done by a slow ball off cutter and left the middle with 65 in the 12th over and 100 on the board, Risby were so glad to see the back of him but he had set the trend and Billy Bryant continued keeping the run rate up.


Billy was joined by the much improved Jack " Beefy" Armstrong, got himself in and after a short time hit an exquisite cover drive for four, which for me was a sweet shot only earlier surpassed with a sweet late cut by Richard Carter for a boundary.


Nearly fifty runs were put on before Billy played on with the ball at least two feet outside off stump but managed to drag it back onto his stumps but got a creditable 33 and the score onto 146 for 3.


Risby must have been thinking that the top order going some in roads would happen but Sam Holder joined Jack Armstrong, the most unusual thing happened to Sam who came in with one ball of the over left, played a forward defensive missed timed by playing through it early the ball lobbed off his bat in slow motion but travelled over the bowlers head and carried on to the boundary for six, one of the strangest I'd seen in many a year, Risby shook their heads.


Armstrong and Holder played fantastically well carrying on but more of a sustainable rate of runs without to many hiccups as Jack Armstrong hit another boundary got to his second fifty in as many weeks, well done Jack, super effort, but his concentration was missing as the next ball skied a shot and was caught out for 53 but the score was on 199 after 25 overs.


Peter Richards who came out not fully fit but turning out for the club hit a brisk 11 including his customary six but similar to Mark Atkinson hit a super cover drive straight down the throat of a Risby fielder.


Dave Armstrong came in and bit shaky to begin with got himself in and besides a near run out with Sam Holder early doors the pair finally got to talking with each other and carried on the work the team had shown throughout the innings. 


Steve Frost was introduced by Risby an old teammate of Dave Armstrong and he finally got the defiant Sam Holder bowled for 31, obviously inspired by son Jack hit a six and was continuing to get the scoreboard ticking over now supported by the tail, Shaun Faires, Josh Borley, and Nick Rutter amongst it all as Dave had a champagne moment a sort of a tennis smash of his old friend Steve for a massive six his second of the day.


Keeping Risby out in the field was a plan and to use up the overs to which nearly happened as Dave Armstrong was left on an unbeaten 36 with the final wicket of Nick Rutter ending the innings on a superb 283, the skipper was very pleased with his team effort at tea.


After tea second ball the duck man who was opening hit a ball straight to Bill "Ray" Bryant for 0 and completed his day and the thought that Risby with a big chase may collapse was to be a false dawn.


Jack Armstrong bowled like he has all season, superbly well, the Captain was bowling from the other end bit of the Basset all sorts but both were contain the home team who had only last week chased down 233 on the same pitch, the game was still well in the melting pot.


C Thomas was looking the part, also off a ton the previous week looked determined but Ben Atkinson gave him a nice leg side shot which he banged very hard but Shaun "shovel hands" Faires clung onto to at deep backward square for a great catch even at that point possibly a match winning catch to dismiss Thomas for 24.


The words another wicket and you're on a hatrick became reality as Atkinson bowled Hopton first ball, he was not to get his hatrick but the Risby score was stuttering on 50 for 4 off 8 overs.


Frost and Edwards came together and batted very well but always behind the 8 ball as the game was concerned with runs coming but not at the rate needed for a large chunk of this passage of play.


Very interesting point of maybe came up, a bit of indecision happened with a run out, a fairly clear run out from excellent work in the field from Jack Armstrong threw the ball into Josh Borley who then in one movement flicked onto the stumps with Edwards seemingly a distance out, wasn't even sliding his bat in but got given a very generous "benefit of the doubt", now Hartest and Coldham were a bit grizzled about it but that happens and carried on but it was to have a possible significant outcome.


Sam Holder and Richard Carter were bowling with the batsmen going after everything not giving up, great credit to Risby and enough to make Hartest twitch a bit but the fielding was at a high level all game with Shaun Faires in super form but one champagne moment a diving full length to a ball hit very hard and a great stop which had all players applaud even I wondered who had done that fantastic bit of fielding............... up got Peter Richards, for the cause!!! magical turning back the clock.


Carter finally got Frost Frustrated coming around the wicket his patience was lost as his wicket with a lob up to Jack Armstrong running in taking yet another good catch.


This brought R Chamal into bat who held a heavy bat, hit the ball hard and ably supported by Edwards got a very good if not great shots 50 in quick time but the bowlers especially Sam Holder was containing the run rate and Hartest were always in control but a couple of bad overs and all could have changed with wickets tough to come by Chamal was running out of overs.


Edwards was in at the 8th over went on to be 41 not out, had he been given run out much earlier Chamal would have been in much earlier, supposition but the winning margin was 55 but had he been in 12 overs earlier the game could have been so different a major slice of luck for Hartest and Coldham, Chamal ended up on 66 [11 overs] not out and the score of 228, a great victory for Hartest and Coldham one very much deserved led by the skipper but backed up with a super team effort from batting, bowling and fielding.


Next week the road show moves to Nowton away where hopefully the team can continue its fine form.


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