Really you had to be there a moment in History

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC  236 All Out


M Roberts 127, B Atkinson 45, J Armstrong 34.


Bajaw 6-60


Bardwell CC  198 All Out


R Carter 5-55,




One of the best game in many a long year with a happy ending!


Bardwell already promoted needing 10 points to win the title, unbeaten all season, the scene was set.


The topography of the ground had completely changed and with re seeding as we were playing made the playing area one of the smallest of the season Hartest and Coldham had come against.


The captain won the toss and decided to bat and opened with Steve Ryder, the Captain Ben Atkinson just back from a ton for Exning and closing in on a thousand runs in one season started bludgeoning the ball with his normal distain while Steve Ryder batted with control and respect.


27 for the loss of Ryder who chipped up to a short mid off and departed bringing in Mark Roberts who earlier in the dressing room stated if he didn't get a fifty he would drop himself with poor form with the willow this season but all was to change......


Roberts who had not had the best of luck finding fielders who tended to catch him was to have a slice of luck as well as pure "Robbo" play, sixes, fours a plenty, smashed high and low, all over, just vintage Roberts the main stay of the innings, just a super knock.


Atkinson was playing his part in setting the tone with over six an over in the first ten overs before finally be caught for a very admirable 45, Niall Hannon copped the only low one of the day and Jack "Beefy" Armstrong came together with "Robbo" and fireworks began the run rate went up in a hurry.


Jack played some class shots through the covers and the total was rising, Roberts got to his fifty but he kept on going, yes he had a bit of luck when during his innings he was dropped on four occasions three times by the guy who finally caught him in the end but before we get that far he was performing to the likes we have not seen for many a year.


Where Roberts was getting the luck Armstrong didn't, he skied one which looked for all the world to be dropping in-between a clutch of players but the tallest player and opening bowler had long arms took a catch over his shoulder at that time we thought a memorable catch but boy oh boy a bit later something very special was to happen, more later....


Richard Carte joined Roberts who was continuing to see the ball well, normally leaving his bat at quite a pace shooting to the boundary, supported by Carter who fell for not many but had played his part on keeping Roberts churning out the runs, when Carter was out Roberts was on 97.


Standing ovation when the big man got to three figures and lifted his bat, the words text book would not necessarily apply but a 100 is a 100 in the book, well done Robbo.


Wickets did begin to tumble but Roberts was still in a good place even tried a reverse sweep with a limited bit of success, the lower part of the batting were trying to get him on strike but all good things come an end, he finally perished on the boundary near cow corner where else but left to another standing ovation on his return to the dressing room for a 127.


The tail didn't wag and Bajwa slow spin had got six wickets a good effort off ten overs for 60 runs as Hartest finally and slightly disappointingly 36.3 overs were all out for 236.


The game was far from a formality a small boundary and it playing fairly straight up and down with a par score about 230 meant game on as Jack Armstrong opened with Richard Carter.


Well before the details the next twenty overs were possibly the best 20 overs of fielding seen in many a season, things just seemed to happen, people got there hands down, feet, bodies, in the way and catching well....... just wait......


Carter got the young Allum hit a ball up in the air at reasonable pace where............... yep the big man stuck up a mitt and today it stuck an early break through soon followed by Jack Armstrong bowling out the other opener Wade [who later in the pub under went the Ice bucket Challenge and nominated Jack for bowling him out twice [both games] for a duck.


Two down, big score to chase things going well and then the dangerous big man for Bardwell Larder took a quick single to the Captain Ben Atkinson, who wearing his new birthday jumper from his Grandma and Granddad, flew in one stump to aim at rolled it in and he was out, the boys went mad in the field, superb bit of cricket and 27 for 3 looked good at that stage.


Armstrong bowled well, Carter was varying his deliveries shall we say and getting results, but the first [yes the first] Champagne moment of the season and if it gets beaten, I 'd like to be there to see it. Carter was smashed at a fearsome pace deep mid off, DAVID ARMSTRONG never seemed to have a chance as it looked for all the world to be flying over his head, stuck up a straight arm, leaning back, jumping, not even looking as it was so high going over his head, but [speaking afterwards] said three fingers felt the ball his hand snapped shut for the most amazing catch for seriously  a very long time, one handed, the surprise on his face that he was shocked he had caught it, the fielders when absolutely mad, I really need to have William Shakespeare with me trying to put into words how good that was but I believe he would struggle to convey the magical moment, but more was to follow.....


The context of the game had improved with the wickets tumbling the scoreboard pressure mounting all looking good but again the small pitch did lend it to that every ball slightly over pitched or just off line was punished with a boundary.


Paul Amond was digging in and with D Fletcher began clawing it back but the look on Fletcher's face was similar to the rest of the team, another drive to mid off and with Dave Armstrong very deep looked about ten yards short of getting to the ball before it hit the ground, even the batsman said as he set off " come on he isn't going to get there" well somehow he did, he came in, stuck out one hand low below his waist.................. it stuck, well crumbs...........magical, who says lightening does not strike twice as the debate was which catch was better...... personally the first one but can see the case for the second as well, fantastic, the high fives, and charge to pat David on the back, enormous.


The two catches were pretty unforgettable, but it would be remiss of me to mention the catch fro Niall "Safe Hands" Hannan and yes the big man got under another catch, never have I seen him run hand up in the air, run with a big smile on his face [he ran about 30 maybe forty yards, no I haven't been drinking] the crowd went wild [fielders] 20 overs 96 for 7 what could possibly go wrong.


Richard Carter finished with an amazing 5 for 55 when the Captain came onto bowl with the very impressive young Sam Holder who I do not think he knows he is quite good, but Amond and Grimwood got a bit of a partnership and at 28 overs the score had got to 145 under a hundred needed with two players embedded at the crease with he fielding still to a high standard.


Ben Atkinson took severe hammer in one over spoiling his figures with Grimwood doing most of the damage, 19 in one over, a bit of sledging earlier and vice a versa had been going on a bit but Captain Ben Atkinson had last laugh as he bowled him with 8 wickets down surely now a formality.


Number ten Firth a bowler came in and at some point the home team must have felt the target was to far away but ten points to win the title was not, 9 points secured they had the Champagne on ice in the changing room, if they could get to 200, that seemed to be the new target.


Firth hit a six off Dave Armstrong who came on and bowled with more security as Bardwell got closer to initially the target to win the game but young Sam Holder second ball got Firth bowled out for 12 and then some humour as the umpire called over, after two balls......... quickly the last four were bowled to the number 11 Ollie Beaumont, he survived as Amond was orchestrating the final embers to win the title.


Last over about to begin, the Captain called in the team around the bat, a large home crowd waited with bated breath as first ball Holder finally bowled Amond for a super 42 and deflated the party atmosphere but the Hartest and Coldham boys were more than pleased, victory, first team to be the Champions elect on there own pitch with a few players missing a fantastic performance.


Bardwell will in all probability win the league but not on our watch, well done to them and really good luck as Division Two as experienced is a major step up, I fear for them, lets hope they keep going if it gets rough, and it will.


To try and sum up today's game is nigh impossible but two magical catches in the same game, a super run out, fantastic ton from Roberts, winning against a team unbeaten, superb fielding, Carter 5 wickets, a very good laugh as normal, the boys who come along and support us, Jake and Luke plus a few cronies and the food on at the pub with Bardwell being very sporting even though we had deflated there party.


I 've tried to capture it but perhaps I should finish where I started, really you had to be there..............


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