Last Home Game Ends in Victory

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC   245 for 8


M Roberts 68, B Atkinson 50, A Smith 26,


J Thorn 4-53 - T Ahmed 4-51,


Mildenhall II  213 for 8


T Heywood  92, J Palmer 31.


D Armstrong 2-39, R Carter 2-35




The final home game and a lot to get through in this report and quite a few thank you which I will do first, and if I miss anyone please except my apologies and let me know and I will mention in last report next week when the team travel to Tendring Park.


 First is to all the ground staff helping Peter Richards who spends many an hour with Nick Rutter, Dave & Jack Armstrong, plus Jake, Luke, and no doubt a few others great work and super pitches.


All the ladies and Gents for doing exceptional teas all season which makes coming to play such a joy for the home players and some many away teams look forward to it, again plenty of work behind the scenes, with yet another huge tea today from Nick Rutter, daughter Dulcie and Laura, words from a senior member of the Mildenhall saying without exception the best teas ever, a typical comment and to all throughout the season another big thank you.


The Shimpling Bush Pub, they also need to be thanked for sometimes opening up early at a moments notice and putting up with the rabble we sometimes are plus the food supplied every week, another thank you for your support, I believe the Captain has ear marked late January for the evening meal and awards night as earlier this year the Pub did us proud, thank you to all in there for your support.


Mrs Webmaster doing the scoring and although not done every week she does more than most and other than always being cold treated as one of the boys [compliment] along with others that have helped and the few umpires who do quite a few long stints until some of the others become a bit more confident and hopefully soon they will, thank you to all.


The Captain would like to thank all the players for there commitment from helping out getting 11 players, to coming up to support and making his job that bit easier and the fun, memories the laughter, all equals to a super summer and banter seconded to nought.


Ron and Margaret got in touch to say they have still been following the team through the website and have been tied up quite a few weekends but will be back on the trail following us next season, also the out going Chairman Jon Ralling who will also be missed but hopefully will appear soon either for an odd game or social event without the pressure of being a distance away to participate as he would have liked.


The mini group of fans that follow, particularly Jake and Luke who help out and always there watching making the Hartest and Coldham entourage a team to be reckoned with all season.


A final thank you to the Richards family for letting us play at the Richards oval, so thank you Peter and Kate, and if I have forgotten anyone else my bad as they say.


So onto today with Captain Ben Atkinson winning the toss chose to bat with Hodge and Roberts setting a sound platform with Hodge in the Roberts mode hitting quite a few runs from ball one and Roberts after his ton from last week taking his time even to get off the mark.


Mildenhall changed their bowling quite frequently but early on the batsmen were on top but the lush green outfield appeared to slow the ball up on its travels around the ground.


61 on the board when Hodge miss timed a hook and was caught at square leg for 25 which brought in form Ben Atkinson to join Roberts and suddenly fireworks began in the usual manor, 4s and 6s with runs coming off most balls, the partnership grew very quickly, 86 runs and Roberts passing his 50 before Ahmed bowled him for 68 and the score on 162.


Captain Ben Atkinson got to his fifty but before we knew in the crowd he was also bowled by Ahmed for 50 and Mildenhall felt they were clawing their way back into the match.


Debutant Andy Smith came into bat without any cricket for a few years got his head down and built up some confidence as he went onto strike the ball well to continue the scoreboard turning over as the overs were beginning to be used up.


Young J Horn proved to be a useful bowler very straight and accurate slowing down the Hartest and Coldham charge with wickets, Smith being one for a good 26, where Richard Carter who was supporting him then took centre stage to strike out a few runs before a mini collapse as Carter went for 18 the score on 207.


Three wickets fell on 207 as Mark Atkinson joined  Dave Armstrong on 1 run seeing his colleagues coming and going quite quickly.


Atkinson & Armstrong [sounds like a comedy act] with 4 overs left took the bat to ball and between them got a further 38 runs to reach the final total of 245 for eight, very important runs in the final reading of the game as the winning margin was only 32.


After a huge tea................. if you were there you know what I mean......... Mildenhall openers started the big run chase and with Jack Armstrong bowling fast keeping the Mildenhall boys on their toes only for Richard Carter varied bowling taking two wickets in two balls and it looked a long way from there the target.


Super credit goes to J Palmer and T Heywood, they dug in and played some correct shots mostly defensive but looking calm and in control but as the accountant kept mentioning the run rate was up to over 8 an over the boys were content to stay in play properly.


They hit the ball on the ground a lot but the lush outfield slowed it up many times and boundaries were few and far in-between for many overs, Heywood passed his fifty but on 20 plus overs.


Jack Armstrong got a little hug from Dave "one hand" Armstrong after his ten over spell was up, as Jack will head off to pastures new soon dad Dave not playing next week gave him a hug.


Then Dave came onto bowl and very quickly got the wicket of Palmer for 31 when probably man of the match in the fielding department Nick Rutter caught him a fine catch along with his inimitable diving stops, blocks with his body, including hitting the stump from a throw in but the batsman had made his ground, plus a near miss, without doubt man of match in the fielding department, take a bow son!


Mildenhall showed much more urgency taking a lot of dangerous singles and putting the home team under pressure, the fifty seemed to lift the shackles off Heywood as his timing was now finding the boundaries pushing the home fielders deep plus taking risky runs which was the downfall of Ahmed 24 run out when Carter got the ball in quickly, but the Mildenhall score had moved onto 140, but similar to before another wicket from Dave Armstrong to the new man first ball caught well on his debut Andy Smith.


Cornell and Heywood still batting on kept the momentum on but they were chasing the overs and good man captaincy was keeping the Mildenhall batsmen in check.


The wicket was so good and never deteriorated and once you got I the bowlers didn't have a lot of tricks to play with, Hodge tried no luck, the Captain brought himself on with Roberts who was bowling some unusual balls, he did take the scalp of T Heywood for a super 92 when he told me the ball cut in or something but it looked like another pie I had seen at tea, and in Heywood's attempt to bash it slid out of his ground where wicket keeper Josh Borley threw down the stumps, he got a good applause from his team mate along with the Hartest and Coldham boys, great effort, he will go far in the game if he keeps his head. [ That's not a reference to the beamers he got out of the way of on two or three occasions, unintentional by the way]


The Mildenhall tail wagged a bit with more youth coming in and achieving the 200 mark for another batting point as the overs were up they had amassed a very creditable 213 for 8, with a better start they were not to far away from the total required, just proved those last 38 runs between Atkinson and Armstrong  [ or do they sound like Solicitors?] were the difference? 


This brought the end of the home games at the Richards Oval, and next week the last game of the season at Tendring Park which is for the majority the longest trip of the season. The Captain will no doubt be sending out a text for availability so please respond as quickly as possible.


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