Hartest secures first win of the Season

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC 279 for 9


Hodge 76, M Roberts 53, R Melville-Ross 49, B Atkinson 45.


Brettenham CC  183 all out.


J Armstrong 4-25, Oliver Melville-Ross 3-39.




Scorching afternoon in May and the difference from two weeks ago batting in hail to batting in hot sun, this is what Cricket is all about, plus the skipper won the toss in the picturesque Brettenham in the Old Buckingham School grounds.


Such a perfect start led to the Hodge and Roberts opening partnership to which I was reliably informed that Roberts played in a controlled well mannered man on a mission to improve from last season where he did not have his best season, so far he has improved greatly on that already.


The 100 partnership came up in the 16th over, so it had good momentum and with Hodge the quality he has started the season with laid down the foundations of a great innings.


115 was on the board when Roberts just reaching his 50 played a Roberts shot and was bowled for a super 53.


Hodge shortly passed his 50 with Dickie Pearson coming in and hitting a brisk 10 including 1 six of the 12 scored in the Hartest and Coldham innings.


Hodge finally succumbed caught and bowled for a magnificent 76.


The Captain came in and thumped his customary see ball hit ball mentality and with Rupert Melville-Ross continued the run onslaught in the Park, with both players falling just short of their half centuries, Rupert, 49 and the skipper 45 but the score was substantial.


Mid order batting collapse followed with quite a few singles and the score at tea was a super 279 for 9.


Now after tea, the surprise man back in the team for one game only was none other S- u-p - e -r  J- a-c- k Armstrong back from Canada and no doubt a bit emotional for his dad to play with him again as Jack has settled down and made Canada his home.


Now if this was Leicester City or a Walt Disney movie script, Jack would come onto bowl and bowl like a demon and take a hatrick, well quite simply, he did! cue music................. "simply the best..."


Yes Jack came back and bowled superbly, took wickets almost like he had not been away, and he took a very good catch but a better catch was taken off his bowling by Rupert Melville-Ross who took a fantastic catch stretching his big frame to hang onto it one handed, already a contender for Champagne moment???


Slightly upstaging Jack's return was the other father son combo, young Oliver Melville-Ross came onto bowl and his spin bowling was a credit to him and his dad, because he was hit a bit but came back for more, with the movie script in full swing, a couple of wickets, in fact three wickets, one caught, [by Jack], one bowled, and the last wicket to fall of the number 11 for LBW, fantastic game from a Hartest and Coldham Hall point of view, even Charlie Long got a wicket which made him as pleased as Jack with his fine hatrick.


Brettenham made a good fist of it but the big score that Hartest and Coldham had got really made the chase exceptionally difficult but it's the first time we have played them in a couple or three seasons and continuing in the movie theme, in the film True Grit with John Wayne, he looks out on an actress on a horse showing some true grit and says, she reminds me of someone,....... me, and similarly Brettenham remind me of Hartest and Coldham, good values, play for enjoyment, very friendly and today was our day.


Cricket is a great game, it brings young and old together, fathers and sons, memories that last a life time, today I think we had a couple of those for a couple of the players today.


Well done Jack, it was great to see you and safe journey home, for young Oliver another day to remember and cherish, there will be days when things look a bit dark and that's when you recall days like today in the park at Brettenham.


Well done team, it was a team effort from Jake standing in for his Dad Nick, Steve Ryder making his long awaited appearance back in a Hartest and Coldham shirt, to Dave who bowled well but not as well as his son today, and a mention to the Captain who orchestrated from behind the stumps, giving people a go and a chance to shine, don't let that go unnoticed.


Next week it will hopefully be the first home game of the season versus Brockley, Peter Richards, along with his team have put in a lot of work after finally getting onto the pitch after drying out so please come up and pay us a visit, to finish on movie week, "if we build it they will come" Fields of Dreams, starring Kevin Webmaster Costner, so come along and support he boys, make a few dreams come true.................That's all Folks!


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