Rough at Rougham

Hartest and Coldham Hall CC  76 All Out

B Atkinson 39, Extras 10, J Marlow 9.

Firth 2 for 7, Geoffrey 2 for 6,

Rougham CC   80 For 2

B Atkinson 2 - 25,

 With games running out a clash between bottom placed Rougham against the mighty Hartest and Coldham Hall CC could decide which or both teams drop into the abyss of Division Three.

The Captain won the toss and decided to bat, the game started late as the home team were still marking and rolling out the pitch, maybe in hindsight the toss may have been best lost.

With a few players missing the Hartest and Coldham team out the pads on and went out to face a variance of bowling off the pitch, bouncers off a length to keeping low, a real mixture plus Firth for Rougham bowled well using the conditions off the pitch well to cause maximum destruction.

Credit to Shaun Faiers who only got the text about being in the team at 1.15 pm but like the top guy he is jumped into the car and got to Rougham while both openers were holding there own but very few runs were forthcoming.

Richard Carter and Dickie Pearson held the fought well keeping out the Rougham attack, found it hard to believe they are bottom if the team that took the field looked more than capable to be higher in the league.

Firth finally got his first wicket when Carter was caught for 4 runs which brought in the Captain and Birthday Boy Benjamin Mark Atkinson [25] who smacked his first ball for the first boundary of the innings followed up by some more run making shots but having one or two near misses mostly aerial.

Dickie Pearson was leaving the ball well and defending as well as he could, after ten overs the score was 27 for one which does not sound a lot but ultimately was a solid start, Dickie though nicked an out swinger taken by the keeper after diligently keeping out Firth but Firth got his man.

Double century player Rupert Melville-Ross came out and some optimism within in the squad as both in form players were inn the middle, but both didn't find it easy and before Rupert could settle he missed a in swinger and was bowled for two.

Sadly the demise was well underway, players played well to stay in but a combination of pitch, poor shot selection and in the unfortunate case of the Webmaster the fielding side took an exceedingly good catch, as wickets were tumbling including the skipper for 39 who picked out a player who probably not taken a catch all season by the reaction of the Rougham team held onto one, plus like buses took another, it was quickly turning out to be Rougham's day.

Out of the middle to end of the Hartest innings only Jordan Marlow who has done very well this season managed to grit it out and strike the ball well, often finding a fielder but he ended up second top score of 9 runs, however Extras scored ten as the innings finished when a mix up between Nick Rutter and Shaun Faiers ended with both players having a conversation in the middle of the pitch, as Shaun was a tad short of his ground, the innings was over at 76.

After a short wait for tea where all the players were involved in preparing and each brought a couple of plates of food which why I mention it, the 4th of September the next game at home in two weeks is likely to be "bring a plate or two of food" the skipper will confirm but looks very likely.

Realistically after tea the only chance with the new ball and a fragile confidence factor with Rougham plus Rupert Melville-Ross hammering the ball into the very unpredictable pitch getting a few early wickets then maybe a chance of defending 76.

Rupert and Dickie Pearson both tried there best and the ball passed the edge of the bat a few times, runs were very hard to get, the ball flew over the heads of both batsmen, but no luck was forthcoming, the grinding out of the score was slow and tedious, but they survived the new ball and had the luck, but never looked very comfortable.

With the bowlers tiring and the score was well over a third of the way the skipper decided to go for broke by bringing himself on and tried to force a few quick deliveries into the pitch to get something out of the game.

The Birthday boy's radar was a bit off but did get the break through, bowling Barret for 8 in the 12th over with the score on 33.

However incoming batsman took to the big swing at everything that came his way, Scott-Ruddock on many other days would have departed quite quickly but fortune favour's the brave and so it was turning out to be that way. 

The Birthday Boy skipper then took a second wicket when he bowled a slower ball which confused the opener and he was bowled out for 18 at 40 for 2.

The skipper then let other players have a bowl, with Richard Carter and the very skilled young Oliver Melville-Ross using his spin to confuse the home team but with so few runs on the board to defend the end came shortly after the 18th over.

I have just checked the points situation and with this win Rougham will move onto 9.77 points and Hartest and Coldham will move onto 11.21, however Stowmarket were between us and Rougham, assuming they have won today worst case scenario they would have 10.93 so we are still out of the bottom two places.

The chances are that with two home games left against Long Melford and Stowupland would in the likelihood require one more victory to maintain Division Two or hope the rest lose all their games left to the end of the season.

The next game is in two weeks, I am away and will update the web site but will be only an update of the result and any information I receive to put on the website.

The skipper will be in touch but please note it is very likely to be bring a couple of plates for tea on the 4th September. Good Luck in those two final games, and keep in the back of your mind an end of season dinner which we hope to have at the Swan but details will follow, this was after the success of last years dinner plus their support for us after home games.

Webmaster