M Roberts 83, S Ryder 24, S Holder 18.
S Lilley 4-25
Stowmarket CC 173 For 1
G Tilbrook 54 Not Out, P Blake 54, D Watling 50 Not Out.
Well the Captain won the toss and that was about all we won except a few new friends as the game proceeded in a very friendly manor.
We welcome Ben Readman to the team and a baptism of fire lay ahead for him but I know he enjoyed his run out in the sun, even though it was a bit chilly it was not artic like the same time as last year.
Roberts and Hodge opened and Hodge nicked one to the keeper behind early and Stowmarket tails were up, however Mark "Dravid" Roberts dug in, well sorta, he had a few flails of the bat but fortune was on his side, his foil was Ben Readman who saw off the two opening bowlers with Roberts scoring freely.
Credit Stowmarket, it is a batting paradise, tough for the bowlers and they stuck to their guns with Hartest and Coldham still in pre season training for the first few games were making mistakes and wickets were tumbling but that man mountain Roberts was keeping the score ticking over.
The Captain was struggling quite a bit from a injured knee from the friendly last week, it was getting a lot worse, but he stuck around and a loose shot saw him depart for 9 and open the door for Stowmarket to get at the fragile middle order.
However great resistance from Steve Ryder, Sam Holder also coming back into the fold stuck around and kept chipping away but with overs running out and finally the big man was caught for a super 83 the innings was drawing to a close, finally amassing 171, but realistically the score needed to be nearer 240/260 for par on that wicket.
A lovely tea from Stowmarket amongst the Ladies Rugby match which I heard Stow won as well set about with young George Tilbrook a youngster opening the batting, and with it being St Georges Day, it was also young Georges day, he played with a straight bat and carried it to the end.
The Hartest and Coldham Hall bowlers tried their best but the pitch was to good and good technique from the young opener and P Blake were always ahead of the required run rate, plenty of batting to come, they never took to many risks except a run out which Blake was trying for three against the Webmaster's arm and a mix up caused his demise for 54.
Ben Readman did bowl very well in his spell along with a few others, but a total to defend which was well short of the required amount was overtaken not long after the young St George got his fifty, the main man at Stowmarket Watling also scored 50, which are normally a 100, probably would have if he had enough time, I think 4 out of five innings have been a ton or more.
Stowmarket also agreed to move the away fixture at the Richards Oval from mid September to the 16th July, the amendments have been adjusted on the Website, however if you collected a fixture list at the AGM, please amend it, so the season should finish late August.
One other thing to mention which was an important note was the good fun and banter amongst the Hartest and Coldham boys, it maybe a long tough season and that fun element maybe tested throughout the season but hopefully it will be maintained.
Webmaster
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