Crisis Meeting.
The meeting was held at the Swan during the week, only seven made the meeting hopefully due to work commitments and personal stuff as the turn out was not an encouraging sign.
However long story short the need for some new players is now apparent and the current squad are trying to find some and get through the season somehow and review in another meeting perhaps after the season to decide if the club will fold or try and continue.
The Captain Ben Atkinson has also made it known that he is likely still play next season a vast amount of the games if the club continues but after three and a half years will be in all likelihood stepping down as Captain.
If all that was not the best news we then had Long Melford this afternoon, the top of the table high flying conquerors of the league without to much doubt they will be champions as the visitors to the Richards Oval with our old friend Matt Hoadley leading the charge for Division One, good luck when you get there Matt.
Hartest and Coldham Hall CC 186 for 6
Ben Atkinson 76, R Carter 28, R Pearson 28.
L Hall 4-58
Long Melford CC 187 for 4
C Stace 53 Not Out, P King 36 Not Out.
R Pearson 2-39.
The Captain won the toss and decided to bat with Long Melford opening with their overseas pro, a bit quick thundering in at the Hartest and Coldham openers of Richard Carter and Dickie Pearson facing the music, was it a quick day and home for tea like the South African team capitulated against Joe Root's army earlier today..........NO!
Tremendous tenacity from both the guys stuck in there and ensured the foundation of the innings that was yet to come, the voice of "it's not a test match" should have been shouted at Lords today but at the Oval the Richards Oval the boys did well, runs were at a premium but at the twenty over mark, 54 for no wickets would have been very long odds, in fact all out for a few more would not have been unexpected with all the turbulent goings on within the club.
The drinks break sort of sent the flag of now its a twenty over game to chance the arm and attack with both opening bowlers Arendse and King bowled out for no wickets, I'd be surprised that's happened much this season.
Carter was first to go, caught and this brought in the Captain, a little worse for wear after a night out in the Capital but he established himself over the Long Melford bowlers and hit six sixes along with numerous four's even though Matt Hoadley had most of his troops positioned on the boundary, they can't stop 'em if they are going over the top of them, although the skipper did have one thunderbolt catch opportunity dropped early in his innings.
Dickie Pearson a fore runner for the new Captain next season along with Richard Carter, so the election rumour mills have started are neck and neck in the polls and scoring the same, both scored 28.
Steve Ryder backed up the skipper with turning over the strike nicely and letting the skipper stroke the ball where he wanted and the score from the solid base was going up and up.
As the overs were running out the wickets began to fall with Steve Ryder going for 14 but ultimately a great foil for the skipper with a 65 partnership before the Captain Ben Atkinson was given out LBW for 76.
New man from another Football Club came to help out and scored 14 within one over, so new he did not realise that is was a 40 over game not fifty and he played a forward defensive on the last ball of the innings backed up by Charlie Long and Dave Armstrong contributing, so would have Jordan Marlow who we welcome back after completing his first part of his training in becoming a policeman, very well done and good luck in your career Jordan, he was 0 not out but did not face a ball.
Teas were of a very high standard as ever, this week a combo of Kate Richards doing cakes, Nick Rutter sandwiches with Dave Armstrong amongst the sausage rolls and savoury I believe, although most of us were in there with the teas at some point.
Once again thank you to them and the team that builds a road to play on each week, everyone contributes and if the club is to continue then more of the same and plus an extra ten percent will be required, it will be very sad to see it all go without a fight.
Long Melford came out to bat, Matt Hoadley led the charge, a nice six of the opposing skipper and quick singles but that man Dickie Pearson bowled a good one that nipped back and the Melford skipper was gone for 12.
Realistically it would take a Melford slip up, they have some good players, possibly more in the batting world than bowling, well today it seemed that way, runs were coming a bit to easy, the not so good balls were picked up on quickly and despatched into the corn field were runs were being yielded quite quickly.
Hartest and Coldham Hall CC tried hard, fielded well, a good atmosphere within the field, however most of the game from both sides were top draw, its how cricket should be played at the level we do, not that it always is but today it was good fun, Pearson leaped off the ground to catch another off his bowling, he took two wickets the most successful of the Hartest and Coldham bowlers.
If there is an election of skipper, I have to be fair and say that Richard Carter is never bored behind the stumps, I will let you work that one out for yourselves, needleless to say he did admirably.
C Stace and P King had a finishing partnership with only Dave Armstrong adding to Ben Atkinson early LBW wickets in the scorebook, it took Long Melford 32 overs to achieve the required score and the hen hutch still had some big......better be careful here, quality players still at their disposal who were ready just in case anything did go wrong for them on the pitch.
Well done to Matt and the boys, regardless of Hartest and Coldham Hall CC playing next year, the very likelihood is they will be two divisions apart, both moving but in opposite directions, I hope that Long Melford will have a great finish for this season and survive to enjoy division one next season.
Next week is the game brought forward from mid September to July, we welcome Stowmarket to the Richards Oval, again we seek players to make up the eleven, plus as I am getting forgetful we wish Steve Ryder better soon, hopefully next week when his troublesome knee caused him to leave early and as gracious as ever Matt allowed Ian "Titch" Copping to help out in the field who was watching the game unfold, well done Titch for stepping in and Matt, its how the game should be played.
Well done Peter Richards, doing something for the first time in twenty years, but it's on a need to know basis, but have fun.
Another one I forgot to mention last week was the big man was bowling at Cavendish and was hit through a window of a nearby house, we thought the owners were outside but it was a sister of the house owner who said for forty years never had a broken window, promptly the sister husband let himself in and retrieved the cricket ball from the front room, now that's proper Cricket.
A long report, typed late at night after filling in the forms to send off to the league, so very likely a few grammatical errors and lack of commas plus full stops plus a few things missed, some I can put right now, ,,,,,,,, ........ some will have to be reminded, see you all at the game next week, keep asking everyone you see, do you play proper cricket......... if you want to, we know the place to be, fun in the sun........
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