2nd XI Win @ Coombe
A strong H&D 2nd XI travelled to Salisbury and beat Coombe Bissett in their pre season opener.
Coombe Bissett Match Report
It’s always a pleasure to welcome this team from the waterside of the Solent, a friendly, but competitivematch is always assured. From a club that fields no less than four sides in Saturday leagues, our visitorsuse this pre-league game, as a run out for their contests to come, and sure enough their side waspeppered with first and second teamers, including their contracted over-seas player, in the guise of KeriFortune from South Africa, who had hit a ton in his first ton in the UK the previous day.With four senior players -all club centurions- unavailable for this one, the Shutts Lane boys were alwaysgoing to be looking at the sharp end of the sword. At the toss, skipper Mould was happy to come offsecond best and led his young side to the field, that included two fifteen-year-olds.Come the day, come the man. The bowling was tight, and the fielding superb, and the visitors wererestricted to a perhaps gettable 202 a.o. in 35.4 overs. Fortune top scored with a very classy 48 n.o.aided by Islam 44 and Roberts 27. Ian Hattersley 3-50, bagged a super catch at deep extra cover to seethe demise of the hard hitting Stovell, only to trot off to A&E with a suspected broken finger. The pickof the bowling has to go to fifteen years old Tom Barrett who dropped it on a sixpence to return 8-0-33-1, closely matched by the now veteran Matt Newman 8-1-39-1. George Mould richly deserved his two scalps with 2-51.After waiting for two whole years, it was great to get back to a proper Shutts Lane tea, served in thepavilion, by the ever-smiling Sam, with a fare of assorted sarnies, tasty Quiche, a fruit cake to die for,which included pineapple in the recipe, all washed down by cups of good strong builders.GEV and Matt strode to the crease to take up the challenge, but disaster struck immediately, with GEVhearing the death rattle of his stumps from the very first ball. Step forward the afore mentioned Tom,to join Matt, and the pair added 57, before Matt was trapped in front by the accurate Jones, for 20.Although regularly losing partners, the youngster continued and crafted a very fine and mature 70,surely, he must be odds on to break the record set by sixteen years old Jack Mynott, who scored 136,also v. H&D back in 2011, to claim the youngest player to reach the magic ton. At 128-5 with 15 oversleft, there was just a faint sniff in the air, of an unlikely victory, but it was not to be, eventuallycapitulating, to see a loss by 61. But the boys done good!
