LOBSTERS CRUSHED IN HARPSDEN'S CLAWS

Harpsden Tourists claw their way to victory over The Lobsters
Harpsden’s depleted touring party departed on Friday last for the village of Damerham in the New Forest,home toThe Lobsters Cricket Club,a talented peripatetic team founded in 1978 by William Norris,aka Lord Lobster QC.With two matches over a two day period Harpsden fielded a small squad of seasoned pro’s augmented by a number of debutants and players from the flourishing youth section.
On the Friday night,in a keenly contested 20 – 20 match Harpsden elected to bat first under a clear blue sky which stood in stark contrast to the preceding three weeks of rain.We had been expecting to ‘surf on the turf’ and a slow ‘pudding like ‘ wicket and an outfield that had clearly benefited from the copious amount of rain to nurture its growth ensured that the totals would be modest.Harpsden accumulated 125 runs off their allotted overs.Miles Hodgkiss with 37 and Christian Whittaker with 33 provided the backbone of the innings whilst Rod and Ed Birkett with 13 each made cameo contributions.Lampard,with 3 for 7 proved to be the pick of the Lobster bowlers and Hugh Storry- Deans proved the maxim that whilst form is temporary class is permanent with a balletic display of keeping behind the wicket including one very sharp stumping to remove the ponderous elder Whittaker.
In a spirited reply the Lobsters started well before Ed Birkett removed the off stump of danger man Peter Ruttledge.At 30 for 1 the Lobsters then suffered two disasterous run outs induced in part by the sharp fielding from the Harpsden juniors.Jamie Thompson,bowling great line and length on his debut,then tempted the dangerous Noel Coward into a huge swipe and Mile Hodgkiss running fully thirty yards to his right took the ‘catch of the day’ on the boundary.Rod Birkett and David Chambers polished off the Lobster tail and their innings closed at 116,some 9 runs short of the required total.
On Saturday,after wonderful Lobster hospitality provided in the form of a BBQ by the local butcher,the two teams took to the field once more for a ‘ proper cricket match’.Harpsden,now up to a full complement of players with the arrival of Will Stevens and Kit Stormont invited the Lobsters to bat in what should have been perfect batting conditions.A large crowd of locals settled down in the garden of the Compasses Inn at the corner of the ground to watch their local talent dispatch the ‘arrivistes’ from Oxfordshire.Whether it was the shock of being asked to bat first or a surfeit of merriment from the night before they were in for a shock.Early breakthroughs by Christian Whittaker,3 for 12 and Jamie Thompson,2 for 14 bowling a tandem pincer movement of pace and spin had the Lobsters receding into their shells at a staggering pace.Some resistance from Tim Piper,who clawed his way to 23 before being bowled by Thompson briefly stabilised the Lobster innings.The veteran John Twentyman in his five hundredth match for the Lobsters together with John Sanger,recently returned to cricket after major knee reconstruction,briefly extended the Lobster innings to post a total of 77 all out.Hodgkiss with 4 for 13,Rod Birkett,1 for 7,Neil Thompson and David Chambers all applied the pressure throughout whilst Kit Stormont held onto three sharp catches on a day when everything that went to hand stuck.
In reply Harpsden modified their batting order and opened with thirteen year old Adam Birkett,the third member of the Birkett clan on display.Although falling for 5 runs he showed good promise and technique and one particular pull for 4 remains in the memory.Will Stevens with 25 not out,Ed Birkett,7 patient runs,Neil Thompson,a rumbustuous 10 and David Chambers,11 not out secured victory for the visitors by 5.35pm ensuring that the tourists were able to return home unbeaten,unbended ,on time and in reasonable shape for the Presidents v Chairman match on Sunday .