Harpsden CC Vs Stonor CC

Harpsden CC Vs Stonor CC
Sunday 28th September 2008

Innings of Harpsden CC
255 for 6 (40 overs)

WG Hodgkiss................................................. Bowled b. Fennell 35
A Norton........................................................ LBW b. Nicholson 30
A Grimmer..................................................... Ct. Austin b. Hunt 16
W Stevens...................................................... Run out 66
I Whittaker..................................................... Ct. Hunt b. Mayo 43
C Whittaker.................................................... Ct. Austin b. Mayo 16
T Hancock...................................................... Not out 11
T Nugent........................................................ Not out 18

Extras (13b, 4lb, 3w)................................................................................................. 20

J Mayo 4-0-41-2

Innings of Stonor CC
194 for 8 (40 overs)

D Austin......................................................... Ct. Norton b. Whit’ker C 63
A Agar............................................................ Bowled b. Balaji 16
J Mayo............................................................ Ct. Whit’ker C b. Nugent 20
D Nicholson................................................... Ct. Stevens b. Whit’ker C 4
J Powell......................................................... Ct. Ham b. Nugent 7
D Fennell....................................................... Ct. Whit’ker I b. Whit’ker C 19
A Pennell....................................................... Ct. Hancock b. Nugent 8
R Hunt........................................................... Not out 27
R Denton........................................................ Bowled b. Balaji 16

Extras (3b, 3lb, 4w, 4nb)........................................................................................... 14

T Nugent 8-0-32-3
C Whittaker 6-0-43-3


Yet another sunny September Sunday saw Harpsden take on close rivals Stonor in front of a band of merry spectators, eager to make the most of the tardy summer. The home side opened up on a firm track with the experience of Norton and Hodgkiss, putting on a measured stand of 71, before both falling to the guile of some effective spin bowling. Slow left armers Fennell and Nicholson kept a tight hold of the run-rate, restricting Harpsden to 111 off the first 25 overs. A change in the bowling attack, enduced a wicket and brought Whittaker Snr to the crease, who joined an in-form Stevens. The pair put on a quick-fire 61, with Stevens striking his way to a well-earned 66. Some devastating blows were dealt late on from a youthful lower order, with Whittaker Jnr timing the ball superbly for six well beyond the longest part of the ground. Then with five balls left in the innings, 14 year old Nugent came in and struck a very impressive 18, rounding off a good day for Harpsden with the bat.

After being set a total of 255, the Stonor openers strode out in defiant mood. However, they were met with a good line and length from Hancock 0-17 off 5 and then Cary 0-24 off 8, who restricted the visitors’ ability to get on top of a demanding run-rate. Balaji came on and bowled well, beating Agar’s defence for the first breakthrough. Then, “Young All-Rounder of the Year” Nugent entered the fray, taking 3 wickets and going for just 32 runs in his 8 over spell. Whilst wickets were tumbling, Austin remained at the crease and fought his way to a deserved 63, before edging Whittaker Jnr – a smart catch by keeper Norton was needed to dislodge the Stonor stalwart. The wickets continued to fall until Hunt, a defiant striker of the ball, was joined by young Denton. The boy smashed some delightful drives back over mid on and mid off before succombing to Balaji on the last ball of the game. Alas, Harpsden’s run haul proved insurmountable as the light faded. Still Stonor come out of the game with credit for the endeavour and spirit with which they played the game.

2008 Speech

Harspden Cricket Club Dinner Speech 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,

2008 has been another stellar year for Harspden Cricket Club with nearly 60 people playing for us, at one time or another, over the season. I have no doubt that Harspden is one of the healthiest Village Cricket clubs in the area, and is the envy of many of our opponents.

Of our 45 completed fixtures, we have lost 20%, drawn 20% and won a staggering 60%. The great thing, in my opinion, is that many of those draws and defeats have been to teams we normally beat like Shiplake College, Cranbourne, Henley, Gamecox, Crazies Hill and the Old Josephians – in essence, keeping them interested so that they will come back next year for another mauling.

Among the highlights for me have been the victories over two teams we have not beaten for 3 or 4 years – Reading Lawyers and Greys Green – both great wins, but more on those two later.

2007 was very much the year of the bowler for Harpsden as the grassy pitches and slow outfields gave them significant support. Despite this year’s weather being very similar to last, we have seen many more runs scored and it’s been a bit harder to finish off the oppo. As least four of our matches have finished with the opposition, nine wickets down, and hanging on for a draw. I suspect the new heavy roller is to blame – maybe we’ll have to increase the annual subs for batsmen, and reduce them for bowlers! Having said all that, our bowlers have done a tremendous job and some of their performances have been genuinely match-winning.

As with previous years, we have our annual trophies, generously donated by Tabbits, your first stop in Henley for quality car repair. The first of the trophies is for the young bowler of the year. There have been some tremendous performances in this category: Toby Stevens has had a magnificent first season for Harpsden with 11 wickets at less than four an over, and a best haul of 3 for 11 against Medmenham - and until mid September he’d taken more wickets than his big brother. Toby’s going to be pushing hard for this award for next season, and many seasons after. Johnny Wright has also picked up his first three wickets for Harspden – and I’m sure there will be many, many more to follow. Ben Hancock frequently bowled well and picked up 13 wickets. Last year’s winner, Ed Birkett, had some great bowling displays, not least at the Sixes, but has unfortunately not played anywhere near as much as he would have liked. Harry Williams has taken 12 wickets, at less than 13 runs each, going at only 3.3 runs per over, including a haul of 5 for 36 against Medmenham, and would have been right in the hunt for this award if he’d played a few more games for us, but there have 2 absolutely outstanding junior bowlers this season: Firstly, Tom Nugent who has bowled well beyond his years, putting in some superb performances – but more on Tom later. The young bowler award this year goes to a spinner who has been the third highest Harspden wicket-taker this season – he has taken 24 wickets at 16 apiece, and going at considerably less than 4 an over. His best bowling was achieved against the Fiddlers where he took 5 for 6 – although the Henley Standard gave the credit to his older brother. Those Fiddlers are building a significant dislike for the Cary family! Young bowler of 2008, Alfred Cary. [PHOTO].

At this point I would like to digress briefly onto the Harspden Cricket Club medical report. Ian Reissman has not played anywhere near the amount he would have liked as major surgery has kept him off sport – fingers crossed that we will see more of Ian on the field next year. Just when Rajeev was clicking into form with a lovely knock against Twyford that was cut short by rain, his hamstring gave way – let’s hope Rajeev is another one we see more of in 2009. There have been a few broken fingers, fortunately only for the oppo as Carl Pohl, amongst others have caused significant pain. There was, however, one game earlier this season where 3 of our players were crocked all in one game – if my memory serves me well, both Ian Nugent and Tom Sampson had earlier both done their hamstrings and then Chris Welford came into bat – a lovely shot by Chris out to cover off the back foot, then the next moment he was writhing in agony on the floor having dislocated his knee cap. It was such a shame for his season to be cut short having started so well with the ball, going for less than 3 runs an over in his 26 overs. Good to see you back Chris. Anyway, back to the medical report: we have here a little thank you for Ian Nugent (and Fiona!) who have tended so caringly for all the injured, even the oppo! Ian Nugent [WINE].

We now move on to the bowler of the season award. There have been some great bowling performances this season: James Butler, who having had very bad pneumonia over the winter, wasn’t able to come to nets and also had a late start to the season. However, he picked up a wicket with his very first ball of the year, and had the best bowling average of the top 20 wicket takers, going for only just over 10 runs for each wicket. And what about Ian Whittaker who dismissed Will Stevens and Matt Thomas on consecutive balls in the Chairman’s vs Presidents match, to change the shape of the game? Then there’s Matt Hayward who bowled with tremendous guile and will get a heap more wickets on next season’s firmer pitches, and having just moved back in next to the ground. Nick Adley, it’s great to see you back Nick, who bowled just five balls all season and took 1 for none! Balaji bowled extremely well on occasion, most notably at Holyport, where he took 3 for 15 in 8 hostile overs, ripping out the heart of Holyport’s finest. Mike Devile looks a tremendous find and gave both the Young Lions and Turville something to think about – my guess is that Mike will get a hatful of wickets for us next year. Horatio Cary, who turned in a match-winning performance, with the ball, against Woodley. Tom Sampson has taken 14 wickets and caused many batsmen significant trouble, Mick Greenwood, the winner two years ago, who has taken 15 wickets at less than 4 an over. Will Stevens has bowled magically, particularly at the end of the season having reverted to spin. The top four wicket takers in the adult category: fourth place is Tom Ham who has taken 17 wickets. Time and time again Tom has both restricted runs and got the critical wicket. Tom was very close to the award this year but was probably just beaten by virtue of weight of wickets – a few more matches next season and Tom could have his name on the trophy. Next is last years winner, Tom Hancock, who has bowled very economically, going for only 3 and a half an over, and has been a tremendous strike bowler, but the edge has probably been taken off his performances by the lack of bounce from the wet Harspden wicket this season – Tom, we’ll do our best to harden them up for you next season. Mike Farmar has had another great season, again despite the lack of bounce, and his bowling against Hambleden last week was mesmerising – Mike has taken 22 wickets and his 5 for against Turville in June was nearly a match-winning performance. The bowler of the year this season is somebody who knows a lot about bowling on wet tracks, in fact he knows a lot about bowling on all sorts of tracks – he has taken 46 wickets at 16 each, going for not much more than 3 and a half an over and his 4 for not very many against the Reading Lawyers was one of the reasons we were able to beat a side we hadn’t beaten for about 4 years. Miles is the bowler Andrew Norton frequently turns to when he needs a wicket – and get a wicket he does. Bowler of the year, W.G. Hodgkiss [Photo].

Before moving on to the batting awards – I would like to give a special thank you to someone who turns up to a large proportion of our games and does one of the hardest jobs around. Neil Craig gives a tremendous amount to Harspden Cricket Club and his fairness was epitomised no better than when Woodley last Sunday asked if Neil could umpire both ends. Many thanks to the man who could give Simon Taufel a run for his money as umpire of the year. Neil Craig [Wine].

As I alluded to earlier, 2008 has been Harspden’s year of the batsman with a stunning number of superb performances making the decisions on the awards extremely difficult. Let’s start with the performances by young batsmen:

This award has been won for the last two years by Sam Imlay, and he started well again this year but was busy with exams and is now in Australia. Christian Whittaker, as a result of injury and other sporting commitments, has not played much this year, but his 31 against Turville in June was nearly a match-winning knock, whilst Matt Thomas scored a great 66 against Cranbourne. Another maiden half-century for Harspden was scored by a 13 year old who has spent some considerable time down at Harspden over the years – chasing a target of 99, he opened the batting against Sonning with Andy Grimmer. Adam Birkett, outlasted Andy that day and proceeded to bat through for an unbeaten 51 – a couple of other good knocks suggest there will be a lot more runs from him next year. Tom Nugent has batted beautifully on several occasions as has Alfred Cary but the award this year came down to a choice between two good friends. Firstly, Ben Hancock – Ben has been a rock with the bat all season, helping us to a great victory up at Hambleden, and thrillingly a brilliant knock against Greys Green, which set the scene for a great victory. Will Stevens ran him ragged that day, but although Ben was huffing and puffing he saw us home. Against the Young Lions, Ben opened the batting but was only out having lost 6 partners. Ben has averaged 20 this year but was just, pipped for the award. Young batsman of the year, goes to someone who although he hasn’t played for us much, has shown extraordinary class, hitting exhilerating drives, smashing sixes and leaving the oppo in no doubt that they are in for an afternoon of ‘hunt the ball’. His cultured unbeaten 51 against Ebersley in the first match of the season earned us a draw, whilst his unbeaten 69 against the Wanderers was a pleasure to watch from the very first ball. Young batsman of the year goes to somebody who unfortunately, at the last minute, couldn’t make the dinner – congratulations to Dan Hayden [Photo] but I would be grateful if Ben could come up to collect the award on Dan’s behalf.

Before moving on to the more mature batsmen, a brief fielding interlude. There have been an amazing number of brilliant catches this season – and apologies for anybody I have missed out: Andy Bryan at slip, Miles at very Silly Point, Tom Ham in the Sixes, Andy Grimmer in the deep, Mr Catch, Mike Farmar, all over the place, but our top three this year are: 3rd place, Carl Pohl against Shiplake catching their dodgy left handed opener with a scorching diving one hander in the gully. In second place was Alfred Cary with a brilliant running catch in the deep in the sixes – most years that would have been good enough to win…....by a mile. Not this year though. To set the scene of the winning catch: it was very dark, had started to rain and our winner was at cover – the ball was lobbed over his head, he turned to chase whilst looking over his shoulder, made a few yards, then whilst still running stuck out a hand – incredibly, the ball stuck. What is amazing is that this was with his left hand, whereas the scorching one-hander earlier in the match was with his better right hand. Winner of Catch of the Season – for his second one hander against Shiplake – Carl Pohl [Catch].

At this point I would like to digress again to thank somebody who has put in enormous effort over the years, with 2008 being no exception. I can’t imagine any other club in the area has a fixture secretary as reliable as Suzie Bradley. Suzie does an unbelievable amount of work setting up our fixture list and then trying to make sure teams turn up on the day. I also believe that it’s Suzie’s birthday today – I am glad you’ve deferred the birthday party to be here tonight. We have here a small token of our enormous appreciation to Suzie for all her efforts, and a little something for your birthday. Suzie Bradley [Photo].

We are now on to the senior batting trophy. There have been some superb batting feats this season, not least those seen in the sixes competition. 43 in just 11 balls from Christian Whittaker, Andy Grimmer needing 36 off the last over to win, started 6, 6. Tom Ham and Ed Birkett hammering our very own Harspden bowlers, Miles smashing Greys Green, Andy Bryan scoring an unbeaten 49, followed by an unbeaten 50.

As far as the longer form of the game is concerned, we have had 8 hundreds this season – 8 times as many as last season! A debut Harspden century by Will Stevens against Whitchurch, followed up very quickly by another one against Hambleden, a brilliant century by Carl Pohl against Henley after being out for 99 against the Catchiteers, two centuries by Andy Bryan, the first a brilliant one against Oxford Uni and the second against Hillingdon Manor. Horatio scored his maiden century, against Medmenham followed up with another devastating knock against the Fiddlers. We have an award for our other century maker – he started with us last season, always looking highly correct and liable to make a big score. Even as he started this season he made important contributions with the bat against Hambleden, Rivets, Sonning among others. But it was against Cranbourne that Andy Grimmer made his first 50 for Harpsden, and if that wasn’t enough, he went on to make it his maiden century. For his maiden century, and a prize for most improved batsmen of 2008, Andy Grimmer [Photo].

Just going through some of the other batting feats of 2008 – with nine wickets down, Chris Ham hit his son for 4 to win an extremely tense Presidents/Chairman’s match – I pleased to say that although the Chairman was in Cornwall, Chris pulled the team through to victory! The Mitchells, Tom and Alan produced the top last wicket partnership of the season against the Old Josephians, putting on a very valuable 27. Andrew Imlay has only batted twice for us this year, but his 38 showed that the talent is still very much there. Tom Ham and Ollie Heath added a match-winning 61 for the eighth wicket against Henley Hockey Club. But we have a prize here for the recovery performance of the season: we were 120 for 6 away against Holyport, which was nowhere near enough, and Tom Hancock came to the wicket – he proceeded to work the ball around, and then smash his way to a wonderful 55. He coaxed his partner along, enabling us to put on an unbeaten partnership of 117, which proved to be more than enough for a demoralised Holyport. The award for recovery of the season goes to Tom Hancock [Photo].

Other highlights include Charlie Stevens’ 33 against Hillingdon Manor, a superb opening partnership of 70 between Rob Harris and Miles Hodgkiss in a winning cause against Greys Green, Matt Hayward’s two great forehands that went to the boundary against Greys Green – his 13 off 5 balls enabling us to get home with 3 balls to spare. Alex Jeremy averaged over 50 with the bat, and we hope to see more of him next year, Balaji frequently coming in at crucial times and knocking the oppo around for a few. Mick Greenwood using the long handle to great effect, not least against Woodley, with three crucial sixes. Tom Sampson’s 45 against London Erratics in a winning cause, and putting on 89 with Andy Bryan against Oxford Uni, Justin Bradley, who took longer than usual to keep his run going of getting a 50 every season since the year dot – it took Andy Norton almost as long, but his 95 against Turville was definitely worth waiting for.

We have some awards here for the top partnership of the season – given that the second placed partnership was only broken by a retirement, we have decided to extend the award to the top 2. As both partnerships were with the same person – I will save his mention until the second partnership. With an opening partnership against the Wanderers of 158 (unbeaten) Ian Whittaker [Wine] The highest partnership of the season was a superb match-winning 2nd wicket partnership of 166 against the Catchiteers – would Miles Hodgkiss please come forward. [Photo]. The partner for both of these was the magnificent Carl Pohl [Photo].

The decision for batsman of the year has been very, very tough this year. We’ve even had to get input from Gower and Botham to split the candidates. Horatio Cary has had a marvellous season, and but for a couple of low scores over the last 2 weeks would have averaged comfortably over 50. Will Stevens has scored over 600 runs at an average of more than 50. Miles Hodgkiss has scored over 700 runs with 5 fifties, Andy Grimmer has come storming through with some tremendous displays, but the decision came down to a choice between two people. Carl Pohl has scored over 400 hundred runs at an average of over 100 whilst Andy Bryan has scored comfortably over 500 runs at an average of nearly 60. We have decided, this year, based on the number of matches that have been influenced by his batting, helped by the fact that he has played a few more games, and his stunning performances in the Sixes, to give the batting award for 2008 to Andy Bryan [Photo]. All I can say is that I suspect in many other years, Carl would have won the trophy at a gallop.

Now, as always, we need to give special thanks to the Chairman of Selectors. Jane Burtt continues to do the most amazing amount for Harspden Cricket Club – she makes sure that we have exactly 11 out for each game (and Will Stevens will tell you how difficult it is do that!), somebody is organised to provide tea, and if they’re not Jane does the tea, she runs the bar, she wheelbarrows and then carries the beers to the fridge, she takes the rubbish out, she does the washing up, she turns the urn and hot water on, she organises the annual dinner etcetera, etcetera. Jane, we are all incredibily grateful for all you do, and recognise that we should all do more of these things ourselves, we have here just a small token of our appreciation [Present].

We now move on to the all-rounders. Firstly, the young all-rounder. This is a tough category as the young, understandably, typically don’t get an opportunity to both bat and bowl. This is an award that was won last year by Christian Whittaker, and I’m sure if he’d been able to play a few more games, would have been extremely tough to beat. Other obvious candidates include Alfred Cary with his brilliant bowling, reliable batting and great fielding. Ben Hancock has batted extremely well, averaging around 20, and has shared in five partnerships of more than 50, 4 of them in a winning cause, and has taken 13 wickets. Our winner this year, however, has been our second highest overall wicket-taker with 28 wickets at a stunning average of only 13 – which happens to be how old he was at the start of the season! Each wicket has gone for only 3 and a half runs an over, and other than James Butler, and Rob Harris (!), he has the best strike rate of any our top 22 wicket-takers. He is also a classy looking batsman who because he bowls, doesn’t often get the opportunity – he has been involved in match winning partnerships against the Catchiteers and Woodley – but an example of his batting skill was in the first of the Turville games when he had to block out for a draw - having successfully negotiated his way to the last ball with a couple of wickets in hand, he then proceeded to hit the last ball of the match for 6. Winner of young all-rounder of 2008, Tom Nugent [Photo].

The senior all-rounder award comes down to a choice between 3 people , despite the extremely valuable all-round contributions of Mick Greenwood, Horatio and Tom Sampson. Tom Hancock has been involved in some very valuable partnerships and has taken 18 wickets at only 3 and half an over. Miles has had another superb season, both with the bat and the ball, and is our leading catcher, but all rounder of 2008 goes to someone who has averaged over 50 with the bat, shared 10 partnerships of over 50, scored his maiden century for Harspden, has taken 12 catches, has frequently kept the oppo down to a single when normally they might have run three, has taken wickets with both seam and spin, taking a total of 17 wickets at less than 12 runs apiece and incredibly, going for less than 3 runs an over. All-rounder of 2008, Will Stevens [Photo].

There are a lot of people here who do a tremendous amount for the club but I haven’t mentioned them so far this evening: David Heath, scoring and the finances, Julian Burtt giving Presidential guidance, and is a great sounding board for me, Andrew Norton and Will for their captaincy and leadership skills, and of course Will for all the stats he puts together, Richard Moyle for the amazing number of handyman jobs he does for us – it’s a shame we haven’t seen more of Richard this season – hopefully next year. Ian Whittaker, our very own Del boy as he is always able to find somebody who can provide us with what we need, eg baggy caps, or a heavy roller, in fact Ian is taking orders for shirts, jumpers, caps etc. after dinner. Special thanks must go to the tea ladies, and men, for keeping us fed, the Stevens family for all their work in organising the sixes – Ed Birkett and Ben and Tom Hancock for their paid work on the pitches ….and apologies to everybody who I’ve not mentioned but before going on to the Clubman award, I would like to say a special thank you to all the supporters, Katherine, Josh etc. etc. – but I would this year like to acknowledge the support of Will’s right hand lady, Sarah, who is very happy to share her other half with us and either spectate or read a book. Mildly Reluctant, but very supportive, supporter of the year, Sarah [Photo].

We have always said that Clubman of the year won’t go to one of the Committee and is almost certainly a player, and hence the choice for us came down to 3 people. Clubman is for somebody who goes out of his way to do whatever he can for the Club; Miles won this last year and was a real contender again – the cost of coming to the games has gone up sharply for him since last year given the increased petrol prices, he often stays in the pavilion overnight on Saturday as Harpsden Cricket Club’s security officer, he frequently clears up the pavilion, or should I say his bedroom, after the games, he will always play when we’re short, but despite being one of our best players, will give up his place if we have too many players, will gladly play for the oppo if we are long and they are short, moves the field and changes the bowlers, even when he’s not captain, steers the heavy roller like a captain on his ship – nothing is too much trouble for Miles and it’s great to have him in our club. The next person is somebody who is my motivator and shadow. Adam Birkett has been a great supporter of Harpsden Cricket Club for years, and is now starting to make a real contribution as a player. I am sure, as per the Happy Gilmore movie, that the Cricket Club is Adam’s happy place. Having said that, he goes way beyond that with his desire to help – he spends hour after hour with me raking, cutting and rolling pitches and is always keen to make sure that the ground and pavilion look as good as possible before each game. Just a little token of our appreciation for everything Adam does for Harspden Cricket Club [Photo].

Clubman of 2008 goes to young man who is developing into one of the nicest around. He is always there to help, whether that is scoring, getting the sawdust, preparing pitches even when he’s busy, finding us players if we are short – not only that, but his cricket has come on a treat this year, especially his batting. He will run himself into the ground, just to beat the oppo – against Greys Green, Will called for an absolutely suicidal run, our Clubman running to the danger end ran for his life, with no focus on self preservation, or averages – it was beating Greys Green that mattered. Clubman of 2008, for everything he does for Harspden Cricket Club, Ben Hancock [Photo].

There are two last thank yous I would like to make. Firstly, my long suffering cricket club widow wife. The Club doesn’t just steal me away from her, it also steals her two sons, and then she is required to make the teas and help to cook and help to organise the dinner this evening. Many thanks for all you do, and all you put with – Sally [Photo].

The other person I would like to thank is Joanna Cary. Joanna Cary spends so much time throughout the season preparing for the dinner, taking hundreds of photographs. I am sure I speak for everybody when I say not only how appreciated all this work is, but also how brilliant the photographs are. With many thanks from us all – Joanna [Wine]. By the way, Alfred is selling discs after the dinner with all the seasons photos for a fiver.

Before finishing I just wanted to share with you a comment that epitomises what we are trying to achieve at Harspden. I was watching the game at Turville, and talking to one of their opening batsmen – I can’t say it any politer than, we were mullering them. Colin, however, was very quick to say how brilliant the atmosphere in the middle was when we were fielding. This atmosphere is a credit to everybody in the Club and we should rightly be extremely proud of it. Our motto, invite them, entertain them, beat them – but make them think they enjoyed the experience!

Please raise your glasses to: Harpsden Cricket Club.

Harpsden Vs Hambleden
Harpsden Win by 77 runs

Harpsden Sat 1st Innings 233/5 Closed (Overs 40)

R Harris c M Murton b G Mattingley 4
J Bradley c G Bridges b N Arnold 69
W Stevens* Run Out 101
D Hayden c G Bridges b Bradford 1
B Hancock c G Bridges b N Arnold 7
R Birkett+ Not Out 27
M Hodgkiss Not Out 9
extras (b0 lb4 w11 nb0) 15
TOTAL 5 wickets for 233

Hambleden 1st Innings 156/6 Closed (Overs 40)

J Ottaway c M Hodgkiss b J Butler 21
M Murton b M Farmer 0
Bradford c D Hayden b W Stevens 48
J Wright Not Out 50
N Arnold* c&b M Hayward 0
G Mattingley c R Birkett b M Hodgkiss 1
G Bridge+ c J Butler b M Farmer 26
S Towman Not Out 0
extras (b5 lb3 w2 nb0) 10
TOTAL 6 wickets for 156

Best Bowling: M Farmer 2-24

On one of the best days of the year Harpsden appeared to have on a good toss and elected to bat on a firm and flat track. But it was Hambleden won took the early initiative with Mattingley taking the wicket of Harris caught for 4, and Ottaway swinging the ball at pace. Bradley and Stevens set about rebuilding and after a few early scares got to grips with the movment, Bradley being particularly severe with anything down the leg side. With the partnership passing the hundred mark both batsmen reached their half centuries soon after drinks and continued to accelerate until Bradley finally fell for an aggressive 69.

Hayden and Hancock perished caught behind both to good catches from Bridges who keep wicket well all day. This brought Rod Birkett to the crease, who rotated the strike well an allowed Stevens to complete his century. Stevens fell immediately afterwards which allowed Birkett to cut loose and finish with a quick fire 27*, and in so doing helped Harpsden to a very competitive 233. The pick of the Hambleden bowling was Mattingley who returned economic figures and on another day could have ended with more wickets.

After tea Harpsden opened up with leg spinner Mike Farmer who bowled beautifully to pick up the first wicket. Butler opened at the other end and was thankful to see a full blooded pull by Ottaway get taken by Hodgkiss. This brought Bradford and Wright together and whilst Wright slowing accumulated runs Bradford set about savaging to the Harpsden attack including a 6 which nestled on the Golf Club roof. This was to be one of the last highlights for Hambleden as Bradford fell soon after attempting another lusty blow over the top only to see Hayden take the catch inches inside the boundary rope. After the wicket Harpsden got on top of the game and the run rate climbed steadily, Wright went on to complete a half century. But in the evening gloom Hambleden finally finished their innings on 156 well short of their target leaving Harpsden the victors.

Harpsden v Wanderers 13/09/08

Harpsden In Rampant Form

Harpsden

J Bradley b I Winder 5

W Stevens* Not Out 85

B Hancock b I Winder 8

D Hayden Not Out 69

TOTAL 173-2

Extras 6

Best Bowling : I Winder 2-14

Wanderers

A Winder ct D Hayden b Jeremy 1

I Winder ct Birkett b Hodgkiss 12

M Matthews b Hodgkiss 0

S Bell b Jeremy 3

D Smith c & b Thomas 0

S Fabry ct Hodgkiss b Thomas 0

M Lo Not Out 4

B Turner ct D Hayden b A Hayden 4

L Couldrich c & b Harris 7

D McIntosh b A Hayden 1

M Couldrich b A Hayden 0

TOTAL 40

Extras 8

Best Bowling : A Hayden 3-7, Jeremy 2-5

Harpsden entertained Wanderers on a sunny afternoon. Harpsden lost an early wicket, Bradley getting bowled for 5. Hancock was next to fall, falling victim to one that kept low. This brought Hayden to the crease to join Stevens. The pair played some brilliant shots in their unbeaten partnership of 143. This included three massive sixes, two from Hayden and one from Stevens. Harpsden decided to declare their innings, with the score on 173-2.

Wanderers started their innings cautiously. This proved to be their downfall, as they lost early wickets. They found themselves in serious trouble at 19-5, thanks to some disciplined bowling from Jeremy and Hodgkiss. Wanderers never recovered, and were bowled out for 40, with the pick of the bowlers being 12 year old Ashley Hayden, who picked up 3-7 from his 3.3 overs.

Harpsden Sat Vs Whitchurch
Harpsden Sat Win by 80 runs

Harpsden Sat 1st Innings 246/6 Closed (Overs 40)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs
A Grimmer c Arthur b L Williams 28
W Stevens* lbw b Grogan 112
R Harris+ lbw b Burton 27
J Bradley b G Maltime 33
H Cary b Kilford 14
Matt Thomas b Kilford 3
B Hancock not out 5
T Nugent not out 7
extras (b5 lb4 w8 nb0) 17
TOTAL 6 wickets for 246


Whitchurch 1st Innings 166/8 Closed (Overs 40)
Batsman Fieldsman Bowler Runs
Grogan b B Hancock 31
Choudaray+ c R Harris b H Cary 10
Arthur lbw b H Cary 20
Leech b B Hancock 17
D Maltime c B Hancock b J Thompson 0
L Williams* c Matt Thomas b T Nugent 39
Cook c W Stevens b T Nugent 6
Heard not out 23
G Maltime b T Nugent 2
Kilford not out 2
extras (b8 lb3 w5 nb0) 16
TOTAL 8 wickets for 166



Best Bowling
T Nugent 3-9
H Cary 2-31
B Hancock 2-18

Harpsden batted first in this 40 over match and made a strong start through Grimmer and Stevens. The score had reached 56 before Whitchurch made their first breakthrough, Grimmer falling to a sharp slip catch of the bowling of Williams. Harpsden continued to pile on the runs with Harris and Bradley both scoring fluently and both going on to share 50 run partnerships with Stevens. Stevens went on to complete a first and very overdue century for Harpsden. The innings came to a close with Harpsden having posted a daunting 246.

It proved to be too much for Whitchurch who never really got on terms with the rate as Harpsden’s young bowlers dominated proceedings. Tom Nugent, who was on a hat-trick at one point finished with impressive figures of 8-2-9-3 and was ably supported by H.Cary and B.Hancock who both ended with 2 wickets. One other bowling performance of note came from 14 year old leg spinner J.Thomson who’s eight over went for just 27 runs.

Harpsden v Young Lions 24/08/08

Harpsden Fall Short Despite Hancock Resistance

Young Lions

Kishar ct Heath b Greenwood 61

Yashwin b Nugent 1

Rajiv ct Balaji b Greenwood 4

Nishil b Nugent 58

Niraj Run Out 1

Justin ct Heath b Nugent 46

Shaan Run Out 0

Kieron Not Out 2

TOTAL 187-7

Extras 16

Best Bowling: Nugent 3-28, Greenwood 2-31

Harpsden

H Cary ct Kishav b Shaan 23

B Hancock lbw b Niraj 42

Balaji Run Out 0

R Birkett b Shaan 1

A Birkett ct Justin b Shaan 15

T Hancock ct Rajiv b Shaan 6

O Heath ct Nishil b Rajiv 3

A Cary Not Out 22

T Nugent Run Out 4

M Devile Not Out 4

TOTAL 135-8

Extras 15

Best Bowling: Shaan 4-24, Rajiv 1-3

Harpsden entertained Young Lions on an overcast day. Harpsden won the toss and put Young Lions into bat on a very damp wicket from the overnight rain. Young Lions made a solid start to their innings, reaching 47-1 from the first ten overs, despite some accurate bowling from youngster, Tom Nugent; Greenwood then made another breakthrough, removing skipper Rajiv for 4. Both batsmen at the crease then established themselves, and it wasn’t until the twenty fifth over that Harpsden removed Kishav for 61, thanks to a great catch from Ollie Heath. Young Lions then started to up the scoring rate, and thanks to some lusty blows from Justin, they made it to 187-7 from their allocated 40 overs.

Harpsden knew that this was a very gettable score, despite the difficult batting conditions. Openers, Hancock and Cary made a convincing start to the innings, reaching 41 without loss after ten overs. Cary was then caught for 23. Balaji joined Hancock at the crease; both batsmen were looking to push the ball around, to keep the score ticking, this proved to be there downfall, as Balaji was run out without scoring. Harpsden then lost four wickets for just 43 runs. Leaving Hancock stranded. When Hancock fell for a dogged 42, Harpsden were in deep trouble, and ended up falling fifty runs short of their target.

Harpsden v BBC Radio News 20/08/08

Cary On Fire As Harpsden Cruise To Victory

BBC Radio News

Mike + b Ham 31

J Weymes b Birkett 13

B Keohave ct Whittaker b Nugent 2

D Nicholson * b Ham 1

P Daniels ct Cary b Hodgkiss 87

S Gupta ct Ham b Nugent 40

T Maby Not Out 3

J Reilly Not Out 8

TOTAL 206-6

Extras 21

Best Bowling : Nugent 2-24, Ham 2-32

Harpsden

H Cary ct S Reilly b Maby 89

B Hancock b Khan 46

C Pohl * Not Out 43

I Whittaker lbw b Maby 2

A Birkett ct J Reilly b S Reilly 13

R Birkett + Not Out 0

TOTAL 209-4

Extras 16

Best Bowling: Maby 2-31, S Reilly 1-8

BBC Radio News visited Harpsden for this annual fixture, on a dry, overcast day. BBC made a solid start, before Birkett convincingly bowled Weymes for 13. Harpsden then picked up two more quick wickets, with Whittaker taking a catch off the bowling of Nugent, and then Ham bowling Nicholson. This brought Daniels to the crease to join Mike, both batsmen looked very comfortable, Ham made the breakthrough, bowling Mike for 31. Gupta added a quick fire 40. Daniels proceeded to hit the Harpsden bowling all over the park, before he holed out to long off for 87. BBC finished on a very respectable 206-6 off their allocated two and a half hours.

Harpsden made an absolutely blistering start to their innings, with Cary dominating the bowling and Hancock playing a good supporting role. The pair reached their century partnership off just 14 overs. Both batsmen continued to dominate the bowling and it wasn’t until the twentieth over that BBC made the breakthrough, Cary falling for a superb 89, with the score on 144, a brilliant partnership from the two batsmen. Pohl then joined Hancock, but Hancock fell four short of a maiden half century. Whittaker followed soon after, before Birkett also came and went for 13. It was left to Pohl to hit the winning runs for Harpsden, to complete a six wicket win, with 11 overs to spare.

Harpsden fall short in tight affair

Harpsden met Stoke Row for a 40 over match this Sunday. With heavy rain the order of the week the pitch was slow but drying out all the time. Stoke Row were put in to bat and started badly losing McDonald in just the second over. Stoke Row then started to rebuild and reached 70 before losing their second wicket. Tight bowling from Hodgkiss, who took 3 wickets, and Ham, who took 2, left Stoke Row on a good score of 210 for 8 after their 40 overs.

Harpsden came out strongly and after losing both openers LBW it was left to reliable Miles Hodgkiss to do a recovery act, and he wasn’t hanging around. He smashed to ball to all areas hitting 5 fours and a six on a slow outfield in his innings of 77. Good support was provided from Stevens (24) and Bryan (16) and the game was in the balance until the last few overs when Young took the wickets of Hodgkiss and Bryan, ending Harpsden’s hopes of a win. Harpsden finished on 196 for 7, 15 runs from victory.

Stoke Row

McDonald c. Bryan b. Hodgkiss 1
Young c. Sampson b. Ham 18
Wheeler c. Grimmer b. Ham 48
Windsor b. Hodgkiss 16
Hennessy NOT OUT 45
Brown c. Heath b. Hodgkiss 3
Stallwood c. Ham b. Mitchell 0
Kakara b. Stevens 2
Ashton c. R.Birkett b. Heath 10
Power NOT OUT 26
Extras 49
Total (8wkts) 210

Best Bowling: Hodgkiss 3-32, Ham 2-31


Harpsden

Grimmer LBW b. Power 17
Thompson LBW b. Macdonald 8
Hodgkiss c. Power b. Young 77
Stevens c. Stallwood b. Brown 24
Bryan c. Ashton b. Young 16
R.Birkett b. Wheeler 9
Sampson st. Hennessy b. Young 0
Heath NOT OUT 9
E.Birkett NOT OUT 6
Extras 30
Total (7wkts) 196

Best Bowling: Young 3-28

Harpsden face Shiplake in a rainstorm

Harpsden met Shiplake on Sunday in a friendly 40 over match. Harpsden batted first and got off to a flyer, with Miles Hodgkiss hitting a better than run a ball 78, including 14 fours and a big six. With Harpsden 70 for 0 off 10 overs Shiplake were in trouble, but A.Bucksey took a couple of wickets and T.Atkinson took 3 catches to reduce Harpsden to 146 for 4 off 29 overs. Harpsden’s run rate never really recovered with good bowling from S.Bucksey and N.Davies, and it took some big hitting from the Harpsden tail to reach a good score of 205-8 from their 40 overs.

Harpsden came out strongly after tea with a couple of quick wickets for Tom Ham and one for Tom Sampson. A very resilient innings of 54 from N Davies frustrated Harpsden, in a match becoming more affected by the heavy rain that was falling. Credit to all parties for continuing as long a possible, but with four overs remaining, and water starting to appear on the square, play was ended with Shiplake 137 for 7 from 36 overs. Special fielding credit must go to C.Pohl who took two stunning catches, one at gully, and plucking another out of the air whilst running backwards.

Harpsden

M.Hodgkiss c. T.Atkinson b. S.Bucksey 78
A.Norton c. T.Atkinson b. A.Bucksay 23
C.Pohl st. b. S.Bucksey 29
I.Whittaker RUN OUT 0
W.Stevens b. N.Davies 32
R.Birkett c. Jenkins b. Fooks 17
T.Hancock RUN OUT 8
E.Birkett c. T.Atkinson b. N.Davies 2
T.Nugent NOT OUT 4
T.Sampson NOT OUT 1
Extras 11
Total (8wkts) 205

Best Bowling: S.Bucksey 2-21

Shiplake

D.Combes c. Pohl b. Ham 9
S.Fooks c. Stevens b. Ham 2
S.Gosby b. Sampson 27
N.Davies RUN OUT 54
T.Atkinson b. Nugent 0
S.Bucksey c. Pohl b. Hancock 11
D.Jenkins c. R.Birkett b. E.Birkett 6
R.Wilson NOT OUT 14
K.Ellis NOT OUT 14
Extras 7
Total (7wkts) 144

Best Bowling: T.Ham 2-28

Harpsden v BBC Caversham 2/08/08

Stevens Stars For Harpsden

Harpsden

M Hodgkiss ct Lavers b Sinka 0

W Stevens* b Ballard 71

A Grimmer ct Massey b Ballard 47

B Hancock Run Out 19

A Birkett ct Watkins b Sinka 8

R Birkett + ct Treder b Lavers 2

M Hayward c & b Lavers 2

M Greenwood Not Out 2

M Farmar b Watkins 0

J Butler b Watkins 0

Extras 17

TOTAL 168

Best Bowling - Lavers 2-26, Watkins 2-29

BBC Caversham

T Deeks* ct Stevens b Butler 2

M Treder ct Hancock b Greenwood 4

J Champion b Farmar 14

T Massey ct Farmar b Greenwood 2

D Lavers Not Out 63

R Watkins lbw b Hodgkiss 0

S Castle Not Out 4

Extras 24

TOTAL 113-5

Best Bowling – Greenwood 2-25, Hodgkiss 1-10

Harpsden locked horns with BBC Caversham on a warm, slightly damp afternoon. Harpsden got off to the worst possible start, losing Hodgkiss second ball of the innings. This brought Grimmer to the crease to join Stevens. The two batsmen built a very solid partnership, hitting some erractic bowling all around the park. When Grimmer holed out to deep mid wicket, the pair had put on 85 in just 14 overs. Hancock then joined Stevens, both batsman ran hard and continued to keep the score ticking over, when Hancock was run out with the score on 125 off 23 overs, a big total looked on the cards. However, Harpsden suffered a collapse, and only Stevens really managed to get the scoring rate going. When he fell for a much needed 71, Harpsden lost there last 3 wickets for just 4 runs. Leaving them with a respectable score of 168 off there 30 overs.

Harpsden got off to a superb start with the ball, with Greenwood and Butler tempting the batsmen into false strokes. After 6 overs BBC Caversham were on 16-3, this included two great catches, firstly from Stevens, and then a great diving low effort from Farmar. Harpsden believed that a low total was definitely on. However, When Lavers came to the crease to join champion, Lavers in particular looked very comfortable with the bat in hand. Both batsmen dug deep and built a solid partnership of 66 before Champion was bowled by Farmar. Hodgkiss then striked, catching Watkins plumb in front. After this BBC Caversham shut up shop, and finished on 113-5 off their allocted overs. Harpsden winning by a convincing margin of 55 runs.

Ben Hancock runs Harpsden to victory

Grey’s Green

G. Butler ct. Birkett b. Greenwood 11
M. Cusden ct. Hodgkiss b. Stevens 15
D. Barclay-Watt ct. Sampson b. Farmar 101
M. Skilleter b. Hodgkiss 31
P. Sims run out 36
Dawkins not out 1
Holyroyd run out 1
Howes not out 2

Extras 26

Total for 6 wkts 224

Best Bowling: Stevens 1 – 20, Greenwood 1 – 29


Harpsden

M. Hodgkiss ct. Barclay-Watt b. Skilleter 62
R. Harris caught and b. Bhakat 22
R. Birkett b. Skilleter 19
A, Cary ct. sub b. Skilleter 9
W. Stevens ct. Barclay-Watt b. Cusden 26
B. Hancock not out 26
T. Sampson b. Skilleter 22
T. Nugent caught and b. Skilleter 2
M. Hayward not out 9

Extras 28

Total for 7 wkts 225

Best Bowling: Skilleter 5 – 78


The annual Harpsden fixture against Greys Green took place on a scorching afternoon, with the pitch likely to favour the batsmen. The captains agreed to play a ‘time game’ and hence it was always likely to be a good toss to lose as the toss-winning captain was almost certainly going to, quite rightly, subject his side to a hot afternoon in the sun chasing the ball. Will Stevens won the toss for Harspden and duly elected to field first. Although Geoff Butler and Mick Cusden were in good form from the previous weekend, very tight bowling from Mick Greenwood, and then Will Stevens, tied the batsmen down – and it was ultimately the frustration caused by the tight bowling that accounted for both openers. Despite the fast scoring pitch, Greenwood’s 10 overs went for only 29 and Stevens’ conceded only 20 from his 6 overs. David Barclay-Watt and Matt Skilleter started to re-build although further tight bowling from Tom Nugent and Alfred Cary made things difficult for the batsmen. It was, however, the arrival of Pat Sims that provided the foundation for an acceleration from Greys Green. Barclay-Watt was savage on anything loose and his superb timing brought a well-deserved century just before tea, and it took a good catch from Tom Sampson on the boundary to dismiss him. The other feature of the Greys innings was a superb 70 yard direct hit from Will Stevens to run out Sims.

Having bowled 44 overs at Greys, it was always likely that Harspden would have fewer overs to achieve their target and hence the scoring rate would have to be high from the start. As it turned out, Harspden needed to score at more than 6 runs an over from their 37 overs. Miles Hodgkiss and Rob Harris got off to flyer, being harsh on both the opening bowlers, Bhakat Ahmed and Matt Skilleter. Their 70 run opening partnership was scored at nearly five and a half an over before Bhakat removed Harris. Rod Birkett then came in to join Hodgkiss and helped to push the score along at 6 over before Birkett was out attempting a further acceleration. This dismissal was quickly followed by the end of both Hodgkiss and Alfred Cary and left Harspden at the potentially precarious position of 130 for 4. Will Stevens and Ben Hancock consolidated, pushing the ball around for quick ones and twos but after another good catch at deep mid-off by Barclay-Watt to dismiss Stevens, Hancock found another willing partner in the form of Tom Sampson. A swift 22 from Sampson, followed by the dismissal of Tom Nugent, brought Matt Hayward in to join Hancock. 13 were required from 8 deliveries with 3 wickets left. Matt Hayward brilliantly despatched 2 of his first 3 balls to the boundary, leaving only 3 to win off the last four balls. 3 scampered singles later and Harspden had secured their first victory over Greys Green for 3 years, despite the valiant bowling efforts of Skilleter, after a performance where all the Harspden players made a contribution.

Harpsden vs. Pinkney's Green 2XI

Harpsden met Pinkney’s Green 2XI for a friendly match at Harspden on Saturday. Pinkney’s Green batted first, and James Butler made an immediate breakthrough with his first ball of the season, trapping Narval leg before. Two more wickets fell in quick succession putting Pinkney’s Green firmly on the back foot. A.Rhana and Fox led a mini resurgence before Ed Birkett bowled Rhana with a beautiful delivery. Pinkney’s Green ploughed on steadily, losing wickets at regular intervals, with the best of the scoring coming from D.Rhana’s unbeaten 41 and Anderson’s 35. Special credit must go to leg spinner Matt Hayward, who bowled with great control, taking 2 wickets from his 7 overs. This bowling helped restrict Pinkney’s Green to 162 at tea.

Harpsden came out after tea and got off to a solid start with Ben Hancock (9) and Adam Birkett (24) building a steady platform. Harpsden wickets fell at regular intervals with all the Pinkney’s bowlers restricting the scoring rate. A stand out performance from Taylor, taking 5 wickets from his 15 over spell, meant Harpsden were forced to shut up shop with a few overs remaining. Harpsden finished on a respectable 117 for 8.



Pinkney’s Green

Narval LBW, b. J.Butler 3
Imran c. M.Farmar, b. E.Birkett 3
Fox b. M.Farmar 32
Taylor c. A.Birkett b. J.Butler 2
A.Rhana b. E.Birkett 15
Anderson b. M.Hodgkiss 35
D.Rhana NOT OUT 41
Richards b. M.Hayward 4
Gulfram st. R.Birkett b. M.Hayward 6

Extras 20
Total (for 8 wkts) 162

Best Bowling: M.Hayward 2-21, J.Butler 2-22


Harpsden

B.Hancock c. Fox b. Gulfram 9
A.Birkett LBW b. Taylor 24
W.Stevens c. D.Rhana b. Taylor 12
A.Grimmer LBW b. Taylor 13
J.Wright b. Imran 14
E.Birkett b. Taylor 5
M.Hodgkiss b. Imran 15
R.Birkett b. Taylor 2
M.Hayward NOT OUT 4
M.Farmar NOT OUT 2

Extras 17
Total (8Wkts) 117

Best Bowling: Taylor 5-43, Imran 2-18

President's Match

Chairman XI Vs Presidents XI

Presidents XI 1st Innings 142/10 All Out (Overs 37.3)

A Grimmer c J Bradley b M Hodgkiss 39
Rajeev c R Harris b T Sampson 6
A Balaji c B Hancock b A Cary 18
Mark Thomas b O Heath 3
T Hancock b A Cary 0
K Stormount+ c O Heath b M Hodgkiss 7
I Whittaker c A Cary b M Hodgkiss 19
T Ham c J Bradley b T Sampson 18
M Greenwood* c O Heath b T Sampson 2
T Nugent b W Stevens 2
M Farmer not out 4
extras (b5 lb3 w14 nb2) 24
TOTAL All Out for 142

Chairman XI 1st Innings 143/9 Closed (Overs 37)

A Cary c A Balaji b T Nugent 18
W Stevens* c M Farmer b I Whittaker 28
N Adley c M Greenwood b M Farmer 5
J Bradley c K Stormount b T Hancock 19
R Harris+ c Mark Thomas b T Ham 34
Matt Thomas lbw b I Whittaker 0
O Heath c I Whittaker b T Ham 13
M Hodgkiss b T Hancock 0
B Hancock c K Stormount b T Hancock 0
C Ham not out 11
T Sampson not out 0
extras (b1 lb4 w9 nb1) 15
TOTAL 9 wickets for 143

On a sunny Sunday afternoon the President’s XI won the toss and elected to bat in this 40 over game. Despite the friendly overhead conditions the batsmen found runs hard to come by partly due to the slow and low nature of the pitch but also some tight bowling from Sampson and Hodgkiss. This was backed up from more miserly bowling from Cary and Heath. Grimmer was the main stay of the President’s innings making a well crafted 39. The President’s innings ended on 142 thanks to some great bowling and fielding from the Chairman’s XI.

In response the Presidents XI started well through Cary and Stevens. With the fall of Cary the scoring further increased as Bradley smashed a quick fire 19. At 85 for 3 and Harris and Stevens at the crease drinks were taken, after which a change of tactics yielded rewards for the President’s. Whittaker picked up 2 wickets in 2 balls to change the game, it was further swung in the presidents favour when Tom Hancock picked up the critical wickets of Hodgkiss and brother Ben. With the departure of Harris the Chairman’s XI still required six runs. Batting was Chris Ham and fittingly bowling was son Tom. This time experience won through as one streaky shot brought about a two, and followed it up with a four to take the match and the bragging rights for the next year.

Harpsden v Effigies 12/07/08

Stormont and Hancock Guide Harpsden To Victory

Effigies

A Begg Run Out 30

J Vaughan b Sampson 18

J Grayling c & b Hodgkiss 7

J Kodar st Stormont b Cary 26

A Imlay b Rajeev 26

M Roberts ct Stevens b Cary 4

M Rhodes Not Out 44

T Claridge ct Grimmer b Stevens 8

J Eaton b Sampson 1

C Crooker Not Out 1

TOTAL 181-8

Best Bowling: M Hodgkiss 2-25, T Sampson 2-32

Harpsden

A Cary ct Kodar b Rhodes 24

A Grimmer b Rhodes 31

J Bradley ct Eaton b Rhodes 30

B Hancock Not Out 24

M Thomas c & b Crooker 17

K Stormont Not Out 49

TOTAL 184-4

Best Bowling: Rhodes 3-39, Crooker 1-38

Harpsden entertained Effigies on a spongy wicket in this eagerly anticipated fixture. Effigies got off to a strong start, with Begg timing the ball beautifully. Harpsden made the breakthrough with the score on 42. Thanks to some accurate bowling from Sampson. With the introduction of two new bowlers to the attack, Effigies runs started to dry up. Cary bowled with great control, and was duly rewarded with 2-53 from his thirteen overs. Hodgkiss and Stevens also did a great job with the ball, both finishing with very economical figures, 2-25 for Hodgkiss from seven overs, and 1-18 for Stevens from eight overs. Some hefty hitting at the end of the innings from Rhodes brought Effigies score up to a very competitive 181-8.

Harpsden got off to a strong start, with the openers putting on 50 in the first fourteen overs. Grimmer then fell for a well crafted 31. This brought Bradley to the crease, who wasted no time in dispatching the ball all around the park for a quick 30. Matt Thomas came and went for a brisk 17. This brought Stormont to the crease to join Hancock; Stormont made the decision to finish off the game as quickly as possible, and played some brilliant shots on his way to 49 not out. He was ably supported by Hancock, who played a good supporting role, to finish on 24 not out.

Ham is Great for Harpsden

Harpsden CC met Henley Hockey Club CC this Sunday for a friendly 40 over game in Harpsden. Harpsden won the toss and elected to bat, but got off to a poor start losing Adam Birkett in the very first over of the match. Justin Bradley set about a counter attack and reached 35 in style before being dismissed by R Woolfrey. Miles Hodgkiss, having switched allegiance and playing for the hockey club, bowled economically as always and making 2 important breakthroughs. With Harpsden at 90 for 7 a slump was well and truly on the cards but strong resistance from Ollie Heath and Tom Ham saw Harpsden through to a respectable total of 167 all out in the 38th over.

The Hockey Club struggled to get going thanks to great bowling from Heath, who took two wickets, and Tom Sampson, who’s 6 overs went for just 8 runs. D Hebert was looking good with some strong hitting, and when he fell to a Birkett Jnr and Snr combination the Hockey Club were struggling at 65 for 4. It was the introduction of Harpsden’s third left armer Tom Ham that made the difference though, as he picked up 3 for 12 from just four overs. Credit must also go to 12 year old Toby Stevens who took the last 2 wickets for just 1 solitary run. A good win for Harpsden with the Hockey Club all out for 105, losing by 62 runs.

Harpsden
J.Bradley b. R.Woolfrey 35
A.Birkett RUN OUT 0
A.Norton ct. I.Heggie b. R.Austin 17
W.Stevens b. D.Hebert 17
R.Birkett b. Hodgkiss 6
T.Hancock LBW b. Hodgkiss 4
O.Heath NOT OUT 36
E.Birkett ct. I.Heggie b. R.Woolfrey 0
T.Ham ct. b. R.Woolfrey 15
T.Sampson ct. b. R. Austin 14
T.Stevens ct. b. R.Woolfrey 0
Extras 24
Total 168
Best Bowling: R.Woolfrey 4-29, Hodgkiss 2-23


Hockey Club
D.Austin ct. Ham b. Hancock 18
I.Heggie b. Heath 5
J.Baker b. Heath 4
D.Hebert ct. R.Birkett b. E.Birkett 34
T.Gaze ct. Norton b. Ham 10
M.Woolfrey ct. W.Stevens b. Hancock 9
M.Hodgkiss ct. E.Birkett b. Ham 4
J.Hebert ct. E.Birkett b. Ham 0
C.Balar b. T.Stevens 0
R.Woolfrey NOT OUT 1
R.Austin b. T.Stevens 4
Extras 16
Total 105
Best Bowling: T.Ham 3-12, T.Stevens 2-1

Cane-Hardy outshines Mark Thomas' big-hitting

Harpsden

M. Thomas st. Caston b. Curtis 40
R. Birkett lbw b. Curtis 32
K. Stormont b. Brown 7
A. Norton lbw b. Cane-Hardy 4
S. Imlay ct. Pavey b. Hunt 19
J. Bradley lbw b. Alcock 4
M. Hayward run out 17
T. Hancock not out 11
T. Sampson not out 0

Extras 11

Total for 7 wkts 146

Best Bowling: Curtis 2 - 19


Shiplake College Wanderers

S. Cane-Hardy not out 68
A. Hurst run out 2
T. Caston ct. Farmar b. Sampson 38
J. Hall run out 3
B. Pavey ct. Norton b. Hayward 16
C. Alcock not out 0

Extras 23

Total for 4 wkts 150

Best Bowling: Hayward 1 - 27


Shiplake College Wanderers hosted Harspden for a Friday evening 20/20, seeking revenge for a defeat earlier in the season at Harpsden. Losing the toss was not a good start as it would subject the teachers to batting in the dark against the young Harspden quicks. Despite an opening maiden, Harspden got off to a great start, aided by several big sixes, particularly from Mark Thomas, as he and Rod Birkett put on 71 for the first wicket in 10 overs. A tight bowling spell from Curtis put Harspden on the back foot and nobody really dominated the bowling again until Tom Hancock who came in for the last 5 balls. 146, although competitive, was, at best, only ever going to be just enough.

The run out of Adam Hurst, following some impressive fielding by Sam Imlay, gave Harspden the start they needed, particularly as the Wanderers’ batsmen struggled against the pace and movement of Hancock and Dan Hayden. Cometh the hour, cometh Tom Caston – Tom proceeded to despatch all-comers to all corners and with the measured blade of Simon Cane-Hardy, started to move Shiplake comfortably ahead of the required rate. The departure of Caston and Hall gave Harspden hope, especially as the spinners, Matt Hayward and Mike Farmar, were extracting significant spin and bounce from a good Shiplake College strip. A big six by Pavey, and further quality stroke-play from Cane-Hardy, his 68 coming in only 48 balls, saw Shiplake home with more than an over to spare.

Bryan's century not enough for Harspden

HARPSDEN faced up to the tough challenge of an OXFORD UNI. XI on Sunday, and with fine weather and good players on both sides, a great match was on the cards. The students won the toss and chose to bat, leaving Harspden a hot session in the field. Oxford started well, progressing to 27 before the loss of the first wicket, and after a mini collapse to 65 for 6, the innings hung in the balance. Up stepped Horatio Cary, batting well and aggressively against the bowling of his brother Alfred, who with prodigious spin, took 3 for 35. Horatio finally fell for 47, leaving the students at 158 for 8. Strong hitting from Southan and no. 11 Ashmore got Oxford up to a challenging total of 181, just before tea.

Harpsden came out after tea and were stunned by the bowling of Southan, who started with a wicket maiden and followed it up with a double wicket maiden. This left Harpsden on 7 for 3 and some serious rebuilding was required. Tom Sampson occupied the crease and played a great supporting role to the undoubtable man of the match, Andy Bryan, who batted through the innings, finishing unbeaten on 110. At 94 for 4, a Harpsden win looked possible but tight bowling from Dark Blues opening bowler Ed Morse, and Will Stevens, dispelled those thoughts. The game finished as a exciting draw with Harpsden on 174 for 5 at the close of play.

Oxford Uni. XI

Morse LBW, b. Williams 14
W.Stevens b. Hancock 6
Schneider b. A.Cary 11
Furniss c. Norton, b. A.Cary 5
Lough b. Sampson 3
H. Cary c. R.Birkett, b. T.Hancock 47
Miller RUN OUT 4
Southan b. Williams 33
Fortune c. T.Hancock, b. A.Cary 3
T.Stevens RUN OUT 2
Ashmore NOT OUT 14
Extras 39
Total (all out) 181

Best Bowling: A.Cary 3-35

Harpsden

A.Bryan NOT OUT 110
M.Thomas b. Southan 0
J.Bradley b. Southan 0
M.Hodgkiss c. Morse, b. Southan 0
T.Sampson RUN OUT 17
T.Hancock c. H.Cary, b. W.Stevens 18
A.Norton NOT OUT 8
Extras 21
Total (5 wkts) 174

Best Bowling: Southan 3-19

Harpsden v Ruislip Victoria 7/06/08

Harpsden Lose Out in Tense Encounter

Harpsden

Bryan b Andrew 42

Hodgkiss c&b Andrew 66

Broome b Andrew 11

Sampson c&b Andrew 4

Imlay b Fry 38

Mitchell ct Andrew b F Booth 11

Ham Not Out 9

Rajeev Not Out 19

TOTAL 236-6

Best Bowling: Andrew 4-47, F Booth 1-16

Ruislip Victoria

Tanmay c&b Hodgkiss 82

Pike ct Hodgkiss b Farmar 12

Khan b Hancock 42

F Booth ct Broome b Hodgkiss 26

Bridger b Hodgkiss 8

Da Costa Not Out 31

J Booth Not Out 10

TOTAL 237-5

Best Bowling: Hodgkiss 3-39, Hancock 1-37

Harpsden won the toss and decided to bat on a beautiful day. Hodgkiss and Bryan started slowly, ending up on 12 without loss after five tight overs from the opening bowlers. The two batsmen then accelerated, and at drinks were well established in there innings. Hodgkiss reached his half century soon after, with his typical array of good strokes. Bryan fell soon after for a very well played 42. This also brought to an end a brilliant century partnership between the two batsmen. Broome came to the crease to join Hodgkiss with the score on 109 off 20 overs. Broome and Hodgkiss fell in quick succession to bring old campaigner, Imlay, and youngster, Mitchell together. Imlay was timing the ball brilliantly all round the park, and eventually fell soon after Mitchell for a vital 38. Rajeev and Ham brought the score to 236-6 off Harpsdens allocated 40 overs. With some lusty blows, especially from Rajeev, who hit one massive six over mid wicket.

Ruislip Victoria started off cautiously and eventually payed the price, with Pike caught by Hodgkiss off the bowling of Farmar. Tanmay and Khan then built a very solid partnership, with Tanmay passing fifty along the way. The partnership was brought to an end with a brilliant piece of spin bowling from Hancock, bowling Khan through the gate. Booth then hit some powerful shots around the ground before he fell for 26, this ensured there would be a tight finish. Ruislip Victoria got home with one ball to spare, despite the best efforts of Hodgkiss, who claimed 3-39.

Harpsden really payed for there simple errors in the field, however credit must be given to Ruislip Victoria, who batted strongly throughout there innings.

Agony for Harpsden as British Airways cruise to 1 run victory

Harpsden met a British Airways XI for a 40 over match at Harpsden’s ground on Sunday. British Airways were put into bat and started well. It took a great return catch from Tom Hancock to dismiss Sid, who had batted smoothly for his 15. Suddenly the pressure was on, and two wickets in two balls for Williams really put the brakes on for a while. Salim came to the crease with 5 wickets having fallen and a big partnership was needed. He started well and accelerated quickly hitting the bowlers to all parts with several massive sixes. Other good contributions came from Ali Khan and Jason, with 30 and 26 respectively. The pick of the bowlers was definitely the ever-reliable Miles Hodgkiss, who bowled 8 overs for 15 runs.

After tea, the Harpsden opening pair came out positively knowing 210 could be chased down with one short boundary. It was Horatio Cary who started the brighter of the pair, with Matt Thomas in all sorts of trouble. Thomas soon spluttered into life though, after being dropped, and sped on to 48, including 8 fours, before being caught attempting a hook shot. BA then got a team hatrick when Ali Khan got two wickets and then Rajeev was run out on the hatrick ball. Tom Hancock and Alfred Cary came together with the score at 119 for 6 and a win looked unlikely. The partnership was cautious but rapidly accelerated with both of them hitting sixes before Hancock got run out amidst some extreme confusion. Williams came and went and with him potentially Harpsden’s chance of winning but a six from Balaji in the last over meant Harpsden needed 4 runs from 4 balls with 9 wickets down. 2 runs needed off 2 balls and the Harpsden boys dared to hope but a catastrophic run out left Harpsden 2 runs short of victory, all out on the penultimate ball. British Airways XI win, but by just 1 run.

British Airways XI

Sid c. & b. T. Hancock 15
Rahim b. Williams 10
Azam b. T. Hancock 29
Tarosh b. Williams 0
Jason RUN OUT 26
Ali Khan NOT OUT 30
Salim b. Hodgkiss 73
Mohat NOT OUT 5
Extras 22
Total (6 wickets) 210

Best Bowling: T.Hancock 2-24, Williams 2-27

Harpsden

H. Cary b. Ali Khan 29
Matt Thomas c. Jason b. Torash 48
A. Norton b. Ali Khan 12
J. Broome b. Ali Khan 0
Rajeev RUN OUT 0
M. Hodgkiss c. Azam b. Ali Khan 6
T. Hancock RUN OUT 46
A. Cary c. & b. Azam 26
H. Williams c. Sid b. Azam 3
Balaji RUN OUT 22
T. Ham NOT OUT 2
Extras 15
Total (all out)` 209

Best Bowling: Ali Khan 4-28, Azam 2-32

Tom Nugent steals the show for Harpsden

After a week of heavy rain, Harpsden met Reading Lawyers at Harpsden's picturesque but somewhat soggy ground. The week of weather had taken it's toll on the strip which was uncharacteristically slow. Tom Sampson started well, bowling a tight opening spell of 1 for 14 off eight overs, but in truth he deserved better. At the other end Alfred Cary helped to tie up the runs, although Symons refused to be easily budged. Symons' 36, with the support of 20s from Clift and Griffiths, helped Reading Lawyers up to a respectable total of 142 all out just before tea. Hodgkiss cleaned up the tail well, returning figures of 4 for 32, although the pick of the bowlers was 13 year old Tom Nugent, who bowled both with great pace and patience when needed. He finished with well deserved figures of 3 for 28 off 10 irresistible overs.

After Mrs. Sampson's excellent tea, there was a question whether Harpsden would be able to get going quickly. Some lusty front foot blows from Rob Harris got Harpsden off to the start they wanted, with Tom Mitchell ably assisting at the other end. It took an unplayable one from Seymour to bowl Harris, but not before he raced to 29. Ian Nugent and Rod Birkett both came and went after they had made good starts but there was a dampener to the occasion when young Chris Welford collapsed with a suspected dislocated knee cap. He went off to hospital and our best wishes go to him for a speedy recovery. This wasn't the only Harpsden injury though, Ian Nugent and Tom Sampson both pulled up with hamstring problems which. Miles Hodgkiss looked to have steered Harpsden home but was dismissed by Lake to leave Harpsden needing 4 to win with the last batsmen at the crease. Number 10 Tom Nugent, who had performed so well with the ball, stepped up to the plate smashing a four to win Harpsden the game by the narrowest of margins, and leave himself on 22 not out.


Reading Lawyers

M. Symons ct. T.Nugent b. Hodgkiss 36
J. Woodsmith ct. Farmar b. Sampson 3
M. Burrows ct. I. Nugent b. T. Nugent 6
A. Cobb b. Welford 0
W. Lake lbw b. Birkett 11
T. Clift ct.Cary b. Hodgkiss 20
N. Burrows lbw b. T. Nugent 12
P. Griffiths not out 20
S. James ct. I. Nugent b. Hodgkiss 2
A. Gupta ct. sub (A. Birkett) b. T. Nugent 16
M. Seymour b. T. Nugent 0

Extras 16

Total All Out 142

Best bowling: Hodgkiss 4 for 32, T. Nugent 3 for 28


Harpsden

R. Harris b. Seymour 29
T. Mitchell ct. Griffiths b. Gupta 6
I. Nugent lbw b. M. Burrows 17
I. Whittaker ct. Clift b. Gupta 6
R. Birkett lbw b. Lake 21
A. Cary ct. Cobb b. Gupta 0
C. Welford retired hurt 0
M. Hodgkiss ct. Griffiths b. Lake 28
T. Sampson ct. Cobb b. Lake 4
T. Nugent not out 22
M. Farmar not out 0

Extras 12

Total for 8 wickets 145

Best Bowling: Lake 3 for 17, Gupta 3 for 49