On the last day of the shortened 2020 the hares arrived at the picturesque Shardeloes ground for a game against local rivals Amersham. The last game of the season also coinciding with the last game of Douglas King's reign as Harefield captain.
Skipper Doug won the toss and elected to bat on a flat but tacky Amersham pitch. This decision looked questionable at 20/3. The Hares were in need of a hero, and thankfully this is what they got. Son of club legend McLeod Snr Tom McLeod walked out to bat knowing a rescue job was needed. This was exactly what he did, well supported by young Olly Stalder (41). The sixth wicket partnership between McLeod and Stalder totalling 78 set the perfect platform for the Harefield lower order to come and whack a few to get the score up. When Stalder ran himself out and Skipper Doug (33) joined McLeod, the result was like nothing seen before. A six hitting contest of the highest order between the club’s biggest and smallest hitters resulted in a quick fire 56 partnership for the seventh wicket including McLeod's first two Saturday 6s. This set Harefield well on their way to a big total. With a few more good shots from McLeod who finished on a well made 77* the score found itself at 234/9 after our 40 overs. This score at halfway seemed very defendable. The Amersham chase got off to a quick start with both of their openers hitting a few boundaries off of the Hares opening bowlers. This quick start prompted an early change to spin. With Matt Ogden the spinner to be thrown the ball, well inside the power play, and there was instant reward with Matt outfoxing the Amersham opener who hit one to Marshall who was adjudged to have taken a low catch at cover. This stemmed the run rate and a few wickets from Crick, J. McLeod and Croft left Amersham in a bit of trouble at 119/6 with the Hares score looking a long way away. Amersham were in need of a partnership and this was what developed between Andy Viney (no longer Jordan’s bunny) and Amersham skipper Sam Helm. Their partnership of 97, that didn’t include a very questionable run out chance, was very good and included one over from the outgoing skipper that went for 27. This partnership left Amersham in a position that they should have won from needing 19 from the last 4. Then came another twist as Jord came back and rather than try to get Andy Viney out he tried to break his hand with a beamer, which in the end worked as from this point the Amersham batsman couldn’t find the rope. Some very good death overs from Doug and Jord ended up resulted in a Harefield win by 7 runs. The result of the game means the Hares finish in the grand old position of 13th in the HCPCL 2020 league. Harefield 234/9 (40 overs) Amersham 227/9 (40 overs) Harefield won by 7 runs. Scorecard Link: https://hcpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/4520998 Match Report written by T. McLeod
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Thank you to Stats (Paul Dean) for scoring for the 1st XI once again this year and for these collection of figures, we literally couldn't do it without you. Harefield 234/9 (40 overs)
T. McLeod 77* O. Stalder 41 D. King 33 Amersham 227/9 (40 overs) J. McLeod 2/17 S. Croft 2/35 Harefield won by 8 runs. The Hares 3rd XI hosted strong opposition in OMT 2nd XI at the Dairy Farm this weekend with the away team only seeing one defeat all season with strong hopes to see out the final game of the calendar with a win.
22 year-old Brett Moore returned to skipper the 3’s and after a rousing speech, won the toss and chose bat first one last time this season. Syed Bukhari got of to a flying start hitting two boundaries in the first over before falling at the hands of experienced bowler Paul Katz. The Hares however batted very deep with Harsharn knocking 29 from very few deliveries - standard - Mo (23) and an impressive 11* from youngster Tejas Hirani batting at 11, but the real star of the show yet again was former 2nd team skipper Adam Seymour. His magnetic 57 steadied the innings giving Harefield something to attack in the field as the 3’s finished on 164 all out. It’s no secret that fielding has been an issue for the Hares this season but optimism was high as they took to the field. Moore chose to open the bowling with the 3’s rising star Tejas and in form spinner Razwan Hanif, the plan working to great effect. The two prevented OMT’s 2nd XI from building any momentum. A change in bowling was key as Adam Seymour and Prab Ramalingham came into the attack. The pair took the wickets of the first four batsmen keeping it very tight in the process giving Harefield a great chance to snatch a win. Simon Boardley had other ideas for the away side however as he put on a defiant display getting OMT’s to within 6 runs of winning the game going into the final two overs with one wicket to spare following and impressive 3 for from Harsharn and 2 each for Adam and Prab. Skipper Moore took it upon himself to bring the game home. The Hares needed to take one wicket to bring home their second win of the season. Having frustrated Boardley in his previous overs Moore kept his composure with two dot balls to start the over. Then the pressure got to the batsman as he looked to finish the game in style. His swipe at the ball was miss timed and it went high into the air as Howard ran to get underneath it. Hearts in mouths...taken! Lippiatt held well and Harefield clutched victory. Brilliant game for the neutral but not for the nerves of the skipper. The 3’s finish the campaign with two wins from two and things are starting to look very promising for the future! All in all it’s a lesson to all that catches really do win matches...but so does Adam Seymour! Up the Hares! Harefield 164 all out (38.2 overs) OMT 158 all out (39.3 overs) Harefield won by 6 runs. Match Report written by Brett Moore. Scorecard link: https: www.tvlcricket.com/scorecard.php?Match_ID=9128 A note to introduce the John Goodman Cup and Plate.
As most of you will know, until his death in November 2019, John Goodman was Fixtures Secretary of the HCPCL since its inception and was also Fixtures Secretary of the Thames Valley Cricket League for many years. But he was far more than that. Cricket was not simply an interest or a hobby to him. It was his life, his social life and his passion. He scored for many teams over the years, both here and abroad. Though not a member of the MCC (and goodness knows, he would have merited it more than many), when he died, the flag over the Pavilion at Lords was flown at half mast, which is a reflection of the esteem in which he was held. So given the events of this year and a different kind of competition, it seemed fitting that we should introduce a Cup and a Plate that commemorated him and these will be awarded on Saturday to the the winning finalists. These trophies are not, however, just for this year or just for this year’s competition. They will be awarded at the discretion of the Chairman of the HCPCL, assisted by the Committee, to clubs or individuals who merit an award in particular year and individuals may include not only players but also officials and administrators whose efforts often go unnoticed and, if not undervalued, then unrecognised. We think John would have appreciated awards on that wider basis given his keenness to mark achievements by officials. Michael Roberts HCPCL Secretary On a surprisingly warm September day, the 1s kicked off the day with an intense game of walking football, which saw the youngsters nab the victory on the basis of “next goal wins”. With a relatively young 1s side out, they felt they had a point to prove, with a win earning them another Saturday game.
D. Ogden, the newly promoted skipper, won the toss and sent Tring Park to the field. D. Ogden and K. Singh set the tone early on with flawless cover drives. As the first few wickets fell, M. Ogden and W. Hatton picked up where the previous batsman left off. The highlight of W. Hatton’s innings being a massive six over midwicket which he claims is still going! As the Harefield innings neared to a close, the predictions began to roll in. Big hits from S. Croft and L. Tyrrell helped surpass all expectations, with the Hares setting a total of 222. But the structure of the innings was held up strong by the skipper who goes into the off season with a magnificent 101 not out. All that was left for the Hares was to bowl tight lines and restrict Tring Park. J. McLeod and last minute call up, N. Hirani formed the opening bowling attack and before long Tring Park were reduced to 23 for 3. J. McLeod continued to run through the middle order picking up 4 wickets for a mere 17 runs. Whilst the Hares rattled through, the umpires provided the light entertainment for the spectators. Calling on Dan to stamp his newfound authority on his older brother, Matt by demanding him to stay on the right side of the boundary rope. As drinks approached, Hares’ intensity withered slightly providing Tring Park’s number 6 and 8 a brief period of respite. But a regrouping of the troops at drinks allowed the Hares to reapply the pressure. Clinical bowling from M.Ogden and S.Croft meant the Tring Park innings was wrapped up for 70, giving the Hares a massive 152 run victory. Such a dominant win alongside an announcement of inflation on match fines by young O. Stalder only meant one thing; an evening of well deserved celebrations. With this win, the 1s can look forward to an additional weekend of cricket against Amersham. Harefield 222/6 (40 overs) Tring Park 70 all out (22.4 overs) Harefield won by 152 runs. Scorecard link: https://hcpcl.play-cricket.com/website/results/4519446 Match report written by Nakul Hirani. Harefield 1st XI v Tring Park 1st XI
Harefield 222/6 (40 overs) D. Ogden 101* M. Ogden 31 Tring Park 70 all out (22.4 overs) J. McLeod 4/17 S. Croft 3/8 Harefield won by 152 runs. OMT 1st XI v Harefield 2nd XI OMT 202 all out (38.5 overs) O. Richards 5/37 J. Senatore 4/31 Harefield 182 all out (38.1 overs) O. Richards 49 J. Fosberry 34 OMT won by 20 runs. Harefield 3rd XI v OMT 2nd XI Harefield 164 all out (38.2 overs) A. Seymour 57 OMT 158 all out (39.3 overs) H. Singh 3/28 Harefield won by 6 runs. The 2’s arrived at OMT’s for their final game of the 2020 season one point ahead of their opponents at the summit of the table. A mouth-watering, winner takes all, shoot-out between the best two teams in the league, drew in the biggest crowd of the season, as the Hares away following peaked at an impressive 16.
With illness striking down the 1 st XI’s senior seam bowler, a last minute change to the team-sheet meant player of the season, Ronnie Hirani, received a thoroughly deserved call-up to the 1’s, with Doug King making his first appearance of the season for the 2’s. To the surprise of absolutely no-one, we were in the field first, as skipper Richards lost the toss, but on a flat looking wicket and a relatively short boundary, the team were confident of chasing down anything. An opening combination of the experienced King and youthful Senatore (4-31), got the Hares off to a flyer. The former applying the pressure at one end with the latter bowling a superb opening spell, chipping away with crucial early wickets, leaving OMT’s reeling at 75-6. The typically economical Morris and Oliver ‘The Chundering Death’ Richards continued to apply pressure but a frustrating 7th wicket stand of 85 propelled OMT up towards a respectable looking score. King’s and Richards’ 2nd spells ended proceedings with OMT’s bowled out for 202 and leaving the skipper with excellent figures of 5-37 from his 7 overs. You could argue that score was below par in the conditions, but after the start they made, the 2’s were hugely disappointed to let their opponents off the hook. Shepherd and Fosberry strode to the crease with confidence and were making light work of the run-chase, putting on 55 for the opening stand. Some eye-catching strokes from both openers had put their team right on top, until Shephard was run out for 26. Richards continued where Shephard left off and built another healthy partnership with Foz, who was ticking along nicely, until he was stumped off the leg-spinner for 34, attempting to accelerate the run-rate. Richards and Petley began to rebuild putting on another 34, leaving us on 124-2 with plenty of overs to knock them off. But once Petley pulled a long-hop straight down deep-backward square’s throat and the in-form Knife chipped one up to the in-field, all of a sudden WinViz had shifted from 75% in HCC’s favour to a 50/50 shootout. Wickets continued to fall and you could feel the tension beginning to build in the away end, as the 16 strong Hares army turned to Prosecco to settle the nerves. Unfortunately the tail failed to wag, and when Richards fell 1 short of his half-century, caught one-handed in the ring for the second week running, and Day holed out to deep long-on after a couple of well-timed boundaries, the 2’s were on the ropes. Our last two wickets fell without adding to the score leaving us 20 runs short and gifting the league title to our opponents. A disappointing end to a good first season back in Division 3. Plenty of positive to take from the season as a whole, but with no promotion or relegation this season, the 2’s will take great encouragement going into next season, that they can challenge in this division and get a league winners pennant pinned to the HQ wall in 2021. |
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