Written by Stephen Moriarty

A beautiful evening saw HBBH welcome Upchurch U13s in the first round of the Cup. Upchurch sported navy and yellow against HBBH’s azure strip. HBBH won the toss and Herridge decided to bowl.

Hutton opened the HBBH campaign and, aided by effective keeping from Bumstead, did not disappoint. After five dot balls he was justly rewarded with a wicket on the final delivery, getting Upchurch’s number 1 bowled with another well-pitched-up ball.

Tibbits J continued HBBH’s attack from the Paddock End and was unlucky not to have Upchurch’s number 2 caught at point from the first ball of another good-length over from HBBH. After his lucky four from the first delivery, Upchurch’s number 2, defending stoutly, remained pinned in his crease for the rest of Tibbits J’s first set.

Hutton’s second shewed the quality of both batters and fielding side as Hutton kept the bounce generally close to the batters on an accurate line while Upchurch’s number 2 and 3 defended well and each managed a well-played single. They continued to show their quality against Tibbits J despite his good line in his second: Upchurch’s number 3 belting a shorter delivery high but safe for four through long-on and their number 2 glancing a high bounce stylishly down to third-man. Hutton did well at fine-leg to stop four more runs from a bye and also did well in his third set despite some more stylish shots from Upchurch, including a subtle angled-defensive down to third-man for a single by the number 2 bat.

Herridge brought himself on to bowl the fifth from the Paddock End. A twist of fate in the form of a bye had brought Upchurch’s number 3 to face Herridge, who promptly had him bowled with a good length, medium pace delivery. A similarly efficient salvo immediately dismissed the number 4, but Herridge was denied a hat-trick when Upchurch’s number 5, seemingly unfazedly, lifted his first ball over the covers for four. This batter, accompanied by Upchurch’s accomplished number 3, subsequently played more cautiously, however. The next two overs, by Connop T and Herridge, were both maidens. Upchurch’s number 5 managed a glance for four in the ninth and there were six runs from the number 3 in the tenth, including a nice pull behind square that occasioned a considerable delay while the ball was retrieved!

The eleventh saw the very welcome return of Connop W after injury. Only one run was conceded from the bat as Connop W immediately proved that he is the same enormous asset to HBBH that he, like his brother, always has been. Bunker also joined the attack. Despite Bunker and Connop W having to deal with two able and relatively settled batters, Upchurch were unable to increase the run-rate significantly and were still giving chances in the field. When it was time at the end of the fourteenth for the seamers to hand over to the HBBH spinners, Upchurch were 63 for 3, an average of 4.5 per over. Could HBBH’s spinners, each-and-every-one of their deliveries an audacious gauntlet tossed in the direction of the batters, beat that?

Tibbits H immediately shewed that they could, conceding only three risky singles from his six, one of them nearly bringing a run-out when Hutton threw unhesitatingly from the covers for Bumstead to sweep off the bails just too late. Cummings then exploited the pressure brilliantly, removing Upchurch’s number 5 (caught Herridge running to “straight-hit/mid-on”) and the number 3 (LBW). This pair had seen 50 added to the score and batted for nearly ten overs together. Their almost simultaneous loss was a great blow to Upchurch and a breakthrough for HBBH.

Amin conceded only four from the bat in his cameo and was unlucky not to get Upchurch’s number 6 caught behind from a top edge just out of Bumstead’s reach. Cummings bowled a further excellent over marred only by two wides (due to “turn”?). Beacher, who also fielded expertly throughout the innings, bowled excellently to produce a devastating maiden in the penultimate over, when Upchurch were, of course, desperate to score.

Bookending the aforementioned, Tibbits H returned to bowl the twentieth, again conceding only three from another great over. HBBH’s sharp fielders, clinical seamers and mesmerising spiral of spin had limited Upchurch to 83 for the loss of 5 wickets.

The sun was still shining brightly in an almost cloudless sky. Shadows lay long across the tree-lined HBBH citadel, but the wicket remained in full sunlight. Any HBBH batter at the Pavilion End would find themselves straining to see the ball against the setting sun in pursuit of a lowish, but by no means indefensible target, as HBBH knew well.

Facing this sun, Connop W played and missed at the first ball. A clear call from Herridge at the other end set Connop W sprinting into the light to add a run to the two-run penalty for a wide from the second ball. Herridge continued to guide Connop W with ringing calls that turned the next two deliveries, both, from singles into twos from overthrows. Then Herridge glanced for four through the third-man boundary. After six balls, HBBH were 13 for nought. 

Continuing the rhythm, the second over opened with quick running for more runs from byes and wides. Connop W, now enjoying good light at the Paddock End, hit the penultimate delivery on the deck through midwicket and, more fortunately, edged the last high for four by third-man. Two more fours from Connop W came from the third over; with quick running from both batters and extra as well, this over “went” for 14 runs. After eighteen balls, HBBH were on 39.

Connop W hit the first ball from the fourth for four and good calling and running form both batters added eight to the score from the over. Herridge hit three fine fours from consecutive deliveries, a cover-drive, a cut and a drive through long-off, in the fifth. Connop scored five in the same over and, with a bye, eighteen came in total. Connop thumped a two and a four from the first two balls of the sixth to bring his retirement on 32. HBBH had amassed 65 runs from 32 deliveries. 

However, Hutton’s immediate dismissal, bowled, forestalled any incipient complacency in the HBBH camp. Connop T, like his brother staring into the sun for his first challenge, played and missed, but hit his second with a good straight bat for a single at mid-on. Herridge got a single from the last ball of the sixth to keep the strike and risked being caught at long-on with a lofted ball to long-on for four from the first ball of the seventh. After a “dot” ball Herridge was dropped at square-leg attempting a pull-shot. A single was nevertheless run and a bye came from the next to bring Herridge back to face. Despite almost losing his wicket to a leg-side shot only two balls previously, Herridge emphatically struck the fifth ball of the seventh over for six over midwicket to win the match. The final score was 87 for 1, with Herridge unbeaten on 34.

Upchurch’s young side had batted well and bowled competently. Their number 3 and 5 bats had scored 26 and 19 respectively against HBBH’s fearsome bowling line-up; but HBBH’s more experienced batting was able to score at a relentless pace, not just from boundaries but also from ruthlessly taken singles and byes. An impressive performance.