HOF's (186 for 9) beat Nutfield (162 all out)

A sunny Headley Heath was the venue as Headley & Old Freemen's 2nd XI kicked off their league campaign by hosting Nutfield 2nds. Things started off well for HOF's as skipper David “Woll” Hammond won the toss and elected to bat, sending 10-man Nutfield out to labour in the early afternoon sunshine.

Despite the early loss of opener David Richardson, Headley’s innings started at a steady rate with several players making decent starts; Paul Holliday and Neil Skinner (both 27) providing support to Ben Whiting who scored a solid 41. However after Whiting’s departure, Headley’s middle order found the going hard before vital contributions late in the innings with Mike Davis picking up 19 and Andrew Hobbs finishing on 19 not out,including one huge maximum.

On what was a slow wicket, 186 was a respectable total and a 5-wicket haul by slow left armer “Chalky” White showed the home side’s bowlers the value of line and length on a wicket offering little in the way of bounce.

Skinner showed good control at one end while at the other Hobbs ripped through the Nutfield top order picking up 4 wickets before slowing up with jug buying duties within sight. Nutfield’s middle order then stopped HOFs progress with valuable runs including one particularly important partnership and, with the end of the game closing in, HOFs were in danger of letting the result slip away. However intelligent bowling changes then brought Hammond and Phil “Tuffers” Hodgkiss into the attack. Hammond’s “All-sorts” and Hodgkiss’s use of flight and guile picked up a brace of wickets a piece bringing Nutfield’s innings to an end at 162 all out.

After only 2 weeks throughout the entire league season in 2008, Hammond will be hoping that league table vertigo doesn’t set in next outing having picked up 38 points in the season’s opener.