Hartley Wintney win by 74 runs on Bank Holiday Monday

LNZCC travelled to HW on a Bank Holiday Monday with a team carefully-crafted by MM Jeremy Child and to be captained by Sam Martin. It was made up of youth & experience - the latter in the form of three players marking near 300 caps between them (Andrew Barkle, Gerard Walsh and Sam) and the former in genuine youths with 'Three Sons and Three Aussies' - Jack Martin making his debut aged 15, Guy Walsh aged 14 in his 2nd appearance were joined by 3 debutants and a returning son of an ex Chairman (Matt Fanning) Sam Fanning. Christchurch born Sam was playing his 2nd game for LNZCC and his 3 Sydney mates Lachie Herne, Liam Scott and Henry Kirk were also making their debuts. The fact that 3 of these 4 are a part of the Australian Under 19 squad filled the travelling band with a great degree of confidence as to how the day might pan out.

It is fair to say that with all 12 players arriving within 3 minutes of each other and into the Cricketers pub for lunch by 12:30pm we had every confidence in how the day might play out. We played 12, with a rotating scorer/ fielder.

Sam Martin & HW skipper Scott Baldwin tossed, with HW winning and choosing to bat. Leith Cowie and Guy Walsh opened the bowling for LNZ, Guy got his first wicket for the Club in his first over and the score was 0, the next wicket fell at 189, with a retiree in between, the HW South African pro Jason Knibbs who hit the ball ferociously for a swift & beautiful 103* off 57 balls. HW finished on 296 for 6 off their 40 with Gerard Walsh taking 3 for 69 off 8 and Guy Walsh 2 – 39 off 6. Scott Baldwin also chipped in with 24* off 9 balls to close out the HW innings.

It is worth noting that LNZCC stalwart and local HW lad Scott Baldwin with the expert help of Katie, his wife, expecting in under 3 weeks helped organise an incredible tea including chocolate Lamingtons & ‘hundreds & thousands’ sandwiches (although if my memory serves me correctly they were always served ‘open top’, rather than closed).

After tea LNZ opened with Sam Fanning & Mark Epps, the first over from Scott Baldwin began with 2 wides, the over ended after 4 balls & the scorers intervened to complete the over & then 2 wickets fell in those final 2 balls of the first over, including Lachie Herne who followed the ball after Mark Epps. Sam Fanning was smoking the ball to various parts of the ground & the quicker the ball came at him the further it was hit. Various others came & went including the skipper, who for the first time in his career went an innings in the field without bowling and proceeded to stroke a ball to the boundary and be caught playing the same shot slightly less convincingly. Sam Fanning went for 54 off 31 balls out caught, his mates Liam Scott and Henry Kirk put on 45 runs until Liam skied a full bunger, with the tail wagging a little LNZCC managed to get to a reasonably respectable 222 in the 32nd over.

But, we were convincingly outplayed by some fearsome HW batting especially from Jason and some lovely seam bowling by Scott Baldwin and backed up by very good fielding and tight bowling by the rest of the HW side.

The highlight was managing to field such a mix of young and old players in the same side, made up of 3 Australians, 3 Australian under 19 players and 3 sons of LNZCC current & ex players.

Thanks to Scott & Katie and the HW Club for being fantastic hosts, the lamingtons were the best I have ever had by the way!

MOM and recipient of the bottle of Claret from Berry Brothers & Rudd courtesy of Martin Conway was Gerard Walsh (3 wickets, 38 runs)