15
overs later and Ley Hill had been forced in to a reality check. Put in to bat,
after skipper Jon Lown's makeshift toss system failed once more, Lown (pictured)
and Will Holman found the home wicket very heavy going, and were pegged back by
on-the-mark bowling from Latif and Ali. Growing increasingly frustrated, Lown
spooned an easy catch to mid-off, and Holman went soon after having playing all
around a straight one from Ali. New batsman Andy Rennard, adopting a thou-shalt-not-pass
approach, was to prove the bedrock of the visitors' innings. Mark Curtis, Tom
Holman, Nick Lee and Rob Thompson all made handy contributions, but it was the
nagging presence of Rennard that was to give Ley Hill a defendable score. The
total may have been higher than 155 had Ian Birkett and Rob Thompson not been
needless run out victims, but Ley Hill went into the interval knowing that they
had rescued a perilous position and given openers Liam O'Neill and Gary Helm
something to bowl at. 
Following
a highly palatable tea - no frills, but they did all the basics well - Hill went
into the field in high spirits, and O'Neill and Helm quickly found the
unpredictable track to be to their liking. The opening attack frustrated
Bovingdon and laid the foundations for what was to follow. It was first change
bowler Craig Ottaway who laid Bovingdon bare, fizzing down a stream of testing
deliveries on his trademark low trajectory. The canny youngster took opener
Tanner's off stump bail, and soon the Bovingdon middle order were
lambs to Ottaway's slaughter, the promising colt displaying a relaxed maturity
as he put Hill into a commanding position at 82-7. An exemplary fielding
performance backed up the visitors' attack, and tight bowling from Ian Birkett
and Rob 'The Refrigerator' Thompson (pictured) kept Bovingdon's target just out of reach.
Sterling fielding helped Ottaway and Birkett to mop up some stubborn pockets of
resistance, and appropriately a well-executed run out won the day for Ley Hill,
with Bovingdon still 29 runs short. Ley Hill will take great encouragement from this victory. The bowling attack in particular - ably supported by some skilled and spirited fielding - has shown itself to be very capable of removing a side cheaply. As we move towards the half way point of the season, a title assault is by no means out of the question.
Ley Hill: 155 for 8 (Rennard 54)
Bovingdon: 126 all out (Ottaway 5 for 28)
Ley Hill won by 29 runs
Man of the match: Craig Ottaway for his tight, disciplined, highly effective spell.
Clown of the match: An excellent team performance, but Liam O'Neill picks up the plaudit for leaving batting partner Ian Birkett standing lemon-like at the wrong end.
Click here for the scorecard