Bovingdon v
Ley Hill, 9th August 2003
Tom Holman
Ley Hill's Seconds had to settle for
a draw for the second week in a row as they encountered opposition who quite
clearly knew they had no chance of beating the mighty line-up and banked on
defensive tactics.
Batting first, Brian Puddephatt and Steve Jones fell early, but Paul Humphreys
steadied the ship with 72. After suffering four ducks in a row at the start of
the campaign, Humpo has responded to criticism on this website with a vintage
season, and his innings was vital on a difficult pitch. Promising colt Jake
Wells chipped in with 21, before more middle-order wickets fell in familiar
style. Skipper Graham Harrison then saw Paul Green padding up for his customary
number 11 berth, and promptly declared on 181 for 8.
The total was about par for the course, but Bovingdon never looked interested in
chasing the win, settling instead for survival as they crawled to 134 for 8.
There were two wickets each for Brian Puddephatt, Paul Green and Kash Shakoor,
but Hill couldn't quite wrap up the innings and had to settle for the winning
draw instead. With three games left and some key players returning from
poorly-timed holidays, promotion is still achievable.
Ley Hill: 181 for 8 (Humphreys 72)
Bovingdon 134 for 8 (Green 2 for 21, Puddephatt 2 for 21, Shakoor 2 for 35)
Match drawn
Man of the match: Paul Humphreys, continuing his fine season with the bat
after an early season blip
Clown of the match: The Bovingdon player who wore a pullover all
afternoon, even when bowling, on the hottest day ever seen in the UK