Ley Hill v Widmer End, Saturday 10 May 2003

Tom Holman

Ley Hill’s second eleven came back down to earth with a bump after the magnificent one-wicket win on the opening day of the season, going down to long-standing rivals Widmer End by three wickets in another tense encounter.

Batting first, Hill again exposed the frailties of their own top order, with only Steve Jones making any impression before Paul Green strode out to hit a cultured 17. It took his average for the season to an unprecedented 28; boffins calculate that Green can now get 32 consecutive ducks and still have a season's average higher than at any point in his illustrious Ley Hill career.

But the target was never likely to be enough, especially when skipper Dave Peterson decided to bowl out his 12 overs at the top of the innings. Peterson did grab 3 for 32 while Graham Harrison followed his seven wickets in his first game with two more, but Widmer End eventually crept home by three wickets.

Hill’s players then quickly headed for home before risking Widmer End’s showers, which were last season seen to contain a pair of handcuffs, a tub of Vaseline and several Widmer players whipping each other with towels.

Ley Hill: 120 all out (S Jones 21)
Widmer End: 121 for 7 (Peterson 3 for 32, Harrison 2 for 7)
Ley Hill lost by three wickets

Man of the match: Dave Peterson, who rolled back his considerable years with 19 and 3 for 32
Clown of the match: Paul Green, whose decision to don the gloves took him from hero to villain in the space of an hour. His 21 byes accounted for a sixth of Widmer’s total.

Click here for the scorecard