With relegation for the hosts having already been confirmed the previous weekend, and with Exning having reached the safety of mid-table for the season, this match bore little relevance other than the pride of East v West in Suffolk as the visitors won the toss and batted in a somewhat more relaxed manner with no pressure on the performers. An opening partnership of 71 in 12 overs between Liam Bryant (33) and David Atkinson (38) saw the innings well under way, especially as new ball bowler, Karl Mildenhall’s first four overs were maidens. However, he received an unjust reward for this frugality as his next 2 overs went for 33 runs!

James Barker (2 for 55) entered the fray as the first change bowler and had immediate success, claiming the wicket of Bryant with his first ball and then Atkinson four overs later to leave Exning on 100 for 2 in the 20th over. Craig Estlea gave another cameo display of his undoubted talent as he stroked 24 runs including two fours and two sixes before he was undone by the enigmatic Mark Sproates to see the score in the balance on 130 for 3.

There was to be no slip-ups by the visitors though, as the Catley brothers took centre stage for the rest of the innings adding 152 for the 4th wicket in 22 overs before they were both dismissed amid a flurry of wickets in the final over. The first ball of the over saw Tim Catley run out for 85 attempting an unlikely 2nd run, while the skipper, Matthew Catley fell to the final ball for 78, attempting one last boundary only to be caught by Sproates, to give a total of 285 for 6.

With dutiful support from Henry Hazlewood, Karl Mildenhall powered into the Exning opening attack putting 61 on the board in quick time before he was clean bowled by Atkinson for 46 just 3 balls into the 8th over. The scoring rate did not slacken as Hazlewood (43) took up the cudgels but he meet his match when he blasted a catch back to Tim Catley, who gleefully clung on to the chance and when Daniel Baigent made a mess of Archie Rajapakse’s stumps the total stood at 119 for 3.

Michael Baker (38) and David Leach (25) took the score along to 166 when they were both dismissed without any addition to the total; Leach being Jamie Grove’s first scalp in a marathon spell for which he was rewarded with 4 for 67. 166 for 5 saw the entrance of Sproats onto centre stage and just 15 overs later, his 64 had taken his team to the cusp of an unlikely victory, although there was to be one final turn in the fortunes of each team.

Baigent was reintroduced into the attack and bowling full and fast at Sproates leg stump, his supposed ‘weaker’ area, the batsman was clean bowled, following which Grove reduced the innings to 270 for 9 with one over and one wicket remaining and an unlikely 16 runs needed for a home victory. Exning’s nerves were being stretched to breaking point when No 11, Jack Clover, edged his first two balls along the ground between keeper and 1st slip for boundaries, but Baigent (3 for 60) proved to be the man for the moment as a further fast, full delivery shattered the stumps to give the West Suffolk side a less than convincing victory by just 6 runs.
EXNING II v IPSWICH & EAST SUFFOLK II

At the Park, the Exning 2nd string played host to the East Suffolk outfit, which included a smattering of ‘strengthening’ in an effort to hold on to their Division 4 status. Gavin Driver (2 for 39) and fellow opening bowler, Mark Worne, gave little away early on and when Exning skipper, Peter Woods, went for no score in the 4th over, Sam Readman (29) and Nigel Routley batted carefully to prevent any collapse.

Nigel Pryke was introduced into the attack in the 15th over and he continued to keep the lid on any increase in the run rate as well as grabbing himself a 5-wicket return in the process. He first saw the end of Readman, then David Monk (22) followed by the prize wicket of Routley just 4 runs short of a deserved half-century. Exning could only reach 146 for 7 in their 45 overs with Pryke’s share being 5 for 35.

Ipswich & East Suffolk struggled in their reply as Ben Readman (2 for 26) and Sam Readman (1 for 38) reduced the score to 24 for 3 by the 9th over, but Derek Bloomfield (49) moved his team towards the target although the slow bowlers, Simon Lawson (2 for 30) and Simon Nicholson (2 for 40) caused a flurry of wickets to fall in mid-innings as the score reached 133 for 7.

Unfortunately, the experienced Gavin Driver was still at the crease as he calmly notched up the runs finishing with an unbeaten 27 as the visitors reached 147 for 7 to win by 3 wickets with over 3 overs to spare.

BURY ST EDMUNDS II v EXNING SUNDAY XI

In another century, when Friendly cricket on a Sunday was to the fore, and limited over league cricket was merely a twinkle in a Sub-Continent bookmaker’s eye, it was the art – and the prerogative – of the captains to make sure even the miss-match of teams such as the two which took part in this affair at the Victory Ground, enjoyed a satisfying afternoon with all 22 players having a bat and a bowl, the ‘weaker’ side being given the opportunity of batting first while the ‘stronger’ side showed a degree of humility, and even pity, towards young slow bowlers rather than attempting the maximum of 6 sixes each over. There was even a fairly regular oddity of a ‘beer match’ if the game finished early so that those who had not had a bat or bowl could have a second go.

Anyway, on to 2010! Bury St Edmunds on winning the toss, had no hesitation in batting first with Scott Harvey (37) and James McKinney (42) moving off comparatively sedately at around 7 runs an over as they posted up 83 for the 1st wicket inside 12 overs. Ollie Lawson, who managed to bowl both openers to leave the score at 90 for 2, was the first to feel the force of the batting from Mark Nunn and Ollie Huggins as he ‘withdrew’ from the attack with figures of 2 for 85 from 9 overs.

Huggins and Nunn then put on 115 for the 4th wicket at around 10 runs an over before the former was dismissed for 54, leaving Nunn to continue on with a series of fours and sixes as the run rate reached up to 15 an over in the push to the 40 overs. Nunn was finally out for 171, following which 5 wickets fell in the last 2 overs to see the hosts actually bowled out for 365 with one ball to spare.
After Lawson’s spell of bowling, Simon Nicholson was extremely economical with 1 for 51 in 8 overs, but Mark Gibson’s 3 for 66 in 6 overs was even overshadowed by another 6 overs from young James Poulton who finished with 2 for 82; a galling afternoon for the bowlers.

After tea, the visitors soon found themselves on 12 for 3, but Lawson then showed his all-round ability as he batted steadily before being adjudged lbw just 2 runs short of a half century. Daniel Baigent (29) prolonged the inevitable in the middle order while Peter Woods reached 22 not out lower down the order as Exning were finally dismissed for 161 to suffer defeat by the chasm of 204 runs.

Andrew Blackmore (3 for 26) and Adam Thurkettle (2 for 23) caused the earlier downfall of the Exning innings, while Alan Price claimed 3 for 2 to ensure that there was not an unlikely way back for the Park side. Fortunately, Bury St Edmunds are merely moving through Division 2 on their way to the ‘Promised Land’ in Division 1 and, hopefully, normality can return to the Park next Sunday for the final game of the campaign against Edwardstone.

With Sudbury calling off their Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship Division 1 match early on Saturday morning due to a waterlogged pitch, Coggeshall knew before arriving at the Park that the cancellation had handed the West Suffolk side the Division 1 Championship without playing and all that the Essex team had to play for at Exning was pride and hopefully, to hang on to the runners-up spot.

For half the match, Coggeshall played with their usual ebullient nature and soon had the Park side in trouble when Chris Carter grabbed two early wickets to leave the score on 7 for 2 after 3 overs. Unfortunately, David Atkinson was the victim of a chest high fast full toss being adjudged a good ball as he fended the ball up to square leg, while Liam Bryant’s season of discontent showed no signs of abating as he lobbed an easy chance back to the mid-off fielder.

Fortunately, Tim Catley adopted his best phlegmatic batting style to firstly calm the Exning nerves and then to provide staunch support to Craig Estlea (43) who chose the brave option of attacking his way back into the match. Coggeshall were not slow in introducing left arm slow bowler, Will Blackwell, to the attack and although Carter (3 for 45) gave Estlea plenty of leeway for run scoring, Blackwell was inducing Estlea into playing ill-judged sweeps to his slow bowling which eventually saw the end of him, lbw, after the 3rd wicket pair had added 60 runs.

From then on Colin Lesiak (4 for 57) and Blackwell (3 for 28) worked their way through the batting order with only Catley offering staunch resistance, although the lower middle order of Daniel Baigent and 16 year old Nicholas Lomas held one end up sufficiently for the score to go from 86 for 5 to 168 for 7, but when Catley’s sojourn was finally broken for a chanceless 81, the end soon came as the innings closed on 175 with one unused over being handed to the visitors as they began their innings.

Although Exning had nothing else to play for but mid-table mediocrity, it soon became apparent that their ‘dander’ was certainly up as Baigent bowled fast and aggressively from the Glanely Rest End while Mark Geeves gave the batsmen no respite from the Pavilion End as he wheeled off 11 overs, with 8 maidens, taking 1 for 11. Baigent’s highlight came when Coggeshall’s South African ‘import’ arrived at the crease at the fall of the 1st wicket and after his first two balls attracted vehement appeals for lbw, the third comprehensively knocked back his middle stump to leave the visitors on 10 for 2.

Baigent was relieved from his end by an equally searching spell of seam bowling from Jamie Grove (2 for 17), while David Atkinson kept the pressure on, stepping into Geeves shoes to take the score to 33 for 6 after 26 overs. There was little way back from this position for the Essex visitors, although Blackwell made sure that he enjoyed a good all-round game by scoring 57 inventive runs to take the score up to 107 before the return of Atkinson saw a summary end to the proceedings as the innings closed on 110 and victory to Exning by 65 runs.

The result puts the lingering mathematical threat of relegation out of the Park side’s minds and hopefully, the final two matches against Ipswich & East Suffolk and Woolpit, can be played in a relaxed manner with thoughts of obtaining as high a position as possible to take into the 2011 season.

EARLS COLNE v EXNING II

The Exning 2nd string travelled into Essex on Saturday to take on the team at the bottom of Division 4, with their own sights set on at least 3rd place, and the possible thought of Division 3 cricket next season if results go in their favour, not just in Division 4, but as high up as the East Anglian Premier League, where Halstead might stay up and Sudbury go up, and also to the Suffolk Premier Cricket League, where the winners could enter the Two Counties Championship to affect promotion and relegation.

With damp conditions prevailing in the days leading up to Saturday, and with the forecast of possible further showers, Peter Woods had no hesitation in fielding first on winning the toss and his bowlers backed him to the hilt. Keen fielding and safe catching hands supported the bowlers to the full as wickets fell regularly although skipper Dave Brooker (50) held up the complete destruction of the innings and with help from Dan Grice in a 4th wicket stand of 49, he managed to post up three figures on the scoreboard.

However, the opening attack of Sam Readman (2 for 27) and Ian Starling (1 for 8 in 8 overs), gave way to the change bowling of Ben Readman (2 for 38) and the eventual star of the show, Simon Lawson, who completely strangled the scoring as he claimed 5 for 21 in 13.4 overs to see the hosts dismissed for 113.

There was no ‘beating about the bush’ from the Exning skipper as he opened the batting and although Sam Readman was dismissed on 32, David Monk (31 not out) kept the score moving steadily along to 97 before Woods was dismissed for a well earned 54 including 8 fours and 1 six. The winning runs soon came at 114 for 3 to give the Park side a 7-wicket victory just as heavy rain moved over the Earls Colne ground.

EXNING SUNDAY XI

Following a blank Sunday, the Exning Sunday XI go into their final two matches of the season with all to play for, for both the Park side and their opponents; Bury St Edmunds away this coming Sunday, and Edwardstone at home on the final Sunday of the season. It would seem that Bury already have the Division 2 title in their hands but the two E’s, Edwardstone and Exning, are sparring for the runners up spot for the right to join them in Division 1 for 2011 season.

The Park side travelled to the Essex coast for their first game in three weeks – and played as though it was the first game in three weeks! Exning won the toss and chose to bat first, with David Atkinson promoted up the order as a ‘makeshift’ opener partnering Liam Bryant. Makeshift he may have been, but if it weren’t for his selective hitting during the first half of the match, the score would have been in some disarray. As it was, when he was dismissed for exactly 50, the score stood at 76 for 4.

By this stage Exning’s age old problem was well under way; two slow bowlers wheeling away for 32 overs together on a large outfield and with up to 7 men on the boundary while the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship teams still persist in voting out any attempts to bring in the 30 yard fielding circle to restrict the number of fielders able to patrol the long boundaries.

For Exning, the second half of the innings matched the first 25 overs, as Jamie Grove, himself promoted to No 5 from his usual 9,10, Jack, took over from Atkinson and again with selective hitting and sharply taken singles he was able to reach 59 which was the major part of the final score of 173 for 9 at the tea break; the rest of the scoring being summed up by the third highest score of 13 being held jointly by Extras and Craig Estlea. The slow bowling pair, Tim Lawes and Tony Stubbs, finished with 4 for 52 and 3 for 52 respectively, while ‘assistance’ came from Frinton’s West Australian import, Jimmy Sansalone, taking 2 for 39.

Exning’s opening attack of Ian Starling and Daniel Baigent gave the team some heart when they claimed an LBW apiece to see Frinton slump to 17 for 2, but some effective rustic hitting from an ageing Pat Patel, playing for the 1st XI for the first time in 8 seasons, saw him reach 35 and in partnership with John Hambrook (29), they took the score to 81 for 4.

The match appeared evenly balanced, but with Estlea suffering from a shoulder injury and Tim Catley having not had much bowling over the last few weeks, Exning’s efforts in matching the Lawes/Stubbs combination did not quite have the same threat, although young Nicholas Lomas did grab his first 1st XI wicket when dismissing Hambrook.

With Atkinson being introduced into the attack, the odds possibly moved slightly in the visitor’s favour when he took 2 for 19 to see the hosts on 147 for 7 but 17 year old St Josephs (Ipswich) schoolboy, Michael Armstrong, really came out of his shell having entered the fray at the fall of the 3rd wicket, and unfurled a succession of boundaries which took the game right away from Exning. With his eighth four, he brought up his own half century and sent the Park side on their way with a 3-wicket defeat as Frinton reached 174 for 7.

EXNING II v WIVENHOE II

It was 4th v 3rd on Saturday and after a hard fought, sometimes unsavoury affair, the Exning 2nd string gained a 5 wicket victory to leapfrog the visitors into 3rd place. Batting first, the visitors were soon in trouble on 19 for 2 with a wicket each from the opening attack of Peter Woods and Ben Readman. After that, Richard Pulford (39) and lower down the order, Alan Haines (31 not out), tried to hold the change bowling at bay, but with the accuracy of Sam Readman’s seam bowling (3 for 30) giving good support to the father and son slow bowling pairing of Simon and Ollie Lawson, they were fighting an uphill battle.

Lawson Senior gained the excellent figures of 3 for 24 from 12.2 overs and with Lawson Junior being rewarded with 2 wickets, Wivenhoe only managed to put 145 on the board at the interval.

Young Lawson’s batting ability unfortunately let him down when opening the innings with Peter Allen, and with David Monk being dismissed, somewhat unusually, for single figures, the home team’s chase stood at 29 for 2. However, Allen (44) and Sam Readman had rebuilt the innings satisfactorily when both were controversially dismissed and when Simon Nicholson became Andrew Golding’s third victim, the Park side’s reply was very much in the balance at 80 for 5.

At this stage, the old heads of Ed Compton (34 not out) and Simon Lawson (29 not out) gave their full attention to the matter in hand, keeping their composure to work their way to an unbeaten 6th wicket stand of 66 to bring up a winning score of 146 for 5 despite the wily Golding’s efforts of 3 for 38.

So a 5 wicket victory takes the team up to 3rd in Division 4, but with Halstead II already virtually in Division 3 despite a loss to Mistley II’s on Saturday, and with Stowmarket returning to ‘big winning’ form, 3rd place might have to be accepted as a good effort over the season after an indifferent start to the campaign back in April and May.

EXNING SUNDAY XI v EARL STONHAM

After a 6 match winning run at the start of the season, the Exning Sunday XI have flirted with the promotion possibility for much of the campaign, but player availability has often left the team with an uphill struggle each match, resulting in an unlikely, but nonetheless, deserving name becoming a hero. And so it happened on Sunday when the Park side ran out convincing 92 run winners.

Chasing an Exning target of 204 for 8, Earl Stonham were always going to have to bat well to challenge this figure, especially after David Read (3 for 28) took the reply to 41 for 3. Charlie Tunstall (41) batted positively, until the unsuspecting Sam Gibson was handed the ball, rather because he had had little chance to bat, as much as for his bowling prowess! However, 6.3 ‘Gibson’ overs later, the visitors were back in the hutch for 112; the bowler with 5 for 25 to have his name engraved on the ‘Unsung Heroes’ board.

Earlier, Andrew Longfield and Ollie Lawson, both with 29, had given Exning a solid 61 run start, allowing Daniel Baigent to stroke his way to an entertaining 77 before a scuttling 23 not out by Ben Readman had put up 204 for 8 at the end of the 40 overs. Peter Dix was the pick of the visitor’s bowlers with 3 for 18 from 10 overs, but Peter Storer’s 3 for 54 and Tunstall’s 2 for 36 were both quite expensive in the circumstances.

So the Sunday XI continue to flirt with the two top spots, but with the final matches being against the Champions elect, Bury St Edmunds, and 2nd placed Edwardstone, the team might have to be satisfied in matching the 2nd XI for 3rd spot in their respective Divisions.

Heavy rain during Friday afternoon and overnight through to Saturday morning left many local pitches waterlogged with Exning’s two Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship fixtures being called off early Saturday. Even though the weather was warm and sunny for the rest of the day, the Park pitch had still not dried sufficiently for a match to be played by mid afternoon.

MELLIS v EXNING SUNDAY XI

Exning’s visit to Mellis on Sunday took the memory back to cricket grounds as they were in the early part of the last century. Mellis have been working hard to bring the Cricket Field on the Thornham Estate in Thornham Magna back to its former glory and it was an honour to find that the Club’s inspiration to take cricket back to the Estate was sparked by the first ever visit to Exning Park by Mellis some three seasons ago. They were taken aback by the peaceful solitude of the Exning Park surroundings, and although there is still a great amount of work to do on the rejuvenated ground, the feeling of ‘Old England’ was very much in evidence.

That Exning won by 12 runs was almost immaterial as the game was played in a sedate manner befitting the surroundings and in keeping with the days of yore, everybody had a bat and all the bowlers had a bowl!

Batting first, Exning reaped the benefits of the opening seam bowlers as Andrew Longfield and Matthew Catley with 35 runs each, put on 65 for the 1st wicket before young Ollie Lawson (42) showed his burgeoning batting ability before the 2nd wicket fell at 93. By then, the slow bowlers were beginning to control proceedings on the newly prepared wicket as first Tim Courridge conceded only 35 runs in his 10 over spell while the even slower David Williamson bagged 4 for 36 in 10 overs.

From the heights of 93 for 2, only Simon Nicholson (17) and Daniel Baigent (22) reached double figures and, in fact, the end came abruptly as Neil Spence took 5 for 13 in 2.5 overs of mayhem, which saw the Exning innings lurch from 157 for 4 to 165 all out.

Having seen the effects of the slow bowlers, Exning opened up with the father and son spin combination of Simon and Ollie Lawson and although wickets were hard to come by, the runs were even harder to produce. Lawson Senior eventually made deep inroads into the host’s run chase as he claimed 4 for 30 and with Mark Gibson joining the fun, the score stood at 71 for 5 at the halfway stage, 31 of which had been bludgeoned by Spence to complete a good all-round performance.

But there was still the talismatic Charlie Farrant to bat, who had probably been holding himself back for the introduction of the seam bowling which suits his style of batting much more, and so it proved as he scored 37 with some ease, taking the score up to 150 and well in sight of the finishing line. However, having been very fortunate to benefit from an extremely close run out call, he was ‘bowled’ by Daniel Baigent when a forward defensive shot spun off his bat towards the stumps and in endeavouring to guide the ball away with his bat, he only succeeded in smacking the ball into the stumps.

Although only 16 runs were required with 3 wickets in hand, Exning’s hopes were reignited and when Qadeer Mohammad clean bowled the dangerous Dennis Spence for 27, Baigent brought about a summary conclusion finishing with 3 for 3 to see Mellis back in the pavilion for 153 giving the visitors victory by the close margin of just 12 runs. A satisfying end to a most satisfying first visit to the tranquil surroundings of The Cricket Field on the Thornham Estate. As the old saying goes, cricket was the winner on the day.

Exning arrived at the Mistley ground on Saturday in bright sunshine but the morning rain had meant that the covers were not long removed and the pitch looked as though it would be ‘seamer friendly’ rather than a ‘batsman’s paradise’, and so it proved until a further prolonged spell of rain saw the end of the match with the Mistley reply to Exning’s hard-earned 160 for 9 at 14 without loss after just 4 overs.

The host’s captain had no hesitation in asking Exning to bat upon winning the toss, and with three seamers and a very slow left arm bowler, Mistley controlled much of the Park side’s innings although Liam Bryant (40) made sure that there was no top-order collapse, while Jamie Grove (37) put bat to ball later in the innings to leave Exning with a total which might have proved challenging if the match had not been brought to an abrupt end just before 5pm.

Mistley skipper, John Manning, used the conditions to his great advantage as he took 5 for 47 from 16 overs, but his efforts, together with those of the Aussie, Kieran Young (2 for 53), were all for nought in the end.

EXNING II v HALSTEAD II

The Exning 2nd XI encounter at the Park against ‘top of the table’ Halstead, fell foul to the weather at an even earlier stage on Saturday morning. Persistent light but continuous rain had fallen from late on Friday evening, leaving the pitch itself dry under the covers but with the square very wet, there was no other option but to call the match off early to prevent the Essex team from an unnecessary journey.

EXNING SUNDAY XI v CAVENDISH WANDERERS

This match was also called off but at least the Park side benefit from a 20 point win as the visitors had no option but to concede the match when they could raise no more than 7 players. A hollow ‘victory’ for Exning against a team which has struggled for players all season and one hopes that teams such as this, and Exning for that matter, are able to attract more players in the future, because it is cricket at this level which needs to succeed from the ‘grass roots’ to allow the cricket which is played higher up the ‘stem’ to flourish.

SUFFOLK II v LINCOLNSHIRE II

On Thursday (12 August), Exning play host to a Minor Counties Development Competition match when the host County, Suffolk, take on their visitors from Lincolnshire in a 50 over a side match, commencing at 11pm.

Spectators and supporters are more than welcome and entrance to the ground and match is free, although the usual Exning ‘Numbers Board’ fundraising will be going round the ground during the day.

Come along to support the next generation of Suffolk cricketers hoping to make the step up to the Minor Counties squad or just to relax and take in the soporific air of ‘Cricket in the Park’.

Overnight and early morning rain put back the start time by 30 minutes and reduced the game to 45 overs per side. When Exning batted first, conditions were not conducive to fast scoring and the batsmen did well against a fiery opening spell by James East. Sam Readman (26) and Tim Catley (46) made sure that a solid base was built, allowing Craig Estlea (44) and Matthew Catley (44 not out) to plunder useful runs in the last 10 overs to take the score to 205 for 6 at tea. The East brothers were the pick of the bowlers; James taking 2 for 41 and John 3 for 35.

The visitors reply set off sedately as Readman and Mark Geeves kept the early scoring down to under 3 runs an over before Readman claimed the wicket of makeshift opener, Chris Swallow and then stepped aside for Jamie Grove to come on as 1st change bowler. He took 2 for 26 to slow up the top order while Geeves continued to tie up one end in a 15 over spell resulting in 4 for 45, including the top scorer, Adrian Nel, for 37. At 103 for 7 the writing was on the wall for the visitors and although the lower order hit a few lusty blows, Daniel Baigent’s pace was too much for them as the innings closed on 145 to give the Park side a 60 run victory; Baigent finishing with 3 for 15.

MISTLEY II v EXNING II

Exning’s hopes were not high when they travelled to Mistley with a weakened side and then facing the worst of the conditions being asked to bat on a damp pitch. However, with the experienced Peter Allen (91) opening the batting and holding the innings together, the rest supported him well especially Kent Tomsett (50), as the Park side racked up 236 for 5 at almost 6 runs an over.

More experience in the form of Ian Starling (4 for 24) made sure that the Mistley top order were kept well under control and when he and his opening partner, Ben Readman (3 for 48), were withdrawn from the attack, the host’s score stood at 69 for 7. Harry Parkes (28) top scored when the change bowlers were introduced but slow left armer, Simon Nicholson (3 for 20), tidied up the innings for 136 to leave Exning with a convincing 100 run victory.

HADLEIGH v EXNING SUNDAY XI

Despite losing by 5 wickets, the Exning Sunday XI performed with pride as they posted up a total of 227 for 7 with a team bereft of a lot of it’s top batting. From 12 for 2, two teenagers, David Reed (48) and Simon Nicholson (43), posted up their highest senior scores as they batted in partnership with David Monk, who fully deserved an unbeaten 102 at the close of the innings.

False hopes were raised when the 1st Hadleigh wicket went down without a run on the board but this left the door open for the hard-hitting Nick Ellis to take advantage of the array of bowling being offered up. He was finally out for 128, but the damage was done and with 30’s from Gary Wiles and Blake Ambrose, Hadleigh cruised to 231 for 5 with 8 overs to spare.

HAMPSHIRE TOUR

For the first time in many years, Exning arranged a short tour to Hampshire staying at Lymington, at the southern edge of the New Forest, playing three matches last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then returning home on Thursday.

The first match was against Lymington itself which saw the tourists win by the narrow margin of 3 runs in a 40 over a side affair. Kent Tomsett (53) and Simon Allen (44) gave the innings a good start with a partnership of 82 and when Daniel Baigent (56 not out) and Matt Goodall (55) made hay in the last 15 overs, Exning were able to post up 264 for 6.

Lymington were not daunted by chasing such a total and with Hampshire Over 50’s batsman, Pat Tapper (86), receiving solid support from those around him in the shape of Nick Elliott (31), John Thacker (34) and Andy Gregory (39), the total reached 235 for 6 when Goodall, who finished with 3 for 45, finally bowled him. Ollie Wiltshire struck 14 from the first 3 balls of the final over, but he was caught going for a 6 to win the match as Exning managed to keep the last two balls down to singles for an exciting finish.

On Tuesday, Exning were hosted by Hythe & Dibden and, again after batting first, ran out somewhat more convincing winners by 53 runs. Andrew Longfield (79) and Christian Hart (104) posted up 187 for the 1st wicket to lead the way to 294 for 6 at tea with Mark Geeves pitching in with 44.

The opening attack of Tim Catley (3 for 52) and Ed Compton (3 for 7) soon had Hythe & Dibden in trouble at 17 for 4, but taking advantage of the somewhat more relaxed change bowlers, the host’s South African professional, Anton Dejager, smacked a hard hit 102, receiving support from Ben Smith (51) when the overs ran out at 241 for 7.

The final match was hosted by Calmore Sports and again, batting first, Exning ran out winners by 28 runs on this occasion. The ‘hero’ in this victory was Peter Allen who held the innings together as the score slumped to 163 for 7, but despite heat fatigue, he helped Christian Hart (67 not out) add 102 for the unbroken 8th wicket as Exning reached 265 for 7; Allen on an undefeated 109.

As in the previous matches, wickets fell regularly enough to restrict the host’s scoring and although Gary Kinchington (71) kept his team in with a chance, two wickets apiece from Kent Tomsett and Hart took the score to 214 for 7 leaving Allen to become the undisputed man of the match as he tidied up the tail with 3 for 10 and a final total of 237.

Exning travelled to Wivenhoe on Saturday to take on one of the bottom two teams in Division 1 but with the hosts benefiting from Billy Godleman’s non-involvement in the current Essex 1st class fixtures, he set his team on the road to an 89 run victory when he strode out to open the innings with his dutiful partner, Matt Durrell. Just over 2 hours later, Godleman returned to the pavilion having been clean bowled by the persevering pace of Daniel Baigent but during that time he had stroked 20 fours and 2 sixes as he reached 106 in a partnership of 162 with Durrell (49).

The pace bowling pairing of Baigent and Sam Readman then gained some hard earned reward, and gave an indication of how much the home team relied on one man’s innings, when they ran through the middle order to see the score on 200 for 8, but there was a final sting in the tail for Exning as the big hitting Pat Dudman swished 3 fours and 3 sixes in the later stages finishing 35 not out, with 51 runs being added in the last 5 overs to take the teatime score to 251 for 8. Baigent and Readman worked hard for their figures of 4 for 57 and 3 for 76 respectively.

In an attempt to get the innings off to a flying start, they opened up with the in-form David Atkinson partnering Liam Bryant but although 22 runs were on the board by the 4th over, Godleman’s involvement in the game continued when he caught Atkinson from Habib’s bowling. Bryant and Tim Catley endeavoured to keep the scoreboard moving but the introduction of slow bowler, Harry Burnett, brought immediate success when he bowled Catley with his first ball.

Habib then grabbed his 2nd wicket to see the end of Bryant (21), while Burnett made it 2-2 having the out of sorts Craig Estlea caught to leave the innings in disarray on 77 for 4. Despite a fighting innings from Matthew Catley, the Habib/Burnett partnership continued to run through the middle and lower order batting and when Catley (41) finally went, caught by Godleman, the game was just about all over.

A flurry of boundaries at the bottom end from Baigent, Mark Geeves and Andrew Longfield took the total to 162 but Burnett wheeled away for 14 overs to finish with 6 for 50, while Habib lent good support with 4 for 59.

This Saturday, the 1st XI returns to home soil when they take on Copdock and Old Ipswichians at the Park, commencing at 1pm.

EXNING II v COPDOCK & OLD IPSWICHIANS II

A youthful Exning side played host to their East Suffolk counterparts at the Park on Saturday and after just about achieving parity when the visitors took ‘first knock’ in the match, they were well and truly put to the sword with their batting attempt, succumbing to a convincing 115 run defeat.

Opening the bowling for Exning, Ian Starling rolled back the years with a 10 over spell of 2 for 18 to leave the opposition at 34 for 2 by the 12th over. However, a fight back from the youth of Mark Burch (31) and the experience of Adam Baker (32) and David Shorten (26), rebuilt the innings as Simon Lawson managed to keep some control over the run scoring taking 4 for 58 from his 15 overs.

Despite these being the highest scores, only one batsman failed to achieve double figures as the teatime score stood at 213 for 8 for Copdock & Old Ipswichians.

The destruction of Exning’s batting was not apparent at all, as skipper Peter Woods (31) and 15 year old Ollie Lawson opened with a stand of 39 in just 6 overs, but once Graham Underwood (5 for 33) and Martin Taylor (3 for 32) adjusted their radar, various strokes, some flamboyant, some shocking, saw the score lurch to 67 for 8.

Freddy Steele (26) was the only other batsman to reach double figures hitting five boundaries in a lost cause which saw the Park side rolled out for just 98 runs as James Druitt and Steven Gauke claimed the final 2 wickets.

This Saturday, the 2nd XI travel to Mistley to take on their Essex counterparts; the match commencing at 1pm.

EXNING SUNDAY XI

The Park side were without a fixture on Sunday but they return to action this Sunday when they travel to Hadleigh for a Division 2 match commencing at 1.30pm.

In the ‘senior’ tournament, Ollie Lawson defeated Nicholas Lomas by dismissing him for 10 runs and then scored 13 himself, but only after being very fortunate when Lomas bowled a perfect off-break to beat Lawson’s forward prod, together with beating the stumps and the wicket-keeper!

Josh King won the ‘junior’ tournament in an exceedingly low scoring affair, with the whole final lasting just 5 balls. Alistair Conway lasted 2 balls ‘without troubling the scorer’ and King then scored one run from his 3rd ball to see the end of the Tournament. The beaten semi-finalists were James Turner and James Hellard.

After the finals had taken place, the annual awards were presented to the following recipients:-

Young Player of the Year (U 18) – David Reed
U 15 Player of the Year – Ollie Lawson
U 13 Player of the Year – Jack Nunn
Most Improved Player of the Year – James Turner

Exning batted first in a ‘time’ match which saw David Monk skippering the side, mainly because he was the only player in the Park side to be old enough to know how to play a declaration match! For the guests, Joe Heather soon had Exning in trouble taking 2 for 28 in his 5 over spell which saw the score lurch to 30 for 2. However, Ollie Lawson, showing maturity beyond his years – if only for the manner in which he stayed well away from the end facing Heather – left Matthew Catley to gain some retribution as he stroked the fast bowler for 4 fours.

Catley batted in his usual forthright manner, collecting 14 fours in his innings of 71 which formed the bulk of the 3rd wicket partnership of 115 with Lawson, before he departed to allow others a bat. After blossoming out into a series of boundaries, Lawson was unfortunate to be dismissed just 4 runs short of a deserved half century, but his job had been done with Peter Woods (23) adding the cream on the cake taking the score up to 205 for 5 before the declaration came at the end of 33 overs with Michael Bell matching Heather’s bowling of 2 for 28.

Tom Osborne and Matt Roach made a confident start for the Racing XI, but, producing one of his best spells of the season, Ben Readman dismissed both to well judged catches by Catley and when he clean bowled William Haggas, who had rolled back the years with 4 boundaries, the score stood at 49 for 4. Skipper, Simon Mitchell (18), helped the score gently along before Joe Heather provided the necessary impetus to the innings scoring 38 in a 6th wicket partnership of 51 with Troy Steve, before holing out to another well judged catch by Woods on the deep long on boundary.

At 120 for 6, and with just 1 run added after Heather’s dismissal, heavy rain moved into the Park and with a brief flash of lightning and clap of thunder, the umpires called a halt to the game with the match being abandoned as a draw; Steve unbeaten on 22 and Mark Gibson taking 2 for 38 in support of Readman’s earlier spell.