HARBERTON V ASTRA ZENECA - l6th MAY 2010

· Played at Stonehills Harberton

· Toss won by Harberton

· Harberton 181 all out in 38.5 overs

· Astra Zeneca 94 all out in 38.5 overs.

· Harberton won by 87 runs

On a cloudy and wet day where the inclement weather threatened to ruin the game, Harberton won convincingly a match where experienced players performed carelessly and young players played with sense and maturity to repair the damage.

Harberton skipper Jack Buckner surprisingly elected to bat on a wet wicket, which, with a sunshine forecast after tea and a drying wind, was expected to become easier to bat on later. Even that seasoned campaigner Terry King was amazed when his first ball of the innings for Zeneca, a full pitched loosener, was carelessly top edged to the keeper by the usually most reliable and solid Jack Buckner – dismissed for a golden duck. Worse was to follow as Buckner junior (12) and Pike (0) also gifted King (3 for38) their wickets as Harberton staggered to 37 for 3 in 9 overs.

Harvey batted beautifully to keep the scoreboard moving and he was joined by young Baxendale (26) who supported him well as the pair worked hard to repair the damage. It took a painful blow from a fast ball on the top of his foot that undid Harvey who hobbling painfully was bowled by Humphries one short of his half century with the score at 84. Kaye (26) and Oakey (36 not out) two of the youngest players on the field followed Baxendale’s example and batted well to accelerate the scoring and take the Harberton score up to a very respectable 181, Oakey’s rapid progress in particular caught the eye. Pick of the Zeneca bowling was Scott Colgate with 3 wickets for 17 runs in 8 overs.

After tea, as forecast, the sun came out and the wicket had dried considerably. However, the Zeneca innings started even more disastrously than Harberton’s. Scott Colgate has been Harberton’s nemesis over the past 2 years. He has scored centuries in each of his last 3 innings against the home team. Perhaps it was inevitable that he should fall cheaply this time.

After pulling a loose ball from Oakey for 4, he carelessly got under a ball from the same bowler later in the over to be caught by captain Buckner at mid off – Zeneca 4 for 1 wicket. At the other end Goldsmith who has been quite expensive in recent games bowled with good length and swing pinning down the batsmen – the first run off the bat came off his 26^th ball in a spell in which he bowled Mather for 2. With Oakey (2 for 26) bowling Carpenter (8) and Elliott Buckner (2 for 15) getting Humphries caught behind for a duck, Zeneca were struggling after 10 overs at 27 for 4 wickets.

Wickets continued to tumble regularly as Shephard (2for 11) and Pike (1 for 7) forced careless shots from the Zeneca batsmen. With the score at 64 for 8 after 24 overs, the finish looked a formality as King joined Shillabeer for the last wicket for 10 man Zeneca.

What followed was not pretty, but a show of dogged determination and the Dad’s Army spirit of ‘ they shall not pass’ showed that if batsmen get their heads down, determined not to lose their wicket, it is almost impossible to get them out. Harberton tried everything, pace, spin, lobbed up tempters, close in fielders – nothing could phase King and Shillabeer who were thoroughly enjoying frustrating the Harberton attack. They were helped by several dropped catches. In a last act of desperation captain Buckner tossed the ball to Goldsmith (2 for 15) who finally got Shillabeer (16) to drive a catch to Jack Buckner, leaving King stranded 11 not out as Harberton won with 7 balls to spare. The pair had put on 30 runs in 15 overs – they really deserved to remain unbeaten, it was a tremendous effort!