BackSat 11 Jul 2026 · Division 8
3rd XIHunton Wanderers CC - 2nd XI
174/6
175/6
Defeat in Operation Desert Storm
Dan Skinner
Farm Fun at Hollies
We welcomed Hunton to Hollingbourne, having beaten them away earlier in the season.
There were quite a few absentees this week but we had a nice mix of youth and experience in our starting XI.
The track had been well used, including the night before. It meant we had to do quite a lot of preparation, including marking creases and wide lines.
The wind was “blowing a Hoolie” down the slope. (Talking of which, has anyone seen the new series of Balamory? Does Miss Hoolie still live in the Green House?)
Hunton won the toss and chose to bowl, a slight surprise as they had only 9 at the ground at the beginning.
Tim Lush and Ted Blythin opened the batting against a decent attack. They looked comfortable except for the regular distractions caused by the local farmer. He was ferrying trailer loads of barley and kept driving down the fields at pace. It meant a huge amount of clay dust would get whipped up and blown across our pitch. We kept having to stop the game, down tools, turn and face west.
Blythin had reached 11, showing a good technique and maturity before reacting a little slowly to a tight call from Lush.
Evan Hutchins was next in. Again he looks like he has a decent technique but tried to hit one in the air into the breeze and it held up. Caught for 7.
Tom Gagg was to fall in a similar way for 12.
Guttsy went in to steady the ship. He pounced on anything short, pulling viciously through midwicket.
Lush reached yet another 50 before playing across a straight one and being l.b.w for 66. A great knock.
Leo Petty was unlucky with a bottom edge that just knocked a bail off. Tanky took a while to remember he was Tanky before hitting a run a ball 14. Guttsy was out last ball playing an T20 shot. These youngsters eh. 34 runs in our total of 174.
Highlight of the bowling was probably the 9 overs on the trot by their 81 year old.
At the other end of the age scale it was a pleasure to see several of our youngsters wiling to umpire, and doing it very well.
After tea, Damps opened up down the hill. We needed to keep it tight. His first ball went for 4. But he was unfazed and got his revenge 5th ball. Clean bowled.
Peter Trott bowled up the hill and into the gale. His first over was slogged for a brutal 20 runs. None of them were bad balls. He looked distraught but it shows the mettle of the young man that he did not fade away or shrink from the fight. He bowled his man in the second over with an inswinging beauty. It changed the momentum of the game and we were very proud of him.
In the fifth over the oppo tried to take on a quick single but hadn’t counted on Tanky stopping the ball and then throwing down the stumps.
Peter got the next wicket with another clean bowled. 50 for 4 and we felt we were in the game. Peter finished 6-1-34-2
The next pair though were calm and gradually started knocking off the runs. Jez Trott replaced his offspring. Old school leg-spin. The problem was his good balls were almost too good. Bounce and sharp spin meant they were going past the bat and over the stumps. 5 overs for 29.
Tom Gagg replaced Damps. He generated some sharp pace. Skinner had replaced Petty behind the stumps and held onto a fine edge. With the wind it would have been hard for the umpire to hear it and it was a pleasure to see the batsman walk. What cricket is all about. Tom was to finish 6-1-26-1.
Guttsy was next up the slope and kept it very tight. He got the next wicket, l.b.w.
6-1-16-1.
Evan Hutchins bowled three decent overs down the hill. Shame he is a Spurs fan, seems a good cricketer and decent bloke in all other ways.
Damps came back to try and get the breakthrough but was massively unlucky with Chinese Cuts just missing the stumps and outside edges not quite finding the fielders. 9-2-29-1
Their number 4 batted solidly for 62 not out. Their first team keeper was playing for them and he helped see them home by 4 wickets with 4 overs to spare.
It was not a bad performance by any means. If the lower teams hadn’t pinched so many of our regulars it could have been different. That though is the whole point of the Mighty 3rds. Several youngsters stepped up and all performed well.
Your match reporter is now off to clean his car, which had been parked downhill with the boot open all match, and is now covered inside and out with a fine silt.
There were quite a few absentees this week but we had a nice mix of youth and experience in our starting XI.
The track had been well used, including the night before. It meant we had to do quite a lot of preparation, including marking creases and wide lines.
The wind was “blowing a Hoolie” down the slope. (Talking of which, has anyone seen the new series of Balamory? Does Miss Hoolie still live in the Green House?)
Hunton won the toss and chose to bowl, a slight surprise as they had only 9 at the ground at the beginning.
Tim Lush and Ted Blythin opened the batting against a decent attack. They looked comfortable except for the regular distractions caused by the local farmer. He was ferrying trailer loads of barley and kept driving down the fields at pace. It meant a huge amount of clay dust would get whipped up and blown across our pitch. We kept having to stop the game, down tools, turn and face west.
Blythin had reached 11, showing a good technique and maturity before reacting a little slowly to a tight call from Lush.
Evan Hutchins was next in. Again he looks like he has a decent technique but tried to hit one in the air into the breeze and it held up. Caught for 7.
Tom Gagg was to fall in a similar way for 12.
Guttsy went in to steady the ship. He pounced on anything short, pulling viciously through midwicket.
Lush reached yet another 50 before playing across a straight one and being l.b.w for 66. A great knock.
Leo Petty was unlucky with a bottom edge that just knocked a bail off. Tanky took a while to remember he was Tanky before hitting a run a ball 14. Guttsy was out last ball playing an T20 shot. These youngsters eh. 34 runs in our total of 174.
Highlight of the bowling was probably the 9 overs on the trot by their 81 year old.
At the other end of the age scale it was a pleasure to see several of our youngsters wiling to umpire, and doing it very well.
After tea, Damps opened up down the hill. We needed to keep it tight. His first ball went for 4. But he was unfazed and got his revenge 5th ball. Clean bowled.
Peter Trott bowled up the hill and into the gale. His first over was slogged for a brutal 20 runs. None of them were bad balls. He looked distraught but it shows the mettle of the young man that he did not fade away or shrink from the fight. He bowled his man in the second over with an inswinging beauty. It changed the momentum of the game and we were very proud of him.
In the fifth over the oppo tried to take on a quick single but hadn’t counted on Tanky stopping the ball and then throwing down the stumps.
Peter got the next wicket with another clean bowled. 50 for 4 and we felt we were in the game. Peter finished 6-1-34-2
The next pair though were calm and gradually started knocking off the runs. Jez Trott replaced his offspring. Old school leg-spin. The problem was his good balls were almost too good. Bounce and sharp spin meant they were going past the bat and over the stumps. 5 overs for 29.
Tom Gagg replaced Damps. He generated some sharp pace. Skinner had replaced Petty behind the stumps and held onto a fine edge. With the wind it would have been hard for the umpire to hear it and it was a pleasure to see the batsman walk. What cricket is all about. Tom was to finish 6-1-26-1.
Guttsy was next up the slope and kept it very tight. He got the next wicket, l.b.w.
6-1-16-1.
Evan Hutchins bowled three decent overs down the hill. Shame he is a Spurs fan, seems a good cricketer and decent bloke in all other ways.
Damps came back to try and get the breakthrough but was massively unlucky with Chinese Cuts just missing the stumps and outside edges not quite finding the fielders. 9-2-29-1
Their number 4 batted solidly for 62 not out. Their first team keeper was playing for them and he helped see them home by 4 wickets with 4 overs to spare.
It was not a bad performance by any means. If the lower teams hadn’t pinched so many of our regulars it could have been different. That though is the whole point of the Mighty 3rds. Several youngsters stepped up and all performed well.
Your match reporter is now off to clean his car, which had been parked downhill with the boot open all match, and is now covered inside and out with a fine silt.
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