Hampshire Hogs

Report by Richard Iago:

The Hampshire Hogg’s elected to bat first and made a steady start on a very flat pitch against some threatening new ball bowling from Ross Bauman and Gregory Iago, who both bowled an excellent line and length. But as the sun grew hotter and the ball more soft, Aaron White, a slow left arm orthodox off-break bowler and a Martlet’s debutant, settled in for what was sure to be a long spell. Using a subtle variation in flight and assisted by some turn, the Hogg’s rate of scoring was slowed. The Martlets duly took their third wicket on the stroke of lunch and having bowled forty overs, were justifiably pleased with their morning’s work. Rallying the troops after platefuls of new potatoes was never going to be an easy task and the Hogg’s batsmen took advantage, as the seam bowling dropped shorter and the standard of fielding began to wilt. With the Hogg’s looking to accelerate their scoring rate and the batsmen firmly entrenched, it was the Walker father son combination that produced the first champagne moment of the day: Paul bamboozling the hapless batsman with a vicious dipping delivery that was chipped into the hands of son Harry, who fielding as twelfth man, took a smart catch to his left. Finally, a patient century by Wakefield, who had come in at number three, prompted the Hogg’s declaration on 282-7 off 69 overs. It would be a good game for the Martlet’s to win…

The Martlet’s innings was given the necessary momentum by debutants Alex Maynard and the young Toby Horn, who combined a judicious blend of defence and attack to put the Hogg’s bowling under pressure from the first ball. The loss of the first Martlet’s wicket brought Ben Cartwright to the middle, who laid firm foundations for a long innings with an impeccable judgement of what to leave, while accumulating steadily with an excellent rotation of the strike. Useful contributions from Sam Thorns and Gregory Iago accelerated the Martlet’s scoring and when they fell victim to the spinning ball, Cartwright grabbed the initiative, expanding his repertoire by unfurling a series of sumptuous drives and savage square cuts. Joined at the crease by the experienced Paul Walker, the pair forged a crucial partnership, hitting anything loose to the boundary and running impressively between the wickets. The second champagne moment of the day saw Cartwright bring up his century with a delicious straight drive but when he fell for a magnificent 110, there was still much work to be done. The young James Horn joined Paul Walker at the wicket and the pair took the Martlets to the brink of victory sapping the strength of the persevering Hogg’s bowlers who by now seemed to be longing for the sanctuary of the pavilion. A wonderful day’s cricket played on a beautiful ground, bathed in warm sunshine and a deserved Martlet’s victory by four wickets.

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