As the season ticked over into the second half of fixtures, Hythe arrived for the return match at Rainham with the talk being about the high scoring ground, the beautiful setting and the prospect of a proper tea.

Rainham won the toss and inserted Hythe under heavy, overcast conditions, anticipating a swinging ball and the chance to chase on a ground where defending totals is notoriously hard.

Hythe’s openers carried on where they had left off the previous week, with Pitchowski racing to 20 before his partner had faced a ball, setting the tone for a quick scoring rate. Rainham’s bowlers struggled to control the swinging ball, offering up extras and four balls regularly, but balls pitched in the right areas were getting enough out of a used pitch to keep everyone interested.

Eggleston found his rhythm to reach his fifty first before becoming becalmed as Pitchowski kept up the momentum, reaching his own 50 and accelerating on. Drinks were taken with the score at 137-0 and for once Eggleston didn’t find a way to get out right afterwards - perhaps still smarting from walking off the previous week when the consensus of opinion, including from the opposition and the umpire, was that he wasn’t out.

The partnership reached 180 before Pitchowski was hurried by some extra bounce and spliced a pull to Midwicket. But Bobby Rumley came in and kept the score ticking over as the second wicket put on 83. Eggleston continued to attack, reaching his hundred in the 35th over before Rumley and Ford both got out playing hyper-aggressive shots. When Eggleston was out for 109, followed quickly by Harding, the possibility of another collapse did cross a few minds, but hard hitting cameos from Channon, Bingham and Charlie Rumley ensured that Hythe at least reached 7 an over, ending with 321-6 off 45 overs.

The tea did not disappoint, and as the team reminisced about teas of old, and rediscovered skills like not eating the crusts to ensure you have enough space for an extra sandwich, the mood was light hearted and cricket (and especially the tea ladies) was the winner.

When the game got underway again Channon and Harding did their usual double act, putting the ball in good areas and making scoring hard. The fielding was sharp and Rainham were falling well behind the required rate, but nothing was going to hand and the score progressed to 75 before Channon finally caught the outside edge in his final over, removing the dangerous opener who was just starting to go on the attack. Drinks were taken at 115-1 with the required run rate already at 9s but plenty of wickets still in hand. Hythe were clearly in control, but there was still work to be done.

Then followed scenes reminiscent of the previous week, as the Rainham number 3 played on to an innocuous Pitchowski ball and reacted angrily to an ill timed comment. Combined with a petulant reaction from a team mate who wanted to have a bowl himself, the focus of the team was suddenly on their own behaviours rather than how to win the game, and the distraction once again threatened to let the opposition off the hook.

Rainham’s number 4 smashed 54 off 27 balls to get them right back in the chase, before he ran past an ‘even slower’ Tim Pitchowski ball and Luke Bingham did very well to wait for the ball to complete the stumping. Hythe were well in control but heads were down and an overzealous celebration to dismiss a Rainham tailender caused even more unusual scenes as the Hythe players refused to celebrate with each other.

In another parallel to the previous week the game concluded with a run out, and a clear victory for Hythe bringing a welcome release of the tension.
Hythe 321-6 (Eggleston 109, Pitchowski 73)
Rainham 270 all out off 44.1 (Pitchowski 4-52)
Hythe won by 51 runs
Player of the match the Tea Ladies (closely followed by Tim Pitchowski)