With skipper Matt Ford and opening bowler Troy Harding unavailable, Hythe 1st X1 arrived at Bluebell Hill to find a bone dry outfield, but a green and damp pitch. Having no umpire on the day, Hythe conceded the toss and were asked to bat in extremely bowler friendly conditions.

After losing two quick wickets to balls stopping in the pitch, Tim Pichowski (31) and captain Grant Channon (32) moved the score towards 100 in good time before a flurry of wickets fell as the wet pitch punished Hythe’s attacking intent. Charlie Rumley’s cameo 28 was crucial as Hythe were bowled out for 139 in the 35th over.

The general consensus at half time was that this was a competitive total in the conditions, but there was very little margin for error.

Lewis Caruana, on league debut, bowled a tight opening spell, but with runs leaking at the other end, H&BH raced to 62-1. A lobbed catch to cover off Caruana, and a remarkable one handed catch at deepish mid-on, from skipper Grant Channon, broke the innings wide open as Matt Cobb got into his work on a pitch that suited his nibbling seamers down to the ground.

He followed up with a cutter past the dangerous and attacking Akash to give Luke Bingham a straight forward stumping. Dan Cowell then took a juggling catch off a fierce drive at gulley, before a change of ends for Cobb led to a procession of wickets - a sequence of four great grabs - three from Luke Bingham, standing up to the stumps, and one at slip by Bobby Rumley as the ball ricocheted (yet again) off Bingo’s head.

Bluebell Hill crawled past the hundred mark, but by now were finding it almost impossible to score runs off the bat, suffering the consequences of having prepared such a damp wicket. With partners running out, the until now circumspect Hayward tried one last attacking shot and popped up a catch that was taken with (surprising) aplomb by Cameron Potter, ending the innings with Hythe running out dramatic winners by 34 runs.

Man of the match was Matt Cobb with remarkable figures of 6 wickets for 10 runs from 6 overs. Honourable mentions go to Tim Pichowski, whose 31 runs were worth far more than the runs in the scorebook(!), Charlie Rumley for another mature knock at number 6, and to Luke Bingham, with 4 excellent catches, a stumping and an assist off his helmet.

Two wins from two sets up the season perfectly, with Sherwood visiting the Grove next Saturday. Come along to support your team!

Hythe 1st X1: 139 all out off 34.5 overs
Holcombe & Bluebell Hill 105 all out off 24.1
MOTM Matt Cobb: 6-3-10-6

Interactive Scorecard