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1st XI Divisional Champions!

1st XI Divisional Champions!

Tom Vila22 Aug 2017 - 08:35
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Christmas came early as Datchworth beat Hertford to give Northchurch an unassailable lead. Southgate Compton provided the pudding...

Highlights: McGiffin 41, Johnson 4 for 19

Northchurch travelled to Southgate Compton on Saturday, knowing that a win would guarantee promotion.

On a very soft surface, which was served without cream or brandy butter, it was no surprise that Northchurch were invited to bat first after losing the toss. The challenge to come became immediately apparent as the openers found the extreme lack of pace very difficult to deal with.

The top three were dismissed quickly, with the wickets of Liveing and Garraway drawing particularly enthusiastic celebrations. Compton were clearly still smarting from the pair’s unbeaten stand of 200 at the meadow earlier in the season.

The difficultly of batting can be summarised by the inning of Steve McGiffin, whose 41 was by far the highest individual score managed by any player, and specifically by the unusually high number of consecutive dot balls he faced. The minimum target of 200 was revised downwards by the on looking captain as rapidly as the as the number of waiting Northchurch batsmen wearing pads increased.

Jimmy Smart found some success with the approach of playing a few shots but this soon cost him his wicket. Lindsay was adjudged LBW first ball to leave Church in some serious trouble at 29 for five and eyeing up 100 as a par score. Matt Suckling supported McGiffin well through the highest partnership of the match (27) but fell to skiddy spinner, Zia, who found some variable turn and bounce.

When the last four wickets were surrendered for just eight runs, the only consolation for Northchurch was that they had been bowled out quickly enough to make use of the surface before it improved. With 81 to defend, it was welcome news that the innings would be split and ten overs were to be bowled before tea.

Leading wicket taker Ollie Johnson offered hope with a spell of three for ten off his five overs before the break, including two in two balls to send back first round centurion Delbridge for a golden duck.

After the restart, there was some indication that the surface was improving, with Heaney managing to confidently play a lesser-spotted cover drive. However, when he got greedy and popped up a leading edge to McGiffin at midwicket, Northchurch sensed that they had opened up an end.

Set man Brad Sayers had survived a couple of chances but eventually fell to Vila, bowled for what would turn out to be a match winning 23. Promoted second XI player Wallis used all of his experience of division 10 pitches to somehow cling on to his wicket and compile a partnership of 18 in 12 overs, along with veteran wicket keeper Boris Johnson.

When the latter fell to a smart Henry Bexon catch at second slip off the impressive Charles Fidler, Compton still had a tricky eight to get and three wickets in hand. As a glimpse of why this Northchurch side has finished as divisional champions this year, the Black and Ambers still believed that they could win the game from this position.

It would take the home team another five overs to get over the line but the tension was eventually broken by a couple of calculated slogs by Wallis, whose patience to finish on 15 not out from 80 balls was commendable.

It was a bittersweet evening, as news of the other results filtered in. Second placed Hertford’s loss to next week’s opposition Datchworth put Northchurch out of their reach with a 67 point lead at the top and sparked handshakes and hugs all round.

Northchurch will no doubt wish to finish the year playing better cricket than this weekend and will go into the last two games as motivated as ever.

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