Ely bounce back

CCA Senior Division Two Yelling 152 Ely/Haddenham 155-4 Ely/ Haddenham won by six wickets ELY/ HADDENHAM picked up their first win of the season with a fine all-round performance away to Yelling on Saturday. The visitors won the toss and opted to make th

CCA Senior Division Two

Yelling 152

Ely/Haddenham 155-4

Ely/ Haddenham won by six wickets

ELY/ HADDENHAM picked up their first win of the season with a fine all-round performance away to Yelling on Saturday.

The visitors won the toss and opted to make the most of the weather conditions, which were perfect for seam bowling, and allowed the home side to bat first.

Yelling were immediately put under pressure by some powerful bowling and the ball was swinging around and causing problems.

Opening batsman Brian Topham stood up to it well and managed to notch up 38 runs before Mike Grady got his first wicket of the day which came from captain Ben Travers' catch.

Numbers two and three were quickly dispatched for a combined total of five runs before Yelling's number four Britain came in to restore some hope for the home side with a score of 27.

When Britain's wicket fell after a straight ball from Vincett, Yelling started to crumble and by the middle of the 40th over they were all out for 152.

This was a fine fielding performance from Ely/Haddenham in which Grady picked up four wickets and Rich Vincett got three.

However the game, at this point, was still hanging in the balance.

The Yelling bowlers started well and Ely/Haddenham's opening batsmen John Peacock and Kevin Wells were dismissed by Steve Tack for a combined total of 20 runs.

Mark Hatcher then came in at number three and he proved to be the match-winner with a controlled and measured performance at the crease in which he scored 76 not out. Hatcher provided a fine example for watching enthusiasts of smooth, elegant, technically supreme batting.

Then, after Mark Abbott was dismissed for seven, James Tilbrook came in at number five to smash the ball all over the park. By the time Tilbrook was dismissed for 42 runs the damage had been done.

This was a fantastic response from the visiting side who were hammered last Saturday by Newton who scored a massive 229-1. The size of Ely's improvement on Saturday can be clarified by the fact that Newton had previously beaten this Yelling side.

Travers said after the game: "It was about time we got a win. Everyone realised they had to up their game and there is no one in the team that did not contribute to this victory."

Travers added: "Mark (Hatcher) and James (Tilbrook) were both in great form with the bat and they both batted in a very different ways. While Mark displays great timing and picks out the gaps in the field, James was a powerhouse. He's a big strong guy and when he connects with the ball you certainly don't want to be in the way."

Ely/ Haddenham hope to build on this performance on Saturday when they travel to Eversden.