The first week of the season was 2nd May, with Dereham at home our first opponents:

Hales welcomed a President’s elect to play the first game at their new home, across the road from their old pitch on Hales Green. The President’s side were put into bat and, as such, Sir Nicholas Bacon faced the first ball ever bowled on the new ground, courtesy of club chairman P. Dye. Sir Nicholas and his son Edmund both went cheaply and left the score on 5 for 2.

This brought Zimbabwean C. Travers and pop singer R. Martin to the wicket, both looking dominant and playing some lusty blows against a varied Hales attack. Travers played a great innings aided along the way by Martin (19) and C. Watts (14) before being caught on the boundary by C. Andersen for 99. Matthew Flemming, former Kent Captain, was next in, and played a well-rounded innings with some well-placed shots, as well as four 6s in his total of 42. When he fell to a sharp stumping by G. Squire with the score on 220, it left former Hales player R. Konieczny to finish off the innings with M. Wright, bringing the final total to a very competitive 236 from their 40 overs.

The Hales reply got off to a good start, with openers R. Andersen and G. Squire taking the game to the President’s elect. R. Andersen made 12 before being bowled, and P. Bassingthwaighte made 10 before the first Hales duck was secured by J. Vale. With the score on 74 for 3 from 13 overs, M. Lovick joined Squire at the crease. His first two balls, faced quickly, made their way to the boundary, with a delightful drive followed by a shot timed through the point region. Squire was next to fall, being caught by second slip for 46 with the score on 103.

The run rate always stayed within reach for the Hales team, although wickets fell steadily just as batsmen had played themselves in; M. Lovick chipped in with a very well-made 48, C. Andersen made 18 and D. Harmer reached 33. As a consequence, Hales fell 30 runs short, finishing on 206 all out. Congratulations go out to the President’s team, and to the pitch-preparers as the pitch played extremely well considering this was the first ever game on it.

Hales took to the stage for the last time this season, travelling to Mundford and relegating their opposition in the process. Hales were put into bat on a very green-looking wicket, and to begin with, it proved to be a very challenging pitch, with just 16 runs coming from the first 13 overs. This was a mixture of great bowling from the Mundford opening pair not giving the Hales openers any room to play any shots, and when there was a chance, the fact that it more often than not unfortunately seemed to go to a fielder .

However, once the first-change bowlers came on, it gave a bit of respite for the batsmen, as runs were then allowed to flow more freely as Rowe, in a promotion up the order, looked to take the scoring to the opposition. Rowe was the first batsman to go, top edging and being caught on the boundary for 27, with the score at 58.

P. Squire was then quick to come and go, scoring 8 all coming from one over. Dave Harmer looked positive at the crease until an extreme piece of bad luck left him caught, after blasting a shot straight at the bowler, only to be parried to a diving mid-off. With the score on 105, C. Andersen was next to go, playing a fine innings of 49 and top-scoring for the Hales side.

This left Ramsdale and Cornish at the crease. Cornish raced to 42 with some big hitting, 20 of these runs coming from just one over! In the latter stages, some steady runs were scored by R. Andersen (22) and J. Vale (19). The latter was caught on the boundary on the last ball of the innings, which meant Hales fell just short of the 200 mark, ending on 199 from their allotted overs.

In reply, Mundford began scoring more quickly than Hales, but with a wicket falling in each of R. Andersen’s 3rd and 4th overs, Mundford were looking like they might fall well short of the target set. However, there was some good batting by the Mundford no. 4 A. Bailey, who managed to pile on 62 runs while being aided by his other batsmen around him chipping in to give them a fighting chance.

Wickets fell steadily though, and when the no. 4 fell to a smart caught and bowled by M. Lovick, the score sat on 119 for 6, and it seemed that the game would be out of reach for the Mundford team. During this time, ex-Munford player M. Cornish rounded off his batting performance with a wicket which I’m sure went down well with his ex-team-mates.

With 6 wickets down, M. Phillips and D. Grady began a revival that gave Mundford a real chance. Philips looked solid at the crease before he had to limp off and it seemed that his role in the game was over. With the score at 180 for 8 after a top piece of fielding by Cornish to run out Allsop for 8, the game was finely balanced with either team looking like they could pick up the win.

After Andersen bowled the no. 11 for 0, Phillips had to rejoin the game with the help of a runner to try and salvage the game for Mundford. This was a brave effort but it proved to be not quite enough as he was bowled by Andersen to leave Mundford stranded on 190 all out, just needing 10 more runs to stay in the league.

Hales CC travelled to Swardeston on a delightful summer’s day, and picked up their second win on the bounce to ensure promotion and emphatically win the league.

Skipper Rowe won the toss and elected to field first to hold more control over the available points, despite the wicket looking like an extremely good one for batting. The choice was rewarded in the very first over with Andersen seaming the ball through to get a fine nick to be caught behind by his brother Lamby. The next wicket followed with another caught behind, only this time off the glove and from the bowling of other opener Squire.

With some hostile bowling from Andersen, it meant that one batsman had to retire hurt after being rapped on the glove which exposed the middle order. Andersen continued to bowl with good line, pace and aggression to pick up his second wicket in his 6th over, again through a caught behind, leaving the score on 20-3.

Things were looking great during this spell for Hales; however, a rather innocuous throw in from the outfield was not taken cleanly by D. Andersen, who consequently had to go to hospital with a very painful distal phalanx of the thumb, leaving Hales with 10 men.

The first change of Lovick and Pearce made things happen, as both runs were scored and wickets were taken. Unfortunately for Pearce, the majority of the runs came from his end, and the three wickets came from Lovick, two again being caught behind and one caught by the skipper. With wickets falling steadily, with a smart run out by Usain Bolt-like G. Squire, and a couple bagged by the skipper, Hales were left with a target of chasing down a mere 101 from 61 overs.

In reply, Hales made the worse possible start, with Cornish (0) finding it hard to judge the pace and bounce of the pitch, and consequently being caught and bowled. This left C. Andersen (6) at the crease, joined by P. Squire. Both started off slowly, trying to steady the ship, and took the total to 26 before Andersen went after a short one only to miss-hit it and be caught around the mid-on area. Dave Harmer (0) then sauntered to the crease and soon made his way back to the dressing room as he was caught behind first ball. This left the score on a rather precarious 26-3, with Squire and Ramsdale now occupying the crease.

Runs were slowly built up to the 15th over, when the score was at 30-3, but from then to the 101 total there were regular boundaries and a sudden change in the run rate, going up to a very decent 5 runs an over. P. Squire played a mature innings to help guide his team to the total with a mixture of good running and stroke play, his the most productive shot being a straight aerial flick that provided a few 4s to his total of 70 not out.

He was ably supported by Ramsdale, who added 17 to the total with a couple of good lofted cover drives, before departing. This left R. Andersen to aid Squire to the 101 total, reaching it in the 29th over with 4 wickets down.

The Gold’s Gym man of the match award goes to P. Squire for his 70 not out.

Hales made a welcome return to form, beating third-place Saxlingham by 4 wickets to all but guarantee promotion to Alliance Division 1; if they can secure 12 points, that will guarantee a fourth successive title for Steve Rowe’s young team.

Hales won the toss and invited Saxlingham to bat. Hales made a good start, with Rob Andersen removing both openers cheaply. Saxlingham then started to build, with 22 from Pearson before he was caught behind off Lovick with the score on 60. Former Northants 2nd player W. Burnell and Adams then attacked the bowling, scoring 38 from 4 overs before Adams was caught and bowled by the wily Rowe for 44. Burnell made an excellent 65 but received little support from the lower order, with the last 4 wickets going for 19. Rowe was Hales’ leading wicket-taker with 4 for 41, as Saxlingham were all out in the last over for 179.

In reply, Rowe partnered Chris Andersen, and Rowe’s experience saw a solid start, with Rowe making 18 before being caught behind with the score on 35. Squire fell cheaply, and Chris Andersen was dismissed just after for a well-crafted 33. Dan Andersen and Dave Harmer then added 39 before Harmer was caught for 18 with the score on 96 for 4.

Dan Andersen went for a pugnacious 31, and with Ramsdale gone for 4, Saxlingham had control, with Hales at 115 for 6. Marty Cornish and Jon Vale set about the target with real composure, with Vale (26 not out) playing the perfect foil to Cornish’s textbook innings as he finished 40 not out. This saw Hales home by 4 wickets with 3 overs to spare in this massive game at the top of Division 2, with Lawrence and Forsdick Saxlingham’s most effective bowlers.

Four points against Swardeston tomorrow will see Hales promoted again, with a winning draw the title.

The Cornish Cricket Coaching School Man of the Match was Marty Cornish.

Beccles & Bungay Roll of Honour nomination S. Rowe 4 for 41

Hales CC hosted Mundford in what turned out to be a very disappointing and below par performance as Mundford came out on top, winning by two wickets.

The toss went against Hales’ wishes, and consequently the hosts were put into bat on a very green-looking wicket. Marty Cornish (0) went early on after being bowled by an in-swinger with the score on 0, an unfortunate score made worse by the fact he was entertaining his ex-club.

A rebuilding began as C. Andersen (10) and P. Squire (25) took the score to 34 before the ball popped up on the wicket, causing Andersen to give a gentle catch to a close-in fielder. This brought D. Andersen (40) to the crease; he played some delightful cover drives to help progress the score on further. Squire was the next to go, trying to exploit the vast space available on the leg side; however, he missed the ball and was bowled with the score on 65.

Dave Harmer joined Andersen and scored the innings’ top score of 41, and together they took the score onto 92 before Andersen was out. M. Ramsdale came and went with 3, and Harmer left soon went after, which left the score on 112 for 6 after 33 overs.

With more than capable batsmen still to come, it was felt that the score could still be pushed on to 200. However, Mundford bowled well on a slow wicket that suited their bowlers and the Hales middle to lower order failed to make much of an impact. Skipper Rowe was the only one who seemed to value his wicket, making his third successive not out while reaching 17. After 45 overs, Hales finished on 160.

In reply, the Munford openers showed they didn’t want to waste time and get bogged down by the usual strong and disciplined Hales attack, by hitting a 4 off the first ball of their innings. It came to the attention of the Hales bowlers that anything short would be hit for 4 with ease as all the pace was taken out of the ball when it dropped even slightly short.

The first wicket came courtesy of R. Andersen, as he bowled a rip snorter, removing the left-handed opener. Another batsman was quickly to follow back to the pavilion, as G. Squire bowled a ball full of length to make the score sit materialise until the score had reached 72.

Hales still felt at this stage they were in for a chance as few of the batsmen really looked comfortable. However, Mundford were patient and waited for the bad ball, which seemed to come too frequently for Hales. There was a small flurry of wickets to make the score 112 for 6, and Neil Pearce managed to get a couple of wickets from his 4 overs, but his efforts turned out to be too late as Mundford struggled their way to the 161 figure in the 47th over, with the loss of 8 wickets.

The Triton Showers man of the match goes to Dave Harmer for top-scoring.

On Wednesday, Hales played at Acle in the final of the prestigious Coronation Cup. Hales skipper Rowe won the toss and decided to bat. As on Saturday, Hales had a problem with batting, and this meant that, from their 15 8-ball overs, a total of 97 was required for Acle to win. The poor batting is depicted in the number 10 batsmen Steve Rowe top scoring with 22 not out.

A swift turn around and Hales were out fielding, opening up the bowling with Robin Andersen and Neilo Pearce. With Acle knowing the total they needed, it meant they could bat at a steady pace, without taking too many risks. As a result, the two opening batsmen picked up 80 of the runs between them. When they fell to a good run out from Joe Kaye, and a caught behind off the bowling of Matthew Flatley, there weren’t many runs for the rest of the Acle team to get. Acle cantered to the 97 total with 2 overs to spare.

The Ex-Acle man of the match award goes to Steve Rowe.

Hales first team travelled to North Runcton at the weekend, to face a very frustrating situation of one paid professional stealing the show. Hales won the toss and chose to bowl on a track that looked like it would be difficult to bat on to begin with.

Hales got their first breakthrough in the 5th over courtesy of Graham Squire with the score on 23. Squire banged the ball in short and the batsman was unable to cope as he gloved it straight to wicket-keeper Ramsdale. The next three wickets all went to Squire as well, and North Runcton sat in a precarious position of 52-4.

However, with these batsmen out, it meant that overseas player Clinton Birkenshaw was at the crease. To begin with he played sensibly, seeing off Squire who was chasing his second 5 for of the season. However, once he had played himself in, he hit a commanding score of 71, almost half of the North Runcton score. Wickets tumbled around him, and he finally went with some gutsy bowling from Neilo Pearce, who managed to hit the stumps nearing the end of the Runcton innings. At tea, North Runcton finished on 169 all out, with Hales feeling they had a chance with a far from dominating score being set.

In reply, Hales lost an early wicket as Harmer fell with just 3 runs on the board. There was a slight steadying of the ship, but this was short lived when North Runcton introduced their paid professional Birkenshaw. He ripped through the Hales top order, all clean bowled, as his pace and accuracy proved just too much for Hales. A bowler of his stature would probably not look out of place plying his trade at major county level.

There was a very small sign of resistance at the end, with Matt Lovick, Steve Rowe and G. Squire spending time at the crease and adding 23 between them. The Hales innings came to a close on 71, with Birkenshaw taking 7 wickets to add to his 71 scored earlier to beat Hales pretty much on his own.

The man of the match sponsored by Johannesburg International Airport goes to Graham Squire for his 4 wickets.

Hales 1st XI played host to Garboldisham on Saturday 11th July at Postwick. With three players travelling and one at a wedding, it meant the inclusion of the experienced Brian Read and youngsters Todd Jones, Joe Kaye and wicket-keeper Jack Cook.

In usual fashion, Captain Steve Rowe lost the toss, and consequently Hales were put into bat first. However, this seemed to be to Hales’ liking as 62 runs were amassed off the first 6 overs alone. With Dave Harmer and Martin Cornish batting with ease, Garboldisham needed a breakthrough, and this came courtesy of first-change bowler Leech as Harmer fell for an explosive and eye-pleasing 27. This brought Phil Squire to the crease for an innings that he will not forget in a hurry. With a mixture of fast running between the wickets and good technical shots, Squire built up a score of 106 not out, his maiden century in Alliance cricket.

Squire was ably supported during his innings by Cornish, who continued to hit hard and clocked up a quick-fire 59 before being bowled by Gooderham. Next in was Brian Read, who crafted a well-made 30 before playing at a wide one only to be caught behind. Welsh overseas Neil Pearce tested out all areas of his bat in his promotion up the order to number 5 and didn’t disappoint in his new position. With some lusty blows, Pearce hit 30 before being caught.

This left Squire at the crease to bat through with the support of Joe Kaye (13) and two kamikaze batsmen Matt Lovick (5) and Rowe (2), who both gave their wickets up to ensure that Phil Squire could reach his century and that a declaration could be made as early as possible. With the run rate staying at a good pace throughout the innings, Hales put together a total of 279 for 7 before declaring in order to receive a few extra overs to try and bowl the opposition out.

The tea break ensued, and this meant the debut of leek sandwiches at a Hales tea, a Welsh delicacy seldom seen this side of the River Severn. A meaty selection of crisps, sandwiches and cake gave both teams a boost but was not quite enough encouragement to the Garboldisham players on what turned out to be a slow and tiresome day.

The Garboldisham reply started off sluggish, with it being clear from the off that they were intent on gaining a losing draw. Very few shots were played, and with the score on 17 for 1 off 12 overs, it seemed that Garboldisham would get their wish and gain the extra point awarded for dead batting and seeing the overs off.

Lovick got the first breakthrough, followed by Graham Squire bowling the cautious Alston in the 19th over. Pearce was next to get a piece of the action, with the appointed umpire judging the Garboldisham player out LBW despite the calming of the appeal once the Hales team realised it had struck the bat first. This left Hales with a glimmer of hope of gaining the full win; however, on a slow wicket with barely any movement, it was not until the 44th over that Hales got the fourth wicket, with a good direct hit from the fielding of Joe Kaye.

The final wicket was picked up by Squire in the 47th over with the help of a catch at point from Cornish. However, this was not enough to pick up a full win, despite some looping spin from Rowe trying to entice the batsmen into some dangerous shots. Garboldisham finished on 186 for 5, but Hales can be happy with picking up a winning draw, which helps them stay sitting pretty at the top of the table.

The Maxi Muscle Man of the Match Award for an impressive maiden Alliance century goes to Philip Squire.

Hales innings

D. Harmer ct Hogg b Leech               27

M. Cornish b Gooderham                   59

P. Squire Not Out                           106

B. Read ct Goodwin b Fuller               30

N. Pearce ct Llewellyn b Sheppard      30

J. Kaye ct Goodwin b Feaveayear       30

M. Lovick Run Out                             5

S. Rowe Run Out                               2

G. Squire Not Out                              0

Extras 12

Total 279 for 7

W. Llewellyn 6-1-35-0  J. Sheppard 6-0-59-1  J. Leech 2-0-23-1  G. Gooderham 8-1-34-1  R. Fuller 11-0-57-1  P. Feaveayear 9-1-59-1 D. Cash 1-0-8-0

Garboldisham innings

G. Alston  b G. Squire               29

R. Goodwin ct Pearce b Lovick     4

A. Hogg LBW Pearce                 15

D. Cash ct Cornish b G. Squire   69

A. Whistler Run Out                 31

G. Gooderham Not Out             17

J. Sheppard Not Out                  4

M. Lovick 14-3-43-1  T. Jones 7-0-20-0  G. Squire 13-3-38-2  N. Pearce 7-1-23-1  S. Rowe 6-0-38-0  D. Harmer 2-0-14-0

Beccles & Bungay Role of Honour nominations: Phil Squire 106 not out, Martin Cornish 59

Hales followed their previous hard-fought win with another, against a young and strong Dereham side. Rowe was unusually successful at the toss and asked Dereham to bat first on a wicket that had a tinge of green following the Friday rain.

Dereham's innings took a strange shape as early on Rob Andersen, Graham Squire, Matty Lovick and Neil Pearce all bowled well. Dereham dug in and managed to keep wickets in tact despite not being able to score, and after 13 overs they had only 14 on the board for the loss of one wicket. N. Adams with 28 started to score freely, but skipper Joe Marczewski (58) struck the ball sweetly and, with Tom Wallace (40 n.o.), compiled Dereham’s best partnership of 69 in 13 overs.

The Dereham innings closed on 178 for 6, with Neil Pearce the pick of the seamers with 3 for 31 from 11 overs. Rob Andersen showed a particularly miserly streak, conceding only 27 runs off 12 overs and taking a wicket, with Graham Squire taking 2 for 22 off 9.

Openers Chris Andersen (8) and Martin Cornish (45) got Hales off to a bright start in the batting with an opening partnership of 39 in 10 overs. Philly Squire (24) and Dan Andersen (68) then continued to score freely, and Hales were always up with the rate. However, in their best tradition of wanting to entertain the crowd, Mark Ramsdale, Joe Kaye and Rob Andersen all failed to get into double figures, which led to some nail-biting for the travelling fans.

It was left to Matty Lovick and Neil Pearce, each with 9 n.o., to seal another Hales victory with 5 overs to spare, Pearce dispatching Wallace over midwicket for 6 to win the game. Another good all-round performance was led by a mature innings from Dan Andersen, and his 68 runs earns him the Short Leg Men's Outfitters Man of the Match.

Dereham innings

J Anema LBW G Squire 22

R Forder ct Ramsdale b G Squire 0

D Hewitt ct C Andersen b N Pearce 9

N Irons ct Kaye b Pearce 28

J Marczewski ct Rowe b Pearce 58

L Hoggett ct Cornish b R Andersen 0

T Wallace Not Out 40

N Cheetham Not Out 4

Extras 17

Total 178 for 6

R Andersen 12:4:27:1 G Squire 9:1:22:2 M Lovick 8:0:32:0 N Pearce 11:0:31:3 S Rowe 6:0:42:0

Hales innings

C Andersen b Fletcher 8

M Cornish ct Fletcher b Cheetham 45

P Squire LBW Starling 24

D Andersen Run Out 68

M Ramsdale ct Cains b Wallace 2

J Kaye ct Forder b Fletcher 5

R Andersen ct Wallace b Fletcher 0

M Lovick Not Out 9

N Pearce Not Out 9

Extras 15

Total 184 for 7

C Fletcher 12:2:46:3 Starling 11:2:37:1 N Cheetham 6:0:23:1 T Wallace 8:0:41:2 J Marczewski 2:0:13:0 J Anema 2:0:11:0 Cains 1:0:9:0

Beccles & Bungay Roll of Honour nomination: D Andersen 68

Hales extended their lead at the top of Norfolk Alliance Division 2 to 56 points with two exciting and close wins over the last two weeks.

First, they entertained Hillington at Postwick. In the three previous encounters in the past two seasons, these were close games with Hales coming out on top on each occasion, and this was no different.

Visiting skipper Mark Jarvis won the toss and asked Hales to bat first. Chris Andersen (37) and Martin Cornish (16) got Hales off to a bright start, and when the evergreen Brian Read (41) replaced Cornish, the runs continued to flow. At 90 for 1 off 24 overs, Hales again expected a big score.

The Hillington bowlers, especially young Scott Thaxton (6 for 47), stuck to their task well as Dan Andersen (24), Mark Ramsdale  (26) and Jon Vale (22) all got starts but found a big score elusive. Wickets then tumbled quickly before number eleven Neil Pearce (25) struck some lusty blows, including 22 off the penultimate over from skipper Jarvis to eventually push Hales to 210 all out in the last over.

Hillington got off to a reasonable start, Henry Bix (28) playing a wide array of shots, but their fourth wicket partnership of 118 between Shaun Fisher (83) and Scott Thaxton (42) put them in a winning position. With 9 overs left, Hillington required 37 to win and had seven wickets standing and two men at the crease who were well established.

Matty Lovick removed Thaxton, and then the next over Rob Andersen removed Fisher to change the tone of the game. Nobody else managed to get into double figures as skipper Steve Rowe rang the bowling changes and the last seven wickets tumbled for only 27; Hales won by 10 runs to take 25 points to Hillington's 10. The wickets were shared among the four main bowlers, who were backed up by tremendous fielding.

This was a true team effort, everybody contributing something; as a result, the Read Timber Merchants Man of the Match goes to all 11 players, who worked as such a good unit.

Hales innings

C Andersen ct D Fuller b AM Jarvis 37

M Cornish b AM Jarvis 16

B Read ct M Jarvis b S Thaxton 42

D Andersen ct Fisher b S Thaxton 24

M Ramsdale b S Thaxton 26

J Vale b M Jarvis 22

R Andersen LBWS Thaxton 4

M Lovick ct Osbourne b S Thaxton 0

S Rowe Not Out 5

G Squire ct M Jarvis b S Thaxton 3

N Pearce Run Out 25

Extras 6

Total 210 all out

C Matthews 12:2:47:0 A M Jarvis 8:1:32:2 S Fisher 6:1:19:0 S Thaxton 11.3:0:47:6 M Jarvis 8:0:58:1

Hillington innings

A Jarvis Run  Out 10

H Bix ct Ramsdale b R Andersen 28

S Fisher ct Read b R Andersen 83

M Osbourne ct C Andersen b Lovick 2

S Thaxton ct Ramsdale b Lovick 42

D Fuller b R Andersen 1

J Marwick b Lovick 6

M Jarvis ct Rowe b Pearce 6

AM Jarvis Not Out 8

A Cooper b G Squire 2

C Matthews b G Squire 0

Extras 11

Total 200 all out

R Andersen 12:2:36:3 G Squire 7:0:46:2 N Pearce 12:2:38:1 M Lovick 9.2:0:41:3 S Rowe 4.4:0:35:0

Hales entertained a very good Old Buckenham side in the Lady Mary Trophy quarter-final. It was a good opportunity to pit their wits against stronger opposition and, with some players unavailable, also a good chance to give first team outings to some of the promising under-15s.

Hales won the toss and asked Old Buckenham to bat on a pitch left a little damp from the previous day’s rain. Graham Squire picked up where he left off the day before, removing both openers in his first eventful over, which also included four wides. Skipper Terry Perry and overseas John Jarvis set about repairing the damage with a 46-run partnership before Jarvis (23) played one shot too many and was well caught by Dave Harmer at mid-wicket off Martin Cornish.

Ben Player soon departed from James Ingham’s first delivery, and Perry was joined by Alexander (37) in a 123-run partnership. Spinners Ingham and Aaron Beaumont bowled tidy spells and never allowed the batsmen to get on top, but Perry worked his way through to his century before being dismissed by Rob Andersen. Jack Cook, making his first team debut, was tidy behind the stumps, claiming three catches. Old Buckenham closed their innings on 227 for 6.

Hales never expected to challenge that total, with some batsmen missing, but the young order did not disgrace themselves. Skipper Steve Rowe rejigged the usual batting order to try to mix the youth and experience, and he himself scored a breezy 21 as stand-in opener before being the first out in the sixth over. Wickets fell at regular intervals, with only Dave Harmer (24), Graham Squire (10) and Martin Cornish (36) reaching double figures. In the end, Hales were bowled out for 118 in the 25th over.

It was disappointing to exit the competition, but the game was a useful chance to blood some youngsters into the first team.

Man of the Match goes to top-scoring Martin Cornish, whose 36 included two consecutive 6s off former county spinner Robbie Austin, as well as a tidy spell of bowling and a run out.

Old Buckenham innings

J Fudge ct Cook b G Squire 0

B Mann ct Cook b G Squire 0

T Perry ct Cook b R Andersen 118

J Jarvis ct Harmer b Cornish 23

B Player ct R Andersen b Ingham 5

J Alexander Run Out 37

A Lawrence Not Out 4

J Heaney Not Out 8

Extras 32

Total 227 for 6

R Andersen 9:2:49:1 G Squire 9:0:53:2 M Cornish 9:0:43:1 S Rowe 4:0:22:0 J Ingham 9:1:33:1 A Beaumont 5:0:22:0

Hales innings

S Rowe ct Heaney b Lincoln 21

M Ramsdale LBW Lincoln 1

C Andersen ct Perry b Jarvis 3

J Kaye b Lincoln 0

D Harmer ct Jarvis b Austin 24

R Andersen bowled Jarvis 0

G Squire LBW Austin 10

M Cornish Run Out 36

A Beaumont Not Out 6

J Ingham b Heaney 1

J Cook ct Player b Mann 2

Extras 16

Total 118 all out

A Lawrence 7:2:17:0 J Lincoln 5:0:32:3 J Jarvis 6:0:15:2 R Austin 8:0:36:2 J Heaney 6:0:15:1 B Mann 2.5:1:2:1

Beccles & Bungay Roll of Honour nominations: C Andersen 72, G Squire 13:7:25:5

Hales visited a potential banana skin in Garboldisham on Saturday looking to hold on to top spot in the league. Again Steve Rowe lost the toss as the Garboldisham skipper asked Hales to bat first.

A quick shower before the start made the hard and fast wicket play even quicker, and the Garboldisham opening bowlers got a bit carried away with short bowling in their attempts to claim an early wicket. Openers Chris Andersen and Martin Cornish were not fazed by this approach and put on 58 for the first wicket before Cornish was dismissed in the 10th over for a typically aggressive 39.

Dave Harmer (8) looked in good touch before missing a slower ball, and Dan Andersen (11), Mark Ramsdale (16) and Joe Kaye (12) also all got in and looked comfortable but could not take things on. Hales position of 150 for 3 off 25 overs owed much to opener Andersen's well-compiled 72 and had them thinking of a 300 score.

However, some cavalier batting and dogged never say die bowling from Fuller (8.4:0:40:5) saw them dismissed for 218 in the 39th over with only Robin Andersen's 36 anything to shout about. So on what looked a fantastic batting track, Hales knew they had their work cut out to defend their total, knowing that Garboldisham had 52 overs to get them.

A fiery opening burst from Graham Squire put Hales on top as Garboldisham failed to deal with his pace. Ably assisted by Robin Andersen, who took 1 for 26, Squire dismissed the first five home batsmen in a 13-over spell that cost only 25 runs. Matthew Lovick and Rowe claimed a scalp apiece, and Welsh overseas Neil Pearce weighed in with 2 as wickets tumbled at regular intervals. A dogged rearguard action from A. Hogg with 41 not out could not save the home side, and Garboldisham were all out for 115 in the 40th over thanks to a stunning catch at second slip by Dave Harmer to claim the all important tenth wicket.

With Beccles and Swardeston's encounter falling victim to rain and Hillington upsetting the form book by beating Dereham, the 25 points Hales took from this victory gave them a 29-point gap at the top. In the seven victories from eight games this season, they have bowled the opposition out on four occasions to win, which is no mean feat.

Chris Andersen again batted with a maturity well above his years and held on to two good catches in a tidy display behind the stumps, but the DJ Talent man of the match goes to Graham Squire for his 5 wickets in a magnificent display of fast bowling.

Hales innings

C Andersen ct Feveyeur b Leech 72

M Cornish ct Hogg b Fuller 39

D Harmer b Fuller 8

D Andersen ct Merriman b Llewelyn 11

M Ramsdale b Leech 16

J Kaye ct Fuller b Feveyeur 12

R Andersen b Fuller 36

M Lovick ct Fuller b Leech 0

S Rowe ct Leech b Fuller 5

G Squire Not Out 0

N Pearce b Fuller 0

Extras 18

Total 218 all out

Llewelyn 8:2:43:1 Fuller 8.4:0:40:5 Leech 11:0:52:3 Hogg 7:0:52:1 Feveyeur 5:0:21:1

Garboldisham innings

M Merriman ct Ramsdale b G Squire 13

G Alston ct C Andersen b G Squire 15

I Melvin ct C Andersen b G Squire 4

D Cash ct Kaye b G Squire 0

A Whistler ct D Andersen b G Squire 5

J Leech b Pearce 6

A Hogg Not Out 41

N Llewelyn ct Lovick b Rowe 4

R Fuller b Lovick 1

P Feveyeur ct Harmer b R Andersen 10

Extras 11

Total 115 all out

R Andersen 9:5:3:26:1 G Squire 13:7:25:5 N Pearce 7:1:27:2 S Rowe 6:1:13:1 M Lovick 5:0:23:1

Hales 1st XI had the unusual luxury of playing up at the Green on Sunday as they entertained Mattishall in the Carter Plate. Mattishall, although in the division above Hales, are near the bottom, and a good close encounter was on the cards.

Skipper Martin Cornish lost the toss and was asked to bat. The Hales innings was in the typical Sunday hangover style, and at 59 for 6, the hosts were in trouble. Only Mark Ramsdale with 20 looked to apply himself. Todd Jones with 40 and Graham Squire with 45 then added 76 for the seventh wicket to pull Hales towards respectability. Once they departed within 3 runs of each other, the innings then finished with a predictable slump to close on 156 all out.

Due their efforts at least, the bowlers now had something to defend, and Rob Andersen and Matty Lovick bowled tightly, the Mattishall innings taking a similar shape to that of Hales. Only opener Gosling with 22 played with any application, and they visitors themselves had slumped to 48 for 5. T Fordham with a quickfire 43 looked to threaten the target, but regular wickets, shared around the bowlers who were well supported by a keeping machine called Ramsdale, saw Mattishall bowled out for 145 for Hales to progress into the next round.

Hales innings

M Ramsdale ct Beaumont b Spalding 20

R Andersen ct Volz b Spalding 13

D Harmer ct Bingham b Spalding 1

S Rowe ct Cross b Spalding 0

P Squire b Lockwood 4

D Andersen c&b Fordham 20

T Jones st Volz b Cole 40

G Squire b Garner 45

M Lovick ct Cross b Garner 0

P Bassingthwaighte ct Cross b Garner 2

M Cornish not out 1

Extras 8

Total 156 all out

M Fordham 9-0-31-1  T Spalding 9-0-25-4  A Garner 8-0-23-3  J Cole 7-0-27-1  N Lockwood 7-0-39-1

Mattishall innings

R Gosling LBW Harmer 22

M Cross ct Ramsdale b Lovick 4

A Garner b Harmer 13

G Stolz b Lovick 1

N Lockwood ct Ramsdale b Harmer 0

J Cole b Cornish 13

T Fordham ct Harmer b Rowe 43

P Beaumont b R Andersen 14

K Bingham Not Out 3

T Spalding b R Andersen 0

M Fordham b Rowe 7

Extras 25

Total 145 all out

R Andersen 9-2-26-2  M Lovick 7-0-21-2  D Harmer 9-2-25-3  M Cornish 8-1-31-1  S Rowe 6.2-1-14-2  D Andersen 1-0-9-0 

Hales welcomed Dersingham to Postwick on Saturday for an Alliance Division 2 encounter. Dersingham had failed to field a team the week before against Beccles, but with people back from holiday they were nearly full strength.

Steve Rowe lost his fifth toss in five competitive games this season, but due to late arrivals Dersingham chose to bat first on what looked to be a cracking wicket. The innings got off to a bright start when Barrett dispatched the first ball of the innings off Rob Andersen for six over square leg, but Andersen recovered his composure and, ably supported by Todd Jones, the Dersingham openers were made to work hard for their runs.

It was in fact Andersen who made the first breakthrough bowling ex-county youth team mate Alistair Poll for 1 before Jones chipped in removing the dangerous Barrett caught at extra cover by Rowe for 16. Andersen then struck again and Graham Squire got in on the act, and Dersingham were 4 down for 36 off 16 overs.

Jason Southgate (60) and Shaun Felgate (59) then put on a good 123 partnership. The Hales bowlers made both players work hard for their runs, and at times they were very unorthodox in their attempts to score. Once they were out, the innings again crumbled to close on 175 for 9 from 46 overs. Squire was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4 for 31 from 10 overs, and the reliable Andersen chipped in with 3 for 43 from 12.

The Hales reply started brightly. Martin Cornish scored a quick 22 in an opening partnership of 31 with Chris Andersen. Dave Harmer departed quickly for 4, for Phil Squire (29 not out) to join Andersen in a partnership of 76 dominated by the young opener, whose 64 was a sublime mix of defence and atttack. When he was bowled by Poll, his older brother Dan replaced him. His quickfire 32 not out eclipsed the solid Squire, who was again happy to play the supporting role, and Hales reached their target with 12 overs to spare for the loss of 3 wickets.

Another 23-point haul allowed Hales to regain top spot over local rivals Beccles. With Welsh overseas player Neil Pearce returning to the team this week, skipper Rowe will be able to field what is on paper his strongest XI for the first time this season for the visit to Saxlingham.

The Royal Lifeguard Society Man of the Match this week is Chris Andersen for another sound keeping display allied to a top score of 64.

Dersingham Innings

A Barrett ct Rowe b Jones 16

A Poll b R Andersen 1

A Dobing ct C Andersen b R Andersen 1

J Southgate c&b G Squire 60

M Hazel ct Jones b G Squire 12

S Felgate ct R Andersen b Rowe 59

P Bridges b G Squire 6

M Harman b G Squire 0

R Southgate ct G Squire b R Andersen 0

L Osbourne not out 0

J Southgate not out 0

Extras 20

Total 175 for 9

R Andersen 12-5-43-3  T Jones 7-1-25-1  M Lovick 12-1-46-0  G Squire 10-3-31-4  S Rowe 5-0-20-1

Hales innings

C Andersen b A Poll 64

M Cornish c&b Dobing 22

D Harmer LBW Dobing 4

P Squire Not Out 29

D Andersen Not Out 32

Extras 26

Total 177 for 3

A Dobing 7-1-33-2  M Hazel 4-1-25-0  A Barrett 5-1-21-0  A Poll 9-0-36-1  M Harman 2-0-9-0  L Osbourne 5.2-0-25-0  S Felgate 1-0-12-0

Beccles and Bungay Role of Honour nominations: C Andersen 64, G Squire 10-3-31-4

Hales made the long trip up to Hillington for their Norfolk Alliance Division 2 game on 16th May on the back of defeat at the hands of Swardeston the previous week. Also missing the prolific Dave Harmer to a family wedding, Aaron Jones whose form has been good this year but will miss the rest of the season after a knee operation and overseas signing Neil Pearce, a good performance was needed from the young squad.

Skipper Steve Rowe lost the toss again – that's four out of four in competitive matches this season – and Hales were asked to bat on a wicket that was wet after the overnight rain. Predictably the wicket played really slowly, although it had no hidden demons, and scoring was difficult early on as the ball was not coming onto the bat.

Chris Andersen was the first to depart in the 9th over with the score on 27, and what had been a good opening partnership in the conditions was ruined when opening partner Martin Cornish was dismissed in the next over for a quickfire 19. Philly Squire (47) and Dan Andersen set about repairing the damage, putting on 34 for the next wicket before a lack of concentration meant the young number four was dismissed for 10.

The middle order all chipped in and then perished when looking set trying to force the pace, and early thoughts of 160 being a good score seemed far off at 123 for 7 with only 7 overs left. Rob Andersen stepped up to the plate, playing freely despite the situation, with a rapid 34, and his 9th wicket partnership with Graham Squire added 46 runs in 6 overs to see Hales close on 174 for 9, a frustrating 1 run short of a fourth batting point. Scott Thaxton was the pick of the home attack as his slow right arm claimed 4 for 34 off 12 overs.

In the 11th and 12th overs, the batsmen seemed to get the measure of the attack and doubled their score. The introduction of Graham Squire into the attack saw Hales claim their first victim as A. Cooper was enticed into a drive only to see the ball fly to Mark Ramsdale at first slip, who held on well low down. Unfortunately for Hales and Squire, he was feeling a twinge in his shoulder and had to be removed from the attack after 2 overs. Matthew Lovick changed ends, and Cornish was introduced into the wind.

They soon settled into a rhythm and pulled the game back in Hales favour as they reeled off 7 consecutive maidens between them, including the first wicket for Cornish. When drinks were taken at the halfway stage, Hillington's reply stood at 53 for 2, a position from which either side would have been disappointed to lose and really happy to win.

The next 6 overs crept along, and with good bowling and excellent commitment in the field, Hillington were only able to add 22 runs when looking to up the pace. Hales then claimed 4 wickets in 4 overs, and by the end of the 33rd over the game was nicely poised with the run chase at 96 for 6.

Hales showed again how strong their own batting depth is in comparison to other teams in the league as Hillington had nothing to match it. Rob Andersen was bowling well on his reintroduction, Matthew Lovick returned 2 for 35 off 12, and when Martin Cornish was brought back to complete his spell, he finished with an impressive 12-4-33-5 analysis.

Debutant Todd Jones was then brought back into the attack for the last 2 overs from one end, with Hillington on 127 for 9. Given the responsibility, he was understandably a little nervous, but in an eventful over he bowled a couple of dot balls, was hit over his head for four, bowled a high full toss no-ball that also went for four byes, and then claimed the final priceless wicket, to cap a very competent first game at this level and push Hales’ points haul from 16 to 23.

This was a superb team effort enhanced by some excellent individual performances and, given the conditions and how they changed through the day, the margin of victory was in reality worth much more. Chris Andersen's keeping was top class as he claimed three catches standing up, Phil Squire held the innings together well in the middle, and Rob Andersen bowled well, allied to a late contribution with the bat which made a great difference. But the Loddon Family Planning Clinic man of the match has to be Martin Cornish for a bright 19 at the top of the innings and a superb controlled bowling display that earned him a 5-wicket haul.

In the end, Hales (23pts) beat Hillington (6 pts) by 38 runs in.

Next week Hales host Dersingham at Postwick and will look to continue the good work and build it into a season-long momentum. Dave Harmer returns to the side at the expense of Jon Vale, which shows the strength of squad that is developing.

On the Sunday, Hales first team return to the Green to play Mattishall in the Carter Plate.

Hales innings