Wiltshire CCC end 50 over Trophy in strong fashion with victory over Hertfordshire

Wiltshire CCC v Hertfordshire CCC             

NCCA Trophy

Sunday 18^th May 2025

Hitchin CC, Lucas Lane

An unexpectedly cold wind caused spectators to abandon the sun cream and look for another layer (or two!) of clothing.  However, the action on the field kept the crowd focused.  Despite several players having suffered defeats with their clubs on the Saturday they approached this match with a cautious optimism. Skipper, Ed Young, had the donkey mascot with him and whether this brought any luck we shall never know…. But the donkey had a broad grin on his face at the end of the game!  The toss saw Wiltshire lose and Hertfordshire decide to bat first and set a target.

Any hope of a large target was eaten away by Wiltshire’s disciplined bowling attack.  William Brown 3 for 29 took out batters 1,2 and 3 with catches from wicketkeeper Ben Draper 2 and the third from Jake Goodwin in the slips. His opening partner Rhys Baker kept things tight from the other end until spin was introduced.  Archie Fairfax-Ross was the first to hit the stumps but when Andrew Neal, Hertfordshire’s top scorer with 28, appeared to be getting the better of him, skipper Ed Young came into the attack.  He bowled Neal with his very first delivery and that was a sign of more to come.  Wadworth Man of the Match, Ed Young, took a career best 5 for 16 to see Hertfordshire collapse for just 122 all out in just 30.3 overs.  Two of Ed’s wickets came with LBW decisions while Ben Draper and Jake Goodwin each had another catch to complete Ed’s tally.  Jacob Lintott got in on the act with a sharp caught and bowled.  Now all Wiltshire had to do was to give a disciplined batting performance to seal a fine victory.

The donkey watched on as Jake Lintott and Jack Mynott strode out to the middle.  Any tension felt by the Wiltshire supporters gradually disappeared as Jake, 70 not out ( 63 balls, 8X4 and 2X6) and Jack, 45 not out ( 45 balls, 7X4) took Wiltshire to their winning score,  125 for 0, in just 18.3 overs. Hertfordshire tried 5 different bowlers to try and  remove the batters, but Jake and Jack stuck to their task with a fine show of disciplined aggression and shots all around the wicket.

Next Sunday sees Wiltshire travel to Eastnor CC to take on Herefordshire in the first of their T20 double headers with one game due to begin at 11:00am and the other at 2:30pm. A mixture of disappointment one week and tremendous success the next should guarantee there will be no complacency.  Wiltshire know they have to be at their best if they want to taste success again … and I believe the donkey is making the trip too!

Roy Honeybone, May 2025