Hawley 03Jul05

Kings travelled to Hawley with a side decimated by injuries and players unavailable, missing five first choice players Kings gave debuts to Chris Barnes and Tim Mackenzie. The players arrived at the ground as heavy drizzle started to fall but this was only adding to a damp wicket. Following guidance from the weather forecast the groundsman had watered the pitch for two hours the night before leaving a pitch that was very green, damp and in places only just about playable. The toss was going to be vital and it was Hawley who won it and their captain had no hesitation in asking Kings to bat first.

It was a tough task that Barnes faced having to open in such poor conditions. The game started in drizzle which made the outfield very wet. After just two overs the drizzle turned to rain and the players left the field for 25 minutes. With credit to Hawley they made every effort to continue the game and play resumed. With opening bowler Miles unable to keep his feet he was replaced after just two overs by the slow arm bowling of Waller. Waller and Wilkinson bowled a tight line in conditions that were being extremely helpful to them and Wilkinson had a good lbw shout against Gordon Young turned down.

Young was however quick to punish anything with width off Waller, but in the 9th over Barnes was caught off the back foot by a ball that kept horribly low to be lbw to Waller (20-1). Just two overs later Waller struck again when Young changed his shot and could only chop the ball into is own stumps (24-2). Evans and Miah now had to rebuild and both looked comfortable against both bowlers. Miah played one superb on drive off Wilkinson which saw the opening bowler off, however Waller continued to bowl a nagging line and length on the damp pitch. Delany took over from Wilkinson bowling off-spin and struck in his first over when Miah tried sweep and top edged to backward square (39-3). Worse to follow when off the last ball of the next over Evans pushed the ball to mid wicket and called for a run which Pipe twice turned down but Evans continued running leading to both batsmen stranded at the same end. It was Pipe who had to go, having been run out without facing a ball by his partner (39-4).

The fall of the wicket brought Paul Norman in to join Evans and these two also had their mixed decisions over quick singles. However when Waller exited the attack the batsmen were able to take the attack to the bowling and seemed to be recovering the innings when Norman played an ugly pull across the line to be bowled by Adams (59-5). Mackenzie then dispatched his first two balls for superb boundaries but his third ball saw him bowled (67-6). Evans however was holding the innings together and played with great concentration. He was joined by Wright who helped add 15 for the next wicket before the returning Miles had him caught and bowled (82-7). There then followed an impressive debut by Tim Mackenzie who showed good shot selection mixed with perfect defence. He and Evans took the score to the 100 mark before the innings came to a sudden and unexpected collapse.

Firstly Evans was sent back on a single and despite his desperate efforts to get back he was beaten by a direct throw from cover (100-8). Mackenzie then miss timed a drive and McGregor took a good tumbling catch (100-9). Sones came in to join skipper Young, but he hit his second ball straight to point to end the innings (100 all out). The last three wickets fell in 7 balls for no runs.

By the start of the second innings the clouds had broken and the first rays of sun started to bask the ground in bright light. With the outfield now dry and the pitch starting to dry out Kings were going to have to bowl well to salvage something from the game. The opening overs saw Kings bowl well but Hawley were still able to have 10 on the board by the end of the fourth over. However Kings were about to make their mark. Two maidens followed and then Pipe, who had troubled Scott, claimed the batsmen's wicket, superbly caught at second slip by Sones (10-1). In his next over Pipe clean bowled Helliwell to reduce Hawley to 14-2.

Kings were on top now and Brooks and Delaney had to be at their best to keep out both Pipe and Sones. Such was Kings dominance that Hawley had scored only 15 runs from the first 12 overs. Joel Miah replaced Sones and in his second over he produced the perfect left armers delivery in taking the edge and stand-in keeper Gordon Young completed the dismissal (29-3). After an impressive ten over spell Pipe was rested and Barnes made his bowling debut and in his second over he bowled Delaney (33-4) and then he took two in two when bowling Mitchell and having Adams superbly caught by Pipe who made a lot of ground in the covers (38-6) giving Barnes figures of 3-2 off five overs. Norman was introduced in to the attack but his slower pace gave Wilkinson and Waller the opportunity to swing the bat in lifting the score to within 40 runs of the target.

Pipe's reintroduction accounted for Waller who top edged to give Wright a simple catch at slip (60-7) and soon after Miles swung Pipe high and wide to mid wicket where Evans took a good running catch to give Pipe his fourth wicket (68-8). Overs were running out for Kings now if they were to take the last two wickets but a suicide run in the last over gave them an outside chance. McGregor hit the ball straight to Richard Mackenzie at mid off and set off but he was never going to beat Mackenzie in the race to the stumps (77-9). Kings now needed to take the last wicket off the last ball, but Pipe's ball drifted harmlessly down the legside to give Hawley the draw