Lodway 1sts made amends for their heavy defeat by Hambrook at the start of the season by hammering them at Ham Green in front of the new Frogbox on Saturday afternoon, winning by six wickets with more than twelve overs to spare.

With both captains perhaps misreading the pitch and hoping to bat first, it was fortunate for Lodway that the visiting skipper called correctly, as run-scoring proved hard on a damp, drying pitch against accurate bowling, although the first Hambrook wicket was not to fall until the 10th over when Pearce (1-26) bowled the skittish Richards for 12. From this point, the complexion of the game changed, with Tobias Rice (2-23) striking twice in the next over, initially thanks to a stunning catch from Stitfall at slip. At 36-3, determined Wigzell and belligerent Krishna Reddy set about rebuilding in contrasting styles, but Stitfall could not be kept out of the action for long as he dismissed Krishna Reddy for a run-a-ball 23 thanks to a chested down catch from Pearce at mid-off. Skipper Crutchley (2-27) took the next two wickets to fall while Wigzell looked on at the other end, confirming with his fellow veteran keeper and gen-x-er Edmonds that there was no substitute for experience, especially when Stitfall (3-22) took two more wickets to leave Hambrook 98-8. Matty Crutchley (1-16) and Min Metcalfe (1-3) made short work of the final two wickets, with Wigzell the last man to fall for a patient 95-ball 37 as Hambrook were dismissed for a sub-par 121 in the 37th.

Although Lodway openers Rice and Norval did not find run-scoring much easier than the visitors, a below-strength Hambrook bowling attack were not as threatening as the Lodway bowlers had been, and the opening pair brought up the fifty partnership in the 14th over with a boundary from Rice. In the next over, however, Lodway’s serene progress to the target crashed down to earth with a bump, as Norval was caught at the wicket by Wigzell off Dyer for 23, before Dyer removed both Rice (15) and Dalbon in his next over - the latter momentarily forgetting he wasn’t batting on a hard, pacy, antipodean track when attempting to pull a ball that didn’t get above shin high to bowl him for a duck. When Stitfall became Dyer’s fourth wicket in three overs, Lodway found themselves at 61-4 with more than half the total still to get, the disarray in the home dressing room was such that number 11 Min Metcalfe was preparing to come in as an impromptu drinks watchman to avert a complete collapse. Perhaps with that prospect in mind, the batting heroes from the previous week, Stubbs and Pearce set about rebuilding the innings, and soon hit their stride together as run-scoring was made to look easy, especially once the frugal Dyer had bowled out to finish with 4-24, and being replaced by the prodigal Foxcroft. With Stubbs’ innings containing 6 boundaries and Pearce’s 4, their unbeaten 63-run partnership took only 10 overs to secure a resounding 6-wicket victory in the 28th over; Pearce finishing on 25 and Stubbs on 34 to keep Lodway in the top half of Division One ahead of Saturday’s trip to title-chasing Golden Hill.

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