The Lodway 3s kicked off their 2026 campaign in dramatic fashion with a nail-biting two-wicket victory over Golden Hill 7ths in a game that went right down to the wire.

On his captaincy debut, Hardwell won the toss and elected to bowl first — a decision that quickly looked justified as Bennet and Robson opened up with disciplined spells that kept the scoring under control. The breakthrough came early when Ali trapped the opener plumb LBW in his second over.

First-change bowlers Barker and Packham then set the tone for the innings with an outstanding spell of controlled bowling. Packham, in particular, was desperately unlucky not to pick up a wicket, finishing with four maidens and an exceptional economy rate of just 1.38 from his eight overs.

Golden Hill dug in, and it was not until the 17th over that the next wicket arrived, Shannon dismissing Rees thanks to a committed — and arguably unnecessary — diving catch from skipper Hardwell. Shannon struck again in the following over, bowling the dangerous Milsom middle stump, leaving Golden Hill 57-3 at drinks.

After the break, the “spin twins” of Huey and Hardwell took over as Lodway looked to squeeze the middle overs. Huey bowled with great control and was rewarded with a deserved wicket in his seventh over, producing a superb leg-spinner to clip off stump and dismiss the Golden Hill captain.

At the other end, Hardwell’s spell was perhaps best described as “effective chaos.” While veteran keeper Dicer was forced into overtime duties by several deliveries sprayed down the leg side, the skipper still managed to claim two wickets in his five-over spell. The first was smartly caught by Mark Newland at mid-on, while the second — a huge LBW shout against Millman — was gleefully given and celebrated by virtually everyone on the field.

Bennet returned late in the innings to produce his trademark “no bouncer,” bowling youngster Shepherd, as Lodway wrapped up an excellent bowling and fielding performance to restrict Golden Hill to 127-7 from their 40 overs.

Following a well-received teas break — fully appreciated by Packham — Newland and Robson strode out to begin the chase. Unfortunately for Newland, his stay was brief, departing for a four-ball duck after a fine inswinger from Shepherd.

Lawrence joined Robson at the crease and struck a few classy shots before falling for 7, while Robson played exactly the sort of innings Lodway have come to expect from him: see ball, hit ball. A quickfire 30 featuring several powerful boundaries put the pressure back on Golden Hill before Spicer eventually bowled him through the gate.

With the innings finely balanced, Baines and Evans steadied things superbly with a crucial middle-order partnership. Both batsmen showed patience, waited for the bad ball, and punished it when it arrived. Baines compiled a gritty 13 from 41 balls before being caught at mid-on, while Evans continued to chip away at the target with a composed 20 from 32 deliveries before being adjudged LBW.

Packham and Hardwell then moved the chase closer with intelligent running and some positive stroke play, although Packham suffered another cruel slice of luck when he chopped onto his own stumps.

Veteran Dicer arrived at the crease and immediately reassured his captain with the words: “We are not losing to these lovely bunch of blokes.” True to his word, he dug in stubbornly, allowing Hardwell to play more freely at the other end. To the surprise of many — perhaps including himself — the skipper found the boundary regularly on his way to a vital 22 from 28 balls.

Dicer’s resistance eventually ended after a trademark Newland trigger finger decision, while Ali B briefly arrived and departed with his usual smile intact.

That left Huey to enter with the scores level. After being told by Hardwell, “Nothing silly mate, play yourself in,” Huey ignored the advice entirely and launched his very first ball beautifully through cow corner for the winning runs, sealing a memorable victory for the Mighty Lodway 3s.