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After tea we lost two early wickets to the speed of Richardson-Hill, but Nick had decided he was going to enjoy his afternoon, peppering the straight boundary with three sixes in his knock of 36. He added 49 with Alistair Richards and then we saw a stand of 38 from two veterans, Simon Napier-Munn (18) and John Capper (22), but it was not enough. There was no saving-face belligerence by the bowlers and Hyde Heath subsided to 139 all out in 34.3 overs. It would have been nice to reduce the margin of defeat a little more.

Result: AMERSHAM HILL     169 HYDE HEATH 139          Amersham Hill won by 30 runs

Next Sunday (9th.Sept.) v. Cublington (home - 1.00 start)

After the washout of the previous Sunday it was gratifying to be greeted by sunny weather on August Bank Holiday Sunday. And what a day! We started with a celebratory brunch chez Barnsley to mark his retirement from the game (I’ll believe it when I see it..) Many thanks to Anna for the abundance of provisions, especially the banofee pie of which a portion was saved for me at teatime, and to Tim, for the other refreshments which made it such a good lunchtime.

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Phew ... hottest Sunday of the year thus far ... thirty degrees centigrade (or eighty-six in old money) and we would be at Bourne End, where there is no shade whatever to be found. The visitors won the toss and invited the home side to bat first, which they were delighted to do, rather than field in the heat of the afternoon. Their opening batsmen moved along nicely at just under four runs per over and they added 63 for the first wicket. The tempo increased with the arrival of Hill, whose 54 (five fours one six) formed the backbone of the innings; he got good support from the other middle order batsmen and this enabled Bourne End to declare at tea on 190 for 6 wickets from 39 overs.

There had been two drinks breaks, mercifully, as the Hyde Heath bowlers struggled in the heat and were one short in number, Timothy Nutman having sent a text to say that to say that his physio instructs no cricket for TM for a fortnight ... James Aird toiled manfully to take two wickets for 33 runs from 14 overs, and Nick Burgham weighed in with two for 34. Overall, though, the Hyde Heath fielding was not up to its usual standard.

After tea father and son, Gordon and Richard Scillitoe, opened the bowling, and at one point they were pitted against father and son, John and Henry Capper. Captain Akhtar held himself back, but when he came on as third-change bowler there was total mayhem as he exploited every uneven patch of the wicket to take five wickets for just six runs as Hyde Heath collapsed to 94 all out, suffering from post-tour blues. Gordon Scillitoe bowled well to finish with 4 for 23.

Result: BOURNE END 190-6 dec. HYDE HEATH 94. Boume End won by 96 runs.

Next Sunday, 12th.August v. Longwick at the Common ( 2.00 start)

On Friday at Petts Wood the home side won the toss and opted to bat first. No.3 batsman, Ward, made a fighting 78, but his colleagues appeared to have no answer to the pace of Alistair and James as they ripped through the order, with 4 wickets for 13 from 9.5 overs and 4 for 9 from 5. As light relief Richard Cousins had a long spin, taking the other two wickets for 54, and there was good support from the field with Dominic keeping wicket well and taking 3 catches, whilst Simon Napier-Munn also pouched 3. This reduced Petts Wood to an all-out total of 144, which they made from 36.5 overs. All appeared to be plain sailing as Hyde Heath made their reply. Henry and Matt Sims (21) shared a partnership of 64 for the first wicket, and then an unbroken stand for the second wicket of 84 with James Shrimpton (36 not out). Henry's contribution was a classy 88 not out, made from 76 deliveries and including 16 fours which enabled Hyde Heath to reach their target at 148 for 1 wicket from 24.3 overs.

Result: PETTS WOOD 144 HYDE HEATH 148-1 Hyde Heath won by 9 wickets.

It is a fact that the two occupants of room 6 at the Grange Moor Hotel each took 6 wickets on tour.. spooky, or what! Thanks to Matt Sims for organising the whole trip to Kent...

To the garden of England, a change of location for the annual tour. Our chairman, John Capper, together with Caroline, not forgetting Angus, had offered to take me to the first game, at Harvil (near Meopham, for those of you who like to know about locations ), so it was heigh-ho for the open road, if that's how you like your M.25, and thanks to J.C.'s satnav. we were there in plenty of time for the start, 11.30 for a 50 overs per side match.

Hyde Heath won the toss and elected to bat, and it was nice to see the captain and vice captain set off to open the innings. Yours truly had a new plaything to handle, the controls of an electronic scoreboard, which was nice. I'm trying to get the chairman to set up a capital project for a similar piece of equipment ... Henry Capper hit a useful 25 to get the innings going, but the highlight of the morning's play was a stand of 65 for the fourth wicket between James Shrimpton (54) and Richard Austin (29).

After lunch (steak pie and veg., followed by profiteroles), with only 12 overs remaining, quick runs were vital and they came in an unbroken stand for the eighth wicket between Dominic Haddock (56 not out) and Alistair Richards (32 not out), the highlight being a lofted drive by Alistair,which cleared the roof of the neighbouring pub., the Amazon and Tiger. This late flurry of runs helped Hyde Heath to a 50-over total of 238 for 7 wickets ... very respectable, but the home side exuded strength; with a South African and an Australian, both league professionals, you felt that they could reach a target of 338 or 438, if required. And so they ticked along at four an over until tea (ham and chicken salad cake etc.).

Jeremy Stevens had dismissed both opening batsmen at a personal cost of just 18 runs, and a few spots of rain had made all the coloured inks in my scorebook run. For the home side Wakeman made 47, Kang retired on 50 and Van de Merwe hit a belligerent 41 not out, enabling Harvil to reach 240 for 7 wickets in 39.4 overs. For Hyde Heath, in addition to the aforementioned Jeremy, Alistair took two wickets for 30 and James Aird two for 43. After the game there was yet more food available, from the barbecue, so it was a sausage in a bun, with some for Angus, then it was back round the M.25 and home in time for the watershed on TV.

Good day out ... thanks again, John.

Result: HYDE HEATH 238-7    HARVIL 240-6      Harvil won by 4 wickets.

Early morning rain ( that might be a good title for a song ... ) clearing, and the forecast on TV referred to a mostly bright afternoon. We had rain on Saturday, a deluge on Friday and goodness knows how much precipitation in the days prior to that ... Incidentally, I watched the TV reports of the flooding in Kingston upon Thames and noted that as soon as the~water had receded their traffic wardens were out and about, booking abandoned vehicles !... to much more important things-despite the dampness Mike Thompson had prepared a very reasonable wicket for us to welcome our new friends from Woodley, who won the toss and asked Hyde Heath to bat first. The innings was built round the customary sound knock by Henry Capper, who patiently built a personal score of 85 (ten fours and two sixes ), and seven other batsmen who reached double figures-just, the highest of these being 23 not out by Alistair Richards, batting at number eight. Still, as a combined effort it brought riches to the team total, enabling a tea declaration at 211 for 9 wickets, from 39 overs. Henry's 85 had occupied 115 minutes and came from 87 balls. For the visitors young Parfitt bowled well to finish with 4 wickets for 25 rims, and Cherin had 3 for 42.

After tea the Woodley batsmen were under the cosh as Tim Nutman and Jeremy Stevens each accounted for a top-order man, but then the change bowlers started to do some damage as Alistair bowled the next two, and the spinning fingers of Atif Mirza ran through the rest, recording the season's best return of 6 wickets for 12 runs. Alistair finished with 2 for 12, and Henry, not keeping wicket today, and Tom Jeffrys each grabbed two catches. You had to feel a bit sorry for the Woodley batsmen as the track was drying nicely after tea. We shall see them again next year, when the scenario will doubtless be entirely different.

Result: HYDE HEATH 211-9 dec. WOODLEY 59 Hyde Heath won by 152 runs

Incidentally, Mr.Webbe-Master was a teatime visitor, putting his motor-drive and monopod to good use shortly thereafter ... he had done the sarne the previous Wednesday evening for the fun match with the Plough, although l would have thought that on that occasion the available light was totally inadequate...

Next match. Sunday, 29th. July at Turville Park ( 2.00 start ) and on the following Thursday and Friday it's down to Kent for the Matt Sims homecoming tour...

Although the wicket had been visited by more rain during the week a commendable effort was made to get it ready for today's match, against Chesham Bois, who lost the toss and were invited to bat first. At the start of the match the weather was cloudy and warm with a light breeze, giving no hint of the deluge to come. Of the visiting batsmen only Beaumont made any impression - his 46 contained seven fours, and he appeared to be in complete command. He must have lost concentration, however, because his wicket fell to the first ball on resumption after a twenty-minute break for rain. The players were back on the field for a mere eight minutes, during which time two runs were scored, but then the heavens opened again, and they all trooped off for an early tea. The usual excellent tea contained an unusually long list of calorific confectionery, which was pleasing to both the eye and the taste buds.

It was still raining at this point, and an inspection of the square told us that the only course of action was abandonment with the visitors' score on seventy-three for five. Tim Nutman had bowled well to finish with three wickets for 19 runs from ten overs and James Aird with two for 18 from five.

Result: CHESHAM BOIS 73-5 ( 23.1 overs )      Match Abandoned.

Next Sunday ( 22nd.July ) v. WOODLEY ( home ) 2.00 start.

Only one match to report on this week ... 1 need to re-negotiate my authorship fees ... We welcomed to the Common Full Tossers C.C. who lost the toss and were invited to bat first. They were soon in trouble at 18 for 3 in the sixth over to the opening attack of Tim Nutman and Jeremy Stevens, but then there was some respite as father and son Lennon set about rebuilding the innings. Despite some good support bowling from Kerry Binding ( 2 for 21 ), James Aird ( 2 for 14) and Nick Burgham ( 2 for 5 ) the visitors' score gradually mounted, thanks mainly to Lennon senior who made 45 off 104 balls ( 2 sixes, 4 fours ) and was out to a good running catch by Jeremy at 106 for 7 wickets. The tail wagged briefly and the innings came to an end at 131 all out after 41.4 overs. Jeremy did well to finish with 3 for 10 from 5.4 overs.

Tea was splendid, as ever, with the highlight of chocolate brownies, and afterwards Hyde Heath lost their first wicket in the third over and their second in the eighth, but then skipper, Henry Capper ( 26 ) and Richard Cousins ( 23 ) righted the ship, and there was a further good contribution from Nick Burgham ( 29 ). When they had gone 24 runs were needed, but with 10 overs and four wickets in hand, so the home side looked favourite for the win. However, at this point opening bowler, Rubin, returned to the fray, and his second spell of 4 for 6 was particularly devastating.

With the last pair at the crease and six runs required for victory Tim Nutman had only to keep out one delivery, so that Tom Jeffreys could take the strike, and like as not, score the winning runs during the next over, but it was not to be, and the Full Tossers had won by 5 runs. Tim's return to the pavilion was followed by the sounds of a slamming door and possible further barrack room damages. Rubin bowled well to finish with 5 wickets for 15 from 10 overs.

Result: FULLTOSSERS 131 (41.4overs)  HYDE HEATH 126 (36.O overs) Full Tossers won by 5 runs ( so near and yet so far ! )

Next Sunday ( 17th.June ) at home to Little Missenden Misfits ( 2.00 start) ... weather permitting we shall look forward to welcoming our near neighbours and their skipper, Hugh Connor.

After the rains of May it was a relief to reach June and some brighter, warmer weather. This day was a milestone in the Club's history in that it was the first occasion on which two separate teams from Hyde Heath C.C.had taken the field, one at home and one away.

So it was that Odney C.C. was welcomed to the Common; they won the toss, opted to bat first and initially didn't make a very good fist of the job as Tim Nutman ( 2 for 26 ) and Will Reynolds ( 2 for 19) found early success. Nunn ( 38 ) and Polston ( 44) then steadied the ship, enabling the visitors to close on a fairly respectable 132 all out, despite the wiles of Tom Jefflies, who finished with 2 for 31 with his leg spin. After tea the home side needed a good start to their reply, but it was not to be. Odney's man of the match, Nunn, was an irresistible force, taking 7 for 17, notwithstanding the valiant efforts of skipper, Matt.Sims ( 22 ) and Tim Barnsley ( 20 ). Hyde Heath, mainly due to lack of experience, subsided to a meagre 85 all out, giving the visitors a victory by 47 runs.

Results: ODNEY 132 HYDE HEATH 85 Odney won by 47 runs - but also .....

Robin Richards

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June 3rd - Ley Hill - Away

Meanwhile,over at Ley Hill Common, the visitors, Hyde Heath, won the toss and asked the home side to bat first. James Aird ( 3 for 37 ) and Jeremy Stevens ( 2 for 3 1) met with early success, but were unable to remove opening batsman, Lown, who held Ley Hill together with a marathon innings of 102 not out ( 11 fours, 5 sixes ) in 150 minutes off 122 balls. The next highest score was Phillips with 2 1; he and Lown had added 60 for the 6t.wicket. After 44 overs it was time for tea and a declaration at 156 for 6 wickets.

Afterwards the Hyde Heath reply was always ahead of the clock, thanks to solid knocks from Henry Capper ( 30 - 5 fours), James Shrimpton ( 37 - 6 fours) and Will Conibear ( 36 - 5 fours, 1 six). With thirteen overs remaining and eight wickets in hand 37 runs were needed for victory, but during the following nine overs a further six wickets fell and 24 runs were still required when James Aird arrived at the crease. Steve Gomm had pointed the way with a neat six to the shortest boundary ( but perished the next ball in tying to repeat the dose ! ) and James took the hint hitting three more and a four in his 24 not out ( from just eight deliveries ) as Hyde Heath reached the target with one wicket and ten balls to spare. For Ley Hill Paul Green bowled well to bring about that late collapse in taking six wickets for 31 with his slow left-arm deliveries ... he later-said that he would- like to keep that strip of the square, because he had taken- a further  five wickets on it the day before ...ugh !

Result: LEY HILL 156-6 dec. HYDE HEATH 162-9 Hyde Heath won by 1 wicket

At the end of a busy day it was thanks to all those who had made it possible, the players for their availability, the captains for their team selection, the ladies for their catering and Mike Thompson for preparing another strip.

Next Sunday (10th) there will be just the one match, at home to the Full Tossers ( 2.00 pm start)

My local friendly weather station tells me that during the whole of May we had 154mm.of rain.

Final thought ... how nice it was to welcome to the ground our old friend and former overseas player, Richard Howard, together with his new wife, Annette. We wish them safe home to NZ.

Last Sunday was planned to be a milestone in the history of H.H.C.C. - we were hoping to show the world that we could put out two teams, the first in the away fixture at Great Missenden Pelicans, and the second in a home fixture to be arranged through the Club Cricket Conference Fixture Bureau. The Pelicans rang to say that they were short of players and might have to cancel if we couldn't help, so China Charlie did the right thing as a good neighbour, and mindful of our manpower resources, put the notion of a second fixture on hold ... for the time being. He himself was suffering with a back problem, and was therefore not playing, but was to be seen anxiously patrolling the boundary at Nag's Head Lane while Henry Capper was in charge of the team. Henry got the first part right ... he won the toss and invited the home side to bat first. A 40-overs per side match had been agreed upon, with a maximum of 10 overs per bowler.

There was some cloud cover and the weather forecast didn't seem too promising. After the recent rains the pitch was tricky to bat on, but home skipper, Griggs, was prepared to battle, top-scoring with 32 runs from 75 balls faced. There were useful contributions from Taylor, Kankate and and Woolerton but the bowlers generally had the batsmen pinned down, and teatime came with the Pelicans all out for 135 from 39.3 overs ( James Aird 2 for 32, Jeremy Stevens 3 for 30 and Alistair Richards, bowling spin, 2 wickets for 7 runs)

After tea Henry and volunteer opener, Alistair, went steadily towards the target and were separated at 40 in the 12th.over when the former, having struck five fours in his 29 was unluckily given out 1.b.w. The wicket was still not easy to bat on, but Alistair, showing much resilience, appeared to master it, and had help from Tim Barnsley (19 - 4 fours) and Matt.Holiland (12 - 2 fours). As the visitors neared the target the question was whether Alistair's monumental patience would prevent him from making his maiden half-century for the Club, and the answer was in the affirmative as no- nonsense Jeremy struck the winning four off the first ball of the 37th.over and Hyde Heath reached 139 for 7 wickets. Alistair's 46 not out came in 134 minutes off 105 balls and contained 4 fours and one towering six which was still rising as it entered the trees beyond the long-on boundary. For the Pelicans Kankate ( 2 for 24 ), Mirza ( 2 for 28 ) and Frank ( 2 for 40) all bowled well.

Result: GREAT MISSENDEN PELICANS 135 all out ( 39.3 overs

HYDE HEATH 139 - 7 ( 36.1 overs ) Hyde Heath won by 3 wickets

From left: Simon Napier-Munn, Alistair Richards, Nick Burgham, Bardley Holt, Tim Barnsley, Danny Samuels, Charlie Samuels, Spencer North, Richard Austin, Atif Mirza, Matt Sims.

On an afternoon which was breezy, cloudy and cool with the slight threat of rain ( I'll be giving weather reports from coastal stations next ... ) Chartridge C.C. were the visitors to the Common; they won the toss and invited the home side to bat first. Matt.Sims was out to the fourth ball of the innings; this seemed to set the tone for some unadventurous batting, indeed after 18 overs, the striking rate was less than two ! Several batsmen reached double figures and then surrendered prior to building an innings of substance, and there was one suicidal run-out. After 24 overs the total had staggered to 60 for 6 wickets ... desperate measures were now required, and they were realised by Bradley Holt (24) and Atif Mirza (34 not out) whose partnership more than doubled the score in a further eleven overs. Spencer North then briefly added a few runs more, enabling the tea declaration after two and a half hours and thirty-seven overs to be made at 139 for 7 wickets. Mustafa had the best bowling return for the visitors with 3 for 37 from 9 overs.

The chocolate cake looked good at tea, when we were joined by Mr.Webbe-Master,who during the afternoon had found a useful vantage point to park his tripod and take some action pix, having started the afternoon with an outbreak of team portraitures. After six overs, Chartridge were 6 for 2 wickets ... game on ... but the fall of the third wicket at 23 heralded the arrival at the crease of Mustafa, who, after a quiet start, began striking the ball to all parts. His 88 not out included 15 fours and one six. Although wickets had fallen earlier he found a useful partner in Grant. Together they added 74 in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket to see the visitors home with 4.2 overs to spare. For Hyde Heath China Charlie had found himself with two injured front-line bowlers, Bradley Holt and Nick Burgham. Nevertheless Alistair Richards bowled well to finish with 3 for 30 from 8.4 overs

Result: HYDE HEATH 139-7 CHARTRIDGE 142-6 Chartridge won by 4 wickets

Well, that's the season's first defeat done and dusted ... perhaps we can now concentrate on the season's first victory...will it be next Sunday, 13 . May at home to The Lee (2.00)

There is a rose in full bloom outside the kitchen window of the hon.sec.; underfoot the ground is as dry and hard as you might expect in July or August, but it's the end of April.. Have the seasons lost their sense of timing ? Well, maybe..but we can rely on one season to remain constant, the cricket season. This year it was decided to bridge the gap between the warmth and comfort of indoor nets at the Beacon and the windswept competitiveness of the first match on the Common against Chartridge by staging a Club match...

And so it came to pass that on a bright sunny afternoon Samuels' Spitfires won the toss and invited the Capper Cavaliers to take first use of the wicket. They used it fairly well initially, adding 43 for the first wicket in three-quarters of an hour (Henry Capper 26, Richard Cousins 19), and they continued at approx. 4 per over, but lost wickets at regular intervals. Jeremy Stevens with a no-nonsense knock of 34 boosted the Cavaliers' rate, enabling Henry to declare at tea o'clock on 160 for 9 off 36 overs. Simon Napier-Munn had the best bowling figures with three for 30 from 8 overs, and young Spencer North caught the eye with two for 15. However, one unwanted statistic was that exactly 20 % of the Cavaliers' total came in extras. And so to tea, which today included my favourite, poppy seed cake, specially delivered in a large black vehicle with darkened windows.

Nice to see Mr.Webbe-Meister start the season with some long-range digital images of the action and still be in time for tea...

In reply the Spitfires were always behind the clock, and they were losing wickets too... The only bright spot so far had been Sohail Rauf who in a brief cameo of an innings hit a six that went so high it's probably still in orbit ... over Mr.Russell Smith's garden ... The middle order of Charlie Vermeylen (22), Alistair Richards and Spencer (23) ensured a modicum of respectability to the final total of 116 in 29.2 overs, but they failed to combat the wiles of Atif Mirza who finished with 4 wickets for 21 and was ably supported by Jeremy with 3 for 18.

Thanks to John Capper and Chris. Simpson for performing most of the umpiring duties.

Conclusions which may be drawn from this exercise... It would be reasonable to assume that the same players who- made runs and took wickets in previous seasons will do so again in 2007, although Spencer North might prove a surprise package. Bowling and fielding would need to be tightened to eliminate the leakage of extras. If we can field two teams today, without the help of Messrs. Haddock, Holt, Jefferys, Nutman, Shrimpton and Williamson what chance is there of our becoming a two-team club ?

We shall see what happens when we entertain Chartridge next Sunday at the Common (2.00 start).