1st XI v Tonbridge

Match Drawn
Tonbridge 261-7 (Hebron 3- 40) (66 overs)
Felsted 256-6 (Hunter-Jordan 65, Hussain 72, Malins 32*) (60 overs)

The first fixture of the regular season arrived under blue skies and the players on both teams didn’t let the many spectators down who witnessed an exciting and high quality game of cricket. Tonbridge won the toss and elected to bat on a true, but slow surface and always found a way to keep ticking the scoreboard over. The Felsted XI fielded superbly and at 80-3 and the innings in the balance a 50/50 call on a run out fell Tonbridge’s way. They then re-built the innings and the game ebb and flowed all day from there. Felsted having bowled 40 overs before lunch, positive approach was moving the game forward and at 3.25 after 66 Tonbridge declared with a well constructed 261-7. They had again after a mini collapse at 180-5 finished the innings off well. The Felsted bowling attack all bowled well, but Jack Hebron with 3 key wickets slowed the scoring rate and set up an exciting chase. The chase didn’t start well and Foley and Grayson were back in the hutch before 20 was on the board. However, Hussain (72) and Kilpatrick started to score fluently and when Kilpatrick fell at 60, Hunter-Jordan (65) joined Hussain in a key partnership. The innings was halted twice with the key wickets of Hussain and later Hunter-Jordan, but Hebron, Burslem and Malins all carried the attack to Tonbridge. 44 were needed from the last 5 and it came down to Felsted needing a 6 from the final delivery to win the game. The opportunity fell to Max Malins who had batted superbly for his 32 in quick time, but the bowler readjusted his length to prevent the win for Felsted. It was a great advert for schoolboy cricket and the benefits of a declaration game when played with the right adventure and attitude. This was no bore draw.

Felsted Ramsay Group Man of the Match: Jack Hebron