Haverhill Cricket Club

Haverhills skipper Rob Sullivan lost the toss and was asked to bat first on a wicket that provided nothing for the bowler or batsmen. It looked a slow wicket and a slower outfield. Any score of 150 and above was going to be a task for Sudbury who unfortunately had yet to post a win for the season.

Opening batsmen left handed Simon Youngs ( 0 ) while batting well outside his crease, was dismissed early , LBW, to a ball that pitched on off stump. Neil Winter unfortunately played across the line early on the slow wicket and was caught at backward square and Haverhill looked under pressure from the second over. The openers had finally failed.

The side needed to stabilize and re-gather its focus. Martin Wilkins (21) off of 83 deliveries provided the backbone to the innings taking almost three overs to get off of the mark and batting for almost one and a half hours. For the first time this season pressure had been applied to the middle order and it needed to stand up to it, and it did.

With Martin Wilkins providing the anchorman role Adam Dellar (80) provided the flare, the aggression and the timed to perfection stroke play. He redirected the pressure to Sudbury�s bowling having launched two massive sixes to each corner of the ground. Sudburys attack faltered under the pressure and Haverhill were back on track going from 2 for 16 to 4 for 121 after 34 overs, thanks mainly to the efforts of Martin Wilkins and Adam Dellar. Greg Street did the hard work having faced 29 balls for his 14 however faltered before he could gather momentum and take it to the bowlers. Dave Godwin (11 N.O) off of 28 balls stepped into Martin Wilkins shoes and provided the anchor role while batsmen fell around him. The only other bright light in the innings was Rob Sullivans (21) off of 12 deliveries, a short but lively stay. Could him charging the bowler become a trade mark stroke.

Sudbury's innings just couldn�t gather enough pace to apply pressure to the Haverhill bowlers, loosing their top four for 45. Mark Radford (6-0-22-1) and Rob Sullivan (11-1-40-2) opened the innings however it became obvious early that Haverhills quicks were not going to rule the day. Another day for the Dart and Off spin attack was likely. Pace bowling removed the top three batsmen but it would not prevail. A fine inswinging yorker from Mark Radford and a catch behind provided by Rob Sullivan to Dave Godwin (WC) split the Sudbury top order open and were the highlights of the opening spell of 12 overs of pace.

Adam Dellar�s (14-3-6-50) offspin was introduced to the attack with immediate impact. A wicket in his first over set his bowling mood. He tied down the batsmen with at one stage having 3 scalps for 10 runs off of 6 overs. His tight bowling, temperament and persistence to keep it flat in the air making it difficult to get under was just what the doctor ordered.

Simon Youngs (8-1-21-1) provided the bowling partnership required at the other end and kept it tight. A savagely hit straight drive was hit back at Youngs which he gathered at lightening pace to remove top scorer and biggest threat Robbins for 38. The skipper dropped a catch that should have been held but great fielding performances from the team also applied much needed pressure defending such a low score.

This game puts us on top of the league. What we need to do is stay there. We have some big challenges coming up over the next few weeks and I am confident that the players want the best opportunity to play a standard that challenges them constantly. A fine objective, I say. But do you really know what your team wants ? And I mean any team. The team that you work with, walk with, play sport with whatever, if it�s a group of people with an objective �of sorts� you must clearly identify your goal to ensure you are all pulling in the same direction. Make sure everyone is clear on what the objective is.

Our objective this year is to get into Division 2. Why you ask ? I will explain shortly.

The hard part is not defining or setting the goal; the hard part is ensuring everyone is signed up to it. Not just the players, but the club, the partners, the families supporting the juniors and finally the town.

We wear the Haverhill C.C logo with pride. We represent this town to the Suffolk and Essex towns throughout the area as best we can. We want to improve people�s perception of this town and attract better players, a higher standard of cricket, better facilities for the kids and develop a sports club that we �the town� is truly proud of and can get behind. A strong sports club filled to the rafters with youngsters builds a better stronger community. One way to do this is through sporting achievement. I see getting into Div 2. as a good start. All of the big successful sporting clubs started somewhere. Liverpool F.C didn�t materialize one day with 100 million pound player budget. They had a vision and built on it. Our clubs success is limited by its support base. Grow the support base and we, the club, can put more back into the town.

There is a multitude of ways you can help the club, not just financially. But initially get to know us and us to know you. Get down to the club, buy a soft drink, or a pint and stay for a chat, you will be surprised what you might just find.