Hares must work on batting

Halvergate visited the impressive surroundings of Ketteringham Hall. With new recruit Pat Hill making his league debut and with a near full-strength team there was an optimistic mood in the changing room.

New captain Steven Clarke won the toss and had no hesitation in asking Ketteringham Hall to bat first on a very green-looking wicket.

The Hares flew out of the traps, taking two wickets in the first five overs. P Sprong was caught by T Crane off James Tallowin and Tom Booth clean bowled M Smith to leave the hosts struggling at 10-2. Booth and Tallowin continued to bowl with both pace and control and after 13 overs Kett Hall were struggling at 23-2.

The introduction of last season's leading bowler S Willimot and the revitalised D Cook continued to keep the run rate down although it wasn't until the 17th over that the next wicket was to fall with the score on 51.

C Grisley decided that attack was the best option and started to hit the ball to the boundary with increasing regularity. He did not receive much support and with wickets continuing to fall his innings ended when T Crane held a sharp return catch at 157-9. Pat Hill and Tim Crane bowled effectively to wrap up the innings bowling stump to stump. The innings ended on 157. Pick of the bowlers were T Booth 1-10, T Crane 2-11 and P Hill 2-12.

The wicket that was beginning to resemble a cobbled street as the ball continued to go through the top of the surface.

S Brister and J Tipping were back in the pavilion with only six runs on the board. S Clarke and P Hill tried to repair the innings but skipper Clarke was dismissed in the 10th over with only 22 scored. P Hill batted extremely well for a hard-earned 26 and had good support from T Crane as theytook the score on to 54 before T Crane was out to a spectacular one-handed catch.

J Gill (0) and S Willimot (1) soon came and went and it was left to a hard hitting 27 from J Tallowin to give the innings respectability. The innings ended with young William Howley making his first team debut at the age of 12 hitting the last two balls for two as the fielders closed in.

Halvergate finished the innings on 107-9.

The Hares' bowling and fielding was excellent but some work is required on the batting.

Eden Resourcing MoM: P Hill 2-12 and 26 runs.

A disappointing start to the league season saw Halvergate A lose at home to Old Buckenham B.

Halvergate's opening bowlers got away to their usual tight start. G Debbage was straight back into his groove bowling through his 12 overs for only 14 runs and picking up the early wicket of the opposition captain from a catch by new keeper Utting.

S Howley backed him up and only conceded five runs from his six-over spell.

Halvergate couldn't remove the experienced Old Buckenham batsmen and it was the 28th over before they made another breakthrough with K London removing C Palmer for 18.

With wickets in hand, Old Buckenham were free to take a few risks and the score began to accelerate.

London removed the other opener I Pape for 55 but the new batsmen continued to push the score along by launching a few sixes over the shorter boundary. S Howley picked up two wickets on his reintroduction and at last Halvergate seemed to be through the best of the batsmen and took control of the last coupe of overs as the innings closed on 158-5.

On a good wicket, early Halvergate wickets really put pay to their chances. Towards the end of good opening spells from bowlers Fitt and Sinclair, Halvergate had slumped to 33-3 from 22 overs.

K London contrived to cut a wide ball back onto his stumps. S Utting and S Cooke consolidated with a partnership of 62, but couldn't manage to get on top of the bowling as the run rate started to creep up. Utting was eventually bowled for 41 in the 40th over and the innings fizzled out for 123 runs with Cooke unbeaten on 31.

Halvergate will be looking to put things right when they travel to Rocklands this week.