HAXEY’S match with Boston in the ECB Premier League resulted in only one winner - the weather.
Boston won the toss and put Haxey in on a wet wicket, with variable bounce. How the country’s Grounds men can prepare any kind of wicket in current weather conditions is a mystery.
First to go was Tom Wraith, who having got 12 runs off 16 balls, was caught behind off the bowling of Scott Elleray.
He was followed by Graeme Attenborough, who was terribly unlucky to receive a ball which spat at him from a length and gloved to slip.
Pete Harvey was out from a mirrored ball as Tom Wraith and a mini fight back of 32 runs between Oliver Tonks and Nick Bisby ended with score at 76, when Nick Bisby pulled a long hop from well outside his off stump onto his wicket.
One run later Joe Scott was caught in the deep without troubling the scorers and Oliver Tonks’s studied innings came to an end when he was bowled by a full toss for the top score of 27.
Chinthaka Perera was caught in the deep for just 8 and Dale Coy was inexplicably run out for 12. As if this wasn’t bad enough, Andy Gardiner was also run out for 3 and the final wicket fell when skipper Mark Atkins was caught off a leading edge first ball, leaving Paul Bell 18 not out and Haxey’s innings ended at 129 all out.
In their reply, Boston lost their first wicket with the score at 7, when Tim Bell was bowled by Chinthaka Perera without scoring.
However, a very patient stand by Jonathan Cheer and Aussie Daniel Hegarty of 56, was ended when the former was bowled by Mark Atkins for a creditable 41.
Peter Moore became Mark Atkins second victim, when caught by Graeme Attenborough at silly mid off, for no score and Gareth Epton was bowled by Chinthaka Perera for 12.
The next 3 wickets fell for 15 runs, Colin Cheer being caught out by a magnificent running catch by Andy Gardiner off the bowling of Mark Atkins for just 5 and both Tom Baxter and Matthew Poole being dismissed by Chinthaka Perera without troubling the scorers.
At this point torrential rain brought an end to the proceedings, leaving Daniel Hegarty on 43 not out from 121 balls and Haxey short of winning by the 3 wickets that were left.
This leaves Haxey in second place in the league, 6 points behind leaders Skegness.