There was a most enjoyable cricketing experience to be had last Sunday afternoon watching the Hawke Trophy Final between Dinting and Dove Holes Second Elevens staged by the High Lane Cricket Club. On a rare day for 2024 of glorious cricketing weather, a goodly crowd of enthusiastic supporters from both teams and High Lane diehards were greeted by the sight of a well-groomed ground that had responded well to dedicated fettling.
Dove won the toss and chose to bat setting off at a fair lick, making 73 before losing their first wicket. There then followed a period of accurate, tight bowling from Dinting that saw Dove make slow progress to 110 for 7 before a bit of a spurt resulted in them closing on 167 for 9. This total was made possible by a sound 52 from the now Oxford based academic Kieran Jones aided and abetted by a useful 30 from Kieren Collins. A quick 23 from Ted Johnson and an even faster 25 from Stephen Green saw these two latter order batters being responsible for the innings closing with a potentially match wining total of 167.
Dove took to the field and made a fine start towards securing victory managing to reduce Dinting to 17 for 3. Their visions, however, of unrefined joy were soon to be straws in the wind following an almost faultless 50 from young Jacob Townley, surely a name for the future and an impressive resilient 100 from 68 balls from their Captain Glen Draper that contained 11 fours and 3 sixes although Dove missed several difficult chances to send him back to the shed! Dinting were the well-deserved winners by seven wickets being the better side on the day finishing on 170 for 3 after 36.1 overs. Whilst Dove were runners up Dove’s bowlers were far from disgraced; they just could not secure the breakthrough that might have put them on the pathway that leads to the lifting of a Trophy.
The Club wishes to express its thanks to all the players and members of our Club who contributed to enabling Dove to appear in this prestigious final that was played in the true spirit of that centuries old battle between leather and willow. To this end our best wishes are extended to Dinting on their fine victory and the manner in which they played the game both on and off the field. Our thanks are also extended to the Derbyshire and Cheshire League and their Officials for organising the competition named in memory of Jesse Hawke a former President of Bredbury St Marks C. C. and to High Lane C. C. and all of its members for allowing its comprehensive facilities to be used for staging this Final.
Our sincere thanks are also extended to the vital match scorers Harry and Claire, not forgetting those stalwarts donning the white coats Andy Oldfield and Malcolm Strong. Where would we be as a Club without our many ‘Dovers’ who made the journey down to High Lane by car, bus, bike and boat to faithfully support their Club once again. I was somewhat late arriving having chosen the scenic route once again! I will most certainly have to get that handbook out on the Sat Navigation machine for smoother foreign travel!
Never forget though that, ‘It matters not whether they won or lost but how they played the game!’
Best wishes to one and all
Roger T. Marshall
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