Apologies in advance, this report was written without the aid of a scorecard!
Ansty batted first and set Hill a decent target of 170-5 from their 40 overs. Johnny Young and Chris Barnes both batted well for half centuries whilst with the ball there were encouraging performances from Joe Maskell and Dan Rapson. Rapson took the first two wickets with a consistent spell of bowling. Maskell regularly beating the outside edge with his medium swingers, he was unlucky to have three dropped behind but he finally got his man when Leo Anderson chipped to mid-off. Peter Billinghay and Dan Maskell came into the attack and both bowled like they’d hardly been away, taking one wicket each. Some average fielding letting Hill down at times but all in a pretty good effort with the ball on a distinctly un-April-like pitch.
With the bat it was a different story. Ansty opened up with their left-arm overseas who gave our top order a good test. But it was youngster Towler who did for Luke Vick with a rasping delivery that lept from short of a length flicking Vick’s glove on the way through. Tom Penfold battled hard but was eventually undone by the overseas. Tom Trowbridge having played well for 27 returned a caught and bowled chance. Maskell fell to the overseas, Ukesh was run out after just one delivery and Kirk Proto who was looking good smashed a Glenn Anson full toss straight to mid-wicket. Things were not looking good for Hill. Hugh Warmisham survived some early scares but knuckled down for a bit of net practice with the game all but out of reach and Peter Billinghay hit a number of lusty blows on route to 27 runs. Dan Maskell batted sensibly, Steve Cromb came and went pretty swiftly although looked fantastic in the process of missing a straight one, before Dan Rapson hit a glorious six not out. Warmisham ended 35 not out but was given a life as Ansty declined to run him out after a mix-up with Rapson in the penultimate over just so they could give their 14-year old debutant the final six balls of the game. Hill ended about 140-9.