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HYTHE SUNDAY XI vs ROBINS

Sunday 19th July

Punchey at Speed Pegs Back Robins To Set Up Hythe Win

A youthful looking Hythe XI dispatched the visiting Robins thanks mainly too Luke Mills four wickets and Harry Smith’s unbeaten knock

Once again the Sunday fixture escaped the weather which had seen many of the league games abandoned only the day before. Captain James Page lost the toss and Hythe were sent into the field but it was the Green caps who started in top with Luke Mills and Russell Moore benefiting from the blustery conditions to swing the new ball around in the first few overs.

After a dropped slip catch from the skipper, Moore finally made the breakthrough with a yorker to remove the opening batsman with the score on 22. Mills was then also rewarded for his good start with a clean bowled dismissal of his own and had it not been for another drop at slip, this time from Matt Howe, Ben Smith would have made another inroad into the Robins innings.

As it was, the next wicket came from the unlikely source of Sean Tongs who got a ball to turn sharply into the off stump. Hythe’s other spin king Harry Smith then showed his class by bamboozling the Robins middle order, however he was only rewarded with one wicket. In the end it was the returning Mills who picked up the wickets with two more clean hits and one caught by Russell Moore and had it not been for a drop by James Page (who then launched the ball at the stumps in anger producing a surprising run out) Mills would have taken five.

In reply to the modest 144 set by the visitors Hythe opened with first teamers Matt Howe and Rich Last and the pair began comfortably picking off the runs. With the score on 44 the Green caps lost their first wicket when Howe was bowled and that sparked a worrying collapse as soon Hythe lost the experienced Last and Bell in quick succession while Tom Richards also fell to a first ball duck. Captain James Page hit a six before he was dismissed and when Matt Young departed the hosts had suddenly dropped to 79-6.

Salvation arrived in the form of Harry Smith and the unlikely Jonjo Stovell who managed to frustrate the opposition bowlers with an array of swings and misses and thick edges as the score ticked along. Smith, at the other end, was looking more secure as he compiled another big score in this purple patch he is enjoying.

The Robins thought they finally had Stovell caught behind but when he didn’t walk and the umpire (Ewan Bell) did not give it the visitors and the Hythe players on the sidelines were left bemused. Finally Stovell was run out for 21 after a 43 run partnership with Harry Smith which left Hythe needing 23 off the last six overs.

Russell Moore joined Smith at the crease and finished the job with little trouble as the Green caps won the game by three wickets.

Innings of : ROBINS 144 All Out (37 Overs)

Hythe Bowling

Innings of : HYTHE 146 For 7 (34 Overs)

Robins Bowling