Heytesbury and Sutton Veny first XI occupy the top spot in their division after two impressive wins. Keep it up, lads!
As the summer’s cricket league begins, HugoFox has been trotting out onto the pitch as well as the players! The local listing website’s logo proudly adorned the shirts of Heytesbury and Sutton Veny Cricket Club as they got off to a flying start to the season this month, with both first and second teams winning their opening fixtures.
Enthusiastic about supporting community projects and sports teams, local listings website HugoFox.com signed a three-year deal with the cricket club, with funding going towards the upgrading of facilities and equipment, along with general upkeep. The sponsorship was finalised in September of last year, and since then it is clear that both of Heytesbury and Sutton Veny’s teams have been putting in the hours, readying themselves for this summer’s league. Indeed, as the results of their first matches show, they were more than ready to face the opposition as the season opened.
On Saturday 12thMay, Heytesbury and Sutton Veny’s first XI opened their league campaign by beating Warminster’s fourth XI by eight wickets in a game lasting a total of 41 overs. Heytesbury and Sutton Veny’s Captain Kitley won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first. Warminster opener Gregory (23) got his team off to a good start, and against some wayward bowling they reached 26 from three overs. However, when Cooke took Davidson’s wicket in the fourth over, the game took an unexpected turn in the home team’s favour.
It’s all smiles for the second XI after their victories — and HugoFox is pleased to be there too!
A lack of application and patience by the visiting team’s batsmen allowed Heytesbury and Sutton Veny to seize the initiative. Warminster’s poor shot selection meant the home team’s rusty bowling captured wickets at regular intervals. With a different mindset Warminster could quite easily have posted a competitive score, as this was by no means a vintage display from the bowlers. But amongst the rash stroke-play wickets continued to tumble and Warminster were all out for 84 in the 22nd over. Bowlers Barnes (4 for 37) and Cooke (3 for 34) recovered well after shaky starts to find some form with the ball and Olly Hares chipped in with three wickets at the end.
Heytesbury and Sutton Veny’s reply began in strong fashion as Ed Read (44) and Justin Wagstaff (26) guided the hosts to 52 from 11 overs. A wicket each for Conway and Waterland in consecutive overs gave Warminster a brief glimmer of hope. However, Read was in no mood to let the game slip and took the home team to victory in the 21st over.
But one victory wasn’t enough for Heytesbury and Sutton Veny Cricket Club, and Saturday 12th also saw their second team best Winsley third XI by three wickets.
The following Saturday brought further triumph for both teams. The second XI faced Wanborough 2, snatching a win by one wicket, whilst at Bathford the first XI defeated the home team in a one-sided contest, winning by 203 runs.
Having been asked to bat by Bathford’s captain, first XI openers Wagstaff and Read began the innings perfectly with a solid opening stand. Read punished the bowling with a series of punchy cover drives; Wagstaff was more cautious, but still dispatched any loose deliveries with ease. A change of bowling failed to stem the flow of runs or find the breakthrough wicket, and when Read was finally out for 69 in the 26th over the pair had added 130 for the first wicket. Brand then joined the fray and runs continued to come freely. Wagstaff made the home team pay for dropping him on 47 and jogged easily to a memorable century. Heytesbury and Sutton Veny’s score passed 200, and a useful 17 from Joe Dufosee pushed the visitors’ total to 232 from 45 overs.
Bathford’s reply began in disarray, with opener Merritt chipping a cover drive straight to Wagstaff in the 3rd over. Opening bowlers Rob Barnes and Rob Cooke then began to dominate proceedings, and the home team’s innings unravelled in spectacular fashion. Barnes in particular was on the verge of something special – no batsman could settle or get anywhere near him. Cooke at the other end bowled a tight line and length, increasing the pressure. When Lee and Gurney both fell to Barnes, and Julian Allard ran out Vowles, Bathford were 15 for 4 and staring down the barrel. Wickets tumbled under Cooke’s bowls, and he finished with excellent figures of three for 11. However, it was Barnes who stole the show with a devastating spell of bowling. He claimed six wickets for just nine runs, and Bathford collapsed to 29 all out.
With these impressive results already under their belts, the two teams hope to continue their winning streaks and push through the rest of the season on top form. As for HugoFox.com, we’re delighted to be able to help support such a promising club, and the Fox is thrilled to be present at the games, gracing the club’s kit!
If you run a local sports team and are interested in getting HugoFox involved with your club, be sure to keep an eye on HugoFox News. There are changes a-happening at HugoFox.com – you may have already noticed the new look over at the listings pages! As part of this summer’s revamp, we will also be refocussing the way we support local teams, and there’s one HUGE competition on the horizon (think this, only bigger)! Stay tuned with HugoFox News to find out more in the near future!
HugoFox News would like to thank Adam Pratt and Justin Wagstaff, and all our contributing club coaches for the wonderful match reports.
Picture the scene, if you will. A blustery, overcast, and cool late spring Sunday morning at a local park. On every spare piece of green there are children playing cricket, their parents wrapped up against the cold, brothers and sisters running around; pretending to take an interest. A scene played out all over the country.
