Locksbottom CC 224/2 (40 overs)
Knockholt CC 141 all out (36.2 overs)

Captain for the day Ollie Amos started positively by winning the toss and deciding to chase on a small well groomed outfield. Thankfully for Amos he had picked up two late arrivals in N Hardstone and S Denton to make a 10 man travelling squad. Unfortunately for Amos, this is where his luck ran out.

Opting for an Amos & Amos opening attack, the younger showed some naïve bowling coming up the hill to two aggressive Locksbottom opening batsman conceding 35 runs off of his first two overs. With Hardstone added to the squad late on, O Amos knew to exit stage left.

Hardstone took over the bowling coming down the hill and brought KCC back into the game, regularly beating the bat of both openers, until finally finding the edge of long standing rival C Trevatt where S Thresher took a comfortable catch by his standards. C Trevatt – ct S Thresher b Hardstone – Three titans of the KVCL.

KCC looked to exploit the new No.3 batsman, keeping him on strike where possible and restricting him to score 39 runs off of 104 balls. Regular rotation of bowlers as Amos Jnr was brought back into the attack and rotated with M Reay while league debutant Ollie Gasson showed what quality spin bowling could do as he locked down one end.

Despite the hard work and recovery made, Locksbottom’s opener M Patel was cruising, picking up 127* (113) balls from a near chanceless innings. It was only for a tough catch that S Denton didn’t pick up that looked to stop the flow of runs.

Only one more wicket was to be picked up that day as M Trenowden claimed his victim stumping the Locksbottom number 3 off the bowling of S Thresher.

At the interval KCC knew it was going to be a challenge, but on a good pitch and a small outfield there was always a chance…

Opting for the Right & left hand combination, that pair Hardstone and S Thresher led KCC out, the latter sporting a new bat. It didn’t take S Thresher long to work out the controls as he shone as the aggressor of the pair.

At 80-0, KCC thought this could be the partnership as both Hardstone and Thresher looked set to accelerate through the innings, although a lapse in communication brought Locksbottom into the game as S Thresher was run out.

In comes Knockholt’s middle order, despite recent form Jamos was unable to move the scoreboard (Not that the KCC scorers could get their head around the electronic controls).

The president himself G Thresher was next, and in the presence of his first lady showed exactly why he wears the badge. Dispatching multiple sixes down the ground and square off the slower bowling.

C Trevatt removed Hardstone for 37 completing his revenge and O Amos made a rare appearance in the middle order. Putting on a 35 run partnership before his need to hit to the small boundary saw a top edge taken by the oppositions WK.

M Reay, M Trenowden & Z Reay came and went, with Z Reay outscoring his dad (by the looks of this weekend, it won’t be the last time). Unfortunately for Knockholt’s last stand, the young O Gasson and S Denton didn’t trouble the scorers as Knockholt slumped to an 83 run defeat.

With Pevensey making the trip up the following day, a few players had very little time for self-reflection.

Man of the Match – Neil Hardstone
Dick of the Day – Ollie Amos (7-1-60-0)
Special Mention – Ollie Gasson