The home side batted first in this annual fixture and lost early wickets to some excellent catches. Hawkley captain Keith Madeley steadied the ship and built a valuable stand with Francis Usmar. After Usmar departed for 40 Madeley accelerated in the closing overs until finally losing his wicket for 80 and thereafter Hawkley’s tail produced a brief flourish to close the innings on a reasonably competitive 164 for eight. The Aardvark team included several father and son duos and the younger players impressive performance in the field would prove a decisive factor in the game.
In reply the Aardvarks also lost early wickets as Hawkley’s past captain Richard Humphreys exhibited unexpected talent as an offspinner. At the other end Hallam Brown’s experiment with seam bowling produced a number of unrewarded edges until finally a slip catch stuck to dismiss Butcher Junior for a well-earned 25. Thereafter the Hawkley bowlers seemed in control as the Aardvarks fell steadily behind the scoring rate. With Hawkley seemingly coasting to victory the Aardvarks came back fighting as Leadsom unleashed a powerful array of strokes to bring the visitors back into the game. Ten runs were needed from the final over but only two balls were bowled as Leadsom hit successive sixes to finish on a personal tally of 86.
For the second week running Hawkley lost in the the last over when victory seemed within their grasp, however the team can console themselves that they enjoy such exciting cricket against sporting opponents.