A disappointing batting and fielding display saw Huncote slump to a big defeat at the Spearing and Waite bowl on Saturday.

Stand in skipper James Swann won the toss and invited the Woodhouse stand in skipper A Stewart to bat on a green Huncote wicket. The Woodhouse innings got off to a good start with openers D Bennet and A Lee providing a base on which the Woodhouse innings could be built. The new opening pairing Of JW Smith and R Swann bowled well but could not find the decisive early breakthrough. However the breakthrough did come in the 13th over after Swann had swapped ends. He bowled a full toss which was turned away into the waiting hands of Craig 'Shoulders' Webb at mid-wicket. Bennet departing for a well worked 25 including 3 fours. 

At this point however Lee started to accelerate his scoring, and with the introduction of the late Knibbs fresh from a holiday in Cornwall formed a good and productive partnership with A Gamble. Lee reached his fifty in style with a four just before drinks, but immediately after drinks he found himself walking back to the pavilion after he was bowled by J Swann off his pads. A good fifty however, well paced with 8 fours. A Gamble was proving more tricky to get rid of however and started to hit the ball to all parts including a huge six over the large legside boundary off the bowling of Lill. New batsmen Webb was also starting to score, hitting two boundaries before he was bowled by Lill for 19. The main batsmen Gamble was next to go however trying to hit Lill for one too many boundaries skying one towards the fine leg boundary into the waiting hands of R Swann for a very good 64 including 6 fours and a six. 

Lill then had Radford caught on the cover boundary, a good catch on the run by J Swann. Batsmen Byers, Simpson and Stewart chipped in 23 between them to keep the score ticking towards the 200 mark, and impressive youngster Newbold (10 not out) and impressive veteran Freestone (1 not out) saw the innings through, Freestone lucky not to get ran out however on the last ball of the innings. Some good economic and wicket-taking bowling from Smith at the end, and 3 wickets from part time slow bowler Lill the only highlights from a poor Huncote fielding display. The Woodhouse score a good 212-9.

A quality tea was taken and Huncote were optimistic that they could get near the score required...... what a difference an hour makes.

J Swann and Lill took to the field and had to withstand some tight bowling from Stewart and Simpson. Lill was dismissed early Stewart angling it across the right hander, finding the outside edge, and Lill unlucky to see the ball fly into the hands of Lee for a great catch at second slip. Lill vented his frustration by throwing his bat, hitting the scoring table and striking the already injured JW Smith on the forehead. Sir Alan Sommer then joined Swann at the crease but soon left getting bowled round his legs by Stewart for a very rare duck. Huncote were struggling at this point on 11-2 off 11 overs, and disaster struck soon after also as the 'in-form' Jamie Smith was bowled for 1 after taking a wild Caribbean-style swipe at a straight ball from Simpson. 

Hubbard then entered the arena and started to build a promising partnership with Swann, hitting a number of boundaries including a six. Huncote could see that they were struggling to get near the mark set by Woodhouse so Hubbard tried to step up a gear as Swann was struggling to score, but this was his downfall as he was caught on the boundary by Newbold off the bowling of Freestone, a cunning plan....possibly? Webb and Matthews were then dismissed without troubling the score, Webb unlucky to be run out after a mix up in calling, Matthews being bowled after taking a swing at Freestone. Farmer looked promising, hitting a four off his first ball, but soon after dragged one onto his stumps from the bowling of yet again Freestone for 5. 

The veteran then claimed the wicket of R Swann for 0, a very good ball this, Freestone getting the ball to turn away from middle taking out off stump. The injured Knibbs then came to the field, hit a boundary but unbelievably failed to get back after missing one, the Woodhouse keeper not believing his luck as he swiped off the bails without Knibbs realising he was even out of his ground. Freestone claiming a five for! With last man JW Smith in, Swann, who was still in deciding to play a slow innings thanks to some tidy bowling as wickets fell down the other end, made up his mind to start looking for boundaries and hopefully look to get some respectability into the score line, but it was not to be as he was unluckily bowled by one that pitched outside legside hit both of his legs and bowled him off the bowling of youngster Newbold, who deserved at least a wicket from the game after bowling a neat and tidy spell. 

Huncote all out for a very disappointing 89. Although many of the Huncote players made bad shots to get out too, this was definitely down to the neat and tidy bowling of the Woodhouse attack who never let them settle, particularly the evergreen Freestone finishing with figures of 9-1-21-5.

Man of the Match- James Swann

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