Simon Bullock looks back on a match played in memory of a true Baildon legend.
Last Sunday saw a great first match for the new Heggers Trophy between the under and over 18s, the serried tents pitched tightly around the boundary and the ceaseless roar of the crowds making Jenny Lane feel like Glastonbury.
Confident batting from Sam Holmes and Adam Dean saw off the ageing over-18 pace attack, then Will Kelly and Adam Hussein’s single-pinching and bad-ball-twatting took the score to 80 before anyone noticed. One-step Bullock came off his full three pace run to rip out Kelly Snr’s stumps, but some excellent lower-order batting and running kept the score moving, even accelerating, and the juniors swaggered along to 180 in their 40 overs, anchored by Adam Hussein’s top-score 30 odd, with Sam Kelly, Sam Miller, Tom Pickles and Hasan Shakoor all playing their part down the order.
Dave Hodgson set out to try and get them at 4 runs a ball, before proper sensible defensive batting by Darren Wilson and Chris Reynolds took the rate back up to 6 an over. Top bowling by the Grimmett brothers and a spectacular nonchalant catch in the deep by Lucas Shaw saw the middle order ripped out, and it looked like an easy win for the juniors. But Lee Miller and Alex Shaw, roared on by increasingly Saltaire Brewery-fuelled team-mates took the game to the last over, and Dan Metcalfe on strike. As always when Mini is batting, every shot and any result is possible. One huge 4 first-off, but then next ball saw a desperate dive coming back for the second, sprawling inches short. A 6 run victory for the under-18s, and well deserved – a real team performance, and proper backbone under pressure.
The game was in memory of our old friend Simon Heginbotham, who’s sorely missed. His noise behind the stumps, his support for the juniors, his decades of organising and effort to keep the club running, and most of all his great company, on the pitch and off.
Thanks to James Butterfield for all the match organising, and to Dan and Dom for umpiring. The seniors will be looking for revenge next year. On today’s reckoning, I doubt they’ll get it.