HCC vs Broomhall, August 2022
Saturday 13th August saw Haddington travel to Broomhall in Fife. With just two further games left of the league season, there was much riding on this. For alas, dear reader, your reporters have been remiss in sending word of the club’s efforts through the summer months. Six defeats in succession, including going down by one wicket and one run, meant promotion chasing had become relegation avoidance. But great cricket had been played in patches and the opposition were in a rut of their own.
Broomhall sits adjacent to the grounds of the eponymous house, seat of the Bruce family for 300 years. Baked by the hot, dry weather and with a short square boundary one side, it has been one of the fastest scoring wickets in Division 3 this season. Skipper James Shaw has a rare win at the coin toss and put the home side in to bat first. Haddington looked to be wilting in the heat early as Ieuan Ward took to the bowling of Timmy Hancox and made the most of the small dimensions and parched, unforgiving outfield. He was sawn off though by Fergus Syme, caught behind well by Jonny Mitchell who was outstanding all day behind the stumps, saving perhaps 20 byes and wides with athletic takes. Syme was a picture of consistency, bowling his full allocation of 8 overs from the pavilion end and conceding just 11 runs; adding Millar (caught well be JCM) and Hynd adjudged LBW, trapped on the full by a viscous yorker. From a great height he hit a length which no one could hit him off all afternoon A magnificent stint in the heat.
At 63-3 and then 87-4 once Rob Macdonald got in on the act, Broomhall were sliding a little in their garden patio furniture. But captain Hoefling wore the burden of expectation brilliantly. Shaw had kept him quiet in a terrific spell, but he chanced his arm against Macdonald and hit him out of the attack, motoring through to 50 with great support from Chalmers. Tim Blades, rarely seen with the ball these days, ran in hard up the hill and beat Chalmers’ edge with regularity but without fortune. The big wicket came though, bringing a length ball back through Hoefling’s attempted drive to graze the off stump, to end a fine innings and a half century partnership. At 129-5, Haddington sniffed 150, but that wasn’t to be as a succession of catches were dropped off Alan Cruickshank’s bowling. Chalmers in particular opened up his shoulders to great effect in making 36, before clipping a Hancox full toss to Blades at deep midwicket. Timmy H finished with another, coming back strongly at the death. So too did Macdonald, with too much flight and dip for the tail, ending with 4-33.
192 the total. More than twice what The Goats mustered last week out. But this was no time for hiding in a cave conversing with wee sleek it beasties. This was a time for heroes. And hometown boy Scott Logan duly volunteered. Opening the batting, and seeing partner Cruickshank cleaned up by a magnificent Ward ball, Logan chose violence. Hoefling was sent for four fours in his second over - Logan driving gloriously through extra cover and uppercutting over the slips. With JCM keeping out Ward, Logan took three more boundaries off the skipper as Haddington raced to 50-1 from 8 overs. Then came an astounding piece of cricket. After reaching his 50 in just 26 balls (26 balls!!) Logan popped left arm quick Ward over mid-on for another boundary. Shuffling advances to make the length became a dazzling skip and full-blooded drive sending the bowler for the cleanest six you could wish for, landing on top of the practice net. The shot of the season. Not content, another four was smeared over mid-off. 18 from the over, and Broomhall needed answers quickly, with Haddington on 71 after 10.
A change to Millar brought respite, JCM the victim of another low grubber. His luck will surely turn with the bat. Blades joined Logan with the spinner offering little threat, but Millar picked up Scott just before the drinks break. A magnificent and ludicrous 75 from just 41 balls, and surely just the start. Haddington needed another 100 runs to win but with 25 overs to do it. Blades ticked the bowling around and put on 47 with Dave Arbuthnott, before being caught brilliantly by Ward off a miscued pull shot. Shaw followed soon after, terribly unlucky to drag on off pad, but deserved reward for Neil Ramsey who took 3-29 in a feisty 6 over spell. In truth, he should have been on earlier.
At 144/5 Broomhall suddenly had a sniff, but that was extinguished by Arbuthnott. True to style, anything back of length at the hip was deposited for four or six. With the front leg lifting and clearing to allow his clean swing, no misdirected ball escaped punishment. This was no mindless biffing though. This was mindful buffing. Balls were guided and glided to the boundary outside off-stump, and he ran well to keep the scoreboard ticking. A muffed chance at slip gave him his 50, but it all ended rather quickly from there with some towering sixes over the long boundary. He was caught behind with two to win but Mitchell, who had played brilliantly in another 40+ partnership, slashed the winning runs with ten overs to go an four wickets in hand.
Not a perfect performance on a day HCC were pushed hard by the opposition. But such positivity with the bat was a remarkable shift from recent weeks. 75 to Scott and 72 to Dave remarkable contributions.