Learning curve for Bradenham

BRADENHAM Sunday X1 opened their season making their debut in the Mid-Norfolk Sunday League Division One, with a home game against a strong Hethersett and Tas Valley side, who won by seven wickets.

Tas won an important toss and didn't waste time in inviting Bradenham to bat on a rain-affected pitch on the Green.

Tas had looked upon this match as a warm-up for their Saturday league programme.

As a result, they had included a number of first team players in their team and set about their task with some very accurate seam bowling with movement both ways off the pitch.

Despite this, Bradenham openers, Marcus Evans and Lewis Denmark batted sensibly and dispatched the odd bad ball with text-book shots all round the ground. They managed to accumulate 78 for the first wicket before Denmark was out for 25.

As is customary for the Bradenham X1, the team contained many younger more inexperienced players, and the middle order were unable to make any significant contribution with the bat, with Evans finally falling for a finely crafted half-century.

The exception in the middle order was Stolworthy who made a good 26 runs whilst trying to see out the allotted 40 overs and Bradenham were finally all out for a disappointing 116.

The outstanding bowlers for H&TV were Abball (3-19), Emney (3-29) and Gricks (2 -18).

The H&TV innings began with the weather steadily improving after tea with their batsman having the best of the afternoon weather. They capitalised with openers Gricks and Shelly putting on 59 before Gricks was bowled by Hunter.

Shelly made a good-looking 37 but the inexperienced Bradenham attack were unable to dominate the H&TV middle order batsmen who passed the required score comfortably in 22 overs and losing only three wickets.

The young Bradenham bowlers will have learnt much from the experience with the best performances coming from Ryan Adcock (1-19) and Mark Hunter (1-22).