1st XI v Langford
Hawkesbury welcomed sixth-placed Langford to the John Hawkins Ground, knowing that a win would put us within touching distance of the visitors in the league table. With dark skies, Langford chose to bowl first and made the best possible start with opening quick Tino Mushonga ripping through the top order, as Hawkesbury were left reeling at 9-3.

Skipper George Bailey (84) dug in and sought to rebuild the innings with partnerships of 45, 55 and 49 with Ben Waldron (16), Ali Bell (22) and Mike Colborn (24*) respectively. With Colborn nailing the final ball of the innings for six, Hawkesbury scrambled up to 194/8 from their 50 overs - under par but something to bowl at and crucially the momentum was with the home side going into the second innings.

With the new ball, regular opening pair of Waldron and Josh Morris were right on the money. Backing up two opening maidens from Morris, it was Waldo who made the breakthrough in the 4th over with a sharp one-handed caught and bowled (he doesn’t drop them). Morris then snicked off the other opener, putting the home side firmly on top with the score at 5/2.

Langford now underwent a rebuild of their own, with Jeremy Kirby and Harry Stevens putting on 60 for the third wicket before Stevens (39) was trapped leg before by Sam Beeley (1-45) on his return to the side. Kirby then came together with Tom Stevens and the pair looked to be steering Langford towards victory at 118/3. At this point Stevens (23) edged behind to become the first of an eventual 5 victims for Kudzai Maunze.

Ollie “make a wish” Morris (1-13) was introduced to the attack on debut and made the dream start, removing the new bat with his very first delivery. Shortly after Maunze had another, this time caught by Josh Morris at long on. At 142/6 it was very much game on.

Then in his next over came the key breakthrough with Kirby (43), the mainstay of the innings, spooning a simple chance to Mike Colborn at mid off. Another followed soon after, with Langford falling to 155-8 and their hopes resting on the dangerous Mashonga. It was Maunze who was to have the last laugh against his compatriot, ripping one back onto the stumps to remove him for 18. The Hawkesbury players were jubilant (perhaps none more so than Josh Morris). This completed the 5 wicket haul for Maunze, finishing with fine figures of 5/26 from 10.

With Langford needing 21 from the final two overs, up stepped Josh Morris to finish the game. The fifth ball of his over was chipped down the ground with Fred Bennett, running round from mid off, gratefully accepting the catch. Langford were all out for 178 - Hawkesbury victors by 16 runs.

An outstanding effort from the boys to come out on top in a game where we were at almost no point ahead.
- George Bailey

Slimbridge CC 1st XI v Hawkesbury Upton CC 2nd XI
GCL Division 7B – 26 July 2025 | Slimbridge Playing Field
Hawkesbury won by 3 wickets
Points: Hawkesbury 19 – Slimbridge 6

Clouds Cleared, Demons Remained
A cloudy start gave way to sunshine at Slimbridge, leaving no doubt it was a day made for batting — warm, still, and inviting. But while the conditions overhead were ideal, the pitch had a few gremlins lurking in it. Variable bounce, occasional nip, and just enough unevenness to keep bowlers interested meant nothing came entirely easy, even if Hawkesbury made it look that way — at least at first.

Having won the toss, skipper Dan Blackwell sent Slimbridge in — a good decision that was nearly rewarded in the third ball of the match when an outside edge flew behind. Zac Walker flung himself full stretch to his right, got fingertips to it, but the deflection beat Blackwell at first slip and ran away for four. It was a game of fine margins.

Hawkesbury’s opening pair of Jon Wallace and Rory Thomas started well. Wallace in particular was excellent, finding a consistent line and jagging the ball off the seam. He got the first breakthrough with a sharp delivery that took a thick edge — a comfortable, straightforward catch for Simon Elcombe at gully. He nearly had a second soon after as another edge from Ross Lindley looped just over Elcombe’s reach.

Rory Thomas bowled his eight overs straight through and gave nothing away — a disciplined spell of 8-0-20-0 that kept the pressure on.

Wallace was replaced by Luke Messer, who struggled for rhythm initially, but a change of ends made all the difference. A sharp bouncer that the batter played without even looking signalled his improved control. His reward came soon after — a thin edge behind well taken by Zac Walker diving forward, with Messer finishing on 7-0-29-1.

Rajiv Balanathan came on as Luke changed ends and continued to tie the batters down. Blackwell’s field placements again came into play, packing cover through to mid-on with four men, which effectively starved Lindley of scoring options. Eventually, the trap worked — Lindley clipped one to wide mid-on where Neil Stacey held on for Rajiv’s first. He would strike again shortly after the drinks break, bowling with subtle variation and finishing with excellent figures of 8-0-31-2.

At 24 overs, it was time for the Chancellor. Tim didn't take long to strike — breaking the resistance of Steve Dakin, who came down the pitch but was beaten in the flight and stumped smartly by Zac. That brought Jonathon Rees to the crease, who took the fight to the league’s leading wicket-taker, launching three sixes on his way to 43. But as the old adage goes — if you miss, I hit — and TC duly did, bowling him to end a dangerous innings.

Wallace returned to the attack to clean up the tail, adding two more wickets to finish with 8-1-23-3. Chancellor also picked up two more — one a run out created by Zac's sharp glove work and Tim’s composure, the other a classic “you miss, I hit” bowled dismissal to end the innings. TC’s figures: 6.4-0-49-3.

Slimbridge all out for 159 in 37.4 overs — a target that should have been well within reach given Hawkesbury’s batting depth.

Blackwell Blasts, Hodson Holds
The chase began sedately, with Rob Watts blocking out a maiden, and Blackwell up to 2 showing controlled aggression with a hint of luck. One clip to mid-on was hit so hard it nearly broke the sound barrier — the fielder wisely opting for self-preservation as the ball scorched past him. A few overs later, that same fielder shelled a tough aerial chance. Blackwell made them pay.

What followed was chaos. In the space of five overs, Dan tore the bowling apart — four after four, six after six, racing to 50 in just the 7th over while Watts was still on 1. It was an astonishing assault, full of timing, power, and intent.

Watts eventually got going but was dismissed shortly after for 6, clipping a simple catch to mid-wicket. Elcombe didn’t last long either — bowled for a duck — and then Blackwell’s spectacular innings came to an end. A leaping ball caught the glove and was taken behind, which brought an end to a brutal innings.

Rajiv looked in good touch, but an innocuous half-tracker stayed low and bowled him before it bounced a second time. From 60/0 to 80/4 — Hawkesbury had made things a little harder than they needed to.

Enter Neil Stacey and Lee Hodson, who batted with calm intent. Neil began to stroke boundaries down the ground, and Lee settled in at the other end. Neil eventually fell for a valuable 24, bowled by one that came in with the angle. Zac Walker joined Hodson and briefly supported him, but was undone by another one that didn’t get up — bowled for 1.

Ten to win. Three wickets in hand. A brief stay for Rory Thomas, bowled first ball playing all around it. What should have been a cruise was now a bit of a wobble.

But Jon Wallace doesn’t do panic. He joined Hodson, who remained serene, and together they got the job done. Fittingly, it was Hodson — composed and chanceless — who sealed the win with a final boundary. He finished on 39*, and Hawkesbury crossed the line in the 37th over with three wickets in hand.

League Context
With this win, Hawkesbury now sit 50 points clear at the top of Division 7B. Swindon, currently in second place, must still face third-placed Slimbridge — who themselves are a further 7 points back. On paper, Hawkesbury appear to have the easier run-in out of the top four, giving them every chance of controlling their own destiny as the season enters its final stretch.
- Rob Watts