Hawkley v Droxford: HAWKLEY won the toss and put Droxford in to bat on a cold windy day which threatened rain but nevertheless stayed dry throughout.

The visitors’ opening batsmen Wright and Willoughby showed their intent from the start, and 50 runs were scored off the first 11 overs with only a sharp chance spurned at midwicket to give the bowlers encouragement.

The batsmen continued at the same pace: 100 came up in 20 overs and the 150 in 25, whereupon Wright scooped Ed Peel’s bowling into the hands of Rory Evans to give Hawkley their first wicket.

Hawkley skipper Hallam Brown struck from the other end, tempting Lambert out of his ground to give keeper Magan Singodia the chance to complete a stumping.

Ed Peel continued in a long spell of 14 overs as he accounted for three more victims and Brown claimed the prized scalp of Willoughby when he sliced the ball to Evans at point five runs short of a well-deserved century.

Droxford declared at tea with their score on 226-6.

Peel came out with all guns blazing and took 28 runs off the first two overs he faced before falling to Channon. Paul Cross batted more circumspectly and held the innings together as successive Hawkley batsmen visited the crease without making much of a dent in their daunting target.

Cross fell for 31, by which time survival rather than victory was the limit of Hawkley’s ambition and Liam Lloyd (28 not out) was able to guide Hawkley to a respectable draw at 158-7.