The league finally gets underway

The league season was to finally start with a visit to the lovely ground of Broxbourne. The memories of last season's encounter at this ground - a run fest in boiling hot conditions - was very distant when we turned up to a soggy pitch and moody skies. Having agreed to delay the start and reduce the match to 35 overs a side, both captains were eager to win the toss. So when, the MHV skipper called correctly and inserted the opposition, there was a buoyant mood. Unfortunately in testing conditions the MHV bowling was wayward and we weren't able to apply any real pressure. Some sensible batting by the Broxbourne top order made light work of the sticky pitch and they were able to amass a more than competitive total of 176. Some more than handy leg breaks from Dev Ray prevented Broxbourne from accelerating late on, but in the truth the damage was done. The 25 wides MHV bowled was criminal on what was a low scoring pitch and symptomatic of an under-par effort in the field.

The less said about the batting performance the better. Some decent opening bowling from their skipper proved too good for the MHV top order and their total of 176 was never in danger. A host of poor shots and bad decision making led to a disappointing batting collapse which leaves MHV with plenty of food for thought. We can point to a lack of preparation as an excuse for this match, but if we are to challenge for the title we will need to make performances like this a thing of the past.