Sunday the 02nd of February saw our I.C.C. squad and some supporters travel to Guilford to play Dorset in the first round of the knockout stage of this country wide competition. Dorset are a strong squad that includes some England players. We were all set for a tough game.
Session one
Mat one had our County Team Manager Darren Brown playing singles. Dorset got of to a good start by taking the first end for a double and following this with two singles. Darren started to get a feel for the mat and took a double on end four. Dorset came back for a single which Darren matched on end six. Dorset upped the stakes by taking a hotshot four on end seven for a 9 – 3 lead. Darren dug deep and held a double on the next end he followed this with two further doubles and it was all square at nine all. Darren then took the lead with a single on end ten which Dorset matched and it was all square again. Darren pushed again taking two doubles making him 14 – 10 up going into the last end. Dorset held on for a single but we had our first win of the day at 14 – 11.
Mat two and Martin Nash was playing the second singles of the session. Dorset started well taking a double followed by a triple. Martin then held end three for a single, he followed this with a triple and a second single and it was all square at five all after five ends. Dorset pushed back and regained the lead with a double. Martin replied by taking two singles and it was all square again at seven all after eight ends. Martin then went into overdrive, he started with two singles and followed this with a double for an 11 – 7 lead after eleven ends. Martin then took a hotshot four and followed this with a second double and a single for a 18 – 7 lead with one end to play. Dorset regained the mat on the last end by finishing on a single. Winning eleven of the fifteen ends Martin had secured a substantial win at 18 – 8.
Bev Stevenson and Jeff Branch were playing pairs on mat three. They started with a single but Dorset took the lead with a triple on end two. Our pair came straight back and levelled the game with a double on end three. They followed this with a hotshot four for the lead on end four. The Dorset pair held onto a single on end five but Bev and Jeff Took a triple and followed this with two singles for a 12 – 4 lead after eight ends. Dorset held a single but our two matched this on end ten to retain their eight-shot lead. End eleven and Dorset pushed for a double, Bev and Jeff replied by taking a triple followed by a single and extended their lead to ten shots at 17 – 7 with two ends to play. Dorset came to the mat on end fourteen with determination, they took a single and followed this with a triple but Bev and Jeff had our third win of the session at 17 – 11.
The fourth mat of session one had Bill Gearing and Mark Spalding playing the second pairs of the session. They started with a single which Dorset matched on the second end. Bill and Mark started a short run, taking two singles and a double they had a 5 – 1 lead after five ends. Dorset reduced their deficit with a triple on end six, our two pushed pack and took a double but Dorset pushed harder and took a second triple on end eight and it was all square at seven all. Dorset now took the lead with a double on end nine but it was short lived as Bill and Mark levelled the game with a double then regained the lead with a triple. Following this with a single our pair were 13 – 9 up after twelve ends. Dorset pushed again and took a single but Bill and Mark matched this on the following end. The last end went Dorset’s way but only for another single meaning we had another win at 14 – 11.
Well, What a good first session, winning all four mats put Hertfordshire 8 – 0 up and we were in front for both sets of bonus points as well. Things were looking up for Hertfordshire and our triples and fours as well as the supporters gave a well deserved cheer to our singles and pairs players. Session two started with Dorset looking for a win.
Session Two
Mat one had Audrey Fowler, Jan Rogers and Jeanette Gayler playing triples. Dorset held the first end for a single which our three matched on end two. Dorset then held a second single but followed it with a hotshot six for the lead at 8 – 1 after four ends. Dorset continued the run by taking a single and two triples. Our three then got back on the mat and held two singles. Dorset replied by taking a double and followed this with a four. Audrey, Jan and Jeanette held onto the last two ends for singles but Dorset had their first win at 21 – 5.
Alan Spicer, Julia Bruce and Neil Rixon played the second triples of the session on mat two. Our three started with a single. Dorset took the lead with a double on end two but Alan, Julia and Neil matched this on end three for the lead and followed it with a single on end four. Dorset dug in and took the lead on end five by taking a four. Our three held a double on end six and it was all square at six all. Alan, Julia and Neil then took the lead back with a double and followed this by taking another single. Dorset replied by taking a triple on end nine and it was all square again at nine all. Dorset followed this with a four and continued their run by taking a single and a second triple for a17 – 9 lead with one end to play. Alan, Julia and Neil pushed back on the last end and held a single but Dorset had their second win at 17 – 10.
Mat three had Lisa Miles, Malcolm Warwick, Margaret Hare and Darren Stanford in our first fours of the day. Dorset started strongly with a triple and followed this with a single. Our four held a double on end three but Dorset pushed harder and took a four and followed this with a double and a single for an 11 -2 lead after six ends. Our four held a single only to see Dorset hold double on end eight. Lisa, Malcolm, Margaret and Darren then reduced Dorset’s lead by taking two singles. The last end saw Dorset hold on for a further single and the win at 14 – 5.
Mat four had Barry Thorogood, Susan Knight, Alan Hare and Brian Fowler playing the second fours and the last game of the morning session. Dorset started strongly with a four and followed this with two singles. Barry, Susan, Alan and Brian held a double on end four but Dorset regained the mat to take a second four on end five. End six and our four held a single but Dorset replied by taking a five and followed this with a triple, their third four of the game and a single. Barry, Susan, Alan and Brian held on and took the last end for a single but Dorset had another win at 23 – 4.
In a reversal of the first session Dorset had won all four mats and were looking good for the bonus points. With the match a draw at 8 all we stopped for lunch so that the overworked umpire could get a well earned rest. During lunch your optimistic scorer was checking the rules regarding the singles shoot out in the case of a draw. With a refreshed umpire session three started at 13.15.
Session Three
Bill and Mark got the pairs started on mat one. The Dorset pair started well with a triple followed by a double. Bill and Mark pulled back by taking a double and followed this with a single. Dorset came back and held a single and followed this with a triple for a 9 – 3 lead after six ends. Our pair pushed, taking two singles and a double they had pulled it back to 7 – 9. End ten and Dorset pushed again for a triple. Bill and Mark returned to the mat and held a single, they followed this with a double and two further singles and it was all square at 12 all going into the last end. End fifteen and Dorset pushed hard and took a hotshot four for the win at 16 – 12.
Bev and Jeff were on mat two playing the last pairs of the day. Dorset started with a single which Bev and Jeff matched on end two. They then held a second single for the lead at 2 – 1 after three ends. Dorset drew level with another single on end four. They followed this with a double and a hotshot four for the lead at 8 – 2 after six ends. Bev and Jeff held a single and end seven which Dorset matched. They then reduced their deficit with a fourth single. Dorset pushed again and took a second hotshot four on end ten. They followed this with a double and a single and had stretched out a 16 – 4 lead with three ends to play. Bev and Jeff dug deep and held two singles. The last end saw Dorset reaffirm their win with their third hotshot giving Dorset a good win at 20 – 6.
Martin was on mat three playing his second singles. Dorset started with a single but Martin took the lead with a double on end two. Dorset pulled in front with a double but Martin matched this on end four for a 4 – 3 lead. Dorset held a triple and regained the lead. End six saw Martin hold a single but Dorset started a run of ends. Taking two doubles followed by two singles Dorset had pulled out a lead of 12 – 5 after ten ends. Martin took a single on end eleven but Dorset took the last four ends and the win at 21 – 6.
Darren played the last singles of the day on mat four. Darren started well with a single and a triple. Dorset pulled level with two doubles then took the lead with a single. Following on with a hotshot four, a triple and two doubles Dorset pulled out a 16 – 4 lead. With the following two ends going for a single apiece Dorset were maintaining their twelve-shot lead. Ends twelve and thirteen saw Darren hold singles but these were matched when Dorset held the last two ends for singles and the win at 19 – 7.
Winning all four mats gave Dorset the eight points but further still they had reversed the shots difference and took all four bonus points. Going into the last session Dorset were in front at 20 – 8.
Session Four
Barry, Susan, Alan and Brian were on mat one. Dorset got started with two triples and followed this with two singles and a double. Our four held end six for a triple but Dorset held the following two ends for singles and an 12 – 3 lead. Barry, Susan, Alan and Brian held a single on end nine but Dorset held onto the last two ends for a 19 – 4 win.
Lisa, Malcolm, Margaret and Darren played the last fours of the day on mat two. Dorset started with a double and followed this with two triples. Our four then held a double and a single to pull it back to 3 – 8 after five ends. Dorset pushed again, taking a four followed by a single they were pulling further in front. The last four ends were hard fought with both teams taking two singles. Dorset had another win at 15 – 5.
Alan, Julia and Neil were on mat three. Dorset got going by taking two triples and a single for a 7 – 0 lead. Our three held a single on end four which Dorset matched. Alan, Julia and Neil took a second single which Dorset also matched for a 9 – 2 lead after seven ends. Alan, Julia and Neil then got back into the game with a five to reduce Dorset’s lead to 9 – 7. Dorset pulled back, taking a single and a double. With the following two ends going for a single apiece Dorset had a 13 – 8 lead going into the last end. Alan, Julia and Neil held a triple on the last end to reduce Dorset’s win to 13 – 11.
Audrey, Jan and Jeanette played on mat four. They started well with a single and a triple. Dorset then held a triple and a single and it was all square at four all after four ends. Dorset then pulled ahead with a double and a single. Our three pulled back with a single on end seven. Dorset then took a run of four good ends to take a good lead at 23 – 5. The last two ends saw Audrey, Jan and Jeanette hold a single and a double but Dorset had the win at 23 – 9.
Well I am sure you can all see the way the day went. You have to hand it to Dorset who just outplayed us in the afternoon. I put it down to the lunch break. For those of you who want to know the final scores Dorset had the win at 32 – 8 with a shots advantage of 262 – 147. So Hertfordshire’s I.C.C. run has now come to an end. We have had some good games against some very strong opposition. We all wish Dorset good luck in their next game when they will be playing Kent.