The highly anticipated end of the season in the G Division East cricket league saw Honiton play against Cullompton, a team positioned above them in the league but who they had previously defeated away.
The atmosphere was akin to an Oasis reunion as Honiton prepared to host their last home game of the season, despite disruptions due to injury-related absences and the start of the football season.
After much consideration and last-minute transfers, the Honiton team was comprised mainly of loanees, due to many players being unavailable.
On the day, the pitch was in splendid condition thanks to the selfless efforts of the injured Rich Hill, who had managed to maintain it despite his condition.
Captain for the day, Harry, changed the fortunes of Lewis Blackwell, who had experienced seven straight losses, by winning the toss, much to the excitement of the team.
Interestingly, star all-rounder Lewis Blackwell, who was scheduled to play a football match at 3pm, was also sent in to open the batting with Steve Haysom.
After a steady over, Lewis began to make runs, playing some elegant shots before being caught for 16.
The momentum was kept alive by loanee Bala, and the pair of him and Steve made steady progress, ultimately achieving a 108 partnership.
Late in the match, Andy Empson helped boost the score to a total of 175 for 2, with Steve securing a great score of 59, while Extras added a helpful 39 runs.
Following a relaxing tea break, the Cullompton team came out to play but were soon tested by Harry Court, who tricked A Friend into an error, reducing the opposition to 7-1.
However, Folds and Stevenson managed to take charge, threatening to dampen Honiton’s end-of-season spirits.
At this point, Cullompton was comfortably ahead with a score of 113 for 1.
In a desperate move, Honiton resorted to Jim's magic squash, which seemed to reinvigorate them.
With the help of the trusty Rick "the postman" Empson, Folds was caught, and Lewis returned after the football match to assist.
Despite struggling with cramps in both legs, he heroically managed to take the wicket of Stevenson lbw, after a great score of 58 off 70 balls.
The excitement was kept high as the match continued, with wickets taken here and there, and the score rising to 141 for 4 for Cullompton.
However, the realisation that the opposition required fewer runs than there were overs left, and some competent running soon led to Cullompton securing the victory with 7 overs to spare.
Despite the loss, the match served as a fitting end to the season and was a testament to the spirited performances and sportsmanship of the players from both teams.
This season has seen some significant runs, exceptional bowling, and memorable moments, leading to the consensus that the real winner this season, apart from the 2nd runners up, was the cricket itself.
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