A new season is always approached with a mixture of great expectancy and a little anxiety with regard whether the selected side has the right balance and attitude. Well the first under 16 game of the season against Wales showed that there is every reason to look forward to the season and that apart from the known problem with the balance - the shortage of a second genuine spinner, there are no obvious reasons to be too anxious!. For although the side lost a very tight game on the fourth ball of the last over the character, desire and commitment shown with not a little talent was most encouraging. Within half an hour Joe Smith had lost the toss as Wales called heads and London had won the bid for the 2012 Olympics with obviously the former being more relevant! Devon were inserted which did not upset the management but after 45 balls they were as the home side slumped to 14-3 with Smith yorked second ball by the impressive Owen, Chappell chased a wide one with the argument that the ball was swinging both ways and he had no idea which way that one was going and the imaginative Wrench was bowled behind his legs by the other opening seam bowler Jenkins with Wrench vowing to change his guard on Friday. Fortunately Hardy was viewing this collapse with serenity and was joined by Benton who has only two games to stake his position in the side. The century partnership off 133 balls in 72 minutes splendidly dug their side out of quite a large hole. The pair looked in no trouble and were beginning to take their side to respectability when on the one hundred and first run of the partnership and Benton’s fiftieth he was run out taking on a reasonable arm from the shorter boundary. Even the most cynical would not have begrudged Benton his 50 as he trooped off a disappointment man. At 114-4 some more digging was necessary but only 8 runs were added for the fifth wicket and 15 for the sixth but more critically this wicket was Hardy’s who had played as promised – sensibly- but after facing 113 balls he was surprisingly bowled being Jenkins third and final victim. His 50 had come off 93 balls and he had looked set for a maiden county ton but this was not to be on this occasion. Hopefully he will not, in the long term, regret batting on. At 137-6 after 36 overs the side had four wickets and 84 balls to score the 64 runs to reach the side’s initial target of 200. Thanks to a bright 19 from Scott Boardman and a vital unbeaten last wicket partnership of 39 between the Joel Seward, on his home ground and Ollie Robinson, fresh from his hectic cross country train journey from Basingstoke they reached 197 at the end of their overs. Seward hit 3 fours and a six in his 20 off 26 balls and Robinson two fours in his vital eleven.

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