A match round-up by Hampset Cricket Club – Saturday 30th August.
Hampset 2nd XI have finished third-bottom of Bristol & District Cricket Association Division Seven East – potentially high enough to avoid the drop
Knowle 3rd XI v Hampset 2nd XI
Hampset 2nd XI have potentially avoided relegation from Bristol & District Cricket Association Division Seven East by finishing third from bottom.
They were on the road for the last game of the season with a short trip to play Knowle 3rd XI at Fry Club in Keynsham on Saturday 30th August.
During the days before the game, the talk had been about the weather and how survival could hinge on a rain-affected match, such irony given this has been one of the driest cricket seasons yet.
Hampset were put into bat. The wicket was somewhat up and down, and the opening batters found it difficult to navigate. Four wickets were soon down with only seven runs scored.
This brought Jon Hart (45 not out) to the crease. He batted superbly, with tenacity, grit and determination to try to salvage something from the innings, knowing that at 20 overs any points would be added to those awarded for an abandonment.
Hampset pushed on – and with Fergal McDonald making 22, they ended on 137-7 before the rain came.
The visitors felt their eight points may be enough given fellow strugglers Brislington 3rd XI were at home and looked to be in the same pocket of weather.
Back to Bloomfield Rise trudged Hampset to begin a celebration of the season’s endeavours regardless of the league status.
Eventually, news of Brislington securing nine points filtered through. With it seeming that only two sides will be going down, Hampset finished third-bottom to potentially secure safety.
Despite their fight to survive, the team had many positive moments during the season and they look forward to progressing next year.
Lansdown 3rd XI v Hampset 3rd XI
Hampset 3rd XI made the short trip to Bath Spa University Sports Ground for their final Bristol & District Cricket Association Division Nine East fixture to bring their season full circle. They had started their campaign at the same ground, playing Bristol Aces 2nd XI.
However, the match on Saturday 30th August was abandoned before it reached its natural conclusion.
Lansdown won the toss and elected to bowl. Hampset openers Sam Taylor-Weekes and Chris Kindon batted well, hitting the ball towards the boundary on many occasions. But with the wet and slow outfield, several shots stopped short.
The score ticked along nicely to 47 after 10 overs. Soon after, a beauty of a delivery did for Kindon, who was bowled for 17. His partnership with Taylor-Weekes produced 52 runs.
Kindon’s departure brought a flurry of wickets as the drizzle made the pitch deteriorate further and batting became increasingly difficult. Taylor-Weekes departed for 32, his team’s top score of the day.
Hampset slipped to 73-7. A partnership of 18 between skipper Jack Hughes and vice-captain Tom Hutchings boosted the score a little, before the latter was out to a pea-roller for 13.
Only one more run was added to the total for the loss of the last two wickets, Hampset skittled for 93.
With the drizzle persisting, batting conditions continued to be challenging. But the water on the ground also made the run-ups and landings for the bowlers treacherous.
Before the rain finally closed in for the day, there was enough time for Joe Hall and Saf Mahar to each remove an opening batter, both dismissals well held behind the stumps by keeper Ollie Hutchings.
The game was abandoned with Lansdown 31-2. There was a feeling amongst both sides that it would have been a very tight finish had the conditions held.
That brought to an end a thoroughly enjoyable and successful season for Hampset 3rd XI, who won eight matches – double last year’s total – and finished in a very respectable fifth place in the division.
The standout features of the season have been the fantastic team ethic of fun but competitive cricket instilled by Hughes, and the development and commitment of so many of the youth players making the transition into adult cricket – Charlie Dolman’s 285 runs for the side being a fine example.
Hampset players feature on all three leaderboards for the league. In the bowling stats, Tom Hutchings finished second with 24 wickets. Kindon was fifth for batting with 398 runs and Ollie Hutchings came third for fielding dismissals, claiming 11 victims.
With availability having been strong all year for the club and more of the same expected next season, Hampset look forward with enthusiasm and excitement to 2026.
