Remarkable turnaround sees Swardeston deny Horsford

Report: Dave Reeder
Photos: Jo Smallwood and Dale Clarke

Swardeston hosted league leaders Horsford in the Anglian Vehicle Linings East Anglian Premier League and played out a hard-fought draw.

Swardeston, having won the toss and chosen to bat, were bowled out for 241 in 63.4 overs before Horsford replied with 229 for 9 from 56 overs. The result gave Swardeston 13 points and Horsford 12.

Swardeston’s innings was anchored by Jonah Wicks, who struck 62 from 78 balls, including nine fours and a six.

His innings provided the main momentum in the middle order after Richard Sims had made 33 and Benjamin Chapman 39 at the top of the order, taking the 24-year-old to more than 600 EAPL runs for the season.

Horsford kept chipping away, reducing Swardeston to 91 for 4 before Wicks and Saranga Rajaguru, who made 26, helped steady the innings.

Peter Lambert added a useful 27 and Matthew Taylor injected late urgency with 22 from 18 balls, helping Swardeston reach 241 before the final wicket fell in the 64th over.

Neil Hornbuckle was the standout bowler for Horsford, claiming 5 for 69 from 18 overs while Ryan Findlay provided strong support with 4 for 68 from 13.4 overs, including three wickets late in the innings.

Horsford’s reply was given early substance by Hornbuckle, who followed his five-wicket haul with a fluent 64 from 74 balls, striking nine fours.

After Jason Reynolds fell cheaply, JC Malherbe added momentum with 35 before Jordan Neil’s composed 49 kept Horsford firmly in contention.

Swardeston fought back through Rajaguru and Ben France, who each claimed three wickets, while Richard Sims took 2 for 73 as the pressure started to tell.

In a remarkable turnaround, the league leaders slipped from 177 for 3 to 208 for 9 before Callum Metcalf’s unbeaten 18 and Findlay’s 5 not out ensured they survived to the close on 229 for 9.

• The match marked Tim Ward’s final game of the summer as he now heads back to Australia to report for Tasmania Tigers’ pre-season. In 17 innings, Tim racked up 755 runs across all formats at an average of 58, with a season high of 112 at Copdock.

Scorecard: https://swardeston.play-cricket.com/website/results/7205630