v
Herts Hawks
Starting Line-up: P Owen Hazelby,
C Michael Burdett, 1B Heather Armstead, 2B Jazz Brown,
SS
John Kristensen,
3B Tom Hall LF Chris Lary, CF Rob Shaw, RF Thom Doggert
Bench: James Cumper, James Guerra, Ben Stobart, James Shaw
The
Mavericks faced off against the Herts Hawks on an unseasonably warm and
sunny day, looking to give them a good run for their money despite the
Hertfordshire team being a double A side.
The Hawks went in to bat first, and were promptly sent packing as the
Mavericks retired them in order, mixing up a K with some quality
fielding. The Guildford bats were on fire early in the game, as batters
had a field day against slow pitching. Scoring 7 in the first inning,
the Mavericks followed up with 3 in the second, and didn't let the Hawks
score anything at all until the fourth. Strong batting from Chris Lary,
John Kristensen and Jazz Brown saw runners advanced, ably assisted by
the Hawks' shortstop, who appeared to be practicing his bullfighting by
'Olé-ing' several easy balls into the outfield.
The balance of play
suggested the Mavericks would cruise to a comfortable win, with the
score being 10-0 after 2 innings. However, the Guildford bats went to
sleep and slowly but surely the Hawks started reeling in the visitors.
Errors in the fielding let the Hawks sneak runs onto the board, and
consecutive Herts batters picked up walks. Having made such a strong
start at the beginning of the game, by the sixth inning it looked as if
the home team could snatch a victory from the Mavericks.
The game went right to the wire, with the Hawks trailing by just 1 run.
Nerves were on edge, which showed in the fielding - some basic errors
stretched the suspense until an unassisted double play from Owen Hazelby
chalked up outs two and three of the inning, and secured the win for the
Mavericks.
Despite throwing away (sometimes literally!) a comfortable lead, the
Mavericks again proved that they are no easy walkover for teams from the
higher divisions. Following on from last week's
closely fought game against the Sidewinders, the Mavericks showed grit
and determination to hang on for the win
against the Herts
Hawks.
That wraps up the pre-season activities for the Mavericks. Opening Day is now only two weeks away, when the Tonbridge Bobcats will travel to Guildford on Sunday April 25, for the first game of the season.
Thanks to Heather for
the report and Ben for
helping
with the photos
