Saturday 31st May’s fixture away to Mottisfont looked a tough one on paper, our opponents finished 6th 
in County 4 last season.

The day started well with skipper Paul Buckingham winning the toss on a green and damp wicket and elected 
to bowl first.

Neil Payne and Chris Swift opened the bowling and put their vast amount of experience (neither are as 
young as they once were!!!!) to good work in the helpful conditions. A tight start was only spoilt by 
Payne’s first wide, the squeeze was put on and the pressure told as the Mottisfont opening pair attempted 
to break the shackles with a sharp single in the third over, a whippet-like Hooper pounced on their error 
in judgement from square leg to throw down the stumps at the bowlers end with Payne looking on gleefully. 
The squeeze was further enforced as the second wicket fell in the sixth over with Oliver swooping at slip 
to pouch a sharp chance off the bowling of Swift with the score on only 4. The ninth over was a key one 
in the innings with the score on just 5 Payne ripped out the heart of Mottisfont’s middle order in a 
double wicket maiden. After 10 overs of their innings Mottisfont were 6 for 4, more wides followed in each
of the next two overs including Swift’s sixth over which went for an expensive 5 runs. This fightback was
quickly quashed by Payne with another wicket maiden to further reduce Mottisfont to 12 for 5 off 13 overs.
The home team held out for a couple of overs before Swift removed the next wicket with a cunningly 
disguised slower ball that left the batsman walking off with a confused look on his face. Another run out 
followed with the batsmen getting themselves in a bit of a tangle Paul ‘Grizzly’ Adams sped in from cover 
then took an eternity to under arm the ball towards the stumps, another direct hit ensured that the 
seventh Mottisfont batsman was trudging back towards the pavilion. Swift snapped up his third wicket and 
the teams eighth wicket in the 18th over of the innings with the score on 18 and it was left to the 
veteran Payne to complete the astounding rout with two wickets and another wide in his tenth over. 
Payne’s final wicket was the result of a sprawling catch by Oliver once again at second slip. Swift ended 
up with decent figures of 9–3–14–3 but the plaudits for the day went to Payne with the astonishing figures
of 9.5–5–5–5 but for the three wides his figures would have been truly outstanding. The 19 that Mottisfont
totalled was a new low for the league and indeed would have broken the County Division 4 record of 20.

Jonny Orange and Paul Buckingham set about the task of knocking off the required runs. Orange in typically
bullish mood hit the first, second and third boundaries of the match on his way to 16 not out, Buckingham
totalled 2 not out in the winning score of 20 for 0 to claim a maximum 24 points and move Rotherwick ITW 
back into the top half of the table. The only scare was Buckingham’s attempt to run out Orange with two 
needed for victory.
 
A stunning day (well small part of a day anyway!!!) for the Rotherwick ITW club that was celebrated long 
into the night.