Out & About July 2017

... knows his silly mid-off from his square leg Jonathan Hopson

Hopson’s Hotshots claim the trophy from Hewens’ Heroes in 2016

T here’s something quintessentially English about the game of cricket. A 22-yard strip of grass with strategically placed fielding positions, including, third man, deep backward point, silly mid off and, sometimes, cow corner – the space between deep midwicket and long on, and so-called because few ‘legitimate’ shots are aimed to this part of the field, which means fielders are rarely placed there. This leads to the concept that cows could happily graze in that area. And there’s nothing quite like the sound of leather on willow as bat strikes ball on a summer’s afternoon. During the 1980s and 90s, I played for the Camp Hopson cricket team, competing against a variety of business teams including Darvell Removals, Plenty’s, James & Cowper, Charles Lucas & Marshall and Vodafone. Games were always played in good spirit and often concluded with a ‘match tea’ at a local pub. Playing at Yattendon’s pretty village cricket pitch – arguably one of the most picturesque cricketing locations in the Newbury area – usually resulted in victors and vanquished visiting the highly-renowned Pot Kiln pub in nearby Frilsham. Despite now being closer to 60 than 50, I still play at least one game of cricket a year, as a Hopson XI – somewhat optimistically known

as Hopson’s Hotshots – taking on Hewens’ Heroes in an annual cricket match. Nick Hewens has been a friend for more than 25 years. We’ve skied, played squash and tennis together and his three children, (triplets – two boys and a girl), have grown up with our two. In the early 90s, when Nick was living and working in Yorkshire, he arranged a Southerners v Northerners cricket match in Hull. By way of a re-match, it was agreed Nick and I would captain separate cricket teams in a game played in the south of England. This inaugural match between Hopson’s

Fortuitously, and in common with many cricket grounds, there happens to be a pub nearby, the excellent Golden Swan. Over the years, some of the original bachelor players from the 1990s have produced children and there are now a number of father and son combinations in both teams. The tally of wins currently stands at 11 to the Heroes, 10 to the Hotshots with two matches tied and one rained off. So there’s everything to play for in this year’s 25th anniversary event which is scheduled to be played at the end of this month.

Hotshots and Hewens’ He- roes took place in 1993 and was so successful it’s been staged every year since. It has been played at a variety of venues in the Newbury area, including Donnington Cricket Club, Horris Hill school and St Andrew’s, Pangbourne. For the last few years, the fixture has been played at Wilcot cricket ground near Pewsey.

The Golden Swan, Wilcot, hosts the

post-match celebrations

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