HALES travelled to Hunstanton for their opening fixture in their first ever Alliance campaign. Hales gained credibility with a winning draw after clawing their way back in to the game in both the field and with the bat.

HALES travelled to Hunstanton for their opening fixture in their first ever Alliance campaign. Hales gained credibility with a winning draw after clawing their way back in to the game in both the field and with the bat.

Hales batted first and required a batting order rethink as opening bat Harmer and two middle order batsmen arrived half an hour late after typing in the wrong postcode on the satellite navigation.

R Andersen and C Andersen opened and found the going tough, as did the whole top order. C Andersen and Harmer steadied the ship after an early wicket, but Hales soon found themselves in trouble at 55-4 off 19 overs.

D Andersen offered some resistance with a flurry of boundaries, but it was skipper Rowe (32), Lovick (19) and G Squire (46) batting at Nos 8, 9 and 10 who salvaged the innings.

Rowe was calm and calculated, Lovick took his usual batting style to the bowlers and university weight lifting champion Squire blasted three enormous sixes and three boundaries on a huge ground in quick succession.

Hales finished their innings on 190 all out from 44 overs.

Hunstanton's openers rarely looked in trouble. D Sayers (57) picked the gaps with drives and cuts whilst Shiri (35) used nimble footwork and aggressive batting to pepper the boundaries.

G Squire made the breakthrough in the 19th over with the score on 75. Hales then had to wait until the 32nd over for the second wicket to leave the game finely poised on 107-2.

M Sayers looked like seeing in the victory for the home side with some powerful batting until he was well caught at Gully by Harmer of R Andersen.

Rowe and Squire bowled well at the death to put Hales in control, and a winning draw was the outcome in a promising first outing in Division Three as Hunstanton finished on 181 off 47 overs.

MP Cornish Ltd man of the match goes to G Squire for his excellent 46 at No 10 and his bowling at the death.