A record crowd for a Norfolk CCC T20 cricket day turned out at Sprowston and were entertained to some excellent cricket. It was a perfect day for Norfolk as they won both matches and now have three wins from four games. The vast majority of the 400 plus crowd went home happy.
In the morning match Hertfordshire won the toss and elected to field. Norfolk got off to a flying start with Freddie Fairey smashing a quick fire 52 from 28 balls including four fours and four sixes. When he was out from the last ball of the seventh over stumped by Cole Seggery from the bowling of Ben Waring, Norfolk were on 66. The normally dominant Sam Arthurton had played second fiddle to Fairey.
Arthurton along with Ben Wilcox had advanced the score to 93 when Arthurton was adjudged LBW to Waring for 26. Three balls later Wilcox suffered the same fate to Waring. The innings had stalled a little and needed some impetus. Step forward the in-form Charlie Hood who had recorded a maiden EAPL century the day before. Once he got into his stride, he played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 58 from 30 balls with fours fours and three sixes. He was joined for the last 23 balls by Arthur Wilcox and after 18 overs the score of 140 for 4 was looking a bit light on a good wicket. The two youngsters changed this dramatically plundering 42 runs from the last two overs with some explosive hitting. Wilcox hit three sixes in his 22 n.o. from 9 balls and Hood helped himself to two sixes before striking the last two balls of the innings to the boundary as Norfolk ended on a challenging 182 for 4.
Hertfordshire made a strong start with Archie Harrison and Scott Galloway (20) putting on 52 for the first wicket inside seven overs before Andy Hanby got the breakthrough bowling Galloway with a slower ball. The ex-Glamorgan man Callum Taylor joined Harrison, and the pair added 56 before Hami Qadri bowled Harrison for 53. Taylor was looking very dangerous and whilst he was at the wicket Herts had a fighting chance. With the score on 168 in the final over it was of great relief to Norfolk when Taylor became Joe Everett’s second wicket falling to an excellent catch by Fairey on the edge for 64 which included five fours and fours sixes.
Everett followed this up with four spot-on deliveries taking two more wickets from the last two balls as Hertfordshire finished on 170 for 7. Everett had the impressive figures of 4 for 23 from his four overs and Qadri 2-21 as Norfolk won by 12 runs.
The second game was a more sedate affair. Herts again won the toss, and this time batted first. Their innings never really gained any true momentum despite Harrison scoring 48 from 47 balls at the top of the order. Their first innings hero Taylor was bowled first ball by Everett who continued his stellar day taking 3 for 21. Hanby helped himself to two wickets with all the Norfolk bowlers exercising good control as they kept Hertfordshire to 131 for 7 from their 20 overs.
Norfolk’s response did not start well when they had lost both Fairey and Ben Wilcox with just 15 on the board. Skipper Arthurton and Alfie Cooper steadied the ship and settled any Norfolk nerves with a fine partnership of 110 taking Norfolk to the brink of victory when Arthurton was caught by David Burnell off Harrison’s bowling for a superb 63. Cooper with an accomplished unbeaten 47 and Hood (7 n.o.) ensured there would be no more alarms as Norfolk reached their target in 17th over.