26/04/2026
This Sunday fixture saw Hogs 8 take on Hagley’s Heroes in a mid-season bout. Once again, both teams were graced with clear skies and dry conditions underfoot, unusual this deep into a Tasmanian autumn.
Your scribe was not in attendance for this clash, so will do his best to recount the usual drama that accompanies low-level social cricket (with minimal exaggeration… probably).
Hogs were first to bat. Out strode the ever-reliable K. Davey (5 off 6) and X. Davey (5 off 8). As those numbers suggest, Hogs didn’t exactly burst out of the gates, both openers dismissed cheaply and early. Enter the mercenary J. Davey (22 off 8) alongside J. Baker, tasked with steadying the ship. That plan lasted approximately one over, Baker gone, stumps rearranged like a modern abstract sculpture.
J. Douce (7 off 4) dashed out half-padded, possibly still exhaling the final remnants of a pre-innings dart. Hogs lasted another couple of overs before Douce was trudging back, likely thinking about that unfinished durry. At 4/28, things were… not great.
M. Hyatt (2 off 3) applied himself diligently for all of three deliveries before joining the queue back to the sheds. A few balls later, the mercenary had seen enough, caught out. Hogs in disarray at 6/55, with an early knock-off suddenly looking like a real possibility.
Enter B. Brown (23 off 9) and Buddha (25 off 16)—the last stand and a Sisyphean mountain ahead. Brown came out swinging, as is his custom, while Buddha ran hard and found runs in places others wouldn’t even consider. The pair combined well to drag Hogs to som**hing resembling a total. Brown dispatched balls with contempt; Buddha matched him shot for shot.
Eventually, with wickets scarce and survival instincts kicking in, both fell in the 10th over, but not before putting on a crucial 40-run partnership. Hogs all out for 93. A defendable score? Debatable. A competitive one? On a good day, maybe. Tight bowling and sharp fielding would be essential.
Hogs took to the field to defend the modest total, spirits surprisingly high. As this reporter has seen in his long and distinguished career, low totals can sometimes feel trickier than big ones, and stranger things have certainly happened.
The usual pair opened with the ball: Buddha (1/27 off 4) and K. Davey (3/12 off 4). A tidy start, no freebies, sharp fielding, and pressure building. Hagley moved to 0/22 after the opening exchanges.
J. Baker (1/5 off 2) was brought on with a clear directive from the skipper: “make som**hing happen.” He obliged, beating the bat and turning the stumps into splinters. X. Davey (0/11 off 2) bowled with energy but couldn’t quite find the breakthrough.
The skipper had seen enough, back to the openers. A bold move, and one that paid off immediately. Buddha struck with a neat edge taken cleanly by Douce. Then K. Davey took over: edge taken. Next ball, bowled! Stumps rattled, batsman departing with a colourful vocabulary. Hagley suddenly 5/44 after 9.
Game on.
Buddha completed his spell tidily, while K. Davey finished with outstanding figures, three wickets at an economy of three. The man stood up when it mattered.
Could Hogs pull off som**hing ridiculous?
J. Davey (1/22 off 3), held back for just this moment, was introduced. He bowled well, supported by M. Hyatt (0/9 off 2). Hagley, however, dug in, nudging, nurdling, and inching towards the target.
14th over: 5/66. Breakthrough! J. Davey induced a lofted shot, safely taken by K. Davey. Not long after, K. Davey was in the action again, sharp fielding and a direct hit to run one out. Hagley 7/79.
Now then.
One wicket to win. Sixteen runs to defend.
The set batsman, however, had other ideas, watchful, patient, and annoyingly competent. Despite the efforts of J. Davey, M. Hyatt, and B. Brown (0/8 off 1), he held firm, picking off the remaining runs and sealing the chase.
Hagley home by one wicket. Painfully close.
A tough loss, fellas, but a low total nearly defended thanks to a superb all-round bowling effort. Plenty to take from that.
Let’s bounce back next week and remind everyone why we belong at the top of the table.