“After a lull of a few weeks due to inclement weather and teams not being to get a side, Boxgrove returned to action with a home game against Pathfinders on 12 September. Rain the previous day had left the pitch damp but the weather was excellent with blues skies and warm sunshine so the scene was set.

What was expected to be an important toss was won by Pathfinders and they did not hesitate in electing to bat. Boxgrove had a few notable absentees but eleven “men” were found just in time. Thorpe and Holl returned after missing the previous game and stalwart JC lined up for his second successive Sunday match. 

The Pathfinders openers struggled to get the ball away early on against the bowling of McGeough and Mant and rode their luck as a number of their aerial shots only just cleared the infield. As they became more settled Pathfinders began to up the ante and a number of boundaries followed as the score passed 50. Once again McGeough aka “One For” struck with the final ball of his spell as, just when he had decided he simply couldn’t carry on, he produced a cracking ball that moved away and hit Marriott’s off stump. Mant continued to trouble the Pathfinders batsmen without any luck but he made up for his disappointment by taking a stunning catch off of skipper Thorpe who had brought himself on at the school end. Donnovan then replaced Mant at the Estate End and bowled with maturity. Pathfinders however continued to knock up the runs and were happy with their progress despite Thorpe picking up another wicket courtesy of a fine one handed catch by Donnovan at extra cover. With tea a half hour away Pathfinders launched a brutal attack on the Boxgrove bowling, with a number of balls from JC being dispatched into the field by Maynard with “a return to owner label”, and the score passed 200. Even the return of McGeough, arisen from the dead like the biblical Lazarus, couldn’t prevent Pathfinders from setting Boxgrove a challenging total. Barrett did manage to pick up wicket with the final ball of the innings as he tempted the impressive Maynard to edge behind to Holl to end with figures of 1-4.

Having set the Boxgrove side an extremely tough 207 to win, Pathfinders started off by keeping things tight in the field both with their athletic fielding and their economic bowling. Boxgrove openers Holl and Chamberlain however kept their nerve to see off the first few overs on what was now a drying pitch without major alarm. As a result, Pathfinders soon resorted to trying to undermine the batsmen and a riled Chamberlain was tempted into a big one but, by being a bit too early on the shot, he only managed to sky a catch to cover and he was out for 5. Barrett came to the wicket and once again looked like he meant business but he was caught backwards of square going for a shot around the corner to be out for 4 and Boxgrove were struggling on 21-2. The experienced Bailey was next down the ramp and immediately eased the pressure with a four through cover. Holl was beginning to find his range and the score was up to 43 but then Bailey was caught to perish for 5. A confident Glasspool was next in and promptly smashed two successive balls through midwicket for two apiece but when he too was also caught for 5 the score was 53-4.

Captain Thorpe came to the middle as Pathfinders were thinking that they scented blood and they were nearly right - but for the wrong reasons! The Pathfinders skipper obviously fancied his chances of catching Thorpe at silly mid off so moved himself closer to the bat. Of course the next ball was pitched up and Thorpe smashed a ball through mid off that nearly took the Pathfinders skippers head off much to the amusement of the Boxgrove batters. At this stage the Pathfinders wicketkeeper was getting particularly vocal but that only managed to galvanise the Boxgrove batters as they dug in against tight bowling and constant sniping. As it was Holl (36 not out) and Thorpe (37 not out) saw out the remaining overs without any real incident, although the former was dropped at slip at the death, as their unbeaten partnership of 61 took Boxgrove to a deserved draw. There was still time for a late injury as the Pathfinders skipper announced at the end of the game that a shot from Thorpe in the final over had dislocated his finger. We hope the damage wasn’t too bad and the waiting at the hospital too long.

So a tough game was negotiated by Boxgrove and a fourth draw of the season extends their unbeaten run to 5 weeks. Lancing Manor are next up for what will be the last home game of the season.

Pathfinders Singleton 206-4 (Thorpe 2-63, Barrett 1-4, McGeough 1-32)

Boxgrove 114-4 (Thorpe 37 not out, Holl 36 not out)