With cloud cover and light rain predicted in the early portion of the game Hackney’s skipper elected to bowl after winning the toss. Pacific’s innings started slowly, with relentlessly consistent opening bowlers and a pitch with a few demons in it making scoring tough. The top order struggled and four of the top five failed to make it into double-figures. 

It was only when Captain Chasseaud came together at the crease with Mark Mehta that runs began to flow and the prospect of posting a defendable total started to look like a possibility. Mehta looked in good touch with a lively 25 from 28 balls, which included a glorious six over extra cover. His innings was cut short when he called Chasseaud for a single and changed his mind too late, leaving himself stranded as the bails were removed by the wicketkeeper.

When Chasseaud was caught at square leg for 26 looking to up the scoring rate, it signalled the beginning of the end for the Pacific innings. James McGinnigle and Rob Dinsey fell in the following two balls, giving Hackney’s Jotham a hat-trick and leaving Pacific 86 for 8. Mutz Siddiqui and Tim Garrett worked the ball around well and added 15 to the score to ensure that Pacific passed the 100-run mark but the final two wickets fell shortly after the century was applauded. Hackney were set a target of 102 to win. 

The cloud, cold and drizzle that had made batting difficult lifted during the tea break and the Hackney openers started their task with purpose. Mehta and McGinnigle both found their rhythm, with edges and aerial shots going tantalisingly close to Pacific hands, but nothing stuck and the runs started to clock up quickly. 

With Hackney requiring just six more runs for victory, Garrett lured one of their openers into playing an ill-advised reverse sweep from a fullish length, right in front of middle stump. The umpire’s finger pointed skyward and a 10-wicket defeat was avoided, leaving Garrett with figures of 0-1 from one over. The celebrations were short-lived, however, and Hackney sealed their victory a handful of balls later. 

CD