Nobody knew that, when Herefordshire lost their knockout match against Somerset in early February 2020, it would be 2 years, 7 months and 19 days before they played another county match. The journey up to Cheshire therefore marked a long overdue return to County action, with a promising result giving hope that a solid season lies ahead.
Several members of the team recalled the last time Herefordshire played away at Cheshire in 2015, a 36-4 (263-130 shots) defeat at a tricky venue, that certainly limited expectations as to what could be achieved, albeit 7 years later. Clear progress can therefore be seen in the 29-11 (215-160 shots) result, with many games being decided on the final ends.
The morning session saw some incredibly close matches, including a narrow 13-12 victory for Joe Loveys in the singles. However, the greatest plaudits for the day have to go to the “Fours” made up of Jim Knowles, Claire Herbert, Mark Cinderey & Peter Wright and David Millington Jones, Alan Link, Bryan Watkins & Steve Kite. Across the day, they secured 7 of the 8 points on offer as well as the bonus points to give Herefordshire a foothold in the game. Unfortunately, these impressive results could not be replicated in the other disciplines as the experienced opposition made the most of their home advantage on difficult mats to put themselves top of the group following the first round of games.
Congratulations go to Sophie Heather-Warner, Bradley Kite, Jim Knowles, Alan Link and Bryan Watkins who made their Herefordshire debuts and we wish them and the rest of the team the very best of luck for the season ahead.
