There is a saying in motorsport to the effect that the only lap that a racing driver needs to lead is the last one on which the chequered flag is waved. That indeed was very much the story of Henley’s campaign in Division 1 of the Home Counties Premier Cricket League as Henley ran out champions in successive seasons. Henley topped the League briefly in Week 9 after the victory away at Aston Rowant, but otherwise, Welwyn had their noises in front throughout, that is until the dust had settled in Week 18 and Welwyn found themselves 16 points adrift of the Champions.

In many ways, Welwyn had themselves to blame, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Henley at the Brakspear Ground in July, dropping points in the run in, and perhaps also counting their championship chickens before they were hatched on the last day of the season, having dismissed Oxford for just 150, but then being skittled out for a paltry 76. 

But the truth also is that the better team won the Championship. There is no doubt that Welwyn are possessed of some extremely talented players, particularly their skipper Nick Walker who has had several opportunities in the first class game. They are also currently possessed of the best seam attack in the League and some quality batters. But collectively, Henley are a real unit and when it comes to leadership, the rather hot headed, mercurial and excitable Walker could take a leaf out of Bjorn Mordt’s book in terms of guile, experience, tactics and an overall approach to the job of skippering. 
At the outset of the season, the learned editors of The Wisden Cricketer magazine had their money firmly on Henley for the HCPCL 2010 Division 1 Championship. Perhaps they knew something that others did not and, true, there was little about Welwyn’s 2009 campaign which suggested that they would be contenders in 2010. 

But in hindsight, and over the distance, no one apart from Welwyn really pressed home a sustained and effective challenge. Wycombe, always doughty adversaries, had the sort of season that Henley endured in 2008, spending the first half in the basement, playing far below their abilities and ending up mid-table, though getting the better of Henley on both occasions with a winning draw at Henley and a win at London Road. Oxford improved considerably on 2009. Tring trod water, recording the same league position (4th) as in 2009 and scoring one less point in 2010 (262). Banbury went backwards, doubtless missing Ant Bullick. Radlett marked time and Harpenden have a rainstorm of tropical proportions to thank in the Week 17 game home to Henley which denied the visitors victory by a wicket and gave the home side three vital points which enabled them to tie on points with Potters Bar and send down Bar, having lost one fewer game. Bar were left to rue Tim Phillips’ success at Essex, which denied them of his services, and to wonder how Aussie overseas Matt Milton could be so prolific in Western Australia and yet have such a miserable summer in England. And finally, Aston Rowant said hello and goodbye. Paradoxically, they showed a lot more heart than a number of other teams and have some promising and talented young players. A bit of canny recruitment and less reliance on skipper Wesley Morrick and they could find themselves back in Division One as a force to be reckoned with. They are the sort of club that will learn from this campaign and return the stronger. 

Besides, it is a lovely place to go and watch cricket on a perfect summer’s day and has the added attraction of being close at hand. Time there was when Division 1 was extremely local in its composition, but these days, there are plenty of long journeys into deepest Hertfordshire and for 2011, a trip to Bishops Stortford to look forward to. 

If Henley ultimately took the chequered flag, they were extremely slow off the grid, failing to close out a regulation victory against Tring in Week 1 when several senior players seemed to have forgotten how to bat. That ring rustiness continued into Week 2 as inept batting enveloped almost the whole team (bowler Kyle Hodnett apart), dismissed for just 95 as Welwyn won by 4 wickets, a margin that flattered to deceive. The Henley faithful had to wait until Week 3 for the first victory of the season as Carl Crowe (107no) and Todd Ferguson (59) led the way to a score of 291. In reply, Radlett had no answer to a rampant Tom Lambert (6-27), all out for 107. Rain denied Henley the opportunity to reply to Oxford’s 177 in a weather foreshortened Week 4 game, whilst in Week 5, Henley never looked like chasing down 265, but held on for the draw home to Wycombe, 8 down for 195. 

If the first month had been rather lacklustre down in mid-table with the Welwyn express disappearing into the distance, Henley really clicked into gear over the next four games with successive victories over Banbury, Potter Bar, Harpenden and Aston Rowant. By the end of Regatta Saturday and at the halfway stage in the season, Henley were top of the League. Mordt, Nick Denning and Carl Crowe saw off Banbury for 144 and a 7 wicket win followed as Jonno McLean (52) led the way with the bat. At Potters Bar, it was another 7 wicket victory as an unbeaten 76 from Michael Roberts saw the visitors home and the victory margin was the same in Week 8 as the visitors Harpenden had no answer to Lambert’s fiery 7 – 34. At least Aston Rowant took 4 wickets as Mordt (71) and Crowe (49no) chased down an inadequate 165.

Life at the top was short lived as Henley just about got the better end of the draw on a blisteringly hot day at Tring. A difficult pitch did not help anyone much though Tring probably had the bowlers most suited to exploit it, allied to some ultra defensive fielding settings.

The scene was this set for the Week 11 top of the table clash with Welwyn. To this day, they are probably still kicking themselves. In trouble at lunch on 95-6, Henley fought back to 210 all out thanks to Crowe (61) Mordt (35) and Hodnett (41). At tea, Welwyn were 119-4, and even at 171-6 with Walker still at the crease, Welwyn had all the time in the world to pick off the runs. Instead, they went for glory and had no answer when Hodnett (4-80) decided to bowl full and straight. Henley held their nerve, Welwyn did not, and it was as simple as that. The downside was that this was Tom Lambert’s last game for the season as his back gave out. He would be missed.

Week 12 saw Henley get the better of a draw at Radlett, but it was a frustrating day as Radlett never looked like chasing down 241 (McLean 86no, Crowe 67no) but Henley just could not break down and finish off a youthful Radlett line up. The following week though it was back to winning ways as Henley saw off Oxford by 7 wickets (Hodnett 6-95), Mclean (83 no) once again in the runs. Just a point behind Welwyn, Henley travelled to Wycombe and turned in perhaps their worst display in the field as Wycombe chased down Henley’s 237 (Mordt 79, Allaway 41) with 5 wickets to spare. The trip to Banbury the following week proved fruitless as all matches were washed out. 

Next up in Week 16 were Potters Bar. Crowe (152 no) was in awesome touch as Henley posted 300 in just 59 overs. Henley undoubted missed Lambert but at least Keegan was back from Sussex duty to pick up three wickets. But it was another palpably frustrating day all round as Bar finished on 200-6 and an opportunity to close on Welwyn went begging. If the Bar game was frustrating, the trip to Harpenden was doubly so. Put into bat on a mud pie of a pitch, Henley struggled at first but were rescued by an imperious unbeaten 108 from McLean and 69 from Mordt. Harpenden never looked like getting Henley’s 225, but at 140-9 were rescued by a torrential rain storm that gave them 3 points for a draw that would preserve their Division 1 status.
A win at Harpenden would have made all the difference and would have put Henley in the driving seat on the last day of the season. As it was, all Henley could do was beat Aston Rowant and hope that Welwyn slipped up at Oxford. Both these events came to pass and that was that.

The 2010 campaign had a very different feel to it compared with 2009 when Henley lead the way throughout, but chasing down a championship was equally, if not more, satisfying, winning 8 games drawing 6 and losing 3 compared with 9, 5 and 3 respectively in 2009.

Player of the season by a mile was Carl Crowe whose 634 runs at an average of 106 and 42 wickets were the foundation of many a victory. He, Jonno McLean (577 runs, av 57.7) and skipper Mordt (596 runs, av 49.7 plus 29 wickets)led the line this year with the bat and invariably, it was one or two or that trio that fronted up in most games. Openers Dave Barnes (273) and Michael Roberts (312) who led the way in 2009, enjoyed less fruitful campaigns in 2010. Barnes’ form was variable throughout the year and although Roberts established himself as an opening bat for Berkshire in 2010, there were a number of occasions when he failed to convert promising starts in the League into big runs through impatience and/or rash shot selection, not to mention the odd tough umpiring decision. Other contributors with the bat included Todd Ferguson (142) Dave Allaway (143), Kyle Hodnett (107) and Chad Keegan (109). Keegan spent most of the summer with Sussex but, when available, gave his all, and added bonus was that the opposition were always very wary of him. Ferguson missed out on the 2009 campaign but returned to live and get married in Henley in 2010. His keeping was, as ever, outstanding as 23 catches and 7 stumpings bear witness.

On the bowling front, there is no doubt that without the contribution of Mordt’s deceptive medium pace and Crowe’s canny spin, Henley would have struggled. Mordt indeed frequently had to open the bowling. Tom Lambert missed the last six games through injury and probably should not have played in the two games before that, but still notched up 25 wickets and was the architect of victory home to Harpenden (6-27) and Radlett (7-34). It is likely that had he stayed fit, Henley would have won at least another three games. Injury prevented Kyle Hodnett from bowling in the first four games of the season and, Oxford and Welwyn at home apart, he never quite got to grips with the demands and decks of the HCPCL, nor did he have the rub of the green, taking just 18 wickets. Keegan’s availability was limited to just 5 games (8 wickets) and although Euan Brock made 12 appearances during the summer, his opportunities with the ball were extremely limited. Nick Denning proved once again to be a useful partnership breaker (15 wickets) but was sparingly deployed.

Overall, Henley used just 17 players in their 2010 campaign, of whom 12 players played 12 or more games, and 4 players, 5 or less, so the core of the team in terms of personnel was strong throughout the year. This reflected itself in a never say die spirit, a collective will to keep going in adversity, and an ability to keep their nerve and turn situations around and all those qualities all found expression in (Wycombe away apart) top notch fielding throughout the season. Without doubt, Henley are the best and most committed fielding side in Division 1 and some of the catching and stopping this year was exceptional and out of the top draw.

 
It was once said that team spirit was nothing more than an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory and true it may be that success on the field tops up the spirit in the dressing room. But the Henley first eleven and indeed the Club as a whole are living proof that team spirit and the collective will not merely to win but not to be beaten and to work with and for each other has to exist in the first place. 

With Henley’s First (HCPCL Div 1) and Second (TVCL Div 1) Elevens competing in 2011 at the highest levels they can (with just Division 2 West of the HCPCL separating those teams) and the Third Eleven being the highest placed third team in the TVCL, there has never been a better time for cricketers of ability and with a desire to develop themselves and their game and to push themselves to join the club and seek to establish themselves in those teams, play at a high level and also to enjoy a vibrant and friendly social side that Henley Cricket Club has to offer.