Horsham, Hornsey June 6th, 9th

Horhsam, second XI games can be a relaxed  pleasure to watch and about 100 came to see this one, including some folk from Hampshire.  It felt rather like a third day at a Championship match from decades ago: tea stall and bar no  queue, boundary perambulators, ground views without  floodlights. Just no five minute bell.

The players in 20th century style sat outside in the pavilion. Scyld Berry in  Disappearing World struck me as being a bit distant on Hants, patrons  more prominent than home-grown players. But the Second XI sides might be expected to include some  local talent: three in this game  born in the county, two through the Hampshire Cricket Academy; although in truth at least going by birthplaces and schooling  the visitors were not as local as the home side.

Hornsey, one of several venues used by Middlesex 2nds this summer. In  1959 the two counties played a Championship fixture here, one previous 2nds fixture in 1970. On the visitors team-sheet that year Gordon Greenidge, Danny Livingstone and Osburn (‘Ossie’) St C Gooding among others; Hants are a county with a decent history of giving West Indian cricketers an opening when some did not.

This week it was a second success for the visitors with Felix Organ prominent batting against a Middlesex side fielding several first-teamers. Keeping track of SET20  is not the simplest thing, but according to the twitter feed @newsofthetwos for Hants it’s on to finals day, this year at Wormsley.