Haffner leads LM Vale to opening league victory

This is an important year for Vale - their first in Division 2 of the Chess Valley League - and they will be delighted to have produced such a comprehensive performance in their debut outing.

Ickenham won the toss and elected to bat first, but would have regretted that decision after an action-packed opening over.

Steven Allweis (2-38) set the tone for Vale's display by bowling the home side's opening batsman with the first ball of the match, and just three deliveries later Ickenham were two down thanks to a brilliant run out by Jonny Gould.

Jack Davis (1-38) and Rayno Greenwall-Cohen bowled impressively in tandem to tighten Vale's grip on the game, before the spin twins of Benjamin Lederman and Adam Brand rattled through the overs to turn the screw on the hosts.

Lederman (1-35) did the damage to the opposition, taking a wicket to establish Vale's position of dominance, whilst Brand did the damage to himself: a dislocated finger ending his participation in the match and sending him to the nearest hospital. 

Vale bounced back strongly from that blow, with Allweis taking another wicket in the closing overs to restrict Ickenham to just 206 off their allotted 45 overs.

With small boundaries on three sides of the ground, Vale would have fancied their chances at the interval - and despite the losses of Brand and Gould to injuries, they started strongly.

Ben Kohler (25) played elegantly with shots all round the ground before he was dismissed, but his wicket served only to welcome the powerful Lederman to the crease to join Alex Haffner.

Lederman (60) continued his rich vein of form from his previous outing by striking Ickenham's bowlers to all parts and placing Vale firmly in control. Batting at four, Jon Galloway (18) then helped to guide Vale to the finish line.

All this time, Haffner (77*) had been busy at the other end, playing the anchor role and making sure he was there to see LMV home. With a series of delicate late cuts and measured clips through midwicket, he took the sting out of the hosts' bowlers and it was fitting that he struck the winning runs to seal Vale's victory with almost 13 overs to spare.