HARTLEY Country Cricket Club have retained the Kent Cricket League Premier Division title after a five-wicket victory against Sevenoaks Vine in their penultimate game on Saturday.

The champions won the toss and elected to bowl first in a match which was delayed and then reduced to 20 overs a side because of the bad weather.

Sevenoaks, who were lying second in the league, made a slow start as they found themselves 14-4 after Hartley’s Matthew Coles was quick out of the block, taking two early wickets.

Nevertheless batsman Oliver Howick’s impressive 84 stole the limelight and dragged his side’s tally up. This included a 112-run partnership with Luke Blackaby before the latter was run out by James Thompson. Howick was eventually caught by Sam Billings off a Thompson delivery and by the time the 20 overs were up, Sevenoaks had left Hartley with a difficult but evidently achievable target of 142.

Bowler James Hockley finished the innings with distinguished figures of 2-7 from four overs.

Hockley opened the batting for Hartley and was their top scorer totalling 28 runs, while Thompson and Coles scored 26 and 23 respectively.

Howick continued in the same vein by taking two Hartley wickets, but he was Sevenoaks’ most expensive bowler, conceding 35 runs whereas Tom Parsons gave an economical performance, finishing 1-13 off four overs. However, Sevenoaks will look at this as an opportunity missed due to their bowlers gifting Hartley 30 runs in extras.

In polar opposite style to their opposition, Hartley’s was a team effort with all batsmen contributing, allowing them to surpass Sevenoaks’ total by scoring 147 with an over to spare.

This victory took their league points total to 234 and allowed Hartley to secure the title with a game in hand on a day where three of the four other league games were rained off.

Hartley will see out a successful season next Saturday away against Lordswood.

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