Walkham Valley vs Elephant?s Nest PLAYING host to a vengeful Elephant?s Nest Walkham Valley lost heavily, but still managed to earn a moral point. Invited to bat first, Ellie?s Nest showed a modicum of respect to Walkham?s opening combination of Mark Partington-Smith and Harry Barnes, scoring just six off the first two overs. Yet once they?d found their eye, the opposition batsmen made little attempt to hide their intent. Five successive batsmen retired unbeaten after scoring their allotted 25 runs. Walkham?s only wicket came courtesy of Richard Berry having Miller caught by Kevin Baxter to 12. After twenty overs, Ellie?s Nest had set an impressive 160 runs, a far cry from the sixty odd that they had been restricted to in last season?s memorable Walkham victory. Walkham sent out their young opening bowlers, Partington-Smith and Barnes, as much for experience as for any hope of success. While Partington-Smith was dismissed for a duck, Barnes did manage a score, securing three runs before his demise. Ex-Ellie?s Nest player Graham Vincent scurried for a tiring three runs before he was bowled by Mortimer for three, a dismissal that set off a middle-order collapse of the gravest variety. At seven down, Walkham had scored an embarrassing 14 runs in little more than eight overs, yet Richard Berry was still at the crease, and with the introduction of Simon Ward, Walkham set their sites not on victory but on survival. In the next twelve overs, Walkham did little more than double their score, amounting to a paltry 32, but in the process lost just two more wickets, both to the impressively fast Neale, who took out Berry, for twelve, and the brave Lee Gardner for a duck. At the close of their allotted twenty overs, Walkham?s final pair of John Berry and Ward walked off with their heads held high; Elephant?s Nest had recorded a resounding victory but Walkham had secured the high ground.