Colwall's Henry Coleman smashes Garnons attack (From Hereford Times)

Colwall's Henry Coleman smashes Garnons attack

9:00am Thursday 9th August 2012 in Sport By Ian Morgan

TEENAGE Colwall batsman Henry Coleman blasted 18 sixes in an astonishing 181 not out.

The 18-year-old destroyed the Garnons bowling as Colwall 3rd overhauled the hosts’ 204 all out in just 11.3 overs.

Coleman has a liking for Garnons 2nd’s attack - he broke two bats and scored 200 in the corresponding Marches League Division Three fixture in June.

Garnons stalwart Steve Newton took the brunt of Coleman’s blitz on Saturday which fired Colwall to an eight-wicket success. “I had 2-0 from three balls and ended up with 2-48 from two overs,”

said Newton, whose side delivered a maiden over.

“He hit five sixes in a row from my second over.

Henry tries to hit everything and he destroyed us.”

Henry’s dad, Richard, was scoring the book and said his son dispatched his first ball for six.

“He’s not a great cricket lover,” said Richard, Colwall’s chairman. “He also plays rugby for Hereford Colts and is an oldfashioned number eight.

“He played cricket for Herefordshire from under- 10 level but, at about 16 years old, he decided he didn’t want to play representative cricket.

“For years, they tried to coach him to play the right way. He decided he wanted to bat his way and his ethos is very simple. He hits the ball incredibly hard.” Last year, the former St Mary’s Lugwardine schoolboy punished the Dales attack, scoring 194 from 74 balls.

Richard said: “There was a short boundary on the one side at Garnons but he was hitting the ball a long way.

“It’s the third or fourth time that he’s done this and it was so destructive and so quick. This year he’s scored 200, 181 and 108 so he’s hit in the region of 600 runs. He strikes the ball incredibly hard.”

Newton said he was helpless to prevent the whirlwind innings at The Lawns.

“Henry’s timing is unbelievable – James Bolton and I were standing on the boundary about 15 yards apart and the ball was going along the ground between us like an Exocet missile. I think there was one defensive shot in his innings.”

Henry’s two brothers, Tom and 15-year-old Freddie, who scored an unbeaten 118 for the club’s second team against Oldswinford last Saturday, also play cricket for Colwall.