IN AN ATTEMPT to mix things up a bit, having covered the local derby between Hartley Wintney and Basingstoke, I decided to cover Hook and Newnham Basics’ game at Rowledge last Saturday.

It’s a choice that I don’t regret making.

Not only did Hook claim a good victory that keeps them very much in the hunt for the Southern League Division One title, but I also had the pleasure of witnessing Jordan Hobday’s first league century.

Hobday is still in his mid-20s, but it feels like he has been around forever. He was in the Hook team the first time I went to see them play six or seven years ago and his talent has never been in doubt.

As a teenager, he was opening both the batting and bowling for Minor Counties side Berkshire, sending the ball down at a really quick pace and smacking it to all parts when it was his turn to bat.

How far his talent could have taken him, I’m not sure. It’s possible that he didn’t have the patience to succeed at a higher level, but sadly, we’ll never really know what he could have achieved.

Back in 2010, while spending the winter in Australia playing cricket, Hobday suffered a serious knee injury, from which he has yet to and may never fully recover.

Things do seem to be getting better. Last year, he was playing exclusively as a batsman and struggled to field anywhere other than the slips.

This season he is back to bowling, admittedly at a somewhat slower pace than he used to, and on Saturday, having impressed for the second team to earn a call-up, he gave notice that he is back to his very best with the bat.

He had been due to bat down the order, but having restricted Rowledge to a fairly low total, captain Matt Love took the decision to make early inroads into the target and promoted Hobday to the top of the order.

It was a decision that he did not regret as Hobday and fellow opener Ben Thane took the bowling apart in the early stages of the innings.

Hobday was especially impressive, taking advantage of the fact that Rowledge had to have most of their fielders inside the ring in the early stages with some clean hitting over the top. It took him just 24 balls to reach 50.

However, the really impressive part was still to come. A few years ago, I joked with Hobday that no matter what score he got, he always gave me an excuse to use the phrase quick-fire.

Watching him on Saturday, my mind returned to a similar innings played on the same ground before he got injured.

On that occasion, Hobday smashed the bowling to all parts and got to 67, but he didn’t change his game when Rowledge were allowed to put more men back and ended up getting caught in the deep.

It seemed he only had one way of playing, but the second half of his innings on Saturday showed that he has matured as a batsman.

When the fielders retreated, and having already swung the game decisively in Hook’s favour, Hobday was able to switch gears, milking the bowling.

It took him a further 61 deliveries to make his second 50, not slow by any means, but he was in total control and fully deserved his maiden league century.

It was easy to see what it meant, not only to him, but also his Hook team-mates, who have seen him battle through his injuries.

Hobday has been advised not to play cricket by doctors in the past. To come back and play the way he did on Saturday is astounding. For Hook’s sake, I hope he can keep it up.