IT’S not always easy to make a match preview interesting, but every once in a while a manager or captain does my job for me.

When I rang up Hartley Wintney captain Jamie Teale to talk about Saturday’s game against Basingstoke and North Hants, I went into the conversation thinking that, at best, I would come away with a preview in which he said the pressure was all on Basingstoke.

How wrong I was.

When I suggested that, having won last week and with the Bountymen flying high in the league, the pressure would be off Hartley a bit this weekend, Teale replied in a manner I could never have anticipated.

You can read the article here, but in short, he launched into a full-frontal assault, describing Basingstoke’s batting as “weak” and their bowling line-up, other than Martyn James, as “easy”.

As a journalist, you have to be careful when people say things like this, making absolutely certain that they know they are on the record. When Teale had finished deconstructing Basingstoke’s batting, I responded by saying something along the lines of: “Wow, that’s fighting talk”, half-expecting him to ask me to forget what he had just said.

Instead, he turned his attention to his next opponents’ bowling. Again, I tried to make sure I could use what he had said, telling him he had given me plenty to write about. Teale’s response was simply to say he was glad.

I had more fun writing that story up than I have any other for a while and ever since, I’ve been fascinated by Teale’s motives.

Publically digging out opponents before matches is something that most people try to avoid, and with good reason. A couple of the Basingstoke players were the first to retweet the story when I put it online and I can only assume that if they weren’t already fired up for Saturday’s game on the village green, they certainly will be now.

Maybe Teale just said what he felt, without really considering the consequences, but I find that hard to believe.

Basingstoke haven’t batted well for a few weeks, that much is true, and by drawing extra attention to it, it’s possible that Teale was to ratchet up the pressure by a few notches.

He also gave away his gameplan should he win the toss, which will be to field first, putting more pressure on a side that haven’t been doing well with the bat.

I can’t help but wonder if that might be a bit of a red herring. If Basingstoke’s Chris Froud wins the toss, the chances are that he will choose to bat first on what is likely to be a good batting pitch.

However, with Teale having made it clear that he wants to field first, a seed of doubt may be sown in his mind and he might let Hartley have first use of the pitch. Is that what Teale secretly wants?

When it comes to Basingstoke’s bowling, Teale has made it clear that he wants his side to attack Martyn James, generally considered one of the best, if not the best bowler in the league. Is he trying to get into the seamer’s head and put him off his game before a ball is even bowled?

The other bowlers, who Teale dismissed as “easy”, will certainly be out to prove a point. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a Hartley batsman facing Graham Porter, who is pretty quick for that level of cricket, on Saturday. Expect a few short balls, while the wicket of Teale himself will be particularly sought-after and probably celebrated with added gusto.

But maybe that’s exactly what he wants. If Basingstoke’s bowlers are so determined to prove a point, they might end up bowling badly.

Either way, Teale’s comments have added an extra bit of spice and interest to the contest, which must be a good thing.

Whether he was right to come out with them, we’ll find out tomorrow. If Hartley win, they were justified, but if a fired-up Basingstoke come out on top, which is what the form book says should happen, then Teale will have some explaining to do to his team-mates.

I’ll be at the game – and I can hardly wait. There’s certainly going to be plenty of banter and sledging flying around and as long nobody steps over the line, that’s fine and should add even more to the occasion.

I will be completely neutral, but in a strange way, I hope that Teale's tactics work. Assuming he's sat down and thought out a way of getting into the Basingstoke team's collective head, it's a brave play. It might also encourage other people to give me explosive interviews!

I’ll be covering the game live, so check back tomorrow to see how the drama unfolds.

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