Match report by Neil Megson
What another absolutely miserable day to play and watch cricket,this excuse of a summer has just about done for me,the really good news is next weekend I predict temperatures in the high 80s and summer will finally arrive…
On the plus side a 34 run win for the 3rds in a game with some of the most inept batting I’ve seen in some time….
The third toss in a row won by me,more than happy to have a whack, Adnan out early but Craig Haupt and Fred Crook put on 60 as we were very well placed indeed.. Fred out for 15,more good signs from him.. but at 79-2 from 22 the rain came and we lost a large chunk of overs from the game.. When we resumed the game had become a 39/35 over game.. We had 17 overs to bat, a score of around 180 not out of the question in my view, but dear me we batted poorly,a mixture of do we just bat propley or crack on and the indecision costing us.. Only Haupty with another excellent innigs of 64 holding us together.. We lost our last 6 wickets for 20,2 worldie catches and Tom Anderson unluckily run out backing up contributing.. Stonesfield in fairness bowled well but we really didn’t help ourselves and 136 was 40 short of where we should have been..
We then needed to catch everything and bowl well,with such a small total to defend i felt it was our experienced bowlers needed to stand up and stand up they all did.. Tom Anderson got two early wickets,one an excellent slip catch by Haupty.. Ollie Murrey getting one too, we chipped away at regular intervals, 2 wickets for Craig and 3-29 from Adnan Ahmed in a cracking spell kept us ahead of the game, it was then left to
Murrey to come back and get 2 wickets in an over as we shot out Stonesfield for 102…excellent catching again by us,2 by Haupty , Ben Miller and Fred Crook also getting in on the act.
A other close match in this division that is incredibly tight from top to bottom…one slight concern for me is 3 pretty ordinary batting performances by is in our last 4 games, something we must improve on moving forward… thats the first half of the season completed, we are currently top,we are definitely not going down.. An absolutely fabulous jamboree of cricket for fans of the third team next weekend,Great Horwood at home in the league on Saturday and Oxenford in the Airey Cup also at home on Sunday in scorching heat,bring it on … Onwards.