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Sumit Jadav ton leads Village's demolition of Chenies
A dominant batting display led by our classy openers powers the Village to a 125-run victory in a pre-season friendly, writes Jay Nandha
The sun was out, the rope was laid out and the warm-up nailed. Saturday 26th April 2025 was the date, 1pm was the time, Cricket was back.
Batting first, the Village laid down a serious marker earlier on, thanks largely to an absolute masterclass from Sumit Jadav. Opening the innings with the ever-dependable Daniel Potter (36), Sumit was in the mood to cash in, hammering 103 not out, with a strike rate of 124.1 featuring 13 sumptuous fours and three towering sixes. It was batting of the highest class and he’s showing imperious form ahead of the first league game.
Club captain and Westdown Private Finance’s very own Devraj Ray came in at three and made sure to punish every loose delivery with brutal efficiency, racing to a stylish 48 before losing his stumps. Marcus Cara followed, adding a lively 17 before being caught, while Sam Smith arrived at the crease like a man late for dinner - and he wasted no time. Sam’s blistering 81 off just 36 balls completely dismantled the attack and firmly put the Village out of sight.
Boundaries flew to all corners as he took full advantage of a tiring attack and there were more calls of “new ball please” than a “yes or no” call between the wickets. Jay Nandha (9*), finished the batting scorecard, rotating the strike and admiring the onslaught at the other end. The Village ended their innings with a commanding total of 315-3 after 40 overs that left the scorers as exhausted as the bowlers.
Chenies & Latimer, to their credit, came out swinging in reply. Their opening partnership rattled up 104 runs in no time, threatening to turn the match into a contest. But once the breakthrough came, there was no doubt what would happen next.
Alam Khan bowled with sharp control to stem the flow, Marcus Cara chipped in with crucial wickets and Matthew Hawkes showed all his cunning and craft to pick up three of his own.
Devraj Ray finished it off with three more using the famous Village sunset to his advantage.
After a strong start of 104 without loss, the opposition’s innings fell apart finishing on 190 all out, as the Village comfortably sealed a well-deserved victory.
Across the board, the team delivered a solid performance, from Sumit Jadav’s century to Sam Smith’s explosive cameo. Every player played their part in securing the win, showing the 1st XI are in good shape ahead of their league campaign, which starts in a couple of weeks.
As the evening rolled in, in Village style, the beers were flowing, the jokes were out and Lee Cara’s teeth still looked glorious. Cricket was well and truly back.