A season opener to forget!

Not much went right in this league season opener. The Village lost the toss on a hot day and were asked to take the field. The Shenley CC openers got off to a brisk and positive start, taking advantage of some fairly wayward bowling and a bit of luck along the way. They reached 100 without loss when the wheels really started to come off. Captain and opening bowler David Overton pulled up with a hamstring tear and had to leave the field. A couple of overs later, the Village created their first real chance when Majid Asif persuaded one of the openers to try and hit him over mid-on. Dan Potter stationed there had to back pedal rapidly to get under it. As he took the catch he fell backwards and hit his head hard on the ground, while he struggled and failed to keep control of the ball. It was clear he was concussed and he too had to leave the field. This left the Village with the prospect of fielding with 9 men for the rest of the innings on a huge outfield, a hot day and an attack stripped of a couple of bowling options.

All that considered, it was a decent fighting performance from the remaining players. It was full defensive mode from that point on, until Saahil Mehra came back for a 2nd spell and picked up a couple of wickets. The Shenley middle order looked a lot less likely to score heavily than the top 4. It will probably be a theme of life in this Division that early wickets will be crucial. Shenley compiled an imposing 316-5 in their 50 overs. It would need something very special to overhaul that total.

The required inspiration was lacking from the Village batting order. Shenley had a few accurate and experienced bowlers whose tight spells put the Village innings behind the rate early on. In truth the chase never looked likely. Jay Nandha top scored with 41 and Majid Asif looked good when scoring 34 not out. The team mustered 170 in the 35 overs they survived and picked up just 10 points for their efforts.

Things can only improve from here. Opening day defeats are becoming a very bad habit for the Village 1st team. Lack of preparation, fitness and form are not easy to excuse. A bit more dedication to winter nets and pre-season friendlies would be required if the trend is to be reversed in seasons to come.