Low scoring thriller gets away

The less said about the Village batting display the better. There were few excuses for the paltry 86 amassed. Majid Asif top scored with 21 and Dave Overton batting at 11 scored 13, to show those who came before that the pitch was more than playable.

Despite this woeful display the Village same out fired up. The bowling and fielding was of a high standard and this put the pressure back onto the increasingly nervous Flamstead batting line up. Wickets kept falling and it was clear that a tight finish was shaping up.

The climax came with the fall of the 8th wicket, leaving only one pair left to bat, as the Flamstead 11th Man was a no show on the day. the last pair needed 2 to win. The skipper miss timed the ball in the air towards mid off. Phil Smith sprawled full length to secure the winning catch but the ball rolled agonisingly out of his grasp as he hit the floor. In the panic, the Flamstead batters had set off on a quick single. Jay Nandha swooped on the loose ball and took aim at one stump at the non-strikers end. He missed and the throw was not being backed up. The Flamstead pair scampered back for a second and winning run. Two chances for victory were missed on a single ball and a sour tasting defeat was all that the Village secured.

Very few points were secured here as a result of the poor batting, so relegation remains a real possibility heading into the final match.