Low scoring thriller ends in damp disappointment

The Village 1st team visited the pleasant Cockfosters CC ground and despite light drizzle, the match got underway with little expectation of it reaching a conclusion. As it turned out, a result was secured and whilst it is difficult to recall the rain actually stopping for more than a few minutes, it never really got heavy enough to warrant a departure from the field of play.

Phil Smith, standing in as 1st team skipper in the absence of David Overton , duly won the toss and elected to field first. Saahil Mehra and Shash Seem picked up a wicket a piece as early pressure was applied and the home side found themselves at 26-2. By which time, reinforcements had arrived in the shape of the Cockfosters 1st team skipper, arriving late following the cancellation of his own game. Sayers flayed a series of boundaries from the pace bowlers, forcing the introduction of new recruit Obaid Ur Rehman. 10 overs 2 for 28 was a very tidy spell of bowling from the handy off break bowler. It did help that Sayers (35) was removed shortly after his introduction, by a sharp Marcus Cara slip catch from Saahil's (2-39) bowling. The score at the fall of this wicket was 70-3 and from there on the home side stuttered along, losing wickets regularly. Andrew Potter caused the middle and lower order plenty of problems with his good line and length and was rewarded with excellent figures of 4-17 from 6 overs. Mohammed Amir came on at the end to take his first wicket for the Club and deny Mr Potter his '5 for'.

123 seemed like a fairly comfortable target, even on a damp and deteriorating deck but it proved to be anything but. With the score at 51-1, the Village were cruising along comfortably. Marcus Cara continuing his good form from the previous week was again in punishing mood, to anything full or short. Phil Smith (20) was proving to be an obdurate foil at the other end, keeping out the opposition's 1st team skipper, who it turns out bowls pretty sharply and a good deal quicker than anything seen by the Village, while competing in the middle divisions of the SHCL over the past few seasons. It is a good while since the top order have had to contend with head high bouncers and toe crunching yorkers.

With the 2nd wicket pair having seen off 8 of Sayers 10 over spell, Marcus Cara inexplicably played around a straight ball and was bowled for 32. It proved to be a turning point. The usual achilles heel was apparent once more as the Village middle order succumbed to some decent but unspectacular slow bowling in the middle overs of the innings. 57-2 became 97-8 as the game swung significantly in favour of the home side. However, the 9th wicket partnership of 25 between Ur-Rehman and Shash Seem swung the pendulum back in the visitors favour when there was just 6 runs to win with two wickets in hand.

Having batted well to this point, an injudicious shot across the line from Obaid causes his demise and the reluctant Steve Pullen strode to the crease once more to be hero or villain. His second ball found a top edge and flew high into the damp grey skies. The bowler called for the catch and promptly dropped it. Relief for the onlooking Village team mates and dismay from the Cockfosters faithful was all too short lived as it became apparent that communication between the two batsmen had failed spectacularly. As the ball rolled out of the bowlers grasp towards the wicket keeper, the Village pair were both stood in the middle of the pitch deciding who would go where, amid frantic cries of Yes, No, Wait. By the time, the pair had worked out their preferred destinations, a Cockfosters fielder had retrieved the slippery ball and removed the bails, with Shash Seem unfortunately run out, well short of his ground. A comical run out and a cruel finish to a game the Village should have won.

Despite it all, the 1st team remain at the top of the division, having secured 11 points rather than the 10 points for a rain off and with no other sides in the division completing their game, 41 points from 2 games is enough to sit above the rest, albeit by a very slender margin. This was a real missed opportunity to take a maximum 30 points and steel a march on the rest of the division. The Village welcome Redbourn IIs to Burtonhole Lane next week. Let's hope for a drier and more successful day.