Title hopes go on

Yet again Village took to the field looking to cement their position as league leaders, on a day when the weather threatened to interfere with the day's proceedings. Understandably then, skipper Danny Potter won the toss and put the opposition in for what would be a tricky spell at the crease.
It wasn't long before openers Marcus Cara and Shash Seem started to cause trouble for the batsmen, with the first wicket in just the 2nd over as Seem removed one of the openers for 0. His opening partner lived a charmed life for a period of time, before he himself was removed for 10 via a chance run out.
Rarely did the opposition threaten to rack up a decent score, seemingly too eager to hit a 6 off every ball instead of solidifying the innings. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals with Cara, Andrew Potter and Obaid ur Rehman claiming 2 scalps each, while Seem and Maj Asif took 1 apiece. The innings ended on just 78 with James Thompson plucking a one-handed catch out of the sky with aplomb. Village will be keen to rectify the volume of extras that allowed the opposition an extra 17 runs.
Village set about chasing a teasingly low total with Danny Potter and Naz Asif opening up. Despite a solid looking first few overs, Potter was soon caught at mid wicket with the side on 26. Devraj Ray, in at number 3, added 19 with Asif before the latter was stumped somewhat embarrassingly when he looked in and set to take the side to victory.
Ray picked up a steady stream of singles, occasionally adding a boundary as Village continued towards the required total. Despite the fall of more wickets than they would have liked, it was eventually Thompson – in at 6 – who hit the winning runs over the boundary, bringing Village their 3rd consecutive win and a much deserved 30 points.
If the commitment and energy levels can be maintained, this looks to be the side to beat with a title victory firmly in sights

By Devraj Ray