Mill Hill Village 3rd XI
Matches
Sat 29 Jun 2019  ·  Regional Division A East
Stevenage V
156
176
Mill Hill Village Cricket Club
Mill Hill Village 3rd XI
MHV 3rd XI secure back to back wins

MHV 3rd XI secure back to back wins

Thomas Smith1 Jul 2019 - 17:40
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Promotion hunt stays on track with satisfying win

Last week, the 3rd XI played at Hitchin's new multi-million pound complex, so a trip to Stevenage's 3rd ground for a match-up against the hosts 5th XI did not inspire much pre-match optimism. The ground was a substantial journey up the A1, with a small clubhouse, a boundary marked by a foot wide grass cut strip and ball swallowing hedges surrounding the pitch. A vague address / postcode for the ground also resulted in several latecomers, with only 9 at the ground at 13:00. Nevertheless, the wicket and outfield were in decent condition, the scenery very pleasant and the match was played in glorious weather throughout.

The 3s skipper, Phil Smith, decided to bat first having won the toss for the first time in many weeks. He opened with Piers Jenkins and got off to a solid start getting to 46-0 off the first 10 overs. A bowling change brought a quicker bowler into the attack, who promptly took the wickets of Piers and No.3 Joe Sheridan in a double wicket maiden. Phil Smith and No.4 Karan Chand steadied the innings, moving the score along to 108-2 by the 25th over. The Captain was bowled off an inside edge having compiled an important and stylish 62. Karan was out shortly after which brought the two Mo's, Valiji and Salahudeen to the crease. Between them, they managed to add 38 in the next 7 overs. The end of the Village innings was eventful as the visitors went in search of quick runs. 25 runs were added while losing their last 6 wickets, to finish on 176 all out off 39.4 overs. Inthi Mazeez had the only notable contribution of the tail, scoring a quick fire 19 runs to boost the final total.

The home side's chase got off to a flying start as their openers slapped any full balls for 4 early on, reaching 48-0 after 8 overs. The 9th over brought a change of ends for opening bowler Inthi Mazeez, which proved to be a genius move, as he got 2 wickets with his first 2 balls from that end. This halted the batting side's progress who found themselves 4 down by the 12th over. Run rate was never a problem but the 3s picked up a few more wicket at crucial times when the home side were starting to get control. George Leggett picked up 2 wickets in 3 balls to bring the score to 108-7 after 22 overs. It seemed as though the 3s would wrap the game up until their No.7 bat hit 23 in 1 over to put the game right back in the balance. The decisive moment came in the 28th over when Piers Jenkins took a brilliant catch running forward from long on to dismiss their No.7. Tommy Smith and Mo Salahudeen picked up the last 2 wickets to seal the victory for the 3s by 20 runs. Honourable mentions should go to Mo Valiji who got 18 runs, 3 wickets and 2 catches for an excellent all round contribution and Phil Smith for a vital 62, which was comfortably the highest score on the day.

This was a really exciting game of cricket which ebbed and flowed throughout, as both sides wrestled for control. In the end, the Village’s superior skills and in particular their excellent catching on the day, brought about the well-deserved and very pleasing victory. The 3s have now secured back to back wins after suffering back to back losses and have very much put their promotion hunt back on track.

Match details

Match date

Sat 29 Jun 2019

Kickoff

13:00

Competition

Regional Division A East
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Club Sponsor - PJ Financial Services