First 30 points in the bag!

New season, same players unable to tell the time...

Despite being told a 12 o'clock meet for a 1pm start, three of the third team somehow interpreted this as a 1.00 meet for a whenever you fancy start. Fortunately having lost the toss again we were inserted on a damp wicket. Unfortunately the missing players were numbers 3, 4 and 5 in the batting order and with only ten players to begin with, we barely had enough players to get the game started with umpires, scorers and batsmen.

Luckily Joe and Matin didn't give anything away early, so by the time Joe chased a wide one and nicked behind, the remaining players had arrived (and in Ali's case departed again for 20 minutes as he had something to do... Trust me I'm not making this up, this is what I have to deal with on a week to week basis!).

Matin was looking good and was helped by the opening bowler's penchant to bowl a short and wide ball. Dan Penny came in looking to repeat the previous week's score, but didn't look as fluent and was bowled trying to heave one through mid wicket.

Matin too was also bowled soon after leaving us at 60-3, but Naz produced a counter attack, not for the first time, to swing the game back in our favour. He and Ali batted well together, with Ali initially playing good foil to Naz until he got his eye in, with the two of them putting on a partnership of 70 odd.

With Naz taking a liking to the other opening bowler, the opposition skipper took the pace of the ball and it reeped immediate dividends as Naz tried (unsuccessfully) to hit the ball into orbit, fell over and was probably more chest before wicket than leg before.

Ali was stumped in the next over, and with Lawrence and Shahme departing cheaply soon after it was left to Chris O'Brien and Ali Ilyas to get us to a good score of 206-8 off 43 overs.

The comedy gold continued after the tea break with Ali Sayed yet to appear having driven off again, resulting in us starting the innings with 9 players. Lawrence opted against the new ball, deciding instead to give Chris O'Brien an opportunity early doors.

Chris fully justified the faith shown by picking up the top 5 and taking his first 5-for, for the club, utilising the long hop that doesn't get up to devestating effect. Lawrence supported well from the other end, but didn't threaten too much and it was the debutant Shaun who ended up picking up the sixth wicket. Joe departed after 15 overs leaving us with 9 (it was agreed beforehand, he wasn't doing an Ali Sayed or a Suleman)

A stubborn partnership then ensued with one batsmen limpit like and not wanting to play any shots at all and the other heaving everything straight and on a length through mid-wicket.

Having already used six bowlers and taken the new ball, Lawrence gave Ali Sayed the shout and he duly obliged pegging back the off stump. This opened an end up, but the limpit wouldn't budge, so we resorted to putting everyone on the boundary just to give him a single.

With 2 overs to go we still needed another 2 wickets, but Dan Penny found some sideways movement to get a plumb LBW. With eight balls to go and their captain at the crease with the limpit it wasn't looking great. Dan bowled a ball similar to the previous delivery except this time it was to a left hander so despite the vociferous appeal we were denied. Only Naz had noticed that the batsman had walked out of his ground, so ran to the stumps and broke them, giving us a much needed win.