1st X1 vs Long Handborough 11th August

In a repeat of the fixture earlier in the season, Hand borough were demolished in double quick time on Saturday. Following his template for success the skipper again won the toss and invited the opposition to bat. With Ross applying the final touches to a wedding banquet and Sanjay getting lost, there was an element of risk to this strategy as we took the field with 9 men.
The captain running in from the pavillion end soon made the first breakthrough, pinning Busby on the back foot and giving the umpire an easy decision. The second wicket pair of Wagerfield and Rose then sought to consolidate and took the score to 41, before Stanners found a good one to bowl Rose. Wagerfield soon followed, as he fended the skipper to Strong at short leg, as the wicket displayed some variable bounce. Dove and Wood then added 30, the highlight being Woods hook for 6, when Rose edged Leighton James to the keeper. Wickets then fell at regular intervals as Scrivener and Strong joined the party with 3 and 2 respectively. It was soon over in the 42 over, when the last wicket fell with the score on 122.
Any ambitions Handborough had of making an early impression on an uneven wicket were soon dashed, as Bilyard launched a couple of trademark drives and we reached 26 by the third over. It was not quite straight forward as Stevo received a nasty blow to the elbow from a ball that 'spat' off a length. It happened again soon after and this time the ball took the glove and lobbed to the waiting short leg. With Baggs signing on with a boundary and Tom deciding that this was not an afternoon for running, the scoreboard raced to 60 before the former became another victim of the wicket. This brought Mead to the wicket and no less punishment for the home teams attack as the score reached 100 in the 14th over. Mead holed out to Busby with the job nearly done and Tom completed his 50 and the afternoons work when he drove the same bowler for 6. With 3rd placed Cumnor drawing, one more win could see us promoted, although with the championship in his sights, the captain remains focused on the bigger prize.