Interesting couple of weekends for myself, Chalfont St Giles 2nd XI and my Academy lads.
As previously mentioned, we needed a win last Saturday to confirm promotion. Bowled Pinkneys Green out for 150 from 46.4. I had figures of 12.4/2/42/4, including probably the best seven balls I have ever bowled consecutively. One of the oppo openers (who should have been out twice off our skipper but was dropped by the same colt each time) played out a maiden which had 4 spin past the edge from varying middle to outside leg lines, and two edges short of slip/gully, before the first ball of my next over coming out perfectly, drifting from middle to outside leg, then going through the gate and taking the top of middle. Managed to later on drop an absolute clanger of a caught and bowled though, my 4th dropped c&b of the season.
We then collapsed from 50/2 to 60ish for 9, with 4 ducks. Scored 6 batting 6, watched two wickets go down at the other end in consecutive balls before a few overs later getting a howler of an LBW which hit me on the strap of my inner thigh pad and was given by our ump (who later admitted he was no longer sure about it but he felt it had looked good at the time). 9 and 11 put on a few but we ended up 106ao and having to wait for promotion.
Sunday game was against the only side which had beaten us this season, Farnham Royal, who again brought their Sunday 1xi rather than their academy. They were 72/1 from 11 overs, their skip caught off me for 42 from 17, but they only got 188. Ended with 3/14 and two catches at long off. Openers then put on 113, before we lost 4 quick wickets to one bowler. Ended up with me and our 2nds opening bat, who used to play for Leicestershire 2s (or so he often tells us) putting on a quick 61 partnership to win the game, with myself getting 37no and Raj 89no. May have been a bit cocky though, and finished the game with a reverse sweep from a seamer.
Yesterday was a disaster from start to finish for the team. Top of the table clash vs Harpsden, who had already confirmed promotion having won every game this season. Got held up in traffic for Rewind festival so ended up a bit late, a problem as I was giving one of our openers a lift. Skipper got 52, me and the guy who did open 17 each, but we were 119 all out. Got my 50th scalp of the season in all forms by getting their leading run scorer, who is second behind our captain in the league stats, to pad up to a straight one second ball of the innings, but we got absolutely hammered by 9 wickets with nothing going right from that point, leaving us needing 8 points from 2 games to gain promotion with the 3rd placed team out the running having played 15 matches, whilst we have 53 points in hand over 4th who have also played 14 matches. We have games against teams we have beaten comfortably already but hopefully our momentum is not ruined by two big losses on the bounce.
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Topic: YOUR 2015 SEASON (Read 208500 times)