3rd XI vs Kew 4

You lucky things... My last report of the season!

Bagshot 3’s 198-7 – 47 overs
Kew 4’s 107-7 – 43 overs

With nothing to play for and a damp wicket, I tossed the coin and WON (or he lost)!! Yes, and normally I would chase in the hope the wicket would dry out a bit. However, Barrie easily persuaded me otherwise. With a strong batting line up, I felt confident we could post a decent total and hopefully bowl them out.

Opening with senior colts Ryan Blake and Harry Kearsley once again (after their weekend at Reading festival), they were eager to get going and batted beautifully. Very few risky shots and caressing the ball around the ground, excellent running between the wickets. A pleasure to watch. They progressed nicely to 72 before Harry got bowled by an excellent ball. Youth followed youth and Ben Horne strode out and they carried on the good work. Ryan eventually made his first indecisive shot and got caught for a great top score 40 which brought our hero JB1 (back from a brief mainly unused sojourn in the first team!).

Perhaps he had forgotten how to bat on the Valley End, but he did not last long for one of the very few times this season. I managed to slap and miss a few and all the other incoming batsmen made a few telling runs. We fell just short of the 10 point batting at 198-7.

Whether it was the splendid Patricia (now an honorary JB4 because it is the end of the season and nothing to do with her name…) tea, including Red Velvet cake , scrumptious lemon cake and coffee cake making my mind blurry, but I decided to start up by bowling with regular hero in Santosh Mandal and Ben Horne with the old ball. Both bowled tidily enough without really threatening as Kew got off to a solid start.

Then by a stroke of pure genius (it was pre-planned), young JB3 tried his luck. In fact he needed no luck as he bowled a fantastic pace, line and length. Turning the ball both ways, he could have taken a wicket every ball. Even Coco (Hedley) missing a catch did not put the youngster off his stride. What a spell of bowling ensued. 17 overs, 7 maidens, 5 for 21. Coco even helped down the other end by bowling his best spell of the season tying one end up while Josh bamboozled the opposition the other. At one stage Kew looked like folding, but after JB1 dad also took a wicket, they shut up shop from about the 30th over (last game of the season, nothing to play for, have go???? NO, it must be boring living in Kew.)

Matthew F was not his usual effective self and Ryan Blake nearly got a wicket against a resolute bottom order.
Harry K tried to extend the game by bowling one of the longest overs of the season in the penultimate over, and our batting hero JB1 failed miserably in getting the 3 wickets in the last over.

MOM: No surprise here. JOSH BALCOMBE. Pocket dynamite. And with a smile on his face (most of the time..).
Memorable Moments: THE TEA!!
Other Memorable Moments: The outgoing batsmen being asked by the one coming in to face JB3 “Whats he bowling then?”. “Don’t know, he is far too good for me”
Other Other Memorable Moments: Many many many over the season. I have enjoyed almost all of it!

It was great to see the youngsters of Ryan B, Harry K, Ryan F, Ben H, Matthew F really getting to grips with senior cricket, and wanting to open the batting, bowling towards the end of the season. Thanks to all the senior players, Mr Chuckles, AP, Coco, Santosh, Si F, Nige R, Mighty White and of course JB1 and everyone who has played for me (too many to mention!)
Thanks to Barrie (umpiring) and Richard W (scoring).
Thanks to Matt P and the various 2nd team skippers for always trying to make the right choices for the teams. Lastly the Chairman and Sec, for securing Valley End and all the help this season.

As the Mighty Rabbit says
That’s all Folks.
See you at the dinner 12th November.

PS. The extra good news is that Bracknell and Theale & Tilehurst got promoted, so we will not have to play on the ropey old pitch at Theale next season!!