Bagshot 1st XI 181 all out lost to North Maidenhead 186-5

A brisk morning at the home of cricket saw season long injury victim Alex Dunnage cook the majority of the squad a BBQ bacon and sausage bap as we set about getting everything prepared for our new season. Very nice indeed.
We hosted last years runners up North Maidenhead in our first match since promotion from level 3, and as expected was a very tough baptism.
New format of 50/50 for 9 games and standard format nine games would be an interseting challenge for not just the team but the captain too.
Toss duly lost, #shock, we were asked to bat on what looked a grassy wicket, plus without last years star batsman Jack Grinstead who was stuck at work with Fulham U18s at the home of football, Spurs!!
Andrew Geordie Doyle and Andrew Penfold Davis opened the batting and saw off the new ball before Penners was unluckily run out backing up at the non strikers end. Geordie flourished at the other end, playing shots he must have got for Christmas as we never saw them last year, and caressed his way to lovely 50 before being caught at midwicket. Stu Derry was undone by a vicious inswinger to leave us 76-3, then on came the gun pro overseas spinner. A welcome return to the fold for Andy John, the Waqar slayer from six years ago, who has been working for 5 years in the far east, but undone by the craft of S John spin, as was JG who arrived in time to bat at 5.
Mikey Davis defied John for a well made 48, he saw Brad Passfield, Adam Passfield and myself depart for 6 combined, before George Whatling and Mikey added 48 for the 9th wicket before Mikey fell. In days gone by that would have been classed as jug avoidance, but as he is a changed man in the last couple of weeks we can forgive him the need to avoid getting the drinks in!!
Innings over at 181, with 11.2 overs to go, disappointing to say the least.

Tea not as good as normal due to oven malfunction in the winter 150th anniversary pavilion works, but we soldiered on through and it was still better than 95% of the rest of the league anyway.

I opened the bowling with Georgee, and made an early breakthrough, but the new "wide" rules were proving tricky with the left/right hand combo, and try as we might the seam attack which also included Brad and Adam was pretty toothless. It was left to last years star bowler Jonny Atkinson to steady the ship and put a semblance of a contest on the match, and four wickets in a ten over spell gave us a glimmer of hope, but we were soundly beaten in the end, Bukhari 57 and Butt 52 not out our chief tormentors.
On to Windsor away next week, back to the drawing board, availability hopefully better as the season imroves.

MOM Geordie for his best innings as a BCC player by far, long may it continue.