Fresh from our third loss of the season we faced table toppers Outwood at home on The Brown in a crucial match if we were to retain any hope of winning the league. With the wicket and square looking immaculate a member of the opposition could be heard questioning the reason for the brown looking outfield. Not sure where he has been for the past month and a half but clearly the lack of rain had escaped his notice.

A chorus of bat firsts could be heard from the team as the skipper walked out to the toss. For once there was no doubting the right thing to do. Up went the coin. Heads their skipper called. Heads it was. Many, many expletives went off in the skipper’s head preparing to break the news to the team that we were fielding in 30 degrees. We will have a bowl came the surprising call from their skipper. Very interesting. They clearly do not rate our batting it would appear.

With Noel away it was Dan Seaman opening up with Lewis and unfortunately Lewis could not manage a 3rd hundred in as many innings departing in the 5th over. At 27/1 Joe then joined Dan at the crease and in the 8th over was replaced by Benj with the score at 50/2. Maybe the opposition knew something we didn’t after all?

Dan, elevated to opener, was batting very very well though and sat on 33 from 28 when Benj joined him. An important period in our season if ever there was one, maybe the most important, and the pair moved us on nicely to 82 before Dan fell at the end of the 17th over. It was a very very good knock from Dan and very important in the crucial circumstances. As we all clapped him off the field the team asked each other how many they thought he had made and that we were all surprised he hadn’t made his 50 having scored so well. Turns out he had made his 50 a few balls earlier and everyone missed it. That was probably why he got out.

82/3 and Miles was out there now joining Benj with 23 overs left in the match. It was very very important to rebuild the innings which the pair did very nicely. This was probably the most crucial period of our season. Make or break. Sink or swim. Do or die. Benj brought up his 50 with an absolutely massive 6 over the clubhouse followed by a beautifully flicked 4 off his pads, 2 glorious shots. How many balls did it take I hear you ask? Well I have absolutely no idea because there was some kind of issue with Frogbox but what I can tell you is that It was a very good 50 indeed.

At the other end Milo was smashing either 4s or 6s or lobs up to fielders, who thankfully dropped them, and rapidly moved into the 30s. If Milo bats more than 20 balls we will win this game, the skipper was heard saying to Joe. Sadly, Milo was out on his 20th ball for 33 valuable runs and a very nice 79 run partnership with Benj. It didn’t matter though because Benj was batting beautifully at the other end and looked odds on for a hundred only to fall, unluckily, 8 runs later for a very well made 60 from 57 balls and the score now at 169/5 and then 175/6 when Pep was out for 10.

With 12.5 overs left we had 2 new bats at the crease. Westy was on zero having faced zero balls and Lushy was also on zero having faced zero balls. There have been few more important periods in our season. Make or break, some might say. Fortunately the pair did exactly what was needed and took us to drinks at 30 overs having added only 3 runs but crucially adding zero to the wicket column. “Would you take 250 if it were offered to you now” someone said. Someone else said I would eat both of your arms for 250. “What about 240”? 1 arm. “220”? No arms. With that debate settled both Westy and Lushy batted superbly putting together a match defining 64 run partnership before Westy was bowled with 4 overs remaining for a brilliant 43 from 31 balls. The skipper was out first ball swinging from the back foot as usual leaving Simon and Lush to see us home and to a score of 262/8. I think we would have eaten a few more arms for that at various points in the innings. Lushy was unbeaten with a very well judged 28 from 33 balls and Simon added a very well needed 8 from 10. 262/8 having been put in? Not bad at all but only half of the job.

After a quick lunch and a team talk that may or may not have revolved around ramming their coin toss down their throats (or words to that effect) intertwined with many coughs and splutters, it was Lush to open down the hill with Pep up the hill. Both started well but it was clearly a road of a pitch and their openers played some good shots and some big shots (losing Lushy’s favorite ball that was just about to hoop in and take their opener’s off stump) so at drinks, after 15 overs, they were 90/0. Time for spin at both ends.

With Milo bowling from the top end and Joe from the bottom and it was Milo who made the breakthrough in his 3rd over with an assured catch from Benj on the boundary. 95/1. 1 brings 2 was the chat in the huddle and Joe duly obliged taking the 2nd wicket a couple of overs later after their dangerous number 3 scooped it miles, miles into the air. The unnamed keeper sees it go up and does not want it. He moves heavily, weighed down by the enormity of the moment. He sees Ollie Marriner running towards him and momentarily thinks of shouting “Ollie’s” but grows a pair and takes what is, in reality, an absolute dolly but felt like the hardest catch in history. 103/2 and the run rate was starting to creep up and despite Joe bowling well the skipper decided to mix it up bringing Benj on from the bottom end. “Well bowled, cough, Joe. Cough, Cough. Top, cough spell. Be…cough…Benj next over…cough cough…bottom end” Motivational stuff.

With Benj into his 3rd over and Milo only having 1 more to go at the top end, with the score on 156/2 and 13 overs remaining, wickets were crucial. There had perhaps been no more important period in our season than this. Do or die, make or break, fish or fowl. This was it. In runs Benj, ball 1. Full toss and a single. Gritted teeth nervous glances. Ball 2. Hits the toe, in front of middle and leg, “Hoooooowwwwwwzzzzzatttttt” the team go up with a BIG appeal and it is out! Come on!!!! 156/3 and their opener, who was on 74 is gone. Although according to the scoring their number 4 had gone, but he hadn’t gone, their opener had gone. Massive. What a ball. Ball 3. Dot. Ball 4. Dot. Ball 5, big swing and he’s not got it. High goes the ball, higher. Milo is racing in from long off but Lewis is moving calmly towards the ball, focused and…….caught! Out! 2 wickets in the over and 157/4. Massive and in the most crucial period of the season. The make had been well and truly breaked.

At drinks and the 30 over mark the oppo sat at 166/4. With 97 runs needed and 6 wickets in hand there had perhaps been no more crucial period in our season so far. With Milo having bowled his 9 overs in miserly fashion Joe was back on but now from the top end but it was Milo to make the break through at the end of the 35th over. In the 5 overs since drinks the oppo had added another 30 runs and were looked to take 2 runs to the arm of Milo and that, as is very often the case, was a mistake. 197/5 with 5 overs left. There had been no more critical moment than this.

Next ball, in comes Benj and a big swipe from their number 4 brilliantly taken again by Lewis, although according to the scoring the number 4 was still in and then Benj does it again with his 4th ball putting down a beauty that clean bowls one of their batmen, ahich batsmen is anyone’s guess at this point. More importantly the score is now 199/7 with 4 overs left and not long after 209/8 with 3.1 overs left after Joe puts down a beauty to bowl their number 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. Could we take the final 2 wickets to crown a top top performance? We could and specifically Benj could taking his 5th wicket stumped by The UK and then his 6th wicket again stumped by The UK in between coughs bowling the oppo out 33 runs short for 229.

It was a brilliant win with many many season defining moments and looking back I think it is fair to say that we won all of the key moments. Posting 262 after being stuck into bat set the tone and whilst there were many top knocks the innings from Dan (51), Milo (33) Westy (43), Lushy (28*) and Benj (60) were outstanding. In the field the effort all round was a pleasure to be a part of with everyone getting their bodies behind the ball, backing up and taking their catches. All of the bowlers contributed brilliantly but the 3 spinners of Milo (9 overs 45/1), Joe (9 overs 55/2 ) and Benj (9 overs 55/6) really controlled the game and took key wickets when they were needed. It was a great win, in a make or break game. Could it be the springboard for a title push? Maybe it could.