Bracknell vs Frimley Green Cricket Club - Sunday 11th August 2019, 14:00

After a week's hiatus and following an abject defeat at the hands of Binsted, FGCC regrouped to play their first ever game against Bracknell. Winning the toss and electing to bowl with changeable weather, and with Sheshi somehow unable to find the ground despite the postcode taking you right to the wooden 5-bar gate that guarded the car park, Jim mixed the old and new by having Ross and Rich open up. Not a bad move as it turned out, as Rich forced White to lob one to mid-on and straight into Pranay's hands early doors. With Ross weighting in with his first wicket for the club, and Rich picking up another scalp Bracknell were wobbling at 20-odd for 3. However opener Darshana and Bracknell no.5 "Kman" Kartik - who was dropped by Ross at gully when in single figures - decided to wrestle back the advantage, and once the opening bowlers had come off decided to unleash a torrent of boundaries off Sheshi and Jim, who between them went for 36 off 3 overs before drinks. Fed up with this Jim brought Ross back, who in making Darshana drive to mid-off to Pranay (whose fielding was on point throughout the Bracknell innings) somehow engineered a run out which came straight out the Keystone Cops playbook. At the other end Kaarthav bowled a fine spell, forcing a few plays-and-misses and eventually encouraging a nick through to keeper Mark to dismiss Shakti. Although wickets continued to fall - another for Ross (thanks to a sharp catch at slip by Lloyd) and a brace for part-time wicket-machine Pranay - FGCC just couldn't get rid of Kman, who along with No.10 Badana played out the last few overs with controlled aggression. Kman ended on 110*, and with Badana ending on 38* Bracknell posted a highly competitive 220 off their 40 overs. After a banquet of crustless sandwiches first choice opening pair Rich and Mark strolled to the wicket to see what they could do about chasing the total down. Despite an early rain break which saw both openers pelt it off the field, FGCC took the early initiative and rattled along at more than 6 an over until Mark got caught behind. With 46 on the board, Lloyd came out to bat and continued the momentum, bringing up 41 with Rich until the latter was bowled by Bracknell league player Kite. This brought Pavan to the crease, who following his fine 50 against Hampton Woodlawn earlier in the season continued his good form with a series of well-timed shots, mixing his favoured dab through 3rd man with some wallops over a short mid-wicket boundary for 3 huge sixes. By drinks FGCC were 29 runs ahead on comparison score, and an unlikely victory seemed in the offing. And so it proved to be, as despite Lloyd skying one whilst well-set and Aakaash not troubling the scorers Pavan kept on going, bringing up his 50 with another 4 creamed through mid-wicket and ending his innings on a better-than-a-run-a-ball 70. With Ajay and Sheshi needing 7 to win, a couple of fine 4s by Ajay in the 34th over off the previously economical Kite got FGCC over the line with 36 balls to spare, and in doing so gave the club their highest successful run chase for over 15 years since a famous last-ball win over Tilford in 2002.