Fleet CCFleet CC vs Frimley Green Cricket ClubFGCC

Opposition won the toss and chose to bat first. Amit poked opposition skipper Rasheed that at least they’d won something that day, a gentle preview of how the rest of the afternoon would unfold. We had a strong team and this confidence came from that.

Rohit and Anam opened the bowling with the calm efficiency of two people who had done this many times before. The batsmen responded by taking their time…a lot of time. Runs arrived at a leisurely 1-2 per over, as if they were being delivered by second-class post. After 5 overs, they had managed only 6 runs.

Then Anam decided to get adventurous and went for the kill by switching from around the wicket to over the wicket. The batsmen, apparently grateful for the change in scenery, immediately found the boundary a few times and collected 12 runs in the over. Anam quietly returned to his original plan, and the batsmen politely resumed scoring at their earlier, minimalist pace. We were happy with not taking wickets, as long as runs were not adding on the scoreboard.

In the 10th over by Anam, Ashraf produced a direct hit from mid-on that suggested he may have been practising a mix of javelin throw and darts in secret. The run-out was our first break. Naren and Hafiz then took over, keeping the run rate under 4 per over maintaining the steady pressure on batsmen.

Hafiz clean bowled the second opener in the 14th over. Their dwindling run rate took a big hit and it slowed down even more. In the 20th, he added two more wickets in three balls. Next pair of Swaroop and Ritesh continued the trend, collecting wickets with minimal fuss. Swaroop removed one in his first over; Ritesh collected three across his spell. We had saved Ashraf for death bowling, but with 8 wickets down, death had already arrived. Ashraf bowled only one over when Swaroop finished the innings with two wickets in consecutive balls, ending their effort at 140 all out in 32.3 overs.

Amit and Pinang opened the batting with no pressure whatsoever. They played as though they were enjoying a pleasant walk rather than chasing a target. Sometimes, it’s not the destination but the journey, which is more enjoyable. Then in the 4th over, Pinang got unlucky and was caught, the cricketing equivalent of stepping on a Lego brick. It felt more unfortunate than a crisis.

Ashraf came in with the determination of a man who refuses to leave a party early. He and Amit built a long, comfortable partnership, scoring at more than 4 runs per over. It was the kind of batting that suggested they were in no rush to finish the match, possibly because the weather was nice.

But all good things come to an end eventually. Ashraf got caught in the 19th over, and Amit followed soon after, clearly deciding that batting without his partner was not worth the journey any further. There was no panic though as they had already done the damage; only 42 runs were needed in 20 overs, with a strong batting line up still waiting in the dug up.

Father and son, Swaroop and Shiv, took the crease and enjoyed some wholesome family bonding while casually finishing the game in next 8 overs. Swaroop achieved the target by hitting a boundary in the first ball of 29th over, finishing in style.

Except for one misfield that rolled to the boundary, our fielding was tight throughout. Ashraf’s run out and his mid-on catch were the standout moments.

A composed bowling performance, a relaxed chase, and tidy fielding combined to make this one of our most comfortable wins, the kind where everyone packs up early and still feels they’ve had a full day.