Woodley vs Frimley Green Cricket Club - Sunday 6th May 2018, 13:00

FGCC's first game of 2018 saw yet another nail-biter in the warm Berkshire sunshine, with over 500 runs scored in this first ever encounter with Woodley CC. Thankfully winning the toss on a blisteringly hot May Bank Holiday weekend, Captain Jim was pleased to have long-standing opening partnership Rich and Mark reunited for the first time in a while. Setting the tone for the run feast that was to follow both duly delivered, Rich's first scoring shot off the 3rd ball being duly carted over square leg for 6. Together both batted superbly, with their first wicket stand worth 108 off 17 overs before Mark was adjudged LBW. With Rich departing in the same fashion 3 balls later having already brought up his half-century, and then Adam succumbing to a nippier one from opening bowler Munshaf, Ajay and Suresh came together and kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely with a combination of textbook nurdling and good strike rotation throughout in the face of some testing slow (and at times unorthodox) bowling. Once Suresh trudged off and with a decent score firmly in the offing Anam - who'd previously promised his captain to focus on his batting after a couple of uncharacteristically low scores at the end of last season - took a few balls to play himself in before going to town, smacking 3 6s in 6 balls (one of which - a straight drive over the sight-screen - was a peach) on his way to another quick-fire 50. With others having a swing Ajay played a terrific anchoring innings, the vast majority of his runs coming in singles until he decided to join the party with a huge 6 of his own to bring up his debut 50 for the club - a fine effort. Closing their innings at more than a run-a-ball, FGCC were confident of cantering to an easy win... ...or so they thought, because once the Woodley openers got in things quickly started to run away. Bowlers came and went, Jim going through his various options both full-and-part-time to try and make inroads. Eclipsing FGCC's opening stand with 140 in 21 overs, and with Naufil smacking the ball all over the shop on his was to making 85, FGCC were guilty of at least 3 drops and had at least one seemingly plumb LBW shout turned down. Cue Sheshi, who by upending Upendra's stumps made the crucial breakthrough. FGCC's tails started to get up, and in the next over Anu returned and took a fine caught and bowled. With Rich finally ending Naufil's dominance and Anu chipping in with another - thanks to a 'worldie' of a catch by FGCC stalwart Tim Jones - it was left for Anam and Rich to bowl the last 10 overs with exactly a run a ball required. Whilst both took wickets the target still remained in reach for Woodley, 14 subsequently being required off the last two overs. A superb final over by Rich only went for two runs, and then Anam and Rich worked together to run out Pradeep before the current FGCC all-rounder trophy holder got set to bowl his last ball with 6 needed to win. With Pawan only able to grab a single to Third Man, FGCC finally sealed the win that at Tea seemed an inevitability. *NOTE - this is the first time since 2000 that 3 FGCC batsmen have scored 50 and above in the same innings. Tim Jones was also involved in this game, as well as the one where this previously happened in 1992 (CREDIT - 'statto' Huggett)