Following last week’s thrilling three-wicket victory at home, a much-changed 3rd XI travelled to the picturesque Oulton Park. Despite currently sitting at the foot of the table, Oulton had comfortably beaten us earlier in the season, so we arrived with a point to prove.

The toss went Oulton Park’s way, and they elected to bat first. They quickly capitalised on a good batting surface, racing to 90–1 at drinks, with Ben Kettle doing the bulk of the scoring while offering very few chances.

The breakthrough came shortly after the drinks break, as Simon bowled the well-set batsman for 68. Luke then followed up with two wickets from the other end, allowing us to gain a foothold in the match.

From there, tight bowling and excellent catching kept us on top throughout the second half of the innings. Oulton Park were eventually bowled out in the final over for 155, with Simon and Gary each claiming three wickets. A special mention goes to our resident 1st XI fielder, Matt Morris, who took three catches, further reinforcing his reputation as having the safest hands in the club.

Another run chase brought yet another new opening partnership, with Matt and George Godwin getting us off to a steady start. George fell for 13, leaving us 24–1 after 12 overs. Faiz came and went quickly, before Jack joined Matt at the crease.

The pair battled well against the accurate opening bowlers, both of whom bowled their full allocation straight through. However, Matt was unfortunate to miss one that kept low and departed for 27, leaving us 49–3 at drinks.

The break also brought a change in bowling, and the change bowler struck quickly, removing both Gav and Clive. This brought the skipper, Luke, to the crease, who wasted no time getting into his stride — dispatching two sixes into the cow field at the far end. However, the fun was short-lived, as he attempted to go again, despite a fielder being placed on the boundary, and was caught for 13.

Harry Godwin, making his first appearance in four years, then joined Jack and looked technically solid before chipping one up, which brought Sawda to the crease — one of the heroes from last week’s run chase.

At 100–7 with 12 overs remaining, a tight finish was clearly on the cards.

What followed was a masterclass in pacing a run chase, with Jack and Ian expertly putting away any loose bowling, whilst seeing off the good balls and keeping the scoreboard ticking. They rotated the strike cleverly and put pressure back on the fielding side.

The winning runs came in the 49th over, with Jack finishing on a personal best 45* and Sawda on 29* — another crucial knock from our specialist finisher.

In a season where wins were expected to be hard to come by following last year’s promotion, we’ve now recorded eight victories against six losses. That puts us fifth in the table, chasing the leading pack…