4ths team playing in style

With Both the first and second team’s playing away the 4’s were treated to an opportunity of playing on the main pitch.
For a lot of the players it is the first time playing a competitive match on it. With the big crowd watching and the electronic scoreboard. No more changing in a shed!

With the sun shining and no rains to spoil the flow like last week The captain Marvellous won the toss and decided to bat first.After the last weeks heroic’s , Vishal and Graham were entrusted to open the batting again and tasked to set a platform. Boxmoor started with their quickies Rufus and Paul.

With the belter of a track, and fast outfield, the opening pair didn’t disappoint. This wasnt a small ground like usual, but County standard.
So, they played a sensible game of punishing the loose ones regularly with some fine shots and defending the good ones as they went past 50runs in first 10 and 100runs in 16overs. It was a joy to watch and cemented the pair after their 120 stand last week. Yes there were a few dropped catches by the opposition, but you have to ride your luck.

Boxmoor brought in their tricky veteran John Scot . He didn’t disappoint and got Graham LBW just on the stroke of the drinks break . And then, life returned to normal as the team went from 124-0 to 148-5 by the 26th over with the veteran taking 4 of them . Cometh the hour cometh the man, Matt Atkins walks in and steady’s the ship along with Jack Lee and the pair upped the score with some good shots.

Selfless Captain Prasanth promoted others so that they get to bat and he himself came in towards the end and hit a flurry of shots .

4’s kept on loosing the wicket’s regularly and finished a very respectable 229 with an over to spare. And it was up in lights too !

After the break and with confidence high of the target the 4’s opened with their stalwarts Nas and Hanuman. With a couple of maiden overs both bowled brilliantly without conceding much and already Boxmoor were out of the game, barring a miracle. The first break through came in the 7th over where the batsman edged on Nas’s quick bowling to the slip and Matt fumbled but caught while falling over & banging his head. He returned after a concussion break.

Nas had to attend a marriage so he left after his spell and 4’s braved it with 10men. Jack and the captain came in as the first change and continued the fine effort and each picking up a wicket along the way. Prasanth made the second change bringing in the young guns, magic spinners Callum and Viren. Both troubled the batsman with their varying pace and spin .

Callum clobbering the stumps of one and Viren LBWing the highest scorer .Viren bowled exceptionally well and got
3 -19 with one of them getting caught by some quick reflex by Graham behind the stumps, literally scraping his gloves on the floor to take the catch one handed. Hanuman got one of the batsman runout from a direct throw from the fine leg .

With the black clouds looming over our heads the final change of Soham and Neil bowled some good balls and the opposition finished on 113. Neil was unlucky not to pick a wicket but he did however pick an a dolly catch at Mid-on.

With a total team effort and 2 back to back wins in style the 4’s are flying high and could take top spot in the league with another win next week.