Last gasp win for 2nds in thriller at Tolpits Lane

It was with some trepidation that a combined team under the guidance of Stefan, called affectionately Stefan's heroes, arrived at KGV to take on an almost full strength WTCC 2nd XI featuring ex-Ricky 1st teamers Usman, Farhan and Ibby. This was not going to be an easy game on a pitch that was looking typical for a late April damp one and an outfield which in places resembled a cabbage patch.

Winning the toss, Stefan chose to bat first and it was hard going for Paul and Stefan on a damp, bouncy wicket, though 20 was on the board before Paul played round a straight one for 9. Vijay and Owen didnt hang around for long enough to make an impact, scoring 4 and 3, before Waheed came in and immediately had the joy of facing a spinner.

The runs began to flow, before Stefan was out for 22 off 58 balls. Hard going but great time in the middle, with boundaries, and even singles, at a premium. It was probably worth double that on a normal deck. Ethan came in and hit a huge 6 before getting run out by a bad call from Waheed. However this spurred Waheed on to excel and with last years batting hero Saffie, the score was doubled to 145. Saffie went for 10 and Syam looked great for 6 before he too was run out. Waheed got his season off to a great start with 59, to rocket to the top of the batting charts after Week 1, whilst a collapse at the end saw Ricky finish maybe 15-20 short on 159.

The bowling for Ricky was tight from the beginning with Hanuman, Safraz and Syam all bowling exceptionally well. Syam got 3 wickets and the other two got a couple, however Ibby was still in and playing solidly. Anything short he pounced on and he was shepherding his team home. There were good catches by Ricky, who didnt actually drop one chance that was offered, but Watford only needed 40 off the last 10 overs to win. Having used all his usual bowlers, and the sun setting behind one end. in a masterstroke, Stefan brought on spin at both ends, in 'DJ' VJ Pail and lottery winner, Waheed. 17 needed off 4 overs and 4 wickets in hand...

VJ got a scuttler though batter number 8, and the accounted for the next batsman LBW. The last over arrived with WTCC needing 4 to tie and 5 to win and Ibby on strike. 3 runs later, and Ibby decides to finish the game with a smash into the Watford Cycle Hub (and Cafe). The ball was sailing towards the boundary when young Ethan ran and dived full length to take an astonishing catch just a foot off the floor. What a boy.

Huge celebrations ensued as Ricky had pulled off the impossible. Man of the match to Waheed and champagne moment has to be that catch. A great all-round team performance and a first win of the season for Stefan's heroes !

[The photo is Waheed in full flow, about to put another 6 over the boundary]