Ricky 2nds keep storming up the table

From bottom of the table on the 21st May, Ricky have strengthened the team and are making a steady climb up the league table. Ricky IIs (in 4th ) welcomed Cheshunt Rosedale IIs who had had managed to climb themselves to 3rd . Surprisingly and much to the delight of the home captain, Cheshunt won the toss and elected to bat. The wicket looked a touch green, and there was the suspicion that rain may interrupt late afternoon. With a side strong looking strong on paper with both the bat and ball, Rickmansworth were confident of securing 30 points.

On the back of last weeks heroics the new ball was tossed to Yash who again started really well, with Fizzy taking the other end. Opener Worboys who turned out to be Cheshunts main threat was quite belligerent and confident from the start, striking a couple of nice boundaries off overpitched balls, and at the other end Conway struck one, before Yash trapped him LBW with one which the batsman inexplicably left given that it was full and pitched on middle stick. Allan joined Worboys at the crease and despite a streaky boundary through the slips early on, never really got going, so when Yash pegged back his middle stick in his fourth over, Ricky were buoyant to say the least. Not learning from the openers mistakes skipper England went for a duck after stepping across and back to one which pitched on off and would have hit two thirds of the way up middle and leg. Yash was repeating last weeks heroics with a superb display of hostile, fast and accurate opening bowling, mixing short balls with good full balls.

At the other end Fizzy was now starting to fire, and in the most remarkable over of the match took three wickets. Firstly he bowled Richardson for a duck with a peach of a ball which had extra pace and moved off the seam. Next ball Morrison walked right across his stumps and took one on the knee roll giving the umpire no option- LBW. Gentle was the next to go in the same over playing all around a yorker which hit him on the toe very adjacent. Ten overs gone and Cheshunt were 32-6, however whilst Worboys was still there they could still post a reasonable total.

Yash was now tiring a little and Patel sent a couple of overpitched balls to the cover boundary, signalling the end of another superb opening spell to be replaced by Smithy. At the other end Fizzy wasn’t finished, and took Worboys middle stick with another ball which was quick accurate and moved off the seam . Fizzy finished with 4-22 off 7 overs and Yash 3-26 off 6 . Patels cavalier innings of 13 was ended by Smithy, bowled, and Aylott went the same way for one. Joseph hit a couple of lusty blows before Callum Cusack trapped him in front for 13. Cheshunt and Rosedale were all out for 84 off 23 0vers, and Rickmansworth were very happy with an excellent bowling performance. A couple of dropped catches could possibly have reduced this total to around the mid fifties, but all in all superb work.

Azeem and Callum opened for Rickmansworth and it was obvious that Cheshunt would appeal for everything having seen a few of their own depart LBW. Both openers were given out LBW to captain England, which evened things up perhaps. With Bobby and Bilal at the crease things were moving steadily as they had done the previous week at Luton Town and Indians. Scoring wasn’t easy but both batsmen were patient, and kept cool heads seeing off the opening pair. Jordan then came into the attack at one end , and Gentle at the other. Extras were coming thick and fast and so now were the boundaries for Bobby. Bilal was snaffled at second slip driving an overpitched ball which he would normally have dispatched through the covers. Ali Asgars much awaited return didn’t quite go to plan as he snicked one behind without scoring, whilst Waheed joined Bobby at the crease and hit a couple of crisp boundaries before being run out by a direct hit at the non strikers end. Bobby then got himself out in a carbon copy of Bilals dismissal, snicking a driveable ball to second slip, before Saffy and Yash saw Ricky home in the 24th over.

Thirty more valuable points, and a victory which sees Rickmansworth go second to Botany Bay at the halfway point. Hopefully we can keep up this level of performance until the end of the season. Next up it is 1st v 2nd as Ricky look to infliect only a 2nd defeat on the team who sit well clear at the top of the table.