Ricky 2nd stay joint top after 3rd win

Sometimes a team comes together and plays the game with such enjoyment, and skill, that they become an irresistible force. That team this year seems to be Rickmansworth 2nds, who played as a team, and won as a team, for the 3rd time in a row to give them the best start to a season since 2011.

However, as usual, it wasn't a walk in the park and different players have had to step up each week. Despite losing Mark Berwick for a duck, Paul Blackwell (19) and AJ Thakur (36) rebuilt to 50 before Blackwell and then Raz Khan departed in quick succession. When Ajay got out to a good catch and Henry Hinley went next ball for a duck, Ricky were in danger of throwing away a good start at 68/5. The target of 200 set before the game looked a long way away. Then Waheed dug in to support Kamran as they pushed the score to 94 before Waheed was bowled for 12. But this Ricky team bats deep, and the next man in Naeem Khan has already established a wonderful record of selling his wicket for a very high price. Kamran and Naeem ran and scored well and put on 49 invaluable runs to push Ricky onto 143, before Kamran was out for a well worked 44. With a little support from the tail, Naeem managed to get the score up to 158. At the time, this was possibly 20 short of what would have seemed like a par score, but from 68/5, it was riches a plenty.

Needing just 3 an over, Old Cholms just needed a steady start, but Brett Harvey denied them this, bowling a stunning inswinger to remove Lethbridge for a 2nd ball duck. Enterprisingly, skipper Blackwell also opened with Ajay, in an attempt to take the pace off the ball. And this also paid dividends, as Khalique smashed to ball to a short midwicket where Henry Hinley took a blinding catch to put Ricky in control. No 4 Dave Sherry decided to dig in and support OC's outstanding player, Dave Gibberd, who was clearly a standard above 2nd XI Cricket. However after reaching 23 he lost his patience after 16 year old Henry had bowled 3 successive maidens and also lost his off-stump to a ball that must have moved 18 inches in the air. Strike One to Hinley who after his first 5 overs had amazing figures of 5-4-1-1. A Ricky legend in the making.

Meanwhile on the Nursery pitch the, the youngsters in the 4th XI, all the same age or younger than Henry, had demolished Redbourn 4ths for just 71. Wickets for the Lee brothers and Joe Monk contributing to their 2nd win in succession.

But back to the 2nd team game, and it was now attritional Cricket as the OC batsmen tried to get themselves up to a figure they could start to chase from. Yet again, it was an outstanding individual in the team who produced something special. Amit Pau, returning to the team after 3 year absence bowled 8 overs of pace and bounce that was effectively unplayable. As proven by his figures of 8.4-5-4-3. His first 5 overs were maidens. And so the OC innings ground to a halt, whilst Ricky continued to take good catches, like a stunner by Kamran at gully. Phil Riddleston must have beaten the bat 30 times in his 10 overs and his return of 3-24 could easily have been 5 or 6 on another day.

No other OC player made double figures and Amit bowled the last manfor a duck to leave them 65 all out and rather comprehensively beaten.

Ricky now travel to Southgate Adelaide looking to win their first 4 games in a row for the first time in at least 30 years