In the build up to this game we had promises of heavy downpours and windy weather. The possibility of the game being called off lurked somewhere in the shadows. However, the old adage remains….Where there may be nationwide deluges there will always be cricket played at Middleton! As it turns out it was all a big hullabaloo as we encountered a rather pleasant, if blustery day with the sun coming out to join us in the latter stages of the game. This blessing complemented by the fact that for the first time in forever Middleton were able to field two sides of excellent calibre!

Having won the toss, skipper House inserted the opposition on what already looked a sticky wicket. Boundaries would be few and far between and run scoring would be tough! This proved to be the case as MSCC took 3 very quick wickets and the HB Occasionals had to rebuild slowly. The MSCC bowling was tight and disciplined and wickets were shared all round. The fielding was exceptional and certainly added to the pressure for the batting team. Special mention goes to Dan Harris for his sterling efforts in the field! Another special mention goes to Seril “the Deuce” Shah who succeeded in taking another wicket with his second ball of his spell for the second consecutive week! It all adds up!! HB Occasionals recovered to post 134 for 7. IT was one of those totals that would be challenging on this sort of pitch.

After a brief sojourn the MSCC openers strode out to create a base and chase down the total. Scoring proved equally difficult for the home side and HB Occasionals had a very good bowling attack. Howard Lancaster looked solid and fluent as he formed partnerships with his fellow batsman to set up what seemed to be a comfortable chase. A flurry of quick wickets saw MSCC surrender a commanding position to one of contemplating a draw out of the jaws of victory or even worse, a loss! Needing 28 off the last 4 overs out strode Simmo to join Jason Williams in what would hopefully be the match winning partnership. Simmo showed true grit to Jason’s heart and these two saw MSCC to victory with 4 balls to spare!

So another last over thriller!! A wonderful win for Middleton and many many thanks to all of the Harry Baldwin Occasionals for being such wonderful and gracious opposition. I look forward to next year