Needing a few points to ensure Division 9 survival, the 3s took on the league leaders, Navestock at Great Braxted.
After last week's boundary markings, the fallen tree branch had been removed, so we took down the police crime scene tape to make the boundary its usual shape & the tree was worth 4 again.
Debutant Ant &, making his first appearance for the 3s, & Ben Bot Ridge were welcome additions to the team.
John lost the toss & we were put in to bat. Ben & Billy opened up & got all the way to drinks without losing their wickets, scoring at almost 5 per over. What was going on? The rest of the team were surprised that we were not 3 or 4 wickets down for not many runs. But, Ben was scoring at a run a ball, already having reached his 50, & Billy was providing excellent support.
After drinks Billy was dismissed for a really good 22 & Jacob went out to support Ben. Jacob helped Ben with some quick running & Ben continued to bat superbly. He was proving impossible to get out & he reached his century without giving any chances to Navestock.
Then, we had the usual surreal situation that only happens in the 3s. Along the boundary strides the representative of the Parish Council to inform us that the police crime scene tape needs to be reinstated, as the tree has been condemned. So, the police crime scene tape is reinstated, the boundary is changed & the tree is now worth 6 again!!
Jacob was out trying to accelerate near the end of the innings & we lost a few wickets at the end when the batsmen had a go to get the total as high as possible. We finished up on 223, which was a total that we should be able to defend.
Bring your own teas was good for most, who remembered their teas.
Harry opened the bowling with a full toss that was almost a no ball, edged for 2. Next ball, down leg side, the batsman flicks at it & gloves it to Jacob, for our first wicket. From the other end James was his usual reliable self. But, bizarre moment number 1 - Jacob fumbles the ball & it trickles onto his wicket keeping helmet, on the floor behind him for 5 extras.
Next comedy moment occurs when the batsman top edges it for a skier, straight to Ant. But, a no ball is called & the batsmen go for a run stopping due to confusion in the middle, as Ant keeps hold of the ball , proud of his catch. Eventually Ant listens to everyone shouting "throw it in" & the batsman is run out. 2 wickets down & not many on the board. The 3s are on top.
Ant & Jamie had a few overs each, Jacob B & Tom finished off before drinks, when Navestock had got themselves back into the game, with a series of boundaries & good running. The score was similar to our score at drinks, so the game was evenly balanced. Tom continued after drinks & then John came on as well. Another bizarre cricketing moment, when John is no balled, because Jacob took the ball in front of the stumps. The square leg umpire must have looked at all 5 camera angles for that decision.
The game continued along similar lines, Navestock keeping up with the required run rate & the 3s starting to become a bit sloppy in the field. Tom, then bowled out the Navestock opener for 86, which got us back in the game. James took a catch soon after, but, still, Navestock were on route to a victory. The Navestock batsman reached his 50 & as long as he was in Navestock were in command. In the final 3 overs, with 15 to win, James got him out & we stood a chance. Last over, 2 required & an edge brings defeat for the 3s.
Losing to the league leaders, soon to be league champions, was disappointing, for the second time this season. We could have won both games against Navestock, but, in this game, we were not good enough in the field, either batting or fielding. 4 dropped catches & a number of misfields were our downfall.
Of course, Ben was the star man, with his century & a number of the team went to The Bull to celebrate by drinking Ben's jug................
