Old Elizabethan’s first XI remained on course for a very tight finish to the season as one of 5 teams who could still steal the last promotion place on the last day of the season.

Arriving at Hatch End on Saturday just gone with a team fresh from a confidence boosting victory it was quickly noted that this day would not be like many others. A park pitch, 1 very long boundary, 1 tiny boundary, no opposing umpire, a burnt down clubhouse and half of the outfield the length of the rugby field ready for the new season. Challenges lay ahead.
Win the toss and bowl Smirnoff the team were saying….he didn’t! What a let down!

Go get 200 the skipper says, and with Kappa off to a flyer this looked as if it could be the case. This before Kappa and Clive were involved in a mix up which left Kappa short of his ground and run out. Enter Sat Nav, who began some clean hitting causing some trouble for their bowlers who after an erratic start were beginning to find their lines and lengths.
The scoring rate slowed and soon the top order suffered a minor collapse with Sat Nav, Clive and then skipper Smirnoff all losing their wickets with not much being added to the score, albeit still a half decent total of 120 on the board at this point on a pitch not conducive to high scores.
Gibbo and Milo begun the rebuilding process with Gibbo looking more ‘in’ on this pitch than any other this season….it beggars belief it really does. How can you find form on this! Gibbo even takes advantage of the short 30 metre boundary by smashing 3 sixes all of which crept over the boundary rope. Still well done on your first ever 6 mate. Shame it was on an under 11 wicket! Champagne moment….I think not! Anyway his knock of 55 on a poor wicket dragged OE’s back into the driving seat and with Milo looking comfortable against a turning ball at the other end the rebuild was well and truly on.
Dutchy and then Cassie enter and add some long handle hitting. Cassie in particular hitting very cleanly against their ‘quick’ bowler who disappeared back over his head. With Milo gone the steadying job lay with Olay. And he hit a four through the offside (to the aforementioned under 11 boundary!). And with 49 overs gone and 232 on the board Smirnoff decided to declare. Giving the bowlers the best chance of getting the 10 wickets and 30 valuable points.

The bowlers who have not let the team down all year had to perform against a small boundary and a group of batsman who liked to throw their bat at most balls, as notably this happened third ball of their innings with Dutchy going for six. Herbie opened up from the other end, and did all but get a wicket, as did Dutchy from his end, was it going to be one of those days? A sprinkle of rain came making the ball difficult to hold, so Smirnoff turned to ‘H’eratio Patel and he soon had the ball misbehaving off the pitch, swinging and seaming and causing trouble for the batsman. Dutchy then has one dropped by keeper Gibbo who went with one glove when 2 was always the way to go, and another ball spiralled and was not taken in the field. Was it going to be one of those days? Sat Nav joined H’eratio in the attack and was also unlucky not to have a caught behind, or a stumping.
H’eratio strikes not long after and on a pitch now offering something to the bowlers it was never easy for the incoming swinging batsman. Chances continued to come, but all were falling out of reach or frustratingly being shelled by the fielders, a total of 7 in all counted by a member of the team.
H’eratio was now in the middle of a long spell and was joined by Cassie the two of them looking very threatening in between the rain spells, and both getting just rewards for their efforts. Cassie taking 3 wickets again and H’eratio taking a couple. With 2 overs lost to rain the team still had a chance to gain victory, and Sat Nav and Dutchy both picked up a wicket a piece at the end to leave the team with a total of 17 points at the end of the day. With the weather threatening to ruin the game this must be seen as 7 points gained rather than 13 points lost.

So going into the last game of the season 3 points off promotion lets hope the rain stays away and we get the results which are needed starting with a big 3-0 for us.
If you have not got a game this weekend please feel free to come down to Gypsy Corner and support you’re first XI in their push for promotion. All support is very much appreciated.

And hopefully we will see a member of the club with clenched fists come 8pm saying “GET IN THERE!!”