The 2’s had bounced back in style from being held to a winning draw at Chertsey and looked to build on the momentum of a crushing victory over Alleyn and Honour Oak by extending our league at the top of the table against second placed Streatham & Marlborough.
Having blindly followed the sat nav through the middle of pretty much every busy high street possible during our run into London as well as employing a well thought out “accelerate through amber lights” policy whilst leading our convoy, I am pleased to report that Captain Jase raised his game and won the toss on what looked like a raging green top. In the event, not even neglecting to cut the pitch could counteract the London heatwave and very little misbehaved off a pitch that, back in April, might have resulted in a 3PM finish.
However, we were not to know this as we took the field and early inroads seemed the order of the day. Such inroads did not come and, despite tight bowling from Nick and Tommo, the openers for Streatham made steady, if slow, progress. Chances looked like coming as the ball beat the edge with regularity but, when an edge was finally found, Shep did the rest by shelling a relatively straightforward chance at 1st slip. It took a double change of bowling to finally generate a breakthrough as both openers fell in quick succession to James and JC with the score 77-2.
At this point it looked as if the normal course of events this season would occur, a partnership develops but is broken and then the wickets start tumbling regularly. Eldridge fell next to make it 103-3 but it was not to be as a 50 partnership between Hassan and Shaza was finally broken by an LBW appeal from JC being answered in the affirmative. It would be fair to say that the bowling and fielding was not of the standard we set ourselves this season and Streatham made hay as stand in captain Brinsden blasted a run-a-ball 50 to see us concede 200 for the first time this season. In fact, Streatham went well beyond 200 setting us a relatively daunting 255 to win off our 45 overs. The bowlers stuck to their task well despite it not being the best day at the office for them or our fielders. James and JC picked up 2-40 and 2-51 respectively with Nick bowling an unlucky first spell but bagging a couple at the end to make up for it with 2-50.
After tea we knew we needed to get off to a bit of a flyer and what better excuse for Jason to try and blast his way back in to form. He did so with a belligerent 38 off 34 balls and, despite losing Justin early, when Jason’s cameo ended we had a good platform and were ahead of the rate at 82-2. Then, not for the first time in the last few years, it was over to Messey. With an average already above 100 he had given it away a few times in the 80’s recently… not today. He and Karan “you’re the worst batsmen I’ve ever seen” Singh sapped the will out of our opposition with a game sealing partnership of 123. Singhy looked like he was a little short of time at the crease but, as the innings went on, he started to reach his fluent best and Messey was simply brilliant. When Singhy fell for 47, Messey took it up another gear securing his first hundred of the season and going on to end with a mammoth 142 not out off 138 balls. Tommo was the only further casualty as a potentially difficult chase was negotiated by an easy 6 wickets with 5.4 overs to spare.
It is a sign of how well we have bowled and fielded that this is the first time we have really been able to flex our batting muscles this season and it was a terrific 13 points. This result meant Woking & Horsell leapfrogged Streatham into second place and it is them who we play next week.
Streatham & Marlborough 255-6 (55 overs) Heanley 2-40, Wellman 2-50
Valley End 259-4 (39.2 overs) Messenger 142*, Singh 47
VECC: Redwood*, Gray+, Messenger, Singh, Tomlinson, Shepherd, Blackmore, Wellman, Reedman, Heanley, Coleman.
