Match between the Mighty Greys and Ansty – with Biff and Jerry missing we were not confident at all, and having won the toss our replacement captain (Ben Newland) decided to bowl first. We were happy with his decision, as we had to make the most of our situation considering lack of good batsmen. Alan Gallagher had started with a decent bowling and he was trying to get the batsman out as early as possible. As hard as he tried, the opposing 2 batsmen were somewhat better than we anticipated – whenever he was close to getting them out they got lucky. When Gallagher finished his over, Ben Newland came in for the 2nd – with an uphill position to his disadvantage. Not as positive as usual, he did what he could and completed his 4 overs, taking a break vowing to come back stronger later on. At this stage, Ben told me I am to do the next over after Alan. Motivated and on the ball, I came in feeling up to the challenge set by Ansty’s batsmen – they played their cards carefully as they knew I’m a good bowler. Starting off with my usual spin bowling, the pitch was in my favour and I took advantage of that. With a slow bowl on my part, the batsman hit the ball on the leg, going straight into Zak’s hands. We broke the partnership, I finished my over and Ian was up next, as Alan was done with his 8 overs – a great spell though he was unlucky and didn’t get any wickets. Ian started meaning business, putting the pressure straight on the batsmen. Again, we were underestimated by our opponents – the next batsman who replaced the one I got out was really aggressive, with powerful hits. Still, we were not going to give up, despite some of my completely rubbish deliveries. He hit me for a couple of fours and a mighty big six. Frustrated and cursing uncontrollably, I got myself together and decided to switch up tactics to medium-fast bowling, as the spin bowling wasn’t paying off anymore. Then, with from my super-fast Yorker, the batsman sent the ball sky backWith Ben calling my name from behind, I ran back as fast as I could, covering lots of ground I managed to catch it, immediately smashing it into the ground screaming YUSSSSSS!!!!!, which has won us PSM, ending my spell. Dave aka Chiefy replaced me, starting off with some very good bowling, as usual. He was giving the batsmen chances to play all the shots and make a mistake, though to no avail. What he couldn’t achieve, Ian covered straight away with excellent bowling – getting one of the good batsmen out, and in the end he took 4 wickets. Chiefy got lucky after that, getting one wicket himself. Finally, Ben came back to replace Ian, though still struggling as Ansty had some agile young guys that managed to get runs from Chiefy as well as Ben. We did 38 overs and that was break time for tea and some nice sarnies as well as sweet treats.

After the break we began to start our batting. Dom and Alex were our opening batsmen, starting off quite well considering they don’t normally go first, and Ansty had some good bowling game going – putting pressure on our boys straight away. Dom was the first one to go out, as our opponents got the best of him. Soon, Alex was out too, so once again we did not manage to make a very good partnership. Terry “Shadow” was the man to go in, beautifully showing Ansty how to get it done, as they clearly underestimated this silver fox who showed no sign of weakness. Zak who was batting with him got out, though he gave his best. Duncan, our next guy up, did a good job blocking all the good bowls, and smashing the bad ones out. After a good partnership with Terry, Duncan got out also, but overall we were very happy with his performance. After Duncan, Ben Evil was up next to join Terry, showing excellent skills, with the added pressure of his family and mates watching. He played some great shots, and he stayed with Terry for a long time. It was fun to watch him, and he made 9 runs before he got out. We have sent in Alan Gallagher to replace him, starting off with excellent sportsmanship and skills in partnership with Terry, putting pressure on the bowlers for a long time making them visibly frustrated after all this time. They were trying to get Terry out as hard as they could, and after a very long struggle the man went out, finally – making a crucial 41 runs – coming back like a true warrior. I was up next, but despite all the pressure I just couldn’t connect with the ball properly, as they got the best of me after a couple of overs. Ben came in after me, with 2 overs left. Ben and Alan did what they could, in the end the match was drawn, though we were very close to winning (but then I’d obviously say that!). Our time was worth it and everyone had a brilliant time, satisfied with the bowling, the batting and the banter.