A new season, a new captain, a new dawn.
Thompson, Village CC skipper no. VI, guessed correct at 1.15pm and duly stuck his side in on what one Villager described as ‘a pudding’. It turned out to be a shrewd decision however moments later the home side were 19 for 4 and staring down the barrel. Thankfully, Morgans (38) and Cressey started to rebuild and tucked into some short pitched filth served up by Peco’s first changers. A straight drive maximum from Cressey was a highlight. He soon perished and Husain briefly joined Morgans to push the scoreboard on however both soon fell in quick succession and the Village were 92 for 8 off 24 overs. What followed was nothing short of spectacular. Gupte (50*) and Misra (52*) delivered the goods in emphatic fashion to take the Village to a respectable first innings total of 202. Big hitting (loads of fours and sixes, like absolutely loads!) and excellent running between the wickets (!) were on display and a flat straight drive maximum from Misra was a highlight. Well played fellas, that was one to remember.
Buoyed by the 110 run partnership they had just witnessed, the Village responded well after the break and had Pecos three wickets down in no time at all. Ultimately, the wickets were shared around with Choudhury, Troja (or ‘Trojan’ as he was recorded by the opposition scorers), Gupte (he bowls too, you know!) and Husain bagging two each. The Village were largely in control for the duration of the innings however a strong partnership from Santa and Dheera created a tight finish. Notwithstanding this, Husain and Troja managed to limit Pecos scoring options and they fell to 176 all out. A solid start.
Post-game beers were had in the Castle (a freshly refurbished pub offering award winning drinks, fine food and exciting space) and curry consumed at Lahore Karahi (a no frills establishment serving cracking Pakistani cooking at low prices) with Misra and Gupte combining beautifully once more, navigating the menu wisely and prudently for the benefit of all. The Streak begins.
