Record to the rescue

On what turned out to be another sunny morning down at Crockham Hill, in the East Surrey Cricket League ("ESCL") the U9s took on Felbridge for the second week running, this time in a league clash. The ground was unusually quiet as the North East & Central Surrey Cricket League ("NEC") game was conceded by the opposition at short notice as they couldn't get a team out. The prospect of sharing a planned tea for forty between just twenty players meant our NEC team mates were not missed too much. Thank you to Emma Green and Sarah Record for laying on the teas for the adults and children alike.

If the boys were at all resting on their laurels after last week's win, they were soon fully focused as the Felbridge opening batsman helped himself to thirty one runs off eighteen balls as he and his partner put on forty seven runs in the pair without losing a wicket. Four different Oxted bowlers were unable to make a breakthrough.

Freddie Scutt making his first appearance of the season after recovering from his broken arm bowled a tidy 5th over conceding just three runs. With some pressure now applied for the first time in the innings, Josh Morel was able to spin one past the bat in the 6th over taking out the batsman's middle stump. In the final over of the pair Ollie Kelvin bowled a maiden (no runs or extras scored) and Felbridge had only progressed to 256-1 after 8 overs. Sam Bream stamped on the brakes a little more, conceding just one run off his over before late stand in George Abel picked up a double wicket maiden (both bowled) to leave Felbridge on 249-3 at the halfway point.

Felbridge then upped the scoring rate again, averaging ten an over for the next four overs and not losing a wicket to move onto 289-3 after 15 overs. Once again we needed some inspiration to slow them down and Freddie Scutt stepped up. After being hit for a six the ball before he responded with some extra bounce and the batsman could only top edge behind to a diving wicketkeeper. Further wickets fell in the 17th (Harry Record bowled), 18th (Ollie Kelvin with a catch by George Abel) and 20th overs (George Abel with a catch by Harry Record) as Felbridge closed on 308-7. A very decent total but one we knew we were capable of getting and not as high as it looked like it might have been at a couple of points in the innings.

Plenty of good balls from all our boys, but still scope to improve our accuracy in training as we bowled a total of nine wides and fourteen no balls in the innings. With both bearing a bonus of two runs for the batting side we gifted forty six extras to the opposition. They were no quite so generous back, leaving us more to do with the bat in hand.

Saying that, their opening bowler struggled with extras himself. Despite five no balls being bowled, William Satterley wasn't to be put off his normal game plan of finding the boundaries as he helped himself to a six and two fours. Wickets fell in overs two and three but William and Josh Morel still finished the pair ahead of the required rate on 230-2.

Sam Bream and Frederick Bruwer shared a productive partnership losing just one wicket to move us onto 250-3 after 8 overs, with Sam hitting the boundary twice.

Our third pair of Freddie Scutt and Jacob Green had to contend with some more accurate bowling. After a good first over wickets started tumbling and we ended the pair on 248-7.

Things were looking a bit dicey as Harry Record and Oliver Gilham strode to the crease. Never fear though as Harry smote the first three balls he faced for 6,4,4 although his Dad and the scorer still think one of those four's went for six! Oliver, suffering badly from hay fever, batted extremely sensibly hitting the balls into gaps as he scored five singles from the first eight balls he faced to rotate the strike and allow Harry to keep biffing the ball to all parts of the ground. Only one wicket lost in the pair and we were right back in the game on 285-8.

Ollie Kelvin hit a couple of fours in the 17th over, but after a tight 18th over and a run out on the second ball of the 19th over, we found ourselves still needing eleven to win off the last ten balls. Taking his cue from Harry's exploits George Abel now decided to dispense with getting them in singles and hit the next three balls for 4,4,6 off a bowler who had only gone for four runs off his first two overs. Now ahead in the game, the boys blocked out the last over to ensure victory by the narrow margin of seven runs.

Three wins from three in the League puts Oxted joint top with Sanderstead who we face in the Cup quarter final next Saturday.