Report by Mike Foulkes:
One over to go, Remnants need 12 to win. Two wickets remaining. The first ball is pushed into the leg-side for a single.
It used to be said that only two things in life were certain: death and taxes. To which list this season can be added Ram Boricha hitting sixes onto the roof of any nearby building - tilers across two counties could be kept profitably employed following Bassingbourn around this season. The roof of the pavilion at Fitzwilliam was not spared as he raced to 44 from just 15 balls before being forced to retire. As ever, he was particularly strong over square leg and mid-on, as well as behind square on the offside.
11 runs from five balls. The second ball is dabbed to short third man. Another single.
Once retirement had curtailed Boricha's carnage, Tom Andrews and Chandan Brar began building a partnership, only for both to be dismissed just as they started looking to accelerate. Andrews advanced down the pitch and drove Naveen over mid-off in one of the best shots of the day, but was then bowled two balls later attempting a repeat. Then Brar was caught off the bowling of Andy Owen.
10 needed from four. After two inswingers, time for change - a cross seam delivery that Tom Serby pulled between the two fielders on the square leg boundary for four. Advantage to Remnants, but at a price, as that boundary took Serby passed 40 and caused him to retire - still able to return if needed but meaning a new batter would be on strike.
Hugh Myers and Dave Bartlett now put on a partnership for Bassingbourn. Both were strong on the cut shot particularly, picking up numerous comfortable singles through that region, but also drove down the ground, swept and pulled well as the score started to mount. Myers reached his 40 in the penultimate over, which gave Cam Taylor a chance to unfurl his reverse sweep in the final over. Bartlett finished unbeaten on an impressive 35 and had guided Bassingbourn up to an impressive 163/2 (or for four, depending on whether you count retirements!).
Six from three balls. Andy Owen attempts to scoop one towards fine leg, misses and sees the ball hit the top of his middle stump. Another moment that gives both sides mixed feelings - Remnants's number 11 departs, but Serby can return.
Thanks to Covid-enforced withdrawals, Bassingbourn were reduced to only 10 players - or possibly James Robinson had felt that it was better not to put his loyalties to both Bassingbourn and Remnants to the test . . . Based on the opening overs of the Remnants response, Max Ayliffe and Mike Foulkes had no such scruples in helping their Saturday team against their midweek teammates. Foulkes bowled Anand with a loopy inswinger in the second over of the chase, before Ayliffe had Julius Rix caught behind in the next over. Seb Hammersley then gave a fine impression of Ben Stokes - unfortunately it was the Stokes of recent weeks who has contrived to get out to over aggressive shots. Attempting to slog a full toss from Foulkes he could only sky the ball to cover, where Myers took an excellent running catch over his shoulder. In the fifth over of the chase Prasad drove Ayliffe to Lewis at midwicket and departed for one, leaving Remnants 18/4 and with a quarter of the overs already gone.
Six from two balls, Serby on strike. Driven into the legside. Two more runs.
Tom Serby and Marcus Baker began to revive the innings as Bassingbourn turned to a couple of bowlers who confessed to never having bowled before and needed some minor last minute coaching on details such as which side of the stumps to bowl on and which line they needed to keep their foot behind. Despite this, Lewis in particular surprised the batters with some pace and bounce and Tom looked promising, though was unfortunate to come up against Marcus when he was well set. At the other end Bassingbourn called on a more established bowler in Taylor, though shin splints reduced his run up. He did however provide the big wicket of Baker, clean bowled for 27 and leaving the score on 65/5 after 11 overs.
The Bassingbourn bowlers are familiar with Qaiser Ahmed after he took a 50 off them earlier in the season for Madingley. There was, therefore, a certain amount of relief when, having turned a ball to Brar at square leg, he and Serby both set off for a single, met in the middle of the pitch and had a brief discussion and decided that, on reflection, there probably wasn't a run there after all and they should probably return to their respective ends. Meanwhile, Brar had picked the ball up and calmly returned it to Boricha behind the stumps, who took the bails off to run Ahmed out for just 9. 13 overs done, 84/6 on the board.
That brought Stone to the crease, who showed his intent and power by depositing one ball into the gardens on the far side of the ground, and generally giving the ball a fearful whack. Foulkes and Ayliffe also attempted to atone for their earlier bowling efforts by attempting diving stops on the boundary that resulted in the ball either being kneed or tackled over the rope . . .
The game was becoming close when another Bassingbourn bowler citing an injury as a reason for a short run up intervened. Stone attempted to send the last ball of Myers' over into orbit but could only hit it straight up, giving Boricha a straightforward catch. He departed for 32 and after eighteen overs, Remnants were now on 146/7. In a close run chase, the penultimate over is always the most crucial. Having been dragooned into captaining at the last minute, Ayliffe took on the responsibility himself. The first half of the over was inauspicious with six runs coming from the first three balls. But then, with Pete Ames attempting to get inventive with some unsucessful scoops over the wicketkeeper, two dot balls followed, before Ames was bowled by the final ball. Remnants 152/8, nineteen overs gone.
Final ball. Four to win. Everyone on the boundary. Serby on strike, Foulkes bowling. It's slightly short, pitching on about middle and leg and swinging in towards the thigh. Serby misses it. The wicketkeeper misses it. Naveen at the non-striker's end sets off like Usain Bolt, looking for three to tie the match. The fielder runs round from short third man and throws into the keeper. There is a mass of flying stumps as Serby attempts to get home for the second run. "not out" decrees the umpire - though the usual confusion at the end of the game means that the scorers don't realise and the scorebook records that Serby was run out. Meanwhile, Naveen, now on his third run is actually only a few steps behind Serby and soon finds himself standing next to him. Boricha rolls the ball up to the bowler's end where Foulkes picks it up. Oblivious to this, both batters and the square leg umpire begin wandering off. No point in completing the run out at the other end then, since everyone appears happy to shake hands with Remnants finishing on 162/9.