Match Report

A TBC on the fixture card became a tough confirmed fixture against Amersham, a Thames Valley League Div 1 side who duly produced their New Zealand professional for our delight - though this did not prevent David Oliver from trying to wind him up; the fact that he succeeded bears witness to David's skill!

Hetairoi batted first and most people made a few, David reaching 37 from the non-New Zealanders end and Bill Ward an accomplished 43. Set 198 to win , Amersham began slowly losing two early wickets to Brian, who was clearly inspired playing against his immediate neighbours and bowled really well. However the pro then took control; having given a sharp chance to midwicket he then batted very competently until Stephen deceived him and he holed out to Jonathan Turnbull. However Amersham accelerated and won by 7 wickets with loads of time to spare (over ten overs).

What did your correspondent learn? That as usual the team had more than enough talent to match the opposition in all departments but that we rarely fulfil that potential. Their bowling was at the start very swift but not impossible; their fielding was sharper than ours although they too dropped catches that we often take. Their batting was fairly undemonstrative, a few blazing strokes but generally waiting for the bad ball and dispatching it out of reach. The main difference, apart from age - they had lots of experience of league cricket, setting quite defensive fields and then batting sensibly to knock off the total. But it was far from a rout and I think that we would all welcome slightly tougher fixtures like this, if only to test ourselves at a higher level...though with Paddy Nolan's and Australia House looming, some may say that we already do that enough during the season as it is!!

Champagne Moment: