Two in a Row for the Mighty 4s

On the back of last week’s drubbing of Harrow, the Mighty 4s arrived at The Stow in search of a first home victory since June 6th. The Field of Dreams would not disappoint as, after choosing to play on the green seamer rather than the Chittagong-esque dustbowl next to it, the skipper managed the unthinkable and won the toss. Alex Thomas and Pistol bowled beautifully, exploiting the humid conditions as well as the legendary up-and-down bounce.

Thomas made the breakthrough early on, having the dangerous Tank well caught at cover by Seb Carr. One brought two as Thomas found the back of the No.3’s bat and, one way or another, the ball found its way to Sam Masud at first slip. Then Pistol, somehow still wicketless until this point, utilised that same tactic, firing one down the legside to induce another edge off the back of the bat – this time well taken by Thomas running back from backward square leg. Pistol should have had another shortly afterwards but the combination of the effects of the night before, the lack of sightscreen and the sweaty inners were all offered up as excuses by Jimmy Cannon, who could not cling on to what would have been a fantastic (routine) catch. The miss was not costly with Thomas removing the need for the keeper by trapping the opener plumb in front for 23. After a miserly spell (11-4-20-1), Nick Friend replaced Pistol. After starting well and trapping the No.4 lbw for 15, the yips took over, making for a not-so-miserly spell. That said, Friend and Cannon combined to have the No.7 stumped after a period of play that left Friend bemoaning the lack of a Decision Review System. Pistol came back on to replace Friend and made an immediate impact. A second slip catch for Masud was immediately followed by a direct hit by Thomas at short fine leg before Gaurav made light work of the tail, finishing off proceedings with two quick wickets. 162 the target and by no means a doddle on a pitch with variable bounce and offering plenty of spin.

Percy Verity, replacing his father at the top of the order, and Gaurav put on a quickfire 83 for the first wicket with a plethora of sumptuous drives through the covers as well as Gaurav’s customary punch over mid-on. Man of the Match Verity (63*) was organised throughout, leaving the ball well and understanding the challenges of batting on the Doug Eyre ground. When Gaurav was dismissed – nearly cut in half by an off-cutter that jagged back to hit leg stump, Tom Barrow made his return to the 4s. He showed his class, stroking and pulling his way to 41* and a nice red-inker. A ruthless batting display and a good win that leaves us just one win off second and 11 points off top spot with senior pros Bootsy and Dykey returning.