Tom Weymes bowled well again, to reduce top placed Ickenham to 85-4 but there was no more success as Steve Gibson and Scott Wilsher completed an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 91. The bowlers were unable apply any lasting pressure as no maidens were bowled.
After last week’s report which bemoaned the loss of early wickets, things did not improve with the score at 29-3 in the eighth over. So who would come to the rescue this week? It was James Hawkes the previous week with 67 but he wasn’t playing. The week before that it was Adam Partner with 144, but he was out for 16. So, would there be no rescue this week? Well there was and it came from the most surprising quarter.
With 11 league runs all season, Nick Grant strode to the wicket with the score on 105-9. Surely the end of the innings was near. But he hit his fourth ball through the leg side for four and three balls later straight drove to the boundary. Eight scored and his highest league total in the northern hemisphere achieved. His lofted straight drive fell just short of a maximum but any disappointment was short lived as he smashed a six into the advertising hoardings in front of the tennis courts. Grant was finally run out for 39 but not until he and Lawrence Snookes had added an unlikely 69 for the last wicket.
The Second Team remain in third place but with only one game remaining are just 21 points ahead of Maidenhead & Bray in ninth place (but a massive 113 points behind Eversley who are second). So, one point is needed (achieved by scoring 75 runs or taking one wicket) at Amersham next week to guarantee second division cricket next season.