Bater's Boys Batter Burnham

Our left arm seamers, Ed Pike and Tom Powell-Williams took the new ball and it was the latter who picked up the first wicket, clean bowling Faris Ali for nought.

Burnham’s opening bat Khurram Saba played very positively and was particularly strong through the legside against our young opening bowlers. Bater introduced experienced seamer Ian Ridley and he immediately was into the wickets having Ammar Anis well caught at fly slip by Sanjoy Bassi.

Wickets proved difficult to come by for our Third Team despite good spells from Ridley and off spinner Sanjoy Bassi. Both Khurram Saba and Samir Chaudhrey batted well for Burnham bringing up half centuries, with Chaudhrey in particular living a charmed life as he scored the majority of his runs through third man. With Saba looking set for a hundred, he was deceived in the flight by Bassi and dismissed LBW for a well made 85.

With an end open, the Third Team sensed the chance to make inroads into the Burnham middle order. Toby Seagrave, held back to bowl at the death picked up 3-39 from seven overs as our hosts finished on 265-8 off their 45 overs, a total which was perhaps 50 runs short of a par total.

The total looked a long way away when we slipped to 13-2 after openers Robbie Grout and Josh Camm were both dismissed by excellent deliveries from opening bowler Asif Khan. Wicket-keeper Dan Tidey and the experienced Benn Kempster rebuilt the innings. With the ball doing plenty when the pair came to the wicket, they saw off the new ball and then got the innings going with intelligent running between the wickets and some brutal hitting all round the ground.

After seeing the new ball off the pair put on 161 in only 19 overs with Tidey and Kempster scoring magnificent half centuries. Tidey struck seven fours and two sixes as he scored a magnificent 73 which was his second half century of the summer and first for the third team. Kempster was especially brutal and he struck some magnificent shots through the offside as he raced to his first half century of the summer.

With victory looking on the cards, Tidey (73) and Sanjoy Bassi (1) were dismissed with 70 odd runs required for victory. Out of form batsman James Wheeler joined Kempster at the crease as they steered the Third Team to victory.

The undoubted star of the day was club captain Benn Kempster who finished on a magnificent 145 not out. An innings which included 12 fours and six sixes. His total of 145 was a career best and his first ton since scoring his last on his 21st birthday.