I was a little worried that this game wasn’t going to be played after getting an email saying that Chorleywood may have to concede the game. After a few emails, Chorleywood said they were coming with 8 and we offered to loan them some fielders. As it happened a late drop out due to illness meant we were 10 and Chroleywood managed to get to 10 with the help of one of our players and a late comer from a school match. So all was even in regard to numbers.

The weather is what Cricket should be played in, lovely and sunny and warm! Charlie won the toss and elected to put a score on the board.

After a slow but steady start against their openers, Charlie and Jacob started to look assured and were accumulating runs nicely when Chorleywood brought on their spinner. The boys could not get after him, as they were through their shots before the ball got to them, as he was deceptively slow. Then came a bizarre wicket where Charlie missed a pull shot to the leg side and got hit on the pads, somehow the ball ended up knocking off the bails. I still am not quite sure how it happened but that was Charlie out for around 16. The next strange wicket was Hendo where the bowler dug one in short by accident and the ball sat up nicely to be spanked but somehow spooned or top edged the ball to mid off and was out for 26.

Ed and Tom then set to town on their bowlers, and moved the score quickly up above 100. Finn played well with a quick 25 and help moved the score on to good total of 153. There was a potential Hat Trick for Jene the Chorleywood bowler who bagged Matt and Ben Westcott but then proceeded to bowl two wides.

It was a big total to defend and we started well with Ed and Tom bowling 3 overs each, both very economical with getting any wickets. I think they were 22/0 off 6. Ben W and Charley came on as first change bowlers and bowled 4 each and the openers started to play a bit more expansively and pushed the score on at a better rate. Ben however took a wicket on one of the openers for 32 clean bowled. We also had two run outs in the game. After 14 overs they were 82/1.

Sam Hawkins started with a wide but came back well and took a wicket with the first ball of this second over. Ben mopped up three wickets and like the Chorleywood bowler earlier was on a hattrick but the pressure got to him and followed it with a wide as well. It must be catching. Good to see Rhys back playing again after injury.

Tring 153/4 - Chorleywood 130/7 - Tring win by 23 runs.