One-run win over Falkland was a nail-biter for Green
Gagan Singh's side show character to restrict rivals in tense clash
After last weekend's comprehensive defeat to Boyne Hill, Stoke Green needed to bounce back against Falkland to keep their promotion hopes on track, and Saturday's one-run win was a real nail-biter.
Having posted a below par 168-10 off 49 overs, with only Saqlain Basharat (28), Kashif Abassi (27) and Pavinder Bhachu (43) doing themselves justice against Falkland's lively bowling attack, Green had to go into containment mode.
This they did brilliantly, with Gurveer Singh (4-53) and Zulfi Butt (4-38) both taking four wickets, but, with around six overs still to play, Falkland needed two or three runs to win with two wickets in hand.
After James Bird hit a belligerent 30, Brandon Gilmour was at the crease on 60 and looking to finish off Green's challenge. With the field brought in close to ramp up the pressure, Gilmour went for a slog to the boundary but sent the ball into the grateful hands of Hash Hussain and Butt trapped Charlie Dale for a duck in the next over to clinch a nervy one run win.
“It was quite intense but also a good game,” captain Gagan Singh reflected afterwards. “We didn’t get enough runs on the board; we should have batted much better, but we always back our bowling at home.
“Our spinners are very dangerous, and we managed to win by one run.
“I think we were about 25-30 runs short with the bat. We should have scored more than 200 but we didn't apply ourselves to our full potential and they also bowled and fielded well. They bowled good lines and didn't give us any freebees and they're also a young unit so got around and took some good catches. That's probably why we didn't get to 200.
“But when we came out to field, everyone believed we could restrict them to less than 168. We had a good start with Simranjeet Singh (1-13) making an early breakthrough (James Ettridge lbw for eight). And, although their captain (James Bird) batted well for a quick 30, Zulfi managed to get him lbw and we were then right in the game. Gilmour kept them in the game until the end with his 60 and they only needed two or three runs to win from the last six or seven overs. I don't know what went through Gilmour's mind, but he tried to clear the fielders, who were in close to try and save runs, and he smashed one straight to one of our fielders.
“That was the end of the over and Zulfi, from the other end, got the next batsmen out.”
It was the perfect, if tense, response to last weekend's 177-run humbling by Boyne Hill, however, Singh believes one match, Hill's Sri Lankan batsmen, Tharushan Iddamalgoda who scored 104, was the difference between the sides.
“Everyone was disappointed
about the way we played at Boyne Hill,” said Singh. “Their Sri Lankan played an extraordinary innings. He had an answer to everything we threw at him.
“He was the difference and his century in that game put us on the back foot and we couldn’t recover from it.”
Green will look for their sixth win of the season at league leaders Ickenham on Saturday. So far Ickenham
have an unblemished record with six wins from six and lead second placed Green by 16 points.
Singh added: “We have got Ickenham away. They’re top of the table and have won all their games so far.
“Then we play Gerrards Cross at home before visiting Henley 2nds away. These three games are very big for us if we want to win the league.”