On Sunday we welcomed Overton to Parsonage Meadow. They elected to bat and as they were short of numbers, we provided a couple of fielders for the match. Thank you to all the blues who did this – it’s a big ask to temporarily help the opposition against your own team. A particularly big thank you to Wilf and Percy who did this on the back of a very narrow loss against Oakley earlier in the morning. Six hours of cricket with no real down time is a big ask at any level.

Anyway, Whitchurch got off to a solid start, posting a total of 152, with Oscar I (35), James (33) and Fred (20). Overton bowled tightly, applying pressure throughout, but the total felt like enough.

It proved not to be. Some very disciplined batting with minimal risky shots from the top four ensured that they reached the target in 15 overs for the loss of just one wicket. Whitchurch were short of chances where early wickets were called for. A few mistakes in the field and some errant bowling meant we never able to apply scoreboard pressure.

It was very hot out there and this may have taken its toll on some players. Certainly one umpire is now the colour of a ripe tomato.