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Played at Hylands Park, Hornchurch
Report by Steve Hamilton

This was our swansong for the season, played against Maylands Green who were seeking revenge for last season's close encounter which we won by two wickets.

This time we were not greeted with the pleasant weather we had been experiencing during the previous weeks. In fact it was cold and grey, with the temperature around 12˚C.

We won the toss and decided to bat. We had won four of the past five matches batting first and we were definitely finding a late surge of form and confidence which was missing early on in the season.

We were well wrapped up with our coats, woolly hats and double layers of clothing, drinking tea and some even having the odd sip of brandy (I wonder who that could be??).

We were treated to something special in this game. Following a shaky start, after 11 overs we had reached 38 for the loss of two wickets. But now our premier batsmen Azaz and Jakaria took control, accelerating the run rate and putting on 81 for the 3rd wicket. With the score at 132 for 3 off 24 overs it was now a one man show, as Jakaria annihilated the Maylands attack.

Showing utter contempt for their bowling, Jakaria provided a masterclass in batting, with destructive hitting mixed with elegant drives, cuts and pulls. It was pleasure to witness as he piled up a tally of 110 runs with an amazing 22 boundaries which included 16 fours and 6 sixes and one almighty six, estimated around 100 yards plus! That mighty strike flew over the club house at cow corner, resulting in a lost ball. It would no doubt easily have cleared the boundary by 20 yards or more at the Melbourne Cricket Ground!

However, our typical mid-order batting collapse reared its ugly head once again. From 190 for 4, the scoreboard swiftly went to All Out for 209 with 5.2 overs left, as we lost our final six wickets for a miserly 19 runs.

Still it was very a competitive total, reached in extremely difficult circumstances on a very uneven pitch with unpredictable bounce and in overcast conditions. As a result I was confident of a victory.

Mozzam was a man on a mission to destroy and put fear into the Maylands batting. He succeeded with three early wickets in a five-over session that cost only eight runs and included two maidens.

He was well supported by Umair at the other end who bowled with his usual control and pinpoint accuracy. It was a display of X-RATED bowling aggressiveness with a variety of deliveries, with their captain Sturton frequently turning his back and getting hit around the thigh area a few times.

After this softening up, Peter Frisby came on and took the captain’s wicket as Sturton mistimed the ball to mid-on for the sprightly Jonathan Stebbins to take the catch effortlessly.

Peter then clean bowled their opening batsman Saj for 20, ending his five over spell with superb figures of 2-16 and putting us firmly in control of proceedings.

Maylands at 91 for 5 after 24 overs had a slim chance of threatening our score with Patel scoring a well-deserved 50, before being bowled by our star batsman Jakaria.

McCracken, who ended 24 not out, was their only other threat as Junaid and Jonathan both took a wicket each. Maylands closed their innings 42 runs short on 167 for 8, resulting in a fine victory for the Fallopians to conclude our last fixture of 2020.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in a short but eventful season!

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