1st XI secure much needed second win

Elstow 1st XI went a long way to securing their Division One status by handing relegation rivals Newport Pagnell a comfortable five wicket win.

Matt Lee bowled with pace and accuracy in a fine spell to put Newport firmly on the back foot at 75 for 7, with Steve Reid, Paul Jackson and Andy Barnett also picking up wickets. A fighting rearguard took Newport to 134 all out, but barring the weather intervening it looked like a straight forward victory chase.

That notion was blown out of the water when Elstow slipped to 0 for 2 with Chris Richards bowled second ball and Dave Riddle on the receiving end of a shocking, nearly laughable LBW decision from an umpire who some would say had ulterior motives.

From here Elstow did what they have failed to do all season and dug in, skipper Stevens and Dan Wisson weathering the storm. Dan perished and was soon followed by Jackson after a suicidal attempt at a single, but Jonty and Stevens - who brought up his fifty - guided Elstow to a comfortable victory.

MOM: Stevens, excellent counter attacking knock full of intent.
DOD: Jackson, laughable attempt at a single that went straight back to the bowler.

PJ

Elstow Merciless at Wing

A thoroughly professional victory by the seconds at the scenic Ascott House grounds at Wing puts them in with a decent shout of promotion to Division 4 going into the last weekend of the season. Stand in skipper Ed Wisson won the toss, and under seam bowler friendly skies and a drying wicket, had no hesitation in putting the opposition in to bat. Rob Tebbutt tore in to the home side and went on to post his best figures of 10-7-6-5, and was ably helped by Phil ‘Bear’ Southwell with 6-0-17-4. Lasting just 31 overs, Wing were all out for 86, debutant Max Warner picking up the other wicket to fall, while Manz Mehrok epitomised the quality of the fielding display by pouching four catches.

Elstow took 23 overs to reach their target losing 4 wickets in doing so. Wisson top scored with 34, though the last word was left to Hani Thiarra (31 not out) to clobber the winning runs over the cover boundary to bring up the win.

M-o-M: Rob Tebbutt; devastatingly unplayable with the new ball.

D-o-D: Rob Tebbutt, for shirking the job of writing a blow-by-blow account of aforementioned devastation and thus depriving the ECC website readership of the second greatest unpublished tome since Edmund- A Butler's Tale.

HW