Recap

Bures welcomed Leavenheath for the annual Chris Ayres Memorial Trophy, and for the first time this season, we had a full squad ready to go. The weather, however, didn’t get the memo—it was damp and gloomy, with dark clouds threatening what looked like a perfectly prepped wicket. We ended up starting an hour late, giving the 8 Bells pub some early business.

Finally, the rain stopped, and things got underway. Captain Chris won the toss for Bures and chose to bowl first. Leavenheath started steadily, but Charlie and Adam quickly made their mark with tight, disciplined bowling. They put immediate pressure on the batsmen, both taking early wickets, and Charlie stood out with impressive figures of 3-14.

Leavenheath’s middle order found it tough to score, thanks to some consistent wicket-taking and a couple of great catches from Mark and Charlie. Their number 3 batsman, Gordon, was the standout for Leavenheath, anchoring the innings and scoring 62 before getting bowled. The wickets were nicely spread out, with both Adams, Tim, Matt, and Charlie all chipping in. Leavenheath ended their 30 overs at 118/9—a target we thought was quite chaseable.

Our innings started on the wrong foot with Elliot getting caught in the slips for a duck. Tim and Eddie then tried to rebuild, but Eddie fell for 11, leaving us at 24/2. What followed was a collapse that England’s top order would envy, with the next four wickets falling for just seven runs. Tim showed his usual grit, defending well against the opening attack, but eventually fell LBW for 13.

A few late boundaries pushed our score up to 67 before Paul slapped a cut straight to a fielder, giving Leavenheath a well-deserved 51-run win thanks to their strong bowling performance.

We’ll be back next year, ready to put up a stronger fight and bring the trophy home.