After a chilly contest vs Cambridge last week, the 1s arrived at West Herts in glorious sunshine. Morale was boosted by victory of an important toss, and whilst Brij and Ayush debated all things IPL on the sidelines, it was a more cagey affair on the field, with Will and Gish blunting a wiley opening attack. Gish broke the shackles with some lovely strokeplay, including a very confusing sweep that went over long on for six, before being bowled round his legs. Having added some impetus to the innings, Will and T Powe fell in quick succession. Needing to up the run rate, Tim, Aizaz and Joe all played some lovely shots to add tempo to the innings, before Brij was excellent at cricket to take us up to 197-7.

Dom and Ayush bowled nicely in the first few overs of the West Herts response without reward. A nick between slip and gully proved to be the final straw for Ayush, as he collapsed to the ground with a cramp that he assured everyone was unconnected to his antics from the previous night. With Ayush off the field, Dom soldiered on for an excellent 9-over spell. Vicarage Road erupted down the road as Dom castled the West Herts no 4, whose spell of 3-34 had left Finchley in a promising position. A 70-run partnership then put West Herts firmly in front, however. But some late drama, triggered by some lovely bowling from Tim and Brij in tandem, made it a 10 run game with 2 wickets still to take. Unfortunately, West Herts were able to chase down the score, but it was another valuable hit out for the 1s, as our attention shifts to the return of competitive cricket next week.

A special mention to Ayush, who is returning to Hong Kong this week, and Joe, who Tim has packed off to Brazil after dropping a catch off his bowling. Safe travels to you both.

2nd XI (316-3) beat West Herts (307-7) by 9 runs. Click here to view scorecard

On a beautiful day at finch, the 2s set out against the might of the West Herts 2 XI. Captain goldsmith got the day off to a good start by winning the toss and of course having a bat. Karan Zhaveri (welcome) and Dave Goldsmith opened up for the boys and got us off to a great start with an opening partnership of 180 off 27 overs. Karan ended up on 101 and Dave 88, getting out caught and bowled, hitting it very hard back to the bowler for a man with a fractured thumb. In came Benji Powe, joined by Yas Sayed who looked to capitalize on the platform set by the openers. Capitalize they did, leading the boys towards the 300 mark, with Powe ending up on 64, out stumped and Sayed 47, nicking off. Some good late striking got the boys past 300, ending up on 316-3 after 45 overs.

Now it was time for the bowlers, however with a flat deck, quick outfield and a man/thumb down, West Herts got off of to a flyer, and similarly to the first innings had a strong opening partnership at a quick rate. However, the partnership was ended wonderfully by a flying Matt Walshe, and flying he was, diving to his right taking a sensational one handed caught and bowled to end a partnership of 150, and the crucial wicket of the opener, ending up on 78. Three quick wickets followed, all by Dan McGowan (10-1-44-3) and finch were back on top. Shayam jhaveri came into the attack, managing to get the other crucial wicket of the other opener, on 83, leaving West Herts 210-5, needing 105 off the last 15. Some good striking from the west herts lower order meant they needed 50 off the last 7 overs. A fiery second spell from Joel Grabiner and some ragging off spinners from Shayam got some important wickets, resulting in West herts needing 11 off the last over to win. Shayam had the ball (yes I repeat Shayam had the ball) and defend 11 he did, only conceding 4 off the last bringing the boys home. A good win for the boys with some quality contributions and an enjoyable day for all.…

Finchley XI (161-9) drew to Royal Household CC (179-6). Click here to view scorecard

To view an album of the best snaps from the day, CLICK HERE!

Finchley had the privilege of sending a side down to Windsor Castle this weekend, to play against a Royal Household XI. In regal surroundings, a Finchley side of old and young had a fantastic day on and off the field. On the field, we bowled first, keeping the Royal Household to 179-6 from 39 overs. Standout performers with the ball were Romil with two wickets, Sam and Mohit with one apiece, and a miserly spell from the returning Simon O’keefe. Vansh, Jon and Benjamin dug in to begin the Finchley chase but after they fell, Rudy Hammond played a brilliant innings to finish on 55* and secure the draw after a memorable day.

Sunday

Player of the Day: Tom Powe (81 vs Aston Rowant)

Finchley (169 ao) lost to Aston Rowant (289-5) by 120 runs. Click here to view scorecard

Easter Sunday was the scene of another miracle in 2022, as 12 Finchley cricketers successfully made it to Aston Rowant CC. Always a pleasure to play against, Aston Rowant were wonderful hosts again for a lovely sunny afternoon in the Oxfordshire countryside. Despite facing a strong Aston Rowant batting lineup, the Finchley side stuck to their task admirably. Dan McGowan in particular bowled an excellent, controlled spell, and deserved more reward. Some excellent ball striking, taking advantage of a short boundary towards the pavilion, took Aston Rowant to 289-5 from their 40 overs.

After Benji wafted two boundaries through cover in the first two overs of Finchley’s reply, hopes were high for a famous run chase. 10 overs later, at 46-6, morale was lower on the Finchley benches. Joel and Tom built an excellent partnership, however, to bring back some respectability to the score. At 140-6, Joel saw victory for the taking, but unfortunately fell for a pugnacious run-a-ball 40, ending a 102-run partnership. The skipper took 20 off an over to give us the faintest glimmer of hope, but ultimately fell for 80, and the innings subsided soon after.

A lovely days cricket in the Easter sunshine, at a gorgeous ground. Big thanks to everyone who stepped in at very short notice to play!