Falkland own Lord of the Flies!
Windsor 200 for 7; 37 Overs (Davis 59; Bird 56)
Falkland 2’s 201 for 6; 32.4 Overs (Heath 96*)
After a week of sweltering weather throughout the area, last Saturday’s game against Falkland 2nd XI saw Windsor battle mother nature in all her glory. With rain in the air, upon winning the toss, Windsor skipper Craig Bird did not hesitate to bat first.
Some early movement and startling bounce saw Windsor struggle to score at their usual rate. With the score on 37 after 12 overs, the persistent rain that had been around since the start of the day finally took its toll and saw the teams go off.
Two hours and tea interval had passed by the time the game restarted and in a game reduced to the minimum 70 overs, Windsor were immediately under pressure to score fast as they now had 25 overs left to build a competitive total. Immediately, Bird began to attack and force the issue on the resumption of play. The Windsor opening pair of Bird and Davis again set the foundations for a big score and the score passed 100 before Bird finally fell for 56, his third consecutive league fifty. Clarke joined Davis, who having lost his opening partner, passed fifty himself with a big six over mid-wicket. With 10 overs left, the dismissal of Davis saw the run-rate slow slightly, but after the loss of Clarke, Bullock and Nichols cheaply, Watkins kicked into high gear and slotted some big shots to push Windsor towards 200. A final push from Mohindru and Hill saw Windsor pass 200 and set Falkland what they thought was a stiff chase of 201 to win off 33 overs.
A quick turn-around saw Windsor immediately go on the attack and attempt to bowl Falkland out. But with the field in to strive for wickets, Falkland looked to attack from the off with Brown particularly brutal. Poor bowling from Windsor, coupled with some adventurous stroke play saw the rate maintained at around 7 an over. When Nichols finally removed Brown via a smart catch from Baumgartner, Falkland were pegged back slightly, but it only brought Heath to the crease to begin a match-winning innings. After the second Falkland opener was dismissed, Windsor faced two left-handers and struggled again to hold back the tide. Even a huge swam of flies that settled over the ground, could not abate the onslaught and Heath continued to plunder the bowling. With victory in sight, a sudden blip by Falkland opened the door slightly and Windsor saw a glimmer of hope. With 4 overs to go and the rate required at around 7, Heath set about Nichols and plundered 16 off the over to put Falkland in the box seat. Despite a fine penultimate over from Nichols that gleaned only 3 runs and wicket Falkland faced the task of 5 runs of the last over. The near heroics Watkins, who conceded only 1 run and took a wicket from the first three balls, were not enough as Heath survived another near miss to his stumps and the ball trickled for four to spark huge celebrations for the bottom club.
After an eventful but disappointing loss, Windsor still managed to draw 13 points from the game. Which, with rain affecting many other games, saw them reach joint top of TVL division 2 after the weeks play. With Windsor visiting new bottom club OMT this weekend, they see two major changes to the side with young spinner Mark Lines coming in and all-rounder Justin Granger return to the club. A full strength side also sees the return of batsmen Towse and Millman. A win is crucial in their pursuit of promotion.