Windsor vs Beaconsfield
Windsor travelled to Beaconsfield on Sunday looking to bounce back after last week’s ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ loss at the hands of Chalfont. Pre-match preparations could not have been any worse as skipper Noble was involved in a car crash whilst leaving the home park. Fortunately for Noble, the crash was not serious and if anything knocked some sense into the enigmatic leader. Team changes were hastily made with veteran seamer Griffiths taking the reigns, and explosive all rounder Condon being drafted in for Noble.
On arrival at the ground, Windsor were given the suprise news that Beaconsifeld were fielding an overly strong side containing no less than six Saturday first team players and their second team overseas player. Windsor inserted their opponents on a hard looking track feeling that restricting Beaconsfield to anything under 200 would be a good effort. However, Granger and Pitt obviously did not read the script and what happened next can only be described at ten overs of pure carnage.
Granger was his usual self, providing the Windsor attack with plenty of pace, aggression, and mental illness. The Beaconsfield openers, with their public school accents, and rigid high elbows, were not keen on facing the South African tyro and Alikan soon found himself LBW to Granger. Pitt, who has bowled well all season but without much luck, was the perfect foil for Granger and went on to produce the spell of his life. Bowling menacing seam and swing at a good pace, Pitt destroyed the Beaconsfield top order in the space of just one over, producing an all clean bowled hatrick and finishing with four wickets in the over. The dangerous looking Pratt was then caught behind off Granger by a smart catch from Davis and Beaconsfield found them selves reeling at 37-7 off just ten overs.
A mini recovery was staged by Staffford but he was then beaten for pace by Condon and the rest of the Beaconsfield order folded with ease, as Griffiths dealt with the tail. Young Mark Lines also bowled well gaining turn and bounce with his left arm spinners, and was unlucky to not pick up any wickets. The Windsor bowlers had done exceptionally well to bowl out Beaconsfield for 95 with Pitt finishing with Windsor CC career best figures of 5-26.
For most teams, chasing 96 off 40 overs would not be a problem. However, this is Windsor. This is this side that travelled to Bledlow via the fixture secretary’s house in High Wycombe. This is the side where skippers regularly select 12 or even thirteen players. This is the side where the skipper has to stop a cab so that he can go to the BP garage because ‘they have what he needs’. Anyway, the point I’m making is that anything can happen with his side, and it did. After 5 overs Windsor found them selves 16-6, with all six wickets falling to aussie paceman Pratt, who to be fair, was bowling an excellent line and getting late swing into the right handers. Messers Doye, Pitt, Lickley, and Eggenhuizen all failed to trouble the scorers but could console them selves with the feast they were about to experience at tea.
Enter Justin Granger. Justin had obviously been oblivious to the fact that Pratt had just ripped out our top order for just seven runs and proceeded to make the bowler look extremely innocuous. Granger unleashed some booming drives and cuts and even drove the tiring Pratt out of the ground and over the road for a huge six (although not as big as Steve’s at Bledlow). Whilst Granger played the Bad Cop role, left hander Davis played the Good Cop. Mixing stout defence and elegant drives, Davis gave a master class in how to block the good ball and punish the bad. These two got Windsor within twelve runs of victory before Granger was caught on the boundary going for his fifty. Fortunately for Windsor, Condon and Davis stuck firm and finished the game three overs later giving Windsor a deserved but hard fought victory.