Astonishing Jesters fielding display sets up nervy win at Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford 150 all out (Chak 2-1, Smyth 2-5, Hayes 2-24, Webster 2-43)
Jesters CC 151-7 (Chak 39)
Won by 3 wickets
The flashing blade of Sarbajeet Nag
A compendium of catches...
Robbie Hudson leaps high to his left and clings on to a flying two hander at short mid-on
Jake Smyth plucks a tracer bullet inches from the turf, one handed, reaching full stretch to his left at short cover. An extraordinary take
The powerful Stortford opener Murray Davidson, who turned out for us last year, smashes the ball back at Dan Hayes who somehow holds on
Smyth once again takes a blinder that, under other circumstances would be his finest catch of the season, except that he’d already taken it! This one a diving two handed effort as the ball rockets to him at short cover
A full toss mullered off a Chak full bunger seems destined for the rope, until spectacularly snared by Ollie Doward, diving low to his left at midwicket
In his first over, leg spinning debutant Shuvadeep Mitra snaffles another firmly hit caught and bowled chance
And to top it off, last man and Stortford skipper Grahame Smith cuts fiercely at Smyth. The resultant top edge fizzes high to Ollie’s left in the gully, who leaps to deflect it perfectly into the obliging hands of Mitra at backward point - a dismissal that defied physics!
This is how a strong Bishop's Stortford batting line-up was knocked over for 150 in the 30th over of a time game. We and the opposition could scarcely believe what had unfolded. This must go down as the finest Jesters fielding display of all time.
The only blot on the copybook was Robbie shelling a firm nick that was probably heading to first slip - the first ball after taking the gloves from Shorbo!
Aside from the seven catches, Dan Webster, DJ Chak and Jake Smyth all rattled the timbers taking two wickets apiece. Debutant Dan opened unchanged for 10 overs, bowling a probing line and length at a decent lick, supported by the ever reliable Dan Hayes at the other, who also teased two men out.
Robbie Hudson awaits the first ball of our reply
150 seemed very gettable on a bone dry Stortford wicket, but in true Jesters style we limped over the line. Shorbo got us off to a flowing start with some dashing drives and we were comfortable at 116-3, but decidedly less so at 134-7. The key partnership of 59 was between DJ Chak (39) and Shuvadeep (22), before Ed Pearce and Dan Webster steadied the ship, eking out the last few runs against a resurgent Stortford attack, with first team seamer Matt Pike ramping up the pace. A hard earned victory came in the 38th over. The innings also featured skipper Ollie getting off the mark with a seven!
Thanks for Bishop’s Stortford for another great contest played in excellent spirits, we always enjoy coming to Cricketfield Lane, and every game so far has gone down to the wire
Jesters XI: Doward (c), Hudson, Nag, J Whittock, Chak, Mitra, Smyth, Doward, Pearce, D Webster, Hayes