Can we take it as a compliment that Headstone Manor 2nd XI required a lad with a CV boasting representative honours with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and appearances in an Indian T20 pro league (not that one), to sully our unbeaten record? Perhaps… if you squint at it. What’s certain: days later, it still stings that, despite his 6fa and ton, we only fell one-bit-of-cricket away from winning anyway.
Back several hours, en route to this dry and raw playing field, we passed a sign saying we’d entered Hertfordshire. Upon inspecting the pitch, it was obvious we weren’t in Kansas anymore. Closer to Dubai perhaps; I was surprised not to see our reflections in its shine. We had to bat and, mercifully, the coin came down our way. Mustafah Mirza got the party started the only way he knows, hitting through the line for 38 brisk runs before losing a stump. Excellent early viewing. With Mohit Bajaj already trapped lbw, we were 81-2 inside an hour – our foundation laid.
Enter Chris Hoggard, joining our talisman Liam Collett. The diligence they showed in adding 122 runs at near enough a run a ball highlighted their cricketing IQs. It was classic risk-free accumulation. Proper limited-overs cricket, punctuated with clean hitting – the best, a bomb that departed the complex, through the arrival gate. In that mood, just at the point when Hoggy looked like he might overtake Colly and race to a ton first, he instead ran past one when trying to bank his fourth six, gone for 63. Even so, 203-3 with ten to go meant license to hunt 300 plus.
It didn’t, however, follow that script. Pasoon Rahman (9) was bomb then bust, then Ollie Bellwood (13) got hold off a big one too before reversing himself onto his stumps. I was elevated to replicate the blows of three weeks prior but instead, before scoring, copped an lbw decision I’m pleased Frogbox was a faithful witness to. Skipper Sam Farouqi (7) holed out, before our remaining seamers were both bowled by Yujraj Shinol (more on him later) to give him 6/41 and leave us dismissed for 258, having annoyingly failed to bat our allocation by two overs.
Amidst the chaos of that late collapse, Liam, in what looked a lock from the moment he took guard, saluted for another clinical century. A Test player told me once the secret to becoming a ton machine is discarding the parts of your game that lead to errors. Easier said than done for most, but that’s the story of our Aussie: the way he eliminates risk shows his on-board cricketing computer is working at a very high level. Truth told, at a level that’s some way above 2nd XI Division Four.
Despite the frustrating end, thanks to what occurred earlier we’d still set a run a ball(ish) target. Heads up, was Sam’s message – our bowling has been doing the job. And the skip, sensing this was a pace-off surface from central casting, would take the new ball too. Josh Holmes did little wrong and earned edges without seeing any luck. Down the other end, we all thought DJ Sammy was going to take us to heaven as he continued landing it on a hanky, but somehow it took 10 overs before he broke through, thanks to a safe catch from (you guessed it), Liam. But one brought two: an over later, I trapped their No3 without scoring. 52-2. Here we go: time to grind our way through the middle overs.
Yuvi had other ideas. He walked to the middle like he knew a thing or two. His shirt, as Ollie later noted, carried the logo of Saurashtra, the team Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara play Ranji Trophy for. And sure, while he isn’t a First Class player himself (yet), the 24-year-old was in 2025 the number one ranked LMS player in the UK – so he told us himself. The story goes that he’d shopped himself to London clubs late last week before he landed from India (including us?), and Headstone Manor the night before agreed to give him a run in the 2s.
You can imagine how fiercely he punished anything short on a pitch so friendly, thrice clearing the quirky pavilion. And it’s no overstatement to say that had either chance he gave in the formative stages of his innings been caught – one on about 15, the other on about 50 – then I wouldn’t have written the last paragraph and we likely wouldn’t have thought about him again. Alas. His ally was an opener who didn’t hit many but didn’t quit either, nurdling a 50 of his own. As their partnership went beyond 150, and total towards 200, we were just holding on.
But the message from experienced heads was consistent: one wicket here and the game will surely change. Two in two and it did just this, courtesy of inspired paceman Pasoon, who hit the stumps with a pair of inswinging beauties right away. That had us believing as the final 15 overs commenced. The hat-trick ball didn’t sneak through, but another Yorker did two overs later. So desperate were they to keep Yuvi on strike, right on cue, a run out came next. Then, in that Pasoon same over, stumps splayed for a fourth time. What a spell; what sight. Suddenly it was Southgate doing the Pasodoble on this faraway field, with the big boy looking every bit our matchwinner.
So, 226-7 after five in a hurry. 33 to get. Yuvi, who had been playing the milk the strike game for about two hours by now, was taking that approach to the next level. Clearly mindful of the carnage at the other end, he tried to put a dent into George Bloyce from the first ball of his new spell but finally miscued… and Liam was under it! High, swirling, back went our man at long on. Back some more. Watching it all the way down; both mitts to it. He fell dramatically backwards with the momentum. Has it stuck? “Yeeeeeaaaaah!” he roared from the floor to confirm that it had. Yuvi’s masterful 111 was over. We’d taken 6/35. Two more; a buffer of 30. A required rate now nearing six. Two new men.
But one of those, Quirticumar, wasn’t ready to give it up. He ran hard. Upon returning to replace Pasoon, Liam castled the less convincing incumbent with the score on 243. Out walks the No11, Savani, who looked like he may have witnessed Vinoo Mankad play as a young lad. A lesson here in doubting the acuity of the old, for he sure knew what he was doing. Bat on ball, gallop. Scoreboard pressure. Take it deep. Get it to the 45th. Five runs to play with. Some game this.
Now, it’d be wrong of me to brush over the awkward fact that the same No11 gifted us an elementary chance in the penultimate over, which wasn’t snaffled inside the ring. Off the bowling of Liam (who has dropped catches following him), who had more than earned the right to be the man to finish it and bring on the winners’ piss. Instead, the old man was the day’s hero, driving a full ball through cover to get the hosts the win, celebrating with gusto. And fair enough – it isn’t every day you chase a total like that to win by one wicket with a few balls to spare.
We left the field with heads held high enough. This ran the risk of being quite a shambolic thrashing at one point, but instead, a spirited rally saw us drag it back to the brink. There’s merit in that. As there is the way we applauded the winners graciously, then quickly got the phone number of Yuvraj – just in case he wants to put himself on the market again at some later date.
It’s almost always the case that you can’t win them all in a long season, and a loss a month into the campaign refocuses the attention and determination - especially one as memorable as this. Look out whoever we’re playing this Saturday at the Walker. Time to bounce back.
Adam Collins
