Promotion was secured, as runners up, on the final Saturday of the season. However, 4 games out we were top of the league with the league championship in our own hands but a couple of poor performances against Sunbury and Hampton Hill resulted in the need to win the final game.
It was a season of two halves, we won 9 out of the first 11 games with one abandoned. We were top of the league and looking comfortable. We then lost 3 of the next 5 again one abandoned but thanks to other teams not taking advantage we went into the final game with promotion in our own hands.
Over the season we used 55 players which made any continuity hard, but is obviously, to an extent, the nature of 4th team cricket and of course enabled many of our young cricketers to experience adult league cricket alongside those of us of more mature years.
When we were poor it was our generally batting that let us down with little application shown on some difficult wickets. The top run scorer was Craig Williams who seemed, until the last game of the season (70 setting up the game along with Zak Perkins), incapable of scoring less than 20 and more than 45 but 323 runs at 32.32 is a fine return at the top of the order. Other highlights included 106 for Jayden Forward against Whiteley Village, 92 for Zack Perkins (Whiteley Village) and 83 for Will Heslop (Whiteley Village) and in the first game of the season Heny Witten and Alex Mason rolling back the years with a partnership of 106 to win the game at Stoke D’Abernon. Seven other players scored fifties.
Our bowling was generally very good but on occasion the inability to finish off the oppo lower order cost us dearly. The leading wicket taker was Shailendra Singh, 20 wickets at an average of 10.70. This included 6-24 (including a hat trick) against Whiteley Village. No other bowler took a five for. Odran William played 8 games, was consistently hostile and unlucky to only take 13 wickets at 24.92. Chris Harvey took 14 at 19.21 and Tom Burnett 13 at 17.77.
For a 4th XI our catching was generally excellent if we exclude the Hampton Hill game in the penultimate game of the season when it was frankly pretty dreadful. Ground fielding was average not helped by some difficult outfields, not least home at Imber Court.
A big thank you to regulars Alex Mason, Craig Williams, Chris Harvey and Shailendra Singh for help on the day including umpiring, scoring, keeping Imber Court tidy and general management of the day.
Player of the season- Craig Williams
My player of the season goes to an almost ever present, new member this year, who not only has scored runs at the top of the order but also was a core member of the team regulars. As earlier 323 runs at 32.30 at the top of the order is a fine return, he was a great support during the season not only for his cricket knowledge but also providing much needed consistency in team make up.