On losing the toss Upminster chose to bat. Tyler and Bilal kept it tight, Bilal picking up a wicket in his first over. Then a sensational run out by Tyler , one hand pick up, off balance throw at one stump dealt with G Sheridan and we were well on top. It stayed that way for much of the first 30 overs. Young M Pedrick clearly the pick of the Upminster batters with a quality 100 off 123 balls, was the thorn in our side and kept the momentum up for Upminster. We chopped and changed the bowling to stem the flow of runs as much as we could. A slightly more defensive set up helped us keep the total at a reasonable level. Spicers was pretty much faultless all afternoon, making it difficult for the bowlers. Kubi Asmat's off spin helped along with Ahsan's seamers not going for too many meant we were set 233 to win.

A cautious start by Arshad and Atif got the ball rolling before Arshad chipped one up 29-1. That brought Kubi Asmat to the crease and what followed will go down in 3rd XI Folklore. Both Atif and Kubi were brutal on anything remotely loose, the scoreboard was simply racing along. What looked like a challenging total at the start was being demolished by a sensational 160 run partnership. Atif falling for 95 when in sight of the finish line. Kubi continued the carnage as we lost a couple of wickets close to the end. It was left to Kubi needing 6 for a fantastic 100 to go 4, 2 to win the game and raise his bat as he walked off.

A tremendous first win for the 3rd XI against a side that are always near the top of the Division. We still have work to do in the field to ensure our effort does not falter after 30 overs. But that batting today was simply awesome and great to watch, we reached our target in the 37th over, much to the delight of the large crowd on the patio.

Report courtesy of Simon Baulcomb