To think that it could all come down to this, the last day of the league season against our long time rivals. Under normal circumstances this game would be massive, especially after losing earlier in the season in a 500+ run thriller. Was it possible to add even more feeling to this clash of the Kent Premier reserves Titans.
After 18 games, several injuries, some heartbreak and some tantrums, gnashing of teeth and some frank words the title was on the line. Having started the season like a bullet out of a gun, racking up points for fun as we beat all before us some people thought at the halfway stage that bringing home the pendant was just a matter of continuing to turn up. Complacency is always the biggest enemy. With 4 games to go Bromley had built up a head of steam and collected almost maximum points in the last 3 games whilst we had been incomplete and rained off. Going into the game our lead had been eroded to four points and we faced a winner takes all title decider.
To make matters worse we were missing some key players. The skipper had work commitments which I strongly suspect included copious amounts of booze, Seb Slater, all conquering opening bat and The Great Ginger Hope, Ivan Thomas were also missing. All would be missed individually but en masse this was a serious blow and one that filled the Bromley side with confidence.
With the History of this fixture and the rivalry between the teams I was really hoping to get up a head of steam and start the mind games early but I have to admit that to a man the Bromley team were friendly and wished us good luck.
Jamal Patterson, leading run scorer in the league and captain for the day won the toss and elected to bat. Luff and Speller strapped on the pads, wore determined scowls and marched out to the middle. A great start ensued with Hadleigh playing the anchor and Speller looking like he wanted to murder the bowling of the left armer who was shaping the ball into his pads, a favourite area of Charlie. He raced to 23 before he played all around a straightish one. 40-1 in just a few overs with Jamal next in. The pace continued as Nosher and JP both bought up milestones and at drinks we were 150-1 and looking at a massive score.
The pitch was flat and runs were there in abundance, but we were not able to capitalize as the laft arm spinner Craig peters bowled with control. At first he slowed the run rate and then he started to make inroads into the middle order. Wickets fell regularly from 150-1 to 174-7. We had gone from confidence to nervous energy and plenty of finger nail chewing. Joe kerridge, batting lower than he would like came in and did a superb job and marshaled the lower order pushing us past 200 and eventually up to 230-9. A score but one that we felt was well with in the Bromley range.
Good tea with a very nice chicken on skewers type of offering that we could definitely bring back to the Rectory.
A muggy afternoon and the weight of expectation bearing down on us. We needed a good start and Monsell took the first over. There was a palpable sense of nervousness and we needed something to settle us down and lift our games. LBW second ball of the Innings and the opener was left to rue what could have been. Akbari from the other end bowled a super tight over, and built up the pressure. Monsell again and the other opener looked like he wanted to chase the score down in a hurry, a shot a ball till he missed one that hit the top of off and knocked it out of the ground. 7-2 off 3 overs and we now knew we were in a game.
Akbari finished his opening salvo 4-0-11-0 and Shojib Ali replaced him. The Big Sho will tell you his first over was one of the worst I had seen him bowl with only one ball using the facilities, the rest were full bungers. The next 13 overs as Monsell and Ali bowled in Tandem were as tight as a gnats bottom with Ali swinging the ball prodigiously in the air and beating the bat for fun. An excellent spell on a flat one – 7-3-13-3 and a spell of bowling from which Bromley were never to recover from leaving them 61-5 and a mountain to climb.
From there till the end we used Mehdi to bowl wicket to wicket and the twin spin of Dipyan Paul and Adam Senn. Bowling tight we soon finished the job bowling them for less than 130 and with plenty of overs left. Sometimes a short game is a good game.
With the final wicket came a strange sense of calm and was not the excitement that I was expecting, I knew the reason I was quiet was because I was absolutely knackered. As we walked off the pitch Bromley were the model of good sportsmanship and congratulated us warmly and said that we deserved the title. This was particularly well received because of the age and the potential to get even better from this set of young players.
There was a deep sense of satisfaction having fought for and won the trophy against our main rivals in there manor. The first couple of beers in whites had very rarely tasted so sweet.
A great season with contributions from every member of the team.
