Strikers friendly win

Frimley Phoenix Blaze welcomed the Strikers for a Sunday afternoon friendly. The pitch was extremely dry and looked like it would be challenging from the outset.

The Strikers fielded first with some fantastic stops near the boundaries and very consistent bowling by all players. It was particularly pleasing to see wickets fall as the red lights flashed in the stumps and bails. We were very jealous of this fancy equipment which made the wickets seem more exciting! Kirsty was slick at the stumps and Cat took 2 consecutive wickets with a catch from Nikki near square leg. The Blaze had some strong batters who hit several boundaries all over the pitch but we also stopped several more with great long barriers to keep many shots to singles. With a backdrop of rumbling thunder, The Blaze notched up 317.

After a motivational mid-innings talk by debut Captain Kimberley, the chase was on! The Blaze had some very rapid bowlers but our batters stepped up to mark and started to hit with confidence and purpose. There was a short stop for a rain break then we were back out, steadily adding to the runs total. Unfortunately, we saw those red flashing lights again a few more times but weren’t disheartened and continued to look for runs, putting pressure on the field and running singles and twos.

It looked like a very difficult challenge as the final pair went in to bat requiring 33 to win. We should have had more faith! They smashed the ball around and in the final over, the pressure told on the Frimley bowler as a few no-balls were hit and had to be re-bowled. As the rain and hail started to fall, they hit the winning runs to win by a single run!

Well done to all the Strikers for giving such encouragement from the sidelines and performing well as a team. A very close victory, toasted off with Prosecco in team-branded glasses - another thing for the Strikers to aspire to!