Hoping to confirm promotion to the Middlesex Sunday League Division 1, Grace's visited London Maccabi Vale CC in a top-versus-bottom encounter.
Losing the toss on the hottest day of the year meant that Grace's had to take the field, and the home team were soon in trouble with Shofiq bowling opener Green with his third ball before a run had been scored. With the score on 9, he repeated the dose to Harris the Maccabi number three. After 8 overs and conceding 18 runs, Shofiq and Bielby were replaced in the attack by Ahkter and Mappin, who continued to torment the batsmen as Maccabi were reduced to 44-5 when Mappin who had bowled only six of his possible eight overs in taking 2-18, including 3 maidens, was replaced by Hope. After completing his eight-over spell of 1-16 also including 3 maidens, Ahkter was replaced by Mendis and with Hope having Lederman caught at the wicket, Maccabi were precariously placed at 66-6. However Grace's failed to press home their attack, skipper Hardisty keeping faith with his third-string bowlers rather than bring back his strike bowlers to try to finish the home side off. Slowly but surely the batsmen gained in confidence and runs began to flow as a stand of 53 developed, and it was not until the 32nd over that saw the return of Shofiq and Bielby to bowl to batsmen who were by now seeing and timing the ball well. The stand was broken when Shofiq had Caplan lbw for 32 but Avi remained to be run out off the last ball for a well struck 47 as Maccabi reached what at one time had seemed an unlikely score of 141.
After tea Grace's set about their task of reaching what appeared a modest target, but with the score at 23 Shorrocks played a loose stroke and was caught at backward point for 13. Mendis was kept strangely quiet, taking 17 balls to reach his score of just 4 when his patience and reason deserted him as he charged the bowler aiming to hit the ball out of the ground only to be bowled in the process. By the 15th over Graces were halfway towards their target for the loss of only two wickets when Shofiq was caught off a leading edge trying to pull the ball, to be followed by Mappin who, having hit one four to long-on tried to repeat the feat, only to have his dreams and more importantly his wicket shattered. With the score on 80 Hope succumbed to temptation and was bowled for 39. After that wickets fell with alarming regularity as the asking rate climbed until Bielby was last out trying to score 17 off the last 9 balls.
In conclusion it must be said that if Grace's are to really progress in league cricket they must be much more disciplined and tactically aware.