Week four saw all teams looking to continue positive starts to the season, though two of our sides looking to bounce back after defeats in week three.

Our 1s played host to Indian Gymkhana at Lincoln Road. They won the toss and chose to bat first. We got an early breakthrough as Abdullah Khan (2-52) grabbed their opener, then Nick Jackson (2-20) snaffled the other. Wickets continued to fall regularly and Indian Gymkhana never really built any pressure. Zac Bayliss (2-30), Davis Mills (2-29) and Tasin Iqbal (1-10) took the other wickets.
In reply, our openers got off to a great start, putting on 75 for the first wicket before Tom Dallmeyer (24) fell, leaving Joe Naughton (53). Desite losing a few more wickets, the strong start plus a late flourish from Tony Sayers (38) and Davis Mills (36*) took us over the finish line, making it four wins from four.

Our 2s headed over to Harrow and won the toss, choosing to bat first. 26-0 became 27-3 - a hallmark of our 2nd XI performances last season. But this was slightly different. A partnership of 87 between Callum Wick (37) and Sam Martin (36) steadied things and breathed life back into the innings. This, plus lower order runs from Abhishek Slathia (32) pushed us towards a competitive total of 182.
With the ball, we got an early breakthrough through Ali (1-21). Things steadied for Harrow but then four quick wickets took them to 49-5. Ultimately, those wickets were crucial as, despite some middle order runs, we were able to dismiss Harrow for 152. Adeeb Ayubi (3-18) and Siran Seevaratnam (3-24) were the pick of the bowlers.

Our 3s also went west, over to Headstone Manor. They also won the toss but elected to field and with our opponents 109-0, it looked like it might be a challenging day. However, they showed excellent determination and some fantastic bowling towards the end of the innings meant that we were able to drag Headstone Manor back, restricting them to 204. Abdul Salam (4-43) was the main wicket-taker.
In our innings, we lost three early wickets to be 33-3 but then a solid partnership of 106 between Kamil Ehsan (99) and Will Hoyle (26) pushed things on and set us up for a close finish. Wickets then fell at regular intervals to leave us 184-9. Entering the last over, we needed 6 to win with captain Jason Sarna on strike. He blocked the first three deliveries before hitting a 6 to win the game. A fantastic ending!

And, our 4s went to Old Owens, winning the toss and choosing to field. Old Owens made a good start but then strong bowling meant that only one of their other batters scored double-figures. Dimuthu Hewage (3-18), Oliver Cokell (2-9) and Tom Kingham (2-21) were the main wicket-takers, as we dismissed Old Owens for 116.
Our reply was built on a strong foundation from our openers - Shay Ryan (29*) and Zuhair Javaid (42). Their efforts set us well on the way to victory as we rolled home with 6 wickets in hand.

A fantastic weekend!