Satruday 13th June 2009.

Those who have been following this series closely will have noted that whenever we bat first we are always bowled out. In other words, we don't make full use of the 30 overs at our disposal. Before today's match a Mr Boycott dropped into the changing room to criticise our technique. He pointed out that we were wasting the opportunity to build up a really big score.

We promised him that we would concentrate on our defensive strokes, and refuse to give our wickets away easily. I won the toss, and decided we would bat first, to show Geoffrey what we could do, against a fairly aggressive Pakistan bowling attack.

Their very fast opening bowler hit Christopher twice, before getting the ball past him, and knocking his stumps over: 2-1.

In his next over he peppered Ad, before forcing an edge to 1st slip: 9-2.

ILTV edged to the keeper: 10-3.

Mr Boycott had started chewing his hat.

Mincat was next in, but she knows how to deal with a fast bowler, hitting a six and a four off the first over she faced - however he won the battle in the end, with another edge to the slips: 30-4.

Richard and I saw off the opening bowlers, but their second pair were just as crafty, and eventually Richard was bowled: 41-5.

I was given out LBW (Hawkeye shows that was a mistake): 65-6.

Fortunately their third string bowlers weren't quite as good, and Carol and Ivy were able to push on, until Ivy was out LBW: 91-7.

Rob was caught in the slips: 96-8.

Eventually they brought back their pacemen to finish off the tail, and Phil was bowled: 111-9.

Carol was finally winkled out, after a dogged 32: 131-10.
We had actually batted for 26·4 overs, which wasn't too bad (despite Mr Boycott's devastating criticism of our batting technique).

Tea was bread and cheese (Z's speciality).

Their first wicket fell with a caught-and-bowled to Vicus: 4-1.

Phil did the same: 8-2.

There were no further breakthroughs in the first 15 overs (after which teams usually start to attack) - but they were well behind the run-rate, on 27-2.

They did indeed start to attack, but eventually in the 22nd over I tempted Al Huq to hit a ball in the air, where Rob held onto it: 56-3.

Two overs later another of my balls flew to Ivy: 62-4.

In their penultimate over, Rob got their top batsman caught-and-bowled: 86-5.

Despite batting through their 30 overs, they finished on 94-5, and so we won.New Zealand lost another game, and so we're now clear on top of the league.Next week (the halfway stage in the league) we're away against Sri Lanka.

Saturday 6th June 2009

Well, after England's defeat by the Netherlands on Friday, clearly any result is possible in cricket. New Zealand had cunningly played an extra game mid-week, to try to ensure they would stay above us, even if we beat them today - sadly for them they had lost that match, thus at one stroke both foiling their plan, and giving us hope that they were not invincible.

New Zealand won the toss, and decided to field. I decided to use the same batting line-up that had performed so well last week and I aimed to set them a target of 150 (ie setting the opposition a run-rate of 5 per over).

Our hearts were in our mouths when Christopher was bowled first ball: 0-1.

Ad was run out: 8-2.

So was Mincat - we were starting to realise what sharp fielders the Kiwis are: 20-3.

ILTV and I settled down, and saw us past the 50 mark, until she clipped one to the keeper: 52-4.

Richard was bowled: 66-5.

Our target of 150 looked rather unlikely now.

Carol too was bowled: 81-6.

Well, at least I reached my half-century before we were all out.
Ivy and I pushed the score past 100 before she was caught: 127-7.

I too was caught, by a diving first slip: 136-8.

We were relying on the bowlers to get us up to 150 - they had plenty of overs to play with, but did they have the ability?

Phil was caught by the keeper: 139-9.

Vicus was bowled - but not before he and Rob had taken us past our target: 154-10.
Tea involved various combinations of stuffed emu.

With a competitive target we knew their batting line-up would feel under pressure, which intensified when Vicus took a wicket in the first over: 0-1.

Rob took the next wicket: 6-2.

They scored odd singles, but were steadily dropping behind the run-rate - after 10 overs they'd achieved just 18-2, and at 15 overs (the halfway point) they had dried up completely, on 21-2.

Finally they started to try to hit out - but that just gave our fielders more chances, the first being a ball struck firmly off Vicus, straight into Mincat's hands: 24-3.

Next ball Vicus held a sharp caught-and-bowled: 24-4.

Rob took the next wicket: 26-5.

I had a go too: 28-6.

And in my next over I achieved a hat-trick: 32-9.

Rob finished them off: 33-10.As you will see, we now head the league table. Huzzah!Next week we are at home to Pakistan.