After a wet night and damp morning the match did well to start about on time although it did not look likely a game would finish. The wicket was damp and bowler friendly, not a good day to lose the first toss of the season. Unsurprisingly Chris Clayton-Smith the Molehill Green skipper decided to put Matching in to bat on a tricky one.
With the score on just 5 Matching lost their first wicket when the reliable Graeme Bowerman mistimed a pull and was caught at mid-wicket off a short pitched ball from Mark McCraith. Royston Gray opened the bowling at the other end and bowled tightly unchanged for 0-16 off his 10 overs. McCraith continued to bowl well beating the bat regularly especially early on finishing his spell of 10 overs with 3-31. He reduced Matching to 23 for 3 off 9 overs. This brought Tom Figg and Jason Green to the wicket and they put on a magnificent partnership of 157 in just 26 overs at just better than a run a ball , which, given the wicket and a wet outfield was a superb effort. Figg was watchful and Green sublime .Figg eventually went for 63 caught off the bowling of King.
After Simon Hartnell was trimmed up for 1 off King, Matching were keen to press forward and Simon Wasley was sent in for some big hitting. He did not disappoint and struck 34 off 21 balls. Green continued at the other end to finish an incredible 122 not out and Matching were 265-7 off their 45 overs, a fantastic recovery from an at once desperate position. The other Molehill successful bowlers were Berndes 2-38 and King 2-34.
The weather was holding off and it now looked as the game could reach a conclusion. The wicket and outfield had dried somewhat but 265 still looked a daunting score. Molehill seemed to take the approach of a 2020 game and Green soon had Will Connolly out for 2. Charlie Bass bowled well but it looked as though pace off may be the best option. Simon Hartnell and Paul Dawson did just that .
Molehill got behind the rate and just did not have an answer , as the required rate climbed the shots became more desperate and Molehill were skittled out for 133 in just v26 overs , having been 46-1 off 7 overs . Hartnell ended with 3-38 and Dawson 5-31. The only batsman to score anything decent was Jack Coleman with 26.
Seven out of seven for Matching and off to play second placed Nazeing Common away next week in what appears to be an important fixture and with Stansted winning their last 6 matches things are hotting up nicely in Division 1.