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Dhaivet unlocks the flood gates

Frindsbury got back to winning ways in emphatic style on Saturday as a Dhaivet batting master class blasted the 1^st XI to an easy 6 wicket win against 3^rd placed Westgate-onSea.

Frindsbury were missing skipper Sam Dudgeon (busy making a marriage proposal) so it was left to stand in Pete Elswood to try and keep up his 100% winning record from last year. He passed the 1^st test by winning the toss and asking Westgate to bat first and tossed the new ball to  a new opening pairing of  Chris Mumford and the bustling Nigel Pullen. Mumford quickly settled into his stride and removed  the dangerous Sandwell caught behind by Dan Reeves. Both Wood and Winch were struggling against Mumford’s pace and accuracy  while Pullen at the other end was swinging the ball and generally keeping it tight. Mumford struck again to remove Winch and was unlucky not to grab a 3^rd wicket when Wood was put down at slip by the skipper. Elswood was soon reprieved by a piece of magic by Dan Reeves who,running round to square leg, hit the only stump he had to aim at to send the prolific Westgate skipper back to the pavilion.

Pullen  (12-37-0) and Mumford (12-32-2) bowled out and at the half way stage the stand in skipper was happy with the score at 73-3 on what was again a good batting track. Elswood and Shiva then took over and induced a mini collapse as Westgate lost 3 wickets for 5 runs. Tossing the ball up Elswood had Flint caught in the covers and then Mckenzie caught at gully while Shiva, once he had sorted out his run up, had Sandwell Snr snaffled behind by the impressive Reeves. Andrews decided to swing the bat to try and move the Westgate total to a more  respectable total but wickets in successive balls from Shiva and another from Elswood saw Westgate total a below par 132.

Mumford was the pick of the Frindsbury attack  but both Elswood (7-28-3) and Shiva (11-30-3) bowled well to leave Frindsbury confident at tea.

What happened next can only be described as carnage. On his day Dhaivet is one of the most destructive batsmen in 1A and on Saturday he was determined to showcase his large array of strokes. Despite losing his opening partner Shiva early on, Dhaivet proceeded to hit all of the Westgate bowlers out of the attack with shots all round the wicket. His cutting was particularly brutal and with the equally cavalier Rob Sait at the other end, they put on an amazing 80 runs in only 10 overs.

The Westgate bowlers seemed keen to question the 2 Frindsbury men’s stroke making ability but this was emphatically answered as the ball kept disappearing to the boundary. Sait eventually departed for a fine 39, after taking on the challenge of dispatching  the vocal Winch once too often but Dhaivet quickly passed the 50 mark for the 2^nd game running He was finally out for a superb 56 which included an unbelievable 11 fours and 1 six. By this time the game was won and it was left to “Kent League” Pullen (as he was christened by the Westgate fielders) batting sensibly to see Frindsbury home to complete a 3^rd successive victory over Westgate.

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