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Rob Sait produced a batting master class as Frindsbury finally chased down a big total this season with a thrilling 2 wicket victory over Pembury  on Saturday.

Sam Dudgeon won the toss and elected to field first at the picturesque Chalket Lane ground. Changes were again the order of the day for Frindsbury with Chris Mumford, Dhaivet and Dave Peters all returning to the side along with a first game at this level for a number of years for Dave Gracey.

It was the combination of Mumford and Peters who accounted for the 1^st wicket as Purdy gloved 1 behind in what was a fast and fiery spell from Mumford who was pleased to be back in the country after stranding himself in New York earlier in the week. All of the Pembury batsmen struggled against the pace of Mumford especially Dawes who decided that swinging the bat was the best policy as he whacked his way to a quickfire 26 before falling to Dudgeon’s first ball. Eaton looked the best Pembury batter on show but  fell to another catch off the glove for a patient 39 as Shiva became the latest Frindsbury bowler to extract extravagant bounce from the pitch. Pembury were still going along nicely at 133-2 but as Nigel Pullen and Pete Elswood reined in the run rate with 3 quick wickets Frindsbury were hoping to keep the home side below 200. However, Paul Kelly was again batting sensibly and he was able to edge Pembury to the 200 mark before a late flurry of  cross batted strokes from Parsons in the final 2 overs saw Pembury to 228-8 .

Frindsbury were reasonably pleased with their efforts in the field and with the lightening quick outfield and short boundaries they were quietly confident of reaching the total posted.

Dudgeon opened with Dhaivet and they were soon both hitting the ball to the boundary with great power and had put on 47 before Dudgeon went for 1 big shot too many to be caught for a well played 24. This bought Sait to the crease and he immediately looked in fine form as he too started to hit the boundaries and cleared them on 1 occasion off the bowling of Patel. Dhaivet reached a fine 50 for the 3^rd time this season but when he fell with the score on 114 there was still work to be done. The task was made even harder as the brittle Frindsbury middle order again collapsed as the next 5 batsmen only made 15 runs between them but all the time Sait was there Frindsbury had a chance. He reached a deserved half century and then proceeded to dominate the Pembury attack with a fine array of shots all round the ground. He was within sight of a well deserved century when he got out to a tired looking shot  for an excellent 94. The locals watching from the benches thought the game was Pembury’s with the score on 210-8 with 3 overs left, but they had reckoned without the previously unknown batting talents of Shiva.

Shiva had joined Sait in the 42^nd over and immediately signaled his intent with 10 from his first 3 deliveries. With another flurry of shots he managed to get the required amount down to 9 off the last over and he finished the game off in style with 2 huge sixes off Kelly to finish on 35no to ensure a thrilling Frindsbury victory that owed much to Sait’s brilliant batting.

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