NEWLY-PROMOTED St Stephens visited Stroud seconds on Saturday and put in a performance that well and truly belied their lowly status in their league, narrowly missing out on victory in a low-scoring game; largely due to the efforts of one man.

Visiting captain Aaron Batchelor won the toss and inserted the home side on a very dry and suspicious looking wicket and his instinct was proved correct as he and his opening attack partner Josh Moore pinned Stroud opening pair Ollie Holmes and Rich Tuttle right back, allowing them only 16 runs from the first ten overs. Moore (9-3-26-3) bowled a hostile length whilst his captain (9-3-14-2) used swing and seam to remove both batsmen as they attempted to break the shackles constraining them; Holmes for 9 and Tuttle for 11.

After such batting turgidity, the appearance of Pavel Sharma and Chris Smith – both natural and powerful strokemakers – was a welcome filip for Stroud and they set about accelerating the run rate nicely until Pav miscued a pull off Thomas (9-1-37-2) into the grateful hands of Batchelor at midwicket for 20.

Undeterred, Smith blazed away beautifully, sending the efforts of Woods (6-0-34-1) and Thomas off to the vanishingly distant boundaries before an inexplicable call for the most utterly suicidal sharpest of singles by Innes Pierce led to his run out for 24.

This slapstick moment seemed to unnerve Stroud considerably. Recent run-plunderer Chris Dutton was smartly caught behind for 8, Pierce himself further blotted the copybook with a duck and James Mason played all round a straight one for 9 before Rich Cox was triggered lbw by Sharma for a blob despite the ball/bat interaction being audible from space.

At 110-8 and with only ten overs remaining, things looked bleak and the majority of home heads dropped as an early finish to the day became a distinct possibility.

That sentiment was categorically dismissed by Matt Richings coming in at ten and giving absolutely no cares about what had gone before. With Ryan Boucher watchfully accumulating 13 not out at the other end Richings threw his hands at everything and brought St. Stephens’ cocksure progress to a screeching halt. When he departed in the 41st over for a superb 31 the giant oak of Gareth Haines (11) nurdled Stroud to a total of 163 and a sprightlier tea than had seemed possible an hour earlier.

When defending a below-par total one needs nerves, skill and not a little luck. Magic deliveries that send batsmen back to the hutch shaking their heads in disbelief are also extremely welcome and Richings – not satisfied with his heroics with the willow – provided some absolute crackers. The first delivery of his spell was unplayable; swinging away and then nipping back off the seam to castle Harry Styman for a diamond duck.

After that shock St. Stephens consolidated well; Joe Moore (10) and Paul Evans wrenched the initiative back until a carbon-copy of his previous jaffa saw Richings bowl the classy Evans for 19 before splendidly repeating the trick once more to see off Aleem Nazarali for one.

Undeterred (and unusually unflustered by the oddly saturnine Haines (3.5-0-15-1) and Dutton (3-0-20-0)) the visitors ploughed on, reaching the halfway-point before a moment of absolute magic twisted the game yet once more. Damian Batchelor had been providing good support to Ben Link and was negotiating Rich Cox’s trickery with aplomb until he gave the kitchen sink to a wide one and was stunningly caught at short extra cover by Chris Smith. Catches like these deserve to change games and Smith’s effort will live long in the memory of those who witnessed it.

Such skill often rouses teammates to better things and so it proved again. James Mason (9-3-21-2) and Ryan Boucher (8-1-27-2) performed wonderfully to bowl Woods (1), Panter (5), and Batchelor (3), before Boucher finally removed the obdurate Ben Link for a very well-crafted 54; pouched quite brilliantly by Pav Sharma at backward point.

Seemingly never beaten, and needing 40 runs from ten overs the last St Stephens pair of Cain Thomas (8 not out) and Mitesh Patel (14) gave Stroud a huge dose of the wobbles until a certain tall and fast bowler was asked by his captain to end the tension. Five balls later the last wicket fell with Stroud still ten runs ahead and thanking their stars.