Swanscombe and Greenhithe 8/6/19

Bexleyheath 3rd XI continued their strong start to the season on Saturday with an emphatic victory over Swanscombe and Greenhithe 1st XI.
The heath batted first, and openers Neil and George had to weather an early storm, both literally and metaphorically with the game being halted for rain after an over and a half.
When they were back out the opening bowlers managed to find a consistent line and length which made it tough for the Heath batsmen.
The pair survived despite at least three straightforward dropped catches and after a while they began to find their rhythm.
As the first wicket partnership passed 100 and George brought up his 50, it was time to up the ante and build on the solid platform that had been laid.
Neil was the first of the two to depart when he tried running a quick two, but George at the other end had other ideas as he was more than happy strolling one. Neil was left stranded half way down the track and he was run out for a well-made 48.
Dave Hughes then came in and hit some typically lusty blows, and George tried to match him, but this brought about his downfall as the opposition finally held onto a catch, much to the surprise of the departing batsman.
Shuk joined Dave at the crease and it really was now hit out or get out. In the end Bexleyheath made it to 181-3 from their 32 overs, George (68) and Neil (48) the two highest scoring batsmen.
A chase of 182 was going to be tough on a pitch with a bounce as inconsistent as the weather in June.
Sam opened the bowling and he thought he had made the breakthrough with the very first ball after he pulled off a spectacular catch off his own bowling. Only for the batsman to claim it came off his elbow, even offering the fieldsman evidence of a mark on the affected area.
The first wicket soon did follow, and it was Shuk who forced the edge, which was well caught by Craig behind the stumps.
Swanscombe and Greenhithe’s second wicket partnership threatened to jeopardise the Heath’s strong position as they found the boundary with relative regularity.
Always the man for the big occasion, Jake stepped up and claimed the prized second wicket, caught behind again by Craig.
Sam then finally got reward for beating the bat numerous times, but his heart would have been in his mouth as Neil juggled an easy catch at square leg, but he managed to grab it on the second attempt.
From here the Heath really squeezed the opposition and the run rate was spiralling, helped by two wickets by Harry in the middle overs.
Shuk then returned and took two more quick wickets to put the game completely out of reach for Swanscombe and Greenhithe, which made the last few overs just a formality.
Ryan managed to get in on the act when he had their number nine caught at second slip.
Connor saw that each bowler had got at least one wicket, so he saw the opportunity to add to his tally for the season, but his plan looked flawed as he was swiped away to leg side boundary two balls in a row. He finally got his man however after a clever field change forced the batsman to hit the ball straight back to him for a simple caught and bowled.
Swanscombe and Greenhithe finished on 106-9 off their 32, which temporarily sent Bexleyheath top of the table. A top effort from the whole team will give them confidence that they can go on and achieve something special this season.