Binfield Cricket Club's 3rd XI chased down Boyne Hill CC 3rd XI's 179 for 8 with six wickets in hand at home on Saturday 4 July in Thames Valley Cricket League Division 6B, Rahul Gupta's 4 for 38 restricting the visitors before Mehul Garg's unbeaten 43 completed the victory.

Boyne Hill's last pair provided Saturday's most generous twist: in bright, dry air with the breeze abroad, Tom Murphy's unbeaten 19 and Matthew Preston's unbeaten 21 added 40 without separation and carried the visitors to 179 for 8. It was a spirited rescue after the batters above them had found runs in much smaller parcels, and it gave Binfield's 3rd XI a proper target rather than a formality.

Mehul Garg · 43* not out

Before that rescue came a three-man squeeze. Sebastian Atkins opened and took 3 for 26, Ollie Cummings sent down nine overs with two maidens for only ten runs, and Rahul Gupta collected 4 for 38, including captain Alex Samber bowled and Saad Patel caught by Cummings for 22. Boyne Hill's 32 extras, 17 of them wides, made up nearly a fifth of the total - a surprisingly plump contribution beside such tight bowling.

Binfield's reply spread its work around. Luke Taylor made 31 before falling to Jack Spencer-Jones, Matt Humphrey was bowled by Samber for 33, Tom Phizackerley was bowled by Jalal Mohamed for 31, and Lewis Hall added 23 before becoming Spencer-Jones's second wicket. Mehul Garg remained unbeaten on 43 with Harry Jones 9 not out as Binfield reached 183 for 4 and won by six wickets.

Spencer-Jones's 2 for 29 was Boyne Hill's best return and deserves a courteous salute, just as Murphy and Preston's last-pair stand does. The tail had rescued the visitors' innings; Garg and Jones simply made certain that rescue would not save the match. A six-wicket victory, and a lovely piece of business from a bowling attack that knew how to share.

Rahul Gupta · 4-38