Binfield Cricket Club's 6th XI were beaten by the narrowest of margins at home to White Waltham CC in a friendly on Saturday 4 July, Vikram Duraiswamy's 66 building a total of 167 that fell agonisingly one wicket short of being defended.

In warm, breezy air at home, the board reached 119 for 9 and White Waltham still needed 49; Binfield's 6th XI had taken the contest to its last pair. Ahsan Muhammad and Jonathan Henderson then added those 49 without being separated, Muhammad finishing 45 not out and Henderson 4 not out. They reached 168 for 9 in 30.3 overs, and a one-wicket finish had arrived by the narrowest possible door.

Rewind to Binfield's 167 all out and Vikram Duraiswamy's 66 becomes more striking. Tom Weekes ran through batting positions one to five for 5 for 29; take away Duraiswamy and his other four victims made only 11 between them, with three ducks. Harry Short added 30 and Ram Devarakonda finished 13 not out, while 33 extras - 16 wides and 15 byes among them - lent the innings a slightly comic wobble of its own.

Vikram Duraiswamy · 66

Binfield's bowlers very nearly made that total sufficient. Ollie Holden took 3 for 28 and Harry Short 3 for 34, while Finn Mitchell's 2 for 20 deserves its full place in the tale: he bowled Dhaval Dadhania for 32 and then Weekes for 10 as the ninth wicket fell. That left Muhammad and Henderson with the match balanced on one remaining wicket and 49 runs still to find.

My dear old things, White Waltham's Weekes and Muhammad had been magnificent at opposite ends of the game, and the visitors found every one of those closing runs. Binfield lost by one wicket just past the thirty-over mark, but only after carrying the match to 30.3 overs and its final pair. What a brilliantly vexing finish!