Binfield Cricket Club's Friendly XI won by 58 runs away at Sandhurst CC on Sunday 12 July, James Frost taking charge of the afternoon at both ends: an unbeaten 51 that held a total of 181 together, and then 3 for 12 to help bowl the home side out for 123.

It is one of cricket's quieter pleasures to watch a single player take charge of an afternoon from both ends of it, and in the July heat at Sandhurst that is precisely what James Frost did. Binfield had won the toss and chosen to bat, and while wickets tumbled about him - Rouf Zargar bowling with genuine zip for his 3 for 34 - Frost simply refused to leave, finishing unbeaten on 51 as the innings closed at 181 all out.

There was useful company along the way. Finn Mitchell made a brisk 30, Isaac Humphrey 23 and Charlie Miles 16, while Sandhurst spread the wickets around evenly: Zargar's three were supplemented by two apiece for Matt Halliday, Phil Jones and Barrie Dixon. It was not a total to frighten anybody on paper, but Frost's steady presence had given it a good deal more spine than the fall of wickets suggested.

Then came the reply, and Frost was at it again. His 3 for 12 in three and a bit overs cut the innings off at the knees, Jaden Slaughter opened up with 2 for 20 - bowling Ravi Gadiraju and having Nitesh Yadav lbw - and Harry Short's 2 for 10 was a model of thrift. Matt Halliday's 46 was a spirited lone hand for the hosts, and Zargar chipped in with 25, but Sandhurst were bowled out for 123 in 30.2 overs, undone by an attack that gave them almost nothing to work with.

My dear old things, what a rounded day's cricket from Frost, whose 2026 already reads 256 runs at a quite absurd 85.33 and eighteen wickets at 19.50 with the ball. Halliday deserves the warmest hand from the winners for keeping Sandhurst's reply alive as long as he did; but this was Binfield's afternoon, and a 58-run victory settled the matter tidily.