Chalfont St Giles vs Ley Hill, 17th August 2003

Will Holman

Every year since Jon Lown (left) joined the club at its reformation in 1947, the Aylesbury Adonis has taken two-week holidays in August that somehow encompass three Saturdays. Just as some at the club were starting to question Lown's commitment, he stepped off the plane and into Paul Green's Sunday side, and immediately led from the front. With his WWA-themed swimming trunks and tinted after-sun still unpacked, Flapper was nurdling his way to a creditable 88, shepherding Ley Hill to 195-2.

At the other end, after Keith Strickland fell on 17, Arsalan Shakoor was in bombastic form. Az has shown himself to be a naturally talented cricketer who doesn't hang about at the crease, and this was a typically swashbuckling innings. This century, one of many by Ley Hill players this season, featured a plethora of huge hits that demoralised the toiling Chalfont bowlers.

The truth is that there have been some incredibly high-scoring games this season, and a target of 240 is not a huge challenge on a decent wicket with a lightening-fast outfield. After an early breakthrough by Lown, Chalfont raced away to within 100 runs of their target without further loss. Two more wickets soon followed, but Ley Hill were consistently and rapidly leaking runs, and the home side reached their target in just 35 overs, helped along by some comical slow bowling. Not for the first time this season, our boys were probably let down by a lack of depth to the bowling attack - difficult to hide in such glorious conditions.

Ley Hill: 239 for 2 (Az Shakoor 104 not out, Lown 88)
Chalfont St Giles: 242 for 5 (Clarke 2 for 56)
Ley Hill lost by 5 wickets

Man of the Match: Az Shakoor earns his reward for some excellent batting form

Click here for the scorecard