4s are the early pacesetters

Bexley 4s entertained Chestfield 2s at Chis n' Sid this week in their first home game of the season. Despite the loss of several players from last weeks crushing victory, the side was still strong, emphasising the club's enviable current depth of talent.

After winning the toss, captain Harris invited Chestfield to bat first. Their innings is summarised in a series of tweets by @Chestfield_CC.

1. 'With @BexleyCC winning the toss against the 2nd XI it's been a slow start with the trees. 15-1 off 8'

(An early wicket for the returning Fred Woodgate, backed up ably by Marcus Ritson)

2. 'With the run rate just creeping up, the 2nd XI are 44-1 off 18'

(Continued excellent bowling by Abdur Rehman and Tom Copp with good all round fielding keeps things tight. No attempts by Chestfield to play 'expansively' nor any misbehaviour from the wicket)

3. 'The 2nd XI are 72-6 off 32 overs'

(Manraj Bains on debut picks up two wickets in a tidy spell, conceding only 7 runs in his 7 overs. Old war horse Ian Clark bags a three for despite being assaulted by Tom Copp. Still no signs off aggression from Chestfield)

4. 'The 2nd XI finish on 116 for 8 off 46 overs. The outfield and wicket isn't perfect but game on'

(Humza Rafiq picks up a debut wicket and Marcus comes back on to remove the only batsman who played an aggressive shot. Phil Barton finally gets to signal a boundary in the 41st over). Their opener finishes on 46*. Yes...really.

After a standard excellent Bexley CC tea (so I'm told, it was all gone following my return from a short toilet break). The cluuuuuub embarked on chasing down the target set by Chestfield.

I don't need tweets to summarise our reply. Target achieved in 27.1 overs with the loss of only three wickets. Scores of 32 for Bis Das, 30 for Humza and not outs for Adrian Wiltshire (20*) and Tom Copp (15*). Plenty of boundaries, including a wonderful straight six from Humza.

Once again, an excellent 4th XI performance leads to 16 more points and the side sitting at the top of the standing after two games. Nothing wrong with the wicket or the outfield, quite simply the side that played the better cricket emerged victorious.

Next week we travel to Chislehurst & West Kent hoping to continue our winning streak.

James Harris