On a scorching day, Didcot lost the toss and were asked to bowl first under testing conditions. Steventon came out swinging, racing to 56 in just 35 balls (seven sets) with aggressive stroke play.

The breakthrough came in the eighth set when Jovin Nagularapu cleaned up one of the openers with a beauty. He struck again in the very next set with a sharp piece of fielding that resulted in a run out, slowing Steventon’s momentum.

The pressure continued to build. In the tenth set, Alex Freeman showed quick awareness, catching the non striker backing up too far and securing another run out off his own bowling.

Benedict Howman Bett then struck with his very first delivery in the twelfth set before Anthony Vinall added another wicket. The middle overs belonged to Samar Wadhwa, who ripped through Steventon’s batting with two quick clean bowled dismissals, pushing them firmly on the back foot.

In the final over, Anthony Vinall claimed his second wicket to close the innings, restricting Steventon to 134 for 8 from their allotted 100 balls which was a challenging total given the intense heat.

Didcot began cautiously, managing just 13 runs in the first four sets. But once they found their rhythm, the runs flowed freely. By the eighth set, the scoreboard read 54 for 1 with the chase back on track.

Jovin Nagularapu continued his all round performance and retired in the tenth set after a blistering 37 from just 25 balls. William Dagnell and Anthony Vinall then took charge, maintaining the momentum and closing in on the target.

With 17 balls to spare, Anthony Vinall finished the match in emphatic style with a powerful six over square leg sealing the victory and showing Didcot’s dominance.

From a slow start to a confident finish, Didcot showed resilience, belief and a can do attitude, turning the game around and securing a well earned win in challenging conditions.

Player of the Match: Jovin Nagularapu for batting, key wicket, and sharp fielding
I-Scream Moment: Anthony Vinall’s winning six