Headley Old Freemens CC secured a hard-fought three-wicket victory over Newdigate CC on Sunday,7th June 2026 after successfully chasing 138 on 35 overs limited Friendly match.
After winning the toss, Newdigate CC decided to bat first. The opening father-son paid of Simon and Toby Wells gave the visitors a steady start. Headley kept asserting through their accurate bowling, stifling the run scoring on a slow outfield. Newdigate kept losing wickets during the middle overs trying to accelerate the run-rate which saw them reeling at 74/3 at 20 overs. Shahariar Sami (30 of 49 balls) came handy at this point building a 62 runs partnership with Toby Wells (50 off 86 balls). Toby’s well made 50 was composed of 4 boundaries and a lots of running, while Sami struck 3 boundaries. Both the batters perished trying push through the final overs and once the were out, Headley restricted Newdigate to 137/8 from their 35 overs.
Christopher Edwards led the attack with three wickets, while James Long chipped in with two crucial breakthroughs.
In reply, Headley made a positive start but lost wickets at regular intervals and found themselves under pressure at 105/7. With the match finely balanced, James Long produced an outstanding unbeaten 32 from just 18 balls to swing momentum back in Headley’s favour. Supported by Christopher Edwards, Long guided the home side to 138/7 in 26.4 overs. Steve Miles top-scored with 34, while Gareth Barker contributed 17.
Mohammad Ali (20/1 off 7 overs) and Ian Kehl (22/1 off 8 overs) kept Newdigate’s hope for a win afloat. Both the bowlers will rue 3 dropped catches off their bowling which could have given a different result of the match. Aiden Jones (13/2 off 2 overs) chipped in when needed. However, the opposition batters rode on their lucks to punish the other bowlers.
The match witnessed a total of 4 colts playing, gaining on their confidence for the future and was played in the true spirit of a Sunday Friendly match.