Ansley, a new fixture for Napton, is a large club with various league and weekday teams.
Their Sunday team is made up from these teams. Larger clubs sometimes feel that they can use Sunday games to hone their skills and gain a tad of practice in preparation for the more, perceived, important league fixtures.
'Unadulterated' Sunday teams like Napton can often be underestimated.
It happened earlier this year with that magical victory on 29th June. ( See match report).
Perhaps the reader can already conclude where the correspondent is going with this

Napton won the toss and put the home team into bat.

From the off it could be seen that this was an experienced batting team ready to play their shots and build up a high total.
However, Mike's (E) bowling attack seems to be gaining stature with each game and he was giving no quarter. After five corkers in his third over he deceived the Ansley opener with a markedly slower delivery that the batsman mistimed sending an uppish cherry to Callum who just managed to get finger pressure on half of the ball before it fell to ground giving Napton a breakthrough.

The innings swung one way and then the next resulting in an interesting and enjoyable passage of play.
Match reports must be littered with the following but it needs saying again (and again); Napton committed themselves to fielding duties one hundred per cent throughout the game. This is one of the clubs strengths and reflects the teams enjoyment of the challenge however the game is progressing.
The Ansley batsmen, although scoring some big hits, were not allowed to build up any partnerships nor personal scores of consequence.
A couple of 'caught behind' by Guy off Chris and Stuart, caught & bowled by Callum, a run out by Sam and Guy and catches by Mike and Rory kept the game moving along at a steady pace.
It needs to be recorded that Napton experienced something of a 'Tuckerama'. Out of the eight Ansley wickets that were eventually taken a Tuck was involved in seven of them !!
After their allocated 40 overs Ansley were 185-8.

At 4.65 runs per over for victory Napton felt that the game was on.
This confidence took a blow, well two blows actually, with the loss of two wickets in the first over for just one run. Not the best of starts.
It was time for some concentrated effort.
Joe struck a quick 18 and Mike (N) kept his head (just) and batted steadily and effectively although he did suffer a nasty deflection from bat to forehead. Fortunately, he managed to bat on with something resembling a snooker ball just under his cap.
Eventually James joined Mike(N) and a revelation emerged. This boy can bat.
James's alternative cricket tea of a Big Mac piri-piri and fries must have supplied his excess energy that resulted in the fielders scuttling to the boundary each time he was facing.
James and Mike(N) parted company after a partnership of 51 runs with Napton on 104 -4 after 22 overs. They had put the game back in the reach of Napton. 82 runs required off 18 overs. 4.5 per over.
Stuart then took on the responsibility supported by Callum.
Guy eventually joined Stuart in the 37th over with 9 runs required.
They both faced, and saw off, some very determined bowlers for those last overs. Eventually Guy scored the winning run in the last over with 4 balls to spare.