Srikanth blitzes 65-ball ton as Cavs chase 200

This was the Srikanth show. He mullered the Cheam bowling attack in a display of wanton destruction. As usual he started by thwacking a straight ball over mid-wicket, the sort of shot that has the oppo thinking ‘he wont last long’. Which is true in a way, he only lasted 65 balls here. By then of course he had blattered a mighty 102 runs. He drove the ball over the top repeatedly and, when the fielders went back to cover the boundaries he simply hit in between them with precision. It was glorious to behold. What was less glorious was how we managed to nearly lose the game.
Arriving at a club which we had not played before, with 10 players, including two unseen colts on senior debut, the Cavs had no right to expect a win. A 3pm start gave time for a 30 over match, which was a boon on such a blisteringly hot day. It was especially appreciated as it soon became apparent that this was a road of a pitch and going to be a toil in the field. Cheam only lost two wickets in racking up 202 but were perhaps guilty of not pushing hard enough for more runs, especially against such an inexperienced attack.
The colts Jacob McLoughlin and Jack Stadler both looked good prospects and lent some much needed agility in the field. This helped keep the chase manageable and after tea the openers Srikanth and Joel Miller went on the attack. They put on 132 for the first wicket in 17 overs, appearing untroubled by a varied, but wayward attack. Joel eventually missed a full toss and went for 46, and Srinvias Rao came in and scored a breezy 14 to leave the Cavs at 161 for 2 with plenty of overs left. Srikanth duly brought up his wonderous century with a four and then retired to give the rest a chance. The score at this point was 180 for 2 (or 3). It was only then that Cheam decided to use their best bowlers, which was just weird. They swept through the rest of the Cavs batting in worrying fashion.
Gaurav Bansal went out at number 9 as effectively out last man. Our tenth man – Andy Lewis had unfortunately had his car broken into and was absent – and Sri, who officially was not out, had already changed into his civvies. (Admittedly, the form he was in, he could have probably won it with no kit. Or bat.) We faced the prospect of being all out with only 8 wickets going down. But Gaurav stuck in and Chris Morgan leg-byed the winning runs in the last over.