The sun was out, and the warmth of summer was starting to break through. It was an early start for a Sunday, but the journey was worth it to arrive at a well-presented ground. Godalming provided us with a nice grass wicket on their junior pitch. The outfield looked fast, and the boundaries were a balanced distance.

As the Fleet team started to arrive, parents looked weary, but moods were clearly boosted by the sunshine. Our captain for the day was Joseph, and I cornered him for my usual 'Captain and Coach pre-match briefing.' While Joseph had a very 'laissez-faire' approach on the surface, deep in his subconscious, he knew what he wanted, and a plan quickly came together.

Joseph was confident he would win the toss with a call for heads and elect to bowl first. Unfortunately, the coin had other ideas and settled on tails. The opposition elected to bowl first, which, as the game played out, worked best for us.

Daniel and Sam donned their battle armor and took a leisurely stroll to the crease. As the next overs played out, the beautiful sound of a leather ball finding the middle of a well-carved piece of English Willow echoed from the wicket. Sam and Daniel aimed to put the opposition on the back foot right from the beginning, forming a very positive and aggressive partnership that set the foundation and tone for the rest of the game.

Sam was eventually bowled, but between him and Daniel, they put on an opening partnership of 51 runs. Next, Woody entered and retired after adding a further 18 runs to the score. Daniel was the next wicket to fall after scoring 35 runs from 21 balls, an impressive strike rate of 166.67.

Joseph and Will added further to the score, with the innings coming to a close with Dexter and Alex not out and a score of 131 runs. Godalming contributed 49 extras to our score.

After a quick sip of freshly squeezed orange concentrate, we were back out to see how successful we could be with the ball.

Daniel took a quick wicket when Godalming had 9 runs on the board. The pressure was maintained with the next wickets falling at 15 and 25 runs. We had a sterling performance from our U11 player Mihir, who took 2 wickets in his 2 overs, bowled a maiden over, and only allowed Godalming 2 runs. Will, Dylan, and Dexter equally bowled some very economical overs. Alex troubled the batters with every delivery, resulting in a leg cutter that caused confusion, allowing him to take 2 wickets.

As we entered the 18th over, with Godalming having only 1 wicket to spare and well short of our score, Dexter took the ball, adamant that last wicket was his. He ran in with conviction and determination, and on the second ball, his hand raised in a big LBW appeal. The Fleet umpire created suspense while he deliberated his decision. Though it was a very close call, the umpire decided it was just drifting down the leg side. Had I just denied Dexter his much-wanted wicket? Dexter was not standing for this. He charged in two more times before finally dismissing the batter, allowing Fleet to win by 58 runs.

It was a great game with every player making a positive contribution. We only gave away 18 extras, which was comparatively low. The team played with aggression and commitment - well done!

Finally, I want to congratulate Dexter on his comeback to cricket after some tough months personally. Great determination was shown, and this is the start of many more great games.