With the introduction of some new members this season, and some aggressive work on social media, our match reports are being read all around the globe. Apparently Mr David Turner (father of run machine Mark) is a regular reader, and so I was hoping I could dedicate this particular piece of literature to the head of our New Zealand fan club. Sadly Mr Turner, there will be no further mention of Mark in this week's report seeing as he injured himself midweek playing ice hockey!

Despite not having Mark at the top of the order, Glenmore went into this fixture against Crown Cobras with a strong looking line up. Iqbal and Manjinder returned to the side, as did Reagan Nel who was back from injury having dislocated his knee playing rugby. Why our players feel the need to play other sports as well as cricket is quite beyond me!

It was another cold, wet, windy day at Westwinds but skipper Storey won the toss (thanks to his lucky coin) and elected to bat first. Storey's opening partner for the day was Daniel Brennan, the chief destroyer in our previous game. Dan was unable to make the same impact with the bat as he had with ball however, getting out caught for 6 attempting a pull shot. The Crown bowlers (Bajwa and Javed) were bowling very well with the new ball, and scoring wasn't particularly easy. Alex managed to get off the mark with a six, but after that was far from fluent and repeatedly played and missed. While he struggled to find some form at the other end wickets continued to fall. Jaideep was lbw for a duck before Anjan nicked off to the keeper for four. 37-3 and Crown were well in the ascendency.

Storey and Iqbal Sandhu were able to stay together for a further eight overs, in which time just 20 more runs were added. Muneeb Cheema eventually ended Storey's vigil by serving up a full, wide delivery which Storey (25) chipped tamely into the hands of cover point. 57-4 with plenty of overs remaining, Glenmore were in desperate need of a partnership of some substance, which is exactly what they got. Iqbal and Jonathan Bray set about rebuilding the innings in contrasting methods, but both were successful and very valuable. Jon was rock solid in defense, and looked to do all he could to prevent another wicket falling. Iqbal, playing his natural game, was far more aggressive, always willing to attack the bowlers and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Together they formed a highly effective combination that got Glenmore right back into the game.

Often times scores and statistics don't tell the full story, and that was certainly the case with Jon Bray's knock today. He was eventually out for 6 from 43 deliveries, but he had played a vital role in Glenmore getting back into the contest, and had helped put on 53 for the 5th wicket. But it was Iqbal who was causing the Crown bowlers most problems with his wide array of strokeplay. It was actually a very patient, mature innings from Iqqy...happy to block the good ones, but even more happy to launch into anything off line. Three times the big fella cleared the boundary rope, as well as hitting three 4s. It wasn't long before he'd got to his first fifty of the season, and it looked as though he might be well on his way to setting up a big total. However, the innings took another turn with the introduction of young Arya Desai into the attack. The slow left armer had a great day with the ball, taking six wickets, including the key one of Iqbal and that of Bray. Ryan Jenkinson and Manjinder Sandhu came and went quickly, and suddenly the innings was back in the balance at 137-8.

The hero of the latter stages of the Glenmore innings was Reagan Nel. 'Gunther' has recently turned 18, but his innings was fantastically mature for one so young. He brilliantly combined diligent defense with the occasional big shot. A slog sweep for six was particularly memorable, timed to perfection, as was a fantastic pull for another maximum. Suki, on the back of three consecutive ducks, finally got off the mark for the season and helped Reagan add 27 for the 9th wicket. Rich Harvey was the last man in, and made a very entertaining 3 runs! A rare strike over the infield was followed by a lap sweep. But, he soon became Desai's sixth wicket of the day and Glenmore were all out for 179. Probably a below par score, but it could have been a lot worse had it not been for Iqbal's 55 and Reagan's unbeaten 34.

Two weeks previously the Glenmore attack had blown Crown away for just 26, and so it was no surprise that the Crown openers were somewhat circumspect at the start of their innings. Not that Dan Brennan or Manjinder Sandhu gave them much to score from in the early exchanges. Both bowled beautifully without any good fortune, so while Crown had negotiated the new ball without losing any wickets they hadn't been able to make a big dent in their target. Thejas Srinivasan eventually ran out of patience when Suki Ghotra was introduced to the attack, attempting to hit the ball over the top but only managing to pick out Anjan at mid-off. Anjan made it look a little harder than it was but managed to hold on.

Suki's spell summed up Glenmore's disciplined approach with the ball. All the bowlers were tight and economical, but none more so than Suki. He bowled ten overs on the spin, barely sending down a bad ball, and went for just 15 runs. It was a fantastic effort and really kept the pressure on the Crown batsmen. Wickets tended to fall at the other end however, and it was Iqbal who struck next with one of his much loved slower balls, finding Kamal's edge to the keeper. Still, Crown were well placed at 54-2 as they headed into the final ball before drinks. But, Sharma and Bajwa somehow got in a complete muddle running between the wickets to give Glenmore a huge bonus. The ball went down to third man, Suki got to it quickly and fired it into Iqbal, who turned on his heels to throw down the stumps at the bowler's end leaving Sharma well short of his ground.

If the run out set Crown back on their mission, Richard Harvey completely removed any hope they had of a victory. Richy has always been wonderfully consistent for Glenmore, so it was a little surprising he started his spell with a few short, wide deliveries. Thankfully both were hit in the air straight to Dan at cover point! Following these two slightly fortunate scalps Rich was back to his best, deftly changing his speed and flight to keep the batsmen unsure of how to play him. Ali Akhtar decided to combat Richy with all out aggression, and did manage to swipe a few sixes over cow corner, but it was always just a matter of time before he offered a chance. A few catches went down but Richy got his man in the end as Akhtar edged one to Storey behind the stumps.

By now the end was nigh, but Glenmore were still able to produce some top quality cricket. Iqbal took a fine running catch in the deep to give Rich his fourth wicket of the day, while Jenko produced some champagne fielding to run out Javed. The ball was squeezed into the leg side, Jenko was onto it in a flash, picked it up and dived in one motion, and hit middle stump with the batsman not even close.

With most of the Crown players playing their own game on the sidelines Manjinder wrapped up the innings with a well deserved wicket. All out for 134 to give Glenmore a handsome 45 run win. It was an excellent team performance with plenty of guys contributing to the win. Iqbal, Reagan and Rich were the obvious heroes, but Jon, Suki and Manji also played key roles. Special mention for Jaideep Singh also. After getting out for a duck he was magnificent in the field, always giving 100% and always supporting his teammates. It's little things like this that make a huge difference.

It's been a great first half of the season for Glenmore. Five wins and one defeat, but even more importantly the team has played with great spirit, togetherness and enjoyment. If we can maintain this during the second half of the Summer who knows what we can achieve.