Baggy Blues 1st XI won by 60 runs

On a gloriously sunny day and a bouncy pitch, the newly-formed Green Kings were put to the sword with both bat and ball by the dominant and aggressive Baggies. Even without main man Andrew Leckonby, last season's beaten finalists had enough power and know-how to knock the Kings off their thrones.

Having elected to bat, Baggy Blues started steadily, with Mike Glover playing his usual clever game of solid defence and powerful attack. After Duncan Fudge was caught at mid-off one-handed by captain Andy Grieve with the score on 19, Dominic Ward strode to the wicket and commenced to show the array of spectators his class with a measured display. Glover fell for 25 to a great catch at backward point by Fanni Cziraky (drafted into the team at the last minute to replace the absent David Garbutt), then Mahesh Singh came and went for 12 thanks to a superb running and diving catch at point by Aftab. So, three catches and the score on 83 in the 19th over. Green Kings were bowling well, but not so effectively and Ward was still at the crease. Would there be a collapse or would the batsmen set an imposing target?

Thanks to Ward's half-century and quick-fire 20s from Gamble and Damien Naughton, the Baggies moved the score along to 158, probably par for the pitch. Aneel took three wickets for 18 runs, while Abdul Khan, Zoltan Mago and Attila Vakan were accurate and efficient, but some expensive overs from Grieve and Kristof Noll-Batek put a dampener on the fledgling team's spirits at the changeover. Could they bat their way to an impressive victory?

Khan and Grieve opened and kept the scoreboard ticking along, while counting off the overs from dangerman Abed Nazar. The introduction of spinner Duncan Fudge for the sixth over with the score on 31, however, proved the Kings' downfall. Grieve's eyes widened, but his attempted slog gave Fudge an easy caught-and-bowled, then Khan was stumped by the aptly-named Glover three balls later to undo all their good work. Aftab hit a mighty six and two fours, but he failed to stay long enough at the wicket to turn the game around, having lost Mago to a ripper from Naughton (who ended up with four wickets). Aneel added 16 but the tail didn't wag, with the three Comenius students adding only 1 run to the scoreboard between them. All out for 98, giving the Baggy Blues a comfortable 60-run victory.

Despite the result, the Green Kings are looking forward to their Premier League campaign. There were signs of great potential and the team spirit was very positive, aided by the weekly trips down to Szekesfehervar by the Budapest contingent for joint net sessions. As for the Baggies, they're a strong force and are very much back on track, with Glover having the last word: "Who needs that guy Leckonby, anyway?"

Man of the Match: Dominic Ward, for his dominant innings of 52