FLITWICK V UFFORD PARK
Pictured Above: UFFORD PARK BEFORE THEIR COUNTY INDOOR FINAL DEFEAT V FLITWICK.
Back row left to right: Muhammad Raheel, Shoaib Chaudhry, Andy Larkin and Saj Ali
Front row left to right: Usman Sadiq, Dan Peeroo (Captain), Waheed Javed and Jonathan Bigham
Ufford Park are out of the 2025 National Indoor Tournament after a 20-run defeat against Flitwick. Ufford (representing Huntingdonshire) got to the County Final after winning the Hunts Indoor League in March 2024 and they met an inform team from Bedfordshire. Like Ufford, Flitwick won their Indoor Competition last season and are on course to retain their title as they are currently top with 2 matches remaining. Flitwick B team have also just won division 2 of the Bedford Indoor league. The Bedfordshire Indoor League is an incredibly strong competition and one of the biggest in the country with the competition having 5 divisions and a lady’s indoor league playing across 3 sports halls across the town.
Under ECB rules the match was 12 overs a side, with bowlers limited to 3 overs a bowler and batters retiring when they score 25 (or their last scoring shot goes past 25) before recycling back in, with every delivery down leg side a wide. The match was also played on the sports hall floor which was unusual as most indoor cricket is played on carpet.
Ufford won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first. Flitwick got off to a good start scoring 33 from the first two overs before the partnership was broken at 35 with Flitwick captain Matthew Pateman caught at square leg by Usman Sadiq off the bowling of Andy Larkin. Partnerships started to develop with Flitwick 80-1 from 6 overs at halfway with both opening batsman Harry Thurstance and Liam Peters set. Both retired at 25 under competition regulations having put on an unbeaten partnership of 50. The 2nd wicket quickly fell with Muhammad Raheel taking a catch off Waheed Javed but the lower order for Flitwick went through the gears and a 44-run partnership for the 3rd wicket was put on by wicket keeper batsman Carl Ferguson and Max Coplin. Ferguson was brilliantly run out by Waheed Javed with another of his trademark direct hits, but this did not affect Coplin who used a mixture of power hitting with excellently judged running to very quickly take him past retirement.
Coplin’s retirement brought back Thurstance and Peters and they helped keep the scoreboard moving before Ufford wicket keeper/captain Dan Peeroo ran out Thurstance for a top score of 35 in the last over. There was some brilliant batting from Flitwick with some exquisite cover and straight drives along with some brilliant shots through mid-wicket, fine leg and 3rd man. All the Ufford bowlers kept going but could have been frustrated with themselves as they conceded 30 extras – 19 of them wides.
Chasing 159 to get a place in the Regional Finals, Ufford’s opener Andy Larkin hit a brilliant straight 4 from the first ball of the match, before Peters came back next ball to dismiss him with a brilliant yorker. A 67-run partnership developed between Usman Sadiq and Peeroo with both batsmen retiring with 25 to their name. At that point Ufford were up with the run rate being 86-2 from 7 overs (while Flitwick were 88-1 at the same point) A quickfire 18 from Waheed Javed and 13 from Shoaib Chaudhry kept the scoreboard going with a 31 partnership for the 3rd wicket but Flitwick came back strong with wickets for Pateman and David Powles. This saw the return of Sadiq and Peeroo and they kept the scoreboard moving but the fielding from Flitwick was exceptional with many outstanding stops on the back wall and a super diving catch from Max Coplin.
Sadiq was caught by Thurstance for 29 to give Peters his 2nd wicket of the day and finish with 2-26 from his 3 overs leaving Ufford 126-5 needing 33 to win. Under ECB rules a last man stand policy is in place, so captain Peeroo kept batting needing 36 from the last 2 overs. The wicket keeper/batsman produced some quality shots and a six from the last ball took him to 50, but it was too much to ask from him as the Flitwick bowlers bowled some brilliant line and lengths and were backed up with some exceptional fielding.
Flitwick now head to Uppingham School on Sunday 16th March 2025 knowing that they are only 2 wins away from Lords.
ECB COUNTY INDOOR FINAL – FLITWICK (Beds) v Ufford Park (Hunts) – Sunday 2nd March 2025 At The John Bunyan Sports Centre, Bedford.
COUNTY INDOOR FINAL SCORECARD:
Toss: Ufford won the toss and bowled first.
FLITWICK:
Harry Thurstance Run Out (Dan Peeroo) 35
Matthew Pateman (CPT) c Usman Sadiq b Andy Larkin 7 (1x4)
Liam Peters Not Out 34 (3x4)
David Powles c Muhammad Raheel b Waheed Javed 3
Carl Ferguson (WK) Run Out (Waheed Javed) 16 (1x6 and 1x4)
Max Coplin Not Out 33 (1x6 and 1x4)
EXTRAS: 30 – 19 wides, 1 no ball, 9 leg byes, 1 bye, 0 penalty runs.
INNINGS TOTAL: 158-4 from 12 overs.
UFFORD PARK BOWLING FIGURES:
Usman Sadiq 3-0-45-0
Muhammad Raheel 3-0-34-0
Andy Larkin 2-0-26-1
Shoaib Chaudhry 2-0-19-0
Waheed Javed 2-0-24-1
UFFORD PARK:
Andy Larkin b Liam Peters 4 (1x4)
Usman Sadiq c Harry Thurstance b Liam Peters 29
Dan Peeroo (CPT AND WK) Not Out 50 (3x6 and 1x4)
Muhammad Raheel b David Powles 0
Waheed Javed b Max Coplin 18 (2x6)
Shoaib Chaudhry c Max Coplin b Matthew Pateman 13 (1x4)
EXTRAS: 24 – 12 wides, 0 no balls, 12 leg byes, 0 byes, 0 penalty runs.
INNINGS TOTAL: 138-5 from 12 overs.
FLITWICK BOWLING FIGURES:
Liam Peters 3-0-26-2
Max Coplin 3-0-28-1
Matthew Pateman 3-0-42-1
David Powles 3-0-30-1
RESULT: Flitwick beat Ufford Park by 20 runs.
UMPIRES: Pete Gurney and Matthew Stevens
SCORERS: Tim Sparrow and Jonathan Bigham
FIXTURES:
ECB NATIONAL REGIONAL FINALS – SUNDAY 16TH MARCH 2025 AT UPPINGHAM SCHOOL:
2.30pm - 1ST Semi Final - Flitwick (Bedfordshire) v Swafham (Norfolk)
4.00pm - 2nd Semi Final - Halesowen (Worcestershire) v Old Lincolnians (Lincolnshire)
5.45pm - Regional Final – Winners of Semi Final 1 v Winners of Semi Final 2
