Winning the toss, skipper James Biggs had little hesitation in choosing to bat first on a ground that had seen over 1000 runs scored on it the previous weekend. However, Burghley’s innings was a patchwork of promising starts and frustrating collapses. Opening for Burghley was David Platt and Harry Sorensen. Sorensen, the more aggressive of the opening pair, struck 25 from just 16 balls, before falling to a mistimed shot off Rajeshwar Guddati. This brought Chris Armstrong to the crease, and the hosts reached 67 before Platt was bowled by Ashok Kumar for 16.

Matt Davies managed only 4 in his brief stay before being stumped. Armstrong played confidently, scoring 41, but was bowled by the dangerous Abdul Moeed. James Biggs struggled for fluency during his stay, eventually falling lbw for 17.

The innings found solidity again through a well-constructed partnership between Lewis Banthorpe and Dinesh Swaminathan. Banthorpe top-scored with 52 balls while Swaminathan’s 43 provided stability with the air of a counter-attack. The pair pushed the total past 200 and, crucially, maximum batting points. But from there, the innings quickly unravelled.

The lower order fell cheaply. Alexander Marshall (1), Mark Ingram (0), and Aman Dinesh (1) fell in quick succession, while Ella Briault remained not out on 1. This brought the inning to a close with Burghley all out for a respectable 216.

Freiston’s response began shakily. Zeeshan Saeed was dismissed in the second over for 1, bowled by Dinesh Swaminathan. His in-swing proving difficult to get away and had the batsmen in trouble. Lewis Banthorpe soon chipped in with a wicket of his own, getting Richard Paul caught behind for 3.

At 10/2, the chase had begun fully in Burghley’s favour. Every Burghley player put in maximum effort in the field, working hard and supporting their teammates. However, Waseem Ilyas’ innings of 83 turned the tide. Supported by Sunil Panjwani (28), the pair added 61 before Panjwani fell to David Platt.

After Ilyas departed with the score at 150/4, being trapped LBW by the dangerous Swaminathan, Usman Ahmed steered the chase home with a measured 69* deliveries, partnered by Abdul Moeed, who contributed an unbeaten 24.

Burghley Park showed promise with the bat, with the highlight being the partnership between Banthorpe and Swaminathan, including Banthorpe’s second consecutive 50. However, they were unable to post a strong enough total, and the experienced Freiston side chased it down in 36.5 overs. Despite the loss, the efforts from all in the field was a big positive. Attention now turns to Billingborough away this weekend.

This match was sponsored by RTK.