A corner seems to have been turned, at least as far as the 1st X1 is concerned. Last month I related how the Ones had not lost a game following the Stevens Cup victory in early July. Well, make that two months now!

Grayswood came visiting in late August and a dour game resulted in the home side picking up just two points for a losing draw. In the battle against relegation this was OK but not really enough. However Grayswood are finishing the season very strongly and, in that context, any points was not such a bad return.

So to Lindford! On a difficult pitch Elstead batted first and struggled to 105 from 48 overs, this after being 23 for 5. Lindford looked to be in the driving seat but wickets kept falling. At 103 for 8 it still seemed to be the home side's match but, in a thrilling climax, skipper Mark Wycherley bowled a wicket maiden before Lindford sneaked two more runs off the next over. Fortunately Mark immediately came up trumps with the final wicket and the game was tied. Not a common event but an exciting match saw Elstead's run continue with five well earned points.

Elstead were off the bottom of the table with a relegation head-to-head against local rivals Thursley next up. Elstead batted first and opener Richard Jones set the innings off well with a tidy 45. The next seven batsmen then chipped in with double figure scores, not a common occurrence in 2007, and the home side were able to declare on 206 for 6 from 48 overs.

Thursley's reply stumbled almost immediately as David Tye removed the dangerous Keith Tilson and Lee Hudson in the second over. A couple of partnerships held up Elstead's charge to victory but that man Tye was not to be denied. He picked up three more top order wickets and then came back into the attack to rattle through the lower order. His 8 - 47 from 15 overs was a magnificent performance and the 10 points for El;stead took the team out of the bottom two (at Thursley's expense).

Can the side really escape relegation? Almost there, now! It will have been a remarkable escape with the team having been firmly anchored to the foot of the league halfway through the season.

Sadly, the 2nd X1 are still mired in a gloomy  run of poor results. In the time that the Ones have turned their season around the Twos have collected just four points from seven games. Only a losing draw against Dogmersfield has relieved the recent bad run, and that was a stodgy backs-to-the-wall affair as the lads played out for the draw.

No matter! The Summer has at last given us some warm dry weather and the cricket is being enjoyed. The Twos should be safe in Division Three and the Ones have now hauled themselves up into a position where they, too, could survive in Division One. Magnificent!