On Sunday 5th January 2025, to start the new year with a bang, the KFCC indoor VI traveled along a soaking wet A12 to take on the Indoor Cricket County finals day.

Having won their league title in the Braintree District they had previously eased aside Coggeshall CC - winners of the Northern Gateway league in a regional play off and therefore faced the 4 other regional league winners on the Day, the morning fixture saw Buckhurst Hill CC best Springfield, chasing the total with an over to spare and up next KFCC were to bat first against Hadleigh and Thundersley CC.

It was a blistering start by Kelvedon as Dan Wheeler and Matt Hart made use of the angles and the back netting which often found itself in the way to make their way to 25 each and retire back in the sheds. Lee Scott, Tom Patterson, Rich Nunn and Lewis Hart then decided that aggression was the only option left which successfully saw them all run out or caught on the boundary with a few others left and once again it was down the Wheeler and M Hart to see the innings to a close, which saw us post a final total of 138-5.

In reply Hadleigh struggled to get away the express pace of Patterson and Nunn (one slightly more express than the other) often edging into the netting behind and the ball entangling itself rather than going to hand, before a thinner edge saw a a regulation catch to keeper Wheeler. The challenge with bowling was always going to be the middle overs of Hart, Scott and Hart which they opposition were always going to score more freely and as we approached the last 2 overs Hadleigh were in touch only needing 20 to win. R Nunn took some damage but a wicket on the last ball of the 11th over followed by T Patterson ripping some stumps out the ground 2 balls into the last saw KFCC walk away the Victors by 8 runs and into the final to face Buckhurst Hill CC.

Batting first again and much more of the same from M Hart and Wheeler as Wheeler retired on 25. With the sports hall replicating something more familiar to a pinball machine than a cricket pitch it was always odds on for run outs and sadly that's the fate that fell both M Hart and Scott on 22 & 24 a piece meaning they fell short of getting back in the hut and freeing up the guys at the crease, in the end as more run outs tumbled, Wheeler was again left to bat under last man standing rules and continued his way to a rather annoying but rather good 71 and KFCC posting a very competitive 143-5.

A fierce start once more by Patterson and Nunn but with Buckhurst Hill knowing they had a rate to keep up with some big shots were played and often evaded the flailing fielding limbs allowing the batters to scamper through for 3 on many occasion. The same middle over quandary faced KFCC and after Scott's first over went for a rather eye watering 18 runs it felt as though the game may be slipping away before M Hart, bowled his first over for 3 runs and picking up the crucial first wicket, the same combination struggled away for 4 more overs and handed the ball back to the safety net of Nunn and Patterson with 4 overs to bowl and 50 runs needed, although at this point it was a case of swing hard and run for the batting side. Which led to a number of simple and quite frankly acrobatic run outs (think Raygun) reduced Hadleigh to needing 16 off the last, with just 1 wicket in hand. A valiant effort saw that reduced to 5 off the last ball and as the ball drilled along the ground and into the wall to limit the batting side to just 1 before the stumps were taken it meant a 3 run victory and the newly crowned County Champions to be the Bottle green of KFCC.

Well done to all players!