All seven Frenford senior sides were in action across the weekend, including both Kestrels teams competing on the same day in the EWPL. From another extraordinary Pratik Bhalerao performance and a dominant 25-point victory for the 1st XI, to a superb Kestrels win at Hutton and continued opportunities for our emerging senior players, it was another weekend that showcased the depth of cricket developing across the club.

1st XI – Pratik Turns It On Again

Mo' Amin's 1st XI secured an excellent 25-point victory over neighbours Woodford Green CC at Frenford HQ, continuing their momentum at an important stage of the season.

Batting first, we knew conditions weren't going to make run-scoring straightforward. The recent weather has made our home surface a little more challenging, so the focus was on building partnerships and making sure our starts contributed towards something meaningful.

Although nobody went on to make the defining individual score, there were solid contributions throughout the order, allowing us to keep the scoreboard moving and eventually post a very respectable 255 from our 50 overs.

Then came the Pratik Bhalerao show – again.

Following his remarkable eight-wicket haul at Leigh-on-Sea last weekend, Pratik produced another outstanding performance, taking seven wickets and ripping through the Woodford Green batting order.

Fifteen wickets across consecutive weekends is an exceptional return and shows exactly why Pratik is such an asset to this side. At the business end of the season, having a bowler of his class capable of taking control of games is invaluable.

A great 25-point win, another strong team performance and exactly the momentum we want to keep building.

– Mo' Amin

2nd XI – Fine Margins at Orsett & Thurrock

Haroon Zakria's 2nd XI travelled to Orsett & Thurrock CC looking to build on some encouraging recent performances and push for maximum points.

Having won the toss, I elected to bat and the boys responded with a strong performance.

Bash was the standout, producing a superb century, while Hamza and Umer both added important fifties. Those three innings gave us the foundation to post a competitive total and put ourselves in a good position at the halfway stage.

With the ball, however, we struggled to find the regular breakthroughs we needed. Neither the seamers nor our spin-heavy attack could quite penetrate early enough, allowing Orsett & Thurrock to establish partnerships and keep themselves within touching distance of the required rate.

Credit to the hosts , they managed the chase well and took the game deep, eventually getting over the line with only a few balls remaining.

It was a very tight game and one that could easily have gone our way with another couple of breakthroughs at key moments.

Plenty of positives with the bat, but also areas we know we can improve. We go again next week.

– Haroon Zakria

3rd XI – Fight, Fire and an Outstanding Team Effort

With Waqqas away, vice-captain Khuram Dar stepped in to lead the 3rd XI against Chingford CC, and although Frenford were denied maximum points, Khuram was full of praise for what he regarded as one of the side's most complete performances of the season.

Losing the toss, we were asked to bat first. Knowing our preference is normally to bowl, Chingford clearly had their own plan for the game.

With such a big total eventually on the board, largely thanks to another Ton from Rohit, perhaps with a little more impetus towards the latter stages of our innings we could have bought ourselves a few more overs to attack them. As it was, it became clear relatively early in their response that Chingford were looking to shut the game down rather than chase the target.

That created a different challenge – and I couldn't have asked for much more from the boys.

For me, Adam C – Chadders – deserves special recognition, not just for this game but for his entire season. His maturity and tactical nous are well beyond his years. The control he provides means Vishal can bowl more aggressively and attack wickets from the other end. At times watching Chadders operate reminded me of Irfan Shah: thinking about the batter, understanding the situation and bowling to a plan.

I've said it before – youngest future 1st XI captain?

Then there was Hussain.

His spell was pure fire and fury. Think Wahab Riaz against Australia in the 2015 World Cup. Aggressive, hostile and completely committed. It was the sort of spell that lifts everyone around you and showed exactly what Hussain is capable of.

Pink was excellent behind the stumps too. His glove work complemented what was probably our most complete collective bowling and fielding performance of the season.

We threw everything at them.

Even late in the game, when a caught-behind opportunity wasn't given, the boys remained composed. No drama, no loss of focus – we simply got back to our marks and went again. The behaviour and attitude throughout were exceptional.

Ultimately, we got incredibly close against a side determined to hold out. Perhaps a few extra overs would have made the difference, but I couldn't fault the desire or fight shown by this group.

Sometimes maximum points don't tell the whole story. This was a performance we should take plenty of confidence from.

– Khuram Dar

4th XI – Young Falcons Face a Senior Test

Suleman Kazi returned to captain the 4th XI for their trip to Loughton CC, leading what was probably one of the most inexperienced senior Frenford sides fielded this season.

The fact that arranging enough transport simply to get everyone to the away ground proved a challenge gave some indication of just how young this team was.

Against an established Loughton side, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon.

Having lost the toss, Frenford were asked to bat first but struggled to establish any momentum against an experienced home attack. Hassan Saeed provided the resistance in the middle order, battling his way to an excellent 46 under considerable pressure, but around him we were unable to build the partnerships required.

The message between innings was simple: the score was on the board, so give ourselves something to fight for.

Our young attack responded positively and there was a brief glimmer of an opportunity, but Loughton showed their experience. They absorbed the pressure and approached the chase maturely, eventually reaching the target for the loss of only two wickets in 25 overs.

Armaan Qaisar continued to add to his impressive wicket tally, while Hassan completed an excellent individual performance by also making a breakthrough with the ball.

The result wasn't what we wanted, but context matters with this side. These young players are learning senior cricket by playing it, sometimes against opponents with years of experience behind them.

There was plenty of character shown, and those experiences will only accelerate their development.

– Suleman Kazi

5th XI – Another Step Forward for Razi's Young Falcons

Razi Siddiqui once again took an emerging 5th XI on the road, this time facing an experienced Oakfield Parkonians CC side on another hot summer afternoon.

After losing the toss, we were asked to bowl first – always a demanding task for such a young group in those conditions.

Oakfield started well, but the boys stuck at it. Sabeeh Abid came on first change and provided the breakthrough we needed, removing both established batters in quick succession before going on to finish with three wickets.

Abdullah Hussain also chipped in with the important wicket of their number three, while Mahammed Vahora produced another encouraging performance to claim three wickets of his own.

To dismiss an experienced senior side for 217 inside 39 overs was a great effort from the lads and gave us a realistic opportunity in the chase.

With the bat, Ishraq Fazal made a promising 29, while U13 Johnny Johal again showed the talent coming through this group with an exciting 31 from just 21 balls.

Unfortunately, once those starts ended, we weren't able to build the substantial partnerships needed to take the chase deeper. Oakfield's first-change bowler took control through the middle order with a five-wicket haul and ultimately took the game away from us.

The result wasn't what we wanted, but once again there was plenty to be encouraged by.

We have very young players taking wickets and scoring runs against established senior cricketers every weekend. With experience, those starts will become bigger innings, spells will become more consistent and close games will begin turning into victories.

The future remains very bright for this group.

– Razi Siddiqui

Kestrels 1st XI – A Complete Team Victory at Hutton

For the first time in a while, both of our senior Kestrels sides were in EWPL action on the same day, with the 1st XI travelling to face a strong Hutton CC side.

With Uswa Syed unavailable, Fatima Imtiaz stepped back into the captaincy role and, after winning the toss, elected to bat first.

Things didn't exactly go according to plan.

With our top three dismissed and only 23 runs on the board, we suddenly found ourselves with our backs against the wall and needing someone to take responsibility.

Mariam Iqbal did exactly that.

She produced a composed and considered 53, holding the innings together while wickets continued to fall around her. Alishba continued her excellent development with another important contribution alongside Mariam, before Sana Chaudhry and Krisha Shah provided some much-needed resistance towards the end.

Sana finished unbeaten on 20, with Krisha 9 not out, as the pair wrestled some momentum back and helped us reach 170 from our 35 overs.

Against a strong Hutton batting side, we knew defending that total would require a complete performance.

Sana immediately stepped up again, this time with the ball, removing both openers early and giving us exactly the start we needed.

Hutton continued to work their way towards the target, but the girls stayed together and kept competing. Our fielding became increasingly important as the chase tightened, with Sana involved in two run-outs and Mariam another, while wickets were shared around the attack.

Their number six played an excellent innings of 84 and threatened to take the game away from us, but we kept finding a response.

Eventually, we secured a brilliant 17-run victory.

This one showed just how far this group has come. From 23 at the loss of our top three, we found a way to build a total. Then, when Hutton threatened the chase, everybody contributed with the ball and in the field.

It wasn't about one individual performance. It was a proper team victory from 1 to 11, and one we can all be extremely proud of.

– Fatima Imtiaz

Kestrels 2nd XI – Young Kestrels Continue Their Journey

Diana Tasi's Kestrels 2nd XI were also on the road, travelling to Buckhurst Hill CC for another valuable opportunity for this emerging group to experience senior women's cricket.

Asked to bat first, the young Kestrels responded with real positivity.

Momina gave us an excellent start with 31, while Amina contributed a very good 35. Their efforts provided the early platform and showed the confidence beginning to develop within this group.

When both departed, wickets started to fall more regularly, but once again our younger players stepped forward.

Hafsa produced an excellent 30 and Taiba added 25, helping us rebuild and eventually post 169 from 29.1 overs.

There were plenty of positives in that batting performance, particularly seeing different players taking responsibility throughout the innings.

With the ball, however, we came up against a very experienced Buckhurst Hill 1st XI batting line-up who immediately took control of the chase. Their openers were commanding from the start and, despite the best efforts of our young attack, the hosts reached the target for the loss of just one wicket in 19.1 overs.

The result was difficult, but for this team the bigger picture remains important.

Many of these girls are still at the beginning of their senior cricket journey, playing against established players and learning every time they step onto the field.

There is some serious young talent developing within this group. The foundations being laid now are incredibly exciting for the future of Kestrels cricket at Frenford.

We're learning, we're growing, and we're doing it together.

– Diana Tasi

Seven senior teams, seven very different contests.

There were emphatic victories, games decided by fine margins, determined resistance and difficult afternoons that will provide valuable lessons. But across every XI, the same picture continues to emerge: established senior players performing at a high level while another generation of Falcons and Kestrels gains meaningful experience alongside them.

Pratik's extraordinary run now stands at 15 wickets across two weekends. The Kestrels 1st XI showed tremendous character to win from a difficult position at Hutton. And throughout the 3rd, 4th, 5th and Kestrels 2nd XIs, younger players continue to demonstrate why the club's future remains so exciting.

Different teams. Different stages of the journey. One club.